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| Friday,
October 19, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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‘Extend Apartment Act to UT’ Chandigarh, October 18 The memorandum, which has been signed by Mr Ashok Bansal, general secretary, Hotel Association of Chandigarh, Mr Amarjeet Singh Sethi, general secretary, Chandigarh Nagrik Sabha, Mr Neeraj Bajaj, chief spokesman, Chandigarh Beopar Mandal and Mr J.D. Gupta, Chairman, Property Consultants Association, described as “heartening” the move by the UT Administration to provide for the conversion of commercial and industrial property from leasehold to freehold. They noted that thousands of owners and occupants of commercial, industrial and residential property who had been struggling for a change of rules for more than a decade had heaved a sigh of relief. However, as per press reports, they said, the implementation of the Apartment Act seemed to be on the basis of a floor as a whole whereas the Punjab Apartment Act stated that apartment “means a floor or a part of the floor in a residential or commercial building with an independent or common exit”. Since commercial space requirements were squeezed on account of modern techniques, computerisation and office automation, full-sized floors covering thousands of square feet of area were hardly needed by a large section of the society, both for residential and commercial purposes. The real benefit of both these amendments could be passed onto the citizens if the ground realities as per the prevaling socio-economic conditions were recognised by the administration. The following points should be incorporated while framing these rules: *Conversion of apartments should cover all types of existing and upcoming commercial and residential properties. *Independent apartments/flats/ chambers be permitted by sub-division of a building, a part or floor thereoff. As regards residential property, an area of five marlas should be taken as one unit. *All resumption proceedings on account of internal violations be revoked in view of the permission of the sub-division in view of the forthcoming application of the Apartment Act. *Any permission of the conversion should not be linked with the “completion cetificate”. *Reasonably fixed conversion charges on per square feet basis be levied for both residential and commecial freehold and leasehold properties. No other profits and levies should be charged. *The last and the most important point was the working out of simple and practical method of calculating the conversion-fees from leasehold to freehold. In order to match the conversion charges with the age-return of the property and 2.5 per cent revenue receipts to government exchequer, a 10 per cent conversion chages of the respective auction of the site along with 10 per cent freehold stamp duty difference be levied. Though no exact figure of the total leasehold property was available, yet it was estimated that over Rs 2,500 crore leasehold property had been sold and a 20 per cent conversion fee could yield Rs 500 crore to the UT Administration. The residential leasehold conversions could not gain momentum as it was not based on ground realities. Hence, the Punjab Apartment Act in Chandigarh should be extended in totality to all Chandigarh commercial, industrial and residential properties without any distortion and keeping its socio-economic-legal spirit alive. |
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Are private academies duping students? SAS Nagar, October 18 The role of certain employees of the Board facilitating the candidates to get bogus duplicate roll numbers was being probed. In a specific case, at least 16 candidates of Amar Shaheed Udham Singh Degree College in Chajli village, Sangrur, appeared in this year’s annual matric examination at a government school. The examination centre was set up by the board but a handwritten bogus list of the candidates was pasted along with the original list of the candidates, dispatched by the Board. As per the practice, the list of the candidates is in the custody of the centres superintendent. In a specific case the signature of the assistant concerned had been forged and there was an official stamp of the Deputy Secretary concerned, said the Controller of Examination, Mrs Harcharanjit Kaur Brar. The irregularity was detected when the award list of the 16 girl candidates came with to the board against roll numbers from 603211 to 603229. The same roll number had been allotted to male candidates. The racket was reportedly being run for the last many years. Ironically, the candidates attended classes and paid the fee for the entire year. Later, the proprietor of the academy, Mr Anshu Dogra reportedly collected Rs 4,000 each from the candidates to get them passed from the Board. The panchayat of Chajli village had also intervened in the matter but the outcome was not known. When the candidates gave a legal notice to the board to declare their result, an inquiry was conducted, revealing that the entire case was bogus. The board authorities have recommended registration of First Information Report (FIR) against the proprietor of the academy. The board authorities were also enquiring into a similar case in which middle class candidates were enrolled by an academy, made to sit at bogus examination centres, declared pass with first division and promoted to the next class. Last month the board authorities had suspended three employees of the board,Dharam Singh, an assistant, Ms Neelam, a junior assistant, and Baldev Singh for their alleged role in not verifying the examination forms of the candidates while issuing them roll numbers for the recently concluded supplementary examinations. Though officials put the figure of the total bogus candidates detected so far at 29, sources said the figure could touch 150. The modus operandi of the people behind the racket was to make the candidate appear in Hindi, Sanskrit or physical education supplementary paper, make fake entries of other subjects in the award lists and declare the candidate pass in the Board records. |
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Card sessions begin in
earnest Chandigarh, October 18 With less than a month to go for Divali, the art of briskly shuffling a pack of cards is not just being practised, but will be honed over the next few days. The added incentive is the weather conditions, which have changed and has become cooler now. The trends among card players are almost the same as in the previous years. It is either a group of friends who sit in the residence of one of them. The other preference is a hotel room which is booked for the day, while liquor supply is purchased from pooled money and hotel food is ordered. Friends in groups have started rounds of flash (popularly known as teen patti or do teen panch) Other popular game is rummy. The latter is also permitted in certain clubs of the city. However, plastic counters issued by the club are used and hard cash is an absolute no-no. In private gatherings’ it is only cash which counts. In private gatherings food is ordered from one of the fast food joints offering home delivery. A source among card players says a group of rich young business men in their early 30s last week travelled in their luxury cars to a nearby holiday resort to play cards in tranquil settings. In certain groups the wagers are pre-decided and the amount is fixed. In case of flash it is pre-decided on the amount of which can be placed on a single hand. Among a group of well-known city bigwigs, a person sitting within the group ought to have show money. This means the player ought to have a pre decided minimum sum in his pocket, which he has to show before sitting down for the session. This sum varies between Rs 5,000 and Rs 25,000 depending upon the group of people. Not to be left behind in the fun, women from business families have their own day-time card playing sessions where money is openly flaunted. The talk revolves around jewels, forthcoming marriages, the academic performance of children and, of course, the money made by their hubbies. Very soon it will be couple parties where the couple play cards together. An old-timer commented in some cases pre-Divali card sessions means 11 months before Divali. |
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CTCC burns PM’s
effigy, Bahl caught in sparks Chandigarh, October 18 The effigy of the Prime Minister filled with crackers, however, took a minor toll on the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (CTCC) president, Mr B.B. Bahl, whose safari suit caught fire which was immediately put out. A number of the Congress activists today gathered before the Congress office to burn the effigy and later moved in a procession to the Sector 35 roundabout raising slogans. Slogans like “Loot liya bahut aur kitna lootoge” and “Vajpayeeji hosh me aao” were raised by the Congressmen. The demonstration was part of the nation-wide protests of the party against the inclusion of Mr Fernandes in the Cabinet as Defence Minister. The protest was led by Mr Bahl and attended by Mr Subhash Chawla, Mr Shyamlal Gupta, Ms Shreshtha Mehta, Ms Lalit Joshi and the Chandigarh Territorial Youth Congress President, Mr Harmohinder Singh Lucky, among
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Sufi spirit spins soul-searching songs Chandigarh, October 18 Today the devoted Sufi dances on popular beats and also dots the small screen, which is rife with hit songs from his albums. No matter which, form of music he dons, at the end of the day Hans remains a seeker of ‘swaras’. As a Sufi, he is born to do that. The varied forms he has taken to have not destroyed his spirit, which is still that of a ‘faqir’. As the singer beautifully expressed today, “Hamara taalukk to chashme shahi se hai. Swar behte rahten hain kabhi khatm nahi hote.” For Hans, who still learns from his guru, Ustad Puran Shahkoti, mastery in ‘swaras’ rests upon the concentration that goes into imbibing them. In town today to perform for the Tribune-sponsored Virasat series of SPIC MACAY, Hans talked about how he required time to concentrate when he was changing the style of singing.”For a “qawwali”, the mood has to be different. I need time before I get into the right mould for performance.” He also talked about the quintessence of Sufism. “Apna aap jabtak khatam nahi hoga, khuda ka didar nahi hoga. Hum bhi tab sabse achha gaate hain jab bekhud aur besakhtaa hokar gaate hain. Swaraon mein ahem ka koi kaam nahi,” he asserted. Perhaps that explains why even today Hans returns to the ‘mazaars’ and religious ‘deras’ to make musical offerings. He keeps distributing his recorded. Sufiana ‘qalaam’ (kuk papehe wala and dard kahaan darvesh) among the learners in order to inspire them. Recently in the USA, on one of the Sufi research scholarships, Hans propagated the sayings of Sufi saints. But his visits abroad and his new-found popular role has not altered his priority list, which is led by his desire to build a sangeet ashram which will be a recluse for seekers. Hans has many disciples, the most famous being Salim, the son of his guru. Hans said, “In our tradition, ustad’s son is also as revered as the ustad. But since I was ordered by guru Puran Shahkotiji, I accepted Salim under my tutelage.” Passing on the tradition will surely help in its revival. Hans has gathered the rarest Sufiana ‘qalaam’ and preserved it in the music room of his house. He said, “Once I build the ashram, all these rare recordings will adorn its repertoire.” Even being a part of the social mainstream, Hans manages to keep himself aloof. He said today, “I am a man of God, who is servile to ‘sur’ and ‘taal’. I am not here to speak for any political party. I have no religion. I am here to offer what I have assimilated from legendary gurus like Ustad Salamat Ali Khan and Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.” His urge found a reflection in the presentations he made for the students of YPS, SAS, Nagar in the evening. A technical set of couplets was put across in the real Sufiana style, marked with energy. Supported by Ustad Karamat Ali Khan of Malerkotla and about 12 other members, Hans touched upon the highest form of Sufi singing: the ‘taanas’ of Sultan Bahu, the ‘qalaam’ of Shah Hussain and Baba Bulle Shah and Punjabi folk in the purest possible form. The first performance of the evening was the most comprehensible. A ‘bandish’ in raag a Malkons, Hans weaved a web of melody by singing the famous geet of Patiala Hharana: ‘pyaar nahi hai sur se jisko, vo samjho insaan nahi hai.’ The most delightful part of the show came towards the end, with Hans and his troupe joining Ramzan Khan and Khete Khan of Rajasthan in a vocal fusion. The two languages merged to glorify the universal language that music is. The Khans are part of the famous Rajasthani folk group called Manganayars. |
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Keeping Sufi music alive Chandigarh, October 18 Valaet Khan an 82-year-old Sufi singer and descendant of Raj Mohammad, is carrying forward the family tradition in Sufi music for the third generation. A familiar name for the lovers of Sufi music, Valaet has devoted his life popularising this particular form of music through ‘melas’ and family gatherings. |
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Reethas that are
sweet Chandigarh, October 18 Mrs Tarinder Kaur told TNS that the soap nut was obtained from Gurdwara Nanak Mata in Pilibhit (Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar district) as prasad of reetha. The seed of the reetha was planted in a flower pot some time in July-August, 1997. Once the plant started taking shape, it was replanted in the front park of the house. In December , 2000, the little tree bore the first bunch of reethas. They were sweet. The tree sheds off all its leaves in December-January, leaving only the fruit tucked at the end of the branches. In spring (February-March), new leaves will sprout again, along with its flowering in April. |
Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein is a charming love story which will mark the debut of South India’s Hrithik Roshan of Tamil films R. Madhvan and Miss Asia Pacific Diya Mirza. Those who have seen crowds at Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein insist that the young TV actor of serials Saaya and Sea Hawks is a natural actor. Madhvan knows that people are expecting a lot from him and Diya Mirza and both hope they will live up to the expectations. Unlike other debutants, Madhvan and Diya are not showing any signs of nerves before the release. A remake of South Indian blockbuster Minale, Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein, as director Gautam Menon puts it, is a love story with different shades of love. It has many twists and turns which will keep audiences on the edge of their seats. DP |
10,000 visit Mansa Devi
Temple Panchkula, October 18 It is learnt that the shrine, usually sees around 1 lakh devotees on each of the Navratras. Officials of the Mansa Devi Shrine Board said the crowd was less today as the weekend was approaching and people preferred to visit the temple on holidays. However, the security arrangements by the Panchkula police at the complex remained foolproof. Nakas were put at 20 odd points and adequate security arrangements were maintained on the temple premises. Meanwhile, the Citizen’s Welfare, Association, Panchkula has expressed its resentment over the alleged apathy of the district administration towards its members. Members of the association have resented the treatment met out to them by the administration with regard to inviting them for the Navratra mela at the Mansa Devi Temple. In a press note, Er S.K. Nayar, president of the association, said they were asked by the City Magistrate, Panchkula, to collect passes for the mela from her office at the Mansa Devi complex. However, they were not allowed to reach the office of the City Magistrate by the security staff. The association urged the local administration to have a courteous behaviour towards welfare associations. |
Contests, colour and
oodles of fun Chandigarh, October 18 In a colourful atmosphere, kids took part in competitions like
face-colour competition, ice-cream-eating contest, Yankee bike contest, arm wrestling, fancy dress show, passing the hat, burst the balloon and Mutki Phoro contests. Stealing the show, Moon Sharma, Anshul and Surbhi exhibited their dancing skills which won them the the first, second and the third prize, respectively, for the solo dance contest. The organisers also kept the dance floor open for any interested participant by organising a round-the-clock DJ system with popular Hindi and Punjabi pop numbers to the delight of the audience. Though the event was organised mainly for the kids and youths, babies and women were not left out. The healthy baby competition drew a lot of contestants. For women it was ‘gol
guppa’ eating contest and the best dressed lady contest that added colour to the evening. It was not just games for the participants , but an array of stalls for products like kitchenware, Jaipuri suits, quilts and dress material. |
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New water purification
system under study Chandigarh, October 18 The technology claimed to be in use in the USA and has recently been introduced in NOIDA, near Delhi, is considered to be more effective than the traditional chlorine-based system, sources told The Tribune here today. A demonstration of the sodium hypochlorite technology was given by a private company before the Punjab Governor and Union Territory Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob, yesterday. This water purification technology uses common salt to create chemical agents as by-products that kill germs. Chemicals used in the technology need not be bought from the market, sources said. The technology is said to be more effective as its handling is completely safe, there is no danger of unequal distribution of germ killers and odour in the water after treatment from chlorine. The UT Administrator is said to have asked the Municipal Corporation to study the technology and find out about its economical viability. The company, claiming exclusive authorisation for the use of technology, has claimed that the method would be cheaper than the chlorine-based system but the Municipal Corporation was not convinced that it could be less expensive than the traditional method. The corporation has also been asked to take reports of the new technology’s effectiveness from the authorities in Noida. The present technology, though effective in the city, faces the problem of the chlorine gas cylinder leaking and the smell it leaves in water. The technology provider Electrical Aqua’s claims are being verified by the corporation which is of the view, though it could be costlier but is more effective. General Jacob is said to have directed that the corporation could use the technology if it was reasonably priced and its effectiveness was found to be more after all studies. The corporation had earlier also been approached by a US company for improving quality of water in the city but its offer was turned down as the canal water coming to the city already met all standards the company was claiming to bring about. The drinking water for the city was already free from fluoride and chlorides and has mineral balance, the sources said. But the problem of muddy water has been cropping up due to old pipe lines and intermittent water supply as water flow does not continue in the same direction scratching off sedimentation, they said. |
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Seminar on women
empowerment Chandigarh, October 18 Lamenting the declining sex ratio in the city, the Director, NSS, Panjab University, Dr C.L. Narang, while inaugurating the seminar, said it was unfortunate that the number of women in comparison to men was decreasing by the day. Quoting statistics, he said there were only 700 women as against 1000 men in Chandigarh and around. Alleging that doctors were minting money out of sex-determination tests, he said the girl child was being denied the right of birth. Claiming that women were performing better in spite of which they were not being given their due. “If you teach a girl, you teach a family. Still, the birth of a girl child was looked down upon in families,” he added. Addressing the students, Headmaster Bahadur Singh Gosal said the social evil of dowry should be banned, especially since atrocities in the form of dowry deaths and bride burning were on the rise. According to reports, the number of rape cases and mental torture of women were on the increase. He said social workers and teachers should come forward to fight evils and students should spread the word against these in the rural community. A teacher of the school, Ms Sunita Arora, said women were revered in the past and occupied prominent places in ceremonies. The students of the school pledged to work for the betterment of the girl child and assured a survey to identify illiterate girls for education. |
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With hi-tech libraries soon,
visiting them will be passe Chandigarh, October 18 “A survey was conducted by taking a sample of 200 members of the library on an one- to- one interaction level. It was concluded that a majority would go in for a modern library equipped with videoconferencing, teleconferencing, e-journals and e-magazines,” said Mr Sushant Banerjee, manager of the library in Sector 8. The survey conducted by British Library here was part of the national level survey to modernise all British Council libraries in 11 cities with hi-tech electronic gadgets, besides sites on databases on management skills and a new information portal to the UK. The process of modernisation was likely to be completed by the end of this year. “A pilot project of 13.5 crore has been started in British Library in New Delhi. We waiting for them to finish it so that we can remodel our library on the basis of their knowledge,” said Mr Banerjee. The project would cost a lot of money as the process required installation of a number of hi-tech gadgets, he added. The members, ecstatic about the latest additions in the library, were eagerly waiting for the completion of the project. “It is an additional service for us and the best part is that we do not even have to go out of our homes to get whatever we want,” said Ms Amrita Gupta , a member of the library. “Browsing through e-journals and e-magazines is easier than searching a book or a journal on the library shelf”, she added. “With the facility of e-journals, e-books and e-magazines, one can read these anytime one is free,” said Ms Amarjeet Kaur, another library member. “The problem with borrowing a book from the library is that one has to return it within a stipulated time. Many a time it is hard to avail oneself of a particular book as the library keeps only a few copies. With this online facility anybody can read any book for any length of time”, she added. The members of the library would avail themselves of the facility without paying extra. “We are not going to hike the membership fee, but it is likely that we will charge a nominal service charge,” said Mr Banerjee. “The sites will be paid sites, but the members will be given passwords so that they can operate smoothly,” he added. |
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CMP celebrates raising day Chandigarh, October 18 Later addressing a special sainik sammelan, Col A.R. Sinha, Deputy Provost Marshal, Western Command, greeted corps personnel, civilian employees and their families. He lauded the hard work and dedication of the corps personnel in the performance of their duties. A barakhana was also organised in the evening for all ranks and their families. The Chief of Army Staff, Adjutant-General and the Western Army Commander, in their separate messages, felicitated the corps personnel. The CMP traces its origin to the tense months preceding the Second World War. The first Indian Provost Section was raised out of 7 and 11 Indian Cavalry Regiments in 1939. Since then the corps has taken part in all wars and operations undertaken by the Indian Army. |
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Rotary to honour four persons Chandigarh, October 18 According to Mr A.S.Gulati, chairman of the Public Relations Committee of the club,Irina Brar, also known as Tigerina, a 17-year-old student of class XII of Vivek High School, is India’s number one golfer. She took to golf at the age of nine years. She has won the Singapore Amateur Open Ladies Golf title this year in August. She will be awarded for her achivement in golf. The second person to be awarded is Mr Shadi Ram. He devoted his life to help poor children by giving them books, notebooks, pencils and eraser. Besides, he also helps poor patients and their attendant with ration. At 90, his movements are a little restricted. For his exemplary concern for fellow human being, the club has decided to honour him. The other two to be awarded are Mr M. Singh Gorya, once a safai karamchari with the Health Department of the Chandigarh Administration. Who lost his hands in an accident, and Mr Harbhajan Singh, a local postman. |
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Panel to identify old Jana Sangh
workers Chandigarh, October 18 Headed by Mr Yashpal Mahajan, the convener of the adhoc committee of the party, the subcommittee will have Mr Niraj Tayal, Mr Purushottam Mahajan and Mr Desraj Tandon as members. This was decided at the adhoc committee meeting here today, which asked all mandals and blocks to identify old Jana Sangh workers for the honour. |
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Disconnection of power resented SAS Nagar, October 18 Teams of the electricity board had disconnected electricity for allegedly overdrawing power, which had been denied by the owners of the units. The entrepreneurs lamented that checks were conducted by PSEB officials in September, but no prior notice of overdraw were given to them. |
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Jaspal Singh cremated SAS Nagar, October 18 The deceased was president of the Mohali Industries Association from 1986 to 1988 and remained president of the Rotary Club of Mohali for two years. He was instrumental in getting land allotted for the Vocational Training Centre in Sector 70 here. |
Two cases of assault registered Chandigarh, October 18 In the second incident, Kalu Ram of Phase XI, Mohali, has reported that he was assaulted by a Ram Darbar resident, Beeru, in the Grain Market of Sector 26. The complainant said he was injured in the attack was admitted to General Hospital, Sector 16. ARRESTED:
A resident of Darwa village, Sanjay Bahadur, was arrested on a complaint lodged by Durga Prashad of the same village allegedly for stealing a wrist watch and Rs 250 from the complainants house. The police has reportedly recovered the stolen property from the accused’s possession. A case has been registered and further investigations are being made. STOLEN: A resident of International Hostel in Sector 15, Divyahshu, has reported that the petrol tank of his motor cycle was stolen last night, while it was parked at the hostel. The police has registered a case. Meanwhile, an hosteler at Punjab Engineering College, Tanmay Aggarwal, has complained to the police that his room was broken into and Rs 9,800 was stolen, A case has been registered. COMPLAINT LODGED: Haryana Roadways’ bus driver Kirpal Singh has lodged a complaint with the police that a truck bearing the Punjab registration number rammed into his bus near Sector 29-30 intersection. The truck driver reportedly fled away. The police has registered a case.
PANCHKULA CAR STOLEN: A Tata Indica car (CH-01Z-6160) was reportedly stolen from outside a house in Sector 15 on Wednesday night. A case under Section 379 of the IPC has been registered on the complaint by car’s owner Bajrang Lal Sharma. |
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Burglars steal goods worth Rs 1.5 lakh SAS Nagar, October 18 When the burglars were loading their booty in a rickshaw, a chowkidar of the area saw them and called the president of the welfare society of the area. Alarmed, the thieves left behind the rickshaw and escaped with valuables. The police has registered a case. |
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Proclaimed offender held Chandigarh, October 18 A resident of Ambala, Ms Sunita, had lodged a complaint that she had invested Rs 55,000 with the accused’s Sector 40 firm, but the accused failed to return her money. According to sources, a local court had declared him a proclaimed offender about a year ago. |
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Man commits suicide Chandigarh, October 18 According to the police, Ram Niwas (34) is survived by a wife and three kids. The body has been sent to the General Hospital, Sector 16, for post-mortem. |
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NO wonder Vashu Bhagnani has been hailed as India’s producer No. 1. Vashu had hit upon the winning formula with Coolie No 1. Vashu is ready to take centrestage again with Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein. This is a Puja Films presentation, which will be released on Friday at Neelam, Chandigarh.