Tuesday, July 13, 1999
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N E W S Tuesday, July 13, 1999 |
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| weather n
spotlight today's calendar |
Rain
brings down temperature CHANDIGARH, July 12 — Strong winds accompanied by heavy rain and thunder lashed the city in the wee hours today morning. Another spell of showers around noon affected normal life. The rain brought down the maximum day time temperature to 30.2°C. The day time temperature yesterday was 35.4°C. The minimum temperature dropped from 29°C, recorded yesterday, to 20.5°C today. Power breakdown in some areas subjected residents to humidity, especially in the afternoon. As water supply to large parts of the city was based on tubewells that run on power, it also caused water shortage. Several minor accidents reportedly took place as water on the roads caused two-wheelers to skid. It was the second spell of showers that led to more problems. Within minutes, the roads were full of water. Office-goers were caught unawares while roadside vendors selling ice-cream and maize-corn abandoned business for the day. Construction activity came to a standstill. Many two-wheelers and cars did not start when these got stuck in water. Mechanics made a fast buck by charging upto Rs 30 to start a scooter and upto Rs 50 to start a car. Seeing women drivers, they hiked charges. The rain started around 4 a.m. and carried on for the next four hours, forcing people to switch off coolers and fans. A total of 6 cm of rain was recorded till 8 a.m. in the morning. According to sources in the meteorological department, the heavy rain occurred due to western disturbances that led to a low pressure area over north Pakistan adjoining Jammu and Kashmir. It predicted moderate to heavy rainfall in parts of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana in the next 48 hours. PAPRI (SAS Nagar) Electricity supply to several villages in the periphery were paralysed following heavy rain and storm on Monday morning. Trees were uprooted near the national highways to Ambala and Patiala. Power supply to Manauli, Mullanpur, Zirakpur and other areas was severely affected. Electricity supply to several villages of Zirakpur was suspended from early morning and could be restored only in the evening. Sources in the electricity department said overgrown trees along main distribution lines were the main reason for disruption of supply. Branches of trees near supply lines were a hindrance in stormy weather as they got stuck in lines, resulting in flaws in supply. Telecom services in
different areas were also hit. The Manauli rural
telephone exchange developed a technical snag. |
Haryana
move on school buses PANCHKULA, July 12 — The Haryana Government has issued directions to the heads of various departments to ensure the implementation of the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court about the enforcement of traffic regulations and clearing of encroachments along the main roads. The State Transport Department has been directed to run refresher courses once in two years for the drivers and conductors of school buses. The registered owners of the buses would have to ensure that the drivers and conductors employed by them underwent the refresher courses. The police department has been asked to display the speed limit for all types of vehicles on different categories of roads. In case of Panchkula, the police has yet to fix the speed limit of different roads in the township. The civic bodies concerned have been asked to earmark proper bus stops for the school buses on the main and inner sector roads. Removal of all types of encroachments and other junk, owned by government or private persons, from within 15 feet from the end of main roads has been ordered. Same directions are applicable in the towns being maintained by Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA). Providing of proper streetlighting has also been ordered. The police authorities have been asked to check the parking of vehicles on roads. A maximum speed limit of 50 km per hour has been fixed for the school buses, which would also have to display boards showing the name of the school, route and timing on the buses. The schools having a parking facility inside the boundary wall have been asked to ensure that the children are dropped inside the school premises by the buses. The owners of the school buses would have to obtain permits and certificates of road worthiness, get the vehicles insured and engage drivers with not less than five years of experience. Proper uniform with nameplates has been made mandatory for the drivers. The conductor or attendant would have to be adequately trained to handle young children. Besides, the implementation of some other provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act has been stressed upon. The police authorities have been asked to check use of sun control films by the vehicle owners. Use of red and blue lights on the roofs of cars other than those permitted has been banned. Drivers of all types of vehicles would have to undergo a medical fitness test which shall be prescribed by the authorities concerned. Taking of petrol samples
from time to time so as to ensure that there is no
adulteration of the fuel has also been specified by the
government. All departments concerned have to provide the
status report by July 13. |
Jawan's
body sent to Karnataka CHANDIGARH, July 12 — The mortal remains of Naik Dalip Popuraj were accorded full military honours at the N Area here today. The jawan, who belonged to 6 Guards, was injured in Siachen,and succumbed to his injuries yesterday. He was among the casu alties of Operation Meghdoot. His body ,which was brought here yesterday, was kept at the Command Hospital for embalming. It was later airlifted to Delhi by air for its onward journey to his native village Ghoralagi in Bijapur district of Karnataka. Wreaths were laid on the body on behalf of the Army chief, the Air chief, and the Western Army Commander by Colonel Shakti Parshad and Air Commodore S . K. Banerjee. Lieut- Col Narinder Singh laid a wreath on behalf of the Regiment of the Guards. KHARAR Havildar Bikram Singh of 8, Sikh Regiment laid down his life fighting Pakistani infiltrators in the Kargil sector a few days ago. According to Mr Amarjit Singh Dhindsa, SDM, Kharar, the martyr belonged to Kubhaheri village of Kharar tehsil and will be cremated with full state honours in his village on July 13 at 11 a.m. Mr Dhindsa and some Army
officers on Monday visited Kubhaheri village to share the
grief of the family of the martyr.
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Kargil to
be poll issue no. 1 in UT CHANDIGARH, July 12 — Kargil is set to become an emotive poll issue in the forthcoming electoral battle for the Chandigarh parliamentary seat. The Kargil conflict has been dominating the mass media as well as the imagination of the general public here as elsewhere in the country ever since the Pak-backed intrusion was discovered in the barren hills of Kargil in the first week of May. For the residents of Chandigarh, it has been a particularly emotional experience. Chandigarh served as the transit point for a large number of bodies of soldiers brought from the war front for onward transmission to different towns and cities in the region. A large number of war wounded have also been brought at Western Command Hospital in Chandi Mandir. Of course, there have also been a few cases in which soldiers belonging to the city and its surrounding areas have made the supreme sacrifice in defence of the motherland. Chandigarh has a large population of the educated and the intelligentsia who react to a given situation and are capable of debating and analysing it correctly. the Kargil conflict has generated a lot of debate here. Public outpouring of grief, sympathy and solidarity with the soldiers has been overwhelming. Sensing a readymade issue, political parties are getting set to encash it at the hustings. The BJP leader, Mr Satya Pal Jain, who is seeking a third term in Parliament, says that the Kargil issue is bound to dominate the poll scene. The BJP-led government, specially the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, had handled the situation well. Pakistan had suffered a humiliating defeat not only on the battle front but also on the diplomatic front. Little wonder that it had been forced to withdraw its forces from Kargil unceremoniously. Operation Vijay, he says, has been a success in the true sense of the word. Mr Vajpayee has become the only Prime Minister in Indian history to visit a war zone even when shelling was going on. The country's honour and prestige had been redeemed. He feels that other issues like the performance of the Vajpayee government and his own performance as the local BJP MP would weigh with the voter while making up his mind as to which way to go. But the Kargil conflict will the be the issue no. 1. Mr Harmohan Dhawan, Samajwadi Janata Party leader who has represented the UT in the Lok Sabha on one occasion and intends to seek election this time too, says that the Kargil conflict will definitely dominate the poll scene but his party will like to put certain searching questions to the BJP leadership on this issue. Far from the resounding success which the BJP leadership had been claiming on the Kargil front, the issue had raised certain very important and fundamental questions. What was the government doing when the infiltrators were coming in from across the LoC? Who was responsible? What measures were being taken to prevent its recurrence? The BJP leadership will have to answer these questions. The fact of the matter was that the BJP leadership got taken in by its own bus diplomacy, became complacent and lowered its guard, giving the Pakistanis a chance to grab Kashmir. Mr Munish Tewari, President of the Indian Youth Congress, who along with Mr Venod Sharma and Mr Pawan Bansal, is one of the three aspirants for the Congress ticket for the Chandigarh parliamentary seat, says that the BJP leadership would have to answer for a lot of uncomfortable questions on the Kargil issue. While he was personally against politicising an issue like Kargil, the fact of the matter was that the BJP was trying to claim credit for it. The BJP leadership would have to answer as to why Kargil happened in the first place. The country would also have to exercise certain hard options to prevent the recurrence of Kargils. Vigilance would have to be stepped up and foolproof measures taken. What has come of the consistent Indian policy of rejecting outside mediation and internationalisation of the Kashmir issue? Left to himself, Mr
Tewari says he would prefer to concentrate on the
non-performance of the Vajpayee government, an atmosphere
of instability which pervaded during the BJP-led
coalition, the failure on the price front and the telecom
issue which threatens to come a big scandal. |
CITCO
website launched CHANDIGARH, July 12 — The Adviser to the Administrator, Mrs Vineeta Rai, launched the website of the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation (CITCO) here today. Mrs Rai said CITCO should have a mechanism for receiving and processing suggestions from tourists and the public with regard to various facilities in the city. This facility should be available both in the office and on Internet. The Home Secretary and CITCO Chairman, Mr N.K. Jain, informed that Hotel Shivalikview and Hotel Mountview were being computerised and thereafter the room-booking facility would be available online. The website, which can be accessed at http://www.nic.in/citco., comprises four parts. The first part — "about us" — details the activities of CITCO, the administrative set-up and the income and expenditure. The second part gives details about the industries run by CITCO. The third part —
"tourism" — gives information about buses,
trains, air flights, places of tourist interest,
accommodation, restaurants, tours and travel operators,
entertainment and sports. A detailed map of Chandigarh
and maps of individual sectors and Chandigarh Helpline
are the highlights of the fourth part. |
Madhu fans
brave rain to say cheese CHANDIGARH, July 12— "If as a model I can motivate people to donate some money for the martyrs of Kargil and their families, that would be my contribution as a citizen of my country", said super model Madhu Sapre, who spent her birthday eve today raising funds for the Kargil cause. It was as a part of the 'Concern for Kargil Heroes' campaign, organised by the the National Institute of Fashion Design (NIFD), Sector 27, that a rendezvous with the former Femina Miss India and a Miss Universe runners-up, was held on the NIFD campus. And though the day was washed by heavy rains, it failed to deter both the young and the old to get their photographs clicked with Madhu Sapre, for a fee of Rs 50 or more, which was being collected for the cause of the Kargil heroes. In fact, as many as 648 people lined up to get close to this model, and the photography session continued till late afternoon. Madhu said, "I have lost out on so many good opportunities and assignments only because I have been very busy with my shoots etc. It's me who is managing everything -- from taking care of myself to taking care of my assignments to even my money matters. I think that a model's job is to look good and be fit, and the rest needs to be managed by model-managers, a concept that exists only in the West". And what about exploitation in the modelling industry? "That happens everywhere. Why pick up on one particular industry and talk about how bad it is? Every model who joins this industry knows what she is in for", Sapre said. About her controversial shoe ad, for which she drew a lot of flak for posing in the nude, she remarked that it was not out of shock value or to make any personal statement that she had posed in "what the critics say, provocatively And what is the big deal about that ad? One look needs to be given to our Hindi films and the double meaning songs in them, or even on what all the popular television channels broadcast." On her losing the Miss Universe contest, in 1992, she said, "There was a time when only western beauties were appreciated, mainly because our beauties never happened to be fit. But since I came from an athletic background, I had that advantage. In fact, a lot of people asked me if I had some amounts of mixed blood, because I could dance well and even won the swim-suit round. But what bothered me was that when throughout the pageant we were being told to be honest, and when I went ahead to give an honest reply, I lost out on the crown. I really cried when I lost the contest". "And I do not appreciate the kind of pressures that the beauty contests put on contestants these days to give the so-called 'right' answers", she added. As of now, she is busy working on a couple of offers for art films, "Since I could never fit myself into the conventional Hindi film heroine, given my limitations of being so tall. Also people feel that my face is too well chiselled to fit into a conventional format". Counting herself as both a model and a sportsperson, she said she was thrilled about the recent trend of going in for a more 'healthy' look for modelling rather than the aneroxic look. "I have modelled on the ramps of London and Paris and it drove me crazy to be always thin. And no matter how thin one was, it was never too good for the ramp in the West. But I am glad that things are changing now". Her latest ventures
include shooting for Sunit Varma's book on modelling and
also introducing a ready- to-wear clothes line, which she
said would not only be wearable but also affordable. |
Lady
constable donates Rs 5,000 CHANDIGARH, July 12 — In a rare gesture, a lady constable of the Chandigarh police, Ms Lajwanti, has donated a sum of Rs 5,000 out of her salary towards the Kargil martyrs welfare fund. Mrs Vinod Kumari, a clerk with the Women and Child Development Department, Haryana, Chandigarh, has contributed her one month’s salary of June — a sum of Rs 4,221 — towards the fund. Mrs Kumari is a widow and has none to support her. In the continuing wave of patriotism sweeping Indian citizens, there are many more such stories of people going all out to support the soldiers defending our borders. Both contributions and letters of citizens who want to help the Kargil soldiers in various capacities are pouring into The Tribune office everyday. A middle-class housewife, Mrs Kiran Devi Dhanda of Ludhiana, has donated Rs 5,100 for this cause, out of her “household savings”. Meanwhile, a small-time worker in a Chandigarh hotel, Kalidas, contributed Rs 100 from his pocket, when various shopkeepers of the Sector 16 market went around collecting funds for the soldiers. Mr Chander Paul, a guard of Punjab National Bank, Pinjore, has given his full month’s salary for the Kargil victims. Not to be left behind, Anirudh Sharma of Amritsar, studying in the fifth standard, gave Rs 50 for the Kargil heroes. The boy had earned this amount when on a Sunday morning he, accompanied by his grandfather, had recited the Gayatri Maha Mantra at a local Arya Samaj temple. Four young students of different Chandigarh schools, ranging from Class II to Class IV, have collected a sum of Rs 550 from neighbours, to salute those who have laid down their lives for the country. A bother and sister duo, Shobhit Nanda, aged 8 years, and Suchita Nanda, aged 12, have contributed for the cause out of their pocket money and have written that they would like to convey their best wishes for those still fighting “so that we live to see this beautiful world”. Mr S.S. Jain of Sector 15 has written that he had collected a sum of Rs 10,000 in 1962 when China attacked our country. On a collection drive once again for the Kargil cause, Mr Jain himself has donated a sum of Rs 200. Justice Harbans Singh, Chief Justice (retd), has sent an amount of Rs 30,000, his one month’s pay. And there are the likes of Mr Kanwar Sardana, of Sector 44, who have contributed their entire pension for the month for the welfare of the soldiers. This retired employee of the Education Department, Haryana, has contributed a sum of Rs 5,788. Some readers have also
come out with various suggestions to improve the
conditions of the soldiers, including that of exposing
the “whole story” of why Kargil ever happened!
Mrs Kim Gill, from Faridkot, has strongly supported the
cause of the welfare of the Indian soldiers and has said
that the government should do away with the income tax on
the salaries of all the defence personnel. |
Gardens to
have security guards PANCHKULA, July 12 — Private security personnel will be deployed in at least three major gardens in the City Centre in Sector 5 here to guard them against damage caused by unscrupulous elements and stray animals and to prevent theft of garden items. The gardens selected for deploying the security personnel are Town Park, City Fountain and Nirjhar Vatika. The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) will invite tenders from private parties in this regard on July 14. An official of the HUDA said there had been instances when children, while playing in gardens, damaged equipment and broke decorative lights. He said morning and evening walkers who visited Town Park also brought their pet dogs despite a ban on it. Reports of stray cattle devouring green grass and plants had also been received. Another issue which had
led to deployment of security guards was that stray
incidents of theft of garden items had also taken place.
The horticulture wing of the HUDA spent about Rs 25 lakh
annually on the maintenance of these gardens, said the
official. |
Haryana
policy for jobs to martyrs' kin CHANDIGARH, July 12 — The Haryana Cabinet today approved a policy for providing employment to the dependents of the martyrs from Haryana in "Operation Vijay" defence and paramilitary forces. This policy differs from the existing policy for providing employment to the dependents of the deceased state government employees on two counts. First, while only the wife or dependent children were considered for employment in the existing scheme for the Haryana government employees, in the case of the martyrs in "Operation Vijay", employment would be given to next of kin as decided by the family of the deceased. This decision has been taken in view of the fact that many martyrs are in the age group of 18-30 years. In case, the deceased serviceman was married, his wife will have the first right for being considered unless she waives her right in favour of some other family member. Further, dependents of the martyrs will have the first priority against available vacant posts. Acting on the policy,
the Cabinet approved the appointment of dependents of
five martyrs from Haryana. Mrs Ritu Sagar, wife of late
Major Sandeep Sagar of Panchkula, has been offered
appointment as a science teacher while Dr (Mrs) Sudha
Yadav, wife of late Deputy Commandant S.S. Yadav of
Rewari, has been offered the job of a school lecturer in
science. Mr Sat Pal, brother of late Naik Rishi Pal of
Panipat, Mr Sukhbir, brother of late Lance Naik Raj Kumar
of Bhiwani and Mr Baljeet Singh, brother of late Sepoy
Krishan Kumar of Sirsa, have been offered posts of clerk
in the Haryana government. |
Jain,
Dayal hail EC's decision CHANDIGARH, july 12 — A former BJP member of the dissolved Lok Sabha, Mr Satya Pal Jain, and the secretary of Punjab State Council of CPI, Dr Joginder Dayal, have welcomed the decision of the Election Commission (EC), fixing the dates for the Lok Sabha elections. In a statement, Mr Jain welcomed the EC decision of holding elections in Chandigarh in the first phase of polling on September 4. He also hailed the decision to use electronic voting machines in all booths of the city. He claimed that the BJP never wanted to make Kargil an election issue but the way Congress leaders were reacting to the Kargil situation, it seemed that they were bent upon making it an election issue. Dr Dayal, while terming the announcement as victory for the forces which wanted the elections on time, said the decision showed the deep foundation and strength of democracy which had been won after great sacrifices by countrymen during the freedom struggle. He said the CPI always
wanted the government to convene a Rajya Sabha session so
that the country could be taken into confidence for
fighting the undeclared war in Jammu and Kashmir. He said
the secular and democratic forces should come forward
with a view to defeat the communal forces represented by
the BJP.
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School
bus operators criticised CHANDIGARH, July 12 — While the Chandigarh School Bus Operators Welfare Association announced recently that all school buses would be off roads on July 14 and 15 to protest against only the school buses having been targeted for carrying a fitness certificate annually, the Chandigarh Tourist Bus Operators' Association has reacted to this bandh by alleging that the school bus operators have been taking undue advantages in the past. A meeting called by the District Magistrate, Mr M. Ramsekhar, on July 2, which included representatives of various private schools and officials of the Education Department and the State Transport Authority (STA), had decided that all directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court pertaining to the plying of motor vehicles, including school buses in the city, would be implemented with effect from July 5. These directions included the clause that all vehicles used should be roadworthy and carry a certificate of fitness for this purpose. The STA requires that all school buses should carry a certificate of insurance under Section 146 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The Chandigarh School Bus Operators Welfare Association meanwhile has said that if the fitness certificates to school buses of 15 years and above are not given, how would most of these buses ply. It also said that keeping in mind economic conditions, if a bus was put off the road, it would not only affect the operator but also the driver and the conductor as they would eventually be jobless. Further, the association said whenever its buses were being produced for inspection, the STA had not been issuing them with fitness certificates because according to the officials concerned, most of its buses were of old models and not roadworthy. The Chandigarh Tourist Bus Operators' Association, alleges that the school bus association purchases old buses from the outskirts of the city, which they ply after painting these blue. But the school bus association says that even if some buses are old, there should be no age-limit for a vehicle, rather it should be inspected for proper engine maintenance and regular pollution checks. If these vehicles passed these tests these should be declared roadworthy. The association, however, says that the other STA requirements, like those of five years' experience for drivers of school buses, carrying first-aid boxes, uniforms and name plates for drivers and conductors were acceptable to them. The CTBOA has now come
up with an offer of plying their vehicles for city
schools during the period of strike called by the school
bus association. But, according to sources, the CSBOWA
has now called a meeting tomorrow in which it would
decide whether to go on a strike on July 14 and 15 or
not. Reportedly, decision would also be taken to move the
High Court on the STA requirement of not issuing fitness
certificates to school buses of 15 years and above. |
Demand to
depute two Addl Sessions Judges PANCHKULA, July 12 — The District Congress Committee (Legal Cell), Panchkula, has urged the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to appoint at least two Additional Sessions Judges to be deputed at the judicial complex in Sector 5 here. In a letter to the Chief Justice, the President of the DCC (Legal Cell), Mr Vijay Bansal, said the matter was earlier brought to the notice of Mr Justice V.K. Jhanji of the High Court who had promised to depute an Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) after the coming up of the judicial complex. The new district courts have been functioning with only two civil judges and one CJM since June 3. In the absence of an ASJ
here, both litigants and counsel have to face
inconvenience as they have to go to Ambala to institute
cases of original as well as appellate jurisdiction
before the court of the District and Sessions Judge. |
Rakhra's name proposed for
Patiala seat DERA BASSI, July 12 — Soon after the announcement made for the Lok Sabha poll schedule by the Election Commission, political activity has gained momentum in this prestigious subdivision of Patiala district. Capt. Kanwaljit Singh, Finance Minister, Punjab, held meetings with local leaders in Dera Bassi and Lalru today and proposed the name of Mr Surjit Singh Rakhra for the candidature of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) from the Patiala seat. He also introduced Mr Rakhra to the public gathered in the meetings. He claimed that the SAD-BJP alliance would emerge with majority in the state. Capt. Kanwaljit Singh criticised Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra for constituting a new party but said this would hardly affect the Akali Dal. He said that the present government during its term had fulfilled the promises made with the public. The minister urged the party workers to strengthen its vote bank and not to let the rival groups come near. Meanwhile, Mr Rakhra
showed trust in the leadership of Mr Prakash Singh Badal,
Chief Minister, and asked the public to help him win the
election. |
SNIPPETS Amrik
Singh is MC Sr Vice-President SAS NAGAR, July 12 —The long-due elections to the posts of Senior Vice-President and Vice-President of the local Municipal Council were held here today. Twentyfour members were present at the meeting, one of whom, Ms Harbans Kaur, does not have the voting right. The SDM, Mr O P Popli, acted as observer. Mr Amrik Singh Mohali, who represents the Phase II ward in the concil, was elected Senior Vice-President. He secured 12 votes. The post of Vice-President went to Mr Manjit Singh, who got 10 votes. There were only two candidates. The candidate who secured the higher number of votes was declared Senior Vice-President. Interestingly, one of the councillors put a piece of blank paper into the ballot box instead of the official ballot paper. Mr Amrik Singh said his priority would be all-round development of the town. SAD seeks exemption for women
drivers CHANDIGARH, July 12 — The local unit of Shiromani Akali Dal (B) has urged the UT Administrator to exempt women two-wheeler drivers from wearing helmets. In a press note issued here yesterday, Mr Gurpartap Singh Riar, President of the unit, said Sikh women in Punjab and Delhi have been exempted from wearing helmets and the same should be applied in the UT, for it was under the direct control of Union Home Secretary. He threatened that if the exemption was not extended beyond July 15, all Sikh women would be forced to launch a peaceful morcha to get this done as Sikh religion did not allow its followers to wear helmets. Books released CHANDIGARH, July 12 — Punjab Food and Supply Minister, Madan Mohan Mittal released a Hindi book “Tange Huye Prashan” — a collection of short stories written by noted Hindi writer and Editor, Jagriti (Hindi), Prem Vij, here today. This is the third book of the author. The short stories highlight the struggle and miseries of the middle class. As the title suggests, each story demands a solution, which is difficult to get. Among those present were Mr Vijay Sehgal, Editor, Dainik Tribune; Prof Yash Gulati, a former Head of the Department of Hindi at Panjab University; Mr Madhav Kaushak and Mr Subash Sharma. The Punjab Governor, Lt-Gen BKN Chhibber (retd), released a book “Towards the Starlit Dome” written by Justice Surinder Singh on Sunday. The book, written in a dialogue format, includes chapters written by various eminent authors, including M.S. Chandla, Dr Sampooran Singh and Dr Suman Kathuria, with an afterword by Mr S.D. Bhambri, General Manager of The Tribune group of newspapers. 4 of Mohali institute get PCS
berth CHANDIGARH, July 12 — Four candidates trained by Ambedkar Institute of Careers and Courses, SAS Nagar, have been selected to the Punjab Civil Service (PCS), 1999, the result of which was declared yesterday by the Punjab Public Service Commission, Patiala. These candidates are Anita Darshi, who stood first in the reserve category, Monish Kumar, Rahul Dhawan and Paramjit Kaur, according to Dr Jaspal Singh, Principal of the Institute. Urdu aptitude test on July 19 CHANDIGARH, July 12 — The aptitude test for admission to MA Part I of Urdu will be held on July 19 at 11 a.m. in room number L 5 of the Department of Urdu, Panjab University, a press note issued by the Chairman of the department, Dr Madhukar Arya, said here today. For additional information, students may contact Dr Arya or Ms Anita Sharma, office in charge, on all working days from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. 100 donate blood for Kargil troops CHANDIGARH, July 12 — As many as 100 persons donated blood at a blood donation camp organised at a hotel in Sector 35 here today. Organised for the thalassaemia children and the soldiers injured in the Kargil conflict by the Thalassaemia Children Welfare Association, the camp evoked a good response with people thronging the hotel in spite of heavy rain in the forenoon. A team from the PGI supervised the camp, which was inaugurated by a noted income tax lawyer, Mr Ravinder Krishan, according to Mr Ashok Dua of the hotel. Students resent fee hike CHANDIGARH, July 12 — The President of the Students Organisation of Panjab University, Mr Dyal Pratap Singh Randhawa, met the Dean University Instruction and submitted a memorandum to him and the vice-Chancellor against the proposed fee hike here today. He said though it was decided that the proposed fee hike would be around 25 per cent of the existing fee, the increase recommended was between 100 and 150 per cent. The subcommittee formed by the Syndicate had also promised that the fee would be hiked with a view of protecting the interest of the student community but the recommended hike was aimed at making education a costly affair, he alleged. He said that drastic action would be taken by the organisation if no decision to cut the hike was taken before July 15. Punjab minister Mittal bereaved CHANDIGARH, July 12 — Ram Sarup Mittal, father of the Punjab Minister for Food and Supplies, Mr Madan Mohan Mittal, died here today. He was 90. He is survived by three sons and three daughters. His funeral procession will start from the official residence of Mr Mittal in Sector 39 here tomorrow. Petrol price hike flayed CHANDIGARH, July 12 — The Chandigarh Nagrik Sabha has condemned the recent hike in the prices of petrol and diesel. The General Secretary of the sabha, Mr Amarjit Singh Sethi, alleged that the decision of the Chandigarh Administration had been taken to appease the business interests of Punjab and Haryana. The hike in these prices would have an adverse affect on the prices of essential commodities, he alleged. Calling for withdrawal of the sales tax, Mr Sethi said the decision would lead to the shifting away of trades from Chandigarh. PU fine arts (final) results today CHANDIGARH, July 12 — Panjab University will declare tomorrow the results of bachelor of fine arts, fourth year (final), held in April, a press note by the Joint Controller of Examination, said here today. Copies of the gazette will be available at the new enquiry counter of the university for consultation by students on all working days. Seminar on stress management CHANDIGARH, July 12 — A seminar on stress management was held at Hare Krishna Dham, Sector 36-B, here yesterday, in which various methods of managing stress, including awakening Krishna consciousness were discussed. Participants included university and college students, young professionals etc, according to Bhakti Vinod Dasa Prabhu, President of the local unit of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). Speaking on the occasion, Bhakti Vinod Dasa Prabhu said that the aim of real stress management was to realise the importance of natural laws governing the human life and understand vedic perspective of social and occupational position. As every citizen of our country was ruled by the law of the land and anybody who violated it was punished, similarly, nature controlled human growth, behaviour, action and reaction. "The moment we go beyond the rules of the nature, we are severly punished, physically and mentally," he said. Dr Ashok Kumar, Medical Scientist of Howard Medical School, USA, also spoke on the occasion. He said that everybody was running after materialism under the influence of ego, lust, anger, greed and passion and this was the cause of sorrows and sufferings. "If we want to attain peace and get rid of stressful life, we must adopt the path of spiritualism," he said. He said becoming Krishna conscious was one way to be relieved of tense life. Sarpanches threaten to boycott
poll KHARAR, July 12 — Eight sarpanches of villages falling on the Randhawa Road, Kharar, have threatened to boycott the Lok Sabha elections. If the Punjab Government fails to get the Randhawa Road which links Kharar with Fatehgarh Sahib district repaired. The sarpanches of Sacrulapur, Fatehpur Theri, Machipur, Batta, Kheri, Garangen, Rora and Gill, and some leaders of the Bhartiya Kisan Union has signed the statement issued here today. They have complained that the road is in a bad condition and it is difficult for any vehicle to pass over it. Recently one youth lost his life because of potholes on the road. Many social organisations, kisan unions had other organisations have sent representations to the Punjab Government and district officers to repair this road but nothing has happened. Many other link roads in the area were also in a bad shape. They alleged that by not getting the road repaired, the Punjab Government was insulting the name of Dr M.S. Randhawa, after whom the road had been named. World Population Day observed PANCHKULA, July 12 — The local unit of the Family Planning Association of India (FPAI) observed World Population Day by organising a function at the Day-Care Centre of the Senior Citizens Council in Sector 15 here yesterday. Students of the local Government College participated in the function.The issues discussed on the occasion were indiscipline among the youth, lack of respect and care for the elderly people, pressure on the youth to perform, and importance of adjustment. Prisoners’ contribution to
CMs’ fund CHANDIGARH, July 12 — Punjab prisoners skipped their meals for a day and the money that accrued on account of ration thus saved was collected for the Chief Minister's war heroes' families relief fund. A cheque of Rs 4.35 lakh
was today handed over to Chief Minister, Parkash Singh
Badal by the Inspector-General of Prisons, Mr K L Sharma,
on behalf of the jail inmates, including employees, who
contributed their one day wages. |
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