NEIGHBOURHOOD

Dharna by vendors
Our Correspondent

Kalka, April 9
The project of laying sewerage pipeline in Pinjore has been hanging fire for the past about three years due to the indifferent attitude of the authorities.

As per information, the project was approved by the Sanitary Board of public health department in 2009. An amount of Rs 11.35 crore was earmarked for the purpose.

Under the project, 45-km sewerage pipeline was to be laid. Disappointed over the state of affairs, INLD leader Advocate Vijay Bansal sought information under the RTI Act and learnt that only 8.5-km pipeline had been laid at an estimated cost of Rs 3.48 crore.

Bansal alleged that the project was being carried out at a snail’s pace under the supervision of XEN, Yamuna Nagar, while the work should have been carried out under the XEN, Panchkula. He resented that the office of the XEN in Panchkula was functioning from Chandigarh, despite the fact that Panchkula district got its existence 17 years ago.

Patiala, April 9
The British Co-Ed High School held its eighth annual prize distribution ceremony yesterday.

Principal Rosa Kucharskyj, along with the board members of The British Co-Ed School Association, welcomed the chief guest and presented the school report.

Finance Minister of Punjab, Parminder Singh Dhindsa, presided over the function and handed out the awards.

Ambala, April 9
The body of a student was found hanging from a ceiling fan at his residence in Ambala Cantonment today. The deceased was identified as Rajinder Kumar (23), a resident of Durganagar.

The body was noticed by one of the family members in the morning. The police has sent the body for an autopsy.

The deceased was a BA student. His father Naseeb Singh is an ex-service man.

Ambala, April 9
A blood donation camp was organised at Guru Nanak Institutions Group in Mullana today. About 160 units of blood were collected. The camp was inaugurated by DPRO Kewal Bindra.

Rajender Garg, who has donated blood more than 154 times, was also present on the occasion.

Chandigarh, April 9
Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA) officials today failed to appear in the court of Civil Judge Gurpratap Singh during the hearing of a public interest litigation, seeking action against the authorities for registering and allowing Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) buses on the road without insurance cover.

The case had been filed by Pankaj and Sangeeta Chandgothia of Panchkula on the basis of media reports that over 400 CTU buses were being plied without insurance cover, putting the life and property of the public at risk.

The petitioners contended that the RLA had violated the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and its rules while granting registration certificates for CTU buses without valid insurance cover. Insurance was a mandatory precondition, which must be met before any vehicle was issued a registration number.

The RLA website mentioned a list of documents mandatory for vehicle registration, which included valid insurance cover. The issuance of a registration number without following the procedure amounted to an offence under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

After hearing the matter, the court issued notices to the other parties concerned to file their replies on or before May 1. These included the Home-cum-Transport Secretary, the State Transport Authority, the Deputy Commissioner, the DSP (Traffic) and the CTU Manager.

The court further contended that the CTU had been fooling the public by charging for tickets for travelling in buses without insurance cover, which amounted to deficiency in service and unfair trade practice.

When the CTU was set up in 1966, it had only 30 buses. It now had 417 buses, with 209 being run on local and suburban routes and 208 on inter-state routes. The buses covered around 1.3 lakh kilometres per day, with approximately 1.5 lakh commuters travelling by the buses everyday.

Chandigarh, April 9
The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Shalini Nagpal has sentenced a person to three-year rigorous imprisonment in a case of drug peddling. The crime branch arrested 35-year-old Naresh Kumar of the Bapu Dham Colony here with 8-kg ‘ganja’ on January 5, 2009.

Chandigarh, April 9
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum-I has slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on Shalimar Estates Pvt Ltd for its failure to give possession of land to a Delhi resident.

The forum comprising president PD Goel and members Rajinder Singh Gill and Madanjit Kaur Sahota has also directed the firm to refund Rs 2,16,000, along with 12 per cent interest per annum from the date of deposit.

The complainant, Sushil Mehra, in his complaint submitted in response to the scheme floated by the opposite party in Naggal-Alipur, Panchkula, said he had applied for 200 sq yards on August 31, 2002, and deposited a sum of Rs 21,600 as 10 per cent of the total cost of the plot. The opposite party allotted plot number 496 to him and the complainant deposited Rs 32,400 on November 22, 2002, through a demand draft. They entered into a sale agreement the very next day and, thereafter, on September 5, 2003, he deposited a sum of Rs 51,300 and later on February 27, 2004, he deposited Rs 1,40,922 in advance to the five instalments. On May 11, 2004, he deposited a sum of Rs 2,868 as the difference of calculation of interest. He approached the opposite party several times for possession and registration of the plot, but the opposite party neither delivered the possession of the plot nor refunded the amount to him.

The counsel for the opposite party pleaded that the Haryana government had wrongly launched proceedings against his client for developing Shalimar Estates and the opposite party had challenged the same before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which had granted the stay. Under these circumstances, the opposite party was unable to give the possession to the complainant till the disposal of the case.

The opposite party also produced on record memo No. 86 dated February 15, 2012, from Sub Registrar, Sub Tehsil Barwala, wherein, it was stated that the registration of sale deeds of small plots after division of land was prohibited in the controlled area. So, the sale deeds of the plots could not be registered.

The district forum observed, “The said fact is not controverted/challenged by the counsel for the complainant during the course of arguments. Thus, in view of this, the direction cannot be issued to the OP to hand over the possession of the plot to the complainant.

However, there is no impediment to issue the direction to refund the amount of Rs 2,16,000.”

Chandigarh, April 9
The body of a 23-year-old youth, who committed suicide, was left hanging in the forest area near the rail track here for over an hour today as the GRP and the UT police could not decide on the issue of jurisdiction.

The police finally realised that the area was under its jurisdiction and shifted the body to hospital. The deceased was identified as Phool Chand of Sector 11.

The body was spotted around 9 am and somebody informed the police control room. A team from the Industrial Area police station and another team of GRP officials rushed to the spot.

Police officials claimed that the area near the rail track was under the jurisdiction of the GRP and it should conduct the investigation. GRP officials claimed that the area did not fall under its jurisdiction and the police should investigate the matter.

The confusion ended when GRP personnel brought a jungle map and pointed out that the spot was mentioned as an area under police jurisdiction.

The police said Phool Chand had been under depression as he had no child even two years after his wedding. It added that he went missing from his house on April 1. A DDR had been lodged at the Sector-11 police station.

Chandigarh, April 9
As Punjab da putar” and local cricketing star Yuvraj Singh landed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here this morning, local fans and his friends were seen waiting for their favourite player eagerly. Yuvraj has just returned form London after undergoing chemotherapy sessions for a rare germ cell cancer in his lungs.

After landing in the capital, the ace left-handed batsman expressed his gratitude to all his fans and well-wishers.

While Yuvraj will share his experience with the media on March 11 the tribune team came across some of his fans and friends, who expressed happiness on his return to the country.

There have been many ups and downs in his career but he has always come out strong and bounced back in style. I hope after getting proper treatment for his ailment, he will come back in the national squad and will start a new innings. I am looking forward of his visit to the city. He is tough, a fighter and a living example for all of us.  — Girish Bhanot, bowling coach and friend. He is among my favourite cricket stars and I wanted to see him smashing high towering sixes once again. Everyone is missing him and even my family members are waiting to seem him on the field. He has gone through a lot and I wish him all the luck so that he makes a comeback . — Ankita Malik, clinical psychologist. I was not a die-hard fan of the game till the time I saw Yuvraj demolishing England bowlers during the 2011 World Cup. He is very strong and hopefully will join the Indian team soon. Whenever, he comes to the city I will surely meet and wish him all the luck and best wishes for the future. I hope that day will come soon — Ashima Chabra, fan. Yuvi sir is like my godfather, as I have grown up watching his strokes and running between the wickets. He is a gem of a person; I met him during his visit to the cricket academy at DAV School, Sector 8, after the World Cup. I hope recovers soon, as we all in the sports fraternity want to see him back in action —Aayush, cricket player. Yuvi sir has changed the definition of fielding and with his sharp on-field reactions. He has proved to the world that Indian fielders are in no way behind than others. He is physically weak now due to the chemotherapy sessions, but we know that he is mentally as fit as he was earlier. He will soon hold the bat and will smash the bowlers again. I am eagerly waiting for him to visit the city, so that I get a glimpse of my favourite star. — Deepak, cricket player

Chandigarh, April 9
Local golfer Feroz Grewal will participate in the USHA IGU Delhi Juniors’ season’s opening junior golf tournament, at the Army Golf Club (AEPTA), Delhi, tomorrow.

Feroz is participating in the category B event of the competition. Around 96 golfers in category A (Age group 15-17) and category B (Age group 13-14) are participating in the tournament.

The tournament will be played in the stroke play format and the cut will be applied after 36 holes. There will be an over all winner, apart from the winners in different A and B categories.

In category A, top rank holder (junior) Syed Saqib Ahmed will be out of action while last season’s winners Delhi’s Honey Baisoya and Shubhankar Sharma will be looking to begin their year by clinching the title. Other top four players, including Patna’s Aman Raj, Delhi’s Abhishek Kuhar, Manpreet Mann and Manu Gandas will also be in the fray to make it a tough fight.

In category B, Delhi’s Piyush Sanghwan who won two tournaments on the IGU circuit last year, will aim to attain the top slot in his category along with Kolkata’s Viraj Madappa,(currently no. 2 on the IGU’s order of merit). Jaipur’s Prakhar Asawa and Chandigarh’s Feroz will vie for the title.

Chandigarh, April 9
Tennis living legend and current Davis Cup winner Leander Paes will visit the city, tomorrow. The ace player is schedule to visit to CLTA (Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association) here tomorrow afternoon.

After conducting a tennis clinic for the trainees of CLTA, Leander will play an exhibition match with the budding tennis player Sanam Krishan Singh and players of CLTA junior development programme.

During the event, CLTA will also sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Haryana Government for the promotion of tennis in the presence of Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, and All-India Tennis Association (AITA) secretary-general Anil Khanna and Adviser to Chandigarh Administration KK Sharma. The memorandum will be signed to induct 10 selected children (five boys and five girls) in the local academy for promoting rural tennis.

In a received communication, Jai Singh Gill, president of the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association (CLTA), said the centre for tennis was being established by the association at the newly constructed building, which had residential facilities for about 120 players and coaches.

Leander is hopeful that he will take keen interest in the project after visiting the academy on a regular basis and he will also monitor the training programme. According to information, he will also select a coach from Spain, who will impart training at CLTA for six months every year.

The Indian tennis star will announce partnership with CLTA tomorrow. The adviser to the administrator will inaugurate the function and the new complex.

Chandigarh, April 9
Tennis player Sachit Malhotra lifted the boys (U-18) title, during the ongoing AKSIPS Total Tennis Championship, being held at YMCA tennis courts, here this evening. In the final that lasted for about 80 minutes, Sachit Malhotra defeated his practice partner Rohit Dhiman of the local academy in straight sets.

Sachit, made his grip on the match from the very starting set and easily got over Rohit in the first set with 6-4. Rohit tried hard to make a comeback and won two games by trailing by 4-2 but Sachit held his nerve and successfully won the second match by 6-4 with the help of his hit solid ground and back-hand strokes. Sachit earned most of the winning points with his excellent service. Sachit wrapped up the match after winnng the game in straight sets by 6-4 and 6-4.

In yet another one-sided final match of boys (U-10) category, local tennis player Asav Kumar managed to defeat his opponent Pranav Chopra in straight sets by 4-0 and 4-0 while the title of boys(U-14) category went to Sahishnu after he drafted Asav Kumar in a well-fought match by 5-3 and 4-1.

In the last finals of the day, Aniket Khosla beat Karan Bhalla to the won the Boys (U-14) event. Ankiet routed his opponent by 6-1 and 6-3.