& V I C I N I T Y
Thursday, March 11, 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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Thursday, March 11, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Fund utilisation poor in UT
Aaganwadi
workers feel exploited |
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  Members of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress hold a protest rally on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the National Uprising Day in Chandigarh on Wednesday — A Tribune photograph |
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No
policy on illegal constructions Steps
on to streamline traffic
Proposed
telecom hike ‘unwarranted’ Survey
to identify AIDS prone Bridge
at Mauli-Baidwan village needs repairs Students
apprised of loans for studies Jat
Sabha to hold essay contest |
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| HUDA to remove illegal hedges | |
Future architects display talent |
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Fund
utilisation poor in UT CHANDIGARH, March 10 — With just one month to go for the completion of the current financial year, various departments of the Chandigarh Administration are far behind their targets both in the utilisation of their budgetary allocations or revenue collection. Of a budgetary allocation of Rs 218.10 lakh under the ecology and environment head, the Administration has been able to utilise only Rs 4.91 lakh until February 28. The utilisation works out at only 2.25 per cent against a targeted spending of 90 per cent. While the Engineering Department claims to have utilised more than 90 per cent of the funds earmarked for most of its projects, it is also tottering behind in the power sector where against a revised budgetary provision of Rs 1118.10 lakh the Department has been able to spend only Rs 581.86 lakh until end of last month. The utilisation percentage comes to 52.04. Another area where spending was far below the estimated utilisation until February 28 is rehabilitation colonies. Against an allocation of Rs 160 lakh, the Engineering Department has been able to spend only Rs 69.38 lakh so far. How the remaining 56.64 per cent of the earmarked money is spent during the current month remains to be seen. The story is no different in the case of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, which has not been able to use even a rupee from the unspent amount of Rs 885 lakh during February this year. Until January 31, the Municipal Corporation had utilised Rs 1755 lakh from the one time grant of Rs 2,640 lakh to the civic body for the current financial year. There has been no change in utilisation when the financial review till the end of February was conducted a few days ago. The utilisation comes to 66.48 per cent. The Administration appears to have taken serious view of the functioning of the civic body. The house, it felt, instead of giving approval for various public welfare and civic amenities projects has remained engaged more often in political disputes and activities, thus derailing the development works. Things have started improving during the past some weeks. One major area where utilisation of funds has been surprisingly low is the land acquisition cell. The cell has been able to consume only 30.79 per cent of the total allocation of Rs 2,390.30 lakh until February 28. Though a substantial part of the left out amount of Rs 1,650 lakh would go towards acquisition of land in Raipur village, still the optimum utilisation of the earmarked funds looks difficult. The situation is no better on the sports front also. Though some of the existing infrastructure needs replacement or improvement and renovation, the department has been able to use only 33.24 per cent of the budgetary allocation of Rs 71.52 lakh. The horticulture wing of the Engineering Department, which has now taken up the work on “Herbarium” at the Sector 1 Rajendra Park, has utilised only 67.25 per cent of the allocated Rs 80 lakh until end of February. The work on the Gardens of Five Senses has also started. The spendings, which were much below the targeted utilisation of funds — 80 per cent by January 31 and 90 per cent by February 28 — even the revenue collection is below expectations. Against an estimated realisation of Rs 146.67 crore by February 28 in power sector, the Administration could generate only Rs 133.43 crore, thus ending with Rs 13.24 crore below expectations. This figure included Rs 13.04 crore realised during February alone. Some huge pending bills of various government departments and the Governments of Punjab and Haryana, the Administration hopes to narrow down the gap to a bare minimum in this sector. Though officials maintain that they would be almost touching the targeted revenue following quarterly collection of sales tax and excise duty for the last quarter of the year during the current month, yet the picture at end of February shows a deficit of Rs 7 crore — Rs 5.22 crore in state excise and Rs 1.73 crore in Sales Tax. The department has now a gigantic task of collecting Rs 25 crore during the current month to meet its target of Rs 213 crore. The only redeeming feature has been revenue generated by taxes on vehicles. Against an expected revenue of Rs 595.83 lakh till February 28, money already added to the UT exchequer is Rs 787.93 lakh, Rs 192.10 lakh more than estimated. Similarly, the collection from sale of non-judicial stamps and papers used for registration of immovable property amounted to Rs 1308.44 lakh, Rs 116.77 lakh more than the projected estimate of Rs 1083.33 lakh. The other taxes and duties
have also shown an increased collection of Rs 34.34 lakh
against an estimated revenue of Rs 183.33 lakh till
February 28 this year. |
Survey to
identify AIDS prone CHANDIGARH, March 10 — The first round of a door-to-door survey to estimate the number of persons between 15 and 49 years of age will be conducted in various slums colonies and villages of the Union Territory from April 1 to April 7. The second round of the survey will be conducted from April 15 to 22, this was disclosed after a meeting of the State AIDS Steering Committee here today. The population between 15 and 49 years of age is referred to as “target population” by AIDS experts. An information, education and communication (IEC) campaign by involving various departments and NGOs will also be started for social mobilisation and spreading AIDS awareness among the target population. Training will be imparted to doctors, paramedical staff, field staff, anganwari workers and nursing students, among others. A week-long campaign, which will be part of a nation wide programme in this regard, will be launched in all the slums, colonies and villages on April 26. The objective of this campaign is to generate awareness about HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases, early detection and prompt treatment of sexually transmitted diseases and reproductive tract infections. AIDS experts opine that HIV infection is spreading among the general population and rural areas in India. As part of the campaign, village and colony level committees will be constituted for better coordination. During the Family Health Awareness Week, 10 teams comprising one male and one female doctor each, along with a pharmacist, and a laboratory technician each, will be constituted for examining STD and RTI cases. Free medicines will be distributed and free blood tests carried during the camps. Mobile teams will be deputed to cover factory workers. Today’s meeting was attended by heads of various departments of the Chandigarh Administration and medical superintendents, of the General Hospital and Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) Dr G. Vajralingam,
Finance-cum- Health,Secretary, who chaired the meeting
hoped that with active coordination and participation
awareness, about HIV infection would be generated and
treatment of STDs and RTIs would be provided at the
door-step. |
Promoted,
but no responsibilities CHANDIGARH, March 10 — Ever heard of upgrading a post for the mere “psychological consolation” of an officer. What is more, the officer gets higher scales, but no additional responsibilities come with the perk even when the official has been offering to share the additional burden. Strange, but true, is the case of Mr Ashok Raj Bhandari who was promoted Joint Controller in March, 1998, from the post of Deputy Registrar in Panjab University. The promotion, however, has meant no change in the job profile except the change in the nameplate which hangs outside his office. The fact that the post of Joint Controller was created “on the basis of workload on the examination side”, it was natural that it was higher than that of a Deputy Registrar and “an upgraded and elevated post is expected to carry much higher responsibility”. The matter of giving additional responsibility, both financial and administrative, was raised in the previous Senate in which more than five members demanded that the post’s area of responsibility be chalked out. The reply as recorded in the proceedings of the meeting reads that the board was opposed to creating a new post. The “best that could be done was to redesignate one of the existing posts of Deputy Registrar”. “This was done to create a psychological consolation”. As far as assigning new duties was concerned, it was said that the Controller would do the needful. The PU Calender Volume I (Chapter III) dealing with duties says “Deputy Registrar, Deputy Controller of Examination, Assistant registrar and Assistant Controllers of Examination whose duties should be assigned as defined by the syndicate”. This would mean that the Syndicate and not the Controller should define the duties of the officer. The Joint Controller of
Examination when contacted by the TNS agreed to most of
the facts and said that there was no change in his nature
of job even after promotion. “I have no financial or
administrative powers”, he said. Each employee gets
two increments on promotion which he has been denied.
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‘Follow’
Madras varsity code of conduct on sexual harassment CHANDIGARH, March 10 — Close on the heels of euphoric celebrations marking Women’s Day, Madras University has come out with a code of conduct against sexual harassment in colleges affiliated with it and the university. Two institutes have taken the initiative of procuring copies of the code for implementation in their respective institutes. While the authorities at Panjab University are deliberating on the new code, it has been welcomed by many. Prof Pam Rajput, Chairperson of the Centre for Women’s Studies, opines, “It is indeed a welcome step even though it has come in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling. Though comprehensive, the document does not say anything about any informal method which will enable women to come out openly about the issue. Moreover, in our university, there is a lot of harassment of women, whether students or research scholars, and we are in dire need of one such document.” She further informs that the centre has instituted a committee of nine members headed by Prof GS Gosal, former Dean University Instructions, to look into cases of sexual harassment and one meeting has already been held. The centre has also procured the copy of a similar document drafted by another university while they will soon get a copy of the code. Roopwant Singh, a student of the Department of Political Science, terms it as a “healthy move” which will go a long way in checking the all-pervasive and subtle form of harassment girls are subjected to on the campus. In the name of having fun and without comprehending the spirit behind valentine’s day and other such days, boys go a little too far. Codes like these are bound to keep a check on them. The President of PUTA, Prof Satya P. Gautam, says though this is a welcome step taken by the university, yet it is similar to what the committee to look into cases of harassment is working on. There is a need for creating awareness among women that anybody indulging in the slightest form of harassment does not go scot-free. On the campus, there is harassment at the student-student level, among the non-teaching staff and the faculty and finally, at the student-teacher level. A student of the Department of French, Anjali Krishan, remarks that it is definitely an excellent move — if implemented in totality. Most girls facing harassment at the hands of their teachers or colleagues choose to keep the lid on issues pertaining to sexual harassment for fear of repercussions of reporting such incident. In our university, a code like this does exist in black and white — meant only for books. Some kind of conscious effort must be made to enlighten the women about their rights and inform them of a forum where they could seek redressal of their grievances. Another student, Ruchi Jain, in her final year of the Department of Economics, informs, “Such a code of conduct is a necessity and would be very beneficial to the women only if it is implemented in totality. If such a forum is going to let go without any punishment to the culprits, we women are better off without it” Still at the graduation level, Amardeep Kaur, is very vocal about expressing her displeasure about the harassment of women. She rues,“Even if a woman reports such incident, it is a matter of time before the whole society gets to know of it. Men get some kind of sadistic pleasure in eve-teasing and passing of lewd comments without a thought to what they are saying. Thus, women are in need of support systems to fight for what is unjust and the code of conduct is a step in right direction.’’ A number of persons
contacted by TNS denied to comment on the issue. They
argue that sexual harassment cannot end and they have to
learn to live with it.
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CHB decision
draws flak CHANDIGARH, March 10 — The decision of the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) to “exclude” tenants from the process of the constitution of societies for the maintenance of common services and spaces in the Modern Housing Complex in Mani Majra has drawn flak from various quarters. Residents of the complex felt that in the absence of representation from tenants, who formed a substantial part of the population of the complex, the societies would not able to serve the purpose for which they were supposed to have been constituted. The CHB had recently written to allottees/hirers and those possessing general power of attorney (GPA) for the constitution of registered agencies (residents’ welfare associations). The agencies were to be responsible in case there was any tampering with water supply lines, sewerage, storm water drainage and electricity and other services. Besides, the societies, which were to be registered with the CHB by March 15, were to be responsible for the illegal construction, encroachment on public land and any damage to the property handed over in terms of the agreement under the Chandigarh Housing Board (allotment, management and sale of tenements) Regulation, 1979. Apart from this, the agencies, besides looking after the interests of the constituent members, were to pay on behalf of their behalf all taxes, fees, charges, assessments and other levies. But the residents doubt how the the agencies would be able to perform its duties if an important section went unrepresented. Mr Ram Krishan Birbian, a category III resident , said since the proposed agencies would be representative bodies of the residents, tenants should also be given the right to send in their representative so that collective interest of the residents could be watched. Another resident of this category, Mr Manjit Sahdev, doubted if the agencies could work effectively without the representation of the tenants. Representation to all sections of the residents was a must for avoiding any legal complications, he added. Two tenants — Mr NC Jain and Mr Gunjan Mehta — expressing almost same sentiments, doubted how certain owners, who lived in far-off places, could contribute for the effective working of the agencies. Another tenant from category 1, Mr Narinder Sharma, also wanted the tenants’ participation for the smooth functioning of the agencies. It may be recalled that
following representations by the residents, the Adviser
to the Administrator, Mr Jagdish Sagar, during his recent
visit to the complex, had asked CHB officials to to seek
residents’ view with regard to the maintenance of
common services such as parking and green areas. |
Aaganwadi
workers feel exploited CHANDIGARH, March 10 — Over 600 aaganwadi workers and helpers working under the Integrated Child and Women Development Scheme (ICDS) are an exploited lot. The women who work for the welfare of the children of others find it difficult to feed their own kids since they are paid a pittance. And even that paltry amount has not been paid for the past five months putting them to great hardship as a majority of them are widows or the sole bread-winners of their families. According to aggrieved workers and helpers, this is not the first time that their salaries have been withheld for months together. Last year, too, their salaries were not paid for seven months and they had to resort to an agitation to get their due. In fact they have been meted out step-motherly treatment ever since the project started 20 years ago. Their disillusionment started ever since the scheme took off. The low honorarium of Rs 500 for workers and Rs 360 for helpers coupled with lack of promotional avenues have made life difficult but they have no option but to continue as there are no opportunities around. A number of aaganwadi workers, who requested anonymity for fear of being victimised by the authorities, said with the rising cost of living the honorarium was not even enough to make both ends meet. A middle-aged worker, who literally broke down while narrating her tale of woe, rued that the amount of honorarium was too low for a demanding like this. “How can the government expect us to survive on this amount and that too when the inflation has made things difficult even for the middle class?” she asked while holding back her tears. A helper, who is even more lowly paid than her colleague, pointed out that how did the government expect them to work long hours when a peon in government service was paid several times more. Compared to the nature of their duties, looking after pregnant and nursing mothers, besides feeding kids, the honorarium hardly even meets their bus fares. The demands raised by them include a respectable hike in the honorarium and payment of arrears with immediate effect. They also said that if their salaries were delayed any further they would be forced to start an agitation. While welcoming the hike of Rs 200 announced by the Administration, which will come into effect from next month, the workers hoped that more should be done to improve their lot. “Many of us are not educated or qualified enough to do other jobs,” they added. They said the Administration should make provisions for paying their dues on time and offset the amount from the grant released by the central Government at the end of each quarter. With the possible exception of Chandigarh, all the states had made a provision to pay the salaries on time. The project is being run
countrywide for the betterment of the children in the age
group of three to six years since 1979. In Chandigarh,
there are more then 250 aaganwadi centres which look
after the nutrition and pre-school needs, including
education, of the children in various villages besides
the labour colonies. The workers and helpers also educate
expecting and nursing mothers on childcare and personal
hygiene. |
Steps on to
streamline traffic PANCHKULA, March 10 — Even as the four-laning of the Ambala — Kalka stretch of national highway number 22 awaits a green signal from the Union Ministry of Surface Transport, the National Highway Division of the State Public Works Department (PWD) has undertaken several small projects to streamline the flow of traffic on the road. The stretch of the national highway passing through the Western Command area and other populated areas has been a cause of worry for the department and the police due to the rise in number of accidents. Another congested point is the narrow bridge on Jhajjhra river at Surajpur. Work on a second bridge on the river, approved by the ministry, is likely to be completed before June this year. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 4.32 crore. The existing bridge, repaired in 1988 after it had collapsed due to flash foods, has been bearing a tremendous load of vehicular traffic. Sources in the department say a recent survey reveals that at least 20,000 vehicles cross the bridge everyday. An accident or breakdown of a vehicle on the bridge results in a traffic jam. The bridge has been designed to withstand at least 32,000 cusecs of discharge in the river, the maximum recorded during flash floods. The officials are hopeful that once the new bridge is ready, traffic would be divided equally on the two bridges. Besides, spot-widening of a 600-metre stretch of the national highway, passing through Old Panchkula, is also being undertaken. A 7-metre wide stretch would be added from the central verge on both sides of the road.The location of the Mini-Secretariat and the motor market have also necessitated widening, say officials. The department has also proposed the construction of service lanes on both sides of the highway passing through the military area. This would control the entry and exit of vehicles from the military area. A grant of over Rs 1 crore has been sought, though the ministry has reportedly not agreed to the proposal. In fact, the army authorities have been pressing for steps to prevent accidents on the road. The department has asked the army authorities to take up the matter with the ministry at their own level. The construction of the Pinjore — Parwanoo bypass — for which a final proposal has been submitted to the ministry — is another project through which the department is hopeful to streamline the flow of traffic. Sources say of the total 13-km long bypass, about 5 km falls in Haryana and the remaining 8 km falls in Himachal Pradesh. But the execution of the project after getting the requisite finances from the ministry, is expected to take some time. Another measure suggested
by the department to ease traffic congestion on the
stretch passing through Panchkula is the construction of
an elevated bridge or a sub-way on the highway linking
the old township with the Panchkula extension. |
Section 144
imposed in city CHANDIGARH, March 10 — The District Magistrate, Mr R.K. Rao, today imposed four different prohibitory orders, each one of them dealing with separate aspects of social life in the city. All the orders have been issued afresh under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr PC) for a period of 60 days. All the orders will run concurrently from March 11 to May 9. The first order bans anyone from carrying firearms within the Union Territory. This has been extended to cover even licensed weapons. The order will, however, not apply to police, defence, para-military personnel and other government servants, if called upon to carry firearms. The District Magistrate has also asked the landlords of commercial as well as residential property to furnish details of their tenants to the police station concerned. This has been done to prevent any anti-social element from making a hideout in the city under the garb of a tenant. Meanwhile, all commercial establishments have been prohibited from operating beyond 1 am. This will, however, not apply in cases where permissions have been granted, an order said today. Besides this another order
bans the assembly of five or more persons, taking out
processions, making speeches, raising slogans, sitting in
dharnas and carrying of lathis in sectors located north
of Madhya Marg. This will, however, not apply to police
or military persons and any other government servant on
duty. It will also not affect customary and ritualistic
processions in connection with weddings or funerals
besides those processions or meetings that have prior
permission.
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Future
architects display talent CHANDIGARH, March 10—As part of the on-going annual festival Archo ‘99 at the College of Architecture in Sector 12, a number of contests were held at the college premises, here today. Enthusiastic students participated in the foot-printing contest and the white sheets wore a riot of colours by the end of the day. A poster-making contest saw participants making sketches on the topic “Chandigarh 2000’’. In the afternoon, a volte-face contest was held in which participants presented two sides of the same coin according to the topic assigned to them. A competition titled “Mudra’’ saw participants changing their facial expressions to show different feelings. The bread-eating contest was an exciting event with friends prompting the participants to swallow more and more slices of bread with water to win the contest. The contests are being held between the three houses of the college, namely Kanishka, Kalinga and Maurya. A total of 45 events will be held on the college campus before the grand finale to the festivities, scheduled for March 12. Marks are being assigned
to the houses for every event according to the positions.
These will be totalled and results will be declared on
the concluding day. Winners of the events in academics,
athletics and cultural contests will be given trophies. A
trophy will also be given for the best design. |
Tributes
paid to Champa Mangat Rai CHANDIGARH, March, 10 — Rich tributes were paid to Mrs Champa Mangat Rai, an educationist and social worker, on the occasion of International YWCA Prayer Day here today. She had died on March 7 after a brief illness. She was one of the founding members of the YWCA and became the President of the local governing body. “The sun has gone below the horizon but has not set. She is close by as a warm-hearted friend of all”, said Dr M.C Mamgain, founder president of the local YWCA. “She played a significant role in assisting the YWCA management through her friends and resources, particularly when militancy was at its peak. She was a friend, a sister and someone who shared the same values. Although she came from a family with an elite background, she treated everyone equally”, Dr Mamgain said. She said Chandigarh had lost a jewel for she was an institution in herself. Mr Gautam Kaul, DGP, ITBP remarked that despite personal tragedies, Mrs Champa kept her head high. “She represented in the city the earliest image of an independent woman”. In her younger days, she was surrounded by students. It goes to her credit to have groomed many girls into fine women. Ms Sadhna Gangoli, National General Secretary of the YWCA, described Mrs Champa as a dynamic woman, who possessed a spirit of service. “A charismatic and warm person, she had friends in all age groups. Without paying any heed to her personal being, she tirelessly strove for the lowest of the low. In fact, promoting women’s development was a cause close to her heart, she said. Ms Debbie conducted the
prayers. Mr J.P Singh, brother of Mrs Champa Mangat Rai
was also present at the function. |
Proposed
telecom hike ‘unwarranted’ CHANDIGARH, March 10 — Taking the Telecom Department to task for providing an “inefficient” and “poor” service, residents of the city and surrounding areas have criticised the Union Government for its proposal to increase the rental of telephones from April 1. Residents contacted by the TNS dubbed the proposed hike in rentals as ‘totally unjustified’ and “ill-timed”. They were of the view that in place of creating problems for the already “hard pressed” consumer by increasing rentals, the Union Government, should have done something to provide an efficient and dependable telecom service to people. “How can they think of increasing rentals, when the telephones of a large number of consumers remain dead for weeks together just for want of repairs,” said Dr Gurinder Singh Brar, a resident of SAS Nagar. “There has not been a single day during the past six months when my phone was not down with one snag or the other he complained. He further said the hike in the rent would affect the budget of the poor and middle class people. He was also critical of the selective hike of rent in the case of local calls. “It is a welcome step that the tariff of the long distance calls has been proposed to be decreased. He also complained that most of the phones in SAS Nagar with 6-7 digits remained out of order for days together. Describing the telecom services as far from satisfactory, Mr Gurbir Singh, a resident of Phase VII of SAS Nagar, said even as most of the telecom system had gone electronic, consumers in the city still had to depend upon linemen and had to grease the palms for keeping the phones in order. He suggested that before dwelling on the issue of the hike in rental, the government should have won the confidence of the consumers by evolving a “trouble-free” system. Commenting on the state of telecom services in the township, Mr Bhupinder Sabharwal, a resident of Phase III-B-II, said it was going from bad to worse with each passing day. “The problem with my phone is that of multiple voices, but nothing has been done by the department officials to correct it in spite of about 10 complaints during the past three months,” he said. He said he had no hope that the system would improve even after the department increased the rental. “This is nothing but an effort to put an unnecessary burden on the pocket of people, particularly the middle-class,” he added. Mr Ram Karan Gupta, President of the Sector 26 Grain Market Karyana Association, dubbed the proposed hike as an “extremely wrong thing.” “Telephone is not a luxury, but a basic service which should be available to people at very reasonable rates, and the government should not try to blackmail them in return of such a service by increasing the charges frequently,” he said. He demanded that the proposed hike should be withdrawn without delay, as it will prove a different in the way of people as they will not be able to communicate with each other frequently. “Rather, the government should encourage communication among people by lowering of the existing tariff structure,” he added. Mrs Kulwant Kaur, a resident of Sector 44, said the hike would ultimately affect the budget of housewives, and it is they who will be bearing the brunt. “They will have no choice but to make cuts in their daily purchase of vegetables and other food items,” she said, demanding immediate withdrawal of the hike. Mr Navnit Kumar, a resident of Sector 11 Panchkula, dubbed the proposed hike as “pure blackmail”. He said the department should not resort to such “cheap” gimmicks to raise money for improving the infrastructure. Ms Kamlesh Monga, a
resident of Manimajra, saw the proposed hike would burden
the salaried class. |
Bridge at Mauli-Baidwan village
needs repairs MAULI-BAIDWAN (Ropar), March 10 — A bridge at Mauli-Badwan village is crying for attention. The bridge is the only connecting route from Sohana to at least 15 villages of the area. The bridge, about 4 km from Sohana, was submerged in the nearby nullah sometime ago. Villagers say the bridge was broken three years ago. Their pleadings with the higher authorities made little impact. According to Mr Bachan Singh, “nothing concrete has been done despite several complaints”. Mr Tarlochan Singh, a local resident, said though the administration had started construction work on the bridge, it came to standstill last week as machines from the site were removed for reasons unknown to us. Villagers have, meanwhile, come forward to make temporary arrangements for the passage of vehicles. Villagers said bad condition of road had made driving risky on the stretch. Mr Amarjeet Singh, a
person working on the bridge, said it had become
difficult to cross the bridge during night time. |
No policy
on illegal constructions CHANDIGARH, March, 10 — Though the Punjab Government has decided to issue a notification to set up a nagar panchayat for Zirakpur township, yet the authorities have not framed any policy to regularise all constructions here so far. The government has decided to regularise all the colonies and other constructions which have come up before December 10 last year within 16 km around Chandigarh. Other constructions, which have come up after the said “cut-off date” will have to get no-objection certificates (NOC) from the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA), to become regularised. But even the authorities are clueless about the criterion for getting an NOC . The authorities have directed the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) to ban providing electricity to all constructions which have come up after the cut-off date. For this PUDA will issue an NOC only after one obtains a power connection. The Government has also proposed to impose some development charges on the NOC-seekers which will include a composition fee, land conversion charges and extra development charges. The PUDA authorities admitted that the constructions beyond the “lal dora” would not be given any power supply. The authorities said that the Punjab New Capital (Periphery) Control Act 1952 has been enforced by the state legislature to regulate the use of land within Chandigarh periphery. This has been done to ensure healthy and planned development around the city. The Section 10 of the Act says “Nothing in this Act shall effect the power of the Government or any authority to acquire land or to impose restrictions upon the use and development in the controlled area under any other section of other law for the time being in force or to permit the settlement of a claim arising out of the exercise of powers under this Act by mutual agreement.” Section 11 of the Act says: no land within a controlled area shall except with the permission of the state government be used for the purposes other than those for which it was used on date of notification under Section (2) of Section (3);The renewal of such licences may be made annually on payment of the prescribed fees, no person shall be entitled to claim compensation for any injury, damage or loss caused or alleged to have been caused by the refusal to issue or renew.” The government has also decided not to sanction any power connection for any piece of land in any colony without the consent of competent authority under Section (5) of the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act, 1995. The constructions are supported to be at a prescribed distance from the roads under the Punjab Regulation and Town Planning and Development Act, 1995. Mr Hardev Singh, General Manager, said that the state Government had directed the board not to provide any new electricity connection within the periphery without obtaining an NOC from PUDA. However, the focal points of the free enterprises zone (FEZ) had been exempted from this condition. He said that there should be no misconception among the public that the Punjab New Capital Periphery Control Act, 1952, was no more in existence. “All illegal constructions within the proposed Notified Area Committee that have come up after December 10 last year would be demolished. Legal action would be taken against the colonisers and the property dealers who are still selling plots to the innocent public”, he added. Ms Seema Jain, Additional Chief Administrator, said that the department officials had been asked to check the constructions which had come up before the cut-off date. The department had surveyed the constructions in various villages by making video films. On the basis of these surveys the department was going to issue show cause notices to those who had started construction after the cut-off date. “The authorities are
going to take a strict action against them”, she
added. “It is up to the government, “ she said
when asked about the further extension of the cut-off
date. |
Bhabat
panchayat files objection CHANDIGARH, March 10 — The Bhabat panchayat today filed an objection with the Punjab Government for not including the village in the proposed “nagar panchayat”, Zirakpur. According to the sarpanch, Mr Dharam Singh, since the village is sharing many common facilities with Zirakpur, therefore, it should be included in the “nagar panchayat”. The panchayat today filed
a 13- point representation with the Principal Secretary,
Department of Local Government, Punjab.
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CHANDIGARH, March 10 — The Punjab Government has posted Mr S.M. Sharma, a PCS officer, SDM at Sultanpur Lodhi, according to sources. Mr Sharma, who was working as Assistant Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) till recently, had sought repatriation to his parent state, the sources added. Postponed: The meeting of
the Finance and Contract Committee of the MCC was today
postponed as the status report of the ongoing projects
was not attached with the agenda of the meeting, the
sources added. |
CHANDIGARH, March 10 —The Haryana Students Association at a press conference here today announced indefinite agitation plan in case rationalisation of the proposed fee hike in Panjab University was not initiated at the earliest. Addressing the conference, Mr Chand Singh Madan, Chairman of the HSA, said. “We agree that the fee structure was lesser in comparison to the other universities in PU. But before planning a hike student representatives should have been taken into confidence. Increase in a phased manner would have hurt less”. Mr Sunder Pal, another senior leader, said: “Can the university think only of the students community when it came to generating resources. Even with the hike the total collection will be a small proportion of the total budget.” The chairman said the university on its behalf had been making wasteful expenditure in the past couple of years on several accounts, particularly “construction”. The genuine demands of the students had been overlooked during this period. “In case, students were not assured of a positive decision within 48 hours, the HSA will commence an indefinite relay hunger strike”, Mr Sunder Pal added. Refresher course: Prof G.S Gosal, an eminent social scientist today inaugurated the third refresher course for university and college teachers organised by the Department of Economics in collaboration with the Academic Staff College, PU. Prof Gosal emphasised the need for holding such refresher courses more frequently in order to facilitate exchange of ideas among those who will be concerned with teaching/research and economic administration. Earlier, Prof. S.L Kansra,
Chairman Economics Department, PU introduced the thrust
area of the refresher course as “The State of
Economics and Indian, Economy’’ and emphasised
on the need for introspection of the preceding 50 years
experience of economic development and the need to
examine Indian economies. |
PANCHKULA, March 10 — Two jhuggi-dwellers were burnt alive when a jhuggi in which they were sleeping caught fire at Surajpur, near here, today. The victims — Ram Nath (45) and Deepat (35) — who worked at a stone-crushing unit and were taking a nap when their dwelling unit caught fire from a generator. A third person, who was also present in the jhuggi, however, escaped unhurt. The post mortem of the deceased was done at General Hospital here. The police has initiated inquest proceedings in the case under Section 174 of the Cr.P.C Injured: Madhya Devi, a resident of Gugga Madi in Kalka, was injured after being hit by a scooterist at Kalka on Tuesday. A case under Sections 279 and 337 of the IPC has been registered against the scooterist. CHANDIGARH Youth dies: A youth riding a scooter was killed by a speeding Matador in Sector 15-D last night. The deceased, Vipan Kumar of Sector 22, was employed at a chemist shop. He was riding his scooter (CH-01-S-8574) when a Matador (CH-01-H-4824) banged into it around 10.30 pm. The injured scooterist was first seen by a guard posted outside the Nirankari Bhavan. He was rushed to the General Hospital in Sector 16. He, however, died on way to the hospital. The Matador sped off, according to the police. A case has been registered. Arrested: A thief, who was a part of a three-member gang that used to dupe shopkeepers in Sector 8 was arrested last evening. The trio used to enter a shop and give a list of items to be home delivered. The trick was that the delivery was meant for a house where the residents were out. The shopkeeper would not suspect anything and send his man with the goods. There the trio used to receive the goods posing as servants of the household and say that the sahib was out he would send the money. The tricksters, then, used to run away with the goods. The same trick was used by the three last evening. However , the alert shopkeeper knew the resident and called him on his mobile phone. On being sure that the resident had not ordered anything, the shopkeeper caught one of the tricksters, Gopal Suman, of Ropar. Two of his companions escaped. According to sources, the trio had tricked a shopkeeper in Sector 11 yesterday morning. Stolen: A Sector 15 resident, Mr P.K. Gupta has alleged that a VCR, a camera, a handbag and Rs 1000 were stolen from his house while he was out of station. A case was registered after investigations, the police said today. Theft: A Maruti van (CH-01-K-8652) owned by Mr Jaswant Singh of Sector 15 was stolen from the Sector 22 market. A case under Section 379 of the IPC was registered. Caught: Two persons were caught red handed while stealing water taps and other fittings from the Punjab Engineering College (PEC) . Parmod Kumar alias ‘Vicky’ of Sector 25 and Teg Bahadur of Sector 38 were caught last night. A complaint against them was lodged by Mr Balwinder Singh, Warden of the Kurukshetra Hostel on the PEC campus. Smuggler caught: A resident of Zirakpur, Sukhdev Singh, was arrested with 8 bottles of whisky on the Chandigarh-Ambala road. Couple injured: A couple was injured in an accident here on Wednesday. The injured, Mr Rajan Kohli and his wife, were taken to the PGI, Chandigarh. They were in a Maruti car (HR-41-4253). Mr Kohli, Senior Medical Officer, Pehowa, got major injuries and is in the casualty ward, while Mrs Kholi was discharged after first aid. The car collided with a school bus (PB-11-4965) belonging to local Shri Arjundas Saravhitkari Vidya Mandir. The mishap occurred while the car was on its way to Chandigarh. According to police
sources, the bus driver fled from the spot. The vehicles
have been impounded. No case has been registered so far. |
CHANDIGARH, March 10 — An image of bicycle can remind some, of the rides they have had in their youth. To others the image can trigger off memories of hard times. But for Amlesh Das the cycle is an object of meditation. The infrastructure of curves, spokes and hollow iron pipes have been washed off the grist and grime. The etchings titled “Composition”, which has the image, are captivating. Amlesh’s graphics along with those of Rajesh Kalsi, Ravi Narayan and Rakesh Bani, all MFA students of Indira Gandhi Sangeet Vishwavidyalaya, Khedagarh, Gujarat and Aditya Pande, an alumni of Government College of Art, here, are on view at Art Folio, Sector 9. The show was opened today. Rajesh Kalsi’s “Trinity-4” is a neat and definite work. His etchings “Elements” and “Burning Civilisation” are impressive. The other works spill over unresolved images. *** “Mana” series by Nirmala Singh at the Museum of Fine Arts, Panjab University, is a voyage from the word to the visual. Since Nirmala has been having poetic effusions for a long time, it remains an enigma whether the word follows the image or vice versa. The show, a riot of colour, has two streams. One, of definite lines leading to a focus and the other with a dispersed focus. It is in the latter stream one can see the artist in her elements. The flora and fauna, ships and human visages peep from multi-layered colour masses. One can approach her work from any vantage point and let the gaze wade through deep woods, oceans into infinity. *** In Manmohan Singh Dhaliwal’s show at Punjab Kala Bhavan, it is hard to distinguish between paintings and drawings. Each work has a structured view of working class environs, full of puffed up human figures looking away from one another or into nowhere. These figures merge well into their dilapidated multi-storeyed buildings. The same feeling in same style has been restated in other works. *** IndusInd Bank Art Gallery
has Harjeet Purewal’s oils. The subject and style is
different in each painting. The works are an expression
of varied influences on the artist which he has captured
in scenes of a tete-a-tete around swing; soft winds
swaying keen-to-bend crops; the divine light touching a
parched field and “yantra” motifs. |
HUDA to
remove illegal hedges PANCHKULA, March 10 — The local Estate Office of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) is likely to soon launch a major exercise to remove fencing, hedges or other type of enclosures unauthorisedly raised by residents in front of their houses in the township. The drive is being launched as the open spaces under the provisions of the HUDA Act are meant to be used for laying of essential services like water, sewerage and telephone lines. The drive expected to be launched within the next one week, would cover Sectors 6 and 7. Residents, on the other
hand oppose any such drive by HUDA. They say that they
develop the open spaces in front of their houses at their
own cost as HUDA is not in a position to maintain the
open spaces. |
‘Cyanide’
begins with sham-e-ghazal CHANDIGARH, March 10 — The annual festival of the Chemical Engineering Department in Panjab University, “Cyanide”, got off to a sober start with a “sham-e-ghazal” by Arjun Jaipuri today. The function started nearly an hour behind schedule. The singer began with “yeh kaise hain rishtey, samajh mein na aate”. Students loved the rhyming two-liners, largely eulogising the beloved. “Pyar ka jazba, har rang dikha deta hai” set the mood for subsequent ghazals. This was followed by a popular Ghulam Ali number” Bikharti Zulf ki gahraeeaan mujhe de do, apne shaam ki tanhaeenan mujhe de do”. A composition in a lighter tone “zikr aaya hi tha faasane mein, aur haava ud gayee zamaane mein” was also well received. The ambience for ghazals was, however, lacking. Mr R.K.Rao, Deputy Commissioner, was the chief guest. Coinciding with the theme of the three-day festival, a lecture on various aspects of AIDS was delivered before the programme began. The next two days in the
festival will witness a fete, debates, a dance floor and
other contests. Jasbir Jassi of the “Dil le gayee
kudee gujarat di” fame will perform on March 12. |
Roll of
honour for 12 students CHANDIGARH, March 10—About 210 students were awarded prizes at the 17th annual prize distribution function of Government College, Sector 46, here today. Vinod Kumar was declared the best athlete among boys while Manpreet Kaur was the best athlete among the girls at the function. Twelve students were given the roll of honour and 52 students were decorated with the college colour for sports and cultural activities. A total of 142 students were awarded for academic excellence. The principal, Major D.P. Singh, presented a detailed annual report of the college in which he highlighted the activities and the achievements of the college. He, also, expressed the desire of a hostel closer to the college. The college has been given a hostel in Sector 15. The Adviser to the
Administrator, Mr Jagdish Sagar, presiding over the
function said that the need for an auditorium and a
hostel would be met in due course of time and exhorted
the students to repay to the city in whatever form they
could.
|
Mega eye
camp on March 12, 13 SAS NAGAR, March 10— The local Lions Club, the Civil Hospital authorities and Centurion Bank are jointly organising a ‘mega eye operation camp’ on March 12 and 13 at Dharali Kalan village, near here. According to Mr Harbhajan Singh Takkar, President of the club, the camp will cover about 10 villages. Eye operations would also be conducted on March 14 and 15 at the local Civil Hospital, he added. Mr Takkar said all
medicines would be provided to the patients free of cost
and arrangements would be made for the stay of patients
and their attendants. |
Doctor’s
evidence recorded CHANDIGARH, March 10 — The Sessions Judge, Mr B.S. Bedi, who held court at Burail Jail today recorded the evidence of Dr R.K. Banta, a Senior Resident of the PGI, in the ongoing Beant Singh assassination case. Dr Banta revealed that he was posted at the PGI Emergency Ward from February 22, 1993, to October 26, 1996. On August 31, 1995, he had received a telephone call at about 5.45 p.m., saying that a bomb blast had taken place at the Punjab Civil Secretariat. The caller also suggested that the PGI authorities should gear themselves up for providing medical care to those injured in the blast. And when he inquired about the identity of the caller, he put off the receiver. He told the court that injured persons and bodies of those killed in the blast were brought to the PGI. The injured persons were examined in his presence of Junior Residents and Senior Residents. Among those brought to the PGI were Mr Tota Ram, Mr Ajaib Singh and Mr Chamkaur Singh. Among the injured admitted to the PGI were Mr Jagdish Singh and Mr Mukhtiar Singh. They later succumbed to their injuries. Dr Banta revealed to the court that a letter written by DSP (CBI) Kewal Singh was given to the Director of the PGI. This letter was later marked to him. He said the injuries which
were recorded in the medico-legal case summaries were
prepared by him from the original record. |
Students
apprised of loans for studies CHANDIGARH, March 10 — Students were informed about provisions for loans in banks for higher studies in India as well as abroad at a seminar on “Educational and other loans”, organised as part of the silver jubilee celebrations of the Food Craft Institute here today. Mr V.K. Oberoi, Chief Manager of the SBI, said the scheme involved loans for tuition fee, maintenance costs, books equipment and costs of passage for studies in recognised schools, colleges and institutions. Speakers at the seminar included Mr D.P.Singhal, Assistant general manager, Mr B.V. Sharma, and Mr Naveen Kumar Kalia, from the SBI. Mr Harold C. Carver, principal, St Stephens School, Sector 45, delivered a talk on the importance of communication skills. The highlights of the function were contests in salads, baked desserts, fresh flower arrangement and dry flower arrangement. A total of 114 entries were received in different categories. Winners in the salad contest were Dr Rita Kalra, Ms Umesh Meena and Ms Sukrita D.P. Singh. The baked contest was won by Ms Aparna Kapur, Ms Harpreet Kaur and Ms Pooja Vij. Ms Manwinder Pal Kaur, Ms Prachi S.Kumar and Sarika Goyal walked with the top three positions in dry flower contest. The fresh flower competition was won by Amrit Pal, Inderpreet Bhogal and Manjinder Saini The annual prize
distribution function is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon
in which Mr Satish Chandra, managing director of the
CITCO, will preside. |
Jat Sabha
to hold essay contest CHANDIGARH, March 10 — The Sector 27-A Jat Sabha will organise seminar on “social evils of village society and remedies thereof” and “gainful employment and work culture” on April 2 and 3. It has also invited essays of up to 1,500 words on these topics from social scientists, intellectuals, academicians, research scholars, students and social workers. The essays should reach the sabha by March 20. The best entries would be
published in a souvenir, to be brought out during the
seminar, and the best participant would be honoured. This
was communicated is a press note of the sabha today. |
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