& V I C I N I T Y
Monday, March 8, 1999
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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, March 8, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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PU hikes tuition fee by 200
per cent
Bhabat
out, Nabha in against villagers’ wishes |
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Kalagram
Craft Fair ends
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Threat
to life of road users All
women love being women Hostel
life ‘enhances’personality PEC
teachers seek revised pay Toiling
for paltry returns ‘Be
tolerant, save your heart’
‘Parents’
services can’t be repaid’ As
much an exam for parents
Canteen
closure irks staff |
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PU hikes
tuition fee by 200 per cent CHANDIGARH, March 7 — Panjab University has finalised a chart for the hike in tuition fee for all undergraduate and postgraduate classes from the forthcoming session. Hard-pressed for generating its own resources in the wake of an acute financial crisis, the proposed fee hike by university comes as no surprise.The hike in fee, more than 200 per cent in several cases, has been recommended for more than 40 different courses being offered by the university on the campus and affiliated colleges. The 18-member committee with the Dean University, Instructions, Chairman cleared the recommendations following a comparative study with the existing fee structures in Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, and Punjabi University, Patiala. Compared to the tuition fee in several courses in the neighbouring universities, the hike can be called nominal. The proposed monthly tuition fee for BA, B.Com and B Sc classes is Rs 50 in addition to Rs 20 per subject as charges for practicals.The current fee is Rs 30 per month.B Sc(honours school except mathematics) students who are currently paying Rs 25 will have to pay Rs 60 in addition to another Rs 60 as charges for laboratory facilities. Students enrolled in the LL.B course will have to pay Rs 100 against the existing charges of Rs 30.There are, however, no changes mooted in the fee for the bachelor of business administration and computer application courses. The courses where significant changes have been mooted are: Rs 200 for bachelors in engineering against the existing Rs 25 per month ; Rs 200 per month against Rs 30 for B.Pharma ; Rs 250 against Rs 75 in ME(chemical) ; Rs 300 against Rs 60 in M Pharma; Rs 200 against Rs 30 in Masters of Mass Communication ; and Rs 100 per month in BMC. All postgraduate students in the Arts stream except psychology will have to pay Rs 100 every month. The current charges are Rs 30. M.Sc students will have to pay Rs 100 against the existing rate of Rs 40. There is also an increase in certificate courses in Tibetan, translation and hobby classes. Another crucial meeting of
the committee is scheduled shortly where hostel charges
and other forms of fee will come up for detailed
consideration. |
Amrish Puri
turns a saint CHANDIGARH, March 7 — In the presence of a packed crowd, at Manekpur Sharif, around 20 km from here, Amrish Puri, the ‘Mogambo’ of the Hindi film screen, today donned the garb of a Sufi saint, to lip-sync a ‘qawwali’ number. On the first day of the shooting of the Punjabi film, ‘Shaheed Udham Singh’, being directed by Chitraarth who has also directed the popular Punjabi film ‘Chann Pardesi’, the pigeon-infested dargah at Manekpur Shah was teeming with stars, film crew, and curious onlookers. The dargah earlier had its share of glamour when Pamela Rooks’ crew shot for ‘Train to Pakistan’. Dressed in loose robes, a turban and sporting a beard, Amrish Puri looked every inch a Sufi saint. Appearing in a cameo role in this film, Amrish Puri said, “I am doing a Punjabi film after a very long time, and simply happy to be in this film. I have worked with Chitraarth in ‘Chann Pardesi”. He has also acted in ‘Sat Shri Akal’ in 1976. “When something gives you more fame and more money, it has a greater attraction value. That is why I am in Hindi films. Punjabi films work on a shoe-string budget and are certainly not economically viable. Very few roles in Punjabi films, which actually interested me, came my way”, Amrish Puri explains. Raj Babbar, the lead actor of the film, and who has been seen in many ‘acclaimed’ Punjabi films like “Marhi Da Deewa’ and ‘Laung da Lishkara’ says, “When it comes to Punjabi films, resources are definitely a consideration. But then even the will to produce good films needs to be present. That seems to be missing most of the times. But whenever people who have the feel for Punjabi language and culture have made films, they have always been appreciated”. ‘Shaheed Udham
Singh’, which is being produced to coincide with the
centenary year of the freedom-fighter Udham Singh, has
Gurdass Mann as Bhagat Singh, and Raj Babbar as Udham
Singh. The film, most of which would be shot in parts of
Punjab and London, has also roped in ‘Shotgun’
Shatrughan Sinha, in a ‘friendly appearance’.
‘Shaheed Udham Singh’ has been penned by the
region’s poet Surjeet Pattar, and scripted by Atul
Tiwari. The music score has been provided by Surinder
Chindda, that includes a song and a ‘shabad’ by
Jagjit Singh. |
3-year girl
raped CHANDIGARH, March 7 — A three-year-old girl was recently allegedly raped and badly injured. The girl is presently admitted to the PGI with stitches all over her sensitive parts. The girl went through the ordeal four days ago in the hutment of her parents, who work as labourers in Mullanpur — Garibdass village — located west of PGI. The village falls in Punjab and is located on the border with Chandigarh. In four days, the girl’s wounds have developed “pus”, according to sources in the PGI. The girl was brought to the PGI here this morning. Since then experts have battled to save the festering parts of the traumatised girl. The child was found bleeding by her mother around four days ago, according to a youth, Pappu, who was standing along side the woman. The parents of the girl are employed as labourers on a brick kiln in the village. The mother of the girl, along with a neighbourer, went to a local doctor, who stitched the wound. A team of the Mullanpur
police today visited the PGI. Doctors attending upon the
girl have yet to establish rape on medical grounds. |
Held for
murder PANCHKULA, March 7 — The Chandi Mandir police has arrested one person in connection with the murder of a 16-year-old Nepali, who was found dead near Sultanpur village on Saturday. A case of murder had already been registered. The suspect, Ajay Kumar, a resident of Bihar, who was produced before the Duty Magistrate today, was remanded in police custody till March 9. His accomplice, Manoj, who is also suspected to be involved in the murder, however, has absconded. The deceased, Amit, was
working as a hawker with a news agency at Barwala. His
throat was slit with a knife which has been recovered by
the police. The Superintendent of Police, Mr Alok Mittal,
said Ajay and Manoj used to work with the deceased. |
Woman’s
body seized from pyre PANCHKULA, March 7 — The husband and the mother-in-law of a 25 year-old woman, who died under mysterious circumstances were arrested by the Barwala police before they could cremate the deceased in a hushed manner at Khautauli village, near here, today. The victim was married to Satpal, alias Pammi, in 1996. This morning the police received information that the victim, Sarla Devi, was being cremated after being allegedly done to death. The police reached the scene when the body was consigned to the flames. The body has been taken in custody. A case has been registered against the victim’s husband, Satpal, and her mother-in-law, Shero Devi. The post-mortem of the
victim performed at the local General Hospital is
reported to have revealed the cause of death as
strangulation. |
Bhabat out, Nabha in against
villagers’ wishes ZIRAKPUR, March 7 — The draft notification for setting up nagar panchayat at Zirakpur has evoked mixed response from the villagers. The Government proposes to exclude Bhabat — where a large number of unauthorised godowns, offices of multinationals and storage spaces have come up in the past few years from the body. On the other hand, the area around Nabha village located on the Zirakpur-Patiala road has been included in the proposed nagar panchayat against the wishes of the residents. The residents say that the village has been included to legalise the farmhouses of political leaders and other big-wigs of the state. The Punjab Government has decided to merge seven villages with Zirakpur for the formation of a nagar panchayats. The residents of Bhabat village, who share many facilities with this town, are feeling discriminated against. A minimum population of 5,000 is required for the formation of a nagar panchayat and Zirakpur has a population of about 600. So the Government has decided to club Zirakpur, Lohgarh, Himmatgarh, Bishangarh, Bishanpura, Bartana, Dhakauli , and Nabha Sahib for the formation of the civic body. On the other hand, the Government has excluded villages such as Gazipur, Singhpura, Ramgarh Bhudda and Ahbepur, though they are close to the area under the proposed civic body. The residents of these villages had wished to be a part of the nagar panchayat. Currently, Zirakpur and Bhabat villages are under the jurisdiction of Ropar district and other seven villages are administered from Patiala. The villagers were given 15 days to file their objection on this notification issued by the Local Government Department on February 26. The Nabha panchayat has expressed resentment over its merger with Zirakpur. The Bhabat Panchayat has also expressed the displeasure for excluding the village from the civic body. The Sarpanch of Bhabat, Mr Dharam Singh, alleged that some political leaders had purchased land in Nabha village and for their personal interests, they were ignoring Bhabat. According to the villagers, Zirakpur shares Government High School, Primary Health Centre, Veterinary Hospital, ration depot, patwar khana and Agricultural Cooperative Society with Bhabat. So they are demanding the inclusion Bhabat in the proposed civic body . They have threatened to move the court if Bhabat was not included in the civic body. The sarpanches of other
seven villages have expressed willingness to be included
in the proposed nagar panchayat. |
Champa
Mangat Rai dead CHANDIGARH, March 7 — Mrs Champa Mangat Rai, an educationist and one of the city’s last links with the undivided Punjab, died here tonight after a brief illness. She was 79. Daughter of the late S.P. Singha, former Registrar of Panjab University, Lahore, Mrs Mangat Rai, was the Head of the Department of English at Government College for Girls, Sector 11, for several years. A humanist and an institution in herself, she had great concern for the welfare of the downtrodden. She was also a former president of the governing body of the YWCA. Her funeral procession
will start from House No 74, Sector 9-A at 12.30 p.m for
Christ Church, CNI, Sector 18, of which she was one of
the founder members. Thereafter, the funeral procession
will proceed for burial at the Christian Cemetry, Sector
25. |
All women
love being women CHANDIGARH, March 7 — The City Beautiful will have its share of rallies, morchas, marches, seminars and talks, to mark the International Women’s Day tomorrow. A cross-section of women interviewed here not only defended the celebrations but also expressed pride on being women. “The day is for celebrating the bravery in being a woman in this so-called man’s world. It is a celebration of the spirit of beauty, of love and affection-all that is essentially part of a woman. I do have a nice feeling about the fact that at least one day of the year, the woman is given her due credit”, said Dr Charu Deva Banerji, an anaesthetist. Agreeing with the view of the woman “being recognised at least once in a year”, Mrs Inderjit Kaur, a housewife, said, “I think something is better than nothing. Though one day for us does not suffice, but in a patriarchal society like ours this day must be leaving some impression on the men. However, for me personally, it is just like another day”. For the younger generation, Women’s Day might not serve much purpose. “I think celebration of a day like this is obsolete. Simply another ‘decorative’ day. When nothing constructive happens, what’s the use of celebrating just one day? In fact why call the woman the ‘weaker sex’, she is simply the ‘other sex’ “, said 22-year-old Maneka Grewal, a post-graduation student. “A woman is more man than any other man. I think she just does not get a chance to prove that,” Maneka added. Given a chance would women like to be men? No, said all the women vociferously. They would always like to be a woman. “I would never ever want to be a man. Being a woman means that you have the capacity to be a fighter. There is no fun in being a man and getting everything in life on a platter. I would want to fight every inch to get things on my own terms”, said Mrs Anuradha Gupta, Home Secretary, Chandigarh. “The celebration of the Woman’s day is simply a symbolic gesture that has a limited significance. It does give attention to the fact that there is the need to empower women, because a kind of climate is created for the same. But what really happens about empowerment of women is a totally different scene”, Mrs Gupta added. Mrs Sanjana Arora, a lecturer said, “This day the women get a chance to interact and get together to discuss their rights. Though celebration of this day might mean nothing, the very fact that there is a day dedicated to women means that steps are being taken in the direction of giving women their right place.” With a number of functions being organised in the city, most social activists when contacted lauded the celebration of this day. “This is one day when women can actually get together and be made aware of their rights, whether legal or social. A day on which women can be united and feel united’, said Mrs Maninder Kaur, an advocate. Another social worker, Mrs
Sudesh Rani Chauhan, said, “The celebration is just
a formality. There is a lot of genuine work that needs to
be done in the direction of progress of women. But this
day does provide the platform for women to come
together”. |
Threat to
life of road users ZIRAKPUR, March 7 — The haphazard manner of parking of trucks and the absence of traffic police personnel on the Chandigarh-Ambala highway here poses a threat to the life of road users here. A stretch of nearly 1 km from the traffic lights here towards the police checkpost at the border of Chandigarh has become accident-prone due to the parking of hundreds of trucks on both sides of the road. Vehicles which come here from other states for loading and unloading at various godowns here remain parked for hours without any fear of challan. Though the authorities have put up warning boards against the parking of vehicles on the road, it has been observed that drivers violate the rule frequently. According to sources, the low sales tax on various goods in Punjab as compared to Chandigarh, has made proprietors of companies have their godowns here. Also no octroi is charged on the goods at this border, causing revenue losses to the administration. Mr Jagdeep Singh , a resident of the town, complained that trucks coming from Ambala and Patiala often cross the road dividers, resulting in accidents. Some trucks even drive on the wrong side of this National Highway, he added. “The truck drivers who come to load and unload their trucks, usually do not give proper indication and approaching vehicles have many times collided with these. “I am an eyewitness to an accident where a woman labourer was dragged up to 15 metres by a speeding vehicle. The driver picked the body of the woman and fled,” said Surinder Singh, a resident of the area. Mr Narinder Singh, a property dealer, said the police station was far away from here and traffic police personnel visited the place only thrice a week . Due to the absence of a police post, the rate of accidents was increasing, he said. Mr Tejinder Singh, Sub-Inspector at the police post in Lohgarh said “our intention is to make road users aware of traffic rules. We challan them for major offences”, he added. “We challan defaulters for overloading of vehicles. Offenders are challaned from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 per vehicle” said Mr J. S. Brar, District Transport Officer, Patiala. Station House Officer of
Sohana police station, Mr G. P. Singh, was not available
for comments. |
Hostel life
‘enhances’personality CHANDIGARH, March 7—The annual hostel function of Government College, Sector 46, was held at the college hostel in Sector 15, here today. Residents of the hostel presented a variety programme on the occasion. It comprised songs, “ghazals” skits and jokes. A song presented by three blind students — all residents of the hostel — was appreciated by everybody in the audience. Kulwant Singh, another blind student, was a hit with the audience. He presented some jokes. The programme was compered by Chandrakant Vats. The best resident award went to Sumesh Gupta of B Com III, while Nitin Verma was given a special prize for helping in the procedure of hostel admissions. Office-bearers of various committees, instituted to ensure smooth working of the hostel, were honoured at the function. Major D.P. Singh emphasised the importance of hostel life in enhancing personality development. Hostel warden, Sahib Singh presented the hostel report. D.S. Mangat, DPI Schools
and Colleges, chief guest, assured regular gas connection
to the hostel. |
‘Indoor
pollution being ignored’ CHANDIGARH, March 7 — There is a need to check indoor pollution as a person stays or works within enclosure of walls for a major part of the day. This was stated by Prof R.C. Sobti, Chairman of the Department of Biotechnology in Panjab University, here today. He was delivering the keynote address at the third annual convention of the Indian Association of Biology Teachers (Colleges) at Government College for Girls, Sector 42. Professor Sobti said international studies showed that the level of indoor pollution at the workplace and at homes had a telling impact on personal health and little had been done in this direction. He said little care was taken in construction of houses in towns, particularly during recent times. To save space, the height of roofs had been decreased. There was no provision for ventilators and windows in several cases. This led to air pollution. Proper direction of the house with regard to wind and the sun had scientific advantages, he added. Dr Amit Ghosh, Director of the Institute of Microbial Technology, was the chief guest. Other prominent guests included Prof S.P. Vij and Prof S.M. Handa, Chairpersons of the Botany and Zoology Departments, respectively, in Panjab University. Earlier Dr S.K. Gupta, Secretary of the association, read the annual report. Toppers of the host college in the science stream were honoured at the function. The membership of the
organisation had increased from about a dozen to over 200
over the past three years, Dr Gupta claimed. |
PEC
teachers seek revised pay CHANDIGARH, March 7 — The executive of the Punjab Engineering College Teachers Service Association in a press note here today has demanded immediate implementation of the pay revision along with other service conditions mentioned in the government notification of October 9,1998. A number of senior staff members had retired from the Punjab Engineering College, leading to a depletion in the work force of the institute which was already short of staff. No concrete step had been initiated by the Chandigarh Administration more than three months after the notification, the note said. The notification says, “ The payment of the central assistance for implementation of the scheme is also subject to the condition that the entire scheme of the revision of pay scales, together with all conditions to be laid in this regard by the AICTE is implemented by the state governments as a composite scheme without any modification, except to the date of implementation and scales of pay”. The composite scheme also says “It shall be necessary for the technical institutions to make the necessary changes in their statutes, memorandum of associations, rules, schemes, regulations and bye-laws as the case may be to incorporate the provisions of the scheme”. The executive demanded that the necessary changes in the relevant statutes and rules regarding date of superannuation may be initiated immediately and till such changes are incorporated, retirement of the existing staff in PEC be stayed so that the spirit and the seriousness with which the letter was issued by the HRD is fulfilled”. The executive said,
“The protracted delay in the implementation of the
scheme was frustrating and demoralising the teachers of
the prestigious institution. |
Toiling for
paltry returns CHANDIGARH, March 7 — Nobody bothers to pause and ponder about the workmanship and labour that goes into making a commonly-used household necessity — the broom. One just mops up the dirt and brushes aside the “insignificant” item to a remote corner of the house. Brooms are made from sticks extracted from the coconut bark, but little is revealed in the product about the patience that goes into its making. Jamil and Gaffur, residents of Mani Majra, are active in this trade for the past over seven years. Settled in a shanty, the two brothers toil from early morning till late evening. The earnings from one broom do not exceed Rs 10 for better ones and can be as low as Rs 4. The difficulty in sustaining this not-too-profitable business can be easily comprehended. A broom can take four hours for completion and the average earnings per day per person rarely exceeds Rs 30. In addition, there are lean days. The raw material includes bamboo stems, parts of coconut tree and plastic, which is primarily used for making the end caps. Jamil says that he brings the coconut component from Delhi, which receives stocks from Orissa, Kerala and other southern states. Jamil says that while the
cost of raw material has been escalating, their profit
remains paltry.
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‘Be
tolerant, save your heart’ CHANDIGARH, March 7 — Incidence of heart attack has increased by 10 per cent during the past 15 years and most of the sufferers are males up to the age of 50 years. However, after the age of 50, women are equally prone to this disease, opined Dr Anil Grover, a cardiologist in the PGI. Dr Grover was speaking on the “prevention of heart diseases” as the chief guest at a seminar. There is a link between hypertension and psychological factors such as attitude, tolerance, aggressiveness. He said people who are always in a hurry and impatient and talk aggressively cause tension and work in their minds and transmit it to others too. Dr Grover advised relaxation techniques such as meditation which reduces negativity and creates positivity. He stressed the advantages of a vegetarian fat-free diet and exercises. Dr H.C.Nagpal, Civil Surgeon, Panchkula, while presiding over the seminar said 90 per cent of all diabetics are likely to have coronary artery disease. In India, the death toll due to smoking will rise from 1.4 per cent to 13.3 per cent by 2020, he added. He further said that Indians have CAD at least 5 to 10 years earlier than people of other countries. The remedies suggested by Dr Nagpal include low saturated fatty acid diet, 20 minutes brisk walk per day, tobacco abstinence, maintenance of ideal body weight, minimising the waist circumference. Drug therapy may be used when these measures fail. Dr Phool Jaiswal, a
gynaecologist and regular student of the Brahma Kumaris
from Ambala, while speaking as guest of honour said that
there are four types of health — physical, mental,
social and spiritual. |
Stu-Cee
— a celebration of youth CHANDIGARH, March 7 — “Check out the babes, says one. “Naa maan, check out the food!”, says the other. “Nop! check out your lingo, man., says the third. “Language, you mean”, says the professor, in his most friendly voice, gently tapping the third boy on the shoulder from behind. You are trying hard not to overhear, but are unable to do so. You look around and find yourself inside a South Indian restaurant, at the top floor of the building which houses it, almost half way to heaven. You have visited the place for the first time. This is ‘Stu-Cee’, also known as the “Students’ Centre” and whoever calls it Students’ Centre, is not a student. It is to Panjab University what the Statue of Liberty is to New York. Both symbolise freedom: here everyone is free to speak and munch whatever he or she likes. To freak out at the Stu-Cee is to enjoy freedom. The lingo or the lingua franca implies avoiding needless expansion of words. Simple ‘funda’ will suffice and the ‘fundamentals’ of the English grammer are despatched for a six. The conversation which you heard a moment ago suggests three things to you. You discover that the place is about needs, basic as well as higher. It is about sex, food and the need to be heard and to discuss. You wonder if a secret conspiracy to develop a new language is being hatched here. You are ‘righto’. Remember, the genius made the acronyms, expansion is for the wimps. The centre is the ideal place to pick up clues to survival on the campus. No other place tells you better about the campus language, secret societies, food, issues, politics and the opposite sex. If you are a boy, you come here to stare at girls and if you belong to the fair sex, you do the same, the other way round. This place is more about South Indian food than anything else. The restaurant on the top floor provides a panoramic view of whatever lies below. It is like an observation tower but most persons observe others rather than the surroundings. The architecture of the building is a straight lift from an airport design manual, or so it appears. The spiral inclines take you to the top of the concrete cylinder. The centripetal force is bare minimum but it sucks you in, nevertheless. The building is centrally located in relation to the campus, the architect knew his geography. Common room on the first floor is the sweat shop. Here, reputations are made and marred over a game of table tennis, chess or carrom. Dean, Students’ Welfare, and the Students’ Council also have their offices here. These are political hot seats and many love to burn their behinds. You can’t miss the offices of Dean, Foreign Students, Dean, Alumni Relations, and the Employment Exchange. They stink from a distance and no matter what language you speak, you understand that the smell is telling you to stay away, which you do. Nevertheless, the facilities show that the university cares. Students’ Centre is
many things to many people. It is the memory of your
first date or the heated debates at numerous meetings
that are held here almost every evening. It will continue
to mean celebration of youth to every generation. |
‘Parents’
services can’t be repaid’ CHANDIGARH, March, 7 — Students of Dev Samaj College of Education, Sector 36 celebrated “Mat Pita Santan Diwas” ( Parents Day) here today. The idea behind celebrating this day is to uphold Indian traditions and culture by expressing gratitude to- wards the parents. The local MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain, inaugurated the function, while Mr Vikas Dev, Secretary, Dev Samaj, presided over the function. The chief guest lauded the efforts of Dev Samaj in organising such functions which strengthen the parent-child relations. He said the selfless services rendered by parents cannot be forgotten or repaid. Mr Jain expressed regret at the degeneration of values due to the influence of the Western culture. The college Principal, Dr (Mrs ) Satinder Dhillon, said the day is celebrated in accordance with the Hindu philosophy, which lays greater emphasis on human relations. She said the society also celebrated days like Brother-Sister Day, Employer-Employee Day, Husband-Wife Day to make bond of human relationships stronger. The environment became emotionally surcharged by the views expressed by students and teachers. The audience was overwhelmed by the concern and affection shown by children towards parents. Later, students expressed their gratitude and respect by garlanding their parents. Students of the Department
of Fine Arts of the college put up an exhibition of arts
and crafts, which was inaugurated by Mr Gopal Krishan
Chatrath, Dean Law faculty, PU. The exhibits included
pottery painting, fabric painting, embroidery, sketches,
tie and dye dupattas and soft toys. |
As much an
exam for parents CHANDIGARH, March 7 — It is as much an examination for parents as it is for children of class X. A majority of the parents contacted by Chandigarh Tribune on the first day of the CBSE examination revealed that the experience of preparing and appearing for the boards is very different from what it is to appear for the routine annual examinations. The awe of the boards is such that many have not slept well since days and others have not been able to eat well. Mr S.K. Arora, a parent, feels that the tension of the children passes on to the parents. “But then it is for us to provide our child with a congenial atmosphere at home and assist him with studies. We got our cable connection disconnected a year ago only to keep him away from such distractions’’, he said. The performance in board examination really not matters as much now with entrance exams being all-important. But they are a good exercise in confidence building. Mrs Harminder Chawla says that the entire procedure is very traumatic. Her daughter has secluded herself , she neither eats well nor sleeps well. But for a few TV serials which she has been regularly following, she has given up all other entertainment. She keeps thinking as to what will happen if she does not score well.” Mohinderjit Singh expresses his disgust with the overall system of education. Parents have to helplessly watch their children struggle with the vast syllabus in the absence of proper guidance from government schools. “We have to keep motivating him to put in his best as his career depends on his performance in the boards. It seems as if we are also appearing for the examination for we have to ensure that he gets up early to study. We have also sacrificed our social lives till his examinations do not finish,” he adds. Mr Vinod Kumar Sehgal is also of the view that parents are equally worried as it is the first external examination their wards are facing. The competition has become very stiff. “We have to keep prodding him to study and not watch cricket matches on TV.” Prince’s father also
says that his son is under tremendous pressure. As a
result, he has become more irritable. But he knows that
there is no way out and is just waiting for the
‘torture’ to get over. |
Farmers
urged to fight for rights CHANDIGARH, March 7 — The Peoples Parliament (Jan Sansad) convened by the Bharti Kisan Union here today appealed to the farmers to fight for their rights instead of committing suicides. A resolution regarding the liberation of the oppressed from “opportunistic” and “corrupt” politicians by putting up “people’s candidates” was passed. In a surprise move after the closing ceremony of the two-day session of the sansad, the participants marched towards the Punjab Governor’s residence as no official had been deputed to accept the copy of the resolutions to be forwarded to the President through the Governor. Protesters raised slogans and marched through Sector 17 before holding up traffic for more than an hour at the Government Press roundabout. As the agitators stayed put, additional police force was requisitioned but showdown was averted with the arrival of the Duty Magistrate who accepted the memorandum and assured the farmers that it would be passed on to the Governor. The gathering dispersed following the assurance. The Parliament was attended by farmers and union activists from Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. A large number of women from “shetkari” organisations of various states were also present. Today’s proceedings were presided over by Mrs Sandhya Ingole, President of the Mahila Aagari Shetkari Sangathan. She was assisted by Mrs Suman Tai Aggarwal, a former president of the sangathan, and Mr Prem Singh Dahiya, President of the All-India Kisan Committee. Mr Baldev Singh Mianpur, President of the Punjab unit of the BKU, also read out a paper on the contribution of Punjabis in the freedom struggle. Others who spoke included Mr Paragji Bhai Patil (Gujarat), Mrs Ilaben, Chaudhry Chanda Singh, Mr V.M. Pathne (Andhra Pradesh), Mr Shanker Reddy and Mr Vaman Rao Chatap and Mr S.S. Cheema. They lamented the use of muscle power, liquor and means of coercion and intimidation used by politicians. Mr Dahiya said farmers of Haryana would not pay their power bills and any forcible collection would be resisted. Due to faulty policies of the state government, the deficit in the HSEB was being passed on to the farmers, he said. Commenting on negative taxing on farmers, he said Rs 24,000 crore was being “looted” from farmers by refusing them remunerative prices. That politics comes in way of realistic prices for the farmers’ labour is evident from the inaction of the government to fix the prices of farm produce as per the price index of 1967. Mr Sardara Singh Johal, former VC of PAU, urged the farmers to look within themselves, besides making concerted attempts to corner political power so that their representatives could fight for their rights and demands in Parliament. It is sad to see people garlanding scam-tainted leaders. The need of the hour was to change the present system as it was farmer-unfriendly, he added. The sansad demanded scrapping of the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution under which the farmers were being denied their right to seek justice against government suppression and demanded liberation of agriculture from restrictions to which the country was committed as per the GATT agreement. The wheat support price of Rs 550 per quintal announced by the Centre was rejected by the gathering which demanded that the price should be remunerative which amounts to Rs 912 per quintal as per the price index of 1967. The government was condemned for restricting free trade of farm produce and deliberately keeping the prices unremunerative. Earlier, Parliament conferred excellence awards on Mr Jasbir Singh Sandhu, who is an advocate of the Dutch Supreme Court and Mr Charanjit Singh Bath. The next Jan Sansad will
be held on June 12 in Lucknow. |
Canteen
closure irks staff CHANDIGARH, March 7 — Visitors and employees at the New Deluxe Building in Sector 17 are facing inconvenience on account of the temporary closure of the canteen for over one week now. According to sources, the new conditions imposed by the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) and rates fixed by it did not suit the previous contractor. This, coupled with the MCC decision of hiking the rent of the building and charge the contractor for electricity were among the reasons that led him, to close shop. The contractor’s profit had also reportedly shrunk following the shifting of the offices of the State Transport Authority and the Licensing and Registration Branch. Most of the top functionaries have their own arrangement for preparing tea and coffee but the employees of the civic body, the District Food and Supplies Office and the visitors have to go to Sector 17 for it. The new contractor, who had deposited the earnest money with the MCC, had served a legal notice to the corporation for not giving him possession of the canteen building. He had reluctantly taken
the contract on the new terms. But now, he wants his
earnest money back along with the interest. |
The issue of Savita Rana: some facts Please refer to the letter in respect of Mrs Savita Rana, published in the Chandigarh Tribune of February 22,1999. It appears that either the writer is afraid of spelling out her name or the letter had been dictated, possibly by someone in the Army hierarchy. In this connection I would like to spell out certain facts. Firstly, we at the Strategic Research Centre took up Mrs Rana’s case only after we were fully satisfied that she has not been given a fair deal by the authorities. And by the authorities we did not mean the Army. The case taken up by us pertains to the following specifics:- (a) First and foremost is the matter of rehabilitation. While Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, the then Defence Minister, had promised Mrs Rana, and other widows that he visited, the moon, nothing material has been done so far. One cannot but make comparisons. When Rajiv Gandhi was the Prime Minister, a widow of one of the Gallantry Award winners was offered an LPG dealership which became operative within two months of her accepting the offer. Here nearly, more than two years have passed and she has not even been called up for the selection of dealership. (b) Secondly, she had been charged excess rent. The excess involved two points, one was wrong calculations and second was a wrong interpretation of the principle laid down. A representation had been made and while the SRC had been able to get the wrong calculations rectified after meeting the CDA (Western Command), no action has been taken by the authorities to answer the other point of the representation put up by Mrs Rana. Though under the rules, the applicant must be given an answer within 90 days. (c) Thirdly, the point, that was made was about the attitude of the civilian authorities. The Prime Minister had no time for a war hero’s widow. The local authorities told her that she cannot even be given a house on payment from the Chandigarh Housing Board as if the men in uniform belong to some alien species. As regards the points made by the writer of the letter under reference , it would be worthwhile to reiterate that what she has enumerated is what is routinely given to all retirees and in any case is a contractual obligation. There is nothing special for a widow who has lost her husband because he was fighting for the country. Can the widow expect nothing special from a nation that should at least be grateful to these heroes who have given up their today for our tomorrow? Yes, she has been given special family pension which is equal to the last pay drawn. However, remember, that her entitlements remain frozen at that point. She does not get any increments or promotions which other serving officers enjoy. Finally, we find the government spending tax payers’ money to lure the youth to join the armed forces, yet once they have been lured, they are treated as scum. Lieut-Col Thakur
Kuldip S. Ludra (Retd ) Kiran: a ray of hope “It’s a posting I always wanted”, she says. We say, its a posting we Chandigarhians always wanted, and needed. On February 25, 1999, your paper brought the good news for all law-abiding residents of Chandigarh that Kiran Bedi is to be the next Inspector -General of Chandigarh. Three cheers! This decision will surely be hailed by one and all as the best thing that could have happened to Chandigarh in many years. As one who believes in leading from the front (in fact through personal example she actually does so always), she is just the person required to get Chandigarh traffic and the police to behave as they should. As a matter of fact, it is interesting to already see policewallahs at attention and active on traffic duty. The buzz amongst drivers is that now on they need to be careful while driving. And all these ripples are appearing just as the news of her posting. Just imagine — indeed it is refreshing to do so — what a wave her actual presence is going to create for the welfare of our city. By God, the undisciplined traffic here is in need of a good dose of spanking! By the way, does this not go to prove that it takes a woman’s touch to put a house in order? Jyotsna and
Anuradha Khanna II This refers to the news-item “Kiran will wipe out eve-teasers, corrupt cops” carried out on March 2 (Chandigarh Tribune ). Kiran Bedi is, unmistakably, a fiery, feisty, firebrand supercop, who is all set to put Chandigarh’s unlawful and obstinate ruffians in order next month. She is stiff as she is honest and dutiful. She is a hyperactive and dynamic policewoman who performs her duties very diligently. Besides, she is courageous and one who likes to take risks. She does not change her decisions and actions against culprits due to pressures from bureaucrats and ministers. She likes early disposal of cases. Chandigarhians, especially women, wish she would weed out eve-teasers, mend cops behaving rudely and addicted to corruption and provide a more protective cover to the city-dwellers. Tarundeep Aggarwal Wake up HUDA When Panchkula became a district, it was felt that development work in the town would be taken up by the Administration on a priority basis. Results , however, do not appear to be in sight. HUDA is earning huge revenue from private building activities in the town and its sprawling industrial area, yet it is not paying any attention to their proper maintenance. The condition of roads in the residential sectors, particularly in the Industrial Estate, is so bad that they have virtually become traffic hazards. During rains, roads in the industrial area become so slushy that the units become inaccessible. It appears that the Industrial Estate of the town is not on the development plan of the District Administration. Other infrastructural facilities like proper street-lights, public toilets, urinals, drinking water taps are also non-existent. The prevalent state of neglect in the said areas stands as a testimony to the indifferent attitude of the authorities. Would the Chief Administrator of HUDA (Panchkula) kindly pay a visit to residential areas here and its industrial belt and order remedial steps. G.L. Dham |
CHANDIGARH, March 7 — Garlic and some other vegetables have started coming within the reach of common man owing to a considerable fall in their prices during the past two days. Although the fall was evident as far as most of common vegetables were concerned, it was particularly noticeable in the case of garlic, as it had been selling at a higher price during the past three months. So much so, that garlic, which is an inseparable part of almost every North Indian cuisine, had been a “luxury” during the entire winter season as it had been selling at between Rs 60 and Rs 70 a kg. A visit to the Sector 26 vegetable market today revealed that fairly good quality fresh garlic was priced at between Rs 18 and Rs 25 a kg. According to traders, the fall was quite unexpected as even during last week, the vegetable was priced on the higher side at between Rs 35 and Rs 40 a kg. They attributed the fall to sudden upsurge in the arrivals of fresh crop from Gujarat and from the garlic producing Malerkotla belt in Punjab. They predicted that the price of the vegetable would further go down as the crop was “very good” in the country. Peas also went the garlic way during this period. A kg of the local variety of the vegetable, priced at between Rs 8 and Rs 9 just two days ago, was available today at Rs 5 a kg. The “pahari” variety of peas, selling at Rs 12 a kg two days ago, was available at Rs 9 a kg. The sudden decline in the price was attributed to an increase in the arrivals of the crop from the Nawanshahr, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur areas of Punjab during the past two days. After selling at Rs 35 a kg two days ago, ginger was priced at Rs 28 a kg today. Similarly, the price of carrot has come down during this period, as a kg of the vegetable was available today at between Rs 3 and Rs 4 compared to a price between Rs 5 and Rs 6. After remaining priced at between Rs 8 and Rs 10 a kg, tomato came cheaper today as it was selling at Rs 6 in the Sector 26 vegetable market and in the Sector 27 Apni Mandi. Likewise, a kg of mushroom, which had been selling at between Rs 50 and Rs 60 a kg for most of time during winter season, was selling at Rs 32 a kg today. On the other hand, lady’s finger witnessed a jump in its price as its price shot up from Rs 45-50 to Rs 60 a kg in the market today. Although there was no major fluctuation on the fruit scenario, the prices of orange and kinnow have gone up during this period. A dozen of good quality orange and kinnow, priced at Rs 40 just two days ago, was selling today at between Rs 55 and Rs 60. The same was the case with pineapple, for a piece of the fruit, available at Rs 25 earlier, was priced at Rs 35 today. The prices of other
commonly used vegetables and fruits are: —
cauliflower — Rs 4 a kg, cabbage — Rs 3 a kg,
brinjal — Rs 10, bittergourd — Rs 30, beans
— Rs 20, capsicum — Rs 30, lemon — Rs 40,
gourd — Rs 16, onion — Rs 6, potato — Rs
2.50, apple — Rs 40, pomegranate — Rs 50,
mango(safeda) — Rs 80 and papaya — Rs 20. |
CHANDIGARH, March 7 — An electronics shop in Sector 20—C was broken into and burgled of Rs 1.25 lakh. There were signs of forced entry at the backdoor of the shop, the police said today. The police has registered a case. Dead: A Sector 27 resident, Kartar Chand, who was injured in a road accident on February 16, succumbed to his injuries at the PGI here today. He had got injured when his scooter had collided with a Maruti car in Sector 26. Meanwhile three persons were injured in separate road accidents in the city. Lt. Col G.S. Grewal (retd) was knocked down by a scooterist on the Madhaya-Marg dividing Sectors 26 and 28. He was rushed to the PGI in an unconscious state. Mr Gurdev Singh of Sohana village was injured when his scooter was hit by a CTU bus in Sector 31. A cyclist , Satdev, of Attawa village, was injured when he was hit by an unidentified vehicle on the road dividing Sectors 43 and 44. Injured: Jarnail Singh who was whitewashing his house in Khuda Lahora village, fell down from the second floor of his house today. He is stated to be in a serious condition. Stolen: A Maruti car (CH-01-F 3291) owned by Mr J.K. Sharma of Sector 19 has been stolen from Sector 35. Dead: Urmila, a resident of Maloya, who was admitted to the PGI with serious burns a few days ago, died on Sunday. TV set stolen:
Mr Jagdish Nagpal, a resident of Sector 21, in a
complaint to the police, alleged, that his colour TV set
had been stolen from his house. A case has been
registered. |
Women’s
health club inaugurated CHANDIGARH, March 7 — The UT Home Secretary, Ms Anuradha Gupta, today inaugurated the Women’s Fitness Point, a health club for women, in Sector 23 here. The main feature of the club is that all fitness equipment has been manufactured by a local company. Among the machines installed at the club are vibrators, joggers, twisters and steppers. Sauna and steam bath facilities are also available. Among those present were
the local MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain, the Mayor, Mr Kewal
Krishan Addiwal, and the Chairperson of the Social
Welfare Advisory Board, Ms Kamla Sharma. |
Conference
on orthopaedics CHANDIGARH, March 7 — The Department of Orthopaedics, PGI, will organise 18th North Zone Indian Orthopaedic Association conference at the PGI from March 19 to 21. Dr O.N. Nagi, President, and Dr S.S.Gill, Organising Secretary of the conference, said that more than 400 delegates, both from India and abroad, would participate. On March 19, two training workshops on shoulder, arthroscopy and interlocking nailing will be conducted by Prof S. Frostick from Liverpool, UK. Prof Anton Kathrein and Dr Daniaux from Austria will be participating in the spine symposium. The workshop will be followed by two days of scientific deliberations. The topics to be discussed will include the recent advances in the field of orthopaedics and the challenges facing the orthopaedic surgeons. On this occasion a
scientific fair will also be organised displaying various
advances in orthopaedics instrumentation and
pharmaceuticals by various companies. |
Environment society honours Dr
Jain CHANDIGARH, March 7 — The Punjab Environment Society in a function at Nadiali village, near here, today honoured Dr S.C. Jain, Department of Chemical Engineering, Panjab University and Dr K.K.Garg, Joint Director, Ministry of Environment and Forests, for their contribution towards environmental protection. Major-Gen K.S. Bajwa drew the attention of the government towards the sewage flowing in the Jattpura choe which posed threats of disease for the cattle as well humans in the adjoining villages. The others who spoke on
the occasion were Prof H.S. Dilgir and Mr K..C. Verma, a
former Chief Engineer of the PSEB. |
Jain visits
Kajheri CHANDIGARH, March 7 — The local MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain, today visited Kajheri village, went around the demolished buildings and asked the aggrieved persons to submit their complaints against the authorities in writing so that the matter could be taken up at the highest levels. He also visited Raipur Khurd and Behlana villages later in the day. While requesting the people not to construct houses outside the “lal dora” of the villages without prior permission, he assured others that houses constructed earlier would not be demolished. Meanwhile, members of the Sri Anandpur Complex Welfare Society, Sector 52 (Kajheri), today started fast to condemn the administration for the demolition of more then 100 houses in the complex. Mr Satish Chawla, a
spokesperson of the society, said the Administration
should provide them with compensation, besides granting
permission to build their houses afresh and provide them
with all basic amenities. |
Congregation
of Nirankaris CHANDIGARH, March 7 — It is not a matter of action but direction that counts in life, said Mr Khem Raj Chadha, Secretary of the Sant Nirankari Mandal, while addressing a congregation at Nirankari Bhavan here today. Referring to the quagmire
of materialism, Mr Chadha pointed out that even the most
affluent had their moments of miseries, sorrow and
turbulence. Those who lacked materialistic things also
found themselves face to face with situations when they
felt that they had lost everything. In fact the reality
was that what “we see is unreal as it decays and
does. But what we do not see is a reality”, Mr
Chadha clarified. |
Visitors
from Pak attend meet CHANDIGARH, March, 7—The annual meeting of the Punjab Engineering College Old Students Association (PECOSA) was held at the college auditorium in Sector 12 here today. About 250 ex-students of various batches flocked to the venue with their families in the morning. Students of the college presented an entertaining programme. Around noon, an eight-member delegation from Pakistan arrived at the seminar hall of the college. They were introduced to the Vice-Chancellor, Prof MM Puri, who presided over the function. After this, they were escorted to a jam-packed hall, where students presented `Vande Mataram’ to welcome the audience. Neetu and Nonie Singh, entertained the audience, as they went around looking for truth in society. Students of the 1949 batch
from Pakistan and India were honoured by the association.
The guests from Pakistan presented mementos to Prof
Rajnish Prakash, Principal of the college, Dr Avtar
Singh, President of PECOSA, and Mr Jagman Singh, a
council member of the Institution of Engineers. PECOSA
presented a memento to Major General Arshad for the
Vice-Chancellor, University of Engineering and
Technology, Lahore. |
BJP, SAD
question recast of panels CHANDIGARH, March 7 — The BJP-SAD alliance today questioned the validity of the committees of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) reconstituted by the Mayor, Mr Kewal Krishan Addiwal. In a representation to the Commissioner, Mr S.K. Gathwal, the alliance claimed that the matter pertaining to the disbanding of the committees and their reconstitution was never listed on the agenda of the civic body meeting held on February 1. Hence it was not passed at the meeting. A press note alleged despite the fact that voting was demanded on the matter, the Mayor did not put it to vote. The minutes of the meeting were wrong since nowhere in the minutes it was specified as to how many councillors voted in favour of the reconstitution of the panels. It said the alliance had
already made representation to the Adviser to the
Administrator. Since the matter was never passed and was
under dispute, either the existing committee stood as it
was or the Commissioner should act in accordance with the
provisions of Section 42 of the Punjab Municipal Act as
extended to Chandigarh to constitute the committees. |
British
library awaits government nod CHANDIGARH, March 7 — “We are raring to go. All we need is a formal signal from the Government of India,” says Mr Colin Perchard, Minister (Cultural Affairs) of the British Council in India, with regard to setting up of a British Council Library in the city. In an exclusive interview with Chandigarh Tribune, Mr Perchard said the Indian Council of Cultural Relations had already set the ball rolling by forwarding the recommendation to the Union Home Ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs. The British Council has already okayed the project. “Within two to three months of the clearance of the proposal, the library will start functioning here,” declared Mr Perchard saying “it will be a pioneering project and a new style library.” “It will be unique in the sense that it will have greater number of computers and few reference books compared to any traditional library. Access to information will be mainly through web sites and CD-ROMs. Of course, there will be a big book collection available to members. “In addition, we will have a big screen which will be entirely dedicated to those who are keen to visit the United Kingdom as tourists. This will provide all information on procedures to visit the UK. There will be facilities even to download application forms for visa. Besides, the library will have up-to-date business information about investment opportunities for British investors in India in general and Punjab in particular. Likewise, it will offer similar information for investment in the U.K. “A section of the library will deal with education facilities in the U.K. The CD-ROMs will give complete details about all universities in the UK, the courses offered, scholarships or fellowships available and all other relevant information which a student wants to have before deciding to apply for admission in the U.K. The information will be for both undergraduate and postgraduate courses. “We have also planned to start a children’s library. It will be for readers between five to 15 years. Children of members will automatically become members of this library”. Another important segment will be the Puri Foundation. Mr Nat Puri, one of the 22 richest Asians in UK, who belongs to a peripheral village of Chandigarh, is one of the main sponsors of this library as he has agreed to donate one lakh pound sterling for the Library,” Mr Perchard said. “It is going to be a unique project and experiment. There is no better place than Chandigarh to start this experiment. Depending upon the success of this experiment, the council has plans to have similar libraries at at least 20 other places which have been identified throughout India.,” he adds. He said a team of architects and planners of the British Council had already visited the Sector 10 Government Museum and Art Gallery, — the probable location of the library. They will need a little more than two months to make minor changes and provide furnishings, including furniture before it becomes fully functional. “We want some eminent
Indian living in the UK to come and inaugurate the
library. I am sure this project will be commissioned
before the end of the current year,” adds Mr
Perchard. |
Kalagram
Craft Fair ends CHANDIGARH, March 7 — The last day of the Kalagram Craft Fair at the Leisure Valley Sector 10, today attracted a sizeable crowd, especially in the evening. The 10-day fair was organised by the North Zone Culture Centre, Patiala. Various folk dances presented at the fair too managed to attract a fair amount of crowd. Besides the Chandigarh crowd trying to find the best bargains on the last day of the fair, dancers from different Indian states were also seen buying jewellery and leather jackets. Many stalls had hiked the prices of their wares today. Stalls selling saris,
earthen pots and jewellery did brisk business today. |
Sanjiv
Chopra CHANDIGARH, March 7 —
Mr Sanjiv Chopra, former President of the Panchkula Town
Congress Committee, has been nominated as the President
of the Panchkula district unit of the Akhil Bhartiya
Sonia Gandhi Youth Association by Dr M.C. Rishi Bishnoi,
President of the Haryana unit of the association. |
| call |
Burning leaves on roadsides THE growing emphasis on environment and controlling pollution notwithstanding, workers of both the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation and the Chandigarh Administration continue to burn dry leaves on roadsides. At times, they set on fire several heaps of dried leaves simultaneously to the great dismay of not only environmentalists but also to the road users. Because of thick soot of smoke, even the visibility on busy city roads gets impaired. The smoke from burning of leaves also causes irritation in eyes besides adding to the air pollution. The authorities maintain that in the absence of any mechanised methods, it is humanly not possible for them to remove dried leaves from all parts of the city to any pre-decided spot. One alternative could be to deposit these dry leaves in pits dug up at regular intervals along roadsides for manuring purposes. But then these pits could be a serious health hazard, especially during rainy season. The civic authorities will have to look for a foolproof method to tackle this problem. Next date How much time should the Chandigarh licencing authority take for issuing the licence submitted for renewal? One month, two months or six months? A colleague applied for the renewal of his licence in November, 1998, and the date given to him was December 5, 1998. Since then, on every visit, the date has been extended, that is, December 30, 1998, January 1, 1999, and January 27, 1999. On January 27, 1999 (to his utter dismay) a new slip was issued, even the serial number changed from 342332 to 350025 and the date was extended to February 27, 1999. But again a new date has been given, that is, April 28, 1999. Surprisingly, the person concerned refuses to tell the reason for delay. Is there any authority in the licencing office to help the harassed and hapless public? Don’t fell, shift! The Environment Society of India (ESI) has urged the Chandigarh Administration, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) and other agencies not to allow the felling of trees under their jurisdiction due to construction and expansion of roads, buildings and other development works. Instead, the trees should be removed mechanically and transplanted elsewhere through the professional agencies involved in this system. This method has been tried successfully in many countries. The ESI is going to organise a demonstration of removal and transplantation of trees during the next week. More than 500 fully grown trees of several species are axed annually in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula in the name of development resulting in loss of green cover and biodiversity. In some cases, even the saplings are not planted to replenish the loss of felled trees. The new saplings planted take years to grow. Many die due to lack of proper care. Keeping in view the economic loss, several agencies involved in urban forestry programme have shown interest in this technology. Living in fear The family of Surinder Pal Singh in Raipur Kalan lives in constant fear of any mishap because of location of an electricity transformer adjoining their house. The threat assumes significance especially in wake of the approaching summers when there are frequent trippings causing sparks to flare.It would also be naive to overrule chances of a major breakdown in the transformer which could lead to a fire. Loose hanging wires do little to improve the situation. Though the owner admits his mistake in constructing his house adjacent to the transformer. He however , hopes that the administration would intervene to at least ensure safety by either changing the transformer or by shifting it. Heavenly sight There is good news for the lovers of astronomy and astrology as they can see the conjunction of Venus, Jupiter and Mercury in a straight horizontal line during the night time. According to Mr Madan Gupta "Spatu", an amateur astrologer, all one has to do is to stand in a park around 7 p.m. and turn one's back towards the Shivaliks and gaze the southern horizon when the sky is haze-free. These planets are currently passing through the zodiac of Pisces (Meena rashi). Venus, the brightest of all, is seen on the top at the 16 degree. The Jupiter, a bit smaller in size, is seen in the middle at 9 degree. The mercury, being the fast planet, has deviated a bit towards the right because its motion will retrograde on March 25, while the Venus shall change its zodiac from Pisces to Aries on March 14, he added. Leaving aside the astrological benefits of the conjunction, it would prove to be delight for the common man, he hoped. Happy viewing! Women's city Chandigarh continues to be a city with a difference. It is perhaps one of few cities in the country which has women officers at the helm of affairs. For example, the Chief Commissioner of Income Tax is Mrs Surinder Pal Kaur. Though Mrs Meenakshi Dutta Ghosh, chairperson of both Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation (CITCO) and Chandigarh Housing Board, will be leaving the city soon to take up her new assignment as Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Health, another woman officer, Mrs Kiran Bedi, will join the Administration which already has Mrs Anuradha Gupta as the Home Secretary. Mrs Kamla Sharma has recently joined as Chairperson of the Chandigarh Social Welfare Advisory Board. The Board has been activated after her joining. The Union Home Ministry has already placed the services of another young woman IAS officer at the disposal of the Administration for appointment as a Joint Secretary. She is still to join. For Women The Development of Women and Children of Rural Areas (DWACRA) scheme started by the Panchkula administration to supplement the income of women belonging to weaker sections has proved to be a success. At present 136 such groups are functioning in the district and have been provided a financial assistance of Rs 33.06 lakh to set up their own ventures. The scheme say the officials of the administration is aimed at providing employment opportunity to poor women besides infusing among them a sense of confidence and self-reliance. Each DWARCA group consists of 10 to 15 women, including a group leader. The group leader is given Rs 25,000 as a revolving fund so as to enable the group to set up a self-employment venture. Such groups are engaged in making "panjiri", soaps, brooms, biscuits, pottery, and mattress. Such groups are guided about marketing of their products. One such group of 10 women at Majri village at Old Panchkula has taken the work of grinding spices. Wrong tapes Quite often the playing of recorded messages by the telephone exchange is more annoying than useful. Even when a subscriber is dialling his own residential number from outside the house, the machine in the exchange says: "This number has changed, please dial ... for the new number" When the subscriber is making a local call, the machine intervenes. "This facility (meaning thereby the STD facility) is not available on your number.." And even when a subscriber knows that his number is functioning, often when he rings up his residence number, he hears "Service to the dialled number has been temporarily withdrawn". When you ring up three or four times or a little while later you get connected. It is quite surprising that wrong recorded tapes come into play due to some defect in the system. Death traps Scores of open switch boxes fitted at the bottom of electricity poles with live wires hanging out in many parts of city, particularly on Sarovar Path in Sector 7, pose a serious danger to the life of the people, especially children who happen to touch the poles quite often. Many of these have no cover and in some cases the covers have almost come out. The officials of the Chandigarh engineering department and the Municipal Corporation are perhaps waiting for mishaps to occur before rectifying the situation. Also, several manholes/storm water drains remain uncovered. These too can become serious accident hazards as cyclists or even car drivers who cannot see these on inadequately lighted roads get injured. Bus trips In Chandigarh, many Air Force families live in Sector 31 and 47 in government accommodation. The Air Force Wives Welfare Association (AFWWA) has started computers, beautician and tailoring courses in Sector 31. Since November, the AFWWA
has started conducting one-day bus-trips to nearby places
in Punjab and Himachal etc. These trips are organised on
a no-profit-no-loss basis. Civilian families are also
accommodated. Trips have been organised on Sundays to
Golden Temple and Durgiana Mandir and Wagah Border,
Shimla, Kufri, Naina Devi, Bhakra Nangal Dam and Anandpur
Sahib. |
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