Video conferencing to take more time

Link between Burail Jail, Sec-17 dist court

Chandigarh, January 18
The video-conferencing facility to link the Burail Jail and the district court complex at Sector 17 will be delayed for between two and three months.

The BSNL has informed the UT Administration that connectivity is still a problem. After the receipt of this response, the Administration has invited other companies for starting the facility.

Yogesh Kumar, Director Information Technology, said officials of the BSNL had informed the Administration about the problem with connectivity and it was now in touch with other companies.

He added that the Punjab and Haryana High Court had given it time and so, it was hopeful that the facility would be started shortly.

A few right-wing activists attacked BKI terrorist Jagtar Singh Hawara on the district court premises here on November 11 past year.

In response to a public interest litigation, the Administration had promised to begin the facility by September 9 past year.

CHB fined Rs 50,000

Chandigarh, January 17

Setting aside the decision of the district forum-I, the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 on Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) for its failure to maintain the record resulting in accrual of interest on the due amount for the shop allotted to a Sector-46 resident.

State Commission president Justice Sham Sunder and members Neena Sandhu and Jagroop Singh Mahal while setting aside the impugned order observed, “We are, however, of the opinion that instead of directing the opposite party to refund the whole amount of Rs 2,06,109 to the complainants, interest of justice would be met if we direct that a sum of Rs 50,000 be paid by the opposite party as compensation to the complainants. The opposite parties shall
also pay Rs 5,000 as costs of litigation.”

The complainant, Saroj Dogra, submitted that she along with her late husband purchased a booth in Sector 49-A, in the name of their son Nipun Dogra from the CHB for Rs 15.70 lakh in an auction held on October 30, 2002. They deposited 25 per cent of the bid money along with Rs 71,667 towards ground rent for first nine years within time and took the possession on December 18, 2002. They were required to pay 75 per cent of the bid price which was Rs 11,77,500 either within 30 days (without interest) or with 18 per cent interest per annum in three instalments payable up to December 1, 2005. After paying 75 per cent, they approached the CHB to issue a ‘No Due Certificate’. The CHB asked them to deposit another sum of Rs 2,62,000 towards interest which was deposited by them on September 18, 2004. However, to their utter surprise, the CHB instead of issuing the ‘No Due Certificate’ informed on June 28, 2010, that it had not deposited the balance 75 per cent payment of bid money. After they gave all details of the amounts deposited, the CHB on August 9, 2010, asked them to deposit Rs 3,83,789 (Rs 1,77,680 as principal and Rs 2,06,109 as interest) which was deposited by them in protest on September 15, 2010.

The counsel for the CHB pleaded that the complainants deposited the instalments in piecemeal manner at their own sweet will and evidently in contravention of the payment schedule. Thus, they were rightly burdened with the interest and they could not escape its payment being a contractual obligation. It was further pleaded that ‘No Dues Certificate’ could not be granted to the allottee after reconciliation of the accounts an amount of 3,83,789 was found due against them.

The commission further ordered, “CHB would be free to recover the amount of compensation, interest and costs from its officials who were required to maintain the record but did not send any reply and rather misplaced the application, of course after following proper procedure as required under the Service Rules.”

Proposal to ‘liven up’ area beyond Sector 17 plaza impractical

Chandigarh, January 16
The UT Administration today carried out a “futile” survey in the area beyond the main plaza in Sector 17 for making it lively by sprucing up the environs and getting some tourist outlets functioning. The area remains dark and dead after office hours every day.
Senior functionaries of the administration are said to be trying to “liven up” the area, particularly during evening hours. However, survey officials said they did not know what they were doing. “The exercise is totally impractical,” a senior functionary said.
During the survey, it was found that about 90 per cent offices were being run on the ground floor of these buildings. “We have sent our report to the UT Adviser,” said Rahul Gupta, assistant estate officer. Terming the survey a futile exercise, a senior official of the administration, requesting anonymity, said nothing would come out of it.
Today’s survey by the estate office aimed at furnishing complete details of shops as well as offices being run on the ground floor of the buildings. A surveyor said: “We have done the survey, but we don’t know for what. The administration cannot ask private offices or banks, particularly on the ground floor, to clear their premises for some ambitious project of the administration to promote tourism.”
The survey was conducted following the directions of the Adviser, KK Sharma, to the UT Administrator who wanted to infuse “life” into the area.
This is not the first time that the administration or the municipal corporation has chalked out a plan in this direction. About half a dozen projects of beautification of the business hub by the MC were either kept in abeyance or scrapped for over a decade.
“What will they do after getting the details of shops and offices in the area? Are they planning to evacuate the offices from here to give the place to shops? I am unable to understand the initiative,” the official remarked.

Past failures

In the budget of the current year, the MC had allocated Rs 1 crore for improving the infrastructure in the sector. But the past record of the projects -- some of them are over a decade old -- is poor as most of the projects have failed to see the light of the day.
Classic examples include projects like multi-level parking; conversion of circus ground into an exhibition site; and making plaza a vehicle-free zone. These have been put in the cold storage for the last over five years. As per the records of the MC, the proposal of five multi-level parkings was mooted in 2005. The authorities planned to construct a multi-level parking on each corner of Sector 17. But the projects have yet to start.
Another project recommended in 2006 was to make plaza a vehicle-free zone, which has been shelved. As per the proposal, the authorities suggested that all parking lots near the plaza should be closed and landscaping should be undertaken at those sites.
Similarly, a project of Rs 60 lakh for converting the circus ground in Sector 17 into an exhibition ground for proper maintenance of the space has been lying pending for over seven years. The proposal to construct a boundary wall around this open space and provide it with proper public toilets and parking space near the ground has been hanging fire.
In 2009, the corporation commenced work on an amusement park near the general post office in Sector 17, but it has not been completed yet.

Now, Ombudsman for higher education institutions in India

To be covered

n Central universities, the IITs, IIMs and NITsn All technical and management institutions recognised by the UGC, AICTE and the National Council for Teacher Educationn Deemed universities recognised by the Centren Non-degree granting institutions approved by academic regulators

New Delhi, January 16
Students attending higher education institutions run by the Centre and recognised by academic regulators will now have a platform to register their grievances and seek redress.
The Ministry of Human Resource Development today passed an executive order to mandate all central higher educational institutions like the central universities, the IITs, IIMs and NITs, among others, to appoint an ombudsman to redress grievances of students by the start of the next academic session.
The order will be equally applicable to all technical and management institutions recognised by regulators such as the UGC, the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and the National Council for Teacher Education. It will also apply to deemed universities recognised by the Centre and the non-degree granting institutions approved by the academic regulators.
The move comes in the wake of persistent resistance that the ministry’s ambitious Bill on establishment of educational tribunals met with in the Rajya Sabha where the Bill remains in a limbo.
“We can’t keep waiting. We have to move,” HRD Minister Kapil Sibal today said, adding that the ombudsman would be responsible for addressing students’ grievances related to denial of admission, non-observance of declared merit in admissions, non-observance of applicable regulations for reservation, withholding of documents and non-refund of fees in case of withdrawal of admission, discrimination and matters concerning students in pursuit of studies in the institution.
In matters concerning weaker sections such as SCs, STs, OBCs or minorities, the ombudsman can co-opt a person of eminence of the area from a weaker section to assist him.
The ombudsman will have to deliver his judgment in a month and though his order would not be binding on the institution, the institution can lose recognition from the regulator in case of repeated violations and non-compliance with the orders of the ombudsman.
“Non-compliance can lead to withdrawal of recognition,” Sibal explained.
The ombudsman will have to be a person with a judicial or legal background. The institute would have to appoint him from a panel suggested by the affiliating university in case of technical and management institutions and the Central Government in case of deemed universities.
The suggestion of instituting an ombudsman was made by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on HRD when it was looking at the Bill on Prevention of Unfair Practices in Technical and Management Institutions.
“The committee made this suggestion and we are going to implement it. Although the idea was to set up a grievance redress mechanism through the Educational Tribunals Bill, but if the Bill does not come, I am not going to wait,” Sibal said.
The proposed ombudsman would not cover grievances related to teachers.

201 Indians rescued from cruise ship

Captain’s ‘ERROR’ behind accident

The arrested captain of the 114,500-tonne Costa Concordia has been accused of manslaughter and abandoning his ship before its 4,200 passengers had been evacuated. An official said he appeared to have made "serious errors of judgment" and had brought the ship too close to shore where it struck a rock that tore a large hole in the hull.

2,300 tonnes of fuel on ship

The chairman and CEO of Costa Cruises said 2,300 tonnes of fuel was aboard the capsized cruise ship, but that no sign of leakage could be seen so far. Pier Luigi Foschi told a press conference cruise ships such as the Costa Concordia had "no safety problem"

Rome, January 16
One Indian is missing in a luxury cruiser drowning incident off the Tuscan coast in Italy while 201 crew members from the country have been rescued, officials said here today.
As efforts were on to trace the missing Indian, the Indian government set up control rooms both in New Delhi as well as here to facilitate information about the rescue.
Indian embassy officials here said while one Indian named Robello Russel Terence, who was a Waiter on the ill-fated Costa Concordia, was yet to be traced and efforts were on to verify other details about him, no casualty among the Indians has been reported so far.
The incident, which happened on Saturday, left six persons dead. The ship hit a reef or rock near the Tuscan island of Giglio, before it went down.
Visvesh Negi, a spokesman of the Indian embassy here, said "there were a total of 203 Indians on the ship - one passenger and 202 crew members". In Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs said it has set up control rooms to deal with enquiries about the Indians on board the ship. "Out of the 202 crew members, 201 have been traced and are safe. One person is missing. We are co-ordinating with the Italian Government and trying to trace the missing crew," Negi said.

201 Indians rescued from cruise ship

Captain’s ‘ERROR’ behind accident

The arrested captain of the 114,500-tonne Costa Concordia has been accused of manslaughter and abandoning his ship before its 4,200 passengers had been evacuated. An official said he appeared to have made "serious errors of judgment" and had brought the ship too close to shore where it struck a rock that tore a large hole in the hull.

2,300 tonnes of fuel on ship

The chairman and CEO of Costa Cruises said 2,300 tonnes of fuel was aboard the capsized cruise ship, but that no sign of leakage could be seen so far. Pier Luigi Foschi told a press conference cruise ships such as the Costa Concordia had "no safety problem"

Rome, January 16
One Indian is missing in a luxury cruiser drowning incident off the Tuscan coast in Italy while 201 crew members from the country have been rescued, officials said here today.
As efforts were on to trace the missing Indian, the Indian government set up control rooms both in New Delhi as well as here to facilitate information about the rescue.
Indian embassy officials here said while one Indian named Robello Russel Terence, who was a Waiter on the ill-fated Costa Concordia, was yet to be traced and efforts were on to verify other details about him, no casualty among the Indians has been reported so far.
The incident, which happened on Saturday, left six persons dead. The ship hit a reef or rock near the Tuscan island of Giglio, before it went down.
Visvesh Negi, a spokesman of the Indian embassy here, said "there were a total of 203 Indians on the ship - one passenger and 202 crew members". In Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs said it has set up control rooms to deal with enquiries about the Indians on board the ship. "Out of the 202 crew members, 201 have been traced and are safe. One person is missing. We are co-ordinating with the Italian Government and trying to trace the missing crew," Negi said.

Stale info on ut Admn website

Chandigarh, January 15
Logging on to the official website of the Chandigarh Administration does not mean that you will get correct information.

As per the website-chandigarh.gov.in-- the population of the city is 9,00,735, the figure of 2001 census report, whereas it has crossed a million mark-10, 54,686 - in the census report, 2011 (released in February), but the officials here are yet to update the information.

Similarly, the website gives ‘stale’ information about the gender ratio, literacy rate and density of population etc. of the city.

In its ‘General Information’ icon, the gender ratio here is being shown as 777 females per 1,000 males, whereas the city’s skewed gender ratio stands at 818 females per 1,000 males. Presently, the city has the second highest per sq-km density of 9,252 but the website still displays the density of 7,900 per sq km.

If you click the ‘administrative structure’ icon, it will still display Ravinder Pal Singh ‘Palli’ as the city’s Mayor. Interestingly, the city had got Raj Bala as its new Mayor on January 2, but when one logs on to the municipal department’s icon, it shows the city’s new Mayor Raj Bala’s profile along with her photograph.

The same icon displays Ritu Chaudhary as the Chief Executive Officer of the Chandigarh Housing Board while the Haryana Civil Service officer Chaudhary has completed her deputation. The UT Administrator had issued orders to relieve her on January 10.

The ‘New Initiatives’ icon still shows the details of those mega projects like Film City, Theme Park, Medi city and Integrated Milk Production Village, which have been shelved by the administration for over one year now.

“An official portal or website is the face of any government or administration. Failure of the administration in updating its website is just contrary to its tall claims about effective e-governance here,” said Sat Pal Kansal, an RTI activist.

The responsibility of updating the website is with the local office of National Informatics Centre (NIC), based on information provided by the UT Administration.