|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
UT police in the dock
Chandigarh, October 29 Head constables Amar Singh and Nain Singh of the ITBP filed the civil defamation suit in the court today. With the filing of the suit, the UT police that had faced embarrassment and flak for arresting two ITBP personnel in a false case is now in for more trouble. The two ITBP personnel were let off and all charges against them were dropped after the notes were stated to be genuine by an RBI report three days after their arrest. Acting on the petition filed through advocate Madan Singh seeking damages, the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Rajnish Kumar Sharma has issued notices to UT Home Secretary Anil Kumar, UT IGP RP Upadhyaya, UT SSP Naunihal Singh, DSP (Crime) Satbir Singh, then SHO of Sector 31 police station Inspector Jaspal Singh, investigating officer SI Randhir Singh to file reply by December 18. The notice has also been issued to Ekta Mahajan, SBI Bank and the Branch Manager, Air Force Station, who had first submitted a complaint to the police that the notes were fake. The two ITBP personnel were arrested by the UT police on May 17 for possessing fake currency of Rs 91,000. As per their authorisation, the two had come to deposit salary of recruits in the bank accounts of the SBI Branch, Air Force Station, when the bank detected the notes to be fake and called the police. They were booked under Section 489, 420 and 34 of the IPC and the police claimed to have busted a huge fake currency racket then. They were produced in the court and remanded in police custody the next day when the police interrogated and harassed them. It was on May 20 that the ITBP officials received the verification report from the RBI that the notes were genuine and not fake. The UT police had then moved an application in the court, seeking dropping of charges against the ITBP men and the two were then discharged by the court. It was on MHA’s intervention that the RBI had verified the notes. “The wrong and malicious act of the police and the SBI Bank resulted in physical, mental, social and moral harm to the reputation of the two ITBP personnel in the family and society. The two had suffered irreparable loss on account of mental harassment, illegal detention and their reputation had been affected in society. Various articles published in different national and local newspapers tainted theirs and the families’ reputation,” states the petition. “The constables are entitled to Rs 15 lakh on account of damages caused by the defendants for defaming the constables,” said advocate Madan Singh.
The suit
* Police’s action resulted in physical, mental, social and moral harm and loss to the two constables and their reputation has been shaken in the family, office and society. *
The constables were suspended by their seniors and also faced various departmental inquiries by the DIG, ITBF, and their statements were recorded on various occasions. *
Suffered harassment and mental stress. * Even though they have been discharged, the stigma and doubt in the minds of people will always remain. Their seniors have lost faith in them. *
The news of their arrest was splashed in the media, their pictures were clicked and they were remanded in police custody causing irreparable harm to their reputation.
|
|
Nodal agency seeks details of action taken by PGI
Chandigarh, October 29 Sources in the PGIMER administration said that the department had specified October 31 as the deadline for providing status of action taken on the grievances of patients. One of the major grievances received on the portal included a complaint against a PGIMER chemist who, according to the complainant (from Gaziabad), charged Rs 700 for medicines, which were available for Rs 525 at chemist shops outside the PGIMER campus. Another patient from Haryana complained that there was lack of proper material with the dental department. The same patient also complained about the unavailability of officials both at the reception and even in the MS office, where he wanted to lodge a complaint. The system of separate registrations for each department was another issue ailing a patient. “For each new department, a patient has to obtain a slip by standing in a long queue,” averred a Chandigrh-based patient, who could not avail proper treatment despite visiting the hospital seven times.“A few complaints have been disposed of and others are being reviewed while the recent ones are awaiting response from the departments concerned,” said Manju Wadwalkar, official spokesperson, PGIMER.
Portal for public grievances
This is a Government of India portal aimed at providing the citizens with a platform to get their grievances redressed. If one has any grievance against any government organisation in the country, one may lodge one’s grievance here at http://pgportal.gov.in/Default.aspx, which will go to the Ministry/Department/State Government concerned for immediate redress.
|
|
Excise Department fails to sell liquor vends yet again
Chandigarh, October 29 Officials in the Excise Department said fresh bids had been invited a week ago for the vends that were left out and could not been allotted ever since the new Excise Policy 2013-2014 was introduced. Though the reserved price of the respective vends has been reduced by 30 per cent, still there were no takers. The earnest money for each application was Rs 35 lakh. RC Bhalla, Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner, confirmed that no application had been received. Though the total number of unsold vends were 96, yet 19 vends were not put under the hammer as they had failed to attract even a single bid in the last five attempts. The prospective bidder said the high costs involved in running the business were the reason for the poor response.To discourage the bidders from giving high bids and then surrendering, the department had in the past increased the earnest money to Rs 35 lakh. As per the new rules, the earnest amount will be forfeited if the applicant surrendered the particular vend. After increasing the amount of the earnest money of liquor vends, the UT Administration had also decided to give limited time to successful applicants to deposit the bidding amount of a liquor vend. The amendment in the excise rules is aimed at curtailing the recent trend where the liquor vends are being auctioned at higher prices and then surrendering to ensure the monopoly of another contractor in the same area.
|
|
Raid at Sector 26 Grain Market
Chandigarh, October 29 The officials found that a majority of the stall selling firecrackers had been set up at places other than the earmarked sites. “Though the shopkeepers were supposed to set up stalls in front of their SCFs, yet they had set up stalls on the rear side facing the Madhya Marg. This is adding to the chaos and is in total violation of the rules”, said officials. Mohammed Shayin, UT Deputy Commissioner, said the shopkeepers had been asked to set up stalls at the designated sites. He said the haphazardly set up stalls selling firecrackers needed to be regulated. The MC was being asked to earmark sites in the open at Sector 28, opposite the Sector 26 grain market. Enforcement teams of the Estate office will visit the Sector 26 market to ensure the stalls are set up at the designated sites. The officials of the market committee also directed the shopkeepers to ensure that all the stall selling firecrackers took permission from the office of the Deputy Commissioner. The DC also inspected the firecracker stalls in Sector 42 and other places in the city.
|
|
Sellers flout safety norms at cracker market
Kurali, October 29 During a survey, the Tribune team found that the sellers were least bothered about the safety norms, and it was business as usual for them. Several wholesalers had displayed crackers in the open. The minimum required distance of 15 metre between two crackers shops was not being adhered to. No fire tender was found stationed in the markets of the area, which caters to several towns, including Chandigarh, Ropar, Morinda, Ludhiana, Mohali and Kharar. A wholesaler said that in one season, a business of between Rs 30 and 40 crore is done. “Most of the shop owners are selling the products without obtaining the required licences from the authority concerned. One can easily guess, what will happen if some accident occurs here due to carelessness”, said a businessman on condition of anonymity. According to sources, only two wholesalers in the area have obtained licences from the Central Government’s Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation, which is mandatory to do the wholesale business of the product. Another businessman alleged that the officials and policemen, responsible for carrying out a check looked the other way.
|
|
UT Adviser pulls up officials
Chandigarh, October 29 In a review budget meeting held at the UT Secretariat, Sector 9, Sharma asked the officials of the Engineering Department, Health Department and Police Department to expedite work on their respective projects. Sharma said all the departments were asked to speed up work on the pending projects as they had failed to utilise their budget. In the last financial year, a large number of departments failed to utilise the allocated budget. In the past also, the Administration has failed to utilise the allocated budget. In the current financial year, under the plan head, the Centre Government had fixed the ceiling to Rs 876.5 crore as compared to last year’s budget allocation of Rs 737.23 crore. Under the non-plan budget against the allocation of Rs 2,178.78 crore last year, the ceiling for the current financial year was fixed at Rs 2,615.56 crore.
|
30 quintal of sweets destroyed
Zirakpur, October 29 The food inspectors destroyed a major portion of the sweets and other dairy products at the godown finding it unfit for human consumption. The samples of the fungus-laided sweets were seized and sent for examination to laboratories. The SDM Derabassi reached the spot and took stock of the situation. On the basis of a tip-off we raided this cold storage and found that sweets were stored in unhygienic condition, said Dr Rajiv Bhalla, Civil Surgeon, Mohali. The officials said these sweets were being supplied to sweet shops across the Tricity risking lives of residents. The sweets included all popular varieties like “burfi”, “gulab jamun” and others. Four quintal khoya destroyed
Mohali: Four quintal of khoya and other items were ordered to be destroyed at the workshops of three sweets shops here as these were made in unhygienic conditions and some of these were rotten. Assistant Commissioner (General) Amarjit Bains said during checking conducted by members of the Food Safety Committee at various places it was seen that khoya had been stored in an unhygienic manner at the three workshops. Gulabjamuns and other sweets were also not stored in a proper way. The eatables on tasting seemed to be spoilt. Four quintals of khoya and 1 quintal of other sweets were destroyed. Besides, 40 kg of bakery items were also ordered to be destroyed as these were being prepared in an unhygienic manner. The checking was done at the workshops in Phase VIII and Shahimajra village of the three sweets shops being run in Phases I and V here.
|
|
Cyclists, rickshaw-pullers have a free run
In the absence of cycle tracks and lack of proper planning, cyclists are having a field day in the two towns. In the concluding part of the series, The Tribune reporters Hina Rohtaki and Akash Ghai take stock of the situation Panchkula Exclusive tracks don’t figure in planning The township of Panchkula known for its open spaces hardly has any designated place for cyclists. It’s a free run for cycle rickshaws here with no regulation of their movement. In the absence of rules, the police is not able to challan them. Even the officials, be it of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), Panchkula Administration or the Police Department, have never thought of looking into the matter or doing anything to resolve the issue. When Chandigarh Tribune contacted these officials, they said they had never thought of this issue.
No planning for cycle tracks, like that in Chandigarh, has been done in Panchkula. There are no separate lanes for them. District Town Planner Hitesh Sharma said: “We do have service lanes, but they are meant to divert any kind of traffic. But specifically, no such lanes have been designated for cyclists in the planning of the township”. “With the city already grappling with the traffic congestion and bad roads, lack of norms for cycle rickshaws has further compounded the problem. There are no separate tracks for cyclists, which slows down the traffic and increases the chances of accidents,” said Dr Vikas Sharma, who owns a hospital in the MDC, Sector 5, Panchkula. Panchkula Mayor Upinder Kaur Ahluwalia said: “We will be making such recommendations and wherever adequate space is available, the decision to make separate tracks will be taken”. Though the cyclists don’t come under the Motor Vehicle Act, no challan in the recent past has been issued by the police for any wrong lane driving or any other violation. No planning ever
According to the Town and Country Planning Department, no such planning for cycle tracks has been done in Panchkula. Though service lanes have been provided for the diversion of traffic, there is no such specific lane for them.
Recent accident
In a recent accident, four persons, including a three-year-old boy, of a family were seriously inured when the cycle rickshaw they were travelling in overturned after allegedly being hit by a car at the Amartex Light Point. Savita, 22, who suffered serious injuries on her back, was with her siblings.
Officials’ take
I will take up the issue with the administration as soon as possible as commuters are at the receiving end. It is a self-driven vehicle and the violation should be checked. I will take up this matter
definitely.
We will consult with the engineering wing and come up
with a good proposal.— Vandana Disodia,
Estate Officer, HUDA I will hold a meeting with the SHO (Traffic) regarding holding a drive to make cyclists aware of the rules and
regulations.— Poornima Singh, ACP, who is the nodal officer of the traffic wing
Mohali Officials yet to take it seriously Mohali, one of the most advanced towns of Punjab, has no plans for the most vulnerable and accident-prone cycle rickshaws and cyclists on its roads. The authorities concerned admitted that the issue was never discussed in any of the meetings on traffic management earlier.
Now with substantial increase in the number of vehicles on the roads of the town, particularly the main roads of old Mohali, the need for separate cycle and rickshaw tracks along the main roads is being felt. Mohali Municipal Corporation Commissioner Uma Shankar Gupta admitted that most of the cities abroad have separate arrangements for cyclists and light vehicles. “The concept is very good and I, too, want to introduce it in this town. But I know it will not work here due to several problems,” said Gupta. He said to make every system a success, there needs to be laws, rules and their strict enforcement in place. “We lack in both. We neither have such laws nor adequate force and system to enforce those. Staff shortage in police and other departments concerned is also another issue,” said Gupta. Gupta said he was ready to spend money on earmarking separate lanes for cyclists and rickshaw pullers on the crowded roads. “Who will enforce the system is again a big question?” said the commissioner. GMADA town planner Pankaj Bawa and MC assistant town planner Rajnish Wadhwa said no plan or separate system for cyclists and rickshaw pullers was devised in the town planning. “Now with the widening of crowded roads in old Mohali, no space has been left to construct separate tracks. Yes, in new sectors these tracks should be introduced under the planning,” said Rajnish Wadhwa. Echoing the sentiments, Pankaj Bawa said in coming times, separate tracks for light vehicles would become the necessity. “Moving light vehicles along with heavy vehicles on the same road always pose dangerous and the traffic flow, too, affects with it. So, I am in favour of constructing separate tracks," said Wadhwa. The commissioner said he would ask his staff to study the cycle track model of Chandigarh so that we would also start work in this direction. Reflectors affixed on cycles, rickshaws To save cyclists and rickshaw pullers from accidents, particularly during the winter and foggy nights, the Mohali traffic police in association with an NGO, “Avoid Accidents”, kicked off a special drive today. Under the drive, specially designed reflectors are being fixed on cycles and rickshaws in the town by the authorities. Light vehicle owners are also being made aware of traffic rules. While launching the drive, Mohali SP (Traffic) Shavinderjeet Singh Bains fixed the reflectors on over 250 cycles and rickshaws. The reflectors are being provided by the NGO, whose president Harpreet Singh claimed that the reflector would be visible from a distance of 1.5 km during the night hours. “In foggy nights, it can be seen from a distance of 500 metres,” said Harpreet. For students, an awareness campaign has also been started under which several competitions related to the issue would be held, said SP Bains.
|
|
Crackers to be sold at 2 sites in Mohali
Mohali, October 29 Shopkeepers will have to obtain a licence from the office of the SDM in order to sell crackers at the two authorised sites. No stalls for the sale of crackers have been allowed in villages falling in Mohali subdivision this time. A ban had earlier been imposed by the authorities on the sale, purchase and storage of crackers at unauthorised places. SDM has also banned the use of crackers from 10 pm to 6 am. The ban orders have been issued in view of potential danger to life and property. These will remain in force till November 5. — OC Speak out * Everyone should ensure that they maintain a safe distance while burning crackers. The parents should ensure that the children below the age of 14 years are not left alone while bursting firecrackers on the eve of Diwali. — Piyush, a student, UIET.*The spirit of joy during the festival can be experienced without burning crackers which lead to noise and air pollution. Bursting of firecrackers especially those with high intensity sounds can lead to hearing problems. — Navneet, Department of Police Administration. * Minimum use of the crackers should be encouraged which would help in safe and pollution-free Diwali celebrations. The residents of each locality should also try to celebrate the festival at a common designated place which would help in ensuring cleanliness in the area and it would be easy to keep a check on the children bursting crackers as everyone will be together. — Ravi Chaubey, PhD student, Geology department. * The children should be made to wear safe clothes which don’t catch fire easily and maximum parts of body should be covered to avoid any burn injuries. Only good quality crackers should be purchased and bursted under the supervision of adults.— Kumar Vashisht, Department of Physical Education.
|
|
22-yr-old youth falls off tractor, dies
Panchkula, October 29 A resident of Dhaliwal village, Chandimandir area, Santosh was sitting on the tractor. A case of death due to negligence has been registered against the driver of the tractor. The deceased had been working at the DLF site for the past two years. He used to help load and unload material. The incident took place at 11.30 this morning. Contractor Kanwaljit Singh and the other workers brought his body to the General Hospital, Sector 6, at 12.45 pm. Singh was unable to tell how the accident took place. The body has been kept at the mortuary. Station house officer of the Pinjore police station said, "Investigations revealed that Santosh was sitting next to the driver. Santosh lost balance and fell from the tractor." Kanwaljit Singh said, "The labourers ran to save Santosh but he died and we rushed him to the hospital." Santosh was the sole breadwinner of the family. Younger brother Vishal said, "My brother was to get married soon. He was the family's only hope." The exact cause of Santosh's death was not revealed to his family till evening.
|
|
Upset over officials' apathy, man resorts to agitation
Chandigarh, October 29 Om Prakash parked a truck loaded with machines outside Bansal's house. In the past 15 years, he had met a number of UT officials and even MP Pawan Kumar Bansal, but to no avail. He said the machines were of no use as no bank was ready to give him loan. When he was asked the reason behind staging the dharna outside Bansal's residence, he said he came to Bansal to submit a memorandum. Security guards deployed outside Bansal's residence pacified Om Prakash. He lifted the dharna after submitting the memorandum to the guards. Om Parkash said he would stage dharnas outside the residences of the other officials as well.
|
|
Chandigarh, October 29 A dhaba has been opened outside the main gate of the PGI. Other vendors, including fruit sellers and cigarette sellers, have also occupied area along the boundary wall of the hospital. The encroachers who are seen on the campus round the clock, had disappeared during President Pranab Mukherjee's visit last month. — TNS
|
|
Child welfare staff vent ire
Chandigarh, October 29 General secretary of the Indian Council for Child Welfare Employees Union said since 1998, the DA of the staff had not been revised by the authorities. He said at present, employees of the ICCW were getting only 9 per cent DA whereas the UT Administration employees were getting 72 per cent DA. He stated that the authorities were yet to release the arrears of the revised pay scale. The employees demanded that contractual staff should be regularised as there was an acute shortage of staff in crèches. Records of the department revealed that 15 posts of teacher and 16 posts of helper had been lying vacant in the crèches for the past two years. The employees said the authorities were violating rules by revising the retirement age of the Class IV employees. President of the union Rekha Sharma said they met the director of the social welfare department on April 9, 2013, and he had assured them of fulfilling their demands. Rekha said the authorities had failed to keep their promises. The employees called off the strike after the director of the social welfare department assured them of doing the needful. "A committee has been formed to fill the vacant posts and the other issues are being looked into," said the director.
|
|
Brain stroke affecting youngsters, say doctors
Chandigarh, October 29 October 29 is observed as World Stroke Day worldwide. The awareness program being conducted this year by the Department of Neurology, PGIMER is “Strike out Stroke (SOS)-13.” It is a campaign spreading awareness about stroke across the union territory. In this campaign, the Department of Neurology, PGIMER is assisted by an entire cross section of residents of Chandigarh including Chandigarh Police, Punjab University, hotels under CITCO, Taj and JW Marriot. Stroke always strikes as a bolt from the blue and timely action is required to limit the damages, said Dr S Prabhakar, head, Department of Neurology, PGIMER. Of all strokes, more than 70% are due to a clot in a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain while the rest are due to bleeding from these vessels. A large stroke may lead to a life threatening situation acutely. During a brain attack, time plays a crucial rule. With each passing minute, 1.9 billion brain cells are permanently damaged. What makes time even more important is that, this damage can be limited by timely intervention of treatment, said Dr Dheeraj Khurana, additional professor, Department of Neurology, PGIMER. A 333 Code Stroke system was launched to provide support to brain stroke patients. It equips the emergency area and other high risk areas for stroke at PGI with a telephonically activated simultaneous alerting system to be used in case of occurrence of stroke. On dialing 333 and punching in the time of onset of stroke from the enabled landlines, an SMS is sent to alert the entire stroke team comprising of Neurologists, Neuroradiologists and specialist nurses.
|
|
|
Cancer awareness camp marks concluding ceremony of AFWWA
Chandigarh, October 29 As part of the AFWWA week celebrations, a number of activities such as rangoli and an instant snacks-making competition, besides several sports events were organised. A cancer detection camp-cum-workshop was organised by the Station Medicare Centre at the depot in association with PGIMER, Chandigarh. It was inaugurated by Tanuja Barik, president, AFWWA (local). A brochure on awareness of breast and cervical cancer and osteoporosis in women was also released on the occasion. Wg Cdr S Yazdani, Medical Officer, 3 BRD, addressed the team of PGI doctors, paramedical staff and AFWWA members present on the occasion. Dr Renu Singla, a radiologist at PGIMER, and Dr Tejinder Kaur, a gynecologist, delivered talks on cervical cancer and breast cancer. A large number of family members of air force personnel attended the workshop. Tests such as mammography, colposcopy and bone mineral density tests were also conducted.
|
|
Panache-2013 ends on high note
Mohali, October 29 A unique depiction of shadows, with the background of a vast Mumbai canvas depicting the 26/11 attack was appreciated by one and all. To commemorate the 100 years of Indian cinema, a parody of Hindi film songs from the era of 1950s to 2013 was also presented on the occasion. The ever growing problem of pollution and the plight of mother earth were beautifully depicted through a dance ballet titled ‘Mati royi’. The role of grandparents was presented in the form of dance in contemporary style, which captivated the audience. Maya Ravan, a ballet in classical Indian style, was staged showcasing Ravan’s intellect and greatness which was vanquished because of his pride. The wrath of nature in the form of the calamity recently faced by our country in Uttarakhand was depicted in the form of a poem and a song. The event was highly mesmerising. “Such events boost the mental-level of students and also apprise them of the present scenario of our society today,” said the director. An individual must empathise with a particular situation and contribute to the best he can to overcome the problem, said a faculty member. Sanjay Sardana, director of Manav Mangal Group of Schools, said the school’s annual day was a platform to showcase, appreciate and applaud the talent of students and at the same time a platform to sensitise the audience about alarming issues that is a matter of concern for society today.
|
Campaign to spread awareness on brain stroke begins
Chandigarh, October 29 The Centre for Social Work in collaboration with the Department of Neurology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, marked the World Stroke Day on the campus. The campaign is titled as ‘Strike out Stroke 2013’. PU students visited the University Institute of Engineering and Technology, University Institute of Legal Studies, HS Judge Dental College and Students Centre to inform students about brain stroke, its causes and consequences and ways to prevent it. Gaurav Gaur, assistant professor, Centre for Social Works, PU, said a lot of people knew about heart stroke, but a few knew about brain stroke. “They were told that in case of brain stroke, one has to reach the hospital within 4-5 hours. If not treated on time, 2 million neurons get destroyed every minute,” he said. On the first day of the event, the students of the Centre for Social Work made rangoli at the Student Centre and around 6,500 students were targeted at various sites. Doctors and nurses from the PGIMER, along with the students, educated the students about the necessary measures that should be taken in the case of an emergency.
|
|||||
|
Students bring laurels
Panchkula, October 29 B. Pranay Goud (9) of class IV and Aditya Dabas (10) of class VI have not only done proud to the school but also to the region by giving sterling performances in the CBSE Inter-School Championship. Pranay was the only skater of the tricity to have bagged 2 gold medals among 1,200 contestants from various schools of the North Zone. Aditya won a silver medal. This made Hallmark Public School, Panchkula, the tricity’s only school whose two students got a berth in the nationals that are to be held in December 2013. — TNS
|
|||||
|
Annual function
Painting competition
Students of Kids ‘R’ Kids School, Sector 42, participated in a state and national-level painting competition organised on the theme of “Energy Conservation”. An awareness campaign was launched in order to encourage and develop the spirit of energy conservation. Anti-cracker campaign
Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, Sector 26, organised an ‘anti-cracker campaign’ in the school. The students were told about the ill-effects and hazards of firecrackers, which cause noise and air pollution. The campaign started with a speech and a pledge-taking ceremony. Children were encouraged to spread the message of a safe Diwali. Later, students of class VI also conducted a rally. An oath was taken on ‘No Cracker Burning’ by the students of AKSIPS, Sector 45. A rally was organised on the theme of colourful play cards displaying messages against burning of crackers and the need to save the environment from air and noise pollution. Play staged
As part of its ongoing founder’s week celebrations, students of the middle wing of Vivek High School, staged the play, ‘Katha Collage,’ on Tuesday. The play aimed at introducing children to literature and showing them the importance of certain values in society so that they could grow up as responsible human beings. Medical check-up camp
Panchkula: St Teresa Convent School, Sector 25, organised a medical check-up camp for its students. Dr Deepa Puri, along with her team, came to the school and examined the students. — TNS
|
|||||
|
|||||
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Chandigarh: The annual function, ‘Vibgyor’, of Bhavan Vidyalaya School, Sector 33, was organised at the Tagore Theatre here on Tuesday. RP Upadhyay, IG, Chandigarh, presided as the chief guest of the evening. The students of the junior wing showcased dance performances on various themes and cultures.