Cop booked for demanding dowry
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, June 25 — A commando of the Haryana police posted in Karnal has been booked by the local police for allegedly demanding dowry from his wife. In a complaint lodged with the police, Puja, a resident of Sector 15 here, alleged that she was threatened and intimidated by her husband to bring dowry.

A case under sections 323, 406 and 498-A of the IPC has been registered against the commando, Pawan Kumar.

Injured: Two persons were injured in two separate accidents in the district on Friday.

Manmohan Singh, who was driving a Maruti Zen car was seriously injured after being hit by a truck at Chandimandir, near here, this evening. He has been admitted to the PGI, Chandigarh.

In another case an Army personnel was injured when the the truck which he was driving was hit by another truck (HR-03-2585) driven by Kartar Singh near Pyara village in Raipur Rani. The erring truck driver has been arrested by the police.

Gambling: Four persons — Ramesh, Shyam Lal, Net Ram and Anil — have been arrested by the police for gambling at a public place in Sector 7 here on Thursday.

CHANDIGARH

Arrested: A resident of Dadu Majra Colony, Madan Lal, was arrested by the police while allegedly carrying 49 pouches of country made liquor. He was booked under the Excise Act. In a separate incident, Dev Raj of Ram Darbar was arrested while creating nuisance in a public place.

Harassment charge: A woman living in Badheri village has alleged that some persons of the same village, in connivance with certain police officials, have been harassing her tenants without any reason. The woman, Surinder Kaur, in a letter to the IG alleged that she had been approaching the police station but to no avail. A copy of the letter was also supplied to The Tribune.

She alleged that her house had been on rent and this was the only source of income for her, her ailing husband and three children. The persons harassing the tenants have been threatening him without any reason. The police has taken no action against her complaint but acted promptly on the complaint of one Mr Chander Prakash Gandhi, who is the other party instigating people to throw out my tenant, the woman said.

Summer workshop concludes
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 25 — Gulmohar Arts, Chandigarh, in collaboration with North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala, today presented the concluding function of their month-long summer workshop at Tagore Theatre here. It was being co-ordinated by Ravinder Pal Kalra.

The programme, which was dedicated to the martyrs of Kargil, began with the children enacting out a Hindi film patriotic song, "Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Sathiyon". This was followed by mime movements by about 10 children, titled 'Namaskaar'. This was something of a clap-tap session, in which children clapped, then tapped their feet and finally formed some dance postures. though electricity failed during this item, children kept on with their performance.

The attraction of the day was a short play 'Vaceleeca', based on a Russian short story, that told the tale of a small girl of the same name who is troubled by her step-mother. When sent to a witch by her step-mother, Vaceleeca is helped by a doll, that had been gifted to her by her dead mother. the story ends up with Vaceleeca marrying a prince.

Vaceleeca was played by six-year-old Gayatri. The prince was played by Jagsir and the old woman by Sukhmeet Basota. a Punjabi singer and mimicry artist, Kamljit Neelon, also performed. children also performed alongside him.

The chief guest was Dr Joginder Singh Kairon, Director, Punjab State Text Book Board. Mr S.S. Makhan presided.

Heart surgery expenses reimbursed
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 25 — The UT Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum-II has directed National Insurance Company to pay Rs 1,46,350 spent on heart surgery to a complainant under its medi-claim policy.

Mr Om Parkash Goel, a resident of Panchkula, had taken a medi-claim policy from National Insurance Company for the period from June 29, 1995, to June 28, 1996. Thereafter he suffered chest pain on August 6, 1995, and was taken to a nursing home in Sector 9, Panchkula. He was then referred to Escorts Heart Institute, New Delhi, where he underwent a heart bypass surgery. This cost him Rs 1,46,350, including Rs 14,750 spent on various tests and angiography.

He claimed this amount from the insurance company under the medi-claim policy but the same was rejected.

The insurance compnay in its reply justified the rejection of the claim on the ground that the complainant was already suffering from a heart ailment before he took the policy. And, therefore, his claim fell under the exclusion clause of the policy. The company relied upon a report of Dr Rakesh Soni who contended that the complainant had purchased the medi-claim policy in contemplation of undergoing surgical treatment. He further stated that the complainant did not disclose the heart problem while taking the policy.

The forum Bench comprising its President R.P. Bajaj and member H.S. Walia, after going through the records, observed that the report of Dr Soni was not supported by an affadavit. It further held that ``he is a simple MBBS doctor and not a cardiologist. The reasons given by him are just surmises and based on possibilities which are not cogent enough to give a positive finding that the complainant was suffering from heart diseases prior to his taking the policy.''

While Dr Soni did observe in his report that the complainant was suffering from pre-existing coronary artery disease as shown in the ECG report, but he did not pinpoint the precise malady in the ECG report to prove that it was a case of an old MI. Hence, the report appeared to have been prepared with a pre-determined mind to negate the claim of the complainant. Furthermore, there was no evidence to show that the complainant was ever hospitalised before August 6, 1995, for a heart ailment or he had consulted any doctor in this regard prior to that.

The forum, therefore, held that the repudiation of the claim was an act of deficiency in service on the part of the company. The company did not collect any material to prove that the complainant was actually suffering from a heart ailment prior to his taking the policy.

The forum directd the insurance company to pay the amount actually spent on the heart surgery amounting to Rs 1,46, 350 along with an interst at the rate of 12 per cent per annum from May 24, 1996, till the payment. The costs of Rs 1,500 were also imposed.

Case settled

The Electricity Department, UT, has agreed to allow a refund of Rs 5,900 out of the sundry charges wrongly levied upon a consumer.

Genuine Auto Spares, a tenant in one of the showrooms in Sector 28, had filed a complaint alleging that the Electricity Department had wrongly levied sundry charges of Rs 8,996 in the bill of November 17, 1998, for the period from August 21, 1998, to October 21, 1998. These charges were levied on the pretext that the meter was defective during the earlier period.

However, the complainant challenged the calculation of average charges before the forum.

During the period of the complaint, the SDO settled the matter with the complainant.

Therefore, the forum disposed of the matter.

Big hike in clove price
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 25 — Even as clove has registered a big hike in its price, there was no fluctuation in the prices of other spices and pulses.

During a survey of the local market today, it was found that if a kg of clove was priced at Rs 90 just two weeks back, it was available today for Rs 300 in the retail market. The wholesale price of the commodity has increased from Rs 70 to Rs 160 a kg. This is for the first time that the price of the commodity has gone up so steadily as it had been stable between Rs 70 and Rs 90 during the past one year.

According to traders at the Sector 26 market, the price of clove has jumped owing to its shrinking imports from Indonesia, which had been a major supplier to India so far. "Actually, Indonesia, where the crop was in plenty during the past two years, has stopped exports to India after tiding over the currency crisis through which it had been passing for a couple of months," said a trader.

Other spices such as 'zira', black-pepper and cardamom did not witness any fluctuation during this period. A kg of 'zira' was still available in the retail market for Rs 80 and in the wholesale market for Rs 70. Similarly, a kg of 'chhoti elaichi' was priced at Rs 850 in retail and at Rs 750 in the wholesale market. The price of 'badi elaichi' was stable at Rs 240 in retail and for Rs 200 in the wholesale market. There was no change in the price of 'haldi sabat' as a kg of the same was priced between Rs 25 and Rs 40.

Pulses were also available at the old prices. A kg of 'mah sabat' was priced at Rs 26, while the wholesale price of the same was between Rs 2,300 and Rs 2,450 a quintal. Similarly, 'moong sabat' was priced in the retail market for Rs 26 a kg and in the wholesale market for Rs 2,300 a quintal. If one could purchase 'dal masri' for Rs 25 a kg in the retail market, it could be fetched in the wholesale market for Rs 2,400.

'Arhar' was still available for Rs 33 a kg in the retail market and for Rs 3,000 a quintal in the wholesale market, while 'rajmah' could be purchased for Rs 40 a kg in retail and for Rs 3,800 a quintal in the wholesale market. Similarly, if 'dal chana' and 'kala chana' were priced at Rs 17 a kg in the retail market, it was available in the wholesale market for Rs 1,550 a quintal.

Pandove benefit match
By Our Sports Reporter

CHANDIGARH, June 25 — The India-Sri Lanka tie for the Siyaram Cup, scheduled to be held on June 26, has been postponed to July 10 and according to a communication received by the Punjab Cricket Association, ESPN and Star Sports channels have already agreed to telecast the match live on the new date.

Mr Sudhir Mittal, Treasurer of the Punjab Cricket Association, disclosed that tickets already sold for the June 26 match will remain valid for the match to be played on July 10 . The sale of tickets for the match are on at the counters set up in the PCA Stadium as also at the counters set up in Chandigarh and S.A.S. Nagar.

The match is being held as a benefit match for M.P Pandove who was a first class cricketer and at present is the Secretary of the Punjab Cricket Association .

Shooting meet: The Chandigarh Rifle association will conduct the 24th Chandigarh State Shooting Championship at Patiali Rao Shooting Ranges , Sector 25, from July 22 to 25 . The competitions will be held in the following events : .22 rifle, air rifle, air pistol,centre fire pistol(NR), and air rifle, air pistol, .22 free rifle (ISSF) in men and women section.

The shooters for the ninth GV Mavlankar National Shooting Championship ( NR) to be held at Chennai from August 22 to 30 will also be selected on the basis of performance in this championship.

Entries close with Mr Vijaypal Singh, General Secretary of the association, at Police Station(East) , Sector 26, on July 20.

Summer camp: In the ongoing summer badminton camp at the Panjab University Indoor Hall, the parents of the trainees will interact with various experts associated with this game on Saturday. The experts include Mr M.C. Sethi, Mr T.P.S. Puri and Mr S.N. Sharma.

Earlier, on Thursday evening, the diet expert from the National Institute of Sports, Patiala, also gave tips to the campers on diet management. The camp will conclude on Sunday.