![]() |
Tuesday,
October 2, 2001, Chandigarh, India
|
|
70-year-old villager found murdered Raipur Rani, October 1 The body of Ram Pal Sharma with injuries on his neck, back, abdomen, wrists and hands, was noticed lying in a pool of blood on the floor by a neighbourhood girl while she was on her way to fetch milk from a nearby house at about 6.30 am. She narrated the scene to her parents and, subsequently, the family of the deceased and the police were informed. The deceased was the uncle of Arvind Mohan, correspondent of Dainik Tribune. Being a bachelor, he used to stay with his brother, Mr Om Prakash Sharma, a retired Haryana Roadways employee. Mohan said his uncle used to stay at night in a shop of electrical works, being run by Anil Kumar, adjacent to an auto spare parts shop owned by Om Prakash. As the family had hardly any agricultural and urban land, Mohan ruled out any rivalry as property dispute as the motive behind the murder. On receiving information, Mr Manoj Yadav, SP, and Ms Bharti Arora, ASP, along with the area SHO and a police party reached the spot. A team of forensic experts and dog squad were pressed in to service. A visit by a Tribune team to the spot revealed that the body was lying in a pool of blood beneath a cot inside the shop. A blood-stained carpet and a blanket were lying on the cot. A number of residents of the surrounding villagers had assembled at the site. A case under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered by the police against the unidentified assailants and the body has been sent to the Sector 6 General Hospital for a postmortem examination. This is the fourth unsolved blind murder in the district in the
past month. Son of a hotelier, Pankaj Rana, was shot dead by some unidentified assailants on September 3 near the New Ghaggar bridge in Sector 25. On September 10 night, Karam Chand, a watchman of an industrial unit in Industrial Area, Phase I, was found murdered in a toilet. Unidentified assailants had killed a mimicry artiste, Jyoti Sharma, on September 16 night. His body with multiple injuries on the chest, abdomen and neck was found in shrubs along the railway line in Industrial Area, Phase I, the next day. While talking to The Tribune, Mr Yadav, SP, said there was no link of this murder with the previous three incidents. He, however, claimed that the police was conducting raids at the suspected hide out of the accused. Monthly meetings were being conducted with the police of the adjacent states to curb crime. |
He loves his versatility Chandigarh, October 1 “Please do not typecast me as a Sufi singer or a folk singer. I consider myself a versatile singer who likes to sing all types of songs with equal gusto,” says the singer. He mesmerised the audience with his sufiana kalaam and a few numbers from his latest album “Sab Ton
Sohni” at a music showroom in Sector 17 here today. Hans spread the message of love and peace with Saiful Maluk’s “Mali da kum
pani” and moved onto sing a few Shiv Kumar Batalvi songs. Without any background music, his splendid voice and natural charm came to the fore. Talking about his career in Hindi films, the singer said after “Ishq de
gali” from Kachhe Dhagge and “Dil Tote Tote from Bichhoo, offers had been pouring in. “I am not ready to move to Mumbai or Delhi as I get true inspiration only from the soil of Punjab,” said Hans. His latest song in a Hindi movie was with
A.R. Rehman in “Nayak.” Answering a question about the establishment of a censor board in Punjab, he said the vulgarity which had become a part of music video albums should be shunned. “As far as picturisation of songs is concerned, they are very much in tune with today’s lifestyle,” he claimed. |
|
No immediate land for
housing societies Chandigarh, October 1 This will affect about 900 middle-class families of the city without any fault of their own. The Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) is scheduled to allot land to a total of 57 cooperative societies for construction of multi-storey flats. The price of the land is Rs 2,850 per sq yard, and 136 acres spread across sectors, 48, 49, 50 and 51 are to be allotted in total. Sources, while confirming the delay said allotment of land for these 25 societies could be held back by several months. All societies were to be allotted land in Sector 50 where encroachments are yet to be removed. Compensation cases are dragging on against land owners. Several cow-sheds are functioning in the sector, while unauthorised timber saw mills and shops selling marble granite and furniture have come up right under the nose of the Chandigarh Administration. Removing these people just before the municipal elections scheduled in December will be a big task for the bureaucracy-led Chandigarh Administration. Till then the money will remain with the CHB and dreams of hundreds of middle class people to own a flat in the City Beautiful will have to be put on hold. Several members of societies have raised loans from their own resources, banks and their offices and some have even dipped into their respective funds. A draw of lots to allot the area and sectors to societies was held in December, 2000. By July this year members were asked to pay up 25 per cent of the land cost and also the money for conversion of the land from leasehold to freehold. Now the CHB is to issue allotment letters and hand over possession to the societies. This move to issue allotment letters has also come about after a lot of pressure from members as delay means rising costs of construction. |
Fake bank drafts give cops the blues Chandigarh, October 1 Well-placed sources inform that a number of fake bank drafts are in circulation, especially amongst the trading community. A number of cases have come up in the recent past where fake bank drafts have been submitted by traders in banks, after they were paid back through these drafts in lieu of goods sold. Many traders have landed themselves in the dock after they were paid back in the form of bank drafts for the goods sold to relatively unknown people. It is learnt that local traders are approached by people claiming to be traders from other states ( mainly they approach as traders from Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh) . These people, after striking a deal with unsuspecting traders here, offer to pay them through bank drafts, reportedly of a higher amount than the goods are actually worth, on the pretext that they think it safe to carry drafts than money. It is only after the goods have been sold off and the traders submit the bank drafts for encashment that the fraud is detected. Police sources inform that a number of such cases have been reported during this year. It is learnt that atleast six to seven such cases have been registered against traders, who had submitted fake bank drafts for encashment. Meanwhile, the misuse of bearer drafts worth lakhs of rupees is going on unabated, even as the national and state exchequers continue to lose money by way of massive tax evasion. These drafts are openly traded and accepted by business houses for all kinds of unaccounted transactions. Since there is no official record of such transactions, traders do not have to pay taxes and levies. It is suspected that certain bank officials are colluding with traders when these drafts are presented to them for payment. The free circulation and acceptance of these drafts has made the thus unaccounted transactions risk- free. It is learnt that traders route their money through bearer draft channel to save the transaction from being brought on record. The draft passes through several hands until the person needs cash or the validity of the draft is to expire ( normally six months from the date of issue). So if a person wants to get these drafts encashed, he needs to open an account in the bank or visit the bank in order to get the draft encashed. An oragnised network of commission agents is available for the purpose. A local draft can be encashed at a 0.5 per cent commission and an outstation draft can be encashed at 2 per cent commission, it is learnt.
|
VC to settle NRI seat
issue Highlights
Chandigarh, October 1 The issue of ‘ unfair’ filling of seats in the NRI quota in the Department of Chemical Engineering was settled with Prof K.N.Pathak, the Vice Chancellor, being given the power to mediate. He has called for a meeting of the officials concerned and a date is expected within a couple of days. Seats in the NRI quota were filled in Chemical Engineering despite an official press release announcing the postponement of counselling. A question has arisen whether counselling for the NRI quota could be held before other categories. This resulted in students far down in the merit list making it to the class. In the usual routine, the NRI quota is filled after counselling to the general quota is completed. In a related case the university will also postpone second counselling to the engineering courses in the local engineering college and B.Sc ( honours) classes. It has been pointed out that there are a significant number of outsiders in the local engineering and honours school branches. Counselling for about 80 seats in engineering colleges in Delhi is scheduled for October 4 and 5. Counselling in the local college is scheduled from October 3 to 5. Since there is a likelihood of more seats falling vacant locally, the university will postpone the second counselling to ensure that maximum seats are filled. It was also pointed out in the house that certain students deposited ‘duplicate’ certificates in colleges to secure admission in more than one engineering college. They did not vacate their seats. This kept the seats blocked. However, no strict action has been initiated in this direction. Panjab University has extended the last date of admission to the BA, B Sc and B Com courses in affiliated colleges till October 10. Admissions will be done in case of vacancies and strictly on merit. PU has also regularised 60 additional admissions in the Law Department. Following a legal case, the university had to admit fresh candidates and at the same time those admitted earlier could not be turned out. It was pointed out that after counselling, the department should not have declared the results till a final decision was announced. In a decision regarding better work culture, the Senate has cleared the item asking for a minimum 30 working hours for teachers in a week in the affiliated colleges. A committee has been constituted to study the case of granting a third chance to compartment cases who could not make it in the two attempts. The house was divided on the issue. On the one hand it was pointed out that two chances were more than enough in the interest of academic standards, on the other hand it was pointed out that a candidate should not be allowed promotion till he cleared one class in as many chances he attempted. Panjab University has decided to maintain a minimum 66 per cent attendance for eligibility to appear in the annual examination this year. However, a committee will look into the UGC proposal of a minimum 75 per cent attendance from the next session onwards. The house was also divided on this issue. A sum of Rs 1 crore has been sanctioned for a Centre for Human Genome and Studies and Research. The university will also commence an M Sc degree in Human Genomic from 2002. The grant has been sanctioned for a National Centre in the field. The university will send registered mail to RL (result late) candidates according them reasons and the solution. The money for the mail will be charged from the student. |
HUDA identifies placements for rehriwalas Panchkula, October 1 Their “lucrative positons” around roundabouts and along sector-dividing roads are categorically stated to be out of bounds for these “encroachers”, solving the nuisance created by vehicles stopping to pick up “reasonably priced” fruit from these vendors. In clear instructions to unions of both the parties, the Estate Officer, Ms Geeta Bharti, has said while roundabouts and main roads are beyond consideration, the rehris of fruit vendors can be stationed at apni mandis while phariwalas can look for alternative places away from the main roads. “We have asked the rehriwalas to confine stationing of rehris to apni mandis which are held practically everyday in one sector or another. Along with the other vendors, they can also carry out sale from these places,” she said. Moreover, while being instructed to “keep away” from roundabouts, the fruit vendors have been allowed movement within sectors. “We are against creation of a traffic mess on the roadside but have no objection if they move around within sectors,” she added. Also, pharis on sector-dividing roads were a traffic hazard and complaints from residents had multiplied over time, the only solution till now being lifting of their “possessions” and imposition of fine. “We have asked them to shift from their present locations. However, we have given them the concession that they can stand within sector lanes and carry on their business. They should not be seen anywhere along the main roads and we will not touch them,” she said. Sources said an informal request to have police personnel posted near roundabouts as a deterrent to vendors had also been made and already implemented. The rehris and pharis had become a constant irritant with residents owing to the danger posed by the traffic problem it created at sector turnings. With the new arrangement, things have already begun to look up for the city. It has begun to present a cleaner image. |
Woman sets herself
on fire Chandigarh, October 1 It is learnt that Priya, a 33- year- old housewife, poured petrol over herself in the backyard of their house at about 6: 45 pm. It is alleged that she was under depression because she was unable to bear a child. At the time of the incident, the victim’s younger sister-in-law was cooking in the kitchen, located adjacent to the backyard. Her mother-in-law was not in the house at the time of the incident. It is learnt that she was the eldest of the three daughters-in-law and was unhappy over not having a child of her own. |
Experiences of a
lifetime Chandigarh, October 1 As part of the ongoing Operation Sadhbhavana, the Army is organising several such excursions for children from remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir. They are being exposed them to other parts of the country and are being given an opportunity to broaden their horizons and interact with people from other states. The girls, aged between 12 and 18 years, are being accompanied by two parents and three teachers, along with a liaison officer, Major Rajesh Bhanot from 17 Gharwal. The excursion is being sponsored by 14 Corps. They arrived here from Ambala yesterday and would remain in Chandi Mandir till October 14.Today, they were taken to the Yadvindra Gardens in Pinjore and later they interacted with the GOC-in-C, Western Command, Lt-Gen Surjit Singh and the president, Army Wives Welfare Association, Ms Deep Surjit Singh. Speaking about their experiences during the trip as well as life back home in Kargil, they presented a picture quite different from popular perception. “It is an experience we will never forget all through our lives,” quipped Soqua
Baroo, a Class VIII student. “The trip has really opened our eyes, though we still have a lot to see and learn,” she added. Talking about the socio-economic conditions back home, Tsering
Yargcha, a student of BA I, said that women were given due respect and wearing the burqa is not required, though some women were it out of choice. Girls were sent to school, though their number in college was less, she added. “While the proportion of girls and boys in school is roughly equal, girls form only 20 per cent of the student strength in college,” she
further said. Nargis Khatun said the Army had set up a vocational training centre for localities in Kargil, which had become popular. With about 155 students on its rolls, computers, sewing, tailoring, knitting, and carpet making were among other things taught there, she added. Though there was a degree college in arts there, a science section would be added soon and provisional admissions were being made for the science stream, she said. Their joy knew no bounds when the Army Commander, on their persistence, agreeed on the spot to send them to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. They would leave for Agra day-after-tomorrow. The only thing they had heard about Agra, the girls said, was the Taj Mahal. They are scheduled to meet the Governor of Punjab, Lt-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), at the Raj Bhawan tomorrow. Their programme includes a visit to popular spots in and around Chandigarh, including Sukhna Lake, Rose Garden, Rock Garden and Panjab
University. |
||
Anti-encroachment drive
ineffective SAS Nagar, October 1 As soon as the anti-encroachment staff reach a particular market to confiscate goods lying in corridors or in the open, the shopkeepers manage to pull back most of these goods into their shops. Although the staff have seized some goods during the drive, these mostly comprise heavier items which the offenders are unable to pick up quickly. The drive is also proving ineffective as information about an ongoing raid travels from one market to another alerting the offenders. In many cases shopkeepers are acquainted with employees in the council who give information about a planned raid to them in advance. Shopkeepers say the drive is having very little effect as most of them place their goods back as soon as the anti-encroachment staff leave the market. On the second day of the drive there was a dispute with offenders after which the Naib-Tehsildar was reported to be reluctant to accompany the raiding party. Council officials complain that on the first and second day of the drive police personnel accompanied the anti-encroachment staff, but were absent on the third day. However, after the SDM, Mr Jai Pal Singh, was approached by the council, the police was provided again. They further complain that the PUDA authorities had sent only one Junior Engineer for the drive, while according to the SDM they should provide an SDO and three others as was decided at a meeting. The drive, which began on Tuesday, was aimed at removing various types of encroachments, including those by shopkeepers and roadside vendors. An anti-encroachment subcommittee comprising council and PUDA officials, a Naib-Tehsildar and the police had been formed on September 21 by the Mr Jai Pal Singh, after a meeting with the representatives of the authorities concerned. The council president, Mr Kulwant Singh, had requested the SDM to organise such a meeting. The SDM wrote a letter to the Additional Chief Administrator of PUDA on September 28 asking him to send the police team provided to PUDA along with other officials to assist the council’s anti-encroachment staff. |
Scindia’s death
condoled Chandigarh, October 1 The Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee held a condolence meeting at Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan, Sector 35, and paid floral tributes to the departed leader. Mr B.B. Bahl, president of the unit, said Scindia was a great parliamentarian. He urged the Congressmen to follow the path shown by the departed leader. The unit also paid tributes to the journalists who died along with Scindia in the plane crash. Senior Congress leaders were present at the condolence meeting. The anit-corruption wing of the unit also expressed grief and sorrow at the death of Madhav Rao Scindia. In a press note, Mr B.M. Khanna, said death of Scindia was a big loss to the Congress. The local unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party also paid tributes to Scindia and the journalists killed in the plane crash. BJP leaders said with the death of Scindia, the country had lost a young, dynamic and promising political leader. The leaders also condoled the death of the journalists. Ms Harjinder Kaur, Mayor of Chandigarh, while expressing condolence, said the nation had lost a dynamic leader. |
PUDA to get 50-cr loan
from Corporation Bank Chandigarh, October 1 He stated that a unique feature of this loan was that it had been advanced by the bank on account of inherent strength of PUDA’s balance-sheet and without any guarantee from the Punjab Government. Previously, all such loans, including loan from HUDCO, were required to be accompanied by such a guarantee. In the absence of this guarantee, 2 per cent upfront guarantee fee payable to the government, in this case amounting to Rs 1 crore, shall be the net saving for PUDA. Apart from this the absence of guarantee charges also pegs the borrowing charges exactly at the rate charged by the bank since there are no adjustments to be made on account of the government guarantee money. Mr Sidhu further said that PUDA would be drawing the loan in three or four branches depending upon the speed of disbursement of land acquisition compensation as well as speed of the execution of the development works. Mr Sidhu also said that recently PUDA had cleared up its debt portfolio by repaying or pre-paying high cost debt to HUDCO, LIC and other finance institutions using its internal accruals. |
|
A day when generation gap
melted Chandigarh, October 1 The function started with a prayer song “Mubarak hai janam uska” by students of the college moved onto a host of activities like singing of bhajans, shabad and Punjabi and Hindi songs. Besides sharing a few jokes, the students also entertained the elders with dance numbers. The 19 inmates of the Home had a one-on-one interaction with the students and shared a few moments of their lives. The programme concluded with a group dance where both the elderly ladies and the young students participated. Meanwhile, a seminar was organised by the Servants of the People Society in association with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) state branch at Lajpat Rai Bhavan, Sector 15 here on Monday. The topic of the seminar was ENT problems among the elderly. Elders’ Day was celebrated at 15 health-care centers in urban, rural and slum areas of the Union Territory today, according to Lt Col M.S. Allagh (retd). Colonel Allagh is the honorary Chief Administrator of the centers which work under the overall supervision of Dr (Birg) M.L. Kataria, popularly known as the “saviour of the slums”. The 15-year-old nodal Senior Citizens’ Health-Care Centre at Lala Lajpat Rai Bhavan found a large number of elderly social workers and beneficiaries recollecting their happy experiences. The two former Army officers led the celebrations. The Servants of the People Society, Help-Age (India), the Indian Red Cross Society, Ramakrishna Mission, panchayats, gurdwaras, the Lions and Rotary Clubs of the area and philanthropists exchanged ideas on how to help citizens in the evening of their lives. |
Of money, man and
meanness Chandigarh, October 1 The 34-year-old man had accused his mother of keeping his father as a slave for the past more than a decade but these allegations seemed false when a team of Chandigarh Tribune visited the house. What came to light from the accounts of neighbours and police officials posted in the area was a son’s lust for money that the sprawling bungalow, located in one of the northern sectors of the city, could fetch for him. Chandigarh Tribune had earlier received a complaint from a local resident that his mother in her mid-70s, was keeping her husband as a slave. Allegedly the man was not allowed to interact with anyone, was ill-fed and was forced to remain without clothes, even in front of his daughters. It was because of this that his daughters had moved to their relatives, who had then arranged their marriages. It was further alleged that he was forced to do all household chores and brutally assaulted by his wife, in case he faltered. The complaint further stated that the woman was superstitious and she would force her husband to perform strange rituals like moving around a water tap and reciting some mantras. However, a visit to the spot and an interaction with the neighbours revealed otherwise. It came to light that there was a dispute between the old couple and their son for the bungalow with a market price of Rs 1 crore. |
General Kanwar assumes
charge Chandigarh, October 1 Commissioned into Dogra Regiment in February 1964, he has vast experience of soldiering in difficult areas of the North-East as swell as during the 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pak wars. He has also served in peace-keeping operations in Sri Lanka. A recipient of the Commando Dagger, General Kanwar has also been an instructor in the commando wing of Infantry School. An alumnus of the Royal College of Defence Studies, United Kingdom, he has been decorated with the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Chief of the Army Staff’s Commendation Card. He hails from Una in Himachal Pradesh. |
Software for residents Chandigarh, October 1 The Deputy Commissioner, Ms Jyoti Arora, said a software,
NAI-DISHA, was being developed and it would be dedicated to the people of Panchkula on Haryana Day on November 1. |
Four attacked by armed
youths Panchkula, October 1 According to the police, armed with sticks and hockeysticks, some unidentified jeep-borne persons came and attacked Ramesh Gupta, his son Kamal, brother-in-law Susheel and Muhammad Yaseen. Ramesh Gupta sustained serious head injuries and was rushed to the PGI in Chandigarh after being referred by the doctors of Civil Hospital, Kalka, while the other injured were treated there. The police said a resident of Kalka, Ramesh was running a Haryana Tourism shop on contract basis, while Yaseen used to take the visitors on camel-ride. The youth fled from the scene after a stormy operation, which continued for over half an hour. Reportedly old rivalry between the groups was the reason behind the attack. Meanwhile, after registering a case, the police arrested Rinku, who was allegedly involved in the case, while some suspects were rounded up and further investigations were on. |
Burglary Chandigarh Woman arrested: Shanti was arrested from Nukkad dhaba in Sector 22 on Sunday night with 25 pouches of Hero whisky. A case under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act has been registered. Booked: Sambir, Jagat Singh , Kanchan and others have been booked on the charges of rioting and assaulting Kapil Kumar and Rajinder Singh Bhasin on Saturday in Sector 22. A case under Sections 147, 149 and 323 of the IPC has been registered. Cyclist injured: Saman Barwal, a cyclist was hit by a tractor-trailor (CHW- 7756) near Doaba Sweets, Sector 21. The driver managed to flee from the spot. A case under Sections 279 and 337 of IPC has been registered. Chain snatching: Two scooter-borne youths are alleged to have snatched a gold chain from a Sector 40 resident at about 7.30 this evening while she was standing in front of her house. Arrested:
Three youths, Balbir Singh, Vijit Kumar and Hari Ram were arrested from Phase II, Ram Darbar, tonight on the charge of disrupting peace. They have been booked under Sections 107 and 151 of the
CrPC. Two hurt: Two persons were injured when a bus hit a rickshaw and two cars near the octroi post in Phase III-A here on Monday. The CTU bus, which was coming from Chandigarh and was bound for Kharar, first hit a Matiz and a Maruti car and then a rickshaw in which two women were sitting. The vehicles, which were damaged, had stopped at the traffic light. Mr Simar Onkar, senior copy editor, Encyclopaedia Britannica, whose Maruti was badly damaged, said the CTU bus had hit his car from behind. He said he had rung up the police control room thrice, but the police turned up about an hour after the accident. |
Private traders buy 1.56 lakh tonnes of paddy Chandigarh, October 1
Chandigarh |
![]() |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 121 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |