& V I C I N I T Y
Monday, March 1, 1999
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C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
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Monday, March 1, 1999 |
| weather n
spotlight today's calendar |
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Confusing
signals from PU Anaemia
stalk rickshaw-pullers |
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Inculcating compassion his
passion
Open
discussion on Budget held Smoke
from kilns chokes villagers
Bootleggers
thrive through Mullanpur Basket
weaving losing shine Science
exhibition prize for Physics Department Sector
12-A nullah an eyesore Trade
team to tap Punjab potential From
tears to contentment Spring
Fest on March 13, 14 Power
department told to refund surcharge A
poor man’s boutique |
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Congress
ready for snap poll: Pranab CHANDIGARH, , February 28 — Mr Pranab Mukherjee, All-India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary and former Union Minister, while predicting inevitable fall of the Atal Behari Vajpayee government in the near future, said today that the coalition experiment had failed in the country. Addressing a press conference at the UT State Guest House here, Mr Mukherjee said in case the government fell the Congress would not shirk from its "constitutional responsibility". Whether the party would form the government with the support of other parties or prefer a mid-term poll depended on the situation prevailing at that time, he said. Saying that the "fractured verdict" in the last Lok Sabha elections had resulted in the government coming under pressure from various quarters, including allies, he said on account of the "inbuilt instability" of the government it would not last long. Terming the coalition experiment a failure, he said the coalition was not a viable alternative for stability. As many as nine times in the 12 Lok Sabha elections, the electorate had given a decisive verdict, he added. He disclosed the Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi had constituted a seven-member committee under his leadership to look into the demands by various union territories for statehood. He was answering a question on the "statehood" demand for Chandigarh by Mr Venod Sharma, President of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (CTCC), at a rally earlier. He welcomed the initiative by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to visit Pakistan. He, however, regretted that the Indian initiative was not responded properly by Pakistan. He alleged that talks were held under pressure from the USA. Mr Ahmed Patel, AICC Treasurer, who visited Jammu and Kashmir recently, alleged in the absence of proper coordination among the Army, the police and the government, militancy had spread to new areas like Doda and Rajouri. Stressing the need for confidence-building measures, Mr Patel, however, stopped short of demanding Governor's rule in the state, saying a decision to this effect would be taken at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC). Earlier, addressing a largely-attended rally at Nehru Park in Sector 22 here, Mr Mukherjee, while accusing the BJP-led government of sheer incompetency, said there was no government worth the name and the development of the country had come to a virtual standstill. He said the country could not progress under the present regime because of its inner contradictions. It was only the Congress which could provide a clean administration to the country, he claimed. A mid-term poll could be held any time and the people and the party activists were ready for it, he added. Mr Sharma accused the local MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain, of interfering in the functioning of the Chandigarh Administration. He said the party would create such an atmosphere in the city where the poor would get their due. A former MP, Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, while coming down heavily on the BJP for dividing the people on the basis of religion, said the BJP infighting was not based on any principles but to share the spoils of power. Meanwhile, Mr Jaspal Singh Soni, President of youth wing of the BSP, today resigned from the primary membership of the party and joined the Congress. In another development, several senior Congress leaders belonging to the rival group, condemned the manhandling of two Congress leaders allegedly by supporters of Mr Sharma. In a signed statement, the leaders alleged that a close associate of Mr Sharma roughed up Mr B.B. Behl, a senior Congress leader, at UT Guest House. Similarly, Kulbir Singh, a Youth Congress worker, injured his leg when he was manhandled at the railway station. The leader decided that they would not attend any meeting called by Mr Sharma till the “miscreant” tendered apology to Mr Behl. Prominent among those, who signed the statement, are Mr Subhash Chawla and Dr O.P. Verma, General Secretaries of the CTCC, Mr Ram Pal Sharma, President of INTUC, Mr Chander Mukhi Sharma, President of the Chandigarh Territorial Youth Congress (CTYC), Mr H.S. Lucky, President of the NSUI, Ms Lalit Joshi Bhardwaj, President of the Mahila Congress, and Mr Vikram Sharma Dicky, General Secretary of the CTYC. However, Mr Behl, when
contacted, in the afternoon, denied that he was
manhandled. |
Chhibber
dances to Hans’ tune CHANDIGARH, February 28 — For the people of Chandigarh who never let off an opportunity to jive away the night, the concluding day of the Festival of Gardens provided lots more than just an occasion to shake a leg. With crowds thronging the festival for most part of the day, the evening also saw a packed house to witness Hans Raj Hans, popular Punjabi singer, at Leisure Valley, Sector 10. With people standing even at the Kalagram Craft Fair to listen to this curly-moped singer, today’s evening was definitely all about foot-tapping music. Dressed in his customary black T-shirt and jeans, complete with a maroon coat, Hans Raj Hans proved to be a true performer when he made everyone from the young to the old, from the masses to even the chief guest of the evening, Lt-Gen B.K.N Chhibber, Administrator, UT, Chandigarh, dance to his tunes. One of his opening songs, “khali dil nahin jaan wi”, which he has sung for Hindi film “Kachche Dhage”, along with Alka Yagnik, the music of which has been provided by the late maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, started building up the mood for a boisterous evening. This was followed by “aaja wey tainu ankhiyaan” and his latest song “jhanjhar”, which is doing the rounds of all music channels these days. It was with “jhanjhar” that had the crowds up on their seats and dance in frenzy. With the unruly Chandigarh crowd one obviously does not expect any less than a frenzied reaction, especially in the last rows, where men could be seen stepping on top of each other and giving a tough time to the Chandigarh police. Little wonder that Hans Raj Hans later belted out “Chandigarh shahar aj bahut shor ho gaya”. Hans Raj Hans’ “aaja nach le”, which he did with Bally Sagoo, and the music video of which features the popular V.J. Meghna Reddy, was also a major hit with the huge crowds. The other popular songs that he belted out in the evening included, “rati ishq di hoyee barsaat”, “tera laal garara”, “iq tara wajda” and “chori teri paqdi gayee”. Commenting on everything
in his songs, from love in the age of technology to
“Sufiyana” love, Hans Raj Hans did not have to
do much to make the audience join the band to clap, sing
and even whistle along with him. The evening’s
performance marked a grand finale to this year’s
Festival of Gardens. |
Confusing
signals from PU CHANDIGARH, February 28 — While the annual examinations are around the corner, Panjab University is yet to announce a decision on conducting the test in environment studies in the current session.The decision directly concerns about 1 lakh students in more than 105 affiliated colleges. Colleges have been receiving confusing signals since January this year. Highly placed sources said that earlier a committee had decided that there would be no annual examination in the subject in this session and students would have to submit a certificate of having attended at least seven lectures in the subject. This was followed by a meeting of a high powered committee, a few days ago, in which it was decided that the university would conduct the examination. However, the conduct process is yet to be finalised. The university will first have to verify the number of students who wish to appear in the examination in this session. Students have the option to clear the paper in any year during their undergraduate course. To reduce the burden on the University Examination Branch, college principals might be asked to conduct the examination at their own level. They can later send the results to the university. In a letter to college principals in January, the university had said: “Such candidates of BA, BSc, B Com and BSc (honours school) (parts I and II) who failed in the examinations held in April 1998 and have already submitted their certificates for having attended the prescribed number of lectures in environment education, be exempted from appearing in the said paper in April, 1999”. The course has run into rough weather ever since the first examinations were held in 1997. Less than 10 per cent students had cleared the paper, following which the entire result was scrapped. Further continuation of the subject was considered and it was recommended that students attend seven lectures in 1997-98. For the session 1998-99, the university decided that students attend a minimum of 16 lectures followed by an annual examination. Sources in the Examination
Department said they were aware of the urgency of the
matter and a final decision would be announced soon.
First priority is deciding as to whether the university
should conduct the examination or leave it to the
colleges. |
Panches to
get I-cards CHANDIGARH, February 28 — The Chandigarh Administration will issue identity cards to the sarpanches and panches of the city. According to a statement
by Mr Satya Pal Jain, MP, the Director, Panchayats, has
been directed to issue the necessary documents as the
elected representatives faced problems in various
departments. |
Anaemia,
worm infestation stalk rickshaw-pullers CHANDIGARH, February 28 — Apart from loneliness, a majority of rickshaw-pullers in the city suffer from anaemia and worm infestation. This was revealed at a medical camp organised by the State Bank of India’s NRI branch in Sector 17, here, today as a part of a nationwide health check-up campaign for the poor. The target group consisted of persons who lived in and around the bank square. All of them belonged to Sarabasti district of Uttar Pradesh. They live in groups and sub-groups who pool their resources to cook and do other activities. The causes of their ill health are the unclean surroundings they live in lack of personal hygiene and an unbalanced diet. Some of them also complained of lumbar pains due to the strenuous action of pulling a rickshaw and had upper respiratory tract infections caused by sleeping in the open. The brother duo of Laloo Prasad and Hazari Lal said circumstances had forced them to leave home in search of a livelihood. The former claims to have studied till Class IX till the death of their father forced him to abandon his studies to earn. “Although we own an acre in our village, it is too small to support the family. My brother came here a couple of years before me and I joined him later. We send about Rs 3,500 to Rs 4,000 every month to home. We cannot afford any luxuries and a nutritious diet is one of them,” he said. Thirteen -year-old Birahim Lal is too young to ply a rickshaw but earns him living by washing dishes at a teastall. “I came here one month ago due to the poor financial condition at home. I hope to earn more and probably ply a rickshaw like others in the group, says he. He is illiterate, anaemic and suffering from worm infestation. Suresh and Bhagwan too cite lack of finances and opportunities back home for coming here. They also contribute their bit to the family kitty. The latter has a kind of ear infection and is slowly losing his hearing ability. Citing the lack of sanitation and unclean water as the reason for worm infestation, Jagdish, head of the group said that in the absence of clean water they depended on water from the handpumps despite knowing it was unsafe. Although they take vegetables in their diet, the prices are so high that mostly they stick to their staple diet dal and roti. With dal also being expensive, they make do with small quantities of it. In the absence of any awareness drives, they are ignorant that iron supplements can be had from various Government-run dispensaries. “At times it gets very lonely, particularly when one is sick. Then homesickness overpowers many of us. Many have taken to the bottle because of this, although elders in the group do their best not to let any member go astray,” said Jagdish. They watch movies on the weekends and there is nothing much to do. However, activities have picked up due to Holi and there are night long sessions of merry making. Mr L.C. Hans, Chief Manager of the branch, said 100 persons were examined and provided with deworming medicines and iron suipplements to check anaemia. Meanwhile, the main branch of the bank organised a dental check-up camp where more than 500 rickshaw-pullers and labourers were examined. The camp was inaugurated by Mr S.K. Jain, Deputy General Manager of the bank. Another camp was held at the Sector 22 market where more than 250 persons were examined. It was inaugurated by Mr H.K. Tewari, AGM of the Industrial Finance branch located in the same sector. A camp held by the Sector
30 SBI branch. Mr S.L. Soni, Chief Manager of the branch,
said many persons were examined there. |
CBSE
despatches roll numbers CHANDIGARH, February 28 — The Central Board for Secondary Education has despatched roll numbers to all private candidates of matriculation and senior secondary classes, Mr Y.P. Katyal, Joint Director, said here today. He said students who have
not received their roll numbers should contact the
regional office in the city. |
Babla
re-elected
chief of SJP unit CHANDIGARH, February 28 — Mr Devinder Singh Babla has been re-elected President of the local unit of the Samajwadi Janata Party at the state convention of the unit held here today. Nearly 450 delegates attended the convention which was presided over by Mr Harmohan Dhawan, former Union Civil Aviation Minister. Besides Mr Babla,
Presidents of 10 other frontal organisations of the unit
were also elected. They are : President (Rural) — Mr
Gurnam Singh; Colonies — Mr Sham Lal; Traders’
Cell — Mr Sita Ram Ahuja; Legal Cell — Mr N.K.
Nanda; Mahila Wing — Mrs Shyama Negi; SC/ST Cell
— Mr Bhopal Singh; Rehri Phari Markets — Mr
Sham Sunder Arora; Weaker Sections — Mr Gurcharan
Singh Channi; Students Wing — Mr Pawan Deep Singh;
Chairman (Minorities Cell — Mr Shakil Ahmed; and
President of the cell — Mr Mehboob Khan. |
Inculcating
compassion his passion
With more than three decades into education, Dr Harish Dhillon is happy to be back with the YPS. He served as Principal, YPS, Patiala, for nine years, before he moved to Lawrence School, Sanawar, as Headmaster in 1995. A Sanawarian of the 1956 batch, Dr Dhillon studied there for eight years, taught there for 17 years and was the school Headmaster for four years. He had a brief stint as a cadet in the armed forces wherein he imbibed the qualities of duty and discipline which are now an integral part of his being. Keeping in view the changing education scenario, he plans to make all his students computer literate. Dr Dhillon laments that since teachers are not paid enough, their quality is deteriorating. He stresses that a teacher should be paid on a par with the defence or civil officers. Dr Dhillon, has taught English in a CBSE school for 17 years. But he prefers the ICSE system as he feels that CBSE exams are memory based while ICSE tests are based on understanding Dr Dhillon says that though he has been brought up in a system where corporal punishment was an accepted norm, students of today instead of looking up to it as a corrective measure consider it to be an act of humiliation. Hence, schools are engaging the services of counsellors to check the growing incidence of violence. A counsellor, in fact, works like a doctor as children find it easy to confess their problems to him as they feel that he is not part of the establishment and would be fair to them. Students who are finding it difficult to cope with the academic standards will be paid special attention, he says. Dr Dhillon began his career as a lecturer of English in Lucknow University after doing his postgraduation in English from there and simultaneously enrolled himself in PhD. It was in 1971 that he came back to Sanawar to help his English teachers with the teaching of Class X during the summer break, but he never went back. `` It was an exciting and challenging experience for the school had evolved and I could sense the change — from a rigid Army school to a modern day public school. It was deja vu for me for I could instantly relate to what was happening around me — the same pranks and problems students would encounter,’’ he nostalgically recalls. Dhillon aspired to be a journalist but destiny had something else in store for him. After he was medically boarded out from the IMA due to a serious leg injury, he took to teaching. Dr Dhillon is proud of his writings. His two novels written in the 1970s — “The Wayside Tree’’ and “The Right to Die” — dealing with juvenile romances were well received. His two recent books are “Life and Teachings of Sikh Gurus” and “Love Stories from Punjab”. He has been regularly contributing short stories for various publications. including The Tribune, The Illustrated Weekly of India and Caravan. A lover of music, he is
quite proficient on the piano and used to play it for the
school plays. His favourite pastime is reading fiction
and biographies and listening to music. His little
handicap of the leg is no deterrent for he loves to cycle
to his favourite places on his bicycle almost everyday. |
Open
discussion on Budget held CHANDIGARH, February 28 — The Jan Shakti, a social organisation, held an open discussion on Budget-99 at the Lajpat Rai Bhavan here today. Mr Radhe Shyam Sharma, senior journalist who presided over the discussion, lamented the lopsided development which had led to the economic crisis in the country. Keeping in view the economic condition of the country, the current budget was not very effective, he said. Prof B.B. Tandon, a retired professor of Panjab University, while appreciating the incentives for housing, was, of the opinion that the allocation for crucial sectors such as power, roads and ports was not adequate. Prof M.R. Aggarwal decried the tendency on the part of the public in looking for concessions in the budget. He wanted the budget to come up with measures to check the balance of payments crisis and fiscal deficit. Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma, a reader in the University Business School, Panjab University, said the budget had nothing new to give. Earlier, the emphasis was laid on printing more notes and deficit financing, and now it was on borrowing. Terming it a recessionary
budget for the industrial sector, Dr Sharma wanted
internal borrowings to be encouraged as compared to the
external borrowings. |
Smoke from
kilns chokes villagers ZIRAKPUR, February 28 — An unspecified kind of smoke, emitted from the brick kilns, is being inhaled by the residents of this area. They claim that the smoke of sticky and pungent nature was affecting their lungs. However, the owners of these units deny the allegation. From Mauli Jagran to Bartana village, there are five brick kilns fulfilling the requirement of local public, for the past 30 years. Residents of the areas surrounding these units have to tolerate all the pollutants emitted from these. The affected areas include Mauli Jagran colony, Raipur Kalan village, Harmilap colony and Tribune Model Gram in Bartana village. Owners claim that the existence of these units is older than the existence of colonies and villages in this area. A resident of Raipur Kalan, who is running a tea stall, on condition of annonymity, said that he was bound to breath in this polluted air as the owner of the unit had allowed him to install the tea stall on his land, free of cost. He further added that the workers of these units were his customers and he did not want to loose his earnings. Mr Ram Pyari, a 69-year-old lady, complained that the bhatta emits a sticky smoke with a foul smell for nearly 24 hours in a day. “This problem has posed a threat to the life of our kids,” she added. Ms Laxmi Devi, a resident of Tribune Model Gram, said that the carbon emitted along with the smoke sticked to the clothes and even to a person’s face. “While taking a facebath, the quantity of carbon emitted can be assessed by its layer on our hands,” she adds. “We have complained to the authorities many times but no step has been taken so far,” says Mrs Vinod Kumari. Mr Balbir Singh Sohi, owner of a kiln, said that the Supreme Court has permitted the old kilns all over the country to keep operating till June this year and has directed the owners not to set up any new plant till a new pollution free model is designed. He further said that his unit was functioning since 1972 and the colonies in the area were established only few years ago. “Taking the problem of the residents into consideration, the unit will be closed before June this year,” he admitted. Another owner, Mr Rajeev Chhabra, said that he has reconstructed the chimney of his unit 35 mts high after taking every precaution against the emission of smoke. He added that these units were set up on ‘no man’s land’ earlier but the people were rehabilitated in this area in an unauthorised manner and the Government did not restrain them. He said that following the
directions, the kilns would be reconstructed according to
a design provided by Punjab Pollution Control Board, from
next year. The new design will include modern chambers to
reduce the quantity of carbon in the smoke and filters
will also be installed to reduce the pollutants, he adds. |
Bootleggers
thrive through Mullanpur MULLANPUR GARIBDAS, February 28 — Mullanpur seems to have become a favourite route with bootleggers smuggling liquor to Punjab.The local police has registered at least five cases during the past 10 days. According to the SHO of Mullanpur Garibdass, Mr Sarabjit Singh Sidhu, the increase in liquor smuggling is because of difference of prices of liquor at Chandigarh and in Punjab. The police registered a case against Ranjit Singh of Saini Majra village , Mullanpur, for allegedly carrying seven bottles of liquor on February 19. Karnail Singh, resident of Kartarpur village in the Mullanpur police area was nabbed for carrying nine bottles of liquor on February 21. On Friday, the police registered three separate cases against Ravinder Singh and Kulvinder Singh of Ropar district and Gurmail Singh of Kharar for allegedly carrying 12, 14 and nine bottles of liquor, respectively. The police had registered the cases under Exice Act . Meanwhile the accused have been granted bail. Mr Sidhu said a strict
vigil was being maintained. |
HC
discharges foreigner CHANDIGARH, February 28 — Samuel James Phillip Allan, a British student, who had been booked under Section 20 of the NDPS (Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances) Act by the Chandigarh police on December 1 last year,was discharged by the Punjab and Haryana High Court yesterday. Mr Justice R.L. Anand allowed the revision petition filed by the Chandigarh Administration against the orders of the Additional District Judge, who had turned down the case cancellation report. The case has been in the news since the arrest of Allan and his two friends in three separate cases, including one under the Arms Act, at the Sector 17 Police station. The British national, however, made allegations against the police officials, not only of harassing them and subjecting them to physical torture, but also of depriving them of their valuables, including money. This is not the first case of this type. Last year, a Mumbai-based businessman had accused the Chandigarh police of implicating him in a rape case. On the basis of his complaint, Mr Justice V.K. Jhanji had ordered an inquiry into the case. Though the Senior Superintendent of Police denied the allegations made by the British students, the administration ordered an inquiry by Mr Asish Kundra, a Subdivisional Magistrate. A senior functionary of the British High Commission had visited Chandigarh in this connection. The inquiry report indicted three policemen, including a deputy superintendent of police. The DSP and other policemen were suspended, as the inquiry held that all the three British nationals had been arrested together soon after they had boarded a taxi from outside their hotel in Sector 22. The police, however, had shown their arrests from different places in different cases. The police had claimed to have recovered 100 g of charas from the possession of Allan. The version of the students was corroborated by the taxi driver.The report held that the sequence of events leading to the registration of separate cases was distorted. The statements of the students, corroborating evidence and circumstantial evidence, proved that they had been implicated. Subsequently, the DSP pleaded guilty in the case and admitted that he was not present when the students were searched. He said he believed his subordinates and signed the papers. Major penalty proceedings were ordered against the DSP and his four increments were stopped. After the Additional District Judge refused to allow the case cancellation report filed by the administration, a revision petition was filed. Mr Justice Anand set aside
the impugned order and upheld the plea of the
administration not to prosecute the student, maintaining
that the case cancellation report was in accordance with
the law. |
Basket
weaving losing shine BHANKHARPUR, February 28 — Baskets made of mulberry sticks, popularly known as tokris, are a household item in this part of the country. These also serve as strong material for carrying loads such as stones at construction sites. Craftsmen engaged in the job of making the baskets say that the wooden sticks are bought from Bathinda. “We have to transport it from the far off places as it is not easily available in the local market. Moreover, the felling of trees is not an easy job because of the strict administrative rulings,” explains Mr Ram Saran Yadav. Mulberry sticks can bear a considerable amount of weight. Also, the sticks, being soft, can be moulded in a particular shape. A worker, Mr Bhushan Lal, says, “We purchase the stems in bulk at a rate varying between Rs 700 and Rs 900 a quintal but we have to sell the baskets only at Rs 25 a piece”. Persons engaged in this profession are facing a tough time as orders for baskets are dwindling. Due to rise in production cost and competition, many workers are seriously thinking of changing their profession as now it has become less profitable. Mr Ram Saran Yadav is in
this profession for 20 years. He is assisted by his
family members. He says lot of labour goes into making a
single basket. The process of making a tokri starts with
woodshaving and then the sticks are moulded into a
particular shape. Each tokri takes about five hours to
make. |
Row over
Pranab’s visit CHANDIGARH, February 28 — The visit of the AICC General Secretary, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, to the city today has generated a controversy within the Haryana Congress. Dissidents within the party allege that no representative of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee was there to receive Mr Mukherjee, who is in charge of party affairs in Haryana, Chandigarh and Punjab, either at the railway station or at the UT Guest House. Mr Brajinder Singh Thakur, chairman of the Legal Cell of the Haryana Congress, said here today that this was the first visit of Mr Mukherjee to Chandigarh after becoming the AICC General Secretary. As Chandigarh is the capital of Haryana as well, the Haryana PCC should have accorded a reception for the Central leader. Instead, the PCC, he said, boycotted Mr Mukherjee’s visit. However, Mr Rajinder Singh Hooda, secretary-general of the media committee of the Haryana Congress, said the chairman of the party’s minority cell, Mr Jagdeep Singh Cheema; a former Additional Advocate-General of Haryana and senior party leader, Mr Kamal Sharma; the President of the Panchkula City Congress Committee, Mr Krishan Kumar Nanha; and he himself represented the Haryana PCC in welcoming Mr Mukherjee at the station and the UT Guest House. Mr Hooda said Mr Mukherjee had come to the city to participate in the programmes organised by the Chandigarh Congress. There was no official engagement as far as the Haryana Congress was concerned. The Haryana Congress would organise a special function at Hisar on March 19 to honour all those who participated in the padyatras organised by the party in the state in February. Mr Mukherjee would attend the Hisar function. Before that the party would organise public meetings at Karnal and Gohana on March 7 and 12, respectively, besides a workers’ meeting in Jind on March 13. Mr Hooda alleged that certain disgruntled elements were spreading rumours to misguide party workers and these elements had been frustrated by the success of the padyatras. Meanwhile, the Congress
MLA from Kalka, Mr Chander Mohan, along with a large
number of his supporters accorded a warm welcome to Mr
Mukherjee at the station. Interestingly, Mr Chander
Mohan, who is the elder son of a former Chief Minister,
Mr Bhajan Lal, had boycotted the padyatra. |
Science
exhibition prize for Physics Department CHANDIGARH, February 28 — The Department of Physics, Panjab University, won the first prize for science exhibition at the three-day National Science Day celebrations which concluded here today. The team from the Department of Botany bagged the second prize, while the third place went to the Department of Chemistry. In the school category Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 23, stood first. The teams from the GGHS, Sector 40, and GGSSS, Sector 8, were second and third, respectively. In the on-the spot painting contest Ranjeet Singh, Sudeep Ravat and Golmei Jandum, all from DAV College, were the winners. Purusharth from the Department of Biotechnology won the first place, while Jagdeep Singh from Patiala secured the second spot. The third place went to Vivek Mahajan from the Department of Botany, PU. Jyoti Bisht from Anthropology Department won the essay writing contest in the postgraduate students category. Subash Tripathi, Biotechnology Department of Punjabi University, Patiala, stood second. The third place was shared by Vibhuti Gupta and Abdul Wahid, both from the Department of Biotechnology, PU. In the college category Manish Kumar from the GCM and Ravneet Kaur Uppal, Department of Zoology, were the winners. Navdeep Kumar Malhotra won the paper-reading contest in the undergraduate students category. The other winners were Ravneet Uppal and Indu Kohaar, both from the Department of Zoology, PU, Sunil Sharma, GCM, and Pooja Arora from the Department of Biochemistry. In the postgraduates category, Tejinder Singh Bajwa, Microbiology Department, and Sanchaita and Semarjeet Sharry from Biotechnology Department were the individual winners. The GCM, Sector 11, won the team trophy. Vibhuti Gupta and Rekha Puria from Biotechnology Department won the quiz contest. The team comprising Ravinder Kaur and Mridul Kalita, GGDSD College, Sector 32, and Mandeep Dhillon and Vivek Mahajan, Department of Botany, were second and third, respectively. Earlier during the day Prof S.K. Joshi, a former Director-General of the CSIR, delivered a lecture on superconductivity. Prof R.C. Sobti said the next major programme in this direction was scheduled for March 19 and 20. Poetry recitation: Eminent
Punjabi poet Amarjit Chandan will recite his poetry at
the Department of Indian Theatre, Panjab University, on
Monday at 5.30 p.m. |
Sector 12-A
nullah an eyesore PANCHKULA, February 28 — Even after several years of being handed over possession of plots in Sector 12-A here, residents are shorn of basic amenities. A dirty nullah passing through Sector, which carries sewage of the township has added to their woes. Ralli village located on one side of the sector is yet another problem. Residents complain that illegal commercial activity in the village and insanitary conditions have become a nuisance for them. The traffic to the village passes through the sector in absence of a separate approach road. The use of plastic pipes for laying the supply line of water has resulted in leakages in the line at a number of points. The water pressure, say the residents, is always low. The issue was raised with the Administrator of HUDA at a meeting held with the Resident ‘s Welfare Association of the sector on Friday. The residents say that were given an assurance that all the leaking pipes would be repaired next month. The main grouse of the residents says Mr S.P.Kapoor, Vice-President of the association, is about the nullah carrying sewage of the township which emits foul smell. The stretch, especially near Ralli village had become an eyesore. The filth and sullage from the village also flows into the nullah. Roads in the sector are in utter neglect. Lack of repair and throwing of construction material in front of the houses under construction have made the roads unfit for use. The residents complain that in spite of charging a ‘malba’ fee of Rs 1000 each — which is forfeited if the plot owner concerned does not remove the debri — the HUDA officials fail to take action. Mr A.K. Uppal, president of the association, says developing of green belts in the sector figures nowhere on the agenda of the horticulture wing of HUDA. A park opposite house nos. 252, 238 and 177 has been developed by residents after pooling money for the project. Request to HUDA to raise a boundary wall around the park has yielded no results. Green belts in other parts of the sector serve as grazing grounds for stray cattle and for dumping garbage. Officials maintain that as per the norms, two parks have to be developed in each sector — which have already been developed. A storage yard of construction material and pipes by HUDA on a green belt behind the consumer court complex in the sector has also become a nuisance for the residents of the adjoining houses. The yard has become a breeding ground for insects, they complain. Removal of unauthorised
jhuggis from different places in the sector has also been
demanded by the residents.
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SDM office
in rented house DERA BASSI, February 26 — The Subdivisional Magistrate here has been functioning from a two-room rented accommodation ever since the upgradation of this town as subdivision in October last year. Office work becomes hectic on Monday and Friday as on these days more than 150 court cases come up before him for adjudication. Earlier, the office was functioning at Rajpura. The SDM office also continues with inadequate staff. The office is functioning without the approved strength of staff. There are 16 posts sanctioned at different levels, but the office is functioning only with one senior assistant, one steno, three clerks and two peons , whereas one post of senior assistant, two of steno, three of clerk and two of peon are lying vacant. The total area of this subdvision is 78,898 hectares having Dera Bassi and Lalru, two market committees, one police station and four focal points, Dera Bassi, Lalru, Andesra and Sambholi, under its jurisdiction. There are four educational institutions — Government Degree College, Dera Bassi, the Shri Sukhamani Institute of Engineering and Technology, the ITI for Women (Dera Bassi) and the ITI, Lalru. Some prominent factories doing export and import business, seven bottling plants — Mohan Meakin Breweries, Bhankarpur, Mount Shivalik Breweries, Bhankarpur, Bhankarpur Sambholi Breweries, Gajraj Breweries, Dera Bassi, Nicholas India Breweries Pvt. Ltd., N.B. Distilleries Bagwas and Punjab Bottling Plant, Choundehri — and Chhat Bir and Dandrala zoological parks also come under the jurisdiction of Dera Bassi subdivision. According to Mr Hari Kishan , a resident of the town, earlier they had to travel to Rajpura. Now as the tehsil office is in their locality, they can easily get their work done without wasting much time. As agriculture is the main occupation of the residents of this area, many of them had to deal with legal cases and it was possible only in the tehsil office at Rajpura earlier. For all this they had to change two to three buses to reach the city, which was both time and money consuming process. Dera Bassi is as an industrial area. Subdivisional Magistrate
Sher Singh Sidhu said that after the construction of a
new building, the problem would be solved. He saidmore
employees would be recruited soon. |
Panel of
societies seeks land CHANDIGARH, February 28 — The Action Committee of the Cooperative House Building Societies has urged the administration to allot land to them at the earliest. Dr A.P. Sanwaria, Chairman of the committee, said ever since the scheme to give land to such societies was formed in 1983, influential persons have managed to gain the maximum benefits at the cost of the common man. The previous allotments were done in 1990 but even at that time many societies were left out deliberately. In the meantime, the authorities changed the notification from independent plots to multiple flats. While lakhs had been deposited with the Chandigarh Housing Board following directions of the court, the allotment of land to the societies was being delayed. On the other hand, land was given to some societies or was being acquired by the administration for various projects. In view of the escalating
costs of construction, the land should be allotted to
them at the earliest, he added. |
CSIO
celebrates science day CHANDIGARH, February 28 — An open day to celebrate National Science Day was organised at the Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Sector 30, here today. All laboratories of the CSIO were kept open for the public and students. A quiz contest was organised in the morning. In the evening, a lecture was delivered by Prof D.V.S. Jain, INSA senior scientist. He reminded the audience of the golden era of science in the 1930s and exhorted all scientists to revive the golden period of Indian science. He highlighted the possibility of developing various sensors and new material. Earlier, Prof S. Mohan,
Director, CSIO, welcomed the chief guest and highlighted
the significance of National Science Day. |
Jamboree
marks end of festival CHANDIGARH, February 28 — A jamboree marked the conclusion of the three-day Festival of Gardens at Zakir Rose Garden in Sector 16 here today. To jazz up the party, the five bands took turns to play tunes of popular numbers, while the crowd added zing by dancing to the tunes. The whole garden was so full of people that the crowd spilled over to the nearby Housing Board roundabout in the afternoon while inside the stalls the crowd jostled for attention of the salespersons who did brisk business from morning till evening. The three white sheets of the graffiti stall were a riot of colours on the concluding day of the festival. In spite of a thick layer of paint on the sheets, most enthusiasts continued to paint messages for their near and dear ones and everybody else. The flowers of the fresh flower arrangement contest held on the inaugural day on the festival wore a withered look on the last day though people continued to queue up for a look at the many entries on display. Camel rides at the garden attracted quite a crowd and people standing around the fountain seemed to enjoy the spray of water the wind carried with it. The day began with an on-the-spot painting contest for school children of all age groups with two topics to choose from. A painting contest for the family was also organised at the garden where children were helped by their parents in colouring the sheets. The rose quiz, held in the afternoon, comprised six rounds with questions on roses in poetry, in literature, in books and on rose gardens in the world. Four school and three college teams competed in their respective categories. Each of the competing team was named after a flower. The preliminary round of the quiz, was conducted on February 25. The festival concluded with the prize-distribution function held in the evening. The Chairperson of the Chandigarh Housing Board, Mrs Meenakshi Dutta Ghosh, gave away prizes to the winners of contests held during the three-day festival. The function began with “vandana” presented by girls of the Government College for Girls, Sector 11. The results of the contests held today are: On-the-spot painting contest: Group A (3 to 6 years) — Anirudh Bansal, Sector 8 (1), Aashna Gakhar, Sector 23 (2), Aarju (3). Group B (6 to 9 years) — Navdeep Kaur of Shivalik Public School (1), Kanav of St John’s School (2), Saurabh Gupta of St John’s School (3). Group C (9 to 12 years) — Deepali Thapar of the GMSSS-35 (1), Monica Kashyap of the GMHS-36 (2), Samarth Gupta of Sector 7 (3). Group D (12 to 15 years) — Geetika of the GMHS-36 (1), Anand Sharma of Army School-Chandimandir (2), Varinder Saini of the GMSSS-35 (3). Group E (15 to 18 years) — Hemant Bansal of the GMSSS-40 (1), Sonia Sahni of the GMSSS-16 (2), Simranjeet Singh of the Vatika School for Deaf and Dumb-11 (3). Marga’s family contest: Aaina Nischal of Sacred Heart School (1), Jaspreet Kaur of the GMSSS-16 and Pushkar Bora of the GMSSS-16 (2), Nishant of Shivalik Public School and Nandini Verma of Vikas Public School (3). Rose quiz: Meeta Gawri and
Rashi Nirwani of Home Science College-10 (1), Priya
Batish and Binny Chopra of the GCG-11 (2), Aarushi and
Swati Chaudhary of the MCM DAV-36 (3). |
Trade team
to tap Punjab potential CHANDIGARH, February 28 — Mr Tommy. G.Thompson, Governor of Wisconsin, USA, said today he was not in favour of the sanctions imposed by the USA on India, following the nuclear blasts. Mr Thompson, who along with a 35-member delegation, is on a nine-day trade mission to India, is currently visiting of Punjab to explore possibilities in industry, human resources, agriculture, education and computer technology. Besides, holding a meeting with the Chief Minister and senior officials, he will visit Chamkaur Sahib and Rakhra in Patiala district. Talking to newsmen at the airport, Mr Thompson, who is a former Chairman, of the National Governors Association and the Education Commission of the States and has served as a ‘minority leader’, stated that he the sanctions imposed on India by the Clinton Administration were a mistake. When asked whether sanctions would prove a hindrance in his mission, he said he did not think so, as the federal structure of his country was liberal enough for states to deal with other countries as far as issues such as business, education and agriculture were concerned. Commenting on the Indo-Pak relations, Mr Thompson hoped that relations were bound to improve. He described the recent visit of the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to Lahore as,” a step in the right direction.” Mr Thompson, who was accompanied by the Dean of Wisconsin University, said the university was planning to set-up a satellite campus in. According to Mr Ramesh Inder Singh, Principal Secretary to Punjab Chief Minister, who received the Governor at the airport, Mr Thompson will participate in the “Chardhi kala, sarbat da bhala” march being organised by the Shiromani Akali Dal at Chamkaur Sahib on March 1. The march started from Talwandi Sabo on February 26. Earlier, the governor
received a traditional Punjabi welcome as a
‘bhangra’ party escorted him to the VIP lounge
at the airport. |
From tears
to contentment PANCHKULA, February 28 — Despite being physically handicapped, Sunita is a woman of courage and hard work. She is a working woman, making both ends meet by selling application forms at the DC office, Panchkula. She is illiterate but she claims to have become an expert in her work and has never given a wrong form to anybody. She also helps the visitors to the DC office in locating different offices in the building. She is 40 years old and has a very tragic past. Speaking about her past, she says, “I was born in a large family at Saharanpur, UP. We were five brothers and sisters. My father had no permanent job and often return home without any penny in his pocket”. Poverty forced her to work at a young age. She says she started working when she was just 8. Poverty forced her to marry a person completely unknown to the family. “ The marriage soon fell into trouble, as my in-laws started demanding dowry”, she adds.She complained of misbehaviour by her in-laws soon after marriage. Her parents were unable to provide dowry and her in-laws started giving it to her. “They got so angry with my parent’s attitude that they went to the extent of beating me up,” she adds. Her life became more tearful when she came to know about her husband’s extra marital affair. She strongly objected to it and was thrashed by her husband in return. She says, “My husband and his family planned to discard me. They gave me some intoxicating drink and admitted me to a mental asylum”. She was admitted in an unconscious condition and was discharged only after a senior psychiatrist gave her a fitness certificate after two months. After being discharged from hospital, she decided to go to her father’s house, as she was pregnant. There she gave birth to a girl. After a few months, to the utter surprise of her family, her husband visited their house. He started apologising and finally Sunita’s family agreed to let her go with him. She decided to go with the hope of having a smooth married life but left her daughter in her parent’s custody. While returning to Kanpur, the two had a heated argument. The verbal duel went to such an extent that her husband pushed her off the fast-moving train. She was seriously injured and doctors had to amputate her legs. She hates her husband so much that she does not like to name him. She was never disheartened and came to Panchkula to her brother in search of job. She came to know that a post of an application form seller was vacant at the local DC office. After some hesitation, because of her being physically unfit, the authorities assigned the job to her. She has no regrets in life
and wants her daughter to become a doctor. Working for a
paltry sum of Rs 1500 a month she is living happily with
her mother, brother, ‘bhabhi’ and daughter
Payal. |
Lensmen
stranded atop 60-foot ladder CHANDIGARH, February 28 — A city photographer and his assistant had a harrowing time as they ventured to take aerial photographs of the Festival of Gardens on the concluding day today. The photographer, Mr Tejbans Singh Jauhar, and his assistant, James, requested for a hydraulic ladder of the Electricity Wing of the Engineering Department to take some photographs of the festival this afternoon. The old, rusty and undependable machine was driven into the garden around 2 p.m. Neither the photographer nor his assistant were told that the machine had run out of its batteries and its “hydraulic system” was defective. The hydraulic machine can, otherwise, rotate at 360 degrees and go upto a height of 55 to 60 ft. On mounting the platform, which is normally used by technicians repairing the streetlights, they got a clear view of the garden with fountains in the background. “After taking photographs from a particular angle, we wanted to rotate the machine so that we could click from other angles. But to our dismay, the hydraulic system collapsed. We were stranded at a height of 55 ft. We shouted at top of our voices, but without any result. We could neither come down nor click in any other direction,” Mr Jauhar said. It was after more than two hours that the Engineering Department, which owns the machine, could locate a mechanic. Mr Jauhar said he and his assistant felt insecure and perplexed. They were more worried about the safety of people who were in the garden as the machine could have overturned. The mechanic opened the oil box and started releasing air pressure. Once the platform started gliding down they heaved a sigh of relief. It took almost half an hour for the mechanic to lower them to the ground. “From 2 p.m. till we
came down at 5.30 p.m., it was virtualy all prayers and
fear of life that haunted us,” Mr Jauhar said. |
Week-long book fair
ends CHANDIGARH, February 28 —The week-long book fair witnessed a heavy rush on the concluding day here this evening. People could be seen making the last-minute purchases as a few of stalls could be seen winding up. A spokesperson of the National Book Trust, the main organisers, expressed satisfaction with the turnout of people over the past one week. Keeping up with the trend of first few days, books on self-improvement and career advancement guides were well received , particularly by youngsters. Announcing the future fairs, the spokesperson said the next major fair was scheduled for Pune from May 1 to 9.The National Book Fair was scheduled for October at Bhopal. However, the major event
the World Book Fair was scheduled from February 5 to 13,
2001. |
Reinstatement
sought CHANDIGARH, February 28
— Members of the Education Department Class IV
Workers Union on Sunday urged the authorities to
reinstate Mr Kalu Ram, Vice-President of the union with
immediate effect and discontinue putting women employees
on night watchman duties. This was stated by Mr Kamla
Bisht, President of the union.
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Spring Fest
on March 13, 14 PANCHKULA, February 28 — The ‘best landscape on a school campus’ will be a new feature during the Spring Fest-99 scheduled to be held on March 13 and 14 at town park in Sector 5 here. A kavi sammelan will be held on March 13, in which Hari Om Pawar, Om Parkash Aditya, Arun Gemmni, Mamta and others are expected to participate. Various competitions in
cut flower, potted flowers and bonsai categories will be
organised. The Horticulture wing of HUDA expects more
entries this year as compared to the 1800 it received
last year.
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Power
department told to refund surcharge CHANDIGARH, February 28 —The UT Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum (II) has asked the UT Electricity Department to refund the surcharge levied on a local consumer. The department has also been ordered to pay the amount with 12 per cent interest and Rs 1,100 as costs. The forum passed the order on a written complaint filed by Mr Gian Singh Kalsi, owner of an industrial unit in Industrial Area. Mr Kalsi had complained that in his bill of May 1992, the department had asked him to pay 20 per cent more for non-installation of a capacitor and had directed him to have the capacitor installed immediately. Mr Kalsi, however, maintained that the capacitor had been installed since the start of the connection and provided evidence of its existence in 1975. The forum noticed that the
connection had been given to the consumer on fulfilment
of certain conditions one of which was installation of a
capacitor.This meant that Mr Kalsi had a capacitor.The
forum held the department guilty of deficiency in
services. |
A poor
man’s boutique CHANDIGARH, February 28 — Shirts for Rs 10 and sweaters for Rs 45. Sounds strange, but it is true. You can get clothes at such low prices. Welcome to the rags market in Sector 19. The market stocks all types of clothes: coats, trousers, jackets, cardigans, sweaters and undergarments. You name it, the market has it. And at unbelievable prices. Clothes are piled up everywhere. Established brand names and local manufacturers are both available. Agreed that the clothes sold here are not new. But as Mrs Chauhan, who comes here quite often to shop, says, “We cannot afford clothes from exclusive shops and showrooms. The prices there are too high. So we come here to make additions to our wardrobe.” Most of the customers come from the lower middle class and low income families. They come here to try designer wear. Women can often be seen haggling with shopkeepers. Coats are available for Rs 200, women’s suits for Rs 150 and jackets for Rs 100. You buy some clothes, iron them and they appear to be brand new. Says Mrs Gupta, “I have been buying clothes from here for the past two years. I just buy them and leave them with the dry cleaner. In a week, they are ready and nobody comes to know that they have been bought from here”. The market reportedly has a sale of around Rs 5,000 every day. The sellers make a profit of around 10 per cent. But in the lean season, sales drop to below Rs 1,000. Not many clothes stay here for long as customers are keen to buy new arrivals. The clothes that are sold here come from many places like Amritsar and Ludhiana. Some even come from distant places like Calcutta and Mumbai. But most of them are from Delhi. Located behind the main market in Sector 19, the Sadar Bazar came into being in 1977. But with the rags sellers occupying the area outside it, it has virtually been overshadowed and even ignored by the city Administration. Mr Mehndi Hassan, who runs a shop in Sadar Bazar, says the market has many problems, which have been brought to the notice of the Municipal Corporation and the Health Department, but to no avail. The supply of drinking water is not maintained properly. The public toilet has not been cleared for years. The market is flooded with sullage in the monsoons. Recently, underground cables were laid in the market by the Telecom Department. Ditches were dug, cables laid and the ditches left open. Repeated requests by shopkeepers have fallen on deaf ears. Eventually, they were forced to fill up some of the ditches themselves. It is a pity that sellers
who cater to a large part of the economically weaker
section of the population of the city have no permanent
shops. They sit on the pavement and brave the vagaries of
the weather. Rain does force them to close shop, but the
moment it stops, they are back. After all, it is a matter
of livelihood for them. |
CHANDIGARH, February 28 — A resident of Palsora Colony was today arrested by the police for threatening and intimidating Om Pal, a phariwala and resident of Ram Darbar. According to the police, Muni Lal and Nathni, both residents of Palsora Colony, took Om Pal to a Sector 42 under-construction house on the assurance of buying clothes from him. There they reportedly asked Om Pal to hand over his purse containing about Rs 1,000 to them at gunpoint. When Om Pal raised the alarm, Nathni escaped from the scene. Muni Lal fired from his country-made revolver which hit a wall of the house. Meanwhile, residents assembled there and overpowered Muni Lal. A case has been registered. Arrested: Rajesh Kumar, a resident of Jally village in Karnal district who was wanted in an accident case, has been arrested by the police. Threatened: Mr Kishore Kumar of Ram Darbar Colony in a complaint to the police has alleged that he was assaulted and threatened with dire consequences by Harpal of the same colony. A case has been registered. Injured: Ms Kulwant Kaur of Sector 15-D was injured when her scooter (CH01-W-6985) was hit by a motor cycle (CH01-T-6990) near her residence. A case has been
registered. |
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Lack of amenities in Khudha Lahora village I want to draw the attention of the Chandigarh Administration/ Municipal Corporation towards the lack of civic amenities at Khudha Lahora village, 1.5 km from the PGI. Heaps of garbage can be seen on roads and at many other places in the village . A nullah here has become a nuisance and health hazard for the residents, as it remains filled with slush and garbage. Four public toilets, situated around the village, stink. Safai karamcharis are conspicuous by their absence. There is no proper arrangement of street lights in the village. Lakhs of rupees have been spent for providing sewerage facility in the village by the Municipal Corporation. Work on the sewer line was completed in 1997, but it has not started functioning. The road from the PGI to Sarangpur barrier is in a pitiable condition. There are many potholes on the road. There is problem regarding parking of local buses. The Municipal Corporation should conduct a survey in the village to solve various problems of the residents. The Administration can provide funds to panchayats so that they can handle the situation effectively. Sunil Kumar Dogra Ailing Sukhna Apropos of news item published in Chandigarh Tribune on February 18, whereby it has been mentioned about the plan of the Administration to acquire on rent a dredger for removing silt from Sukhna Lake. It may be brought to the notice of the readers that with each cubic feet of silt removed.... from the lake, 3 cubic feet of water of the lake would have to be wasted. Secondly, the depth of the lake has decreased. The water level in the lake can be increased by making small modification of gates. It is proposed that the Administration should organise a meeting of experts to finalise the modes appropriate for attending to the ailing lake. G.S. Dhillon Enforce bylaws The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (Sanitation & Public Health) bylaws, 1999, banning inter alia urination, defecation except in designated places, have since been promulgated, for which the civic body deserves all appreciation. But, unfortunately these bylaws are still not being enforced in as much as it has been observed that some persons continue to urinate by the side of boundary walls etc. The authorities are requested to implement these bylaws without delay as otherwise these will have no meaning. R.L. Kapur II This refers to the news item “spitting, throwing garbage banned” (February 11). I wish all success to the Commissioner of the CMC if he could enforce such bylaws in the city beautiful. What we see in different sectors is that empty spaces/plots of land have become dumping grounds for garbage from nearby houses. People are least bothered about the cleanliness around their own houses and they empty their dustbins at various empty corners in their sectors. Such bylaws are being exploited to the full extent in Modern Housing Complex, Mani Majra. The condition of all open areas at the complex has deteriorated during the past two years. Such areas are pathways of parking garages in all blocks and other open spaces around the blocks. A large labour force is engaged in the construction of AWHO flats, but there is no arrangement for temporary latrines. As a result, labourers and their families defecate in the open spaces. The open area behind Mani Majra petrol pump has become dumping ground for malba and an open lavatory block for the labour force working at AWHO flats. Will the authorities take a suitable action in the matter? P.P. Bhandari VC-Syndicate row The row between the Vice-Chancellor of Panjab University and the Syndicate has alarmed and dismayed many teachers. Many senior persons have now been shown the door. Earlier, the VC was divested of powers to constitute selection committees. It’d have been graceful if 1, experts already invited for interviews had been allowed to come and conduct interviews and 2, superannuated persons once appointed were either allowed to complete their terms or at least allowed to resign. No doubt this tug of war augurs bad for teachers of departments who were eagerly awaiting interviews. Many had been applicants umpteen times in response to umpteen advertisements and re-advertisements. At least the present VC was going ahead with the interviews. Ostensibly the honourable syndics have not put an end to the interviews and would like us to believe that their fight is for principles and not a new game of power politics. One would wonder why they did not object to some things earlier. Their single and foremost concern should have been to evolve an honest, objective, transparent and highly academic mechanism of selection of experts as well as short listing of deserving candidates. A selection should not only be fair but it should have appeared to be so to carry conviction and be respected by experts as well as peers. Not even one syndic has as yet spoken for any such mechanism! Persons selected for higher faculty positions should give open lectures about their eminent merit in the subject of their selection at least after their selection if not before. Priority so far, seems to be political rather than academic and ethical. The paramount need of the hour is to purge the system of politics. Confidentiality of selection committees or theses’ examination reports is an archaic practice and militates against the academic ethos of a temple of learning. PU has been first in the region to adopt open viva for a Ph.D. examination. It might show similar spirit in academic selections. The sanctity of the VC’s chair and Syndicate’s position should be maintained in the interest of the university. Dr A.D. Ahluwalia
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Road bridges need of hour EVERYBODY seems to be demanding more and more trains from Chandigarh. However, no organisation or the usually vocal political parties are demanding road bridges over the rail lines that cross the busy Chandigarh-Ambala road and the Zirakpur-Panchkula road. At both places there are level crossings and passing trains are a source of major traffic jams for road users. For instance, take the level crossing near Dera Bassi on the Chandigarh-Ambala road. The traffic on the road has increased manifold since it was planned. The number of trains — passenger as well as goods — has also increased. While newer trains are on the cards, the position is the same as it was 30 years ago. With a tremendous increase in the number of industries in the Dera Bassi-Lalru belt the number of commuters on the road has gone up. The only good road linking Chandigarh, Panchkula and S.A.S. Nagar is closed for traffic several times a day. On the other hand the Zirakpur-Panchkula route can be easily developed as an alternate and shorter connection between Panchkula and Southern sectors of Chandigarh but the level crossing accompanied by the lack of a proper road stand in the way. Even the level crossing can be negotiated but the jams that follow when the "phatak" is opened after a train has passed, are unbearable and time consuming. The road at the crossing is very narrow and two fourwheelers barely manage to scrape through. Apart from local residents the road is also used as Chandigarh bypass by people coming from the Delhi side to reach Kalka, Solan and Shimla. "Dry" trees Can a dry tree be cut without the prior approval of the authorities? If the functionaries of the horticulture wing of the Municipal Corporation as well as the engineering department are to believed they can be cut. Though the rules do not differentiate between a dry tree and a green tree, functionaries of the horticulture wing have been on their own cutting certain "trees" which in their opinion are "dry" and have no chance of "survival". No attempt is ever made to find out the cause of the slow death of these "dry trees". They also make no effort to revive these "sick" trees. In a recent case, a so-called dry mango tree in Sector 29 was being felled by workers of the horticulture department under the watchful eyes of a supervisor. Neither the supervisor nor the workers had any permission to cut the tree. The only argument they had was that "tree" was dry for the past more than two years. But when their attention was drawn towards "drying leaves" on the tree meaning thereby that it was "green" until a few months ago, they left the place without "completing their operation". Sentinel wonders how many of such "dry trees" felled by the department are accounted for in the official records as no tree count has ever been undertaken in the Union Territory of Chandigarh. The department has already cut a large number of "dry and diseased Imli trees". Baisakhi on Internet Hectic preparations are afoot for tercentenary celebrations of the Khalsa. Plans are underway for national and international level participation on a grand scale for this sacred event. Brig Partap Singh Jaspal, in his wisdom to make the occasion an international event, has created a website (www.baisakhi1999.org). This, he says, is a most befitting tribute to this holy occasion. Discreet selection also includes audio oration on a few relevant and soul stirring holy incidents from the wondrous Lila (play) the Great Guru enacted on the mother earth. A purely universal and catholic treat, this website has been directly authored, prepared, supervised and directed by Brigadier Jaspal. "Punchool" In a maiden attempt the Chaman Lal DAV Senior Public School of Panchkula has started an annual school magazine, "Punchool", to provide opportunity to its students to test their flair for creative writing. The Principal of the school, Mr V.P. Paul, says the young generation is fast losing interest in creative writing. No doubt the students get an opportunity to participate in declamation, debate, music, painting and dance competitions, but the field of creative writing has become a closed book for them. The magazine, feels Mr Paul, would help the students understand the magic of printed word and the importance of press and publicity. Reorientation Homoeopathic College, Chandigarh, has been chosen by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for a grant for reorientation courses for teachers. The college is among the three colleges that have been chosen from among 125 institutes in the country. The college will receive nearly Rs 1.25 lakh. The amount will be utilised in reorientation courses for college faculty and teachers practising homoeopathy in the region. Onion saplings Quite unmindful of the prevailing prices of onions in the wholesale market the local nurseries continue to exploit the city’s residents’ desire to grow onions in their kitchen gardens. They are charging nearly Rs 50 per kg for the saplings. If one goes by the current prices, one can buy the prospective produce with the price of saplings without going into the trouble of waiting for the kitchen garden crop. The current prices of onion seedlings are reported to be lower than what they charged until a few days ago. "Facelift" The new economy measure initiated by the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, appears to have given uncomfortable time to a number of senior functionaries. The Chief Minister is reported to have sought details about the expenditure incurred by managing directors, chairmen and heads of departments in giving a facelift to their rooms. Obviously, some of these functionaries are reported to have crossed all limits in adding facilities to their rooms and by fitting certain gadgets beyond their entitlements. In some cases, it is learnt, the official sanction of the expenditure incurred even without following the desired procedure was obtained later on. Also, there are cases in which facilities were first created in the office rooms and then temporarily shifted to their residences. Ball no, nite yes We reported how a burly watchman shooed off a child playing with a ball near the Fragrance Garden. It wasn't a stray incident as the watchmen had been issued strict instructions not to let children play inside the garden and ruin the lush grass and disturb the flower beds. One did feel sorry for the little kids at that time as they were deprived of their game. The parents also often chafed at this rule. "Pray what harm can a plastic ball do to the grass?" one mother was heard asking the watchman. So much for the pains taken by the MC to keep the garden green. But one was horrified to see the condition of the garden after the recently held Daler Nite at the garden. The grass was ruined and the flower beds woefully trampled by the crowds which entered the garden to watch the show. This wasn't the first time that such a thing had happened there. Earlier too, ghazal shows were held at the garden with similar aftermath. Looking at the trampled flowers one was reminded of the face of that small child when his plastic ball was taken away by the watchman. No fertilisers An average household produces about half a kg of garbage daily of which 40-95 per cent is bio-degradable and can be recycled into precious regenerative soil. For over two years the Environment Society of India (ESI) has been holding workshops in Chandigarh, SAS Nagar and Panchkula on the unique process of composting biodegradable household garbage. Its efforts have now borne fruit. The Forest Department, Haryana, has advised all the Divisional Forest Officers under the territorial forestry to practice vermiculture bio-technology at all the forest nurseries in the state. The ESI organised
workshops for forest guards, rangers, and forest officers
at Pinjore, Panchkula and Kurukshetra. The red worms will
be supplied to the forest department during March. Mr
Banarsi Dass, Princial Chief Conservator of Forests,
Haryana, says that vermiculture biotechnology will reduce
the dependence of chemical fertilisers steadily polluting
our soil and the food products. |
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For the people of
Chandigarh who never let off an opportunity to
jive away the night, the concluding day of the
Festival of Gardens provided lots more than just
an occasion to shake a leg. 
SAS
NAGAR, February 28 — Most of the problems in
today’s world stem from a lack of concern and
compassion for those less fortunate than ourselves. It
will be my earnest endeavour that in the next few years,
YPS should have a strong social service programme
involving all senior children,’’ says Dr Harish
Dhillon, who took over as the YPS Principal on February
12.