Brave effort in icy conditions
By Amarjit Thind
Tribune News Service

CHANDI MANDIR, July 27 — “We had been assigned the task of capturing the snow-capped Point 4839, a strategic feature nearly 2.5 kms inside the Line of Control in the Batalik sector, which had been occupied by the infiltrators. Our platoon fought ferociously, but the enemy was too well dug and fortified for our small assault party, hence we had to abort our mission”, recalls a grim looking Havaldar Subash Chander, whose left foot had to be amputated as a result of injuries sustained in the attack.

The brave 34-year-old hails from Kotda village in Rajasthan and belongs to 10 Para (Special Forces). He was the platoon havaldar of the attacking team. The personnel led by a Major included two men from the Ladakh Scouts besides one artillery officer who attacked and faced heavy enemy fire for two days before aborting the mission on May 21. They suffered four casualties, while 14 personnel were injured.

“We were ordered to launch an attack on the feature on May 18. Accordingly, an attack party was assembled which consisted of more than 20 officers and men. We were briefed about the whole plan and started the ascent from the base camp at about 8. 30 p.m. the same night.”

The going on the knee-deep snow was slow and arduous. This was compounded by the darkness and the knowledge that one wrong step would mean instant death hundreds of feet below. The entire party, unfamiliar with the terrain, had to follow the two scouts.

Although weighed down by 16 - 18 kg backpacks, which in view of

the extreme cold conditions included our ammo, sleeping bags and rations, we made to one of the ridges at about 5. 30 a.m.. This place was some distance from the the enemy fortifications.

The strenuous ascent had tired everyone and the entire party took cover and settled down for a brief breather. We had barely settled when the enemy spotted some movement and started firing. Since there was hardly any cover, we took positions wherever we could and engaged the enemy.

The infiltrators were well entrenched and brought down accurate fire pinning us. As we had been caught in the open, the increasing daylight, too, added to the visibility of the enemy and the amount of firing.

We dug in and returned the fire. The fierce battle continued continuously for two days during which many of our men were injured. The weather too added to our problems but the zeal and fire in the men was unmatched. It was only during the night that the firing slackened somewhat.

On the second day, the enemy opened up with rocket launchers to dislodge us and it was during one of these attacks that I was hit by some of the splinters.

In the meantime, the order to abort the mission came in. Since our radio set was working, a word was sent to Major. The party started pulling out and since some others were at a position to provide covering fire, we held fort. Artillery fire was also brought upon us.

The men had left by late evening (May 21) and as the weather deteriorated we too retreated.

My regret is not only that we could not take the peak but had to leave behind the bodies of our friends who had made the supreme sacrifice. I may not serve in the Army but I was jubilant when I came to know yesterday that the entire area had been cleared of the infiltrators, he adds with a faint smile.

Chaotic parking lots
From Our Correspondent

PANCHKULA, July 27 — Markets in Sector 7, 11 and 5 here have problem of chaotic parking. There seems to be little planning or initiative on part of the authorities to correct the deteriorating situation.

In Sector 7, there is an optimum parking capacity of 50-60 cars. There is great congestion, especially on weekends, when cars and two-wheelers are parked all over and the number is almost three times its normal capacity. Cars and two-wheelers parked in a haphazard fashion, horns blaring and people screaming at one another are normal features in these markets. Many a time, it becomes difficult to extricate one’s vehicle from the mess created here.

The confusion gets compounded for want of separate parking areas for cars and two wheelers.The police seems ill-equipped to manage traffic in these areas. The police post in the main market of Sector 7 lacks policemen to regulate parking in the area.

Many other factors also contribute to the chaos.Most of the parking lots have been encroached upon by shopkeepers and unauthorised vendors. Shops have been stretched up to roads and have occupied vast areas, reserved for parking. Any move to remove these encroachments is resented by traders .

There is no licensing authority in the absence of a municipal corporation , and vendors have taken positions in almost every corner. Shoppers find it difficult to locate a place where they could safely park their vehicles. Vendors also contribute to insanitary conditions in the market . Many commercial establishments function in residential areas around shopping centres. Shoppers find it convenient to park their cars in front of these residence-cum-shops, often causing bottlenecks.

There are no line berms on the roads to identify parking zones on the side road . In the evening, a mobile police control room (PCR) remains parked in a sector but it is unable even to check vehicles parked in the no parking zones.

The District Town and Planning Department , Haryana , permits the use of open spaces for ‘essential services’ including public and community purposes. There are vast open spaces near shopping plazas, which could be used as alternative parking sites.

The delay in the development of the commercial complex in Sector 5 , has led to rush of shoppers in the shopping areas of Sector 7. With the festival season approaching , the number of shoppers is bound to increase and with them will increase the problems.

School lacking facilities
From Our Correspondent

CHILLA (SAS Nagar), July 27 — More than 80 students of a two-room primary school at Chilla village speak volumes of the importance rural education is getting in the state.

The school in this sleepy village, 7 km from SAS Nagar, lacks several basic facilities. Its building located in the fields has no approach road, creating problems for the students and teachers.

Students have to wade through the fields to reach the school.

There are only two rooms for five classes in the building. These too are in a poor condition. The school has neither power nor water connection. There are also no toilets. The students sit on floor in the absence of any furniture.

There are only three teachers for five classes. Mr Bikram Singh, a local resident, demanded that more teachers should be recruited.

Teachers complained about poor bus service in the area which makes them walk up to 4 km to the nearest bus stop in Phase XI, SAS Nagar. "We have to cross a choe to catch a bus and the position gets worse during rainy season. The passage overflows with rainy water, forcing us to take longer route or to miss classes, as all the roads close after heavy showers", complained a teacher.

‘Films not my cup of tea’
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, July 27 — She stops the traffic with her looks in a chocolate advertisement on television and she is the girl with a glowing soft skin for a popular skin-cream advertisement, and in another completely different role, as the hostess of a ghazal- based programme, “Adaab Arz Hai”, on Sony channel, she is heard speaking in chaste Urdu. One of the hottest ramp models on the Indian scene, Rakshanda Khan, talked to TNS team today in an exclusive interview. Rakshanda is here to take part in the annual fashion show of a local fashion institute, along with other models.

“Hindi films are not meant for me, nor am I meant for them. It is not that I see anything wrong in running around trees, but that is not my cup of tea. After doing modelling assignments and now television, I feel that is what everybody expects out of you, but I am happy with what I am doing presently”, Rakshanda said, while adding that like any other model, she also had been deluged with film offers, but did not find anything exciting.

On Bollywood she said, “Films take a long time to complete, which means a whole lot of commitment and responsibility. Something which I do not think I would be able to cope with. Also I think that there is no strong parallel cinema running as of today, and in the commercial cinema I cannot really visualise myself”.

Talking about hosting “Adaab Arz Hai”, along with ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas, she said the director of this programme, Akashdeep, was earlier working out on a script for a television serial with her, but this did not work out. Since the director knew about her fluency in Urdu, Rakshanda was cast along side Udhas to host the show.

“I come from a Muslim background and at home I have always spoken Urdu. I might not be knowing much about Urdu “shayari”, but then I have always been interested in the language. And the programme has also given me a lot of scope for learning, and learning all about our heritage. Also it is a great thing to work along side Pankaj Udhas, especially when a person like me can not even sing in the bathroom!” she said.

Surprisingly enough, this ramp model who has been on the Indian modelling scene for many years has done only four campaigns. “It is just that television programmes seem to have happened to me more than the ad-campaigns. But as a medium I am comfortable with television, since I have a ready-made script to work with. Otherwise, I do keep busy with my ramp assignments”, replied Rakshanda.

As of now, Rakshanda is concentrating on another pop countdown for Zee Television, which she says is based on “fun and whacky interviews” with celebrities and stars from different fields.

On our “modern style gurus” she said, “Fashion is never in and never out. Something in which one is comfortable is what the fashion statement all about”.