Chandigarh, November 15
The Chandigarh Police will be sending the “explicit picture” of UT Deputy Commissioner (DC) with a woman to the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) for investigation.

The cyber cell of the UT police that is investigating the case will be tracking down the source of the explicit pictures.

Sources said that attempts to hack the official email ID of DC was also made sometime ago, following which an alert from the service provider was also received by him.

“We will be probing all the angles of the case”, said a police official.

A case at the Sector 17 police station was registered on Friday on the complaint of DC Mohammed Shayin. The pictures had gone viral on the social media few days ago.

The Chandigarh Police had yesterday registered an FIR in the case.

Chandigarh, November 15
Unaware of the two-day shutdown at the Chandigarh Airport, commuters reaching here had tough time arranging for alternative means of transport today.

Many commuters at the Chandigarh Airport alleged that the respective airlines, in which they were schedule to travel, failed to convey the message regarding the shutdown of services to them.

“They should have informed us early. I had to travel from Ambala to Chandigarh for a flight to Mumbai. I could have easily taken a bus to Delhi and boarded a flight from there,” said Suresh Puri, a Mumbai resident.

Panchkula, November 15
The Vimal murder case took yet another turn today when his wife alleged that her 28-year-old husband was impotent and that she was too embarrassed to have undergone a divorce for the fouth time. She also reportedly told the police Vimal was married for a third time.

Chandigarh, November 15
Recording his statements before the Special CBI Judge Vimal Kumar in the resumed hearing of the Judge bribery case, the then Solan-based tehsiladar today said he had executed the land deed for 18 purchasers, including Justice Yadav, a day after she allegedly took Rs 15 lakh.

Narayan Singh Chauhan, currently posted as the tehsildar in Kasauli, who in August 2008 was posted as the naib tehsildar at Solan where the sale deeds were registered, said there were 18 purchasers of the land along with Justice Nirmal Yadav.

Chauhan said the then tehsildar Panchkula — Satish Singal — was present at the time when the deed was executed on August 14, 2008, and he had put in a word for Yadav.

Chauhan said the tehsildar of Panchkula was present in Solan for the registration of two sale deeds pertaining to the land purchased by Justice Nirmal Yadav along with 18 co-purchasers.

While deposing before the court, Chauhan produced the papers of the sale deed of two parts of land which were bought by Justice Yadav and 17 other persons in the Rihun town of Solan District.

He said he had received calls from the then tehsildar of Panchkula, Satish Kumar, and from a few other persons from the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Senior advocate Anupam Gupta informed that Chauhan said that though he did not meet Justice Yadav, he met one of her representatives who told Chauhan that Justice Yadav was at the Circuit House in Solan.

It is believed that the money, which was delivered accidentally at Justice Nirmaljeet Kaur’s residence, was meant for the sale deed of this land.

After recording his statement, CBI special judge Vimal Kumar adjourned the case to December 8.

Chauhan in his statement submitted that on August 14, the tehsildar of Panchukla, identifying himself as Satish, was present in Solan to get the sale deed registered.

He added that prior to this, he received calls from Satish asking him about the procedures and stamp duty with regard to the registration of the sale deeds pertaining to the land purchased by Justice Yadav.

Chauhan had even asked for a copy of the sale deed to ensure smooth registration.

He also pointed out that he had received a number of calls on and before August 14 from the Punjab and Haryana High Court asking about the procedure and the land deed registration.

The land deal involving 18 buyers, including Justice Nirmal Yadav, her daughter Suruchi, and three family members of her brother Ajay Yadav, a Haryana Congress minister, has come under focus after the cash-for-judge scam rocked the judicial circles in August 2008.

Punjab and Haryana High Court Judge Nirmaljit Kaur alerted the authorities after former Haryana Additional Advocate General Sanjeev Bansal’s assistant delivered a packet containing Rs 1.5 million in cash. Bansal told the police that the cash was meant for another person and it was part of a land deal.

Panchkula, November 15
The Panchkula Police have beefed up security arrangements for the court hearing of Sant Rampal scheduled to be held at the Punjab and Haryana High Court on November 16.

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rahul Sharma, said, “Fifteen companies, including four from Punjab Police and Haryana Police personnel, have been deployed to keep vigil in the city.”

The police said all entry points to Chandigarh from the Panchkula side will be barricaded to prevent the supporters of the sect head from entering the city. Besides, water canons will be deployed at strategic points in the district.

The police said Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure (CrPc), had already been enforced in the city.

“A human wall of police officials will be deputed on all roads leading to Chandigarh to prevent any miscreant from entering the city,” added the official.

As per the police, all points to Chandigarh will be manned by DSP and inspector-rank officials. Anti-riot equipment has been made available to the police personnel. All points will also be videographed.

The Panchkula Police are working in close coordination with the UT police, Government Railway Police and Punjab Police.

Fifteen companies, including four from Punjab Police and Haryana Police personnel, have been deployed to keep vigil in the city.

Rahul Sharma, Deputy Commissioner of Police

Chandigarh, November 15
A day after 75-year-old Neelam Saini was found dead at her house in Sector 35, the police suspect that the victim was not strangled but died of shock.

Inspector Bhupinder Singh, SHO, Sector 36 police station, said, “There is a possibility that the victim died due to shock. There were no strangulation marks on her neck. However, things will be clear only after the postmortem.”

The victim’s body was found in the washroom of the house with her hands and legs tied with a tape.

Meanwhile, the police also suspect the involvement of more than one person in the incident. Police sources said when the crime took place during the evening hours, the accused servant Sunil Safi (22), alias Chotu, was washing the car parked outside the house.

“It is suspected that his accomplices must be inside the house and Sunil was keeping an eye at the main door”, added the sources.

Meanwhile, the victim’s family claimed that deceased Neelam was strongly built and could not have been overpowered by only one person. “It seems that someone entered the house from the rear after scaling the rear walls”, said Shefali Saini, the victim’s daughter.

Police officials said the people running the Delhi-based agency, that provided the servant to the victim, have been rounded-up by the police. Police teams have also been sent to the native village of the accused in Bihar.

The servant was employed on a salary of Rs 6,000 per month after paying a commission of Rs 35,000 to the service provider.

ASP South Urvija Goel said the involvement of more than one person in the crime will be established only after accused Sunil is arrested.

Chandigarh, November 15
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar inaugurated the online membership campaign of the local unit of the BJP today. In charge of the local unit of the BJP, Aarti Mehra, and city unit president Sanjay Tandon were also present on the occasion.

Chief Minister Khattar said earlier, the party used to campaign peacefully and as per the constitution of the party. “Now, the BJP has taken lead by campaigning online and this will benefit the public to a large extent,” he added.

He said any person could join the party by calling on the party’s number. “I used to work in the streets, mohallas and mandal levels. The party has honoured me and today I am the Chief Minister. This can only be possible in the BJP,” he added.

BJP city unit president Sanjay Tandon said, “I am elated that Chief Minister Khattar, who used to work as the organisation secretary of Chandigarh, knows the names of all workers of the local unit.”

Mohali, November 15
With having around 20 per cent officials of the Mohali police, posted/deputed out of the district or assigned VIP duties, the basic policing has been affected in the town.

The statistics revealed that about 1,950 posts from the ranks of inspector to constable have been sanctioned to the force here while the given strength is around 1,850. Out of the given strength, about 375 officials have been out of the district, either on deputation, VIP duties or temporary attachments.

This way, 1,475 police personnel have been given the responsibility of over 10 lakh population (677:1) of the entire district, having around 13 police stations.

For the constable rank, about 1,480 posts have been sanctioned but the number of filled posts is about 1,445. Against about 275 sanctioned post of head constables, the given strength is about 240. For the rank of assistant sub-inspector, the sanctioned strength is 120 but the number of posted officers here is about 90.

The inspector rank is the only exception as against about 25 sanctioned posts, the district has around 30 officers.

Adding insult to injury, about 280 constables, 55 head constables, 20 ASIs, 10 SIs and two inspectors have been out of the district either on deputation or temporary attachments.

The police control room staff included about 110 officials of different ranks. The district has 27 PCR motorcycles, 12 Gypsies (seven for night duty and five for day duty).

The substantial staff shortage is said to have taking toll on the officials here.

“We have been working for over 15 hours daily. The condition of those posted at police stations is worse as their working hours normally exceed 18 hours per day,” said a constable here on condition of anonymity.

He added that the basic policing in the district was being hit hard due to the reason. “The staff is overburdened and its effects can be seen on their (police personnel) performance,” said an ASI.

“Some police stations are being run with less than five staff members. Besides, protests, dharnas and highway blockades have become a routine thing in Mohali town. Apart from basic policing, we have to deal with protesters also on almost a daily basis”, he said, claiming that taking leave had become a difficult thing now.

Though a senior functionary of the Mohali police is tightlipped on the issue, the entire force has been on toes since Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had conducted a surprise check in the town on Thursday night and put four police officials, including an inspector, on suspension.

Sukhbir, who had roamed around for about an hour in the town in a private vehicle to check the security scenario on late Thursday late evening did not find even a single cop on any roundabout or any other public place that day. Even at the Phase 1 police station, where he went at around 9.45pm, he had found only ‘naib munshi’ while other staff on duty was found absent.

However, Mohali SSP Inder Mohan Singh Bhatti said certain extra forces were there to help the district police and there was no such issue.

“Whenever required, we interchange the duty of police personnel in such a way that nobody would feel overburdened,” he said.

Mohali, November 15
To beautify the town, the Administration has started roping in local industries.

In a recent meeting, Deputy Commissioner Tejinder Pal Singh Sidhu said Quark City, Philips and Punjab Tractors Limited have given their nod for the cause.

“In the first phase, the beautification work along the town’s entrance road (from Furniture Market, Chandigarh, to Lakhnaur) would be started soon. Quark City has given its nod to bear all the expenses for the purpose,” said Sidhu.

The DC also directed the GMADA and Municipal Corporation (MC) officials to prepare a special plan wherein beautification works would be kept on priority.

In the second phase, renovation of remaining roads and various locations in the Industrial Area would be taken up. Quark City would also start some social activities in slum areas. “We would start various programmes to provide technical and professional education to the young generation so as to enable them to get jobs,” assured the representatives of the company to the DC, adding that the technical education to 200 persons would be provided in this regard.

Sidhu said talks were on with Philips and the PTL in connection with the projects they would be dealing with.

Chandigarh, November 15
In the wake of BJP MP Kirron Kher and city unit president Sanjay Tandon’s recent meeting with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh regarding implementation of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development (MSMED) Act, 2006, the Chandigarh Industrial Converted Plot Owners Association has now written to the Home Minister stating, “The MSMED Act is already implemented in the city.”

In their letter to the minister, the association said the MSMED Act-2006 was implemented in the city on the lines of other states.

“Any individual can get his activity i.e. manufacturing or service registered under the MSMED Act irrespective of the area of activity happening in Chandigarh. However, the manufacturing activity can be done only in specified areas such as the Industrial Area, where only manufacturing can be carried out and service activities can by done in specified commercial areas,” reads the letter.

The association said some individuals wanted to take undue advantage of the Act and hence undertook activities that are not allowed in the Industrial Area such as opening of hotels, hospitals, retail shops etc.

They urged the minister that before issuing instructions, he should get it examined and ask the MSME Ministry to give its comments.

Panchkula, November 15
The Panchkula police recovered the Maruti Swift car of absconding BJP councillor Ravi Kant Swami from outside a house in Baltana here this evening.

The police enquired from all those staying in the entire locality but no one knew about him. Not only this, the board of the councillor that was attached with the number plate on the front side was also removed to avoid the attention of the police.

His house is located near the Baltana area. The police is suspecting that he has gone out of the town, leaving his car abandoned.

The councillor has been absconding since a week after a case was lodged against him for passing casteist remarks to executive officer of the Municipal Corporation SK Chauhan. After the incident, protests triggered off to arrest the former immediately.

As the police failed to trace him, they got arrest warrants issued against him.

Chandigarh, November 15
Foot-tapping music, a vibrant atmosphere and programmes showcasing cultural diversity of the country, the Crafts Mela underway at Kala Gram in Mani Majra has been a show stopper.

Cultural colour: Girls dressed in traditional attire; and (below) artistes perform during the sixth Chandigarh National Crafts Mela at Kala Gram, Chandigarh,  on Saturday

The major attractions were the nine groups which showcased their traditional dances at the Crafts Mela Village here today.

Dressed in colourful traditional attires, the artistes presented dance items. The 500-year-old dance form of Punjab ‘Nachar’ attracted hordes of crowd. It is a celebratory song and dance in which three or four men dressed as women generally dance to the tunes of dhol, duggi and tambur.

Similarly, the age-old dance form of Haryana, Banchari, was another major attraction. The sounds of the nagada drums reverberated in the air at the crafts mela.

The 4000-year-old dance form of Jaipur, Kachhi Gohdi, was an eye catcher. The dance item had eight performers clad in dhotis and angrakhis jiving to the beats.

The 100-year-old dance form of Jammu, Khud dance, had the dancers sway to beats with sinuous grace in their movements.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s campaign Swachh Bharat Abhiyan was implemented at the event as puppets went about conveying the message to keep the surroundings clean.

Chandigarh, November 15
On the occasion of World Diabetes Day, a free diabetes check -up camp and a health seminar on prevention of diabetes was organised by Max Super Speciality Hospital (MSSH), Mohali, at Pushpac Society, Sector 49, today.

Dr Virendar Sarwal, director and head of the hospital, said, “Diabetes is one of the strongest cardiovascular risk factors among men and women. Epidemiological studies have shown that people with diabetes double the chance of getting cardiovascular disease than people without diabetes.”

“Men were generally prone to heart disease in their 40s or 50s, much before women. But for diabetic women, the cardiovascular risk occurs much earlier,” he added.

Mohali, November 15
A seven-year-old boy who sustained injuries in a wall collapse incident, died today at the PGI in Chandigarh.

The deceased, Prince, and his relative, Pinjal, a three-year-old girl, were passing through a street when an under-construction wall fell on them at Badhmajra Colony, here.

Inspector Jaswinder Singh, station house officer of the Balongi police station, said both children were rushed to Civil Hospital, Mohali, from where she was referred to the PGI, Chandigarh.

“Prince was declared brought dead while Pinjal’s condition is said to be critical,” said the inspector.

Zirakpur, November 15
The fifth edition of the Indian Luxury Expo, a three-day event, was inaugurated at a marriage palace here today.

The expo, which covers 20 lifestyle segments like art and collectibles, cars, luxury homes, apparel and accessories, banking, fragrance, footwear and travel, has been providing a platform to both homegrown and international brands to interact with luxury buyers. Panjab Motors Mercedes Private Limited, in association with Infinite Luxury Brands Private Limited, presented an exclusive show at the expo. — TNS

Chandigarh, November 15
On the 125th birth anniversary of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (CTCC) started a two-day festival in Sector 40 today.

Area councillor Gurbax Rawat said they organised a series of programmes like blood donation camp, health check-up camp, drawing competition for children and volleyball competition for sportspersons.

Skater Vidushi Rawat, who had won numerous medals at the national level and Japtej Singh, who had played the role of young Milkha Singh in ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ a Hindi movie.

Chandigarh, November 15
A senior fellow of the Centre for Public Affairs and Critical Theory, New Delhi, Siddharth Varadarajan, delivered a lecture on the ‘Rising tide of intolerance and what we can do about it’ during the second Chetan Premani Memorial Lecture.

The debate on the issue covered all aspects faced by society due to intolerance.

The speaker talked about its effects on the lifestyle of the public in their day-to-day works. The event was organised in the memory of Chetan Premani who was a scientist and retired from IMTECH, Chandigarh, in 2011. — TNS

She also beckoned all present to make use of the introductory 40 per cent discount offer which was valid till 1 January next year. Facilities of gym, cardio and aerobics would be available through certified and experienced trainers who were qualified to customise a result-oriented exercise regime. — TNS

Chandigarh, November 15
The Dean, Students’ Welfare (Women), Panjab University has directed the university’s engineering wing to immediately install wire mesh on the top two floors of all six-storeyed hostels to avoid any untoward incident.

Besides asking all hostel wardens to appoint senior students as counsellors, DSW (Women) Nandita has also told all departments to appoint two counsellors each to help students cope with any problem on the campus.

The move comes after Divya, a student pursing postgraduation in biophysics at Panjab University, committed suicide by jumping from the sixth floor of Hostel No. 5 in June this year.

The authorities had then decided to install grille in all balconies to avoid any such incident in future.

A special committee was also constituted to look into the issue, including the need to hire professional counsellors for students. Records revealed that in the past four months, the panel met three times and decided to install wire mesh as the budget estimate of installing grille was on the higher side.

For the time being, the university has decided to install wire mesh on the fifth and sixth floors of all six-storeyed hostels, and proceeding to the third and fourth floors once adequate funds become available with the engineering wing.

In a special meeting with all wardens, the DSW told them to appoint senior students as counsellors besides interacting with the hostellers on a routine basis. The DSW has also sent a communication to all departments asking them to appoint two internal counsellors each.

The departments have been told to finalise and send the names of these two counsellors by the next fortnight.

The DSW has also asked the student council members to keep in touch with all students and inform the varsity authorities about problems being faced by them.

Chandigarh, November 15
The School of Public Health, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, organised environment awareness activities today to disseminate information on sustainable and eco-friendly technologies e.g. vermi-composting, reduce, reuse, recycle and recover (4Rs) and how to follow these practices in daily life.

The programme was inaugurated by Dr Rajesh Kumar, Head, School of Public Health.

He mentioned that loss of habitats and over exploitation would lead to depletion of genetic diversity of several wild animals and cultivated plants.

Shrinking genetic diversity leads to more vulnerability to diseases and pests and lesser adaptability to environmental changes.

The major attractions of the celebration were skits by students, short movies, plantation, poster display and demonstration of a vermi-composting unit for kitchen garden. A workshop on the theme of ‘Biodiversity and Sustainable Practices’ was also organised. Expert lectures included ‘Why to Protect Ozone Layer’ by Dr Ravinda Khaiwal, PGIMER; ‘Resource Recycling’ by Dr Suman Mor, Panjab University; and ‘Forest and Sustainability’ by Dr Aseem Sharma, IFS, Department of Forest and Wild Life Preservation, Punjab.

Dr Ravindra Khaiwal, assistant professor of Environment Health, School of Public Health, PGIMER, mentioned that prolonged human exposure to solar UV radiation might result in acute and chronic health effects on skin and eyes.

Dr Ravindra Khaiwal, said evidence suggests that environmental levels of UV radiation might suppress immune system and thereby enhance the risk of infectious diseases and limit the efficacy of vaccinations.

Dr Suman Mor talked about how to reduce wastage of resources and stressed to adopt more efficient methods for recycling of waste to achieve sustainable waste management.

She stressed that there was a need to promote sustainable practices not only to preserve biodiversity, but also to maintain sustainable livelihoods, and enhance human well-being.

Main speaker and guest of honour, Dr Aseem Sharma said forest sustainability was a balance between society’s increasing demands for forest products and benefits, and the preservation of forest for health and diversity.

This balance was critical to the survival of forests, and to the prosperity of forest-dependent communities. Hence, the implementation of sustainable practices would bring improvements in biodiversity, ecosystem conservation, socio-economic benefits, equitable distribution of resources and to mitigate the adverse impact of climate change.

Chandigarh, November 15
The importance of colours, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and white light was highlighted at a lecture during the 41st Jawaharlal Nehru National Science, Mathematics and Environment Exhibition held at Leisure Valley, Sector 10, today.

Delivering the talk, Prof Deepak Gupta from the IIT, Kanpur, advocated the need to use LEDs for lighting purposes. Shedding more light on the subject, Prof Gupta said this year the Nobel Prize in physics has been conferred upon Isamu Akasaki, Hiroshi Amano and Shuji Nakamura for the invention of efficient blue LEDs that have enabled the development of bright and energy-saving white light sources.

Speaking on the occasion, the Society for Promotion of Science and Technology president, Dharam Vir, said the country, facing a serious problem of power cuts, should move to alternative sources of energy.

“There is a dire need to create an environment where power cuts become a thing of the past. All of us need to change our mindset and use energy-efficient lights that also ensure a safer environment,” he said.