Banur, July 23
There was tension at Chhatt village here this afternoon when residents of villages on both sides of the Banur canal confronted one another over the construction of a kuccha dam over the Ghaggar river.

While residents of over 80 villages downsream have forced irrigation department officials to stop construction of a protection dam over the river, fearing floods, the standing crop of farmers of another 25 villages on the other side of the river has begin to wilt in the absence of water.

Hundreds of villagers reached the dam site this afternoon where heated arguments and scuffles continued till the SDM of Dera Bassi and the police arrived there.The presence of the police failed to deter the villagers, who continued to shout at one another.

SDM Sohan Lal Bhumbak, SGPC member Jasmer Singh and former minister Ajaib Singh Mailpur eventually convinced the two groups to resolve the issue amicably.

SDM Bhumbak said the sharing of water in the area had remained the bone of contention for several years. An agreement was reached that a weir under NABARD be constructed which would feed the Banur canal and the water flow regulated automatically.

“However, there is shortage of water in summers. The Banur canal fed by the Ghaggar that provides water for irrigation to the villages on the other side dries up,” explained the SDM.

Chandigarh, July 23
Even as more than 5,000 cases of dogs or other animals biting residents are reported in the city every year, the authorities are doing little to control this menace. The facilities to treat dog-bite victims also remain limited.

Yesterday, 25 city residents were bitten by a stray dog. But the authorities chose to remain inactive about this. Municipal Corporation (MC) officials were sent in search of the dog but their three-hour long search proved futile.

“The dog is suspected to be rabid. Such dogs usually run fast and we suspect it has gone to Nayagaon. Since that is out of our jurisdiction, we did not search there,” stated a senior MC official.

MC officials say they cannot do much about the stray dogs. “My job is to control the stray dog population and not dog bites,” said MC’s medical officer (health), G.C. Bansal. “I am doing my best possible. Every Monday we catch stray dogs and get them sterilised. According to the Animal Birth Control Rules (Dogs) 2000, the MC is to only control the stray dog population. We have to sterilise them and leave them at the place where they were found. Neither the UT nor MC has any hospital where they can be kept for post-operative care. So we have to depend on two NGO’s for that,” added Bansal.

Officials say part of the problem was the lack of a dog pound in the city. The Chandigarh Administration has allotted a half-acre plot for the special dog yard in Dhanas village. However, the MC has not been given the possession of the plot, nearly four months after the allocation. When contacted, the concerned superintendent in Finance Department said that the concerned clerk was on leave, so no details of the yard could be provided.

Chandigarh, July 23
Revising its earlier order to discharge troops placed in permanent low medical category (LMC) the Army plans to release over 15,600 personnel over the next 12 months.

The new policy would, besides reducing the number of troops to be discharged, permit LMC personnel to serve for several more years. The Army earlier planned to cut its rank and file by about 27,000 men who had attained minimum pensionable service.

A circular received at Headquarters Western Command this month from the Manpower Planning Directorate at Army Headquarters states that junior commissioned officers and other ranks that have rendered service in excess of 20 years and 15 years, respectively, only they will be discharged from service.

According to the schedule of discharge accompanying the circular, troops would be released in four phases. Between October and December this year, 3,697 troops would be released and the remaining would be released in the first three quarters next year.

The maximum number of soldiers to be discharged is from the Corps of Signals (3,084), followed by the Infantry (2,992). Noticeably, technical arms and services like the Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), Corps of Engineers and the Army Medical Corps figure on top of the list.

The Army wanted to discharge troops on the grounds that the manpower of personnel below officer rank (PBOR) was in excess to authorised strength. A review of manpower carried out earlier this year had revealed a significant drop in the annual wastages, primarily due to reduced number of pre-mature retirements.

The Comptroller and Auditor General, in its latest report has observed that despite excess in the strength of PBOR, there was shortfall in recruitment in EME and Signals cadres against notified vacancies in the last six years.

The shortfall in filling vacancies in these two arms was between 10 to 26 per cent.

Army Headquarters attributed the shortfall to stringent norms pertaining to educational qualifications at the intake level and also to the policy linking recruitment to the total recruitable male population of each state. This policy prevented the transfer of shortage in filling vacancies allotted to one state to other states, except with the approval of the Ministry of Defence.

The Army also ended up with 833 “surplus” EME personnel when the proposed

Army Aviation squadrons, to which these men were to be posted for providing technical and maintenance support, could not be raised as per schedule.

Chandigarh, July 23
Along with a new facility, which was inaugurated today, the Ambedkar Centre at Panjab University is soon to be upgraded from a regional to a full-fledged centre, which will work extensively in the field of community development.

Vice-Chancellor R C Sobti announced that the Ambedkar Centre, the Adult and Continuing Education department and the Regional Resource Centre would be integrated to form a department to Rural Development, which will work towards uplifting marginalised communities through research and practical projects including encouraging self-help groups.

The centre, which till now had been functioning out of the Department of Sociology was allotted space on the ground floor of Arts Block VII, (behind the Law Auditorium) and was inaugurated this morning by Pawan Kumar Bansal, Union Minister of State for Finance, who had allotted Rs 6.70 lakh for a computer laboratory and documentation centre.

Emphasising on the role that the Centre had to play, he said that along with research, it should also provide training to self-help groups along with providing extension services in villages and rural areas.

This was given a fillip by Professor Sobti’s announcement that a Department of Rural Development would soon be initiated and that the university was already in the process “of creating infrastructure” for it.

Professor Sobti also got an additional promise of Rs 5 lakh from Bansal for the construction of an examination hall on campus, which, he stated, would save the university Rs 5 to 6 lakh, spent on hiring halls outside.

Professor Sobti also declared that the university was planning a management institute in Sector 25 in the space that the university had just got back a few days ago.

He also urged Bansal to support the University’s endeavour for Central University status of which he was reassured by the latter.

The function began with Professor Manjit Singh, coordinator of the centre, speaking of the how the centre had first been initiated in 2001. He also spoke of the extensive work that has been carried out on bonded labour, migrant labour, child labour, women trafficking and other underprivileged sections of society in these years. 

Mohali, July 23
The police has failed to produce 19 booth-level officers (BLOs) before the subdivisional magistrate-cum-electoral registration officer (69- Kharar constituency) for evading election-related duties.

Also, they have not been booked under the relevant Section of the Representation of People Act, 1950.

While 16 BLOs were from the Punjab School Education Board, three worked with the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA).

According to sources, SDM-cum-electoral registration officer Jaspal Mittal had sent a notice on July 13 to the employees to present themselves for duty.

A copy of the notice was also sent to the secretary of education board and the estate officer of GMADA to ensure that the employees were asked to report for election-related duty.

As the move failed to get the desired response, the SDM then wrote a letter on July 19 to the SHO of police station, Phase VIII, asking her to produce the 19 BLOs in his office by 4 pm the same day.

In case the BLOs failed to present themselves, they should be booked under Section 32 of the Representation of People Act, 1950.

The offence attracts imprisonment for period not less than three months.

However, SHO Raka Ghirra said a reply to the letter of the SDM was sent the same day to which a letter of the education board official was attached.

In the letter, the board had stated that it was facing staff shortage and as such could not spare employees.

The SDM had been requested to let the police know what action should be taken under such circumstances.

It has been learned that Jagdish Chander and Surya Nath, who worked with GMADA and were BLOs for booth No. 155 and 156, respectively, located in Government Senior Secondary School, Phase III B1, presented themselves before the SDM this afternoon on their own.

The persons from the education board who were to be produced before the SDM by the police were: Paramjit Singh and Ram Saroop (working as clerks in the conduct branch); Joginder Singh (clerk in UMC branch); Satbir Singh, Vipin Kumar, Sucha Singh, Paras Ram, Harinder Singh, Malak Singh, clerks ad Rakesh Kumar (senior assistants); Bhajan Singh, Jarnail Singh, Hardeep Singh, Gurmail Singh, Surjit Singh and Mangal Singh (all assistants).

While two employees of GMADA presented themselves before the SDM today, Rohit Kumar had still not reported on duty.

Staff had been requisitioned for a verification drive for voter’s list under the directions of the election commission of India.

Each BLO had to take care of the area falling under the booth assigned to him.

Mohali, July 23
Jatt Sikh Welfare Association, Chandigarh, organised its annual general body meeting at a resort in Balongi, here yesterday.

The function was attended by Air Marshal R.S. Purnia, Air Marshal Randhir Singh, H.S. Randhawa, Balbir Singh Sidhu, Didar Singh Bhatti and Jasjit Singh Bunny.

Over 800 participants discussed problems being faced by the community. “Jatt Sikh Virsa”, a quarterly magazine was also released.

Toppers belonging to the community in matric and Class XII were honoured with a cash award of Rs 3,100 and a citation, each.

Principal Dr D.S. Har Narinder Singh, Col B.S. Sandhu and Tarlochan Singh Mann also addressed the gathering.

Augmentation of the UT’s Diggian sewerage treatment plant has become a source of nuisance for the residents of Mohali.

Due to the expansion of the sewerage treatment plant, untreated sewage from the plant is being dumped in to a seasonal rivulet in Industrial Area, Phase IX, Mohali. “ This is creating foul smell in the area and when the wind direction is towards our houses, it is at time difficult to breathe”, Amardeep Sharma, an entrepreneur in the area, said the sewage after spilling over the artificial irrigation canal had spread in vacant plots in the Industrial Area.

Sources in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation confirmed that due to the augmentation of the plant, the machinery to treat the sullage of Chandigarh was not being fully utilized. As a result, only 15 mgd of the sewage was being treated and the rest was being disposed off as such

A senior MC officials said the corporation had nine months time period for the augmentation plan in light of the directions issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. A committee is regularly monitoring the progress.

In the past, the issue of untreated sewage from the plant has resulted in stand off between Punjab and Chandigarh. Few years ago, the Punjab pollution control board had taken up the issue of untreated sullage being discharged by the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation into seasonal rivulets, traversing through Mohali.

The UT was discharging over 45 MGD of sewage of which around 30 MGD was being treated at the Diggian sewage treatment plant. Enquires reveal that the over 20-year-old Diggian treatment plant with a capacity to treat 30 MGD of sewage had also become a bone of contention between PUDA and the Chandigarh MC. PUDA had been pressing upon the CMC to shift its existing Diggian sewage treatment plant as it was now surrounded by residential and industrial areas, posing health hazard.

Treated and untreated sewer being discharged by the treatment plant at Papri for irrigation purposes had also become a source of nuisance for the entrepreneurs of the Industrial Focal Point, Phase IX, where the treatment plant was located. — TNS

Chandigarh, July 23
As part of the Chandigarh administration’s endeavour to promote gender studies in college campuses, a five-day workshop on ‘Gender Sensitisation’ began at the Government College, Sector 46, here today.

Raji P. Shrivastava, director higher education, inaugurated the workshop.

About 48 lecturers from various colleges of the city are participating in the workshop, which is aimed at tackling gender concerns of the youth.

Kamla Bhasin and Runu Chakravarty, founders of Delhi-based NGO Jagori, were the resource persons for today.

Expressing her concern on the declining sex ratio, particularly in this region, Kamla said, “The changes should be done at the economic and cultural level. The entire political and economic system needs to be revamped.”

The core members of the project in Chandigarh are college lecturers Jyoti Seth, Santosh Kumar Singh, Vijaya Singh, Iqbal Judge and Rakesh Kumar.

In 2003, the Army Headquarters had mooted a proposal to construct senior citizens’ homes for serving and retired Army personnel at various stations. To start with these home were to be built at Greater Noida, Pune and Bangalore.

To meet the requirement of veterans, these homes were likely to be self-contained complexes with a mess and medical, recreational, CSD and security facilities. The planning was that each dwelling unit would consist of a two-room set with a bathroom and a kitchenette, with a total plinth area of 600 sq ft.

The estimated cost of each such dwelling unit at that time was expected to be between Rs 9 lakh and Rs 12 lakh. These complexes were to be funded and managed by the inhabitants.

Chandigarh, July 23
A fervent appeal for the participation of young people in decision making at all levels, including at community, local, provincial and national, was the highlight of the plan of action for youth empowerment (PAYE) - 2006 to 2015 released on the inaugural day of the five-day capacity and leadership development workshop for youth representatives of Commonwealth countries of Asia at the Commonwealth Youth Programme (CYP), Asia centre, here today.

Setting the agenda for the young participants, Raj K. Mishra, regional director, CYP, said the main aim of the workshop would be to ensure the involvement of the young persons in the entire governance structure, making them equal partners in decision making and development.

Rajan Kashyap, chief information commissioner, Punjab, in his inaugural address, underlined the importance of the youth in nation building.

The PAYE underlined affirmative and direct action to establish gender equity for all young people and equality of treatment and outcomes for the youth in special circumstances.

The promotion of a democratic, stable and peaceful environment in which young people’s human rights, as defined in international covenants, can be exercised fully and in which they can fully accept their responsibilities were underlined in the plan.

Representatives from Bangladesh, Dar-e-ssalaam, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and India are participating in the workshop.

Chandigarh, July 23
The pitiable condition of the alleys of the Sector 7 market on Madhya Marg is not just a pitiable sight, but is also giving daily travellers a harrowing time.

"Parking is a big problem here. A few months ago, someone smashed my car which was parked in the alley,” said Rajeev Sharma, whose office is in the market.

Trucks unloading commodities for the shops are a common sight here. “These trucks are parked haphazardly, causing great inconvenience to everyone," said Ramesh Kapila, a bank employee.

The road is also dug up at several places, giving a bumpy ride to commuters, even on days when it does not rain.

“The parking space in these alleys should be utilised only by those who work here, while the parking area in the front of the market should be left for visitors. A regulated plan for traffic control needs to be worked out,” said another person at the market.

The administration recently said it would increase the parking space of the shopping area and the alleys.

Chandigarh, July 23
It seems the freedom fighters don’t mean anything in society steeped neck-deep in crass materialism and self-aggrandisement. For what else can explain the fact that Shaheed Udham Singh Memorial in Sector 44 is still incomplete with no signs that it will be completed in near future.

According to information received under the RTI Act by H.C. Arora, the UT administration is all poised to take back the land allotted to the Shaheed Udham Singh Memorial Bhawan Society as the society has failed to pay the balance price of the land.

The administration had allotted the land to the society for the construction of the memorial building way back on January 16, 2003, and the building plan of the memorial was sanctioned on October 21, 2003.

Four years have gone by but the memorial building is yet to see the light of the day. The society has come out with its own excuses saying that the land was allotted to it at an exorbitant price of Rs 75 lakh.

Importantly, the society had paid Rs 25 lakh to the estate officer under protest.

As the society had meager funds, it could complete only a part of the building and that too after getting Rs 8 lakh from the MPLAD fund of the local MP and partly from donations.

However, the society could neither repay the balance price of the plot nor could raise more funds to complete the memorial. Importantly, the estate office had initiated proceedings for the resumption of the plot, Arora informed.

Chandigarh, July 23
The local unit of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) today condemned the repeated terrorist attacks on yatris during the Amarnath yatra.

A press note of the VHP said the state government had failed to provide security to the pilgrims.

“The Congress has withdrawn the armed forces from various parts of the state on the pretext that the state is now a peaceful state whereas the truth is something else. The central government should provide security to the pilgrims,” the note said. 

The Chandigarh administration’s proposal to replace CTU buses with air-conditioned coaches is not going too well with local commuters, finds Tribune correspondent Akash Ghai

“Getting in and out of AC buses in the hot weather may not be good for commuters. It will not be possible to enquire about the bus route from the conductor as the bus windows will be sealed. Ordinary buses are more comfortable. Both AC and ordinary buses can be plied simultaneously. Surinder Singh, Businessman

“Spending a huge amount on replacing buses with AC coaches is not right. I daily use CTU buses to reach my workplace, but I have never felt the need for an air-conditioned bus. What we need are more bus shelters.The money should be spent on basic requirements. Sangeeta Rani, Teacher

“Plying air-conditioned buses on city roads is a good idea but what about basic facilities? A few AC buses may be introduced and that too on long routes. With the new coaches, the fare are bound to go up. he AC buses will also cause health problems to those commuting short distances. R K Sharma, Senior citizen

“There has been no demand for AC coaches from the people. Most people who use public transport are not too well off. They will not be able to pay for travel in these buses, fares of which are likely to go up eventually. This would entail a hole in the pocket of commuters like me. Chandan Batish, IBM employee

The UT administration should be lauded for its efforts to make Chandigarh a smoke-free city. Now, the administration should try and put an end to other nuisances also, such as public protests, burning of effigies and strewing the streets with trash after festivals. Such activities should be banned by the administration.

Chandigarh, July 23
Asking for an empty liquor bottle for fetching petrol fuelled a fight in a Sector-19 liquor vend this morning with the staff allegedly beating a Sector-27 resident. The victim, Ashwani Jindal of Sector 27-D, further alleged that the police was dragging its feet in registering a case against the accused and was pressuring him to reach a compromise.

In his complaint to the police, Jindal claimed that he approached vend to borrow an empty bottle after his moped had run out of petrol. But a man belonging to the liquor vend staff started hurling abuses at him. When he objected to their behaviour the man began hitting him with a beer bottle. Jindal reportedly needed a dozen stitches on his head and back.

Jindal alleged that on seeing him being thrashed by that man, his father rushed in for his help. He was also hit by another employee of the vend. He suffered cuts on his head and back. His father took him to Sector-19 Police Station from where the police took him for a medical examination to Government Multi-Speciality Hospital in Sector 16.

Manager of the vend, Kamlesh Yadav, said Jindal was drunk and tried to enter forcibly through the side door. He asked for liquor and his employee asked him not to enter the shop but order at the counter. At this, Jindal began hurling abuses and hit his employee with his helmet and a scuffle ensued between them. During the commotion some bottles fell and broke. He said Jindal might have fallen on broken bottles during the scuffle injuring himself. He said, “We were ready to pay for his injuries, only because he suffered, otherwise it was Jindal’s fault.”

The police said the Jindal’s medical examination proved that he smelt of liquor. The police have recorded the statement of both the parties and arrested the vend employee Gyan Chand.