IT Chandigarh

Chandigarh: The MC has planned a run for environment on December 25 for various age groups to commemorate Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s supreme sacrifice.

According to an MC spokesman, the event planned for December 2 has been rescheduled due to examinations in schools and colleges.

He said boys and girls under 15 years, 18 years and above 18 years will run a distance of approximately 3 km, 5 km and 16 km, respectively.

Senior citizens could run 1.5 km. Men who are 60 years old and above and women who are 55 years of age and above could take part in this category.

Participants have to be either residents of the UT or studying in schools and colleges of the city.

Source: TNS

Loss of Crop

Mohali: More than 50 land owners of Mouli Baidwan and Raipur villages here have alleged that they have not got any compensation for the loss of crop due to the laying of underground pipes for sewerage treatment plant.

One of the land owners, Pawan Sood, said the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) was to give them compensation for the land rendered useless for cultivation but all requests and representations have fallen on deaf ears. He added that the land belongs to at least 10 families who were awaiting compensation.

Underground pipelines are being laid by the GMADA for sewerage treatment plant and some part of this land has also been acquired for the purpose. “But the acquired land was never used for the purpose. Instead, fresh plans were made. However, these plans, too, were not followed and now the lines are being laid at a fresh site on our land,” he said.

He added that only 80 per cent of the land acquired in 2004 had been given to them but the rest was still pending. “The award is still to be announced,” he said.

The sewerage pipe is laid in an area of 75 feet but the land rendered useless for cultivation is over 200 feet. “There is water logging around the site due to which nothing can be planted here,” he said adding that compensation amount should be not just for the 75 feet of land but for the entire 200 feet.

Source: TNS

School not under RTI: Principal

Chandigarh: A local government aided school has apparently flouted provisions of the Right to Information Act (RTI) by denying information about its sports center.

City resident Satpal Kherwal submitted an application to the DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 8 (DAV SSS-8), seeking details of the school hostel and the cricket-coaching center being run by the school.

He alleged that his son who plays cricket, was discriminately been ignored for growing in the game, despite his best performance, as I tried to raise voice against the system.

In her reply to the application, the principal, Dr Vibha Ray said the school does not come under the purview of the RTI Act and hence the information sought, cannot be supplied.

According to RTI provisions, any authority or body or non-government institution which is being substantially financed, directly or indirectly by funds provided by the administration, comes under the purview of this Act and is therefore bound to abide by the RTI rules and regulations.

DAV SSS-8 is an aided school and 95 per cent of the teachers’ salaries are paid by the Chandigarh Administration.
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Chandigarh: Prominent ready-made garment dealers of Sector 17, Jains, came under the income tax scanner with IT sleuths raiding their premises today.

Acting on specific information, a team of the investigating wing of the IT department raided Meena Bazar, showrooms of Jains in Sector 17 and the notified area committee in Mani Majra.

Another showroom on Madhya Marg — Jain Furnishings — was also raided.

The residential premises of the Jains in Sectors 15 and 9 of the city and in Panchkula were also raided. The palatial house in Sector 9 had recently been purchased by the Jains.

Documents pertaining to the possibility of tax evasion were seized.

Source: TNS

Chandigarh: Professor S C Gupta, Chairman of Kalpana Chawla Memorial Education Society, gave lakhs of rupees for the annual function held at DAV Model School, Sector 15, on Monday. The sponsorship has raised many questions related to the social responsibility of an organisation which is set up to help needy and underprivileged children. Bollywood actor Kangna Ranaut, who is an alumnus of the school, was the chief guest at the function.

Talking to Newsline, Prof SC Gupta said that he shares a cordial relation with school principal Rakesh Sachdeva because of which he donated the money. Gupta said, “Rakesh Sachdeva is like my sister and when she called saying that she was interested in calling Kangna Ranaut for the school’s annual function but did not have sufficient funds, I decided to help her with Rs 3 lakh.”

The society, which has been set up recently, was started with an aim to help needy and underprivileged children. However, according to Prof Gupta, giving funds for a celebrity show is equally important. He said, “I just wanted to help the school. The principal told me that paying for the actor’s airfare and stay in the city would be beyond their budget. She needed help.”

It is important to mention that throughout the duration of the function there was no mention of Kalpana Chawla, except for a banner that was hung outside the school gate and was later brought down by the angry mob.
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SAS Nagar: Former president of Mohali Youth Akali Dal, Harjit Singh alleged that a Mohali ASI, Barma Singh had gone to his rented accommodation and directed his house owners to inform the police, when he returned from a vacation. Harjit Singh was in Ludhiana for a family function. He said “Barma Singh told my house owners that I was involved in snatching cases. He said that the police would arrest me, when I return.”

Harjit Singh, a resident of 576, Phase-I told mediapersons that he had gone to a family function in Ludhiana with his family. On his return, his house owner Seva Kaur informed him about the rude behaviour of the ASI. Kaur alleged that the ASI claimed that she had rented the house to miscreants. Singh alleged that when he contacted the ASI, the ASI asked him to stay at home. “He said he would come in 10 minutes. However, he never showed up. I feel insulted and demand action against the ASI,” said Harjit.

Meanwhile ASI Barman Singh said that on October 19, an unidentified person had snatched the purse of a woman. He said that there was a mobile phone. The ASI alleged that the robber had called one Harjit Singh on October 20 at 10.00 and talked to him. He added that investigations are being conducted by Mohali SP (city), Varinderpal Singh. “I got the call details of the women’s phone. I contacted Airtel to get the address of the person. The address of Harjit Singh, as listed in Airtel records was SCO 576, Phase-I. However, there was no shop with the address in the area. During the inquiry, I reached house no 576. However, Harjit Singh was not in his house.” Barma Singh said.
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Panchkula: The Panchkula CIA arrested two youths on Tuesday. Om Pal, a Mohali resident and Ishrar Khan, a Zirakpur resident have been accused of involvement in several cases of car theft.

The Duo was produced in court and has been sent to police remand till December 3.

“We recieved a tip off that two youths were seated in a Maruti car (CH03 F 3199) which was recently reported to be stolen, outside the Pir Baba’s Dargah in Industrial area phase 1. We conducted a raid and managed to arrest the Duo. The CIA also managed to seize tools used by the duo in committing thefts in different houses, “ said ASI Surjit Kumar.

He said that the duo have admitted to their involvement in several cases of theft of cars, cylinders etc. The CIA is currently on the lookout for three of their accomplies in the thefts. The duo have also been accused of masterminding a robbery in Sector 4 on October 1.

Source: ENS

SAS Nagar: Opposition councillors of the Mohali Municipal Council accused the MC president Rajinder Singh Rana of making misleading statements regarding the development work in Mohali.

The councillors claimed that developmental work has been carried out only in the wards of the member councillors of ruling combine.

The councillors further added that the wards represented by opposition councillors are being neglected.

Councillors Amrik Singh, Sukhminder Singh Barnala, Kuldeep Kaur Kang, Phoolraj Singh, BB Maini, Harpal Singh, Harvinder Kaur Lang, Gurmukh Singh Sohal, Paramjit Singh Kahlon released a joint press statement on Tuesday, accusing the ruling party of being biased against the wards of opposition councillors.

They said that the agenda items of the development of wards of opposition councils have been ignored in all MC meetings.

The councilors claimed that while no developmental plans were passed in the wards of seven opposition councillors, while projects worth 45 lakh was sanctioned for the remaining opposition held wards. Similar situation has prevailed in other MC meetings also.
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SAS Nagar: The Tehbazari staff of Mohali Municipal council, which is involved in confiscation of articles of shopkeepers lying outside their shops or clears encroachments in the area will be required to give receipts of the articles seized to the concerned person. The MC also plans to depute an inspector on the Tehbazari staff to make the department more effective.

Sources in the Municipal Council said that MC officials and councillors receive numerous complaints of corruption and partiality by the tehbazari staffers. It has also been brought to the notice of the officials that some of the tehbazari employees, even adopt a pick and choose policy while removing encroachments and favour the shopkeepers or the rehri owners, who “pay” them.

It is pertinent to note that while encroachments, by the shopkeepers and the rehri owners are high in the city. However, no effective checks are imposed. In some anti-encroachment drives conducted by the MC, some shopkeepers come to know about the drive before the tehbazari staff reaches the markets.

Executive officer of the Mohali MC, Jagir Singh Thind, said that the council plans to introduce more checks to improve the work of tehbazari department. “More accountability will ensure that encroachments would be removed more effectively,” He said.

Source: ENS