One-fourth engineers jobless: study
Income of one-third below Rs 5,000
By Pradeep Sharma
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 8 — The craze for engineering degrees among the student community notwithstanding, over one-fourth of the graduates passing out from the engineering colleges of Punjab are unemployed. And the income of about one-third of them is below Rs 5,000 per month.

These are only two of the startling revelations made in a study conducted by the Economic and Statistical Organisation of Punjab. The study report was prepared by Mr Ravinder Kumar Jain, Deputy Economic and Statistical Adviser, Ms Hardarshan Sodhi, Research Officer, and Balbir Singh, Investigator, under the supervision of Mr D.S. Sandhu, Joint Director.

According to the study, while 52 per cent of the engineers have got employment, 20 per cent are pursuing higher studies. Only about 2 per cent are self-employed and the rest unemployed. An overwhelming 80 per cent of the graduates have been absorbed by the private sector. The immigration to other states after completing the degrees is 50 per cent which reflected poorly on the lucrative employment potential in the state.

Regarding the monthly income of the engineers, 5 per cent earned an amount of up to Rs 2,500; 26 per cent between Rs 2,501 and Rs 5,000; 31 per cent between Rs 5,001 and Rs 7,500; 25 per cent between Rs 7,501 and Rs 10,000 and 12 per cent more than Rs 10,000.

Information was received from 456 engineering graduates of the six engineering institutes comprising Guru Nanak Engineering College, Ludhiana, Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology, Patiala, Giani Zail Singh Memorial College of Engineering and Technology, Bathinda, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Dr B.R. Ambedkar Regional Engineering College, Jalandhar, and Punjabi University, Patiala.

The maximum number of unemployed — 63 per cent — are reported from the Scheduled Castes(SC) category. In this category, only 31 per cent engineers are employed while 6 per cent are continuing their higher education. None of the SC engineers was self-employed.

The condition of backward classes engineers, is, however, better. While 57 per cent are employed, only 21 per cent remain unemployed. Of them, 14 per cent are pursuing higher studies and 7 per cent self-employed.

While out of 235 employed engineers , 114 have got employment in the state, 121 are employed outside the state. Of the 11 engineers reported to be self-employed, 10 have set-up their business in the state.

The report says that of the 11 self-employed engineers, 3 are earning between Rs 2,501 and Rs 5,000 and one each between Rs 5,001 and Rs 7,500 and Rs 7,501 and Rs 10,000. As many as six engineers earn more than Rs 10,001.

The report further reveals that 71 per cent engineers are satisfied with their present employment while the rest dissatisfied. A majority of the civil engineers do not seem to be satisfied with their present jobs.

Meanwhile, the maximum employment potential — 81per cent — is in the textile engineering while the minimum, 22 per cent, in the civil engineering.

Home for delinquents lacks facilities
By Rupesh Kumar

CHANDIGARH, July 8 — Due to indifference of the UT Administration, the Home for delinquent and neglected children at Sector 15 here, since its inception under Juvenile Justice Act 1986, has been lacking the requisite facility and infrastructure for the upkeep and development of the children.

Contrary to the Chandigarh Juvenile Justice Act, 1987, the home hardly provides a regulated disciplined life, physical exercise, education classes, vocational training, organised recreation and games, moral education, group activities, prayer and community singing facilities to the inmates.

On Sundays and during holidays, in spite of the notification of the administration, the inmates are deprived of the library facility, excursions, scouting activities and recreation programmes.

The inmates do not get adequate clothing and other articles mentioned under various Sections of the bylaws. Due to the absence of a kitchen, the food is supplied by the mess contractor of the Hostel for Working Women at Sector 24.

It hardly has any medical staff for the treatment or regular medical check-ups of the inmates. Some of them, on the condition of anonymity, say that the absence of medical staff has created hardships for them as during ailment, they hardly get any first aid or treatment.

Due to the absence of proper infrastructure and trained staff, the home is unable to provide recreational facilities, physical exercises and games (indoor and outdoor).

The inmates complain that they have been confined in four-walled rooms. They allege that home officials neither take them for excursions or scouting nor allow them to play indoor and outdoor games.

The lack of initiative on the part of the administration to appoint trained staff and provide sufficient infrastructure has shelved various educational programmes meant for the inmates. The academic, health, social, moral and ethical developments of the inmates have come to a standstill.

The absence of a trained vocational instructor for diversified programmes of vocational training has dumped the employment opportunities for the rehabilitation of the inmates. It is not providing even the free postage facility to them.

The absence of a classification committee, comprising the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Member-Secretary and several other members has made matters worse. This committee is meant to consider and review the custodial care, individual problems, academics and development of the inmates.

The home has been found lacking several measures needed to prevent and control an emergency situation. It lacks adequate security measures and periodical inspection of its premises and inmates. Accident and fire preventive measures have been found missing.

According to a source, the administration has made a temporary arrangement for the accommodation of the inmates and in case of conviction, they can be transferred to a juvenile home in Punjab. He adds that the presence of a few number of inmates has prevented the authorities to construct an exclusive building for their accommodation.

A government official, on the condition of anonymity, accepts that the absence of requisite staff is the stumbling block for the all-round development of the inmates. Stating that a proposal has been sent to the Architect Department about grilling of the vacant space meant for the inmates , he discloses that a proposal regarding the appointment of a cook, a sweeper-cum-gardener and a superintendent has been sent to the Government of India for approval.

Sprinkler system for Rose Garden
By Varinder Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 8—Taking a belated but right step towards modernising the irrigation system in city gardens, the UT Horticulture Department has installed a Rs 10 lakh sprinkler system in the Sector 16 Rose Garden.

Besides cutting the existing cost being incurred on irrigation of the biggest rose garden of Asia, the system is aimed at improving the microclimate of the place, which in turn is likely to have a positive effect on the health of hundreds of species of delicate and rare rose plants.

Interestingly, while the department had installed the system in the Golf Club and the Raj Bhavan as early as 1982 and 1989, respectively, it had been unable to do so at the place which deserved it most — the Rose Garden — one of major landmarks of the city for reasons best known to the authorities concerned. So much so that even a proposal in this regard was not chalked out till 1997, and it would not have been able to materialise had the then Advisor, Mr Jagdish Sagar, not pushed the matter taking personal interest in it as the idea was said to have been conceived by him.

The system, with 260 points distributed all over the garden, is being tested and is likely to be commissioned within a period of 15 days. According to sources in the UT Horticulture Department, each of the points situated at a distance of 80 feet from each other, would be covering an area of 40 feet around it and at a time as many as 10 points would remain operational, irrigating an area measuring about two acres within a period of two hours. Underlining the advantages of the system as compared to conventional system of irrigation, Mr Hardev Singh, the Executive Engineer, Horticulture, said in addition to cutting the cost of irrigation the system would be a boon for the health of rose plants as mist created by the system would result in lowering of temperature, which was particularly beneficial for plants during summer. Moreover, it would ensure a proper distribution of water even in the uneven parts of the garden, which was impossible with the conventional way of irrigation by pipes.

"The biggest disadvantage of that system was that only low lying areas could get enough water and as a consequence the upper areas remained bereft of water resulting in spoiling of layer of grass," he said, adding that there would be lesser wastage of water with the use of the system, which would also eliminate the inconvenient use of long pipes used earlier for irrigation of the place.

While putting forth the advantages of the system from the economy point of view, he said the system was much cheaper as compared to manual irrigation."During summer we had to engage at least 20 people for the purpose of irrigating the place with a daily cost running about Rs 4,000 and with an annual bill of Rs 5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh, but with the system we would need two people to look after it, thus saving a big chunk of money," he added.

But what has raised questions in the minds of nature lovers was the inordinate delay in the installation of the system at the place. "Actually they should have done it much earlier as the place needed it badly and it should have given priority by the authorities concerned," said a nature lover, requesting anonymity.

Mr Hardev Singh said the delay was due to non-availability of funds and due to lack of adequate water for running the system as only one tubewell was there at the place.

Now we have able to undertake the project as a new tubewell was installed last year thus fulfilling the actual requirement of 25,000 gallons per hour, he added, saying the place would be irrigated during night due to heavy inflow of visitors in the place in the early hours and in the evening.

‘VIP’ road in bad state
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 8 — Calling the ‘VIP Road’, separating Sector 26 showrooms and the main vegetable market, even an ordinary road would be nothing but a misnomer, mainly for want of completion of process of widening of the road, which had been initiated about seven-eight months back by the Municipal Corporation.

The road is called ‘VIP’ road as it provides a vital link between Madhya Marg, the Police Lines and the GO Mess. But what belies its name is its bad condition, which is chiefly due to the reason that the work for widening of road was left half done by the authorities concerned, causing a lot of inconvenience to passers-by and those dealing in vegetables in the market. The state of the road is so bad, that it is almost impossible for vehicles, particularly, heavy ones carrying loads of vegetable and fruit, to pass through it for reaching the loading platform in the backyard of the market.

During a visit to the place, it was observed that both sides of the road was full with slush, created as a result of heavy flow of traffic through poodles of water accumulated in almost all of low-lying parts of the stretch of road. One could also see heaps of earth, dug out from the road bed, along both sides of the road, which was another factor contributing to the slushy condition of the road, particularly, after slight rain. As a result of this, heavy vehicles coming to the market from different parts of Punjab and Haryana have to adopt the road leading to the market from the Transport Chowk traffic lights.

According to vegetable vendors, the work on the road had started about seven-eight months back , but was left midway after laying a layer of stones on road for reasons best known to the authorities concerned. “This has further worsened the situation as frequent accumulation of water has left the road as an uneven path with slippery conditions all over,” he added.

Mr Sham Lal, a frequent visitor to the market, said the slush and water on the road had resulted in inconvenience to visitors to the market in a big way. “At the point, when one comes out of the market through the exit point, one is greeted with stinking water on the road. Same is the position at the entry point in the backyard, thus, proving to be a health hazard to visitors as well as people working in the market,” he complained.

A visit to the backyard of the market offered a more pathetic view as loading and unloading of vegetable from trucks could be seen taking place amidst slush, water and unhygienic conditions, created by dumping of garbage at the place. “The situation is same for years all together and we have stopped bothering about the same,” lamented a labourer.

When contacted, a senior officer of the Municipal Corporation said the repair of the road along the market was on the ‘priority list’ of the MC. He assured that the process of recarpeting of road would be completed after monsoons. Similarly, Mr Jaspal Singh, Secretary of the Market Committee said the roads around the loading-unloading platform in the backyard of the market, would be recarpeted within a period of two weeks. “Actually, we are recarpeting the inner roads and will turn to the backyard once the work is complete here,” he said, adding that the committee had a budget provision of Rs 23 lakh for repair of roads of the market.