Chandigarh, June 17
Temperature fluctuations continued for the second day in a row, with Chandigarh getting cooler yet again. As against a hot and humid Saturday, when the city recorded a maximum of 33.2°C, today was pleasant and cool. Whereas the day temperature had jumped by 5.4°C yesterday, it fell by 4.6°C today, ensuring respite from heat.

The striking part of June has been a continuous decline in minimum temperature. After hovering around the 25°C mark for about a week, the night temperature declined further to 21.4°C today, a decline of 2.8°C as compared to yesterday. On June 14, the night temperature was 26°C, but the consistent decline, the Met department said, was quite unusual in this part of the season although metereologically speaking, fluctuations in the night temperature were not taken very seriously.

Nights in June have, in fact, seldom been this cold. Other days in June when the city recorded a significantly low night temperature were: June 10, 1991 (18.6°C), June 5, 1996 (19.4°C), June 8, 2000 (10°C), June 13, 2006 (19.2°C).

The department said the current cool conditions were prevailing due to continuous rain over the past some days and storm-like conditions that prevailed in the city throughout the last night, bringing the night temperature down to 21°C from 23.8°C a night before. Alterations in temperature will continue due to changes in the weather system, the Met department said, while forecasting more rain for the region.

Chandigarh, June 17
Reckless driving cut short a promising career, when a 23-year-old MCA student studying in Pune was killed after the motorcycle he was riding pillion rammed into Kisan Bhavan Chowk in the wee hours today.

The police has arrested the victim’s friend, who was riding the motorcycle on a charge of causing death due to rash and negligent driving.

The investigating officer of the case, sub-inspector Gurmail Singh, told TNS that the victim had been identified as Atul Sharma of Hamirpur district in Himachal Pradesh. His friend, Harshvardhan of Mandi district, who escaped with minor injuries in the mishap, was riding the motorcycle.

The youths were visiting their friends in the city on their way home to Himachal Pradesh.

They had studied in a private college in the city and had reached here on Friday. They failed to catch a bus on Saturday following which they decided to stay back for the day, said an acquaintance of the victims.

His motorcycle rammed into the rotary and before landing on the road. Atul suffered serious head injuries, besides other multiple injuries on his body. Both were without a safety helmet. They were taken to the Sector 16 Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, where doctors declared Atul brought dead.

Harshvardhan was later discharged from the hospital as he received two stitches on his chin, besides suffering a minor injury on his arm, said the police.

The police said the youths had borrowed the motorcycle from one of their acquaintances in Sector 35. Family members of Atul were informed about the incident and they reached the city late in the afternoon.

The police said the post-mortem would be conducted on Monday. 

Chandigarh, June 17
Should Apartment Rules be implemented in Chandigarh city? Will apartments deface Le Corbusier’s masterpiece? While the Chandigarh Administration has initiated a public debate on the issue by inviting opinion from city residents, the administration’s senior standing counsel has opposed the idea.

In his opinion given to the adviser to the administrator (a copy of which is with The Tribune) senior standing counsel Anupam Gupta states, “The apartment concept would stand Corbusier’s Chandigarh on its head. The operation of the market being what it is, it would be naïve in the extreme to believe that the ultimate consequence of the Apartment Rules would be anything other than a complete or virtual take over of Chandigarh by builders or realtors. However successful or prosperous Chandigarh might thus become, it would mean the death of Chandigarh as a planned city, as the city of Le Corbusier.” Gupta points out that, “by providing that each sub division of a building shall be recognized as distinct identifiable property which the owner /lessee shall have title” the Chandigarh Apartment Rules of 2001 invert the private property- public weal relationship embodied in the original character of Chandigarh as a planned city.

Recommending the repeal of the Chandigarh Apartment Rules 2001 insofar as residential buildings or properties are concerned, Gupta said, “Rights of private property are subordinate to the public weal. In Chandigarh, in particular, rights to property must be placed and seen in the context of the public purpose and the public policy embodied in the city’s planned character, a character that is a genetic or umbilical trait, for the city was born as a planned city.”

“The seminal importance even from the purely legal point of view, of the character of Chandigarh as a planned city with strict architectural controls with an ambience and ethos of its own unlike any other city in the country, cannot be overemphasized. Adapting the language of the equality clause of the constitution Chandigarh is a class into itself or a class in itself.”aHe has recommended that the said rules be retained only insofar as commercial buildings or properties, subject to strict enforcement of architectural controls. “Retention of the apartment rules in respect of commercial buildings or properties as envisaged would however be limited qualified or conditioned by the imperative of maintaining the original character/special character of areas and /or buildings in the city such as City Centre in Sector 17 as envisioned by Corbusier himself, even though such areas and buildings are otherwise commercial.”

While cleanliness is always an attraction for visitors, the indifference of the officials to the upkeep threatens to deprive Chandigarh of the the City Beautiful tag.

A large number of plastic wrappers, papers and polythene bags can be seen along roadsides and dividers. Besides, heaps of garbage greet visitors entering the city through Dakshan Marg.

The problem, however, is not that of a disinterested administration and the municipal corporation alone. People themselves are to blame for the lack of civic sense which has resulted in roads becoming open dustbins for throwing away anything, anywhere.

The unwillingness of the authorities in keeping the city clean is evident from the unchecked growth of weeds by roadsides and the presence of polythene bags, disposable glasses and plates on the dividers.

This has not gone down well with city residents. “The authorities seem to have forgotten their duty to keep the city clean. In gardens, by the roadside, in markets or wherever you go, rubbish seems ‘omnipresent’ and safai karamcharis are conspicuous by their absence. Where have the committees, formed to maintain sanitation and to keep an eye on the safai karamcharis gone,” asked a senior citizen.

“I felt ashamed when my cousin came to the city with his family and his son pointed at a garbage dump by the roadside in Sector 29 along Dakshan Marg. What is our city coming to? It is high time residents took notice of this growing menace and approached the authorities to address the issue,” said Sector 51-based Anshu Sharma.

Chandigarh, June 17
The Chandigarh police continued its special checking drive in the city following threats of a possible strike by Kashmiri ultras in the city and Punjab and Haryana.

The police today launched a search operation in Burail village, frisking suspicious persons and verifying the antecedents of recent settlers. The operation lasted about two hours. The police quizzed occupants of guest houses and small hotels in Burail.

The scene was much the same as yesterday at both bus stands and the railway station in Chandigarh. The SHOs concerned supervised the search operations. Passengers coming to the city were questioned and their luggage checked with metallic detectors and sniffer dogs. Sources said police personnel in plain clothes had been deployed at important places in the city to keep an eye on persons with suspicious behaviour.

Heavy police deployment was witnessed at the railway station. Police officials were warning passengers against touching unclaimed articles. They also informed the public that in case they came across any articles lying abandoned, they should inform the police about it.

The sources said the local police had received advisory information from intelligence agencies following which instructions were passed on to police personnel manning sensitive places like bus stands, market places and religious institutions. 

Congress grass dots the landscape of Sector 29 in Chandigarh.—Tribune photo by Vinay Malik

Chandigarh, June 17
Widespread unchecked growth of congress grass (hysterophorous parithenium) in and around the City Beautiful is making life miserable for residents. The weeded area is also home to snakes and other reptiles, besides rats. Though it is exposing residents to health hazards, the authorities concerned seem little bothered about it.

Residents in Sectors 25, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 37, 43, 44 and 52 spoke about close encounters with rodents and snakes. The problem of congress grass was spoken about in great deal by the residents.

“Harmful weeds can cause skin allergies, asthma and other respiratory diseases. It is the duty of the authorities concerned to remove these weeds, but no one seems to care. This wild growth speaks volumes about the poor upkeep of the city,” lament residents.

Experts recommend that congress grass should be rooted out before it develops pollen grains and flowers. This weed sucks vital micronutrients from the soil and inhibits growth of other plants in the vicinity, besides causing allergy among humans.

Roadsides, backyards where underground drainage pipes have been laid and vacant plots are proving to be very unsafe for the inhabitants. The tall grass is a perfect breeding ground for insects and snakes.

Snakes, lizards, rodents living in this grass often enter shops and houses, creating panic. With monsoon round the corner, the entire area needs to cleared of weed immediately.

Residents said, “We have reported this problem to the authorities concerned many times, but no action has been taken yet.”

J.S. Thakur, assistant professor, School of Public Health, PGI, said, “This vicious weed causes skin problems such as itching and allergic dermatitis, and respiratory problems. It should be cleared before the arrival of monsoon because that is the time when it grows rapidly.” 

Zirakpur, June 17
The carpeting of roads in the Gobind Vihar colony in Baltana has come under a cloud with a section of residents alleging the use of sub standard material.

Within a few days of the recarpeting of roads, cracks and potholes had reportedly surfaced on the roads, exposing the claims of the Zirakpur nagar panchayat. In fact, the laying of the roads during night also raises questions about the transparency in the execution of the project, alleges Roomil, a resident.

Sources said the basic guidelines for laying roads had allegedly been given a go-by. While the prescribed thickness of the road had to be about 3 inches, the roads laid were much less in thickness, sources alleged.

With repeated representations to the nagar panchayat, the residents had been waiting for a long time for the recarpeting of the roads. However, when work was started, the shoddy job done by the contractor seems to have sent the residents in a tizzy, a resident said.

With the monsoon round the corner, the time seems wrong for the recarpeting of the roads.The pre-monsoon showers seem to have done a considerable damage to the roads. The condition of the roads after the heavy rainfall during the monsoon could well be imagined, the residents feared.

Saying that he was yet to receive any complaint about the alleged use of substandard material, area councillor Gurmail Singh Saini, said he would take up the matter with the president and executive officer of the nagar panchayat.

"The development works were being undertaken with public money and it is our duty to satisfy the residents about the quality of work," Saini added.

Echoing similar sentiments, nagar panchayat president Narinder Sharma, claimed that utmost transparency was followed in all development works being executed by the nagar panchayat. However, he conceded that the monsoon was the wrong time to recarpet the roads.

Sharma claimed that he was personally supervising the projects with the help of the civic body official. In fact, the money was released to the contractor after the civic body was satisfied with the execution of the project.

Zirakpur, June 17
Hundreds of shopkeepers of the main market in Baltana are a harried lot as the basic amenities continue to elude them.

The shopkeepers alleged that despite the payment of a huge amount to the state exchequer by way of various development charges, provision of basic amenities seemed to be last on the agenda of the authorities concerned.

The absence of a toilet in the market forced visitors and shopkeepers to urinate in the open. Since a substantial number of shops do not have water connections, the public is greatly inconvenienced, says Ashish, a shopkeeper.

It was after several years that a sewerage was laid in the area. However, the dug-up roads are yet to be recarpeted, making it an accident-prone area.

An electric pole in the area bent after being hit by a vehicle recently but it has not been repaired so far.

In the absence of action by the Zirakpur nagar panchayat, encroachers on both sides of the Zirakpur-Panchkula link road are having a field day. The 22-feet wide road, which links Baltana with Sector 19 of Panchkula, has shrunk by many feet leading to the bus service being discontinued, says Lakhmir Singh, a commuter.

Official sources conceded that various problems plauged the area. The development works were being undertaken in a phased manner depending on the resources at the disposal of the nagar panchayat.

With the constitution of the municipal council, which had been approved by the Punjab government recently, the civic body should get more funds, the sources added.

Mohali, June 17
Former Punjab minister Jagmohan Singh Kang today urged the Punjab Government to denotify Nadah and Karoran villages from the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) and from the list of forest areas.

In a letter addressed to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Kang highlighted the plight of about 40,000 persons living in the 707.70 hectare notified area, which falls under the Naya Gaon Nagar Panchayat. These people face extreme hardships due to this inclusion, which was a technical error committed on part of the state government, Kang said. Although there was no forest cover in these villages, they have been covered under the PLPA, which is a state Act, and as a result of the wrong affidavit have come under purview of the Forest Conservation Act.

Kang wrote that as MLA of the area, he had been pursuing the case with the Union ministry of environment and forests. He stressed that since the purpose for which this area was closed under the PLPA had already been met and necessary approval of the Central Government had been obtained, the state government could repeal the Act in these two villages.

Kang requested Badal to personally look into the matter and get the needful done. He also asked the chief minister to direct the concerned officials to take immediate steps to provide roads, sewerage, drinking water, streetlights, and other basic amenities to the suffering villagers.

Panchkula, June 17
The clean up act in the city is complete. The dividers in various sectors are open again. After a long-drawn battle with the Market Welfare Association, Sector 7, the Municipal Council and the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) finally relented.

The move came after local member of parliament Selja slammed the district administration for failure to get the mounds of earth piled up at dividers removed despite two court orders in favour of the market association.

Though the district administration had drawn up a list of dividers to be opened long back, they had been unable to get it implemented with HUDA and the district police planning to move a higher court on grounds that the closure of dividers in the city had brought down the accident rate significantly. However, the rap from the MP speeded up the action from the two departments.

According to a decision taken by a six-member committee formed to study the change in the master plan and close certain dividers, of 21 dividers, 12 dividers have been opened and the police will install traffic lights at busy transactions to regulate flow of traffic. 

Chandigarh, June 17
A motorbike expedition-cum-blood donation camp of the Chandigarh Adventurer’s Association was flagged off by Prof Kusum Joshi, PGI, here today.

The expedition started from the PGI Community Centre, Sector 24, and would conclude on June 30.

Dr Raj Kumar, secretary of the association, said the bikers would participate in the wreath-laying ceremony at War Memorial, Kargil, and donate blood at the Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences, Srinagar.

Chandigarh, June 17
Despite the recent mishap at the fruit and vegetable market in Sector 26, prices of fruits have more or less remained the same.

This is because the supplies have been adequate. Rather, the change in weather has only improved the sales, claim fruit vendors.

Prices of mangoes, especially the Dasehri variety, vary between Rs 25-30 across the city. However, the common man’s fruit - watermelon, which was Rs 8 per Kg last week, is selling at Rs 6 a Kg this week. The change in weather, primarily the pre-monsoon showers, is mainly responsible for the fall in the price.

However, the price of an all-weather fruit banana, varies from Rs 24-30 a Kg across the city. The price of apples, which are once again flooding the market, varies from Rs 60-90 a kg.

Though traders claim that the apples are the imported kinds, retailers state that only Kinnauri apples are being circulated in the city. A commission agent said with adequate supplies coming from various parts of the region, the prices were expected to stablise over the coming weeks. 

Ponds near the Assembly building in Sector 1 are full of dirt and are surrounded by wild growth. It gives bad impression to the tourists coming to City Beautiful. Chandigarh administrator Gen (retd) S.F. Rodrigues may kindly look into the matter.

I am working for promotion of tourism in the city for the past more than four decades. I have filed several petitions to the administration for keeping the surroundings and buildings neat and clean, but nothing has been done.

Narinder Singh
Chandigarh

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Chandigarh, June 17
Almost a year after the high-profile murder of gangster Prabhjinder Singh Dimpy hit the headlines, the investigations seems to have hit a roadblock. With the Chandigarh police still involved in procedural wranglings, the probe is moving at a snail’s pace.

Till now, the police has not been able to put the three suspects to polygraph and narco-tests, preliminary tools for the investigation to make a headway in the case. The police flip-flop as how to go about the investigation has further delaying the unravelling of the mystery. Prabhjinder Singh Dimpy, who hailed from Chandbhan village near Kotkapura, was gunned down by unidentified shooters near the Lake Club in July last year. Dimpy was involved in several heinous crimes. The police said he was closely related with UP-based gangster Muktiar Ansari.

The case took a political turn, with Dimpy’s wife Pawandeep Kaur and her father alleging the role of Sukhbir Singh Badal, working president of SAD, in the murder of her husband. She alleged that Sukhbir had been threatening her husband of dire consequences as he was fast gaining political recognition in his constituency, which the latter considered a threat to his political career. However, Sukhbir has been rubbishing the allegations.

In an attempt to unravel the mystery, in April, this year, the investigating officials had sought permission from the court for brain mapping and narco tests of three suspects -- Harneev Kaur, Sandeep Bhau and Rocky. While two of them could not be fully subjected to the tests due to “health reasons”, the third suspect Rocky could not be tracked by the police. The trio had agreed to undergo the tests. The police believes that Sandeep Bhau and Rocky, could be involved in Dimpy’s murder as they were in same gang with him, but later parted ways.

The test of Harneev also remained incomplete as she complained of sickness and was subjected to the brain mapping test only. The role of Harneev came under suspicion as she was the one who called Dimpy out from Sukhna Lake Club on July 7 that evening. He was sitting in her car, when fired at. Harneev was also injured in the shootout, but she drove the car to her residence. Her family took her to the Sector 16 General Hospital immediately. However, they left Dimpy’s body in the car. Dimpy’s family alleged that she was involved in the murder.

In charge of the crime branch, inspector Satbir Singh said the tests would be conducted in the near future.

Chandigarh, June 17
The local police has booked three city residents on allegations of duping a man to the tune of over Rs 3.6 crore.

According to the police, Radha Krishan of Sector 22 lodged a complaint against L. Goel, Gagandeep Goel and Gaurav Deep Goel of Sector 18 alleging that the accused had duped him by forging documents.

They had some dispute over a shop and a case was registered following orders of JMIC Atul Marya.

It was alleged in the complaint that the accused neither gave shares nor cash to Krishan even though he had a share in a showroom in Sector 22.

He suffered a loss of Rs 3, 60,08,000 in the deal.

When he demanded his dues, the accused threatened him with dire consequences, said the police.

Chandigarh, June 17
High alert by the police following a threat of a terrorist attack in the city notwithstanding, snatchers continue to be on the prowl in the city, targeting gullible residents.

In the past 24 hours, six incidents of snatching have been reported from various parts of the city. During the past 48 hours, the UT police has been on high alert and has intensified patrolling in the city, but despite this, in all complaints, it was unidentified motorcyclists disappearing in thin air with valuables of city residents.

In Sector 42, at around 6 pm, two unidentified youngsters riding a Pulsar motorcycle attempted to snatch a chain of Saroj of the same sector. However, they failed in their bid as the woman raised the alarm. The police said the woman did not lodge a complaint.

The police said it verified the registration number of the motorcycle and found out that the number belonged to a TVS motorcycle and not a Bajaj Pulsar motorcycle.

Similarly, Seema Sharma of Sector 30 reported to the police that two youngsters riding a Bajaj Pulsor motorcycle tried to snatch her chain. The chain got broken while being pulled by the one of the miscreants. She informed the police about the matter, which reportedly asked her not to lodge a complaint.

In Burail, Anita of the same village lost her gold chain to two unidentified motorcyclists, who snatched it away from her on Saturday evening. A case had been registered in this connection.

Annie Sood of 49-A lodged a complaint with the police alleging that two unidentified motorcyclists snatched her gold chain this afternoon. She was walking outside her house when the incident took place. 

Panchkula, June 17
A 15-year-old boy committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree at Hangola village. Hailing from Bihar, the boy, Triveni, was working at a brick kiln in Mauli, where others from his family and village were also employed.

In his statement to the police, father of the deceased Kishori Lal said Triveni had been unhappy for the past few days but had not shared his trouble with anyone.

Kishori said Triveni left the house on the evening of June 14 for a walk and did not come back. The family members and others from their native village searched for him, but all efforts were in vain. Last night, his body was found by villagers, hanging from a eucalyptus tree. The body has been sent for postmortem to the PGIMS, Rohtak. Inquest proceedings have also been initiated.