Chandigarh, June 10
The “family” sojourn of Chandigarh Mayor, Kamlesh, to Gujarat, ostensibly on a study tour (June 1 to June 7), in her official Toyota Corolla seems to have backfired following the accident of the vehicle in Ahmedabad. While fortunately no one was injured in the mishap, the MC would have to cough up almost Rs 45,000 for the vehicle’s repair.

The Mayor had reportedly forgone her air journey to Ahmedabad, opting to travel by her official car (CH-01-G1-0057) as her family was accompanying her. Her decision to use the car instead of buying air tickets for her family may have saved her some money, but has proved expensive for the MC.

While the travel cost of councillors who flew to Gujarat cost Rs 17,000 each, the Mayor’s journey by road has cost city taxpayers a whopping Rs 80,000 or more for the week-long trip, including local travel expenses, TA/DA of the government driver as well as wear and tear of the car.

According to some councillors who accompanied her on the tour, besides her official driver, her husband, Banarsi Das, and their two children had gone on the trip. The other 12 councillors had reportedly travelled by air.

A councillor, on the condition of anonymity, said the mishap had occurred in Ahmedabad when they were on their way to see a slum colony. “The Mayor’s car rammed into a bus in which other councillors were travelling,” sources revealed.

The Mayor, however, denied outright that the car had been damaged. “Nothing of the sort has happened. The car is at my house. Moreover, what is the harm in going by car. Earlier also, I had taken it for Baroda tour,” she said.

The “harm” is that the car is now undergoing repairs at the Industrial Area where the estimated cost has come out to over Rs 45,000. Officials at the repair section confirmed that the new bonnet would cost Rs 18000, the fender Rs 5,200, front grill Rs 7,000, and Rs 12,000 for re-painting, besides taxes.

While eyebrows are being raised in the MC and administration circles on how the Mayor decided to take her official vehicle (after seeking permission from the Adviser) for such a long trip when she had the option to travel by air.

Sources in the administration revealed that permission for travelling by official car was sought from the office of the Adviser on May 28. The office had reportedly conveyed to the Mayor that it would be tiresome to cover such a long distance tour by car. Nevertheless, permission was granted the next day when she sternly insisted on going “by car” only.

Chandigarh, June 10
Panjab University’s decision to propose the “legal examination” of information pertaining to RTI Act cases by a senator has not only educed resentment among university officials, but also city-based RTI activists, who claim it to be a blatant violation of the Act.

As per the supplementary agenda of the senate, scheduled to meet tomorrow, it has been proposed to get information pertaining to RTI cases “sensitive” in nature vetted by senator Gopal Krishan Chatrath.

Not only this, in supporting points the Vice-Chancellor has objected to the fact that despite him providing ample “opportunities” to fellows to raise questions, information is sought under the RTI just to settle personal scores with him.

However, the faculty seems to think otherwise as a senior faculty member said: “The RTI is not addressed to RC Sobti as an individual, but as the VC of Panjab University. In spite of the opportunities provided to us, there are certain questions, especially financial details, answers to which we need in black and white. If we have a senator examining it then the information that reveals misdoing of officials shall always be sensitive.”

Meanwhile, according to RTI activists, the Act cannot be put to subjective interpretation of an individual or a body. “There is nothing like sensitive or supersensitive information. Any piece of information in possession of a public authority is public property and anybody can demand it. The Act has been framed by Parliament and already has specified provisions. Such an act would obstruct the flow of information. The university can be taken to court if this proposal is passed,” Hemant Goswami, an RTI activist, said.

“The VC has no role in the implementation of the Act. It is the sole discretion of the public information officer. It has been passed by Parliament and its contention in this way is biased and unconstitutional. This provision would hinder the flow of information and we would not accept it,” another activist RK Garg said.

Chandigarh, June 10
The CBI today booked Ami Chand, executive engineer of the public health department of the MC, along with some other officials, on corruption charges as part of its ongoing two-day nationalwide drive against corrupt government officials.

According to Mahesh Kumar Aggarwal, DIG of the CBI, Chandigarh, the anti-corruption branch of the CBI has registered a case against Ami Chand, Harjit Singh, SDO, and Gurdarshan Singh, junior engineer, besides a contractor, Het Ram of M/s Esquire Construction Company, Chandigarh.

Giving details, the DIG said it was alleged that these government officials allowed the contractor to carry out works over and above the tender amount. He was also allowed to supply materials at exorbitant rates, which were not part of the tender.

The DIG stated that in a work regarding the installation of water tanks for a tender amount of about Rs 12 lakh, the amount was exceeded to the tune of Rs 88 lakh.

The increase in the amount was beyond the financial powers of the accused officials. The CBI team conducted searches at the residential premises of Ami Chand and the contractor this afternoon and it was in progress till the filing of the report.

The CBI questioned the tenants of Ami Chand regarding his assets. It is learnt that similar searches were conducted in other parts of the city and at the houses of other accused in Mohali.

The DIG said in the Chandigarh zone, the CBI had registered six cases in the past two days.

Chandigarh, June 10
He had always wanted to take wings, but fate cut short a promising career halfway.

Wing Cdr Gitesh Singh Butalia, a resident of Sector 45, Chandigarh, met with a tragic end when the IAF AN-32 he was piloting crashed in the remote mountains of the northeast yesterday.

Gitesh’s father, Wg Cdr NJS Butaila, was also a transport pilot and it was his dream to fly the same aircraft his father had once flown. His grandmother, Manmohan Kaur Marwah, recalls that even though Gitesh was offered to take the fighter stream after training, he opted for transport.

He had joined the Air Force in 1995. He had also led the IAF contingent during the Republic Day parades in New Delhi. As a NCC cadet, he had several awards to his credit.

Gitesh was born in Delhi in 1972 and the family moved to Chandigarh about 15 years back. His father had died while he was still in service and his mother teaches English in St Stephen’s School here.

Gitesh’s mother had gone to Jorhat where he was posted and stayed with his wife and twin seven-year old sons. Gitesh was on leave and had just joined duty. During his leave, he had taken the family on a vacation to Darjeeling, Gangtok and nearby places.

Neighbours recall him as a thorough gentleman who was very affectionate and friendly. He had last visited Chandigarh in January this year. He had moved to Jorhat from Bangalore and was expecting his posting to his hometown in the near future.

Chandigarh, June 10
A Sector 7 salon and five shops were gutted here this morning. No loss of life has been reported, but property worth lakhs has been destroyed.

According to fire officials, the fire broke out at about 3.30 am and four fire engines each from Sector 17, Industrial Area, Sector 11 and Mani Majra fire stations were pressed into service. The fire was controlled in about 25 minutes, but it took about two to three hours to control the smog. A short-circuit has been termed as the reason for the fire.

Sub-fire officer Baljinder said the smog engulfed other nearby showrooms and it was tough to control it. State Bank of India officials also called up the fire station after seeing smog coming out from the bank.

Subhash, owner of the salon, said five other shops on rent, including a boutique, coaching centre, property consultancy, glass building and job consultant office had been gutted. He said machines, cosmetics and furniture kept in the showroom worth about Rs 15 lakh were reduced to ashes.

Subhash held the electricity department responsible for the fire. “This has happened due to the negligence of the electricity department. The wires were left in the open and despite our repeated complaints to the department, nothing was done. The fire broke out due to a spark in a wire from the main power supply to the showroom.”

Panchkula, June 10
Goods worth lakhs of rupees were destroyed in a major fire that broke out at a godown of a carpet-manufacturing unit at Raipur Rani near her today.

Though all the workers at the industry were evacuated safely, the loss of material was estimated to be more than Rs 8 lakh. The reason behind the incident could not be ascertained till the filing of the report.

According to eyewitnesses, fire broke out in Munish Handloom godown, around 4 pm. The owner of the factory Mushtak was away to Panipat at the time of incident. While the fire brigade was informed, the locals tried to douse the fire with water from nearby village pond with the help of a pipe and tubewell engine.

Two fire tenders from Panchkula and Naraingarh brought the fire under control after one hour.

Chandigarh, June 10
In a routine affair, UT estate office conducted a demolition drive at Kuda Lahora, here, yesterday.

According to officials of the enforcement wing, the acquired 14 acres at Lahora village was cleared by erasing about 20 illegal kiosks, 12 cattle-sheds and two scrap dealers.

All the structures were removed with the help of two JCB machines and 100 police personnel. The demolition operation was accomplished successfully without any resistance under the supervision of PS Shergill, Additional Deputy Commissioner, and Hargunjit Kaur, land acquisition officer.

The Chandigarh administration is also planning to remove all the illegal structures and encroachments, especially from the periphery and government land, by launching continuous drives. All the departments concerned, including MC, Housing Board and the Engineering department will coordinate to make the city encroachment free.

Mohali, June 10
The Defence Accounts Pensioners Welfare Association has urged the Central Government to notify the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, to check adulteration, which was going on unabated.

The association decried the sale of adulterated milk products in the tricity saying that adulteration had become endemic and people had started accepting it as a way of life. There was a need to revamp the mechanism by bringing transparency and accountability coupled with fixing responsibility for laxity.

Meanwhile, Jagtar Singh, president, said the association while welcoming the notification of the state government, under which another three months time was given to residents to get conveyance deeds registered at allotment rates, urged the government to make necessary amendments in the notification to allow all plot owners (including re-allottees) to avail the relief at par with original allottees.

The association demanded that the fixed medical allowance should be raised from Rs 100 per month to Rs 1,000 to meet the medical expenses. The government should take note of the fact that the Supreme Court had bound employers to ensure that the status and living standards of pensioners was maintained post retirement.

DS Dheer, vice-president, said the sanctioned strength of doctors at the CGHS dispensary, Sector 45, Chandigarh, was four, but only three were posted out of which one was assigned temporary duty elsewhere. The association urged the authorities concerned to look into the matter and post more doctors to cope with the rush of patients.

Panchkula, June 10
While Panchkula Municipal Council president Ravinder Rawal has decided to file a petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against dismissal of his application by the District and Sessions Judge, the administration is preparing to write to the state government for holding fresh elections for the post of the civic body president.

Deputy Commissioner, Panchkula, Pankaj Yadav told The Tribune that following the judgment of the court he was going to write a letter to director, local urban bodies, tomorrow to order for conducting the fresh elections for the post of the president.

It was on Monday that District and Sessions Judge SP Singh dismissed the application of Rawal he had filed against the decision of the tribunal. The tribunal, on May 4, had declared his election as illegal, null and void.

The district administration today also wrote a letter to the executive officer, local civic body, to implement the court orders.

Earlier, VK Sood, the petitioner and BJP leader, along with party media in charge Sanjay Ahuja, met the Deputy Commissioner seeking the removal of Rawal and fresh elections on the post in the light of the judgment of the court.

Rawal when contacted said he was in consultation with his legal advisers and would file the petition in the high court against the orders of the local court on Monday.

Panchkula, June 10
Eminent poet and fiction writer KL Zakir, secretary Haryana Urdu academy, will be felicitated for his contribution to enrich Urdu literature by Ghalib Institute and Aalmi Urdu Adab at a function in New Delhi on June 12.

Dr AR Kidwai, Haryana Governor, will release Aalmi Urdu magazine titled “Kashmiri Lal Zakir Fun- O- Shakhsiat”. The volume contains articles by eminent literary luminaries of India and Pakistan highlighting Zakir’s life-long meritorious services to promote Urdu language and literature at national-level.

Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda will preside over while prominent personalities, including Dr SY Quraishi, Election Commissioner of India, Mohd. Shafi Quraishi, chairman of the minority commission, Prof SS Noor, Dr Khaliq Anjum, Prof SR Kidwai and others will address the audience, said Dr Farzana Nasim of Haryana Urdu Akademy.

Chandigarh, June 10
The renovated Multi-purpose Hall, Open Air Theatre and International Doll Museum was inaugurated at Bal Bhavan, Sector 23, by UT administrator SF Rodrigues here today.

The multi-purpose hall, having a seating capacity of 300 persons, has been renovated at the cost of Rs 25 lakh, the Open theatre with a capacity of 500 persons, at the cost of Rs 20.5 lakh and the museum at an estimated expenditure of Rs 43.73 lakh.

These projects have been given a new look by adding state-of-the-art facilities to meet the requirements of the theatrical world and the changing pattern of our society.

The International Doll Museum has on display about 250 dolls from 30 countries of the world. A special corner for souvenirs of the Indian and international dolls has been created for the visitors. These souvenirs are in the form of white and black mugs, T-shirts, cushion covers, table mats, mouse pads, coasters, photo frames, key chains, badges, piggy banks, crystal pieces and miscellaneous items.

A colourful cultural programme of fusion dance, pooja dance, Rajasthani dance etc. was presented on the occasion. Home Secretary Ram Niwas welcomed the guests. Other senior officers who were present on the occasion included MP Singh, secretary to the Governor and finance secretary Sanjay Kumar.

This refers to the City Scope “The Waning fear of the Khaki” (June 1) by Raveen Thukral. Recently, when I was at a village in Punjab. I heard people talking that rural link roads were not safe for travelling after dusk and that thefts were common. They envied safe life in Chandigarh. The safety of our city and highways can be gauged from the rise in murders, dacoities and kidnappings. A decade ago, I had a harrowing experience of travelling from Delhi airport to Chandigarh with my children when we narrowly escaped from the highway robbers posing as CIA officials.

A chief minister once said he could not provide a policeman with every single person and that people should learn to fend for themselves.

In fact, it is the duty of the police to protect citizens from criminals. But when a big chunk of the police force is deployed to protect politicians then how will a common man be protected?

Chandigarh, June 10
One of the renowned institutions affliated to Panjab University, Chandigarh, Postgraduate College, Sector 11, was established in 1953 and was shifted to its present campus in 1960.

The college that started out as only boys institution soon became co-educational and with introduction of postgraduate courses received its current name recently, prior to which it was known as Government College.

According to principal Anil Gaba, the college aims “higher and still higher”. The college not only boasts of higher academic standards but infrastructure, too, with spacious building, lecture theatres, laboratories, language lab, well-stocked library, and facilities like large playgrounds, swimming pool, multi-gym, hostels, coupled with top-notch faculty,” he added.

The college is co-educational for MA I, II (English), MSc I, II (IT), science and bio-technology. There are 3,402 students in the college with 84 members in the faculty on regular basis and draws students from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Manipur, Aurunachal Pradesh etc. and even from countries like South Asia and Africa.

Besides commerce courses, the college is educing huge response for its add on courses on journalism and video editing which aim at providing edge to the media aspirants.

The admissions to all courses will commence from the first week of July. Interview dates, venue and other details are given in the prospectus. Prospectus can be collected from the college between 8 am to 2 pm on any working day. It can also be downloaded either from the website of Chandigarh administration <http://chandigarh.nic.in> or from the college website www.gc11.com <http://www.gc11.com>.

Professional:

1. Computer Applications (BCA)

2. Business Administration (BBA)

3. BPEd

Science:

1. Physics

2. Chemistry

3. Botany

4. Zoology

5. Bio-technology

6. Computer Science

Commerce:

1. Business Law

2. Financial Accounting

Chandigarh, June 10
Having sold 212 forms for the post of contract lecturers at the rate of Rs 250 each, Government College Sector 46, as per the documents procured under the RTI Act claims to have spent its “meager” earnings of Rs 53,000 on the interviews held in two phases last year from 27.6.2008 to 2.7.2008 and 12.7.2008 each.

Interestingly, going by the honorarium receipts, except for three members no other committee members, including the principal got the honorarium for July 12.

When questioned, the college authorities replied saying: “The payment has been paid to the members of the selection committee on the interview days.

However, due to paucity of funds, certain members of the selection committee either were paid less amount than their actual entitlement or were compensated by the principal from the payment which was received by him.”

Though the lavish Kalakand, Vadas, idlis mentioned on the refreshment bills tell a different story. What propelled such an action when the principal had to pay income tax on the honorarium? The college, like others, did not put money in any account, nor filled the form 16.

Meanwhile, it’s not only the honorarium but also committees for certain interviews that raise eyebrows. The fact that no subject expert for BCA have received honorarium from the college raises a question that who substituted him for the selection of the lecturers? Even in case of advertising and defense studies with only two people receiving honorarium, one being the DPI’s nominee leaves one wonder that couldn’t the college have limited their other committee to just two members if it served the purpose like in these cases?

While Principal KS Saluja could not be contacted for further details, DPI DK Tiwari has assured to look into the matter.

Chandigarh, June 10
Disposing of a petition filed by interns of Dhanwantri Ayurvedic College, Sector 46, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the college authorities to release the degrees of the BAMS to the petitioners.

The court has also directed the petitioners to deposit Rs 50,000 with the college, while Rs 31,600 would be deposited with the registrar of the high court to be disbursed accordingly after the final decision on the petition is taken. The next date of hearing has been fixed for July 7.

The 21 interns of the BAMS (2003-04 batch) had approached the high court on June 4 alleging that the college authorities were not releasing their degrees after their internship was completed on June 2. The degrees were required for registration with the Council of Ayurvedic Medicines, pleaded the interns.

The petitioners alleged that their degrees were not being released as they were not ready to deposit Rs 31,600 demanded in excess of the fee by the management. The annual fee of Rs 50,000 was not accepted by the management without the “excess money” they said. A case in this regard was already pending in the court.

The court of Justice Augustine George Masih, however, on the petition of interns directed them to deposit Rs 50,000 with the college authorities and the disputed Rs 31,600 against the fee with the registrar of the high court.

Directing the college authorities, the court said on production of deposit receipts, the respondents would release the BAMS degrees and other certificates which have been deposited with the college forthwith, provided they complete the procedural formalities.