The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

NEIGHBOURHOOD

64K students given iron pills
Our Correspondent

Ambala, July 30
The second phase of administering of iron folic tablets to the students of local government schools in the district concluded today. Students from Classes I to XII were administered the tablets to fight against anaemia.

Dr Vinod Gupta, Civil Surgeon, Ambala, said, “During the first phase of the programme, as many as 64,000 children were administered the tablets, of which, only 41 complained of stomachache and vomiting. After a thorough medical treatment, they were discharged.”

In the second phase, 40 children were reported to have some problems. “Twelve students from Classes VI to XII of Manglai Middle School complained of stomachache after consuming the tablets. Over eight students from Classes VI to VIII of Senior Secondary School, Panjokhra, and 19 girls of Government Senior Secondary School, Shazadpur Majra, were given ORS after they complained of stomachache. After the treatment, they all went home hale and hearty,” said Gupta.

The Deputy Commissioner of Ambala, K Makrand Pandurang, has given strict instructions to the school authorities to ensure that these tablets were given to the students only after they have had their lunch. He also asked the authorities to make sure the children drink two to three glasses of water. He said those allergic to the medicine should be given only half a tablet.

118 cancer patients benefit from CM’s Relief Fund in Ropar
Tribune News Service

Ropar, July 30
As many as 118 cancer-stricken patients have been provided with financial aid of over Rs 82 lakh till now. The grant was disbursed among the patients under the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.

The Punjab Chief Minister had launched the fund in June, 2011, to provide financial assistance to the cancer patients. Under the scheme, any resident of Punjab can apply for the grant of up to Rs 1.5 lakh. Such applicants, however, are required to submit an affidavit declaring that they have not got any financial help from any other agency.

“During the last two years as many as 132 patients have applied for the grant. While Rs 82.64 lakh have already been released to 118 of them, the cases of remaining 14 patients were also disposed of by the district level committee,” said Dr H N Sharma, District Nodal Officer of the fund.

Ban imposed on digging of wells
Our Correspondent

Fatehgarh Sahib, July 30
Deputy Commissioner Arun Sekhri, by issuing an order under Section 144 CrPC as precautionary measures has directed to guard towers, transmission lines, sub-stations, transformers, railway lines, government buildings, food grain storage complexes, petrol pumps, canal, bridges, banks and post offices.

Sekhri has imposed a ban on the digging of wells and soil without a prior written permission from XEN, Water Supply and Sewerage Board. Keeping in view the increase in number of accidents and deaths due to drowning in the canal, the DC has banned the entry of vehicles on the banks of the Bhakra canal.

He has also directed the cyber cafe owners to not allow any user to access the services without ID proof. The users must show their ID proof and list their names in a register. The Deputy Commissioner has made it mandatory for all the landlords to submit a list along with the addresses of their tenants at the nearest police station. He has also imposed a ban on the rickshaws, trolleys, tractors, cycles and every type of vehicle plying without reflectors at night. Playing music on the loud speakers and orchestras are also barred from playing at functions from 9 pm to 6 am. The loud speakers will be allowed only on low volume. The orders will remain in force till September 26.

132 saplings planted
Tribune News Service

Patiala, July 30
Vanamahotsava was organised at Government Bikram College of Commerce today under the guidance of college principal Prof Surinder Kaur.

Anil Arora, Director State Bank of India, Chandigarh, inaugurated the plantation drive by planting saplings on the college campus. As many as 132 saplings were planted on the occasion.

Arora motivated the students to plant more and more tress for making environment pollution free.

Raise IT slabs, Centre urged
Our Correspondent

Fatehgarh Sahib, July 30
The National Scheduled Caste Alliance has urged the Union Government to increase the Income Tax slabs for the Scheduled Castes of the country from Rs 2 lakh per annum to Rs 5 lakh.

The president of the NSCA, Paramjit Singh Kainth, demanded that the fixation criteria must be connected to the price index so that they may get an immediate relief from the rising expenses.

Youth killed in road accident
Tribune News Service

Ropar, July 30
A 26-year-old youth was killed while another sustained serious injuries in a road accident on Sunday.

The deceased has been identified as Sandip Verma, a resident of Meerabai chowk, Ropar, and the injured, Rahul Kalia is a resident of Kurali. Sandip was riding the motorbike along with Rahul on pillion, when a truck, driving in the wrong direction, hit them. They were rushed to the Kurali Hospital from where they were referred to the PGI.

Sandip succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital.

COURTS

Advocate murder case
Accused declared proclaimed offender
Akash Ghai
Tribune News Service

Mohali, July 30
In the case pertaining to the murder of the local advocate Amarpreet Singh Sethi, one of the absconding accused, Kevin Sushant, alias Richi, has been declared a proclaimed offender by a local court today.

After the police failure in nabbing the accused, Mohali Judicial Magistrate Varun Nagpal today declared Richi, a resident of Kharar, a proclaimed offender.

Kevin was one of the nine youngsters, who had allegedly shot dead Amarpreet Singh in front of his house in Phase 3-A, following a tiff over parking. A few among the youngsters stayed in a nearby house as paying guests.

The police has arrested Jaswinder Singh from Ludhiana, Sunil Bhanot, alias Chhoti, and Rajat Sharma, both from Sector 45, Chandigarh, Vishal from New Delhi, Dharminder Singh from Ludhiana, Onkar Singh and Manveer Singh, both from Amritsar, and Deepak Kaushal from Phase 3B2. The police had recovered illegal weapons from their possession.

Meanwhile, it was found that one of the accused, Dharminder Singh, had a fake arms licence. Sources said that the licence had stamps of the office of the Ferozepur Deputy Commissioner. It was found that all the stamps on the licence were fake. The Additional Deputy Commissioner of Ferozepur submitted a report in this connection in the Mohali court today.

The incident had occurred on February 27 in the evening when Amarpreet Singh was shot dead and his cousin Gagnjot Singh and a friend Simarjit Singh suffered gunshot wounds.

sharmila’s death
High Court seeks report on needs of children
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 30
In a move aimed at easing financial troubles of the children of 34-year-old accident victim Sharmila, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the amicus curiae or the friend of the court to submit a detailed report after visiting them to assess their financial and other needs.

Directing amicus curiae Onkar Singh Batalvi to visit the children, who are staying with their maternal grandmother, a Division Bench, headed by Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, observed that it wanted to know their requirement so that appropriate compensation for their rehabilitation could be ordered.

The directions came nearly three months after Sharmila died allegedly due to negligence on the part of the Chandigarh police. Taking up the application filed by Batalvi for financial assistance for the children, the High Court on the previous date of hearing had sought a reply from the Chandigarh Administration.

The High Court had also expressed its disapproval and surprise over the delay in the preparation of a policy for providing medical aid to accident victims. Batalvi had submitted that Sharmila's husband, too, had died in an accident in Panchkula. Thus, the state governments were liable to pay compensation or secure jobs for their orphan children.

Sharmila was crushed under the wheels of a CTU bus in Sector 10 on May 7. The police allegedly failed to rush the injured woman to the hospital just about 100 metres away, as the SHO reached the spot two hours late.

Batalvi said Sharmila’s husband died in October 2012 due to alleged negligence on the part of the Panchkula police, which delayed timely medical assistance. After her husband’s death, Sharmila was taking care of both the children. She had also taken up the issue of compensation for the death of her husband. “Now, both the children have become orphan on account of negligence on the part of the Chandigarh and Panchkula authorities. The governments concerned should not only provide them with monetary assistance but should also secure some jobs for them for their survival in the future,” he submitted.

Four get jail in murder bid case
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 30
The Court of Additional District and Sessions Judge RK Yadav today sentenced four persons to three years' imprisonment in an attempt-to-murder case. The court sentenced liquor contractor Azad Singh, Manager Satinder and two workers Jatinder and Amit to five years in jail and also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each on them.

According to the prosecution case, Azad is accused of attempting to murder police informer Harial Paul in Mani Majra in 2011.

Paul was attacked near the IT Park on July 12, 2011, when he was heading towards Mani Majra along with his wife on his motorcycle. He had reportedly tipped off the police about a truck, which was modified by liquor smugglers to smuggle alcohol out of the city. Singh was thrashed with blunt weapons and his wife was made to beg for mercy for her husband by touching the assailants' feet, the prosecution stated.

CRIME

Kids dupe woman of jewellery
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 30
A woman of Ram Darbar was duped of her silver chain and gold earrings by three minors.

Seema, a resident of Phase 2, Ram Darbar, reported that three children aged between 10 and 12 came to her house and begged for food. The children who later claimed that they could double her gold and silver ornaments.

She gave them her gold earrings and one silver chain. The children in turn asked Seema to close her eyes for five minutes. After five minutes, the three boys handed over some items covered with a piece of cloth to Seema. They asked her to open it after seven days and the things would double. After the minor boys left, Seema opened the cloth to find just a Rs 5 coin in it. The police has registered a case of cheating in the matter.

Past incidents

On July 6, a 55-year-old woman was duped of 60gm gold (worth Rs 1.6 lakh) by two persons, including a woman, by assuring her that the gold would double, in Sector 38 (West).

On July 8, an NRI of Sector 27-D alleged that the two had conned her of two gold bangles and a pair of earrings along with Rs 5,000 near the Sector 27 market.

SPORTS

Rain brings misery for city players
Deepankar Sharda
Tribune News Service

A damaged patch of the ground due to rain at the Hockey Stadium, Sector 18, in Chandigarh on Tuesday.

Chandigarh, July 30
Heavy rain on Monday evening and Tuesday morning left local players suffering with tough conditions at stadiums, here. Gymnasium Hall at Football Stadium, Sector 17, and Hockey Stadium, Sector 18, were filled with water after the showers.

With heavy rains, the indoor gymnasium hall of Sector 17 Football Stadium, witnessed waterlogging. Interestingly, the gymnasium is situated in the basement and the rain water enters inside the hall through the broken windowpanes (on ventilation area). It faces the same problem every time it rains.

The hall, which is also being used as the mini-store, witnesses problem of waterlogging and affects the age-old exercise machines, installed inside the hall.

“The situation in the evening was very pathetic. But the water level came down in morning. Being used as a mini-store, the material stored inside the hall is also affected and due the direct showers over the machines, there remains a high risk of rust over the machines,” said a grounds-man.

On other hand, coaching staff and players have a hard time entering the Hockey Stadium, Sector 18, due to waterlogging in the entrance gate. Due to the steepness in the area, the muddy water enters the stadium and damages the grass.

The situation remains the same throughout the day. “The water gets logged outside the stadium during every rain and whenever any vehicle passes over, the muddy water enters the stadium. Every time we face problem in entering the premises. We have also submitted a written letter but to no avail,” said a group of players.