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| Friday,
November 30, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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CHANDIGARH CARNIVAL OPENS TODAY Chandigarh, November 29 Inside the venue, the Laxman jhoola is already attracting the passers by, so is the mini amusement park which has been developed in one corner of the Valley. CITCO General Manager Arvind Malhotra informed that the concept of amusement park was being implemented in the carnival for the first time. He added that the thrust this time will be on creativity. Also the idea of thematic decoration of the venue’s entrance (this time the fairyland) was being implemented for the first time. The bottomline is fun for all. Topping the list in the creativity section is the Friends of Children’s corner, coordinated by CEVA. About 100 adults and young persons have volunteered this time to interact with children on a creative basis. There will be free open workshops for children and their families. They can come and try their hands at the puzzles and many other interesting games. Artists like Vinay Vadhera, Satwant Singh, Aditya Prakash, Raja Jai Krishan, Rama Rattan will also be present to interact with children at an informal level. Talking about the arrangements at the corner, Harleen Kohli said, “We are stressing creativity. It is time that parents actually encouraged playfulness among children. We will be available for help throughout the carnival.” Further, there will be a special kite exhibition on display on all three days. There will also be at least seven food counters, to be managed by CITCO hotels. |
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Move to include 2 villages in MC limits
opposed SAS Nagar, November 29 Highlights
Registering their protest, the councillors said with the state government withdrawing octroi, maintaining an additional area would be a difficult task for the council. The sitting MLA from Kharar, Ms Daljeet Kaur, demanded that the state government should look after the area. After a heated argument, it was decided to keep the agenda item pending till the source of income in place of octroi fee collection was clear. As soon the meeting started, two councillors of the opposition, Mr Manjeet Sethi and Manjeet Singh, sought that the president should give a status report about the tehbazari fee collected during Divali. Asked about the sub-committee which had to be formed for tehbazari collection by the two councillors, the president of the council, Mr Kulwant Singh, said the decision could not be implemented on administrative grounds. An agenda item detailing action against a Junior Assistant, Sucha Singh, for being involved in a case of evasion of octroi saw strong reaction from certain councillors. Mr S.S. Patwari, a councillor of the opposition, demanded an answer from the president about the action taken against the superintendent of the octroi wing for being allegedly involved in the case. Mr Kulwant Singh said the action was being taken by the Secretary, Local Government, against the superintendent. The Council approved an agenda item to pay Rs 1 lakh to PUDA for allotment of land for a cattle pond. The president said there was a proposal to allot a portion of land to a gaushala. A number of councillors complained that their was no often recorded as yes in the proceedings book. Mr Manjeet Sethi said responsibility for the error should be fixed. Passing an amount of Rs 42,750 for a truck-mounted hydraulic lift saw strong reaction from Mr Manmohan Singh Langh, who sought that the president should give a status report about the vehicles which had been parked at a workshop of a private firm in Ludhiana for two years, waiting for the hydraulic lift to be fixed. It was decided at the meeting that responsibility of the loss caused to the civic body be fixed. In another significant decision, the ruling group moved an table item to divide the powers between the Executive Officer, Mr K.S. Brar, and the Assistant Executive Officer, Mr Sarabjit Singh. The president was entrusted with the task of dividing the powers. A councillor said the move was aimed at divesting Mr Brar of the drawing and disbursing powers. Of the total 18 items, including four table items, 16 items were passed at the meeting. The remaining four were kept pending. |
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Much ado about nothing Chandigarh, November 29 As a mater of fact, Panjab University does not have a very good record of the number of students who clear the National Eligibility Test (NET) conducted by the University Grants Commission each year. The test is a compulsory condition for anyone wishing to join the profession of a lecturer or go in for a fellowship or for research. In this light, the paper can be seen as a positive exercise to generate student interest. Department sources said, “The paper is conducted at the preliminary level only. It is not on the basis of or in comparison to the UGC examination. It is only a subject round-up and can be seen as an effective tool in preparing students for the UGC examination”. However, the complaint addressed to the Vice Chancellor says ,“It is shocking that the Chemistry Department has introduced its own National Eligibility Test (NET). A paper covering all five years of the course, carrying 50 marks has been introduced in M.Sc (honours). These marks are included in the general marks”. The letter says, “A person takes one year or a minimum of six months to prepare for the test but we are being given only three days to prepare and cover a five-year course”. The letter questions, “Can the Chemistry department introduce its own NET examination? Can the department make a person eligible for joining PhD or lecturership after clearing the test? Why should students appear for an exam they have already cleared? Is it compulsory to appear in NET after having done M.Sc in case the candidate wants to go in for an alternate line?” Department authorities confirmed having received a letter of complaint from the VC’s office. Prof B.M. Deb, chairman, said, “The letter is without any strong base for complaint. The purpose of the test is purely the interest of the students by making them capable of appearing in competitive examinations. Even in the overall academic interest of the institution, such papers do not have any harmful effect on studies”. Dr I.M. Joshi, convenor of the Academic Programme Monitoring and Executive Committee, said, “The examination was not an overnight development that has come in as a surprise to students. The examination was announced right in the beginning of the session with a proper datesheet.” |
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ASEAN’s interest in India ‘rising’ Chandigarh, November 29 As a former Indian Ambassador to Indonesia, Mr Sudhir Devare, talked about the active dialogue between the two countries aimed at fostering peace and security in the South-East Asian region, the gathering in the conference hall of the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID) here listened attentively. Mr Devare focused on various aspects, the primary being the rising interest ASEAN and Indonesia in particular were showing in India. He said that Indonesia was looking at India with great hope, especially when India was being looked at as a big factor of balance as far as peace in the world was concerned. Being the quintessence of ASEAN, Indonesia’s rising interest in India was significant. And more so in view of the fact that relations between the two countries had improved tremendously despite the strain which the Cambodian crisis left. He, however, stressed the importance of political will to keep investing energy and time in the revived relations. Mr Devare said: “Unless will is invested the entire institutional framework which has recently been created to enhance relations will collapse.” Beginning his talk by offering a broad framework of ASEAN, Mr Devare went on to talk about the geographical proximity between Indonesia and India. He said: “Not just have the two countries shared cultural bonds for centuries, they are also very close physically. The nearest point between the two countries is just 100 km. The historical contact is also great, simply because both countries have originally been anti-imperialism.” Stressing the need for containing the rising insurgent tendency in Indonesia, which had 85 per cent Muslims, Mr Devare talked of strengthening the stability measures. He also talked widely about the economic liaison between India and Indonesia, stressing in particular that Indonesia had a great human resource base. “Both countries can learn to benefit a lot from each other. While Indonesia has set new standards in the field of population control, with a net growth of only 1.2 per cent, India can follow suit. The relationship of the two countries is now complex, given the absence of ideological commitment between the two countries, which one saw at the time of Pandit Nehru and President Sukarno, who set the Non-Aligned Movement into motion. Efforts can nevertheless be made.” Present at the function was Mr Rashpal Malhotra, president, CRRID. Following the talk, Hema Devare’s film, “Threads that Bind”, was screened for the gathering. The film, directed by Arun Khopkar and produced by Hema Devare (Sudhir Devare’s wife), brings out the essence of the two cultures that India and Indonesia represent. |
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Revised TB control plan
devised Chandigarh, November 29 The workshop was attended by the State President of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Dr G.S. Kochhar, from the region, who has pointed out that there is a need to rope in private practitioners to effectively control the disease. Giving figures, Dr Kochhar states that India accounts for nearly 1/3rd of the TB burden and more than a thousand people die of TB in India everyday. ‘‘What is even worse is the fact that 3 lakh children are forced to leave school because their parents have TB and the parents are spending most of their income on their treatment and if things are allowed to go on as they are, then these figures are going to rise dramatically.’’ he says. What have been the reasons for this constant increase? ‘‘The main reason remains that patients suffering from TB do not complete their full course of treatment under observation of a medical practitioner,’’ explains Dr Kochhar. The reasons for stopping treatment midway can be anything like poor access to health institutions, inadequate care and irregular drug supply. The new strategy to be adopted under the programme is being termed as DOTS which stands for 'Direct Observation Treatment and Short-course therapy’. This will include various modes of observation and treatments. ‘‘All patients with cough for three weeks or more should have a septum examination done three times to be able to reach a proper diagnosis,’’says Dr
Kochhar. |
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City police has its hands
full Chandigarh, November 29 Adding to its burden is the scheduled cricket test series between India and Britain, beginning from December 3, as well as the All India Vice-Chancellors’ Conference from December 5 to December 8. The Chandigarh Police has a posted strength of 2,627 constables and 834 head constables, besides 45 inspectors and about 410 other non-gazetted officers. Of these, about 740 constables and 185 head constables are posted in various police stations around the city. Another 120 head constables and 200 constables are detailed for VIP security, while the remaining strength is distributed among police lines and other units such as the CIA, the Economic Offences Wing, the Crime Against Women Cell, Crime Branch, CID, Operations Cell, traffic staff, control room, etc. As per details available, around 150 personnel will be detailed for providing security for the visiting cricket teams and the visiting heads of university. As an emergency measure, police authorities have decided to cut down on all non-operational staff posted at headquarters or on staff duties. Police sources say that at least 60 personnel presently posted at Police Headquarters can be spared for election duty. In addition, 25 personnel would be made available by cutting down .the personal staff employed with senior functionaries, while another 40-odd personnel would be made available by reducing the number of orderlies posted with officials. With the local police seeking eight companies from police forces of neighbouring states, about 1,000 additional personnel are expected to become available. This means that it would still have to muster a force of 2,500 personnel. With all available personnel being pulled out from police stations as well as public dealing units such as the Economic Offences Wing, the Crime Against Women Cell as well as the CID, CIA and the crime branches, police sources say that routine policing would be severely effected for two days. |
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Bid to
kidnap women; 4 held Chandigarh, November 29 The accused have been identified as Lakhwinder Singh, Charanjit Singh, Sanjiv Kumar, all residents of the Police Colony, Sector 26, and Amarjit Singh, a resident of Sector 23. A Maruti van (CH-03-A-8661), reported to have been used in the incident, has been impounded. According to sources, Charanjit and Sanjiv are Home Guard volunteers. Charanjit’s father, Mohinder Singh, a head constable with the Chandigarh Police, died recently and his brother, was appointed as a constable with the local police on compassionate grounds. Sanjiv’s father is reported to be an Assistant Sub-Inspector with the local police. Lakhwinder Singh’s brother-in-law is also an Assistant Sub-Inspector with the local police and is presently reported to be on the security duty of a district courts judge. |
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Electronic bill clearance Chandigarh, November 29 Under this scheme, the consumers have the option to pay their bi-monthly electricity/water bills directly through their bank accounts without presenting the bill at the payment counter. The consumer’s electricity/water bill amount is debited through this new payment mechanism, right on the due date(last day) of payment of bill. This scheme saves the consumers from the hassle of going to the cash counters of the Electricity Department/Municipal Corporation and stand in queue for making payment of the bills. An official press release here today said that debit through bank account was being accepted, irrespective of name of consumer on the bill and the actual user. Tenants/power of attorney holders can also take advantage of this scheme. Under the electronic clearance scheme, the bills will continue to be delivered regularly at the consumer premises as usual. The bills in respect of the consumers availing of this facility will indicate on their bill itself that the amount would be debited through their bank accounts and is not to be paid in cash. |
CVM to support BSP
candidates Chandigarh, November 29 Addressing a joint press conference this afternoon the manch supremo. Mr Harmohan Dhawan, and chief of the BSP, Mr Mata Ram Dhiman, told mediapersons that the manch would support two candidates of the BSP who were contesting from wards seven and eight. The BSP is contesting elections from wards 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, 18, 15, 19. 20 and 11. Leaders of the manch and the BSP said they would contest friendly elections from other wards and told mediapersons that the workers of each party would not indulge in acrimony. Mr Dhawan said the alliance the manch has reached with the BSP would be a shot in the arm for both the parties Thus the manch would seriously contest election in 17 wards. While in two wards it would support the candidates fielded by the BSP and it would support a candidate who is contesting the election as an Independent candidate. Mr Dhiman, however, said in the presence of Mr Dhawan that the alliance would come to an end if the Manch supported any other candidate belonging to either the Congress or the BJP. Mr Dhawan said the BJP was fighting a losing battle in the Municipal Corporation and that it was a faction-ridden political party. He added that the position of the Congress was also no better. Mr Dhawan and Mr Dhiman said in chorus that the BJP and the Congress were their common enemies. The parties had done little for the development of the city. “And you remember the soap and oil scandal that took place in the Corporation’’, remarked Mr Dhawan. Mr Dhiman also expressed his resentment against Ms Harjinder Kaur, Mayor, for removing the portrait of Dr Ambedkar from her office. “This is the respect she extends to the BSP”, he concluded. |
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People are eyes and ears of
EC Chandigarh, November 29 Complaints regarding the election machinery, law-and-order situation, election process may be reported to the EC either on phone or in writing between 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on phone numbers 380477, 380475, 380476 and 721061 (fax) at the EC control room specially set up for the purpose. One can even get numbers of the officials concerned from the police control room at ‘100’ round-the clock to report the matter beyond these hours to report electoral malpractices. ‘’Your vigilance will go a long way in strengthening democracy with people being eyes and ears of the EC,’’ the Commission said. Partial use of loudspeakers allowed The Election Commission clarified that loudspeakers are allowed to be used between 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. at fixed places and they are not allowed on vehicles. The Commission’s clarification comes in wake of political parties reportedly complaining that they were finding it difficult to communicate with the electorate and the police not being clear about the matter. The Joint Election Commissioner, Mr D. M. Khaneta, said that under the Punjab Noise Pollution Act, operation of which the EC has not been suspended, still vests authority with the Deputy Commissioner to give permissions. And, if any political party complains about the fact in writing, he could look into the matter. EC to supervise preparation Mr Khaneta will tomorrow visit polling stations of the city. He is visiting the polling stations to ensure that the polling day arrangements on December 8 are secure and hassle-free for voters. EC to draw reluctant voters The Election Commission has contacted advertisement agencies to create awareness among the reluctant voters to exercise their franchise. The EC is expected to launch advertisement campaigns in the print and electronic media to persuade the voter to caste his or her vote. The slogans for the campaign are being decided by the EC. The EC’s campaign, probably the first time in the city, comes in wake of the last elections registering a low voter turnout. |
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Smooth sailing for Kaimbwala
candidates Chandigarh, November 29 They will be officially announced elected on December 1, the last date for the withdrawal of nominations for 15 panchayat election and 6 gram sabha byelections scheduled for December 8. This was announced here today by the Joint Election Commissioner for Chandigarh and Delhi, Mr D.M. Khaneta. The village had unanimously elected its representatives last time also. |
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No leave for cops
till Dec 8 Chandigarh, November 29 |
Jacob greets people on Gurpurb
eve Chandigarh, November 29 Felicitating the people on the eve of the birthday of Guru Nanak Dev ji, the Governor said the Guru ji was an apostle of peace who epitomized universal brotherhood and love. General Jacob said “this day gives us an opportunity to reaffirm our faith in his teachings”. |
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Special kids are Jacob’s
guests Chandigarh, November 29 The children oblivious of their surroundings, took this opportunity to shake hands with the general. They got themselves photographed, danced and sang songs. Some of them had brought their autograph books. Mr G.K. Marwah, Secretary, Social Welfare, informed the Administrator that these children were from the Government Institute of Mentally Retarded Children, Vatika, a institute for the hearing impaired children, Bhavan Vidyalaya and Sadana, both institutes of mentally retarded children, Institute for the Blind and loco motor disabled children of Government Schools. |
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Riar sworn in as PPSC member Chandigarh, November 29 With the induction of General Riar, the strength of the commission has risen to six, including the Chairman. Mr Ravinder Pal Singh Sidhu, other members of the commission and senior civil servants from the state attended the ceremony. General Riar is an MBA and a diploma holder in human resource development. |
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Kanwal Kishore retires Chandigarh, November 29 During his tenure, he worked with Doordarshan news, the Press Information Bureau and the Directorate of Field Publicity in various capacities. Before joining the Indian Information Service in 1971 he served in the Army. |
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Tribune employees bereaved Chandigarh, November 29 Uthala will be held at Gita Mandir, Phase-I, Jalandhar, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. on November 30. |
Bicycle thief caught red-handed Chandigarh, November 29 Booths broken into Two booths in Sector 29 were broken into last night. A resident of the same sector, Gulshan Kumar has reported that cash worth Rs 70,000 and 18 packets of desi ghee were stolen from both no.50 and cash worth Rs 2,500 was stolen from booth no. 47. The police has registered a case.
Theft case A Sector 11 resident, Sonia Bowen, has reported that her pouch containing 600 pounds (about Rs 48,000) and three gold bangles weighing about 40 gram were stolen from her Maruti car while it was parked at Sector 17. Police have registered a case.
Moped stolen A Sector 32 resident, Yogesh Vinayak, has reproted that his Hero Puch moped (CH-03-F-7468) has been stolen when it was parked outside the District Courts, Sector 17. Police has eregistered a case.
Scrap stolen A scrap dealer in Attawa, Sant Ram, has reported that a resident of the same village, Bidhi Chand, stole scrap worth about Rs 2,500 from his shop. The police has registered a case.
PANCHKULA Proclaimed offender held The police has arrested a proclaimed offender in a case of abduction. Moti Lal was accused of having kidnapped a girl from Bir Ghaggar village on February 23, 1999. He had abducted the girl on the pretext of marrying her. The accused had been taking the girl around at various places in Himachal Pradesh, before he was arrested by the police from a hotel in Kullu-Manali.
Illegal mining The police has booked the owner and driver of truck (HR-01B- 3100) and tractor-trailer (HR-01E- 1594) for illegal sand mining in Ghaggar river yesterday.
Three booked The police has booked Pramod and Mukesh of Kalka and Jasbir Singh of Pinjore on the charges of rioting. The three were involved in a fight. |
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