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Admission Flip-Flop
Chandigarh, October 25 The instructions, which have led to confusion among the applicants, refer to the common admission test (CAT), which is required to be taken before applying for MBA programmes, and a bank draft to be submitted with the application form. While the CAT is to be held in November, the results will be out only in February next year. The form states that a photocopy of the CAT scorecard and CAT 2007 admit card needs to be attached to the form and submitted by November 16. With regard to the bank draft, while buying the prospectus, the applicant pays Rs 1,000 (general category) and Rs 500 (SC/ ST). However, the instructions say that a bank draft for Rs 1,000 or Rs 500 in favour of the Registrar, PU, Chandigarh, and payable in Chandigarh, must be submitted along with the application form. Sources say what is surprising is that the prospectus is checked and re-checked and proofread to ensure mistakes do not occur. While the requirement of the CAT scorecard is baffling, considering the exam is yet to be held, a bank draft means additional money is being handed over to the university at the time of submitting the application form. UBS chairman S.C. Vaidya, when contacted, said the prospectuses had been withdrawn “in order to avoid confusion”. “Only two or three forms have been sold and no draft has been received with any form yet,” he claimed. However, the sources say with the last date of submission less than a month away (November 16 by 5 pm), more than a few hundred forms have been sold and drafts received. “Regular checks will be conducted across the city to see whether the shopkeepers are selling any banned firecrackers. The licence of any shop found selling the banned firecrackers will be cancelled. It will also be ensured that the stalls or the shops having the permission to sell the firecrackers are not located in congested areas to avoid any untoward incident.” |
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ISBTs set for makeover
Chandigarh, October 25 At a recent meeting, chaired by home secretary Krishna Mohan, it was decided to give a facelift to the ISBTs. It was also decided that the inter-state buses would operate from the Sector 43 ISBT, while the local buses from Sector 17. Air-conditioned waiting rooms would be constructed and the passengers can avail this facility by paying an entry free. The clock room would also be expanded. The sanitation policy would be changed. The sanitation of toilets and housekeeping would be segregated and manned by a professional agency. A change in the commercial policy has been planned according to which commercial units would be licensed through tender for six years with 10 per cent annual increase in the licence fee. Renowned brands of eateries, coffee shops, ice cream parlours, fruit juice shops, ATMs, bookshops, general stores, etc, would be roped in. Shops would be renovated in such a way that enough space is created for attracting prominent brands. Private security personnel would be engaged. Control room with CCTV cameras and public address system would be established, which would be jointly manned by the police and the internal security personnel round the clock. An emergency medical unit would also be established. Drinking points would be designed to minimize the misuse of drinking water. CTU inspectors would be vested with power to impose penalties on the people found smoking, spitting, littering, dirtying the premises in any manner. The procedure for finalising the overcharging by the vendors would also be streamlined. |
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Licences for selling firecrackers being issued
Chandigarh, October 25 Officials handling the licence branch say that as compared to the last year, the number of permissions was expected to increase. In the record of the administration, nearly 1,100 firecracker-sellers are registered but a number of them have not been turning up during the past four years. The stalls for the sale of firecrackers would be allowed at the sites earmarked by the Chandigarh administration, said a senior officer of the Municipal Corporation. The corporation gives the permission after the applicants get the clearance from the district magistrate and the fire department. |
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Decline in groundwater
Chandigarh, October 25 They say like other cities, the City Beautiful is also heading towards water shortage. Excessive dependence on groundwater, people's ignorance, wrong planning and concrete urbanisation have resulted in its decline. As Chandigarh is not located near a river, sole dependence on surface water is not possible. The city has to draw water from underneath the earth surface, which is an easier and less costly option. The water demand of the city is met from two sources - the Bhakra canal and tubewells. Around 200 tubewells are pumping 20 MGD (million gallen per day) water for domestic purposes round the clock. Talking to The Tribune, regional director of the board Sushil Gupta says there is a net decline in water availability vis-à-vis its consumption, which was the highest in the country at one point of time. The daily requirement of water is 108 MGD (million gallon per day), whereas the available water is 80 MGD. Thus, there is a shortage of 28 MGD. At present, water is available at more than 60-metre depth in most parts of the city. It is available at more than 60 metres in Sector 17 and at more than 70 metres in Sector 27. In the case of the Information Technology Park, Mani Majra, railway station and Kishangarh areas, it is available at more than 80 metres. However, in the southern sectors, it is available at around 15 metres in the deeper aquifers. The long-term water level fluctuation of the deeper aquifer (from May 91 to May 2006) shows that areas around Sector 10 have registered a fall of 17 metres, while in Sector 39 the fall is nine metres. But still, a thick 20-metre sand zone containing good quality of water occurs at a depth of 160 metres all over the city, except the southwestern sectors, including Sectors 37, 38, 39, 40 and 41. Gupta says the falling water table is a cause of concern because even during the monsoon most of the rainwater goes down the drain due to lack of rainwater harvesting structures. Large-scale conversion of green patches into concrete jungle has already made a dent on recharging of aquifers. He says there should a master plan on water conservation. He says the deeper aquifers are under stress due to overpumping, whereas the shallow aquifers are not being used for drawing water and the water level is rising, causing near waterlogging conditions in the southern areas of the city. The shallow water level is increasing due to slope of hydraulic gradient towards the southern sectors. In the monsoon, the shallow water reaches up to three metres, while in the northern sectors it is between 30 metres and 65 metres below ground level. The regional director says the shallow water can be used for domestic and irrigation purposes by mixing it with potable water. For this, it should make it mandatory for the housing societies, schools, hospitals, commercial buildings and institutions in the southern sectors to use shallow water by installing tubewells for irrigation. This will not only help the administration in overcoming the problem of potable water shortage, but also check the waterlogging problem. At present, most of the residents in these sectors are facing the problem of seepage in the basements of buildings due to rising shallow water. For this, he says, the Administration will have to amend water bylaws and allow major water consumers to install tubewells. He says the Administration should make it mandatory for the builders to adopt rainwater-harvesting measures not only in government buildings but also in residential areas. |
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Blood donation, a noble act
Blood like oxygen is a source of life. Despite advances in modern medicine, there is still no substitute for human blood. So far, for the needy, the only alternative is the Samaritan act of blood donation.
But, the World Health Organisation strongly recommends accepting blood only from voluntary blood donors as professional donors have contributed towards the rapid spread of deadly diseases like AIDS, hepatitis B and hepatitis C in society. Donating blood is a noble act and in this altruistic project, young and healthy individuals should come forward. Anyone who is above 17 years of age, weighs more than 45 kg and is in good health can donate up to 350 ml of blood. A healthy person can make a donation every three months. People with rare groups, especially those with negative RH-factor, should get themselves registered with blood banks for emergency donation. The blood banks, however, encourage registration of donors of all blood groups. Blood donation is a simple process. A doctor at donation centre interviews the donor’s medical history and the actual blood donation take about 10 minutes. Post-donation, half an hour rest, intake of a bit more of liquid than usual and avoid consumption of liquor. The donors should not smoke or drive and avoid climbing steps for next 30 minutes. “The donated blood can help saving not just one life but at least four lives. After processing, it is segregated into four components – red cells, plasma, platelet and cryoprecipitate,” informs Avneet, who is working with one of the blood banks in Chandigarh. “Patients suffering from thalassaemia and leukaemia need frequent blood transfusions,” says the doctor. “Since blood has a 35-day shelf life, we need and encourage small donation camps but at regular intervals,” she adds “One of the myths about blood donation that it weakens a person is an absolute misstatement,” says Ashok Sharma, a regular donor for the past 30 years. “Once, I had made an emergency donation just two months after my previous donation,” recalls the donor. “A donor can replenish the lost fluid within 24 hours of donation. Further, if one can deal with the sting of getting pierced or tattooed, one can certainly deal with the slight pinch of a much smaller needle for a worthy cause,” says B.S. Gosain, another regular donor. Blood donation is not only life saving but also emotive. Apart from that, there are few other benefits. It reduces the chances of ischemic heart diseases (beginning of heart problems) as frequent donations reduce the accumulated and unwanted iron load from the body. Five donations earn the donor a ‘master card’, which assures him/her of blood anytime. There are no side effects of blood donation. |
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Assn resents drive against illegal playing of music
CHANDIGARH: Marriage palaces, restaurant and bar owners, shopkeepers, event managers and organisers of ceremonies may face the music for playing recorded music without obtaining permission from the “owner of the musical work”, if the Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) has its way.
Representatives of the IPRS, a registered “non-profit-making organisation”, are reportedly visiting several cities across the region for detecting Copyright violations. The drive has, however, evoked sharp reaction from round 2,400 members of the Punjab Marriage Palaces and Resorts Association, who are unwilling to obtain the IPRS permission for playing recorded music in their palaces or face action. The IPRS, established in August 1969, administers and controls performing rights of musical works on behalf of its members. The organisation, with associates like Gulzar, Javed Akhtar, A.R. Rehman and Gurdas Mann, collects and distributes royalty among members, including authors, composers and publishers of music. IPRS officials are initiating action against those infringing on the Copyright Act and it has been successful in getting court orders against many errant parties for depriving royalty to its members, an IPRS official said. Fee is collected from the marriage places owners, event organisers, hotels, restaurants, shopping plazas, malls, discos, disc jockeys and clinics and nursing homes. Wedding receptions are also covered, he said. The society has direct reciprocal agreements with countries like Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, the USA, the UK and South Africa and international music royalties are remitted through foreign counterparts. Meanwhile, a delegation of marriage place owners of district Fatehgarh Sahib has submitted a memorandum to Fatehgarh Sahib Deputy Commissioner against the society’s drive here.
— UNI |
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‘B-school grads increasingly seeking jobs in public sector’
Students from those business schools which are located in tier-II cities, such as Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Dehra Dun, Jaipur, Indore, Kochi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune, expressed eagerness to join ‘scheduled A’ public sector units (PSUs) like ONGC, NTPC, IOC, GAIL, HPCL, BPCL, SAIL, MTNL, said the survey by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham). The business school background also gave these students an added advantage over others preparing for all-India level competitive examinations, like those conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Students from the tier-II cities also said besides perks, perquisites and salary, jobs in PSUs offer more challenging assignments, the survey said. On the contrary, students from metros opted for corporate private sector jobs, according to the Assocham survey. The survey highlighted that with the ushering in of more and more liberal policies, the concept of a stable and secured job would not last even in the PSU jobs due to increasing competition. It added that some 500 MPs (members of Parliament), including ministers, and bureaucrats constitute the boards of directors of the public sector undertakings, which makes the decision-making process complex and hampers the organisational structure.
— IANS |
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Applications invited for scholarship
Chandigarh, October 25 The scheme aims at providing facilities to outstanding young children of the age group of 10 to 14 for further developing their talents in various cultural fields. An official spokesman said the scholarship scheme was being implemented at the national level by the training centre. The total number of fresh scholarships to be awarded every year would be 400, of which minimum five seats are reserved for each state. The children born between July 1, 1994, and June 30, 1998, would be eligible to apply for the award of scholarship. Minimum three years’ training in the field of art form in which scholarship is being applied, either with a guru or in an institution is essential. Not more than four students of a guru or institution would be considered for the award of a scholarship at a time, he said.
— UNI |
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Marriage registration made compulsory
Chandigarh, October 25 He said the additional deputy commissioner and the district revenue officer had been notified as marriage officer and the registrar of marriages, respectively. The registration of marriages has been made compulsory under the notification issued in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 8 of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, Section 50 of the Special Marriage Act, 1954, and also in compliance to the judgment of the Supreme Court dated February 14, 2006. The spokesman said the notification would apply to the people of all religious communities as directed by the apex court. The registration of marriages has been so far compulsory in four states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. Since no record of marriages solemnised in Chandigarh annually was maintained so far, it was difficult to state the number of marriages taking place in the UT, the spokesman said.
— PTI |
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Proposal to amend motorised rehri bylaws
Chandigarh, October 25 As per the proposal, the applicant for motorised rehris should be a bona fide resident of the city for the past three years at least from the date of application and will have to produce either the ration card issued by the administration or voter card issued by the Election Commission. In the bylaws, clause no 3 (1) shall be substituted as “competent authority, means any officer of the corporation so appointed by the commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, from time to time.” The clause 6 (a) shall be substituted as “6(a) wherein the age of the applicant should be between 20 and 60. Preference will be given to the applicants of the age up to 35.” The draft would be taken into consideration on or after the expiry of period of 15 days from the date of publication of this notification in the official gazette together with any objection or suggestion which may be received by the secretary, local government, Chandigarh administration, from any person before the expiry of the period so specified with respect to the draft. |
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Share data on driving licences, UT told
Chandigarh, October 25 In a communication to the Chandigarh administration, the ministry has stated that inter-state connectivity of the data of the registering and licensing authority should be completed by December 2007. The National Informatics Centre (NIC) is already working on the project. The registering and licensing authority, Chandigarh, has already computerised its records. The Sarthi software has already been implemented and the Vahan software would soon be implemented. |
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Update skills, teachers told
Fatehgarh Sahib, October 25 He said education was a tool for rural regeneration and accelerating the pace of economic growth. He said a teacher had an important role in transforming the lives of the students. He advised them to update teaching techniques for the benefit of the students. |
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Graduates from medium and small business schools are increasingly seeking jobs in the public sector due to their stable and secured nature, said a
survey.