& V I C I N I T Y
Tuesday, March 23, 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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Tuesday, March 23, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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10-year age relaxation for
disabled
160
jhuggis gutted
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  A portion of the balcony of a government house in Sector 35-B in Chandigarh which fell down on Sunday. — A Tribune photograph A narrow escape CHANDIGARH, March 22 — Members of the family of Mr DS Rawat, a Punjab and Haryana High Court employee, had a narrow escape when a concrete portion of the dilapidated balcony of the government house allotted to him in Sector 35-B here came crashing down yesterday. |
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100
children ‘go blind’ daily New
DC takes over Foundation
day celebrations
Phulkari
brings pretty saris Parked
trucks traffic hazard Administration
seals front of temple amid protests A
test of courage for road users Farewell
party for Jagir Kaur |
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10-year age
relaxation for disabled CHANDIGARH, March 22 — The Chandigarh Administration has decided to extend grant of age concession to blind, deaf-mute and orthopaedically handicapped persons for appointment to various positions filled through open competitive examinations. The administration, by another decision, has decided to implement the Central Civil Services and Civil Posts (Upper Age Limit for Direct Recruitment) Rules, 1998, from April 1 this year. As a sequel to the second decision, it has decided to allow two years raise in the upper age limit for direct recruitment while framing service, recruitment and open competitive examination rules for all central civil services and posts under its own administrative control. This decision will not be, however, applicable in such cases where the recruitment process has already been initiated. In the first case, the administration has decided to implement the recently circulated instructions of the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions on the subject. The Union Ministry in consultation with the Union Public Service Commission and the Comptroller and Auditor General of India decided to allow relaxation of 10 years in the upper age limit to blind, deaf-mute and orthopaedically handicapped persons for appointment to all civil services or posts under the central government filled through open competitive examinations. In case of blind, deaf-mute and orthopaedically handicapped persons belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the age concession would be 15 years while for those belonging to other backward classes, age concession will be 13 years. The upper age limit relaxation rules will not apply for any recruitment process begun before April 1 or to armed forces or paramilitary forces, including Assam Rifles, Border Security Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. The upper age limit for recruitment by the method of direct open competitive examination to the central civil services and civil posts specified in the relevant service or recruitment rules on the date of commencement of the central civil services and civil posts shall be raised by two years from April 1 this year, the new notification said. Under this notification, the direct open competitive examination means direct recruitment by open competitive examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission or the Staff Selection Commission or any other authority under the Central Government and it shall not include recruitment through limited departmental examination or through shortlisting or by interview or by contract or by absorption of transfer or deputation. Accordingly, all rules
regulating the method of recruitment of persons to the
central civil services and civil posts under the union,
including those in the Indian audit and accounts
department and the rules governing open competitive
examination shall stand amended. |
A course of
inconvenience CHANDIGARH, March 22 — About 35 participants, drawn from various schools of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh are a disgruntled lot on the eve of the completion of their four-month post graduate certificate course in teaching of English at the Regional Institute of English, Sector 32. “The course has been a waste of time, energy and effort because we have gained nothing during our stay at the institute. In fact, we have lost a fortune in providing food for ourselves for the entire period since one cook of the institute has been suspended and the other one is on leave. In return, all we have got is a stipend of Rs 213 after paying room-rent of Rs 87,’’ allege the hostellers. Attending the course on compulsion, these participants allege that they were assured of all facilities, but on arriving at the institute, the picture was quite contrary to what they had expected. The accommodation was sans light, food and water. To add to the inconvenience, these students were subjected to a lot of humiliation at the hands of the teachers taking classes. Questions in class were unwelcome and inability to answer questions earned them the teachers’ wrath. Basically employed as social studies masters and mistresses, these teachers are required to teach English in addition to social studies. They are as uncomfortable attending classes as their teachers are taking them. Both sides agree that this is a major flaw in the school education system. Besides shaking up the budget of these ``student teachers’’, the course has failed to achieve its motto of making them proficient in English because the teachers continued to teach the class in English which they failed to understand and which has left them high and dry. These students allege that the teachers failed miserably in coming down to their level and making things simpler for the participants. The language lab at the institute, no doubt, is well made, but again the students had very little opportunity to experiment with the lab equipment. Further, the library was open invariably while the classes were going on and closed down as soon as these got over. ``We could not avail of the facility of the library,” they contend. The students are also sore over lack of alternative arrangement available to them in case the teacher who was assigned the class, for one reason or another, could not take it. “We had heard a lot about the institute. Once here, we were disappointed by the way things,” the participants add. The Director, Mrs Harjit Vasudev, refutes all charges levelled by the students and claims to have provided them with the best she could offer. She admits the course is not recognised by anybody or anywhere yet she is quick to add that an application to accord recognition to the course was sent to the National Council of Teachers Education five months ago. Dr A.R. Chauhan, the hostel warden, says: “We made efforts to make arrangements in the adjoining mess but these were unacceptable to the students. Moreover, their complaints about the content of the course are unjustified and complaints are likely to come from those who are away from home, especially when there are no incentives involved in doing the course.’’ Meanwhile, the students
are awaiting the day this course comes to an end and they
return to their homes though they cannot say with
conviction when their certificates are bound to reach
them since they have managed to lay their hands on a
postcard from a student of a previous course requesting
the institute to send his certificate at the earliest,
which appears unlikely since the office has failed to
give the postcard a second look. |
A narrow
escape CHANDIGARH, March 22 — Members of the family of Mr DS Rawat, a Punjab and Haryana High Court employee, had a narrow escape when a concrete portion of the dilapidated balcony of the government house allotted to him in Sector 35-B here came crashing down yesterday. Talking to The Tribune, Mr Rawat, resident of house No 1005-A, alleged that though he had brought to the notice of the maintenance staff in the sector the dilapidated condition of the balcony last week, yet nothing was done to repair it. Three children of the daughter of Mr Rawat had a narrow escape as they moved away from the area a short while ago when the weather-beaten portion of the balcony gave way. While expressing apprehension that the other part of the balcony, which was also in a very bad shape, might give way, Mr Rawat urged the authorities concerned to repair the flats so that a tragedy could be averted, particularly in the rainy season. A visit to the flats (1001
to 1010) revealed that balconies of certain houses were
in bad shape. It seemed that they had not been repaired
for a long time. |
160 jhuggis
gutted SAS NAGAR, March 22 — Around 160 jhuggis were razed to the ground in a fire in the industrial area here last night. The fire in “Udham Singh Colony”, near the Telephone Cables factory in Phase VIII, broke out around 11 p.m. with the flames spreading due to wind. Most of the jhuggis occupants were asleep while some were attending kirtan in a nearby mandir. There was no loss of life. The local fire brigade received a call around 11.15 p.m. from an industrial unit and three fire engines and a jeep were rushed to the scene. Later, one fire engine was requisitioned from Chandigarh. It took about two hours to bring the flames under control, Mr Balvinder Singh Sidhu, Additional Divisional Fire Officer, said today. Many residents, he said, managed to save their belongings through their own efforts. When a Tribune team visited the scene there was burnt property, including bicycles, utensils, fans and eatables, all around. Sarabdev Bharadwaj, president of the colony, said most of them had been staying in the area since 1984. Many residents worked as industrial labourers and some as mechanics. Raj Nath, one of the victims, said he sold fruit juice near the JCT factory and had saved Rs 15,000 for his sister’s wedding in Bihar. He was to go home tomorrow but now the fire had consumed his savings. Upinder Jha and his wife, Shiv Kumari Devi, of Samastipur district in Bihar, broke down while narrating their tale. Jha said he worked in a factory and had lost Rs 35,000 in cash in the fire. They were to go to Bihar on March 25 for the “janao” ceremony of their son and a function connected with their daughter’s wedding. In 10 minutes, they said, all their plans went up in smoke. Pooja, another victim, said, they were asleep when the fire broke out. Everyone was in panic and they could not save their belongings. Persons attending the kirtan in the nearby mandir rushed to the rescue. The SDM, Mr O.P.Popli, said langar and tents were being arranged for the jhuggi dwellers. He hoped these arrangements would be available for a week. Mr Popli said he would talk to the Ropar Deputy Commissioner and the employers of the affected persons for financial assistance. Mr Arjan Singh Shergill,
General Secretary of the Ropar district unit of the SAD,
and Arun Sharma, president of the Ropar district unit of
the BJP’s Yuya Morcha, demanded compensation of Rs
10,000 each to the affected families. |
UT wakes up
to Khalsa celebrations CHANDIGARH, March 22 — While the state of Punjab seems to be geared up for the tercentenary celebrations of the Khalsa Panth, the capital city, Chandigarh appears to be more like a silent observer of both the religious and the political activities. Last week, the Chandigarh Administration wrote to the local akademis and the Art Museum to prepare a “proposal” for organising these celebrations in the city. “It is not an occasion that the Administration planned to celebrate on a grandiose scale. While various organisations are already holding programmes, we thought of seeing this as an occasion with which we could educate the city people about Sikh history. It is not only the akademis which have been asked to give proposals, but even the education department plans to hold various activities in the shape of essay contests and the like for students, with the focus being on Sikh history and traditions”, said Mrs Anuradha Gupta, Home Secretary. The three Chandigarh akademis — the Sahitya Akademi, the Lalit Kala Akademi and the Sangeet Natak Akademi — though not too happy with the “short notice”, have expressed their willingness at being a part of the celebration. Incidentally, the term of all these akademis expired last year but they have been given extension “till further notice”. Meanwhile, according to the administration, the central government might provide certain allocations once the initial proposals are approved. The Government Museum, Sector 10, has a proposal to set up an exhibition from its collection of paintings of the Pahari and Sikh schools of art. Mr V. N. Singh, Director, said, “The exhibition, titled ‘Visual Glory of the Sikh Art’, would have on display almost 50 works, including textiles related to Sikh art, like phulkari etc”. Also, as per the promise of the Punjab Chief Minister, that the first international exhibition of the artistic heritage of the Sikhs, ‘The Arts of the Sikh Kingdom’, which is to be put up from March 25 to July 24 at the Victoria and Albert Museum, United Kingdom, “is expected to travel to Chandigarh as well”. The Lalit Kala Akademi is planing to hold a lecture or a talk on the occasion. “Though the time period is very short for organising, with the support of the Administration we would like to plan something to focus on the 300 years of the Khalsa Panth”. The Sangeet Natak Akademi, whose Chairperson, Mrs Neelam Mann Singh, resigned months back, but is yet to be relieved, is still to come up with plans for the celebrations. The secretary of the
Sangeet Natak Akademi, Dr Pushpinder Syal, said, “We
are trying to organise a talk or a seminar, depending on
the availability of people, which would focus on the
literary works of Punjab and the historical aspects of
the Khalsa Panth”.
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New DC takes
over CHANDIGARH, March 22
— Mr M. Ramshekhar, an IAS officer of the 1988 batch
and belonging to the Haryana cadre, today took over as
Deputy Commissioner of Chandigarh. He relieved Mr R.K.
Rao, Assistant Commissioner, Chandigarh Municipal
Corporation, of the additional charge. Mr Rao had been
holding the additional charge for the past eight months
after the previous incumbent, Mr K.K. Khandelwal, was
repatriated to his parent state of Haryana.
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Foundation
day celebrations CHANDIGARH, March 22— The Haryana Punjab Sahitya Akademi today celebrated its third foundation day at Tagore Theatre. A cultural programme was organised on the occasion. Prof Ganeshi Lal, Minister of Food and Supplies, Haryana said the state government was promoting Punjabi in a big way and also announced the institution of the Guru Gobind Singh Chair at Kurukshetra University. A Punjabi book, “Sahit Dhan” was also released at the function by Prof Ganeshi Lal. The book, a collection of 17 short stories by prominent Punjabi writers of Haryana, has been edited by the Haryana Punjabi Sahitya Akademi. Dr Sahib Singh ‘Arshi’, Director, Punjabi Sahitya Akademi, announced that a kavi darbar would be organised on April 4 in Kurukshetra in connection with the Khalsa tercentenary. A Punjabi play, “Parindey Jaan Hun Kithey”, was staged by the Adaakar Manch, Mohali. Mr Vishnu Bhargava, Financial Commissioner, Education, Haryana, was also present on the occasion. The akademi had also organised a bhangra competition for schools, in which seven schools of Haryana participated. The following were given prizes: MRA Modern Public School,
Sector 7, Panchkula (1); Guru Tegh Bahadur Middle School,
Jind (2); Satluj Public School, Panchkula (3) and a
special prize for Guru Gobind Singh Senior Secondary
School, Saffidon. |
Phulkari
brings pretty saris PANCHKULA, March 22 — Phulkari has organised an exhibition-cum-sale of its products at D.C. Model School, Sector 7, Panchkula. To be on till March 26, a special discount of up to 50 per cent is available during the period. The collection includes an exquisite range of wedding saris, including banarasis, kanjivarams, silks and balucheris with embroidery giving a traditional touch to the items. The selection of summer wear brings an assortment of Bengali cotton saris, koras, chiffons and kotas in beautiful colours and prints. The Mahila Chiken Sewa has
also brought goods from Lucknow. |
100 children
‘go blind’ daily CHANDIGARH, March 22 — A five-day integrated nutrition education camp organised by the Chandigarh unit of the Food and Nutrition Board, Department of Women and Child Development, Government of India, opened in Sector 42 today. According to Mr N.P.Jain, Assistant Technical Adviser to the Department, 75 grassroots-level persons comprising anganwadi and creche workers, ANMs and gram sevikas from Chandigarh are participating in this camp. Giving details of this camp, Mr Jain said that 30 per cent of the children born in the country had low birth weight and 50 per cent of the pregnant women and pre-school children were anaemic. Nearly 100 children go blind daily in the country due to vitamin A deficiency only. He explained that poverty, ignorance and superstitions were responsible for such a sorry state of affairs. The objective of the camp was to enhance and update their knowledge on food, nutrition and health-related matters so that they might create awareness amongst people on these aspects. While inaugurating the
camp, Mr Prithi Chand, Director, Social Welfare, called
upon the participants to create awareness regarding food,
nutrition and health and hygiene to combat malnutrition. |
Parked
trucks traffic hazard DERA BASSI, March 22 — In spite of being provided separate space for them to operate, vehicles of the Bassi-Mubarikpur Truck Operators Union , Dera Bassi, continue to operate from the old parking lot, right adjacent to the National Highway (NH). This hinders the free flow of traffic. The trucks which remain parked along the Chandigarh-Ambala road for days together without caring about the convenience of road users, have become a major traffic bottleneck. Other road users have to face a lot of problems due to the haphazard manner the vehicles are parked. Some of the truckers, who come here to get their vehicles repaired by mechanics here, also park their trucks in the old parking lot. Mr Ranjit Singh, Vice-President of the union, said that the State Government had promised to construct a building having rooms for the union’s office and a meeting hall and a boundary wall around the parking lot for trucks as also provide all civic amenities. In spite of making commitments to the truckers, the Municipal Corporation (MC) has not installed even a single street light on the road leading to the parking lot after more than six months of their shifting. There is no proper arrangement even for drinking water there, he alleged. Mr Ranjit Singh said there were no arrangements to repair trucks at the new parking lot . When contacted, Mr Jagjit
Sing Dalli, President of the MC, said that the truckers
were given an alternative place of 10.5 acres of land to
ply their vehicles from there independently. He ,
however, denied any commitment regarding the construction
of any building for the office. He said that basic civic
amenities would be provided to the truckers soon. |
Ph.D degree
in defence studies CHANDIGARH, March 22 — Lieut-Gen SBS Kochar, Chief of Staff, Headquarters, Central Command, has been awarded Ph.D. degree in defence studies by Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut. “A geo-political study of the North-Eastern Region with particular reference to Bhutan” was the topic for research chosen by General Kochar. Commissioned into Gorkha Rifles in June, 1962, he is an alumni of the National Defence Academy and the Indian Military Academy. He is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College. Besides, he has already completed MSc. and M.Phil in defence studies. He has also held foreign
assignments in Nigeria and Bhutan.
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Brigade
plans schemes for war widows, soldiers CHANDIGARH, March 22— A number of welfare and rehabilitation schemes for war widows and soldiers will mark the golden jubilee celebrations of the The Brigade of Guards, to be held from March 24 to 27 at the Regimental Centre of the brigade at Kamptee near Nagpur in Maharashtra. The brigade, a brain child of Field Marshal K.M. Cariappa, was formed in 1949 on the lines of the Guards of the British Army with an objective to use it for ceremonial purpose in peace time, besides during war. It has a national character as unlike other pre-Independence regiments of the Indian Army, its troops are not recruited on the basis of caste, creed, region or religion. In addition, it is the only regiment which is headed by the President as the honorary Colonel-in-Chief. Another unique feature of the brigade is that in memory of every soldier who dies in action, a tree is planted in “ Shahid Bag” at Kamptee. Addressing a press conference at Chandi Mandir today, Lieut-Gen H. R.S. Maan, the Colonel of the brigade, said the brigade authorities had chalked out a number of welfare schemes for rehabilitation of war widows and soldiers. These schemes would be initiated during the three-day long celebrations at Kamptee. General Maan said a hostel was being set up at Kamptee, where war widows and soldiers would be trained in stitching uniforms. The authorities would also launch a sailing expedition along coastal areas from Mumbai to Orissa during the celebrations. The expedition, was a waiting a final nod from the Navy, he added. General Maan further said in addition to participation of a number of old troops, the celebrations would also witness a reunion of former army commanders, about 15 senior officers and 24 brigadiers. About the future
programmes of the brigade, he said it would be mechanised
in a phased manner. “But all depends on the
availability of resources,” he said. He further said
soon a battalion would participate in the ongoing
anti-insurgency operation in Jammu and Kashmir. |
Telephone
subscriber to be compensated CHANDIGARH, March 22 — The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum-I comprising its President, Dr H.C. Modi and members Dr R.K. Behl and Ms Shashi Kanta has come down heavily on the Telecom Department by imposing cost and compensation of Rs 7,000 on it, besides refund of rentals for arbitrarily disconnecting the telephone of a subscriber. Mr Balkar Singh, in his complaint had alleged that his telephone was disconnected in spite of he having paid all his telephone bills. He said that the payment towards a bill dated June 1, 1996, was made in August 1996 along with the fine, but even then the department disconnected the phone on October 18, 1996 on the plea of non-payment of the June bill. The forum, after going through the records, concluded that the complainant was subscriber to a telephone (673338) and the bill dated June 1, 1996 was to be paid by June 21, 1996. The bill was paid in August 1996 but the telephone in question was disconnected. The connection was not restored till the institution of this complaint. It was restored on June 24 only. They further observed that even if the complainant had defaulted in paying the bill, there was no reason for the department to disconnect the telephone in October 1996. The plea of the department that the complainant did not come to show the receipt after paying the bill dated June 1, 1996, was considered invalid. The members said the moment, the bill had been paid during the subsistence of the connection, then after two months of its payment, the disconnection was not justifiable. They held that it was the duty of the department to ensure that the entries were posted properly about the payment made by the subscriber. Besides granting Rs 7,000, the forum also directed the department to refund or adjust the rental charges for the period commencing from the date of disconnection till its restoration. It said the bill was not to be recovered from the complaint, because the telephone was disconnected despite receiving the payment of the bill. The department could not be given a premium of making charges of the rentals for the period complainant could not use his telephone on account of lapse of the department. Insurance company fined The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum-I comprising its president, Dr H.C. Modi and members Dr R.K. Behl and Ms Shashi Kanta has imposed costs of Rs 2,000 on the New India Assurance Company for delaying the claim amount payable to a complainant. The complainant, Mr Baldev Raj of Panchkula, had alleged that the company had failed to pay Rs 8,970 as assessed by its surveyor on January 12, 1995 in the case of his accidented truck. The company pleaded that the payment could not be made as the required documents were not provided by the complainant. After going through the records, the forum found that the disputed documents regarding ownership of the vehicle had already been given to the surveyor and this fact was even mentioned in his report given in January 1995. The forum concluded that, “the complainant had fulfilled all the requirements which were sought to be completed by the company at the time when the loss was assessed. Hence, the company should have paid the amount immediately thereafter. The very purpose of getting insurance is to get reimbursement of the loss”. The company has been directed to pay Rs 8,970 along with an interest at the rate of 12 per cent with effect from April 12, 1995 till the date of the payment plus Rs 2,000 as costs for the inconvenience caused to the complainant. PANCHKULA Telecom Dept ‘deficient’ The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has held the Telecom Department responsible for deficiency in service by not shifting a telephone connection of a local consumer within the stipulated period. The department has been directed to pay Rs 1000 as compensation to the consumer. The department has further been directed to give a rebate for 50 days to the consumer during which the telephone remained non-functional. The order was passed by Mr R.C.Taneja, President, and Ms Rekha Sharma, Member of the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, on a complaint filed by Mr Sudesh Kumar Gupta. Mr Gupta in his complaint said that he had applied for shifting of his telephone on June 15,1998, from his residence in Panchkula to Chandigarh on account of change of his official address. The application was received at the office concerned of the Telecom Department on the day it was submitted. Despite repeated requests the telephone was not shifted, he alleged. The department in its reply said the application was processed in the office of the Commercial Officer. The advice note to the SDO, Panchkula, for permanent closure and another advice note to the SDO concerned at Chandigarh for starting the telephone at the new address were received on July 2,1998. The telephone was made functional on August 1,1998. The forum in its order
said since the telephone could not be made functional
even after a lapse of 50 days of the submission of
application for shifting the telephone showed deficiency
in service on the part of the Telecom Department. |
Administration
seals front of temple amid protests CHANDIGARH, March 22 — Members of the Punjab unit of the Shiv Sena, Bajrang Dal, Mahadev Dal and the Vishav Hindu Parishad held a rally in front of the Sector 31 Prachin Mandir Baba Balak Nath to condemn the action of the Chandigarh Administration in building a wall to block the front entrance to the temple. Mr Pawan Kumar of the Shiv Sena served a five-day ultimatum on the Chandigarh Administration to remove the wall, failing which it would be removed by sena activists. The Chairperson of the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB), Ms Meenakshi Datta Ghosh, condemned the protest by certain people against the sealing of the front side of the temple. She said it was done to facilitate the upcoming exhibition complex. Ms Ghosh said the original passage and entry to the temple had not been touched. Since the Chandigarh Administration had decided to provide a passage and entry to the temple from behind by recarpeting the road, the protests against the blocking of entry from the front side was “unreasonable and unacceptable”, she said. Saying that the temple had grown from a small patch of land in 1995 to a sprawling 1.5-acre complex by encroaching upon prime land, Ms Ghosh said the prestigious project would be killed if the front side entry was allowed. In fact, the Chandigarh Administration had offered a larger alternative site to the temple authorities which they refused, she said, while appealing to the protesters to discontinue the protest in public interest. She said the entire region
was looking forward for the foundation-laying ceremony on
March 26 by the UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen BKN Chhibber
(retd), which was to be attended by the local MP, Mr Sat
Pal Jain, and representatives of the CII and PHDCCI. |
A test of
courage for road users DERA BASSI, March 22 — Driving on the Dera Bassi - Barwala state highway has become a test of courage for the road users, thanks to the sheer neglect at the part of the authorities concerned. Vehicles start rattling on this bumpy road as one drives towards Barwala subtehsil of Panchkula district. This stretch, nearly of 10 km, of the state highway connecting two states is in a pitiable condition. Residents of more than 10 villages situated along this road usually traverse this stretch. The condition of a stretch of nearly 2 km, near Behra village, is deplorable. Knee-deep potholes make it inconvenient both for pedestrians and the vehicles. Even the cyclists avoid this patch of broken road and prefer to drag their cycles along the sides. Road users have to resort to the “kutcha” road. Ms Roshani Devi, of Haripur village, says this problem becomes worse during rains as the muddy water collects in the potholes. The speeding vehicles pass through the road smear their clothes often, she adds. The in charge of Sher-e-Punjab Autorickshaw Stand, Dera Bassi, Mr Bhola Singh, complains that the road authorities have ignored this state highway. Only recarpeting patch work was done last year when the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, visited the place to lay the foundation stone of a cinema hall. Another resident says due to the bad condition of the road, their vehicles often get minor and major defects. They have to spend nearly half of their earnings on the repairs. The authorities concerned
admitted that the repair work of link roads and state
highway had been given to contractors. |
Animal
corpses in school backyard CHANDIGARH, March 22 — Two schools in Sector 25 face one problem — animals. While the grounds of the Government Girls High School are being used by `jhuggi’ dwellers to slaughter pigs, the plot adjoining the Jawahar Navodya Vidyalaya, is being used to dump dead animals. Behind the high school is a huge ground with a pond of dirty water and beyond it lies Kumhar Colony. The principal of the school, Mrs Swaran Bhatia, says that while the classes are on, the silence on the school campus is shattered by the shrieks of pigs. After a while, silence returns but the concentration of students is a casualty on every such occasion. They look out of the window or try suppressing their giggles and the lecture of the teacher is rendered ineffective. “On one such day, these ‘jhuggiwalas’ made an attempt to slaughter a pig in the backyard of the school. I rushed to the spot and threatened them with police action if they executed their plan. It was only then that they shifted to the ground to slaughter the animal,’’ she says. All attempts to discourage them have failed because each of their pigs is worth Rs 20,000, she adds. “The Administration is now helping us out of this ugly situation by constructing a wall around the school. This will prevent their entry into the school backyard and provide our students with some breathing space”, she said. A boarding school, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, has about 450 students on its campus, besides the staff in separate quarters. The Principal, Mr C.M. Sharma, is annoyed at the way things are progressing. “Earlier, once in a while somebody would come and leave a dead dog or cat at the plot. Besides an increase in the frequency of disposal of these corpses, the problem has grown in shape. Added to dogs and cats, are corpses of cows and buffaloes,” Mr Sharma said. “A foul smell emanates from the adjoining plot due to the decaying bodies of animals and we can do nothing about it. Swarms of flies make a beeline for our school, straight from the filth that surrounds us and it may rise to epidemic proportions,” he rues. He has made efforts to get
the place cleared. He has written to the Chief Medical
Officer about the place being a health hazard and to the
Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh to set the place in
order, but to no avail. “It has been some time now
that I have written to these people and no response from
them has made us resign ourselves to our fate,” he
says.
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Farewell
party for Jagir Kaur CHANDIGARH, March 22 — The Department of Social Security and Women and Child Development, Punjab, hosted a farewell party for Bibi Jagir Kaur, President, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and a former minister, in Sector 34 here today. Speaking on the occasion, Mrs Romila Dubey, Secretary, Department of Social Security, acknowledged the leadership provided by Bibi Jagir Kaur and also congratulated her on being elected as President of the SGPC and on being the first woman to hold this post. Mr R. L. Kalsia, Director, Social Security, said they hoped that they would get the necessary support for the department even in her present position as the SGPC President. Referring to the continuation of the 32 ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) projects, the speakers at the farewell function lauded the efforts made by Bibi Jagir Kaur for the continuation of these projects with state funds till a regular sanction could be given by the Government of India. Bibi Jagir Kaur, while addressing the gathering, said that she would continue to provide her support for the continuation of the 32 ICDS projects and also mentioned that she would not allow the termination of services of the employees of these projects. Mrs Surinder Kaur Grewal,
Chairperson, Women Commission, Punjab and Mrs Gurdial
Kaur Malhan, Chairperson, Department’s Advisory
Board, also felicitated Bibi Jagir Kaur. |
CHANDIGARH, March 22 — Panjab University has despatched the roll number cards of the BA, BSc and BCom first, second and third-year courses, examinations for which are scheduled to commence on April 1. A press note issued here said the roll number cards of the English (compulsory) examination to be held on March 31 had also been despatched. While the cards of the regular students had been sent to the colleges concerned, the private candidates had been sent cards at their respective addresses. The Department of Correspondence Studies had sent cards to the candidates enrolled with it. Those candidates who do not receive their cards by March 27 should visit the office of the Joint Controller of Examination either on March 29 or 30. They must bring with them an attested copy of photograph, a written request and the proofs of the despatch of the examination form and deposit of the examination fee with the university for obtaining the duplicate cards. The press note added that no candidate would be allowed to appear in the examination without producing the original card at the examination centre. Results : The re-evaluation results of the supplementary examination of BA and BSc, held in October last year, will be declared on March 24. The copies of the result gazette will be available at the enquiry counter of the university, on all working days from March 24. Awareness course : A one-day awareness course on legal literacy for aanganwadi workers and lady learners of the post-literacy programme was today jointly organised by the Department of Adult and Continuing Education, Panjab University and the Female Literacy House in Sector 40. As many as 60 women attended the course. Seminar : The University Business School will organise a two-day national seminar on swadeshi from March 23. Mr RK Garg, Chairman of the Steel Strips group, will preside over the seminar. Prof Ashok Mathur from JNU, New Delhi, will deliver the keynote address. Evening
studies’ seminar : The Department of
Evening Studies will organise a seminar on structural
changes and human face on March 25. |
PANCHKULA, March 22 — In a daring incident, an intruder entered a house in Sector 8 here and injured a woman this evening. The unidentified assailant escaped after the woman raised the alarm. He was suspected to be hiding in the back courtyard of the house. He attacked Ashima Palta on her left arm with a sharp-edged weapon. The police has registered a case under Sections 324 and 452 of the IPC. The owner of the house, Mr Kailash Palta, who runs a shop in Motor Market at Old Panchkula, said his wife Kavita, son Amit and daughter-in-law Ashima were at home when the incident occurred. Ashima — who in a state of shock — said she had gone in her bedroom when the assailant, who was apparently hiding behind the door which opened to the backyard of the house, pushed her aside and attacked her. Mr Kailash Palta expressed his unhappiness with the police. He said this was the second incident when intruders tried to sneak into his house. Recently an LPG cylinder was also stolen from the house. Residents of the area said a number of thefts had taken place in the locality in the past few months. In January burglars has set a house on fire before escaping with the booty in the same sector. Injured: Two persons were injured in two separate incidents in the township in the last 24 hours. Om Parkash of Barwala, in his complaint lodged with the police said Ram Pal was injured after being hit by a van (CH-01-N-4775) near Barwala. A case under Sections 279, 336 and 338 of the IPC has been registered against the unidentified van driver. In another case a cyclist was injured after being hit by a Haryana Roadways bus on the road dividing Industrial Area, Phase I and II here. The victim has been admitted to the PGI in Chandigarh. A case under Sections 279 and 337 of the IPC has been registered against the bus driver, Sultan Singh, on the basis of a complaint lodged by Maya Ram. CHANDIGARH Old woman duped: An old woman returning from the market place was duped of her two gold bangles, earrings and a gold chain, besides Rs 3,500 by two young women in Sector 22 this afternoon. Mrs Raj Rani Bahri, aged about 72 years, was returning from the Sector 22 market around 1.30 pm when a woman in her early thirties fell at her feet and started crying claiming that she was pregnant and needed help. Mrs Bahri took pity on the woman and offered her food at her house. The moment Mrs Bahri allowed the pregnant woman to accompany her she was joined in by another woman. The two women then probably made Mrs Bahri smell some intoxicant that made her unconscious. The women then made Mrs Bahri part with her gold ornaments and the cash before handing over a packet to her saying it contained pearls. The family of the woman has lodged a complaint with the police. Cyclist hurt: An unidentified cyclist was seriously injured when he was hit by a car on the busy Chandigarh-Panchkula road this evening. The person was admitted to the PGI. His identity could not be ascertained. Cars stolen: Two Maruti cars have been stolen in separate incidents in the city. A car ( CH-01-J-0060) owned by Mr Hoshiar Singh of Phase III, SAS Nagar, was stolen from Sector 17. Meanwhile a car ( CH-01-M-0900) owned by Mr Rajiv Sharma, was stolen from his Sector 30 residence last night. Liquor seized: Three persons have been nabbed while carrying liquor in varying quantities. Jagat of Sector 14 was nabbed from Sector 24 while carrying 12 bottles of whisky. Jit Singh of Kumhar Colony, Sector 25, was arrested while carrying 50 pouches of whisky. Surat Ram of the same colony was nabbed while carrying 50 pouches of whisky . DERA BASSI Murder suspect: The Lalru police yesterday arrested Babu Ram of Basoli village for killing his grandfather. According to the police, the suspect had hit Inder Ram on the head with an iron rod on March 13. The victim was admitted to the PGI in a critical condition. He died on March 16. The rod used in the crime has been seized and a case under Section 302 of IPC registered. SAS NAGAR Purse snatched: Two scooter-borne men snatched a purse containing Rs 37,000 from Mrs Ajit Kaur in Phase 2 here. The robbers snatched the purse near Government Primary School, Phase 2, after asking the rickshaw-puller to stop on the pretext of enquiring about an address. She was scheduled to go to the USA and had to make arrangements for an air ticket. A complaint has been made
to the police. |
CHANDIGARH, March 22 — In the face of boycott by the BJP-SAD alliance, the ruling group bagged all three posts of chairmen of sub-committees of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC), the elections for which were held today. In the absence of opposition, the councillors of the ruling group were elected unanimously. Mr Raghubir Lal Arora (ruling group) was elected chairman of the roads committee and Dr IC Pathak (nominated) deputy chairman. While a former Mayor, Mrs Kamla Sharma (ruling group), was elected chairperson of the slum development committee, Ms Sunita (Congress) was elected deputy chairperson. Air Marshal R.S. Bedi(retd) of the ruling group was elected chairman of the environment and city beautification committee Mrs Saudamini Bambah (nominated) would be the deputy-chairperson. In the election today, five out of the seven members of the committee were present. Mr Rajinder Kumar (BJP) and Mr R.K. Agarwal (nominated), who is reportedly abroad, were conspicuous by their absence at the meeting of the road committee. Similarly, Mr Rajinder Kumar and Mrs Harjinder Kaur (SAD) stayed away from election to the slum development committee. Mrs Harjinder Kaur and Mr Gian Chand Gupta (BJP) did not participate in the election to the environment and city beautification committee. It may be recalled that the BJP-SAD alliance boycotted the election, alleging that the reconstitution of the committees by the Mayor was “illegal” since the House had not recast them under Section 42 of the Act. It was the House which had powers to recast the panels, and the Mayor could not reconstitute the panels suo motu, the alliance had alleged. The elections to the chairpersons and the deputy chairpersons of the three committees —the house tax assessment committee, legal affairs committee and art, culture and sports committee — would be held tomorrow. This will be followed by
elections to the chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of
the another three committees —apni mandi committee,
the electricity committee and water supply and sewerage
disposal committee on March 24. |
Free camp
for TB patients CHANDIGARH, March 22 — World Tuberculosis Day will be observed by the Department of Chest Diseases and Tuberculosis, Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, on March 24. A free medical camp for patients of TB and other chronic lung problems is being organised between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Doctors will examine patients of bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. The camp is being arranged for the people of Ram Darbar. The necessary
investigations, including chest X-ray and sputum
examination, will be carried out. Besides free medicines
will be supplied. |
Street
plays on drug abuse CHANDIGARH, March 22 — Three street plays on drug abuse awareness were organised by the Drug Awareness, Counselling and Assistance Centre under the aegis of the Servants of the People Society, Lajpat Rai Bhawan, Sector 15, on Monday. The plays were performed
at Dadu Majra village, Janta Colony behind the PEC and
the Sukhna Lake. The plays were directed by Zulfikar and
performed by his theatre group. |
Residents
call on HUDA chief PANCHKULA, March 22 — A delegation of the Residents Welfare Association, Sector 2, met the HUDA Administrator today in connection with the anti encroachment drive aimed at removing hedges and fences in the township. The President of the
association, Mr M.L. Sharma, said the Administrator asked
the residents to leave a 5-foot area from the edges of
the metalled roads on either sides in front of the
houses. HUDA would allow the planting of trees and flower
plants on the space left thereafter to the front boundary
walls, he claimed. |
Ex-servicemen
to fight corruption SAS NAGAR, March 22 — The newly floated All India Ex-Servicemen’s Party has decided to strive against corruption in public life. Addressing a meeting here
today, Brig Harbant Singh (retd), President of the party,
said the members of the party had pledged to remove
corruption and inefficiency from public life in the
country. He said such a step had become necessary as the
people were fed up with hollow promises extended by
politicians and political parties regarding their genuine
demands. |
Tribune
staffer ‘out of danger’ CHANDIGARH, March 22 — The condition of Mr Sanjeev Bariana, Staff Correspondent, The Tribune, was stated to be “out of danger” by doctors attending upon him at the PGI today. He is still in the
Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Mr Bariana had met with a road
accident on March 19. |
Teachers
observe ‘black day’ CHANDIGARH, March 22—To press for the reinstatement of teachers, members of the Nav-Niyukat Adhyapak Union, Punjab, who have been on fast in Sector 17, observed “black day’ today and wore black badges. In a press note issued here today, Mr Pushpinder Singh Harpalpur, the President of the union, said to protest against the action of the Punjab Government terminating the services of teachers who were recruited on an 89 day basis, dharnas were also held at all district headquarters in the state. He further said
preparations had been made for the state-level rally,
scheduled to be held here on March 24. |
Trust set
up SAS NAGAR, March 22 — The 300 Saala Khalsa Charitable Trust has been set up to help ailing and needy people. Stating this here today,
the trust chairman, Dr Jasmer Singh said, the new body
would open charitable hospitals in urban and rural areas
of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and HP for the poor. It
would also organise free medical camps, work for the
welfare of senior citizens. |
HPCL to
help disabled ZIRAKPUR, March 22 — Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) Chandigarh, will organise a function at the Nevedac Prosthetic Centre here tomorrow. During the function
artificial limbs and other rehabilitation aids would be
provided to the physically handicapped belonging to the
SC, ST and OBC communities. |
‘Harassing
public’ CHANDIGARH, March 22 — The local unit of the Samajwadi Janta Party has alleged that police PCR vehicles and motorcycles harass members of the public in the night and especially those vehicles coming from outside. The President of the SJP, Mr Devinder Singh Babla said a seven member team to check the functioning of the PCR vehicles at night had been set up by the party. While demanding a meeting
of the police advisory committee, he said that the PCR
vehicles never reach in time in accident cases. |
PGI staff
defer stir CHANDIGARH, March 22 — The PGI Employees Union once again deferred its scheduled strike following a meeting between the Director, PGI, the local MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain, and employee leaders this evening. The union had been saying that employee would go on an indefinite strike on March 23. A similar strike call was postponed a few days ago also and the employees had resorted to mass casual leave. The union claimed tonight that negotiations were on and a meeting of the parties that met today had been scheduled for March 27. The general body would
review the situation at 5.30 pm on March 27 to decide the
further course of action, the union said. Before the
union could call off its proposed strike the PGI
Engineering Technical Workers Association had informed
the media that it would not participate in the strike. |
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