Thursday, December 9, 1999
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N E W S Thursday, December 9, 1999 |
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Punwire
property attached SAS NAGAR, Dec 8 — Following a UT court order property worth over Rs 7.83 crore of Punjab Wireless Systems Ltd (Punwire) has been attached following its failure to repay the deposit of the Punjab Scheduled Castes Land Development and Finance Corporation given to the company under Inter Corporate Deposit (ICD) scheme. Already in deep by financial trouble, the attached movable and immovable property of Punwire includes office furniture and at least 15 vehicles with the two units of the company located in Industrial Area, Phase VI and Phase VII here. Acting on the orders of the Civil Judge (Junior Division), Chandigarh, Mr Pushpinder Singh, the property was attached by a bailiff of the court of the Civil Judge, Senior Division, Ropar. The bailiff has been asked to return the warrant of attachment of property on or before December 15. The attached property has been handed over on “Supardari” to Mr Hari Singh, an employee with Punwire, who will supervise it before producing the same before the court auctioneer as and when desired by the court. The orders for attachment of property by the UT court had been passed after the Punjab Scheduled Castes Land Development and Finance Corporation filed a civil suit after Punwire failed to pay back the amount on maturity. The corporation in its application before the court said that as per the approval of the Department of Finance ( Investment Cell) Punjab, an amount of Rs 6.5 crore was given under Inter Corporate Deposit ( ICD). The deposits was given to the company as it offered interest more than the interest being given by the banks. Initially the deposits were given for a period of six months which were later extended from time to time. Then the company issued post-dated cheques to the corporation which were, however, dishonoured. Repeated letters were written to the company to make the repayment. Then the department of finance, Punjab, informed the corporation that if Punwire failed to make payment by March 31, 1999, the corporation might take any action to realise the amount. Then the Executive Director (In charge) of the company on behalf of its management entered into a compromise decree on September 9, 1999. Under the compromise the company had agreed to pay in three instalments of Rs 2 crore each on October 31, November 31, and December 31 and the remaining amount on January 31, 2000. As per the compromise “if the company failed in their commitment, the decree will immediately become executable and the plaintiff will be free to execute the decree against the attached property or any other property of the defendants.” The corporation in its application said apart from deposits of Rs 6.5 crore given to Punwire, interest at a rate of 17.5 per cent with quarterly interest had been sought. The total amount including the interest, comes to around Rs 7, 42,27,312. Our Correspondent adds from Kharar: Mr Sanjay Agnihotri, Judicial Magistrate, Kharar, today remanded Mr Ved Parkash, Executive Director of Punwire , who was arrested by the SAS Nagar police yesterday, in police custody till December 11. Mr K.S. Brar, Assistant Public Prosecutor, and Mr Harmesh Kumar, ASI, who appeared on behalf of the State in the court informed the court that the accused along with his other companions had failed to deposit the provident fund of the employees amounting to about Rs 3.39 crore and had allegedly embezzled the amount. Mr Brar said that this amount was deducted from the salaries of the employees from October 1998 onwards till date. He said that the accused has received this amount from the salaries of the employees but not deposited with the Provident Fund Commissioner. He said that the accused was arrested yesterday and information about the other accused and the application for anticipatory bail had already been rejected by the court of the Sessions Judge at Ropar. He demanded that the accused should be remanded in police custody for seven days. The defence counsel pleaded that the account of the fund was not with the Executive Director and the police had not recorded the statement of the accountant. He said that the matter was between the company and the Provident Fund Commissioner. Police remand for Ved Parkash SAS NAGAR, Dec 8 — The Judicial Magistrate, Kharar, Mr Sanjay Agnihotri, today sent the Executive Director (Incharge) of Punjab Wireless Systems Ltd (Punwire), Mr Ved Parkash, to police custody till December 11. He had been arrested by a team of Punjab Police from his residence in Sector 36, Chandigarh, yesterday. Meanwhile, the Property
of PUNWIRE worth over Rs 7.83 crore has been attached on
the orders of Civil Judge (Junior Division), Chandigarh,
Mr Pushpinder Singh, following failure of the company to
pay back deposits of the Punjab Scheduled Castes Land
Development and Finance Corporation. The property, which
includes office furniture and vehicles, has been attached
by a bailiff of the court of the Civil Judge (Senior
Division), Ropar. |
Steep hike
in registration stamp duty SAS NAGAR, Dec 8 — By a decision apparently kept away from the public eye, the local Revenue Department has substantially increased the stamp duty on the registration of residential and commercial property in the town. The move, according to potential buyers of property, is aimed at generating more revenue for the fund-starved Punjab Government. Though no order has been issued by the Deputy Commissioner, Ropar, officials say that it has been done to check undervaluation of property and to bring the registration rates on a par with the prevailing land allotment rates of Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA). Similarly, rates of the plots on which the constructions have been raised have also been hiked. Sources in the Revenue Department say the stamp duty on a residential plot has been increased from Rs 2500 per sq yard to Rs 3600 per sq yard. As per the earlier schedule, in case of an old construction, the fee was charged at a rate of Rs 175 per sq feet of the covered area. For new constructions, it was Rs 250 per sq feet. According to the new schedule, a fixed rate of Rs 400 per sq feet of the covered area has been fixed by the department for both old and new constructions. Protesting against the hike in stamp duty, the Mohali Property Consultants Association has urged the Revenue authorities to reconsider the hike. Mr D.S. Benipal, President of the association, said a 500 sq yard plot would cost around Rs 18 lakh, if one paid the increased stamp duty. Whereas it could be purchased at a lesser rate in an undeveloped sector. Mr Bhupinder Singh, another member of the association, said it could encourage the buyers and sellers of property to go for power of attorney. The association has submitted a memorandum to the Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM), Mr O.P.Popli, in this regard. A prospective buyer of an SCF site said that according to new rates, the duty on plot would now cost Rs 22 lakh. The stamp duty on commercial plots had been increased from Rs 15,000 per sq yard to Rs 18,000 per sq yard. In addition, the the fee on the covered area had been increased to Rs 400 per sq feet. Earlier, it was Rs 175 per sq feet for an old construction and Rs 250 per sq feet for a new construction. Officials say that the
impact of the hike, if any, was yet to seen as there was
s slump in the real estate business. They say that so far
there is no move to ban the issuance of power of
attorneys. |
Technology to increase aircraft
lifespan CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — The Indian Air Force is developing technology by which the lifespan of service aircraft could be extended. Stating this during his visit to No.3 Base Repair Depot here, the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Maintenance Command, Air Marshal S.S. Gupta, added that though the service life of an aircraft was about 30 years, studies were being undertaken to see if the life of airframe and other components could be extended without compromising on standards. ''Acquiring new aircraft is a very expensive proposition. Extending aircraft life is a trend the world over,'' he said, adding that even the US Air Force was engaged in extending the life up to 75 years of its ageing B-52 bombers of the 50s vintage. The chief of the Nagpur-based Maintenance Command said the requisite expertise was available in the country and the IAF was collaborating with various defence establishments, research laboratories as well as civilian scientific institutions for this project as well as for indigenisation of aero-spares. He, however, refuted the belief that spares were still a problem with the IAF. With stress on indigenisation, the IAF was in a position to support its weapon systems and that ''there is no constraint'' in this regard, though some work still remained to be done. The Air Marshal also said that following the Kargil conflict, some modifications had been carried out to the chopper fleet to cater to the exigencies of high altitude operations. He added that the project to overhaul the MI-25/35 helicopter gunships indigenously was pending as the cost-benefit ratio was being worked out. Meanwhile, the 300th MI-8 helicopter to be overhauled at 3 BRD was handed over to an operation helicopter squadron today. The helicopter, which was manufactured in March, 1972, has logged over 1900 flying hours and has undergone five overhauls. Air Marshal Gupta
released a memento to mark the landmark achievement. |
Theft
cases on the rise in city CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — The incidence of thefts and burglaries is on the rise in the southern sectors of the city. To counter the incidence of such crimes, the police has initiated certain measures which would act as a deterrent in future, while all-out efforts are on the anvil to nail the culprits. A large percentage of thefts occur in the houses of the people who are out-of-station, or who are working couples. As a result the houses remain locked for days altogether in the former, and during office hours in the latter instance. It was also seen that in many cases the police prefer to register cases of theft and not that of burglary. Commenting on the issue, Mr Parag Jain, SSP, said that the incidence of thefts and burglaries were on the rise in the southern sectors, and the police had set up more than 40 nakas, in addition to the regular ones, as a deterrent, and the movement of anti-social elements would be checked to a great extent. He, however, was unaware of the fact that even cases of burglaries were being registered under a section meant for theft. He later on summoned the details of all the FIRs, registered in connection with theft and burglaries during the past month, to verify things for himself. Besides the nakas, the police is carrying out cordon and search operations in various parts of the city, and one such operation was carried out this morning. Such drives acted as a deterrent for the floating population, which was largely involved in criminal activities. Mr Jain also urged the people to come forward to furnish details about their tenants and servants. It was inside information that was the cause of many thefts, and in a large percentage the servants were involved. It was sad that in a city with well-educated people not many were forthcoming in supplying them with such information, he added. As a part of his familiarisation visit, he visited the Model Jail, Burail, yesterday and listened to the grievances of the undertrials. He also inspected the kitchens and examined the quality of food. Meanwhile, sources said
all the SHO’s had been asked to maintain
cleanliness, particularly in the corridors and toilets,
in their respective police stations. Orders to this
effect were issued today, the sources added. |
Bougainvillaea
plants uprooted CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — A majority of bougainvillaea plants on the central verge of Madhya Marg between Sectors 26 and 27 have been uprooted or damaged after the start of work on barricading of this prestigious road of the city a few days ago. Chandigarh Tribune had highlighted this issue on December 3. The work has been undertaken by the roads division of the Engineering Department of the Chandigarh Administration on the basis of drawings supplied by the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning on projection of a demand by the city police. Though officials maintained that none of the existing bougainvillaea plants would be touched or damaged, this Chandigarh Tribune photograph taken on Tuesday reveals that a majority of the plants had been either uprooted or badly pruned to make room for heavy steel barricades. Sources reveal that no
further work of barricading of Madhya Marg by similar
heavy steel barricades would be taken up till new
drawings are received from the Department of
Architecture. Under the present estimate, only a portion
of the stretch between Sectors 26 and 27 is to be
provided by steel barricades so as to minimise the glare
of vehicle lights, cut noise and to prevent
criss-crossing of this busy road by pedestrians.Others,
however, point out that the narrow centre verge also has
electric cables running underneath. These electric cables
include those of street lights. Now when the contractor
is using cement concrete to fix the heavy steel
barricades, the electric cable may get buried underneath,
thus making it difficult for any future repair of the
street lights in this segment. |
Innocent
conman PANCHKULA, Dec 8 — More than 200 persons from the labour colony in Phase II of the Industrial Area descended on the District Secretariat, Sector 1, to get themselves photographed for the voter identity card but returned disappointed at the end of the day. Clad in their best, men pedalling rehris came with women and children of their colony to get their votes made after an employee of the Haryana Urban Development Authority, Mr Maya Ram, allegedly promised to get their forms through even though the last date of submission of forms was November 30 and the photography session concluded here today. Mostly illiterate daily wage workers, the mob kept waiting to be called till late in the afternoon. They began started running from pillar to post when they were not called in. They disclosed that Mr Maya Ram had been visiting their colony for over a fortnight and had assured them voter identity cards in exchange for cash and liquor. Ms Kamla Rani said, "He had not fixed any specific amount, but had left the option open. While somebody gave Rs 20, others gave Rs 40, 50 and even Rs 100. The men even gave a quarter or half a bottle of liquor in addition to the cash. On lucky days, he even managed to get a whole bottle.'' Meanwhile, Mr Maya Ram also arrived on the scene and stated that he had not taken a penny from any of them and that they were lying. However, he admitted that he had lost his bicycle during one such visit to the colony but had not asked them to buy him a new one. "I don't know what
they are saying. I did go to the colony to make lists of
the eligible electorate, but the lists have not yet been
approved by the official in charge. However, I insist
that I have not take a dime from them for performing my
duty,'' he added. |
Jacob
freezes UT boundaries CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — The Administrator of Chandigarh, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), has frozen the administrative boundaries of the district, town, tehsil and villages etc of the Union Territory with effect from January 1, 2000, under the Census Rules, 1990, under the Census Act, 1948. Rakesh Singh: The Chandigarh Administration has given the additional charge of ex-officio Secretary of Information Technology, to the Finance Secretary, Mr Rakeshh Singh, in addition to his present duties, a press note said here today. Driving licence: The Chandigarh Administration has authorised the Automobile Association of Upper India to issue international driving license to its members and to carry out the duties of the competent authority under Sub Rule (1) of the rule concerned for further one year with effect from Noember 28. The association will ensure that the applicants have a valid Indian driving licence, a valid travel ticket, passport and visa. The fee for grant of international driving licence shall be charged at a rate of Rs 200 and shall be deposited in the State Bank of India. The international driving licence prepared by the association shall be countersigned by the Under Secretary, Deputy Secretary or Home Secretary on behalf of the Chandigarh Administration. Delegations: Delegations of the Muslim Welfare Association and the Scheduled Castes Welfare Association led by their Presidents, Mr Khalil Ahmed and Mr K.C. Shenmar, respectively, called on the Administrator of Chandigarh, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd). The delegations appreciated the steps taken by the Administrator in reaching out to people to solve their problems. They requested General Jacob to streamline the working of the Chandigarh Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes Financial Development Corporation so that loans to Scheduled Castes were made available easily. They also drew the attention of the Administrator towards difficulties being faced by the SC population in getting the SC certificates. The Administrator assured the delegations that he would look into their demands. Ban orders: The District Magistrate, Mr M. Ramsekhar, issued four different orders under Section 144 of the CrPC today. The first order bans carrying out businesses or services like running of restaurants, pubs, wine shops, discos, clubs and hawking goods at road sides and public places between 11.30 p.m. and 4.30 a.m. for 60 days from December 14. By another order, taking out of processions, making speeches, raising of slogans, assembly of five or more persons and carrying of lathis in sectors north of Madhya Marg (1 to 12 and 26) has been banned for 60 days. In another another order, the District Magistrate has said that whoever is visiting Chandigarh to seek employment in petty non-foral trades or services to provide contract labour should provide their particulars to the local police to enable identification or verification of criminal elements. This order has become effective from today and will remain in force for 60 days. The fourth order says
that landlords, tenants and those running commercial
establishments shall not employ any domestic servants,
helpers or part time maid servants unless his or her
particulars have been furnished to the Station House
Officer of the police station concerned in writing. Any
breach of this order will mean prosecution under Section
188 of the IPC. This order will also remain effective for
60 days from today. |
Disability
certificates issued DERA BASSI, Dec 8 — Disability certificates were issued to 100 handicapped persons by the Civil Surgeon of Patiala, Mr Rameshwar Chandra, at a disability check-up camp at Civil Hospital, here today. Out of 325 persons, including students, registered at the camp, those having 40 per cent disability or more were issued the certificates on the spot. The Civil Surgeon said the rest would be given the certificates after a proper examination on January 7. Only 100 persons, including 65 children, 23 men and 12 women could be examined at the camp organised by the Punjab Health Department in collaboration with the local unit of the Bharat Vikas Parishad and the Rotary Club of Dera Bassi. Most of them were in age group of 15 to 25 and had been disabled in accidents or because of paralysis. This was the first camp in Dera Bassi and the fifth in the Patiala district held in connection with the World Disabled Day. Before this, the Health Department had organised such camps at Rajpura, Samana, Nabha and Patiala. The department had examined 217 persons in Rajpura and 120 of them were given certificates of disability. At Nabha and Patiala, 130 and 150 persons were examined, respectively, according to Ms Satwant Bhalla, SMO of Dera Bassi. Mr Harbans Singh Ahuja, President of the Physically Handicapped Association of Patiala, criticised the Punjab Government for withdrawing the subsidy to the association which was used for providing artificial limbs to the needy disabled persons. He said about 5 per cent of the subdivision's population was disabled for one reason or the other. The Civil Surgeon also thanked the social organisations for cooperating with the Health Department in organising the camp. He urged them to generate funds for such camps as the Punjab Government was facing a financial crunch and was unable to do much in this regard. Among those present at
the camp were Mr Jagjit Singh Dalli, President of the
Municipal Council, and Mr Bhupinder Singh Saini,
President of Rotary Club of the town, and sarpanches and
panches of adjoining villages. |
Exam
papers' format changed CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — The Education Department has made changes in papers of English (model schools), Hindi first language (all schools), Hindi second language (ordinary schools) and social studies (all schools) of the middle examinations to be held in February 2000. In a press note issued here today, it has been stated that the paper of English has been given an interactive approach. Students will not get separate answer-sheets but they will have to answer on the question paper. The format of the paper of social studies has been changed. However, there is no change in the allotment of marks to different contents like history, civics and geography. In the paper of Hindi first language, marks have been re-allocated to different content areas, with the introduction of book Naya Jeevan published by the NCERT. The subject of grammar has also been prescribed. In Hindi second language, students are to follow the same book which is being followed in model schools, published by the NCERT. The allocation of marks has been done for Hindi first and second language for students of all schools. The note further adds
that the model test paper in the subject of English
(model schools), Hindi first language (all schools) and
Hindi second language (ordinary schools) has been issued
to all schools. For social studies, the changd format is
available at the State Institute of Education, Sector 32.
The Registrar can be contacted at the Additional Deluxe
Building, Sector 9, for more details. |
Hotel
owner fears demolition PANCHKULA, Dec 8 — “The department of Town and Country Planning is planning to demolish two rooms at Hotel North Park, which are within the permissible limits and in the permitted land tomorrow morning at 8 am, Mr Amardeep S Dahiya, owner of Hotel North Park, said here today. He added in a press note issued later that the building plans of these two specific rooms in question were detailed for clearance, and later returned these to them without approval, which has happened for the very first time. He states: “The two rooms are within permissible land and were in the process of getting compounded which is the normal course followed in case of any building.” Further, the press note says that when contacted, department officials said that they had received instructions from Mr SC Chaudhary, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, and that “all damage possible to the complex should be carried forward ignoring the realities in the case”. Mr Dahiya contended that the action was being taken against them because the officials appointed by this government wrongly have this notion that the hotel and its interests were of importance to the former Chief Minister. He further justified his stance saying that the High Court had given a stay, and had asked them to appeal to the Commissioner, Ambala, who hears such cases. “The commissioner was on leave for nine days, and today, after hearing the arguments, admitted the case, while adding that a final decision would be given on January 4 next year. So, the District Town Planner and the Senior Town Planner have planned to get on the job tomorrow morning even though the matter is sub-judice,” Mr Dahiya contends. However, Mr N.C. Wadhwa, Chief Administrator, Haryana Urban Development Authority, said, referring to the demolition planned for tomorrow: “This is an on-going process, and violations of the Periphery Act are taken serious note of, and demolitions carried out at regular intervals. No specific instructions are issued for the same since the item that invariably tops the agenda of the monthly meetings is that of the problem of violations. The STPs and DTPs are required to keep a tab on any encroachments and demolish these as soon as they begin to raise their head.” Sources in the Town and Country Planning Department add that the rooms in question were not only non-compoundable but also violated the zoning regulations. Moreover, they contended that the body where such appeals were entertained had dismissed their plea, which made the demolition inevitable. The department had
initiated a demolition drive last October and demolished
a portion of Marriage Palace. Later, when officials of
the department had returned on November 2 to raze
Marriage Palace to the ground, the officials had managed
to procure a stay order from the sessions court in
Ambala. |
Dharna
over anti-staff policy CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — Members of the Government and Semi-government Employees Coordination Committee staged a dharna in support of their demands here today. The agitators arrived at the venue from all over Punjab and raised slogans against the anti-employee policies being followed by the Punjab Government. Mr K.S. Saini and Mr O.K. Tewari, President and General Secretary of the committee, respectively, said the government had put a ban on promotions and withdrawn the LTC. Besides, the DA had not been paid in cash. They alleged that all their district-level units had submitted memoranda to their respective MLAs who, in turn, had recommended that their demands be met by the Chief Secretary. But the CS had failed to call a meeting of their representatives in this context. The other main demands
include scrapping of the privatisation policy being
pursued by the government, regularisation of the services
of work-charged employees and promotion grade after four,
nine and 14 years of service. |
Breaches
plugged amid protests SAS NAGAR, Dec 8 — The engineering wing of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) today plugged a number of unauthorised thoroughfares made by slum dwellers by breaching the wall constructed by PUDA to separate Phase 3A from the adjoining slums falling in Chandigarh. Aided by a strong posse of policemen, the operation to plug the at least 15 breaches, made by the slum dwellers, was started by the PUDA staff in the morning. After protests by some women slum dwellers, policewomen were called but no untoward incident took place. The Additional Chief Administrator (ACA), Mr Dipinder Singh, said the breaches in the wall running along Phase 3A (Sector 53) had been plugged following a representation by residents, who complained of nuisance created by jhuggi dwellers. He said such breaches in portions of the wall, separating other sectors from the adjoining slum area of Chandigarh, would also be plugged. Meanwhile, the
enforcement staff of PUDA demolished some jhuggis which
had come on its land in Phase 3A.
|
AIDS
awareness camps held CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — In continuation of the awareness-cum-medical camps for diagnosis and treatment of STDs/RTIs during the Family Health Awareness Campaign, two such camps were organised in Dhanas and Khudda Lahora here today by the State AIDS Control Society, in collaboration with the Foundation Aware and the Servants of the People Society. As many as 950 patients attended these camps, 366 patients were given free medicines and 52 blood samples of suspected STD cases were taken for testing. The Project Director of the society, Dr N.M. Sharma, stated in a press note that the mobilisation and motivation started two days prior to the camp and house-to-house visits were made by anganwadi workers to create awareness about STDs/RTIs and HIV, and to motivate them to attend these camps. The volunteers of Nehru Yuvak Kendra were involved in motivational activities. Awareness was spread through folk performances and street plays. Counselling was undertaken and condoms were distributed during the camps. Dr Joginder Singh, Director, Health Services, UT, visited the camps and interacted with NGOs, panches and sarpanches of these areas. Meanwhile, two camps for
the treatment of STDs/RTIs were organised at Ram Darbar
and Colony number 4 yesterday by the State AIDS Control
Society, in collaboration with the Indian Council of
Social Welfare, Punjab branch, and the Shramik Vidya
Peeth. Nearly 1,600 persons attended these camps, 403
patients were given treatment and 68 samples were
takenfor testing. |
'Employees’
rights unaffected' CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — Claiming non-maintainability of the suit challenging the appointment of the standing selection committee's chairman, the counsel for the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research today stated that the Employees Union had no locus standi to file the same. In its reply submitted before the UT Civil Judge (Junior Division), Mr A.K. Bishnoi, the counsel said the rights of the Employees Union were not being affected by the appointment and the suit was "not in the nature of a public interest litigation". The union, in its suit, had earlier sought directions for declaring "illegal and against the PGI Act", the appointment of Dr I.C. Pathak as Chairman of the standing selection committee. The plaintiff had also asked for declaring "illegal, unjust and unconstitutional", the selections made by the standing selection committee. Directions for restraining the defendant "from transacting any business in the Governing Body and the Institute Body meeting" had also been sought. Meanwhile, the PGI counsel also said the process of selection had been completed on September 20 and the Governing Body had met today itself. Regarding the plaintiff's contention that the Director General of Health Service "should be a member of the selection committee", the counsel said the DG was invited but could not attend the meeting due to "previous engagement". The counsel added that the presence of the "President of the institute, who was the highest functionary, and the Union Minister", during the meetings, was not even mandatory. Quoting the PGIMER Act,
the counsel also stated that "no act done or
proceedings taken by the institute could be questioned
merely on the ground of non-existence of a particular
person, be it the President or the Director General of
Health Services or the Director of the PGI". The
case will come up for further hearing tomorrow. |
Remand
for woman in murder case CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — Lakshmeena Devi, accused of being involved in the Industrial Area slaughter-house murder case, was today remanded in judicial custody till December 22 by UT Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Sant Parkash. She and her husband, Ranjit Bhardwaj, were earlier booked by the Chandigarh police under Sections 302, 201 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code after a decomposed body was recovered from an abandoned toilet in a slaughter-house. Ranjit is in police custody till December 11. According to the police,
Ranjit had dumped the bedsheet-wrapped cousin Ram Awadh's
body in the slaughter-house toilet after killing him with
an axe while he was sleeping in his jhuggi in Colony
number 4. The police had added that the two, along with
Ranjit's wife, were staying together for about four
years. The accused, the police had added, was apprehended
after he had sold a television set, an LPG stove and a
cylinder belonging to the deceased. |
Murder
accused denied bail CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — The bail application moved by a Mani Majra resident, accused of murdering his wife, was today dismissed by the UT District and Sessions Judge, Mr B.S. Bedi. The accused — Suresh Singh — was earlier booked by the Chandigarh police under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code on the complaint of his son, Santresh. According to the prosecution, the wife — Sohanbiri — was declared dead at a health centre on October 18 after she was "lifted from bed" and repeatedly thrown on the ground by her husband, "causing injuries in the head and the back". Opposing the bail plea,
the prosecution stated that the couple used to quarrel,
following the wife's objection to his drinking habit. The
wife, prior to the incident, had tried to dissuade the
accused, the prosecution added. |
Fake
currency: two held PANCHKULA, Dec 8 — The local police is slowly closing in on the members of the gang involved in circulating fake currency notes and forged visas. In yet another breakthrough, the police caught Shamshool Singh and Kosar Ali of Bihar, residents of Jalandhar, from Jalandhar. Sources said the police
party arrested them at Jalandhar, following an
information received from intensive interrogation of four
persons already in the police custody. Yesterday, the
police had arrested two more men — Riaz Kumar of
Sialkot and Sudershan Kumar of Ambala. The police seized
fake currency notes of Rs 2,800 value and forged
documents from their possession after arresting them at
Ambala. All accused are in the police remand. |
Tantrik
gets judicial remand PANCHKULA, Dec 8 —
The 'tantrik', Billu Badshah, was produced in the
District Court, here today. He was sent into the judicial
remand after his police remand had ended. He will be
taken to Ambala, following new orders of the court. |
Bail
refused in murder case CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — The bail application moved by a Mani Majra resident, accused of murdering his wife, was today dismissed by the UT District and Sessions Judge Mr. B.S. Bedi. The accused — Suresh Singh — was earlier booked by the Chandigarh police under Section 302, IPC on the complaint of his son, Santresh. According to the prosecution, the wife — Sohanbiri — was declared dead at a health centre on October 18 after she was “lifted from bed” and repeatedly thrown on the ground by her husband “causing injuries in the head and the back”. Opposing the bail plea,
the prosecution today stated that the couple used to
quarrel following the wife’s objection to his
drinking habit. |
Convict
released on probation CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — Convicting a Ropar resident, accused of uttering obscene words, the UT Judicial Magistrate (First Class), Mr Mahender Singh, today released him on one-year probation. Pronouncing the orders in the open court, the Judicial Magistrate directed accused Avtar Singh’s release on probation after his furnishing a bond of Rs 10,000. He was earlier booked by the Chandigarh police for “uttering any word or making any gesture intended to insult the modesty of a woman” under Section 509, IPC. According to the
prosecution, the investigating officer was informed by
certain people that the accused, sitting behind the
bushes, was uttering obscene words against ladies sitting
outside their residences in Palsora Colony on February
17, 1994. |
Fined for
promoting gambling CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — The UT Judicial Magistrate (First Class), Mr Jasbir Singh, today imposed a fine of Rs 200 on a Ram Darbar resident for “inviting public to stake money against numbers”. The accused — Mani Ram — was earlier booked by the Chandigarh police under the Gambling Act after a decoy customer was sent by them after receiving information. According to the
prosecution, the accused was “openly telling”
people that they would get Rs 70 if the number on which
they had staked money came. |
Penalty
imposed for power theft SAS NAGAR, Dec 8 — In a surprise raid conducted by teams of the Punjab State Electricity Board to check power theft and unauthorised extension of load, 1,003 residential and commercial connections were examined in the town and its periphery yesterday. At least 516 defaulters were detected and penalty of Rs 23 lakh was levied on them. Mr Vijay Nayyar, Deputy Chief Engineer (Ropar Circle), said ten raiding parties, each headed by an Executive Engineer, spread out in the town for the purpose. He said the deadline given by the board to the consumers under the Voluntary Disclosure Scheme expired on November 30. The board had not got much response to the scheme. The entire operation was
coordinated by the Chief Engineer (South), Mr J.S. Hara.
The focus of the checking was on domestic, commercial and
small industrial units. Mr Nayyar said a number of cases
of theft were detected in Kansal, Naya Goan and other
peripheral areas of the town. In a similar drive past
year, the board had detected major power thefts,
following which, it had levied a fine of 18 lakh on
defaulters in Zirakpur. |
Remand
for accused KHARAR, Dec 8 — Mr Sanjay Agnihotri, Judicial Magistrate, Kharar, today remanded Om Parksh to police custody till December 10. He was arrested by the SAS Nagar police on the charge of committing a Rs 3.93 lakh fraud with a private bank in SAS Nagar. Mr K.S. Brar, Assistant Public Prosecuter, who appeared on behalf of the state informed the court that the accused opened a bank account by preparing a false ration card from Chandigarh. The accused deposited a bank draft for Rs 3.93 lakh with the bank and encashed it. It was later found that the draft was a stolen one. Mr Brar pleaded for police remand as more information about the amount and another co-accused was yet to be found out from the accused.
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ASC
celebrates anniversary CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — The 239th anniversary of the Army Service Corps (ASC) was celebrated today at Western Command Headquarters, Chandi Mandir, near here, with great zeal and enthusiasm. The function was attended by a large number of serving and retired asc officers of the station. The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western command, Lt-gen vijay oberoi, extended his felicitations and greeetings to all ranks, ex-servicemen, civilians and their families. He commended the corps' professional expertise, contribution during operation vijay and impressive record in the fields of adventure and sports. Maj-gen c.p. tewari, major general, ASC, western command, also conveyed his heartiest greetings and best wishes to all ranks, civilians, retired personnel and their families. He stressed that all ranks must rededicate themselves to live upto the corps' motto of Seva Asmakam Dharma. The asc was the oldest and the largest of the administrative components of the east india company in 1760 in the three presidencies of Bengal, Bombay and Madras, then known as Commissariats. It was made a formal supply and transport corps in 1901. The basic function of the asc encompasses provisioning and supply of all grades of petroleum products and rations to the armed forces and certain paramilitary forces. The transportation function of the asc extends from remote mountains and jungles to deserts and riverine terrain. The asc operates different types of motor transport. Animal transport still remains the main mode of transportation in inaccessible areas. The asc provides air maintenance in northern and eastern theatres to troops deployed in far-flung areas devoid of surface communication or areas cut off due to natural calamities. The challenge of maintaining troops at 22,000 feet, with mercury dipping to -50°C, has been successfully met by the corps. asc units have discharged their duties in keeping with the highest tradition of the Indian Army. The performance of asc
personnel during Operation Vijay has been creditable. In
recognition of their gallantry during the operation, capt
Neikezhakuo Kenguruse was awarded Maha Vir Chakra, Capt
Vijyant Thapar and Capt Sanjeev Singh were honoured with
vir chakra and lt praveen tomar was given sena medal.
Capt eldose paul, capt akshay rana, lt sunil butt, lt
jung bahadur singh and sep v. paneer selvam got sena
medal in recognition of their gallantry during
counter-insurgency operations. |
List of
UT holidays CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — The Chandigarh Administration has released a list of public holidays to be observed in all government offices in 2000. According to a notification of the Home Department, all Sundays and Saturdays will be public holidays in the Union Territory. Other holidays are: Birthday of Guru Gobind Singh (January 5); Republic day (January 26), Id-ul-zuha (March 17); Holi (March 20), Ram Naumi (April 12), Baisakhi (April 13), Dr BR Ambedkar Jayanti (April 14), Good Friday (April 21), Independence Day (August 15), Janma Ashtami (August 23), Gandhi Jayanti (October 2), Divali (October 26), Vishvakarma day (October 27), Martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadur (November 24), Christmas (December 25) and Id-ul-Fitr (December 28). Since the following holidays fall on closed days, they have been excluded from the above list : Id-ul-Fitr (January 9), Shivratri (March 4), Guru Ravi Dass jayanti (February 19), Mahavir Jayanti (April 16), Dasehra (October 7) and birthday of Guru Nanak Dev (November 11). Besides above holidays, each employee shall also be permitted to avail himself/herself any two of the following restricted holidays : New year’s day (January 1), Lohri (January 13), Basant panchmi (February 10), Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati Jayanti (February 29), Martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh (March 23), Muharram (April 16), Budh Purnima (May 18), Guru Arjun Dev’s martyrdom day (June 5), Raksha Bandhan (August 15), Karva Chauth (October 16), Goverdhan Puja (October 27), Bhai Duj (October 29) and Jor Mela Fatehgarh Sahib (December 26 and 27). In addition to these holidays and restricted holidays, employees shall also be permitted to avail themselves of four second half restricted holidays to enable them to join processions to be taken out in the city in connection with religious celebrations. Meanwhile, the
Administration has also released a list of public
holidays under Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments
Act. These holidays are: all Sundays; Birthday of Guru
Gobind Singh (January 5), Republic Day (January 26),
Id-ul-zuha (March17), Holi (March20), Bank Holiday
(April1), Ram Naumi (April 12), Baisakhi (April 13), Dr
BR Ambedkar Jayanti (April 14), Good Friday (April 21),
Independence Day (August 15), Janmashtami (August 23),
Bank Holiday (September 30), Gandhi Jayanti (October 2),
Maharishi Balmiki’s birth anniversary (October 13),
Divali (October 26), Vishwakarma day (October 27),
Martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadur (November 24),
Christmas (December 25) and Id-ul-Fitr (December 28). |
SNIPPETS Blood donation today CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — 9 Battalion of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police Force (ITBP), near Ramgarh, will organise a blood donation camp tomorrow.The camp will be held with the cooperation of the Blood Bank Society, PGI at the force's base hospital on the battalions premises. Vast range of play dilutes script CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — Raj rakt, a play by the theatre group, Abhimanch, in Panjab University this evening failed to sustain public interest due to a rather loose presentation of the script. The play staged by Mohit Chatterji addressed a vast range of current issues which diluted the strength of the script. A teacher makes a dig at the education system by saying that "education is repetition. If I was to write something original, then what would be my job ?" There is also a strong current of revolt against the system. The play will also be staged tomorrow evening at the Law Auditorium. 45 questioned as Nehru Colony
searched CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — The police carried out a search operation in Nehru Colony, near Kajheri, early this morning. As many as 45 persons were rounded up for questioning. According to police sources, the operation began at 3 a.m. and was over by 6 a.m. It was supervised by Mr B. D. Bector, DSP. The personnel were drawn from the India Reserve Battalion (IRB), the police lines and Home Guards. The rounded up persons were let off after verifying their antecedents later in the morning. The drive would continue. Jayashree's concert on Dec 11 CHANDIGARH, Dec 8 — London-based kathak dancer Jayashree Acharya will give a performance at Bhaskar Rao Indoor Auditorium, Kendra Building, Sector 35 B, as part of its 38th Baithak programme on December 11. Jayashree, a versatile dancer, has performed at various conferences in India and abroad for which she has bagged several awards and honours, including the "Shringarmani'' by Sur Shringar Samsad, Mumbai. She is a performer of
the Lucknow gharana. After doing her graduation in arts
from Avadh University, UP, she took her initial training
in kathak under the guidance of Sant Gopal Mishra of
Ayodhya and advanced training from Pandit Birju Maharaj. |
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