Chandigarh, September 27
Broken sticks and cane shields, feeble horses, vehicles not in proper working condition and failure of some cops to use vehicle toolkits marked the parade that the Chandigarh police today held after a gap of several years to revamp its force.

The new senior superintendent of police, Naunihal Singh, not only inspected the parade and fitness of the police personnel but also checked their weapons, cane shields, batons, condition of vehicles and their toolkits. He also asked the drivers of some of the Gypsy vehicles to change the tyres. A few of them did so within minutes but many others were seen struggling with their ill-maintained tools and jacks.

Soon after joining the force Naunihal had expressed surprise over the discontinuance of the parade for the past many years. Terming it to be an essential part in keeping the police force alert and disciplined, he said he would revive the practice of holding the weekly parade.

The SSP gave commands to the force and found there was no uniformity in stamping of the feet. He also checked the engine oil in the vehicles and asked officials to keep proper registers to make entries of each policeman. During inspection of the horses, he remarked the animals looked feeble and told the officials concerned to look after the animals properly, asking them to walk the horses before him.

Anxiousness prevailed among the cops waiting for Naunihal to arrive. Policemen were seen discussing their equipment and cleaning their weapons to avoid an uncomfortable situation.

As directed 25 per cent of the force, including the mounted police, dog squads, riot control units and personnel from the recruitment training centre assembled on the ground adjoining the Sector 17 police station at 6 am along with their vehicles and weapons. “Today’s parade was based on tackling the law and order situation. Later, riot control exercises will also be a part of the parade”, said a police officer.

“Several technical glitches were detected in the Vajra riot control vehicles and the parade helped us in identifying the problem zones. We’ll rectify the defects . The parade helps in improving the body language of the policemen and keeping them alert. They also learn to work in a synchronized manner,” said Naunihal.

He also observed there was no provision of providing meals to the policemen on special duty posted at the cricket stadium. “Those on duty for four hours will be given tea and during the eight-hour duty proper meals will be given to the cops”, he added.

Nayagaon (Mohali), September 27
Said to be enjoying political patronage, the organised sand quarrying ‘mafia’ is digging its heels deeper in the forest area here. Yesterday night, some of its members fired into the air and assaulted four forest officials who had seized a tractor trolley laden with sand at a special ‘naka’ (checkpost).

The suspects riding in the tractor trolley have been identified as Manga Singh, a habitual offender in illegal sand mining cases, and Varinder Singh. “Several cases of illegal sand mining have been filed against Manga and each time he was arrested he was bailed out due to the weak charges slapped by the police”, said forest officials.

Citing an order by the Punjab chief secretary on deputing regular police officers in the area, a forest official said they had not been provided so far.

In a complaint on yesterday’s incident to Ropar range DIG Gurpreet Deo and Mohali SSP GPS Bhullar, the Ropar divisional forest officer (DFO) has stated four forest officials - Guraman Singh, Devinder Singh, Sahib Singh and Amrik -- were manning the checkpost when they were assaulted by the tractor trolley’s occupants. “The suspects not only threatened the officials but also hit them with the tractor”, the DFO said.

While the forest officials were claiming that police officials were reluctant to tackle the sand mining mafia, police officials claimed that it was the forest officials who had fired in the air and thrashed the driver of the tractor trolley. The tractor driver has also given a complaint to the police. Forest officials apprehend that instead of booking the suspects, their officials might be booked in a false case.

It may be mentioned here that after a forest guard, Devinder Singh, was assaulted last February there were several complaints about police inaction. Officials at the Nayagaon police station were accused of working under political pressure.

The increased construction activity in Chandigarh’s periphery is proving to be a boon for the sand quarrying mafia in the Nayagaon-Nada area despite posing a threat to the area’s ecology. In order to make a fast buck the organised operators, using muscle power, are now venturing deeper into the forested area. Sources said the mafia members, work at night to avoid detection and move collectively, using tractor trolleys to ferry the illegally quarried sand 

Mohali, September 27
In 2002, the Punjab Government went out of the way to allot a 500 sq yard plot to Arjuna awardee Abhinav Bindra out of the sports quota in Sector 68 here. The corner plot was sold four years later to a real estate agent.

Bindra is again in news as he hit the jackpot and got another 500 sq yard plot in the draw of lots for Aerocity.

While applying for a plot in Aerocity, the ace shooter gave an undertaking that he had not availed of any benefit under the reserved sports category. GMADA chief administrator VP Singh said the scrutiny of all applications was yet to be done and all successful applicants had still to file their affidavits. “It would be difficult to comment before that,” he said.

Bindra had applied for a plot in 2002 in the sports quota under a housing scheme of 318 plots. Due to some reasons, the scheme was withdrawn, but he petitioned to the government and the case was sent to the then board of directors of the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA).

It was decided to honour him by allotting the plot. His request for allotting the plot free of cost was turned down, but after he failed to deposit the cost of plot within six months of issuance of the letter of intent, the plot was deemed to be resumed.

Again he petitioned to PUDA and as a special case, the board of directors decided to allot him the plot, subject to the payment of interest. Originally, the plot was allotted for Rs 1,87,200. By the time the plot was restored, he had reportedly sold it and the interest came to around Rs 5 lakh. The buyer reportedly paid the interest.

GMADA officials say that in the past there have been cases where applicants have not disclosed proper information and their plots were cancelled at a later stage. 

Chandigarh, September 27
While the city soaks in the spirit of World Tourism Day today, foreign tourists continue to be unwanted guests for the lesser-known budget hotels. Blame it on self perceived moral issues, ‘tedious’ registration formalities or low profit, foreign tourists are a big no-no for most of the small hotels located in the heart of the city.

This also exposes the truth about many city hotels that claim they will welcome foreign guests ahead of the upcoming Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

“Having a foreign tourist in your hotel means a lot of hassles. First of all we can’t be very sure of their credentials and thus don’t want to get into any trouble involving drug trafficking or other offences. Secondly, according to the regulations we have to submit their credentials for registration with the Chandigarh police, which becomes an added burden,” said a local hotelier in Sector 22.

Zirakpur, September 27
With the country gearing up for Commonwealth Games, the Mohali police is leaving nothing to chance. In an attempt to keep a tab on the activities of anti-social elements, the police has launched a major search operation in PGs, tenants and slum areas.

A team led by Zirakpur SHO Yogi Raj today carried out a search operation in PG and rented accommodations in various colonies of Lohgarh, Dhakoli, Patiala and Pabhat areas.

The police also carried out search in slums near the Kalka-Zirakpur and the Patiala-Zirakpur intersections.

Yogi Raj said a verification drive of migrants and tenants was conducted in and around the Zirakpur area.

During the operation, some tenants failed to give adequate information to the police. After issuing a warning to landlords, the police told them to submit the details of their tenants to the police station.

In the recent past, many cases of theft involving migrant labourers had come to light.

The police official said violators were being identified on the basis of surprise checks by a special police team.

The problem of easy access to vacant houses and flats in the area is another matter of concern for the police.

Recently, 14 college students were found creating nuisance during a birthday bash in a flat in one of the housing societies here.

Society residents had objected to it and later called the police, which took the youngsters to the police station for questioning.

Residents rued that vacant houses were being given on rent to youngsters for organising parties, social gatherings and other activities.

The police has requested residents to give information about such activities in their vicinity.

Mohali, September 27
Members of the Oustee Category Sangharsh Committee, Sectors 76-80, have urged the Punjab Chief Minister to direct the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) to charge rates same rates as charged from general category applicants for plots allotted to farmers after acquiring their land.

Amarjit Singh Nagra, president of the committee, said GMADA had issued letters stating that applicants who were issued letters of intent (LOI) after April 9 would be given plots at the rate of Rs 12,000 per sq yd.

He said GMADA had acquired land in 2000 and held the draw of lots for plots in Sectors 76 to 80 in 2002.

However, because of the indifferent attitude of the authorities concerned, the allottees were given possession of plots eight years later.

Applicants belonging to the general category, who were charged Rs 3,350 per sq yd at that time, were issued the LOI after the draw but the oustees, who were to be directly given allotment letters, were neither given any LOI nor allotment letters. When the draw of lots for the category was held in 2009 even then the oustees were not given any LOI or allotment letter. The LOI was issued to them six months later i.e. on April 28, 2010.

Now GMADA wanted to recover a price of Rs 12,000 per sq yd from them instead of Rs 3,350 per sq yd even when the authority was responsible for the delay and they were not at fault.

According to the LOI issued to them, they were to deposit their dues at the rate of Rs 3,350. Nagra further said even when 25 per cent of the amount had been deposited by farmers, GMADA was not allowing them to change the ownership of the plots when such a facility was available for applicants of the general category.

He urged the Chief Minister to intervene and direct GMADA not to adopt discriminatory approach in the case of farmers, failing which they would be compelled to protest.

Mohali, September 27
The proposal regarding upgradation of the Mohali Municipal Council into a corporation will be discussed by the General House on October 6, even as the ruling minority group and opposition councillors have stuck to different stands on the matter.

A total of nine councillors of the opposition group had given a requisition notice to the president of the council under Section 25/2 of the Punjab Municipal Act, 1911, on September 10, asking him to call for a meeting to discuss the corporation issue.

In the notice, they stated that considering the expansion of Mohali, the formation of a corporation was necessary for the development of the area.

The councillors proposed Zirakpur, Banur, Kharar, Daon and Behlolpur villages and some other areas to be included in the proposed corporation.

However, Congress MLA from Kharar, Balbir Singh Sidhu, said he, along with his supporters, would oppose any move to include Banur and Dera Bassi areas in the formation of the Mohali corporation, as this would not help in the development of the town.

He had said the decision to upgrade the civic body was only a political one and had nothing to do with the welfare of residents here.

He alleged that the government had an eye on the panchayati land in villages that would come under its control after these areas were included in the making of the corporation.

Panchkula, September 27
Even though the district administration awaits clearance from the ministry of environment to set up a garbage treatment plant at Jheuriwala village, the project seems to have hit the roadblock as villagers have protested against the same.

The garbage is currently being dumped at a site in Sector 23, which was being opposed to by residents living in sectors across the Ghaggar.

Some residents had even blocked garbage carrying vans and tractor-trailers at the site and relented after being assured by the authorities that site would be shifted soon.

Deputy Commissioner Ashima Brar said they were looking for some alternative site, as it was appropriate to shift the site to some other residential area in the district.

She said a survey was being carried out to identify some suitable site for the same, adding that they would tie up with neighbouring districts for the setting up of the treatment plant.

Brar said in view of regular complaints of Sector-23 residents, it had been decided to dig deep pits at the dumping area to dump the garbage, which would be covered by earth to avoid littering and foul smell in the area.

She said they had identified six sites in the city where garbage collection centres would be set up. These included Sectors 2, 12, 10, Azad Colony, Rajeev Colony and Indira Colony.

These centres would have six to eight feet walls on all sides to avoid littering in the city, she added.

The DC added that they had also decided to put the GPS system on garbage collection vehicles to monitor their activity. Tenders for the purpose had already been invited and the last date for the same was October 12. Besides, 52 new bins had been placed in and around the entire town, which would help solve the problem to some extent, she added.

Activities scheduled for tomorrow

n Painting competition at Sukhna lake from 8 am

n “The Perfect Wife”, a social comedy directed by Nitin Jagdish and starring Poonam Dhillon and Sooraj Thapar, at Tagore Theatre, Sector 18, at 6:30 pm

Chandigarh, September 27
The Chandigarh administration has drafted a policy for the proper management of e-waste of the city.

Recommendations were finalised by a joint committee of officers of the administration and the corporation, constituted two years ago.

UT Finance Secretary Sanjay Kumar confirmed that the administration would shortly notify the e-waste disposal policy of the city.

As per environmentalist Ila Jospeh, it would not be easy for the administration to notify its e-waste policy as e-waste had not been covered under the hazardous waste policy notified by the Centre.

The hazardous waste policy only covered the management of chemicals from industries and there was no clear-cut demarcation as to who would manage e-waste in the state or the city.

The committee recommended that the administration would set up 20 centres in the city, which would collect IT companies’ and domestic e-waste on a day-to-day basis.

For further segregation of e-waste, the committee suggested that the Sehaj Safai Kendra set up by the corporation would be used.

Members stated in the report that it was mentioned in the Municipal Act that the civic body would manage all e-waste, but it would be recommended by the administration’s IT department and there would be a tie-up with IT companies for suitable handling by the corporation.

Officials of the corporation informed the committee that they did not have any separate disposal ground, which could be used as an e-waste dumping ground to dispose of e-waste of the city.

Officials of the administration revealed that six years ago, a proposal was received from the corporation, demanding one acre and Rs 2 crore for the disposal of e-waste.

This demand was rejected by the administration on the grounds that Punjab was also coming up with a similar project at Dera Bassi.

It then said the MC authorities should tie up with it for e-waste disposal. They scorned at officials of the corporation for not pursuing the case with the Punjab government.

The committee also noted that there was a need for the city’s own e-waste dumping ground as there was extensive use of computers and electronic equipment by people of the city, due to which there was steady increase in e-waste and old electronic goods.

The members suggested that as there was a special technique to dispose of e-waste, the administration and the corporation could work jointly on this e-waste project.

The joint committee on e-waste was constituted under the chairmanship of nominated councillor Arshad Khan, with officials of the corporation, the Chandigarh Pollution Control Board, the Chandigarh administration and an NGO as its members.

Sources said the committee met two years ago to discuss this issue and a 13-point recommendation were submitted to the administration.

Chandigarh, September 27
As a part of the Tourism Week celebrations by the Chandigarh Administration, a Hindi comedy play “Rashtriya Bhrashtachar Adhiveshan” was staged at the Tagore Theatre here today.

Scripted and adapted for theatrical presentation by veteran playwright actor Keshav Bhrata from a poem by acclaimed poet Ashok Chakradhar, the play recovered certain explosive facts related to the booming rampant corruption in every sphere of life.

Structured in the modern milieu, director Kuldeep Sharma, a noted TV and film actor, borrowed mythological characters to augment the otherwise lively satire on corruption.

Officials from many departments put forth their claim for the prestigious national award for making corruption before a jury but “neta ji” wins top honours. Almost every dialogue guaranteed a genial laughter.

Except at a few instances, all actors attempted to bring alive their respective characters. Kuldeep Sharma, Sachin Sharma, Mukesh Sharma, Parvesh Sethi and Sunny Sandhu excelled, duly supported by Vinod Sharma, Baljit Zakhmi, Neeru Bala and others. Musical score by Debashish Dhar enhanced the acting spell. Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal, Justice Ajay Tewari, PK Srivastav IGP, and other dignitaries stayed through the programme. Defending low audience and ticketing the shows for the audience, Home Secretary Ram Niwas claimed it to be a welcome beginning.

Chandigarh, September 27
It is official now. The Chandigarh Beopar Mandal (CBM), the apex body of city traders, formally split today, with the resignation of 37 members, along with Jagdish Arora, president of the recently formed Chandigarh Business Council (CBC).

Taking potshots at the CBM leadership for its ‘unconstitutional and undemocratic’ working, Jagdish Arora, Kamaljit Singh Panchhi, Baldev Aggarwal, LC Arora, Neeraj Bajaj, Baldev Goel, JPS Kalra, Subhash Sethi, Satpal Garg, Sukhpal Singh, Kamal Gupta, Arvinder Singh, Ashwani Khanna, Ajay Gupta, Gurdial Bhasin and Arun Malhotra sounded a warning note, saying more resignations would follow.

They reiterated that the CBC was not anti-trader and the trading community’s welfare was uppermost in their minds. Their action followed the expulsion of Jagdish Arora by CBM disciplinary committee chief Gursharan Batra for indulging in ‘dysfunctional’ activities out of ‘frustration’. In a development boding ill for the trading community ahead of the festive season, prominent traders had recently constituted the CBC.

The flashpoint for the current slugfest between the two factions was the enrolment of a large number of members of the ruling group, which the other group alleged had distorted the CBM’s character. The ruling group claimed that new members, enrolled according to the CBM constitution, had made the traders’ body broad-based and representative.

On the performance front, both groups had opposite viewpoints.

While the CBM leadership was claiming that several issues affecting the trading community had either been resolved or were near resolution, the other group’s charge was that the performance of the current CBM team was one of the worst in their history.

Chandigarh, September 27
The Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, distributed certificate to 26 unemployed youngsters who got training under a plumber training programme for the youth living Below the Poverty Line (BPL) under the Swaran Jayanti Shahri Rozgar Yojana (SJSRY).

TPS Phoolka, additional commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, distributed the certificates to the candidates at MC, water works, Sector 32.

According to the sources, MC department had invited applications for the course and 26 youths had been shortlisted.

A retired professor from the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) is imparting training to the students. The syllabus has also been chalked out as per the ITI standards.

The Municipal Corporation also paid a stipend of Rs 100 per month per candidate for a six months during the course from January to July.

The additional commissioner said loan facilities would also be provided to eligible candidates under SJSRY scheme. He said similar courses will be started in gardening and electrician.

SS Bidda, chief engineer, RK Goyal, superintendent engineer, public health, Xen RS Ahluwalia and others were present.

Chandigarh, September 27
A total of 203 patients were examined at a free health check-up camp organised by Rotary Chandigarh at Shivalik Kajheri village here.

The specialities and services available at the camp included gynaecology, dermatology, ENT, psychiatry, pediatrics, general medicine, laboratory, and pharmacy.

“Looking at the interest and the enthusiasm shown by the village residents, we are now planning a follow-up camp within the next two months,” said Sneh Popli, president of the club.

Medicines were distributed free of cost. The camp was conducted by doctors, including Dr Meenu Singh, Dr Sukeshini, Dr Rajesh from PGI and Dr G S Kochhar, Dr Kanwarjit Kochhar, Dr Kuldip Singh, Dr Gurjit Singh and Dr Monica Singh.

Chandigarh, September 27
In a move to absorb its own talent and thus prevent depletion of excellence from its campus, Panjab University is now considering to retain outstanding post-doctorate students in the university by offering them teaching jobs.

According to sources, various departments will offer teaching posts, equivalent to that of lecturers, to meritorious post-doctorate students in the university (who have completed their PhD and are involved in research work).

Financial obligations of these teaching posts would be met from the PURSE grant (Promotion of University in Research and Scientific excellence) awarded to PU by the department of science and technology, Government of India.

The issue of brain drain, in context of the post-doctorate students, was highlighted by the faculty members of physics department today at the inauguration of the “high performance-computing cluster”.

Vice-Chancellor RC Sobti suggested that each department could have a teaching position for an outstanding post-doctorate student, which would encourage them and their salaries could be worked out from the PURSE grant. He said the committee constituted to monitor PURSE grant would work out the modalities of the proposal and submit a report.

“Technical aspects of the proposal can be worked out and if the proposal matures, it will be a boon to the post-doctorate students. It will also help the university retain its excellent students. Since the purpose of the PURSE grant is to promote excellence, such an activity can ensure that brilliance is promoted,” said Dr Manmohan Gupta, member of the PURSE monitoring committee.

“PU has potential and it’s an encouragement to students involved in research work. The Vice-Chancellor has expressed his interest in the idea suggested by the department teachers,” he added.Grant 

n Outstanding post-doctorate students in PU will be offered a teaching position, equal to the post of lecturer and the salaries will be met by the PURSE grant 

n The issue of brain drain was highlighted by the teachers of physics department. Subsequently, PU Vice-Chancellor announced a proposal for post-doctorate students from the PURSE grant

Chandigarh, September 27
Panjab University Vice Chancellor RC Sobti today inaugurated a new laboratory with a “high performance-computing cluster” at physics department. The super computer with 48 integrated computers has been installed to enable students and teachers to perform high-speed calculations and scientific derivations.

Access has been provided to research scholars and teachers at their respective terminals in their rooms.

Sobti also announced Rs 10 lakh more for the upgradation of the laboratory and interacted with faculty members of the department.

He encouraged the faculty members to come forward and suggest more such projects.

He added that the department was among the first one to create a laboratory and use the funds constructively. The chairperson of the department, CS Aulakh told the Vice-Chancellor that the students of other department would also be benefited, as they would have access in their rooms.

Panchkula, September 27
More than 1,000 students from 20 different countries participated in the 5th International Students Peace Festival organised by The Gurukul, Sector 20, under the aegis of Yuvasatta here today.

The crowd-puller of the event was the Gandhi portrayal by Bernie Meyer, as the American Gandhi, who impressed the students with his Gandhian attire and exhorted them to adopt and practice Gandhian values.

He interacted with the students and also shared Gandhian vision with the international students as well.

“Dandi March” by the American Gandhi with students of The Gurukul advocated non-violence and peace.

Students held the foreign delegates spellbound with Indian classical dance, “Raghupati Raghav” song, “We are the world” and a“Waka-Waka” western dance programme. Belly dancers from Spain, as a part of the visiting group, gave some tips to the students.

Chandigarh, September 27
After their Delhi counterparts, it’s city students, who will befriend “Shera” and celebrate the spirit of Commonwealth Games. In a bid to make this historic sports extravaganza memorable, the UT education department is planning to organise various activities and events related to the Games to get children interested in the event and also create awareness about players, sports events and countries participating.

“Since the country is hosting an international event, it is imperative that the children realise its importance and feel proud of it. These activities will even be used for continuous and comprehensive evaluation. We shall try to follow the example of Delhi schools,” said PK Sharma, DPI (S).

The decision was taken at a meeting convened by Home Secretary Ram Niwas.

Though the activities are still to be finalised, they will range from mock opening ceremonies to painting competitions.

“Different classes will act as different countries and take part in the competitions. To take the activities further, we shall design worksheets based on the entire information of the Games. We will have weekly worksheets for the activities that will be informative and also help instill a sense of patriotism in the children,” added another official. The department will hold a meeting with all private and government school heads the next week and work out the finer details.

“By organising this, we will have a kind of CWG carnival in the schools and celebrate the spirit of the Games. We have shortlisted some activities and will be working on others. The private schools will also be roped in to make the event a complete success,” added Sharma.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has started online competitions under the name of “Shera Mera Dost” for the students of all affiliated schools. The programme has been prepared to educate schoolchildren about the Games and to generate an atmosphere conducive to the success of the Commonwealth Games. Various activities on the website are:
n Good deed indeed (good deed done by children)
n To my favourite sports star (wish and write messages)
n Dress up your home for CWG-2010 (CWG festivities at schools)
n There is something I want to change (children give solutions to civic issues)
The students can log on to www.delhitourism.gov.in 

Chandigarh, September 27
The Mayor, Anu Chatrath, has sent a communique to the local government Secretary and Home Secretary Ram Niwas, informing about the purpose of the study tour of councillors.

She has stated that the councillors had decided to go in separate batches for studying the functioning of the civic bodies and implementation of the 74th Amendment. The destinations that have been selected by the councillors are Gangtok, Kolkata and Kerala.

The purpose of the visit to Kolkata is to study the methods adopted in primary education. The state has also implemented the 74th Amendment, under which the council, comprising 141 members, has been divided into 15 groups with special powers.

The councillors want to visit Gangtok to study the water harvesting projects. The Mayor said the communication had been sent to the Chandigarh administration for approval. The administration had asked the MC to submit the purpose of the study tour which they proposed at a house meeting recently.

In 2007, councillors went to Bangkok and Singapore and proposed that parking fee should be imposed on vehicle owners who parked in front of their houses on MC land. In 2008, a study tour to Singapore and Hong Kong was proposed, but it is lying pending. In 2009, the proposal for a study tour to Europe was sent, but the Chandigarh administration did not approve it.