PUDA plan to remove house hedges
Tribune News Service

SAS NAGAR, Oct 14 — A major drive to remove hedges, fences, grills, and tow walls raised by residents in front of their houses in the township is in the offing. But before the drive, the local estate office of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) has decided to give a 10 day time to the house owners to remove the encroachments on their own failing which these would be removed at the cost of the violators.

The 10 days period would end on October 25, after which the enforcement staff of the estate office would launch the drive starting from Phase 1. Though issuing notices to the house owners in this regard had been a practice of PUDA, the move to go ahead with the drive was the outcome of the large-scale encroachments by residents in the township.

Such was the scale of violations that some residents had come right up to the road berms — blocking the view of the road users leading to road accidents, especially in case of corner houses. Action against the residents, who had raised unauthorised construction in the backyard of their houses or had opened gates — facing a road — at the back or side of their houses was also on the anvil.

Sources said the cost of demolishing unauthorised structures and removing the malba was being worked out by the officials concerned. The Additional Chief Administrator (ACA), SAS Nagar, Mr Dipinder Singh, when contacted said the drive would be launched in coordination with the municipal councillors and the residents welfare associations of the phases concerned.

A municipal councillor of Phase 3B 1, Mr Amrik Singh Bhatti, said the step taken by PUDA was in the right direction. He said earlier he had gone from door to door in his ward urging the residents to remove the violations.

On the question of the residents objecting to the freely moving stray cattle and pigs, which caused damage to unprotected green spaces developed by residents in front of their houses, the ACA said he had written to the municipal council to check the menace. The Executive Officer of the council had been asked to look for land to establish a ‘ gaushala’.

It may be pertinent to mention here that recently PUDA had framed a policy to allow specific use of “available” green spaces adjoining corner plots after payment of certain amount of fee. But very few house owners has applied under the policy so far.

Focus on impact of liberalisation
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 14 — Professor Utsa Patnaik, Centre for Economic Studies and Dean, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, delivered a lecture on “Economic liberalisation and the impact on Indian agriculture,” organised by the ICSSR North-Western Regional Centre, Panjab University, here today.

She focused on the impact of liberalisation on employment and unemployment in the agriculture sector and shift in the cropping pattern. Prof Patnaik cautioned about the dangers of liberalisation which included adverse impact on the poor and deprived sections. She pointed out that unplanned and sudden expansion of cotton cultivation and subsequent crash in the world prices leading to suicides by cotton farmers needed to be taken seriously. She highlighted the fact that the cropping pattern changed in the wake of economic liberalisation had a negative fallout as undue emphasis had only meant a reduction in area under food crops.

Secondly, reduce public investment in the agriculture sector had adversely affected productivity and food availability. Thirdly, the highly differentiated nature of population in terms of income levels implied that actual food availability per capita had fallen. The fact was that per capita intake in rural areas in a very large number of states was declining.

Prof Patnaik called for greater public investment rather than government withdrawing from the scene. She later answered queries of the audience comprising of students, research scholars and faculty members of various social science departments of the university and colleges.

While Prof K.Gopal Iyer from the Department of Sociology chaired the session, Prof Swarnjit Mehta, Honorary Director, ICSSR, proposed a vote of thanks.

Cash-starved, still enthusiastic
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 14 — In the era of satellite television, Ramlila, the story of victory of good over evil, continues to retain its magic if the enthusiasm of those connected with it is any indication. A survey of various Ramlilas revealed that resource crunch with various Ramlila committees had failed to deter religious-minded persons from staging Ramlilas.

"Despite problem of collections, we have been able to continue the show," said Mr Rajiv Sharma, Chairman of the Sri Raghukul Ramlila Committee. The committee stages Ramlila in Sector 21.

Mr Shamsher Dogra, stage secretary, said members of the committee had to shell out money from their pockets to meet the expenses. He demanded that the Chandigarh Administration reduce the amount of electricity security, which was over Rs 2,500, and charge the committees at domestic rates.

Almost all actors said acting and religious sentiments drove them to rehearse for about two months. "It is a hobby emanating from devotion to Lord Rama," said Mr Anil Kumar Pappu and Mr Raja, performing the roles of Lord Rama and Lakshman, respectively, at the Sector 21 Ramlila.

Mr Paramjit Singh, an employee of the UT Police, is playing Lord Rama in the Sector 20 Ramlila. He said he had graduated to this role after playing Meghnad and Lakshman.

The quality of amateur actors was good and a majority of them could put to shame upstart actors, seen in run-of-the-mill serials beamed on various satellite channels. Most actors said they took to acting at this time of the year without expecting monetary benefits.

While the actors put their best foot forward, public interest was waning, said Mr Amar Nath, director of the Sector 21 Ramlila. The quality of actors was good, though there was emphasis on dramatisation on the pattern of television serials, he added.

Meanwhile, the Ramlila organised by the OCF Sankritik Manch at Sector 29 had a revolving stage. Four scenes could be enacted without wasting any time.

Leisure valley under development
By Varinder Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 14 — Known as an eyesore, the tail point of the Sector 23 Leisure Valley along Dakshin Marg is being developed into a garden by the UT Horticulture Department.

The 4.5-acre, on which a garden in coming up these days at a fast pace, had been lying neglected and was being used by the people as a place to dump trash and malba.

But taking an initiative at the request of the Sector 23 Residents Welfare Association, the horticulture wing of the UT Engineering Department started work in August, relating to construction of footpaths and laying of grass. The first phase of the project involved an expenditure of about Rs 5 lakh. “The construction work, except that of a bridge, is almost over and grass has been planted in the area,” said a senior officer.

Presently, officials of the department are busy making a bundh along the nullah to protect the soil erosion caused by it during monsoons. “The plantation work involving plantation of 200-500 saplings of large flowering and other trees and other seasonal varieties of flowering plants is on and will be completed within 8-10 days,” said officials of the department.

According to sources in the department, a unique plantation scheme was being adopted to minimise the impact of the foul smell emanating from the nullah passing through the valley. “For this purpose, we have planned to do plantation of aromatic trees and plants, including morraya, gardenia, champa and plumeria, along the nullalh,” he said, adding that with a view to providing privacy to users of the garden by giving a “curtain” of cajurina and weeping willow trees along the boundary of the place. This apart, the department has planned to plant a number of varieties of seasonal flowers, including chorsia.

According to officials, the place would offer an excellent walking track for morning walkers and would be a boon for the residents who would be able to breathe cleaner air due to the presence of a large number of trees and plants. The garden will be opened to public immediately after the completion of the work on the project.