& V I C I N I T Y
Tuesday, February 23, 1999
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C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
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Tuesday, February 23, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Distress sale of vegetables
in city Administration
ruling on deals under GPA |
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 Electoral rolls to be revised CHANDIGARH, February 22 — Voters in Chandigarh who have not been issued photo-identity cards,can get their names struck off from the electoral rolls after a survey during revision of rolls in the coming months. |
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Penniless
labourer awaits help at PGI Education
system ‘needs changes’
Need
for computer skills stressed Khadi
board men to observe fast Long
wait for Bollywood stars One
held for making fake documents ILO
to eradicate child labour Scouts
pledge to serve humanity SBI
loan scheme for students Gesture
towards militants’ victims |
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Distress
sale of vegetables in city CHANDIGARH, February 22— A glut of vegetables has forced farmers here and in the surrounding areas to resort to “distress sale”. The worst-hit are those farmers who had grown vegetables such as cauliflower, potato, radish and carrot, expecting these to fetch a “handsome” profit after their nationwide scarcity and very high prices last year. So much so that in the absence of buyers in the Sector 26 vegetable market, farmers from surrounding areas of the city are “dumping” their produce in different “apni mandis” in the city at any price offered by consumers. What to talk of profit, the price offered to farmers is not even enough to meet the cost incurred by them on farm inputs like seeds, fertilisers and labour. During a tour of Kharar and surrounding areas, known as potato-cauliflower-cabbage belt, it was found that farmers were ploughing their standing crops, as due to low prices offered most were unable to bear the cost involved in the transportation of vegetables to the city and other markets. Markets in the city and surrounding areas are already witnessing a glut situation created by large arrivals of vegetables. “Can you think of earning anything when a truck-load of cauliflower and cabbage is selling in the market at between Rs 150 and Rs 200,” lamented. Mr Mehar Singh, a farmer of Saini Majra village near Mullanpur, who had grown cauliflower on his entire 2-acre farm after investing a sum of Rs 10000. “Do you know how much I got back after spending so much and after putting in days and nights of labour and hardwork? “Just Rs 3000,” he added, saying that he was expecting a good return, as at the height of the season, the price of cauliflower and cabbage had never gone below Rs 6 a kg last year. The story of Mr Gurdev Singh, a farmer from Tasauli village near Kharar, is not different. He said he was paying the price for the hasty decision to sow cauliflower and potato in October last year, when both commodities were selling at a higher price between Rs 20 and Rs 30 a kg. “I am ruined.Even in my wildest of dreams, I had never thought that the prices would crash to such an extent,” he said. Mr Singh said though the cost of bringing his produce in a tractor-trailer to the city was about Rs 300, and the price of a trailer -full of the commodity was just between Rs 150 and Rs 200, he was regularly bringing his produce as no farmer could see his produce lay rotting in the field. Mr Naib Singh, another farmer of the village, said as there was no taker for potato, he had to plough 2 acres of standing crop to “get rid” of it.” I could not afford to sell it in the market after paying the money from my pocket,” he said. Similarly, Mr Jaswinder Singh, a farmer of Desu Majra village, said heavy loss was incurred by him this year. “I spent about Rs 20,000 on each of 4 acres, I spared for potato, but what I got in return was just a meagre amount of Rs 10000 per acre, as the price of potato had crashed from Rs 750 per bag of 80 kg during last year to between Rs 80 and Rs 100 per bag this year,” he said. Mr Jaswinder Singh, repented that had he sold the seed in October, he could have been able to earn Rs 12000 per acre. Mr Gurdev Singh, said he had suffered heavy financial losses during the past one year.” It was double loss for me as earlier during October, my entire potato crop had been damaged owing to heavy rains, resulting in a damage of Rs 70,000,” he said. Mr Rajinder Singh, a farmer of Dhumman village who had grown carrot, said though he had spent Rs 10,000 per acre so that he could earn a profit, but he was able to make just Rs 3000 per acre. “Though carrot is selling for Rs 2 a kg, it never went below Rs 8 a kg during last year, which had inspired me to sow seeds,” he said. Most of the farmers felt that the “glut” situation was an outcome of enhanced arrivals of cauliflower, which in turn, resulted in fall of prices of all vegetables. They were of the opinion that the sudden hike in arrivals was due to change in temperature during the past week. “The vegetable has flooded the market as rise in temperature had resulted in early flowering of cauliflower,” said Mr Jagtar Singh Bhamia, President of the Kisan Mandi Union Punjab. He demanded that the
government should compensate the farmers who had suffered
losses on account of fall in the prices. |
Administration
ruling on deals under GPA CHANDIGARH, February 22 — The Chandigarh Administration has decided that any transaction in immovable properties made by government servants through the general power of attorney (GPA) will attract the provisions of the Punjab Government Employees (Conduct) Rules, 1966, as applicable to its employees . Under the rules, as applicable until recently, the acquisition of immovable properties made by employees under the general power of attorney were not to be disclosed to the Administration. There have been numerous instances where, in the absence of regular transaction of immovable properties, the employees did not file any statement on the acquisition of immovable property, including land, flat or a house under the GPA. On receiving several references from employees seeking clarifications whether transaction in immovable properties made through power of attorney by government employees would attract the provisions of the conduct rules, the Administration got the issue examined. The view taken by the Administration now is that acquisition or disposal of immovable property for a consideration through the GPA effects defacto transfer of possession of the immovable property. The problem was encountered by the Administration in some recent cases of corruption and others where some of the employees were allegedly involved in transactions of immovable properties through the general power of attorney. Most of these transactions pertained to the purchase of residential and farm land and in some cases to flats and commercial properties also. Since the conduct rules are applicable to employees of the Chandigarh Administration, the Administration was feeling handicapped as the existing rules were silent on the issue. Now, it has been clarified that all such transactions through the GPA shall attract the provisions of Sub Rule 2 of Rule 18 of the conduct rules. And any violation shall be punishable under the relevant provisions. The Department of Personnel of the Administration has now issued a circular to all administrative secretaries and heads of departments, making it clear that the GPA would attract the provisions of the conduct rules. The Secretary, personnel, Mrs Anuradha Gupta, said the Administration would also extend the amendment to the conduct rules for prevention of “sexual harassment to women employees at their work place”. “In fact,” she
said,” the Chandigarh Administration was the first
to issue instructions to all administrative secretaries
and heads of departments to take immediate steps in
accordance with the directions of the apex court. But
since we have the Punjab rules applicable, we could not
effect any amendment until Punjab had done so. Now when
the rules have been amended, we will hopefully extend
them to employees of the Chandigarh Administration
also.” |
Electoral
rolls to be revised CHANDIGARH, February 22 — Voters in Chandigarh who have not been issued photo-identity cards,can get their names struck off from the electoral rolls after a survey during revision of rolls in the coming months. The Chief Electoral Officer of Chandigarh, Mrs Anuradha Gupta, said today that till date 70.15 per cent of total voters had been issued photo-identity cards. Of the remaining, some had died, some have moved out, while others had got themselves registered at new addresses. The election office now contemplates to upgrade the electoral rolls by inviting claims and objections. There will be special campaigns on April 24 and 25 and again on May 8 and 9. Mrs Gupta said during revision of electoral rolls,very few objections are received. Only claims for inclusion in the electoral rolls are made and few objections or applications for deletion of names on account of death, transfer or for any other reason are received, she added. During the revision, the Election Department will seek reports from chowkidars of all villages besides the Registrar of Births and Deaths for report on those who had been registered voters but had died since the last revision of electoral rolls. The reports so received would be verified before the names are deleted. The revised electoral
rolls would be published on July 12.
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Penniless
labourer awaits help at PGI CHANDIGARH, February 22 — Life has not been kind to Mohinder Singh, a labourer from Ropar. In his sixties, Mohinder, is waiting penniless at the PGI to get his broken leg treated. He claims that he has been here for the past 10 months, sometimes without food for up to three days at a stretch. Mohinder Singh, a bachelor, is at the mercy of fellow inmates at the PGI “rain basera” ( night shelter), a couple of kind-hearted cops from the adjoining police post and a few good samaritans. He has one brother, whose sons and family have not visited him even once. Arrangements for his stay during the cold winter months were made comfortable, thanks to the blankets and bedding provided by the Seva Bharti, a voluntary outfit having its office on the PGI campus. A sad-looking Mohinder said “my step-mother never found a girl for me to marry and today I am without any support from anyone.” His father had married a second time and since then life had been unkind to him. The old man’s leg has been broken from the thigh. The leg was broken almost an year ago when he met with an accident on the Chandigarh-Ropar road near Kurali. With his earnings as a labourer having vanished, he lives on dole and pity. “Sometimes food is available, while at times I am without it for two to three days,” adds Mohinder. At the moment, he cannot walk and uses his arms as a support to lift his body from the waist upwards to move it a few centimetres. He repeats the act to move further. It is like a virtual crawl on the palms of his hands. He has to be helped to the toilet if he wants to ease himself. He claims to have visited doctors inside the PGI today also but was told to come tomorrow. When The Tribune team approached him, Mohinder Singh, was afraid and expressed his fear saying “ dekh lao saheb ji kuch putha na pay jave.” ( Sir, I hope nothing wrong will happen). He was actually thinking that he may be thrown out of his place of resting if it appears in newspapers. So, is there life after
his treatment? “ Once I am alright I can even think
in terms of working somewhere but in the present
condition it is even difficult to me to think about work,
“ Mohinder Singh explained. I am losing eye sight
also, he claimed. |
PGI working
returns to normal CHANDIGARH, February 22 — Working at the PGI returned to normal today after the faculty members ended their strike. The OPDs and the special clinics functioned normally and no emergency case was refused. The doctors, however, continued to wear black badges to in protest against low wages and non implementation of the modified Baksi Committee Report. A general body meeting of
the PGI Faculty Association held here this evening
decided to defer any action till Wednesday. This has been
done following newspaper reports that a compromise
between the doctors and the Central Government was being
worked out. Another general body meeting has been
scheduled for Wednesday, a spokesperson of the faculty
said.
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Education
system ‘needs changes’ SAS NAGAR, February 22 — One of the aims of education is to develop the hidden abilities of a child and help the student in establishing himself in society. This was stated by Dr Upinderjit Kaur, Minister for Technical Education and Industrial Training, Punjab, at the annual day function of Gian Jyoti Public School here today. “We are at the turn of the century and such technological advances are a must. The education system has to be made strong after making the necessary changes so that it is able to cater to the needs of society”. She said a high-powered committee had been formed by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to study the need to provide employment-oriented education. The committee, headed by Mr Amrik Singh, a former Vice-Chancellor, Punjabi University, Patiala, had submitted its report in this regard which, she said, would soon be implemented. She announced a grant of Rs 50,000 from her discretionary fund for the school. Out of which, she said, Rs 20,000 should be spent on the welfare of the students who took part in the function today. Students presented a colourful show which began with a shabad: “Saran Pare ki Rakh Dyala, Nanak Tumre Bal Gopal”. This was followed by Shiva Aradhana, a classical dance presented by Puja, Preet Kamal and party presented “Lori”, in which discrimination against the girl child was highlighted. Dressed in beautiful blue tiny tots presented “ Ding dong ding dong, all the bells are ringing”. Gagan and party sang a qawwali “Apne jigar da khoon main kadhya ubal ke...” which drew great applause. Senior students presented a Haryanvi dance and gidha. A science, arts and craft exhibition was put up by students. Mr J.S. Bedi, Secretary of the school, read out the annual report. Mr O.P. Popli, SDM, requested the minister to recommend a plot of land for Gian Jyoti Institute of Management and Technology which had recently started providing technical and professional education to students. Mrs Daljit Kaur, Kharar
MLA, presided over the function. |
Need for
computer skills stressed S.A.S NAGAR, February 22 — Mr N.S. Kalsi, Director-cum-Special Secretary, Department of Technical Education, Punjab, has urged secretaries to adopt new computer skills without delay. Mr Kalsi, who was addressing a gathering after inaugurating a oneday workshop on “Information technology — challenges and opportunities for secretaries,” at the Institution for Secretarial Practices and Development (INSPIRE) here yesterday, said thorough knowledge of computers was a must for secretaries, who could increase their efficiency by acquiring these skills. He said the department was ready to provide necessary assistance and cooperation for the purpose. Mr Deepak Nanda, Joint Managing Director of Infotech Corporation, dwelt upon vast potentialities of information technology. Mr N.P. Amoli,
Secretary-General of INSPIRE, highlighted the activities
of the institution. He called the participants to gear
themselves up for adopting new technologies. |
Khadi board
men to observe fast CHANDIGARH, February 22 — Employees of the Punjab Khadi and Village Industries Board will start an indefinite fast on February 24 in protest against the “indifferent attitude” of the authorities towards their long-pending demands. Mr R.S. Dhaliwal, President of the New Punjab Khadi and Village Industries Board Employees Union, said their demands included release of bonus for the past two years, pay as per recent revisions, stopping the practice of wrong promotions, restoring seniority, loans for house-building, besides creating more posts in view of the increased workload. He also said the employees
were not happy with the winding up of the recovery cell
of the board with the result that the recovery levels had
dropped from Rs 4 crore to Rs 1 crore. |
Awareness
programme
launched CHANDIGARH, February 22 — Sewa Bharti, a non-government organisation, launched a five-day awareness programme for the benefit of women at Sewa Dham, here today. Mrs Kamla Sharma, Chairperson of the Chandigarh Social Welfare Advisory Board, while inaugurating the programme said every woman should devote at least two hours a day towards community development activities. She emphasised that each participant present should motivate at least five women to follow suit. The main objective of the
Central Social Welfare Board-Sponsored programme is to
generate awareness about socio-economic status of women,
health, sanitation, family welfare, health-care during
pregnancy and rights of women.
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Delay irks
CDCWA CHANDIGARH, February 22 — The annual general body meeting of the Chandigarh Defence Colony Welfare Association (CDCWA) was held at the Sector 35 Community Centre here yesterday. The President of the association, Air Marshal Randhir Singh (retd), drew the attention of the local MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain, to the delay in issuing a notification on pensions as recommended by the Fifth Pay Commission and in implementing the Rent Control Act. Reading out the annual report, Major D.S. Sandhu (retd), General Secretary of the association, submitted a memorandum to the Mayor, Mr Kewal Krishan Addiwal, highlighting various problems of the sector. Flooding of the sector during the monsoon, pitiable condition of roads in Sector 35 (B and C sections) and in front of the SCOs, non-functioning of the newly-installed tubewell in the market, encroachment on public land and poor disposal of garbage were the main problems highlighted by Major Sandhu. Though Mr Jain could not reach the venue, he contributed Rs 5 lakh, through a letter, towards the development of a model park in the sector. Mr Addiwal assured the association that the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) would solve the problems of the residents on a priority basis. The area councillor, Ms
Harjinder Kaur, announced a grant of Rs 1 lakh from her
ward development fund for the library of the community
centre. |
Chandigarh photographers
observe
bandh CHANDIGARH, February 22 — City photographers today observed a bandh in protest against the imposition of sales tax on their Punjab counterparts. Photo shops, laboratories and studios remained closed for the day. The members of the Chandigarh Photographers Association held a demonstration at the Chandigarh Housing Board traffic roundabout to express resentment against the decision of the Punjab Government. The association is also opposing the amendment in the Sales Tax Act by the Chandigarh Administration. The bandh will continue
tomorrow. |
Long wait
for Bollywood stars CHANDIGARH, February 22 — With Bollywood stars descending on Chandigarh to celebrate Holi today itself, the city expected to see some real colour. And the city, which now might have got used to waiting endlessly for stars, did see some but only after waiting for more than two hours. Quite a colourless beginning to a colourful show. Slated to reach a beauty and slimming centre at Sector 8, Chandigarh, to inaugurate a men’s salon, in the evening, the stars ‘ditched’ that engagement to finally make it for the ‘starry Holi’. But not before they made their fans wait endlessly for them. The programme organised by a private club, at Bhinder Farms, near Zirakpur, had the likes of sultry, but today seemingly sulky, Suman Ranganathan, these days seen in the RK banner film ‘Aa Ab Laut Chalen’, and the pretty little Divya Dutta, who starred in the internationally acclaimed ‘Train to Pakistan’ and Gurdas Mann’s Punjabi film ‘Shaeed-e-Mohabbat’ and Chandigarh’s very own starlet, Sonu Walia.The show also had Raza Murad, Sharad Kapoor, Sudesh Bhosle and Puru Raj Kumar, besides little known singers like Arvinder Singh and Richa Sharma. The song and dance items on the stage along with free food and liquor provided some saving grace for the audience which had to keep waiting for the “real stars” to arrive and had to endure the likes of singer-performer Daboo sing to them. “Coming to Chandigarh is always like homecoming. The first thing that one gets to see on entering the city is the spot news site of The Tribune, with which I have always been associated as a reader”, said popular character actor Raza Murad, who hails from Uttar Pradesh. Playing various roles in different television serials like “Jaan” on Zee TV and daily soap “Waqt Ki Raftaar” on Doordarshan, he said: “The scope on television is much more than in films. With serials being aired frequently one gets to play grey shades of a character, rather than just black and white shades, as in films. At the moment I think I prefer television serials to films.” Raza Murad’s forthcoming films are “Safari”, “Laawaris” and “Hogi Pyar ki Jeet”. Sudesh Bhosle, much remembered for his song “Jumma Chumma” picturised on Amitabh Bachchan in “Hum” while commenting on his being typecast as “Amitabh’s voice” said:, “Well my songs picturised on him became so popular that it became difficult for me to break away from that mould. But I’ve come out with a few albums now which I think should establish me as a singer in my own right”. For Divya Dutta, a “Punjabi girl” from Ludhiana, acting in a wide variety of projects like “Train to Pakistan” and “Shaeed-e-Mohabbat”, has been no different. “Both these films were very strong projects in themselves. So I am obviously not concerned about the language as long as the theme appeals to me”. Her forthcoming films include Shyam Benegal’s “Samar”, which was included in the Cannes Film Festival last year, ‘Rajaji’ with Govinda, and an Indo-German production titled ‘Devi’. The one-film actor, Puru
Raj Kumar, who was seen with Karisma Kapoor in ‘Bal
Brahmchari’, and went about saying “I think I
should shift to South Indian films now”, was not
much of a star attraction. Not something that Papa Raj
Kumar ‘Jaani’, would have been proud of. |
One held
for making fake documents KHARAR, February 22 — The Kharar police has arrested one Naresh Kumar, alias Rakesh Kumar, on the charge of preparing fake documents after registering a case under Sections 406, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 473 against him. Mr Harbans Singh of Majat police post under Kharar police station said here today that the suspect took Rs 18,000 from one Mr Gurdarshan Singh and promised to get him a job. He prepared a fake appointment order for the job of liftman in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Some other persons have also complained to the police against him. The police has recovered
from him some fake documents and stamps. |
Remote
sensing centre for Panchkula PANCHKULA, February 22 — The State Local Government Minister, Dr Kamla Verma, today said a remote sensing centre like the one working at Hisar would also be set up here. This was disclosed by her while speaking at a function organised by the Haryana State Council for Science and Technology to mark the National Science Day, at Little Flower Convent School here. She further said a
plant-tissue culture centre would start functioning at
Hisar this year. The centre was being set up at a cost of
Rs 5 crore with the assistance of the Central Government.
To increase the interest of students in science, the
State Government, has identified 60 schools and colleges
where the Science Day was celebrated. |
CHANDIGARH, February 22 —The faculty of Arts has recommended to the Board of Studies in Mass Communication, Panjab University, to reduce the marks in group discussion and interview. Members pointed out that in MA (Economics), MBA , Law and other prominent courses, only 10-15 marks were allotted to group discussion and interview as against 40 in the Mass Communication test. Dr Anirudh Joshi suggested that a uniform policy should be adopted. Dr Mohammad Khalid said high percentage of marks reserved for group discussion and interview often affected the performance of a candidate. In certain cases, even toppers in the written examination were denied admission. Example of Ran Bahadur who got first position in the written test but could not make it to the final merit due to poor performance in group discussion and interview was cited. Ran Bahadur ultimately approached court and was finally allowed to be admitted. A senior fellow said the matter had come up for discussion in the court. He said the discussion and interview should be termed as viva-voce and the numbers should not be so high as to affect the admission process. A uniform policy should be evolved. The meeting pointed out that steps should also be taken to start Mass Communication course in Hindi and Punjabi. Dr Dharam Vir Arya said a large number of candidates from rural background could not pursue the subject due to lack of opportunities. In light of the views given by the members, the faculty resolved to forward it to the board of studies for further action. Seminar: The importance of surveying, conserving and propagating the bio-diversity of the country was highlighted on the opening day of a two-day national seminar on “plant genetic diversity” being organised by the Department of Botany, Panjab University, today. Prof C.P. Malik, adviser to the Guru Jhambeshwar University, Hisar, in his inaugural address said the greatest advantage of genetic bio-diversity lay in biotechnology which implied use of all life forms for human welfare. Extinction of wild species and eco-system would effect bio-diversity. Prof S.P. Vij, Chairman of the Botany Department, said India was very rich in plant genetic resources. Of the estimated 45,000 plant species, the vascular flora comprises 15,000 species of which 60 per cent were endemic. Such diversity had the potential to make India crop rich as well as medicinally rich. Dr P.K. Hajra in his keynote address pointed out that the Himalayan region was the richest reservoir for genetic variability of a large group of plants which was currently under threat. Prof S.S. Bir, Punjabi
University, Patiala, chaired the session and laid
emphasis on population control. Prof S.P. Khullar
proposed a vote of thanks. |
CHANDIGARH, February 22 — The Bhakra Beas Management Board Colony Welfare Society, Sector 35-B, has urged the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) to recarpet the internal roads in the sub-sector. In a memorandum to the Mayor, Mr Kewal Krishan Addiwal, the society, complained that hardly any sweeper cleaned the colony. Apart from this, the debris in and around the colony, had not been removed and open spaces and lawns not been levelled, it alleged. Despite the monkey menace being highlighted in the press several times, the MCC had not come to the rescue of the residents, it added. Shortage of sweepers: The Sweepers Union, in a memorandum to the Mayor, has complained of a shortage of sweepers in the civic body. According to a press note, the total number of sweepers, was 1,906, including 1,546 regular sweepers,110 daily-wagers and 250 employed on contract for cleaning colonies and villages. The required staff strength for proper cleanliness in the city, the note added, was 3,330. There is a need to recruit 1,424 more sweepers. The note, urged the Mayor
to recruit more sweepers so that the department could
give better results. |
CHANDIGARH, February 22 — A driver of the Public Works Department, Chandigarh Administration, was caught red-handed while selling stolen and spurious diesel mixed with kerosene. The police caught the driver, Karnail Singh, with about 500 litres of oil stored in two big drums from the Transport Area this morning. Police sources said that the driver is posted in mechanical division number 3. Truckers used buy oil from him thinking that it may have been siphoned off government supplies. It was later established that the oil was stolen and then mixed with kerosene. A case under sections 408, 409 and 420 of the IPC has been registered. Police parties sent: Police parties have been despatched to Sangrur and Hisar to nab the two students of Punjab Engineering College (PEC) , who attacked and injured two students studying medicine at the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32. One of the attackers, Rajesh Jindal, hails from Sangrur and the other one Vikas Gupta, hails from Hisar. Both are final year students at the PEC. The duo along with six other boys had seriously injured Kamal Sharma and broken the arm of Hemant Sharma. Since then the two have been on the run. The Principal of the PEC, Prof Rajnish Prakash, said that the two had been suspended from the college. The college would also conduct its independent enquiry to see if the two were fit to be students of the college or not, he added. Accidents: Two persons have died and two others have been injured in three separate accidents in the city within the past 24 hours. Mr Vinod Kumar Mishra of Bapu Dham colony was riding a scooter when a CTU bus hit him and sped off. The pillion rider of the scooter, Dinesh Gupta, was injured and has been admitted to the PGI. A resident of Dhanas village was killed in a road accident last night. Surmukh Singh was hit by a CTU bus that sped off. Surmukh was rushed to the PGI where he died. Meanwhile, in a separate incident an unidentified person was injured when his scooter (PB—12—B—4996) was hit by a mini truck (PB —10—Z—9603) driven by Ranbir Singh on the road dividing Sectors 45 and 46. The injured was admitted to the GMCH. A case under sections 279 and 337 of the IPC was registered. Nabbed: Two residents of Uttar Pradesh were nabbed while stealing cash and ornaments from the car of a tourist parked outside the Rock Garden. Mr Harinder Singh of Hoshiarpur alleged that his car (JK—02—H—9043) was parked outside the Rock Garden when the theft took place. The police has arrested Charanjit Singh and Gulab of Alipur, UP. A case under section 379 of the IPC was registered. Car stolen: A Maruti car (CH—01—H—5253) owned by Shankar Jai Kishen of Secto 7 was stolen from his residence. Cheated:
A resident of Bapu Dham Colony, Mr Swami Nath, was
cheated in the sale of a plot in the same colony. He has
alleged that Budh Raj of Azad market Sector 20 had
cheated him. A case under sections 420, 467, 468 and 471
of the IPC has been registered. |
Civic care
hits rock bottom PINJORE, February 22 — Civic care in the historic city of Pinjore has hit rock bottom.The chaos in the management of garbage and sewerage is all pervasive. With the inception of the civic body, for which elections were held recently, the hopes of the people were high. Residents were assured of a palpable improvement in the civic facilities.But to no avail.The problems are as they were. The town lacks proper water supply. There is no facility of supplying water to houses in a large number of localities. “The administration has provided water taps only in the lanes”, said Mr Rakesh Chopra, a resident of Ratpur colony. The water supply is far from sufficient, feel the residents, as the supply is for two hours in the morning and two hours in the evening. In different localities there is just one tap . Residents complain of low pressure and demand a better water network in the area. A related issue is the presence of open drains which always pose the threat of an epidemic. The residents also complained of ill-maintenance of the pipes by the administration. Another problem highlighted by the residents is absence of proper numbering of houses. They say it became difficult for a stranger or an outsider to locate a house in the absence of proper numbers. Because of this problem, they said, even the post gets delayed. Heaps of garbage are a common sight in the area. The residents say the localities were not cleaned on a regular basis by the sweepers. This is not surprising as the municipal committee has only seven sweepers.The residents demand a regular cleanliness drive in the locality. As Pinjore is situated on
the Chandigarh - Shimla road, the traffic on it is also
very heavy. According to Mr Sri Chand , a resident of
Vishavkarma colony, “the rush on the road generally
becomes a cause of accidents at several points”. He
suggested that another road should be built to lessen the
rush of traffic. There is no traffic police to regulate
the vehicular traffic , he added. A shop owner on the
highway , Mr Naresh Dutta, says that the cattle menace on
road also led to frequent hold-ups as also accidents.
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ILO to
eradicate child labour CHANDIGARH, February 22 — With a view to eliminating the child labour from the sports industry in Jalandhar and the surrounding areas, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the UN working for the rights of workers worldwide, has cleared a major project. The $ 2.6 million international programme for the elimination of child labour (IPEC), besides striving to end child labour in the sports capital of India, will provide schooling and vocational training to children engaged in this industry. A detailed survey in this regard had been completed and the project was likely to take off in a couple of months when the approval from the Punjab Government was received, Mr I.P. Anand, Employer Member of the prestigious ILO governing body and the brain behind the project, said here today. Mr Anand, who is also the Chairman of the Sports Goods Foundation of India, which is coordinating the project, said that the pacts with the ILO were slated to be signed by the end of next month. Supported by the Centre, non-government organisations (NGOs) and the sports goods industry would be actively involved in the project, to be completed in three years. He said it was at the Copenhagan summit of the UN in 1994, that a detailed programme for the eradication of poverty and employment generation was worked out. The ILO, which has representation from the government, the working class and the employers, was chosen as principal agency for the execution of this task. Last year, the governing body of the ILO, had urged the workers and employers to cooperate and stressed the need for training and skill development among the workers. The plea also included the world demand for elimination of child labour, right of the workers to organise themselves into unions for collective bargaining and elimination of the bonded labour. It was under this “fundamental understanding”, that the current project had been initiated, he said. The schools to which the children were to be sent were being identified and curriculum for the vocational education being prepared. The foundation, in collaboration with the sports goods industry and the Technical Teachers’ Training Institute, Sector 26 here, was in the process of setting up a skill development institute in Jalandhar. “Since new sports concepts are emerging, the institute will familiarise students with new techniques so that Punjab can be turned into a land of sports entrepreneurs. This is the only way we can beat competition from places such as Sialkot(Pakistan) in international market ,” Mr Anand added. Of late, exports of many
Indian industries, including the brass, bangles, carpets
and sports goods industries, have been under tremendous
international pressure. The developed countries , led by
the USA, had called for a ban on exports from industries
employing child labour as it violated human rights. |
Scouts
pledge to serve humanity CHANDIGARH, February 22 — The birthday of Lord Baden Powell, the founder of the Scouts and Guides Movement, was observed as World Thinking Day and saw nearly 3,000 smartly uniformed scouts and guides pledging to serve humanity at a function held at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 20, here today. Dressed in blue, with the colour of scarves being the only distinguishing feature of students from 63 schools of the city, they marched past the dais with their heads held high and their stride reflecting the confidence instilled by the training by the instructors. Mrs Anuradha Gupta, Education Secretary, inspected the parade and took the salute. She, too, was presented a purple scarf on the occasion.Mrs Gupta was impressed by the discipline instilled in the students by way of training and was critical of the fact that society was losing respect for discipline. She said that these students hold lots of promise, would be harbingers of a new era and extremely valuable citizens ready to take on challenges life presents. The scouts and guides put up a daring display of courage. They demonstrated the uses of various knots they learnt during training which could be used to save somebody from a building on fire or help an accident victim. The episode was wound off with the arrival of an ambulance which took the victims away.This was followed by a cultural programme, usually put up at night around the bonfire during camps. There was the colourful
‘bhangra’, a song of patriotism presented by
girls in white sarees with red borders and a small skit
on environment with trees, rabbits and lions. A peek into
camp life was provided by the tents and the layout of the
bed, utensils and other items which are a must for
carrying out activities during camping. Also on display
were art and craft items made by the scouts and guides. |
Bus stop a
traffic hazard KALKA (PANCHKULA), February 22 — Hundreds of commuters bound for different destinations from the town are at the mercy of the weather gods in the absence of a bus stand. The heavy flow of traffic on the Ambala-Shimla National Highway, on which the “temporary” bus stop is located, poses a grave danger to the commuters. Accidents at the spot have become a routine affair, complain the shopkeepers of the area. Recently a bus, while overtaking another vehicle, had rammed into a shop in lower bazar. The issue of constructing a proper bus stand has been hanging fire for many years. While pressing for their demand, residents say the vehicular traffic bound for Himachal Pradesh through the Parwanoo border and to other destinations, adds to the chaos. Mr Bittu, a shopkeeper dealing in confectionery, feels that there is an urgent need to create adequate parking space for maxi cabs and autorickshaws.” To woo the passengers they park their vehicles on the National Highway close to the spot where the buses stop”, he adds. Mr S.S.Nanda, a member of the Kalka Municipal Committee, says the delay in constructing the bus stand is at the government level. There is neither a bus queue shelter nor a public toilet at the spot. The problem was compounded after the bus stop was shifted from Gandhi chowk to the present site in 1989, owned by the Kalka Market Committee, says Mr Nanda. Those who are most affected by the problem are the students of a number of schools and a Government College. Earlier the residents of a part of the town had objected to the construction of the bus stand near the Kalka bus repair depot, but with autorickshaws plying, they had agreed to it. Mr Vijay Bansal, a former Chairman of the Kalka Market Committee, says, “The road, on which the buses stop, leads to the grain market. There is chaos when apni mandis are held in the market”. He alleges that when the transport authorities are approached, they give a stock reply that the matter was being pursued. The residents had brought the problem to the notice of the Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, while he was on a visit to the town, a few months ago. The General Manager of
Haryana Roadways, Mr Parveen Kumar, on being contacted,
says: “I recently visited the site on which the bus
stand has to be constructed. The residents, whose houses
are adjoining the boundary wall of the proposed bus
stand, have obtained a stay from court. Once the stay is
vacated, work on the project will start”. |
SBI loan
scheme for students CHANDIGARH, February 22 — With a view to acquainting students with the “Gyan jyoti loan scheme”, the Sector 7 Madhya Marg branch of the State Bank of India today organised a seminar in Sri Guru Gobind Singh College for Women, Sector 26. Mr D.P. Singhal, Assistant General Manager of the zonal office (Punjab and Chandigarh), and Mr S.C. Satija, Chief General Manager of the branch, urged students to avail of the loan under this scheme which had nominal interest and was repayable in easy instalments. Those, who availed of loans for higher studies in India, had to repay them in instalments, starting after six months whereas those receiving loans for studies abroad could pay the principal amount after they had completed their education and got a job. The interest portion, however, was recovered quarterly from the parents of the students, they added. Ms Harjit Khanna, Principal, of the college, thanked the bank authorities for arranging the seminar, which had enlightened students about this scheme. Mr Singhal also chaired a meeting of consumers and traders organised by the Ram Darbar branch of the SBI. The branch manager, Mr K.P. Joshi, also addressed the participants. Different schemes offered
by the bank and credit needs of industrialist were
discussed at the meeting. |
Few takers
for Hindi, Punjabi books CHANDIGARH, February 22 — The Chandigarh Book Fair at the Circus Grounds, in Sector 17 gradually seems to be attracting book lovers. Though large crowds are thronging stalls with books in English language, the response at Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu stalls is poor. “The phenomenon of English overshadowing Indian languages is nothing to be surprised at. This is quite normal. In fact, readers of languages like Punjabi are few. Even in the Punjab region, it is the Gurbani which makes for the most popular Punjabi reading. And with the kind of economic prosperity in our region, and with people preferring English-medium schools, it is natural that they should pick up English publications”, said Mr Gurbachan Singh, President of the Punjabi Publishers Association, New Delhi. “We publish books in nearly all Indian languages but very few books are sold in Urdu and Punjabi languages”, said Mr Giri, a senior executive of the National Book Trust. Not agreeing with this, Mr Rajinder Singh, General Secretary of the Punjabi Publishers Association, retorted, “The number of titles printed in Punjabi far outnumber all South Indian languages put together”. The number of people visiting these stalls obviously has proved to be a discouragement to publishers, but the publishers seem to be unhappy at the treatment being meted out to them by the organisers. “Even after the inauguration of the fair, we had not been provided with a stall. It was only yesterday evening that we finally got a place for ourselves”, moaned one Punjabi publisher. “What is the point in having a couple of Punjabi or Hindi stalls at one place and the rest flung in other corners? Clubbed between English book stalls, these stalls would be overlooked”, added Mr Madan Lal Sharma, a publisher of Hindi books. Some publishers complained of poor publicity. “There are almost 150 banners of the book fair lying around. When do the organisers plan to put these up?”, queried Mr Rajinder Singh. In this age of electronic media, those in the trade of publishing believe that the Indian languages can flourish only when books are made available in these. “How do you expect me to even think of picking up a Hindi or a Punjabi title when not only have I not been ‘taught’ to do so, but when I also know that I would not be able to find a title on a subject like computer applications”, said Raman Verma, a second-year graduation student. Many regional publishers mooted the idea of having a book fair only for Indian languages to boost sales and to “introduce” these languages to the readers. Mr Desh Nirmohi, a publisher of Hindi books, and the editor of a quarterly magazine called ‘Pal Pratipal’ said, “People have a budget. Nowadays books are so expensive that one needs to think twice before buying a book. So in a fair like this, where 70 per cent stalls are filled with publications in English, Hindi and Punjabi book stalls are obviously the last ones to be visited”. A not so pessimistic Mr Zakir Hussain, an executive at the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language, New Delhi, said, “The purpose of this stall selling Urdu publications is more to make people aware that this language also exists. Of course, only people who know Urdu would even visit, and maybe think of buying from this stall. But the holding of exclusive Indian language book fairs would serve our purpose better”. “We had in fact
initially asked the organisers to put up just a Punjabi
Book Fair, like the one held in Chandigarh in 1991. But
the idea apparently did not materialise. Now we are
organising ‘Meet-the-author’ sessions and hope
that such sessions would boost the sales of our
publications”, said Mr Satish Sharma, of the Punjabi
Publishers Association.
|
Gesture
towards militants’ victims ZIRAKPUR, February, 22 — The Army Development Board ( ADB), constituted to help victims of militancy, besides creating friendly atmosphere in Jammu and Kashmir, has brought several persons incapacitated by terrorism to the Nevedac Prosthetic Centre here. As many as 26 victims who lost their limbs either in landmine explosions or other accidents in the valley constitute the lot. These handicapped persons will be provided with artificial limbs, besides other rehabilitation aids. Out of these persons, three have lost their both legs, 17 one leg and six one arm each. The party is led by Col Bahadur Singh and Lt-Col Anil Kapila. Mr Sazad Ahmed, a 21-year-old resident of Anantnag, who was kidnapped from his school by militants, said: “Four years ago when I was standing in front of my school, an unknown person dragged me to a vehicle waiting nearby. My face was covered by the other occupants of the vehicle”. “Fortunately, the vehicle was chased by Indian army personnel and we were fired upon. As the occupants were exchanging fire, I took advantage of the situation and ran away. Later I came to know that I was being taken across the border for training in subversive activities”, he adds. “I did not know the terrain which was covered with snow and the situation was further compounded as it was no man’s land. Afraid and not knowing where to go, I passed one and a half months at that place using ice as food,” he said. “One day, I saw a shepherd herding his flock of sheep near the place I was holed up. I hailed him and the shepherd shared my lonely moments but by then it was too late. My both legs had fallen victims to frostbite,” recalled Sazad. Mr Yamhina Naugam Harwara was a coolie who carried food articles for Army jawans deployed at the border posts of the Nawagaon sector and lost both his legs in a landmine blast nearly four years ago. He said: “I was unaware that the area had been mined by the militants. One day as I was negotiating a track I put my foot forward and heard a loud bang. I was saved by personnel of 4 Bihar Regiment. Later I came to know that both my legs had been blown by the mine,” he added. All the handicapped were all praise for the army which had taken upon itself to get them the prosthetic aids besides rehabilitating them. The handicapped include12 landmine victims and 14 others who lost their limbs in mishaps. The expenses on the artificial limbs for mine victims will be borne by the Army Development Board, while the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment will bear the expenditure of the rest. The centre director, Dr
V.J.S. Vohra, said that the second lot of such victims
was expected next month. More than 100 such victims from
the valley were expected to benefit during the present
financial year, he added. |
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