NEIGHBOURHOOD

CM announces sops for Nayagaon
Sanctions 8 tubewells, works worth Rs 4.35 cr
Tribune News Service

Ambala, June 17
The Anti-Terrorist Front of India burnt the effigy of BJP president Nitin Gadkari at Ambala City to protest against his statement in which he compared the Congress with Osama Bin Laden.

The front workers raised slogans against the BJP and demanded the registration of a case against the BJP chief. Addressing party workers, front president Viresh Shandilaya said the Congress had played an important role in the Independence struggle and its leaders were never criticised by any opposition leader.

He said Gadkari should tender an apology to the people of the country for his irresponsible statement.

He said the front would burn the effigy of Gadkari in various parts of Punjab and Haryana to lodge its protest. Senior leaders of the front were also present.

Patiala, June 17
The general house of the Patiala municipal corporation has unanimously given its nod to regularise 71 employees working as daily wagers for the past two decades.

A decision to this effect was taken during a general house meeting held under Mayor Ajit Pal Singh Kohli at Dr Ambedkar Hall of the MC office here today.

During the meeting, the Mayor also handed over the appointment letters to 178 daily wagers whose services were regularised during the general house meeting held on April 18.

Those regularised today are gardeners, beldars, electricians, sewermen and masons.

Discussions were held on other issues related to the civic body. The general house accorded its approval to reducing the fee being charged from slaughterhouses. “Sometime back, the corporation had increased the fee for slaughtering a goat from Rs 5 to Rs 50. However, in the wake of the request of slaughterhouses, the fee has been reduced to Rs 20,” said Kohli while speaking to TNS.

Interestingly, the general house accepted the plea of the slaughterhouse owners but didn’t bother to comply with the instructions issued by Deputy Commissioner Dipinder Singh wherein he had stated that no illegal slaughterhouse would be allowed to operate in the city.

Though a few days ago, the DC had stated that the MC would bring a resolution in the general house for providing a piece of land from where all licensed slaughterhouses would operate but no such resolution was tabled in the general house.

Meanwhile, 11 resolutions out of 12 were passed unanimously during today’s meeting.

Chandigarh, June 17
Holding the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) in the wrong for making an attempt to overreach the court in a Panchkula plot allotment case, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has passed strictures against two of its estate officers.

Refusing to take a lenient view, Justice Ranjit Singh has also turned down their plea for withdrawing an earlier order imposing Rs 10,000 as costs on them.

The High Court had earlier adjourned the case subject to payment of Rs 10,000 as costs. It was directed to be recovered from both the estate officers.

The strictures came on a petition by Charan Singh and other petitioners. They had challenged the order rejecting their claim for the plot allotment under oustee quota. The order was passed even as the High Court had directed the estate officer to issue a communication for allotment of plot to the petitioners as oustees, if they were found eligible. As the respondents still rejected the petitioners’ claim, they moved the High Court.

Justice Ranjit Singh asserted: “I am not in a position to appreciate the attitude adopted by HUDA as well as both the estate officers. The present estate officer is certainly found wanting in complying with the directions by this court. Once this court has issued direction for allotment of a plot, there was no reason or authority with the estate officer to still consider the eligibility or right of the petitioners to get this allotment.”

“If there was any grievance against the order passed, the same was required to be taken in appeal. The earlier estate officer, SP Arora, has also misinformed himself in rejecting the claim of the petitioners. Ground taken by SP Arora to reject the petitioners’ claim was that no plot was available in Sector 25, Panchkula. This again has been found to be false, wrong and misleading. In fact, the petitioners have now been allotted a plot in Sector 25,” Justice Ranjit Singh asserted.

“There is, thus, no justification on the part of both the Estate Officers to act in a manner they did. The prayer made by the counsel to show leniency and to exempt the estate officer from payment of cost, therefore, is declined. However, otherwise taking lenient view of the entire issue and keeping in view that order has now been complied with, I am not inclined to further pursue the issue of contempt,” Justice Ranjit Singh asserted.

Chandigarh, June 17
A plumber who was deployed for laying a water pipe at a house in Sector 9 died after a wall collapsed here this evening.

Forty-five-year-old Sadhu Ram was laying a pipe when the wall collapsed. Sadhu, a resident of UP, received a grievous head injury and was declared brought dead at the hospital.

The police has arrested the contractor, Raj Kumar, in a case of causing death due to negligence.

The police said the wall along which the deceased was laying the water pipe was old and it collapsed as no safety measures were taken.

Panchkula, June 17
Tracking of mobile phones taken away by armed robbers from the dera of eunuchs at Kalka last month led to the arrest of four gang members on Wednesday.

According to police sources, one of the gang members had put up in a tenement in the area and used to carry out surveillance of the dera after changing his identity daily. The accused used to hold a meeting in the temporary hut and discuss the execution of their plan.

The sources said the police was keeping a track of the EMI number of the mobile phones and also monitoring their movement.

The accused had again assembled on Wednesday in the same tenement to execute another robbery in the area. However, the police came to know about this and arrested the four in the wee hours. The sources added that the accused who were on police remand revealed that on May 4 they entered the dera by disguising themselves as CBI officers from Chandigarh.

Chandigarh, June 17
Sumitpal Singh of Jammu and Kashmir defeated Karandeep Singh from Punjab to bag the boy’s U-12 category title during the CLTA-AITA Super Series Tennis Tournament for the boys and girls (U-12 and U-16) held at CLTA courts here today.

In a tight match, Karandeep went down to Sumitpal by 1-6, 2-2 and 6-4 in the finals of the tournament.

Gagan Sharma of Rajasthan defeated Jajbir of Punjab 6-4, 1-6 and 6-4 to win the finals of boy’s (U-16).

In the girl’s U-12 category, Pranjala Yadlapalli of Andhra Pradesh won the title by defeating Nandini Sharma of Punjab in straight sets 6-2, 6-2.

Chandigarh, June 17
The UT sports department and administration held a joint meeting in order to review the ongoing work of installation of floodlights at the Cricket Stadium, Sector 16, here today.

Officials of the regional cricket association were also present at the meeting, which was headed by finance secretary-cum-secretary, sports, VK Singh and director, sports, Rahul Gupta.

According to sources, the aim of the meeting was to boost the infrastructure of the cricket stadium in order to make it a hub for budding cricketers.

According to the officials present at the meeting, once the floodlights start functioning, more steps would be taken to upgrade the stadium.

Chandigarh, June 17
Sachit Malhotra bagged the boys’ (U-14) title of the AITA Talent Series Total Tennis Tournament held at Manav Mangal Smart School, Phase X, Mohali, here today.

Sachit defeated Rohit Dhiman 6-0, 4-4 and 5-4 in a tough competition.

In the girls’ (U-12) final, Sarvini beat Akshita Singh 6-1, 6-2 to lift the girls’ (U-14) title.