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When UT education dept sprinted through marathon
Chandigarh, April 16 Even more questionable is that the department ended up spending almost the entire amount of money collected as registration fee (Rs 5,30,110 out of Rs 5,56,400 collected) in a single day for this unprecedented and inexplicable super fast recruitment exercise held at two government schools on Sunday, July 11, 2010, Government Model Senior Secondary Schools in Sector 16 and Sector 10.
Further, taxpayers ended up spending Rs 25,877 on lunch and Rs 4,320 on refreshments. But what is even more interesting is that the department ended up spending considerable sums of money on stationery items ranging from pens to glue sticks (see box: Items purchased).
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Treetop Protest: Day II
Nagla (Zirakpur), April 16 Zirakpur SHO Yogi Raj said he had investigated the complaint given by Avtar Singh. He said the revenue department had informed him that the land in contention was not in the protester’s
name. The official added that the panchayat had claimed that the land where the protest was going on was a common land and the protester would be held accountable for any untoward incident.
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First liver transplant at PGI
Chandigarh, April 16 The donor, a resident of Jind (Haryana), had been brought to the neurosurgery department of the PGI after she met with an accident and was declared brain dead. Her family decided to donate her
liver. Claimed to be the first-of-its-kind liver transplant in the country’s northern region, after Delhi, the successful transplant has not only brought a smile to the faces of the team of doctors but, more importantly, a hope to hundreds of patients suffering from serious liver
disorders. Every week, the hospital receives an average of five patients suffering from chronic liver diseases or cirrhosis, all of whom are prospective cases for liver
transplant. While some opt for private hospitals in Delhi, a majority of the patients are left with no option but to live on medication until a donor comes
forward. The historic transplant was performed by a team of doctors comprising Dr YK Chawla, professor and head, hepatology department, Prof Arunanshu Behera, department of general surgery, Prof GD Puri, department of anaesthesia, along with a vascular and liver transplant surgeon, a hepatobilliary and transplant surgeon, hepatologists, liver anaesthetists and perfusion
specialists. The PGI had embarked on an ambitious liver transplant project in 2009 and developed a treatment module costing between Rs 5 and Rs 7 lakh compared to around Rs 40 lakh charged by privately-run hospitals in Delhi and Mumbai. However, it could not materialise for want of donors.
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Bomb Hoax: Caller held
Chandigarh, April 16 The son of a retired Deputy Secretary with Punjab, Surjit’s wife is a head constable with the Punjab Police. Inspector Amanjot Singh, in-charge, crime branch, said the accused had made the hoax call to prevent his father from entering the secretariat where the latter was headed to inquire about a fraudulent transaction made in his account with the State Bank of India branch located in the building. Surjit had withdrawn Rs 40,000 from his father’s account after he got a blank cheque signed by his father. He had made the call to ensure that his father could not know about the fraud. Surjit used to run a shop, “Mann Telecommunication”, at Balongi had to closed it down last month. A customers had forgotten a mobile SIM card at his shop and Surjit began using it. On April 2, he got hold of a signed blank cheque of his father and fraudulently withdrew Rs 40,000 from the SBI’s branch situated in Civil Secretariat, Haryana, Sector 1. On April 15, his father Mukhtiar Singh learned about the transaction and made a complaint to the police. In order to prevent his father from going to the bank, the accused made a bomb hoax call by introducing himself as a member of the Babar Khalsa, a militant outfit. The accused is a drug addict and has worked as a computer operator on temporary basis with the Haryana Secretary IT for six months. He has also worked with the Punjab Pay Commission for around one and half years.
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Mock drill at Shastri Market
Chandigarh, April 16 Also, 10 of the 26 fire extinguishers installed in the shops were found to be non-functional. The members led by fire committee chairman Devinder Singh Babla found the market ill-equipped in terms of tackling a major fire, which could result in huge loss of life and property. Besides, the team found rampant encroachment in the corridors, posing a serious threat of fire in the market. Shopkeepers had displayed articles ranging from dress material to foodstuffs. Food stalls and dhabas were found highly prone to fire. The team found that vendors using LPG cylinders and gas lights could easily cause a fire in the market. The team also noticed a network of loose electricity cables running overhead throughout the market. A fire official said the arrangements made to fight fire were of no use if the lanes and corridors remained clogged in the market as it would hamper the movement of firefighters in case of an exigency. Babla said they had issued a warning to all shopkeepers to install fire safety equipment in their shops within two weeks. Meanwhile, a mock drill was carried out near the front booths of the market. Babla said the response of the fire crew and shopkeepers was satisfactory. The team directed the shopkeepers to repair electrical wiring and clear encroachment from the passage by removing material hanging outside shops. The shopkeepers were also directed to provide sufficient space around the market and shops for the movement of fire tenders.
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High voltage damages electric appliances
Zirakpur, April 16 The water supply was also affected in the area from yesterday till this afternoon. They alleged that the employees who were installing electric meters had attached the direct wire in the meter that damaged their electrical appliances. They also opposed the setting up of joint meter box. They demanded that the authorities should compensate their loss and take action against the authorities concerned. Deepak, a resident of house number 124, said the voltage increased and damaged the electronic gadgets. Sujata, another resident of the area, said the high voltage damaged her TV and tubelights. Similarly, stabilisers and tubelights were also damaged of other residents. “It is difficult to cook food as there is no water supply since yesterday,” says Trishla Shetty, a resident of house number 21. Powercom SDO GS Sidhu stated that the work was done by a private company. He had asked the residents to submit their complaints with details and assured that action would be initiated after proper inquiry.
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Railways
Chandigarh, April 16 A rise in passenger volume owing to the approaching summer holidays has led to long waiting lists in train reservations from Chandigarh even in cases where bookings have been made two months in advance. The longest waiting of 250 has been recorded for the Sadbhavna Express, running between Chandigarh and Lucknow. In response to the increase in bookings, the Ambala division has added two additional coaches each to the Sadbhavna Express and the Chandigarh-Allahabad Unchahar Express this month onwards. Nonetheless, there are no berths available before May 25. “The division will add extra coaches to other trains as well to meet the summer rush,” said a senior railway official. “I wanted to get a ticket booked for Mumbai but there is none available before one month. I have now opted for flight, which will result in an unwanted increase in my vacation expenditure,” said Rajiv Bajaj, an IT professional from Chandigarh. Station superintendent, Chandigarh railway station, Parveen Kumar said: “No tickets are available for the Paschim Express, running between Chandigarh and Bandra, till the third week of May. Also, the waiting list for the Kerala Sampark Kranti Express, running between Chandigarh and Kerala, is increasing every day.” Besides attaching additional coaches to some of the trains, other efforts like better monitoring at ticket counters, etc. are being made for passengers’ convenience. Senior railway officials have been deputed to look into the activities of the staff at the counters and surveillance cameras would be used to detect persons frequently coming to ticket counters for reservation/cancellation. Besides, the drive against touts and unauthorised travel agencies has been intensified. The passengers travelling on transferred tickets will be prosecuted under criminal cases. A joint team of vigilance, commercial and the RPF will function during the peak period. The RPF personnel will monitor the queues of passengers entering general coaches to avoid stampede, etc.
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Golden Forest seeks nod to sell property
Chandigarh, April 16 Addressing mediapersons, newly appointed chairman of the GFIL Nikhil Kant Syal said the asset base of the company, evaluated by the panel in 2007, stood at Rs 5,000 crore. He said the total liability of the company and its subsidiaries was less than Rs 1,350 crore, including the accrued interest as calculated by the panel. Syal said the present market value of the 12,000-acre land held by the company was around Rs 10,000 crore. He said prime land at Lalru, Hoshiarpur, Ropar, Uttaranchal, Hyderabad, Indore and near Ramgarh village in Haryana was registered in the name of the company. He said to regain the confidence of about 25 lakh valued investors, he and his family would fight for investors due rights. He alleged his deceased father RK Syal and other directors of the company were falsely implicated in the various cases registered against them by the Punjab vigilance and the prosecution had failed to provide any evidence against them during the past 10 years. He also announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh to any person who could prove a scam of a single rupee done by the GFIL, his father or other members of the family.
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Head constable suspended
Chandigarh, April 16 Head Constable Amarjit Singh, deputed in Sector 17, was found in an inebriated state while on duty. His medical examination was conducted which confirmed the presence of alcohol in his
blood. Senior police officials had earlier suspended sub-inspector Boota Ram and head constable Paramjit Singh after they went to a liquor vend in Sector 22 for purchasing liquor on Tuesday night and fled the spot leaving head constable Darshan Kumar to face the wrath of drunk youths. A departmental inquiry has also been initiated in this regard.
— TNS
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Dramatic narration of ‘Amber Habshi’ wins accolades
Chandigarh, April 16 Introducing the playwright, akademi chairperson, Dr Manju Jaidka disclosed that Dr Narendra Mohan’s plays had been translated in other languages also and were staged worldwide. Dr Mohan’s reading was in tandem with the theatre thespian, Prof Harish Bhatia who also read portions of the historical play and both presented all characters through immaculate delivery of dialogues before elite litterateurs and theatre persons. The eponymous hero of the play, Malik Amber, was a historical figure born in Ethiopia, sold into slavery in Baghdad and rose to eminence in India after his master Mir Qasim brought him to Ahmednagar. A military genius, once a Negro slave and later a staunch Indian, Amber Habshi is hailed as the pioneer of Guirella warfare in India and introduced agriculture reforms, as he became the Prime Minister of the Deccan Empire under Ahmed Shahi kingdom and fought against the Mughals. Dr Mohan has weaved a potent plot to illustrate the diverse traits of Amber Habshi in the drama. Dr Yash Gulati, Dr Anil Raina, Santosh Dhiman, Madhav Kaushik, Vijay Kapoor, Dr Kailash Ahluwalia and others participated in the face-to-face interaction with the poet playwright. Noted actor-director Parvesh Sethi presided over, while poet Madhav Kaushik conducted the programme.
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Absence of inter-sector bus service
Panchkula, April 15 This sums up the transport system in Panchkula, which boasts of being the state’s unofficial capital and the “first planned city”. In the absence of any inter-sector public transport system, residents of Panchkula are left at the mercy of rickety auto-rickshaw operators who fleece residents commuting between different parts of the town. The worst sufferers are those living in the Panchkula extension Sectors 25 to 30, located across the Ghaggar. A skeletal bus service run by the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) between Panchkula and Chandigarh has been unable to cater to the growing needs of the residents. The town is currently connected with the neighbouring city Chandigarh and Zirakpur in Punjab through three different routes by the Haryana Roadways. Ironically, the residents cannot use them as these fail to connect one part of the town to the other. The Citizen’s Welfare Forum president, SK Nayyar, while demanding that mini-buses be run on the roads connecting various markets in the town, said earlier also the authorities had half-heartedly started a bus service in October 1992. The same was discontinued as people did not know the bus service was introduced as the authorities had failed to advertise the same. Moreover, the administration had failed to earmark the bus stops on the routes. Haryana Roadways buses 82-A, 83 and 84 start from Zirakpur and after taking two different routes reach the Housing Board chowk and move on to the interstate bus terminals in Sectors 17 and 43 of Chandigarh. Some of the bus routes, including route number 90, start from Ramgarh village and after passing though various sectors across the Ghaggar and Majri Chowk, reach Sector 17 in Chandigarh. Besides, route numbers 2-B (Sector 4 to the PGI) and 30-B (Sector 4 to the ISBT-17) of the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking also ply through the town via the Housing Board chowk, Sector 11 to Sector 4 route. General manager of Haryana Roadways (Chandigarh) BS Ghanghas said the inter-sector bus service in the town could not take off as they were facing shortage of staff and the required number of vehicles. He said the process of appointing drivers and other staff was underway and after they got the requisite staff and infrastructure only then they would be able to start the local service. Ghanghas said they had also received requests from Panchkula residents for starting bus service from various parts of the town to the PGI and the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He said they were willing to start the same and the transport authorities had approved the same, but the unions there protested against the same.
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GMADA to maintain parks for 2 more years
Mohali, April 16 According to sources, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of the chief administrator, GMADA, Saravjit Singh, about a week ago where it was decided that the work of maintaining parks in different parts of the city would be done by GMADA for a minimum of two years. Over the past many years GMADA authorities had been pressing the civic body to take over the work of maintaining parks. Additional chief administrator, GMADA, Parveen Kumar Thind confirmed that the authority had decided to maintain parks for at least two years. He said the decision was taken as the corporation did not have the required funds and infrastructure for maintaining a large number of parks. It is learnt that GMADA has divided the city into three zones in connection with the maintenance of parks. Zone one consisted Sectors 62 to 69 and 48-C while zone two comprised Sectors 53 to 61 and 70 and 71. Neighbourhood parks of the entire city have been put in zone three. An estimate of over Rs 3 crore has been prepared by GMADA for the maintenance of parks. This estimate has been sent to Lt-Gen BS Dhaliwal (retd), adviser (technical) to the Punjab Chief Minister for technical clearance. The agencies who would be allotted work would have to have trained gardeners, own machinery and enough experience to handle such type of work. The work was likely to be allotted in the next 15 days. However, it is reported that welfare associations who had taken over the maintenance of parks in certain parts of the city would continue with their work. GMADA was giving a maintenance allowance at the rate of Rs 1.30 per sq yd to these associations. About three years ago, GMADA had decided to beautify and develop 558 parks, including green belts and open spaces in various sectors of the city. An ambitious Rs 4-crore plan drawn up for getting the work done from contractual agencies had then hit the ground when GMADA had failed to get suitable response in this regard. Public participation in maintenance of parks was then sought by the development authority.
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Going by documents procured by The Tribune, a staggering Rs 3,69,000 was spent on honorarium to all 248 government employees that ranged from the district education officer (DEO) to government school principals, teachers, senior and junior assistants, clerks, drivers, peons and other class 4 employees.
Avtar Singh Nagla has made himself comfortable with packets of roasted nuts along with water bottles. He uses bottles and polythene bags to ease himself. With Nagla refusing to come down even after sunset, lights have been installed at the scene. He enjoyed a burger feast, courtesy a supporter today. He had to make do with a packet of roasted nuts
yesterday.