Panchkula, October 7
In a fatal lift crash, a worker was crushed to death while another was critically injured when the lift, used for carrying material, which was "closed" for maintenance, fell all of a sudden at a steel industry in the Industrial Area, Phase I, here this afternoon. The incident took place when a meeting of German delegates was under way at the unit that makes metal sheets.

The victim, identified as Pintu (25), was declared brought dead at the General Hospital, Sector 6. The injured, Virender Gupta, was referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, in view of his critical condition. He is battling for life at the hospital.

The victims used the lift without realising that it was under repair. They were going down to the ground floor when Pintu fell into a gap in the lift and was crushed under it.

According to the police, CCTV footage shows the two entering the lift with a stool.

“The lift came crashing down at a high speed. Pintu lost his balance and fell, resulting in his death," said Inspector Surinder Kumar, SHO of the Sector 20 police station.

“A board was displayed which clearly mentioned that the lift was under repair. We were busy with the German delegates when we heard a thud and shrieks,” said SK Ahuja, whose son is the director of the factory.

Mohali, October 7
The parents of a Class IV student of Shishu Niketan Public School, Sector 66, here have alleged that their nine-year-old ward was harassed by a teacher by locking him up in a room.

The child, Kaushik Saini, remained locked up in the room for about 45 minutes after the school closed at 2.10 pm on Saturday.

The child’s father, Rajesh Saini, said his ward was not allowed to go home by the teacher as he was found playing a mischief with his friend. “The teacher asked him to sit in a room and bolted it from outside and later forgot about it,” the father alleged.

“My child got scared as he remained alone in the room for at least 45 minutes. He did not utter a word for several hours after the incident,” claimed Rajesh Saini.

Taking note of the lapse on the teacher's part, the school authorities have set up a fact-finding committee and asked it to submit its report in a day or two. “The next course of action will be decided after the report of the committee is received,” said Roopak Chadha, Principal of the school.

Giving details of the incident, Rajesh Saini said as usual, he had come to pick up Kaushik and his elder brother, also a student of the same school, on Saturday. “As Kaushik did not arrive at the school gate, I panicked. Kaushik was found sleeping in a classroom when I, along with a Class IV employee, went to check all rooms of the school,” said Rajesh Saini.

CCTV footage had clearly shown that the teacher was at fault, claimed Saini.

The Principal said she had submitted a written apology.

Chandigarh, October 7
The UT wants to replicate the concept of Punjab (which allows commercial, institutional and residential use of land along arterial roads) along Vikas Marg that runs parallel to the Sector 43 Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT).

The concept is in contrast to the existing practice of allowing commercial belt on one side and institutional on the other. This means housing projects will come up along Vikas Marg.

At present, over 230 acres are lying undeveloped on both sides of Vikas Marg. Against low-rise buildings allowed in the Phase I and Phase II sectors, the UT, in the final maser plan -- 2031, has proposed a mix of low-rise and high-rise buildings. The lower floor will be used for commercial purposes while the upper floors will be used for institutional-cum-residential purposes.

Explaining the concept, UT officials said the buildings would have enough green areas to maintain the open and spacious character of the city. The officials said a sub-city centre in Sector 43 (spread over 100 acres) would touch Vikas Marg, a major part of which serves as the national highway. On both ends of Vikas Marg, a business district has been proposed in Sectors 47 and 56 and a vegetable market in Sector 39.

An undulating skyline of high-rise buildings interspersed with low-rise buildings and landscaping would integrate the existing ISBT, Sector 43, and the Beant Singh memorial complex in Sector 42.

What’s in the proposal A pedestrian path alongside Vikas Marg with open-sky auditoriums, fast food courts and shopping areas The pedestrian path will be integrated with the Sector 42 Leisure Valley and the adjoining residential areas Vikas Marg will be synchronised with metro underpasses

Chandigarh, October 7
The Registering and Licensing Authority, Chandigarh, started three projects to streamline the issuance of driving licences and registration certificates (DLs and RCs) , at the RLA Office in Sector 17, today.

To provide the DLs and RCs at the applicant’s doorstep, an agreement has been signed with the Department of Posts (India Post). The step will improve service delivery mechanism in public interest and will also help in verification of applicant’s address proof to avoid any fake or bogus address entries. An SMS containing the consignment number and the DL or RC will also be sent to the applicant after which, the cards will be handed over to the Department of Posts for dispatching.

The department has also signed an agreement with the National Informatics Centre Services Incorporated (NICSI) for improving the printing and issuance of smart cards, DLs and RCs. In the third project, the new smart cards will bear new designs, including the state specific security, security features and a thermal printing layer for durability of printing and deterrent for tampering with the data and image.

Panchkula, October 7
Traffic came to a standstill in the town during the visit of Indian National Lok Dal supremo Om Prakash Chautala to Sector 16.

Chautala, who is out on bail, had come to campaign for party candidates fielded from Panchkula and Kalka constituencies, Kulbhushan Goyal and Pradeep Chaudhary, respectively.

The leader, who reached an hour late on a helicopter, was given a warm welcome by thousands of people from Kalka, Barwala, Raipur Rani and Morni besides Panchkula.

The Sector 16/17 roundabout saw traffic jam as visitors parked their vehicles on the road.

Playing the victim card, Chautala said he had taken no money for the appointment of teachers, and was pained to be tagged as a criminal.

“If voted to power, I will provide jobs to not just 3,200 but 3.20 lakh people of the state,” said the INLD leader, who has been jailed in the teachers’ recuitment scam. He said there was no evidence of corruption against him.

Slamming the Hooda-led congress government, Chautala said the Congress thought once he was jailed, his party would be wiped-off, but the dedicated workers of the party had expressed full faith in him and had strengthened the party further. He said the party would form the government in the state without any support.

Panchkula, October 7
The Panchkula BJP today came up with a long list of interesting offers for the district in its local manifesto here today.

Gian Chand Gupta, BJP candidate from the Panchkula constituency, today released the party manifesto for the Assembly elections.

The highlight of the manifesto is to make Panchkula a smart city, which will give it a new identity in terms of holistic development.

Gupta said: “Once Panchkula gets the status of the smart city, it will get a special package, which will ensure the best of the facilities. On priority are a university in the name of Guru Gobind Singh, an engineering college, a medical college and a well-equipped hospital on a par with the PGI. Skill education will be provided in schools and colleges”.

The railway station from the Panchkula side will be developed with services like booking counter till late evening hours and provision for elevators for the elderly.

The BJP candidate said he would work for the formation of the capital region development board on the pattern of the NCR, including Mohali, Panchkula and Chandigarh.

Gupta said keeping in mind improving the health services, a provision had been made for dispensaries in all sectors. Nada Sahib to Kala Amb Road would be named as Guru Gobind Singh Marg as per the manifesto.

Education also being one of the priority areas, the focus would be on having a model government school in Panchkula and ensuring well-maintained toilets in all government schools.

Security of women has a special mention in the manifesto, which includes provision for a round-the-clock helpline for women, a women police station and special women PCRs.

Among other BJP leaders present were BB Singhal Vishal Seth and Vikas Paul.

The highlights Nada Sahib to Kala Amb Road would be named as Guru Gobind Singh Marg Laptops for Classes X and XII students Special women PCRs and a women police station Overhead tanks for the city

Chandigarh, October 7
A major bottleneck for the widening of the dual carriageway from the 3 BRD traffic light to the Sector 47 traffic lights has been removed with the management of the Sector 47 gurdwara agreeing to shift the front boundary wall of the gurdwara.

The issue had been pending for the last many years and attempts by the district administration to shift the gurdwara to a new site across the road had failed. But this time, the DC, Mohammed Shayin, prevailed upon the gurdwara management to shift the boundary wall so that the work of widening the road could be taken up. The work for laying the stretch of the road has already begun, said the DC.

Mohali, October 7
With hundreds of members of the Joint Action Committee of Punjab Panchayats reaching the town to stage a protest, commuters remained a harassed lot for hours.

The protestors, who came here from across the state, first ‘gheraoed’ Vikas Bhawan, which houses the Department of Panchayat and Rural Development, and then blocked traffic at Phase VII light point on the road leading to Sector 43, Chandigarh. The police had a tough handling the chaos.

Raising slogans against the SAD government, Prem Singh Maulwi, convener of the committee, said: “Panchayats were instrumental in the win of Akali Dal. Now, the government has started auditing our accounts through private companies. This is intolerable.”

Long traffic jams were seen on roads surrounding Phase VIII, where the protestors gathered before the agitation.

“I am stuck in the jam for over half-an-hour. I was on my to pick my son up from school. The police is doing nothing,” said Rakesh Sharma, a resident.

The protest ended in the evening.

Chandigarh, October 7
The suspended inspector of UT police, Rajesh Shukla, who along with two other policemen was nabbed by the CBI while allegedly accepting Rs 10,000 as bribe on September 3, today submitted a complaint to the Inspector General of Police.

He demanded the registration of a case against the CBI officials for thrashing him at the Burail police post soon after the arrest.

The CBI has already suspended Inspector Ashok Yadav, who reportedly manhandled and slapped Shukla, after the entire incident was recorded by CCTV cameras.

Chandigarh, October 7
The magnificence, vitality and vigour of the popular Indian classical dance form, Bharatnatyam, was brought alive by dancer Navtej Singh at Tagore Theatre here today.

The Bharatnatyam recital organised by the Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi and Sanjh Jagori on a theme men engage towards creative equality name Meenakshi.

Navtej, the bureaucrat dance maestro, had given a new dimension to the dance realm incorporating the innovated themes of his creations.

Meanwhile, he established an instant rapport with the audience while doling out the dance sequences.

Chandigarh, October 7
The Chadigarh Beopar Mandal (CBM) has come out with a poster in association with the MC to spread awareness about cleanliness among the residents.

CBM president Charanjiv Singh said they had already distributed the posters to various market associations to be pasted on display windows of shops.

The traders’ body would also launch a campaign to install dustbins in markets to stop littering. said Singh. — TNS

Chandigarh, October 7
For the first time ever, Panjab University authorities have drafted a revised budget estimate of around Rs 400 crore to meet the non-plan budget deficit due to filling up of vacant posts on the varsity campus.

Recently, 90 vacant posts were filled up by the university after which the non-plan financial burden deficit increased.

As per the revised budget estimates, the university authorities — who had submitted the requirement of Rs 291 crore in April last for disbursing the salary to the fresh appointees — have now demanded Rs 310 crore from the Central government.

Sources said the revised budget submitted by the university has been calculated according to the posts filled by the authorities till date.

Earlier, a rough estimate of funds was demanded from the Union government. Records of the university revealed that in the past, the authorities used to demand a hike of 10 per cent in the supplementary budget, whereas this year it is around 30-35 per cent.

Highly-placed sources said during the release of the first instalment of the budget, the Union Ministry had assured the university that they would consider the revised estimates of the non-plan budget after filling the vacant posts for which they were awaiting orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Sources said about Rs 50 crore has also been demanded to finance the stalled projects of the PU.

An official said, “The construction work of a multi-purpose auditorium will be speeded up if funds are granted by the Central government for the projects.”

Sources said in the revised budget, the university has also indicated the increase in income from Rs 153 crore to Rs 166 crore this year due to a fee hike.

Mohali, October 7
With a vision to bridge the industry-academia gap in the field of Hotel Management, the University Institute of Hotel Management ( UIHM) , Gharuan, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a leading international five-star Hotel Group, Taj .

Under the memorandum, experts from Hotel Taj Group will train students at the UIHM, Gharuan campus, covering various aspects of the hospitality industry.

Eminent personalities from the hospitality industry would visit the UIHM for guest lectures, training sessions and professional workshops to help the students understand the futuristic requirements and expectations of hospitality industry.

‘boost to hospitality’ Under the memorandum, experts from Hotel Taj Group will train students at the UIHM, Gharuan campus, covering various aspects of the hospitality industry. Eminent personalities from the hospitality industry would visit the UIHM for guest lectures, training sessions and professional workshops to help the students understand the futuristic requirements and expectations of hospitality industry.

Chandigarh, October 7
Students of the University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET), Panjab University, were busy giving final touches to the preparations for the fifth EFFI-cycle inter-college event, which will be held in the department.

The registration for this event and technical inspection of the vehicles and teams will begin from Wednesday.

During the three-day event, the students will showcase the designs of their vehicles, which should be cost effective, besides explaining their marketing strategy.

The winners will get a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh for securing the first position, Rs 75,000 for the second and Rs 50,000 for bagging the third slot.

Sources said the EFFI-cycle is a platform for the students to explore the environment-friendly and economical solutions for the day-to-day transport problems.

This also tests the innovation of students. 

Chandigarh, October 7
A two-day international conference on the theme challenges in higher education concluded at Desh Bhagat University today. More than 150 delegates from different states of India and countries such as Iran, Iraq, Nepal, South Sudan, Kingdom of Lesotho and Burundi participated in the event.

While presiding over the valedictory function of the conference, Dr Rakesh Kumar, Registrar, IIT, New Delhi, said that the conference focuses our attention on the several challenges being faced by us which 
is our most important need today in the context of the fast-changing global scenario.

DK Tiwari, CEO, Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board, who was the chief guest of the occasion, said, “Education makes a person not only employable but also civilised and cultured.”

He stressed upon the need for vocational and professional education.

Guest of Honour Ambassador Deepak Vohra said, “Our country, which the third largest education structure in the whole world, needs educational reforms to become a world leader.”

The keynote speaker Prof Arya Kumar, Dean Student Welfare, BITS Pilani, highlighted the importance of quality education, saying that an education system that does not impart values to the students cannot be called successful.

The Chancellor of Desh Bhagat University, Dr Zora Singh emphasised that teachers were the nation builders of the country and only quality education could boost the progress of a country.

Vice Chancellor Dr Shalini Gupta said, “During the conference, a large number of educationists, scholars, teachers and students took part and shared their views.”

They emphasised the need for quality education and transformation of the present education system.

sidelights More than 150 delegates from different states of India and countries such as Iran, Iraq, Nepal, South Sudan, Kingdom of Lesotho and Burundi participated in the event. The conference focused on several challenges being faced by people which is our most important need today in the context of the fast-changing global scenario.