Chandigarh, October 16
With the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recently booking three former top officials of the UT administration, Lalit Sharma, Krishna Mohan and Vivek Attray, in the theme-cum-amusement park case, the CBI may soon reopen an old inquiry pertaining to allotting contract for advertising on CTU buses against former Home Secretary Krishna Mohan, who also held charge as Transport Secretary at that time.

The CBI had sought sanction from the union government around three years ago for registering a preliminary inquiry, suspecting irregularities in awarding the contract for advertisements, but the investigating agency never got approval for it.

Sources in the CBI claimed that the union government’s department of personnel and training had at that time not granted approval under Section 6(a) of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act for registering a preliminary inquiry. The approval was a mandatory requirement for any legal action against officers of rank of joint secretary and above.

CBI officials at that time had claimed that they had investigated the matter and found that the then Transport Secretary kept sitting over files, delaying the procedure for awarding advertisement contract for CTU buses.

Later on, the CBI had claimed that finally, the contract was awarded after calling tender for the fifth time, and for a lesser amount, resulting in a loss of over Rs 52 lakh to the exchequer. The CBI had then stated that the contract was awarded at the rate of Rs 1,890 per bus per month, which was less than the previous rate of Rs 2,200.

In fact, the same contractor, who was awarded the contract, was subletting the advertisement space to advertisers for between Rs 10,350 and Rs 17,500 and officials in the transport department were in the know of things.

At that time, low-floor buses were newly introduced and the company was charging Rs 11,000 per bus per month for advertising on around 102 low-floor buses running across the city.

Chandigarh, October 16
Thanks to numerology believers and flashy Punjabis, who love to flaunt “VIP” or vanity numbers, cash registers of the state-owned telecom company BSNL have been ringing for the past three years. The BSNL has made a whopping Rs 1.80 crore in the past two years, averaging between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 6 lakh a month, by auctioning such numbers.

It may sound unbelievable, but cell numbers of the BSNL, which are usually criticised for bad connectivity, with fancy last digits of penta(five)-0 or any other single digit are being auctioned for anything between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 2 lakh every month. This month has witnessed an all-time high bid of Rs 1.90 lakh for the number 94***00000.

Though the number is yet to be allotted, the bid is being termed as the highest ever. The bid for the number 94***55555 has been Rs 1.70 lakh. The craze for these numbers can be judged from the fact that the reserve price for such numbers is merely Rs 10,000.

Admitting that the idea of auctioning such vanity numbers came from the high prices fetched by the road transport authorities through sale of VIP numbers, DR Paul, General Manager (Mobile), told the Chandigarh Tribune that there seemed be no limit to price tags on status among Punjabis.

Since such numbers were earlier available only for VVIPs, possessing those perhaps gave a false sense of status to those who could afford to pay. Stating that the service was started in the Punjab circle on a trial basis about three years ago, he said following its runaway success, it had been started now in others states, including Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.

While penta single digits had been bid for over Rs 1 lakh, other fancy numbers like 00001, 00003 and 00005 had gone for Rs 55,000, Rs 27,700 and Rs 30,000, respectively. The reserve price for these, too, was Rs 10,000.

While the BSNL now had a transparent system for auctioning such numbers, which earlier used to land with ministers and bureaucrats, by inviting bids on its website, many private cellular companies still followed an arbitrary policy. “We do not have any policy of auctioning vanity numbers. A decision on allotting such numbers is taken on individual cases,” said Priyaranjan, spokesperson of Airtel.

Chandigarh, October 16
Effigies worth Rs 25 lakh will go up in flames at about 20 places across the city on Dasehra, with the price of material used for making the effigies having substantially risen over the last one year.

Ravana’s effigy being put up at Sector 46 in Chandigarh on Saturday. Tribune photo: Manoj Mahajan

Chandigarh, October 16
In the rape case against Harmail Singh, husband of councillor from Mani Majra Sunita Chaudhary, the victim’s father today stated before the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge GC Garg that DSP PK Dhawan had offered him Rs 25,000 to withdraw the complaint.

The court had framed charges against Harmail Singh under Sections 376 (rape) of the IPC yesterday and he had surrendered before the court on Thursday.

Deposing before the court, the victim’s father said a rape case was registered against Harmail Singh and his accomplice Vijay Singh on May 20, 2009, eight months after the crime.

He stated that on October 12, 2009, he had gone to the PGI along with his wife. On returning home, he found Vijay Singh and Harmail Singh at his residence. The two fled on seeing him.

On being inquired, his daughter told him that they had forcibly entered the house and raped her. The victim had also alleged that Harmail had made an obscene MMS of the victim in connivance with Vijay.

The girl’s father reported the matter to the police, which did not take any action. He told the court that DSP PK Dhawan had asked them either take Rs 25,000 or leave the office.

The victim’s father will be cross-examined on October 18.

Vijay Singh, a resident of Indira Colony, was arrested in August, 2009. Vijay had filed for bail in the case.

The High Court had earlier asked the trial court to submit a status report on November 1 in this case.

Chandigarh, October 16
After two decades of staging Ramlila and celebrating Dasehra at the Nehru Park in Sector 22, the Chandigarh Ramlila Committee will this time burn the effigies at the circus ground in Sector 17.

The UT administration yesterday offered the committee the circus ground for the celebrations, to which the latter agreed.

As the committee’s plea against the refusal to use Sector-22 park for staging Ramlila came up for hearing before Justice Permod Kohli of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, UT senior standing counsel Sanjay Kaushal said the process of making the park into a garden for children was on and huge amounts had been spent on developing the infrastructure. Giving a nod for holding the celebrations could mean damage to the grass and the infrastructure.

The committee, on the other hand, said the circus ground was uneven. Taking note of the grievance, Kaushal assured the committee members of evening out the ground before the commencement of the celebrations.

As the committee accepted the proposal, Kaushal said usual charges would be levied for the ground, but after Justice Permod Kohli’s intervention it was decided not to charge any rent.

The petitioner-committee was seeking permission for the use of Nehru Park for Ramlila and Dasehra festivals.

The petitioner had asserted that in 2008, the Chandigarh administration started converting the park into a green belt, but they were permitted to celebrate the festivals in the park even in 2009.

However, this year the matter was initially prolonged, and on October 8 just before Ramlila was to be staged permission was refused under the garb of the area being a green belt.

Alleging bias, the petitioners submitted that the administration had allowed the use of a green belt in Sector 30 for Ramlila.

Chandigarh, October 16
The Chandigarh administration has decided to upgrade the 50-bed hospital at Mani Majra to a 100-bed hospital by spending Rs 6.87 crore on the project.

The work on the project was started by the Home-cum-Health Secretary with a “bhoomi pujan” here yesterday. The project will be completed within 12 months.

A blood storage room and housekeeping facilities would be created in the basement.

On the ground floor, nurses’ duty room, doctors’ duty room, minor operating theatre, patient examination rooms, two outdoor ward registration rooms, emergency registration, etc. would be provided.

On the second floor, four OPDs along with office space would be created. Also, two wards for patients, nurses’ duty rooms and doctors’ duty rooms would be created on the floor.

The building would be equipped with ramps for the convenience of physically challenged people.

The pressure on the existing facility would be eased with the construction of the additional facility.

Meanwhile, the construction work on the new OPD block at the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16, at a cost of Rs 13 crore was reviewed by the Home Secretary. He expressed displeasure over the slow pace of construction work.

Chandigarh, October 16
With the winter season yet to come around, the increasing difference in the day and night temperatures is causing problems for local residents.

“While the day temperature generally hovers around 33 °C, it falls down to 18 °C at night. The heavy downpour this monsoon has ensured a normal outset of winter this season,” says Surender Paul, director of the meteorological department, Chandigarh.

While the difference may seem normal to the department, city residents are finding it hard to adjust and have been forced to pull out woollens from their closets for early morning chill. Early morning walkers can be seen wearing light woollens.”

“I am generally in my cottons during the day but have to slip a sweatshirt or pullover late evening or while riding a two-wheeler. It has also disrupted my schedule of morning walk as the road leading to the Chandigarh airport is somewhat chilly and foggy at times,” says Balwinder, a regular at the airport road.

“There were speculations of winters being delayed and chillier later on. However, they are almost here during nights and early mornings but the disparity between day and night temperatures is a problem. While we spend our days in the AC, nights are spent wrapped in thick bedsheet,” says Promilla, a Sector 29 resident.

With the change in weather and drop in night temperature, doctors have advised residents to take out warm clothes and protect themselves against the night chill.

“The difference between the day and the night temperatures is increasing. Children are more prone to falling ill and catching cold in this weather, as they do not cover themselves properly. The elderly with low body resistance can also catch infection easily,” says Dr Anil Kapoor.

Using fans and working in air-conditioned environs will make things even worse, he points out.

“The best remedy is to take out thick bedsheet for the night and put on jackets and pullovers especially while riding a two-wheeler. The idea is to protect one’s chest from cold,” says Dr Kapoor.

Chandigarh, October 16
As part of the coveted research project sponsored by IIT-Delhi, a model prepared by the National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTTR), Sector 26, will now be replicated at villages across North India, where waste is being used for irrigation.

A sample of ‘Phyto-unit’, meant to clean up waste by using various species of flowers, is being created at the NITTTR.

The model, a serpentine structure, will be constructed on the campus. It will be used to purify dirty water.

“The water being used for irrigating crops at several villages in Haryana, Punjab and other states is polluted. Waste water from the entire village, including bathrooms and kitchens, reaches the ponds and then it is used for irrigation,” said JS Saini, head of the department for rural development, NITTTR.

“This water can be purified by various species of flowers having certain properties.

We are creating one such unit on our campus which would be reviewed by experts and then replicated at villages,” said UN Roy, NITTTR. The “Phyto-unit” is just one of the five components of the project sponsored by IIT-Delhi which focuses on generating fuel naturally.

As part of same project, the canteen at the NITTTR is now converting its kitchen waste into fuel and is also utilising it for cooking by setting up a biogas plant.

Two departments of the institute, including the rural development department and mechanical engineering department, are working on the project.

Chandigarh, October 16
The controversy over the second scheduled study tour of councillors to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram today sprung up surprising facts about the first nine-day study tour to Gangtok and Kolkata.

Former Mayor Harjinder Kaur alleged that Mayor Anu Chatrath skipped her schedule in Kolkata and instead, went to Nepal for sightseeing and shopping, along with certain councillors and officials, at corporation’s cost.

Prior permission was not taken from the Chandigarh administration to go to Nepal. Senior officials, citing records of the administration, said permission had been granted for Kolkata and Gangtok.

Refuting the allegations, Chatrath stated that she did not go to Nepal during the study tour and this could be checked with the officials who went along with the delegation.

A few councillors, on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that they went from Siliguri for shopping and sightseeing on October 8 and came back the same evening.

The councillors further stated that a few councillors took a vehicle on rent along with officials on the tour and went to Nepal. The councillors who went to Nepal had struck a deal with other councillors not to expose them.

MC Commissioner Roshan Sunkaria was clueless about this as he had not received any report related to the study tour.

When contacted, UT Home Secretary Ram Niwas stated that strict action would be taken against the councillors.

Meanwhile, interacting with mediapersons today, Harjinder Kaur stated that the second tour was fixed three months ago by the Mayor and the election date had been announced by the Election Commission earlier.

Why had the Mayor not cross-checked about their availability earlier, she asked, also wanting to know why she was making it an issue now.

Mohali, October 16
The local unit of the Punjab Government Pensioners Association has urged the government to give arrears for dearness allowance to dependents who were given jobs on compassionate grounds from May, 2001, and not only from October this year.

President of the association, Karam Singh Dhanoa, said earlier the dearness allowance benefits were withheld to employees who had been given jobs on compassionate grounds by the government.

The matter was discussed by members of the association several times with the authorities concerned.

The demand was, however, conceded to by the finance department on October 4 and dependents were to be given the dearness allowance from the day it was approved.

This had led to resentment among pensioners who demanded that the benefit should be given from May 14, 2001, and the amount should be released immediately.

Mohali, October 16
Acting tough against shopkeepers who have unauthorisedly occupied market verandahs and are creating a nuisance for others, the Mohali municipal council has shot off 50 notices out of a total of 250 violators identified so far.

The notices have been issued by the civic body under Section 173 of the Punjab Municipal Act, 1911. In the notices the council has asked shopkeepers to remove their goods from the verandahs within three days failing which these would be removed by council employees and action would be initiated against violators.

The shopkeepers would be responsible for any breakage that takes place while removing goods. These items would not be returned and the shopkeepers would also have to bear the expenditure incurred on the exercise.

It is learnt that four clerks of the tehbazari wing had carried out a survey of the markets and identified the offenders who were now being issued notices. Among those who have repeatedly encroached verandahs are shopkeepers dealing in sanitary fittings, kiryana items and sweets.

An official of the council said offenders would not be spared this time. If they did not keep the verandahs free from encroachments, their cases would be presented in the courts. He said notices were being sent daily and after all the 250 offenders get notices a survey would be done again to see whether the shopkeepers were abiding by the directions of the civic body. Those who failed to do so would then have to attend court hearings.

However, notices sent to 16 shopkeepers in September last year under Section 173 of the Punjab Municipal Act, 1911, had failed to yield positive results. Though shopkeepers at that time gave an assurance in writing that they would remove their goods kept illegally in verandahs on their own, they failed to keep their promise for long.

Market verandahs in almost the entire town have been encroached upon by shopkeepers and persons frequenting the markets have to walk in the open during scorching heat as well as in the rainy season. Heated exchanges between shopkeepers and employees of the tehbazari wing are often seen when they go to remove encroachments.

Allegations that council employees adopt a pick-and-choose policy while removing encroachments are also levelled by shopkeepers.

Though the tehbazari wing of the civic body does carry out drives from time to time to free market verandahs, as soon as the council employees leave the area, encroachments are back.

Chandigarh, October 16
Asserting that ‘seniority must not be ignored at any cost’, both government and private college teachers have responded optimistically to the recent directions issued by Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), directing the UT administration to amend its rules and consider cases of non-PhD degree holders for the post of college principal.

Senior teachers in colleges across the city said ‘it is experience that counts’ and merely a degree could not prohibit a senior teacher from heading the institute.

Surprisingly, even teachers who possessed a PhD degree said it was the professional contribution to the college that really mattered and not the degree alone.

“The decision is in the interest of colleges. Seniority must not be ignored and senior teachers must be considered for the post of principal by way of promotion. The tenure of principals must be strictly between three and five years, as directed by the University Grants Commission. At Panjab University, a head of department is appointed on a rotation basis. The same procedure must be followed in colleges,” said Dr Renu Bedi, faculty member, physics department, MCM DAV College, Sector 36.

“The percentage of principals who are recruited or interviewed directly and those who are promoted on a seniority basis is 25 per cent and 75 per cent, respectively. We welcome the directions issued by CAT and senior teachers in city colleges must be entitled to the post of principal even if they do not possess a PhD degree,” said Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union president Jaswant Singh, teaching at the GGDSD College, Sector 32.

A similar reaction on the CAT decision was witnessed at government colleges as well.

“It is my personal belief that senior teachers must be entitled to the post of principal.

It is a post that requires a lot of experience and a candidate who has less experience, but is a PhD degree holder, may not be able to manage the institution that well,” said the principal of a government college on the condition of anonymity.

Chandigarh, October 16
Around 385 students of bachelors of engineering were awarded degrees, while 34 of them graduated with honours in various disciplines during the 40th annual convocation of the PEC University of Technology.

Surendra Prasad, director, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, was the chief guest on the occasion and 128 students, who completed their postgraduate programme, were awarded ME degrees.

Surendra Prasad said, “Our nation is a nation of young people who aspire for knowledge and good education.” He quoted great Indian teacher Jiddu Krishnamoorthy and said, “It is not that you read a book, pass an examination and finish with education. The whole life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.” Various medals were also awarded on this occasion, like the administrator’s gold medal for overall outstanding performance during 2006-2010 was awarded to Preetdeep Kaur Chawla, while the adviser’s gold medal for overall performance in sports during 2006-2010 was given to Varun Kashyap, who also won gold medals for social activities in 2010. The Miglani Memorial Gold Medal was awarded to Shubhangi Harsha and the Kalpana Chawla Memorial Award was conferred on Avijeet Acharya. Gold medals for the best academic performance in the respective disciplines (2006-2010) were awarded to Avijeet Acharya (aeronautical), Aditya Vikram Maheshwari (civil), Shubhangi Harsha (computer science), Pritika Dandriyal ( electrical ), Preetdeep Kaur Chawla (electronics), Aneesh Chandran (mechanical), Rhythem Pahwa (metallurgical), Anurag Gupta (production) and Reenu Yadav (information technology).

The PEC director said out of 314 eligible BE students of 2009-10 batch, 286 286 had been offered jobs through campus interviews. Around 21 ME students also secured jobs through these interviews, he added.