Chandigarh, December 10
The report prepared by doctors on the questionnaire sent by the Chandigarh Police seeking clarity on the post-mortem report of 11-year-old Pinki, has revealed that there were clear signs of sexual assault on her.

Her hymen was ruptured and injury marks were found on her body. While the team of doctors from the GMSH-16 and GMCH-32, who prepared the report, refused to comment, police sources confirmed that the girl was sexually assaulted.

A confirmation on rape will be attained once the report on analysis of semen (found around her private parts) is released by the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL). However, the presence of semen in a way makes it clear that she was raped, said sources.

Chandigarh Tribune got the post-mortem report analysed by an independent doctor and it was found that the injury marks on her body indicated towards rape. The injury marks were two to three days old since the time when autopsy was conducted.

The body of the girls was found a week ago. A student of Class VI, she was strangled to death and her body was put in a jute sack before dumping it in the jungle area in Sector 52 on December 1.

The board members who conducted the post-mortem held a meeting today to prepare replies to the questions by the police. The report will be submitted to the DSP (crime branch) on Wednesday, said a police official.

Leaving the UT police confused, the post-mortem report of the victim had stated “hymen not found”, forcing the police write to the doctors to explain the exact meaning of the same.

While the post-mortem report of victim stated that she was sexually assaulted as there were injuries on her private parts, the special investigation team questioned the doctors whether the girl was raped and what exactly does the blue and red injuries mean and how old are these.

The police had also asked the doctors, who conducted the post-mortem, about the time when the victim was killed. The investigations were delayed as a forensic expert, who had conducted the post-mortem, had proceeded on a three-day leave after submitting the report.

The report assumes significance as it will form the basis of adding more sections of the IPC, including rape, against the accused.

Chandigarh, December 10
Better policing by utilising resources available with the Chandigarh Police will be the priority for Sukhchain Singh Gill, a 2003-batch Punjab-cadre IPS officer, who will be taking over as the new Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Chandigarh on Wednesday.

Speaking to The Tribune, Gill said as compared to the Punjab Police, the Chandigarh Police has better resources and infrastructure. “The Chandigarh Police are advanced and I feel that resources available, if utilised efficiently, can help in better policing,” he said.

Gill, whose last posting was as SSP, Hoshiarpur, said it would be too early to comment on the new plans for the city. “After meeting senior officials, I will talk to my subordinates to take feedback on the crime scene in the city,” he stated.

Gill will replace Naunihal Singh, who joined the city as an SSP in 2010. After

completing the three-year tenure, Naunihal was given a three-month extension after the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) rejected the first panel of Senior Superintendents of Police forwarded by the Union Territory Administration.

Naunihal, a Punjab-cadre IPS officer, was promoted to the rank of Deputy Inspector General in April 2011.

Gill who also possesses a MBBS degree from Government Medical College, Amritsar, will be taking his reliving orders from the Punjab Police and joining the office in Chandigarh by Wednesday afternoon.

Chandigarh, December 10
Sarvjit Singh, a 1992-batch IAS officer of Punjab cadre, is likely to be posted as the new UT Finance Secretary.

Singh is currently posted as Secretary (Revenue), Punjab. Sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs said Sarvjit Singh’s name had been cleared by the ministry and had been forwarded to the Cabinet Committee of Appointments through the Department of Personnel and Training.

The development is important as the UT Administration had recommended the name of Anurag Aggarwal, a 1990-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre, to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for the post.

Sources revealed that hectic lobbying was on in MHA for the posting of the Finance Secretary. While the Punjab Government was backing Aggarwal’s name, a senior official in the MHA was in favour of Sarvjit Singh as both were batchmates in Patiala.

The Punjab Government had sent three names for the post to the Chandigarh Administration. The present incumbent, VK Singh's, term will end in January 2014. Those whose names had been sent include Anurag Aggarwal, Sarvjit Singh and Hussan Lal.

Chandigarh, December 10
The investigations into the cheating racket busted by the Chandigarh Police during the Railway Recruitment Board Group D exam has revealed that each candidate, who was provided with the answer keys to questions before the exam on cellphone, was supposed to pay around Rs 3 lakh to a middleman.

The six candidates who are in police remand revealed that the deal was struck between Rs 3 lakh and 3.5 lakh. The accused were arrested on December 8 from the examination centre in Sector 46.

DSP (cyber crime) Rajesh Kalia said the candidates were approached by the middleman who was known to them and also to the link that helped them in providing the answer key before the exam. “The candidates were supposed to pay the amount to the middleman after the exam. He was further supposed to pay the money to the kingpin of the racket,” the DSP said.

Sources said the candidates had received the answer key around 30 minutes before the exam and they were the last ones to enter the examination centre after writing the answer keys which caught the attention of the police that already had a tip-off of the racket.

Sources said raids were being conducted to arrest the middleman involved in the racket. The DSP said employees of the Railways, who conducted the exam,

would also be questioned. “We have written to the Railways about the cheating racket.

They are also expected to initiate an internal inquiry into the case,” he said.

The police have also sought the details of the mobile number from the service provider through which the candidates received the answer key.

Chandigarh, December 10
A local court suspended the driving licence of a 45-year-old man after he was challaned for the third time for drunk driving.

The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Rajneesh Kumar Sharma suspended the licence of Khushnihal Singh, a Mohali resident, for two months and also slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 on him.

Panchkula, December 10
The Panchkula police today released sketches of the main accused in the heist of Rs 1.68 crore from the CMS security van at Taparian village (Pinjore).

Commissioner of Police Rajbir Deswal said they had released two sketches of the accused who was sporting a turban. Deswal said the sketches of the other accused were being prepared.

The driver of the van, Neem Pal, Jaspal Singh and Gulshan Sharma, security guards, and the company's custodian Suraj Sangam stated that the accused, who was posing as a Punjab Police personnel, signalled them to stop the vehicle. "He was the one who had ordered Neem Pal to show the vehicle's documents and arms licences," said the victims.

The police said another van belonging to the company had just passed by. Deswal stated that the police had got vital leads in the case. "We are hopeful of solving the case soon," asserted the Commissioner.

Deswal said they had not ruled out the involvement if the victims. "We are scanning the details," he said.

The police have constituted 12 teams. Some of these have been dispatched to Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and the other parts of Haryana. "Old records related to organised gangs are also being scrutinised," stated Deswal.

Yesterday, four robbers, dressed in Punjab Police uniform, looted Rs 1.68 crore and two double barrel guns from the CMS company's security van at gunpoint and after throwing chilly powder in the eyes of the armed security guards at 1.30 am.

Chandigarh, December 10
The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation will shift 88 head of cattle to gaushalas in Punjab on Wednesday.

The civic body had signed an MOU with the gaushalas in this regard.

City Mayor Subhash Chawla stated that 1,000 head of cattle would be shifted to two gaushalas at Chandpur Rurki village and Bhaddi village in Garhshankar and Nawanshahr.

“Eleven trucks will shift the animals to Chandpur Rurki," he stated.

The MC opted for the gaushalas in the state as recently 16 trucks transporting cattle were torched by villagers in the Helimandi area of Pataudi near Gurgaon. The animals caught by the MC were being shifted to Barsana Gaushala in UP.

The Mayor stated that the cattle were being released by residents of Mohali and Panchkula which was adding to the problem. “There are around 2,000 head of cattle on roads, out of which a majority have come from the villages on the periphery of the city," he said. The civic body is paying Rs 3,500 per animal to the gaushalas.

Chandigarh, December 10
The UT Administration has put off the demolition of labour colonies.

The authorities will first clear pending cases pertaining to the allotment of Colony No. 5 and then carry out the drive.

The UT Finance Secretary has appointed Deputy Commissioner Mohammed Shayin as the appellate authority to hear the appeals filed by residents of Colony No. 5. Around 800 cases will be heard by the DC.

Sources said though all cases might not fit into the eligibility criteria of the biometric survey, the cases will be taken up twice a week.

Earlier, the UT had decided to go ahead with its plans to demolish other illegal slum colonies. Around 200 acres are under illegal occupation of 18 slum colonies across the city.

Beginning with Kuldeep Colony, Mazdoor Colony and Pandit Colony, all located in Sector 52 near Kajehri village, the other slum colonies were to be demolished in phases. Rehabilitation of the eligible slum dwellers is under way.Those evicted from the colonies will be shifted to one-room flats being constructed under the slum rehabilitation project by the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB).

Chandigarh, December 10
The UT Administration has agreed to the demand of land expansion of Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) and Panjab University (PU), on the condition that both the authorities will have to reduce the area demanded, so that the authorities could allocate a piece of land near Sarangpur.

In a meeting between the UT Advisor, KK Sharma, and representatives of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research and Panjab University, the Advisor said the demand for land raised by the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research and Panjab University will be difficult for the Administration to meet, but if both the authorities reduced the margin of area, the demand can be fulfilled.

The Vice-Chancellor of Panjab University, Arun Grover, had recently submitted before the board of inquiry, constituted by the UT Administration on Draft Master Plan-2031, that the Panjab University requires as many as 180 acres of land for the expansion of the premises of the Panjab University and had demanded for earmarking in the Master Plan for 
the same.

It was submitted that the present campuses in Sectors 14 and 25, spread over 550 acres, are packed with students as newer courses and departments are added on an annual basis. Hence, due to scores of students coming to pursue their higher studies, there is a need of land expansion.

Similarly, the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) had also demanded 100 acres of land for its expansion.

The representatives of Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) the had also submitted the same point before the board of inquiry.

Chandigarh, December 10
UT Finance Secretary VK Singh today issued directions to the engineering department to conduct a fresh survey for the setting up of vegetable and grain market in Sector 39.

Recently, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had sought a report from the UT Administration on the Sector 39 market during the hearing of a case pertaining to the encroachments in the Sector 26 vegetable and grain market.

The directions were issued in a meeting chaired by UT Finance Secretary VK Singh. Officials of the architect department and market committee were also present. It was decided that the engineering department would submit its survey report within a week to the Chief Architect and thereafter layout plan of the Sector 39 market would be prepared.

Chandigarh, December 10
The legal sanctity of legal documents registered by the UT Sub-Registrar between November 2012 and May 2013 has come under scrutiny.

Over 1,300 documents, including sale deeds of properties, lease deeds and attorneys, were registered during the period. Terming the appointment of the Sub-Registrar, Rajiv Tewari, as irregular, the Comptroller Auditor General of India (CAG) refused to admit the documents during an audit of the office of the Sub-Registrar for the year 2012-2013.

Following the audit objection, the Sub-Registrar has been shifted out of the office. Referring to the Punjab Registration Manual, 1929, the audit department pointed out that it was in contravention of the above stated manual as the official did not fulfil the laid-down conditions.

The department, in its reply to tide over the situation consequential to the withdrawal of the Sub-Registrar's work from DS Balouria, stated that it was a short-term arrangement taken in public interest. The audit, however, did not accept the reply as tenable as appointment of ineligible officer for five months. RK Garg, an RTI activist, who had sought the audit report under the RTI Act, 2005, has sought details of all Sub-Registrars appointed in the UT.

The CAG pointed out that an amount of Rs 68 crore as stamp duty and Rs 3.44 crore as registration fee had been received by the Sub-Registrar during 2012-2013, but the same was not reconciled with the treasury. As per guidelines, the earning has to be deposited to the government treasury either the same day or the next day. — TNS

Mohali, December 10
Members of the Contract Employees Association of the department of water supply and sanitation held a protest in front of the office of the department concerned at Phase II, here today.

The protesters demanded regularisation of their services on the occasion and raised slogans against the Punjab government.

They alleged that their demands have gone unheard over the past years. The general secretary of the association, Gurpal Singh, said the protesting employees had been working in a World Bank-aided project from last four to five years, but had been retained on contractual basis. The government had earlier regularised the services of employees who had been working for over three years in various departments, but the protesting lot had been being deprived of the benefit.

The general secretary said, “Even the salaries being given to them were not at par with those working on a regular basis. Their salaries ranged between Rs 6,000 to Rs 25,000, depending on the category of the employee concerned. The increment amount also hardly constituted a raise in their salaries.”

Even in the matter of applying for leaves, partiality was observed, alleged the general secretary.

The protesters demanded that their salaries should be fixed again from the date of joining the duties, and the employees working on contractual basis should be adjusted against the vacant posts before new recruitments were made. They also demanded that no employee should be recruited through outsourcing.

The protesters said the stir would not be called off till their demands were conceded.

Chandigarh, December 10
The UT Administration today formed a team to check violations by candidates and their supporters in the panchayat elections.

A senior official of the UT Administration said two election observers had written to them about the violations like installation of hoardings, banners, posters at various places. "Now, the team will check the violations and submit an action-taken report," he added.

Today, residents of Makhan Majra village submitted a memorandum to the UT Administration and the Election Commission, demanding a polling booth in their village. Makhan Majra villages come under Raipur Kalan panchayat but there are no polling booth in Makhan Majra.

In the panchayat elections, around 38,000 voters will cast vote on December 15. A total of 299 candidates are in the fray for the elections to 12 gram panchayats in the UT.

Thirteen villages of the UT Administration fall under these panchayats.

There are 12 posts of sarpanch and 132 posts of panch. Behlana, Rairpur Khurd, Rairpur Kalan, Makhan Majra, Daria, Mauli Jagran, Kishangarh, Kaimbwala, Khuda Ali Sher, Khuda Jassu, Khuda Lahora, Sarangpur and Dhanas will be going to polls.

Chandigarh, December 10
A play based on an internationally acclaimed adaptation of Parts of Desire, which was written and performed by Heather Raffo, will be staged at the Tagore Theatre on December 17.

Inspired by a trip to a modern art museum in Baghdad in August 1993, the play details the lives of nine Iraqi women that span the decades between the first and second Gulf Wars and the occupation.

War has many facets, each strung together with love, anguish, heartbreak, pain and suffering. Though the emotions would be the same, the stories are different and when it is women we are looking at, they are even more poignant, as we know that war has its own impact on women, even though they are not out there on the battlefield.

Described by The New Yorker as “an example of how art can remake the world”, it is a portrait of the extraordinary (and ordinary) lives of a whole cross-section of Iraqi women: a painter, a radical communist, doctors, exiles, wives and lovers, and delves into many conflicting and complex aspects of what it means to be a woman in a country overshadowed by war.

The play is an unusually timely meditation on the ancient, the modern and the feminine in a war-torn world. As topical as today’s newspaper headlines, these rich monologues have the ability to transcend time, space, politics, religion and even gender. Each of the stories will touch a chord within, helping the viewer to visualise, feel and empathise with the stories and the lives of the women protagonists.

Enacted by Ira Dubey, who comes from a family of theatre artists, along with mother Lillete and sister Neha are the main eye-catchers.

The entry to the play is by invitation, courtesy the Durga Das Foundation.

Mohali, December 10
Elaborate arrangements are being made for a state dinner to be hosted for Pakistan’s Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif in Nature Park at Sector 62, Mohali, on December 13.

A worker installs lights at the venue

Staff from the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), the Municipal Corporation and the district administration, including the police, have been on their toes to make arrangements for the high-profile event.

While the interior of Nature Park, earlier named Leisure Valley, is being spruced up by GMADA, the civic body is taking care of cleanliness and the streetlights around the venue and also on the roads leading to Sector 62.

Fresh paint is being applied, trees are being pruned and the roads are being made spick and span. Decoration, lighting arrangements and uninterrupted power supply are being given special attention.

Reports indicate that a lavish dinner has been planned by the state government for the guests from Pakistan.

Sources said a delegation of nearly 30 persons would be visiting Mohali on the evening of December 13. Members of the family of Shahbaz Sharif would be part of the group.

A gathering of about 200 persons is expected at the dinner, which will include Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, the Governor of Punjab, the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chief Parliamentary Secretaries and MLAs.

Sources said two officials from the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi, Abrar H Hashmi and Saima Sayeed, had visited Mohali to have a look at the arrangements being made in connection with the dinner.

It is learnt that singer Satinder Sartaj is being invited to entertain the dignitaries.

SSP Inder Mohan Singh said foolproof security arrangements were being made for the visit of the Pakistan delegation. The park would be kept under total protection. It was still being worked out as to how many checkpoints would be set up and at strategic points. The number of personnel to be deployed had not been decided so far, he added.

Chandigarh, December 10
Ansal Lotus Melange Projects has been penalised for delaying possession of a flat to a complainant.

The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Chandigarh, has directed Ansal to pay Rs 2 lakh as compensation for mental agony to the complainant, Col. Inderjit Singh Cheema. The complainant had agreed to purchase a flat at a price of Rs 33,75,000 from the opposite party in the project Palm Grove, Sector 115, Kharar-Landran Road, Mohali.

The allotment letter was signed between the parties mentioning certain terms and conditions, which were in a printed format already settled by the opposite party and no modifications were allowed by the opposite party.

The complainants paid Rs 1,00,000 to the opposite party and also paid another Rs 2,37,500 later.

“It has been alleged that the opposite party failed to apprise the complainants about the progress of the project during its construction and even after the expiry of the construction period of two years mentioned in the allotment letter.”

“The opposite party increased the super area of the flat by another 132 sq. ft., which was never disclosed to the complainants and the consent of the complainant was not obtained,” stated the complainant.

The forum directed to refund Rs 2,92,131 for increased area and also to pay Rs 20,000 as litigation cost to the complainant.

Chandigarh, December 10
The 57.2 per cent discount quoted by a Sector 45-based chemist in the tender for PGI's first shop on discount-based allotment is the highest offered by any chemist across the country.

While a similar shop is already running at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, the highest discount quoted in its latest tender, floated recently, was 56 per cent. The maximum discount bid at AIIMS, Rishikesh, was 56.2 per cent.

Senior PGI officials said the allotment process for the shop in the PGI's old shopping complex (at the rear of the dental department) would be finalised in a months’ time.

The PGI had specified 50 per cent of discount as the key condition in the tender. Besides providing discount on medicines, the chemist will also have to deposit Rs 50,00,000 as security. Unlike existing contracts with other chemists on the campus, the new contract provides for forfeiture of security in case the chemist decides to leave the shop.

Sources said the terms and conditions of the new contract also included a provision where the institute could impose penalties on the chemist for not stocking certain medicines.

There are a total of 15 chemist shops on the PGI campus. The monthly rents paid by these chemists range between Rs 70,000 (paid by chemists in Gol market) and Rs 52 lakh (paid by chemists in the Emergency).

At present, it is mandatory for all 15 chemists to provide discount of 15 per cent on branded drugs and 30 per cent discount on generic drugs and surgical items.

The Chandigarh Chemists’ Association had taken exception to the terms and conditions of the proposal and threatened to move the Punjab and Haryana High Court two weeks ago. So far, nothing has been done.

Chandigarh, December 10
The Goyal group, who suffered in the syndicate polls recently, managed to regain the loss today when seven of the 11 deans got elected from their group. While the Chatrath-BJP-DAV group, which led in the syndicate elections, was able to bag only four deanships in their kitty. Out of 11 deanships, on two seats both the groups fought elections and rest were elected unopposed. Both the seats on which elections were conducted were bagged by the Chatrath-BJP-DAV group.

Firstly, the candidate for the Dean of Arts from the Chatrath-BJP-DAV group was proposed to be elected unopposed by having a round-table meeting with the Goyal group. But later, Rajesh Gill fought election and lost by 10 votes from Prof Ronki Ram. Even for Dean for Education for which elections were held, the Goyal Group candidate Nandita Singh who is the sitting dean lost by four votes from the Chatrath-BJP-DAV alliance group candidate NK Sharma.

The sitting dean of science Prof Rupinder Tewari was elected unopposed by both the groups. Similarly, rest of the five deans, including Prof Shelly Walia was elected as the Dean of Languages, Prof Keshav Malhotra was elected as Dean business management and commerce, Prof Jaspal Kaur Kaang as Dean design and fine arts, Prof US Shivhare for engineering and technology and Prof Renu Chadha for pharmaceutical sciences unopposed.

Besides this, MC Sidhu was elected as Dean, Faulty of Dairy, Animal Husbandry and Agriculture, Satpal Jain as Dean of law and Dr K Gauba as Dean for medical science unopposed.

Chandigarh, December 10
It would have not been a cake walk for the Chatrath-BJP-DAV alliance group, who bagged eight seats out of 15, to influence the decisions of the syndicate meetings of the Panjab University.

For the first time in the history none of the major groups have been able to get a clear majority in the elections. The Goyal group, however, bagged seven seats.

Records of the syndicate elections revealed that till last year, a single major group which had an alliance with the small groups, bagged the clear majority and used to influence the decisions on various issues in the syndicate meetings. Resultantly, the vision of the representative of other groups, which used to be minority, was totally ignored by the panel of syndicates.

A senator asking anonymity said it would be in the interest of the university as no major group enjoys the majority which has broken the monopoly of the syndics.

The senator said on a number of occasions the group in power used to influence the decisions tabled at the syndicate meeting, ignoring its consequences for the working of the university. “It is for the first time that the group in majority could not sway the decisions neither the opposite party influenced the agenda,” said the senator.

In fact, the benefit which the alliance groups used to avail from the main group by supporting them will be discontinued in this syndicate. The major benefit of this outcome will be to the university administration which would be under lesser undue pressure from the syndicates on the decision-making process.

Former senator and syndicate member Tarsem Bahia said, “The university senators have set an example of the democratic system by giving fair representation to all groups.”

Chandigarh, December 10
The Centre for Human Rights and Duties, Panjab University, in collaboration with the MC today celebrated the Human Rights Day.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Arun Kumar Grover who was the chief guest said Human Rights Day should have coincided with the birth of humanity and not in 1948, the birth year of modern concept of human rights. He further stressed upon the significance and necessity to link higher education with outreach programme such as organising awareness sessions for the benefit of society at large.

Earlier, commemoration ceremony was inaugurated by Mayor, MC, Subhash Chawla. He applauded the initiative of the centre in coming forward to support the proposal of MCC for conducting the workshop and sensitising the community workers about human rights.

The guest of honour and member Punjab State Human Rights Commission, Baljinder S Thakur said most of the human rights violations occur within families.