Chandigarh, May 4
Congress party municipal councillor Davinder Singh Babla has, on the face of it, received a ‘clean chit’ from the Punjab & Haryana High Court in the case pertaining to the allotment of sheds in the Sector 26 market.

Justice Sham Sunder ruled: “Prima facie, it cannot be said that the petitioner (Babla) fabricated and manipulated the records by converting the list of 59 eligible candidates into 69 eligible candidates”. He also asserted Babla could not be termed as an absconder.

The observations on Babla’s bail plea, decided on April 22, are however based on prima facie appreciation of evidence and cannot be termed as the final verdict in the case.

Justice Sunder himself asserted: “It is yet to be finally proved, during the trial of the case, whether the records were manipulated and if so by whom”. He also clarified that “any observation made in this order shall not be taken as an expression of mind on the merit of the case”.

A copy of the order, made available to The Tribune today, says: “The petitioner, being one of the members of the MC’s market committee, was not solely competent to allot the sites under the shed to any person. It was the decision of the committee and not of one member of the committee”.

A first information report on cheating, forgery, criminal conspiracy and other offences was registered against Babla and others on August 19, 2009 on the basis of a complaint filed by one Suraj Parkash Ahuja.

The former chairman of the municipal corporation’s market committee was accused of

allotting places for sale of vegetables in the newly constructed sheds in the vegetable market after fabricating and tampering with the records.

The judge’s observations are significant as Babla has all along been claiming to have been falsely implicated “at the instance of some persons inimically disposed towards him”.

Going into the background of the controversy, Sunder asserted: “It is evident from a document that representatives of the market committee submitted a list of 69 licencees who were eligible for the allotment of sites in the auction platform…. The list was approved by the deputy commissioner-cum-secretary of the state agricultural marketing board, Chandigarh, who asked the subdivisional magistrate (south)-cum-joint secretary, state agricultural marketing board, Chandigarh, to complete the allotment on the same day”.

“It was on the basis of the proceedings of the meeting, which were duly approved by the DC-cum-secretary that the allotment was made. From all the documents it is evident that the list of 69 allottees, who were found eligible for the allotment of sites under the shed, was prepared by officials of the market committee”, the judge said.

Before parting with the order, justice Sunder said Babla “could not be said to be an absconder”.

“The petitioner resorted to the legal remedy of filing application for anticipatory bail up to the Supreme Court. Only after exhausting the remedy, in pursuance to the order of the apex court, did he surrender in court and was taken into custody on December 28 last year. He, therefore, could not be said to be an absconder. Why did the police not arrest him when his application for anticipatory bail was rejected by the court of additional sessions judge is for it to explain…”, the judge stated.

Chandigarh, May 4
City residents might soon go under the bird’s eye view of micro air vehicle (MAV) surveillance cameras.The MAVs are being used in scientific, police and mapping applications. The gadget is also being used for hazardous environments that are inaccessible to ground vehicles. The technology is being used increasingly for distributed sensing and acting, sensor fusion and information processing.

Experts from the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) gave a presentation of the MAV to the Chandigarh Police and its Punjab and Haryana counterparts at the UT police headquarters in Sector 9 here today.

Sources in the police headquarters said the experts gave presentation of remote control-operated MAV attached to a computer for keeping

surveillance of a particular area from air. The device weighing 300 gm flies approximately 100 m from ground and flies for about half an hour. It is equipped with a high-power small camera to record the activities on the ground.

Giving specifications of the MAV, a DRDO scientist said a small MAV, measuring around 100 mm, is equipped with a camera weighing around 20 gm. It can fly at a speed of 10-20 m per second in an area encompassing 2 km from the ground control room (GRC). The images captured by the camera are transmitted to the GRC, where they are further processed for better view.

Elaborating the usage, Harish Chander, director of Aeronautics at the DRDO, said, “Security personnel will have a better view of suspicious activities from air. We have given a presentation to the Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana Police telling them that the device can be customised as per their requirement.”

“Snatchers, motor vehicle thieves and burglars haunt us more and this device is of no use to track them down in action. Even then, we can not say this device is not feasible for us,” the official further remarked.

Chandigarh, May 4
Northern Railway is opening a new ticket reservation counter at the Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT), Sector 43, in the coming week. Residents in southern sectors of the city and Mohali, in particular, will be the most benefited with the opening of the counter. The new counter will be in addition to the existing railway booking facility at the local railway station and the ISBT, Sector 17.

In the initial phase, the booking facility will have only one counter and will gradually have two more additions. A visit to the site today revealed that the interiors had been cleaned up and awaiting computers terminals.

Confirming the development, Manoj Rana, Public Relations Official (PRO), Northern Railway, Ambala division, said “The completion work on the booking counters was nearly completed and we will have a formal inauguration, anytime next week.”

Railway tickets will not be available at the e-sampark centres of the city. The development follows a series of meetings between the Chandigarh Administration and the Railways. The railways authorities are seeking a rate of Rs 20 per ticket as is applicable to the agents in the market. Confirming the development, MS Brar, Director of Information Technology, said, “There was no point in providing the infrastructure for which common man will be shelling out extra money at government outlets.” The Northern Railway PRO said, “In the current scenario when public could go in for e-ticketing besides certain other modules, there was no need for the facility at the e-sampark centres.”

Chandigarh, May 4
It takes nearly half-a-dozen visits to the Panjab University’s examination branch to get a minor correction done in a student’s marksheet, turning the experience into a nightmare.

Supriya Ohri, a student of BCom-II, Government Postgraduate College for Girls, Sector 42, today went from pillar to post for the sixth time to get a correction done in her manually filled marksheet.

An eyewitness to the incident, this correspondent accompanied the student from one room to the other at the university’s administration block to discover the “casual behaviour” of the staff towards an ordinary student.

In addition to the lackadaisical attitude of the staff, certain “fundamental” loopholes in issuing marksheets by the university made the job of this student more taxing.

It was only after the interference of AK Bhandari, Controller of Examinations (CoE), today that repeated attempts by the student, and previously her mother, bore fruit.

“When I brought the case to the notice of CoE, he called up an employee and directed me to the fourth floor. I was then told to leave my marksheet and collect it later. I then reiterated that I need the marksheet for an interview,” said Supriya.

Not only were the marks in cost accounting filled in incorrectly, but shockingly, the column of the total score of the first year was left empty. Certain discrepancies in filling in marksheets were also found.

“If there is no receipt issued and no official signature to testify that the university corrected my marks, students can easily make corrections on their own,” she added, showing her corrected marksheet.

As if the torture was not enough, when the student and this correspondent were waiting at the entrance of the room on fourth floor to get the marks corrected, a clerk abruptly told them to “get out”.

Another university student, Jatin, who had come to get a correction done, narrated his exhausting experience. “Either you need to approach a senior official at the university get the work done or you need to have ample patience to make repeated trips to this block,” he said.

Chandigarh, May 4
Rahul (name changed), a student of Class IV at a missionary school, went mum at the mention of names of Sister Annie and Sister Kalyani. He broke into an inconsolable howl, saying, “I know they are leaving. My life’s support system is collapsing.”

Shruti (name changed), a Class V student at another missionary school, said, “I cannot think of my life without them. It was only they who led me to a school. I am not alone. They meant the whole world to us.”

The students were referring to the team of Sister Annie, Sister Kalyani and Sister Gladys, who were staying at Snehalya, a house for street kids at Maloya, ever since it started functioning in March, 2009. Sister Gladys left for Kerala yesterday and the other two had already packed their bags to move out on May 6.

“We have got no support from the Chandigarh administration, so we were left with no option but to inform our missionary, the Sisters of Charity, in New Delhi,” they said. The Sisters of Charity were working in tandem with Don Bosco Navjeevan missionaries.

The premises housed approximately 80 girls and 130 boys. The sisters were very concerned about the security of the girls in particular. Snehalaya children showed a deep emotional bond with the sisters.

Schools vouched for the pivotal role of the sisters in getting children admitted to different schools in the city, including St Stephen’s, St Mary’s and Saupin’s.

“Things changed a little time back. In a small incident, when a sister was going to her home town recently, she was stopped at the gate and all her belongings, including her tiffin box, were checked. A retired Air Force officer came to meet us recently. He was asked to go back and get his belongings checked in case he saw us,” Sister Kalyani said.

Fr Sebastian Jose SDB, executive director of Don Bosco Navjeevan, speaking from Kerala, said, “It is unfortunate that the sisters are leaving.”

Chandigarh, May 4
“A government teacher on Census duty went to a house in Sector 36 around 4 pm on April 15. The landlady was having her pre-scheduled massage. The teacher tried to get a little information from the women’s daughter, who went inside the house and locked the doors. The teacher rang the doorbell, but was rebuked and shooed away. The teacher repeated her visit to same house after two days, but the owners called the police.”

“Another teacher walked up to a private kothi in Sector 9. She kept ringing the doorbell, but nobody answered. The elderly inmate of the house sent a gardener to shoo her away as he was sleeping. When she tried to explain things to him, the owner came down with his German shepherd dog and yelled “meri neend kharab mat karo warna kutta chorr dunga” (don’t disturb my sleep, otherwise would unleash my dog)”

These are just a few incidents where government teachers on Census duty are facing trouble. Their work timing seems to be clashing with the siesta, evening walks and massage schedules of the city VIP’s.

Irked by being asked to perform regular teaching in schools, the teachers are upset by the residents’ behaviour.

“I stay in Mohali Phase X and have to enumerate the residents of Sector 36. I have to do my regular teaching duty till 2 pm and after 3 pm we can go for Census work. Most people take their afternoon nap at that time and don’t entertain us. Some don’t even answer the doorbells. When took the matter to the Census officials they said: “We have to do the duty and there was no escape,” said a teacher appointed as Census enumerator in Sector 36.

“Forget about glass of water, some residents don’t even let us enter their main gates,” she said.

“In slums you have over five houses with same number and at times we find it hard to search for specific localities. I spent half-an-hour looking for a specific area,” said a teacher working in one of the city slums.

According to most enumerators, residents ask them to come in the morning, which is impossible, as they have to attend school. According to them while some principals are allowing a relaxation of one hour, most of them are not doing so, as they have not received any orders.

Mohali, May 4
The Punjab government is in consultation with Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, to open an institution to train technical educators in order to address shortage of teachers in engineering colleges.

Suresh Kumar, principal secretary, technical education, Punjab, revealed this on the sidelines of a national conference on managing global business in competitive business environment organised here by the Institute of Management and Technology of the Rattan Group of Institutions.

Chandigarh, May 4
Now, swimmers at Panjab University won’t have to wait for summers to enjoy splash into the swimming pool here, as sports authorities at the university have decided to convert mini pool, also known as learners’ pool, into all-weather pool in coming days.

“We have got a sanction of rupees one crore budget for the purpose. The process has been initiated,” said CS Grewal, director, PU sports department.

According to sources, the learners’ pool will be modified up to 25 metre pool first and its depth will also be increased conforming to the prescribed standards. And after that it will be converted into an all-weather pool.

Grewal added that the aim was to facilitate sportspersons of the university so that they could get extra time to prepare for their competitions.

“Often, it has been seen that the dates of swimming competitions fall during the period when there are winters here. Then our swimmers find it difficult to prepare. With this all-weather pool, not only this problem would be solved, but also our swimmers would be able to practice the entire year,” said Grewal.

Meanwhile, shooting sport would also get a boost here on the campus, as the university would soon have a state-of-the-art shooting range here.

Grewal added that a budget of Rs 2.23 crore has been approved by the committee concerned and construction work on both the projects would start soon.

Chandigarh, May 4
The municipal corporation (MC) seems to have succeeded in its efforts to remove encroachments by CITCO on a plot adjoining Hotel Shivalik View to some extent.

Mayor Anu Chatrath said the Adviser to the Administrator had directed CITCO to remove the alleged encroachments from the said land.

The MC and CITCO were involved in a dispute since last week, when it had to stop work on its proposed parking behind the building.

The parking was supposed to be extended to the other end of the road till the land adjoining Hotel Shivalik View.

On April 23, the MC Chief Engineer referred the parking layout back to the Chief Architect to seek some clarifications, citing the risk to trees in the area and a berm between the proposed parking and the slow carriageway.

In the House meeting, councillors alleged that officials were favouring CITCO and helping it to keep its illegal occupation on the said land, though the MC required the land for public purpose.

They also demanded that a notices be issued to CITCO for the realisation of the rent for its land being used by hotels on the pattern of private hotels.

The Mayor claimed today that CITCO would have no option but to vacate the land following directions issued by the Adviser to the Administrator.

CITCO sources revealed that the they had sought drawings of the area from the administration so that demarcation could be carried out before they vacated the area.

Mohali, May 4
The Chandigarh-Punjab chapter of the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) has raised serious doubts over the Punjab forest department’s claims of having constructed the state’s first green building here.“The assertion that the state-of-the art forest department complex has been built on the ‘green building design’ principle, which reflects environmental concerns, is unfounded”, said Surinder Bahga, chairman of IIA’s Chandigarh-Punjab chapter, who along with other members of the body visited the building.

He said the energy conservation building codes spelled out by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) as well as both the central power and new & renewable energy ministries to design green buildings has largely not been followed. “The fully airconditioned building will be an energy-guzzling structure rather being an energy-efficient one,” he observed.

“It is a fundamental architectural axiom the world over that neither aluminum panels nor too much glass suit a composite region (climate zone). The forest department has used both. Double glass is fine provided there is sufficient air gap but in this building it is negligible. It might be a technologically advanced structure but it nowhere fits into the concept of a green building. There are only a few certified green buildings in the region”, the IIA has pointed out in its report.

The only saving grace has been that the courtyard where an artificial water body has been provided.

On the other hand, Renu Khanna, the architect who designed the building, dismissed the association’s concerns as “baseless”.

“Every effort has been made to make the building energy efficient. Its façade has energy efficient double glass, which allows 85 per cent light and only 15 per cent heat to pass through. This reduces the load on the airconditioning system”, she added.

“The water body with a submerged bridge and a 40 feet high waterfall helps in reducing temperature by at least five degrees. The ceiling tiles used are green rated, paints used are low emission and the window-wall ratio is high to maximise natural light. There are sensors to control luminaries and water taps, so the moment the rooms are empty everything shuts down automatically”, the architect pointed out.

Chandigarh, May 4
The UT administration is set to give five MGD to Mohali, three MGD to Panchkula and three MGD to Chandi Mandir from the proposed phases V and VI of the water supply scheme from Kajauli to Chandigarh, adding an additional 40 MGD of supply.

This was decided today during a meeting of the Chief Secretaries of Punjab and Haryana, the executive officer of the Cantonment Board, Chandi Mandir, and the Adviser to the UT Administrator to resolve the issue of future requirements of water to Chandigarh.

The Chief Secretary of Punjab emphasised that the availability of water supply in Chandigarh was 285 LPCD, compared to national norms of 150 LPCD. He added that the growth of Chandigarh would not be so rapid in the future due to geographical limitations, compared to the growth of Mohali and Panchkula, which would be faster and greater.

The Chief Secretary of Haryana demanded that their share of water from the first four pipelines from Kajauli, yet to reach Panchkula, be expedited. It was decided that the alignment of the pipeline to be laid by Haryana for taking the water to Panchkula would be finalised within three months so that Haryana could start working on laying the pipeline.

It was decided that a realistic assessment of water requirement of Chandigarh would be worked out keeping in view its population growth in the future so that adequate water supply arrangements could be made. The UT administration appealed to the Punjab government to convey its concurrence so that the execution of the project could be taken up, which would take some time, and the quantum of water to be shared could be decided.

It must be added that recently, a civil writ petition was filed in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the court, in its interim order, had directed the Chief Secretaries of Punjab and Haryana, the executive officer of the Cantonment Board, Chandi Mandir, and the Adviser to the Administrator to meet and resolve the issue.

Mohali, May 4
Congress MLA from Kharar Balbir Singh Sidhu said demarcation process of the proposed garbage dumping site by the government would be opposed by him and his supporters tomorrow as the matter was pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Sidhu, who was addressing a press conference here today, said land falling in Rasenheri, Jhanjeri and Swara villages was identified by the government for dumping garbage of the town.

Residents of the area had filed an appeal in the Punjab and Haryana High Court in this regard, which had stayed the announcing of the award. The government would be carrying out the demarcation process in violation of the court orders.

He said the high handedness of the government would be taken up in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and also brought to the notice of Capt Amarinder Singh. He said all those officials who carried out the demarcation would be made a party in the case going on in the court.

He said the Mohali Deputy Commissioner had sent messages to nambardars and others to reach the area earmarked for the dumping site in connection with the demarcation work even when the Punjab Pollution Control Board had not submitted its report in this regard so far. The Akali government was determined to acquire this land for dumping garbage, but such a move would be opposed by his supporters.

He said the government was organising tricentenary celebrations in connection with Baba Banda Singh Bahadur’s Sirhind Fateh Divas, but at the same time forcibly acquiring land of farmers falling in the area where the historic battle was fought and converting it into a dumping ground.

Moreover, some religious places were located near the area and certain educational institutions were also set up around this belt, which would be adversely affected.

Mohali, May 4
The Mohali fire brigade has got two new vehicles to fight fires after a gap of about nine years. Two more vehicles will be added soon.

According to reports, one fire jeep and one fire engine have been provided and the chassis of two more fire engines have also been arranged. Fabrication of these two chassis would be done soon.

A mini fire tender was given to the fire brigade in 2001. It already had two fire engines, one water bouser and a fire jeep which were quite old.

However, a fire brigade official said providing new vehicles would not be of any use until adequate staff was provided. There was an acute shortage of staff. At times fire engines had to be driven by station fire officers and fire officers as it did not have adequate number of drivers.

Chandigarh, May 4
Following a 20-minute protest by a group of students of the department of laws, who got a re-appear in land law paper, Panjab University today decided to forward the case of uniform late fee to a special committee.

The protest at gate No. 2, which was preceded by students’ phone calls to call up mediapersons for coverage, ended due to the intervention of Dean Student Welfare (DSW) Naval Kishore. The students demanded that the late fee (Rs 15,000) of re-appear exam be waived off.

Alleging that certain students in their class approached certain Senate members and got their fee waived off, Jaskaran, a student, said: “We had raised the demand earlier as well, but it fell on deaf ears.”

The DSW said: “A committee will now review the case. The case will be reviewed and a uniform fee will be charged.”