IT Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH: Girls of these five Haryana villages even reported of feeling so insecure that they were scared to step out of their homes.

While former sarpanch Rambhaj, who participated in the panchayat, said they had already apprised the police about the situation, SHO Safidon Balwant Singh said, “There was some violence in the area on Thursday as a result of which the villagers protested. But, it was just a stray incident in which people quarrelled.” Even though he denied any sexual harassment on that particular night, he failed to give a satisfactory answer on whether or not such offences were taking place in the villages.

Worried about hooligans making life hell for young girls, another panchayat member asserted, “Authorities will have to make a commitment about the safety of women in the area.” Sunil of Ramnagar Channa was visibly upset that despite a written complaint from villagers to the police, ’such incidents happened almost on a daily basis against girls in the five villages’. In an apparent attempt to prevent things from getting worse with annual examinations approaching, panchayat member Ram chand said, “We had to act to ensure safety of our girls.”

Source: The Times of India News Service

CHANDIGARH: Punjab government has decided to issue licences to saw mills and other wood-based industries in the state. The government has also approved rates of licence fee for these units, forest minister Tikshan Sood said here on Saturday. The minister said that all saw mills without licenses and other wood-based industries set up after December 30, 2002 were closed in compliance with the orders of the apex court.

The government has also extended last date one-time payment by such units up to December 31, 2007, he said, adding that that these industries would now be in a position to re-start their work after getting licences from the forest department. There was also adequate availability of wood to meet the demand of these industries, Sood added.

Source: The Times of India News Service

Chandigarh: An argument over drinking led to firing at Mani Majra tavern, seriously injuring 22-year-old Vijay from Indira Colony here late tonight. In a quick reaction, the police arrested the accused and seized a weapon.

Vijay, who is battling for his life at the PGI here, and his friend Vinod were drinking together at the tavern when they entered into an argument over some minor issue. Enraged over Vijay’s remarks, Vinod went to his residence at the Indira Colony in Mani Majra and allegedly brought a double-barreled gun. Even as the duo clashed, Vinod fired at Vijay injuring him seriously.

The police said the incident, which took place at around 10 pm, spread panic in and around the drinking place with the people running helter-skelter. Even as police was informed, the accused fled towards Chandigarh. Ultimately, he was nabbed in Sector 25 and the weapon was seized from him.

Meanwhile, Vijay was being operated upon at the PGI. A case of attempt to murder and under the Arms Act has been registered.

Source: TNS

Chandigarh: It was an endless wait today for those in the queue at the railway reservation counters at the Chandigarh railway station and at the Sector 17 Inter-State Bus Terminus.

A snag in the computerised reservation system was responsible for the harassment. The problem, which developed at around 1 pm, could not be rectified by 6 pm.

Being the holiday season, there was a huge rush of passengers at the counters when the link was snapped. Chaos prevailed as the reservation counters as the officials could not explain the reason behind the failure and the time by which the reservation would restart.

Many had to return without tickets after hours of wait. The city provides communication link-up to the reservation counters at Dharampur, Shimla, Kalka and Solan.

Devinderjit, who wanted a reservation on Kanpur-bound train, said after waiting for two hours at the reservation counter at the bus stand, he had gone to the railway station only to find that the system was not working there either.

Source: TNS

Chandigarh: Several acres of prime commercial land in the city continues to be occupied by unauthorised rehri markets even as pucca booths to house these markets are ready and lying vacant due to one reason or the other.

In certain cases, half the market has been shifted to the pucca booths while the other half continues to operate from the dirty shacks located on expensive real estate all across the city, particularly in Sectors 8, 46, 40, 41, 11, 18 and 7.

In all these sectors and many others, the pucca markets were constructed on the space where the rehri markets were located originally. And till the time booths were under construction, the rehri markets were relocated to vacant spaces on a temporary basis. However, even after completion, the pucca booths kept lying vacant for a couple of years. Now, the rehri markets continue to function from the places where they were temporarily relocated as well as from the pucca booths.

The administration cannot get its own land vacated that was given to rehri wallahs to run their trade on goodwill basis till the pucca markets were being constructed.
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Chandigarh: Chandigarh airport is among a number of airports in the country where the satisfaction level in terms of passenger facilities is low.

Chandigarh airport is undergoing a facelift and expansion. It is to be converted into an international airport, for which additional land would be acquired for setting up the necessary terminals and infrastructure.

Citing surveys by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the comptroller and auditor-general, in its report released this year, has revealed in some services, the ratings were below 70 per cent. This did not measure up to standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

Over a two-year period, the AAI had carried out a survey of 40 airports across the country through the Agricultural Finance Corporation.

General comfort, toilets, flight information system and trolley accessibility were focused upon during the surveys. Chandigarh featured low in all these areas. Some major airports like Bangalore, Chennai, Kolkata, Ahemdabad, Bhopal, Amritsar, Srinagar, Kochi and Pune also fared poorly in the survey.

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Chandigarh: The members of teaching as well as non-teaching staff of Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Sector 26, here, staged a dharna on the college premises, against the lenient attitude of the college authorities regarding the bungling of about 1 crore and the denial of restoration of 50 per cent of their dearness allowance.

Dr P.S. Gill, convener told that Joint Action Committee has called upon the management not to fall prey to the sinister game plan of selfish elements and to make a thorough probe into the fraud committed by unscrupulous elements.

Gill also told that when a fraud of Rs 42 lakh was established last year, the principal Dr Kuldeep Singh was transferred to Sikh National College, Qadian, Gurdaspur and Harwinder Singh, an accountant was placed under suspension. “The management had decided to place the principal under suspension too, but the principal challenged the court orders, and further action against him was stalled. We are demanding fresh probe against him and the guilty should be dealt with sternly,” he said.

The JAC demanded to reinstate Professor Gurpreet Kaur against 95 per cent grant-in-aid post, restoration of 50 per cent DA merger to a large section of permanent employees appointed in regular grades, deduction of 10 per cent provident fund on total salary, encashment of earned leave and gratuity in lump sum at the time of superannuation.

Source: TNS