IT Chandigarh

Acquisition

Chandigarh: The BJP today held union minister of state for finance Pawan Bansal responsible for getting the notification with regard to the acquisition of 314 acres in five villages issued from the Chandigarh administration.

In a statement here today, Ramvir Bhatti, general secretary, Mam Chand Rana, president of the kisan morcha, Bhajan Singh Maru, chairman of the zila parishad, and Shingara Singh, convener of the panchayati raj cell, alleged that the administration after acquiring the land of villagers at cheap rates was selling it at exorbitant prices.

They demanded a compensation of Rs 1 crore per acre for farmers whose land was acquired by the administration.

Source: TNS

Panchkula: Two labourers were injured when a mud wall at the under construction Shalimar Mall in Sector 5, caved in and buried them waist down. The labourers were laying a sewerage pipe and were in the 8-10 feet deep trench when the accident took place.

Ahmed, a labourer and eyewitness, said the labourers Mangla and Dwarika, in their late 30s, were digging the trench to lay the pipeline. They were handing out the dug up earth to the four labourers working outside the trench.

“It was about 4:30 pm when the earth around them and along the side of the trench suddenly loosened and fell on them. The two were inside the trench and became panicky. We immediately informed the fire brigade and police to carry out the rescue operations,” says Ahmed.

However, by the time the cops and fire brigade arrived, the labourers had managed to partially pull out the injured from the trench. They were immediately rushed to hospital. “In a state of shock, both of them were exhausted and semi-conscious by the time we pulled them out. Mangla escaped with minor injuries while Dwarika ended up in hospital with a fractured leg. It took us nearly half-an-hour to rescue them but they are fine now,” Ahmed stated, while adding that they had been working at the mall for the last three months.

Source: TNS

Says no to paid parking

Panchkula: At a meeting which passed 52 agenda items pertaining to the sanction of funds for various development works in the city, the municipal council today turned down the proposal to implement paid parking in the city.

Though not on agenda, the issue was raised by councilor R.K. Kakkar who said the administration was toying with the idea of implementing paid parking in the commercial areas of the city. All 26 members present in the House rejected the idea while council president Seema Chaudhary said it was not in the interest of the residents. “We are already levying house tax and implementing paid parking in the markets would be another way to tax the residents. The administration should think of asking the market associations to employ a security guard to streamline parking instead of introducing paid parking as a solution,” she said.

Meanwhile, at the meeting, councillors gave a nod to sanction Rs 3 lakh for purchase of conductors to make street lights functional in Industrial Area, Phase I and II, sanction of funds for completion of development works initiated earlier. Patchwork of roads, beautification of sector entry points, open spaces and the central verge were also given the nod at the first meeting held under the chairmanship of reinstated president of the MC Seema Chaudhary.
(more…)

Chandigarh: Chaos reigned at the Inter-School Boxing Tournament at the Sector 42 multipurpose hall here today. No technical official from either the education department or the Chandigarh sports department, except a boxing coach, was present to monitor the event.

An official said the referee conducting the event was a former School National Games silver medallist. “No official from either of the two departments have deputed a referee. We managed to engage this former silver medallist who is rendering services free of cost,” he said.

There were no adequate arrangements for medical aid to participating children. No doctor was present to deal with any emergency. When this was brought to the notice of teacher Harbans Kaur, representing the host school GMHS-42, she was quick to explain. “The doctor was present since morning and left only a moment ago.”

She did not know the name of the doctor. “This doctor is from Sector 21,” was her reply. “We have tied up with the Medical Centre in Sector 42 in case of an emergency,” she said. Interestingly, a medical lab attendant at the school, Gurmej Singh, was representing the principal of the Sector-32 GMSSS, Anil Sharma, who is the secretary, sports, education department. “I have been asked to accompany the students. I have no sports background. I do not know why a sports teacher has not been put on duty,” said Gurmej.

Source: TNS

He was taking “monthly” from dhabawala

Chandigarh: The Chandigarh Police seems helpless in curbing corruption in its ranks. This is evident with the CBI arresting yet another policeman on charges of corruption today.

CBI sleuths today allegedly caught head constable Baldev Singh while accepting a bribe of Rs 1,200 from a dhaba owner in Sector 31.

Baldev Singh was on beat box duty in the Sector 31 market. He was allegedly taking a Rs 500 per month from Amit Aggarwal of Sector 39-B for allowing him to do business from an unauthorised place.This month he enhanced the “monthly charges” to Rs 2,000, which Aggarwal was unable to pay. Yesterday, he decided to report the matter to the CBI.

The CBI laid a trap and caught the policeman with marked currency notes near Aggarwal’s dhaba adjacent to Kendriya Vidyalaya. Aggarwal said he started his dhaba on June 1 this year, for which paid Baldev Singh Rs 500 per month. The policeman allegedly told him that another person was willing to pay him Rs 2,000 per month to run the dhaba at the same site. He told him to either pay him Rs 2,000 per month or pack up.

Baldev Singh was detained in a Maruti car by the CBI . Curious onlookers assembled at the place and watched the proceedings. A case has been registered.
(more…)

Chandigarh: In yet another case of snatching in the city, two identified youths riding a motor cycle took away a purse from a woman from Mani Majra this evening.

According to the police, the incident took place around 6 pm when Babli, a clerk at the booking window at the railway station, was on her way home to Railway Colony in Mauli Complex.

Two unidentified motorcyclists approached her from behind and snatched her purse. A case has been registered.

Source: TNS

Chandigarh: The Punjab Government will soon set up family courts in the state and make registration of marriages compulsory.

Sources said in the meeting here today, it was decided in principle to set up family courts as per section 3 of the Family Courts Act, 1984. These courts would provide speedy justice in cases of abandoned spouses, deserted children and child abduction. As per law, such cases should be decided within six months.

“In family matters, day-to-day hearing is needed, but this does not happen. With the setting up of these courts, this problem will be solved, besides girls abandoned by NRI husbands will get speedy justice,” said an official.

It was also decided that as per the Supreme Court directions, compulsory registration of marriages would be implemented in the state. The order of the apex court issued in 2006, making registration of marriages compulsory, had not been implemented by the Punjab government to date.

An officer said, “To do this, the state government will have to make an Act like the Himachal Pradesh government did, because under the Hindu Marriage Act, marriages of Hindus and Sikhs can be registered, but what about marriages of Christians and Muslims? A report in this regard will be sent to the CM.”
(more…)

Chandigarh: * Mother of two, Ranjit Kaur of Moga, who was married to one Bhaktar Singh was abandoned by her husband 10 years ago. He is in Phillipines and have re-married their. “Here I pick cow dung from the village and sell it at Rs 25 a basket in other villages and thus I am raising my daughter, who has topped in Class X examinations, and my son,’’ said Kaur.

* Baljnder Kaur of Moga, who was married to one Joginder Singh a couple of years ago and now her husband is in Italy, says, “Just 24 hours before the marriage my in-laws demanded Rs 15 lakh as dowry which was paid by my father and I got married. Later, he left me. My father since then has been bed-ridden and my mother is not well. I have two other sisters who are yet to get married. Despite telling the police, he got married again and went with his new wife to Italy. I have the photos and CD of them taking the money. But nothing has happened.’’

* Sukhjit Kaur of Muktsar who was married in 1997 and has a eight-year-old son, says, “My husband Shamsher Singh is in UK. My in-laws threw me out of their house but I came back and lived there in one room. Incidently a 10- marla plot was in my son’s name and my in-laws want to grab it. We have moved the court and got the stay. I work at the parlour to raise my child.’’

* Parminder Kaur, a Patiala resident, who was married last year to Pawandeep Singh, a US resident, has also been deserted by her. He filed a case but nothing happned. “But my husband’s younger brother came to our rescue as my in-laws wanted me to leave their house, but they could not do so,’’ she adds.

(more…)