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Major fire in market
Chandigarh, May 14 Three persons sustained minor injuries in the incident. About 10 fire tenders, two from Mohali Fire Station, reached the spot to douse the flames, which engulfed about 25 shops till the filing of this report. The reason of the fire was yet to be ascertained. Fire officials at the spot claimed that they received a call at 11.03 pm, following which fire tenders were immediately rushed to the spot. With the shops having furniture and other inflammable material like varnish, paint, thinner, spirit and clothing, the fire spread quickly. Many shops in the market, which has about 100 outlets, were still open when the fire broke out. Many shopkeepers, who reached the spot, were seen lifting their goods from the shop and putting these on the road thus blocking the road. At the site, many shopkeepers were seen crying. “I have lost everything,” said Karam Singh, owner of Punjab Furniture House, who claimed that his losswere nearly Rs 10 lakh. Similarly, Ajit Singh, owner of Dashmesh Furniture House, said that he was yet to assess his loss. Onlookers, thousands in number, gathered at the spot. The police had a tough time dealing with them. The Chandigarh Municipal Joint Commissioner Rajiv Gupta reached the spot. Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, he said a meeting between the authorities and the association of the market was scheduled for Thursday. “At the meeting, we were supposed to discuss precautionary measures to avoid fire incidents. But the incident occurred before it,” said Gupta. This is not the first incident of fire in this market. Earlier, on January 19, 2009, a major fire had broken out here in which about 40 shops were gutted. “This is the fourth or fifth fire incident here since the market came into existence about 20 years ago,” said a shopkeeper. Firefighters were struggling to control the fire till the filing of the report.
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UT inspector’s son arrested
Chandigarh, May 14 The accused, Parminder Rana, is the son of Inspector Tarsem Rana. He committed the crime along with his four accomplices who are absconding, as they managed to con the police. Tarun (23) was allegedly kidnapped from near his mobile shop in Sector 27 by the accused in the evening. The incident occurred at 6 pm when Tarun had gone to the rear side of the shop. Occupants of an Innova car (HR-60-A-0200) pushed Tarun inside the vehicle at gunpoint and accelerated the vehicle. The kidnapping was witnessed by some passersby, who raised an alarm and informed the police. The occupants of the car then thrashed Tarun in the car and later abandoned him in Sector 16, Panchkula, as they got to know that the police was on alert and chasing them. However, the tyre of their Innova vehicle got punctured at Harmilap Nagar. The police vehicle then managed to nab them there when four of the accused fled and Parminder was arrested while both the Innova and Alto cars used in the crime were
seized.
Prior enmity over a girl is said to be the reason behind the crime. Tarun told the police that the assailants robbed him of all cash and his gold chain. The police has booked all accused in a case of kidnapping and under various sections of the Arms Act at the Sector 26 police station. When injured Tarun tried to talk to mediapersons he was gagged by the policemen and taken to the hospital in a police vehicle for medical examination.
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Hit & run case: 29-yr-old arrested after week
Chandigarh, May 14
The UT police traced the owner of the Zen car involved in the accident and arrested him in a case of causing death due to negligence as well as destruction of evidence under Sector 201 of the IPC today. Incidentally, it was the deceased's brother Ashwini who first procured the CCTV footage and gave it to the police. "The police practically made no efforts to solve the case. I provided the CCTV footage. We noticed the accused's father on the spot many a time and the police acted only after that and procured clues," he said. The police today arrested 29-year-old Puneet Singla, aka, Manu, an optician based in Sector 40. The role of his father Surinder Singla is also under scanner, as he allegedly connived with his son in destroying evidence. The accused got the Zen car that was damaged in the accident repaired, following which he was booked for the destruction of evidence too. The mishap had occurred on May 6 when 38-year-old Ashok Kumar and his wife Santosh were killed after their Honda Activa Scooter was hit by a speeding Zen car. Their 10-year-old daughter, who was with them, had survived miraculously. The accident had orphaned the girl Muskan and her 12-year-old brother Munish. Based on the CCTV footage installed outside the clinic of Dr PN Gupta near the accident spot, the police narrowed down to a white Zen car. Details from the Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA) Chandigarh revealed that there were a total of 290 Zen cars registered in city. Further scrutiny of details of the car based on the colour and addresses led the investigating officers to a house in Sector 38 where the owners of the car were missing. Surinder Singla is also seen in the footage near the spot many a time, which also provided a clue that he owns a Zen car and is seen making rounds of the accident site. The accused Puneet was arrested after the police procured his call details and tower location, which confirmed that the accused was present at the spot in Sector 40 when the mishap occurred. He will be produced in court tomorrow. The accused got a hint that the police had gathered knowledge about him to be behind the accident and surrendered only today. Incidentally, his father, Surinder Singla, too, expressed willingness to surrender today and told the police that he was behind the accident. The father-son duo sat in the police station the entire day, taking the blame when finally in the evening police investigations based on technical details revealed that Puneet Singla was the actual accused and he was then formally arrested. As the police was investigating the matter, family members of the victim couple and mechanics protested against the alleged police inaction in the case outside the Sector 39 police station. They went back only in the evening after the police told them about the arrest of the accused.
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Temperatures to rise in region
Chandigarh, May 14 The weather office has further predicted that day and night temperatures can rise by a few notches in the next two to three days. The temperatures are likely to fall after May 17 in view of the continued Western disturbances. The maximum temperature on Monday was recorded at 38.3°C, while the minimum was 23°C. The maximum relative humidity was 48 per cent and the minimum 13 per cent. The weather office has predicted partly cloudy sky on Tuesday. The maximum temperature on Tuesday will be around 39 ºC and minimum temperature on Wednesday will be around 24ºC. Surinder Pal, director, Meteorological Department, Chandigarh said temperatures would gradually increase in the region. The sky could be cloudy. Thundershowers could occur in the region after May 17, resulting in decrease in the temperatures, but the temperatures would continue to rise thereafter resulting in severe heat conditions in the region.
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Josan gets clean chit
Chandigarh, May 14
In a major decision taken by the management today in New Delhi, it was decided that Josan’s one increment would be withheld and he would be issued warning, as a few charges, out of 15 levelled against him, had proved false. Giving him a clean chit in all financial and administrative regularities, the management decided to end his six-month long suspension. Josan had been suspended in October last year after being declared guilty of rampant academic and financial lapses in the college. The suspension took the management, college campus and even PU by storm. Soon after his suspension, the then PU Registrar SS Bari had evoked the same in the absence of Vice-Chancellor RC Sobti who on returning to the campus nullified his orders. Following this, Josan moved to court against the nullification of Registrar’s orders. The court offered him a short-term relief by asking him to continue as the administrative principal, while financial powers rested with the management-chosen principal. It was in November that following the directions of court, the Registrar asked the management to re-inquire the case. The inquiry, which started in November, gave a clean chit to Josan today. “I have proven myself innocent against all odds and I am, too, eager to get back and serve my college,” said Josan. Interestingly, while many attribute this decision to the forthcoming Senate elections, DAV, which is clearly divided into two groups, with Josan and anti-Josan faculty, will surely feel the heat. “We all spoke against Josan’s autocratic rule and now he will get back to us through his ‘gunda raj’. The management should have also thought about the dignity of the current principal,” said a senior faculty member.
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Land mafia thriving
Panchkula, May 14 According to information a property dealer, recently, under the patronage of political leaders, had started construction of a showroom at Sector 19. The Panchkula administration swung into action and managed to stop the work with coordination with authorities of Dera Bassi tehsil. The residents at Sector 19 had complained to the authorities that influential persons were not only constructing the showroom but had also laid the tiles for constructing a road around it while a flood drain was passing under the area. As per the site plan, the showrooms in the area, besides, the Shiv temple and the drain falls at Sector 19, however, as the water and electricity connection to these are provided by the Zirakpur Municipal Council, the land mafia continues to grab the land after allegedly greasing the palms of the officials concerned. The HUDA authorities have also turned a blind eye towards the menace as no action is being taken on the complaints filed by the local residents. Some of the residents Dev Raj, Krishan Kumar Goel, former councillor Ramesh Singh Bartwal had complained to the Panchkula administration when the property dealer had started laying tiles for construction a road on the drain. The authorities swung into action and stopped the work. The residents claimed that if the drain was permanently blocked the area would submerge into water in case of floods. The former president of housing board colony Krishan Kumar Goel has demanded the demarcation of the Panchkula and Zirakpur land so that such disputes do not occur in future. Social worker, Dev Raj Sharma, said that the influential persons with the support of their political bosses have allegedly grabbed the land in the area. He added that the authorities of Zirakpur and Panchkula should hold regular meetings to find a permanent solution to the border disputes. HUDA estate officer, Ashwani Sharma, could not be contacted to elicit his views over the issue despite numerous attempts. However, Sharandeep Kaur Brar SDM (Civil) said that construction work has been stopped in the area after they received a complaint in this regard. She said that the demarcation would be done in the area and if found guilty, an action would be taken against the showroom owner. Dev Raj said that this was not the only case as there were disputes also on the Harmilapnagar in Zirakpur and Industrial Area Phase II border as open spaces were being allegedly grabbed by the land mafia with the support of goons and the police. He claimed that even though the authorities on both sides have held numerous meetings in
this regard but without any success.
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Suresh Singh is aeronautical society chief
Chandigarh, May 14 His appointment is part of the new governing council elected by the Chandigarh branch. PS Kohli, director, Regional Centre for Military Airworthiness, and Pratik Kishore, from the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory, have been elected as vice chairmen. Ten executive council members have also been appointed. The branch has prepared road map for various activities to be held during the year and nominated committees to manage academic activities, awards, seminars as well as bringing out its journal, according to a statement issued here today.
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2 cops suspended
Panchkula, May 14 The suspension came following the enquiry conducted by the ACP Dheeraj Setia, who had submitted the report to the DCP. The 2 were found guilty of dilly-dallying the registration of case and subsequent arrest of 2 senior officials of the Punjab govt in a gang rape case. The former DCP Maneesh Chaudhary had marked an enquiry into the case after the police arrested the two XENs on May 1, 33 days after the incident. An enquiry was ordered after a Sector 15 resident, provided a CD in which an ASI Iswar, in-charge Sector 15 police chowki was demanding ransom. Strictures have also been passed against the SHO Aman, for not taking up the case in a fare manner. Notably, the police had arrested 2 officers of the Punjab Government, Jaswinder and Jasveer, both executive engineers with PWD B&R at Mohali, for allegedly gang raping a 19-year-old girl, on March 25. —
TNS
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GMADA increases building plan security fee
Mohali, May 14 Now onwards, those seeking several types of forms including NOC, transfer and ETC, would have to shell out Rs 50 to get the form. Notably, these forms were before. The GMADA has also increased its building fee security fee from immediate effect. For the residential plots up to 250 yards the fee has been increased by Rs 1,500. Earlier, the rates were Rs 1,000, now the clients have to dish out Rs 2,500 for the same. In Group Housing Societies, the fee has been increased from Rs 1,000 per flat to Rs 2,000 per flat. Similarly, the rates have been increased for other plots including those of industrial, commercial booths and institutional/multiplexes. The increase in the fee rates does not go well with the consumers and property consultants as well. “GMADA was set up with an aim to provide plots to the consumers on reasonable rates but the organisation has completely turned into a commercial establishment,” said Shalinder Anand, chairman of Mohali Property Consultants Association. “Increase in the fee and selling of forms by GMADA is completely wrong. Instead of aiming at big profits like private builders or colonisers, the authorities should discourage any hike in its fee. They should check the prevailing corruption and harassment to the consumers here,” said Amarjit Singh, a resident of Phase 7, here.
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PGI docs in trouble
Chandigarh, May 14 The two doctors of PGIMER asked Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) to make Names of Dr Promila Pandhi, former head of pharmacology department, and Dr Dheeraj Gupta, Convener of Institute’s Ethics committee, had figured in the parliamentary standing committee report on nexus between doctors and pharmaceutical companies presented in Rajya Sabha on May 8. As their letters were found placed with the DCGI at same time coupled with identical language the now the committee has asked the concerned authorities to initiate action in this matter. According to the 59th report on functioning of CDSCO presented before the Rajya Sabha last week, Dr Promila Pandhi and Dr Dheeraj Gupta issued letters of opinion recommending approval for various drugs. Dr Dheeraj Gupta, in his letter advocating for availability of a medicine Pirfenidone, said, “IPF is a relatively rare disease and with strict criteria required for a clinical trial, it would be difficult to enroll sufficient number of patients. Also clear end points for IPF have not been validated and this sometimes makes it difficult to judge the efficacy of a drug in IPF.” “Considering the fact that Pirfenidone is already approved in Japan and there is fairly large amount of data available which shows that the drug is well accepted, I strongly recommend that Pirfenidone be made available in India at the earliest,” he wrote in his letter as an expert.
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No more low water pressure in city
Chandigarh, May 14 The team will visit such areas early in the morning every day to resolve the problem on the spot. The chairman of the water supply committee will head the team, which will also comprise of officials of the department concerned. In the meeting, the issue was raised that with the commencement of the summer season, the complaints of low pressure were being received at the complaint centre of the MC and area councillors. The members also instructed the officials that the team of officials should randomly check the misuse of water and illegal installation of water pumps in the residential areas, as this is considered as a major reason of low pressure in some parts of the city. For emergency situation when the water supply of any area is disrupted due to any fault or repair, the committee asked the officials to make alternate arrangements of machinery in every tube-well so that the water supply is not disturbed in that area. The committee also decided that all members of water and sewerage committee will meet the UT Adviser to impress upon him the urgency of allotment of sites for nine water boosters in the southern sectors. The other members who attended the meeting included Dr Shagufta Parveen, Subhash Chawla, Sheela Devi, Sat Parkash Aggarwal, Major DS Sandhu and Mayor Raj Bala Malik along with MC Commissioner VP Singh and other senior officials of the department concerned.
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Engg dept’s action raises questions
Chandigarh, May 14 Not only the work allotted through the single tender, the rate at which the work was allotted are much higher than the previous term ending on March, 2012. Interestingly, most of the contractual staff engaged through PESCO was already working with the previous
Mohali-based contractor. Sources revealed that in March last, the public health wing of the UT engineering department had allotted work to the Punjab government undertaking through three different tenders (each below Rs 5
lakh) at a total cost of Rs 13,12,044. Under the contract, a total of 17 persons, including operators, helper, plumbers, beldars and sewer men were engaged for six months. Against the tender for 12 months allotted at Rs 13,79,560 for the year ending March 2012, the public health officials concerned instead of allotting a single tender divided the job in different parts and also reduced the contract period to six months. The XEN public health, Rajesh
Bansal, was not available for comments. Officials disclosed that three different tenders, one for running and maintenance of public health services for type-I and type-II houses at GMCH residential colony in Sectors 32 and 48, second for maintenance of ABCD L block at
GMCH, were allotted to PESCO. Since the nature of job in the current and previous year was same, increase in the amount being paid to the contractual staff was unwarranted. —
TNS
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City sectors hit by fault in power supply line
Chandigarh, May 14 Superintendent Engineer (Electricity) MP Singh said there was a fault in an underground power supply cable from Sector 28 to 18 on Madhya Marg. He added that they managed to arrange power supply to the affected sectors by shifting load to other lines. He further added that they would repair the problem by Tuesday, as it would take time to find fault in the line. Vijay Kumar, a Sector 23 resident, said there was a power cut in their sector from 12 noon to 4 pm and again a cut was imposed at 6 pm for half an hour. He said the power supply system in the city always crumbled during summers. Gaurav Gaur, a Sector 22 resident, said in their sector, power cut was imposed around 1 pm and there was no electricity till 7 pm. He pointed out that the authorities should have back-up power in case a fault occurred in power supply lines. Daya Sharma, a Sector 20 resident, said in their sector, power was playing hide and seek for entire day. Since morning, there were around six to seven cuts, ranging from 30 minutes to an hour. He added that his wife was finding it difficult to handle his two small children in the absence of proper power supply. An electricity department official added that one of the reasons for the breakdown in power supply lines was that consumers do not come forward to declare their actual loads. Last year, only 5,000 consumers approached the electricity department to declare their actual electricity load. He added that the total consumers, including domestic and commercial, had increased from 1,30,000 in 1991 to over 2,20,000. With the increase in the number of consumers, the power load had also increased. However, there has been no corresponding increase in the number of transformers, as the UT administration did not have details on power load from residents, resulting in frequent tripping of power supply, he added.
Complaint nos. non-functional
Many complaint centre numbers provided by the electricity department are out of service and residents were finding it difficult to lodge their complaints regarding power cuts. The complaint centre number, catering to Sectors 22, 23, 24 and 24, was out of service and similar situation was with the number catering to Sectors 4, 9 and 10. An official said new number 0172-4639999 caters to the entire city now.
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Equipment display show a crowd puller
Mohali, May 14 In a bid to promote the understanding of the armed forces among the youth of the country, the Chandi Mandir-based Western Command has organised an equipment display show at the Dussehra Ground, Phase VIII, here today. The equipment, which were put on display included T-90 tanks, BMP-II, ATGMs, 155 mm Bofors guns, Air Defence L-70 guns and infantry equipment. Hundreds of youngsters turned up at the spot to see the equipment. Many were seen clicking photographs, particularly with Bofors and tanks. “I have heard a lot about the Bofors but never ever got a chance to see it. Today, I am thrilled to see them,” said Varun Sachdeva, a college student. The aim of the Western Command equipment display show is to educate and motivate the youth of the country to join the armed forces, said an Army officer. The command has already organised such displays at Chandi Mandir, Panchkula and Chandigarh. More than 6,000 schoolchildren from over 45 schools have been educated about the tremendous prowess of the Indian Army through these displays, claimed the Army officer.
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tricity scan
Chandigarh: The Chandigarh Administration has prohibited the assembly of five or more persons, taking out processions, making speeches, raising slogans, sitting in dharnas, carrying of lathis within an area of 200 mt of the office of Registrar, Cooperative Societies, Punjab, 17 Bays Building, Sector 17 Chandigarh, for Tuesday with effect from zero hour. Training programme
Anand Kumar’s Super 30 (Patna) IIT-JEE coaching programme announced that this year the Entrance Test for the Super 30 programme would also be held at three locations in Punjab. As in the previous years, the students who get admission to the Super 30 programme, get free coaching, free boarding and lodging at Patna. In Punjab, the entrance tests for the coaching will be coordinated by the Bhai Jaitajee Foundation (BJF), which has been partnering Super 30 for the past 3 years in locating and nurturing talent in Punjab, especially, among the economically weaker sections in the rural areas.
Deputy Director General of BIS
AK Saini, Scientist-G has taken over as the Deputy Director General of the Northern Regional Office of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) at Chandigarh. Saini will monitor the product and management certification activity of the Bureau in the states of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, parts of UP and Union Territory of Chandigarh.
Black belts awarded
As many as 11 students were awarded black belts during the first Chi Kwang Do Martial Art Black Belt certificate presentation ceremony at Kashyap Haven in Sector 37 here on Sunday.
Mother’s Day
Mother’s day was celebrated at Aanchal International School here in Chandigarh. 'Mom you are the best, Happy Mother's Day' read a placard displayed by the students of the school. The students had lined-up various games and surprises for their mothers. Mothers too, in their best traditional attire walked the Ramp and joined with their kids.
Power shutdown
Power supply will remain suspended at Sectors 30-B and Colony No 5 from 10 am to 4 pm on Tuesday. Whereas the power supply will also remain suspended at Khuda Lahora, Khuda Jassu, Srangpur and Dhanas from 10 am to 2 pm.
Eye camp
A free eye check-up camp was organised by grewal eye institute (GEI), at Bhagat Majra Village. Over 120 patients attended the camp. Most of the patients were suffering with cataract. —TNS
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Compartment issue to be taken up at PU Syndicate meeting
Chandigarh, May 14 The university used to give provisional admission to the compartment students when it was following annual system. But now PU has shifted to semester system and there is no provision to admit a student with compartment in MA under the semester system. The university officials said the matter would be discussed in the Syndicate meeting and the decision would be implemented from the coming academic session. The officials said the student would not be allowed to pursue MA in the subject of compartment. If the student fails to clear the compartment in the next two consecutive chances immediately following the examination then the admission given to the student in MA would be cancelled, said sources.
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PU to fill vacant chair
Chandigarh, May 14 The committee that was created for searching a scholar for the chair has suggested the name of Professor Ajit Singh, emeritus, University of Cambridge. The proposal would be discussed at the Syndicate meeting and accordingly an invitation will be sent to Professor Ajit Singh, sources said. Earlier, the university offered the Manmohan Singh Chair to Nobel Laureate Professor Amartya Sen. However, Sen declined the proposal following which a committee was formed to look for a suitable professor for the chair. Professor RP Bambha, former Vice-chancellor of PU, was the chairman of the committee that considered the proposal to invite Professor Ajit Singh to the department. The committee during the meeting strongly endorsed the proposal. In 2009, the chair was created in honour of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh. He had pursued his BA (honours) in economics in 1952 and then completed MA economics in 1954 from the university. He also taught at the university.
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CBSE’s new rule
Chandigarh, May 14 The board has been receiving an array of complaints against schools from worried parents. They were apprehensive that like every year, this year too, schools would force students to change streams if they get low GPA or would demand extra money to let them retain the streams which they opted during provisional admission. Students with a higher GPA after Class X are put into the stream of their choice but not those with a lower one. The board thus decided to make schools compensate for academic and monetary loss of the students. “Retention of streams is basis of provisional admission. A school cannot make a student study in one stream for almost two months and then ask him to switch because he doesn’t get enough GPA. If schools think that they should do so then they will have to pay for the child’s new books. Schools also have hold special classes for the students to cover up two month’s syllabus of the streams they are put in,” said RJ Khandearo, Regional Director CBSE. CBSE chairman Vineet Joshi said, “It’s the darker side of provisional admissions. Ideally both schools and students should wait for Class X results to analyse his strengths and then choose a stream accordingly. A student had moved the court against the school for wrongly calculating his GPA and not assigning him the preferred stream.” Interestingly, while schools across the country are up against the directive, the city schools for once seem to be in agreement with the board. “ We are fine with it. Provisional admission is misnomer. It’s an actual admission where a child reserves his seat in a school in a specific stream on basis of parameter decided by schools. We cannot and should not switch decisions after Class X results or we should wait for them in first place,” said HS Mamik, President Independent School Association. l While schools across the country are up against the directive, the city schools for once seem to be in agreement with the board. l The parents were apprehensive that like every year, this year too, schools would force students to change streams if they get low GPA or would demand extra money to let them retain the streams which they opted during provisional admission.
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Rajni hogs limelight in debate
Chandigarh, May 14 The students put their views both for and against the use of mobile phones. Shikha Verma actively defended the use of mobile phones by highlighting its use as the most effective tool for communication in the modern world and suggested that only excessive use should be avoided. She also suggested the effective laws for its misuse. Rajni leads the team of opponents by highlighting the harms of radiation, excessive use by students, harm to ears, circulation of rumours and above all wastage of time and money.
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