Tribune News Service,New Delhi, December 27

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan has again mooted a proposal to construct a new Parliament building. In a letter to Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, she has said the existing 88-year-old structure is showing signs of “distress” because of ageing and will no longer be able to meet the growing demand for space.The Speaker even proposed two options for the alternative site — one within the Parliament complex and another across the Rajpath, a place where some defence and Delhi Police security barracks are located.Sources said the Urban Development Ministry would prepare a Cabinet note, which would be placed before the government to consider the proposal.Apart from citing the building bylaws, which stipulate life of buildings at 100 years, the Speaker in her letter also mentions that the number of seats in the Lok Sabha is likely to go up after 2026 “in accordance with the provisions of the explanation to clause (3) Article 81 of the Constitution”. The present seating capacity of the Lok Sabha is 550 without any scope for further increase. The full strength of the House is 545.Clause (3) of Article 81 determines representation on the basis of population brought out in the last Census (possibly in 2021). Through the 91st amendment to the Constitution in 2001, Parliament had extended the 25-year-old freeze on the total number and state-wise distribution of seats in Lok Sabha till 2026.In her letter, Mahajan has said: “On account of ageing of the Parliament House building and expansion in activities, staff, etc. the building has shown signs of distress and overutilisation… Under the circumstances, there is an imperative need for the construction of a new state-of-the-art Parliament building.”She argued that when the present structure was commissioned in 1927, the number of staff, security personnel, media visitors and parliamentary activities were limited, but over the years, the parliamentary activities had increased manifold.Since the building has been declared as “Heritage Grade-I” structure, there is very little scope for structural repairs.The Parliament House

• Designers: Sir Edwin Lutyens & Sir Herbert Baker
• February 12, 1921: Foundation stone laid by Duke of Connaught
• January 18, 1927: Inaugurated by then Governor-General of India Lord Irwin
• 6 acres: Area of complex
• 144: Sandstone columns
• 170.69 m: Diameter of complex
• Rs 83 lakh: Cost of construction
• 550: LS seating capacity

Tribune News Service,Bathinda, December 26

The police have registered a case of cheating against a Major deployed with the Army in Bathinda Cantonment and his wife for allegedly cheating a woman—also deployed as a Major— in the Army.The complainant is from Kota in Rajasthan.In her complaint to the police, the lady officer stated that Major Chand Singh developed physical relationship with her after promising to marry her. At the time of the incident, the Major was deployed at ‘Wireless Experimental Unit at the cantonment in Bathinda.Investigating Officer (IO) Charanjit Singh said initially, a case was registered against the accused Major and his wife at the Cantonment police station following a complaint received by the lady officer. The case, he said, was registered after the intervention of senior police officers and after completing the preliminary investigations in this regard.A case under sections 498-A, 406, 494, 376,493 and 496 of the IPC was registered at the Cantonment police station. No arrests have been made so far, the police said.

Army major booked for ‘raping’ colleague

BATHINDA: The Bathinda police have booked an army officer for allegedly raping his colleague on pretext of marrying her.

As per Cantonment station house officer Karamjit Singh the case pertains to 2009-2011 when the accused Major Chandan Singh and the complainant, also a Major, were posted in Bathinda.

“The woman, who is now posted at Kota, Rajasthan, alleged that the accused had solemnised a marriage with her in a temple,” said the SHO. Later, the:accused officer married another woman, says the complaint, The complainant has also filed a complaint with military authorities. Based on the ‘zero first information report’ by Kota police, a case has been registered against the Army officer and his wife, who is yet to be identified,” said the SHO. A case under Sections 376 (rape), 498 A (husband or relative of husband committing cruelty to woman) and 406 (criminal breach of trust) of the IPC was registered.

Customers of any bank can use this Indian Railways online ticket booking service to book online rail tickets on the bank’s website itself, without visiting any other site.

Indian Railways online ticket booking: ICICI Bank today announced the launch of a facility that allows users to book online rail tickets on its website icicibank.com. This facility is being offered in association with the Indian Railway Catering & Tourism Corporation Ltd. (IRCTC).

ICICI Bank is the first bank in the country to offer such a facility on its website.

Customers of any bank can use this Indian Railways online ticket booking service to book online rail tickets on the bank’s website itself, without visiting any other site.

Commenting on the launch, Rajiv Sabharwal, Executive Director, ICICI Bank Limited, said: “Online rail ticket booking on the Bank’s website for customers of any bank is yet another exciting service for the rapidly growing digitally savvy customer base in India. This service will soon be also available on the bank’s mobile banking app, iMobile as well as on its digital bank on mobile phone, Pockets.”

With this service, users can search for Indian Railways trains, book an e-ticket, cancel a reservation as well as check their PNR status among others. The website will display latest information for services including train options and ticket availability by connecting directly with the reservation system of the Indian Railways on a real time basis.

Users can pay for the rail tickets using their internet banking account, debit or credit card of any bank.

To avail this service, users have to do a one-time registration on the ICICI Bank’s website with their mobile number and user ID registered with IRCTC. Subsequently, they can purchase the tickets directly from the bank’s website.

Highlights of Indian Railways rail ticket booking on ICICI Bank website
· First bank in India to offer rail ticket booking on its website
· Customers of any bank can use the facility
· It will soon be available on the Bank’s mobile banking app, ‘iMobile’ as well as on its digital bank, ‘Pockets’

Wants stolen sewing machine, a wedding gift, recovered

Akash Ghai,Tribune News Service,Mohali, December 13

Retired Army personnel are usually known to make rounds of the corridors of power to get their pension or avail of other benefits due to them. But in a rare case, a Mohali-based retired Army man has written a letter to Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal seeking his intervention for the recovery of a 40-year-old sewing machine, a souvenir from his marriage, and more importantly, a reminder of his marital bliss.Vijay Arya, a retired Subedar Major, claimed that the local police did not take his complaint ‘seriously’ as the value of the stolen goods, including the machine in question, was not ‘much’ in their view. “We were emotionally attached to the sewing machine, which was gifted to us by our parents on our wedding day,” said Arya, who claimed to have fought the 1971 war against Pakistan.The theft had taken place at his house in Mohali Phase II on Friday. “The thieves broke open a box lying in the backyard of the house and took along some goods along with the sewing machine,” said Arya.He added that though the cops came after he made a call to them, they did not react properly on learning the monetary value of the stolen goods.“They (the police) were very casual in their approach, saying ‘kuchh nahi hoga’ (nothing would come out of it). So I was forced to write a letter to the Deputy Chief Minister to intervene and get me back my ‘valuable’ machine,” said Arya. Arya also announced to reward the policemen, if they recovered the stolen machine.

AFTER HIS TOES HAD TO BE AMPUTATED, CHAND WAS INVALIDED OUT OF THE ARMY IN 2004 WITH 60% DISABILITY

CHANDIGARH: The Chandigarh bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) on Thursday issued a notice to the central government over a petition for higher pension by a soldier who lost all his toes to frostbite at the Siachen glacier.

The petitioner, havildar Rattan Chand of Doda district in Jammu and Kashmir, moved the tribunal saying he had received the injuries during the army’s Operation Meghdoot and that he was eligible for the “war injury element” of the pension.

Havildar Chand, who had joined the army in 1985, had been sent to the world’s highest battlefield in 1987. He told the tribunal that after serving three months in temperature ranging between -18 to -50 degrees Celsius, he suffered from frostbite and all his toes had to be amputated.

Havildar Chand was invalided out of the army in 2004 with 60% disability.

Bhim Sen Sehgal, chairman of the All India Ex-servicemen Welfare Association, the group through which Chand filed the petition, said: “Chand served in Operation Meghdoot at Siachen for about three months. The army commander declared his injury attributable to military service in operational area and was classified as a battle casualty. But the principal controller of defence accounts ruled that Chand’s injury did not fall under the ambit of war injury, which is contrary to law.”

Kharga Corps sets up heritage park in Ambala
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 7
The Kharga Corps has set up Kharga Heritage Park at Ambala Cantonment to showcase the grit and valour of its warriors.
The park highlights the martial traditions of the Indian soldiers, raising of the Kharga Corps in October 1971 for the liberation of Bangladesh, the impact the corps made in the defeat of Pakistan and the birth of Bangladesh.
The park has statuettes displaying various activities of the Kharga Warriors, models of equipment depicting various arms, a replica of the Chattri Memorial of the First World War, statue of Lord Buddha and a prayer wheel depicting the Buddhist traditions of Ambala as highlighted by Chinese traveller Huen Tsang in his memoirs.

CHANDIGARH: In a historic moment, Air Marshal Kulwant Singh Gill, Air Officer Commandingin-Chief of Central Air Command, flew a three aircraft close formation sortie on Hawk Mk132 with his son, Flying Officer Shahbeg Gill, also part of the same formation at the Bidar air force station in Karnataka on Saturday.
When Air Marshal Gill was asked as to how he felt flying a sortie with his son, he replied, “I can easily say that Indian Air Force is the elitist service in the world, that’s why I am leaving half of myself with the Air Force.” He said it was a historic moment for the Air Force and a proud and memorable moment for him. He wished to see more brave sons of the great land opting for flying and fighting for the nation.
When the father and son landed after the sortie, Ranjeet Gill, Shahbeg’s mother, was emotional as she said, “The two people dearest to me have flown together in a close formation and I cannot describe the feeling in words. Obviously, I am the proudest wife and mother.”Air Marshal Gill hails from Patiala and is an alumnus of the local Mohindra College. He was commissioned into the flying branch of the Air Force in December 1977. In a career spanning 38 years, he has more than 7,000 hours of incident-free flying experience. While commanding the IAF station at Leh (world’s highest air field), he was instrumental in recommissioning of two airfields. During his command, Air Force Station, Leh, was declared the Pride of Western Air Command.
For his distinguished service and exceptional professionalism, he has received three Presidential awards. In his earlier days, he has been the member of the 7th and 8th Antarctica Expedition, wherein for displaying extraordinary courage he was awarded with Vayusena Medal (gallantry) in 1990, Yudh Seva Medal in 2005 and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2010. He had also commanded Air Force Station, Patiala, from 1999 to 2001.Air Marshal Gill is married to Ranjeet Gill, a homemaker. The couple have two daughters and a son. The son, Flying Officer Shahbeg Gill, is undergoing stage-III training in fighter stream. Ranjeet Gill is an alumna of St Fatima School, Patiala, and a graduate from GCG Patiala.
Flying Officer Shahbeg did his matriculation form St Peter’s School, Patiala, and Class 12 from Army Public School, Patiala. Flying Officer Gill says right form childhood he wanted to be like his father and today he has taken a major step towards that.
In 2013, Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne, then Chief of the Air Staff, flew with his son, Squadron Leader Omar Browne, in Sukhoi-30 at Lohegaon airbase in Pune. It was the last sortie of Air Chief Marshal Browne.

Tribune News Service
Haridwar, December 3
Armed forces are providing better and lucrative career opportunities, thus attracting a large number of youths.
RM Mittal, director of Border Roads Organisation (BRO) AVSM, VSM, stated this here today at the 17th foundation day of College of Engineering, Roorkee.
In his address, Mittal said the college, in just a decade and half, had become one of the most prestigious educational institutes for engineering in northern India.
Citing India’s strong emergence in the global arena in the recent times, he attributed it to the youth power as in most fields, ranging from science technology, software technology, sports, academics, engineering, medical, armed forces to private sector, the younger generation had shown its skills, class and supremacy.
“Set targets, work hard and don’t forget your roots, upbringing and culture. Innovation is the key to success, so be prepared for it and achieve success,” Mittal said.
As many as 29 teachers from the college were felicitated by the BRO
director for being inspirational teachers, who mentored students in innovative teaching methodology.
President of the college trust JC Jain, Shreyans Jain, Subash Jain, Dr V Gupta, Romesh Sharma, Dr DPS Kulkarni, Gunjan Aggarwal, BS Verma, Pramod Kumar, Anand Singh, Rajendra Saini, Madan Singh, Raj Kumar Chauhan, Pankaj Mehta, Anshish Rawat, Ansushka Goyal, Mitali Bhatt and Kumar Vasisth were present during the function.

Apropos to the ‘debate of the week’ section of November 22, 2015, in which residents had sent their views on ‘one-rank one-pension’ issue. I believe it was arbitrary, deserved more analysis, and had scope for improvement. First, it lacked a holistic approach to the subject and concentrated on promulgating opinions of mainly one segment of the defence services, or civilians, and thus, ignoring the viewpoints of the other two segments, the veterans and the affected. Of total 27 opinions, Army’s share being 14, civilians’ share (having no direct implication or impact whatsoever, except for academic interests) as 11, Air Force’s share being only two and Navy’s share as zero, the entire debate appeared strange. An approach involving wider opinions from all segments would have been more appropriate.
GROUP CAPTAIN SK GOSWAMI (RETD), Panchkula