The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

NEIGHBOURHOOD

Kalka roads cry for maintenance
Commuters face inconvenience as roads not repaired for more than 5 years
Hemant Kumar

Kalka, July 11
The recent rain that lashed the area have turned various roads in deplorable condition due to which people of the Kalka, Pinjore, Parwanoo and its vicinity have been facing much inconvenience. National Highway 22 which passes through Kalka, Pinjore and the link roads of Kalka have been turned in to retrograde condition.

A visit by The Tribune to the stretch from Kalka Gandhi Chowk to Kalka-Parwanoo Barrier and in the main bazaar of Pinjore revealed that it has turned into bad shape after the rain. The stretch of NH opposite the BDPO office to Meel T-point has become an accident-prone area, which is posing serious threat to accidents. The Pinjore-Mallah link road has also been turned in to pitiable condition.

The link roads from Kalka Gandhi Chowk to Tipra via Khatik Mohalla, which approaches to Pinjore-Kalka-Parwanoo and link road from Kalka to Khera Sita Ram, which connects with Sector 4 Parwanoo are also in worst condition.

Link roads of Kalka, which fall under the department of railways, have turned into deplorable state for the past couple of years due to apathetic attitude of the department of senior section engineer, IOW (Inspector Of Works).

The observations revealed that the link roads, which were in dire need of maintenance have not been repaired and re-carpeted for the past more than five years. The residents alleged that railway authorities concerned never bothered about the maintenance of these link roads. The link roads approach National Highway 22 to Railway Station, Diesel Shed, Railway Workshop, Kalka GRP Police station, Kalka Railway Hospital, Kalka RPF office, Railway Sports Ground and Railway Institute.

The deteriorating condition of the roads is encouraging serious accidents. The link road from the Railway Station to NH-22 has turned into bad shape. The link road from Railway station which connects the Narrow Gauge Railway colony via RPF office, Railway Institute, Railway Diesel shed are in most worst condition, the stretch specially at the Kalka-Shimla railway crossing with big potholes, which is encouraging a serious threat to accidents, as throughout the days, there remains the heavy traffic on this road.

The link road from the Kalka GRP police station to Kalka main bazaar NH-22 and road from NH-22 connecting the Broad Gauge Railway colony in totally in neglected state, causing inconvenience to the pedestrians and two wheelers.

The internal link roads connecting the NG Railway colony to Northern Railway Workshop is also in pitiable condition. A visit by the Tribune to the NG railway colony and Broad Gauge Colony reveals that the department of IOW has not taken any initiative for the maintenance and re-carpeting of the link roads since more than five years.

One killed

Ambala, July 11
One person was killed and four other seriously injured when a maxi cab rammed into a tree on the Ambala-Jagadhari road near Saha village this morning. The deceased was identified as Sunil Kumar, a resident of village Sarakpur (Ambala).

Sources said Satish Kumar, the driver of the maxi cab was carrying four passengers from Ambala Cantt to Yamunanagar. When they reached near Saha, the driver lost the control and it rammed into a tree.

Some passersby informed the police after which the injured were taken to Civil Hospital at Ambala Cantt where the doctors declared Sunil Kumar brought dead. — OC

Body found in Kalka
Our Correspondent

Kalka, July 11
The Pinjore police today recovered a body of a man from the side National Highway, adjacent to the forest department. The police sources said that body was identified of one Rajnish (37), a resident of Tipra village, near Kalka, Pinjore.

Vishal, brother of the deceased, said Rajnish was mentally up set after the death of his parents. He added that after the death Rajnish would frequently remain in inebriated condition. Rajnish went from home one week ago and never returned, said Vishal.

lawyers’ strike
Advocates burn copies of proposed law

Fatehgarh Sahib, July 11
On the call of Bar Council of India as well as Punjab and Haryana Bar Council, the lawyers of District Bar Association observed a complete strike for two days. The lawyers organised a protest rally in front of the district judicial complex. The lawyers raised slogans against the Union Government and burnt the copies of the proposed new law being enacted by the Union Government.

Addressing the gathering, the president of the district bar association said the Union Government wanted to control the lawyer fraternity by abolishing Bar Council's control. He said that if the law is enacted, it would affect the interests of the lawyer's community. — OC

COURTS

Ensure security of court complexes: High Court
Saurabh Malik/TNS

Chandigarh, July 11
Less than two months after an accused in a criminal case was hacked to death outside the Mohali District Court, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked its Security Committee to hold a meeting with secretaries concerned of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh to deal with the issue of security in and around the court complexes.

The directions follow a note on the administrative side by Justice Ranjit Singh of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Available information suggests that Justice Ranjit Singh had, in his note, underscored security concerns following the incident of lawlessness outside the Mohali court complex.

Taking up the note after it was treated as a writ petition, the Bench of Acting Chief Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain asserted: “Let the note sent by the Judge be put up before the Security Committee of the High Court.”

“The Security Committee will call a meeting of the concerned secretaries of the states of Punjab, Haryana and UT of Chandigarh, to deal with the problems of security in and around the judicial complexes in their respective states and UT, Chandigarh”. The Bench also disposed of the matter after issuing the directions.

The victim, Saudagar Singh, was a history-sheeter and facing a trial in an attempt-to-murder case. On May 22, a group of outlaws pulled him out of a Bolero jeep in front of the district courts and hacked him to death with an axe in full public view.

In an attempt to save his life, Saudagar Singh, in his late 20s, had reversed the jeep from the gate of the court complex after he saw the attackers running towards him with an axe. But the jeep rammed into a divider.

The incident was reportedly witnesses by a large number of persons, including policemen on duty. But nobody came forward to interfere or stop the assaulters from fleeing.

The police, subsequently, registered a case against Jatinder, Gursimran and Satnam Singh, besides nine unidentified men, under Sections 302, 34, 506, 427, 148, 149 and 120-B, IPC.

CRIME

Fraud: Proclaimed offender arrested after 6 years
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 11
The economic offences wing of the UT police today arrested a proclaimed offender (PO), who committed a fraud of Rs 24 lakh six years ago. The police arrested Hargopal Singh Sandhu, a resident of Batala, in a cheating case.

The accused was produced in court and remanded in three-day police custody.

Sub-Inspector Naveen Kumar said the accused had opened a company by the name of Geniess Infrastructure Private Limited in Sector 17 in 2006.

He then purchased various items such as fluorescent lamps, electric wire, laptops and machines for running his company from a firm. The total amount of items purchased was Rs 35 lakh.

The company issued a cheque for payment, which bounced. After a complaint registered with the police, the accused closed his firm and ran away.

He was declared a proclaimed offender in 2008 and has been arrested today.

The police said he was in Mumbai all these years and it was yet to be verified whether he opened similar firms and defrauded others by adopting the same modus operandi.

Four vehicles stolen
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 11
As many as four vehicles were stolen from different parts of the city in the last 24 hours. Arun Kumar, a resident of Raipur Kalan, reported that his Pulsar motorcycle (CH-01AD-0710) was stolen from the parking lot of Bougainville Garden, Sector 3. Ranbir Kaur, a resident of Dhanas, reported that his Honda Activa scooter (CH-04F-9811) was stolen from in front of her house.

Amrit Singh, a resident of Sector 33-A, reported that his Hero Honda Splendor motorcycle (CH-01-AB-9623) was stolen from the parking lot Sector-22 market. Anil Kumar, a resident of Sector 46-D, reported that his Honda Activa scooter (CH-01-AD-9219) was stolen from Sector-46 market.

Cop assaulted

In yet another incident of assault on policemen, a case under Sections 332, 353 and 506 of the IPC has been registered against Om Parkash, a resident of Mauli Jagran, who threatened a home guard volunteer, Jasbir Singh, while he was on duty at the traffic diversion near KFC turn, Sector 8, Madhya Marg.

Derogatory remarks on FB

OP Jindal of the State Bank of India, local head office, Sector 17-B, Chandigarh, alleged that Ram Kala Sabharwal, a resident of Sector 11, Panchkula, uploaded some derogatory words on the social networking site such as Facebook, Bloggers.com, etc, in order to defame the complainant. A case under Section 3 of the SC/ST of Prevention of Atrocities Act and Section 66-A of the IT Act has been registered.

1 booked for possessing counterfeit currency

A case of possessing counterfeit currency under Sections 489-B and 489-C of the IPC has been registered against an unidentified person, who deposited fake currency (39 notes of Rs 100, 135 notes of Rs 500 and 11 notes of Rs 1,000) in the SBI Branch, Sector 7, Chandigarh, in May. The case is under investigation.