A ‘copy’ of Gurdas Mann
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 21 — Ashok Mastee, the new Punjabi pop sensation, has one thing in common with the undisputed king of Punjabi folk music, Gurdas Mann — their birth place, Gidderbaha.

And Ashok minces no words in admitting that his style, his dress and conduct on the dais in the initial years was a "copy" of Gurdas Mann.

"He has been the inspiration, a role model for me. And then the same dialect also brought me closer to his style. It is but natural that I inherited some of the finer points of the trade from my role model, my idol," says Ashok Mastee, who was here in the town in connection with promotion of his new album "Yeh Hai Mastee".

Chandigarh is not new to him. It was here in the late 80s that he took active part in theatre here. Ashok worked with Kamal Vidrohi before migrating to Delhi in 1990. Since then, he has been mainly in music and has performed almost everywhere, including Mumbai, Jaipur, Calcutta and other places.

Though he has performed at Ludhiana, Jalandhar and his own home town of Faridkot many a times he has seldom got into media limelight. His latest album, his second after "Munde Vikaoo Ne", has been well received. It comprises of eight tracks of classic and traditional Punjabi songs which have been reworked to suit contemporary tastes besides retaining original essence.

One of the songs "Roti piche" (for livelihood) is a poignant reproach to all those who left the majestic lands of Punjab to earn their livelihood abroad. He has also worked on Shaukat Ali's "Bey Mulley" so well that its universality and application remains in full force.

Ashok Mastee says that he had training in classical music for two years and worked with Mr Charanjit Ahuja, Music Director of HMV, for four years. It was Jasbir Jassi, his friend, who introduced him to Times Music.

He has recently performed in Lahore besides travelling to North America for stage performances.

"My experience on the stage stands me in good stead. I never compromise on the poetry, lyrics and contents of my songs. They all convey a message," adds Ashok Mastee who does not limit his musical target segment to any particular community. Besides, he believes in creating musical offerings meant to be enjoyed by every member of the family. Nothing in his performances ever offends the sensibilities of anybody, concludes Ashok Mastee.

'Lawns necessitate more water'
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 21— A cross-section of city residents have favoured the early clearance of the revised plan of Phase IV of the augmentation of the water supply scheme at Kajauli, near here.

Subsequent to a story published in these columns today about the Ministry of Urban Development's letter to the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) stating that there was no need to consider the Phase IV at this stage, a majority of the residents TNS talked to were of the view that due to the "peculiar" character of the city its needs were different from the other cities and more water should be made available to it.

Mr Satya Pal Jain, MP in the dissolved Lok Sabha, said technically, the city might be having more per capita water, but the fact remained that there was a shortage of water. "Till today, we have not been able to provide water to a number of labour colonies," he said.

Since the city had large gardens, including gardens in the houses, and open spaces which needed a lot of water, the comparison between Chandigarh and other cities was not right, he added.

Saying that he would take up issue with the ministry concerned in New Delhi, he hoped that matter would be sorted out and the plan cleared.

Stressing the need for early clearance of the revised plan as the population was rising at a fast rate, the Mayor, Mr Kewal Krishan Addiwal, was of the view that because of gardens and open spaces, the city required more water, particularly during the summer season.

On the hike of water tariff to curb the wastage of water, he said the proposal could only be considered when the civic body was able to provide water three times a day. He ruled out the revision of water tariff during the summer this year.

Chandigarh is an expanding city with a lot of construction activity and migratory population and the Central Government should take all these aspects into consideration while taking a decision on the revised plan, opined Mr Prem Sagar Jain, a former Senior Deputy Mayor and member of the Water and Sewerage Disposal Committee of the civic body.

Since the demand shoots up to 90 million gallons per day (MGDs) in the summer as against about 53 MGDs from the Kajauli Waterworks, he wanted that steps should be taken so that this basic necessity was provided to all residents. He, however, agreed with the proposal of the Central Government that recycled water should be used for the watering of lawns and open spaces.

Maj-Gen Rajinder Nath (Retd), a nominated councillor, while saying that the availability of water was adequate for the population, laid more emphasis on conservation of water, particularly by the persons having big lawns.

A hike in tariff, coupled with systematic stoppage of wastage of water, would go a long way in conserving the water, he said, adding the revised plan should not be given up.

A Reader in the Department of Sociology in Panjab University, Dr Rajesh Gill, while saying that the national norms for the consumption of water were lop-sided, said it was difficult to project the demands of the next 20 years. Advocating a partial hike in tariff, particularly in case of those running commercial establishments from residences, she said raising of own resources was a must

Despite the fact that provision of basic amenities, including water to the slum dwellers had its political dimensions, people must pay for services, she added.

Shortage of pipes hits water supply
From Our Correspondent

RATWARA (KHARAR), May 21— Supply of drinking water to several peripheral villages has been affected due to insufficient pipes.

More than eight villages, including Ratwara, Salamatpur and Paintpur, are facing a tough time this summer. Villagers said the water pressure in the villages was low and no new water supply pipes had been laid for the past 15 years.

Water in this area is supplied from Mullanpur- Garibdass village, which supplies water to about 10 more villages. Sources revealed that water supply to the area had been affected by the increase in load.

According to Mr Kuldeep Singh of Salamatpur village, the water supply to his village was for about five hours a day, with water pressure also being low. The problem became acute when water supply pumps developed snags and it took days to repair and resume normal functioning, he added.

Sources said the problem could not be eradicated until the pipes were changed. The pipes had been laid according to the capacity then but with time, the population increased and so did the number of water consumers.

Sources further said the pipes laid down were less in diameter, which caused a reduction in the water pressure.

Villagers also complained of less water connections. According to Ms Suhag Rani, they had to rely upon the water taps in lanes. "It will be convenient for us if more connections are given at our residences", she said.