& V I C I N I T Y
Saturday, March 20, 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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Saturday, March 20, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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CHB signs contract with
architect
PU
to give teaching proof to UGC |
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  A double-storeyed structure coming up in violation of norms at Kishangarh village of Chandigarh. — A Tribune photograph
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Panel to appoint PGI
doctors set up
Bid
to molest woman |
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Fire
station ill-equipped
Teachers
calls off agitation 2,
800 buildings to be regularised
Dharna
by government employees |
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| 400 sewing schools to be opened |
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Village faces problems of insanitation |
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CHB signs
contract with architect CHANDIGARH, March 19 — The Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) signed an agreement, this evening, with a prominent city architect to construct the most prestigious project in the city, the exhibition-cum-conference centre in Sector 31, along the Dakshin Marg. When the project was conceptualised in 1995 the participating architects were issued a site photograph showing a limited construction of some pillars with a roof top . Today a full fledged mandir occupying nearly 1.5 acres of prime land is located on the same site. In this story the Tribune has shown photographs of the same site clicked in 1995 and the photographs clicked now. The "encroachment" of the religious site has considerably reduced the area of the exhibition site. So far, according to the CHB, all requests to the mandir authorities to shift the temple complex to another site have failed. the exhibition complex will have nearly 1,800 metres of space, both indoor and outdoor. The outdoor space would be under and around a space frame. The indoor space is contained in two connected wings. For larger conventions these exhibition halls can be safely utilised for a capacity of 2,000 to 3,000 delegates. An auditorium with 250 capacity is planned besides a cafeteria and restaurant. There is also a committee room, a VIP lounge, a business centre , a press lounge, a bank, a post office and basement parking for over 600 cars. The centre will be self
sufficient and fulfil the requirements of state- level as
well as national-level exhibitions and trade fairs. |
Industrial
plots can be sub-let 100 per cent CHANDIGARH, March 19 — The Chandigarh Administration, in a significant decision, has decided to permit 100 per cent sub-letting of industrial plots, including built-up sheds. The permission to sub-let industrial sheds or plots will, however, be subject to certain conditions. Until now, the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism development Corporation (CITCO) allows sub-letting of 50 per cent of the covered area of its built-up industrial units. At present, sub-letting of the industrial plots is not allowed. The decision meets a long-standing demand of various associations of industries in the city. Under the new rules, the owner of the plot or the shed should have been in possession of the said property for a prescribed period. To make him eligible for sub-letting his plot or shed, he would be required to pay some fee to get formal permission. The quantum of the fee would be decided in due course of time. Under the new policy, the size of the plot or the shed would not matter for permission for sub-letting. The Administration has also decided to simplify the procedure for mortgaging of industrial plots and sheds for raising loans from financial institutions. The no objection certificate (NOC) for mortgage would now be issued either by the Estate Office or the CITCO by eliminating the existing long procedural method. These decisions follow setting up of a committee under the chairmanship of the Managing Director of CITCO, Mr Satish Chandra, to suggest a new action plan for the industrial sector in the Union Territory. The terms of reference for the Satish Chandra committee were to suggest simplification of procedures for transfer of industrial plots and sheds, methods for conversions of leasehold industrial property to free hold property, besides simplification of other procedures, including mortgaging and change of trade. The Administration has also decided to simplify procedure for permitting change of trade from earmarked industrial sheds. Against the previous cumbersome procedure, the change of trade will now be permitted by the General Manager of the District Industries Centre subject to certain conditions. The conditions are about the safety and environment control measures. If the proposed change in trade meet the safety and environment control requirements, such changes would be readily permitted. The Administration has also decided to declare software industry as household industry. By another decision, the Administration has also decided to resolve issue of transfer of plots and industrial sheds in a time-bound manner from leasehold system to freehold. When contacted, Industries
Secretary, Mrs Anuradha Gupta, confirmed that these
decisions have been taken to meet various long-standing
demands of industrialists of the city. |
PU to give
teaching proof to UGC CHANDIGARH, March 19 — To ensure a minimum of 180 teaching days in an academic year, universities will have to report to the UGC at the end of each academic session regarding the observance of the commission’s regulations on minimum teaching standards on campuses and affiliated colleges. It had been pointed out repeatedly that the average teaching days remained less than the minimum in most universities and colleges.The days were further reduced in universities which had only five working days. Panjab University had recently adopted the latest regulations of the University Grants Commission circulated through a letter dated December 21, 1998.This letter was in supersession of the regulations of 1985. The university was required to send the mandatory information regarding the observance of various provisions within 60 days of the close of the academic session. The circular also touched upon many other issues. Enrolment was to be ensured in accordance with the number of teachers and the facilities available. Another significant clause was that the universities would not only lay down the syllabus for each course but also the manner of its implementation through the number of lectures, tutorials, laboratory sessions, seminars and field study projects. The letter also said that students would be encouraged to study some part of the syllabus themselves and would be given assignments so as to make them use libraries and laboratories. There would be emphasis on students’ involvement in academic issues. The UGC suggested that question papers should also contain analytical elements to invite original thinking or application of theory. Interestingly, the letter said that universities should work out their systems of transparency, which could include giving photostat copies of answer-sheets to students. The letter said that
universities should lay down norms in respect of
classrooms, laboratories and libraries. Class should not
exceed 80 students in case of undergraduate classes and
40 in case of post-graduate classes. The number of
students attending tutorials was restricted to 15 or 20
students. A teacher was not expected to supervise more
than 15 students in a laboratory session. |
Rs 2,490
lakh-budget passed SAS NAGAR, March 19 — The local Municipal Council passed Rs 2,490 lakh budget for the next financial year at a special meeting of the civic body held here today. The meeting was presided over by the council President, Mr Harinder Pal Singh Billa, and attended by 17 other councillors. The budget proposals showed an income of Rs 1690 lakh, in addition to an estimated balance of Rs 800 lakh on April 1, 1999. The expenditure was Rs 2260 lakh. Last year the income had been fixed at Rs 1497.50 lakh against which the council had earned Rs 1257.72 lakh till February end. This was 84 per cent of the budget. By the end of this month the income was expected to be Rs 1420 lakh (95 per cent of the budget). The budget for 1999-2000 was 19 per cent more than that for last year. The main income of the council comes from octroi. Last year the proposed octroi income was Rs 1274 lakh and by the end of this month Rs 1220 lakh was expected to be collected under this head. The octroi income proposed for the next financial year was Rs 1464 lakh. The breakdown of income from various other sources for 1999-2000 was: octroi on power Rs 40 lakh; excise duty Rs 60 lakh; rent and tehbazari Rs 18 lakh; show tax Rs 35,000; entertainment tax Rs 55,000; advertisement tax Rs 13 lakh; water rate Rs 28 lakh; under licence No 121 Rs 3 lakh; under licence No 197 Rs 50,000; cattle pound Rs 2.50 lakh; slaughter house Rs 60,000; and other sources Rs 59.50 lakh. The civic body proposes to spend Rs 450 lakh on staff, Rs 110 lakh on contingency expenses and Rs 1700 lakh on development works. It was stated that the council was short of staff and needed five drivers (sanitation wing), eight clerks (octroi section), one junior engineer (electrical), one junior engineer (mechanical) two supervisors (horticulture) and one computer operator. The expenditure on this additional staff was expected to be Rs 13.08 lakh which had not been included in next year’s proposed expenditure and would be done only after clearance from the Director, Local Government. Mr Billa said a sum of Rs
2.75 crore was proposed to be spent on water supply and
development works in the industrial area, Rs 1.50 crore
on electricity bills, Rs 1 crore on streetlight
maintenance, Rs 5 crore on roads, Rs 80 lakh on slums, Rs
60 lakh on parks and Rs 7.35 crore on various other
works. |
Bid to
molest woman CHANDIGARH, March 19 — The police has registered a case against Surjan Singh, a local resident in his sixties, for allegedly trying to outrage the modesty of a 30-year-old widow living in his locality. According to the police, the suspect is a retired teacher who went to the house of his neighbour in wee hours and tried to outrage her modesty. The complainant had complained to SSP, Patiala, on January 15 this year against her neighbour, alleging that he made an attempt to outrage her modesty. The SSP had notified the case to DSP, Mubarikpur, which was ultimately registered at Dera Bassi police station. The police has registered
a case under Section 254 of the IPC against Surjan Singh. |
Fire station
ill-equipped DERA BASSI, March 19 — Shortage of staff and insufficient infrastructure at the local fire station render it almost incapable of any operation. The fire station has only one fire engine and that too is in a deplorable state. Its staff strength is also only one. The staff of fire operations are sent on deputation by the Patiala Municipal Corporation to Dera Bassi on weekly basis. They comprise a driver and a fireman. According to sources, each station requires at least 24 staffers. Each fire engine needs at least a crew of a head fireman, four firemen and a driver to perform an operation. There were at least 30 fire incidents in the past 12 months in the area. The sources say that it becomes difficult to reach the spot in time as the staff are not familiar with the area. There is no roof to protect the vehicle, resulting in a deterioration of its condition. The manager of a pesticide factory at Dera Bassi, Mr R N Agnihotri, says that a well-equipped fire station is the demand of the hour even though the factory is equipped with a fire-fighting system. In a case of a serious
situation, fire engines are called from such far-off
places as Chandigarh, Ambala, Rajpura or Patiala because
of non-availability of fire tenders at the local station. |
Illegal
taxis a nuisance DERA BASSI, March 19 — A number of cars bearing private numbers are being plied as taxis from the local bus stand regularly. The taxi operators are using the bus stand for parking their taxis. Cars and jeeps are parked in a haphazard manner on the entrance to the bus stand leaving no space for the buses to enter . This has affected the business of the shopkeepers who have shops in the bus stand building. The condition is worse on Mondays due to the bazaar being held here. About 75 cars and jeeps ply from the bus stand. With coloured films on the windowpanes of their vehicles, many operators play cards and drink liquor in these. Many of them tease students of S S Jain Girls Senior Secondary School, Government High School and Government Degree College. A student complains that when these taxi operators see any girl passing by, they pass objectionable comments. Girls have to turn a deaf ear to this, she adds. The Principal of S S Jain School says that these taxi operators peep through the gate and comment on the students. They gather in groups before the school opens and after the school closed. Another college girl says that the parking of private taxis here should be banned as their operators create a nuisance. Mr Sanjay Jain, a shopkeeper complains that the business of the shopkeepers here has been affected adversely by these vehicles which leave no space for buses to enter the bus stand. Passengers prefer to take buses from the main road. A resident of the town alleges that at night some drunk operators cause fights here. Mr J S Brar, District
Transport Officer says that the authorities have
permitted only those taxis to ply from here which have
got registered with the department . “All those
vehicles bearing private numbers are operating
illegally,” he adds. |
Panel to
appoint PGI doctors set up CHANDIGARH, March 19 — After a delay of almost an year and a half, a selection committee empowered to interview and appoint doctors at the PGI has been formed. Four others committees and the governing body of the PGI have also been formed, according to sources. The committees were formed by the Union Health Minister, Mr Dalit Ehzilmalai, and finalised on March 16, although an official copy of the lists is yet to be made available. The Health Minister had been empowered by the institute body of the PGI to form the committees that are in turn responsible for the smooth running of the institute, its requirement of purchase, financial demands, appointment of doctors, besides maintenance and upgradation of academic standards. Other than the selection committee, the Minister has also announced the members of the Standing Finance Committee, Academic Committee, Purchase Committee and Estate Committee. The most eagerly awaited is the committee that will be responsible for selection of doctors. More than 125 posts — nearly one third of faculty posts — have been lying vacant for long. Around five months ago, advertisements were issued in newspapers. However, interviews and other formalities could not be completed for want of a selection committee. As is the norm, the selection committee is headed by a doctor and comprises eminent doctors of the country. Dr B. Palaniappan of Chennai will be the Chairman this time, sources said . Among others to be on the committee are: Prof I.C. Pathak, a former Director of the PGI; Dr R.K. Raina, Prof Department of Pharmacology, Medical College, Jammu; Dr P.K. Dave , Director, AIIMS; Prof M.M. Puri, Vice- Chancellor, Panjab University; Prof B.K. Sharma, Director, PGI and Dr S.P. Aggarwal, Director General Health Services, Government of India. The governing body will be headed by the Union Health Minister himself. The academic committee is headed by Prof I.C. Pathak. The Estate Committee is headed by Prof M.M. Puri while the Purchase Committee is headed by Prof B.K. Sharma. Among others on the Standing Finance Committee are the local MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain and Mr Zora Singh, MP, Ferozepore. Apart from this the formation of the committees will also open the gates for promotions of Assistant Professors and Associate Professors that have been held since 1997. All non-faculty posts can also be filled and this process is likely to be completed soon, sources said. Selection of doctors will
now hinge on the urgency shown by the Selection
Committee. Once the committee meets it will set up a
programme that needs to be followed. |
Kishangarh
builds up against rules CHANDIGARH, March 19 — Cocking a snook at the authorities, construction activity continues in Kishangarh village. The residents seem to have little fear of the consequences as the activity has picked up. Not only are additions being made to existing structures, but the foundations of new buildings are also being dug by labourers at certain places. A quick survey by The Tribune team revealed that several new structures are fast coming up on the farmhouse belt leading to Kishangarh and at the village itself. Similar violations can be seen on the road from the village leading to Mani Majra. A couple of farmhouse owners are adding rooms on the first floor. Labourers could be seen carrying bricks and mortar but attempts to contact the owner failed to materialise as no one answered the queries. The labourers were unwilling to say anything. At another farmhouse, the foundation of a building in addition to an existing one were being dug. One of the persons supervising the work refused to reveal his identity, said they had “talked to certain officials and things would not be disturbed”. He, however, said that no number of buildings were specified when permission for the construction was given by the authorities. He declined comment on other queries. Adjacent to this is one of the major violations of the lal dora. A huge two-storeyed structure is coming up. Though incomplete, it will ultimately house a Shiv Mandir, according to a sevadar, Mr Om Parkash. When questioned about the violation of the lal dora, he countered what violation, for building God’s house one does not need the permission of anybody. The structure has been under construction for the past two to three years, but no one has ever visited them or told them that it was illegal. The building has a regular power and water connection. How that was possible would be answered by the president of their society who is out of station, he revealed. Meanwhile, more then 2,804
houses have been shortlisted for possible demolition in
the next three weeks, sources in the Estate Office said. |
Teachers
calls off agitation CHANDIGARH, March 19 — Following the announcement of release of the arrested employees of aided schools and the acceptance of its demands by the government, the Punjab State Aided School Teachers and Other Employees Union has called off its ongoing agitation and would resume work on Monday. A press note issued by Mr Surinder Sharma, Press Secretary of the union, said that the Punjab Government has agreed to implement benefits of the Fourth Pay Commission for employees and pensioners of aided schools with effect from January ‘96. Also the arrears for the period of January 1,1996, to March 31, 1999, will be paid in cash in six annual instalments. Employees and pensioners would start getting the newly fixed pay and pension with effect from April 1, 1999. Besides the state
government has agreed to extend the benefits of the Third
Pay Commission to PTIs,drawing teachers, clerks and Class
IV employees with effect from January 1, 1998, instead of
December 12, 1992. House rent and medical allowance would
also be paid to the employees of aided schools as per the
recommendations of the Fourth Pay Commission at par with
their counterparts in government service. |
French
award conferred on Sareen CHANDIGARH, March 19 — The French Ambassador to India, Mr Claude Blanchemaison, today conferred the ‘Chevalier des Palmes Academiques’, an honour from the French Government, on Mr Manmohan Lal Sareen, a senior advocate and President of the Alliance Francaise ‘Le Corbusier’ de Chandigarh. A glittering ceremony, complete with French food and champagne and the city’s elite, was held on the lawns of the Alliance Francaise, Sector 36. Mr Nek Chand, creator of the Rock Garden, was the first city resident chosen for this rare honour. While dedicating the award to “the people of Chandigarh”, a beaming Mr Sareen said, “I still can’t believe this to be true. But I feel very honoured about receiving the award, and also about being a part of Le Corbusier’s city”. Mr Claude Blanchemaison said, “The award is for the feel of the culture”. Commenting on the “spirit” of the city he added, “Half a century for any city is not too long a time. But each city is living, and it is now not so much only Le Corbusier’s city, but the people’s city”. The Ambassador also said
that he always felt nice to be in Chandigarh, because it
“has a certain identity of its own”. |
Jhuggiwalas
‘over-rehabilitate’ themselves CHANDIGARH, March 19—Within a year of start of construction work in the Rehabilitation Colony in Sector 52 here, violations of building bylaws are increasing with each passing day. A number of residents of the colony, who were allotted plots by the Chandigarh Administration under its new policy of leasing of land to the allottees for the construction of the houses, have constructed houses by violating norms. It may be recalled that the administration had allotted free plots measuring 22 feet by 10 feet to over 1,700 “jhuggi-dwellers” of Karsan Colony in January last year. Though technically the possession was given in January, a majority of them reportedly shifted to Rehabilitation Colony for constructing their houses only by April. The allottees were required to pay Rs 100 per month as rent. A visit to the colony today revealed that some of the allottees have changed the original design approved by the administration by constructing the staircases from outside the houses. Though the roads are yet to be laid in the colony a number of allottees have encroached upon the area earmarked for the road berms. To top it all, a row of shops has come up in the colony despite the fact that the land was allotted for the residential purposes. A staircase leading to the roofs of the shops could also be seen. Despite the fact that the houses were to be completed within a period of nine months from the date of allotment, construction on a number of plots is yet to start. Residents alleged that many plots had been sold in spite of the provision that they could not be sold or rented. A resident on condition of anonymity said many allottees had not started the construction hoping to sell the plots at a premium. The current market rate per plot is stated to be over Rs 1 lakh. Meanwhile, certain
residents complained that since the area allotted was
“too small” they should be allowed to construct
staircases outside the houses and toilets under the
staircases. Since, a majority of families have a number
of members, the authorities should allow certain
relaxations in the construction of the houses, demanded
Mr Nerta Pal, a resident. |
Godowns
built to avoid octroi ZIRAKPUR, March 19 — Hundreds of godowns along the national highway, which fall under the jurisdiction of Bhabat village in Ropar district, will have to pay crores of rupees as octroi to the Punjab Local Government if the village is merged with the proposed Zirakpur nagar panchayat. The 1-km stretch from the traffic lights to the Nevedac Prosthetic Centre has witnessed an increase in the number of unauthorised godowns, offices of multinationals and storage space within the past about 10 years. More than 1,000 godowns have come up in this area. They supply products to Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir without paying octroi. A large number of companies producing cement, electronic goods, fertilisers, pharmaceuticals, motor vehicles, tyres, dry foods and some household items store goods in these godowns. Sources say sales tax is lesser in Punjab than in Chandigarh, prompting these companies to have their godowns here. They bill goods here and sell them in Chandigarh, which is a major revenue loss to the administration. According to Mr Supinder Singh, a panch of Bhabat, though the sword hangs upon the area, residents are constructing more godowns. He further alleges that the proprietors of these companies are minting money and the government has turned a blind eye towards it. Loaded trucks and trailers are parked in haphazard manner along this road, causing accidents. Mr Mandeep Singh,
Director, Local Government, Punjab, says that currently
the proprietors of the companies do not pay octroi on
their produce. But when they fall within the proposed
nagar panchayat, they will have to pay octroi. The amount
will be charged at different rates on various
goods.” The rules will be strictly implemented only
after the finalisation of the proposed nagar
panchayat,” he adds. |
2, 800
buildings to be regularised PANCHKULA, March 19 — The decision of the Haryana Government to exempt areas falling within the municipal limits of Kalka and Pinjore from the provisions of the Punjab New Capital (periphery) Control Act, 1952, has paved the way for the regularisation of the unauthorised buildings which had come up in the municipal limits of the these towns. At least 2800 such buildings which earlier stood in violation of the Periphery Act would now be regularised after the authorities work out the modalities to implement the decision taken at a Cabinet meeting yesterday. Sources in the Country and Town Planning Department said a majority of the constructions were in the Pinjore Municipal Committee area, especially along the Pinjore-Nalagarh highway and the Pinjore-Bitan road. Other such constructions are in Vishkarma Colony, Shiva Shakti Colony and Shiv colony. A number of such constructions had come up in the area in the past few years and the department had been issuing notices to the violators under the Periphery Act. To put a check on the
constructions, the revenue department had banned
registration of land above 20 biswas of land. Similarly,
electricity and water connections were not being released
for the constructions. The beneficiaries have expressed
happiness over the decision of the government. |
Dharna by
government employees CHANDIGARH, March 19 — Punjab government employees held an impressive dharna and rally at the Housing Board chowk on a call given by the Punjab Subordinate Services Federation to protest against the indifferent attitude of the State government towards their long-pending demands. Hundreds of women employees also participated in the rally-cum-dharna. While addressing the gathering, the employee leaders criticised the State government for not accepting their long-pending demands. These include immediate release of the Anomalies Committee report, granting time-bound promotional grades after four, nine and14 years, stopping privatisation of state sector undertakings, regularisation of services of 89 ad hoc day workers, immediate re-instatement of the relieved teachers of the education department, granting A-grade house rent allowance to all employees , filling up all vacant posts in various departments, granting regular pay scales to all anganwadi and all such employees, granting of DA instalment with effect from January 1, 1999 and accepting the demands of aided private schools and college teachers. The leaders warned the government that they would be forced to intensify the agitation if immediate steps were not taken to save the lives of the fasting leaders of the Nav Niyukt Teachers and also their demands. Later, the protesting employees led a massive march to the DPI office and assured the fasting teachers of all possible help till the reinstatement of their services. They also submitted a memorandum containing their demands to the OSD of the State government for its immediate acceptance. Among those who addressed
the rally were the State president, Mr Sukhdev Singh
Bari; the General Secretary, Mr Romesh Chander Sharma;
the General Secretary Government Teachers Union, Punjab,
Mr Sucha Singh; Mr. Lal Singh, General Secretary, Punjab
Polytechnic Teachers association; Mrs Surinderjit Kaur,
General Secretary Istri Employees co-ordination
committee; Mr Bhag Mal Rana, General Secretary UT
Employees and Workers Federation; Mr Pushpinder Singh,
president Nav Niyukt Teachers Union, Punjab and Mr Dharam
Singh, president Class IV Employees Union ( Health
Department). |
Medical
conference on March 21 CHANDIGARH, March 19 — A day-long medical conference covering a wide range of topics is being organised at Solan on March 21 by the Government Medical College , Patiala , Alumni Association, Chandigarh chapter . Dr R. Kumar, Secretary of the association, said the speakers would be coming from PGI, Apollo Hospital, Delhi, besides medical colleges of Patiala and Shimla. This year the Dr Amarjit
Singh Memorial Oration award will be conferred upon Dr
Ravinder Singh of Medical College, Patiala. |
Workshops
on orthopaedic surgery CHANDIGARH, March 19 — Two workshops on the latest in orthopaedic surgery were conducted simultaneously by leading surgeons at the PGI here today as a prelude to the two-day 19th North Zone Indian Orthopaedic Association meeting that begins tomorrow. A workshop to teach arthroscopy — a minimally invasive method — to correct shoulder problems was conducted by Dr S. Frostick from Liverpool, UK. Another workshop on internailing to fix the thigh bone was conducted with replicas of the bones by Dr M. Desai of Ahmedabad. Speaking about arthroscopy, Dr Frostick explained that the procedure was minimally invasive, results in faster healing, besides reducing stay in hospital. On the other hand , conventional surgery used to damage a lot of soft tissue and severely restricted movement of the joint. This is not the case when arthroscopy is performed. The doctor is here as part of a global education programme to train young orthopaedic surgeons. He performed arthroscopy on Sonal Thapson, a Nepali basketball player, who had dislocated his shoulder. As Dr Frostick carried out the procedure it was watched by surgeons on a giant TV screen set up in Lecture Theatre number 1. He explained that a small hole is made at one end of the shoulder while the instruments are used from another 9 mm hole. The entire process is visible on a TV monitor. So far there is no limitation of arthroscopy, he said while praising the available equipment in the PGI. Dr Frostick , however, warned that people going in for arthroscopy should make sure that they go to good hospital. Prof O.N. Nagi, head of the Orthopaedic Department, informed that arthroscopy of the knee was being carried out in the PGI for the past five years . “Now Dr M.S. Dhillon has started doing arthroscopy of the shoulder for the past six months,” he said. Through this technique,
chances of infection are reduced and one gets very little
scar, Prof Nagi explained. Even the cost is not much. The
other technique on internailing of a long metallic rod
through the thigh bone was demonstrated by Dr M. Desai.
He used specially designed plastic bones to explain to
the surgeons how the complex procedure of repairing the
fracture of a thigh bone is done. |
Stress on
improving Indo-Pak ties laid CHANDIGARH, March 19 — In order to improve relations between India and Pakistan, the governments of both countries will have to concentrate on the economic priorities of their peoples. This was stated here today by Mr Hari Jaisingh, Editor of the Tribune group of newspapers, while inaugurating a seminar on strengthening India-Pakistan relations — new initiative, here today. The seminar was organised by the Directorate of Field Publicity (NW Region), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Chandigarh. Mr Hari Jaisingh said that both countries had enough politicians but few statesmen who could handle this relationship in a rational manner. Politicians sometimes due to political compulsions only obstructed a process and proved a stumbling block. Mr Sat Pal Jain, local MP
said that all political parties in India had hailed the
visit of the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to
Lahore. He said that the problems being faced by both
countries were similar such as the economic situation,
population growth and price rise. During his recent visit
to Pakistan he felt that the new generation in Pakistan
was keen to improve the relations. |
Science of
asking questions CHANDIGARH, March 19 — On the second day of the three-day workshop organised by the Department of Child Development, Home Science College, on research methodology titled ‘The Logic of Research: Putting It All Together’, at the State Guest House, Sector 6, today, the 25 delegates from various parts of the country discussed the various aspects of designing research questions. The seminar, being addressed by Dr Reed Larson, examined the science of asking questions, and designing research questions on sensitive topics like ‘child abuse’ or ‘sexual harassment’. While talking of the various sampling and research techniques, Dr Larson said that while in the USA the budgets and fundings for social researches was very high, it was not the same here in India. “Here most professors are overloaded with other assignments rather than just research work”, he said. On the issue of
‘indigenous psychology’, Dr Larson said that
importing researches from other countries, especially
those in social areas, did not always help. “Of what
use is a research on a subject like marriages and divorce
in the USA to you?”, he queried. |
‘Non-formal
education system needed’ PANCHKULA, March 19 — Educationists, bureaucrats and politicians expressed their views at a seminar on “Education system: present and future” organised by the Zila Patrakar Parishad at Red Bishop hotel here today. Most speakers stressed on decentralisation of the education system and focus on the non-formal system of education. The State Education Minister, Mr Ram Bilas Sharma, was the chief guest. Mr J.D.Sharma, a retired bureaucrat and founder of the Bal Niketan, said the main aim of the education was to produce well-behaved persons and the formal system of education had failed to deliver the goods. He opined that nursery and middle schools should not remain under government control. The biggest problem faced by government schools, especially in rural areas, was shortage of teaching staff and lack of infrastructure. Centralisation of the education system had made things worse, he added. Quoting a Chinese proverb: “One year of travel is equal to five years at a university”, he said travelling by students should be encouraged. Mr V.P. Dubey, a retired bureaucrat, said education of girls had been the biggest casualty in Punjab and Haryana. The literacy rate among the Scheduled Castes women was less than 10 per cent, which had lead to the population explosion. He recommended the involvement of non-government organisations in the enrolment of children at the elementary level. There was a need to focus on elementary education. Another problem was irrational postings of teachers in government schools. This had led to shortage of staff at some schools and over- staffing at others, he said. The Education Minister said the non-formal system of education had been a part of Indian culture and traditions for centuries. He called upon the participants to study their culture rather than aping other cultures. Mr Anurag Aggarwal, the
Additional Deputy Commissioner, said the purpose of
education was not being fulfilled due to degradation in
society. On the issue of educational facilities in rural
areas, he opined that teachers in the rural schools
should be selected from the villages concerned. |
Biotechnology
and human life CHANDIGARH, March 19 — Various aspects of human life affected by biotechnology were highlighted on the first day of the sixth Chandigarh symposium on New Biology being organised by the Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University and IMTECH here today. Prof M.M.Puri, the Vice Chancellor,spoke on how biotechnology had shaped the knowledge in the present century. Dr R.C.Sobti introduced the subject. Prominent among those present at the inaugural session were Mr Rajesh Chabbra, Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, Prof C.M.Gupta, Director of the CDRI, Lucknow, and Prof N.K. Ganguly, Director-General of the CSIR. Due to inequity in the healthcare system there has been a rapid erosion in pubic health which leads to social discordance, said Dr Sandeep Basu. He said while only 1 per cent died of infectious diseases in the developed nations, the casuality rate was as high as 43 per cent in developing countries. Dr V.M. Katoch from Central JALMA Institute for Leprosy, Agra, in his paper said tuberculosis and leprosy were the most dreaded among microbacterial diseases-.While in the recent years there had been a decline in the prevalence of leprosy, tuberculosis continued to be an important health problem all over the world. The disease had staged a comeback in several countries of the world.Specific diagnosis of TB was difficult as it was difficult to isolate from a vast majority of “extrapulmonary disease forms”. Dr Katoch highlighted research on various aspects of causative organisms during the past few years. Dr Chaman Lal Kaul from the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, SAS Nagar, presented various aspects of drug targeting in his paper. The selective delivery of drugs to their site of action should increase their therapeutic effectiveness while minimising unwanted effects. Drug targeting is one principal in novel drug delivery systems to achieve therapeutic benefit from delivery platform, he added. Dr V. Kothekar from the AIIMS, Delhi, in his paper said development in the past two decades in the field of molecular biology, biochemistry, biophysics and biotechnology had been phenomenal.Due to progress in the field of molecular pharmacy and physiology intermediate steps in the pathway of drug action were resolved in many ways. Others who presented their papers included Dr Jaya Sivaswami Tyagi, AIIMS and Dr V.M. Kulkarni, Mumbai University. Prof D. Balasubramanian,
director of research in L. V. Prasad Eye Institute,
Hyderabad, will deliver the J.C. Bose Medal oration
tomorrow. |
CHANDIGARH, March 19 — A man riding a scooter ( CH—01—R—9827) was crushed to death by a speeding Punjab Roadway bus on the Dakshin Marg dividing Sectors 20 and 33 this morning. The deceased was identified as Tanak Raj , a 49 year old employee of Markfed. The bus driver Karamjit Singh fled with the bus but he was nabbed by the police near the Tribune roundabout within a few minutes The bus that had started from Chandigarh was going to Patiala. A case has been registered. 5 vehicles stolen:
A total of five vehicles — three cars and two
motorcycles — have been stolen from the city in the
past 24 hours. A car Another car
(PB—01—K—2806) owned by Mr Vinod Bansal
was stolen from Sector 22. A brand new bullet motorcycle
( CH—01—Y—4086) owned by Mr Surinder Singh
was stolen from Sector 17 while a motorcycle Beaten up: A man returning from late night duty to his home in Mauli Jagran was alleged beaten up by some unidentified persons last night. The police has registered a case. Meanwhile in a separate case Leela Devi of Ram Darbar has alleged that Kamal Kishore of the same locality had a fight with her. Cheating case: Yet another agro forestry concern has been booked for cheating and fraud. The director of Onkar Bhumi Finance India limited, Mr Bhupinder Singh and an employee of his have been booked by the police for cheating. A complaint was lodged by Mr Ram Bahadur of Raipur Khurd village. DERA BASSI Killed: A resident of Dappar died in an accident on the National Highway at Janetpur, 2 km from here, last night. In a collision of a
tractor-trailor (RJ-01-G-0375) and a scooter (KB-39-6491)
the scooterist, Karam Chand, died at the spot. The local
police has arrested Kantha Ram, the driver of the
tractor-trailor, a resident of village Shyamgarh of
Ajmer. |
Blood
donation camp CHANDIGARH, March 19 — The Uttarakhand Yuva Manch (regd), Chandigarh, will organise its sixth blood donation camp on March 21 at Garhwal Bhavan, Sector 29-A, at 8.30 a.m. According to Mr N.P. Amoli, Convener of the Organising Committee, the manch has made elaborate arrangements to contribute a minimum of 150 units of blood at this camp. The manch had also arranged 150 units of blood at its previous camp held last year. Mr Jagdish Sagar, Adviser
to the Administrator, Union Territory, Chandigarh, will
inaugurate the camp and Mr Kanhaiya Lal Sharma, Senior
Deputy Mayor, Chandigarh, will preside over the function. |
Fewer
takers for PDS items CHANDIGARH, March 19 — The revised prices of items distributed under the public distribution system (PDS) and their comparison with the prevalent market prices indicates that the gap between the two is really narrowing down. As a result of this, the number of takers for the PDS items is also going down considerably. While levy sugar is being distributed by the District Food and Supplies Department to ration card holders above poverty line (APL) at a price of Rs 12 per kg, the same is being sold in the market at Rs 15.50 per kg and a rupee or two more in the sector markets. Similarly, atta which is being sold for Rs 7.60 per kg in the PDS outlets, is available for Rs 8.80 in the market. However, the market rate of atta which is generally available in 10 kg pack varies between Rs 88 to Rs 95. The difference of less than a rupee is not enough to lure a person to the ration shops stocking PDS items, said a consumer. He further alleged that most of the times the items were not available. The price of parmal rice made available at PDS shops is fixed at Rs 9.57 per kg. The market price of this variety varies between Rs 11.50 to Rs 13. And the prices of basmati vary between Rs 34-65. Kerosene oil is distributed to the ration card holders at Rs 2.93 per litre. There are over two lakh ration card holders in the city above the poverty line. According to sources, the difference has really become negligible ever since the prices of these items were revised on February 15, 1999. Before revision, for more than a year, levy sugar was available at Rs 11.40 per kg; rice at Rs 7.43 per kg, atta at Rs 5.56 per kg. The price of kerosene has however remained stable at Rs 2.93 per litre. There has been no revision
of rates in the prices of atta and rice being supplied to
ration card holders below the poverty line. While atta is
being supplied at Rs 2.78 per kg, rice is available for
Rs 3.77 per kg. According to official information, the
number of such card holders is 669. |
400 sewing
schools to be opened CHANDIGARH, March 19 — With a view to making sewing a more pleasurable hobby, one of its India’s leading consumer marketing companies, is planning to open 400 more sewing schools in the country in the next three years, Mr P Narayan, Senior General Manager of Usha International, said here today. Mr Narayan, said since sewing was a big hobby worldwide, particularly with the advent of the state-of-the-art sewing machines, the company had also decided to upgrade the existing over 600 sewing centres in the country. Calling for rationalisation of the excise duty structure on consumer durables, Mr Narayan, whose company was the first to export indigenously-made sewing machines and fans, decried the increase in excise duty on fans from 13 per cent to 16 per cent in this year’s Budget saying fan was a necessity. Similarly, 30 per cent excise duty on air conditioners has given a boost to the sale of local brands. Regarding the entry of the MNCs in the consumer durable market, he said while the quality of the products had improved, the prices had come down with the result that the consumers were the ultimate beneficiaries. Technology and innovations coupled with competition had led industries to cut on the costs of production and pass the benefits to the consumers. Despite the alleged
recession in the industrial sector, the consumer durable
industry had a bright future, he said, adding that the
services levels and the products had improved over the
years. |
Village
faces problems of insanitation MULLANPUR GARIBDAS, March 19— Problems of insanitation and traffic management continue to be the bane of the village. Villagers await administrative action despite repeated reminders to the authorities concerned. Residents also contribute to the unhealthy condition by dumping garbage and cow dung in the open space and even on the road and inner lanes. These lead to traffic problems. Villagers demand better garbage disposal arrangements to avoid any epidemic. Drinking water is the
another problem faced by villagers. There are more than
300 connections and are said to be insufficient.The pipes
are more than 20 years old. It has resulted in low water
pressure. |
Deputation
meets Sagar CHANDIGARH, March 19 — A deputation of the Action Committee Cooperative House Building Societies, led by its Chairman, Dr A.P. Sanwaria, today met the Adviser to the Chandigarh Administrator, Mr Jagdish Sagar. The deputation consisted of 20 presidents and secretaries of various cooperative house building societies. Dr Sanwaria apprised the Adviser of the strong resentment prevailing among the members of the societies due to the undue delay in allotment of land. He demanded immediate allotment of the land available and the land to be acquired. He requested the Adviser to issue the allotment letter by April,1999. Mr Rajwant Singh, General
Secretary of the Action Committee, has, in a press note
issued here today, claimed that the Adviser gave them a
patient hearing. |
Jagir Kaur
to lead chetna march CHANDIGARH, March 19 — Bibi Jagir Kaur, the newly elected President of the SGPC will lead a women awareness march called the “Khalsa Chetna March” being organised by the Sikh Nari Manch, in Chandigarh on March 20. According to Mrs Harjinder
Kaur, President of the manch, the march which will start
from the Sector 34 gurdwara will pass through Sectors 35,
44, SAS Nagar Phase-7, Truck Union, Kharar, Ropar and
shall reach Anandpur Sahib in the afternoon. There it
will be received by Jathedar of Sri Keshgarh Sahib, Bhai
Manjit Singh; Jathedar of Sri Damdama Sahib, Bhai Giani
Kewal Singh.
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