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right to education Child-mapping exercise undertaken by UT education department a joke Sumedha Sharma Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 22
With private schools having already declared that they would not admit any child who failed to figure on the child-mapping list, thousands of children will end up paying a price for the callous attitude of the department, which despite repeated plans, could not rectify the botched-up survey conducted in December 2010. The survey reflects the “efficiency” and “commitment” of the department which conducted the exercise; woke up to botched-up results in March, but failed to rectify the same even after several months. “If you go through the results, you can easily conclude that many surveyors just sat at home and did everything. It has come as a huge shock to us that a child born to a labourer does not fall in the EWS category according to them,” a principal of a private school remarked. While it was initially decided that government school management committees would rectify the results, the job was then given to government school principals. Midway, talks began with private agencies like CRIID for assistance and only after private schools gave a final deadline (December 31), did the UT call for an emergency meeting of principals and asked them to go through the results.
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Cardiologist murder
Chandigarh, December 22 The police is on the lookout for Simran whose phone has been switched off since last evening and suspects that she could be behind the murder. The Mohali police said there were indications to show that the planning of the murder commenced sometime in October as a SIM card was purchased on a fake ID and address and was used exclusively for conversations with the doctor. The police is exploring the property angle behind the murder as Dr Deepak was set to marry a Canada-based NRI, Meena, next month. He broke up with Simran three months ago.A team of the Mohali police today raided the Sector 46 (Chandigarh) house of Simran where she used to stay with her brother. The police was told that the woman had shifted to a rented accommodation in Sector 21, Panchkula. The police reached the Panchkula house and found the Honda Civic car belonging to the woman. The landlord told the police that she left the day before and parked the car inside the house. Investigations have revealed that Dr Deepak had married Simran in a temple earlier this year. She was initially employed as a nurse and later did a BAMS course. She originally hails from Moga. After she broke up with him, she decided to marry a man named Inder and settle in the USA. Dr Deepak was last seen with an unidentified woman in his Tata Aria car on Tuesday evening by his staff and his body was recovered yesterday in a car at Dera Bassi. The police is preparing the sketch of the woman who appeared to be in her late 20s. Dr Deepak had got engaged to an NRI on December 10 and was scheduled to marry in January.
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Another embezzlement at RLA
Chandigarh, December 22 The money deposited by the common man did not reach the treasury of the UT Administration and the department cannot provide the details of the funds, claimed the sources. Parsuram Kavle, UT Registration and Licensing Authority, denied the receipt of the audit report. “Let the audit report come to me. Only then would I be able to comment,” he said. Department sources said at least Rs 26.5 lakh had not been deposited with the treasury by the RLA department during the last financial year. The embezzlement came to light during the nine-day special audit which concluded today, the sources said. The department accounts from April 1, 2010, to October 31, 2011, were checked. Shockingly, officials of the department did not take any accounts statement on a daily basis from the server of the National Informatics Centre, in the absence of which the figures of cash collected at the counters could not be tallied with the accounts, claimed the sources. The officials said the department started taking the statements only after the detection of embezzlement of about Rs 5.6 lakh in a span of five months from April 1 this year. After the embezzlement of Rs 26.5 lakh was unearthed in the special audit, the RLA scam now involves over Rs 30 lakh in just one-and-a-half years. An FIR against the misappropriation of funds and
cheating against 10 persons has been lodged at the Sector 17 police station in this connection. The Administration has also assigned CL Lakhanpal, a retired IAS officer of the Haryana cadre, to conduct an inquiry. Meanwhile, all the nine contractual employees, who were issued termination orders three days earlier, alleged that they were made victims in the case. “We were issued termination orders even before the initiation of an inquiry. A peon on contract was deputed to deposit the cash collected by the department with the treasury. We have the documents to prove our innocence, but the authorities are not ready to listen to us,” alleged Deepak Pokhariya and Neeru Singla along with their colleagues here today.
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22 days on, admn yet to calculate amount
Rajinder Nagarkoti Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 22 On November 30, the UT Administrator had issued directions to compensate Bulbul and her family members during a meeting of senior UT officials. He had directed the authorities to calculate the amount after examining all aspects, including legal implications. However, the administration has been sitting on the issue ever since and has not even calculated the amount. Bulbul, a resident of Bihar, had lost her newborn after delivering the baby at the OPD counter at Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, Sector 16. On July 21 last year, Bulbul, a resident of Bihar, had delivered her baby after staff of the GMSH made her run from one room to another to complete the paperwork and diagnostic tests even as she was in labour. During delivery, the baby’s head reportedly hit the floor, leading to her death. Later, an internal inquiry conducted by the GMSH, terming the incident as system failure, was rejected by the then Home Secretary, Ram Niwas, and a fresh inquiry was ordered to be conducted by the Government Medical College and Hospital Director-Principal, Dr Raj Bahadur, and the then Chandigarh Additional Deputy Commissioner, PS Shergill. Following the submission of the inquiry report by Dr Bahadur and Shergill, the police had booked four doctors, including the head of the department of gynaecology, and six other staff members of the hospital, in the case. While UT Adviser KK Sharma said they were calculating the compensation amount, Home Secretary Anil Kumar said they were awaiting an order by the National Human Rights Commission, where the matter was still pending.
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Suspended judge flaunts status, still
Panchkula, December 22 The chairman of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana, Lehkraj Sharma, said it was a case of professional misconduct and in violation of the rules and regulations of the Bar Council of India. “We will take necessary action when the issue is brought to our notice,” he said. In his defence, Dr Mewa Singh said: “The car under question does not belong to me.” He then snapped the line and did not respond to the repeated calls made by this correspondent. The judge-turned-lawyer also “flaunts” his former designation on a board outside his chamber. The board reads -- Dr Mewa Singh (former HCS CJM). According to information, he had resigned from the post following allegations of professional misconduct. He started practising at the Panchkula court a few months ago and shares his chamber with other lawyers.
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race for mayor Amit Sharma Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 22 The party, anticipating a majority in the house, has already started discussions over their probable candidates. The BJP, which is also fancying its chances of heading the pack, has short-listed two names for the post as well. Congress sources say Raj Bala Malik, who won the elections from ward No. 1, and Gurbax Rawat from ward No. 2 are among the front-runners for the top post. “Between the two, Malik is expected to take charge as Mayor if the Congress proves its majority,” the sources add. The other two women Congress candidates who have won the civic elections include Sheela Devi from ward No. 11 and Rana Kashmiri Devi from ward No. 14. Meanwhile, the BJP, in the hope of seeing their candidate as Mayor, has also short-listed two names for the post. “Asha Jaiswal, who won the elections after defeating Poonam Sharma of the Congress from ward No. 4, and Heera Negi, who defeated Congress candidate Indu Singla, are in the race for the Mayor’s post,” says a source in the BJP. Under the rules, the first Mayor of the house has to be a woman, on the basis of which the parties have short-listed their probable candidates. Political observers say BSP councillor Jannat Jahan from ward No. 23 was also being seen as a strong contender for the top post. However, with the release of nominated councillors’ list, her chances of becoming a Mayor have diminished. “Very soon both parties will finalise their candidate for the post and will come out with their choice at the last moment,” says a senior leader of one of the parties.
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Scams gave no respite to officialdom
Akash Ghai Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 22 The image of the administration was further tarnished with the unearthing of three major scams — booth scam, CTU bus conductor scam and RLA scam — in 2011. In the backdrop of controversies surrounding various mega projects, including amusement park, film city project, medicity, etc. the administration did not find courage to announce any big project for the city this year, thus putting brakes on major development.
In the last week of February, the booth scam rocked the city following the submission of an inquiry report by the UT’s former Additional Deputy Commissioner, PS Shergill. He named several senior politicians, bureaucrats, senior officials of police and estate office for their alleged role in the allotment of booths in several parts of the city. The prominent names mentioned in the report included Congress senior leader and Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, former Mayor Pardeep Chabbra, former UT Adviser Pardip Mehra and former Deputy Commissioner RK Rao. After sitting on the Shergill report for over nine months, the UT Deputy Commissioner, Brijendra Singh, was asked to work on the missing links in the report last month. As large-scale irregularities in the recruitment process of CTU bus conductors came to light, the administration again got an egg on its face. In September, the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) confirmed that at least 66 of the 73 candidates screened were not the real candidates but their impersonators. The selection of 139 candidates (out of total 144 candidates) from a certain area of Haryana, which was the home district of the then Home Secretary, Ram Niwas) raised many questions and indicated that “all was not well”. The third in line was the RLA scam, following which the administration had to suspend three of its employees and terminate nine contract staff for embezzling around Rs 5.60 lakh in a span of four months. The scam came to light in the last week of October. While a special audit was completed in this regard, a regular inquiry by a one-member committee was yet to be initiated. In the backdrop of a series of scams, the administration had started referring all appointments to the Centre. On October 25, the administration had sent a letter to the Staff Selection Commission, asking it to conduct the recruitment of some non-gazetted personnel. The year also saw three new officials assuming charge of key posts — Finance Secretary, Adviser to the UT Administrator and Home Secretary. While on January 15, Punjab-cadre 1990-batch IAS officer VK Singh took over as the UT Finance Secretary, KK Sharma, a 1983-batch IAS officer of AGMUT cadre joined as the UT Adviser on April 11. On December 10, Haryana-cadre 1988-batch IAS officer Anil Kumar took over as the new UT Home Secretary. Sharma joined the post over two months after he was formally named the new UT Adviser. Similarly, it took about two and half months to fill the Home Secretary’s post after it was vacated by Ram Niwas on September 24. The southern part of the city got something in the name of development in 2011. Three gardens — Valley of Animals in Sector 49, Garden of Conifers in Sector 52 and Japanese Garden in Sector 31 — a 300-bed hospital, a business college and two high schools are coming up in the third phase of the city, as announced by the administration.
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Siblings’ murder: Parents quizzed
Chandigarh, December 22 Umesh Sahu and Malti Devi were summoned to the Crime Branch in Sector 11, where they were asked for details of their family and for clues pertaining to the case. Kavita and Gaurang Sahu were found brutally stabbed to death at their residence in Sector 41 on December 16. Investigation had narrowed in on to the relatives of the two victims as it had confirmed that the accused was someone known to the two victims. The police said Umesh was not in touch with his children as he used to stay in Mewat. The mother was aware of the friends of her children, who were frequent visitors to the place. Besides the parents, the police also questioned the maternal aunt and uncle of the two. Those grilled included Maya, Mahinder and Jagannath. In addition, the police also summoned friends of the two. Mani, who studies part time and works as a hawker, said he was called because his number was in the contact list of Gorang, who was his friend. In addition, Priya Verma, Kavita’s friend was also questioned. The police has announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh to anyone who provides information. The identity of informer will be kept secret.
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3 coaches clipped from Duronto
Panchkula, December 22 The authorities have decided to withdraw one AC chair car and four chair car coaches of 12241/12242 Amritsar- Chandigarh-Amritsar Duronto express on permanent basis. The train, which used to have 1,287 non-AC chairs and 145 in two AC coaches, could never attract more than a few hundred passengers. The trains occupancy was averaging 300 only.
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Raid at liquor vend
Chandigarh, December 22 A call was received at the Police Control Room in the afternoon and the informer was the relative of DSP/lines Suman Kumar. The caller said the cans were being sold at the liquor vend owned by Amrik Singh Dhillon. Acting on the information, a team led by SI Rajdeep Singh under the supervision of Roshan Lal, DSP/PCR, raided the liquor vend and recovered 48 cans of beer “Carls Berge” and 81 cans of beer “God Father”. It was learnt that the owners failed to produce stock registers and inspection note books. Another raid was conducted at a liquor vend in Mani Majra where the owner was found selling liquor below the prescribed government rates.
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An appeal for communal harmony, mutual love
Chandigarh, December 22 The play, Ajaat Ghar, written by a noted playwright Rameshwar Prem and directed by Shyam Juneja focused on the fanning of vandalism in the country and the world at large. The instant play revolved around two characters Guddu Saini and Ranjit Roy. Structured in the ambiance of a village in Bihar these two persons, driven by the fear of people indulged in rioting and scuffles outside, take refuge in a damaged house. While they condemn the rioters fighting on the issue of religious and caste bigotry, they keep themselves engaged in social and patriotic thoughts without disclosing their own caste to one another for they, too, might turn enemies. The play ends with an appeal for communal harmony and mutual love irrespective of the different caste and creed. Both the actors relying on dialogue deliveries emotional expressions gave a good account of their aesthetic potential.
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Don’t give up exercise in winter, say doctors
Chandigarh, December 22 As the mercury dips sharply, more and more people choose to stay indoor and avoid morning walks and exercises. Doctors warn that not burning the calorie intake is taking its toll on people’s health. They have reported a number of patients complaining of increased sugar levels, heart attacks and strokes. “Sugar levels among the diabetic have gone up during this season due to more eating and no exercise. If the weather conditions persist and people avoid exercise, the diabetic will have to face the consequences,” says endocrinologist Dr KP Singh, Fortis Hospital, Mohali. “Blood circulation slows down during winter. An increase in sugar levels due to lack of exercise leads to lung infections among diabetic patients. Some patients develop ulcers and gangrene in feet,” the doctor adds. Cardiologist Dr HK Bali feels there is more stress on the heart during the winter season. “I come across cases of strokes and heart attacks during winter.” “Generally, appetite increases during winter and people gorge more, especially oily and fatty foods. The problem gets compounded when there is no calorie burnout, as many tend to give up exercising. This puts more pressure on the heart and increases the chances of stroke,” he says.
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Joshi Honda, Fiat India fined Rs 2 lakh
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 22 The amount is to be deposited with the State Legal Services Authority, Chandigarh, within a month. The district forum comprising president Lakshman Sharma and members Madhu Mutneja and Jaswinder Singh Sandhu, observed: “The sale of the vehicle prior to the approval of its model given by the State Transport Authority, Chandigarh, amounts to deficiency in service and as also an unfair trade practice on part of the respondents.” The forum has also directed the respondents to pay Rs 75,000 in compensation besides Rs 7,000 as costs of litigation to a Sector-15 couple — Ritika and Bhupinder Thakur. The complainant, Ritika, had submitted that they had purchased a Grand Punto car from Joshi Honda (opposite party No. 1), authorised dealer of Fiat India Private Limited (opposite party No. 2) and Tata Motors (opposite party No. 3), who allotted a temporary registration number valid up to June 20, 2010 to the car. She alleged that after inspecting the vehicle, the Registering Authority returned the file with an objection that the car model in question had not been approved by the State Transport Authority (STA), Chandigarh. When she approached the opposite party No.1, they told her to submit the papers again to the registration authority as opposite party Nos. 2 and 3 had already submitted the necessary approval from the Home Secretary, Chandigarh. She again approached the registration authority on July 28, 2010 but was informed that the approval letter of BS-IV model of Fiat had still not been received from the STA. Upon this, she again approached the opposite party No. 1, which refused to co-operate with her and advised her to approach opposite party Nos. 2 and 3 for getting the necessary approval letter. No one appeared on behalf of the opposite party No. 2 and was proceeded against ex parte. The name of the opposite party No. 3 was deleted on the statement made by its counsel.
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Amenities still a far cry
Our Correspondent
Mohali, December 22 No improvement has been brought about by the municipal council since the problems faced by residents were highlighted in these columns nearly two months back. Residents have been complaining that the authorities concerned have failed to provide basic civic amenities. The sector, located next to Matour village, is one of the newly developed areas, but only depicts a picture of neglect. A village pond is used to dump garbage and the filthy water in that pond has become a breeding place for mosquitoes and flies. An open space near Gurdwara Singh Shaheedan at Sohana has been converted into a garbage-dumping point. Only some roads in the area have been repaired by the civic body over the past two months, but the overall picture remains the same. Baljit Kaur, former municipal councillor, has said no development in the area has taken place ever since the elected body was dissolved about a year ago. She says the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority is carrying out development in outer areas as part of a beautification plan, but internal areas remain neglected. Sanitation is in a state of neglect. Curb channels and road gullies have not been cleaned over nearly a year. ‘Safai karamcharis’ do not clean the area for days together. The contractor has to be requested time and again to send them to clean roads and other areas. Streetlights are also not fully functional. Stray animals move about in large numbers. Complaints in this regard have fallen on deaf ears.
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MC looks the other way
Signages stay put despite monetary loss Our Correspondent
Mohali, December 22 Overhead signages had been put up near the PCA stadium, near the traffic light point separating Phases III and V, near Fortis Hospital, near NIPER, near Gurdwara Sacha Dhan Sahib and near the roundabout separating Sectors 55 and 56. These had been put up in violation of orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. A complaint in this regard was made by SS Parkash, owner of Growing Concepts, a private firm, to JC Sabharwal, administrator of the civic body, on December 12. In the letter, he stated that two companies were allowed to put up overhead signages for two years, from January 1, 2009, to December 31, 2010. He pointed out these signages could still be seen, leading to a huge financial loss to the civic body. He added that the two companies were charging up to Rs 10 lakh per month from their clients and not paying any amount to the council. He claimed that some officials of the civic body were involved in the scam. He demanded that the payment for one year be recovered from the two companies and the signages be removed. When no action was taken by the authorities concerned over the past 10 days, another letter was given to the administrator of the civic body today. The administrator of the council forwarded the letter to executive officer Jagjit Singh Shahi. The official said he had asked the employees concerned to take immediate action and report back within three days.
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Farmers to get Rs 1.46 cr per acre
Kulwinder Sangha
Mohali, December 22 Farmers would be given a compensation of Rs 1,46,22,611 per acre under the project. They would also be free to avail themselves of the facility of the land-pooling scheme. GMADA had acquired 97.425 acres at Ferozepur Bangur village for the project. Though 151.71 acres were acquired initially, a part of it had to be left out after the Air Force authorities objected, saying it fell under the buffer zone. Surinder Dhundia, GMADA joint director, said the basic rate per acre was Rs 96,03,073 and the amount for solatium, the second component, was Rs 28,80,922. He further said the appreciation price was fixed at Rs 8,09,288 and non-litigation charges stood at Rs 13,29,328. He said land at Medicity would be allotted to healthcare chains. He said in case farmers were not interested in taking the amount, they could opt for plots under the land-pooling scheme. He added that GMADA would give 1,000-sq-yd plots for residential purposes and 100-sq-yd plots for commercial use at phase I of Ecocity. GMADA took about eight months-and-a-half for acquiring the land, hearing objections and announcing the award.
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PU Dean elections High drama was witnessed as two faculties won by a narrow margin Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 22 High drama was witnessed when AK Vashisht was elected Dean for management, sciences and commerce. He outdid Anu Chatrath’s husband and GK Chatrath’s son-in-law Deepak Kapoor by one vote. Initially, when Deepak was declared victorious, Ashok Goyal went to Chatrath to congratulate him but during the re-counting when it was revealed that Vashisht had won, the Goyal group broke into a frenzy and Keshav Malhotra’s winning jig proved that it was surely not a friendly match as claimed by Ashok Goyal. Deepak Kapoor had hit headlines yesterday after the cyber crime cell of the UT police traced the creation of a fake ID, which was used to sent a hate mail against VC. Anu Chatrath had, however, clarified that their wi-fi connection had been misused to tarnish their image. On the similar lines, VK Tiwari, who is being claimed to be with the Chatrath group defeated Goyal group’s contender by one vote. The Chatrath group went around hooting claiming that barring one faculty all Deans belonged to their group. This display of celebration by both groups, however, left the faculty members complaining. “Dean is an academic post and declaration of result should be a recognition of academic stance of winner rather than political celebration,” said a teacher.
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PEC students devoted to lighting up lives
Chandigarh, December 22 These students of PEC’s NSS unit in association with the department of applied sciences teach Class X students residing in slum areas of Chandigarh. Student coordinator Atush Badyal, a third year student of electrical engineering, said they taught students of Class X, who are keen on learning physics, chemistry, biology and maths, so that they could cement their base for non-medical and medical streams. “All students come to the PEC campus and get their tuitions in lecture halls and classrooms of the college, which further encourages them to study hard and take admission in engineering college,” Badyal said. The other students involved in the project include Ayush Seth, Shashwat Rastogi, Aman Tyagi, Shefali Birla, Shefali Seth, Heena, Neha Jain, Naman Arora, Rohit Gupta and Rohit Garg. The PEC students devote two hours a day and have prepare a timetable in order to strike a balance between all four subjects. A two-hour class is held five days a week. While science classes are held three days a week, while maths being a lengthier subject, is taught two days a week. The students are taught on the pattern of CBSE board. “We coordinate among ourselves. A volunteer, who is busy, asks the other team member to take the classes, we never let the students miss even a single class,” students added. Badyla said the second phase of coaching was already over. It was attended by a group of around 35 students. He said, “The third phase will start in January. All these students will go through a series of tests before the commencement of their final exams in March. The volunteers visit different slums to aware the students about their programmes.
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NSS volunteers interact with special kids
Chandigarh, December 22 The NSS unit visited Kaimbwala village. They interacted with residents and gave a hearing to their problems. The students also interacted with special children at Bhawan Vidyalaya, Sector 27, and visually impaired children at Blind Home, Sector 26. They also got an opportunity to interact with the resource persons from different fields, who delivered lectures on stress management, meditation and way of life. Today, on the concluding session of the camp, Bikram Singh Rana, state liaison officer, was the guest of honour. He delivered a lecture on personality development through the NSS.
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Shreyas, Suyash stand out
Chandigarh, December 22 Both Shreyas and Suyash Singh are students of Class XI. A function is going to be organised at IIT Delhi Campus on December 29 to felicitate the winners with cash prizes, besides certificate of excellence.
— TNS
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In a sheer mockery of the exercise of surveying and identifying children belonging to the economic weaker sections for admission to 25 per cent of seats reserved by several private schools for them, the education department has astonishingly failed to find poor children in several colonies which
are home to migrant labourers.
