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dereliction of duty Rajmeet Singh Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 28 Despite being asked to report the status of the property in 2007, the officials, including Sub-Inspector (Enforcement) Parveen Mittal, did not report the occupancy status of the property, a godown site, in the Sector 26 grain market. The erring officials are Parveen Mittal, demoted from SI (Enforcement) to junior assistant, Anil Kaushik, demoted from senior assistant to junior assistant, Narender Verma, demoted from junior assistant to clerk, Hukam, demoted from daftri to peon, and Sandeep Sharma, demoted from junior assistant to steno typist. The matter came to light in 2007 when the legal heirs of the owner, Pavitar Singh, sought the transfer of the property in their name. It was then that the Estate Office realised that despite being resumed in 1993, the allottee remained in possession of the site. According to the procedure, the eviction proceedings are initiated after getting a report from the enforcement staff about the physical occupancy of the property. Accordingly, the property is auctioned after giving a public notice. UT Estate Officer Mohammed Shayin said the five officials, who were facing disciplinary proceedings, had been demoted under Rule 8 of the Punjab Civil Services ( Punishment and Appeal) Rules, 1970, after the charges were proved against them during a departmental inquiry conducted by Tilak Raj, Land Acquisition Collector. The erring officials, despite being given several reminders to report the status of the property, did not respond. In the meantime, the legal heirs approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the UT for not transferring the property in their name. The UT Estate Office had stated that the property stood resumed in 1993 and could not be transferred in their name. After questions were raised over the failure of the UT Estate Office in initiating eviction proceedings, the officials have been demoted. Since the case is coming up for hearing in the High Court within two days, action has been taken against the erring officials. Charges proved against them: Estate Officer UT Estate Officer Mohammed Shayin said the five officials, who were facing disciplinary proceedings, had been demoted under Rule 8 of the Punjab Civil Services (Punishment and Appeal) Rules, 1970, after the charges were proved against them during a departmental inquiry conducted by Tilak Raj, Land Acquisition Collector. Erring officials The erring officials are Parveen Mittal, demoted from SI (Enforcement) to junior assistant, Anil Kaushik, demoted from senior assistant to junior assistant, Narender Verma, demoted from junior assistant to clerk, Hukam, demoted from daftri to peon, and Sandeep Sharma, demoted from junior assistant to steno typist.
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Smog engulfs city, grounds 7 flights
Chandigarh, October 28 Due to poor visibility throughout the day, seven flights failed to carry out their operations from the city airport. These were an Air India flight from the city to Delhi, two GoAir flights to Mumbai, one Indigo flight to Srinagar, one Jet Airways flight to Mumbai and two Jet Airways flights to Delhi. "All these seven flights were cancelled due to heavy smog since morning. A majority of these operate during the daytime," said the airport manager. The passengers could not find alternative flights and were forced to wait for a day. According to the weatherman, 0.5 mm rainfall was recorded in Chandigarh, which is likely to bring down smog tomorrow. The rainfall was preceded by winds. “The smog was mainly due to dust and the increased pollution level following Diwali. Western disturbances were also partly responsible for it. The moisture level was up until this evening, resulting in smoggy weather,” said Surinder Paul, Director, Met Department, Chandigarh. The maximum temperature recorded during the day was 29.3°C, two degrees below normal.
City records 0.5 mm rainfall
0.5 mm of rainfall was recorded on Tuesday. More rain is expected on October 31. Winter is likely to set in by the first week of November.
Airport lacks ALS
The airport lacks the Advanced Landing System (ALS) which helps pilots land aircraft during poor visibility due to bad weather.
Doctor's advice
“This is the season when viruses are active. The temperature variation throughout the day affects the body temperature severely. Not only dressing properly is important but also diet precautions need to be on the radar to stay protected,” said Dr Gopal Bhardwaj, Head, Department of Internal Medicine, GMSH, Sector 16.
Advisory
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Bail plea of two women found drunk dismissed
Chandigarh, October 28 The bail application of the two women -- Amriti and Sonia -- was dismissed after the police strongly opposed the bail plea and produced the criminal record of the two women before the court. One of the arrested women, Amriti, whose brother had also threatened the police, has cases registered against her in Mohali, Sohana and Mataur. The third accused claimed she was a minor and was granted bail. The court also ordered that her bone ossification test be done to ascertain whether she is actually a minor. High drama was witnessed in the court when the women raised a hue and cry and also argued with the police for "wrongly" arresting them. Taking cognisance of the criminal background of the accused, the court dismissed the bail plea. The incident occurred on October 24 when the UT police had arrested two women and a minor girl for creating a ruckus in a drunken state at the Sector 18/19 light point. The three were on a Honda Activa scooter and were heavily drunk. The women had attacked policewomen who reached the spot after a passerby called up the PCR. They also tore the uniform of the policewomen and threw stones at them. The accused were overpowered and taken to Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, for a medical examination. The reports confirmed that the accused were under the influence of liquor. After they were finally taken into custody, Sandeep, the brother of one of the accused, Amriti, had called the SHO of the Sector 19 police station, Inspector Poonam Dilawri, threatening her of dire consequences. Incidentally, Sandeep had fled from police custody and was later involved in a case of carjacking. The mobile phone from which he threatened the SHO was a snatched one. They were then booked under Sections 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from performing duty), 353 (assault on a public servant), 186 (obstructing a public servant) and 34 of the IPC. The women had then moved the court seeking bail, which was denied today.
Accused changed names
Police investigations revealed that accused Amriti had several cases of snatching, theft, cheating and assault on policemen registered against her by the Mohali, Sohana and Mataur police. She used to frequently change names and had been booked with names such as Ritu and Sunita earlier. She had also lodged a case of rape against a person at the Sector 31 police station where she is the victim and has a different name in that police FIR too. Moreover, while she is a complainant in a rape case, the Mohali police have also initiated PO proceedings against her after she failed to appear in the court in a cheating case lodged against her by the Mohali police.
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Man crushed to death under goods train
Chandigarh, October 28 According to the railway police, the man was trying to cross the track when the accident took place. The train driver informed the police about the incident. The body was taken to the General Hospital, Sector 6, Panchkula, for a postmortem. “We are trying to identify the person. It is yet to be ascertained whether it was a case of suicide as investigations are on,” said the investigating officer. This is the second such incident reported from the tricity since yesterday. Two persons were crushed to death under a passenger train on the Mohali-Chandigarh railway track near Jagatpura village yesterday. The victims, identified as Shamsher Singh (44), a resident of Kambali village, and Arvind Kumar (32), a resident of Chhajumajra, were reportedly taking liquor.
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Revise house tax, Admn writes to MC
Recently, the MC had proposed to continue with the current rates of residential property tax for the financial year 2014-15. However, now in response to the MC proposal, the UT Administration has written to the civic body to revise the house tax. A senior official of the MC said they would place the UT letter in the coming MC House meeting on October 31 so that the councillors could take the final call. Besides, the MC was allegedly sitting over a
draft report, prepared by a special committee of MC officials to increase the existing rates of house tax by 20 times. However, sensing opposition from political parties and
councillors, the MC had not tabled the report before the house tax committee and the MC general house. The UT Administration, in its letter to the MC in July last year, had given three months to revise the house tax rates.
Councillors against revision of house tax
Councillor Mukesh Bassi said, “We will not accept the UT letter to revise the house tax rates. There are several other ways through which the UT and the MC can generate more revenue”
Councillor Gurbax Rawat said, “We will oppose the UT letter which MC officials are planning to place in the coming House meeting”.
Admn can directly impose revised house tax rates In case the MC House rejects the proposal,
the UT Administration can directly impose the revised house tax rates. The Administration
can exercise its special powers to directly impose revised house tax on city residents.
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Education Dept doesn’t care two hoots for traffic rules
Chandigarh, October 28 While players of other states were packed like sardines inside buses, some students of Government Model High School, Sector 43, who performed gymnastics during the opening function, were asked to sit on the rooftop of a bus to hold gymnastics mats kept there. The UT Education Department, which is hosting the games, had hired CTU buses and taxis to transport players and officials. While the taxis were meant for officials, the buses were supposed to ferry players from one venue to the other. Overloading of buses and travelling on the rooftop is banned under the Motor Vehicles Act. “I am not aware about students having travelled on the rooftop of a bus. I will mark a probe into it,” said Shiv Kumar Sharma, chairman of the tournament organising committee. The convener of the transport committee, Rakesh Sood, said, “All players left the venue inside the bus. No one was allowed to sit on the rooftop. I am not aware if the seating arrangements were changed on the way.” The 32-seater CTU bus (CH 01G 8886) was carrying more than 50 players of three teams, besides officials and local gymnasts. The bus passed through the inner roads of Sectors 36 and 37 before leaving for the school in Sector 43 from Attawa Chowk. At least three students travelled on the rooftop and were seen trying to save themselves from tree branches and electric cables. No official from the UT Education Department travelled with the teams. “They (the organisers) could have arranged more buses to avoid such a situation. Accidents are already on the rise and exposing players to such danger shows the callous approach of officials,” said a coach of a visiting team on condition of anonymity.
School games for baseball declared open
Earlier, the 60th National School Games for Baseball in both boys’ and girls' category were declared open by Director Public Instructions (Schools) Kamlesh Kumar Bhadoo. Gymnasts of Government Model High School, Sector 43, displayed their skills during a colourful programme. The DPI welcomed all teams and highlighted the importance of fair play. Teams from 12 states and Union Territories are participating in the games being held from October 28 to 31.
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Tribune Roundabout Its project to construct 8 underpasses at several rotaries in city still in initial stages Amit Sharma Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 28 The proposal was discussed during a meeting held over the issue of increasing traffic in the city convened by Home Secretary-cum-acting Adviser Anil Kumar. The design for the cloverleaf-type flyovers has already been designed by consultants appointed for the purpose on which another agency will be looking into the design. While the UT plans to come up with the cloverleaf -type flyover, the project of underpass has been hanging fire since 2008 when it was allotted to the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB). The CHB had carried out a topographical survey, geo-technical investigation, underground utility survey, traffic survey and it was decided that three underpasses would be constructed at Press Chowk, Transport Chowk and Picaddily Chowk in the first phase. The project, however, could not take off due to unavailability of funds. In 2013, it was then decided that the municipal corporation (MC) would construct the underpasses, however, the project is still in its initial stage. A total of eight underpasses are proposed to be constructed in the city to ease the flow of traffic. These will come up at the ISBT-17 roundabout, Tribune Chowk, UT Press Chowk, Transport Chowk, Piccadilly Chowk, Kisan Bhawan, Matka Chowk and Cricket Chowk. Meanwhile, during the meeting attended by officials from the Administration and the MC, the need to have a detailed traffic study at Housing Board light point was also discussed to allow seamless flow of traffic at the junction.
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Chandigarh Housing Board holds draw of lots for 160 two-bedroom flats
Chandigarh, October 28 A draw of lots was conducted by Mandeep Kaur, Secretary of the CHB. Recently, the CHB has sped up the process for the allotment of flats. The video recording of the entire proceedings of the draw of lots was done to ensure transparency. The Secretary said the 160 two-bedroom flats were ready for possession. An additional 130 flats were proposed to be constructed by the CHB under the General Housing Scheme in Sector 51, Chandigarh, on the available 8 acre of land of the CHB. The result of the draw has been displayed on the notice board in the Block ‘C’ of the CHB viz-a-viz the name of applicants, the DU number and floor.The same has also been displayed on the website of the Chandigarh Administration (www.chandigarh.gov.in) under the tab ‘public notice.’
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not inviting tenders for advertisements on fleet of buses Tribune News Service
In a complaint made to the Secretary, Transport, a stake holder has stated that the two -year contract for an advertisement on CTU buses ended on September 20. But instead of inviting fresh tenders, the contract was allegedly extended to Takesh Media Pvt Ltd. Information sought under the RTI Act from the Transport Department has revealed that the CTU had allotted a contract to an outdoor agency Takesh Media Pvt Ltd of Panchkula, to advertise on the fleet of 446 buses at a licence fee of Rs 3,582 per bus on per month basis, for two years beginning September 21, 2012. The monthly earning of the CTU came to around Rs 16 lakh per month. The agency paid over Rs.3.83 crore in the last two years. Defending the decision to extend the contract, a CTU official said as per the contract the advertiser was not given 446 buses to advertise on and they suffered losses. So accordingly, the advertiser had been given more time, he said. On the other hand, another advertiser who complained to the Secretary stated that he was ready to pay double the amount but the tenders were never invited, thereby causing a loss of around Rs 16 lakh per month.
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Jaundice cases reported
Mohali, October 28 Medicines were having no effect and laboratory tests later showed that the children were suffering from jaundice. Among the children who were reported to have symptoms of jaundice were Tarish, Simran, Navjot, Priyanka, Goldy, Harjot Singh and Sujata. Unhygienic conditions, including open drains, prevail in the village. Residents of the affected mohalla claimed that over the past few days, water supplied to houses had an unusual smell. Civil Surgeon Neelam Bhardwaj said she was unaware of the cases. She said there might be two or three localised cases but there was no epidemic. Dr Bhardwaj said she would get a survey done in this regard at the village tomorrow.
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Zirakpur becoming favourite destination for hoteliers: MLA
Zirakpur, October 28 The hotel industry has flourished in the state after the Punjab Government declared hotel business as an industry in the new industry policy, said local MLA NK Sharma. Sharma made this statement after Punjab Tourism Minister Sohan Singh Thandal inaugurated Hotel Exotic Walvet, Choice Resorts Road, here on Monday. Sharma claimed that the Punjab Government had extended various benefits and concessions for the hoteliers to promote hotel and tourism industry in the state. He also claimed that the international airport would be made operational by January 2015, which would further boost the hotel business in Zirakpur.
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Hold camps to create awareness on Central schemes, says MP
Mohali, October 28 Chandumajra directed the officials concerned to organise block-level camps to create awareness regarding the schemes. Deputy Commissioner-cum-Member Secretary of the committee Tejinder Pal Singh Sidhu said a meeting would be held after every three months to review the progress of work under the schemes. Chandumajra said the SAD was committed to ensuring punishment to those guilty of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. He said a proposal of condemnation would be presented in the coming Lok Sabha session.
— OC
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UT Administrator approves two special MC committees
Chandigarh, October 28 Members of the Primary Health Committee include councillors Pardeep Chhabra, Sheela Devi, Satish Kainth, Gurax Rawat, MP Kohli, Dr Shagufta Parveen, Rajesh Gupta, Rajinder Kaur Rattu and Gurcharan Dass Kala. The primary education committee comprises councillors Babu Lal, Prof Aruna Goel, Subhash Chawla, Poonam Sharma, Darshan Garg, Arun Sood, Des Raj Gupta, Satinder Singh and Jannat Jahan-ul-Haq. Powers and functions of the Primary Health Committee are to sanction works like repair, maintenance and construction up to Rs 15 lakh, to advise regarding facilities like wheelchair, stretchers, filtered drinking water, barrier-free entrance, immunisation, maternal and child care, essential drugs, curative services for common ailments and injuries, disposal of wastes, vector and reservoirs and sitting arrangement in the dispensaries and to advise measures for brining doctor-patient ratio as per the norms. Similarly, functions of the Primary Education Committee are to sanction work like repair, maintenance and construction up to Rs 15 lakh, to advise measures for bringing pupil-teacher ratio as per the norms and to inspect MC schools.
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DSP Sanjeev Kumar joins UT police
Chandigarh, October 28 Police sources said Kapoor requested the Chandigarh Administration to send him back to his parent cadre (the Punjab Police). Kapoor has been promoted to
the rank of SP in the Punjab Police.
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56th Panjab University Inter-Zonal Youth and Heritage Festival Students from colleges affiliated to Panjab University take part in a host of activities on Day 1 Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 28 Prof AK Bhandari, Dean, University Instructions (DUI), Panjab University, was the chief guest on the occasion. Dr Nirmal Jaura, PU Director, Youth Welfare, conveners of different zones of PU colleges, principals of various colleges and other dignitaries were also in attendance. Dr BC Josan, principal of DAV College explained the theme of the youth festival — Drug-free society. Josan exhorted the students to shun drugs and focus on building their future. Dr Bhandari also lauded the DAV authorities for the arrangements. He appealed to the students to learn the lesson of life, organisational skills, team work and participate whole-heartedly in the youth festival. “While winning is important, it is the participation that matters the most,” he added. Meanwhile, Dr Bhandari also emphasised on the need to develop healthy competition amongst the youth in order to keep them focused in their endeavours. Variety of performances Students participated in a variety of competitions, including rangoli, group song, geet ghazals, essay writing, poem writing, group shabad and classical singing. Dr BC Josan, principal of DAV College, explained the theme of the youth festival — Drug-free society. He exhorted the students to shun drugs
and focus on building their future.
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DAV earmarks area around campus as no-parking zone
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, October 28 While it is not yet clear as to whether any alternative sites have been identified for the parking of more than 500 vehicles, added to the existing strength of nearly 500-600 cars and jeeps belonging to students of DAV College, the area around the institution has been barricaded. Traffic congestion has become a routine affair due to lack of parking space in and around the college. The commuters, in addition to the students and staff of the college, also include area residents who jostle for space every day while crossing the road in front of the college. Long queues of vehicles can be seen lined-up on both sides of the road outside the college. Though the DAV Management claims that for the event, they had doubled the number of parking areas on the campus by making temporary arrangements, things will be clear now that the event has commenced. Jostling for space
The commuters, in addition to students and staff, also include area residents who jostle for space daily while crossing the road in
front of DAV College.
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Experts dwell on plant sciences at PU
chandigarh, October 28 The national conference — being organised by the Botany Department, PU — was inaugurated by Dr PS Ahuja, Director General, CSIR, New Delhi, along with NASI Senior Scientist, Emeritus Professor, Department of Botany, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Prof C Manoharachary. Director, the Institute of Microbial Technology
(IMTECH), Dr Girish Sahni was also in attendance. The function was presided over by PU Dean University Instructions (DUI), Prof AK Bhandari. Addressing the inaugural function, Dr Ahuja highlighted the use of algae and fungi in different fields of biological sciences. The lecture on the significance of microbes in our day-to-day life and in advanced scientific studies was also held. The role of endophytes in the treatment of cancer has also been explained. The use of micro-organisms in bio-control, bio-fertiliser and bio-pesticides was also discussed. Further, Dr Ahuja stressed upon the field of botany along with the advanced botanical sciences. Meanwhile, Dr Girish Sahni, director, Institute of Microbial Technology, stated that there were great opportunities to
conduct research activities and uncover the truths of nature in the field of plan sciences. Highlights
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Reconsider scrapping of hospital project, says PUTA member
Chandigarh, October 28 “The dental institute requires the hospital for its proper functioning. The city did not have any dental institute in the region and hence the university opened it in 2006. HS Judge, Late Shri Lala Lajpat Rai and Member of Parliament Pawan Kumar Bansal have contributed financially to start the institute. The institute is duly approved by the
Dental Council of India, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare,” wrote Professor Tankeshwar Kumar in his letter shot to the members of the Panjab University Teachers’ Association
today. “The healthcare project once started cannot be scrapped unless people of the city are taken into confidence,” he pointed out further. Meanwhile, the decision to scrap the 100-bed hospital was taken during the Syndicate meeting on October 26. Project background
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CGC students excel
Mohali, October 28 The BTech students have captured 12 of the 20 positions in the merit lists of second semester examinations, while four out of 10 positions have been bagged by the students of MBA IInd semester. Besides, the first positions in BTech as well as MBA have been bagged by CGC Jhanjeri students. Jaspreet Singh, Shubham Khajuria of BTech and Tanvi Sharma of MBA stood first in the PTU securing 95.29 per cent, 92.35 per cent and 88.53 per cent marks, respectively. The students created a record by bagging 28 positions in the merit lists of the IInd 2nd and IVth semester examinations. Rashpal Singh Dhaliwal, president, CGC, lauded the teachers and students of Jhanjeri on their
acheivement.
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Vocational service awards given
Chandigarh, October 28 The awards are given annually in the memory of Manoj Aggarwal, who was a member of the Rotary Chandigarh Shivalik. Over 50 rotary members and their guests, led by ML Gupta, president, Rotary Chandigarh Shivalik Club and Manjit Kaur, secretary, attended the function. Head constable Karan Singh has been with the Chandigarh Police since 1988 and has built up an enviable reputation as an intelligent and diligent performer. During his service, he has been the recipient of 17 commendation certificates and various other awards. He got the Best Beat Officer Award in 2013. Charanjeet Kaur works with Government Model School, Sector 10, and has been instrumental in coaching and motivating students to excel in fencing. Over the years, she has been the coach with the Indian fencing team, joint competition director, South Asian Fencing Championships, coach for boys and girls teams for nationals at the school level and also a coach for boys and girls fencing team of the PU. Jasbir Singh Pathania has been working in the healthcare field since 1982 and has been helping rotary selflessly as a volunteer in various medical camps. The awards included a citation, shawl and a silver coin. The awardees
The awardees included head constable Karan Singh, Charanjeet Kaur and Jasbir Singh Pathania. The awards were presented by
Col Dilip Patnaik, District Governor, Rotary District 3080 and HS Saggu, Assistant Governor.
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Freshers’ party held
Mohali, October 28 Vice-Chairman Surinder Pal Sachdeva was the chief guest on the occasion. The function saw huge participation from students. A range of cultural items, including skit, bhangra, giddha, singing, solo dance, group dance, folk dances and other performances were organised during the function.
— TNS
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MPhil course for defence personnel
Panjab University Registrar Col GC Chadha inaugurated an MPhil course for the serving defence services officers. It is the seventh course being run by the Department of Defence and National Security Studies, Panjab University. Now, it comprises officers from the Army Training Command and its various training establishments, Ministry of Defence and Chandimandir. Col Chadha also interacted with the defence officers. Shedding light on the course, Professor and chairman of the Department, Dr Rakesh Datta, said the course has a lot of receptivity in the defence services and more and more army officers were expressing their desire to join the MPhil course. IAS centre releases prospectus
For the first time in about two decades of its existence, the Panjab University’s Centre for IAS and Other Competitive Examinations has brought out an exclusive prospectus of its own. The prospectus was formally released by PU Advisor and Secretary to VC and former Dean University Instructions, Prof Madhu Raka. Releasing the prospectus, Prof Madhu Raka appreciated the tag line, “Scripting success” in the eloquently designed prospectus wherein the pieces of information have been very precisely incorporated. Notably, it contains information on the courses being offered by the centre, the syllabi and the sample questions. In its endeavour to make PU amongst the top contributors to the civil services, the centre has also planned a series of activities towards facilitating the preparation of taking on competitive examinations more vigorously.
— TNS
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Chandigarh, October 28
Chandigarh, October 28
