Chandigarh officials under scanner in recruitment scam

September 17th, 2009 CHANDIGARH/NEW DELHI - A joint venture company, Chandigarh International Airport Private Limited, has been formed between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and governments of Punjab and Haryana for the execution of a multi-million project for an international airport at Chandigarh. The JV agreement was signed between the three parties in New Delhi Thursday.

September 12th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - The police here have given a questionnaire to the director public instruction (schools) Samwartak Singh in their ongoing probe into the teachers' recruitment scam in which he may be a suspect, officials said here Saturday. "We have sent a questionnaire to Samwartak Singh and asked him to submit a written reply to all the questions.

September 6th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Two men were arrested here for promising a woman a teacher's job in the Chandigarh education board in lieu of a Rs.400,000 bribe, police said Sunday. The accused have been identified as Jolly, a Chandigarh resident, and Hardev Singh, a resident of Kharar town in Punjab, some 20 km from here.

August 31st, 2009 NEW DELHI/RANCHI - A senior civil servant of Jharkhand is under the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) scanner for his alleged involvement in a Rs.1.3 billion scam in the state's health department. Pradeep Kumar, former Jharkhand health secretary, has been named in the case for misusing his official position and fraudulently and dishonestly purchasing medicines, medical equipment and appliances for hospitals from 19 suppliers worth over Rs.130 crore (Rs.1.3 billion), a statement said Monday.

August 18th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Twelve tonnes of edible oil worth Rs.550,000 was seized from a house as officials of the food and supplies department of Chandigarh Tuesday carried out a drive against the hoarding of essential commodities. "We conducted a raid on a tip-off and recovered 12 tonnes of edible oil from a house here in Sector 40.

August 12th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - In a bid to commemorate the spirit of Chandigarh, the local administration in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is organising a campaign called "Wah! Chandigarh - Celebrating the Spirit of Chandigarh". The three-month campaign will start Aug 13 and include an assortment of activities that will involve almost every resident.

July 5th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The government Sunday approved a revised scheme for enrolment of constables in all paramilitary forces in the wake of a recruitment scam in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Application forms will now be designed centrally in optical mark reader (OMR) sheets so that it can be scrutinised through computer.

June 26th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Friday announced the setting up of a state-level teachers recruitment board to streamline the process of employing teachers. "This board will also help to introduce the semester system in colleges from the current academic session, except in the arts stream, and help to avoid any delay in the recruitment process of teachers," Hooda said while presiding over a review meeting of the education department.

June 24th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - In the wake of increasing cases of fraud and cheating, Chandigarh Police Wednesday urged bank officials to install CCTV cameras in their branches. At a meeting with over 50 senior officials of private and nationalised banks, police officials suggested various measures to prevent frauds and robberies.

June 19th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Friday said it has busted a railway recruitment scam and arrested four people, including two Indian Army personnel, for duping applicants by promising them appointments as ticket collectors. The CBI arrested two people and a tout, employed in the Indian Army, June 5.

June 3rd, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Residents of Chandigarh experienced a terribly hot day Wednesday as the city recorded a maximum temperature of 42.2 degrees Celsius - the highest this season. Apart from Chandigarh, people in other places of Punjab and Haryana too had to brave the scorching heat with the mercury staying above the 40 degree mark at most places.

May 13th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Initial projections of the voter turnout for polling for nine parliamentary seats in Punjab and one seat in Chandigarh Wednesday were pegged at 55-60 percent by election officials here. The officials said that the final polling percentage could be higher as all those who had queued up till 5 p.m.

April 10th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Four people were killed when a major fire broke out in a photo studio in Chandigarh. The flames were put down by over a dozen fire brigades vehicles.

January 7th, 2009 CHANDIGARH - Bollywood star Ajay Devgan kept some Chandigarh police officials waiting for over two hours at Taj hotel here. Guess, for what? Wrong, in case you thought for an autograph! The police officials waited endlessly for the star Wednesday night for Rs.200 -- the fine imposed on him for smoking at the airport in the smoke-free city.

December 26th, 2008 CHANDIGARH - A letter under a fake name, on the basis of which Chandigarh's senior most bureaucrat and other top officials were questioned this month, has now involved the Punjab Raj Bhawan with the name of the governor's aide-de-camp (ADC) figuring in it too. Sources at the governor house confirmed that the ADC, Major Nirvikar Singh of the army, proceeded on leave Saturday following the latest controversy.