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Bloody battle in Zirakpur
Zirakpur, March 24 It all started when the police, who had picked up Chhote Lal, a resident of the “illegally occupied” Shaheed Bhagat Singh Colony, yesterday, today asked his family to take him back. Chhote Lal had been picked up in the wake of a dispute between buyers of the colony land and the residents. Upon reaching the police station today, the family found Chotte Lal in a serious condition, caused by the alleged administration of electric shocks to him. Angry residents of the colony, located on a nearby prime land, stormed the police station, damaged vehicles and attacked police personnel, who had to later fire in the air to control the berserk crowd. Scores of residents came out in support of the “victimised family”, blocking traffic on the national highway for more than three hours. Clearly outnumbered by the mob, the police called for extra force from Dera Bassi and Mohali. The force however came in around 10 pm whereas the chaos had started as early as 7.30 pm. A pitched battle then ensued between the agitators and the police, with both hurling stones at each other and the police resorting to firing in the air to disperse the mob. Dera Bassi DSP Surinder Pal and acting Zirakpur SHO Gurpreet Singh were injured in the violent attacks. Meanwhile, a seriously injured Chote Lal, was shifted to a local hospital. He, along with about 20 persons, had been arrested yesterday on a complaint of certain developers who had recently bought the land from Manimajra Motor Market Association. A close relative of a former Congress minister is reported to be involved in the purchase of this land, worth Rs 50 crore. President of the colony Bal Kishan alleged that the police, in connivance with some developers, was trying to uproot the colony residents, who had been resisting the move. In fact, at one time, a compromise had been struck between the residents and the buyers, whereby displaced residents were to be rehabilitated. A section of the residents had, however, opposed this move. Incidentally, Mohali DC HIS Grewal and SP Indermohan Singh reached the spot as late as 11 pm. Soon on reaching, the SP started refuting allegations of third degree torture. Senior police officers, had a very tough time controlling the police personnel who, later, went to the colony to retaliate. Some people were also rounded up. Meanwhile, panic gripped the residents of nearby colonies.
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Every thousandth person in city a PO
Intriguingly, every thousandth person in the city is a proclaimed offender. Every year, the number of arrested criminals is far less than those who evade arrest. The police has a dismal record as far as nabbing the proclaimed offenders (POs) is concerned. Against the whopping number of 860 persons declared proclaimed offenders by local courts, the police has so far been able to lay its hands on just 22 till date. In 2006 the force managed to arrest only 18 POs. Among the POs is Jagtar Singh Tara, who, along with his two accomplices Jagtar Singh Hawara and Paramjit Singh Bheora and cook Devi Singh, tunnelled his way to freedom from Burail jail in 2004. Devi Singh is also at large while Hawara and Bheora were arrested by the Delhi police. Among those wanted by the police are either domestic helps. And the other category is of criminals wanted in heinous crimes like killing and bomb blasts. Some of the POs have managed to evade arrest for decades. Giving names of some of the proclaimed offenders, sources said Prem Shankar of Lucknow had been evading arrest since 1992. He was booked in a case of cheating. The police has also failed to trace three persons involved in a case of robbery in 1985. They are: Harminder Singh Rimpy of Sector 34-D, Harbhajan Singh of Chachuwali village, Amritsar, whose present address is in Sector 37-D, and Baljit Singh of Mukhyana village in district Hoshiarpur. The Sector 17 police station, which has recently been awarded for being the best station of the city, has the highest number of 265 POs on its list. It is followed by the Sector 26 police station with 85 POs. Sources in the police department said a lackadaisical attitude of police officers, coupled with corrupt practices of policemen, who wilfully avoid arresting the accused, were some of the reasons behind the large number of criminals being at large. About the efforts put in by the police, the sources said it was about seven years ago that the UT police released a booklet providing information about the proclaimed offenders. Barring some special drives, no such steps had been taken by the force since then. Even the website of the Chandigarh police was of no help as it did not say anything about the proclaimed offenders. Meanwhile, senior superintendent of police, UT, Gaurav Yadav asserted that they were soon going to release a booklet with details of the proclaimed offenders. Besides, efforts were being made to put the information on the website of the department.
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Fans vent ire through SMSs
“Entire responsibility of the defeat of India against Sri Lanka in the World Cup goes to …Indira Gandhi. How ????? She had created Bangladesh L” proclaims one such message. A number of SMSs, many of them satirical, suggest the anger, disappointment and dismay of cricket fans across the country. Bangladesh, according to cricket experts, was among the weaker teams in the World Cup fray, but had beaten India by five wickets in their opening match. The defeat apparently had a demoralising effect on the team, besides taking a direct hit on the team’s point table. India lost a crucial match to Sri Lanka yesterday. While angry cricket fans burnt effigies across the country, mobile service providers earned a good revenue with a large number of messages reportedly exchanged among the public. “Sehwag ko Mayur pehnao; Sachin ko Pepsi pilao; Dhoni ko Brylcream lagao; Dravid mein Castrol bharwao; Yuvraj ko malai mar kar lassi pilao, lekin please inko cricket mat khilao.” says another SMS. “Aaj se har us vastu ka upyog band kar do jis ke vigyapan Indian cricket team ke sadasya karte ho. Iss SMS ko zyada se zyada pracharit kare to be a true Indian.” In a country where the cricketers are looked upon as demi-gods, their fall from the pedestal has hurt many, as is reflected in the messages. So much so, a message went to the extent of inviting subscribers to a ceremony being held to tonsure the heads of the Indian players. “U R cordially invited to attend the mundan ceremony of Indian cricket team at India Gate. Please bring your chappals and eggs with you. Send this message to every Indian.”
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UT to outsource delivery services
Chandigarh, March 24 The administration is also working on outsourcing Information Technology, secretarial, courier, and highly technical and professional services. The home department has recently issued guidelines for outsourcing to all administrative secretaries and heads of departments. A senior official said “services in a number of areas were crippled because of paucity of staff and increased workload. The services identified for outsourcing will be given to private parties to give us more professional results. Tenders’ details are being worked out”. It was also pointed out that “agencies with a professional background will be given preference in allotment of work. The outsourcing for E-Sampark Centres has given excellent results”. Departments will work on the nature of services required to be outsourced instead of specifying only the number of people needed. The department applying for outsourcing should not have any regular employee in the department intended to be outsourced or in the particular unit of the department under consideration. Even in the main offices of the administration, secretarial work pertaining to stenographers, typists and personal assistants (PAs) will be outsourced. The outsourcing is based on provisions existing in the General Financial Rules 178 to 185. The Home Department has specified that “once the services and activities to be outsourced are identified, the minimum qualifying criteria, the expected service levels, performance monitoring standards and liabilities in case of non-performance shall be unambiguously determined and approved by the head of the department concerned”.
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Pair of white tigers to charm Chhat Bir zoo visitors
Chandigarh, March 24 In fact, it was a big day for the zoo management today as it got a male and a female tiger aged about one
each, besides other animals, under an exchange programme with the National Zoological Park, New Delhi. Apart from the white tigers, the Chhat Bir zoo has also got an African-caped male buffalo and a female jaguar under the exchange programme, zoo field director Dharminder Sharma told The Tribune today. The Chhat Bir zoo has reciprocated by sending two white bucks, a pair of
chinkara, a pair of saras crane, a pair of Khaleez pheasant and a ghoral to the Delhi zoo. Sources said the animals had been exchanged following an approval from the Central Government
Authority(CZA), a statutory body of the Centre for the supervision of the zoos all over the country. An inventory of the animals is made by the zoos following which surplus animals are identified to be exchanged by the respective zoos among
themselves. The managements of the zoos concerned then formalise the exchange programme and it was implemented with the approval of the CZA, sources said. The white tigers would be more of a visual delight than serving any inbreeding purpose, Sharma said. However, the buffalo and jaguar will complete the pair and go a long way in the inbreeding of the animals, he added. Last year, the zoo was in the news following the death of several animals, including the white tigers. The addition of new animals would go a long way in replenishing the stock of animals in one of the biggest zoos in the country having an array of animals. Earlier
also, the zoo had undertaken a successful exchange of animals with several
zoos, including those in Delhi and the Northeast.
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Land Acquisition Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 24 Headed by a sitting judge of a High Court, the regulatory authority should comprise financial experts, environmentalist, urban planners and representatives of landowners, it suggests. The authority should be on the lines of the Urban Arts Commission, which is being constituted for the city by the centre. The regulatory authority should examine the justification to acquire land and ensure that the landowners get compensation at the market price. “The claim of the administration to acquire land for ‘public purpose’ projects should be examined keeping in view environmental concerns, population growth and architectural control so that the acquisition could be justified,” says Amar Singh Chahal, president of the Lawyers for Human Rights International. “We demand a probe by a parliamentary committee on the land sold to private builders and the public purpose it has served. Selling a two-bedroom flat at over Rs 1 crore is not a public service but a real estate deal at the cost of farmers,” says the body. Claiming to create public opinion on the issue, members of the human rights body, while addressing a press conference, said there was little intelligence in acquiring land for projects that might take years to materialise. They have sought a white paper on the acquisitions made in the past, public purpose they have served and compensation offered to the evacuee and profit made by the administration. “The acquisition of land should be regulated and not left to the whims of the administration, which has a bureaucratic setup, accountable to none. The Land Acquisition Act, 1894, is being misused by the bureaucracy-laden administration, which has no concern for genuine landowners”, says T.S. Sudan, another lawyer. The body, in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA president Sonia Gandhi, minister of state for finance Pawan Kumar Bansal and UT administrator Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd), has stated that the authorities have failed to diagnose the problem and have adopted a piecemeal and segmented approach while catering to one section of stakeholders whose pressure is predominant at a particular time.
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Vehicle safety, staff conduct paramount
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 24 While parties are only concerned about fulfilling their election promise of removing paid parking, city residents are interestingly not bothered about it. On the other hand, they are more keen on seeking friendlier staff and getting more parking space. “Paying parking fee is not a problem with me. But what bothers me is the attitude of the staff. They are not only rude but also irresponsible when it comes to the safety of your vehicle. Moreover, they don’t even show the basic courtesy of telling you that the parking is full. It is more of an entry fee than parking fee,” states Sandeep Bhaardwaj, a resident of sector 48. He suggests that the city needs to adopt parking systems on the lines of those in New Delhi. “Staff there act as valet and park the car for you. One wants to tip them for that. Despite handing them over the keys, our cars are safe there. And here there is no safety,” he adds. Shrikant Mahanti, working in Sector 35, states that he is always worried about the safety of his two-wheeler in the parking. “The staff never check the slip for the vehicle number when one rides out of the parking.” This laxity means anyone can ride away with your vehicle.” Recent cases of cars being stolen from parking notwithstanding, the general public is not too happy with the MCC’s unconcerned attitude. “The MC needs some new laws to make the parking staff accountable for theft. The MC also needs to have a complaint counter for grievances,” suggests Hardeep Kaur, a schoolteacher and resident of Sector 15. Interestingly, businessmen who opposed the implementation of paid parking when it was introduced, also have no problem with it except that it needs to be better managed. “Yes, we were apprehensive when it was introduced but now the problems are different. The MC needs to seriously find some people-friendly solutions. They should take a lead from the parking at Connaught Place in New Delhi,” states Neeraj Bajaj, member of the business promotion council of Sector 17. He is also not averse to the idea of traders taking the responsibility of their parking, as is the case in Sector 22. With the new parking contract to be implemented from April 1, there is hope that things will improve.
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Heritage structures losing sheen
Chandigarh, March 24 His words on Chandigarh, delivered in 1952 stand tremulous today with the city’s very character - its architectural heritage - facing neglect and indifference. A visit to the three sites or structures and cubes that symbolically represent the three phases over which Chandigarh was built, reveal penury of spirit and care. According to M.N. Sharma, former chief architect of the city, who worked closely with Le Corbusier, M.S. Randhawa, former chief commissioner, Chandigarh, “started putting up memorial cubes identifying historical moments in Chandigarh. While they mark historical events, in a sense they do signify the three phases of the city’s construction”. At Lily Garden, Sector 9, stands a memorial to Nehru’s vision of planned urban development. It was from here that Le Corbusier and Nehru, standing atop a raised platform, surveyed the land that was to be Chandigarh on April 2, 1952. While the site itself was at the receiving end of a much-publicised clean-up recently, the garden is strewn with falling leaves and flowers and the place has virtually no visitors barring those out for an evening walk. The place stands dusty and forlorn. The situation, however, is much worse for those cuboids in Sector 35 and 34, respectively. Set in a small enclosure on Dakshin Marg in Sector 35 is the cube marking the second phase of Chandigarh i.e. December 25, 1966. Overgrown shrubbery, filth, shabby bedding leaning against the concrete block and a general appearance of extreme negligence characterises the place. The enclosed space in Sector 34 is equally bad. Built in 1978, long after Corbusier, by the then Chief Architect Sharma, there is nothing to indicate any supervision here. Apart from the overgrown grass, rubbish heaps and empty packets strewn around, excreta lies in heaps around the cube. Rose coloured tiles from the platform lie broken and the plaque on the concrete cube is missing. M.N. Sharma rued the condition of the structures. “Heritage is an important link to our cultural history and yet we do not value it. Students should be made aware of our heritage so that they can be its custodians when they grow up,” he said. These cubes capture the spirit of Chandigarh, minimalist, unfussy yet exquisite. However, there is a general sense of apathy even amongst the residents of the city who do not know what is being lost. Rajnish Wattas, principal, Chandigarh College of Architecture, theorises one reason for this lack of interest. “The problem, if one may call it that, is the modernism of the city. The no-frills, functional structures compare feebly to the conventional ruins like the forts in Delhi. The city’s architecture perhaps does not give rise to that ‘something antique’ feeling in the people.” According to him, if the city continues to neglect its architecture and move the original boundaries outward, it will start losing its relevance. “This is still one of the best cities to live in and that is precisely what validates the city’s existence and planning.” Nehru once said: “The most important thing about Chandigarh is not whether you like it or not but that it hits you on your head and makes you think.” The question is does the administration and the people of this city think the city is worth preserving?
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MC to cap city’s dump
Chandigarh, March 24 It will also develop a sanitary landfill for future dumping of the city garbage after garbage processing unit. These will help fulfil the mandatory requirements of the municipal solid waste (management and handling) rules, 2000. Speaking on the agreements, a spokesperson for the corporation said following works would be undertaken under the specifications laid down by the ministry of environment and forests, Government of India: flossing and capping of 25 acres of the current dumping ground near Dadu Majra, which is being used to dispose
of garbage from the city; development of sanitary landfill to be used for disposal
of municipal solid wastes. The project is a joint venture between the central pollution control board (CPCB), municipal corporation, Chandigarh, and the Chandigarh administration. The project is expected to cost Rs 8.28 crore. Around one lakh cubic metre of earth will be required for the purpose, which will be acquired from Sukhna Lake.
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Workshop on project report making
Chandigarh, March 24 The workshop was jointly organised by the ministry of urban development, Government of India, the Chandigarh administration and the municipal corporation. In her welcome address, the mayor said the JNNURM had been implementing various projects in different cities from time to time. She said in the era of global expansion, professional attitude was imperative for getting a competitive edge. “The workshop will be a great learning experience for participants and prove to be a significant platform for sharing experience and implementation of JNNURM projects in totality,” she said. In his introductory address, UT finance secretary S.K. Sandhu maintained that the city had been associated with the project from the very beginning. He said the workshop would help address a number of issues. He stressed the identification of projects to be covered under the mission. He said the need of the hour was to seek professional help for the preparation of detailed project reports.
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Honest to the core
Chandigarh, March 24 And the one recommending him is renowned orthopaedic surgeon Dr O.N. Nagi, associated with Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi. The letter recounts a gesture whereby Hans returned Dr Nagi’s lost packet that the latter had forgotten on the train. The packet contained Rs 14,000 and other valuable cards. “It’s a matter of pride that such people still exist in our organisation. They should be suitably rewarded,” Dr Nagi has written to the minister. On his part, Hans is humble about the letter and naturally so, considering his past record of such gestures. He once arranged medical help for an Australian couple on board the Shatabdi. As soon as they complained of diarrhoea, Hans sent a wireless message to Chandi Mandir. When the train halted at Chandigarh, the doctor was on the Shatabdi to offer help. On another occasion, Hans arranged to hospitalise a 13-year-old girl, who had acute gastroenteritis on board. “We were going from Chandigarh to Delhi, when the problem arose. I arranged help and an ambulance was ready at the New Delhi railway station to fetch the girl,” Hans said. As regards cash, Hans has returned huge sums, including Rs 14 lakh on one occasion and Rs 20,000 on another.
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Fire at Sector-15 house
Panchkula, March 24 The owner, Om Prakash, said he had lit an earthen lamp during his morning prayers after which had gone downstairs for some work. A little later he noticed smoke billowing out of one of the rooms and immediately called the fire brigade. The bedroom was gutted in the fire, destroying cupboards and its contents - including cash — besides other goods.
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Milk found adulterated
Mohali, March 24 According to reports, the milk contained water, but no harmful chemical was found in them. The camp was organised to create awareness about the quality of milk among the residents.
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Amenities sought
Chandigarh, March 24 Gurbahan Singh also demanded that lease system for 64 booths be exempt as a special case for handicapped allottees.
— TNS
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Disproportionate Assets Case Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 24 Sources in the CBI said that raids were conducted on the basis of information at the Sector 17 office and Sector 10 residence of Pandey simultaneously. Certain incriminating documents pertaining to property, cash and jewellery were recovered from his residence. A case has been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act. Pandey is currently on deputation to Nitcon from his parent department - the Industrial Finance Corporation of India. Sources said that though the sleuths did not find many documents from his office, yet they managed to seize incriminating few official and personal documents. CBI officials have provided the list of documents seized to his office. According to CBI, it is Nitcon which prepares technical reports of all industries coming under its purview for grant or advancement of loans and financial sanctions. The department gives loans to private companies on the basis of evaluation reports of properties or immovable assets of companies. It was in evaluation reports that the officials of Nitcon allegedly made money by fixing evaluation at much higher level than their real value.
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Two vehicles stolen
Chandigarh, March 24 Ashutosh Sharma of Sector 40-A lodged a complaint with the police claiming that his Mahindra Scorpio (CH 03 V 9931) was stolen from his residence yesterday. In another incident, Shakti Ram of Sector 38 reported to the police that his car (CH 03 Z 3456) was stolen from his residence during the intervening night of March 22 and 23. Two cases of theft have been registered in this regard.
Burglary
Rajinder Mohan of Sector 22 C lodged a complaint with the police claiming that a gold chain, a gold set with earrings, three kitty sets and five pairs of earrings were stolen from his residence last evening. The thieves gained entry by breaking open the locks. A case has been registered in this connection.
Assault cases
Des Raj of Kajheri Colony reported to the police that Jaspal Singh of the same colony and Jolli of Burail forcibly entered his house and assaulted him yesterday. They also threatened him with dire consequences. He was admitted to the General Hospital, Sector 16. A case has been registered at the police station, Sector 36. In another incident, Rakesh Kumar of Rewari district in Haryana reported to the police claiming that Tinku, Raju and Rena, all residents of colony No. 4 assaulted and intimidated him near a cable factory on March 15. He was admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32. The police has arrested the three accused after registering a case against them.
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2 chain-snatching incidents reported
Panchkula, March 24 While Rekha Berry claimed that her chain worth Rs 18,000 was snatched at the local bus where she had gone to catch a bus to Kalka, a similar incident was reported from Old Panchkula where two car-borne youths sped away towards Zirakpur after snatching a chain. Cases have been registered.
Theft bid
An attempted car theft was foiled in Sector 16, here today when two boys tried to steal a car parked in Sector 16. The owner, Manmohan, a resident of Harmilap Nagar, had gone to his friend’s house, while his children remained in the car. After a while, the children decided to go into the house. Mistakenly, they left one of the car windows half open. Grabbing the opportunity, two youths tried to make a futile attempt to steal the car. While one managed to flee from the spot, the other accused was nabbed by the owner and handed over to the police.
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Sector 41 to house modern fish market
Chandigarh, March 24 The fish market is expected to be completed within the next two months. Two refrigerated rooms will also be provided, along with eight air-conditioned shops, independent parking and washrooms in the new market. Steps will also be taken to bring further improvements in the existing meat market in Sector 21, in collaboration with the Market Welfare Associations of the fish and meat market. According to available statistics, at present, about 50 quintals of fish are consumed in the city everyday during winters and 20 quintals during summers. For retail sale of fish in colonies, the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation will make available three shops in Mauli Jagran colony and one shop in Sector 25 soon to cater to the requirements of people living there. A few sites for retail sale of fish will also be made in Indira Colony. To ensure sale of fish in clean and hygienic conditions, the MC commissioner today designated seven chief sanitary inspectors as meat supervisors. Also to regulate the sale of meat, fish and poultry products, the administration has notified bylaws known as “The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (Regulation for the sale of meat, fish and poultry) Bylaws 2002”. As per provisions of these bylaws, no sale of fish or other meat products can take place without obtaining a licence from the prescribed authority. — TNS
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BSNL goes strict
Chandigarh, March 24 Rajinder Singh, chief general manager telecom, Punjab circle, said these prepaid connections would be activated by BSNL or their franchisees only after receipt of customer application form and other documents establishing the identity of the owner. BSNL was selling pre-activated excel pre-paid cards to its prospective customers, which could be activated by dialing 123. However, following large-scale violations being found in the issuance of pre-paid cards (like hundreds of cards being issued in one name), it was decided to have stringent norms for issuing the same.
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Chandigarh, March 24
Chandigarh, March 24
