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NEIGHBOURHOOD

Solid waste mgmt still a dream in Kalka
Hemant Kumar

Kalka, July 14
Setting up of the solid waste management project of Kalka and Pinjore jointly is hanging fire for more than fire years due to the lethargic attitude of the district administration despite the fact that the two towns are in dire need of this project.

Official sources said the local administration had three years ago selected the site of three acres of land at Paploha village adjacent to Kalka and a ray of hope had aroused among the residents of Kalka and Pinjore that the project would soon see the light of the day. But their hope turned into disappointment when residents of Paploha village opposed the construction of this project and denied to use this land for the purpose.

Residents told The Tribune that a delegation of the villagers had also met the then Panchkula Deputy Commissioner and submitted a memorandum to him in this context. A letter regarding this was also sent to the Haryana Chief Minister. Notably, the Gram Panchayat of Paploha village had already provided 3 acres to the administration for setting up of this project.

The Municipal Committee, Kalka, had sent a proposal in connection with the setting up of the solid waste management to the office of the District Town Planner (DTP), Panchkula, three years ago for NOC. The Municipal Committee, Kalka, and the Municipal Committee, Pinjore, had jointly selected 5 acres for this purpose near Seyuri village opposite NH-22 adjacent to the BDPO office, Kalka.

The solid waste management project of the Government of India was to be completed at a cost of Rs 2 crore. But, the Department of Town and Country Planning, Panchkula, had rejected the plan in 2006.

The then District Town Planner, Panchkula, had confirmed the rejection of the plan as the land selected for the purpose was not permissible under the development plan of the department. The Municipal Committee, Kalka, had been asked to recommend some other piece of land that was permissible under the development plan of the department. The rejection of this project came as a setback to the Kalka MC and the residents as there was little land to spare within the limits of Kalka.

The sources said in the first quarter of 2008, the Kalka MC had again sent a proposal in this context for approval to the DTP, Panchkula. The Municipal Committees of Kalka and Pinjore were to jointly construct the plant in May 2008 as the state government had granted Rs 1.08 crore for this project (Rs 78 lakh to the Pinjore MC and Rs 30 lakh to the Kalka MC). But the project is yet to see the light of the day.

A ray of hope has aroused among the residents of the Kalka and Pinjore areas after the formation of the Panchkula Corporation. The residents said the newly elected Mayor of the Panchkula Corporation and the district administration would definitely take an initiative to start the work of the solid waste management.

Beneficiaries hail e-payment system
Our Correspondent

Fatehgarh Sahib, July 14
Within a short span of three months, Rs 78.11 crore has been distributed to 27,170 beneficiaries in the district through the online payment system.

Deputy Commissioner Arun Sekhri said, “Payments are now being made to various departments through this service. Besides, the salaries of government officials and employees are also being disbursed.”

He said the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) had been monitoring the system of online payments since its inception on April 1, 2013. He stated that all government payments since April 1, 2013, were being deposited directly in the bank accounts of the departments concerned. The scheme had directly benefitted 27,419 persons, he said.

“The e-payment system has been implemented in all government offices and departments. No physical files are required to be submitted now,” said Sekhri.

Office-bearers elected

Dera Bassi, July 14
Hindustan Shiv Sena has announced its block-level office-bearers at a meeting here yesterday. The meeting was presided over by Pawan Gupta, national president of Hindustan Shiv Sena.

Block president of outfit: Lakhveer Singh Lakha; Block president of youth wing: Manish Mehra Lalur; Youth president of Zirakpur circle: Bhupinder kumar and president of student wing: Jatinder Singh.

The national president of Shiv Sena mazdoor wing Dhami Sharma was also present on the occasion. — OC

People fed up of SAD-BJP policies, says Preneet
Our Correspondent

Dera Bassi, July 14
The people of Punjab are fed up of the anti-people policies of the SAD-BJP Government, said Preneet Kaur, External Affairs Minister, Punjab.

“People have expressed their resentment by electing Congress representatives in village panchayat elections. Nearly, 60 per cent village panchyats were congress representatives,” she said.

Criticising the Punjab government, she said, it was misusing the funds provided by the Centre under various schemes of the National Rural Health Mission and others. She gave Rs 3 lakh for Handesra village panchayat.

Man killed in road accident

Banur, July 14
An unidentified person was killed in a road accident near Krala village on last night. His body has been kept for identification at the Mohali Civil Hospital. The accident occurred when the victim was crossing the main Chandigarh-Rajpura road. An unidentified vehicle hit him and he died on the spot.—OC

CRIME

Thieves decamp with laptop, cash from parked car
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 14
In yet another incident today, thieves fled with a laptop and cash kept in a car by breaking open the window panes at Mani Majra today. The complainant, Ranjit Singh Brar, had come to watch a movie at Fun Republic. When Brar, working as an accountant with the Punjab Irrigation Department, came out after watching a movie, he was shocked to see the window pane of his car broken. The laptop and Rs 74,000 cash was stolen from the Endeavour SUV parked at the Fun Republic parking lot.

The police said they were looking into the incident and the CCTV footage would also be checked to identify the accused.

In a separate incident, Taranjit Singh of Buha Khedi village, Fatehgarh Sahib district, reported that someone had stolen his purse containing driving licence, documents and Rs 6,200 cash from the lift of General Hospital in Sector16, on July 12.

KD Sharma of Sector 44 D reported that someone had stolen a LED TV from a godown at Phase II, Ramdarbar, on July 13. The police has registered separate cases in all the incidents.

atm card cloning
Fresh case against accused couple
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 14
A fortnight after a couple was arrested for their involvement in ATM card cloning cases, the UT police today received a fresh complaint against the duo Ramandeep Kaur and Mukul Garg.

The police received a complaint from Vipin Dham, a resident of Sector 16/D. Dham reported to the police that Ramandeep Kaur and Mukul Garg withdrew Rs 32,269 from complainant’s Punjab National Bank credit card on June 20. Dham said he got a message on his phone that the amount was withdrawn through the card.

The police has registered a fresh case of cheating, forgery and 66, 66C, 66D under the IT Act at the Sector 17 police station against the two.

The police said the two used the card while they were traveling to Mumbai to Chennai and had swiped the cloned card while shopping at these places.

They were arrested from Chandigarh Airport on June 26. The accused couple is in judicial custody at present.

The police had recovered 10 ATM/Visa/credit cards containing four blank cards with magnetic strips from the two when they were arrested.

The two actively connived with employees at petrol pumps who used to swipe the debit cards provided by customers and make duplicate cards using a magnetic reader. Two employees of the petrol pump are currently absconding.

SPORTS

‘Flying Sikh’ motivates youth
Deepankar Sharda
Tribune News Service

Milkha Singh with Farhan Akhtar. A FILE PHOTOGRAPH

Chandigarh, July 14
Once in a formal meeting, Milkha Singh gave his own example supported by an adage, “If you take responsibilities for yourself, you will develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams”. And the movie ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, based on Milkha’s struggle to make a name for himself, has all the zest of this saying.

From overcoming his past to winning the tag of ‘Flying Sikh’, the movie showcases a real effort by the young Milkha. The three-hour-and-eight-minute biopic is receiving all the praise and applause in a sporty term. It is turning out to be a real ‘motivational saga’.

According to Milkha, the living running legend, the main motive behind the movie, was to encourage the youth to conquer the world.

“To fill a bucket with sweat is no child’s play. This should be the dedication of an athlete, when it comes to making one’s own identity. The journey of winning the tag of ‘Flying Sikh’ is a long story. My life was streamlined in a three-hour-long movie but the courage and the pain of those three hours was the real thing to watch. India, so far, has failed to make a big name in athletics. Every child, every youngster, every player should see the movie at least once so that they can see the struggle and inspiration,” said Milkha Singh while talking to The Tribune.

“What happened during the Partition in 1947 is still a black mark for me to overcome. But life at the Electrical Mechanical Engineering Centre, Secundrabad, provided me an aim to live for. As shown in the movie, it was an extra packet of milk and eggs that made me run and finish in the first 10 athletes. The run was dreadful and by dreadful, I mean you are able to feel your stomach. The era was good but facilities were less. Spikes were a new thing to handle. Being a layman and a beginner, “Eh kilan pa ke kaun bhaj sakda hai janab” (Who can runs with these spikes sir), was my first question to the coach. Then we had these hard tracks to run on as the synthetic ones were rare to witness. The major diet was restricted to milk, eggs and the clothes used to get drenched in the first 50 meters only. These were the main features of a player’s life. And now, the sport is same with more facilities but no medals. As a sportsperson, I feel bad, why cannot the youth win medals for the country after having facilities like other countries,” said Milkha.

“The movie is a green signal for the youth. This is the time for young India to finally awake and stand on their feet. The hungrier you are, the more you eat. And the youth should have the hunger for defeating rivals and winning medals for the nation,” said Milkha.

Earlier, in another effort to encourage the youth and to provide a helping hand to orphans, Milkha Singh donated the golden spikes he wore during the 1960 Rome Olympics for a charity auction in Mumbai on February 11, 2012. The charity auction was organised by an NGO run by actor Rahul Bose. “Life is all about what one has earned not in terms of money but in terms of respect. This movie is like another shining medal for me. If someone from my nation gets inspired by my life and wins laurels in any field, that will be like paying great respect to me,” said Milkha.

He has won 77 of his 80 races

The medals were put on display at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium but later shifted to the sports museum in Patiala.

Major Credits

Awards Year Event
Gold medal 1958 Commonwealth Games 400 mts
Gold medal 1958 Asian Games 200 mts and 400 mts
Gold medal 1962 Asian Games