Chandigarh, March 2
A magisterial probe into the multi-crore rupee fraud in the allotment of booths in Sector 41 in the early 1990s has recommended a CBI probe against Chandigarh MP and union parliamentary affairs minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, former Mayor Pradeep Chabra, UT Adviser and the city’s senior most bureaucrat Pradip Mehra, former Deputy Commissioner RK Rao, and about a dozen other middle to junior rung UT Administration and police officials for allegedly committing the fraud.

The role of Chandigarh’s top-most politicians and bureaucrats, which has left residents shocked, figures in a voluminous report prepared by former Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) PS Shergill, who was repatriated to his parent state Punjab recently. The report was submitted on February 24.

“The booth mafia has the protection of Pawan Kumar Bansal, local MP and minister of parliamentary affairs and science and technology, Government of India. The financial dimension of the fraud committed by the booth mafia runs into crores, which includes the money paid to officers/officials of the estate office, the Chandigarh Police, funds given to politicians and money generated by illegal sale/sub-letting of booths,” the report has stated.

While pointing to a politician-bureaucrat-policemen nexus in the allotment of booths, the report alleges that the money was paid to politicians, police officials and officers of the estate office. “Several bogus surveys and inspections were conducted by the estate office, further strengthening the claims of illegal allottees,” the report says.

The report highlighted glaring irregularities in the allotment of booths in Sector 41 here on subsidised rates, apparently as a compensation for the fire at the Bajwara market in Sector 22 in 1989. The inquiry was ordered by Punjab Governor-cum-UT Administrator Shivraj Patil in March 2010 in the backdrop of several complaints.

Chandigarh, March 2
The report submitted by Punjab Civil Services officer PS Shergill on the multicrore rupee fraud on allotment of booths (small shops) in the city has once again put the Chandigarh police under the scanner.

Shergill had indicted five police officials including two deputy superintendents of police, Satbir Singh and Jagbir Singh; a retired inspector, Bishi Ram; and two assistant subinspectors, Sucha Singh, who is still in the force, and Hira Lal, who has retired, for their role in the scam.

The inquiry officer has observed the cops played a dubious role during investigations in the case by submitting fake reports on the wrong allottees.

This is the second time the local police has figured in high-profile inquiries. In January DSP Vijay Kumar was sent to the Police Lines while two inspectors, Uday Pal and Narinder Patiyal, were first sent to the Police Lines and then suspended for their mishandling of the case involving the kidnapping and murder of a five-year-old boy, Khushpreet, following an inquiry held by additional deputy commissioner ML Sharma.

In August 2010 a UT vigilance department report had indicted Jaswant Singh Khaira and SC Sagar, a serving and retired DSP and retired inspector Prem Chand for failing to file a case of theft that took place in 2002.

An inquiry was marked following a complaint lodged by an insurance firm that alleged the police had extended “undue favours” to Ubatha Ramesh in a theft case on which basis the latter had managed to avail a claim of Rs 7 lakh on his stolen goods.

The inquiry report stated the police had issued an “untraced report” for his stolen goods without registering an FIR. The report had recommended stern departmental action against the cops in the case.

In 2008 the Chandigarh police was rocked by the embarrassing revelation that two local drug peddlers, Harpal Singh alias Raju and Suresh Kumar, were enjoying the patronage of six city cops after Saji Mohan, a former director of the Narcotics Control Bureau, was apprehended by the Mumbai police with 12 kg of heroin in that city.

The six policemen - subinspector Harinder Singh Sekhon, head constables Sukhjinder Singh alias Bhola, Bachittar Singh, Mohan Singh, Kuldeep Singh and Baljit Singh - were placed under suspension in this regard, but were later reinstated in 2009 following a departmental inquiry.

Chandigarh, March 2
Examination days seem to have no impact on the spirits of students, who are habitual punters. To earn quick bucks through illegal gambling, a number of young punters of the city and its periphery have been putting bets on the ongoing World Cup matches.

“Exams come every year, but the World Cup comes after four years. So, it surely deserves preference and that too when it gives you the opportunity to earn quick money,” said Saurabh and his friend Ajay, both students of a local college.

When told that the chances were equal to lose the bets, they said they always played safe. “We use to change our bets from time to time during the match. Generally, we make money from it,” they said proudly.

Similarly, other young punters like Ankit, Pankaj and Chintu, all students of Panjab University, were least hesitant to talk about their interest in gambling. “Yes, we are placing our bets on the matches. In fact, we pool the money and use it session-wise,” they said.

Asked how they had come in contact with the bookies, they said they had met a city-based bookie through a friend. “Earlier, we used to give him (the bookie) the bet money in advance, but now he accepts our bets on the phone,” said Pankaj.

A bookie he did not find the exams to be a dampener. “We are getting bets as usual from our permanent clients. Examination days are hardly making any difference as there has been no let-up in the number of young betters,” he said.

Interestingly, a whopping sum of over Rs 20 crore exchange hands in the tricity during every match.

Chandigarh, March 2
With the Orissa High Court staying the controversial December 12 notification of the All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), which gave wide-ranging controlling powers to the state governments over the B-schools, private management colleges in the country have a reason to rejoice.

In fact, the high court stay had also renewed the demand for the repeal of the controversial notification which gave powers to the respective state governments to “remote control” the functioning of the B-schools. The December 12 notification had made it mandatory for the B-schools to operate under respective “government operated processes”. Going a step further, the order said that the fee structure of all B-schools would also be decided by the state governments --- a decision which was vehemently opposed by the private management colleges.

Saying that the court’s stay has raised a ray of hope for the B-schools, Manmohan K Garg, Chairman, Gurukul Business School, alleged that the notification was an oppressive step. In fact, the relief would allow the colleges to make admissions as per the existing procedures and they would not have to depend on the state governments to conduct the admission tests, he stated.

Endorsing his views, Anshu Kataria, chairman, Aryans Business School, said the stay had come as a relief from the oppressive new notification which was slated to upset the well-placed system of admissions to the B-schools besides disturbing the prescribed fee structures. This would not only have led to harassment of the institutes and the aspiring students who would have to follow new procedures, he added.

Since the B-schools have set up state-of-the-art infrastructure in their respective institutes bringing them under the state governments’ control was a negative step, it was argued.

Chandigarh, March 2
The lackadaisical attitude of the municipal corporation (MC) authorities is resulting in the delay in commencement of many projects and a hike in estimated cost.

Records of budget reports of the past three years show that the cost of five major projects approved by the General House has almost doubled.

Chandigarh, March 2
Overcast sky and intermittent drizzle continued for the second consecutive day today in the city. The sky will generally remain overcast tomorrow.

“One or two spells of light rain or thundershowers may also occur,” said an official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD). “The weather is expected to clear up a day after,” the official added.

The minimum temperature fell by a degree to 11.4°C, against 12.4°C recorded on Tuesday. The maximum temperature rose sharply to 24.0°C, two degrees below normal, compared to 20.0°C recorded yesterday.

“The maximum temperature is likely to be around 20°C, while the minimum may settle at 11°C tomorrow,” the weather official said. However, cloudy conditions had no effect on air and rail services here.

Met officials said a strong western disturbance in Jammu and Kashmir led to the cloud cover over the city, increasing the day’s temperature by four degrees.

“The night’s temperature will also go up when the western disturbance moves eastward,” said IMD Director Surender Paul, adding that there was a possibility of light showers in the region in the next 24 hours.

The maximum and minimum humidity recorded today was 91 per cent and 36 per cent, respectively. The Met office forecast a generally cloudy sky, with a spell or two of light rain at isolated places in the region.

Panchkula, March 2
An estimated 250,000 devotees from all over the region gathered at the Sri Shiv Mandir, Mahadevpur in Saketri village near here on Wednesday on the occasion of the major Hindu festival of ‘Mahashivratri’. As the crowds spilled over on to the streets the entire temple premises resounded with slogans of ‘om namah shivay’.

In fact the devotees began thronging the ancient temple from 10 pm onwards on Tuesday night. As its doors were thrown open at midnight they poured in to offer milk and fruit to the deity.

Serpentine lines were seen outside the temple since the wee hours. No one complained even as they walked for over 2 km to reach the temple. Amidst reciting of ‘shlokas’ (Sanskrit verses) and chants of ‘har har mahadev’, people waited for over two to three hours for their turn to enter the shrine. A ‘langar’ (community kitchen) was organized by the Sri Shiv Mandir Nav Durga Charitable Trust and some other welfare organizations on the occasion.

The district police had made elaborate security arrangements and at least four ‘nakas’ (checkposts) were set up at various points on the way to the temple. A special counter for making announcements was also put up.

All along the way small shops had been set up, offering varied wares including posters, trinkets and household items. Residents of Saketri village had set up kiosks along the route, where milk and fruits were being sold.

Madan Lal Sharma, president of the trust, said over 45,000 litres of milk and ‘ber’ (jujube berries) weighing about 4,000 kg were offered on the occasion.

The temple was decked up with flowers and colourful blinking lights to celebrate the marriage of the Hindu deity Shiva with the goddess Parvati during the Mahashivratri festival. 'Prabhat pheris’, ‘havans’, ‘nagar kirtans’ and cultural programmes on the deity’s life were organized all over the city. According to tradition different types of ‘rudrabhishek’, ‘bhasmabhishek’ and ‘chatuperhari lingarchan’ were also performed.

Chandigarh: It was the day of festivity for Shiva devotees in the city. The 'Mahashivratri' festival was celebrated with fervour at all places in the city today.

There were serpentine lines outside the temples since early in the morning. No one complained even though they had to walk for over a kilometer to reach the temple. Amidst reciting of shlokas and chants of ‘har har mahadev’ people waited for over an hour for their turn to enter the temple.

Temples across the city were decorated with lights and flowers. Security was tightened and barricades erected in front of most of the temples.

Vimlesh Sharma, a ‘pujari’ (Hindu priest) at the Sector 20 Lakshmi Narayan temple, said: “The celebrations began at 4 am and will continue till early next morning. The rush will continue the whole day and even at night.”

The devotees offered milk and fruits to the deity Shiva and chants of ‘om namah shivay’ could be heard throughout the day at the temples.

At the Baba Balak Nath temple, Sector 29, Sri Laxmi Narayan temple, Sector 20, Sri Sanatan Dharam temple, Sector 23 and Sri Mahakali temple, Sector 30, long lines were seen as devotees carrying fruit and milk waited patiently for their turn. A heavy police presence was in place to check any untoward incident and to manage the swelling crowds.

The Prajapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya celebrated Shivratri at the Rajyoga Bhawan in Sector 33 today. Religious discourses, meditation and flag hoisting ceremonies were held with at least a thousand people present.

Various welfare organizations also organized ‘langars’ (community kitchens) across the city on the occasion. Vinod Sharma, a shopkeeper near the Sector 20 temple, told the Chandigarh Tribune that by 11 am today he had sold 300 crates of milk.

Meanwhile, there fruit prices rose because of the festival. ‘Ber’ (jujube berries) were sold for Rs 25-30 a kg, guava Rs 30 a kg and bananas Rs 35 to Rs 40 per dozen. Grapes were available for Rs 50 a kg.

Zirakpur, March 2
Commuters heading for Ambala from Chandigarh were stranded for several hours as the public works department carried out recarpeting of the Chandigarh-Ambala highway in Zirakpur.

The traffic jam lasted over two hours on the Zirakpur-airport trafficlight stretch, forcing the vehicles to move at a snail’s pace.

Following the blockade, long queues of vehicles were witnessed on the highway. The Zirakpur traffic police had a tough time managing the traffic.

However, the blockade was removed after the intervention of Zirakpur SHO Yogi Raj.

The worst hit were the passengers who had to catch trains from the Ambala railway station and flights from the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, as they remained stuck in traffic for hours.

Mohit Khanna, a resident of Chandigarh, on his way to Ambala, said: “I have to catch a train from Ambala and the traffic is moving very slowly.”

He said the department concerned should carry out such work during the night or give prior information in this regard to public.

Zirakpur traffic in-charge Devinder Singh said the movement of traffic would ease once the service road became functional.

The PWD XEN said the recarpeting work on the stretch was in process and would be completed in a week.

However, the entire work would be completed by March-end, he claimed.

Zirakpur, March 2
The Zirakpur Municipal Council has decided to write to GMADA for rehabilitation of Ambedkar Colony located on the Zirakpur-Kalka Highway.

According to officers in MC, during a council meeting, the area councillor urged the MC president and MLA of Banur to provide basic amenities to the colony residents.

Officials said the colony was established near Singhnullah on a land owned by the northern railway a few decades ago.

The council could not spend money to provide them the basic facilities as the colony was established on the railway land, said the sources adding that the colony would be established under the slum rehabilitation project of the government after a proposal was mooted before the GMADA.

Sham Lal, councillor of ward no 2 said lack of basic amenities forced residents to live in a hell-like conditions. He said the colony had more than 2,000 residents.

“There is no proper road, sewerage system and street lights in the colony”, Lal said. He said residents didn’t get proper supply of drinking water in summer and were forced to fetch water from long distance.

He said railway authorities had sent notices to vacate the land several times and a case regarding the land was pending in the court.

He had asked the council officials several times to provide them basic facilities, but the officials always told them that they were not authorised to provide the facilities as the colony was set up on the land which belonged to the Railways.

District Town Planning chairman and MC president NK Sharma said for the upliftment of the colony, the council will take up the issue with GMADA to provide them land and construct houses with all basic needs.

Panchkula, March 2
In spite of several incidents of suicide by minor domestic help in the past three years and the recent assault on two minor girls with iron bars by their employers, the child welfare department here seems to have turned a blind eye to the menace.

In December, 2007, a 16-year-old girl, a native of West Bengal and employed as a maid at a house in Sector 6, had died after she consumed poison. She was admitted to the general hospital in a serious condition and later referred to Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh. The same day, her condition deteriorated and she died. The victim in her statement had, however, mentioned that she had consumed celphos tables as she had been missing her parents.

On February 25, two domestic help, aged 11 and eight, were brutally attacked by their employers residing in Sector 7.

The police had arrested the landlord, IS Sekhon, the next day but he was subsequently released on bail by a duty magistrate on Sunday.

The other members of his family were at large and the local police was raiding their possible hideouts.

The alienation of these minor children from parents living in other states and subsequent harassment by their employers was stated to be the main reason behind such incidents.

A random survey conducted by this reporter revealed that affluent people living in posh areas of the town often employed servants seeking the services of private agencies.

According to sources, around 4,000 servants (men and women) had been employed by residents on full-time basis, while a similar number of migrant women living in various slums earned their wages as part-time workers.

Child welfare officer Virender Singh said they would hold a survey in this regard in different parts of the district soon.

He said they would seek the assistance of various associations, non-governmental organisations to raise awareness among the general public on the issue. They would take action against those violating the law.

He said Deputy Commissioner Ashima Garg had held a meeting on February 28 in this regard. A final decision on the procedure to be adopted was also taken during the meeting.

Superintendent of Police Maneesh Chaudhary said: “Under the law, it was not their duty to move from door to door investigate the employment of minor children by residents. However, the verification of tenants and servants in various places in the town was being conducted regularly. People generally concealed the details regarding the employment of minor children as domestic help. Whenever we get complaint in this regard, a case under Section 188, IPC, is registered against the landlord,” said Chaudhary.

Chandigarh, March 2
The Spring Theatre Festival organised by the Theatre Arts group opened with a majestic presentation of the Hindi play ‘Parlok Ikk Darshan’ by the Sajag Natya Sanstha from Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh.

Written by Dr Anand Parkash Shukla, the play brings into focus the importance and necessity of a natural, pollution-free environment.

The highlight of the production, directed by Irfaan Ahmed, is the participation of 32 amateur actors.

Most of them are labourers, pan-bidi sellers, rikshaw-pullers, carpenters or daily wage workers, trained by group director Satyender Kumar Shukla for over six years.

Endowed with a vision, the playwright had borrowed characters from Hindu mythology to illustrate the threatening proportions assumed by the neglect of the environment and the disaster bound to happen if necessary measures are not taken.

Most of the Hindu gods are portrayed by Muslim artistes with perfection. The cast includes Irfaan Ahmed, Sana Naseem, Rizwan Ali, Bahar Alam, Lubna Naseem, Mohd Aslam, Mohd Afzal, Vijay Verma, Bhawna Singh, A Ansari and Naushad.

Chandigarh, March 2
“ There are no shortcuts to success, try short chits” or “ success lies in your hand or between your fingers to be more precise”. This is what a series of communities and blogs available on the social networking sites say, even as the CBSE continues to advise examinees against the “use of unfair means”.

In what has now become an annual feature, a dozen of communities have sprung up on the social networking sites claiming to be the “online guides to smart cheating”. With more than hundred students being members of the groups, these have gone a way ahead in innovating new cheating aids.

“Innovation is the key to success. Chits are passé, bank on the most unsuspected article,” suggests one of the groups on Orkut.

While until two years ago, these groups would suggest a dozen odd methods of hiding slips, they now elaborate upon specialised cheating techniques using scotch tapes, pens, water bottles, sharpeners, and even ‘pallu’ of the invigilator.

What, however, remains the key flavour of the season, is tips on dodging invigilators when caught cheating and online galleries with pictorial representations of preparing cheating aides.

“If one can’t convince the invigilator of your innocence, confuse him. Use the following 11 communication tips to dodge getting unfair means case registered against you,” says another such group.

While many may dismiss it as a yet another online fun tactic, the posts suggesting students having used these techniques in Class XII physics exam held on March 1 is bound to perturb many.

Chandigarh, March 2
All set to bid farewell to the manual assessment of answersheets, the Central Board of Secondary Education is on its way to adopt onscreen marking system or OMS, a popular practice abroad.

Claiming it to be its next revolution after the grading system which was introduced in 2009, the board has decided to launch it on a pilot basis by assessing a section of this year’s Class XII board answer scripts through the OMS. Though this year the experiment is limited to the Class XII candidates from Delhi appearing for English (core) paper on March 11, it is expected to be extended to all students from next year.

Though practically unheard in India, this technology is a key basis of evaluation in countries like the US, the UK, Australia and China.

The OMS improves accuracy and efficiency of marking remarkably. In this system, answer scripts are scanned and the images are uploaded on a server, which enables an examiner to evaluate the booklet on the computer with the help of a specially developed software.

“This new technology has an edge over the manual assessment as it reduces the margin of error in tabulation of marks and the scope of leaving any answers unevaluated. The software will calculate the total marks and also highlight any answer that the examiner may have missed,” said an official from the CBSE, Delhi.

According to regional director of the CBSE, Panchkula, RJ Khanderao, the software shall be a big step towards speeding up the board’s evaluation and doing away with the re-evaluation system.

“Currently the answersheets are evaluated manually by the examiners. We get thousands of applications for demanding re-evaluation and in certain cases we do come across evaluation mistakes, which have a great effect on a student’s performance. It takes quite some time to deal with re-evaluation requests and declare results. This software will rule out manual error and re-evaluation will eventually be uncalled for.” he said.

Chandigarh, March 2
Exam time is no hindrance for students of PEC University of Technology to read fiction novels, as they continue to throng the library dedicated to its illustrious alumnus Kalpana Chawla in the girls hostel on the campus.

In fact, it’s not all about reading books that Kalpana read during her lifetime. “It is the sense of belongingness that students have with her. Girls in my hostel are excited to search archives of PEC’s annual magazine, ‘PECMAG’. Kalpana was Chief-Editor of the magazine for two years. They just want to have a glimpse of it,” said Avneet, a second year student of aeronautical engineering at PEC.

A week after Kalpana’s family visited the PEC campus to launch her biography and contributed books to the library named after her, students felt proud that their institute was chosen by the family to launch the book. Kalpana, who was the first female astronaut from India to venture into space, died after the spacecraft met with an accident while entering the earth’s orbit in 1997.

“Unlike other colleges where students might opt for this branch out of compulsion, in PEC, however, several students of aeronautical engineering branch sought admission only to follow her footprints,” added Avneet.

Kalpana’s biography, written by her husband, is the latest fascination for her fan club on the campus. “My friend, who is from the aeronautical branch, has locked her copy of Kalpana’s biography in my cupboard. She suspects if she will keep it in her room, she will be tempted to read it,” said Sanjoli, a resident of girls hostel.

“Students are enthusiastic to read Kalpana’s collection of books even during exam time. The response of the library, located in the common room of the hostel, has been good. We have even devoted a part-time person to take care of the books,” said Sita Verma, hostel warden at Kalpana Chawla hostel, PEC.

From fiction to philosophical books/self-help books; the range of books read by Kalpana was stunning.

The library included books like “The last Juror” by John Grisham’s, Business@ The speed of though by Bill Gates, “The Hungry tide” by Amitav Ghosh, “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand, “The story of my life” by Helen Keller and books by Khalil Gibran.

Chandigarh, March 2
The second day of ‘Cyanide 2011’, the annual cultural event of University Institute of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Panjab University, kicked off with Pagg Yaar Di, a turban-tying competition, in which more than 60 youths participated. The UICET lawns were abuzz with activities such as face painting, tattoo making, Tell-a-Tale, sudoku and draamebaaz- where the acting skills of students were put to test.

Among other events, a debate, in which over 10 teams participated, was also held which had the topic “Is China a threat to Indian Economy?”

One of the events, which was popular among the UICET students and participants, was “The Free Lunch” wherein the eating capacity of youngsters was tested.

Cyanide organising team members said that- ‘Esoterica’, a paper presentation competition, was also among the most sought-after events. To help students look for jobs, a mock placement session was also held. — TNS

Chandigarh, March 2
What would happen if everybody on this earth had the lifestyle you have, ate what you eat and polluted the planet exactly the way you do, how many more “Earths” would be needed to suffice?

To find the answer, visit the first cultural event of Chandigarh College of Engineering and Technology, Sector 26, on March 4, where college students will find “carbon footprint” of visitors.

In sync with the theme of the fest, “Go green, reduce your carbon footprint”, students have resolved to create awareness about adopting a lifestyle that does not tamper with ecological balance.

“We will get a questionnaire filled in from the visitors at the fest, which will have queries related to the lifestyle of people. From these, the carbon footprint is calculated for that individual through certain parameters. Ideally, our carbon footprint must be one or less than one. It implies how many planets will be needed if every person on the planet is like the individual filling in the questionnaire,” said Pulkit Singla, a student organiser of Apratim-2011.

Besides, the students have also innovated hand-made dustbins, signboards and folders for the event. “We are trying to be as ecologically safe as we can, although it is tough to completely switch to eco-friendly material in a short time,” said Singla.

The fest, which is the first cultural event being organised by the college, will also host an array of other events like the robot war, prize money for which is Rs 19,000, paper presentation, Photoshop and web designing and code maker competition.

“Spreading the theme ‘go green’ is need of the hour. Technology is benefiting society, but we cannot do it at the cost of environment. We are producing engineers but the technology we are producing is hampering nature, hence we want to sent a message that we must go in for green technology,” said Dr Manpreet Singh Gujral, principal, CCET, Sector 26.

“India is growing fast and consumption of electronics is high but re-cycling is a major issue for all these gadgets,” he added.