Family gets martyr's body
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 20 — "The family, while overcoming the shock and grief of losing their son, died a thousand deaths during the days when his body was not found. Vippu, even in his death, has surprised me with such bravery," said Mr Sat Pal Sharma, father of Captain Amol Kalia, while receiving the mortal remains of his son.

Captain Kalia of the 12 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, along with 13 jawans, killed 25 intruders in the Batalik sub-sector on June 9, before being killed by enemy reinforcements. The body of the 25-year-old could not be retrieved for 11 days as the area came under direct shelling from enemy guns. It was after the area was secured that the bodies of all the brave men were retrieved and sent to their native places.

Accompanying Mr Sharma were his wife, Usha, his elder son, Flight Lieutenant Aman Kalia, his newly-wedded wife and scores of relatives, friends and well-wishers. The mother of the martyr, working as senior auditor at the Attorney General's office in Nangal, could only mumble, "I am proud of the bravery and supreme sacrifice made by my son and would not hesitate to send my surviving son for the nation's security," before breaking down inconsolably.

A composed Mr Sharma, who is the Headmaster of the Government High School at Heera, Una, said "she is a great mother and made Amol a brave man." He was particularly unsparing of politicians and in response to a query about the infiltration, said, "This mess is being created by them. Our soldiers are very brave and are carrying out their job and in the course of it are making the supreme sacrifice."

Aman Kalia said, "I cherished every moment he spent with his younger brother. I will never forget their last meeting on May 24 when Vippu had come on leave."

Relatives accompanying the bereaved family said the people of Una were so touched by the supreme sacrifice of so young a soldier that they have reached out to the family in various ways to share the grief.

The tricolour-draped body was brought here by an army aircraft at about 1 p.m. from Leh despite the heavy downpour. It was received by senior army, air force and civil officers.

Despite the rain, arrangements went on as scheduled to pay respects to the martyr. A contingent of the army reversed arms as the buglers sounded the last post. Following this, wreaths were laid by Brigadier S.K. Sinha, Station Commander, Colonel Shakti Parshad, Commander, N Area, Mr M. Ramshekhar, DC, Chandigarh, Mr Khushi Ram, ADC, Ropar, Mr Jaskaran Singh, SSP, Ropar, and the SDMs of Anandpur Sahib and Una.

The body was taken to Nangal, where the family lives at present, before being taken for cremation to Chintpurni, the native place of the family. The cremation will be held tomorrow with full state and military honours.

Mr Prakash Singh Badal, the Chief Minister of Punjab, who paid a visit to the family on June 16, announced the NFL School, where Amol studied, would be named after him.

‘Neglect of Army cause of high casualties’
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 20 — The “brahm astra” of any nation in the world, the army, has been blunted in the case of India and that is why we have suffered so many casualties in Kargil. Neglect of the forces, inadequate resources, haphazard strategic planning and culpability of the political regimes over the decades has led to the present situation.

These were the views expressed by the participants at a seminar on Kargil: ‘A strategic failure’, organised by the local Strategic Research Centre, Lajpat Rai Bhavan, in Sector 15, here this evening. The speakers included Maj-Gen Rajendra Nath, Air Marshal R. S. Bedi, Colonel Thakur Kuldip S. Ludra, Col Jayant Vij, and Col P. K. Vasudeva.

The amount of significance given to the advice of the forces’ chiefs after Independence could be gauged from the fact that when the then COAS, in the wake of the Kashmir operation in 1948, went to the PM, he was told that the report on further strategic planning was “All nonsense”, the army should be disbanded as the police force would be sufficient for the security of the nation. It was also stressed that India believed in “adharma” and that our neighbours would protect our borders!

The speakers highlighted the blunders the politicians have been committing since that day. So far, during the present conflict, no gallantry awards have been announced for the soldiers who are fighting against all odds.

The reason is that India has always been seen as a soft nation. This has resulted in the view with our immediate enemies, Pakistan and China, that the territory of India is negotiable and that whatever has been taken would not be got back. This can be seen in the light of Jammu and Kashmir; we are holding about 52 per cent of the territory, while Pakistan and China are latching on to 32 per cent and 16 per cent, respectively.

As a nation of sages and ardent believers in the policy of non-violence, it is a paradox that we have fought so many wars over the past decades.

The government should take opportunity of the statement of Pakistan that there is no LoC and clear Kashmir once and for all. It is a God-sent opportunity for our forces to capture some strategic heights, they opined

Other speakers highlighted that India cannot afford to lose more soldiers even though ad-hocism has taken its toll on the supply of modern hi-tech equipment and other defence requirements of high-altitude areas.

According to documents prepared in 1985 by the enemy, the abetment of insurgency and the present flare-up are well-planned strategies for the liberation of Kashmir.

The speakers, while not absolving the Army of various lapses, stressed that the Army should be freed from counter insurgency duties and the political masters should realise the fact that the neglect of the armed forces in terms of equipment and weapons would mean more such confrontations.

Infant's head sent for post-mortem
From Our Correspondent

KHARAR, June 20 — The head of a newly-born infant, retrieved from a dog in Dasmesh Nagar here yesterday, is being sent to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Patiala, for a post-mortem examination.

The case has taken this town by surprise as such an incident has never taken place before. Both the police and the health authorities are unable to pinpoint from where the dog pulled the head of the infant.

After retrieval, the head was brought to the Civil Hospital here but in the absence of adequate facilities, no post-mortem examination could be conducted.

Mr Rajinder Singh, Station House Officer of Kharar Police Station, says no complaint has been received by the police so far about any missing infant. The police is investigating and looking for clues to trace the identity of the infant.

Both doctors and police oficials maintain that only a post-mortem examination can establish whether the infant was abandoned after birth because of a natural or unnatural death or was eaten away by animals, including dogs, while being alive.

And now lottery scam
By Gobind Thukral
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGRH, June 20 — When two months ago, the BJP Government announced its resolve to ban lotteries in the country, lakhs of hapless families thought that the nightmare through which they were living would soon be over. But the government developed cold feet. Lobbyists worked overtime and had some success.

Now the biggest ever scandal has been unearthed by the Comptroller and Auditor-General of India. Between Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore is the amount that has been pocketed by agents and officials of Nagaland Lottery. While a former Home Secretary, Mr K. Padmanabhaiah, Officer-on-Special Duty looking after Nagaland affairs, is making his own investigations on the basis of the CAG and other reports, the CBI has launched a fresh investigation based on reports from Kohima, the capital of Nagaland.

The modus operandi in case of north eastern lotteries is that the tickets are printed by agents and sold to the gullible public and the money pocketed.

The Jalandhar police alone yesterday unearthed a major racket with the recovery of lottery tickets worth Rs 8 crore. Another method is to buy the tickets at cheap rates and then sell it to the public. Sources revealed that not even 10 per cent of the announced prize money is actually delivered to the buyers. The prize money is also pocketed by officials and agents who work at tandem.

"This would be one of the biggest money laundering scandal with ramifications for the country's security and it would put to shame the earlier scandals like the securities scam of infamous Harshad Mehta and the Fodder scam of Mr Laloo Yadav. It is without a parallel. Imagine an amount of Rs 20,000 crore and for a state of Nagaland with an annual budget of just Rs 1,000 crore", officials in Delhi and Kohima said.

It was revealed that the Cabinet Secretariat has placed the entire burden of leading the investigations and booking the persons involved on the Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani. The minister had three detailed meetings with the CAG officials, CBI director and Mr Padmanabhaiah in this regard. Special audit is said to have revealed a nexus and it is feared some money was passed over to the insurgents groups is Nagaland and Assam.

Sources said that two separate reports, one by the CAG and another by Mr Padmanabhaiah have indicted the Nagaland Government lead by Mr S.C. Jamir. But the alleged real kingpin is a Congress MP from Assam, Mr Mani Kumar Subba. Political parties and non-government organisations have been levelling allegations against his firm, M.K. Associates for sometime. There were quiet enquiries by the Home Ministry. This firm deals in lotteries from other north eastern states like Arunachal pradesh and Meghalya. Interestingly certain allegations have been made against Mr Jamir, Nagaland's five-time Chief Minister. But Mr Jamir while talking to the TNS in Kohima denied all these allegations. "We have received some kind of report from the CAG and it would be placed in the Assembly in July and it for the House to consider". This is all he said.

It is possible that the whole issue may assume a political overtones as it is the BJP-led Government in Delhi trying to reach the bottom of the case and book the culprits, and Mr Subba could take shelter that he was being victimised for being a Congress MP. Mr Jamir leads the Congress Government in Nagaland.

Meanwhile, the CBI is also going into the antecedents of Mr Subba, who is said to be Nepalese citizen. He is said to have criminal backround and migrated from Nepal in 1965 to Assam and had a meteoric rise in politics and money spinning.

But surely it is the time to ban the lotteries, was the observation of not only Mr Advani to officials, but officials to him as well.

PMT toppers now await AIIMS list for final decision
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 20 — With the declaration of the all-India pre-medical and pre-dental entrance examination results here today, the successful students were yet again assured of seats in the medical stream since most of them have already qualified the CET examination besides various other entrance tests.

Balika Gupta, placed 13 in the list, is very happy about her achievement. It is another feather in her cap after doing very well in her Class XII examination and the CET entrance. "Now, the ball is in my court. I am oscillating between Maulana Azad College of Delhi and Chandigarh Medical College but I will decide after the results of the AIIMS entrance test are declared. Though the college in Delhi is certainly better, I might take admission in the college here to ensure I don't have to pack my bags and push off to Delhi,'' she says.

Placed 101st on the list, Basant Garg has already qualified four tests. "I'm no longer worried about the admission part but am keeping my fingers crossed for a seat in the AIIMS. The result is expected in the first week of July and Delhi is clearly my priority. This result, of course, is a morale booster though the acid test of my hard work will be my seat in the AIIMS ,'' he adds.

Chirag Kamal Ahuja, ranked 160th, says, "I have topped the CET test and was not actually expecting a good position in this test. Only the top 70 are likely to get admission to the most sought-after college in Delhi while the others will have to be adjusted elsewhere. I don't fall in that and so have nothing to look forward to and am satisfied with the first position in the CET.''

"I would have been placed better had I not blundered when it mattered the most. I had do some 50 questions all over again and lost precious time in the process. The net result was that I managed answering only 165 questions out of the 200 I knew so well. That's where luck counts and I faltered,'' Aman Goyal, placed 573rd on the list says. He has been placed 34th in the CET entrance test and is content with the position he has secured.

The others who have qualified the examination are Tanveer Samra, placed 76th, Shivani, placed 137th, and Neeraj Gupta positioned at 249. Tanveer and Neeraj have secured merit positions in the CET examinations also.

But for now, all eyes are on the result of the entrance test conducted for admission to AIIMS which will be declared in the first week of July.

Rs 13,701 collected for PM's fund
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 20 — Members of the Sector 41-A CHB Residents Joint Action Committee today collected Rs 13,701 for the Prime Minister's Relief Fund. The drive to collect money was inaugurated by Mr Satya Pal Jain, a member of the dissolved Lok Sabha.

A two-minutes silence was observed as a mark of respect to those who had sacrificed their lives for the unity and integrity of the country.

Rain water enters houses, jhuggis, labourers shifted
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 20 — For the second day today, normal life was thrown out of gear following heavy rainfall in the city and the adjoining areas.

Though the 57-mm rainfall lowered the temperatures and offered relief to the residents from the sweltering heat, it brought misery to the residents of the labour colonies, particularly those situated on the low-lying areas. Rain water entered a large number of houses in the colonies and several jhuggis were reportedly washed away.

Colonies in Mauli Jagran, Ram Darbar and several areas of Mani Majra were the badly affected. Perhaps the worst affected was the recently-shifted colony from Sector 31 here to Mauli Jagran. Residents could be seen shifting their articles to safer places as water entered a majority of the houses since the colony was situated on a low-lying area. A number of houses developed cracks and a couple of head of cattle also perished.

Pumping machinery of the Fire Wing of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) was pressed into service in the afternoon and senior officials reached the colony to supervise the drainage operation.

The area councillor, Mr Raj Kumar Goyal, blamed the civic body for not providing proper amenities like roads, sewerage, and storm water drainage to the residents of the colonies of Mauli Jagran which made their condition vulnerable in the Monsoons.

Lakhs of rupees spent by the civic body on laying concrete stone on the internal roads of the Chaurasia Colony in Mauli Jagran last year, had gone down the drain as the concrete portion was washed away in today's rain, he alleged.

Scores of houses and shops in the Gobind Pura locality of Mani Majra were inundated. Water could be seen flowing well above the underground nullah in the area. Two cyclists, who were washed away by the gushing rain water, were rescued by residents.

In the Notified Area Committee Market, Mani Majra, the parking lot was flooded and vehicles, including two-wheelers and cars, were virtually submerged in the rain water.

Today' s rainfall put the storm water drainage system of the civic body under pressure, with the result that roundabouts were flooded and accumulated water led to traffic jams at a number of places. The roads became slippery and the drivers had a tough time negotiating their vehicles.

PANCHKULA

A heavy downpour threw normal life out of gear, with rain water entering a number of houses in the low-lying sectors in the township here today. A number of vehicles were stranded due to the flooding of main roads and several inner sector roads.

Lack of preparedness on the part of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) in taking the preventive measures was exposed. It took a long time for the rain water to recede as storm water gullies were blocked with sand and other construction material swept by the rain water.

The swollen dirty water nullah passing through the Indira and Rajiv Labour Colony resulted in caving in of a number of jhuggis, though no loss of life was reported. The jhuggi dwellers living in the low-lying areas along the nullah had to be moved to a higher place. Rain water also entered jhuggis in Azad Colony and other slum areas in the township.

Cesspools of water were created on a road in Sector 16. Mr M.L.Malhotra, a resident, said the road had not been repaired for the past several years and was the cause of the blockade of rain water.

Similar reports were received from Sectors 2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 12-A. Residents lamented the inability of HUDA to take action against people who had dumped construction material on the roadside which resulted in blockade of storm water gullies.

Rain water also entered a row of at least 20 houses in Sector 10. A resident, Mr Bansal, said even though they had requested HUDA officials in advance to make an arrangement to prevent the houses from being flooded, no action was taken. A report of rain water entering the basement of a house in Sector 16 also came to light. A fire engine had to be requisitioned to pump out the water from the house.

Similarly, rain water flooded the bylanes of Abheypur village, located in Industrial Area, Phase-I. Mr Jagdish, Sarpanch, said the rains blocked the sewer of the village. A number of houses located along the seasonal nullah passing through Sector 19, were also flooded.

Meanwhile, an observation post of the PWD recorded the discharge of 4,100 cusec in the Ghaggar river near the Nadha Sahib bridge around 1.30 p.m. The discharge had receded to 1,500 cusec by 5p.m.

SNIPPETS

Power cut follows rain
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, June 20 — Electricity and telephone services at Zirakpur were badly hit following rain in the past two days. There was no electricity for more than seven hours in Zirakpur and it's surrounding areas.

Residents complained that it had become a regular feature to impose power cuts without any prior notice. A number of people had to remain without drinking water despite heavy showers on Sunday due to power failure.

Power supply in the area was disrupted at about 10 in the morning and could be restored only at five in the evening. Sources in the Electricity Department said that the problem occurred due to falling of a tree on the transmission line.

Villagers blame the authorities of being negligent towards the problem, specially during the monsoons. Claims by the authorities to improve the electricity situation while inaugurating the 66-kv power grid at Bhabhat village, near Zirakpur, have come to naught as the power supply has deteriorated since it's functioning, allege the residents. Low voltage and frequent tripping are a common feature, complained the villagers.

Telephone services were also affected after showers on two consecutive days.

Baby Naaz enthrals
From Our Correspondent

KHARAR, June 20 — Baby Naaz, a famous qawaal from NOIDA, performed here last night at Arya Kanya Mahavidyalaya on an invitation of the Rotary Club. She held the audience spellbound for more than five hours.

It was after a gap of more than 20 years that such a programme was organised in the town. There were many in the audience who could recall similar large and enjoyable gatherings here during the pre-terrorism days, when an annual All-India Mushaira and similar programmes were organised here.

Baby Naaz had the entire audience clapping with her when she sang her favourite number "Hamen to loot liya mil ke husn walon ne". Once she was on the dais, she changed from couplets to ghazals and also sang popular music numbers. Her qawaalis were appreciated by the audience and the programme continued beyond midnight.

Power cuts hit crop irrigation
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 20 — A number of farmers of Dhanas and Dadu Majra villages are facing shortage of irrigation water owing to power breakdown in the area.

According to farmers, power failure has become a routine in the area as a result of which Municipal Corporation tubewells in the area remain non-functional, causing shortage of water for irrigating fields. They alleged that the problem had compounded as a transformer, which had burnt about 10 days ago, had not been repaired by the authorities concerned.

Mr Ramandeep, a farmer, said tubewell Nos 30 and 31 had been lying non-functional for the past 10 days but nothing had been done by the Electricity Department authorities. He said due to shortage of water, crops such as maize and paddy were getting destroyed.

On the other hand, Mr S.N. Makkar, Executive Engineer, said that he was not aware of any such problem. He said that no transformer was faulty and the power supply to the area was regular.

Nagar panchayat demanded
From Our Correspondent

KHARAR, June 20 — A delegation of the people of nine villages of Kharar block led by Dr Gurnam Singh Balaungi met Mr Balramji Dass Tandon in Chandigarh yesterday and submitted a memorandum to him demanding that their villages should be merged and a nagar panchayat formed on the pattern of Zirakpur.

Dr Balaungi (Secretary, SAD, Kharar Circle, Rural) and Mr Dinesh Kumar Singh (panch) said here today that the villages were Balaungi, Balaungi Colony, Bad Majra, Bad Majra Colony, Dawn, Raipur, Ballo Majra, Behlolpur and Jhujhar Nagar.

They said the memoradum was signed by the sarpanches of all these villages.They said the population of these villages was 43,300 and the residential area 600 acres. These villages has a common land of about 350 acres and they had about 600 shops and 70 industrial units. These villages were not to be covered under the proposed expansion plan of SAS Nagar and the development in these villages was going on in an unplanned manner.