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Two killed in jhuggi fire
Chandigarh, February 18 Both Sunil (22) and Parmod (24) were self-employed and were using the jhuggi to sleep at night. After having dinner at their sister’s place, they returned to the jhuggi at around 9.40 pm, and the fire broke out after 1 am. They were rushed to the GMCH-32, but were declared brought dead. The postmortem will be conducted tomorrow. “He told me about getting an anonymous, threat call in the afternoon. When we called back on the number, it turned out to be a Dadu Majra STD booth,” said Sonu, Sunil’s brother-in-law. “There is something fishy behind the incident. We spotted blood after fire officials put out the fire. The victims were physically strong and would have escaped the fire,” a neighbour remarked. “We are investigating the matter and have called a CSFL team to assist us. The blood was spotted, but it might have oozed out after their bodies were burnt. We have recorded the statements of neighbours and family. We will check all aspects. The primary reason seems to be a short circuit.” said Gurmukh Singh, SHO, Sector 11.
Harrowing time for fire officials
The victims were living in a cemented, illegal jhuggi built on the boundary wall of a public convenience toilet. The fire officials had a tough time controlling the fire as the area has around 100 illegal constructions where hundreds of families reside. “At 1.30 am, the small passage was blocked by ‘rehris’ and cars, which made it very difficult for us. Illegal constructions are a nightmare. All these jhuggis have unauthorised wiring system, which often is the reason for a fire incident,” said Baljinder Singh, fire officer. “Everyone here has modern gadgets. They need electricity to charge them. Since these are illegal constructions, we have no option but to put ‘kundi’ in the direct electricity supply,” a resident stated.
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2 held for giving kidnap threat
Panchkula, February 18 The accused have been identified as 20-year-old Gurpreet Singh and 28-year-old Sunny Kumar, both residents of Ambala. Gurpreet Singh had worked as a lab attendant in Dr Vohra’s clinic. The accused had also threatened Dr Anju Bhandari, a resident of Sector 4, Panchkula. The accused had demanded a ransom of Rs 5 lakh. Gurpreet had also threatened a college student of Raipur Rani to become his girlfriend. The victim had lodged a complaint at the Raipur Rani police station. Gurpreet had worked in several laboratories in Chandigarh. The police had put the mobile number of the accused under surveillance. On the advice of the Panchkula police, the Vohra family told the accused that they were ready to pay Rs 5 lakh. The accused called Dr Swati and told her that they would collect the money from the railway station. As soon as the accused reached the station, the police arrested them. SMS Contents n
Mein paanch khun kar chukka hun aur mujhe halke mein mat lena. (I have murdered five persons ... don’t take me lightly).
Faux Pas
Sources said the UT police team nabbed Panchkula CIA Inspector Karamvir Singh, who was at the railway station to catch the accused. Both police teams realised the mistake and patiently waited for the accused. As soon as they reached the railway station and called Dr Swati, the police arrested them.
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Yet another escape from juvenile home
Chandigarh, February 18 The boy, a resident of Ram Darbar who was lodged in the home following a theft, was staying on the first floor and escaped by breaking the hinges of window and scaling a wall. “The boy had an altercation with some inmates yesterday. To avoid any trouble, he was separated from them and made to sleep on the first floor of the building, from where he removed the hinges of the window grill and escaped by scaling the wall,” said Gurmukh Singh, SHO of the Sector 11 police station. “It is my third time here in the home and I don’t like it as everybody irritates me. I was punished for no fault of mine and I decided to run away. The grills are weak and can be removed even by a small child,” said the boy. While the officials concerned remained unavailable for comments, a case under Section 223 of the IPC has been registered against Ram and Sonu, two employees on duty. The home superintendent, Soni Butaula, has registered a complaint against the duo, accusing them of negligence. The police, however, feels that it is not enough. A senior official said: “The department is yet to learn a lesson from the infamous Snehalya episode. How can they justify having only two to three persons on duty in a home where boys accused of criminal activities are staying? We will meet the Director Social Welfare soon and suggest a detailed security plan.”
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Rte mess
Chandigarh, February 18 In a fresh set of instructions issued to UT schools, the department has asked them to immediately revert, informing the department how many students they have to teach free of cost as per the land allotment letters. According to the department, the information will help in identifying the number of students who need to be paid for admission under the RTE. “RTE mandates that 25 per cent seats should be set aside for poor children and the government will pay the expenses. However, land allotment conditions of many schools in the city mandates teaching a fixed percentage of students for free. These children will be adjusted against the RTE seats and then only will we calculate the total number of children we need to pay for,” said Sandeep Hans, DPI (S). According to him, reimbursement will take some time, but will be worked out. The school heads, however, feel that the department is just buying time and bullying them. “Rather than identifying children or working out the economics, the DPI is looking for children to be taught free of cost. We had decided on this last year only and all schools are adhering to the
percentage mentioned in the terms of land allotment. RTE needs attention, not our land allotments,” said a school representative. Only two days are left for the deadline spelt out by the schools and the education department has sought the information in a uniform format. “The schools have been asked to give RTE-related information on a performa,” said Hans.
Schools have to oblige
}RTE mandates that 25 per cent seats should be set aside for poor children, for which the government will pay. However, the land allotment conditions of many schools in the city mandate teaching a fixed percentage of students for free. These children will be adjusted against the RTE seats and then only will we calculate the total number of children we need to pay
for.
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Intrusion at Guesthouse
Chandigarh, February 18 As many as 28 close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras have already been installed at the guesthouse and the authorities have decided to install more cameras there. Panchayat Bhavan in Sector 18, being run by the UT hospitality department, will also be equipped with more cameras to avoid any untoward incident. “The areas at these sites, which do not come under e-surveillance, would be covered by installing more CCTV cameras. The number of cameras would be decided only after a survey,” said Anil Kumar, UT Home Secretary. The administration has also decided to conduct police verification of all the employees working at the two places. Checking of duty rosters and manning of entry gates round the clock would also be initiated. “We don’t want a repetition of such an incident,” said Tilak Raj, Director of the hospitality department. This is the second incident in a span of a month that has brought a bad name to the administration. Earlier, on the intervening night of January 12 and 13, two US nationals had left CITCO-run Hotel Mountview in the wee hours following alleged misbehaviour by a security guard of the hotel. It was alleged that the guard had entered the girls’ room for a few seconds and touched them “indecently”, forcing the girls to leave the hotel. The UT Guest House is also being run by CITCO staff.
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Kalka-Shimla toy train chugs in
Chandigarh, February 18 The much-hyped super luxury chartered train was to be introduced by the Indian Railways Catering Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) from January 17, however, the same got entangled in the administrative hurdles at New Delhi. The decision to provide liquor to customers during the trip has been shelved. It was learnt that the IRCTC had also signed a memorandum of understanding with an England-based Travel Mart Company, which had demanded a special package. The decision on the pricing of the package was to be taken by the railway board, which took time to decide the tour fare. However, the IRCTC had also decided to provide the facility to Indians fearing the super luxury train might receive a lukewarm response from the foreign tourists. Passengers will be able to view the scenic beauty of Shimla and other tourist spots on the way and for this they will have to shell out Rs 2,200. Confirming the same, IRCTC Chief Regional Manager RK Sondh said the 72-seater chartered train was being introduced with an eye to target the foreign tourists who visit Shimla throughout the year. He said the tourists would be given a welcome drink at the Kalka Railway Station besides snacks, lunch and other facilities on the way.
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Dr Rajbahadur likely to continue as GMCH-32 Director
Chandigarh, February 18 Officials of the UT administration said another extension was in the offing for Dr Rajbahadur, whose third extended tenure ends on February 29. Dr Rajbahadur has been with the GMCH for over four years now as he had joined the institute on deputation from the PGI on December 1, 2007. His deputation originally was for two years only. Though the UT administration has initiated the selection procedure for Dr Rajbahadur’s successor in December last year and had forwarded the name of the applicants to the UPSC, the UPSC is yet to begin the process and till the new appointment is made, Dr Rajbahadur is likely to continue here. This however, is contrary to the procedures adopted in the PGI, where the director is usually relieved at the end of his tenure even when his successor has not been finalised. Dr Vinay Sakhuja acted as an officiating Director for almost five months after the superannuation of Dr KK Talwar. Dr YK Chawla was appointed as the Director on October 7, 2011. However, the UT health department seems to be following its own procedures of giving repeated extension to Dr Rajbahadur and in the process of depriving other senior doctors in GMCH-32 of holding the officiating charge of Director Principal despite their seniority and requisite qualification. When contacted, UT Home Secretary-cum-Health Secretary, Anil Kumar, said they would retain Dr Rajbahadur till the appointment of his successor. Recently, PGI’s director Dr YK Chawla had written a letter to the UT administration asking it to repatriate Dr Rajbahadur and Dr Vipin Kaushal, Medical Superintendent of the hospital, immediately who is also on deputation. In January last year, the Governing Body (GB) of the PGI had decided that there would be no extension for those who had completed two years and the deputation period would be restricted to two years. While Dr Rajbahadur has been with the GMCH for over four years now, Dr Kaoushal has spent three years, having joined in July, 2008.
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New Media is the future, say experts
Chandigarh, February 18 Professor BK Kuthiala, Vice-Chancellor, Makhanlal Chaturvedi National Journalism University, Bhopal, was the chief guest. Professor Kuthiala described communication as not just a social need but also a natural biological process for survival. He said that the new media is a combination of Internet communication and mobile telephoning. It is an extension of relationships and social structures, and connects human beings to each other. Day one of the seminar comprised of three technical sessions - reincarnation of old media and the challenges of convergence, fresh perspectives in participatory journalism, and the privacy paradox and compromising confidentiality and circumventing the censors. Research scholars from various institutes presented their papers in the event. Cultural programmes such as folk dance, mimicry, and group songs were also held during the event.
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11 hurt as MUV overturns
Panchkula, February 18 The Bolero in which they were returning home after attending a wedding overturned. They were rushed to General Hospital, Sector 6, Panchkula, where doctors referred seven of them to the PGI, Chandigarh. Among the injured, three were children. As per information, the family members were on foot. They took a lift in a Bolero. A few minutes later, the driver lost the control over the vehicle as the road was in a bad shape. They have been identified as Amirchand (40), Hanish (22), Ranjana (12), Ramesh (45), Nitin (12), Paras Ram (40), and Shakuntla (30), Khemraj (32), Ramesho Devi (42) and Diksha (9). Sources said there was no check on overloaded vehicles on the Panchkula-Morni road. They added that in the past as well a number of accidents had occurred there.
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ATM cloning case surfaces in Mohali
Mohali, February 18 Vikas, who works as a supervisor at an industrial unit in Industrial Area, Phase VIII, said he had a savings account in the State Bank of India. On February 12, when he checked his account, he discovered that there had been two transactions of Rs 1,265. When the matter was brought to the notice of the bank manager, he advised Vikas to get the ATM card blocked. The complainant added that despite getting the card blocked, someone had withdrawn more money from his account. Vikas said his money was used to purchase online railway tickets and he had lost Rs 5,800. When contacted, the branch manager of the SBI, Phase VII, said someone might have cloned he ATM card of the complainant.
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Changing facets of business discussed at Army Institute of Law
Mohali, February 18 The chief guest on the occasion, Pawan Kumar Bansal, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources, focused on the importance of “IPR”, “e-Banking Media Laws”, “Piracy”, “World Trade Organisation”, “International Commerce and Arbitration”. The chief guest said, “Competition law is needed to protect the interests of consumers by encouraging competition between various business entities. It is meant to make the market economy work better by stopping private power from obstructing markets. It aims at protecting freedom of trade and distribution of market power. Certain more provisions of the Competition Act, 2002, have been notified in May, 2009, which have been upheld by the Supreme Court.” He urged the participants and organisers to compile their suggestions for the highest law making body in the country, Parliament. Lt Gen Baljeet Singh, Patron, AIL, in his address covered the achievements of the institute and laid emphasis on the importance of business and commerce in the present environment. He said, “The institute has made rapid strides and in a short span of one decade, has risen to 14th position in national ranking out of the total of 928 registered law colleges. Maj Gen SK Manchanda, chairman, AIL, gave away mementos. — TNS
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Police’s late arrival bugs residents
Zirakpur, February 18 Advocate BL Sharma, a resident of Sunny Enclave, said his neighbour Sanjeev Sharma was returning home at 2 am when he saw some youths hiding behind the wall of a house. He raised the alarm following which the residents of the area managed to nab one of the youths. They called up at “01762-100” twice, but were told that it was Patiala police control room’s number. They then called up on the official of number the Station House Officer, Zirakpur, but soon discovered that the mobile phone was lying with the additional SHO, Fateh Fakir Singh, who told them to call up at the Zirakpur police station. The Zirakpur police told them to ring up at the Baltana police chowki. After half an hour, a police team reached the spot and arrested Manoj Thakur, a resident of Murdabaad. Dera Bassi DSP Anil Kumar stated that he would ask the Additional SHO why action was not taken on time. — TNS
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Seminar
Rayat and Bahra College of Education today organised a national seminar-cum-workshop on ‘Life Skills: Doorway to a better life’ under the aegis of the council for teacher education to explore new vistas of life skills education and to promote higher order thinking skills in education. Today was the second day of seminar that began with a workshop organised by the college faculty members.
Workshop on biostatistics
The third biostatistical workshop on Study Design and Sample Size Determination in Medical Research, organised by the Department of Biostatistics, PGI, successfully concluded today. The workshop was sponsored by the Medical Council of India (MCI) and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Sample size determination directs researchers to have minimal number of subjects that sufficiently empower the study, whereas study design will guide for proper designing of study that will ultimately lead to a correct outcome. The two components are also very important in order to get ethical clearance and financial grant.The valedictory session was chaired by Prof Anil K Gupta, Medical Superintendent of the institute. He said such academic event should be organised on a regular interval.
MC drive
A special anti-encroachment drive was carried out today by the Municipal Corporation enforcement wing in various parts of Sector 17, 20 and 22. During the drive, material including ready made garments, counters and chairs lying on the market pavement were removed. 105 challans were also issued to the violators.
Stray dogs captured
Eight stray dogs have been captured from the PEC, Sector 26, 46 and Bapu Dham colony to tackle the menace. The dog control cell of the office of Medical Officer of Health has also conducted a drive for anti-rabies vaccination under the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001. Five of the captured dogs have been handed over to Pet Animal Health Society, Panchkula, and three have been handed over to the SPCA, Sector 38, today for sterilisation and anti-rabies vaccination. These dogs are released in the same area after sterilisation and vaccination in accordance with the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001.
College celebration
Mat Pita Santaan Divas was celebrated in Dev Samaj College of Education, Sector 36, Chandigarh, with great fervour. Mat Pita Santaan Divas is a unique way of celebrating parent’s day in Dev Samaj tradition. It provides an opportunity to students to pay tribute to their parents who have selflessly given their all for the happiness and betterment of their children. Dr Jyoti Khanna, principal of the college, highlighted the achievements of the college during the past one year. In her address to the gathering, she requested the prospective teachers to preserve and carry forward this auspicious tradition.
Camp on psychology
The psychology department of Guru Gobind Singh College for Women, Sector 26, Chandigarh, organised a workshop on ‘Gardening of Life’, held by Dr Daljit, a theatre personality. The aim of the workshop was to create inner awareness among students through group activities and relationship development. This workshop also taught the students to guard against stress by involving into activities which are therapeutic for the body and mind.
Fantomatique - 2012
Class XI students of KBDAV-7 hosted a farewell party for the outgoing batch of Class XII. Fantomatique-2012 was based on the theme of Halloween, with the school campus wearing a colorful look. Bright coloured balloons and props covered the entire space, complementing the theme. Dressed in formal attires, the students of Class XII were greeted by students of Class XI wearing traditional dresses. The students were given titles with appropriate messages as they walked up the stage.
Pratibha—2012
Gian Jyoti Institute of Management and Technology, Mohali, organised Pratibha-2012, a management-cum- youth festival. Amit Talwar, SDM Mohali, inaugurated the festival. The SDM appreciated the efforts and enthusiasm of the student community and also congratulated the institute for organising such a wonderful event. He advised the students to imbibe moral and ethical values in them, to develop universal brotherhood and spread the message of peace. JS Bedi, chairman of Gian Jyoti Group of Intuitions, welcomed the guests and gave a brief introduction about the philosophy and mission of the institute.
‘Freshomania’
Freshomania, an event for the freshers, was organised by the engineering and MBA students at the Quest Group of Institutions. The day began with the lighting of the lamp and garlanding of Goddess Saraswati by Vice Chairman Mr JPS Dhaliwal and Director Principal Dr Raja Singh Khela. Events like western dance, parody, singing, skit, modelling and other cultural performances were held during the day. Mr Fresher and Ms Fresher title were given to Mr Maninder Singh and Ms Bipana respectively from the CSE branch. —Tribune Reporters
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Road safety course to be compulsory in PU
Chandigarh, February 18 The PU Senate, in a meeting held last year, had decided to educate over 3 lakh college students about road safety. The university had also decided that the nomenclature of the subject ‘Environment Education’ will be changed to ‘Environment Education and Road Safety’ and it would be a compulsory qualifying subject. AK Nanda, principal DAV college, said that they had not received any information about the road safety course to be introduced. “We are yet to get any information about the course, the syllabus or the teachers,” Nanda said. “PU should workout all the modalities and inform the colleges at the earliest so that it is clear as to who will be eligible to teach road safety”, said a government college principal. The department of police administration, PU, had prepared the syllabus for the road safety course and sent it to the university authorities. Anil Monga, chairperson, department of Police Administration, said that they were ready with the syllabus, but, it was yet to be worked-out who would be teaching the subject. “We have prepared the syllabus but it needs an approval from the university. Meanwhile, the decision over the teachers is yet to be taken,” Monga said. The exam would be held for 70 marks- 50 marks for environment education and the remaining for road safety. As per the plan, the question paper for road safety course would have 20 multiple questions.
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‘Exam reforms need of the hour’
Chandigarh, February 18 Principal Mani Bedi, in her welcome address, talked about the relevance of the theme in the present competitive, fast changing world, and raised pertinent questions for deliberation during the course of the day. The keynote speaker, Dr MS Hundal, Dean, GND University, Amritsar gave a comprehensive review of the examination system and the need to bring changes by setting standards. Dr AS Ahluwalia, DSW, Panjab University, in his presidential remarks stressed the importance of orientation courses. Dr Parvinder Singh, convener of conference, highlighted the purpose and objective of the event. Around 150 delegates from different institutions attended the conference. Nearly 50 papers were received for presentation in the conference.
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Fingerprints reveal your gender, claims PU prof
Chandigarh, February 18 Professor Krishan conducted the research along with his student Chitrabala as a part of MSc thesis submitted to the department. He said that the new study will facilitate the police and other investigating officers to narrow down the number of suspects and direct the criminal investigation towards suspects belonging to the most likely sex. Professor Krishan said that the study was conducted on 194 individuals (97 males and 97 females). A total of 1940 fingerprints from all the 10 fingers of the 194 individuals were studied. The study is based on the hypothesis that female fingerprints are supposed to have finer ridges than male fingerprints and therefore a greater ridge density within a given area. “All the ridges were counted in the three defined areas of a fingerprint of each individual,” he said. “Using statistics, it has been found that females have significantly higher fingerprint ridge density than males. These findings suggests that the finger print ridge density can be a relevant and useful parameter in determining sex of a latent fingerprint of unknown origin from the scene of crime,” Professor Krishan said. American Academy of Forensic Sciences has accepted the research and the professor would be presenting this research in 64th Annual Conference of American Academy of Forensic Sciences to be held at Atlanta, USA, from February 20 to 25.
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English dept alumni announce scholarship
Chandigarh, February 18 He made a special mention of a new scholarship sponsored by the Landsmiths Private. The four scholarships announced previously were being sponsored by the department’s alumni association, Prof Rana Nayyar (the department chairperson), Arjan Singh, and GS Aujla, a former DGP of Punjab. From alumni who graduated in the early 1960s to those who passed last year, the gathering was widely participated. The cultural programmes for the day were executed by the current batch of students.The faculty members present on the occasion included Prof Pushpinder Syal, Prof Deepti Dhamija and Dr Akshay Kumar. Professor Nayyar appreciated the effort made by the students as a token of respect to the institution that shaped their lives.
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