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| Thursday,
December 13, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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HUDA seeks 100 cops for anti-encroachment drive Panchkula, December 12 According to well-placed sources in HUDA, the Administrator, Mr Aroon Kumar Gupta, has written to the Superintendent of Police, Panchkula, and asked for a total of 100 cops in order to ensure that their anti- encroachment drive is carried on peacefully. Sources in HUDA said fearing a sharp reaction from residents of these colonies, where encroachments were rampant, they had decided to wait for removing encroachments till the district police was able to withdraw its personnel for the purpose. With the residents of housing board colonies refusing to budge, in spite of several notices issued by HUDA, and the seven-day deadline given by the authorities expiring on December 10, the Estate Office of HUDA is all set to start its anti- encroachment drive. It has also been decided that the staff from the housing board will accompany HUDA officials whenever an anti- encroachment drive is launched in the colonies developed by the board. The issue was finally resolved at a meeting of officials of both departments held on December 10. When contacted, the Estate Officer, Ms Geeta Bharti, confirmed that they were now gearing up for removing encroachments in housing board colonies. “We are awaiting the availability of police in order to avoid any untoward incident during the drive. As and when we get the nod from the SP, Panchkula, we will proceed with our drive, “ she asserted. These colonies exist in Sectors 6, 8, 10, 11, 15, 18, 19 and 26 in the township. Encroachments have continued to grow in these colonies, mainly comprising raising of unauthorised structures, encroachments on road berms and opening of commercial establishments. A preliminary survey by the authorities shows that around 1000 houses have encroached upon road berms. Encroachments are so rampant that even live electricity poles are covered and live cables pass through buildings. |
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Most dairy products in city heavily contaminated Chandigarh, December 12 The study which had tested as many as 200 samples of dairy products collected at random from various selling points in the city concluded that most of the samples were found to be positive with large amounts of viable bacteria. These samples included almost equal numbers of ice creams, kulfis, softy, paneer etc, collected from time to time over a period of two years, particularly in monsoon months when these products are available in plenty. The most contaminated samples were that of paneer with 91 per cent of the samples full of bacteria. About 60 per cent of the ice creams had viable bacteria while 75 per cent of the kulfi samples were found contaminated. Sixtyfour per cent of softy samples were found to have viable bacteria. The study also indicated that there was inadequate pasteurisation of milk for the production of dairy products. Other than infection causing bacteria, fecal organisms were also found in the samples. The samples also had bacteria caused by environmental contamination and unhygienic handling. The study attributes the heavy bacterial contamination found in all samples to the practice of preparing large bulks far too advance of requirement and being kept for long periods at room temperature. It was also indicative of poor hygienic conditions and faults in manufacturing/handling process during the production of these dairy products. The study conducted by Dr Chetana Vaishnavi, Associate Professor, and Dr Kartar Singh, Professor and Head, Department of Gastroenterology, PGI, recommends that stringent control of thermal processes in the manufacture of dairy products from raw or heat treated milk is required. Also strict hygiene in the preparation and storage of dairy products has also been recommended. |
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It’s canvassing
time at Golf Club Chandigarh, December 12 The club — considered to be an upper crust one — will be holding its annual elections on December 22. Till then golfers, who are contesting the poll, are leaving no stone unturned to attract voters. With a ban on hosting parties to attract voters, the best option is to seek votes by arriving each morning at the golf course and to accost and woo fellow golfers with promises of better facilities and making the club more friendly for golfers. “A stiff competition is expected between the two presidential candidates, Mr Tegbir (Gogi) Sibia and Mr Ravi Sandhu. This time there is no traditional rivalry between the IAS fraternity and the group of retired Army officers, who are members of the club. Army officers have a fair representation in the club and their votes can tilt the balance in any body’s favour so every group is trying to take them along,” says a member of the club. This year also, candidates are following the same strategy. Mr Sibia, who was the president two years ago, has five armymen on his panel. His rival Mr Sandhu, an old-time member of the club and a Punjab cadre IAS official, has matched him with four ‘fauji’s. Each of the panels has fielded a woman candidate. Besides the direct election for the post of the president, each member of the club will also have to vote for electing a body of 10 executive members. Twenty candidates are in the fray for the executive body. Each of the candidates is heading a panel which will be elected by about 1,000 members. Although, the battlelines have been drawn for the poll, the overall atmosphere of bonhomie is being maintained and the members are a close-knit unit. It is an accepted fact that cross voting takes place as friendship weighs more than loyalty to a panel, points out a member. This means that it is not necessary that the entire panel of a president will be elected. Going by record in the past decade or so the voters have usually elected a majority of the president’s panel. But it does not mean that the executive members elected from the other panel are not taken into confidence while doing anything. The entire team then works as a single unit for the betterment of the club. The panels are: Mr Ravi Sandhu ( president) For the posts of executive members, Mr S.M.S. Sandhu, Mr S.P.S. Matharoo, Mr S.S. (Sukhi) Lehl, Mrs Pika Prithipal Singh, Mr Jaideep Sekhon, Mr K.S. Brar, Col S.S. Boparai, Col J.S. Panag, Col Iqbal Singh and Brig R.S. Dhillon. |
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HC issues
notice to Home Secy Chandigarh, December 12 In his petition, Dimpy had contended that the High Court after taking up his earlier petition, claiming that the police had not registered an attempt to murder case against the accused who were SAD members had directed the investigating officer to associate the petitioner in the investigations and conclude the same expeditiously. The High Court had also directed the Home Secretary to take appropriate action in view of the threats being received by the petitioner, but till date nothing had been done. His counsel had added on the petitioner’s behalf that “inspite of clear directions from the court and legal notices by
Dimpy, the respondents had failed to take any action and there was intentional, deliberate and wilful violation of the orders”. |
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Congress
to consult high command on Mayor Chandigarh, December 12 This was indicated by local MP Pawan Bansal and Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee President B.B.Bahl at a press conference here today. Mahila Congress President Lalit Joshi and Anu Chathrath are being tipped for the post in the first term that is reserved for women. Mr Bansal said people had rejected the policies of the BJP and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in whose name the BJP had sought votes. He said the victory of the Congress in the MC was a precursor of things in store for the party in the Punjab and Himachal Assembly elections due early next year. Mr Bansal said the party would prepare a time-bound programme for the development of the city. He said the party would initially focus on sanitation and would apply pressure on the Administration for better coordination between it and the MC. Mr Bansal said the party would fight for the transfer of powers to panchayats and more funds through the Finance Commission. He said the party would constitute ward committees and sector-level sub-committees to ensure participation of people. Mr Bansal said the EC had failed to enthuse people for election despite efforts to urge people to vote. Mr Bahl without naming CVM chief Harmohan Dhawan said those who claimed to have helped Mr Bansal win the Lok Sabha election themselves, could not help win their party’s most prestigious seat (Ms Satinder Dhawan’s seat. |
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Jubilation
over MC results at Iftar Chandigarh, December 12 This was informed here today by the CTCC spokesman, Mr Amarjit Sethi and its member Chaman Lal Sharma, who were the only two, to have attended the party from the city. As soon the two were informed about the results the news spread to everyone in the party where the Congressmen said it was a signal for the Punjab elections. |
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Badheri front runner for samiti chairmanship Chandigarh, December 12 Mr Badheri, who is the District Congress Committee (Rural) president and was elected unopposed as a panchayat member earlier, is the only Sharma camp man who is in a position to take some responsibility and maintain balance of power in the party dominated by the local MP Pawan Bansal. Badheri had sent a strong signal before the MC poll by sending five of the Congress-supported panchayat members unopposed immediately after withdrawal of nominations. This move was being seen as a tactic to influence the Congress wave in the MC poll that had to follow. The formal decision on the chairmanship has to be taken by the high command in consultation with the local leadership. Twelve of the 13 Congress-supported members, Purushottam Sharma, Bhupinder Singh Badheri, Didar Singh, Mohinder Singh, Jagir Singh, Amrik Singh, Dayal Singh, Jasbir Kaur, Bhupinder Kaur, Surender Kaur, Sudharshan Kaur and Meenakshi Devi, today expressed their support for the Congress before the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee president, Mr B.B. Bahl, and Mr Bansal. Lata Sharma also expressed her support, but could not join today’s parade. All of these have been elected in the election counting for which was done yesterday. Only two of the BJP-supported candidates, Shangara Singh from Darua and Hukum Chand from Khuda Alisher, were elected in the election. |
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YOUNG VOICE SUBHASH Chander Bhasker believes in living for a cause. For the past about three years, he has been actively working for the betterment of thallasaemic children in the city. An employee of Markfed, he has been motivating people to donate blood for these children, who need blood after every 15 days. While Bhasker has himself donated blood 20 times, he has organised many blood donation camps in government departments, including the Punjab Financial Corporation, Director, Food and Supplies, Punjab, Gyanjyoti Institute of Management, Agriculture Department, Punjab, and many more. He says, “Organising camps is essential. When I donate blood, a single unit goes, but when I arrange a camp, at least 100 units go”. Some time ago, Bhasker had arranged a padyatra from his native village Payal to Naina Devi. The objective was to spread awareness about thallasaemia. Accompanied by 70 volunteers, Bhasker went about distributing books, pamphlets and self-written articles carrying information on the disease. He said, “Our aim is to spread the message that this disease is curable. It just requires the man and the woman to get their blood tested before marrying each other”. Bhasker also arranged a cycle rally to Delhi in November. He met the Health
Minister in Delhi and requested him to award the thallasaemic children a special status, under which they could enjoy some benefits. He says, “There are about 350 thallasaemic kids in the PGI. They are too weak to work. The government must secure rights for them”. For his efforts, the UT Administration presented Bhasker with an award on the occasion of Republic Day in 2000. |
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Chaos unplugged as traffic lights refuse to blink Zirakpur, December 12 A number of accidents have occurred due to these lights. Road users and pedestrians hardly observe rules, which made the site accident prone. Vehicular traffic remains disrupted for hours on the roads as vehicles cross the intersection haphazardly, throwing all norms to the winds. Goods and other material spread by shopkeepers in front of their shops here have become another bottlenecks. Barricades put up by the police adjacent to the bus queue shelter, have reduced the width of the road, resulting in congestion on the highway. Traffic jams for hours can often be noticed along the highways during office hours. Passengers remain stranded for hours. The worst sufferers are students, patients and those who have to catch trains from Ambala and buses from Chandigarh and Patiala to reach their destinations. According to Mr Krishan Sharma, a local resident, local residents have hardly seen traffic lights functioning at the Zirakpur-Panchkula road intersection for the past over six months. ‘‘Non-functional traffic lights have become traffic hazards, which often result in accidents here’’, he opines. The president of Zirakpur Market Welfare Association, Mr Sunehari Lal, complaints that the department has hardly thought about the safety of road users. He says the traffic lights, installed by the department some time back, have failed to remain functional for long. ‘‘The department had installed a sound system, but that had failed after a few months’’, says Mr Amit Kumar, a shopkeeper. A policeman deployed at the Bhabhat police post says repeated representations to the department concerned have been futile. The Punjab Public Works Department authorities, disclose that the area has been transferred to the local civic body. The Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat authorities were not available for comment. |
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Reminiscences
of a seasoned soldier Chandigarh, December 12 Speaking on the occasion, Col Nanda said he had dealt extensively with the integration of princely states with the Indian Union, with special reference to the accession of Hyderabad. “This was a crucial period in the post-Partition days of which the public is generally unaware”, the 85-year-old author remarked. Intelligence operations during the Hyderabad expedition are also discussed. Colonel Nanda, who has been writing for
newspapers and journals for the past 20 years, said a chapter titled “Defending the Defenders” has been devoted to issues concerning the servicemen. “After independence the role of the Army was never recognised,” he said. “We were looked upon as a mercenary army and were ignored and mistrusted,” he added. Relations with China have been extensively covered and Chinese territorial claims and threat perceptions from a soldier’s point of view are discussed. Colonel Nanda was of the opinion that China has still not given up its territorial claims, which includes chunks of Kashmir and the North-East, besides parts of Burma and Nepal. Of significant interest to readers of military matters would be chapters devoted to the role of media as a tool of information warfare and the recent Kargil conflict. Colonel Nanda, a World War II veteran who was commissioned into the British Indian Army in 1941, said almost half a century ago he had served in that sector when marching on foot was the only means of travelling in that area. His experiences during a stint in Vietnam from 1962 to 1963 are also included in the book. Letters written to his daughter, Ms Neeru Nanda, an IAS officer currently posted as the Adviser to the UT Administrator, from Vietnam have helped him compile this chapter and are included in book. Later, General Jacob said it was a delightful book, covering a whole spectrum of events over a period of 50 years. “It is entertaining, comprehensive, revealing, and should make a good reading,” the Governor remarked. |
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Cinema hall
opened near Zirakpur Zirakpur, December 12 The minister was addressing a gathering after inaugurating a movie hall located on the Zirakpur-Panchkula road near Dhakauli village, about 2 km from here. Mr Singh also appealed to the NRIs of the state to invest more in their native villages so that they may be developed on a par with towns. He said the government had already started “village adoption scheme” for the NRIs. Special benefits are being provided to NRIs adopting village for its development. He said the government was doing its best to provide all basic civic amenities and other facilities to the residents of Zirakpur like on Chandigarh. Capt Kanwaljit Singh said a park would come up in Zirakpur at a cost of Rs 1 crore. |
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Water pressure to be low today Chandigarh, December 12 According to a press note, pumping of raw water from Kajauli to waterworks, Sector-39 Chandigarh, through rising main Phase-I and Phase-II, will remain suspended between 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. tomorrow. |
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Osho’s birthday celebrations Chandigarh, December 12 The camp was conducted by an old associate of Rajneesh Osho, Mr Vairagya Amrit . People from the vicinity city celebrated Osho’s birthday with great fervour. |
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Pensioners’ Day on Dec 16 Chandigarh, December 12 The function will be held at the auditorium of Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10 here. Ms Neeru Nanda, Advisor to the UT Administrator will be the chief guest. |
Employee decamps with 1.8 lakh Chandigarh, December 12 Caught A resident of Palsora, Raja, was caught red-handed by a Sector 40 resident, Malkiat Singh, while stealing a bicycle. The accused was later handed over to the police. Eight stolen bicycles have been recovered from his possession.
Case registered The police has registered a case of fraud against a Ropar resident, Surinder Pal. A resident of Badheri village in Chandigarh, Ranjit Singh had reported that the accused had allegedly taken Rs 50,000 from him in February last year for sending him to Italy. The accused neither sent him abroad nor did he return his money.
Question paper missing A question paper for the entrance examination to MD/MS course conducted at the PGI on December 8 was reported stolen by an invigilator, Uma Grover. Candidates were supposed to return the question paper along with the answer sheets, but on counting after the exam was over, one question paper was found short. The police has registered a case in this connection.
Accident case A resident of Gango village in Himachal Pradesh, Puspraj, was injured and admitted to the PGI after his cycle was knocked down by a Tata Sumo near the Sector 16 cricket stadium. The driver of the vehicle, Supual, a resident of Nagla village in Punjab, has been arrested and a case has been registered.
Vehicle thefts Janak Raj, a resident of Sector 29, has reported that his Kawasaki motorcycle (CH-03-C-8378) was stolen from the parking lot outside his office on Madhaya Marg, Sector 26. The police has registered a case. A Sector 41 resident, Davinder Kaur, has reported that her scooter (CH-03-B-3192) has been stolen from her residence. The police has registered a case.
Mobile stolen Mr R.N. Raina, a Sector 42 resident, has reported that his mobile phone has been stolen from his car which was parked at the Rock Garden last night. The police has registered a case.
Held for
gambling Panchkula Kinetic Honda stolen: A Kinetic Honda scooter ( HR- 03A- 4920) was reportedly stolen from Sector 4 here yesterday. A case under Section 379 of the IPC has been registered. Arrested: Harchand Singh, a resident of Sector 18 was arrested and 48 pouches of liquor were recovered from him. He has been booked under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act. |
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Son of Army officer held for snatchings Chandigarh, December 12 The police has identified the accused as Navdeep Bedi and Yuvraj Singh Sobti. Two cars, a mobile phone, three shawls and several handbags have been recovered from their possession. Navdeep was arrested from Sector 45 while Yuvraj was arrested from Sector 40. According to the police, Navdeep aged about 22, is a resident of Sector 15 and is a student of Pharmacy. Yuvraj (19) is the son of a District Transport Officer in Punjab and is pursuing B.Com through correspondence. The police says that this is the second time they have been arrested. Earlier, they were caught for allegedly committing thefts in rooms in Shivalikview and Mountview hotels, for which they are being tried by a local court. Both are said to be drug addicts. With their arrest, several cases of snatching registered at police stations in Sector 36 and 39 have been solved. Two cars stolen by them were recovered by the police earlier. Following a spate of snatching incidents in the city, a special team under the SP, Mr Baldev Singh, and the DSP, Mr S.C. Sagar, had been constituted to investigate the issue. |
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Booked
for making obscene cassette Chandigarh, December 12 It is learnt that both the complainant as well as the accused are embroiled in a legal case at the district courts here, The girl’s father had earlier charged the accused with sexual misconduct with his daughter following which the matter was taken to court The accused had produced the said cassette, said to be shot secretly, before the court in his defence during the trial. The matter went up to the higher police authorities, on whose directions the case was registered. |
Seminar focuses on need to promote tourism Chandigarh, December 12 The Union Ministry for Tourism India, acting in tandem with the private sector, had made elaborate plans to promote India as destination for the east and South-East countries as there had been a setback to inbound traffic to India from the USA and Europe, Mr Gupta said. He said travel for pilgrimage and learning had been an integral part of Indian culture, besides India is also home to many world religions which make domestic tourism a year –round activity. He said there was tremendous potential to promote domestic tourism as India offered myriad attractions like the mountains, beaches, fairs and festivals, and a rich cultural heritage. Domestic tourism, which served as a base of pyramid for international tourism, showed that its growth rate was more than 10 per cent with more than 200 million persons travelling every year while inbound tourist traffic increases at the rate of four to five per cent annually, Mr Gupta said, adding that efforts should be synergised to promote both domestic and international tourism. Mr Gupta was of the view that Indian tourism industry could grow much faster if they made optimum use of our existing resources and available infrastructure with an integrated tourism policy with pragmatic and innovative marketing strategy. He said the country’s adverse balance of payment and debts could be cleared by the tourism industry alone if tourism was given due importance by the government as India had tremendous potential to promote its tourism products and services. Talking about tourism in northern states Mr Gupta suggested that they should have an integrated tourism policy, planning and marketing of the entire northern region as single destination. He said special packages should be worked out for these states. About Chandigarh he said, he did not see Chandigarh tourism taking active part at the
WTM, ITB and other international and national tourism marts which can bring in additional tourism inflow and revenue for the City Beautiful. “Why not to have a small group of youth specially trained to offer tourism services for the entire Northern India with a base at Chandigarh,” Mr Gupta said. The youth so trained should have comprehensive knowledge about all tourist attractions in northern India with the amenities and facilities available for tourists. Mr Gupta suggested that there should be a common window information and facilitation desk/ centre for all the northern Indian states at Chandigarh with CRS, and latest information by means of audio-visuals said, adding that gone were the days for the traditional way of promoting tourism. He suggested both macro and micro approach to tourism planning and marketing. He suggested that the Festival of Gardens at Chandigarh taking place in February next year could be utilised to garner international image and mileage if the organisers invited various embassies and high commissions based at Delhi, various tourism organisations representing tourism and hospitality industry, airlines and others who matter to get tourist inflow to northern India. During this period, a tourism expo with participation from central and state governments and industries would promote this city as an attractive destination. “We can also have health related tourism seminar and exhibition on Indian herbs and medicines as part of the festivities”, Mr Gupta said, adding this would also promote Chandigarh as a healthy and eco friendly place. Chandigarh with attributes such as being a gateway city, modern and planned infrastructure, multicultural society and easy accessibility should be promoted be promoted as a convention city. Caption: Mr
S. K. Gupta delivers lecture on domestic tourism at Chandigarh on Wednesday. |
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MARKET PULSE Chandigarh, December 12 The categories under which one can participate are hot pakoras, sukhi seasonal sabzi and garam halwa. The faculty of the Institute of Hotel Management will assess the entries and the shortlisted candidates will be required to bring the prepared dishes to the venue, Dr Ambedkar Institute of Hotel Management, Catering and Nutrition, Sector 42-D, on December 20 for the final evaluation. The prize distribution will be held the same day. All finalists will be given a free copy of the shortlisted recipes, stated a press note. |
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Shangri-La opens
in Mohali SAS Nagar, December 12 A special team of Chinese cooks has been brought from Calcutta to cook and savour authentic Chinese dishes for its clientele. The owner of the Shangri-La chain of restaurant, Mr Amarjeet Singh, plans to open outlets of the restaurant at Panchkula and Jalandhar also. |
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