Tuesday, May 11, 1999
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N E W S Tuesday, May 11, 1999 |
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Industrial
Area kabari market gutted CHANDIGARH, May 10 — Goods worth several lakhs of rupees were destroyed in a major fire which broke out in an unauthorised scrap market of Industrial Area,Phase II, here this morning. According to eyewitnesses, the fire broke out around 8.30 a.m. as sparks from the piles of leaves and dry garbage set ablaze by sanitation staff near the unauthorised kabari market gutted the market. Mr Shri Pal Garg, an entrepreneur, who was among the first to notice the fire said that he first noticed it around 8.30 a.m. and informed the fire brigade and the police. The first fire brigade vehicle took about half-an-hour to arrive, he added. The President of the Kabari Welfare Association, Mr Prem Chand Singla, alleged that though he forewarned the sanitation staff not to burn the dry leaves close to the market, they did not heed to his advice. Polythene bags, wooden items, used oil and raddi were among the major items which were gutted in the fire. The total loss was estimated at over Rs 8 lakh, he claimed. As many as 10 fire engines struggled for over four hours to put out the blaze. The fire personnel's job was made difficult by the strong winds. Embers could seen well after three hours and it took the firemen a lot of time to extinguish them. Meanwhile, Mr Rajiv Gupta, Secretary of the Federation of of the Small Scale Industries, has demanded the removal of unauthorised kabariwalas from the Industrial Area. He alleged that though the association had taken up the issue of illegal occupation of the government land worth crores of rupees with the Estate Office many a time, yet nothing had been done. The mushrooming of the kabariwalas in industrial area had led to an increase in thefts in the area as the thieves had a ready market to sell the stolen items, he complained. Dr Sarvinder Gandhok, who runs a clinic near the spot of the fire, while demanding the removal of the unauthorised scrap dealers from the area, alleged that the mushrooming of the scrap dealers in the area was major health and fire hazards. As the their number was
increasing, they endangered the lives and properties of
the other entrepreneurs, alleged industrialists. |
Sec 6
hedges demolished on HC order PANCHKULA, May 10 — The drive to remove hedges and fences in front of houses in Sector 6, which was suspended two months ago, was started again today by the enforcement staff of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) and workers of the engineering cell. The drive has been restarted following directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to demolish the illegally raised fences, hedges and other structures raised in front of houses in Sector 6 here. HUDA has been directed to submit a compliance report in the court on May 13. The high court gave the directions after some residents of Sector 6 went to the court when the demolition drive was launched by HUDA in March last. The authorities said that the open spaces meant for laying pipes, wires etc for essential services and for pedestrians to walk had been covered by the residents. More than 180 hedges and fences were removed then before the drive was suspended. In today's drive, workers of the enforcement cell of the local estate office and officials of the engineering cell of HUDA led by two bulldozers demolished a number of such unauthorised structures in Sector 6. The officials supervising the operation said they plan to remove all such structures in the sector in the next two days. For the purpose at least two more bulldozers are likely to be requisitioned tomorrow. Meanwhile, HUDA has reportedly formulated a policy to check encroachments by residents growing fences, hedges or other type of enclosures outside the boundary walls of their houses. The policy, which consists of a fresh set of guidelines would be applicable in all urban estates of HUDA. Sources said the
residents would be allowed to grow trees and maintain
lawns but no fencing, hedges or other type of enclosures
would be allowed in the open spaces.
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PEC likely
to raise UT pool to 85 per cent CHANDIGARH, May 10—A move to adopt the Delhi pattern of admission to technical institutions of the city is on the anvil. There is pressure to increase the quota of students competing for the engineering seats, having taken their plus one and plus two class examinations from any of the city schools or colleges. At present, in the UT, 60 per cent seats are reserved for students who have taken their plus one and two examinations from the city, besides qualifying the entrance test, whereas the remaining 40 per cent have been kept for students from other states. There is a demand to raise the UT pool to 85 per cent, keeping the remaining 15 per cent for the outsiders. This pattern is in consonance with the pattern being followed by Government Medical College for admission since its inception. The students of UT are at a disadvantage as far as admissions to these colleges are concerned. With limited colleges at their disposal comprising Punjab Engineering College, the College of Architecture and the Department of Chemical engineering and Technology for degree courses through the Common Entrance Test conducted by Panjab University and Central Polytechnic and Women's Polytechnic which offer diplomas after qualifying the Joint Entrance Test conducted by Punjab State Board of Technical Education and UT, these students have limited scope of admission. In the state of Punjab , the mode of admission adopted for entry into these institutions is that 90 per cent seats are reserved for students completing their plus two level from schools in the state while the remaining 10 per cent goes to students with a domicile of the place. In Haryana, 80 per cent seats are reserved for students who are residents of the state while 20 per cent are allotted to those with a domicile of the state. In the Delhi pattern, however, 85 per cent are for students from the various colleges of Delhi whereas 15 per cent are reserved for outsiders. The students taking their examinations in UT can primarily avail themselves of admission to UT engineering colleges since states like Punjab and Haryana are committed to giving all seats to their students without showing inclination to taking in students from other states. The Home and Education Secretary, Mrs Anuradha Gupta, is considering the demand in a positive light. This is indicated from the fact that she had asked the Director, Technical Education, Dr S.K. Aggarwal, to submit copies of the prospectus of engineering and medical colleges of Punjab , Haryana and Delhi, which he has already sent. Sources point out that
the only hitch in the matter is that the Education
Department has been unable to make up its mind about
whether it wants to implement the proposed quota from
this session or from the next. The Combined Entrance Test
for the session is scheduled for May 22. |
City
medicos get degrees CHANDIGARH, May 10 — As many as 140 students, including 38 in absentia, were awarded degrees at the first convocation of the local Government Medical College at Bhargava Auditorium of the PGI here today. Lieut-Gen B.K.N. Chhibber (retd), who was the chief guest, honoured Shalini Grover, Alka Rani and Harinder Pal Singh, for being adjudged as the best graduates of 1991, 1992 and 1993, respectively. In his convocation address, General Chhibber urged for the designing of new methods of healthcare which are affordable, easy to administer and within the needs of the common man. Since a large proportion of the Indian population lives below the poverty line, the medical graduates should make themselves available to the needs of the less-privileged sections. Expressing concern at the various infections, including HIV and AIDS, he requested the medical fraternity to put collective efforts to defeat these diseases. Earlier, in his welcome address, the Director-Principal of the college, Prof V.K. Kak, while giving a historical perspective of the college, informed that the first convocation was delayed as the Medical Council recognised the college permanently only in October, 1998. A total of 246 students are currently on rolls. The first three batches, of 1996,1997 and 1998, have already completed their compulsory internship. The students were doing well in all fields, he added. Over 400 papers had been published by the faculty of the college. Prof Harsh Mohan, Prof Krishan Vij and Dr Jagdish Chander have written textbooks in their respective fields, he said, adding that a number of faculty members, including Prof Harsh Mohan, Prof Raj Bahadur, Prof B.S. Chavan, Prof Arjun Dass, Prof M.S. Sekhon, Dr Jagdish Chander and Dr R.K. Gupta, have been elected as members of the National Academy of Medical Sciences, he added. Apart from this, Prof S.P. Kaushik, Prof Raj Bahadur, Dr Pawanindra Lal, Prof H.S. Malhotra, Prof B.S. Chavan, Dr Manjeet Talwar and Dr Suman Kochhar have been awarded prestigious fellowships, Professor Kak added. Block B, meant for the
OPDs was ready and Block C for various wards and
operation theatres was almost complete. These will be
shifted soon, he added. |
Light
drizzle brings relief CHANDIGARH, May 10 — A light drizzle and breeze brought cheer to the city residents who have been groaning under a heatwave for the past few weeks, with temperatures rising several degrees above normal. Since morning, the skies were overcast and a strong breeze and a light drizzle in the afternoon brought down temperatures by a few degrees. According to the local meteorological office, the trace of rain could not be recorded, but the maximum temperature recorded was 33.6° today as compared to a maximum of 39.6° yesterday. The city has witnessed the hottest days during this month since 1993, with temperatures touching 42.6° in the past 10 days. As per the figures available with the met office, in the past few years the normal rainfall recorded was in the vicinity of 17.2 mm, but this year, there has been no trace of it so far. Meanwhile, the skies
remained cloudy all day long. |
Delhi
Magistrate cross-examined CHANDIGARH, May 10 — Mr Rajinder Kumar, Metropolitan Magistrate of Delhi, was today cross-examined by the defence before the Sessions Judge, Mr B.S. Bedi, in the ongoing Beant Sigh assassination case. He told the court that an application for recording the statements of three witnesses, Tejinder Pal Singh, Gurpreet Singh and Gurinder Singh, were first moved by the APP of his court on behalf of the DSP of the CBI S.N. Saxena. He revealed that this application did not bear the endorsement “forwarded” by the APP. Mr Rajinder Kumar said he had asked the witnesses to appear before him at 3 p.m. And when they came, he called them one by one to his chamber and recorded their statements. He also told the court that he had recorded the statements in his own hand. He said he had first recorded the statement of Tejinder Pal Singh. The remaining two witnesses were asked to sit in his courtroom under the supervision of his peon. Before recording the statements, the Investigating Officer was asked to identify the witnesses and then leave the courtroom. In reply to a question,
he said he came to know that the statements were being
recorded in the Beant Singh assassination case. |
Illegal
structures demolished KHARAR, May 10 — Fifteen structures, including shops and boundary walls, were demolished here today by the Central Works Department of PWD (B&R), Mohali. The structures had allegedly been built on PWD land on the Kharar-Chandigarh National Highway no. 21. The Executive Engineer, Sub Divisional Engineer and Assistant Engineer of the department supervised the whole operation which was carried on with the help of a JCB machine. Even a portion of the building of the State Bank of Patiala was demolished. According to supervising officers, the cases of these buildings had already been decided by the Collector, Kharar, long ago in favour of the government and orders were passed to demolish these structures. They said the department had to file an affidavit in the Punjab and Haryana High Court till May 20 that all encroachements on roads have been removed. They said these persons had been informed by the department two three days ago through public address system.The demolition work continued till late in the evening today and is expected to continue tomorrow also. Meanwhile, many residents expressed the view that as the government had removed these structures and vacated government land, some parking lots should be constructed here or the road should be metalled. They said many
structures were demolished two three months ago in Kharar
but till now no action had been taken by the government
to use this land. |
PSEB
detects fraud by publisher SAS NAGAR, May 10 — The Punjab School Education Board authorities have detected a fraud relating to board approved textbooks published by private publishers. In a press note issued here today, the board authorities said that it was found that a Delhi based publisher has published a book on Indian political theory and system, though the orders for the same was accorded by the board authorities to a Jalandhar based publisher. The board authorities
after a preliminary enquiry, have decided to lodge an FIR
in the case. It was also found that a number of
unscrupulous publishers have been publishing books
without the approval of the board by forging letters of
order, a board spokesman said. |
Punjab
pensioners flay Badal DERA BASSI, May 10 — To press the acceptance of their long-pending demands, members of the Punjab State Pensioners Confederation (PSPC) held a dharna, here today. Wearing black badges, more than 250 Punjab Government and semi-government pensioners, from various parts of the state, gathered at the local bus stand and raised slogans against the state government. They criticised Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister, for not considering their demands, not holding any meeting with their representatives and not implementing the resolution of UNO for the welfare and service of old age pensions, during his tenure of more than two years. The confederation is demanding the release of dearness allowance , merger of 97 per cent dearness allowance with the basic pension, fixed medical allowance of Rs 500 per month, release of list of chronic diseases maintaining status-quo of reimbursement as was prevalent before January 1998, travel concession benefit to family pensioners, 50 per cent concession in bus fare in state transport and the implementation of the decision of the Supreme Court of India in the Dr Asa case in favour of employees retired before March 31, 1985. Mr Ajit Singh Bagri, General Secretary of the confederation, while addressing the gathering condemned the undemocratic, anti-pensioner and anti-people decision of the government for imposing Section 144 Cr.P.C.in Dera Bassi. He threatened that the agitation would be intensified if their genuine demands were not be accepted immediately. The other leaders who addressed the included rally Mr B. R. Kaushal, Mr J. S. Dhillon, Mr Darshan Singh, Mr Prem Sagar Sharma, Mr Ram Rachhpal, Mr Bharat Singh and Mr Tara Singh. Later, a delegation of
the confederation members submitted a memorandum of its
demands to the Sub Divisional Magistrate, Mr Sher Singh
Sidhu. |
Rafting
expedition flagged off CHANDIGARH, May 10 — A white water rafting expedition of the Regiment of Artillery was flagged off in the Ganga at Rudraprayag for Srinagar today. The expedition of 34 members consists of personnel of Jat Balwan, a prestigious unit of the regiment, and was flagged off by Col V V Raghavan, Commanding Officer of the unit. The expedition will cover a total stretch of 150 km in the river from Rudraprayag to Rishikesh. The gunners have always been involved in many adventure activities and this unit has the honour of being a torch bearer in adventure sports. Major-Gen K C Padha, General Officer Commanding of the Golden Arrow, said it was a befitting tribute to commemorate the spirit of the Year of the Jawan. Brig H R Sharma, Commander of the Artillery Brigade, in his message said adventure sports besides fostering a sense of adventure and espirit de corps among the participants also develops the qualities of courage, determination and coordination which are the essential ingredients of a soldier. The rafting expedition
after being flagged off will negotiate grade 2to grade 4
rapids along Srinagar - Devprayag - Kaudilaya-Shivpuri. |
Claims,
objections to be scrutinised CHANDIGARH, May 10 — With the exercise of filling forms for inclusion, deletion and alteration of names in the voters list finishing with the conclusion of the special campaign for revision of electoral rolls, the UT Election Commission is now all set to scrutinise the claims and objections, if any. The residents can appear for hearing on May 17 before the Additional Electoral Registration Officers at the centres already intimated to them for producing evidence in their favour. But if the AERO is not satisfied with the evidence, he will issue notices to them for producing satisfactory evidence. However, the relevant forms for affecting necessary changes in the electoral roll or photo identity card can still be submitted to the Electoral Registration Officer, Estate Office, Sector 17, till May 20. The exercise of physical verification for age and proof of residence will also be undertaken in certain cases before finalising the voters list in July. Though nearly a lakh forms have already been distributed during the special campaign, the exact number of genuine voters will be clear only once the cases lacking proper evidence are disposed of. Meanwhile, the acting President of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee, Mr Baljit Singh Balle, has appealed to the UT Election Commission to give some more time for the electoral roll revision so as to enable more and more people to get their names registered in the voters list. He has in a press
statement issued here today stated that many people
residing in Indira Colony, Mani Majra, Pipliwala town,
Subhash Nagar, villages Dadu Majra, Mauli Jagran and
Khuda Ali Sher have not been able to get their names
registered in the voters list. The General Secretary of
the committee, Mr Gurdip Singh Sidhu, has alleged that at
many centres the polling staff on duty were misleading
people at the time of completing the formalities. |
Anuradha
to stay till elections CHANDIGARH, May 10 — The Home Secretary of Chandigarh, Mrs Anuradha Gupta, is likely to serve the Union Territory till at least the Lok Sabha elections are held. According to information received here, the Election Commission of India has not agreed to the transfer of Mrs Gupta, who is also the Chief Election Officer of the Union Territory. The proposal for her transfer was sent for clearance to the Election Commission after it was approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC). The committee had also approved the appointment of Mr N.K. Jain, a Haryana-cadre IAS officer, as the Home Secretary of Chandigarh. Mrs Gupt’s four-year tenure will expire in October next. According to informed
sources, full Election Commission comprising the Chief
Election Commissioner, Dr Manohar Singh Gill, and two
Election Commissioners, Mr G.V.G. Krishnamurti and Mr J.M
Lyngdoh, met and discussed the transfer of Mrs Gupta last
week. The Commission is believed to have taken the view
that Mrs Gupta cannot be relieved as the Chief Election
Officer of Chandigarh at this stage when the revision of
electoral rolls is in full swing. |
Alisha to
meet fans today CHANDIGARH, May 10 — Alisha Chinai, the 'Made in India' diva will be in the city tomorrow to promote her new album 'Dil Ki Rani', whose track 'Wah-Wah' is doing the rounds of music channels these days. The pop singer would
interact with her fans at Chandigarh Music Centre, Sector
18, and Deepak Radio, Sector 17, tomorrow evening. A 'Dil
ki Rani' contest would also be held. Four lucky winners
would get the opportunity to dine with the pop star at a
hotel, while another 250 would get copies of her latest
album 'Dil Ki Rani'. |
B.Com-III
paper on May 26 CHANDIGARH, May 10 — To avoid clash of B. Com part-III examination with the chartered accountancy paper on May 12, the B. Com third year paper slated for May 12 has been postponed to May 26. The time and centre of
the examination, however, will remain the same, a press
note issued by the Controller of Examination of Panjab
University said here today. |
SNIPPETS Rally by UT powermen CHANDIGARH, May 10 — Members of the UT Powermen Union held a rally in front of the office of the SDO, Electricity Operation, Mani Majra, today. The agitators were decrying the failure of the Administration in providing adequate power and water supply to the residents. They threatened to launch an agitation if something was not done in this context by the authorities soon. The protesters were addressed by leaders of various other trade unions. Other demands raised at the rally include release of bonus for the year 1997-99, DA instalment at the rate of 10 per cent, grant of PSEB scales to left-out categories of employees, time-bound promotions, risk and shift duty allowance, raise in conveyance and special allowances, besides creation of more posts in view of the increased workload. One killed in mishap PANCHKULA, May 10 — One person was killed after being crushed under a truck near Behad village in Chandimandir on Sunday. According to information available, the deceased, Sanjeev Kumar, was resting on a cot when the truck while being reversed by Balwinder Singh, crushed him. The Chandimandir police has registered a case against the truck driver under Sections 279 and 304-A of the IPC on the basis of a statement given by Mam Chand, a resident of Behad village. Colony Number 10 residents protest CHANDIGARH, May 10 — Residents of Colony number 10 in Sector 49 held a rally at the Chandigarh Housing Board Chowk here today in protest against the demolition of their houses by the Chandigarh Administration recently.In a memorandum the UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen BKN Chhibber (retd), they demanded their rehabilitation and water and electricity supply to the colony. 300 students take part in quiz PANCHKULA, May 10 — An inter-school quiz competition was organised by a software firm at its local office here today. The Director of the firm, Mr Avinash Kaul, said over 300 students from different schools participated in the preliminary rounds of the quiz competition. Ten students of 10th class and four students of 12th class qualified for the final round of the quiz competition which was held today. Ms Harpreet, a student of DC Model School, won the crown of computer queen while a team of Bhavan Vidyalaya — Narinder Puri and Nipun Arora —won the crown of computer king. Later, Mr Kaul also distributed certificates to the participants. Land for bhavan ‘to be
given’ CHANDIGARH, May 10 — Mrs Anuradha Gupta, the UT Home Secretary, has exhorted the people to launch a crusade against degradation of moral values, which was the biggest threat to society. Mrs Gupta, was speaking at a function organised by the local Vishwakarma Sabha to honour Mr Rattan Dev Jangir for his feat of holding backward foot march. While lauding the efforts of Mr Jangir, she asked the youth to follow his footsteps and take inspiration from his life. She expressed concern over the perishing of traditional values, particularly in villages, and asked the youth to revive these values. She assured that the land for construction of Vishwakarma Bhavan in the city would be provided as per norms laid by the UT Administration. Mr Satya Pal Jain, the local MP, said Mr Jangir has not brought laurels to the Vishwakarma Samaj only but to the entire country. Mr Pawan Bansal, former MP, also paid obeisance to Lord Vishwakarma. Mr K.K. Adiwal, the local Mayor and Mr Balbir Singh Jangir, the President of the local Jangir Brahman Sabha also spoke on the occasion. 'Make Red Cross mass movement' CHANDIGARH, May 10—Lt-Gen B.K.N. Chhibber, Administrator, UT, has appealed to voluntary and non-government organisations to make Red Cross movement a mass movement. He was addressing Red Cross volunteers who called on him on the occasion of World Red Cross Day at Punjab Raj Bhavan here today. He said the Red Cross had been engaged in mitigating the suffering of humanity. He called upon Red Cross volunteers to work in remote villages to provide the villagers with basic health care and make them aware of common diseases. The Administrator announced a grant of Rs 30,000 for the organisation. Earlier, the volunteers pinned a Red Cross flag on the Administrator. He launched a voluntary collection drive by making a contribution in the Red Cross box. BJP functionary to visit city CHANDIGARH, May 10 — Mr Sanghpriya Gautam, a General Secretary of the All-India Bharatiya Janata Party, will visit Chandigarh tomorrow. In the morning he will address a press conference at UT Guest House while in the evening he will launch the “Shaktishali Bharat”, a new programme which the BJP is launching countrywide on the eve of ensuing elections. The All-India BJP President, Mr Thakre, will be in Amritsar tomorrow for the “Shaktishali Bharat” programme. Stir by public health staff CHANDIGARH, May 10 — Members of the United Front Public Health Employees Union today observed a demands day to highlight their problems. Mr Harbans Singh, president of the union, said the union had been agitating for a long time but to no avail. The Administration has adopted an anti-worker stance, he alleged. The demands of the union
include release of bonus, DA, HRA, and CCA to daily
wagers from Jan 1,1996, regularisation of work charged
employees, provision of leave and medical allowance to
such workers, besides treating those employees
transferred from the Administration to the municipal
corporation as being on deputation. |
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