Tuesday, July 20, 1999
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N E W S Tuesday, July 20, 1999 |
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Guest houses nuisance to
neighbours CHANDIGARH, July 19 — One of the major ailments that City Beautiful has is the alleged misuse of residential premises as guest houses. Ever since its inception, Chandigarh has had a large number of such guest houses. The effects of this "business'' can be many on the dimensions of trade and commerce but its effect on the society at large and residents of the area in particular is indeed pathetic. Even as the apex court has in its judgement in the Babu Singh Bains case upheld the action of the Chandigarh Administration in not only resuming the premises but also rejected his plea of retransfer of the site to him, these guest houses continue to flourish in violation of the Capital of Punjab (Development and Regulations) Act 1952. Further, the Chandigarh Leasehold of Sites and Building Rules also provide that the transferee shall not use the site for the purpose other than for which it has been sold to him. The number of guest houses has been increasing. At present, there are almost 200 guest houses operating from the residential premises. The worst affected are the residents of Sectors 21, 22, 23 and 36, where the concentration of these guest houses is the maximum and majority of them are functioning from the marla houses. Residents in these areas maintain that living in the neighbourhood of these guest houses is a public nuisance in terms of violation of privacy and are giving rise to various "immoral and nefarious activities.'' Sources reveal that people who do not like to leave their record of stay are the ones who use these premises for the purpose of immoral alliances. "Since it is not mandatory for such premises to maintain any record, boys and girls come here for wrong activities,'' rues a resident of Sector 22. While the guest house operators make neat money out of such activities, the neighbourhood continues to suffer. The most common problem pointed out by residents pertains to the consumption of liquor, which often leads to brawls, thereby disturbing the peace of the area. They reveal that even though it is illegal to serve and provide liquor, attendants in these guest houses often procure liquor from the market for the consumption of these visitors. Bottling companies also do not hesitate to come and off-load soda water. Hence, in many cases people are found to be renting out rooms only for a few hours to consume liquor and the rates are as high as Rs 200 to Rs 400 for an hour, points out a resident. This category also includes lower-rung officials, including cops who indulge in womanising and other corrupt practices. Drinking is also in stark violation of the excise-related Acts. The modes of transport used by these visitors to come to these places often lead to blockage of passage, particularly in the marla lanes and subsequent parking problems. On an average, the guest houses have about 10-12 rooms. Besides, cars and Tata Sumos, coaches which allegedly have a nexus with these guest houses bring in large groups. "One bus is enough to block the traffic on the B-road and with few other vehicles parked on the road, we do face problems entering our own houses," says a resident of Sector 21. Another resident pointed out that very often, blockage of passage becomes the reason of dispute and in the absence of any effective law maintenance, the residents are left frustrated. A few residents have in their complaints revealed that a normal marla house which normally accommodates two or three families has as many as 20 people staying as guests and another 10 persons serving them. With the room bells ringing and cat calls, how can people in the neighbourhood sleep? "Very often the music from the rooms and private parties is so loud and blaring that children preparing for examinations are forced to move out of their houses,'' laments a resident of Sector 23. Some enterprising guest houses have gone to the extent of having automobile service campaigns and other sale promotion camps, thereby adding to the nuisance. The residents also point out to these places being a security hazard as all sorts of people come and stay here. Moreover, the guest house owners do not furnish any information to the police about the antecedents of the workers. "How can they even do it for if they go to the authorities, they admit operating a guest house and if not then they harbour possible criminals,'' questions a resident who strongly feels that neighbourhood is the first victim of such elements. Many of them are often involved in various thefts and burglaries in the city. The presence of guest houses in a locality also means putting disproportionate pressure on the electricity and water lines. As a guest house is considered to be a commercial activity and the tariff for such activity is more than a residential unit, the guest house owners dot not apply for larger loads. Their additional withdrawal of electricity effects the voltage of neighbours. In fact, right from the garbage disposal to laundry, they require all the services which disturbs the urban living system grossly. The guest house owners, on their part, claim to provide all basic services to tourists by way of cheap and alternative accommodation in the city. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr M. Ramsekhar, was quick not only to accept the guest house as a menace but was also sympathetic towards the problems of residents. But he too expressed helplessness in the face of law and its long process of reaching to action. "We are continuing with the resumption proceedings and would eventually get down to eviction in accordance with the public premises Act," he said. The Supreme Court says
no, the administration accepts the nuisance, officials
maintain that law is taking its own course but the
residents it seems condemned to suffer. A bitter resident
says that if government officials, politicians and
powers-to-be were to share their neighbourhood with these
"shops'' the problem would have ceased long ago.
Another resident wonders if Panchkula could order the
closure of all such guest houses in the township, why
cannot Chandigarh follow suit. |
UBS NRI quota up by 15 seats CHANDIGARH, July 19 — The increase of 15 seats each in the NRI quota in both years of the two-year Masters in Business Administration course run by the University Business School of Panjab University has been made official. "This has been done keeping in mind the idea of augmenting financial resources of the university,'' said Prof R.P. Gupta, Chairman of the UBS. However, candidates who took the entrance examination alleged that this was done, primarily, to accommodate wards of university employees who had sought admission to the course. Prof Gupta said, "Everybody is somebody's son and that has no bearing on the entrance test we have conducted or the result we have declared.'' A parent of a candidate who took the test said, "They had conveniently waylaid us and put up a list of successful candidates out of which most of the wards of university employees fell among the first 10 selected.'' Another parent said, "The university has been forced to call us for an interview in order to placate. The university authorities expected a hue and cry on the matter when it was discovered that some five students selected against the 10 seats were wards of university employees. In a bid to calm us down, 15 additional seats have been shifted from the evening session to the morning one to accommodate a few more students.'' The official account on the matter differs completely. Prof Gupta said, "I first made a request to this effect to the Vice-Chancellor in September. I informed him that the NRI seats in the three-year part-time course were not attracting enough students ever since these were introduced in 1995. These could be made lucrative once they were shifted to the morning session where the number of applicants was five to eight times the number of seats available. So, the increase in seats can easily be attributed to accommodating students seeking admission to a particular course. In due course of time, the matter has got his approval.'' He could offer no justification on why the university was increasing the number of seats at the last minute, especially, when the interviews for the three courses of MBA, MBA (Human Resource) and MBA (International Business) had been conducted and a list of successful candidates put up. The VC's "orders'' on the issue of increasing the number of NRI seats was awaited till about noon. These orders were later received by the department. Also, a technical point in the matter arose with regard to the language used in the "Handbook of Information'' which invited a representation. This added to the complications and the university, after seeking legal advice on the matter, was advised to interview the remaining candidates who had sought admission under this particular quota, Prof Gupta said. He also said that a date of interview would be set for the remaining candidates seeking admission to the MBA course and announced soon. Following the interview, a revised list of successful candidates in this course would be put up and students would be considered for admission against the increased number of seats. The graduation result is unlikely to have a bearing on the candidates who have been selected in the three courses. This is because 85 per cent marks have been attributed to the entrance test while seven and a half marks each will be awarded for group discussion and interview. Thus, no weightage will be given to marks in the graduate course, which is the usual practice in entrance tests for these courses. Wards of university employees are required to pay half of the prescribed fee marked for NRI candidates. The number of seats in
the NRI quota for the MBA course has now gone up from 10
seats to 25 seats while quotas for the MBA (IB) and MBA
(HR) courses were still fixed at five each. |
Dhawan, other SJP men to join
Congress? CHANDIGARH, July 19 — Speculation is afloat of the mass defection of the members of the local unit of the Samajwadi Janata Party to the Congress. Though the former Union Civil Aviation Minister, Mr Harmohan Dhawan, the mainstay of the party and confidant of the former Prime Minister, Mr Chandra Shekhar, does not hold any office in the local unit, he is all set to join the Congress. He was scheduled to meet Mr Pranab Mukherjee, a senior functionary of the All-India Congress Committee, in New Delhi today. Speculation is on that the decks for his joining the Congress have been cleared. Mr Dhawan is camping in Delhi for the past two days. He is also believed to have consulted Mr Chandra Shekhar before taking his decision to join the Congress. Though the details of the modalities are still not known, it is believed that the Congress may consider him as a candidate for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections for the lone Chandigarh Parliamentary seat. Sources said that no firm commitment is being made to him. Two SJP councillors had earlier defected and joined the Congress to reduce the party strength in the Municipal Corporation to one from three. The only representative of the party left in the civic body is Mrs Satinder Dhawan, wife of Mr Harmohan Dhawan. SJP activists and Mr Dhawan may impress upon the Congress high command that they have a mass base in the colonies and may insist on the party ticket to ensure the complete merger of the Chandigarh unit of the party with the Congress. Some others, including
Mr N.K. Nanda, President, District Bar Association, and
who unsuccessfully contested the last Municipal
Corporation election as an SJP candidate, are also
expected to join the Congress later this week. |
PIL against Mann, Bindra
dismissed CHANDIGARH, July 19 — A Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Col J.S. Bala (retd) for directions to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for proper and thorough investigation of a case registered by it against Mr R S Mann and Mr I S Bindra, senior bureaucrats of the Punjab Government. Mr R.S. Mann is the Chief Secretary of Punjab while Mr I.S. Bindra is a Principal Secretary. It was on February 7,1997, that a notification was issued by the then Chief Secretary, Mr V.K. Khanna, at the instance of the then Chief Minister, Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, referring two cases to the CBI pertaining to amassing of wealth by some IAS officials and another relating to allotment of government land to the Punjab Cricket Association. Mr Bindra is also the President of the Punjab Cricket Association. The petitioner apprehended that the case may be scuttled on account of influence exerted by the political power in Punjab on totally misconceived and misplaced, and non-extent ground with an aim to help the persons involved in the crime as they themselves, otherwise, being very influential. He further maintained that the defendants were controlling the manner, method and outcome of the investigation and wanted directions to the CBI not to close the case and for further monitoring the investigations of the case by the honourable High Court in exercise of extraordinary powers under Article 226 of the Constitution of India. A Division Bench comprising Mr Justice R.S. Mongia and Mr Justice J.S. Narang after hearing the counsel of the petitioner were of the view that this PIL was a total misuse of the powers of the Court. Justice Mongia observed in his oral order that “We are afraid that there is no basis for making such allegations that the Central Bureau of Investigation is being influenced by any person. We cannot imagine that the CBI, which is an independent investigating authority and not under the state of Punjab or any of its officers, to whom directions were given to continue with the investigation of this case in the earlier writ petition, is being influenced as alleged. We have to repose some faith in independent investigating agencies like the CBI.” “No ground for
interference is made out.” “Dismissed,”
the order said. |
Illegal felling of trees PINJORE (Panchkula), July 19 — Yet another case of illegal felling of trees in the Morni forest area has come to light. This time four persons, including a forest guard and a forester of the Haryana Forest Department, have been booked by the Pinjore police for felling at least 11 Cheer trees worth thousands of rupees. This is the second instance when involvement of the employees of the Forest Department in the felling of trees has been found by senior officials of the department. According to the information available, a contractor, Mukhtiar Singh, applied to the Forest Department to seek permission to fell two Cheer trees standing on his land in Morni. Instead of cutting the trees standing on his land, Mukhtair, in connivance with the forest guard, Karam Chand, a forester, Daleep Singh and two other persons — Hira and Preetam — illegally felled 11 dry Cheer trees in Raji Tikhri forest area in Bhoj Koti (Morni). The trees had been cut in two-metre logs and had been stacked at the back of the house of the forester, Daleep Singh. All the persons have been booked under Sections 409 and 120-B of the IPC on the basis of a complaint lodged by the Range Forest Officer, Mr Jai Kumar. The forest guard, Karam Singh, has already been placed under suspension. In an earlier case of
illegal felling of Khair trees in the forest area of
Raipur Rani in May last, the Raipur Rani police had
booked seven persons, including two forest guards, for
felling at least 46 Khair trees worth thousands of
rupees. The trees had been felled in the forest area
between Raina and Masumpur. A case under Sections 379,
409 and 120-B had been registered on a complaint by the
DFO, Pinjore, Mr M.P.Sharma. |
Oil in water supply PANCHKULA, July 19 — Last evening, the routine water supply did come in a pocket of houses in Sector 16 here but it contained dark brown droplets which were later found to be of some machine-lubricating oil. It was, however, described as an isolated incident by the Public Health Department authorities. They also said the problem had been rectified. The unsuspecting residents only realised that something was wrong with the water when they tried to use it for their daily chores. They felt that the water contained some greasy substance which smelt like some oil. Mr Mukesh Mittal, a resident of Sector 16, had almost finished taking a shower when he felt a burning sensation in his eyes and had to be taken to the local General Hospital. Residents wondered what was wrong with the water. Telephone calls made to the Public Health Department the Health Department authorities revealed that all this was due to a fault in a Sector 16 tubewell. Some quantity of a machine lubricating oil, used in the motor which lifts the water, had entered the water supply line when the motor was recently repaired. The oil which had collected in the supply line was, however, drained out after running the tubewell for some time. Another resident, Mr G.P. Aggarwal, said he had to throw at least five buckets of water which had the oil floating on the surface before clear water came from the taps. He showed to The Tribune team, a bucket which had droplets of the oil floating on the surface. The Superintending
Engineer, Mr S.K. Khanna, said the vertical oil-based
pump had been repaired a few days back and some oil might
have drained into the supply line. He said it had been
checked to prevent any such happening in future. |
BSP to field Dhiman from UT CHANDIGARH, July 19 — The local unit of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has decided to contest the lone Chandigarh parliamentary seat by fielding its President, Mr Mata Ram Dhiman. This was announced here today by Mr Ajit Singh Saini, Secretary of the unit. He said the President of the party, Mr Kanshi Ram, had announced the candidature of Mr Dhiman from Chandigarh. The local unit of the
All-India Shiromani Akali Dal (Tohra) would support his
candidature. He said the party had started its campaign
in colonies and villages in the UT. |
Chemists to provide 24-hr
services PANCHKULA, July 19 — The chemists in Sector 6 here have decided to provide 24-hour emergency services for the benefit of local patients. This was stated in a communiqué to the Senior Medical Officer of the Sector 6 General Hospital from the chemists. The decision was taken due to non-availability of medicines in the township at night. The communiqué stated
that in the wake of rush of emergency patients at the
hospital, it had been decided to provide emergency
services. The chemists said as there was no chemist shop
being run by health authorities in the hospital premises,
the service would be provided by them on a rotational
basis. |
Award for UT Excise
Commissionerate CHANDIGARH, July 19 — The Chandigarh-II Central Excise Commissionerate was awarded the "Samman Patra" for 1998-99 for its outstanding contribution to Central Excise revenue at an investiture ceremony held at Hotel Ashok in New Delhi yesterday where the Union Finance Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, was the chief guest. The Chandigarh-II Commissionerate has jurisdiction over Punjab (excluding Ropar, Patiala, Ludhiana and Fatehgarh Sahib districts) and Jammu and Kashmir. The award was received by Mr Inder Raj Soni, Commissioner of the Commissionerate-II. The scheme was introduced by the Union Finance Minister in his Budget speech for the year 1998-99 under which honest tax payers and tax collectors are to be honoured. The Chandigarh-II Commissione-rate collected Rs 855.64 crore against a target of Rs 815 crores, thereby registering an increase of over 28 per cent over the revenue collection of Rs 668 crore in 1997-1998. Besides the "Samman Patra", for the Commissionerate, two officers and eight other staff members were also awarded "Samman Patras" for their individual excellent performance. Mr Soni appreciated their work and said all efforts would be made to increase the revenue during the current financial year by strictly dealing with those who made any attempt to evade excise. Mr Soni said due to continued excellent performance and growth in collection of the revenue a new target of Rs 1,106 crore had been fixed for the Chandigarh-II Commissionerate this year which was nearly 30 per cent above the revenue actually collected last year. The Commissionerate had
already collected revenue to the tune of Rs 293 crore up
to June,1999, which showed a 75 per cent increase over
the revenue collection in the first quarter of last year.
The officers of the Commissionerate had already detected
duty evasion cases of over Rs 139 crore in 111 cases as
against Rs 20.64 crore at the end of June, 1998, showing
an increase of Rs 118.17 crore, Mr Soni added. |
Campaign to educate soldiers'
kids CHANDIGARH, July 19 — In a bid to educate the children of the Kargil heroes, Umeed, a non-government organisation from Punjab, has begun a unique 'five rupee campaign', to be collected for the education of the children of the martyred and incapacitated soldiers of Kargil. This campaign is in collaboration with the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA). Ms Sushila Nayar, Vice-President, Umeed, today presented a cheque for Rs 5 lakh to Mrs Kusum Kala, AWWA President, Western Command. Also present on the occasion was Lieut-Gen H.B. Kala, GOC-in-C, Western Command. According to Ms Nayar, the fund to be collected would be called the Umeed Kargil Education Fund (UKEF), and would later be expanded beyond aiding the children of the Kargil victims alone. It would try and reach out to the children of all those soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for the nation. Ms Rachna Chhachhi, a volunteer of the Umeed, added that the NGO, which has been founded by Mr Arvind Khanna, has been working in the area of the medical care sector for the past three years by providing free health care to the villagers of Sangrur. HC gives Rs 27 lakh Judges, officers and the staff of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, and the High Court Bar Association today presented a cheque for Rs 27,89,871 to Lieut-Gen H.B. Kala, GOC-in-C, Western Command, for the cause of the Kargil martyrs and heroes. This contribution was presented by Chief Justice Arun B. Saharya. The Chief Justice said that the judges had resolved to contribute Rs 20,000 each. He said that the balance amount of contributions for this cause, from some of the judges, officers, and staff of the high court and judicial officers, members of the Bar and staff working in the district courts would be forwarded from time to time. Mrs Daya Chaudhary, President of the High Court Bar Association, added that the war widows could contact her in case of any litigation, which would be handled free of cost. Market contributions The Market Welfare Association, Sector 32-C, today contributed Rs 21,100 for the Army Central Welfare Fund. The cheque was presented today, to Mr K.K. Addiwal, Mayor, Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, by Mr S. K. Padda, President of the association, at a function held in the market. Meanwhile, the Bajwara Market Showrooms Association today presented three drafts amounting to Rs 5,0901 for the fund. Stone crushers' aid The Punjab Stone Crushers Association and Punjab Rori Bajri Plot-holders Union today presented a cheque for Rs 1,15,503 for the Army Central Welfare Fund. The union also intends to hold a blood donation camp in the near future. Welfare fund The Central Tool Room, Ludhiana, a Government of India Society, established for the uplift of the small-scale industry of the northern region contributed Rs 44,728 for the welfare of jawans who fought at Kargil and their families. Residents pitch in The Residents Welfare Society, Sector 19-B, contributed Rs 1,100 for the Kargil cause today. Also, employees of the Haryana Public Works Department today contributed Rs 17,45,000 for the Indian soldiers. School kids' mite MRA Modern Public School, Sector 7, Panchkula, contributed Rs 4,940, a sum which the students of the school had voluntarily given out of their pocket money. Stickers show way The Haryana Fine Arts Association, Chandigarh, called Indradhanush, has evolved a novel way to remember the brave soldiers. It has got 50,000 stickers, meant for pasting on vehicles, printed on the theme of Kargil. These stickers show the Indian jawans in action and readiness to face the challenges put forth by the intruders in Kargil. PANCHKULA Manav Mangal gesture Students and staff members of Manav Mangal School Sector 11,here and Sector 21, Chandigarh, have contributed out of their pocket money Rs 52000. Mr Sandeep Sardana,
Administrator of the school, hoped that the noble gesture
made by the little ones will go a long way in boosting
the moral of the soldiers defending our frontiers. |
Samata opposes Jain's
candidature CHANDIGARH, July 19 — The local unit of the Samata Party has urged the party President, Mr George Fernandes, to impress upon the leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party to field someone other than Mr Satya Pal Jain for the lone Chandigarh parliamentary seat in the coming Lok Sabha elections. In a letter signed by Mr Ranjeet Singh Dhaliwal, President of the unit, and eight other office-bearers, it was alleged that Mr Jain had never consulted the local unit of the Samata party either during the term of the last Lok Sabha or in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. Accusing Mr Jain of
ignoring the Samata party at all fora, including the
local Advisory Councils, they maintained that he had been
criticising the Samata Party, besides shielding corrupt
officials. |
Disabled to have equal rights CHANDIGARH, July 19 — The People with disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995, granting equal rights to the handicapped in different spheres of life, is being implemented in the UT. This was stated in a press note issued today by the Chandigarh Administration. Mr Rakesh Singh, Finance Secretary, has been appointed the Commissioner to discharge the various functions with respect to matters relating to deprivation of rights of persons with disabilities. The disabled who are in
need of any assistance can contact the office of the
Directorate of Social welfare, Town Hall Building, Sector
17, Chandigarh. |
Compartment cases to be taken up on
July 23 CHANDIGARH, July 19 — While admissions to Class XI for all four streams of science, arts, commerce and vocational education for the general and reserved categories concluded at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 18, here today, the Education Department has announced that all compartment cases would be taken up from July 23. Last week, parents of students with compartments were seen shuttling between the school in Sector 18 and schools they had given their preference on account of absence of information and any guidance cell. Students thronged the venue each day, hoping to secure a seat in the school of their choice. Last week they were informed that the forms of all candidates with compartments had been sent to their respective schools according to the “first preference’’ filled by them. Anxious, they made a beeline for their respective schools but were turned away since the school authorities had not received instructions or forms of these candidates. Also, some students were informed that their forms had not reached the schools and might have been misplaced. “Admissions are a big affair and a few misplaced forms are just possible in the whole affair. There is no need for parents and students to press the panic button because, eventually, everybody who has applied will get admission. It is only a matter of time before things settle down,’’ said Mr Brahmjit Kalia, District Education Officer. He also informed that even if a few forms had been misplaced, there was no reason for concern. “The sale of forms is still going on in the government school of Sector 22 and fresh applications are being entertained by the department. A complete schedule of admissions for the compartment candidates will be announced once the picture of number of seats available in all schools is received by us,’’ he explained. The DPI (Schools), Mr DS Saroya, opines, “Everybody is in a hurry to get admission. What the candidates who have applied with compartments fail to realise is that if they fail to clear the compartment examination in the first chance they will lose their seat as also be reverted to Class X. It will be better that these students seek admission once they have cleared the compartment.’’ Mr Kalia adds that the
department has received over 2000 forms of compartment
candidates and that these students will be attended to on
information of available seats comes in from the various
schools in the various faculties. “We have asked the
schools to get back to us in a couple of days about the
number of vacant seats they have. We can, only then,
ascertain as to how many students can be accommodated in
schools of their preference. The remaining will be
accommodated in the second school of their
choice,’’ he says. |
Protest rally by Akalis CHANDIGARH, July 19 — The local unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal organised a procession and a protest rally here today against the orders of the Chandigarh Administration of challaning Sikh women for not wearing helmets while driving two-wheelers in the Union Territory. The protesters wanted the orders to be withdrawn immediately. Addressing the rally, the President of the unit, Mr Gurpartap Singh Riar, maintained that the Sikhs were being treated as second class citizens. He said that various draconian laws, like TADA, MISA and NSA were used more against Sikhs than anybody else in the country. Now, Sikh women were being forced to wear helmets against their religious sentiments and feelings. While Sikh women in Delhi had been exempted from wearing helmets, they were being forced to wear them here though the Motor Vehicle Act was the same for the entire country. Mr Riar said that the Dal would resort to legal battle to get the order withdrawn. Sikh women, he announced, would continue to defy this order and when challaned the Coordination Committee of Sikh Institutions and Gurdwaras would fight their cases collectively. Meanwhile, a jatha of Sikh women driving their two-wheelers without helmets would go to Sector 17 from the Sector 19 Gurdwara tomorrow morning to register their protest. Similar protest processions would be taken out from different parts of the city on different days, he added. The Coordination Committee of various Sikh bodies took out a procession from the Sector 34 gurdwara on two-wheelers today to defy the order on compulsory wearing of helmets by Sikh women . Mrs Harjinder Kaur, President, Sikh Nari Manch and spokesperson of the Coordination Committee of Sikh bodies, while assailing the Administration for its orders on making wearing of helmets compulsory both by Sikh women drivers and pillion riders of all two-wheelers, said that only way out for the Sikhs was to have their own personal law. She also appealed to all Hindu samitis to join the present agitation. The procession moved through Sectors 34, 35, 21 and 22 before it joined a procession and rally organised by the local unit of the Shiromani Akali dal (Badal). Mr Paramjit Singh of the Sikh Missionary College said that order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court was not being enforced in Punjab and Haryana. He asked why Sikh women of Chandigarh alone were being targeted. Among the Sikh bodies to
join the protest march today were the Sikh Nari Manch,
the Sikh Missionary College, the Dasmesh Sewa Society,
the Dasmesh Sewak Jatha, Mata Sahib Kaur Sukhmani
Society, Mata Gujri Sukhmani Society, Gurmat Prachar Sewa
Society and Sarab Sanjhiwalta Sukhmani Society. |
Research centre in memory of Chandigarh, July 19 — A research centre for tropical diseases in memory of Dr P.N. Chhuttani, a former director of the PGI, will start functioning at the PGI here by the year end, with a sizeable contribution from the Tilok Tirath Vidyavati Chhuttani Charitable Trust. This was announced here today by Dr Y.N. Mehra, Managing Trustee of the trust. He was presiding over a function at Chandigarh Medical Centre (CMC) in Sector 17 to mark the third death anniversary of Dr Chhuttani. Dr Mehra said the trust had donated Rs 20 lakh to the local chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) for building an auditorium in its complex in Sector 35 in the memory of Dr Chhuttani. Annual orations were also instituted on behalf of the trust by the National Academy of Medical Sciences (India), New Delhi, the Chandigarh chapter of the IMA and the Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana. Dr N.N. Wig, another trustee, dwelt upon the leadership qualities of Dr Chhuttani, who set a shining example for his colleagues to come out successful in the worst of circumstances. Dr Arvind Sahni, consultant physician at the CMC, said Dr Chhuttani demolished unscientific myths. For him the practice of medicine was not a pure science but was a combination of science and art, he asserted. Dr N.S. Bamrah, Medical
Superintendent, Dr (Ms) Umesh Jindal and Ms C. Earnest
also spoke on the occasion. Floral offerings were also
made at the bust of Dr Chhuttani, installed at the CMC by
a large number of doctors, old students and members of
staff. |
'Records not available to
historians' CHANDIGARH, July 19 — An eminent historian, Prof V.N. Dutta, spoke on 'The Partition (1947) — The Last phase', in three parts comprising problems, arguments and conclusions at a lecture organised by the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development, Sector 19, here today. Prof Dutta opened his talk with the subject of source-material for history writing in which he said that a single document, official or unofficial, was capable of changing the course of history and had the "potential of recasting our well-established views or our interpretations of the past''. He also said that each country presented a biased picture of the "progression of events'' which had serious limitations for historians as far as the issue of partition goes. The type of interpretation which is appropriate to the temper of times, caters to the needs of some political party or establishment or bows before some vested interests. This is what is usually doled out by way of a chronicle of Partition."Largely in respect of the Partition, our discourse is nationalistic,'' he said. Speaking of gaining access to the source material available to historians, Prof Dutta criticised that most of it was lying locked away, unavailable to historians, which was a serious handicap, hampering research. "These limitations chill us with despair, and even what we possess, we don't seem to maintain and preserve. We are not history-conscious people,'' he contended. He further said that about 92 per cent of the records were destroyed, especially those pertaining to Indian states and princes. Most of the history had been reconstructed on the meagre information available to historians. "Most of the history is a speculation about the past,'' he stated. Following this, Prof Dutta got down to discussing how and why the Partition came about and the role played by prominent leaders in the whole issue. He ended the lecture with the words, "Thus Pakistan became a reality. Mountbatten noted in his diary that this decision, Indian leaders would regret. Jinnah said in his last speech that only history would tell whether they were right or wrong.'' The Director of the
CRRID, Mr Rashpal Malhotra, welcomed the speaker and
presented the vote of thanks. |
School lecturers stage rally CHANDIGARH, July 19 — The Government School Lecturer Union of Punjab, under the presidentship of Mr Jiwan Parkash Sharma today held a rally in Sector 17 here against the non-implementation of its demands by the Punjab Government. In a press note, the union demanded that the promotion to the post of Principal and Headmaster should be made according to the numerical strength. It further demanded direct selection of lecturers having seven years’ experience for the posts of PES-II or in case of Headmaster those having 3 years experience as lecturers and 4 years as masters. The union demanded Class II gazetted status for lecturers and parity in grade with those lecturers (non-engineering) working in various polytechnics of grade Rs 7880 to Rs 13500. Besides practical allowance of Rs 500 per month for taking practical classes, it demanded next promotional scale after eight years as recommended by the 4th Punjab Pay Commission. The union demanded detachment of +1 and +2 classes from colleges. It demanded for upgradation of seven posts of Arts Lecturers of all senior secondary schools after 1992. The union further demanded additional increments for additional qualifications. The rally was also
addressed by Mr Charan Singh, General Secretary, Mr
Kamaljit Thakur, Mr Ghanshyam Kapur, Mr Amar Singh,
Harpreet Inderjit Singh and others. |
No pesticide sprayed in
drains DERA BASSI, July 19 — Cesspools of slush and stinking water in front of the main gate of the Municipal Council (MC) office on the Chandigarh-Delhi National Highway often puts the public, vendors and commuters to inconvenience. The knee-deep pools of sullage along the highway in this town have also become major health hazard. Heaps of garbage and other solid refuse in front of the MC office and along the drains in the streets of the town are an indication of the negligent behaviour of the MC authorities. The accumulation of slush and stinking water in the town has posed a threat to normal life. The town is virtually waiting for an epidemic to break as the authorities concerned have hardly ever sprayed pesticides in the pools to restrain the generation of mosquitoes and flies. Water accumulated on the road at the local bus stop often puts the commuter to great inconvenience while taking buses. They have to step into the water to get into the buses. Many times, speeding vehicles smears the clothes of the people with muddy water. Mr Baljinder Singh, a vendor, complained that the authorities had never thought about the health of the public and the customers as the solid waste had blocked the sewerage at many intersections which has resulted to the accumulation of water at different points. The flies and mosquitoes generated there often contaminate the exposed eatables in various dhabas along the road in the town. "The condition of the entire town could be well imagined by the the slush and stink just at the gate of the Municipal Council's office," he added. Mr Surta Singh, who sells Punjabi juttis, said that the slushy water along the road affects the business as the customers prefer to go to the shops away from here in healthy environment. "I am doing my business for the past many years and have seen that the authorities concerned are least bothered about this problem. The condition turns deplorable during rains," he added. "The authorities concerned have never sprayed pesticides in the drains of the town and the water ponds in this area. Earlier, the department concerned used to spray DDT (a pesticide) solution in all the streets here." claimed Mr Muhammad Savir, a pan-biri vendor. Mr Jagjit Singh Dalli,
President of the Municipal Council, was not available for
comments. |
|
Sector 42 lacks
basic facilities In a joint meeting, the Resident Welfare Association and the Market Welfare Association of the sector have expressed concern over growing problems. According to residents, low voltage, erratic power supply and maintenance cuts without prior notice have become common. The streetlights, including those of V-3, V-4 and V-5 roads have been non-functional for the last four months, residents say. They add that the streetlights of the newly-constructed roundabout of sectors 42 and 43 have not been working for the last couple of months, which has led to several accidents at night. Mr Shiv Kumar, President of the Resident Welfare Association, says the land earmarked for the main park of the sector is full of wild grass and bushes, which host snakes. He alleges that despite assurances by the authorities concerned, nothing has been done. Mr Naresh Arora, President of the Market Welfare Association, says since the inception of the Sector 42-C market, the absence of the parking area has caused inconvenience to the public. He adds that water stagnation during rains creates problems. There is no public toilet in the market. The residents allege that several requests have fallen on deaf ears. While expressing concern, members of the associations have urged the authorities concerned to take immediate steps to redress their grievances. Showers cool evening Meteorological officials said that rain had occurred due to cyclonic circulation over south-west Jammu and Kashmir adjoining north Pakistan and will continue through the night. The cyclonic circulation activated the monsoon trough in this region. Storm water drains sought The residents of House Nos. 1241 to 1256 in a representation to the Chief Administrator of HUDA lamented that a number of requests to the engineering cell in this regard had failed to attract any response from the latter. During the recent showers, the road in front of the houses was flooded, they lamented. Students collect Rs 14,000 The students carrying banners raised slogans expressing their solidarity with the soldiers. The procession passed through main markets of Kharar and about Rs 14,000 was collected. Dharna against poor power
situation party workers raised slogans against the Bansi Lal government for failing to stick to its promise to supply round -the- clock power supply from June 30. They said the power situation in the rural areas was grim . leaders of the district
unit of the party said though the township had been
declared a no power cut zone, frequent unscheduled power
cuts and problem of low voltage persisted. Among the
leaders who were present on the occasion were Mr
R.S.Chauhan, Mr Pawan Valecha, Mr Sanjeev Chopra, Mr
Sashi Chopra, besides other party workers. |
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