Monday, July 12, 1999
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N E W S Monday, July 12, 1999 |
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MCC seeks more water for
city CHANDIGARH, July 11— Reacting to a communication from the Ministry of Urban Development virtually scrapping the revised plan for phase IV of the augmentation of water supply at Kajauli village, near here, the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC), has written to the Central Government pleading for more water for the city. According to sources, the MCC has brought to the notice of the ministry the need for early clearance of the fourth phase of the scheme as Chandigarh is a peculiar city and its water needs are different from the other cities of India. In May, this year, the ministry had scrapped phase IV, arguing that it might not be desirable to even consider and execute it as availability of water in Chandigarh would be around 267 litres per capita per day (LPCD) and 146 LPCD in 2001 and 2021, respectively, against the Government of India norms of 150 LPCD. The ministry, while expressing concern at the widening gap between the expenditures on operation and maintenance (O&M) and water receipts, has urged the corporation to raise the water tariff so that at least O&M costs were met. It was argued that since the deficit between the O&M costs and water receipts has risen from Rs 8.46 crore in 1996-97 to Rs 17 crore in 1998-99, it would not be economical to pump more water from Kajauli. As the power bill for 1998-99 was Rs 19 crore, the pumping of more water from Kajauli would further push up the O&M costs. In its reply, the MCC has advocated that since the water needs of the city, having a large number of parks, gardens, green belts and open spaces were quite different from the other cities, Chandigarh needed more water. The lowering of the 200 LPCD figure to 150 LPCD in 1998 has worked out to the disadvantage of the modern and well-planned cities like Chandigarh since they needed more water for their populations. Picking holes in the population projections made by the ministry for the water consumption, the civic body is understood to have said that since the city had a large floating population, their water requirements should have been taken into account while scrapping phase IV. The ministry in its letter had projected a population of about 7.81 lakh for the year 2001 based on the 1991 census. This fact has reportedly been disputed by the MCC in its reply since according to estimates, the population of the city had already crossed the 9-lakh mark and a large of number of migrants are still pouring in, the sources added. Regarding the revision of water tariff, the MCC had pleaded that it was in the process of being revised. In fact, at least twice the MCC has sent the proposal for water tariff revision for the meetings of the Finance and Contract Committee, but it could not be taken up. The water tariff was last revised in 1995. During the same time, the power tariff has been revised three times in the city. Since any revision of power tariff in Punjab raised the electricity bill of the pumping of water from Kajauli, the water tariff revision was imminent. However, immediate water tariff revision was being ruled out as this was a politically-sensitive issue and was likely to be opposed by the ruling group in the corporation owing allegiance to the the former MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain, the sources added. Meanwhile, it is learnt that the MCC is pursuing phase IV with the CPHEEO, an organisation in the Ministry of Urban Development, which is responsible for recommending the clearances of major projects. In fact, the MCC Chief Engineer, Mr Puranjit Singh, met the CPHEEO Adviser in New Delhi recently and explained the civic body's viewpoint. It may be recalled that
the Chandigarh Administration had approved the Rs
125-crore revised plan for bringing in 60 million gallons
per day (MGD) of water as against 20 MGD already planned. |
EC bugle activates
political parties Chandigarh, July 11 — The announcement of the poll schedule for the Lok Sabha by the Election Commission of India today has electrified political parties in the Union Territory of Chandigarh. The announcement has lifted the cloud of uncertainty which was hanging over the elections because of the ongoing Kargil conflict. Although the elections were due and the political parties had been preparing for them ever since the Lok Sabha was dissolved a few months ago, the Kargil conflict overshadowed all political activity. The unprecedented coverage of war by mass media, including television and newspapers, attracted public attention to the trials and tribulations of our jawans on the LoC like never before. The TV coverage had the effect of bringing the tragedy unfolding itself on the barren hills of Kargil into the drawing rooms of an average Indian. There was no part of the country which was not affected and there was no section of the population which did not feel involved in the Herculean efforts being made by the jawans to throw out the enemy. Jawans' heroism and the supreme sacrifices being made by them brought forth an unalloyed feeling of pride and support from all sections of the population. This found reflection in the unprecedented scale of donations from the general public to the soldiers' welfare fund. Not unexpectedly, the Kargil conflict pushed all other activities including political goings-on to the background. The political parties were, therefore, forced to scale down their activities. At a time when national unity was needed to thwart the enemy's designs on Kashmir, they could hardly afford to strike a discordant note. Now that the Kargil conflict is showing signs of resolution and the bugle has been sounded by the Election Commission for the electoral battle, political parties have got into action immediately. In Chandigarh, the election for the Lok Sabha seat will take place on September 4 along with the 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab and nine in Haryana. The model code of conduct has come into force with effect from today although the formal notification with regard to the election will be issued on August 11. The last date for filing nominations is August 18. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on August 19 while the last date of withdrawals has been set for August 21. This gives a clear two weeks to the political parties for electioneering. The Chandigarh parliamentary seat is almost entirely urban and is at present represented by the BJP leader, Mr Satya Pal Jain. There is every indication that he will seek election to the Lower House of Parliament for a third time. The city BJP is not exactly a model of unity at present. Therefore, in addition to candidates from other parties, Mr Jain will have to contend with opposition from his own partymen. The BJP's alliance with the Akali Dal (Badal) is also in trouble with its local chief, Mr Gurpartap Singh Riar, openly campaigning against Mr Jain. The main challenge to Mr Jain will come from the Congress party which at present seems to be in a state of disarray. Mr Pawan Bansal who headed the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee for an extended period was unceremoniously replaced by Mr Venod Sharma who too had to resign a couple of months ago following the involvement of his son in the infamous Jessica Lal murder case. The party has been coasting along ever since without a party chief. Mr Munish Tewari, President of the Indian Youth Congress, who hails from Chandigarh, is also known to be keen on contesting the poll from Chandigarh. The Congress High Command will, therefore, have to select its candidate for the Chandigarh seat from amongst Mr Pawan Bansal, Mr Venod Sharma and Mr Munish Tewari. The third major
candidate for the seat is likely to be Mr Harmohan Dhawan
of the Samajwadi Janata Party. A former union minister,
Mr Dhawan's political fortunes have been on the downswing
in recent years. It remains to be seen if will enter the
electoral arena this time. |
Roads washed away in Rs 36
lakh scam DAIRI (Sohana), July 11 — Embezzlement of funds amounting to more than Rs 36 lakh, allocated for the construction of four link roads, has resulted in a lot of hardship to hundreds of residents of the area for the past year. Link roads of Sohara-Sneta, Manauli-Sneta, Dairi-Chau Majra and Sohara-Chandiala, near Sohana, were constructed to meet the longstanding demand of the local people. But that was not to be. Certain officials of the Punjab Public Works Department (Roads and Bridges), reportedly in connivance with higher authorities, made a fast buck out of it. The construction was so shoddy that the roads have not survived the first monsoon. They were supposed to last for a minimum of six years. But even this failed to move the authorities. The villagers of the Manauli, Dairi, Chau- Majra, Chilla, Pappri other several villages came face to face with the darker side of the department for raising their voice and demanding an inquiry in the affair. The state of construction can be gauged from the fact that after a culvert on the Dairi-Chau Majra road collapsed last year, the villagers have to pass through the nullah. As a result, villagers have to take a longer route of about 10 km to reach the Kharar-Banur road. Mr Bachan Singh, a farmer, said that his income has severely affected since the 'passage' was damaged. He grows vegetables and sells them at apni mandis at Chandigarh and SAS Nagar but now the non-existence road is a major deterrent. Residents of the area said that even after the district administration authorities were appraised of the problem, nothing had been done. Lakhs of rupees had been spent on these "useless" roads but the delay in recarpeting them has severely affected our mobility, said Mr Janet Singh. Sources in the PWD revealed that six officers were suspended after an inquiry. Those found guilty included the then Executive Engineer (Xen), PWD, Ropar, D.P.S. Sandhu, Subdivisional Officer (SDO) Karnail Singh, three junior engineers Harpal Singh, R.K. Prashar, Avtar Singh Walia, and Sarjivan Lal who was a surveyor at the time of the departmental inquiry. All six persons were reportedly found guilty and are now posted at the Head Office, PWD (B and R), Patiala. Meanwhile, sources said all the suspended officers were reinstated about a month back although the inquiry is still pending. Charge sheets served to the accused last year said, "The officers with their mutual cooperation misused funds and made poorer the state exchequer by lakhs of rupees. They were involved in bungling of lakhs of rupees meant for the development of the area by the construction of roads. The material used was substandard and less in volume." A total of Rs 29,62,200 was estimated for the Sohara-Sneta road while as per the charge sheet, it was observed that about Rs 11,42,253 was bungled. In this case, an Xen, D.P.S Sandhu, an SDO, Karnail Singh, two JEs, Harpal Singh Saini and R.K. Prashar, were found the main accused. According to reliable sources, in four cases the material used was found to be substandard. While constructing roads the amount of earth-filling was found to be inadequate. Stone metal used in the construction was also less in quantity. Moreover, it was found after laboratory tests at Patiala that stone used in the making of roads was not as per the specifications. The size of the stone used in constructing the road was larger than required. That is why the small bridge/culvert on Dairi- Chau Majra road collapsed. Moreover, the findings of the report said that the layer of pre-mix carpet (PC) was also less in amount. It further weakened the roads, sources added.
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BCA candidates sore CHANDIGARH, July 11 —Candidates who have qualified the BCA entrance test conducted by Panjab University are sore about the fact that interviews for their admission are being held in Ludhiana and not in Chandigarh. Out of the 3,000 students who have qualified the BCA entrance test, over 2,100 are from the city and are seeking admission to the course run by eight colleges here. Geetika Sharma, one such candidate, says, "Attending the interview in another city will cause unnecessary harassment to students. In my case, my father will have to take leave and accompany me to the venue. Also, going down to Ludhiana and being unfamiliar with the city puts us at a disadvantage. It will lead to wastage of time and money.'' The mother of a student who has qualified the test, Mrs Varsha Sachdeva, says students are left with no option. "Having qualified the test, appearing for the interview is mandatory for my daughter in order to secure her seat. It is our luck that the interview happens to be in Ludhiana. Though the decision to hold interviews in another city is wrong, I would not mind taking my daughter to the venue.'' "My parents are busy people but they will have to spare time and accompany me to the venue since they won't send me on my own. It is an irrational decision and efforts to make a change in venue should be made at the earliest to save students the inconvenience that can be easily avoided,'' rues Jaspal Kaur, a candidate. The decision to hold interviews for the BCA course in Ludhiana came at a meeting of seven principals and officials of Panjab University held on June 9. The meeting was chaired by the Dean University Instruction, Prof I.B.S. Passi. Dr A.C. Vaid, Principal of SD College, Sector 32, who was away at the time the meeting was held, has reacted strongly against the choice of the venue. "I do not approve of the decision taken by the committee and have sent a letter to the Vice-Chancellor to reconsider the decision. I have written that it would be wiser to divide the colleges in the city and Punjab in four zones, namely Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, Chandigarh and Moga or Ferozpore, to facilitate admissions. These centres should conduct interviews for both the BBA and BCA courses so that the interests of out-station candidates are also watched,'' he informs and adds that there is still time to change the venue of interviews. The Principal of SGGS College, Sector 26, Mr P.S. Sangha, explains, "The statistics of how many students had cleared the test from the city and adjoining areas was not available at the time the decision was taken. Ludhiana was fixed as the venue for the interview as it is a central place and would be convenient for all.'' He adds that there is no harm in reconsidering the decision in the light of the information received. "Our main criterion is the convenience of the students and if the city as the centre for interviews is the ideal choice, I am more than willing to lend support to the proposed change,'' he comments. The interview for the
BCA course is scheduled to be held from July 29 to August
1 at Ramgarhia College for Girls, Ludhiana. The
candidates are required to submit their forms by July 24
at Ludhiana. |
Bandh call by school bus
operators CHANDIGARH, July 11 — The School Bus Operators Welfare Association has decided to call for a total bandh on the plying of school buses on July 14 and 15 in protest against the Punjab and Haryana High Court regulations regarding school buses which have been adopted by the Chandigarh Administration. In a press release issued today, Mr Manjit Singh Saini, President of the association, said they would go on an indefinite strike if their demands are not met. The association said since now the seating capacity had been stipulated, they would be bound to increase the transport fees. It also added that some
school authorities which had purchased 1987-1988 model
vehicles were still waiting for the registration of the
same. Mr Saini said the authorities had fixed the age
limit of the school buses without any notification. |
Jammu varsity ex-VC dead PANCHKULA, July 11— Mr J.D.Sharma, former Vice-Chancellor of Jammu University and Founder-President of the SOS Children's Village Association, Bal Niketan — a home of destitute children — is no more. He died of a massive heart attack in the wee hours of this morning. He was cremated today. Mr Sharma (82) is survived by his wife, Ms Kamla Sharma, two daughters and two sons. His younger son, Mr Ravi Kant Sharma, is an IPS officer of the Haryana cadre. A retired bureaucrat who settled in Panchkula, Mr Sharma was a father figure for hundreds of inmates of Bal Niketan, besides being a revered figure among different sections of society. Before his last posting as Vice-Chancellor of Jammu University, he assisted the state governments of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir in reorganising their education departments. After his superannuation from the IAS in 1975, he worked as Director, Indian Adult Education Association (IAEA), New Delhi. He made an immense contribution to the field of non-formal, continuing and adult education. He travelled abroad for study of administration of education system, planning and public administration. Since 1983, he involved himself in social service. He was a recipient of 'Surya' award by the International Library Movement (India) and Rotary International Award. He started the vocational training centre at Bal Niketan in various trades with the assistance of UNICEF. As many as 600 boys and girls have so far benefited from the training centre. The inmates of Bal Niketan will observe four days of mourning in the memory of their revered 'father'. The Zila Patarkar
Parishad has expressed its grief over the death of Mr
J.D. Sharma, a former Vice-Chancellor of Jammu University
and founder president of Bal Niketan here today. Mr K.D.
Sharma, president of the parishad, said Mr Sharma was a
revered figure among all sections of society and his
contribution for the upliftment of orphans cannot be
ignored. |
PUDA notices worry allottees SAS NAGAR, July 11—The working of the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) has come under sharp focus with a number of allottees of residential and commercial property complaining of having received notices for the payment of “balance amount” even after having paid the entire amount to PUDA. The allottees have alleged that the action of the PUDA authorities in sending notices had caused immense pain to them as they had already paid the amount in full to PUDA. Ms Davinder Kaur, who had purchased an MIG house (number 2024), claimed that she had deposited the entire cost of Rs 5 lakh with PUDA on May 27, she got a letter on June 20 that an amount of Rs 32,067 was to be paid by her as “balance amount” towards the cost of her house before June 30. “When we went to the PUDA office, nobody listened to us, even as we showed the documents to the officials showing that the entire amount had been deposited by us,” alleged Devinder Kaur’s husband, saying that the action of PUDA had caused harassment to them. Similarly, Mr Dimple Sabharwal, a resident said, he was asked by the PUDA authorities to deposit Rs 1 lakh as a “balance amount” against booth no 60, purchased by him. He claimed that entire amount had already been paid by him to PUDA. In another case, the Kendri Bharat Samaj has alleged that the PUDA authorities had issued a notice to Mr Pushpinder Singh for payment of “balance amount” of Rs 29,420 if he wanted to have a no objection certificate from the PUDA, for which he had applied for getting a bank loan. In a written statement, Mr SS Makhan, the Zonal Secretary of the organisation, said when he along with Pushpinder Singh checked accounts at the PUDA office, it was found that an amount of Rs 15,569 was standing as a balance and not Rs 29,420 as had been mentioned in the letter. Mr G.S. Ghuman, PUDA
Estate Officer was not available for comments after
repeated attempts made by this correspondent. |
Sec 38 residents donate Rs
71,000 CHANDIGARH, July 11 — Contributing their mite towards the Army Central Welfare Fund, residents of Sector 38 (A & B) today presented a cheque of Rs 71,000 to the Administrator Lieut-Gen (retd) BKN Chhibber. The money was collected by the residents during a door-to-door collection drive led by Mr Amrit Lal Mahajan, president of the residents welfare association. Lauding the effort of the residents, Gen Chhibber said such gestures boost the morale of the Army as well as that of the country. He said our jawans have done a commendable job by recapturing heights in the highest battle zone of the world. He said no army in the world has fought battle at such high altitude in such adverse circumstances. Air Marshal (retd) A. S. Bedi, a councillor of the local civic body also spoke on the occasion. Similarly, Dr V.C. Khera, a resident of Sector 35, has contributed an amount of Rs 54,830 towards the funds being collected by the Chandigarh Defence Colony Welfare Association for Kargil heroes. Meanwhile, the Chandigarh Jewellers Association has collected an amount of Rs 1,05,000 for making a contribution towards the fund. The association will present a demand draft in this regard to the Administrator on July 12 at Punjab Raj Bhavan. The local branch of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India started its conference here today after observing a one-minute silence in memory of Kargil martyrs. A havan and a ‘shanti path’ was performed for Kargil heroes by the Divine Life Society here today. A langar was also organised by the society on the occasion. Meanwhile, to protest against the infiltrations in the Kargil sector, a march was organised by the Sector 38 Shahpur Rajiv Colony. The participants in the march, which concluded at Sector 38 after passing through Sectors 36 and 37, also burnt an effigy of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. MUBARIKPUR: The Akhil
Bharti Baba Shri Chand Udaseen Seva Samiti, Dera Bassi,
has sent two truck-loads of grains for the Kargil heroes.
Mr Sarabjit Singh, DGP, flagged off the vehicle to
Kargil. Mr H.S. Bhullar, DSP, Dera Bassi, and Baba Ram
Das along with many villagers were present on the
occasion. |
‘Check’ illegal
constructions CHANDIGARH, July 11 — Some house owners in Sector 44-D here are making changes in the building pattern. Concerned about the safety of residential structures, residents have demanded immediate action to check this. In a pocket of the sector, some persons have demolished balconies for common space on different storeys. residents fear that this will harm the building. Other residents may be encouraged to follow suit due to the indifferent attitude of the authorities. The construction will affect our privacy, complains a resident. Residents say the construction should be stopped at the initial stage. Many residents feel that the authorities should keep a vigil to check such activities. Minor changes are
common, which also affect the beauty of the building.
Such activities should be stopped without any delay to
avoid any mishap. |
Employees hold rally BANUR (PATIALA), July 11 — The Punjab Mulazam Sangharsh Committee (PMSC) organised a rally here today. On the call of the PMSC, thousands of government employees, including women, joined the rally and raised slogans against the Punjab Government for its “anti-employee and anti-people” policies. Starting from Banur, the rally, in which scooters, motorcycles, jeeps buses and trucks were used, concluded at Dera Bassi after passing through 35 villages and four towns of Banur Assembly constituency after covering a distance of 39 km. Agitated employees blamed the government for financial crisis, corruption and rising unemployment in the state. They also criticised the Badal government for the hike in education fees and medical treatment in government hospitals. The indifferent attitude of the government has closed all doors of negotiation on 14-point demand charter of the government and semi-government employees, which had compelled them to adopt the path of agitation, said Mr Sukhdev Singh Bari, Convener of the PMSC. The agitators are demanding cash payment of dearness allowance since January,1999, two years’ balance bonus, ACP scheme pay scales after service of four, nine and 14 years as is being paid to PCS officers, doctors and engineers, 15 per cent house rent allowance, immediate submission of the Anomaly Committee report, regularisation of services of daily wagers, workcharged and ad hoc employees, etc. Besides the seven
members of State Steering Committee, those who led the
march included Mr Ranbir Singh Dhillon, Mr Dattar Singh
and Mr Nazar Singh, — conveners of the PMSC. |
Irate residents block highway BARWALA (Panchkukla), July 11 — Agitated residents of Barwala and the surrounding areas blocked the Panchkula-Naraingarh highway for more than one and a half hours to protest against the absence of power supply in the area for the past four days. The agitated people raised slogans against the state government and the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (HVPN). The blockade led to long queues of traffic on the busy highway. Mr Ravinder, a resident of Batour village, complained that they were being forced to spend sleepless nights due to the absence of power. Repeated complaints to the HVPN had failed to remove their grievance. A number of farmers who joined the blockade lamented that lack of power had badly affected the sowing of paddy. The residents criticised the government for its failure to fulfil its promise to supply adequate power by June 30. The district administration had to rush a police force to prevent any untoward incident. The City Magistrate, Mr M.S. Yadav, also rushed to the spot. The officials of the HVPN who were present said that the problem was due to a technical snag at the Kunihar hydroelectric project in Himachal Pradesh from where the power was supplied to the area. The residents removed
the blockade after the officials of the administration
assured the that normal power supply would be restored
soon. A similar blockade was held in May last. |
Sleepless nights due to power cuts KHARAR, July 11 — The oppressive heat and undeclared power cuts in this area for the past four days have forced the residents to live in hell-like conditions. They faced a sleepless morning yesterday as there was a power cut from 1.15 a.m. to 6.15 a.m. Mr Sukhwinder Singh, Additional Executive Officer, and Mr P.S.Kahlon, SDE of the PSEB, Kharar, while addressing a press conference here yesterday said that the power cut was imposed in the areas under the Kharar, Majra, Morinda and Kurali substations as there was some technical problem with the thermal plant at Ropar. They said that the present situation was due to an increase in the demand of electricity and because people had increased their power loads. They asked the people to declare load extensions to the board voluntarily. Mr Sukhwinder Singh said that many cases of theft of electricity were detected and Rs 4.75 lakh was recovered as fine in June this year. He revealed that he had caught 11 farmers using the single phase in their motors for irrigation purposes on Friday. To improve the power
supply in this area, the board has given permission to
install transformers in Kharar and Kurali and started the
construction of a sub-station at Soor Majra village , the
officer said. |
Collection of Urdu 'nazms' released CHANDIGARH, July 11 — A book release function and ''sham-e-ghazal'' was organised by Swar Aanchal, SAS Nagar, in the auditorium of the Chandigarh Art Gallery and Museum, Sector 10, here today. A collection of Urdu ''nazms'', titled ''Aks'', penned by Ms Rupa Saba in Hindi, was released. Ms Saba, who has earlier authored two more books of Urdu poetry, ''Aahat'' in 1989 and ''Aus'' in 1997, is also a student of vocal classical music and kathak dance from the Pracheen Kala Kendra, Sector 35. Having done her masters in Hindi literature from Panjab University, Ms Saba is now learning the Urdu script. She has been a free-lance announcer at AIR, Rohtak and Kurukshetra. Ms Saba read out portions of her third book, ''Aks'', in front of an appreciative audience. The first half of the afternoon programme began with some young talent regaling the select audience with their songs. Ritu Sharma's ''Kagaz pe kalam tera'', was followed by Poonam Chaudhary's ''Har tarf har jagah beshumar admi''. V.M. Sharma then sang ''Kartey hain mohabat sanam'', followed by Sushmita's ''Sawan ke suhanye mausam mein''. Among those who were
present on the occasion were Mr D.P. Malik, Director,
AIR, Chandigarh, and Mr S.V. Kapil, Director, AIR,
Rohtak. |
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Demand for GPO
in Panchkula Mr S.K. Nayar, President of the association, said residents of Sectors 11, 12, 12-A, 20 and 25 had to cover a long distance to reach the sub-post offices located in Sectors 4, 8, 15, Old Panchkula and Industrial Area (Phase I). Besides, posting of adequate postmen in different sub-post offices has also been sought by the association. Stress on flight safety He was addressing the winners of a crash fire fighting competition at a function held at the Air Force Station here yesterday. Sgt J.K. Dahiya and LAC Krishna Kumar received the prizes for being adjudged as the best fire fighter and runner-up, respectively. All airfield safety operators of the rank of sergeant and below participated in the competition. The competition was organised as part of a week-long training programme on all crash fire fighting and rescue operations for the crash crews of the Air Traffic Control of the Air Force at Chandigarh. 300 saplings planted Mr R.C. Agrawala, General Manager of the bank, who inaugurated the camp, said that the bank had organised 3,344 community banking activities during the last financial year. He said a special "community services banking department" had been set up at the head office to look after the social banking activities. Vanamahotsava celebrated Mr M.L. Gupta urged the administrator not to demolish hedges and fences being maintained by residents outside their houses. Earlier, a two-minute silence was observed in memory of the Kargil martyrs. Mr B.K. Bansal, Vice-President, said the association was in the process of collecting funds for the soldiers welfare fund. JAC
withdraws protest rally call A press note issued by the committee today urged the Administration to redress the genuine grievances, including an end to harassment of the staff. ‘Run
for fun’ held Mr M. Ramsekhar, Deputy Commissioner and Director (Sports), flagged of the race from the Cricket Stadium. The run, in which the young and the old participated, concluded at the Hockey Stadium, Sector 42. T-shirts with slogans warning about the adverse affects of rising population printed on these, were distributed among the participants. Mr J.P.S. Sidhu, Joint Director (Sports), said the aim of the run was to inform the people about the ill-effects of population explosion. Mr Ajit Singh, Assistant Director of the SAI, who coordinated the race, said such races were also being organised at Solan, Bhiwani, Jammu and Jalandhar. A minute’s silence was observed in the memory of the war heroes of Kargil. Former hockey Olympian Trilochan Singh administered a pledge to participants to make the country prosperous. Anti-malaria
camp held A team of the club members and Municipal Corporation officials inspected certain slum areas and arranged spot remedial measures for the prevention and control of the disease. As many as 415 blood samples were collected. According to a press note, Mr Jaswinder Singh, President, Lions Club Panchkula Central, also flagged off a DDT spray team. Dr G.C. Bansal, Assistant Director(Malaria), Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, and Ms Harcharan Kaur, President, Lions Club Panchkula, were also present. ‘Hike
in petrol, diesel prices a mischief’ The Lok Shakti termed the decision as undemocratic and arbitrary. The Administration should have taken the political parties into confidence before taking the decision, a press note said here today. City
girl in Femina contest finals Ashima is the only contestant from the North to have made it to the finals. She was earlier selected as Ms North '99 at a pageant held in Patiala earlier this year. Ashima is the student of
the Chandigarh Institute of Modelling and Arts (CIMA),
Sector 35. |
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