& V I C I N I T Y
Saturday, February 27, 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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Saturday, February 27, 1999 |
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Festival
of Gardens opens CHANDIGARH February 26 —The mood was upbeat as the city’s Festival of Gardens got off to a spectacular start with a splash of colour at the Sector 16 Dr Zakir Hussain Rose Garden today. UT plans road to ring Ram Darbar CHANDIGARH February 26 — To facilitate the smooth flow of traffic to one of the busiest industrial hubs, Ram Darbar, which also is one of the most populous labour colonies of the city, the Chandigarh Administration will construct a ring road around the colony. Sewerage tax recommended CHANDIGARH February 26 — The Finance and Contract Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh today recommended the imposition of sewerage charges for the new connections in the city. |
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City’s
oldest woman is dead Overflowing
drains, filth & garbage Roads
or death traps? Cover
sells books, not content Hussain
brothers visit DAV school Bank
services remain suspended |
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| Cultural meet ends | |
Rucksack lost in Shatabdi |
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Festival of Gardens opens CHANDIGARH February 26 —The mood was upbeat as the city’s Festival of Gardens got off to a spectacular start with a splash of colour at the Sector 16 Dr Zakir Hussain Rose Garden today. It was more than the fragrance of marigolds and roses or display of a variety of other flowers, including dahlias, that made the formal inauguration different. Folk artistes from various parts of the country, besides those who have migrated from Pakistan, not only provided a glimpse of rich cultural heritage of the subcontinent but also unfolded a series of events that would dominate the three-day festival. It was a dream entry to the garden as strings of marigolds adorned the gate posts while a flower bedecked tunnel was specially created for the occasion. The Administrator of Chandigarh, Lt-Gen B.K.N. Chhibber (retd), accompanied by his entourage, was welcomed by tiny tots with flowers who sang and danced as the chief guest inaugurated the Festival of Gardens. Only special invitees were present to witness this colourful ceremony. General Chhibber then went around to have a look at the flower arrangement before proceeding to witness the band competition on “raag bahar”. Three brass bands and two pipe bands competed. Besides, they played a number of tunes throughout the day to entertain the visitors. The high point of the inaugural session was folk dances by the Federation of Migrant Groups from Pakistan. The Pashto dance from Peshawar was performed by artistes in Pathani suits, complete with “lungi” and “kula”. Chhej from Bhawalpur, similar to the “dandia” dance of Gujarat, the Jhangi Sabha dance from West Pakistan and the gatka, different from the martial art dance form of Punjab, were also presented. Their melodious songs, in tune with the dances were a treat to watch and everyone scampered all over the ground to catch a glimpse of the performance. The Governor, too, did not hesitate to shake a leg before catching up with the variety programme presented by students of various colleges. Beginning with an invocation “Vande Ganpati” by students of the Government College for Girls, Sector 11, dressed in plain sarees, the students from the GCG, Sector 42, presented the Bihu dance. The stage performance concluded with a Punjabi dance by students of Government Polytechnic, Sector 10. People of all age groups flocked to the festival. While the old sat on various benches in the garden watching roses in bloom, the young, bubbling with excitement, were all over the place with balloons and ice-creams, enjoying every moment of the festival. Most of the crowd was concentrated in and around the stalls. Meanwhile, at Shanti Kunj,
seeds and potted plants attracted a few buyers. The
organisers attributed the low sales to the focus of most
stall owners on non-flowering plants. |
UT plans road to ring Ram Darbar CHANDIGARH February 26 — To facilitate the smooth flow of traffic to one of the busiest industrial hubs, Ram Darbar, which also is one of the most populous labour colonies of the city, the Chandigarh Administration will construct a ring road around the colony. The spade work for the project has been completed. As a first step in this direction, Rs 65 lakh for laying the stormwater drainage system has been approved. The construction of the road around the colony will begin in a couple of months and the work is likely to be completed next year. Some of the 2-km long stretch is partly constructed while at places the land has been encroached upon. The road will begin from the Central Poultry Farm roundabout and run around the colony passing near the boundary wall of the Air Force station, the old Karsan colony and Indira Colony and merge with the approach road to the colony from the Industrial Area, Phase II. Mrs Kamlesh, Councillor of the area, said she had been pressing for the project as the colony with a population of more than 70,000 has only one approach road. The road from the roundabout to the T-point leading to the army transit camps is complete. This is one of the major demands of the residents. About the encroachments, she said the people had voluntarily removed some of them and the major problem of clearing the land of the Indira Colony had also been solved as the entire colony would be rehabilitated by next month in Sector 52. There are approximately 300 jhuggis in the colony. The municipal authorities and the architecture department too have given their nod for the project as all provisions had been made at the time of planning the layout of the colony. The estimates for the construction were being readied afresh and would be completed in a couple of weeks. The road will have streetlighting consisting of mercury bulbs, she added. Once the road is completed, the heavy traffic passing through the city could be diverted from the poultry farm roundabout, easing the rush on city roads. Similarly, trucks bringing goods or other material to the industrial units located in Phase II could use the road. At present, the traffic is diverted from the GMCH roundabout and passes on the road dividing Sectors 31, 32, 46, 47 before going on the outer road dividing the city and SAS Nagar. As such, the volume of traffic on the Dakshin Marg would ease considerably. Moreover the colony too would have many approach roads, thereby easing the pressure on the internal roads of the industrial area. The enthusiasm among the people was evident from their cooperation during the carpeting of the 70-foot internal road dividing phases I and II of the colony. While the anti- encroachment drives of the administration are carried out in the face of stiff opposition, the people voluntarily cleared the land themselves. This stretch of land was
completely encroached upon by persons and was being used
to run piggeries. Work gangs of the municipal corporation
are busy levelling the land before the work begins. |
CBSE bar on compartment cases
quashed CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court has quashed the instructions issued by the Central Board of Secondary Education to various heads of schools disqualifying those students who failed to clear their compartment in the first instance from appearing for the plus one and plus two examinations. Mr Justice Swatantar Kumar, delivering this order, directed that the examination forms, which had already been submitted to the CBSE shall be duly processed by the board and roll numbers be issued to the candidates within three days from today. All the candidates, if otherwise eligible, would be entitled to sit for the class XII examination". The CBSE had also issued another instruction that no candidate who had passed the secondary school examination (class X) in the second attempt in 1998 would be eligible for taking the plus two examination in 1999. These instructions were issued by the board at the fag end of the academic year of those students who had got compartment in their class X examination held in 1997 and had been provisionally admitted to class XI by their respective schools. It also pertained to those who had cleared the class XI examination and their admission forms had been sent to the CBSE so that they could appear for the class XII examination. The admission forms of these students were rejected by the CBSE on the basis of the rule in the examination by laws wherein it was incorporated that a candidate to be eligible for the All India Secondary School Certificate examination should have passed the secondary school (class X) examination of the board. These instructions were questioned by Abhishek Dutt, a student of St Lawrence School, Sanawar, and a few other students on the ground that they had been regularly studying in their respective schools till the submission of their admission forms until January/February, 1999. The CBSE instructions had created confusion among those students who had cleared their compartment examination in second chance. After hearing detailed
arguments the Judge set aside the instructions issued by
the CBSE and allowed the prayer of the students to permit
them to appear for the examination. |
Teachers demand UGC scales CHANDIGARH, February 26 — Teachers from Panjab University and local colleges organised a rally at Gandhi Bhavan in support of their demand for quick implementation of UGC scales here today. Teachers from private colleges expressed resentment over being left out of the notification on pay scales by the Punjab Government. It included only government college and university teachers. Teachers working in non-government aided colleges observed a lightning strike.They assembled in front of the university campuses at Amritsar and Patiala. The protest rally was addressed by Prof N.P.Manocha, Finance Secretary of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union, Prof Rabinder Nath, President of the local unit, Prof Charanjit Chawla, a former General Secretary, Prof S.P. Gautam, President of the Panjab University Teachers Association and Dr Rajivlochan, Secretary and Dr P.P. Arya, besides others. The state executive committees of university and college teachers will organise a dharna at Housing Board Chowk on March 1 and will rally towards the Punjab Assembly on March 12. On March 1, the joint body will discuss the modalities of boycotting the forthcoming university examination in case their demands are not accepted. PUTA, in a letter to the
Punjab Chief Minister said," Your government's
notification on the implementation of revised grades does
not heal the wounds of teachers ,it only adds salt to
injury". PUTA resented the dilution of pay scales
and said that the guidelines about career advancement
schemes had been ignored. |
City’s oldest woman is dead CHANDIGARH February 26 — Mrs Harbans Kaur, one of the city’s oldest women, died here yesterday. She was 108. Her body has been preserved at the Sector 32 Government Medical College HospitaI mortuary. It will remain there till one of her four sons, Mr Inder Singh Uppal, a member of the first Metropolitan Police Committee for Greater London, arrives on Saturday. Mrs Harbans Kaur, widow of Inspector Kahan Singh of the Punjab police, has left behind four sons, four daughters, scores of grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren. On August 20,1995, when her 105th birthday was celebrated, the then Director-General of Punjab Police, Mr KPS Gill, deputed Mr P.Lal, at present Additional Director-General of Police, to present her a bouquet of flowers. Mr Lal described her as “mata” (mother) not only of her own family but also the Punjab police”. Till her death, she could read without glasses and also count her great great grandchildren. Her end came at the residence of her eldest son, Col. Didar Singh (retired), in Sector 33 here, after she had finished her lunch. Her husband, Inspector Kahan Singh, had retired on April 27,1942, after 34 years of excellent service in Punjab police. Son of a Commissioned Officer in the Army, Kahan Singh was sent for training as an ASI to Phillaur on August 1,1913. A favourite of Mr J.P. Warbrutton, the then Inspector-General of Punjab police, he had several historic assignments. Huge movable and immovable properties with the historic gurdwaras were being misappropriated by the Mahants managing them. Prominent among them were Mahant Narain Dass of Gurdwara Janamsthan and Mahant Kirpa Ram. Both were rivals. Mahant Kirpa Ram, who was from Ludhiana, found a suitable ally in Mr Warbrutton to counter his adversary. Before he became Mahant of Maljis Sahib gurdwara, he sought the hand of Inspector Kahan Singh (then ASI) for his sister-in-law to strengthen his position in Nankana Sahib. The proposal was readily accepted. Mahant Kirpa Ram was advised not to offer any resistance to the Sikh community and he accepted. He offered the keys of Gurdwara Maljis Sahib to Giani Kartar Singh Chabbar when he came with an Akali jatha. He and his family in turn were offered a safe passage to Mandi Warbrutton. Mahant Narain Dass offered resistance and a large number of Akalis were hacked to death. He was arrested. Legal battles ensued. It was his evidence that gurdwaras belonged to Guru Granth Sahib that came the landmark judgement. Thus the foundation for the Gurdwara Act was laid. Mahant Kirpa Ram was suitably honoured by the Akali Dal. Though Mr J.P. Warbrutton and ASI Kahan Singh remained in the background, they played a significant role in shaping the history of Punjab. Inspector Kahan Singh remained in the news. He was deputed to arrest Maharaja Ripudaman of Nabha. His arrest led to Jaito Morcha. Pt Jawaharlal Nehru came as a sympathiser of the Akalis and was arrested and lodged in Nabha jail where conditions were horrible. The barrack where Pt Nehru was lodged was full of mosquitoes and had no ventilation. Mr Kahan Singh was appointed Jail Superintendent to redress complaints of Pt Jawaharlal Nehru. Subsequently, on directions from the Administration, Mr Kahan Singh undertook reforms in the jail. He also played a significant role in the Babbar Akali movement as he was posted in the CID at Jalandhar then. While his eldest son rose to be a Colonel in the Indian Army, his second son, Mr Iqbal Singh, first became an English Lord and then a Scottish Laird. Mr Iqbal Singh, Lord of Butley Manor in Suffolk spent 4,800 pound sterlings in 1985 to buy the Lordship.In 1987, he moved to Scotland and for 25,000 pound sterlings bought Little Castle, a 20-room Elizabeth mansion in Lesmahagow, Lanarkshire, in which he and his Swiss born wife, Gertrude, live. Mr Iqbal Singh is also expected to attend the bhog ceremony of his mother. Her fourth son, Mr
Shamsher Singh, is a landlord. One of her grand sons,
Lieut-Col H.M. Singh, and son of Colonel Didar Singh
(retd), is still serving defence forces. |
Order on Jerath bail application
today CHANDIGARH February 26 — The District and Sessions Judge, Chandigarh, Mr Beant Singh, today reserved his decision for tomorrow on the bail application of the suspended Chief Engineer of the Union Territory, K.K. Jerath, in FIR No 1 (popularly known as the kickback case) lodged with the Vigilance police on February 3, 1998, under Sections 13(1)(a)(b)(c)(d) and 2 of the Prevention of Corruption Act read with Sections 406, 409, 420 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code. Earlier, the defence counsel argued that as in FIR Nos 2 and 3, registered at the Vigilance police station, the prosecution had been discriminating against his client in the present case also, which was registered after certain diaries were seized during an income tax raid on the houses of alleged middlemen. Though his client was booked merely on supposition because only his initials appeared in the diaries, the Administration did not proceed against many officers despite their full names appearing in the diaries. He quoted certain instances also. Asserting that Mr Jerath was placed on better footing than the other accused who had either been not arrested or were granted bail, counsel said his client had already been in police custody for 12 days and in judicial custody for 92 days. Out of the 36 accused persons, 13 officers were arrested and all of them (with the exception of J.C. Galhotra) had been bailed out. As many as 23 other accused were not arrested. The diaries, he said, were not admissible as evidence as per the law laid down by the Supreme Court in the CBI versus V.C. Shukla case. The house of his client had been raided by the CBI and the income tax authorities. Therefore, nothing more was to be recovered from his client. Moreover, the prosecution case was based on documentary evidence. The defence counsel said his client surrendered to the court on his own because he had no intention to run away from law. If the police had nabbed him during the period he was declared a proclaimed offender, it would have been a different matter. During this period he was in touch with the Administration and had even sent a medical certificate issued by a government doctor. He was still under treatment at the PGI. Denying the allegation that Jerath used to obtain inflated demand of material, counsel said it were the XENs who forwarded the demand after filling a detailed performa to the Chief Engineer through the Superintending Engineer. He said the powers of the officers to place supply orders were withdrawn in view of a letter written by the Director-General, Supplies and Disposal, to the Adviser to Chandigarh Administrator. Again it was the DGS&D who checked the quality of the material. Giving an undertaking, counsel said his client would mark his presence in the court daily but he should be granted bail so that he could prove his innocence. Opposing the bail application the Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) said at least one set of diaries were accurately maintained books of accounts in which entries in respect of kickbacks paid to Jerath and other officers had been made for the period from September 8, 1995, to March 26, 1997. The diaries recovered from Sharma brothers, alleged middlemen, contained receipts and expenditure details, both of professional and personal nature. The SPP said the diary had 12 horizontal headings viz. date, detail, H.H. (household expenses), petrol/travelling expenses, salary and petty business expenses, SO (expenses/commission to supply order, I. note, office expenses, transfer (of funds), loan/advance, receipt and balance. He said each page of the diary carried opening and closing balances for the day. He said Jerath was declared a proclaimed offender on May 28, 1998, but he surrendered after about six months on November 27, 1998. If he was enlarged on bail, the accused would not come back. The SPP said it had been established that Jerath was pressurising his subordinates to project large requirement of material which ultimately led to storage problem. Even maintenance booths had to be used for storing material. He contended that the investigation had been successful in connecting the various accused with the crime. There was unimpeachable evidence to show that Jerath was the “linchpin in this colossal corruption”. He said the case “uncovers an intricate design system of institutionalised corruption”. Denying the defence
allegation of being selective in booking the accused and
taking action against them, the SPP said the other
accused persons had cooperated with the investigating
agency and it was not essential to arrest each and every
accused in view of the mandate of the apex court in the
Joginder Kumar case. |
Sewerage tax recommended CHANDIGARH FEBRUARY 26 — The Finance and Contract Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) today recommended the imposition of sewerage charges for the new connections in the city. According to sources, the charges per unit for houses up to 10 marlas would be Rs 1,000 and from 10 marlas to one kanal Rs 2,000. The charges for the houses above one kanal would be Rs 3,000. In case of industrial units, the charges up to one kanal would be Rs 5,000 and for those above one kanal Rs 10,000. For hotels and institutions, the charges recommended were Rs 10,000 per unit. The rehabilitation
colonies, however, were exempted from the levying of the
charges. Similarly, the levy of sewerage tax on the
existing connections were put off till March 4. |
Overflowing drains, filth &
garbage SAS NAGAR February 26 — Mohali village in SAS Nagar town is plagued by shocking insanitary conditions with the Municipal Council turning a blind eye to the residents’ grievances. A visit to the village, near Phase I, yesterday showed what an eyesore it has become — filth and garbage scattered all around, stink and drains overflowing with sullage. Heaps of sullage, removed by residents themselves, could be seen in streets. The municipal councillor of the area, Ms Daljit Kaur, said her ward, comprising Mohali village and Shahimajra, was being given “stepmotherly” treatment by the council. She said she had met the council Executive Officer, Mr K.S. Brar, several times urging him to look into the residents’ woes but to no avail. “Now I have got fed up and can’t go anymore, “she added with a tinge of anger. She said she had to avoid passing through certain streets because residents questioned her about the sanitation problem. She now felt embarrassed and helpless. Ms Daljit Kaur claimed that “no safai karamchari” under the council had visited Mohali village “after the cleanliness drive undertaken in the first half of November last year”. At that time, too, she said the safai sewaks had cleaned only parts of the village. They removed sullage from drains but dumped it on the sides of streets from where it was never picked up. To show the state of the drains, a resident, Mr Harjinder Singh, brought a thick stick and put it in one of them. It went in nearly 2 ft into the sullage. He said this had also caused seepage in his house. Mrs Manjeet Kaur, another resident, said if at all safai karamcharis came to the village they only removed garbage from some spots but failed to clean the drains. “We had to raise the level of our house as drain water entered the house whenever there was rain,” she said. She further said migratory labourers, who were living in rented accommodation in the village, added to their woes. Some of them “defecated in polythene bags and threw them on to the streets”. Mr Kuljit Singh, a former general secretary of the local unit of the BSP, said the council had provided streetlights and drinking water supply. Work on laying the sewerage was also in progress. He wondered why the sanitation aspect was being totally neglected. He said one of the drains usually got choked because of a service station being run near the village gurdwara. Surprisingly, a few safai karamcharis were seen clearing a drain today after a visit to the village by The Tribune yesterday. Council Executive Officer
Brar could not be contacted for comments despite a
message being left at his office. |
Mohali MC to privatise sanitation SAS NAGAR February 26 — Confronted with a severe shortage of sanitation staff, the Mohali Municipal Council will partly go in for privatisation from April 1. The drive is aimed at improving the quality of sanitation in the city, which had taken a backseat largely due to the shortage of safaikaramcharis. According to official figures, the civic body has just one-third of the actual requirement as prescribed by the Bhagat Charan Dass Committee, which had been constituted by the Central Government for the purpose. According to Mr K.S. Brar, Executive Officer of the MC, there are 118 regular safai karamcharis and 20 daily wage workers. But this number is far from sufficient to keep the entire city clean. Moreover, the effective strength is even less as about 15 to 20 per cent of these employees remain on leave, and nearly 20 have been deployed as drivers or helpers due to shortage of drivers, the sources said. Mr Brar said the civic body would not fill the vacancies on a regular basis. Earlier, it was planning to recruit about 30 safai karamcharis. He said though the decision to privatise sanitation had been taken by the House during its last meeting, the process had picked up speed following a clearance of the proposal by the Secretary of the Punjab Local Bodies Department recently. Prior to this, the civic body had been dilly-dallying on the issue as it had been opposed by the then Chief Minister Beant Singh. Mr Brar said after completing the process of privatisation, new staff would be deployed to cover all areas. He said the actual requirement of staff was being assessed by the Engineering Branch of the civic body. Sources in the MC said that according to the committee norms, there should be one safai karamchari against 1 km of road. As the total length of
roads in the city is about 370 km, it was estimated that
175 additional safai karamcharis are needed. |
Cover sells books, not content CHANDIGARH February 26 — In the age of glitz and glamour, when a book is judged by its cover, it is not surprising to find even book-lovers getting attracted to books with beautiful and attractive covers. This was the finding of a survey by TNS of the Chandigarh Book Fair, being held at the Circus Grounds, Sector 17. “See these beautiful pictures on the cover. Do you want this book for yourself?”, asks a young mother to her 10-year old daughter at a stall for young children. Barbie dolls, attractive fairy tale books and colourful dictionaries were the obvious attractions at the stall. “A book’s cover does attract one to at least pick up the book from the rack. Though eventually it is the book that matters, good and colourful pictures and glossy book covers have enticing value”, says Ms Anju Sharma, a housewife, at a stall selling Hindi publications. A Delhi-based Hindi-publication house, that had many curious readers browsing through its titles, provides an interesting fare of paperbacks that include the works of various artists and sculptors. “These days people have to be attracted in the first shot. So we thought of ‘combining’ literature and fine arts in our publications”, says Mr Ram Naresh, managing sales at the stall. The stall, besides having the works of artists like Krishan Khanna, Arpana Caur, Manjit Bawa and Amrita Shergill, also has reproduced works of some region-based artists like photographer Diwan Manna and artist Gurcharan Singh on the covers of its paperbacks. “A cover is ultimately just a cover. If the inside of the cover does not have any worth, the cover is of no use. But with most books being of ‘coffee-table’ variety, meant to be kept in the drawing rooms, covers might make a difference”, says Mr Ramesh Vaid, a lecturer of Hindi at Hoshiarpur. “The cover of a book depends on the kind of money being invested in publishing. We got hold of one artist once and are tied down with him. We are moving along with that artist and his works. The quality obviously suffers. The demand for ‘filmi’ book covers has to be catered to. But then money is needed”, says Mr Govind Singh, a sales representative at a book stall that registered very low sales. When most book stalls seem to lose out, the ‘colourful’ and ‘snazzy’ look of the stalls, and the books stacked in them, help in a big way. “There are hardly any reading habits to talk about today. The habit is a matter of pride or of show-off. The looks at book-covers reflect the change in our cultural ethos that seems to have crept into our society. Nobody had thought of keeping books in drawing rooms as it is done today”, says Mr Anil, a research scholar of political science at Panjab University. Adds a salesman at the Punjab Book Centre, “What book covers can we talk about? Our last stock came in 1990, which we are still selling and even that stock has been gathering dust”. But in the age when the electronic media has so trained the eye that only the ‘bold’ and the ‘beautiful’ are visible to most, only those books catch the eye which seem ‘different’ from the rest. “I prefer books that
seem nice from the cover. If one spends so much money on
buying a book, then its value will be achieved only when
it also looks good enough to be picked up from the
book-rack. Even if just for curiosity”, says
19-year-old Reema Gill. |
Cultural meet ends CHANDIGARH February 26 — The two-day annual cultural meeting at Government College of Education, Sector 20, concluded here today. About 140 students from various colleges of Punjab, Haryana and the city participated in the eight competitions of the meet. The SDM, Mr Ashish Kundra, was the chief guest on the occasion. He advised teachers to go in for innovation in teaching. Earlier, the principal, Ms Surinder Kaur Tangri, welcomed the guests. The results of the contests are as follows: skill in teaching: science: Rabban Mangal, MCCE; Ludhiana 1, Mamta, DSCE; Chandigarh 2, Hemlata, SLDAVCE; Ambala 3; languages: Monika Bhatia, MCCE; Ludhiana 1, Balwant Rai, DMCE’ Moga 2, Archana, SDSCE; Lopon 3; trophy: MCCE, Ludhiana. Blackboard writing and sketching: English: Rupali DSCE; Chandigarh 1, Nidhi, SDSCE; Lopon 2, Richa, GCE; Chandigarh 3; Hindi: Surinder, GCE; Chandigarh 1, Ranjana SDSC; Lopon 2, Charanjit Kaur, MCCE; Ludhiana 3; Punjabi: Amandeep Kaur, MCCE; Ludhiana 1, Ajinder GCE; Chandigarh 2, Rajinder Kaur, SDSCE; Lopon 3; trophy SDSCE, Lopon. Teaching aids: Already prepared: science: Shalu, MCCE; Ludhiana 1, Inderjit Kaur, SDS; Lopon 2, Raj Kumar, GCE; Chandigarh 3, social science: Sudhir, SLDAVC; Ambala 1, Dapinder Kaur, MCCE; Ludhiana 2, Seema Vij, SDSCE; Lopon 3, languages: Jaspinder, MCCE; Ludhiana 1, Sukhwinder, SDSCE, Lopon 2, Navneet Kahlon, DSCE; Chandigarh 3. On the spot: science: Shayala, MCCE; Ludhiana 1, Cinny GCE; Chandigarh 2, Ramandeep, SDSCE; Lopon 3. social sciences: Rinku, DSCE; Chandigarh 1, Simranjit, GCE; Chandigarh 2, Ivneet, MCCE; Ludhiana 3, languages: Manpreet Kaur, GCE; Chandigarh 1, Avnita Rani, MCCE; Ludhiana 2, Sarabjit Kaur, SDSCE; Lopon 3, trophy: MCCE, Ludhiana. Fresh flower arrangement:
Usha, MCCE; Ludhiana 1, Pooja, GCE; Chandigarh 2, Vibha
Jain, GCG; Chandigarh 3; Dry flower: Arvinder Kaur, GCE;
Chandigarh 1, Shalu, MCCE; Ludhiana 2, Prachi, GCG;
Chandigarh 3; trophy: MCCE, Ludhiana. Rucksack lost in Shatabdi CHANDIGARH February 26 — A rucksack of Guru Nanak Nishkam Sevak Jatha of the UK containing valuable articles, was lost today in the Shatabdi Express on way from New Delhi to Chandigarh. According to the information available, it contained one digital audio tape recorder, four microphones, one headphone, some cassettes and cables. The finder may contact
House Number 3002, Sector 47, Chandigarh, (phone 603570). |
Five bands compete CHANDIGARH February 26 — Five bands participated in the competition held at Rose Garden here today. There were two bands of the Chandigarh Police and the Haryana Home Guards, Group Centre from Pinjore and the Himachal Police bands. The results of this contest will be declared tomorrow. The results of the various flower arrangement competition held in 58 categories are as follows: Roses only: Sadhna Sagar 1, Inderpreet Bhogal and Aseem 2. Flowers other than roses: Jagat Deep Singh 1, Inderpreet Bhogal 2. Dry flowers: Aseem 1, Shweta and Sarita Sharma2. Fresh foliage: Aseem 1, Jagat Deep Singh 2. Flowers on the theme of ‘Advent of spring’: Jagat Deep Singh 1, Aseem 2. Making of Garlands: Shabnam 1, Ravneet Kaur 2. Open to college students: Roses only: Anjori Khullar 1, Ekta Bedi 2. Flowers other than roses: Rashim Mohan 1, Ms Anjori Khullar 2. Dry flowers: Amrit Pal 1, Shweta 2. Fresh foliage; Amrit Pal and Ms Anjori Khullar 2. Open to schoolchildren: Roses only: Vasudha Kansal 2. Flowers other than roses: Kanika Rajdev 2. Dry flowers: Vasudha Kansal 2. Fresh foliage: Vasudha Kansal 2. Open to malis: Flowers: Ram Parshad 2. Gajras and Garlands: Ram Saran Mali 1. Open to professional florists: Roses only: Harpeet Bath 2. Flowers other than roses: Madan 2. Cut flowers (open to amateurs only): antirrhinum: Rama Shanker Yadav 1, Ram Sajveen 2. aster: Ram Sanjveen 1, Rama Shanker Yadav 2. stock: Ram Sajveen 1. carnation: Ram Bahadur 1, Ram Sajveen 2. candytuft: Abnesh Dhadwal 2. dahlia: Nagesher 1, Gopal and Anita Rani 2. gladiolus: Rakesh Jain 1, Harmen Thind 2. gerbera: Ram Sajveen 1, Mani Ram Verma 2. marigold: Ram Saran mali 1, Mani Ram Verma 2. pansy: Raj Kumar Yadav 1, Mani Ram Verma 2. rose hybrid tea: Ram Sajveen 1. Rose floribunda: Rakesh Jain 1, Ram Sajveen 2. Rose hybrid tea in three stages unopen bud: Semi-open and Open: Balbir Singh 1, Rama Shanker Yadav 2. sweetpeas: Wg. Cd. S.K. Ahluwalia 1, Mani Ram Verma 2. Any other flower: Rama Shanker Yadav 1, Manmohan 2. Cut flowers (Open to Govt., Semi-Govt. Bodies, institutions and private nurseries) — antirrhinum: Citco 1, Director, PGI 2. aster: Ranbaxy Labs Ltd. Vill: Toansa, Nawanshahr 2, Citco 2. stock: Ranbaxy Lab. Mohali 1, Citco 2. carnation: Punjab State Warehousing Corpn. 1, Chandigarh Housing Board 1, Punjab State Warehousing Corpn. 2. Candytuft: Continental India Ltd. 1, Chandigarh Housing Board 2. dahlia: Deltron Ltd and Citco 1, Continental Device India and Chandigarh Housing Board 2. gladiolus: Ranbaxy Labs Ltd. Vill. Toansa, Nawanshahr 1, Ranbaxy Lab Ltd., Mohali 2. gerbera: Director, PGI and IMT 1, Punjab State Warehousing Corpn. and Citco 2.Larkspur: Citco 2. marigold: IMT 1 and 2. pansy: Director PGI 1 and Chandigarh Housing Board 1, Chandigarh Housing Board 2. Rose Hybrid Tea: Ranbaxy
Lab Mohali 1, Citco 2. Rose floribunda: Ranbaxy Labs
Ltd., Toansa village, Nawanshahr, and Director, PGI 1,
Ranbaxy Lab Ltd., Mohali 2. Rose Hybrid Tea in three
stages unopen bud, Semi-open and open: Chief
Administrator, HUDA Panchkula 1, and Director PGI 2. rose
Hybrid Tea collection of three named varieties: Ranbaxy
Lab Ltd., Mohali 1, Director PGI 2. Sweetpeas: Punjab
State Warehousing 1, CITCO 2. Any other flower: Director
PGI and Chief Engineer, HUDA, Panchkula 1, Director, PGI
and CITCO 2. |
Roads or death traps? S.A.S NAGAR February 26 — The Mohali-Kurali and Mohali-Morinda roads have become death traps for drivers, owing to ever-increasing accidents taking place on these two roads. Most of these accidents occur on the Balongi-Banh Majra stretch of the Mohali-Ropar road and on the Khairpur-Mankheri stretch of the Mohali-Morinda road. The high rate of accidents, most of these fatal, is attributed to opening of a large number of link roads on the highways and to negligence on the part of drivers. According to the figures available with the police, 112 accidents took place on these roads during 1998 and the number of accidents and the toll has been increasing during the past five years. About 60 per cent of accidents proved fatal and 77 persons died on the spot. The figures indicate that there has been a two-fold increase in the number of accidents during the past two years, as the number of accidents which took place during 1997 was 75, while 64 accidents occurred during 1996. According to police
officials, the concentration of accidents is largely on
the 10 km stretch from Balongi bridge to Sahoran village
on the Kurali side and up to Gharuan village on the
Morinda side. During 1997, 75 accidents, mostly fatal,
took place on the Balongi bridge-Sahoran village strip. |
Nimble-footed deer from Manipur CHANDIGARH February 26 — They are nimble-footed, but are wary of their new surroundings. They are the dancing deer from Manipur who have joined the animal kingdom of the Chhat Bir zoo. The four Manipuri deer have been given by the Delhi zoo in exchange for four barking deer. Three of the deer are females. The Manipur deer is a rare and an endangered species. The newly acquired Manipuri deer preferred to roam about in the far corner of their enclosure when The Tribune team visited them. The African caped bufallow has finally found a mete. A female African caped bufallow has been given by the Delhi zoo in exchange for an Assamese Maccow (monkey). The lone female cassowary, the large flightless bird from Australia, has been sent to the Delhi zoo for mating. Her cage is now occupied by another male cassowary sent from Delhi. The Delhi zoo has two male cassowaries. The cassowary is found in
the thick forests of Australia, New Guinea and nearby
islands. It has a massive body, long legs and a
featherless but brightly coloured neck and head. A bony
helmet, used for butting through undergrowth, covers the
bird’s head. |
Directory of UT libraries CHANDIGARH February 26 — Mr D.S. Mangat, Director of Public Instruction (Colleges), today released a comprehensive directory of the libraries in Chandigarh. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Mangat said the libraries of the city were one of the best. Earlier, welcoming the chief guest, Mrs Ramola KC, Librarian of the TS Central State Library, while explaining the library activities and competitions for children, informed that the library was the first computerised public library providing such services like the Internet. The directory contains
information about 150 libraries of the city managed both
by the private and public sectors and libraries of higher
education-colleges, university and other professional
institutions. Hussain brothers visit DAV school CHANDIGARH February 26 — Popularly referred to as the Hussain brothers in Bollywood, Mohammed Hussain and Ahmed Hussain, after a performance in Shimla, visited Kailash Bahl DAV Centenary Public School, Sector 7, here today. The singers were welcomed at the school with the traditional Gayatri jap. The students asked them about ways of getting a break in tinsle town, the hours of practice they should put in to become good singers and the scope of singing. Beginning with a welcome
song, three students of the nursery class gave solo
performances which the two singers appreciated. The
singers took a round of the school and were appreciative
of the congenial environment being provided to the
students and discipline in the school. |
Prices
of stationery items stable CHANDIGARH February 26—There has been no fluctuation in the prices of most of stationery items used by school children during past one year. A survey of the local market today revealed that almost all of these items, such as notebooks, pencils, erasers and sharpeners were being sold at prices which prevailed during last year. An 192 page notebook, which is widely used by school children and was priced at Rs 12 per piece during last year, was still available at the same price. Similarly, a dozen notebooks were priced at the old price of Rs 132. Same was the case with an 128 pages notebook, as its price remained unchanged at Rs 9 per piece and Rs 96 in case of a dozen. The bigger 112 pages notebook, which is used by students of small classes and is made of superior paper was priced today at Rs 12 per piece and Rs 132 a dozen. During last year, too, the commodity had been available at the existing price. According to Mr R.D. Manchanda, a dealer in Sector 19, the prices remained stable as there had been no increase in the prices of paper during this period. As far as other stationery items were concerned, barring modelling clay there had been no hike or decline in the prices of other articles used by school students. A 225 grams packet of modelling clay, which had been priced at Rs 10 last year, was available today for Rs 12. On the other hand, while fancy pencil boxes were available between Rs 50 and Rs 150, the ordinary ones were available between Rs 25 and Rs 30. Last year too, these were available at the same prices. Same was the case with pencils. A pencil was still priced at Rs 2.25 and in case of a pack of ten it was Rs 22.50. Likewise, there had been no change in the price of an eraser as it was available for Rs 1.50 . Similarly, the price of a good quality sharpener is stable at Rs 3 per piece. According to a shopkeeper, instead of enhancing prices, this year, the companies manufacturing pencils were even introducing 'schemes' to push the sales. "A company is even offering a sharpener and a pencil free with a pack of ten pencils," he said. According to Mr Saurabh, a
shopkeeper in Sector 19, the sales were yet to pick up as
barring a few most of the schools were scheduled to open
from April 1st. "We are not receiving any customers
for these items as yet," he said. |
PU
signs two crucial MoUs CHANDIGARH February 26 — Panjab University has signed two crucial memoranda of understanding on educational cooperation with the Bishkek Humanities University of Kyrgyz Republic and Semiconductor Complex (SAS Nagar), respectively. The MoU signed with the Bishkek University provides that both sides will exchange information, documents, educational programmes and necessary methodical treatments in the field of humanitarian sciences, computer science, management , ecology and economics, besides other fields. Both universities will inform each other about the international congresses, conferences and cultural meetings organised in their countries and exchange scientific reports published after these meetings. Both sides will invite teachers from the other side to hold seminars and lectures. They will also encourage joint scientific and academic researches and publications. The universities will exchange students and provide internships to post-graduate students for three to 10 months. The MoU signed with the SCL provides that both parties will jointly evolve and establish academic interaction with each other, particularly in the master in technology (microelectronics) programme. The SCL is under the administrative control of the Central Government’s Department of Electronics. The structure of cooperation between the SCL and PU will be decided on the basis of agreements between experts of the organisations. The SCL will extend its facilities and arrange for experts to teach students of the university. The SCL experts who are teaching M.Tech course will have the status of visiting faculty members. Fast: The indefinite fast of Mr Dayal Pratap Singh Randhawa, President of the Panjab University Campus Students Council, entered its third day here on Friday. He is fasting in support of the demand for exemption from entertainment tax for students in cinema halls of the city. The council is also demanding 50 per cent reservation for students in cinema halls, free bus passes, separate buses for girls and railway reservation counters at PU campus. Several student leaders from local colleges visited the council president and expressed support for the demands. The NSUI has already expressed support for these. In a press note, the Students Federation of India (SFI) extended its support to the council president. Dharna: The dharna of students of pharmacy in Panjab University entered its fourth day here on Friday. Students are demanding 80 per cent promotional seats in post-graduate courses for the undergraduate students of PU. They are also demanding declaration of the annual result within 30 days of the last test. Science Day: Department of Biotechnology of Panjab University, in association with the local chapter of Indian Science Congress and Indian National Science Academy began the National Science Day celebrations at PU campus here on Friday. Prof I.B.S. Passi, Dean University Instructions, inaugurated the function. Prof M.K. Chandrashekharan of Jawahar Lal Institute of Advanced Research in Bangalore, a recipient of the J.C. Bose Award in life sciences, explained results of various experiments conducted by him. Others who spoke on the
occasion were Dr Amit Ghosh, Director of the Institute of
Microbial Technology, Prof R.K. Kakkar of Department of
Geology, Dr I.M. Govil and Dr R.C. Sobti. About 30
students participated in a paper reading contest. |
One
held in murder case PANCHKULA February 26 — The local police today claimed to have solved the murder of a 45-year-old daily wage earner, whose body was found lying in a dirty water nullah in Sector 12-A here on February 22. One person has been arrested in this connection. The murder, according to the police, was the outcome of a dispute over money with another daily wage earner. The suspect, Kailash, used to undertake the job of white wash in the township. The victim had been allegedly refusing to return his share of income earned while doing the job. In the fateful night the suspect had liquor along with the victim and then killed him by hitting him on the head. A case of murder has already been registered by the police. Arrested for peddling liquor: Six persons including two women have been arrested for peddling liquor at different places in the district in the past 48 hours, At least 900 pouches of liquor have been seized from them. Sunil Kumar and Prem Lata, both residents of Solan in Himachal Pradesh, were arrested with 400 pouches of country liquor. In another case Bhim Singh, a resident of Sector 26 in Chandigarh, was arrested while carrying 150 pouches of liquor. Asha Rani, a resident of Solan, and Harish Kumar, a resident of Rohru in Himachal Pradesh, were caught while carrying 250 pouches of liquor. In another case Krishan, a resident of Manimajra, has been arrested for possessing 100 pouches of country liquor. The police has registered separate cases under the Prohibition Act in all the four cases. CHANDIGARH Case registered: The police has registered a case against a Sector 20-based finance firm, M/s Okara Agro Industry, on the complaint of several of its investors. According to police sources, many investors, led by Mr Sharan Singh, who had deposited a sum amounting to about Rs 18 lakh on high interest rates, alleged that the company had not been paying them interest since the beginning of this month. A case under Sections 420 and 120-B has been registered. Scooter thief held: The police claimed to have arrested a scooter thief, Davinder Singh alias Bagga, a resident of Kurali in Ropar district, and recovered a scooter (CH01-D-5530) from his possession. The scooter was stolen from the PGI parking and a case was registered on February 10 on the complaint of Mr Gaurakh Ram. Knocked down: A scooterist, Amrit Pal Singh, was today knocked down by an unidentified Esteem car near the railway station, traffic light point. He was seriously injured and admitted to the Sector 16 General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. A case has been registered. Illegal transfer: On the complaint of Mr Sudhir Sood, a resident of Ludiana, the police has registered a case against Satish Kapur, Sheetal Kapur and Gopal Mehta, regarding illegal transfer of the ownership rights of House No 3018, Sector 21-D here. Arrested: Jugal kishore, a resident of Milk Colony Dhanas, was arrested while stealing clothes from House No 3464, Sector 37-D. A case has been registered
on the complaint of Mr Avinash Kapil. |
Delightful
show by Navtej CHANDIGARH February 26 — The concept of “ardhanarishvara” in the Hindu mythology, that of androgyne — half-man and half-woman — has always been symbolic of the fact that both male and female principles are inseparable. And this was what today’s Bharatnatyam recital by performance artist-choreographer Navtej Singh Johar stood for. The dance programme was organised by the Public Relations and Cultural Affairs Department, Haryana, at Tagore Theatre this evening. Everything from Navtej’s kohl-rimmed eyes to the anklets on his feet did little to hide his masculinity, but rather enhanced the sensitivity and passion of being a woman. The grace and agility that Navtej displayed was the delight of the select audience in the auditorium. For the “bhangara crowd” of Chandigarh today’s recital by this exquisite dancer could have well given them some tips on elegance and charm. Starting with the invocation to Lord almighty, Navtej moved on to “varnam”, set in raga Ranjani in Adi Taal. The piece, in which Lord Murugan and Lord Karitkeya are prayed to, had the dancer adequately display both “nritta” and “nritya” in equal measure. It was in the next item “ashtapati” from Jaidev’s “Geeta-Govinda” that Navtej Singh seemed to derive ecstasy in his every movement. The natural grace and even beauty of his dance, describing the pangs of jealousy that Radha feels on seeing Krishna surrounded by many Gopis, were enchanting. In fact with his kind of dazzling and powerful body language, even his commentaries in Punjabi, at the beginning of each piece, were sometimes felt to be almost redundant. Navtej then went on to present “padam” in Anand Bhairavi raga. A Chandigarh lad, Navtej
studied Bharatnatyam at Rukmini Devi Arundale’s
Kalakshetra, and them trained with Leela Samson at the
Sri Ram Bhartia Kala Kendra, New Delhi. Navtej Johar is
also a practising yoga therapist and is currently
teaching modern dance at the Natya Ballet Centre, New
Delhi. Navtej Singh had also been a part of the New York
City Opera and has been associated with several prominent
American dance choreographers. Dancers enliven Kalagram fair CHANDIGARH February 26 — The Kalagram craft fair at the Festival of Gardens was inaugurated by the Governor of Punjab and Administrator of the UT, Chandigarh, Lt-Gen. B.K.N. Chhibber (retd), at the Leisure Valley today. The fair has been put up by the North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala. The entrance to the fair was through two gigantic ‘tabla-like’ gates. More than 60 craftsmen from 15 states displayed painted pots, glass bangles, embroidered cushions and leather jackets. But the ‘difference’ to the fair was provided by vibrant dancers from different parts of the country. Artistes like Raja and Radha Reddy, Perna Sharimali and Hans Raj Hans form a part of the cultural programme. The ‘verranatyam” dance of Andhra Pradesh, with peacock feathers and spikes that acrobatic dancers balance on their tongues, proved to be a major attraction. Another South Indian dance, the Silambattum of Tamil Nadu, had the dancers frisking around with various poles, sticks and knives. The samai dance of Goa, bihu of Assam, chholia dance of Uttar Pradesh, baredi dance of Madhya Pradesh and kachhi ghori of Rajasthan were also performed. The colourful costumes and dancing puppets were also an attraction. The handicraft stalls at the fair hope to pick up business on Saturday and Sunday, the days when the festival expects the maximum visitors. With most people of the city preferring to stay away from the local VIPs, crowds poured in only towards the evening. For all those wanting to have a look at ice-cream makers, T-shirts or chooran, the stalls outside the Rose Garden would serve the purpose. But for those looking for Kashmiri shawls, phulkari, Thanjavur paintings or Jaipuri razais, Kalagram is the place to visit. Lt-Gen Chhibber announced
an award of Rs 11,000 to the folk dancers who
participated in the fair. This fair will be open to the
public till March 7. Scintillating performance CHANDIGARH, Feb 26 — It was a scintillating and mesmerising Kuchipudi performance by Raja Radha and Kaushlya Reddy Leisure Valley on the first evening of the Festival of Gardens today. Kuchipudi, a classical dance form of Andhra Pradesh where it grew as a product of the bhakti movement in the 17th century incorporates a beautiful blend of dance, drama and mime. The dancers began their performance in a traditional manner with the chanting of Ganesh Vandana, based on Raag Revati and Gaula. With sculpted postured set to rhythm, they presented perfect synchronisation of postures and rhythm. The second item was an attempt towards synthesising North Indian music with the South Indian dance form. Set to a Tarana composed by Pandit Ravi Shankar in Raag Nat Bhairavi in Ek Tall, the three sculpted pieces frozen in a time zone were brought alive through the magic of music. The dynamism of movement and swift change of mime enthralled the audience. Tandava — the dance of Shiva Raja Reddy set in Aditaal — displayed five-fold cosmic rhythmic patterns. In this dance of vigour, Raja combined the masculine aspect of male dance with intense dramatic display of nine different Bhavas. With uncanny precision and display of symmetry, he stormed and circled the stage. Cutting short the scheduled recital, Raja and Radha concluded their performance by Tarangam set to Raag Mohini in Aditaal where they displayed virtuosity of intricate rhythmic patterns on a Thall (metal disc). The dancers were accompanied on violin by VSK Annadurai, on Mridangam by V. Bhaskar Rao and vocalist Sahbhawani. — Vandana Shukla
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Tourists hail free shuttle service CHANDIGARH February 26 — The free shuttle service introduced by CITCO from the local railway station to its hotels has been welcomed by tourists. According to Mr Satish Chandra, Managing Director of Citco, the buses have been connected with the arrival of the Shatabdi trains to protect the people from being overcharged by taxi operators and touts. He claimed that Citco buses for the local sight-seeing trips charged a nominal amount. The buses begin at 11 a.m. and after showing the city to the tourists, bring them back at 2 p.m. The corporation also
organises LTC tours to popular destinations such as Kanya
Kumari, Nepal, Mumbai-Goa and places in Rajasthan at
competitive rates. Citco is a recognised agency for
employees of Punjab, Haryana and Union Territory
Governments. R.P. Singh CHANDIGARH February 26 — The Chandigarh Administration will relieve Mr R.P. Singh Inspector-General of Police, from the date Ms Kiran Bedi takes over, enabling him to report for duty in Delhi, it was officially announced here today.
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250 cases pending with forum PANCHKULA February 26 — The average time taken to dispose of a case is six months, said Mr R.C. Taneja, President of the Panchkula Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, here yesterday. The forum, which started functioning towards the end of 1996, is left with just one member besides the President. The second member, resigned recently, following a high court judgement. There are around 250 cases pending with the forum. On being asked why the 90-day period stipulated in the Consumer Protection Act was not being adhered to, he said the opposite party generally sought adjournment of the hearing a number of times. He, however, quoted a number of cases in which the decision had been given within the three-month period. In some cases, he said, the opposite party had gone to the higher court against their decision.
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Bank services remain suspended CHANDIGARH February 25 — Banking services in the city remained disrupted for the second day today following the nationwide strike by various trade unions. A rally was held in Sector 17, besides protests in various parts of the city. The two-day strike call had been given by the United Forum of Bank Unions, which represents unions of officers and lower staff. The members raised slogans against the Indian Banks Association (IBA) for non-implementation of wage policy. They alleged that though banks had sufficient profitability, but were being forced to show losses by frequent changes in norms for non-performing assets to suit the directors of the IMF and the World Bank. The protesters flayed the IBA for the breakdown in talks with their representatives. Addressing the rally,
leaders said the IBA was dilly-dallying on the wage
revision settlement, which was due since November 1997.
They said today’s nationwide strike was the first
step towards a long-drawn battle, if their demands were
not met. |
Chinese food fest CHANDIGARH February 26 — Yangtse, the roof-top Chinese restaurant in Hotel Shivalikview here, will host a Chinese food festival organised by Citco from March 5 to 14. The festival will include exclusive dishes like Peking onion cakes, kronjee crispy lamb, chicken hofan noodles and fried apple Cantonese. Under Mr Satish Chandra,
Managing Director of CITCO, Yangtse has been renovated
and transformed into a swanky new food joint. |
Kids sing into parents’ hearts PANCHKULA February 26 — Today was an exciting day for the toddlers of Firstep Montessori School as the enlivened the programme organised by the Principal, Mrs Madhu Trehan. The tiny tots enthusiastically sang their hearts out, entertaining parents with “One, two buckle my shoe,” “Teddy bear,” “Twinkle...”, “Machli jal ki” and “Nanaha munna rahi hoon.” Though the children needed prompting, they were sharp in following the instructions of their teachers. Their sweet innocent
rendition made its way to the parents’ hearts. 282 donate blood DERA BASSI February 26 — As many as 282 persons donated blood at a camp organised by the local unit of Bharat Vikas Parisad in collaboration with Oriental Bank of Commerce at the Civil Hospital, here, today. It was organised to celebrate the tercentenary of the birth of the Khalsa Panth. In the camp 100 members of
the Yuva Shakti Dal, 55 students of the Degree College,
Dera Bassi, local industrialists, members of the Bharat
Vikas Parishad and employees of the Oriental Bank of
Commerce, donated blood with great enthusiasm. The doners
were also awarded with gifts. |
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