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PEC admissions Chandigarh, August 12 By getting lower ranking, the students almost lost their chance of getting admission in a better stream had the irregularity not been noticed by the affected students. Even counselling for the reserved sports category was held on the basis on the “incorrect” merit list. The three-member screening committee did not have any member from the faculty of sports and physical education. As a result of this faux pas, the students with participation in national events and position holders in state events were ranked below students who had no participation in a national event and only state participation. The affected students have already given a representation to the Principal of the college. As per the rule, the screening committee must have members from sports background. However, none of the experienced faculty members from the sports and physical education wing was on the panel of the screening committee, for reasons best known to the authorities concerned. The committee is responsible for counselling at the college. Assistant Professor V. Rehani, a member of the screening committee, when contacted said some representations had been received regarding the merit list. On being asked whether any of the members of the committee had a sports background, he said all knew how to play. He refused to comment when probed further. Enquiries reveal that as per the policy regarding reservation of seats in educational, technical and medical institutions under the control of the Chandigarh Administration, performance in the same grade needs to be given in the following descending order: record holders in any event, winners, runners-up, third
If there is a tie in the same category, the same would have to be resolved considering the academic merit of the sportsperson. In case of a tie again, the same would have to be resolved considering the seniority in age. As per the rule for grade ‘C’, a sportsperson who intends to get benefit of participation in senior nationals/inter-university tournaments/Federation Cup/organised by the federation or in junior national championship/national school games/KVS national team — must have obtained the first three positions in the respective state/inter-college/inter school/JKVS nationals. |
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Change mindset, Governor tells UT cops Chandigarh, August 12 Worried over consecutive complaints of manhandling, Justice Verma today summoned an unscheduled meeting of senior officers of the police. The IG, Mr Rajesh Kumar, SSP Gourav Yadav, SP Headquarter Virender Chahal and SP Traffic Amitabh Dhillon were summoned. Regretting the incidents of manhandling, Justice Verma said this should have been avoided at all costs because, no provocation whatsoever, could justify manhandling. He said the Chandigarh police must act as a disciplined force and exercise power with great restraint and responsibility. The Administrator asked the IG to come out with a strategy to avoid the recurrence of such incidents. He said the strategy should be formulated after thorough brain storming sessions of all police officers. Disagreeing with the contention of the SP Traffic that chase of traffic offenders was necessary to create a deterrent for others, Justice Verma advised that instead of chasing traffic offenders and risking the life of other persons, the Chandigarh police should have alerted all PCR vans to intercept the traffic violator. He said that since it was purely a traffic offence and there was no apprehension of any other criminal activity being performed by the car driver, the chase was totally uncalled for. Justice Verma regretted that such incidents negate all good work done by the police force. He said such uncalled for incidents should be avoided and we should not give an opportunity where people are provoked to challenge the sovereign power of the police. |
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Rs 500 cr project to make Met forecasting hi-tech Forecasting for NW difficult Referring to certain inaccuracies in weather forecasting in the North West region recently, a Met official said forecasting for this region is generally difficult because monsoons here are never in their full form. “Besides tropical systems, many extra tropical systems impact weather alterations in this region,” said an official, adding that automatic equipment would help in better forecasting. Chandigarh, August 12 IMD’s expansion comes close on the heels of the recently held meeting between Science Minister Kapil Sibal and top officials of IMD including the Director-General, Dr S.K. Srivastava. Following government support in the matter, the officials at Met Department are working out modalities for the Rs 500 crore proposal that will significantly improve the quality of forecasting. Besides replacement of obsolete equipment that fill most Met stations across India, the proposal aims to validate the forecasting, broad base it to cover five to seven days, and make it more precise to benefit farmers and planners. IMD’s target is to increase the network and upgrade infrastructure so that district-wise forecasting becomes possible in the near future. Sources inform The Tribune that procurement of hi-tech equipment is the topmost priority of IMD which is seriously short of tools that can aid forecast precision. Among the equipment to be acquired are automatic rain-gauge stations. “We want 5,000 for the country. At present we don’t have any. Recording is done manually,” says an IMD official from Delhi. Manual recording is extremely time consuming and even before the data is compiled, weather conditions may alter. Automatic rain-gauge stations will ensure automatic recording and transmission of rainfall data. Further to study weather systems with greater accuracy, IMD wants more upper air observatories which allow scientists to make accurate projections regarding wind speed, wind direction and their impact on weather. An official says, “Study of surface air can yield valuable information regarding alterations in weather patterns. Such a system involves the use of balloons. We have sensors that send down signals regarding rapid changes in temperature, pressure and humidity. We have 35 such observatories, but we need 50.” Another outstanding concern is accurate forecasting of cyclones and storms. Currently IMD has just three Doppler radars that can accurately watch cyclonic developments. “We need 20. With this equipment we can tell how much time the wind travelling at a certain speed with take to hit the coast. That can prevent devastation,” says an official. Besides Doppler radars, Met wants more especially-designed cyclone detection radars. The department has some radars but they are outdated and need replacement. Sources in Met add that it also needs better systems to read into weather patterns that can cause the kind of deluge some areas in the North witnessed lately. Right now IMD has 17 storm detection radars. Many more are needed. Last but not the least, IMD would also require super computing facilities to rapidly analyze and transmit weather data hence collected.
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Kohli’s extradition process begins Mohali, August 12 Requesting for Kohli's detention under the provisions of the Extradition Act, CBI's counsel, Mr Pavan Dogra, stated before the CJM Ms Paramavir Kaur Nijjar, that Kohli, who was in judicial custody in a criminal case lodged by the Punjab Police, was now to be provisionally arrested and detained under the Extradition Act by Interpol wing of the CBI. However, the CJM questioned the need for another arrest when Kohli had already been arrested for the purpose by the Kalimpong police. Mr B.S. Dogra, DSP, CBI, reiterated that Kohli was arrested at Kalimpong on July 15 under Section 41(1) (g) of the CrPC and later handed over to the Punjab Police on July 26. Kohli was, as a result, arrested again today under Sections 16 (3) of the Extradition Act, 1962 and Section 12 (2) of the Indo-UK Extradition Treaty 1999. With this, the first step in Kohli's extradition to the UK has been taken, almost a month after he was arrested by the West Bengal police on July 15. The CBI authorities had conveyed to the court at Kalimpong on July 17 that an extradition court would be set up the following week and the Kalimpong Magistrate had ordered the West Bengal police to hand over Kohli to the ‘CBI at the earliest’. However, in his order dated July 26, the Kalimpong SDJM Hargobind Singh stated: ‘‘In the absence of constitution of a designated court as required by law, and for want of procedural follow up actions under the Extradition Act 1962, the prosecuting agencies concerned have shown their inability before this court for making the provisional arrest of the accused Maninderpal Singh Kohli, a fugitive criminal.’’ Kohli was brought to Punjab on July 27 and produced before a Kharar court the next day that sent him to police custody till August 5. However, the police produced him in the court on July 31 and was sent to judicial custody at Patiala jail till August 14. The next stage in Kohli's extradition would commence on the receipt of the extradition papers from the UK. Mr B.S. Dogra today stated that the papers related to Kohli's extradition had not yet been received by the Ministry of External Affairs, but were expected to reach soon.
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Kohli's arrest by the CBI today has given rise to a controversy regarding the beginning of his 60-day detention period under the provisions of the Extradition Act. The CJM pointed out to the CBI officials that if Kohli was being arrested today under the Act then would the 60 day period start from today or the date of his actual arrest at Kalimpong on July 15. The CBI counsel had no answer to this. The CBI also cut a sorry figure when asked by the CJM how Kohli was detained for 10 days from July 17 to 26 at Kalimpong.
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Saluja hopeful of ties between PGI, US school Chandigarh, August 12 At PGI at the invitation of Prof Deepak Bhasin for an inter-face with the faculty of the Department of Gastroenterology, Prof Saluja found time to visit The Tribune yesterday, sharing his experience in his field of specialisation, cells and regulation of enzymes. He is hopeful of an “exchange” programme between the PGI and the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he is Professor of Surgery, Medicine and Cell Biology and Director, Pancreatic Diseases Centre. Dr Saluja, born in 1952, went to Government High School, Muktsar, where from he did his matriculation in 1968. Later, he joined Punjab Agriii joined Punjab Agricultural University in 1970 for his graduation and post-graduation in biochemistry, having done his pre-medical from DAV College, Abohar.
There a DAV College, Abohar. Thereaduation in Biochemistry having done his pre-medical from DAV College, Abohar. Thereafter, he went to the USA, where he is now settled. He comes from a humble business family, which had later migrated to Rajasthan. Talking of his work, he said there was, so far, no cure for either pancreatic cancer or pancreatitis, which took a heavy toll of human lives. In the USA alone, 30,000 people died annually due to pancreatic cancer and 10,000 of pancreatitis. The number of men and women succumbing to these diseases was almost equal. As to the cause of these two diseases, still defying cure, Prof. Saluja said it was due to either “stones in the gall bladder or alcholism”, which accounted for 40 per cent of the deaths. “Finland has the highest mortality rate due to pancreatic cancer and pancreatitis in the world, as it has the highest consumption of alcohol”. While men were prone to alcohol, women had stones in the gall bladder. He has published over 100 research papers in various international medical journals. Prof Saluja said his discussions with the PGI Director, Prof K.K. Talwar, and Prof Deepak Bhasin had given him hope of “collaborative” research in this particular field. Though no data was available on the incidence of pancreatic cancer or pancreatitis in this region, the high rate could not be ruled out, given the level of liquor intake and incidence of stones in the gall bladder. Nearly 200 patients report at the PGI every year. Prof Saluja said to a question, “I have great respect for the PGI. It has a name, all over. This is my first visit to the
institution and I have great hopes from the response to suggested collaborative projects”. Asked about the first symptoms or signs of pancreatic cancer of pancreatitis, he said, persistent pain in the abdomen, diarrhoea or indigestion etc. “But, as I have said, the two diseases are still shrouded in mystery and through the studies of cell biology and regulation of enzymes, we hope to conquer them”.
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Zirakpur urban estate: villagers threaten protest Zirakpur, August 12 The meeting which was held at a Gurdwara in Singhpura village, farmers also threatened to gherao the Deputy Commissioner, Patiala, besides launching a protest. To press for their demands, the villagers would block the Kalka-Ambala and the Panchkula-Patiala highways at Zirakpur, said womenfolk of the villages. Up in arms, the villagers also decided to support the leaders, belonging to any political party, who would stand by them in this hour of need. While addressing the meeting, Mr Ranjit Singh, a former sarpanch of Singhpura village, criticised the government and PUDA for forcibly acquiring their agriculture land. He also said that with the acquisition of their land, PUDA would demolish their houses that have been constructed with their hard earned money. Besides women, sarpanches and panchs of the villages, members of adjacent villages also attended the meeting and expressed their solidarity with the affected farmers. Objecting the PUDA’s decision, the villagers also constituted a 11-member action committee. The committee members would submit a representation regarding their grievances to Ms Preneet Kaur and other concerned authorities, said Mr Charan Singh, a former sarpanch of Ramgarh Bhuda village. |
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More silt likely in lake
this year Chandigarh, August 12 Under normal conditions, the gates of the lake are kept open in the first major rain to allow silt, other particles and trash to flow down. This year, there was almost no time to keep the gates open as it had not rained during July. Fearing that the lake might not fill this year, engineers had closed the gates, wanting to trap in the rain to fill the lake. Though the check dams might have held back the excess silt, about 9 square km of the catchment area in agricultural land and huge quantities of silt might have come in as the force of water was high. An estimated 20 lakh cubic feet of silt rolls down into the lake under normal conditions and a major part of it is in the first one or two spells of rain. |
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Acquitted youth missing
for four years Chandigarh, August 12 Twentyfour-year-old Varinder Singh apparently ran away to escape possible imprisonment. His life took a dramatic turn from the day he fell in love with a girl from his village. According to his father, Mr Nachhatar Singh, a resident of Devinagar village, Dera Bassi, Patiala, the boy and the girl ran away from home and reportedly got married. After a few days, the girl came back and her father lodged an FIR against the seven members of his family, including him, Varinder Singh, his son, his wife, Jaswant Kaur, his other two sons Sukwinder Singh and Devinder Singh, and his nephews, Shishpal and Gurmail Singh, at the Dera Bassi police station. The police registered a case of rape, abduction, wrongful confinement and criminal conspiracy on November 25, 2000, against them. They were all sent to the prison. Mr Nachhatar Singh claimed that Varinder Singh went missing days before the case was registered against them. The Dera Bassi police declared him a proclaimed offender on August 31, 2001, as he did not present himself to the police. Meanwhile, his parents filed a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The court, in its verdict, quashed the case on October 5, 2001, terming the allegations levelled in the case as false. Thereafter, Mr Nachhatar Singh made numerous appeals to the police to register a case about his ‘missing’ son. But the police did not pay any heed and kept on saying that his son was a proclaimed offender, hence they could not register a missing person case. Mr Nachhatar Singh had also made appeals to the Governor of Punjab, the Director-General of Police and the Inspector-General of Police, Patiala, in April 2001. It was the Rajpura court which ordered the police station concerned to register a case of missing person about Varinder Singh as he is no longer a proclaimed offender as the high court had quashed the case against him. The Dera Bassi police registered a case of missing person on August 8, 2004. Mr Nachhatar Singh has announced a reward of Rs 1,000 to whosoever gives the information regarding the whereabouts of his son. |
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Child ‘swapping’: blood samples of mother, child taken for DNA test Chandigarh, August 12 The couple is, however, ready to keep the child with them till the things become clear.” Things will be clear only when the DNA tests results will come. Till then, we will keep the baby girl with us,’’ said Kuldeep Singh. The controversy arose on Tuesday night, when the couple, a resident of Sector 24, alleged that a baby boy had been born to them but they were handed over a baby girl, despite that fact that the entries made in the official registers suggested that a male child had been born. The couple had further alleged that overwriting had been done in the registers twice where the word `female’ had been written over `male’. While the hospital officials have brushed aside the allegations as the human error on the part of the hospital staff, the Director Health Services (DHS), Dr C.P. Bansal, has already marked an inquiry into the incident with Dr Rupinder Kaur, Head of the Department of Paediatrics, GH-16, made the inquiry officer. The report is yet to be submitted. “The blood samples have been collected for the DNA tests and the inquiry is also underway. When the report will be submitted, we will be able to assess whose fault is it and then will be able to decide the future course of action,’’ said the
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Panel okays move on garbage collection Chandigarh, August 12 The idea, a brainchild of the chairman of the sanitation committee, Mr Chander Mukhi Sharma, got the approval of the members of the committee after the Residents Welfare Association of the sector submitted a representation signed by 65 per cent of the residents to this effect. The association suggested that they would pay for garbage collection through water bills, which would enable the corporation to have an idea of the funds collected from houses and reduce the cost involved in hiring sweepers. At the meeting, members and councillors of areas where sanitation had been privatised admitted that the standard of sanitation was better in comparison to corporation-managed areas. They were of the unanimous opinion that the committee should pull them up and ensure that contractors adhered to norms of the contract. |
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In search of a good Samaritan Chandigarh, August 12 A father of four children, Shiv Dayal worked in a private factory in Jagadhari, Haryana, before he suffered a spinal injury in 1998 and declared unfit to carry on with his job. But after he recovered from his spinal injury in 2000, he was diagnosed with TB. The problems compounded for the poor man, who had also been supporting his old parents, has been diagnosed with skin cancer at the PGI less than a year ago. The series of ailments has left Shiv Dayal penniless, who now finds himself unable to support his treatment. “He is unwell for last six years. My children are still very young and I am carrying on the family’s responsibilities by earning little money by weaving garlands. The doctors have told us that Rs 60,000 is required for the treatment for six months, which is a mammoth task for the family to raise,” said Shiv Dayal’s wife Sunita, who is accompanying her husband. The couple is staying in the Lifeline Rotary Sarai, (Bed No. 32) at the PGI for last several weeks. Good Samaritans willing to contribute for Shiv Dayal’s treatment can send cheque in the favour of the Director, PGI, Chandigarh. The Public Relations Officer can be contacted at 0172-2747585, extension-6003. |
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Water-proof tent for I-Day Chandigarh, August 12 A press note issued by the Deputy Commissioner said all formalities had been completed and separate rows had been set up for VVIPs, judges, defence personnel and officers of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. All chairs in the pandal would be of good quality of a similar comfort level. A generator set had been installed to keep the function uninterrupted. The Administrator would inspect the guard of honour. After that, he would address the audience. After the march past, commendation certificates and medals would be presented to outstanding persons. Thereafter, schoolchildren would present a cultural programme, after which prizes would be given to the best contingents/performance. At the end of the function, the National Anthem would be sung. A cultural evening would be organised at Tagore Theatre on the eve of Independence Day. Special buses would ferry freedom fighters and schoolchildren to the Parade Ground and back. "Ladoos" would be distributed among the participants of the parade. A first-aid post had been set up on the days of the rehearsal.
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Joint celebrations of I-Day Panchkula, August 12 Office-bearers of as many as 15 associations attended the meeting and finalised holding of ‘prabhat pheris’ and public meetings in their respective sectors on August 15. On the same day, various associations will launch a tree plantation drive in their sectors. The president of the CWA, Mr SK Nayar, has appealed to the residents of the city to extend support to the local administration and associations for celebrating the anniversary with fervour. Earlier, the CWA was approached by the Deputy Commissioner, Ms Neelam P Kasni, asking for a joint celebration of the national function. |
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17 animals die after consuming
pharmaceutical waste Zirakpur, August 12 Residents of the area said
the milch cattle were owned by Mr Gurbachan Singh, Mr Ram Singh and Mr
Singha Ram. The owners used to graze their cattle on the Sukhna choe
bed for the last many years. Mr Gurbachan Singh of Bartana village
lost two cows last night. Two cows and buffaloes owned by Mr Singha
Ram died on Monday night. Mr Ram Singh lost a cow. According to the
animal owners, they had herded their cattle to the choe bed and were
surprised when the cattle collapsed on Monday. The colour of their
tongues turned blue and they were motionless in minutes. This made
them suspicious and they conducted a search to the choe bed. They
found some white-coloured substance with a pungent smell on its banks
at Bhabhat village. Plastic wrappers of some medicine (insecticide or
pesticide) were also found lying at various places where the animals
used to graze. The animal owners lamented that they complained to the
Lohgarh police about the death of cattle on Tuesday but the police
authorities took no action. The police, however, claimed that no
such complaint had been reported to the Lohgarh police. Residents of
the area complained that dumping of expired medicines and drugs on the
Sukhna choe by pharmaceutical companies having their godowns at
Bhabhat village, had become routine. They added that this had not only
been causing water and air pollution, but posing a threat to human and
animal lives.
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A young man with a noble mission Chandigarh, August 12 Born at Daudpur village, near Khanna, Ami has done MA (History) from Panjab University after doing graduation from
A.S. College, Khanna. When he stepped in the City Beautiful about a decade ago, its insipid cultural settings created a big void inside him. " I have been deeply rooted in rural culture that is real and what I saw happening in the City Beautiful looked unreal", says Ami. " The show-off culture of the city made me go back to my roots to record real events happening around for posterity", says Ami. My first major venture was a documentary on farm labourers entitled " Born in debt". It is a painful real story about the labourers who work in fields in the countryside-- a story regarding their wretched living conditions, poverty, ignorance and haplessness. He has six documentaries to his credit till date. And among these is one about the “Kar
sewa” of Kali Bein, a holy nadi near Sultanpur Lodhi. It was one of the most polluted
nadis. Many towns, cities and village located on the either side of it have been using it has a drain for decades. But Sant Balbir Singh Sechewal one day decided to change all this. Sant Balbir Singh started Kar sewa to remove all the dirt and filth from Kali Bein to restore its original character of a pure holy nadi . Many stories of Guru Nanak Dev's period are associated with this
nadi. It is said that Guru Nanak Dev used to have a bath in this nadi when he stayed at Sultanpur Lodhi. In a year, Sant Balbir Singh not only cleansed 150 km-long stretch of the nadi but has also beautified its banks and nearby surroundings by developing beautiful lawns, water features etc. The nadi that used to stink has now become a water body worth seeing. Ami has prepared about one-and-a-half hour-long documentary on the kar sewa of that
nadi. He has diligently captured all aspects of the kar sewa in which thousands of people of all walks participated for over a year. Only 20 km part of the nadi remains to be taken care of. How the Sant convinced the people not to flow their waste in the nadi and how he prepared them for such a big project is worth seeing in the documentary. Besides, he has prepared a film on Najam Hussain Sayeed, a Pakistani wise man, who daily provides platform to people to discuss issues of importance for the daily life of common man. This documentary has been given the title " Anhadvaje
vaje". Another documentary is regarding Sudarshan Kumar, a human rights activist. Another one is " Zulam aur Aman", an anti-war film of a short span.
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Stress laid on ethical practices Chandigarh, August 12 This was stated by Mr Charanjit Singh, president, Chadigarh
Management Association, while addressing a seminar on "how to build a winning organisation" organised by the association. Mr Sudarshan
Bannerjee, Managing Director, Dalmia Consumer Care, was the keynote speaker at the seminar. The meeting was attended by over 150 management professional, CEOs of companies and the entrepreneurs. Mr Dharam Vir, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Home, Haryana, was the chief guest at the seminar which was also addressed by Mrs Uma Oberoi, Director, All-India Management Association.
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Two booked in dowry cases Chandigarh, August 12 A similar complaint was filed by Mrs Davinder Kaur of Medical Collage Residential Complex, Sector 32, at Sector 34 police station, against her husband, Bhupinder Singh of Sohana village District Fatehabad, Haryana. She was married to him in March 3, 1995. Cases of criminal breach of trust and cruelty under Sections 406 and 498-A of Indian Penal Code have been registered. Two persons were arrested on Wednesday ganja and liquor were seized. Santosh Kumar of Pandit Colony, Khajheri, UT, was arrested from near power house, Khajheri village and 980 grams of ganja was seized. A case under Section 20 of the Narcotic Drugs Psychotropic Substances Act has been registered. In another incident, the poice arrested Ram Hari of Kumhar Colony, Sector 25, from near road dividing Sectors 24 and 25. As many as 80 quarters of Hero whisky were seized from his possession. A case under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act has been registered. |
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Chain snatched; car stolen Chandigarh, August 12 Mrs Sita Devi of Modern Housing Complex, Mani Majra, reported that two unidentified persons riding a scooter snatched her gold chain near the market complex at Mani Majra. The
police registered a case of assault and theft under Sections 356 and 379 of the IPC at the Mani Majra police station. |
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Watchman found dead Mohali, August 12 Mr Kharak Singh, the night watchman, told the police that he had taken over from Atra Ram last evening at 7 pm but found him lying outside a factory in the morning. The police said that there were no marks of any injury on his body and he seemed to have died due to excessive consumption of alcohol. |
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Woman found dead Chandigarh, August 12 |
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Man found dead Chandigarh, August 9
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PSIEC plan to sell industrial plots Mohali, August 12 The PSIEC will be now be advertising the sale of 70 industrial plots of one kanal each (500 square yards) in one of the three pockets of its land freed following the cancellation of the residential plots of the 280 allotees. These persons had been provisionally allotted residential plots by the PSIEC under the industrial housing scheme advertised by the PSIEC in December 2003. These residential plots had been cut by PSIEC in over 60 acres in three separate pockets in Industrial Area Phase VIII B. It is also reliably learnt that the PSIEC had increased the rate of its industrial plots from Rs 1100 per square yard to Rs 2000 per square yard. |
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