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Admission Blues
Chandigarh, September 29 In effect, the twins’ date of birth do not match the newly-adopted eligibility criteria set by the school authorities, who are apparently dismissing the rules set by the Government of India. The admission notice states that candidates born between June 1, 2004, and March 31, 2005, are eligible to apply for admission. Tisha and Tanisha were born on April 8, 2004 - which makes them ineligible. There are many more children born between April 1, 2004, and May 31, 2005 who would stand to lose in the bargain. It is pertinent to mention that the Ministry of Child Welfare has fixed March 31 of the year of admission as the calculation date. The twins’ parents complain, “What baffles us is that even last year the school had declared them ineligible due to the admission policy, and this year too, our daughters can’t get admission. And all this is because of the new policy, which is bewildering. So according to the school, my children did not fall into the ‘eligible’ category for two consecutive years.” The puzzle: A candidate, who is considered younger by a few months in one year, is declared older by a few months the next year. This fiasco is the result of the school’s changing the formula for admission from this academic session, making it 10-month time instead of a 12-month time period (which is right as per the Government of India orders). Moreover, as per the present formula, children born between April 1 and May 30 would be put to disadvantage as they would be denied the chance, for no fault of theirs. School principal Sister Falisia admits that there is a flaw in the newly adopted system. Though she assures to persuade the school management to take a sympathetic view of the problem, she adds, “While following the earlier practice, we had noticed that there was a huge age-gap between the students. Technically, in a few cases, one student was senior to his fellow student by one year and their learning process varied. This ultimately created problem academically, psychologically and discipline-wise too. Keeping these factors in view, we were compelled to change the eligibility criterion from session 2007-08. “Moreover, we have given a relaxation in some exceptional cases at later stages, for instance if the siblings of those seeking admission are the students of this school. As ours’ is a 10-month consideration period and we follow a lottery system, we have to cater to all the sections of the society. This also makes our job more challenging”, she justifies.
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Flight delay tests patience of passengers
Chandigarh, September 29 Also, lack of basic facilities in the wake of ongoing renovation work tested the patience of passengers. With no air-conditioning and TV working in the waiting hall, it was a long wait for the harassed passengers. To top it all, the non-availability of water sent several passengers in a tizzy. Also, no display board to know the status of the flights was visible from the waiting hall, alleged a passenger. In fact, the Chandigarh-New Delhi Air Deccan flight departed prior to the Indian Airlines flight at its scheduled time of 4.30 pm. Finally, the flight took off around 4.45 pm much to the relief of the passengers. However, the relief was shortlived as it was found at the New Delhi airport that the staff had “overbooked” the flight on at least six seats from Chandigarh to Mumbai. The airlines staff had a tough time clarifying the faux pas and ultimately made alternative arrangements for them. Airport director Suneel Dutt expressed ignorance about the delay in flight. However, he agreed that the renovation work might have caused inconvenienced to passengers. He, however, claimed that the work was being undertaken only at night.
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Woman conned out of gold ornaments
Chandigarh, September 29 The woman was taken in by their lure of getting her ornaments doubled through “supernatural powers”. This is second such incident in the city in less than two weeks. According to the police, the incident took place around 3 pm when the three came to the house of Raj Rani. Raj Rani told the police that the three, posing as a family, told her that they were blessed with divine
powers and could double the articles through “supernatural powers” by praying on her behalf. Convinced by their argument, she agreed to perform a ritual. They asked her to give them two Rs 50 notes. After some time, they asked for another Rs 50 note, to which she obliged. The three then began chanting hymns. After some time, they told her that they could double anything in yellow and asked her to bring some article for demonstration, upon which she handed them over her earrings. They went away saying that they would return in one and half hours with two pairs of earrings. However, they failed to show up at the given time. She reported matter to the police. A case has been registered in this regard. A similar incident had taken place on September 18 when two unidentified con women duped a housewife, Sushma Devi, in Sector 7 B of her gold earrings on the pretext of “cleansing” her house and doubling her jewellery.
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Hit by bike, woman dies
Chandigarh, September 29 The victim, Satya Devi Sector 38-C, was in her sixties. The accident took place around 8.30 pm on Friday when she was knocked down by a motorcycle (CH-03-Z-5735). She suffered multiple injuries and was rushed to PGI. She succumbed to her injuries around 1.30 am today. The police arrested the motorcyclist, Sanjeev Kumar of Sector 38- West, on the allegations of causing death due to rash and negligent driving.
— TNS
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City hockey players for big league
Chandigarh, September 29 Both players are among the probables selected for the senior hockey team to participate in various international and domestic circuit matches. They will attend the coaching camp, which is underway at SAI Centre, Bangalore. The camp will continue till October 20. Since, Dharamvir is already attending a camp at Gurgaon to prepare for the International Hockey Challenge Tournament to be played from October 17 to 21 in Singapore, he will join this selection camp later. Ranjodh shared his joy with Chandigarh Tribune before leaving for the Bangalore camp today evening. “I am very happy to be part of the probables. I will leave no stone unturned to keep up the ‘Chak De’ spirit which has gripped the nation and has made the game popular,” said elated Ranjodh. Hailing from Maraar village in Gurdaspur district, this seventeen-and-a-half-year old joined the Sector 42 academy just five years back. This left-inside/centre-forward banged the boards 18 times in the six matches he played during the Nehru Cup Hockey Tournament (U-15) at Delhi in 2005. He was instrumental in enabling his team to clinch the runners-up position. Ardent fan of German centre-forward Christopher Zeller, Ranjodh also has many honours to his credit in the school nationals (u-17) in 2005-06 and 2006-07. “ I have set my goal. I want to be like Zeller. I try to imitate his agility, vigour and firmness with which he plays.” “His scoring rate is very high and if chosen, he will be a real asset to the senior team,” said proud coach Jasbir Bajwa. Dharamvir, who was part of the Indian hockey team (u-18) for the Four-Nation International Challenge Tournament held at Singapore, has always been among the leading players of the academy.
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Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act ‘needs’ a relook
Chandigarh, September 29
The much-touted Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act (MTPA) of 1971 vintage was supposed to be a panacea, which would not only facilitate the removal of unwanted or forced pregnancies but would also check the practice of going to quacks which often resulted in post-natal trauma. Given the population boom and superstitions abounding the nation during the seventies, it was perhaps rightly perceived to be a revolutionary law. But the Act left a serious lacuna which was exploited to the hilt by unscrupulous doctors and mushrooming clinics, including those of registered medical practitioners.
“It was for the first time that failure of contraception was legally accepted as a valid reason for termination of a pregnancy, irrespective of the fact that the woman was undergoing her first or subsequent pregnancy, or whether or not she had any surviving children,” says Ashwinie Kumar Bansal, senior standing counsel for the Union government.
The most damaging provision of the Act is the one which covers the failure of contraception methods and the ‘unwanted’ pregnancy resulting due to that, says Onkar Singh Batalvi, a high court lawyer and secretary of the high court Bar association, echoing Bansal’s views. And statistics confirm their fears. The provision has wreaked a havoc of such a magnitude that the Child Sex Ratio (CSR) in the age group of 0 to 6 dropped sharply from 962 females per 1000 males in 1981, to 927 in 2001. Importantly, the Act, though not dealing with the sex selection per se, offers an outlet to unscrupulous clinics to kill the foetus on aforesaid grounds, once the sex determination has been carried out clandestinely in violation of the Prenatal and Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act. It offers a platform to use the findings of an illegally carried out sex-selection test for abortion of foetus on grounds like contraceptive failure, danger to expectant mother or child etc. More often than not, government doctors and employees too are involved in the crime. “If a pregnancy is to be terminated as a result of failure of contraception as a population control measure or even as a matter of choice, then would it not be appropriate to have two or more surviving children before such termination takes place?” asks Gurinder Singh Attariwala, acting president of the high court Bar association. Attariwala hits the nail on the head when he asks as to how can a healthy pregnancy cause grave mental injury (as the Act foresees an unwanted pregnancy to be) to a healthy married woman who is conceiving for the first time or is the mother of one child unless there are really aggravating circumstances. Batalvi suggests that a minor modification to this Act could resolve the issue to some extent.
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Burail inmates give new touch to Corbusier’s heritage
Chandigarh, September 29 They are restoring the antique designs of 50-year-old furniture made by Le Corbusier, the French architect credited with designing this planned city. These chairs and tables were damaged beyond repair before they were handed over to the inmates. After great efforts, they have succeeded in restoring furniture’s original look. Drawing a line between the revamping and restoring the furniture, Additional IG (prisons), Navjot Randhawa, said: “Our main aim is not to play much with the original designs of the great architect instead we are doing the repair work on its original lines.” Telling how the whole idea of repair work came to him Navjot said it was noticed by two scholars from England, Patsy Craig and Jonathan Nicholls, who had visited the Model Jail for research purpose, that the workshop here was probably the only one that makes furniture as per the designs of Corbusier. As a part of its programme, the authorities plan to put the polished ‘Corbusier’ furniture at the CII trade fair. Amandeep Singh, deputy jail superintendent, who has been administering the work, pointed out: “When the furniture had come here, not a single chair was in a useable condition, but now it looks as good as new.” About 25 inmates had been working on this project. Interestingly, other than repair work, these inmates are involved in many other activities. Many of them are being trained to repair air-conditioners and refrigerators. Raj Kumar Dogra, who is an MBA and all India gold medallist in yoga, is presently pursuing his degree in Hindi from IGNOU. But, right now they are enjoying restoring Corbusier’s heritage.
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‘Dry’ days for Pinjore residents
Panchkula, September 29 Water has been supplied only for about an hour every day, that too at low pressure. But the complete discontinuation of water supply since last evening has worsened the situation. Finding no other way, the residents called private tanker operators to supply them with water. Minakshi Rani, a housewife said, “For the past three days water had been supplied at very low pressure and just for half an hour a day. But since last evening the supply has ceased completely.” SHO of Pinjore police station said, “Our staff at police station has consumed two tankers of water, brought from private suppliers. It is not only our misery; the whole city has been affected due to the water shortage.” Manoj Kumar, executive engineer, public health department said, “The problem was just due to the breakdown of Rathpur electricity transformer. Now it has been repaired and water will be supplied at proper pressure.”
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Low pressure supply in Mohali tomorrow
Mohali: The afternoon and evening supply of water in Mohali will be at low pressure on Monday. A press release issued by the Department of Public Health here on Saturday said that the water pressure would remain low because the Punjab State Electricity Board would suspend power supply for urgent repair of a grid at Kajauli water works from 9 am to 5 pm.
— OC
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Road Gullies Roads offer unwelcome rides Chitleen K. Sethi TNS
Mohali, September 29 The Municipal Council was informed about the department’s work. The council had to then take up the repair of the road but as every Mohali resident would have noticed there is a mean bump on the main road after almost every two kilometres. Two-wheeler riders tend to lose control over their vehicle when they pass these bumps. For car drivers it is another speed beaker on the road. No move has been made by the council to begin the repair of these roads. Similarly, the department recently repaired a road cave in Phase XI. Here the sewerage pipes were changed following the cave in. The department filled the 10-foot wide road cave in with loose earth. The MC has to repair the road but residents are still waiting.
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Social pension sought for all elderly
Chandigarh, September 29 It has also asked the finance minister to support the extension of social pension to the elderly with an adequate budgetary provision. There are an estimated 55 million older persons living below or just above the poverty line
in India. Part of Age Demands Action, an international campaign initiated by HelpAge International, the appeal seeks to focus the attention and energy of HelpAge’s 68 affiliates in 50 countries around the world on issues critical to the aged. Right now, it is circulating across the world, trying to influence governments to own up to their primary responsibility towards the aged. Back in India, HelpAge India’s zonal offices are pushing the case of social pension for the old
with their respective governments. The zonal in charges of HelpAge have achieved a breakthrough in Haryana, where they have already submitted the petition with Kartar Devi, minister for social welfare, Haryana. She has promised cooperation in the matter, said Harvinder Bakshi, regional director, North,
HelpAge. The idea behind the petition is also to mobilise older persons to engage their governments to enact change around the International Day of Older
Persons. HelpAge India is particularly rooting for the cause, convinced that genuine power lies in the ability of the citizens to aggregate and articulate their demands to the government, said Bhavneshwar Sharma, zonal officer, north, HelpAge. As for Age Demands Action campaign, it calls for the extension of social pension to all older persons living below the poverty line as the first phase of social security
for everyone. The larger demand is to press for a comprehensive social security package made up of cash grants, income security, opportunities for re-employment, healthcare, nutrition and emotional security for
the aged. Significant is the petition’s stress on social pension for all. The argument is that limiting the provision to the destitute older persons would infringe the others’ Right to Equality. The scheme, says HelpAge, would specifically empower older persons living in chronically poor households, as they will be able to sustain themselves without straining the meagre resource of the family. Chronically ill older persons will also be able to spend money for their healthcare, if they have some of their own.
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Councillor ‘Misconduct’
Chandigarh, September 28 The Chandigarh administration had decided to show cause the nominated councillor for his “anti-administration” activities and encouraging encroachments in Mani Majra. The show-cause notice will be issued to him by Monday, said a UT official. “Facts have been distorted by certain officials to show me in bad light before the UT administrator,” he said during a press conference at the community centre, Sector 28, here. He claimed that there was misunderstanding at a certain level and an opinion had been made without knowing the other side of the story. “I should have been given the opportunity to reply,” he said. “I questioned certain things on the floor of the house and it was not liked by officials. I am suffering for raising the issues,” he alleged. On the allegation of taking Rs 5,000 each from fish vendors against a loan of Rs 50,000 each from Punjab National Bank, he produced the beneficiaries of the loan before media. About the allegation of encouraging encroachments on government land, he claimed that the vendors were relocated on the municipal land by the market committee after he represented to the UT administrator. The council removed the vendors and its officials accused him of encouraging encroachments, he alleged. Questioning the police probe, he alleged that CID officials had never talked to loan beneficiaries or him.
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Samples collected from Sector 22 eateries
Chandigarh, September 29 The food inspector collected food samples from Singh’s Chicken in Sector 22 in the afternoon and later from Tehal Singh Chicken. Even as there was a complaint against Tehal Singh Chicken, the food inspector reached the Singh’s Chicken, against whom action was taken after the food inspector realised the mistake this evening. Challans were also issued for maintaining unhygienic conditions at premises.
— TNS
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Police ‘harassing’ Sec-21 resident
Chandigarh, September 29 Uadi Chand, who is in his late 60s, lodged a complaint with the UT administrator alleging that sub-inspector Pritam Singh and constable Balwant Singh of the operations cell of the Chandigarh police had been harassing him and his family. He alleged that the two came to his residence today in mufti and misbehaved with him, his wife and daughter-in-law, and threatened to eliminate his son. He said he had a dispute with his landlord, who has links with the high-up in the Chandigarh police. Operations cell in charge Vijay Kumar denied the allegations, terming them baseless. He said his staff had nothing to do with the property dispute.
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Agricultural workshop
Chandigarh, September 29 Professor Abhijit Sen, a member of the Planning Commission, highlighted the urgent need of making the agricultural sector economically viable and progressive through formulation of comprehensive agricultural plans at the district level. Another member of the Planning Commission B. N. Yugandhar underlined the need of strengthening the district-level planning converging into the state-level plans, which would require coordination of development schemes relating to different sectors and different parts of the state. He also pointed out that such objectives could not be achieved till training is imparted to all stake holders. Delegates from different states interacted with the members of the Planning Commission.
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Lt-Gen Kumar is General Officer Commanding
Chandigarh, September 29 General Thamburaj would be taking over as the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Command on October 1. General Kumar is an alumnus of Military School, Bangalore, National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. He was commissioned on June 13, 1971 into Brigade of The Guards and has held various important staff, instructional and command assignments. He was also ADC to the President from December 1976 to March 1979. He has commanded a Guards Battalion in Jammu and Kashmir and has also served as Inspector General in Assam Rifles in Nagaland.
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Raids uncover 47 cases of power theft
Kharar, September 29 A team comprising SDO Morinda Jaspal Singh, SDO Kharar Harbans Singh, SDO Kurali and Majra Sanjeev Gupta and additional SDO Mahinderpal Singh detected 47 cases of power theft. The team raided houses at Gharuan, Sacrolapur, Sil, Himmatpura, Rattangarh, Kalheri, Jhanjheri, Gabbe Majra, Rattanheri, Nangal, Hassanpura and Baroli villages around 4 am. A majority of violators had either bypassed electricity meters or installed magnets to stop them.
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Save trees The Chandigarh administration is cutting down trees in order to widen city roads and make parking spaces. This will lead to increase in pollution as greenery helps in cleansing the environment. Smoke emitted by cars, auto-rickshaws, buses and trucks is already choking the green belt in the city. Most of the trees in the city are dying but the MC is not bothered to do the needful. It is high time that the environmentalists take the initiative and save trees. Gehna Vaishnavi Readers are invited to write to us. Send your mail, in not more than 200 words, at news@tribuneindia.com or, write in, at: Letters, Chandigarh Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh – 160 030
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Six-member gang of minors busted
Chandigarh, September 29 With the arrests, the police claims to have recovered seven stolen batteries of vehicles. Sector 24 police post in charge sub-inspector Punam Dilawari said there had been a sudden spurt of incidents of theft in Sector 24 in the past few days. In two days alone, three incidents of theft of vehicle batteries were reported to the police. The police zeroed in on the gang after it was learned that a group of minor boys from the nearby slums had been frequenting video game parlours, where they spent a lot of money. Four minor boys were arrested following a raid on a parlour. During interrogation, they named two other accomplices, who were arrested from the cremation ground in Sector 25. The accused told the police that they had sold stolen batteries to Suresh and Kala, both residents of Bhaskar Colony. The police arrested Suresh and Kala and recovered seven batteries from their possession. During interrogation, the two junk dealers said they used to pay anything between Rs 800 and 1,600 for the batteries according to their condition. The gang used duplicate keys and files to steal batteries. They usually targeted vehicles parked in open residential areas or parking lots of the Sector 24 market. Sources claimed that the investigating officials had also learned about a Delhi-based man who purchased batteries from Suresh and Kala. Efforts were on to trace him. A case has been registered in this connection. The minors have been sent to juvenile house, while the junk dealers will be produced before a local court tomorrow, said the police. Meanwhile, 11 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act and the Excise Act have been registered in the police post in the past two days.
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2 held for sodomising minor
Chandigarh, September 29 The police said the victim, a 14-year-old boy, hails from Uttarakhand. The incident took place in the wee hours and was reported to the police this afternoon. Acting on the complaint, the police arrested the accused — 20-year-old Dilshad and 19-year-old Rohit of Burail — near the football stadium, Sector 17. The victim told the police that he was sitting along with his cousin in a parking lot in front of Hotel Sunbeam in Sector 22. After sometime, he went to the ISBT to answer the call of nature. The accused accosted him on his way to the toilet saying that they were known to victim’s relative. They allegedly overpowered him near the toilet and sodomised him. The police said the victim had come to the city in search of job with his brother-in-law. Dilshad works with auto-rickshaw drivers and had been arrested by the Mohali police in a theft case before. Rohit had come to the city a few days ago and is unemployed.
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Motorcyclist snatches woman’s purse
Chandigarh, September 29 Smack seized
The local police arrested Sonu of Dadu Majra Colony from the same locality on Saturday morning and recovered 12 gm smack from him. A case has been registered.
Mobile stolen
Rajinder Singh of Sector 52 reported that a mobile phone was stolen from his residence during the night intervening September 25 and 26. A case has been registered.
Car theft
Harpreet Kaur of Sector 22-B lodged a complaint with the police that her Maruti Zen (DL-4CH-1131) was stolen from Sector 9 on September 26. A case has been registered in this regard.
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Ex-cop’s wife accused of fraud
Chandigarh, September 29 In a joint complaint lodged at the Sector-34 Police Station, Usha Nanda of Sector 50, Amarjit Kaur of Sector 15, Ashok Arora of Sector 37, Varinder, Pushpa, Baldev Singh and Punam among others alleged that the accused, who is the wife of a former assistant sub-inspector of Chandigarh Police, had disappeared from her Sector-45 residence along with her family. They alleged they had invested lakhs of rupees with the accused, who had a wide circle involving more than 50 investors. They were allegedly told by the accused that she would pay them back their money on September 29. However, today they learnt that she had fled with her family after vacating her Sector-45 residence on September 23. SHO of Sector-34 police station said he had received a complaint.
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Electronic goods launched
Chandigarh, September 29 The company also announced its plan to foray into the electronic goods market with the introduction of its brand Waygoo. The company also plans to expand it operations to Jammu and Kashmir by the end of this year. Patiala
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