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3 trains cancelled due to landslides
Our Correspondent. 

Ambala, September 18 
Employees of the Ambala Municipal Corporation blocked Old Delhi Road near Prem Nagar, Ambala City, to protest against the manhandling of two building inspectors of the corporation by some residents of Prem Nagar area . 

The building inspectors Surender Verma and Darshan Lal had tried to remove an illegal construction near the bus stand of Prem Nagar, which was being built by a few persons of the area. When the inspectors reached there to remove the construction, a few persons manhandled them.

They saved themselves by taking shelter in a showroom. After getting the information of the incident Municipal Council Employees' Association president Bal Krishan and around 70 employees of the civic body reached there. They blocked the main road of Prem Nagar and demanded the arrest of the assailants. 

It was only after the assurance of Pawan Sharma, SHO, Baldev Nagar Police Station, that a case would be registered against the assailants the municipal employees ended the blockade. Later, the police registered a case against three persons in this regard. According to information no arrest has been made so far. 

Chandigarh, September 18
In a significant judgment, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) to reserve a "suitable percentage" of plots/dwelling units for oustees with pending claims in housing schemes as and when framed by it.

The directions came on a petition filed by Mohammad Akram and other petitioners against the Chandigarh administration and other respondents. In their petition placed before Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Rajiv Narain Raina, the petitioners had earlier claimed their land was acquired by the Chandigarh administration in 1989 under the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894.

The petitioners added they had been "submitting representations for allotment of plots in the process of rehabilitation of landowners whose land has been acquired in terms of the Chandigarh Allotment of Dwelling Unit to the Oustees of Chandigarh Scheme, 1996."

The petitioners added they also filed "numerous" writ petitions; and on March 30, 2010, the High Court directed the respondents to decide the representation.

The representation was decided by the Chandigarh Housing Board on July 27, 2010, against them on the ground that their claim did not fall under the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy of 2009. The counsel for a respondent, on the other hand, contended that the petitioners did not apply for allotment of dwelling units in terms of the 1996 scheme, whereby plots were reserved for oustees such as petitioners.

Since the petitioners did not apply for allotment of dwelling unit, they could not raise a grievance in the present writ petition. Moreover, the 1996 scheme was repealed with the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy 2009.

The petitioners were not entitled to allotment of any dwelling units in terms of the scheme as their land was acquired prior to October 31, 2007, the cut off date fixed in the new policy.

After hearing the arguments, the Bench asserted: "We find that the petitioners have submitted various representations and also approached this court time and again, but they were never informed that they were to apply for allotment of a dwelling unit in a proper format along with the earnest money.

"In the absence of any communication to that effect, the petitioners under mistaken belief, can be said to be defaulted in not applying for any dwelling units in terms of 1996 scheme….

"We find that the claim of the petitioners for allotment of plots is pending since long. Therefore, the respondents are bound to consider the claim of the petitioners under the repealed scheme….

"To give meaningful relief to the petitioners in view of their long pending demand and the interpretation keeping in view the purpose of scheme, the Housing Board is directed to reserve plots for the oustees whose claim for allotment is pending, when it floats any new housing scheme by reserving certain percentage of dwelling units for the oustees under the new policy”.

We have been submitting representations for allotment of plots in the process of rehabilitation of landowners whose land has been acquired under the Chandigarh Allotment of Dwelling Unit to the Oustees of Chandigarh Scheme, 1996

The claim did not fall under the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy of 2009. The petitioners also did not apply for allotment of dwelling units in terms of the 1996 scheme, whereby plots were reserved for oustees

Chandigarh, September 18
Two witnesses deposed in a court in the infamous Burail jailbreak case that had rocked the UT Prisons Department in 2004. The assassins of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, Jagtar Singh Hawara and Paramjit Singh Bheora were produced in the court for the recording of evidence in the case.

The two accused were brought from the Tihar jail and produced before the court amid tight security.

Former jail wardens Ashok Kumar and Jagtar Singh deposed in the court that in January, 2004, they were on duty in the Burail jail outside barracks number 7 when they heard some noises and suspected something fishy going on. They informed the authorities about the same but no action was taken then.

After recording the statements of both the jail wardens, the court adjourned the hearing till January 4.

Hawara, Bheora and their accomplice Jagtar Singh Tara, along with another murder convict Devi Singh, had made a sensational escape from the Burail jail in January, 2004, by digging a 104-foot long tunnel. While Hawara and Bheora were arrested, Tara and Devi Singh are still at large. Both the terrorists have been lodged in the Tihar jail in connection with the New Delhi blasts case of 2004.

Chandigarh, September 18
Less than a fortnight after a controversy surfaced following the grant of bail to Praveen Kumar, an accused in a drug-trafficking case in Panchkula, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The direction by Justice Jitendra Chauhan came soon after the state moved the High Court for the cancellation of bail granted to Praveen Kumar on the ground that he was in custody since January; and the trial was likely to take time. The bail orders were passed without going into the merits of the case.

The Panchkula police, too, had ordered an inquiry into the matter, after Hakam Rai, a relative of another accused, complained that Praveen Kumar had told the accused that bail was “possible against a payment of Rs 37 lakh”.

The complainant had alleged: “The accused has said he has got bail from the Punjab and Haryana High Court with the help of some persons, including police officials, who submitted false information to the court and concealed true facts.”

The details of the orders passed by Justice Chauhan were not yet available. But, it is believed that Justice Chauhan was of the opinion that the allegations were serious. Justice Chauhan also observed that the court was not satisfied with the inquiry. The alleged concealment of another case against the accused, too, weighed on the mind of the court, while ordering the probe.

The complainant had added: “Praveen Kumar was arrested with opium and 9 kg milk opium, worth crores of rupees. He is now out on bail and luring other persons to pay Rs 37 lakh to get bail.”

Hakram Rai had also alleged that Praveen was even threatening to kill him and his family. Taking cognisance of his complaint, an inquiry was ordered.

Praveen was arrested by the Panchkula police on January 26 after a case was registered at the Sector-14 police station under the provisions of the NDPS Act.

Chandigarh, September 18
A 14-year-old schoolgirl was allegedly raped by her uncle here today. The police has booked 35-year-old Sanjay Kumar on a charge of rape. The accused is at large.

The girl, a student of Class VIII in a government school, failed to return home yesterday. She is a resident of a colony in Sector 52.

The accused is a labourer. According to the police, the accused took the victim to his house after her school where he repeatedly raped her. After the victim did not return home, her parents started looking for her and came to know that Sanjay had taken her to his house. The police was informed and the girl was rescued from the residence of the accused.

The girl was taken for a medical examination, which confirmed rape.

A case has been registered in the Sector 36 police station. 

accused a labourer

The accused is a labourer. He took the victim to his house after her school where he raped her. 

Mohali, September 18 
Talwinder Singh, alias Dimple, alias Hitesh Kumar, who had robbed lakhs of rupees from at least 20 persons across the country, was himself cheated by a foreigner girl last year. 

During the investigations, Dimple admitted that he was trying to go to the USA when he came in contact with Achil, a USA resident. Dimple had offered her to marry to get citizenship of the States, which she had accepted in consideration of money. 

Dimple told the police that he had given her over Rs 2.5 lakh when she came to India. Both had got married in a gurudwara at Phase I. After returning to the USA, Achil never contacted him, said a police officer.

Notably, Dimple was arrested by the Mohali Police on Monday, along with his 15-year-old sister-in-law, on the charges of robbing at least 20 persons after drugging them. He used to entice his victims by publishing advertisements in newspapers. 

The police had recovered several voter cards, PAN cards, 10 different identity cards and two passports from his possession. The police is now scanning all documents on which he had prepared these cards, driving licenses and passports. "We will nab the officials and witnesses who were involved in making these document," said the police. 

Meanwhile. the police claimed that it had come to know about 40 bank accounts of Talwinder in various banks at different places. "We have seized all these accounts. Around Rs eight lakh have been deposited in these accounts" said the police.

Mohali, September 18 
The local police today registered a case against 4 for murdering physically-challenged Karamvir for property. The deceased Karamvir, a resident of Balongi, had died mysteriously three months before and his viscera report had indicated death due to poisoning.

The police sources said the deceased used to run a shop along with his brother Vikas in a market at Phase IV. and on May 2, 2012, Chander Pal, a cousin of the deceased, came at the shop along with his friend Ateek, and offered them poisonous kheer, which was consumed by Karamvir. Karamvir died due to the poison next day at the PGI, Chandigarh. 

Karamvir's brother Vikas alleged that he was murdered due to some property dispute in the family.

Chandigarh, September 18
After a good rainfall in the city, the Inter-College Kayaking Tournament was organised at the Sukhan Lake here today.

Students of DAV College, Sector 10, won the title for men’s category with 17 points. The team of SGGS College, Sector 26, and Panjab University Campus, Chandigarh, secured the second and third positions with 13 and 10 points, respectively.

Results

K-I 200 metres-Saurav of DAV College (1:21.07 sec.); Pushpinder of SGGS College (2:02.10 sec.); Udey Singh Dhillon of PU campus 2:09.49 sec.; K-I 500 metres- Gurkamal Singh of DAV College 2:51.10 sec.; Udey Singh Dhillon of PU Campus 4:33.84 sec.; Pushpinder of SGGS College, 8:37.18 sec.; K-II 200 metres- Pushpinder and Rattan Singh of SGGS College 1:52.69 sec.; Udey Singh and Neeraj Kumar of PU Campus 3:13.32 sec.; Sourav and Ashish of DAV College 4:15.67 sec.; K-II 500 metres- Gurkanwal Singh and Sourav of DAV College 2:18.30 sec.; Pushpinder and Rattan Singh of SGGS College 3:11.32 sec.; Udey Singh and Neeraj Kumar of PU Campus 5:08.49 sec.

Chandigarh, September 18
With rains playing a spoilsport, the matches of the ongoing JP Atray Cricket Tournament were washed out even today. The teams of ONGC, INDIAN OIL Reliance and BPCL shared two points each.

The match between MPCA and DDCA President’s XI, at the Sector 16 Cricket Stadium, was stopped after 10 overs. Madhya Pradesh scored 38 runs for 2 wickets.

In the last match played at Sector-8 DAV School, the team of Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association scored 15 runs for 2 wickets in 9 overs before the match was called off. All the teams split two points each. –– TNS