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Property set to cost more in city
While the Administration increased the collector rates of properties by 50 per cent, it provided relief to the owners of converted plots in the Industrial Area, Phase I and II, by increasing the collector rates of the converted properties by just 5 per cent. The Deputy Commissioner’s office issued a notification regarding the new collector rates, stating that the revised rates in Chandigarh would be effective from August 2. Last year in September, the Administration had hiked the collector rates by 10 per cent. After the announcement of the 50 per cent hike in the collector rates by the UT Administration, the collector rate of a shop-cum-office (SCO) in Sector 17 remains the highest in the city. The UT Administration has decided to raise the collector rate of an SCO in Sector 17 from Rs 4,80,480 per sq yard to Rs 7,20,720 per sq yard. The collector rate of SCOs on Madhya Marg, Sectors 34 and 22 and on the road dividing Sectors 34 and 35 has been fixed at Rs 5,14,800 per sq yard. Last year, the collector rate of SCOs in these areas was Rs 3,43,200 per sq yard. In the case of booths, the collector rates in Sectors 17, 19, 22, 34 and 35 are the highest. The UT Administration has increased the collector rate of booths in these sectors from Rs 3,08,880 per sq yard to Rs 4,63,320 per sq yard. A senior official of the UT Administration said the collector rates were decided by a four-member committee of senior officials and these rates had become effective from today. Charanjiv Singh, president of the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal, said the decision was "anti-people and anti-traders". It is not justified on the part of the Administration to increase the collector rates by 50 per cent. Arun Mahajan, president of the Industries Association of Chandigarh, said with the hike in the collector rates in the Industrial Area, it seemed the Administration was not interested in the development of industries. Now, it would become more difficult to run industrial units in the city, he said. Chander Verma, chairman of the Converted Plot Owners Association, said the rates of the converted plots were already higher and the Administration should not have hiked the rates. Rajesh Walia, chairman of the Property Consultants Association, said the property market was already "dying" in the city and this hike would further put pressure on it. Genuine buyers would ultimately suffer, he said.
How the hike will affect property buyers
At present for a 500 sq yard plot, a buyer has to pay 5 per cent of the collector rate as the stamp duty for registering the sale transaction of a property, which is around
Rs 13,72,800. However, with the hike of 50 per cent, the buyer will have to pay around
Rs 20,59,200 as the registration fee, an increase of Rs 6,86,400
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Now, think twice before you bunk classes
Chandigarh, August 2 The information can be easily accessed by parents, the school staff and officials of the department. To start with, five government schools: Government Model Senior Secondary School (GMSSS), Sector 16, the GMSSS, Sector 35, Government Smart School, Sector 50, Government Smart School, Sector 53, and Government Senior Secondary School, Maloya, have been selected under this project, which is likely to be launched within two weeks. Under this project, each school will have its separate website on which vital information on attendance, the performance of students, the service book of teachers and general planning of the school will be uploaded. Principal of the GMSSS, Sector 16, Anujit Kaur said the project was aimed at "better management of the academic and non-academic performance" of government school students. Besides, it would enable the Education Department to supervise the working of the government schools in a better way. Under this project, teachers would update the attendance of their students on the website of the school with the help of the technical staff on a daily basis. Besides, information pertaining to the students' performance would also be uploaded either on a fortnightly or a monthly basis. "These initiatives will help maintain pressure on the students to be regular with their studies, besides enabling the schools to manage their records better," she said. The system would also help the teachers plan their classroom teaching schedule. They would also be able to prepare their lessons through e-content available on websites. A senior government official said earlier issues like attendance and academic planning were not a priority of the government schools. However, under this system, "these things will remain under regular supervision, both at the school as well as the directorate level". It would also help the department focus on quality education in the government schools. He said the system would be extended to other government schools after monitoring its performance in these five schools. He said while officials of the Education Department would have overall access to the whole project, parents would also be issued log in IDs and passwords to enable them to monitor the attendance and the performance of their children regularly. There is a general perception that parents of students studying in government schools are from a comparatively lower economic strata and are not technology savvy. Indira Dhingra, Principal of the GMSSS, Sector 35, said it might be true to some extent but once the parents came to know about the new system, they would prepare themselves to make use of it.
School Management Information System
The UT Education Department is all set to launch an innovative
e-governance project called the School Management Information System under which government schools will update the attendance of their students every day on their respective school websites. The information can be easily accessed by parents, the school staff and officials of the department
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Earthquake triggers panic among city residents
The Meteorology Department said the epicentre of the earthquake was in Kishtwar. The tremors were felt in Doda and Kishtwar districts at 8.03 am and lasted seven seconds. The tremors were felt in Chandigarh and parts of Punjab and Haryana at 8.05 am. The tremors saw people rushing out of their houses. According to the Meteorological Department, in July, six tremors have shook Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. The tremors triggered panic among residents, especially those living in high-rise buildings, and they rushed out of their buildings while those who were driving halted their vehicles and came out in the open. However, the people heaved a sigh of relief as there were no aftershocks. “I was reading a newspaper at home and suddenly saw my chair and a glass tumbler on the table shaking for almost 10 seconds. A light hanging from the ceiling also started moving and it was then that I realised that it was an earthquake,” said Santosh Kumar, a resident of Sector 52.
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I-T raids on L&T, Sony outlets in city yield Rs 43 crore
Chandigarh, August 2 In the crosshairs were the local offices of Larsen & Toubro and Sony. Department sources said L&T's surrendered/concealed income was worth Rs 33 crore while Sony yielded Rs 10 crore. Sources said IT teams' raid at the business premises of the two began on Wednesday morning. Teams also seized unspecified documents. The taxmen, accompanied by the police, carried out a detailed inspection of the books, computer data, stocks of finished goods, raw material and other records. The sources said trading activities of the business houses were under the scanner for their high-value financial transactions. The department was contemplating action under the the Income Tax Act to check evasion and ensure better compliance.
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Licensing Authority smells a rat in auction
As a result, the seven numbers virtually went for a song. Based on a preliminary probe, the RLA has written to the Deputy Commissioner to cancel the bids for the seven numbers. The numbers 0004, 0005, 0006, 0014, 0018, 0021 and 9999 went for Rs 24,000, Rs 42,000, Rs 16,500, Rs 11,000, Rs 11,000 and Rs 10,000, respectively. These numbers generally fetch more premium, indicating that a "cartel was formed" to bring down the bid. A total of 107 vanity numbers went under the hammer. "Barring the seven numbers, the auction of the remaining 100 numbers is clear," said Registration and Licensing Authority Mahavir Kaushik. A fresh date for the auction would be announced later. Last time, the RLA had cancelled the auction of the series CH01 AR after it had detected a similar anomaly.
0001 goes for
Rs 6.25 lakh
In a price that could fetch any entry-level sedan, a local realtor today bid Rs 6.25 lakh to buy the 0001 number in the new series CH01 AU for his Toyota Fortuner SUV, which he has gifted to his son. A Punjab-based realtor, Pawan Kumar Mittal, said he had come prepared to buy the VIP number. Varun Mittal, son of the realtor, accompanied his father to the auction. In the previous auction for the CH01 AT series, the number 0001 was sold for Rs 9,10,000. Of the total 115 vanity number put under the hammer by the RLA, no bidder turned up for eight numbers. The auhority earned Rs 40.32 lakh in the auction. The numbers 0003 and 0009 went for Rs 3.20 lakh and Rs 20 lakh, respectively. The other vanity numbers which attracted bids above Rs 1 lakh were 0002 (Rs 1.10 lakh), 0017 ( Rs 1.15 lakh) and 0007 (Rs 1.16 lakh)
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Patil gives nod to study tour of MC
Chandigarh, August 2 Confirming the development, city Mayor, Subhash Chawla, said after the consent of interested councillors, they would leave for the study tour next month. He added that instead of calling it the study tour, we should say it a cultural exchange programme. In the past, the MC had faced criticism owing to futility and waste of public funds on the annual tours of the MC members and officials to far-off places to study different projects. Recently, the administration had raised an objection on the initial proposal sent by the MC for study tour. Thereafter, a fresh proposal was sent to the administration, which was now approved by the Administrator. The MC has spent over Rs 1 crore on futile study tours from 2004 to 2011. Interestingly, major projects recommended by the councillors after study tours have failed to bear fruits. There are no detailed reports or follow-up action on the shortcomings of the projects while these were implemented in the city. The councillors did not even hesitate to visit Singapore, Malaysia and Bangkok to recommend the proposals, which hold no relevance for the city.
Independence Day function to be held outside MC building
As construction of additional floors of the MC building is going on it will be for the first time that the Independence Day function will not be held in the MC building. According to proposal, this time, the MC is planning to hold function at Sector 17 Fire Station. But the Mayor has also proposed to organise function in Nehru Park at Sector 22 instead of the fire station.
House meeting to held on August 8
After the ruckus created by councillors and allegations leveled against Mayor, it was decided by Mayor, Subhash Chawla, that house meeting will now be held on August 8 as well. He said opposition councillors were levelling false allegations and anybody can check the CCTV footage of house meeting. He added he was holding house meeting on August 8, just eight days after last house meeting, to pass the developmental agendas of the city. If required more than one house meeting can be held in a single month, he added.
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Liquor policy open to amendment: UT Admn
Chandigarh, August 2 In response to a notice issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the administration in its reply repeatedly stated that the excise policy was only a "statement" of the government. The reply placed before Justice Rajive Bhalla and Justice Bharat Bhushan Parsoon added that the allotments were governed by the Punjab Liquor License Rules, 1956, as in force in the Union Territory of Chandigarh. The rules could be amended by virtue of Section 58 of the Punjab Excise Act, 1914. On account of a judgement by the High Court in the case of Amit Jain and others versus State of UT, the administration added that this year they could not allot the vends in pre-fabricated structures, resulting in loss to the exchequer. The Chandigarh Administration had initiated the process of allocating more than 200 vends in the city. While most of the liquor vends were allocated in accordance with the policy announced earlier , the administration came out with the new policy affecting 90 vends that yet to be allocated for 2013-14. Vikram Jain, counsel for the petitioners, contended the minimum reserved price for each vend was specified by the administration in the excise policy announced for 2013-14. The earnest money payable for each vend was also notified. Most of the liquor vends were allotted on the basis of the announced excise policy. But all of a sudden, the department enhanced the earnest money payable for allotment of pending vends. Jain added that the earnest money payable for allotment of liquor vends with a licence fee up to Rs 60 lakh was Rs 7 lakh as per initial excise policy. It was increased to Rs 35 lakh, irrespective of the minimum reserve price. Jain contended that small players would be ousted as a result of the enhancement. It would result in monopolisation of the trade by big players. Pointing at the irrationality of the new policy, Jain said in some cases the earnest money was more than the total licence fee for the entire licensing period. It was totally unheard of and out of proportion, he contended.
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Garbage greets visitors at Rock Garden
Chandigarh, August 2 Chandigarh, famous for its Rock Garden attracts tourists from across the globe; however, very less seems to be done to ensure that its surroundings are clean and hygienic. On visiting the garden, one can see garbage lying around in the alleys and stink emanating from various parts of the unique garden. Manisha, a visitor at the Rock Garden from Delhi, said that the Rock Garden was very beautiful and its very concept was innovative, but the authorities had not bothered to maintain it well. “The waterfall and the pool within the garden gives a very ugly look as water bottles and wrappers of food products are seen floating in it”, she added. Heaps of garbage are dumped in the building, which is incomplete, in the third-phase of the garden. The UT was planning to construct an Art Gallery there, however, the construction of the building is lying pending from last over seven years. Bhanu Pratap Singh, another visitor, stated that the administration should ensure that the every part of the garden was cleaned every-day. “The garbage lying in the incomplete building structure is an eye-sore”, he said. Nek Chand, the creator of the Rock Garden, states that many visitors complain about the garbage lying scattered in the garden. UT Chief Engineer SK Chadha, when contacted, stated that there is sufficient staff to clean the entire Rock Garden every morning. “The visitors should also ensure that the garden is kept clean by putting not littering around the place”, he said. Chadha further stated that he could comment on the cleanliness in the Rock Garden only after speaking to the X-en concerned.
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suman case
Chandigarh, August 2 Dr Rajiv Vadhera, also admitted that no appeal had been filed against the compensation orders, but it had paid one-fourth amount, as it was only one of the four parties. Counsel for Suman's family, Pankaj Chandgothia contended that the Consumer Commission had passed orders dated in March 2012, directing the GMSH, Sector 16, and its three doctors, Kirti Sood, Navdeep Kaur and Manpreet Kaur to pay Rs. 4 lakh as compensation and Rs 50,000 as legal costs. The payment was to be made within one month, failing which penal interest at the rate of 12 per cent per annum was to be paid with effect from January 2011. The GMSH was also directed to bear the burden of the treatment of Suman for life. The Medical Superintendent of GMSH, appeared through Jatinder, government pleader, and requested for some time to do the needful. The Commission granted 10 days time to the GMSH to make the due payment and adjourned the case to August 12.
Case history
In December 2009, in a case of mistaken identity, two women by the same name in a similar state of pregnancy were admitted at the GMSH, Sector 16. Suman was administered wrong blood units. A unit of B-positive blood that was meant for the other woman was administered to Suman. Due to which, the foetus died and Suman’s kidneys were severely affected and she was admitted to PGIMER for tertiary care.
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2,500 Haryana teachers hold protest
Panchkula, August 2 However, the teachers were not allowed to go beyond the Housing Board chowk as and were stopped by the police officials. Traffic at various points was diverted following the agitation. The teachers first gathered outside the Shiksha Sadan and then marched from Sector 6 round-about towards the Housing Board demanding regularisation of services and increase in salary. Police personnel and riot control vehicles were deployed to keep the situation under control. Slogans were also raised by the teachers against the department. Heavy traffic congestion was witnessed mainly in the afternoon hours. “Even last time when the teachers staged a protest, I was stuck in the jam for about 45 minutes and even today it’s the same,” said Rashi Singla, a resident of Sector 8, Panchkula. Vishal Aggarwal, a resident of Sector 18, Chandigarh, said: “I had come to Panchkula for some work. I was not aware of the protest. The police should tell in advance which
all routes to avoid if any such kinds of protests take place.”
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5 police personnel rewarded
Chandigarh, August 2 The communication staff including duty officer, Assistant Sub Inspector Rajesh Kumar were rewarded Rs 1000, wireless operator head constable Ram Hair Sharma with Rs 2,000 and call taker operator Poona Rs 1,000. Motor/Cycle Cheeta staff driver Naresh with Rs 2,000 and Constable Sunil were rewarded Rs 2,000 as appreciation. With the arrest of two of the gang member
snatchers, the Chandigarh Police was able to bust a gang of interstate robbers/snatchers within an hour of the robbery committed by them.
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Ban imposed on hookah bars
Mohali, August 2 Tejinder Pal Singh Sidhu, DC, said in his order that the ban was imposed under Section 144 of the CrPc. The order said the Civil Surgeon had given information that a number of hookah bars were operational in the districts which were serving tobacco molasses containing nicotine, which was highly injurious to health, including that of minors. At times there was suspicion that apart from tobacco, other harmful substances were also mixed with tobacco molasses and served at these bars. The order, which will remain in effect till September 28.
— OC
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PGI doctor elected as president of WFPICCS
Chandigarh, August 2
The Federation is the apex body of Pediatric Intensive Care Societies and Associations from all over the world including Europe and the US. This is for the first time that an Indian has been elected to this coveted post.
— TNS
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school uniforms
Chandigarh, August 2 It came in to the light when the UT Education Department inspected official documents of Alok Industries for issuing a show-cause notice the to firm for delay in the supply of school uniforms to most of the government schools. During the inspection, the Education Department found that the firm had wrongly mentioned in the affidavit, submitted to the government schools at the time of applying for the tenders, that it was never blacklisted or penalised on account of delivery of school uniforms. During the inspection it came to the light that the UT Education Department had penalised the firm of whopping Rs 10.60 lakh for delay supplying uniforms during the academic session 2010-11. Ram Kumar Sharma, District Education officer, said the wrong undertaking by the Alok industries was in violation of the general finance rules as the department had penalised the firm 2010-11 for delay in the supply of uniforms. According to him, the firm not only submitted the wrong undertaking but also also failed to supply the school uniforms in most of the schools on time. “We have already sent the case to the accounts branch of the department and have asked for the appropriate action,” he said. Vinod Sharma, head of Government Model High School, Sector 34, said the firm was given two months for supplying uniforms, but it had failed to keep its promise despite repeated reminders. Another school head said the department was equally responsible for such a mess. " The department's policy to instruct every government school to place its own order for school uniforms failed few suppliers applied for tenders of the government schools due to low price ceiling and hard technical specifications," the school head said. "Even as the government schools managed to place order with Alok Industries and a few other suppliers before summer vacations in May, the department did not check the credentials of these suppliers," he said. Meanwhile, officials of the company could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.
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Model United Nations Conference kicks off at Tagore Theatre
Chandigarh, August 2 UT Administrator Shivraj V Patil inaugurated the opening ceremony, along with RK Saboo, chairman of the school, vice-chairman Chandra Mohan, principal Vineeta Arora and others. A cultural programme was woven around this year's theme "The Power of The People". The school choir sang a powerful medley of four songs, eulogising the immeasurable power of the people and the strength and the optimism that it brings along with it. Next was a powerful and soul stirring contemporary dance performance, which evocatively portrayed the age old tussle between the forces of good and evil. Chief guest Shivraj V Patil appreciated the impressive performance of the students and shared his experience of interaction with the UN. He emphasised on the need for the UN to extend its activities into several other areas such as art and culture. The opening ceremony came to a close with the secretary general Annika Jotshi declaring the plenary session open. The next two days will witness a plethora of brain-storming sessions, hectic parleys and negotiations as the delegates get down to work. The committees being simulated this year are the UN General Assembly third committee (UNGA SOCHUM), the UN Security Council, the UN Economic and Social Council, the UN Convention Against Corruption and the UN Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. Like every year, this year too, the agendas are related to world issues of utmost concern. The topics of this year include protection and rights of human rights defenders, amendment of international space law with reference to outer space treaty; international tax cooperation, reforms under the scope of UNCAC with special emphasis on trans-national organised crime.
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ISTC students get degrees
Chandigarh, August 2 He also stressed upon the importance of discipline, dedication and hard work and asked them to do the right things in life at the right time in an ethical way. He emphasised the need for building human relations to encourage team work and harmony to be successful in future endeavors. The ISTC principal, RC Agnihotri, while presenting the institute’s annual report said that almost all students, except those pursuing higher education, had got placements in reputed companies at good remuneration. Later, the students were awarded diplomas and advanced diplomas. Arun Kumar Singh, Amit Kaushik received gold and silver medals respectively in Instrument technology. In advanced diploma in die and mould makingLakhwinder Singh and Kushlesh Singh won gold and silver medals respectively. Ganesh Chand; Shaeeny Singh received gold and silver in advanced diploma in mechatronics and industrial automation.
— TNS
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PU invites applications for admissions
Chandigarh, August 2 Prospectus is available at the PU website. The courses available under the USOL include BA, BCom, bachelor of library and information science (one-year course), MA in English, Hindi, Punjabi, Economics, History, Political Science, Public Administration, Sociology, master of finance and control (MFC) and master of commerce (MCom). PU is also offering postgraduate diploma and certificate courses like postgraduate diploma in computer applications, postgraduate diploma in human rights and duties, postgraduate diploma in health, family welfare and population education, postgraduate diploma in library automation and networking, postgraduate diploma in mass communication, postgraduate diploma in statistics, advance diploma in naturopathy and yoga, diploma in creative photography, certificate course in Vivekananda studies and certificate course in women
studies. — TNS
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PUSU names new president
Chandigarh, August 2 Yadwinder was announced party president by Jaskaran Singh Brar, founder member of the PUSU and chairman of the supreme council. Navreet Singh was designated as the campus chairman and Jagdeep Singh Mann was designated as the campus president. The senior party leaders also authorised the new panel of the party to make other appointments and nominations in
consultation with the state unit. Among the former leaders, who attended the meeting included Tejpal Singh Cheema, Rupinder Singh Mann. Parminder Jaiswal, Gurpreet Singh, Kamaljit Singh Sidhu and Binder Singh.
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Fruit Day
The Fruit Day was celebrated at the kindergarten block of St Joseph’s Senior Secondary School , Sector 44-D, Chandigarh. The children learnt about the importance and value of fruits. The students were told about the concept of washing, pealing and cutting fruits. They were taught about the importance of having fruits in their daily diet. The students were given a live demonstration of making a fruit chat. They relished the taste of different delicious fruits like mango, grapes, papaya, orange and apple . Fun in monsoon
To have fun in the monsoon season, students of Kids R Kids School, Sector 42, Chandigarh, enacted on rhyme “Can you hear the rain”. They performed it with bright and colourful props of frogs, mushrooms, clouds, umbrellas, raincoats and
gumshoes. — TNS
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Chandigarh, August 2
Chandigarh, August 2
Chandigarh, August 2