& V I C I N I T Y
Monday, November 16, 1998
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C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
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Monday, November 16, 1998 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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PU panel takes up Khalsa
celebrations UT-Ambala
highway traffic blocked |
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12,000
'Hepatitis-C' deaths every year Air
Cmde Jasjit Singh for rewriting NPT 6
BJP councillors 'boycotted' party meeting
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PU panel takes up Khalsa
celebrations CHANDIGARH, Nov 15 — Panjab University is considering the creation of infrastructural facilities and academic events to mark the 300 years of the Khalsa panth's institution. The committee under the chairmanship of Prof M.M.Puri, the Vice-Chancellor, met here last week to consider the various suggestions tabulated by the coordinator, Ms Indu Banga, Department of History. Members of the committee include Professor Naresh, (from Bhai Vir Singh Chair), Prof Darshan Singh, Prof Raghbir Singh, Dr Deepak Manmohan and Prof J.K. Singh among others. The university was considering a suggestion to name the Muktsar centre after Guru Gobind Singh. There was a general agreement on instituting fellowships to mark the occasion. The committee proposed to collect and publish writings on Guru Gobind Singh and the Khalsa panth in Indian languages other than Punjabi. There was also unanimity on building an institutional complex to mark the tercentenary of the Khalsa in one of the earlier meetings.There was a proposal to build a Guru Gobind Singh stadium for sports. It was felt that there was a need to focus on the thought behind the institution of the Khalsa and to tap new sources, including Persian, through well-structured seminars. The university was considering a move to prepare a map of the 10th Guru's travels and to collect manuscripts from the institutions and places associated with him; to publish historical and literary studies on Guru Gobind Singh; and to publish English translations of at least those parts of the "dasam granth" which are generally attributed to him. Colleges would also be asked to organise at least one extension lecture on the life and works of Guru Gobind Singh. However, suggestions for the determination of authenticity of the 'dasam granth' generated discussion. Other issues which were keenly debated included the proposal to institute a Guru Gobind Singh chair, to institute Guru Gobind Singh Mini Olympics in the early part of the academic session, to institute sports medals, and to make the study of Sikh philosophy a compulsory subject in MA (philosophy). The coordinator in a letter to members said, "These suggestions are academic as well as infrastructural". The Vice-Chancellor sought suggestions on short-term and long-term programmes to be pursued by the university. Another meeting of the committee was on the anvil, reliable sources said. The university could also
institute a biennial cash award for the best monograph in
any language on any aspect of the Sikh history and
tradition. |
UT-Ambala highway traffic blocked CHANDIGARH, Nov 15 — Residents of UT villages today blocked traffic on the Chandigarh-Ambala highway in protest against the demolition carried out by the Chandigarh Administration at Raipur Kalan village recently. Hundreds of men, women and children, under the banner of the Action Committee for the Development of Villages, squatted on the highway near Hallo Majra village around 9 a.m. and did not allow the movement of any vehicular traffic for about one-and-a-half hours. Hundreds of persons were inconvenienced as the vehicles they were travelling by were diverted to alternative routes from The Tribune Chowk and Zirakpur village. Though the protesters had exempted the ambulances and persons on emergency duties, the police did not allow many persons to venture into the area from the chowk to Hallo Majra and from Zirakpur to Hallo Majra. The commuters were hit hard. A large number of persons, intending to go towards the Ambala side from the Tribune Chowk bus stop were seen trekking several kilometres to reach the alternative bus stops. The condition of those coming to the city from Zirakpur and other bus stops till the Tribune Chowk was no different. Addressing the rally, various speakers demanded the extension of "lal dora" and regularisation of structures which had come up beyond "lal dora". They also demanded the provision of basic amenities--electricity, water and sewerage — to the residents of these areas. While severely criticising the administration for its "anti-village" policies, they demanded the withdrawal of acquisition notices to the residents of Deep Complex, Hallo Majra. Constitution of zila parishads and panchayat parishads, restoration of gram panchayats in four villages incorporated in the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC), and grant of more rights and funds to village panchayats for the development of villages were the other demands raised by the speakers. Prominent among those who spoke were Mr Chaman Lal, Mr Harbhajan Singh, Mr Sita Ram Barvaria, Mr Kuldip Singh, Mr Bhupinder Singh, Mr Jagtar Singh, Mr Kulwant Singh and Mr Pritam Singh. Meanwhile, protesters also held up traffic for sometime on the traffic lights near the railway station. Led by Mr Mahaveer Prashad, general secretary of the BJP, the protesters courted arrest after a slight scuffle with police personnel. As many as 340 persons, including 116 women, courted arrest. They were later let off by
Mr P.S. Gill, SDM, after they furnished personal bonds. |
A lacklustre affair SAS NAGAR, Nov 15 — The Salman — Karisma show at the PCA Stadium proved to be a lacklustre affair here this evening. One wonders at the attitude of organisers and the stars who began the show more than three hours behind schedule.The patient crowd gave its befitting reply as hundreds walked out disappointed half way through the show. The show began with a young mimicry artist in the role Dev Anand introducing Zeba the first singer of the evening. She sang "jaana o jaana". This was followed by newcomer Anjala Zaveri's dance on a medley of "jiya jale". Half the fun was marred by the sheer distance from the stage. One had to not merely crane his neck but also narrow his eyeballs to make out the star on stage. Even the sound system failed to deliver except for the high volume. With Abhijit, the star singer, not making it to the show others failed to live upto popular expectations. At this juncture came the much awaited entry of Karisma who danced to a tune from "Dil to Pagal Hai".The crowd clapped to the performance of the nimble footed dancer. Current hit " Chall Chaayan Chaayan " was a poor apology for the original in the voice of Sukhwinder. Harvinder showed promise in his voice in "Jhoole Lal". Salman Khan was greeted with the expected gusto and crowd swayed their arms and danced along with the heartthrob to "chalti kya nau se baarah". Kamaal Khan's attempt to involve crowd to sing along with him to "dhoonde tujhe deewana" also did not seem to click. The pair of Salman and Karisma danced together to "lift teri band hai". There was no sign of
artists till 8.30 p.m. who then took another hour to
arrange their musical instruments. The crowd had their
share of difficulty during entry at the gates. Sanjay who
mimicked Sunny Deol, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Amol
Palekar among others deserves a special mention besides
Hegde dance troupe. |
Kids face 'harassment' on
Children's Day CHANDIGARH, Nov 15 — Memories of "harassment" on Children's Day yesterday will continue to haunt a group of students, (primary to middle classes), for years to come. They had ventured to travel from Ludhiana to Pinjore in their school bus to celebrate Chacha Nehru's birthday. For more than two hours, they were detained at the Chandigarh-Haryana barrier by the Enforcement Staff of Haryana. The reason : No permit fee had been paid for taking the school bus to Haryana. Two women teachers accompanying the children offered to cancel the trip, without even entering Haryana, but the officials did not budge. The students, mostly girls, were scared and insisted that the bus be turned back. Their desire to visit the Mughal Gardens at Pinjore and on the way back Rock Garden at Chandigarh had virtually died down after their two hours ordeal at the hands of the Haryana Enforcement Staff. The teachers explained that their school bus, registered at Ludhiana, was exempt from the payment of road tax. Further, the students were on a special excursion tour on Children's Day. All their pleas fell on deaf ears. The teachers alleged that members of the Enforcement Staff were rude in behaviour and even threatened to lock them up. After two hours of arguments, a challan was thrust in their hands and documents, including registration certificate of the vehicle, were forcibly taken away from them. The students and teachers belonged to Gupta High School, Civil Lines, Ludhiana. The Principal of the school told The Tribune that even if the permit fee for Haryana had not been paid, the Enforcement Staff should have permitted the bus to go back than enter Haryana. Under the rules, he said, the school bus was a private carrier and the rules governing commercial vehicles did not apply to it. "We have successfully fought this case even at the time of registration of this vehicle at Ludhiana," he said. Once registered, the school bus was never detained and challaned on this pretext, he added. Attempts to get the version of the Enforcement Staff of Haryana were futile as none was available, with yesterday and today being holidays. "It is a shame that
such a treatment was meted out to small children,
students of third, fourth and fifth standards and that
too, on their day," the Principal lamented. |
Taxing the poor to pamper the
rich CHANDIGARH, Nov 15 — Is the Chandigarh Administration robbing the poor to subsidise fuel used by the rich to run their glistening automobiles? A voluntary organisation, Aware Citizens and Consumer Endeavour (ACCE), says yes. The Chairman of ACCE, Mr Pankaj Chandgothia, said here today that the Union Territory was charging sales tax at the rate of 8.8 per cent on kerosene which was an essential item to keep the fires burning in a poor man's hearth. On the contrary, petrol and diesel, which are costly petroleum products, are charged at the rate of 0.5 per cent (15 paise per litre) and 0.1 per cent (10 paise per litre) respectively. Mr Chandgothia said taxation of petroleum products in the Union Territory was covered by the Punjab Motor Spirit Taxation of Sales) Act in terms of the provisiom contained in Section 88 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966. He said as per law whenever the Punjab Government amended its Motor Spirit Act, the same should have been extended to the Union Territory by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The ACCE says Punjab revised the tax rate on petrol and diesel in 1974 which was extended to the Union Territory in 1977. The Barnala Government in 1985 changed the tax on petroleum products on fixed basis to percentage basis. It imposed 6 per cent tax on petrol, 4 per cent on diesel and 8 per cent on kerosene besides a surcharge of 10 per cent. The Union Territory imposed 8.8 per cent tax on kerosene but continued charging tax on petrol and diesel on a fixed basis. Punjab again revised tax on petrol to 7 per cent in 1991. Another 1 per cent cess has been imposed on petrol this year. Mr Chandgothia says Haryana imposed 7 per cent tax on petrol and diesel in the eighties which was revised to 10 per cent on July 1, 1996. Mr Chandgothia alleged that the Union Territory twice sent the proposal to extend the Punjab Act to Chandigarh but its efforts were defeated in Delhi due to the influence of "politically appointed" petroleum dealers. He said the Union
Territory was incurring a loss of about Rs 15 crore per
annum just to oblige influential petroleum dealers. He
said the administration should lower the rate of tax on
kerosene which was essentially used by the poor man. |
Tomatoes, capsicum dearer CHANDIGARH, Nov 15 — The prices of capsicum and tomatoes continue to rule high in the city today. If capsicum was available for Rs 40 a kg, tomatoes were available at a minimum price of Rs 35 a kg. Both had been available for Rs 25 a kg a week back. So much so that a fortnight ago tomatoes were available at a lower price ranging between Rs 10 and Rs 15 a kg. Similarly, peas were also priced high and were available in different markets between Rs 30 and Rs 40. During the past week,
white roungi witnessed a maximum rate amongst the pulses
as its price jumped from Rs 27 per kg to Rs 38 per kg.
However, there is no major fluctuation in the prices of
other pulses. |
12,000 'Hepatitis-C' deaths every year CHANDIGARH, Nov 15 — Describing the Hepatitis-C virus as one of the biggest threats ever faced by mankind, Prof.S.K.Acharya of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, says that the deadly virus is proliferating at a rapid pace with 50 million people having already been afflicted with the disease around the globe. Professor Acharya, who was delivering his paper, "Can we manage the menace of Hepatitis -C" at the concluding day of the two-day continuing medical education programme "Recent Advances in Therapeutic Techniques" at the Command Hospital at Chandimandir, near here, today, said the malady was acquiring an epidemic form as it was claiming the lives of nearly 12,000 persons annually. Thousands more were getting the disease mainly through blood transfusion, infected needles, transplant of organs, ear lobule pricks, tatooing and lack of awareness among surgeons and para medical staff of hospitals, he added. Dr Acharya said the situation was such that even in advanced countries a large number of people were falling victims to the malady. In the USA alone 5 million people were afflicted with Hepatitis-C, which is considered most harmful disease affecting the functioning of the liver by causing liver cirrhosis and liver cancers. He said the disease had the highest mortality rate of 50 per cent. Professor Acharya, said though there was no official figures, yet it was estimated that about five million people in India were infected with Hepatitis-C. About 30 per cent of these would die within a period of 10-15 years. Alcoholics run a higher risk of being infected with the virus. Dr Acharya said the high rate of blood transfusion, particularly to road accident victims, and ear piercing of girls by quacks were the other major causes. The spread of the disease could be checked through awareness, for which the government must take steps without any delay. The need of the hour was to develop indigenous test kits and to make it mandatory to go for stringent blood tests before transplantation of organs. He said the treatment was available though it was costly and required aggressive control measures. In his paper, 'our experiences of first 92 laparoscopic cholecystectomies", Lieut. Col. A.K. Gupta, dwelt upon the usefulness of the technique in removal of stones from the gall bladder and other parts of the body. He said the technique was considered to be the 'Gold Standard' in the treatment of symptomatic gall stone disease as it insured a high success rate, besides being less painful as compared to other methods like open surgery. Defining the role of diet in the formation of gall stones, Colonel Gupta said people who used calcium-rich diet such as milk and milk products were more prone to the disease. As a preventive measure he advocated maximum use of water. In his paper, 'Neontil Sepsis', Col Vipin Chander of the host hospital, lamented that primary neonatal care in our country was grossly inadequate which resulted in the high neonatal mortality rate of 80 per 1000 live births in rural and 41 per 1000 children born in urban areas. On the other hand incidence of neonatal sepsis in the developed countries was only one to four per 1000 babies.He suggested a number of measures for management of neonatal sepsis including administration of perinatal fluids, vasoactive agents and oxygen to ensure perfusion and oxygenation of vital tissues. In his paper,'Percutaneous Baloon Mitral Valvuloplasty (PBMV):Treatment of Choice for Mitral Stenosis' Lieut.Col J.K.Sharma, a cardiologist, said mitral stenosis largely affected the children and young adults and was fatal unless obstruction was removed mechanically. Dr S.K.Singh, a consultant of urology at the PGI said the comprehensive management of urolithiasis had become possible with different modalities such as Extracorporeal Shock Wave Lithotripsy and in the West 90 per cent of stones were being managed with this technique. He said the recurrence rate of stone formation was 50 to 70 per cent in a period of five to seven years but this could be prevented with a heavy intake of liquids like water and some dietary restrictions. While delivering a guest lecture on total knee replacement, Prof O.N.Nagi, head, Orthopaedic Surgery PGI, said there was a lack of awareness among people regarding joint replacement. A majority of patients seek medical help only in the advanced stage as compared to western population. Prof Nagi, emphasised the need for setting up a nucleus for joint replacement surgery along with armed medical corps as it would help armed personnel and their families. Other papers "Recent Advances in Respiratory Therapy" and "Disease Modifying Drugs in Rheumatology" and "Recent Advances in Management of Thalassaemias" were delivered by Lieut. Col H.S.Nanda, Lieut Col R.Arunachalam and Brig R.K.Gupta respectively. Later, the Commandant of
the hospital, Major-Gen. Virendra Singh, thanked the
speakers. |
Air Cmde Jasjit Singh for
rewriting NPT CHANDIGARH, Nov 15 — Acceptance of India as a weapons state and not the sanctions imposed by the US following nuclear explosions is the basic point which is being generally misunderstood, says Air Cmde Jasjit Singh, Director, Indian Institute of Defence Studies and Strategic Analysis. In a brief interaction with senior members of The Tribune editorial staff during his visit to the city yesterday, Air Cmde Jasjit Singh maintained that there is going to be a constant tussle on the acceptance of India as a weapons state. "Rewriting of the protocol of Non-Proliferation Treaty to classify India in a special category of states with nuclear weapons is the best way out. This way India becomes a special state with nuclear weapons and at the same time does not become a nuclear state," argued the Air Commodore. He said he had been arguing on this line for the past more than a decade. About five years ago, even Mr Abdus Sattar of Pakistan had started arguing on the same lines. Once this was accepted then India should be able to import nuclear trade and technology for peaceful purposes. The Air Commodore referred to the 1981 pact where the USA had agreed not to question the martial law rule and nuclear programme of Pakistan. Referring to the Pressler amendment to Brown amendment, he maintained that the USA had provided legitimacy to Pakistan's nuclear programme. In fact, within two weeks of the ceasefire of the 1971 conflict, Pakistan had decided to go nuclear. "On the other hand, we have been pushing and equating ourselves to Pakistan. We tend to give this impression that the nuclear explosions was an Indo-Pak issue. But this is not so. Both the USA and China also want to project it as an Indo-Pak issue. The Japanese are looking at it as a grand opportunity to say India is not fit to be in the Security Council. And Americans will love it. Broadly speaking, there is far greater sympathy for India in less than six months," he said on the basis of his recent travels and interaction with global experts. "I do not think the situation is grim. I also do not think that we are close to a solution. We are uncomfortable when there is no pressure on us. Since we anticipate it, we take it as a pressure," he added. "By and large, things are the same since the explosions. Japanese will come back and trade with us. Where else will they go to invest. The Chinese growth is slowing down. No body on the Indian side can give way on sanctions," he argued. He also wanted that focus
on Pakistan in general and the ISI in particular be
scaled down. "By blaming everything on the ISI, we
are projecting it as if it is more powerful than even the
CIA. We must treat Pakistan as any other nation. We
cannot ignore it altogether as it is a big neighbour. But
we must reduce the focus on it wherever we can," he
added. |
National
Press Day function today PANCHKULA, Nov 15 —
The Zila Patarkar Parishad is celebrating the National
Press Day by organising a function on the theme
"Role of Press and administration in the
contemporary context" at Mini-Secretariat here
tomorrow. |
Male
pillion riders seek exemption PANCHKULA, Nov 15 — The Citizens Welfare Association has demanded exemption of male pillion riders from wearing helmets. The association said the
decision to exempt women riders from wearing helmets was
one-sided. A spokesman of the association said that male
cops were often found flouting the guidelines. |
6 BJP councillors 'boycotted' party meeting CHANDIGARH, Nov 15 — Six BJP councillors of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC), owing allegiance to Mr Satya Pal Jain, local MP, today 'boycotted' the meeting of the party councillors here today. The meeting, called by the party President, Mr Dharam Pal Gupta, with a view to impressing upon the party councillors to let meetings of the MCC House be held without disruption, was "boycotted" by the Jain group as the other group resented the raising of the issue of the expulsion of the party councillor, Mr O.P. Goyal. The Jain group resented the way the Mayor, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, abruptly, left the meeting for sometime. They "boycotted" the meeting as there was no use of the meeting in the absence of the Mayor. Mr R.S. Bedi from the Jain
group and Ms Shanta Abhilashi from the opposite group
were not present at the meeting. |
Shiv Sena
activists block traffic SAS NAGAR, Nov 15 — Supporters of the Shiv Sena blocked traffic in front of the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium in Phase IX here today in protest against the invitation to actor Salman Khan to attend the star-cum-musical evening. The protesters raised slogans against the PCA, President, Mr I.S. Bindra, and the actor. They said the killing of black bucks by Salman Khan was a cruel act and he did not deserve to be called to such functions. The protesters, who used
metal pipes to obstruct traffic in front of stadium gate
No 1, were later dispersed by the police. |
CHANDIGARH, Nov 15 — Mr Bhupan, a resident of Phase VIII, SAS Nagar, was injured when his scooter was hit by a car. In another accident, an unknown cyclist was injured near Panjab University when his bicycle was hit by a scooter. Both have been admitted to the PGI. Burn case: An
unidentified person of Sector 31 was admitted to the PGI
with 95 per cent burns today. The cause of the burns
could not be ascertained immediately. |
CHANDIGARH: Crowds may have been going wild on Sunday to gaze at Bollywood stars, but the grand finale of the Second Global Youth Theatre Workshop Festival '98 at Tagore Theatre was worth missing the song-and-dance sequence of the charismatic Karisma Kapoor or the "killer" Salman Khan. Presented by the Chandigarh Institute of Performing Arts (CIPA), in collaboration with the Department of Cultural Affairs, Punjab, and the Chandigarh Administration, the performance of various artistes from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Scotland, Yugoslavia, including India, sparkled with vigour and verve throughout the evening. Whether it was the "Nava-rasa kala ballet" or the "Ganesha vandana", the foreign artistes, dressed in traditional Indian dresses — salwar-kameez and dhoti-kurta — and complete with hennaed hands and feet, absolutely charmed their way into the hearts of the audience. The intensity of their expressions while the artistes chanted "Gayee Ganapati vandana" or recited "Wahey Guruji ka Khalsa, Wahey Guruji ki fatey" was well rewarded with a thunderous applause. In the land of Bhangra, it was but obvious that the items that presented Bhangra and "gatka" would be scene-stealers. The sword and lathi combats in the traditional form of "gatka" and the vigorous Bhangra dancing, both to the resounding beats of the dhol, displayed the passion of music and dance that transcends barriers of language and cultures. The depiction of a Christian prayer by the three Bulgarian artistes, sans music, which was all about the transformation of energy, was a visually stimulating show that seemed to be an exercise in rhythm and motion. The musical mime show by five Hungarian artistes presented an intriguing acrobatic play of bodies and chairs. The brilliantly choreographed piece reflected the distressing every day existence of our lives that revolves around the run for a "kursi". A Hindi skit "Chor Ayega Dabey Paon", written by K.P. Saxena and directed by Shyam Juneja, director of CIPA, was also well received by the audience. The finale of the CIPA theatre workshop was not only a presentation of Indian folk arts by foreign artistes, but more of an understanding into the universal language of theatre. —
Sonoo Singh |
| calling |
Applications pile up at DoT While on the one hand officials of the department of telecommunications deserve credit for choosing Chandigarh as the first city in the country for the introduction of calling line identification processing facility for the subscribers, on the other they have not shown any enthusiasm to meet the demand for the same. The facility helps a subscriber in knowing the telephone number of the caller even before he picks up the receiver in response to the ring. In spite of the fact that indigenous and imported devices for the facility are easily available at affordable prices and a large number of subscribers are willing to pay to the department for the facility and bear the cost of the device, the officials concerned with the disbursal of the facility are slow to react and to deal with the applications for the facility on one pretext or the other. As a result requests for the same are piling up. Before the scheme for introduction of the facility could be made effective, the DOT had set apart a sizable number of officials to trace obnoxious calls to the subscribers. They now find the workload coming down significantly, thanks to the publicity that the new facility has got. Temple forestry After carrying out plantation work in 51 religious places in and around Chandigarh, the Environment Society of India (ESI) has started temple forestry project at the campus of the Central Soil and Water Conservation Research Farm adjacent to the Mansa Devi temple. Under this scheme, which started in September last, about 115 saplings of 10 species have been planted. These are Rudraksh, Parijat, Harshingar, Sita Ashoka, Bilva, Barna, Camphor, Peepal, Gular, Shami, 5 varieties of Champaka etc. The temple forestry programme was launched by the ESI in 1990. After carrying out surveys, the ESI submitted the plan to the Mata Mansa Devi Shrine Board in August, 1992. The management created a sacred grove of divine trees on the hillock between the main shrine and the temple built by the Maharaja of Patiala. These saplings were planted mainly by General B.C. Joshi, the then Chief of Army staff and certain VIPs of the Haryana Government. The ESI wanted to develop a model of temple forestry. When the ESI approached Mr R K Aggarwal and Mr S P Mittal, present and past officers in charge of the CSWCC, both the senior scientists quickly approved the plan. The saplings have been planted in clusters. When they grow up it would give better effect and would attract the pilgrims. The creation of temple forests in the upper and middle stream areas of watersheds can supplement the social forestry scheme to reduce soil erosion, conserve water and soil structures and improve moisture contents. It can also promote downstream agriculture and ayurvedic medicine industry. Taxman cometh After the advertisement blitz by the income tax department in the print and electronic media, it has put up hoardings at strategic points all over the city. "Are you aware of the one by six scheme ? If you satisfy any then please file your income tax return today whether or not your income is taxable," exhort the colourfully made boards at spots like Sukhna Lake, bus stand, Panjab University, Madhya Marg etc. The six conditions are ownership/tenancy of immovable property, motor vehicle, telephone, credit card, membership of a club and expenditure on foreign travel. The hoardings will be on display for two months, says Pushpa Sharma, ITO, while being hopeful of a good response from the public. "Otherwise, we are processing the list of assessees and will issue letters to the defaulters," she warns. But isn't the exercise a bit late in the day ? October 31, the last date for filing IT returns is already over. Planet AIESEC AIESEC, the world's largest student managed, non-political educational organisation, completes its 50 years this year. The organisation also completes its 10 years in the city. The local chapter is planning a unique event to inculcate cross-cultural interests among school children. About 8-10 schools have been selected for the Planet AIESEC on November 19 and 20. Children from each school will be asked to play ambassadors of the country at their stalls. This will excite children to dig out maximum information on all fronts, including economics, culture and sports. A declamation contest will also be organised on the occasion. AIESEC is a French acronym for the International Association of Students in Economics and Management. The organisation is active in 87 countries with more than 50,000 members. It has 12 chapters in India. The objectives are developing socially minded leaders, creating a learning environment through the open sharing of information and ideas and developing individuals who practise active learning, a spokesperson said. Changed address The local telecom department has changed the address for e-mail users on the Internet. An address is the first requirement for sending and receiving e-mail across the net globally. After the personalised address of the subscriber one had to use "@ch1.vsnl.net.in" to send or receive the mail. The changed address is "@ch1.dot.net.in" . Many users have complained that the department could have informed them in advance about the impending change so that it could have been be effected in the stationary and visiting cards. Some days ago the department had started the facility of a single master number (172222) connected onto 96 lines for persons wanting to dial and use the Internet. The services have improved a bit since then as one does not have to dial all the numbers available earlier to try and get connected. But still there are days when it takes hours to get connected Good samaritan Some people are never able to forget their moorings and are forever eager to do something for the village and the people one is born or brought up with. Mr N R Puri, an industrialist settled in London, fits the bill. He recently paid a visit to his ancestral village Mullanpur Garibdass, near Chandigarh, and not only promised to provide Rs 6 lakh for the construction of a cremation ground and other facilities in the village but also agreed to underwrite the cost of repairing the damage to a portion of the Jayanti Mata mandir and laying sewerage lines in the village if the government failed to do so. A sports lover, he pledged Rs 1 Lakh for the construction of a gymnasium with all modern facilities. Besides he offered to provide Rs 5,000 per month towards the diet of two budding wrestlers of the village. Similarly, he also promised all financial help if the government did not undertake the construction of a school on a five-acre plot in the village. One wishes there were more samaritans like Mr Puri. Half done Although one track of the two-way road from Madhya Marg to the railway station has been repaired with patchwork, the other part remains ignored. All those who go to the railway station to leave their relations or freinds complain about the poor condition of the road which has to be taken to come back from the railway station to Madhya Marg. This part of the road has wide depressions and broken surface at numerous places and urgently calls for engineers' attention who perhaps use only official vehicles about whose repairs they bother little. Tailpiece Slogan on a truck: Allu te
piyaz de bha chadhe rehange, zad tak Pardhan Mantri
chharre rehange. (The price of potatoes and onions will
remain high till the Prime Minister is a bachelor). |
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