Chandigarh, July 22
A day after the police registered an FIR against two students of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 35, who had allegedly thrashed their junior, a Class X student, the Education Department swung into action today and expelled the duo.

Education Secretary Sarvjit Singh said, “The two accused students have been formally expelled from the school by way of written orders.”

The incident occurred in the Sector 35 market at 2.30 pm on Thursday when the victim, Sachin, was on his way back home from the school. Two of his seniors, both Class XII students of the humanities stream, allegedly assaulted him with helmets, rods and stones.

The Education Secretary claimed that fresh guidelines would be issued to all schools to maintain discipline.

The victim’s father, Devinder Singh, who had been struggling to get justice for his son, a national-level boxer, said, “Today, I was called to the office of the District Education Officer where school Principal Indra Dhingra, along with the physical education teacher of the school, had come to discuss the matter.”

He claimed that during the meeting, the Principal agreed that the incident could have been averted had the school authorities acted on his earlier complaint that senior students were bullying his sons.

The victim’s father said he had met the Director Public Instructions (Schools), Kamlesh Kumar, who had assured him of a fair probe into the case.

DPI (S) Kamlesh Kumar said, “The department would follow the zero-tolerance policy in this case and would extend all possible help to the victim.”

Meanwhile, Devinder Singh alleged that the investigation officer told him that since he was busy with a case in the High Court, no action could be taken in his case today.

Refuting the allegation, the Sector 36 SHO, Inspector Bhupinder Singh,said, “The investigation officer approached the victim’s father today to conduct further investigation. However, he refused to meet him on the grounds that he was busy meeting officials of the Education Department.

Chandigarh, July 22
The court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Shalini Nagpal today sentenced two brothers to seven-year imprisonment in a culpable homicide case.

The court convicted Harinder Kapil and Surinder Kapil, both residents of Khuda Ali Sher, of causing the death of a youth, Ashish Pathania. A fine of Rs 21,000 each has been imposed on the convicts.

The incident occurred on August 30, 2010, when Ashish, along with brothers Parveen Kumar and Anil Kumar, who were his friends, was returning after parking their vehicle on a plot in Khuda Lahora.

Ashish and his friends entered into an altercation over the parking of vehicle with Harinder and Surinder.

As per the prosecution case, Harinder and Surinder, who were armed with wooden and iron rods, assaulted Ashish and Parveen Kumar, leaving them badly injured.

Both accused then fled, leaving the duo bleeding. Ashish later succumbed to his injuries.

While pronouncing the verdict, the court said the convicts were first-time offenders. Both were young (aged between 22 and 25 years) and did not have a motive to kill Ashish. “Balancing the mitigating circumstances narrated by the convicts, their age and character, along with the gravity of the offence, both convicts are sentenced to seven years in jail. They have been convicted under Sections 304-II, 308 and 506 of the IPC,” said the court.

Chandigarh, July 22
The Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) of the Municipal Corporation (MC) today accorded its approval for setting up an anti-rabies clinic at the Civil Dispensary in Sector 38, Chandigarh. This will be the second such clinic in the city.

Till now, dog bite victims were being treated only at the Civil Dispensary in Sector 19. Every day, nearly 25 dog bite cases are reported from the city.

The new clinic will have two additional pharmacists and an additional ward servant. The anti-rabies vaccination will be administered at Rs 100 per dose. A dog bite victim is given a total of five vaccinations.

Recently, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had pulled up the civic body for its failure to curb stray dog menace in the city. Thereafter, the MC had started a toll-free emergency service-cum-stray dog helpline 0172-155304.

Besides complaints about stray dogs, the residents could lodge their complaints pertaining to roads requiring repairs, non-functional streetlights, encroachments, maintenance of parks, problems in water supply and choked sewerages, an MC official said.

Meanwhile, an agenda item for providing Rs 3,000 to the superintendent at the MC slaughterhouse to entertain the officers visiting his office was deferred. Members of the committee decided that similar proposal for other officials should also be brought before the committee so that a joint decision could be taken on it.

Chandigarh, July 22
Putting lives of several patients as well as staff at risk, Government Multi Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, has continued to run a huge gas plant from the main building. The gas plant, that houses hundreds of combustible cylinders, is located adjacent to a labour room (Gynaecology Department) and exactly below the nursery where newborn babies are kept.

For the past two decades, the hospital has been violating the norms and has failed to relocate the plant (called manifold room) away from the patient area. Sources said a small inflammation in the room could explode the entire hospital in case of a tragedy and several technical experts had been raising objections over it. In fact, former medical superintendent of the hospital, Dr Rajiv Vadehra had written to the UT Administration several times during his tenure to allow shifting of the plant. However, no action has been taken till date.

Also, a senior doctor of the hospital is learnt to have sent several advisories to the authorities about the risk involved in operating the gas plant from the main building, but nothing improved and he retired recently.

The old storeroom is located towards the corner of the building with one portion of the room completely open towards the ground. Patients, including those waiting outside the gynaecology ward and those admitted to the wards, ICUs on upper floors are exposed to the risk. 

Mohali, July 22
In the Brigadier Nawab Singh Heer (retd) plot grab case, the Mohali police are now zeroing in on certain GMADA officials, who are suspected to have facilitated the accused in the case by providing documents, related to the plot in question.

Confirming the development, Mohali Superintendent of Police (City I) Swarndeep Singh said that apparently some officials of GMADA were hand in glove with the accused.

“The victim told us that his plot file, containing all documents related to the property, had gone missing for at least two months and one fine day it was found behind the almirah of a department in the PUDA office. Investigations are on in this connection and the role of certain GMADA officials are being checked in the case”, said SP Swarndeep Singh. Meanwhile, the Mohali police produced SAD local leader Harjinder Singh in the court last evening. “He has been sent to two days police remand”, said SP Swarndeep Singh.

He added that the police were trying to get more information about involvement of all the accused in other cases of land grab.

Notably, the accused in the case, Harjinder Singh, Mohinder Singh, Aman and Gurdip Singh had allegedly tried to grab Brigadier Heer’s one-kanal plot at Sector 71 by preparing fake documents. They (the accused) had also opened a fake bank account of Brig Heer at the SBI Bank at Phase X. The police have registered a cheating and criminal conspiracy case at the Phase VIII police station in this regard.

Meanwhile, some close associates of Harjinder Singh claimed that he (Harjinder Singh) was falsely implicated in the case. “He did not do anything wrong and has been falsely implicated in the case, which is politically motivated”, said Harjinder Singh’s associate while holding a press conference in the town, today. 

Chandigarh, July 22
Following the fire incident on the first floor office of the Directorate of Industrial Training, Haryana, 30 Bays building, Sector 17, the Fire Department has decided to write to the department concerned and the Haryana Government about lack of fire safety and violations in the building.

Sources said the passages of the building were blocked as almirahs and office records had been kept there. According to fire safety norms, no files are to be kept in balconies, staircase, lobbies and corridors.

Loss of furniture and equipment, including computers, records and files, was reported in the fire incident last evening.

Several departments of the Chandigarh Administration are violating fire safety rules. The UT Estate Office, the Municipal Corporation building in Sector 17 and the UT Secretariat building in Sector 9 are not following the fire safety norms strictly. In these buildings, records and almirahs have been kept in passages, which is a violation.

Panchkula, July 22
Jewellers along with BJP workers today met DCP Rahul Sharma. They told him that crime incidents in broad daylight have shaken the public’s faith in the police. It was pointed out that even holding a public gathering during daytime has become difficult for them.

Chandigarh, July 22
A year on and there seems no end to struggle and sorrow for the family members of deceased Sahil Juneja, who lost his life in a fatal car accident that occurred on July 22, 2013.

Sahil’s loved ones, family members and friends came out on roads of the city today from Ghaziabad to carry out a silent candle light protest in his memory.

Still living under the grief of losing her younger brother Simran Juneja said, “My brother will never come back, but I don’t want others to lose their loved ones in road accidents. Hence, I am fighting for justice till date and will continue to do so.”

Last year, three persons, including 34-year-old driver Hast Bahadur, a resident of Dharampur, along with two students 22-year-old Sahil Juneja and 19-year-old Kuldeep Singh, both residents of Ghaziabad, who died on the spot, while two others were injured in a tragic accident involving a Tavera and an Audi Q7 car on the road separating Sectors 17 and 18.

Simran further stated, “Justice delayed is justice denied, it’s been exactly a year today and we are still hoping to get justice for my brother.”

While recounting the old wounds, Sahil’s sister said, “My only brother had gone for a trip to Shimla with his childhood friend and was on his way back to Chandigarh to catch a volvo for Ghaziabad with the mishap took place. His last words to my dad were I see you tomorrow papa.” With tears in her eyes she said, “Tomorrow never came.” 

Mohali, July 22
In the case of a robbery at a liquor shop in Sector 70 here, the Mohali police today released a sketch of a suspect in the incident.

Giving information, Mohali Superintendent of Police (City 1) Swarndeep Singh said the expert were able to prepare the sketch of one of the three accused on description provided by some eyewitnesses of the crime.

“We are trying to prepare the sketches of the two other accused”, said the SP.

He, however, ruled out that these robbers were involved in a recent loot of a jeweller shop at the MDC, Panchkula.

“We have clues that some insider was involved in the crime so we are working on this line”, said the SP.

Notably, three robbers had looted the cash van, belonging to a local liquor syndicate and had decamped with cash amounting to around Rs 11 lakh during the late night hours on July 18. The vehicle was recovered from 500 metres away from the crime spot the next morning.

The police is yet to identify the accused in the case.

Mohali, July 22
Following an application moved by the Mohali Industry and Commerce Association, the National Green Tribunal, Delhi, has issued a notice to the local Municipal Corporation and also restrained the respondents concerned in the matter and any person from dumping any kind of waste in Patiala ki Rao in Sector 74, Mohali.

The Tribunal further ordered that they would continue to dump municipal waste at the site which was available but after taking due precaution and strictly in accordance with the Municipal Solid Wastes (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000. The respondents would also specifically inform the tribunal if there was any other approved site identified by them.

The tribunal, with Justice Swatanter Kumar as Chairperson, counsel for the applicant, said the association had contended that there was indiscriminate dumping of unsegregated municipal waste that contained industrial, municipal and medical waste in Sector 74, which was causing serious environment and health hazards.

He said even the order passed by the Pollution Control Board dated December 12, 2013, and the terms and conditions thereof were being violated and the board was also not taking any effective steps.

In the matter before the tribunal, the respondents were the state of Punjab, through the Secretary, Department of Local Government; the Municipal Corporation; the Punjab Pollution Control Board; and the SSP, Mohali.

The application was filed under Sections 14 and 15 read with Section 18 (1)of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, read with Section 151 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

The Tribunal said the reply should be filed within two weeks, with advance copy to the applicant’s counsel, who could file a rejoinder thereto, if any, within one week thereafter. A copy of the application was to be furnished to counsel appearing for the respondents while notice was to be issued to the corporation.

Chandigarh, July 22
After two days of protest carried out by theatre artistes, finally the UT Administration has constituted a three-member committee that would watch ‘Dharamraj.com’, a play, and decide whether it can staged in the city or not.

The committee includes Amandeep Kaur, Director, Cultural Affairs; Kuldeep Sharma, Director, Tagore Theatre; and Rajeev Tewari, District Treasury Officer.

The decision was taken today when the artistes gathered outside the district magistrate office in Sector 17 to protest against the orders of the District Magistrate to withdraw the permission for staging the play. The play was scheduled to be staged in Tagore Theatre on July 19. It was called off following protests by religious groups who alleged that the play was against religious sentiments.

Director of the play Sangeeta Gupta claimed that this kind of decision by the administration was a direct attack on the freedom of speech and expression as well as the freedom of culture.

Gurchet Chitarkar, the writer of the play, said: “Without even seeing the play, how can the authorities judge what is wrong and what is right.”

The artistes claimed that they would carry out a protest at the Punjab Kala Bhavan tomorrow.

Panchkula, July 22
The Property Dealers’ Association during a press conference today alleged harassment at the hands of officials of the Haryana Urban Development Authority.

The dealers, who also alleged that certain officials were corrupt, have now written a letter to Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda. They will also meet the CM during a rally in Hisar.

“We represent the public - the buyers and the sellers. Even for selling a plot, they harass us a lot,” said president of the association Suresh Aggarwal.

Despite having several meetings with officials, who, in turn, agreed to proposals made by the association, the same were not implemented.

Chandigarh, July 22
On a day when the MC approves setting up of a second anti-rabies clinic in Sector 38, stray dogs attack a nine-year-old girl in Mani Majra.

Nine-year-old Pari Garg, a resident of NAC, Mani Majra, received injury marks on her right hand, when stray dogs attacked her this morning.

Pari’s father Parmod Garg said it was around 7.30 am when he along with his daughter was going to the bus stop. Pari, who is a student of class III of Bhavan Vidyalaya, Sector 15, Panchkula, was suddenly attacked by a pack of dogs. He managed to save his daughter but her right hand was injured, he said.She was rushed to Panchkula General Hospital, Sector 6, but had to be referred to The PGI, Chandigarh, as no stock of vaccines were not available there. She was finally vaccinated at the PGI, he said.

Doctors have advised her one-month bed rest as there are deep wounds on her right hand, he said.Garg demanded that the MC should deal strictly with the stray dog menace. On May 7, stray dogs had attacked around 30 persons in Sector 20. 

Chandigarh, July 22
The Satvik Art Society staged a play, “Chukayenge Nahi”, at Punjab Kala Bhawan, Sector 16, here today. The play directed by Amit Sanouria and Sarver Ali was an adaptation of Dario Fo’s classic riotous comedy “Can’t Pay? Won’t Pay”.

The play offered a perfect antidote of uncertain financial times. The story of the play was set in an economically depressed working class, which gets affected by skyrocketing food prices. Due to this, people resort to eating “rabbit heads”, “millet for birds”, and succulent “Supermeat Dog Food” instead of their usual gastronomical fare. The funny physical farce of the script got rolling when the character, Lakshmi, tried to hide the fact that she smuggled food out of a supermarket during a food riot from her husband, Gobind, who would rather “starve than eat stolen food”.

In the ensuing complications, which included the appearance of a buffoonish police detective hot on the trail of “food thieves”, Lakshmi’s friend Maala is forced to feign pregnancy (hiding the stolen food up her dress) and inadvertently winds up being taken to the hospital to “deliver” a bag of leaking tomatoes. The play left the audience in splits.

Chandigarh, July 22
Ahead of the student council elections, there is a race among all major student parties to submit memorandums regarding students’ issues to the Panjab University authorities.

Today, three student parties submitted memorandums on the same issue to Dean Student Welfare (DSW) Navdeep Goyal. In the memorandums, they highlighted the problems faced by students of the science department.

PUSU and SOPU workers and leaders turned up at the same time at the Vice-Chancellor’s office to submit similar memorandums to the DSW. The ABVP later submitted the same memorandum to the DSW.

Yesterday, SOPU took up all these issues with the DSW and demanded urgent action on them.

DSW Navdeep Goyal said these days his office receives four to five memorandums from various student parties on every working day. He said number of times the demands of all parties were similar.

Experts at the university said the parties do not ignore issues of science departments because a major chunk of votes are from these departments, which play a major role in winning the elections.

The committee, which has been formed by the Dean Student Welfare and Dean Sciences, accepted the demand to take a special examination.

* All 11 science departments running BSc and MSc courses should revise the rules for promotion from BSc third year to MSc first year, which is at present 100 credits. Parties want that the credits should be lowered to 90 as it was in the past.

* The rule for promotion within BSc courses for the first three years, which has now been raised to 80 per cent, should be 50 per cent as was practiced earlier.

Mohali, July 22
For improvement in pedagogy, attitude, technology, skill development and make education relevant in the 21st century, the AKSIPS Group of Institution organised an In-Service Teachers’ Training Programme for teachers at its premises in Sector 125, here.

Under the programme, an art and craft workshop for the teachers was organised which aimed at giving various tips to the teachers on how to utilise the available resource in the best possible manner and to create beautiful and effective art. The workshop wad divided into two sessions in which rangoli, rice, rangloi plaster, mask-making, paper-lamp making, figure stand, strings, paper flower-making were showcased.

“It was an enriching workshop where the teachers were able to learn a variety of techniques that would help them in their daily routine as creative teachers,” said Parnika Singh, the principal of the school.

Chandigarh, July 22
An 11-member delegation of the Government Teachers Union (GTU), Chandigarh, headed by union president Dr Vinod Sharma, today met DPI(S) Kamlesh Kumar Bhadoo and submitted a charter of demands to him.

The union members said the charter of demands included increase in the monthly salary of guest faculty teachers on a par with Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and contractual teachers; similarly the salary of part-time lecturers from Rs 12,000 to Rs 25,000 per month; no relieving of any teacher/contractual employee due to summer vacation; fixation of notional pay as per the Punjab Government notification dated 14-10-11; promotion to the post of master/mistress/principals/deputy director and others from UT Cadre teachers; implementation of court decision for Centre pay scale for work experience teachers; regularisation of SSA teachers; regular pay scale to headmasters/principals from the date of joining duties as per the decision of the CAT; Centre pay scale and service conditions for UT Cadre employees; appointment of headmaster/headmistress in middle schools; and early settlement of pension cases.

The delegation members pointed out that the said demands were pending since long and the implementation of decisions must be ensured on a priority basis. All vacant posts of various cadres should be filled up by promoting UT Cadre teacher.

President of the union Dr Vinod Sharma claimed that the DPI (S) assured them of earlier settlement of all deliberated issues of teachers, including regularisation.

He assured that monthly salary of teachers working on a contractual basis, which includes guest faculty and part-time lecturers, will be increased, and court decision for Centre pay scale for work experience teachers would be implemented at the earliest.

Mohali, July 22
The fast unto death of Jaswinder Singh Sidhu, president of the ETT Teachers’ Union, Punjab, has entered third day today.

Sidhu has been sitting on the fast since July 20 to press the demands of the union members to bring the ETT teachers and schools, which also come under Zila Parishads, under the Punjab Education Department. Meanwhile, Gurpreet Singh Maluka, chairman of the Bathinda Zila Parishad and son of Punjab’s former education minister Sikandar Singh Maluka, met the protestors and assured them of supporting their demands.

Following a meeting with Maluka, the union members postponed their plan to ‘gherao’ the Punjab Assembly, but Sidhu decided to continue his fast. — TNS

Chandigarh, July 22
Nearly a month after the PGIMER conducted an examination for recruitment to about 500 posts of lower division clerk (LDC) and stenographer, a number of candidates have given representations to the PGI Director citing anomalies and irregularities pertaining to the exam.

The representations given to PGI Director Dr YK Chawla stated that the medium of examination was only English, while many candidates had opted for Hindi as the medium. Also, they alleged that the seal of papers was broken before distribution and roll numbers of candidates were mentioned on the question paper, indicating “favouritism”.

The PGIMER authorities, meanwhile, said: “This institute has received only four representations in the case of LDC examination and the issues raised therein are not tenable as the candidates were informed well in advance about the date of examination by notice in various English and Hindi newspapers.”

“There was no clause for the medium of examination being in other languages as syllabus includes both English and Hindi. The question papers are carried in sealed boxes and there is a proper procedure for handling the question papers. The sealed boxes for this particular examination were opened in the presence of observers and centre superintendents,” the authorities said.

Over 10,000 candidates had appeared for the exam on June 30 and the results were announced the next day.

Mohali, July 22
Counselling for students seeking admission to Class XI in six new residential schools set up in the state was held at Government Senior Secondary School, Phase IIIB1, here today.

KS Bhullar, project director for the Society for Promotion of Education for Poor and Meritorious Students of Punjab, said these schools would provide quality education and free residential facilities.

He said needy students getting 80 per cent or more marks would get admission on the basis of their qualifications and interests.

Admission in-charge Nalini Sharma said admission to the residential schools would be on the basis of merit. — OC