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Tuesday,
January 7, 2003, Chandigarh, India |
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MC ELECTIONS Panchkula, January 6 With most of the candidates in the fray having released their election manifestos and
campaigning on at full swing, the candidates are promising the moon to the voters.
Issues close to the heart of the voter are the ones being promised by candidates,
irrespective of the fact that they as councillors would be in no position to tackle
these.
Issues like sanitation, streetlighting, improving the condition of roads, which will
be in the purview of the elected councillors, have taken a back seat.
Abolition/reduction of taxes imposed by the council and reduction in the cable
tariff, which are beyond them, are the main issues on the election manifestos of
most candidates.
So much so that even candidates supported by the ruling party- Indian National Lok
Dal — which had itself imposed house tax, fire tax and professional tax in all civic
bodies, after octroi was withdrawn, are also promising withdrawl of these taxes once
elected to power.
It may be noted that the Municipal Council here would earn Rs 3.5 crore annually from
house tax and fire tax and a sum of Rs 15 lakh from professional tax. The revenue
generated through these taxes contributes to about 40 per cent of the total annual
revenue ( about Rs 9.25 crore) of the council.
Also, The Haryana Municipal Act, 1973 , clearly states that the state government has
the power to suspend any resolution or order passed by a committee or council. “Even
if the elected councillors pass any resolution to either abolish or reduce these
taxes, it will be insignificant. The Deputy Commissioner can suspend any such
resolution. On the other hand, any elected representative can lose his chair if he
tries to cause financial loss to the council, in this case cut in taxes, “ informs
an officer of the Municipal Council.
Interestingly, most candidates while promising abolition of taxes, fail to educate on
how revenue earned through these taxes will be substituted for carrying on other
developmental activities. They promise better roads, streetlighting, better
maintenance of parks and sanitation, but express their ignorance on how such
developmental activities will be carried out if the taxes are withdrawn.
Another popular election promise by most candidates is the reduction in cable tariff.
This issue, which has rocked the township every few months for the past one year
with each increase in tariff by the operators, figures prominently on each of the
candidates manifestos. But quiz them on why cable operators will reduce the tariff
at their instance, and they are at a loss of words. |
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Election material with RO Panchkula, January 6 The election material, other than the ballot boxes, was brought from the office of
the State Election Commission in Sector 20, Chandigarh, in a
well-gaurded truck. This has set the ball rolling for the rehearsal of elections to
be held at Yavanika on January 10.
On the other hand, the administration continued to keep a tab on candidates violating
the code of conduct by removing banners from electricity poles, trees, government,
semi-government and other public property. The putting up of banners here is a
violation of the Haryana Defacement Act.
Meanwhile, candidates continued with their campaigning in various wards. Mr
C.L. Malhotra, an Independent candidate from Ward No. 10, said he had finished his
first round of door-to-door campaign.
Mr Randhir
Mallik, an INLD-supported candidate from Ward No. 13, today held three “nukkad”
meetings with residents of Sector 14 and 15. He was accompanied by Mr Kanti Prakash
Bhalla, former Minister and president of the District unit of the party, Mr Ram
Gopal Mehta. Ms Urviz
Aggarwal, another INLD candidate from Ward No. 30, visited Sector 21 and promised
better development of the area.
The election manifesto of Mr Ajay
Goel, an Independent candidate from Ward No. 3, was released in which he promised
rationalisation of taxes, sanitation, converting the rehri market into booths and
parking places in Sector 7 market. The election manifestos of Mr Pardeep Sharma, a
candidate from Ward No. 19, Mr Tarun
Bhandari, a candidate from Ward No. 25, Ms Jalmeda Dahia from Ward No. 10, were also
released. The three candidates promised better sanitation, improvement of roads and
doing away with stray-cattle menace.
Ms Renuka Rai Walia, a candidate from Ward No. 2, today visited various group housing
societies and assured the implementation of all provisions made for Swastik Vihar in
the master plan.
Mr Devindra Dhawan, the BJP candidate from Ward No. 21, held meetings with eminent
residents of his ward and also held “nukkad” meetings in Sector 11. He promised to
work for the development and beautification of the sector. |
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UAV designed by PEC for SASE
test-flown Chandigarh, January 6 According to the head of the PEC’s Department of Aeronautical Engineering, Dr S.C.
Sharma, the UAV is designed to ascertain snow accumulation patterns in remote and
inaccessible areas. Information gathered through the UAV would be used to assess the
snow cover, locate safe routes for troop movement, search of objects buried in snow
and mark out hazardous areas like crevises.
Headquartered in Chandigarh, the SASE, a laboratory under the Defence Research and
Development Organisation, has been given the task to provide advance weather
forecasts and avalanche warnings to troops deployed in high-altitude areas along the
Line of Control. It is also engaged in carrying out terrain studies and generating
maps of hazardous areas. The SASE’s tasks assume significance in the light to the
Army’s increased commitment in the Kargil Sector, known for its treacherous terrain.
This is the first-ever defence project undertaken by PEC’s Aeronautical Department.
Dr Sharma, who was the only aeronautical engineer on the 10-man team involved in
designing and fabricating the UAV, said the aircraft could also have a lot of
applications in the civilian sector. While designing and theoretical work concerning
the airframe was done in Chandigarh, trials were carried out in Pune.
The project, which till recently had been kept under wraps even within the DRDO, was
started under the directions of Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam about three years ago, when he
was holding the portfolio Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister. This possibly
explained why flight trails were done in Pune rather than in Bangalore, which is the
country’s aeronautical hub. Also, no aeronautical engineer from the DRDO was
involved.
With its airframe fabricated from fibre reinforced plastic, the UAV weighs around 60
kg and is packed with sophisticated electronics and high-resolution cameras, besides
a telemetry link to transmit images back to controllers in real time. |
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DHAKAULI ROBBERY Zirakpur, January 6 Sources said a company of Punjab Police Commandos has also been deployed in the
Zirakpur area to tighten the noose around the neck of the culprits and avoid any
untoward incident.
While talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Mr Tajinder Singh, SHO, Dera Bassi, said police
teams have been dispatched to suspected hideouts of the assailants. A team of the
CIA staff, Patiala, has also been pressed into service.
He said the Punjab Police was in touch with the Chandigarh and Panchkula police. He
said Mr Balbir Singh’s daughter, who had earlier claimed to have recognised a
robber, today failed to identify when a suspect arrested by the Panchkula Police was
produced before her. The police has deployed two constables at the residence of Mr
V.S. Mishra in Hill View Colony at Dhakauli village.
It may be recalled that armed with daggers, iron rods and batons, the group of
robbers had struck at the house of Mr V.S. Mishra in the wee hours on Sunday. They
had hacked Deepak Mishra, son of Mr V.S. Mishra, to death and left five — Mr Mishra,
his wife Suman, younger son Pawan, Deepak’s wife Geeta and their daughter Tania —
seriously injured.
The critically wounded Mr V.S. Mishra and Tania are battling for their lives at the
PGI in Chandigarh. The condition of Geeta is also stated to be serious, while Pawan
and Suman are to be stable.
The body of Deepak was cremated at the cremation ground in Sector 25, Chandigarh, by
the relatives of the victims today. |
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Road safety week begins; blood donated Chandigarh, January 6 During the safety week various activities like a painting competition, a workshop for
bus and truck drivers, eye camps, and a scooter rally by girl students and lectures
for rickshaw-pullers will be organised.
Mr Rajesh Kumar, IGP, inaugurated the week-long celebrations at Sector 17 this
morning. Mr Balbir Singh, SP (Traffic) outlined details of the safety week.
Speaking on the occasion, the IGP asked city residents to obey the traffic rules in
order to make the city road “more safe”.
He said the police was trying to provide better road safety to the residents.
At the inaugural function, all senior officials of the police were present.
In a release issued, the police said 9,000 students and 336 teachers of various
schools and colleges had been imparted training on road safety.
The donors included cops, students from Dev Samaj College, Sector 45, Government
College, Sector 11, Government College for Girls, Sector 11 and 46, DAV College and
Government Home Science College. |
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Auto strike off Chandigarh, January 6 Earlier in the day, after holding a protest at the Matka chowk, a delegation met the
Administrator and urged him to provide some more time so that they could purchase
new vehicles. The delegation was led by Mr N.S. Minhas, a local Akali leader, and Ms
Harjinder Kaur, a former Mayor of the city, along with Mr Harcharan Singh Sawney,
president of the union. Mr Makiat Singh Dhaliwal, and Mr Ravinder Singh Khalsa.
The delegation argued that they were forced to go on strike to the discomfort of the
public, especially schoolchildren, since the State Transport Authority (STA) had
decided to impound 15-year-old or more auto-rickshaws without giving them adequate
time to purchase new vehicles.
Auto-rickshaw operators of SAS Nagar, Panchkula and Zirakpur also joined the protest
yesterday. The Administrator also reportedly agreed to consider the other demands of
the union, including subsidised loans to buy new vehicles and exemption from sales
tax to buy new vehicles. Mr Sawney, said: “We were not against the Administration’s
decision to implement the SC guidelines, however, we were just demanding some time
till March-end to arrange finance for new vehicles.” |
Panchkula MC ‘harasses’ drought-hit nomads Panchkula, January 6 Camping at an abandoned piece of land in Daffarpur village near Ramgarh in Panchkula
for the past couple of days, these families, along with their 10,000 pets, who were
forced to leave their native villages — Balwara, Kathari, Bishangarh, Bala Bhawrani,
Rambha, Saila — due to drought are allegedly being harassed by the Panchkula
Municipal Council (MC) authorities.
These nomads had a bitter experience on their arrival here when the Panchkula MC
authorities impounded 30 sheep and goats and allegedly pocketed Rs 8,000 for
releasing only 27 animals.
The matter came to light when Mr Wari Ram Devasi, a resident of Balwara village in
Jalore district, who is an owner of a sheep flock, approached the authorities to get
a receipt of the money paid by him to get the sheep released. He raised a hue and
cry for the three missing sheep.
Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Mr Devasi alleged that some employees of the Panchkula
MC enforcement staff rounded up their 30 animals (24 sheep and 6 goats) including
some donkeys, which were grazing on the Ghaggar river bed near the Nada Sahib
Gurdwara.
‘‘After being charged a penalty of Rs 8,000 for the release of the animals, no
receipt was issued to me and only 27 animals were released. When we protested, one
more sheep was released. The authorities denied having the sheep and the goat in
their possession, ’’ he alleged.
These families are camping in abandoned pieces of land around the village along with
15 camels, 24 donkeys and four dogs. They are feeling doubly ruined by the drought
and the Panchkula administration.
According to documentary proof, the group of families is headed by Mr Kala Ram, a
70-year-old resident of Balwara. The families have been given a permit by the
Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Jalore to roam and feed their cattle in four states —
Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh — because of the ongoing drought
in Rajasthan.
Holding a cake of bajra (millet) with a piece of gur on his palm, Mr Bhana Ram (65)
narrated their tale of woes as they pooled Rs 8,000 to get their sheep released. He
lamented that the Panchkula MC did not give them any receipt.
‘‘We trudged miles for survival but in Panchkula we were harassed a lot. Instead of
helping us, the government has rubbed salt on our wounds,’’ said Mr Roopa Ram Deva.
‘‘We were offered meals thrice in Punjab and Haryana,’’ a woman in the camp said.
‘But after months of long journey, it was a shocking experience for us in Panchkula.
After making payment to get the sheep released we have been left with nothing and
are forced to beg,’’ she lamented.
Their problems do not end here, the cold wave has also claimed many sheep of the
families during the past two weeks.
When contacted, Mr O.P. Sihag, Executive Officer of the Panchkula Municipal Council,
expressed his ignorance about the incident. He, however, said that if any shepherd
or other animal-owner camps on the outer skirts of the MC limits and enters within
the limits, the MC was authorised to impound the animals.
They were exempted provided they were migrants and were crossing within the MC
limits, he claimed. |
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Panel to review building bylaws SAS Nagar, January 6 According to a member, Mr B.S. Tej, who is also president of the Citizens Welfare
Council, SAS Nagar, the committee members will be revising various building bylaws
being followed by the Chandigarh Administration, Chandigarh Housing Board and the
Haryana Urban Development Authority to find examples that can be emulated by PUDA.
According to sources, the decision to review the building bylaws was taken as a large
number of residents have changed the design of their buildings. They have been
issued notices by PUDA. This made the authorities sit up and it felt some
relaxations needed to be made in commensuration with changing times and needs.
The building bylaws being followed across the PUDA estates in Punjab were constituted
in 1996 and have not been amended or reviewed till date.
These bylaws, called the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority Building
Rules, 1996, were earlier formed on the basis of the Punjab Urban Estate Development
Regulations, 1964.
“The meeting held today was a preliminary one and all of us will now be given copies
of other Acts that are being followed in the region. We are also going to gather
additional information from the residents about what changes they perceive in the
building bylaws.
All this information will then be sent to the chairman, who after going through the
written information, will call another meeting for a discussion,” said Mr B.S.
Baidwan, president of the Mohali Industries Association, who is also a member of the
committee.
Other than the chairman of the committee, who is Additional Chief Administrator,
PUDA, the committee includes architects, town planners and representatives from the
local government. |
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Fall in line, Mayor tells staff Chandigarh, January 6 The mantra of speedy development was placed by the Mayor before the officers in his
introductory meeting with them.
The meeting was attended by Commissioner M.P. Singh, Additional Commissioner Ashok
Vashishth, Joint Commissioner Sunil Bhatia, Chief Engineer V.K. Bharadwaj,
superintendent engineers and executive engineers.
Mr Chawla said delays due to procedural hassles should be reduced to a minimum. He
sought a status report on finances which was cited as one of the major reasons of
delays in completion of project. The report is likely to be submitted in a couple of
days.
He also asked the officials to keep the area councillor posted about the ongoing
developmental activities. Mr Chawla asked the Enforcement Department to be polite
with the people and avoid unnecessary confrontation. The formal meeting followed
informal separate meetings with the Commissioner and the Chief Engineer. Mr Chawla
is also believed to have sought photostat copies of the meat licences in the city
from Dr M.S. Kamboj.
Mr Chawla got some useful suggestions from officers to reduce the delay in
procedures. He asked the officers to tap more resources from the Central Government
for improving the sanitation of the city.
A Central Pollution Control Board delegation today met the Commissioner to inquire
about the progress being made on time-bound necessary measures required by the Union
Environment and Forest Ministry under the guidelines laid down by the Supreme
Court. |
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Hungry kya... Chandigarh, January 6 The official lunch time for the Municipal Corporation staff is between 1 p.m and 1.30
p.m.
The Mayor had to call up his wife asking her to send lunch in the office. He had
called a meeting with officers at 3 p.m. |
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Demand to set up trust for temple Chandigarh, January 6 In a release issued by Mr Arvind Puri, Chairman, RADC, it has been claimed that the
demand is backed by panchayats of 50 villages. Mr Nathu Ram Puri, chairman, Puri
Foundation, UK, had announced a grant of Rs 1 crore for the temple if a Trust was
formed to manage the temple.
In a memorandum submitted to the Governor, it was also demanded that
Mullnapur-Garibdass and surrounding villages should be accorded the status of
Notified Area Committee (NAC).
The delegation also demanded that the Puri Development Trust Mullanpur should be
transferred land at the earliest for the construction of an engineering and IT
college at Mullanpur-Garibdass village. It may be recalled that Mr Nathu Ram Puri
had on July 19, 2002, announced that the Trust would construct the college for the
development of educational facilities in the area.
The delegation also demanded re-laying of village link roads in the Kharar
sub-division. It demanded that the road between the Chandigarh-Mullanpur barrier and
Jayanti Devi temple and the one joining the barrier and Majra village should be
taken up on a priority basis.
The other demands included laying of sewerage system in Mullnapur and surrounding
villages, upgrading of Government Girls School and a 50-bed modern hospital in
Mullanpur - Garibdass village.
The delegation comprised Mr Varinder Sharma, Mr Bahadur Gupta, Mr Sanjay Kumar of
Mata Jayanti Devi Langar and Prabandhak Committee, Mullanpur, Mr Laik Ram, president
of Mata Jayanti Devi Committee, Jayanti Majri, Mr D.D Puri and Mr Nachatar Singh of
the Puri Development Trust and Mr Atma Ram, Mr Gurcharan Dass, Mr Jagjeevan Ram, Mr
Saminder Pal Singh and Mr Baldev Singh, sarpanch of Kasuli, Jayanti Majri, Tira,
Seonk and Ferozpur villages, respectively, and Mr Arvind Puri. |
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‘Follow path shown by Prof Schroff’ SAS Nagar, January 6 Organised by the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER),
Professor Sharma talked about the various facets of the genesis and evolution of
modern pharmacy in India.
Earlier in his welcome address, Prof C.L. Kaul, Director, NIPER, highlighted the fact
that Professor Schroff had in the 50’s pronounced the necessity of establishing a
centre for excellence in pharmaceutical education and research and the creation of
NIPER was the culmination of his idea. Dr Kaul also appreciated that many eminent
scientists in the field of pharmacy in India had been associated with Prof Schroff.
Dr Harkrishan Singh, a student of Prof Schroff, recalled his interaction with him. Mr
P.D. Sheth, president of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association, presided over the
function and stressed that less than 3 per cent of the graduates joined the
profession as community pharmacists, hospital pharmacists or clinical pharmacists.
He also appreciated the establishment of the Department of Pharmacy Practice at
NIPER as a positive move in increasing the availability of competent pharmacists in
the area. Mr Sheth also recommended the need that pharmacists have to be a part of
the healthcare team.
Prof Sharma, who had a long association with the late Prof Schroff initially as a
student and then as colleague, emphasised that Prof Schroff had left behind him
challenges and a legacy for pharmaceutical healthcare and this forms the starting
point for younger pharmacists. Prof K.K. Bhutani, Dean, NIPER, proposed a vote of
thanks. |
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Udisha launched for
women panches SAS Nagar, January 6 Formally inaugurated today by the Minister of Social Security and Welfare of SC/BC,
Chaudhary Santokh Singh, the programme is aimed at empowering women at the grassroot
level. Under the scheme all women panches and sarpanches will be imparted training
on functions and duties of women panchayat members, skills for performing regulatory
and development functions, government schemes for upliftment of women, gender
sensitisation and role of women panchayat members and checking drug abuse.
The training programme created specially for women panches is based on a sample study
of 300 women
panches. During the study it was found that only 10 per cent of them received
regular notices for panchayat meetings and 43 per cent had never received such
notices at all.
The study also pointed out that the number of woman panches who attended the meeting
had gone down substantially over the years. Only seven per cent were attending
meetings regularly while 26 per cent attended these meetings occasionally, that too
only for some specific purpose. As much as 67 per cent of the woman panches had
never attended a single meeting.
The study also pointed out that in some cases the women did not know that they were
standing for elections. The study further showed that most of the women panches had
little idea of the problems of their village and even less knowledge of various
government schemes and rules and regulations.
In his address, the minister said this programme would be launched throughout the
state in the coming six months and all panches and sarpanches trained at the block
level. The government would spend a sum of Rs 623 lakh on the programme. The
minister focussed on the need for women panches to play a pivotal role in ending
female foeticide in the state, which had touched alarming levels. |
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Termite-hit trees axed A Chandigarh Tribune had carried a story on December 3 highlighting that the green
cover in the city was in danger.
Employees of the Horticulture Department cut down the affected trees from the badly
affected belt in Sector 17 in front of the police station. The employees said
officials had ordered them to cut the worst-affected trees in this region.
When contacted, Executive Engineer Horticulture Raghubir Singh said he had passed
orders to remove termites and dead trees from the affected green belt. He had
visited a number of places to assess the extent of damage. Many trees had been
affected due to the dry spell in the city.
Investigations by Chandigarh Tribune had revealed that most of affected trees are in
Sector-17, Sector-16 (adjacent to Shanti Kunj), Sector-28, Panjab University
(dispensary area and some other places), Sector-29 and Sector-22. Many trees in
these sectors have already succumbed to termite infection.
The worst affected belt is in Sector-17 adjacent to the District Courts boundary
wall. The problem is graver in view of termite colonies spreading into offices
situated nearby. |
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FAUJI BEAT A T the time of retirement of former Army chief General S. Padmanabhan, some mediapersons commented that he was reticent with the media during his tenure. It was also said “the official snub to him for his remarks on India’s nuclear capability and resolve, if attacked with N-weapons, made him recede into his shell even more”. While it is easy for the media to make such comments, it is difficult for them to gauge the reasons for this reticence. For as per the Army Rule 21 “no person subject to the Army Act can communicate directly or indirectly to the Press any matter even on service subjects without prior sanction of the Central Government”. This being a tricky rule, can be applied in the strict sense when the government decides to do so. There have been many cases where the Generals got into trouble for making off-the-cuff remarks to the media. Of several such examples is the one of former Army chief General S.F. Rodrigus. In his interview with the Pioneer in 1992, he used certain words which came under severe criticism by Parliamentarians, some of whom went to the extent of demanding his resignation. It was with great difficulty that the situation was saved by the then Defence Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar. So long as the government does not make a media policy for the Army by amending the archaic Army Rule 21, the Generals will continue to exercise caution while interacting with the media.
Gallantry awards
In December, three investiture ceremonies, two in the Western Command and one in the
Northern Command, were held to present gallantry and distinguished service awards to
the soldiers. These awards are great motivators for the young soldiers and should
always be well published.
In the Western Command, the Army Commander, Lieut-Gen S.S. Mehta, presented these
awards to 38 soldiers at Ambala and 40 soldiers at Chandi Mandir on December 13 and
December 16, respectively.
Lucky are those who survive while fighting with exceptional courage and receive the
gallantry awards themselves. But one has to think more of the unfortunate widows and
orphaned children of those soldiers who receive these awards posthumously. They not
only deserve nation’s gratitude but the country also owes them a sacred debt.
Soon after the war, the war heroes are forgotten and with that are forgotten the
promises made to them and their widows. Most of the hapless widows have to rush from
pillar to post to get their dues and many of them fail in their efforts with the
callous government functionaries.
One of the many such examples is that of the widow of Lance Naik Gurbachan Singh from
Kapurthala who laid down his life in the 1965 war. She was allotted 80 kanals. For
which, she had to fight a long battle for 37 years to get her due. Such cases
adversely affect the morale of the serving and retired soldiers.
Helpline catches up
Never before in the past has such a noble service been started by the Army for the
ex-servicemen, their families and widows as the “Ex-servicemen Helpline”. This
service was started by the Headquarters Western Command in the Command Hospital,
Chandi Mandir, on September 15, 2002. By helping the ex-servicemen in all their
problems, it has gone a long way in boosting their morale. Not only the Army men but
even personnel from the Navy and the Air Force are making full use of this service.
With the popularity of this service having grown, it has been started at two more
stations i.e. Bathinda and Jalandhar in the Western Command on January 1, 2003. It
is also being started at Sangrur in the near future. With this tempo, it seems the
service will spread to many more stations in this Command in the current year.
Helping the ex-servicemen in their problems of pension, welfare, hospital admission,
canteen services and to provide them ambulance vehicles and transport at
concessional rates are some of the many services provided by the Helpline. It is
time the other Commands also took a cue from the Headquarters, Western Command, to
start this service. For the experience shows that the government hardly solves any
problems of ex-servicemen. And it is the Army that understands their problems better
besides providing adequate and timely help to them.
Pritam Bhullar |
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City scientist honoured Chandigarh, January 6 Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishan Advani gave away the award to the scientist for the
year 2001 at the 14th All-India Forensic Science Conference. The award is in
recognition of his “outstanding contribution in the field of forensic physical
sciences.”
Starting his career in 1987, Dr Jain undertook a project entitled “Development of
computer-based technique for speaker identification” under the Ninth Five Year Plan
to develop expertise in the examination of criminal cases related to the voice and
speaker identification.
He received advance training in speaker identification and tape authentification at
the University of Trier, Germany and German Federal Police Lab, Wiesbaden, year
2000.
As project leader, he played a significant role in the development of software for
speaker identification in text independent conditions and in the establishment of
forensic speaker identification technique at the CFSL, Chandigarh.
Dr Jain is supervising the work of research fellows to carry out research activities
in the area of forensic speaker identification. |
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Karanj oil as alternative to diesel Chandigarh, January 6 At a demonstration-cum-workshop, organised by the Punjab State Council for Science
and Technology, he claimed that there were 300 species of trees in the country which
produced seeds containing oil, including Karanj. He said Ponamia oil could be
produced on a commercial scale provided right strategies were adopted. Giving a
demonstration of the Karanj oil to run a diesel Gen-set, he said,‘‘ This could be
produced at Rs 10.50 kg, if the sale value of the cake as fertiliser was also taken
into account.’’
Mr S.K. Bajpai, scientist in the Department of Science and Technology, disclosed that
the department was working on various strategies to promote the technologies
developed by SuTRA, Bangalore. |
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Low-pesticide vegetables Chandigarh, January 6 Introducing the export-quality
traditional and exotic vegetables, Mr Himat Singh, Managing Director, PAIC, said an
area of around 500 acres had been covered in the state to produce quality vegetables
that would be sold in the international market and at select counters in Chandigarh,
SAS Nagar, Patiala and Panchkula and PAIC counter in Sector 28-A.
He said the traditional vegetables like peas, cabbage, cauliflower and exotic
vegetables like Nantis carrots, brocolli, Brussels sprouts, Knol Khol and lettuce
would be grown under contract farming. A premium variety of sarson had also been
introduced, which was easy to cook and tasted like saag. The exotic vegetables would
also be available in premium markets of New Delhi in addition to local markets.
During the coming summer season, he said, Pagrexco proposed to increase the area
under contract farming and would sell the produce by increasing export volumes and
by setting up Food Marts, first in Punjab and Chandigarh and later in other.
He claimed that around 250 acres of land had been kept fallow to reduce the impact of
chemical fertilisers and pesticides in the soil. After getting certification from
international agencies, organic farming would be
introduced at this land. The corporation was making efforts to provide quality
produce to consumers and remunerative price to farmers, he added. |
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POWA to meet today Chandigarh, January 6 According to Mr R.P. Malhotra, general secretary, several bodies,
including FOSWAC (Federation of Sectors’ Welfare Associations of Chandigarh), the
CHB (Chandigarh Housing Board) Residents’ Federation, the Indian Ex-Servicemen
League, Chandigarh, the Chandigarh Pind Bachao Committee representing 22 UT
villages, the Citizen Council, Sector 21, the Modern Housing Complex Welfare
Association, Chandigarh, the Defence Colony Welfare Association and SAMADHAAN a
pressure group for social justice — will participate in the convention.
Mr H.R. Swan, IPS, DGP Haryana (retired), will be the chief guest. |
32-year-old burglar nabbed Chandigarh, January 6 Both suspects were operating from Sirhind to avoid suspicion. At least 27 cases of
burglary, involving theft of around Rs 40,000 from cabins in the Quiet Office
complex in sector 36, have been solved by officials of the Sector 36 police station.
Arjun closely worked with a notorious gang involved in serial burglaries in
Chandigarh and Panchkula in 1995. The members of the gang have served sentences in
different jails. Arjun, served a term of 10 months in the
Ambala jail.
A police official said the main suspect, after being released from that jail, did
petty jobs at Amritsar and Chandigarh. A drop out in matric, Arjun, was thrown out
of the house by father due to his habit of gambling. The total cash stolen by him in
the past has also been spent on gambling, said a police official. The suspects, who
are on police remand till tomorrow, are suspected to be involved in other cases of
burglaries in the region. All members are said to be gamblers.
Purse, mobile snatched
Three youths riding a black LML Vespa scooter snatched purse and a mobile phone from
one Mr Balwinder Sharma near the PWD store in Sector 34 here last evening. The
victim, a resident of Sector 35, reported to the police that the incident took place
at around 8.55 pm. The scooter number could not be noted down. A case has been
registered.
Theft
Mr R.K Goyal, a resident of Sector 36, reported to the police that his Maruti car
(PB-10P-6801) was stolen from his residence on the night intervening January 4 and
5. Meanwhile, Lt-Col S.J Singh of the Sirhind Club, Ambala Cantonment, reported that
Rs 5,000 and medicines valued at Rs 12,000 were stolen from his Maruti Zen, which
was parked in Sector 17 on January 3. Two cases of theft have been registered.
Liquor seized
Hundred pouches of liquor were found lying in a scooter which was abandoned by a
scooterist who was signalled to stop in Maloya on Sunday morning. A case has been
registered.
Panchkula
Six held
The police has arrested six persons namely Devinder Singh, Ravinder Singh, Bhupinder
Singh, Anil Kumar, Sumit and Mahendra on charges of committing indecent acts at a
public place. They have been booked under Section 294 of the IPC. |
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Car snatching: both versions to be
verified Chandigarh, January 6 Showing documents of sale, Mr Arvinder Singh, said the vehicle had been sold in
October this year. The surveyor, Mr Rajinder Singh, who had been named by Bhalinder
Singh in the case, said he had taken no money from Bhalinder Singh for settling the
case.
Police officials say they are investigating the matter and if the complaint is found
to be false, action will be taken against the complainant. Last night Balwinder
Singh, a resident of Sector 38, who was in possession of the car had complained to
the police that Bhalinder Singh of Nabha, Patiala, had forcibly driven away the car.
The driver of the car had said he had borrowed the vehicle from its owner, Arvinder
Singh, to go to Sector 28. A police official said versions of both parties would be
investigated. |
CORPORATE
HONCHO On the eve of New Year, when most of the hotels, restaurants and discotheques in the
city were offering free dinners, drinks or coupons to attract the young crowd, it
was Aroma hotel that did most of the business. Without any marketing gimmicks, the
annual turnover has already crossed Rs 3 crore.
No wonder, says Manmohan S. Kohli (49), Chief Executive, Aroma: “People do not like
to be fooled by ‘buy one, get one free’ offers. They simply want to have highest
value for their money. And we are expert at it.” He has nurtured this hotel not as a
“profit-making establishment” but as a centre of “aristocratic hospitality,” where
children love to bring in their parents for eating. In that way, Aroma stands for
family eating and has no place for ‘cheap’ fashion shows, astrologers or doubtful
characters.
He claims, “We have promoted it as a place for family eating as well as for the
emerging class of new customers — students and women. Established in 1953, Aroma
Hotel in Sector 22 has emerged as one of the most respected places in the city,
where not even a single crime has been reported during all these years.”
After doing his early studies, Mr Kohli took over the family business here from his
father, who had established a small hotel near the bus stand, after migrating from
Pakistan. He says: “We have tried to develop it as a place for masses and classes,
where one can enter even with a Rs 10 note to taste a special pastry or enjoy
costlier dishes. Our strength lies in concentrating on core business strength —
“Punjabi hospitality” for the growing middle class.”
A man committed to promoting “affordable home hospitality,” Mr Kohli has fostered
Aroma as a place where one can have every kind of cuisine ranging from “tandoori
chicken” to dishes from the South in a homely environment. Regarding the increasing
trend of fast foods, he says, ‘‘It is not the fast food, but fast service with a
smile that people want. You cannot term pizza as a fast food, which takes at least
20 minutes for right preparation. Here, we rather serve Indian food in much less
time with traditional taste.”
A regular columnists on travelogues, Mr Kohli is a patron of classical music, dances
and other Indian traditional arts. As part of his social duty, he contributes for
the education and food of children of slumdwellers, besides participating in blood
donation camps. However, he laments that the city is fast losing its status of ‘
“city of gardens and cleanest place” in the region.
The administration could collect a special tax to keep the city “clean and green,” he
adds.
Asked what changes have taken place in the profile of customers, he says with the
emergence of great Indian middle class, the profile has totally changed. Like other
metros, city hotels and restaurants are now witnessing as increase in the number of
women customers. With the increase in family income, students have also emerged as
the biggest surprise for the hospitality industry. |
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MARKET
PULSE Chandigarh, January 6 Livon Silky Potion acts instantly on application and could ideally be applied after a
hair wash on towel-dried damp hair. It can also be used on dry hair prior to combing
and is safe for all types of hair.
New advt campaign
Nirma Limited has announced the launch of new advertisement campaign for its beauty
soap — Camay.
According to Mr Hiren. K. Patel, Director, Nirma Ltd; “We believed in bringing the
best to our consumers. Earlier, Camay was accessible only to a particular segment of
Indian society. Now, anyone can buy it. The campaign reinforces the image of Camay
as an ideal skin care soap.”
Following a detailed quantitative and qualitative research commissioned by Nirma to
ascertain consumer needs and attitudes, it was discovered that there were marked
preferences for ‘skin care properties’.
New range of watches
For all those exuberant women, who have an eye for detail and a feel for fashion,
Fastrack — the fashion brand from Titan — takes the term casual fashion notches
ahead with its new range of unconventional watches.
This unusual fashion collection is all about being a non-conformist, right from how
the watch is shaped, to the dials and straps. There are twin straps in contrary
colours and top and bottom straps in different colours, both with split dials that
leave a strong impression. |
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Chandigarh, January 6