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Traffic cops zero in on underage driving
Chandigarh, July 13 Launching the drive today, the traffic cops set up barricades on streets leading to schools in Sector 22, 26, 32, 45, 50 and in Manimajra and issued fines to the minors, most of whom were riding motorcycles and scooters. All the 40 vehicles were impounded and their registered owners will now have to appear in court to get the vehicles released. “The traffic police has largely been successful in curbing fatal road accidents by seeking imprisonment of drunk drivers and now the cops will similarly seek imprisonment of the registered owners of vehicles driven by minors from courts. In most cases the offenders’ parents will bear the brunt as they are the ones who knowingly hand over vehicles to their children and invite danger to commuters on roads,” said deputy police superintendent (traffic) Vijay Kumar. According to section 180 of the Motor Vehicles Act, the owner or person in charge of a vehicle permitting an unlicensed person or an underage person to drive it (parents/guardians/friends permitting minor to drive vehicle) can face a fine of Rs 1,000 or imprisonment for three months.
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Parsvnath, CHB in the dock
Chandigarh, July 13 One of the depositors, Sudeep Budhiraja, has again moved the commission by filing an execution application against the developer and the CHB. Acting on the application, the commission today issued notice to the respondents for August 25. The application, filed under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, seeks directions to the developer and the CHB to comply with the commission order of October 27, 2010. In the application, filed through counsel Naresh Kumar Bansal, Budhiraja asserted that his application for repayment of money was decided in his favour on October 27 last. Directions were issued for payment of amount with interest and compensation. But both Parsvnath and the CHB filed appeals before the National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission. On April 29, the national commission passed an interim order in favour of the complainant and other depositors, with a direction to the CHB to return 85 per cent amount to the depositors within six weeks. Bansal added the balance was to be deposited with the UT State Commission within eight weeks. The hearing on both appeals before the national commission was also adjourned to September 8. But both parties failed to deposit the amount as per the interim order dated April 29. They even failed to “pay amount with interest and compensation, as per order passed by the UT State Commission Chandigarh on October 27 last”. Elaborating, Bansal added the applicant was entitled to get Rs 5, 364,408.24, calculated up to June 30, in view of the court order dated October 27 last. Bansal concluded: “It is prayed that the present execution application may kindly be accepted and the respondents be summoned and directed to pay Rs 5,364,408.24, calculated up to June 30, and further interest amount, up to the date of payment, in the interest of justice”. This is not the first time the developer and the CHB have found themselves
embroiled in a controversy. The arbitration proceedings too have generated a lot of dust. Only recently, taking cognisance of a petition filed by the CHB, alleging payment of “huge amount of money to the arbitrators”, the Punjab and Haryana High Court stayed proceedings before the arbitration tribunal. The high court also put on notice the three arbitrators, Punjab and Haryana High Court’s retired Judge, Justice Amar Dutt, and Supreme Court’s former Chief Justice GB Patnaik and Justice DP Wadhwa. Notice of motion has also been issued to Parsvnath Developers Limited. This was the first time in recallable past that three former judges, including two judges of the apex court, have been put on notice by the high court.
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Student injured in eye as teacher hurls pencil at him
Chandigarh, July 13 “My son told me about the shocking incident today. According to him he was scribbling in his book during the lesson and this probably infuriated Kumar who threw a pencil at him. Seconds later other students saw blood trickling from one of his eyes before he was taken outside the class. Teachers are authorized to punish students but they can’t be brutal or callous. The boy is a hosteller and hence the school has more responsibility for ensuring his well being. What if this incident ends up damaging his vision completely? My son wants to change his class section now as he’s very scared”, said Umesh’s mother. When contacted school principal RD Singh claimed the boy was administered immediate medical aid and was “safe” now. “I can’t say much about Wednesday’s incident but I got to know that the teacher did throw a pencil at the boy and his intention is yet to be established. We’ll conduct a thorough inquiry into the matter and deal with it. The school is aware of its responsibility and holds the safety and welfare of its students of paramount concern,” he added. When contacted UT education departments officials said they would seek details about the inquiry from the school and take necessary action as corporal punishment was absolutely banned in city schools in accordance with the Supreme Court directive issued in 2000. “No school, privately or government run, can permit use of corporal punishment in classrooms. If the school (New Public School) is holding an inquiry into the matter then we’ll speak to its officials after the inquiry is completed and decide on our future course of action,” said a senior UT administration official.
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NRI Sabha chief booked for rape
Mohali, July 13 According to the police, a case has been registered against Amarjit Singh Virk under Sections 376 of the IPC on the statement of the victim. Raka Ghirra , DSP, said the 32-year-old victim belongs to Patiala and has two children. The victim told the police that she was called to Chandigarh today by the accused, who had promised to return Rs 1.50 lakh which she had given to him for sending her abroad. They both had lunch in Sector 17 and later came to Mohali Industrial Area, where she was allegedly raped. The DSP said the victim further told the police that she was a kabaddi player and wanted to go to Canada. She had met Virk in the PGI, Chandigarh , about two to three months ago . He had told her that he could send her abroad and as such she gave him Rs 1.50 lakh. According to sources, the incident took place at about 3.40 p.m. and the victim reached the Civil Hospital in Phase VI here around 6.30 p.m. for a medical examination. She was alone at that time. The hospital authorities then called the police before carrying out the investigations. Though no apparent bruises were noticed on the body of the victim, two swabs collected by the doctor have been sent for confirmation. According to reports, a dispute between Virk and
another person in connection with a nine-kanal plot in the Industrial Area was going on over the past some time. The matter was in the court and finally Virk won the case. Amarjit Singh Virk could not be contacted for comments despite efforts.
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Stadium contractor booked
Chandigarh, July 13 Three labourers, identified as Sanjeev, Yadiveli and Ilayaraji Raj, got injured when the stand on which they were stationed while repairing the lights on the pole fell. They were admitted to the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16, here yesterday. A case has been registered in the Sector 17 police station.
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Officials not concerned about public dealing
Chandigarh, July 13 Officials of UT estate office in public-dealing seats appear least bothered about the people in long queues outside the office. During their visit to the office at 11.30 am, a Tribune team found around 100 people, including over 20 women, waiting outside the office while standing in queue. The timings of the officer concerned is from 11 am to 1 pm for attestation of documents and from 3 pm to 5 pm for registration of documents. Evidently restless over the delay in reaching the officer in the seat, people were seen complaining that such a thing was not happening for the first time. “This is my second round to the office. Past week, I came here and found a long queue in front of the office. On enquiring, I was told that day the officer came late that day,” claimed Raj Kumar, a tailor by profession, who came for attestation of his affidavit. Similarly, Ravi Kumar, a student of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 45, rued that he came around 9 am so that his work would done at 11 am. “But still, we all are waiting for the official,” he complained. He came there to get his affidavit for admission to the local ITI attested. Two labourers, Munir Ahmad and Naseem, from Palsora, rued that the entire day had gone waste as chances of getting work after 12 noon were bleak. “Why do they not set the timing as 9 am? The time of 11 am is too late. When officials come late, it is like adding insult to injury,” said Munir. The officer came at 11.40 am. There are two tehsildars and two naib tehsildars. One performs field duty for 15 days and the other deals with public work. The arrangement changes every fortnight.
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Leo, indeed, conclude cops
Panchkula, July 13 The Panchkula police has stopped the investigation after coming to the conclusion that the black labrador, the bone of contention between the two families, will now remain with the family of Col GS Toor (retd) and not with the family of businessman Pradeep Sharma. Past year, Sector 12-based Sharma and his brother Manoj Kumar, an advocate in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, had alleged that Colonel Toor of the same sector had stolen his three-year-old pet and he was helped by Haryana’s senior IAS officer Vimal Chandra, his neighbour, to hush up this matter. In June last, on the directions of the Panchkula court, the cops had registered an FIR against Colonel Toor, his wife and son, Vimal Chandra, presently MD of Sugarfed, Harinder Singh Aulakh, Chandigarh Kennel Club secretary, Anterpreet Singh Toor, veterinary doctor in Chandigarh and Narinder Dhillon, a Panchkula resident. Complainant Sharma had reported that he had a black labrador Marshal, which he had purchased from his in-laws at Khanna in February, 2007. He alleged that on February 22, Marshal went missing from outside his house at 6:30 am, but on March 4, he found Marshal inside the premises of Colonel Toor’s house. On the other hand, Colonel Toor had claimed that the labrador was his and was named Leo. He had added that the Sharmas were harassing him without reason. Colonel Toor had claimed to be in possession of registration documents and other material to show that he was the actual owner of the dog. He had maintained that he purchased the dog from Chandigarh-based breeder Aulakh and the registration chip was inserted inside the pet’s body. A Panchkula police official said they had found sufficient evidence with Toor to prove that the labrador belonged to him. They had stopped the probe and a cancellation report would soon be filed in court, he added.
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Overhaul of streetlights likely
Panchkula, July 13 According to information, the council has decided to rectify faults in streetlights on main roads by changing poles or bulbs in the first phase. Work on streetlights on internal roads will be taken up in the second phase. This will comprise erecting feeder-pillars, for which the sector will be divided into three or four parts. The MC will then instal meters on these feeder-pillars to get bills from the power board on consumption of electricity. At present, the MC had been getting average billing of streetlights done, causing it a loss. As per a recent survey conducted by the MC, there are about 9,000 streetlight points on internal roads in sectors. The streetlights on main roads are being replaced by HUDA and these will later be transferred to the MC. MC president Ravinder Rawal said they would soon pass a resolution for rectification of faulty streetlights and installation of feeder-pillars in a phased manner. He said the lighting system in the town was around 30 years old and needed to be upgraded for providing better lighting system. He said they would instal automated electronic switches on feeders as there was acute shortage of staff. He said they had asked the company for a demonstration before they could decide on the project. He said timings could be fixed as per lighting conditions in summer and winter. Rawal said solar switches were not viable as streetlights would be on in case there was darkness due to dense cloudy conditions. This would result in increased consumption of power, he added.
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Chandigarh first to allow multiple vendors
Chandigarh, July 13 With the Chandigarh Administration issuing a notification making it mandatory for the new vehicles to install high-security number plates from August 1, the administration is set to allow 18 vendors to affix security plates on the vehicles. Sources said Goa and Sikkim, where the scheme is already functioning, had only allowed a single vendor to install the number plates. The permission to 18 operators, certified by the Central Government to install the number plates, will lead
to a healthy competition among the vendors, ultimately benefiting the vehicle owners, officials said. Allaying fears that the affixing of number plates on about 9 lakh old vehicles would lead to chaos due to the staff shortage at the Registration and Licensing Authority (RLA), officials claimed that market forces would take care of the installation of the new number plates in the vehicles, and two years was enough time to install number plates on the old vehicles. Since new registration certificates (RCs) would not have to be issued for the old vehicles, the affixing of the number plates on the old vehicles by multiple vendors would not pose a major challenge, an official said, assuring that adequate staff would be deployed for the convenience of the vehicle owners. In Chandigarh, about 150 vehicles are registered daily at three venues--the Office of the UT Registration and Licensing Authority in Sector 17, the Office of the SDM(East) in the Industrial Area, Phase I, and the SDM (South) in Sector
42.
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Mumbai blasts Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 13 A team of the operations cell, with explosive vapour detector and sniffer dogs, conducted a check of busy shopping malls and crowded parking places. A huge posse of police was deployed for security at sensitive places. All SHOs and PCR personnel remained on their toes. The police conducted checks at ISBT-17, ISBT-43 and the railway station. A vigil was maintained at entry and exit points. “Security has been beefed up after the explosions in Mumbai. Crowded areas, markets and parking lots are being checked,” said DSP Roshan Lal.
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Bus queue shelters in state of neglect
However, ill-maintained bus shelters, absence of schedule charts and instances of buses missing the route has been causing inconvenience to thousands of commuters everyday, discouraging them from depending on the local bus service. The Tribune did a survey of bus shelters in various parts of the city and found that bus queue shelters constructed for commuters were in a state of decay. Neglected bus stops New modern bus shelters constructed a few years back are a shambles, with many of these not even having seats for commuters to relax.
Not a single bus stop has been found to be in a proper shape. The flex of almost all bus shelters has worn off and many do not have seats. Missing schedule charts
Commuters reaching bus stops are eager to know exactly when the bus will arrive. However, many bus shelters lack information boards, displaying bus timings on the route, resulting in commuters waiting helplessly. These include bus stops at Sector 22-C, outside the GMCH at Sector 32, outside the CSIO building at Sector 30, opposite the Lakshmi Narayan temple at Sector 20 and on the Madhya Marg.
Passenger information system
The passenger information system installed at few shelters to give audio-visual information about buses on the route are not working, making it difficult for commuters waiting there to know where a bus is at a particular point of time. Most bus shelters do not have the facility. The UT administration had introduced the system in order to provide scheduled bus service with user-friendly facilities to commuters.
Vishal, school student Satnam, school student Sunita, Ram Darbar resident Mukhtiyar Singh Officialspeak
There may be some bus queue shelters that are in a bad shape. All shelters have schedule charts installed. If there are some left, I will get it checked. It can never happen that the drivers skips the route. If there is any such case, people should complain to
me. Sunil
Bhatia, Director, Transport
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Irked councillor shoots off letter to MC president
Panchkula, July 13 The sector is under the jurisdiction of
HUDA, which is responsible for its maintenance. In his letter, Ashish
Garg, councillor of the area, stated that despite HUDA developing one of the biggest markets of the town in the sector, the area lacked proper infrastructure. He said heaps of garbage could be seen lying in the area and despite several complaints to HUDA authorities, nothing had been done so far. Garg said as the area came under
HUDA, he was unable to solve residents’ problems. He said the sector was also plagued by stray animals and parks were crying for maintenance. MC president Rawinder Rawal said the civic body was ready to incorporate the sector. He said a resolution to this effect was also passed in a meeting held in 2009 and the same was forwarded to HUDA which had failed to submit any reply. He said he would check records and if the resolution was valid, the matter would be taken up with HUDA authorities again.
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HUDA razes illegal religious structure
Panchkula, July 13 HUDA demolished the temple after the Supreme Court in a recent judgment had asked the authorities to remove all illegal religious structure built on the government land. The temple was situated in the parking area of the market. More than 30 officials of HUDA and district administration demolished the illegal structure under the supervision of duty magistrate naib tehsildar Inder Malik. More than 30 policemen were also present at the site to thwart any violent protest from residents. The drive went on peacefully till 6:30 pm despite the fact that around 200 people had gathered at the site. Interestingly, the temple is around 30 years old and was built by the Canter Union. The temple's name is registered under the Society's Act. The temple trustees had planned to apply to HUDA for the allotment of a new site for the temple. Earlier, the tension gripped the area as the HUDA authorities directed the temple trustees to remove the idols from the temple premises. Firstly, the trustees refused to remove the same but after persuasion they relented and removed the idols from the temple premises. HUDA subdivisional officer MP Sharma said that two JCB machines had been deployed for the demolition of illegal religious structure. However, one of the drivers of the machine refused to demolish the temple structure due to religious belief, he added.
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High alert in P’kula after blasts in Mumbai
Panchkula, July 13 Besides intensifying surveillance at various bus stops, crowded areas and business centres, the district police has also tightened security in and around the railway station at Kalka. It has also deployed additional police force in various townships in the district. Maneesh Chaudhary, superintendent of police, said an alert had been sounded in the district after the serial blasts in Mumbai. Nakas had been set up at every exit and entry point to the district and police patrolling had been intensified in the district. He said the DSP and SHO had been asked to closely monitor the situation to thwart any untoward incident. Police parties have also been deployed at various sensitive places for keeping a close watch on suspects and anti-social elements. — TNS
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Stray cattle a bane for Zirakpur residents
Zirakpur, July 13 The need for the same is being felt as daily accidents are being reported due to stray cattle. Last night, a Panchkula-based doctor and other three motorists had a miraculous escape after their vehicles rammed into stray cattle near a hotel on the Zirakpur-Kalka highway. However, no one was injured in the accident but vehicles were badly damaged. In September 2010, the council had passed a proposal in which they had planned to buy a low-height trolley and to constitute a four-skilled labour team to catch the stray cattle. The team was to be formed only for four months and Rs 1,80,000 would be spent on it. An MC official stated that the department concerned was working on the proposal to buy a low-height trolley for catching stray cattle and it would be finalised soon. A visit to the area reveals that the cattle are roaming freely on the highways. The cattle are mostly found sitting beneath the flyover near the road. The residents rued that the council had failed to solve the cattle menace in the town. They alleged that they had submitted complaints regarding this many times but nothing had been done so far. Mohali deputy commissioner Varun Roojam stated that he would direct the Municipal Council to check the cattle menace in Zirakpur.
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P’kula doc, 3 motorists have a miraculous escape
Zirakpur, July 13 The incident occurred at 10.30 pm when the victim, Dr DS Verma, a medical director in a Dera Bassi-based private hospital, was moving towards Panchkula from Zirakpur. When he was crossing the Railway over bridge (ROB) the stray cattle were roaming freely on the road. The victim said due to the absence of streetlights on the highway, he failed to see that the cattle had blocked the road. In the meantime, three other vehicles including a truck, a car and a motorcycle also collided with the cattle. However, one of the animals sustained injuries. The vehicles were badly damaged due to impact of collision. A passersby immediately informed the police about the incident. Later, the police called up the authorities of Gopal Gaushala who further informed the matter to the PFA. Verma, who is a resident of Panchkula, said the highway authorities should instal streetlights on the highway and medians should be closed with grills. He also said that the local administration should take help of the NGOs to check the cattle menace. While talking to TNS, National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) Project Director Anil Dahiya said the streetlights would be functional after completion of the project. He claimed that the talks between the officials of two states had already begun to get power connection for streetlights.
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Death of Businessman Tribune News Service
Panchkula, July 13 The Panchkula police had lodged an FIR after recovering the body of builder Ramesh Gupta, a resident of Sector 10, Panchkula, from a canal in Rajpura, last evening. In his complaint to the police, Sector 10 resident Shiv Kumar Gupta had alleged that his brother Ramesh Gupta was under depression, as Rajiv Goyal was not paying Rs 2 crore to his brother as construction cost for two colleges of the Surya Group of Institutes in Punjab. He had further alleged that his brother had made several complaints to the Punjab Police against Goyal for the recovery of his payment but to no avail. The police had registered an FIR against Rajiv Goyal and a few others at the Sector 5 police station.
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Car co. told to pay Rs 25,000 as relief to complainant
Panchkula, July 13 Complainant Meenakshi Verma, resident of Sector 44, Chandigarh, had alleged that the timing belt (spare part) of her car had broken down on February 14 and for incorporating the timing belt, she had taken her car to Anbros Motors, Panchkula. She further alleged that she was informed that the cost of the timing belt would be around ~1,000 but later when she visited to take the delivery of her car, the respondent handed over the bill of Rs 14,866 towards the cost of repair. She alleged that respondent cheated her and also incorporated few other spare parts in her car without her prior consent. In her complaint, she had further stated that the respondent had assured her about smooth functioning of the car but her car again began giving problems. Whereas, the respondent in its reply stated that claim of the complainant was false and frivolous. The respondent denied any deficiency in service rather stated that the complainant wanted to get her car repaired free of cost and therefore she had filed the complaint. After hearing both the parties, The Bench of the Panchkula District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum consisting of president Ashok Kumar Jain and members SP Singh and Sarita Jain directed the respondent to release the vehicle of the complaint and to also pay ~20,000 as compensation. The forum further directed the respondent to pay ~5,000 as cost of litigation to the complainant as well.
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‘HVPN officials misusing position’
Panchkula, July 13 Rameshwar alleged that HVPN managing director Jyoti Arora was misusing her official position and had asked the crime branch in Jind to investigate the matter against his brother, Ajay. He claimed that his brother was missing since morning, as he has become mentally disturbed. However, Jyoti Arora said they had nothing to do in the case, as cases have been registered by the police against the contractor for embezzling EPF worth Rs 1 crore of labour engaged by him. She said if investigated in other parts of the state, the fraud would turn out in crores. She said the contractor had got the payment released after submitting an affidavit that he had deposited funds in the EPF account of the labour engaged by him. He further alleged that his brother was being mentally harassed for the last four to five months by the HVPN officials, who were pressurising him to withdraw the case against them. He said after the President of India’s office directed the chief secretary to hold a proper inquiry into the case on June 26, the officials have reopened the cases which were declared non-maintainable by the district attorney of Narwana.
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Dadu Majra residents protest
Chandigarh, July 13 Raising slogans against the Mayor, residents led by BJP leader Narender Chaudhary alleged that the dispensary in the area remained empty most of the time as the doctor visited it merely twice a week. Many village residents were suffering from seasonal diseases like fever, cold and cough and even asthma as the dumping ground was located adjoining to the village, they said. When contacted, area councillor Kamlesh said they had brought the problem to the notice of Municipal Commissioner Prerna Puri. Mayor Ravinder Pal Singh and Puri did not respond to telephone calls.
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MC poll likely in November
Chandigarh, July 13 According to sources, the recommendations of the state election commission for the national capital territory and the union territory of Chandigarh to hold the election in October are likely not to be accepted. Since all major festivals, including Dasehra and Divali, fall in October, early November seems to be the right time for holding the MC poll, the sources added. Earlier, the election commission, at a meeting with UT officials, had recommended elections in October on the plea that the schools, which are usually booths for the civic body poll, might not be available in December due to examinations. Since the election commission would be busy in preparing for the elections to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi due early next year, the MC could be held in November. Meanwhile, uncertainty prevails over the delimitation of the MC wards in Chandigarh. Currently, there are 26 wards in the MC and a proposal to increase the wards had been hanging fire in view of the unavailability of data with the UT Administration. The Census Department is yet to officially release the data.
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Unscheduled cuts turn up heat
Zirakpur, July 13 Residents of Baltana, Pabhat, Zirakpur, Lohgarh and nearby villages complained that the power supply was disrupted in the afternoon and was not restored till late night on Sunday. They lamented that their complaints went unheard, as there was no one in the electricity department to attend to them. There are 817 transformers in the town and the supply is generated from two grids of 66 kv in Pabhat and Dhakoli. Sources said at present there were 40,000 connections (approx) in the town and the number was increasing every month. Meanwhile, officials of the electricity department said they were unable to attend to people as the department was reeling under staff crunch. He said at present 120 employees were working with the department and two persons were put on duty during three shifts. “The only vehicle that the department has does not have a driver,” he added. However, an official of the PSPCL, claimed that the department was not responsible for the crisis. He said people had installed meters of lesser load, but their power consumption was substantially high. “We will soon be introducing a voluntary disclosure scheme (VDS) to deal with the problem,” the official added.
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Residents protest digging new alignment of N-choe
Mohali, July 13 As the work of digging new alignment of the choe began yesterday, the residents lamented that by bringing the course of choe closer to the residential area of Phase IX, they would be exposed to pungent smell of untreated sewer flowing in the choe. “There was no need to waste public funds on re-aligning the choe and instead the existing choe could be cleaned and its embankments could be beautified. The digging would also damage a number of trees,” said the residents. Instead of digging up new alignment, there was a need to provide basic amenities like toilets, drinking water, garden lights and benches. The facilities could be provided at few lakhs. On the other hand, PUDA officials said keeping in mind the residents’ convenience, pipes were being laid at the base of the new course of the choe. During monsoons, the excess water would pass through the pipes. The existing choe would be filled with earth.
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Food samples taken from Sec-22 dhaba
Chandigarh, July 13 Acting swiftly, health department officials immediately reached the spot and took samples of the food items served. Dr Satbir Singh of the department said they
had sent the samples of food to the laboratory for testing.
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Panchkula, July 13 Krishan Chandar Dahiya, a resident of Sector 27, had left for work on Monday morning but when he returned in the evening, he found that his house lock was broken. He informed the police that two gold rings, one gold chain and few thousand rupees were missing from the almirah of his house. — TNS
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Tricity scan Chandigarh Scan
Nominations for national award
The Ministry of State Justice and Empowerment has invited nominations for national awards for empowerment of persons with disabilities in 13 categories such as best employees/self employed with disabilities, best employers and placement officer/agency, best individual, including professional and institution working for the cause of persons with disabilities, role model, best applied research, innovation and product development aimed at improving life of persons with disabilities, outstanding work in creation of barrier-free environment for the persons with disabilities, best district in providing rehabilitation services, best local-level committee of national trust, best state channelising agency of national handicapped finance and development corporation, best creative adult person with disabilities, best creative child with disabilities, best Braille press and best accessible website. The deserving disabled persons/institutions, who are desirous to be nominated for any of the above awards, may submit their applications in the office of social welfare department.
Installation ceremony
The seventh installation ceremony of the Chandigarh Toastmasters Club was held at Hotel Parkview. Division B governor of the club, Anurag Ranjan was the chief guest on the occasion. He installed new executive committee, including president Nagendra Saini, vice-president (education) Jasbir Singh, vice-president (membership) Simranjit Gosal, vice-president (PR) Manu Upaday, secretary Meera Sharma, treasurer Summit Aggarwal and sergeant-at-arms Dheeraj Datta. Anuraj Rajan appreciated the role of outgoing president Navnit Joshi in promoting the Chandigarh Toastmasters club in the last one year. “Toastmasters International started its journey in 1924 with a mission to help people overcome the fear of public speaking and today more than 2,50,000 people have been benefited by it. We are looking forward to spread this mission aggressively in the region by opening up new clubs in various parts of Punjab, Himachal and J&K,” he said. Navnit Joshi thanked his team of office-bearers for their support and also members of Chandigarh Toastmasters Club for giving him an opportunity to serve this esteemed club.
Various street plays were organised by the North Zone Cultural Centre on the theme of sex education, particularly on AIDS, were staged in different parts of the city on Wednesday.
Panel discussion
Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) celebrated World Population Day with a panel discussion on “Population and AIDS: A commitment towards social cause”. As many as 30 residents participated in the panel discussion. The panelists included Dr Joginder Mukherjee (director YWCA), Indu Talwar, Dr Avnish Jolly (AIDS activist) and Renu Gandhi (social activist and associate professor, department of life long learning and extension (DLLLE), Panjab University, Chandigarh).
Office-bearers
The following have been nominated as office-bearers of the Sarv Siksha Sudhar Samiti: Adviser (sports activities)- Kashmir Singh; adviser (youth activities)- Abhishek Tuli; president (Block I)- Simmi; president (Block II)- Ramesh Chandolia; secretary (Block II) Harpal Singh and legal adviser - Prem Dass.
International congress
Dr Jyoti Rattan, assistant professor in law, department of laws, and Dr Vijay Rattan, professor of public administration, Panjab University, attended the 2011 international congress of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS), Belgium, organised at Lausanne, Switzerland, in cooperation with the Institut des Hautes Etudes en Administration Publique (IDHEAP). The congress was based on the theme global problems and national regulations: challenges to regulatory strategies. The duo presented a paper on “A Critical Analysis of Administration of Information Technology Regulatory Authorities in India: International and National Legal Perspective.”
Mohali SCAN The operation theatre of Regional Spinal Injury Centre, Mohali, (RSIC), finally was made operational with a successful surgery upon 35-year-old Mohammad Sadeeq, a patient from Malerkotla on Saturday. A team of Dr Sanjeev Palta, Dr Parnab Dr Deepak, and Dr Rajinder led by renowned spine surgeon, Dr Raj Bahadur performed the first surgery at the centre. Professor Laxmi Kanta Chawla, social security, women and child welfare minister of Punjab, and TR Sarangal, secretary, health, however, at a meeting held recently directed the director of RSIC, Dr Raj Bahadur to start the surgeries at the centre as early as possible. Development works reviewed
Departmental action will be taken against officials who do not attend district-level meetings, said Deputy Commissioner Varun Roojam here on Wednesday. Roojam, who presided over a meeting to discuss development works, said employees of all departments should ensure that they attended such meetings regularly. He directed officials concerned to complete various development works in villages falling under Mohali district by September and submit completion certificates. BDPOs were asked to personally supervise all these works and ensure that proper quality was maintained. Taking a strict notice in connection with the submission of completion certificates even before starting the work, the Deputy Commissioner said such documents should be submitted only after the work got completed. He directed BDPOs to complete various small works in villages on a priority basis and a monthly report be sent about the expenses incurred in this regard. Maximum number of works should be undertaken under the employment scheme so that more and more people could get a chance to earn their livelihood.
Protest against immigration firm
Placement drive
All unemployed youth and rural students who were provided various skills by Zanders Skills Development Centre (ZSDC) got placed. Inderjeet Singh Brar, chairman, Zanders group, said at ZSDC, students from rural background were given a chance to be part of the mainstream economy. “For this, students are imparted specially designed training process. We have got all our students placed so far,” he added
PANCHKULA SCAN Panchkula Deputy Commissioner Ashima Brar said with a view to make beneficiaries easily receive their pension, now their pension would be deposited directly in their bank accounts and for this, work
of issuing smart cards was in progress and would be completed soon. The business representatives appointed by the bank concerned would visit each village to open bank account of the beneficiaries, she added.
— TNS
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Admissions to BAMS Counselling postponed as authorities fail to get approval for recognition Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, July 13 The college has 50 seats of BAMS. It was the first day of counselling for MBBS, BDS, BHMS (Bachelor of Homeopathy Medicine and Surgery), and BAMS courses at the medical education colleges in the city. While MBBS is available at Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, BDS course is being run by Panjab University at Dr HS Judge Institute of Dental Sciences, Sector 25. Similarly, BHMS course is taught at Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Sector 26. The vice-president of committee running the college, Dr Naresh Mittal when contacted said all ayurvedic colleges were required to obtain afresh approval from the Central Council of Indian Medicines every year. This year no college is extended till now, he said. Meanwhile, seats pertaining to MBBS general (30), reserved (seven), physical handicapped (one) and BDS general (64) have been filled up. The last combined entrance test rank of a candidate for MBBS course (general category) was 70, for reserved category 321 and for BDS (general category) was 332. The counselling for BHMS will be held tomorrow.
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Good response to second counselling
Government schools witnessed an unprecedented admission rush this year. Top model schools, including those at Sectors 37, 35 and 16, had already filled all seats for many streams. “Many students have apparently not got the school of their choice. They are trying the second time. We had second counselling earlier, but the response was not good. The cut-offs for science have been high, causing this response,” said a UT education department official.
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Student, teacher exchange blows in college
Chandigarh, July 13 The incident took place at the sculpture department of the college, where student Narinder Jeet Singh, accompanied by a few students, alleged that he was thrashed by department head Sumangal Roy for asking him to come to the principal’s office for a meeting arranged by the students. Sources said the discipline committee of the college, in its emergency meeting today, held students responsible for thrashing the teacher, though a final decision would be taken after seeing CCTV footage. In his complaint to the college authorities, Narinder alleged, “We had problems with our timetable and had earlier approached Roy, but he did not listen. We then went to the principal, who repeatedly called Roy to join the meeting, but he did not come. We then went to call him but he ignored us. When I asked him to come along, he slapped me, tilting my turban, and even pulled my beard.” The college authorities had a different story to tell. According to principal DS Kapoor, Narinder thrashed the teacher and dragged him in the corridor. “These student did not wish to be taught by Sumangal and thus, came to me. I said I would speak to him and called him, but he failed to respond to my calls. These boys went out of my room, saying they would get him. After that, I heard wails of the professor, who was virtually being dragged in the corridor. There is no witness to the professor touching the boy’s turban or beard. A final decision will be communicated tomorrow.”
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New educational events
Chandigarh, July 13 The authorities have decided to include declamation contest, debate, poem recitation and one-act play with various sports competitions this year. In an effort to boost meritorious students and the talent in students, the education department has decided to include these four events in the inter-school competitions. Earlier, only group song events were included in the inter-school competitions. The authorities have decided to organise declamation contest, debate in November, whereas poem recitation and one-act play is schedule to be held in December. “Except having physical activities in the competition, the authorities have decided to include events for the meritorious students also. These competitions will be supervised by the panel appointed by the organisers,” said PS Brar, state sports organiser, UT education department.
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Chandigarh, July 13
These bus shelters stand testimony to the fact that these have not been maintained for a long time. A majority of these are in desperate need of care.
We catch the bus from the Sector-16 bus stand everyday. We normally have to wait for around half an hour to get a bus for the Sector-17 bus
stand.
Many a time, the bus skips the route, making commuters wait for a longer
duration.
I commute between Ram Darbar and Sector 38 on route 7-A everyday. In the evening, the driver changes the bus at the Sector-17 bus stand, claiming that the bus has some mechanical problem, or just says the bus will not go
further.
Bus shelters are not serving their purpose as these are meant to provide a place for commuters to relax while they are waiting for a bus. The flex with which the bus stops were constructed have already worn
off.
As a part of the anti-dengue month, the director health and family welfare inaugurated the camp in the motor market here on Wednesday. Dr Chander Mohan, director health services, emphasised the need of taking preventive measures for control of dengue.
Street plays
Going by the words of Avinash Dikshit, Commissioner Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan, UT, will have another Kendriya Vidyalaya in the next two years. Dikshit was on an official visit to KV 31 and KV 29 on Wednesday where students staged various welcome programmes. In addition to various dances and songs, students also organised a puppet show, pyramid formation, etc. Dikshit also met schoolteachers and appreciated their efforts towards making KV education a brand in itself.
A protest against an immigration firm was organised in Phase VI here on Wednesday after the company failed to return the money it had collected from people for sending them abroad. President of the anti-corruption cell, Amarjit Singh said he had received about 1,000 complaints from people hailing from Punjab, Haryana, HP, J&K, UP and Rajasthan, who had deposited about Rs 85 lakh with the firm for going abroad. But they were neither sent abroad nor was their money returned. He said he had brought the matter to the notice of the DC and SSP. People had held a peaceful protest outside the office of the firm.
Chandigarh, July 13