A fitness freak, this cyclist is different

Eco-friendly Deputy Commissioner pedals around on weekends

DC Rahul Tiwari paddles his cycle in a street near his residence in Ludhiana.

Ludhiana, August 7
Do not just pass off a cyclist pedalling ahead of you as someone who cannot afford a motorcycle. He may be the Deputy Commissioner (DC), out on roads to check problems plaguing the industrial capital.
Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tiwari, a fitness freak, can easily be spotted cycling on weekends. He pedals nearly 10 km every weekend.
According to sources, the top bureaucrat of the city has already measured the length and breath of the city.
His cycle ride is not causing inconvenience to security guards of the IAS officer as he quietly sneaks away and merges with the crowd.
“I want to go to office on bicycle, but people will think that I want to grab media attention. I prefer to use my official vehicle to avoid controversy,” said the candid DC.
His endeavour has given a major source of encouragement to environmentalists, who have been campaigning against the chopping of trees in the city.
“He came to my shop today for refilling air in his cycle tyre. I recognised him and asked him if he was the DC. He smiled, nodded and pedalled away,” said Deep Chand, a cycle mechanic, who spotted and recognised the DC. Cycling was not a new fixation for the DC as he had been doing it for nearly a year, but kept his passion a secret.
“I believe that if residents switch to cycling for short-distance travel, half our traffic problems will be solved. Every member in the upper-middle class has a personal car and hits the road during peak hours, which adds to traffic,” said the administrator. His son, inheriting his habit, enjoyed to go on a cycle trip with his father. “Due to heavy traffic, I avoid taking my son to busy roads,” said the DC.

Who’s a PG, who’s not?

Resident welfare associations want clarity from UT

 

Chandigarh, August 7
An ongoing attempt by the UT estate office to get landlords to register their paying guests (PGs) has led to both a debate and disappointment among a section of the Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), many of whom are claiming that notices are being served without verifying whether students residing on the premises are tenants or paying guests.
In the perceived absence of any fixed guideline differentiating between paying guests and tenants, members of various RWAs have planned to write to the UT administration to clearly define PG and conventional tenancy.

The issue of landlords illegally renting out premises to paying guests is fast becoming a topic of discussion among RWAs and has become a major agenda for many city landlords at the monthly meetings of the Federation of Sector Welfare Association Chandigarh (FOSWAC).

The issue has led to members taking positions, often at variance. While FOSWAC is trying hard to get illegal PGs shut, a few members of RWAs are upset that the estate office is issuing notices to landlords without verifying whether they have rented their premises to conventional tenants or paying guests.
Raising the issue during the FOSWAC meeting today, its chairman PC Sanghi demanded the enforcement of the guidelines notified by the administration for regulating paying guests accommodations in residential buildings.
Sanghi said they would take up the matter of creating hostel accommodations for students, to stop the mushrooming of illegal paying guests, with the administration.
However, agitated over UT’s move, Surinder Sharma, president, Welfare Society, Sector 15, said the estate office was serving notices on landlords just on the basis of students residing in houses without verifying whether they were paying guests or tenants.
“We will write to the UT administration to distinguish between PGs and rented accommodation before taking any further action,” he said. The UT administration has been tightening its noose on landlords illegally renting out premises to paying guests. However, landlords are opposing the move in the absence of any defined differentiation between paying guests and rented accommodation.
Another RWA member, during the meeting, claimed that the fear of families not vacating the house encouraged landlords to rent the accommodation to students, which was not wrong.
“Renting out an accommodation to students does not mean that they are paying guests. The policy adopted by the administration to serve notice and fine landlords is unfair,” he said.
Much of the city’s student community living as PGs is concentrated in Sectors 8, 10, 11, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 27, 32, 33, 34 and 35.

Make My Trip (India) Pvt. Ltd. penalised Rs 10,000 by Consumer Court, Chandigarh

Chandigarh, August 7
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed Make My Trip (India) Pvt. Ltd to pay Rs 10,000 in compensation to three Panjab University students for deficiency in service as well as unfair trade practices.
The forum, comprising its president PD Goel, and members Rajinder Singh Gill and Madanjit Kaur Sahota, held that the complainants were given a wrong flight number on their ticket by the respondents while booking their return ticket. As a result, they could not board the actual flight and had to undergo harassment.
There is a clear lapse on part of the respondents, which the company cannot put on the airlines without putting on record any cogent evidence.
The forum also directed the respondents to refund the complainants Rs 17,196, Rs 1,260 and Rs 4,500 paid by the respondents for fresh air ticket, Shatabdi ticket and stay in Goa, respectively, besides Rs 5,000 towards cost of litigation.

Info Commissioners’ Issue

High Court notice to Punjab, Haryana

Chandigarh, August 6
The Punjab and Haryana HC yesterday issued notice of motion on a petition filed in public interest for quashing the appointments of Bidhi Chand and Chander Parkash as Punjab State Information Commissioners. The Division Bench issued notices for December 1 to the States of Punjab and Haryana on a PIL filed by advocate HC Arora.
He was also seeking appropriate directions to the two states to lay down procedure for selection and appointment of State Information Commissioners, which should contain provision for advertisement of vacancies, setting up of an empanelment committee, and calling for intelligence reports about antecedents of candidates before clearing their appointments. The petitioner alleged that the states were not advertising posts of State Information Commissioners; applications sent by interested and eligible persons for appointment as Information Commissioners were not put up before the Selection Committee, comprising the CM, a minister and the leader of opposition. Empanelment committees had not been set up, and intelligence reports on the antecedents of selected candidates were not sought before giving them appointment.

ACQUISITION OF LAND IN CHANDIGARH’S PERIPHERY

Punjab seeks more time to submit status report

Chandigarh, August 5
Four months after the Punjab and Haryana High Court was informed that the inquiry into the acquisition of properties by the high-ups in Chandigarh’s periphery has gone to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in Mohali, the State today sought more time for submitting the status report.
As the case came up for hearing before the special Division Bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Nirmaljit Kaur, the State asked for three months time to complete the probe.
This is the second time the State has sought three months extension after handing over the probe to the EOW. In April also, on the previous date of hearing, the State had sought three months time.
Granting the extension, the Bench fixed November 18 as the next date of hearing.
The matter was brought to the high court's notice by Nayagaon resident Kuldip Singh. Accusing a senior police functionary in a land grab bid in Nayagaon, he had sought protection, while pleading for registration of an FIR and a CBI probe into the dealings. The inquiry was entrusted to the ADGP, after Justice Ranjit Singh of the high court took cognisance of the matter. Justice Ranjit Singh had asked the ADGP to lay emphasis on Nayagaon, Zirakpur, Mohali, Kansal and Karoran area. The judge had added: "It would also need investigation to see as to what is the source of acquisition".
The state has already informed the high court that it has constituted a special investigation team to look into the case.
The case is being supervised by Additional Director-General of Police Hardeep Dhillon and monitored by Punjab Chief Secretary.
Dhillon had replaced Chander Shekhar as the investigating officer in the case after his retirement as the DGP of Railways. Chander Shekhar, before relinquishing the office, had recommended a CBI probe into the acquisition of properties by the high-ups.

The Case
The State has asked for three months time to complete the probe

This is the second time that the State has sought extension

A Nayagaon resident had accused a senior police functionary of land grab bid in Nayagaon and demanded a CBI probe

Punjab has formed a special investigation team under the ADGP to look into the case

November 18 is the next date of hearing