Tuesday, October 19, 1999
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N E W S Tuesday, October 19, 1999 |
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weather spotlighttoday's calendar |
Administration
gears up for Dasehra CHANDIGARH, Oct 18 — Arrangements and festivities are in full swing to celebrate Dasehra in the city that will mark the symbolic victory of good over evil and the culmination of the 10-day long Ramlila — the depiction of epic Ramayana. Dasehra that falls tomorrow is being celebrated at 29 places all over the city. Till this evening the office of the District Magistrate had issued permissions to 29 various organisations to burn the effigy of the three mythological demons — Ravana, Meghnada and Kumbhkarna. Meanwhile, the police has issued its own set of instructions for the staff to manage the festival. The police will be setting up nakas at vantage points. An Inspector-level official will be the in charge of each Dasehra. He will be given four Sub-Inspectors and ASI-rank officials, besides a staff strength of three head constables, five women police personnel and 40 other ranks. Another 20 to 30 Home Guards volunteers will be deployed in Dasehra where more rush is expected. Each tableaux will be accompanied by policemen in plain clothes. Besides, a DSP-rank official has been made in charge of three to five Dasehra grounds. The number varies according to the expected rush for the celebrations. The organisers have been asked to barricade their enclosures. A reserve police force has also been kept for the purpose, while the respective police stations have been asked to make arrangements for patrolling, besides additional staff from other wings has been put on duty. All over the city colourful effigies of Ravana, Meghnada and Kumbhkarna have been put up. The effigy making process takes nine to 10 days. The costs are anything between Rs 14,000 and Rs 15,000 for the three effigies. PANCHKULA: The District Administration has made adequate arrangements to manage the 3000-odd crowd likely to throng the Parade Ground in Sector 5 on the occasion of Dasehra. While the area has been barricaded, steps to ensure that no untoward incident takes place when the crackers go off, have also been taken. The crackers will go off only in the area earmarked for the purpose. The area around the effigies has also been cordoned off. As many as 150 police personnel have been deployed to manage the crowd and three nakas in the area set up. Twenty plainclothesmen will mingle with the crowd while a striking reserve force of over 20 men will be stationed outside. Besides the regular police control rooms, two additional patrolling parties have been pressed into service. Arrangements to post a fire-engine and an ambulance outside the venue have also been made. Organised by the
Panchkula Sanatan Dharma Sabha, the celebrations will
commence around 3 p.m. with a cultural programme
following which the effigies of the three demons, Ravana,
Meghnad and Khumbkarna will go up in flames. |
Supervise kids playing with
arrows, crackers CHANDIGARH, Oct 18 — Eight-year-old Vijay Kumar was busy playing with his friends on October 14 when an 'arrow' hit his right eye and injured him. Today he is admitted in the hospital with the doctors not too sure whether they would be able to save the boy's eye. According to reports, this is the second such case to have come to the PGI in this season. In the first case, a five-year-old boy has reportedly lost one of his eyes after being hit by an arrow. "I was playing marbles with my friends, when a thin arrow being shot into space by another boy hit my eye," said Vijay Kumar, studying in Class III. He is the son of Saligh Ram, a chowkidar in the Mathematics Department of Panjab University. In the festival season, with playthings like bows and arrows and crackers flooding the market, it is, unfortunately, also time for ocular injuries. Most eye experts are of the opinion that such toys should be used only under parental supervision. According to Prof Amod Gupta, Head, Department of Ophthalmology, PGI, in such 'bow-and-arrow' injuries, the arrow tends to go deep into the eye, causing infection in the form of pus and sometimes, making the case difficult to salvage. Professor Gupta added that such toys are not only dangerous and hazardous, but should be forbidden by both the parents and the administration. "When unsuspecting children fall prey to such injuries, it could change the entire course of their life", he said. The experts say that speed is a vital factor in first aid, and such injuries should be immediately referred to doctors or clinics, since delay of first aid is a serious error. Also copious irrigation with water is very essential, both in cases of cracker burst injuries and perforations caused by arrow-like toys hitting the eyes. Prof S.P. Dhir, Department of Ophthalmology, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, said, "Injuries to the eyes caused by arrows causes perforations. The best thing is to stay away from such toys. Parents should take care that the arrow should have a large tip, and not be made of metal or tin plate". Dr M.M.S. Gill, Department of Ophthalmology, General Hospital, Sector 16, also agreed that such dangerous toys should be played under strict parental supervision. In case of cracker
injuries, the cornea could be affected, leading to
damaged eyesight. The experts say that the rocket
injuries are the worst, since they rupture the eyeballs
and are very difficult to salvage. Blast injuries could
lead to superficial burns, wherein certain metallic parts
could enter the eye and damage it. |
Residents
on festival shopping spree CHANDIGARH, Oct 18 — Residents of the city are on a buying spree ever since the onset of Navratras, nine days back. The shopping is likely to pick up with Dasehra and culminate on Divali day which marks the end of the month-long festivities and colourful celebrations. Though the buying begins with the end of Shraadh and starting of Navratras in the second week of October, the actual festivities and buying of gifts, household articles and garments and sweets coincides with and around 'Dasehra', this time falling on October 19. Accordingly, the city market scene is already abuzz with a heightened buying activity with customers on a lookout for articles of their choice. The major objects taking the fancy of people are items of decoration, crockery and garments, with the latter a hot-selling property as almost all garment sellers have gone in for a price reduction by organising 'sales' at their outlets to attract customers. Such 'sales' are dominating the scene in every nook and corner of the city, with banners and sign boards announcing heavy discounts ranging between 20 per cent and 60 per cent of the marked price of the product. This time, a large number of restaurants and fast food joints have jumped in the queue by slashing the prices of eatables. "We are targeting children and youngsters," said a fast food joint owner. His outlet is offering toys and discounts to the customers. While dry fruits and crockery items are favourites among middle the class who prefer these as 'gift items' for their 'near and dear' ones, the latest in vogue among the upper strata, particularly in the corporate world, are gold and silver coins and even cellphones. "I am going in for gold coins, each costing around Rs 5,000 to present to my friends and bureaucrats," conceded an industrialist, adding that gold has always been the 'most preferred' thing on every occasion of life. Similarly, there has been a shift from the tradition as far the gift scenario is concerned as some people, again from the business world, have gone hi-tech. They are offering their 'friends', in most cases bureaucrats, on the auspicious occasion of Dasehra and Divali festivals cellphones. And what is the driving force among people for buying of gifts around festivals ? "Actually salaried people, particularly middle and lower middle class, go berserk and turn spendthrift during these days as bonus and other incentives are offered to them by their employers," said Neeraj, a Sector 21 housewife. About her preference this time, she said she might purchase a washing machine as the major companies are offering incentives with it. Others are either going in for crystalware or electric rice cookers, tea-sets and lemon sets. "This time, I have made up my mind to buy crystalware as the imported stuff is unbelievably cheap due to import from Indonesia. What you could get for Rs 2,000 last year can be had for Rs 600 this time," said a Sector 16 housewife who had come to the Sector 17 shopping plaza. The other things she intends to buy are bed linen and silverware. She, however, advised women to beware of old stuff, particularly garments, packed in attractive packaging, which are flooding the market this year. Meanwhile, kids had their own way to celebrate the festival. For them, the most interesting stuff includes toy 'swords', 'gadas' and masks of Lord Rama and Ravana with which they enact scenes of 'Ramlila' inside their homes and outside as well. "I had to bow to requests of my son to get him 'Hanuman gadas', arrows and masks, available in the market between Rs 15 and Rs 50," said a parent at the Sector 29 market. Interestingly, residents
of the Sector 47 were surprised this morning to find that
the venue of the 'Apni Mandi' in the sector was shifted
as the place was virtually taken over by the demon trio.
They had to return without their usual purchase of
vegetables. |
Eliminate
evil, says Governor CHANDIGARH, Oct 18 — The Punjab Governor, Lieut Gen B.K.N. Chhibber, today called upon the people to strengthen the forces of truth and eliminate evil in society. Felicitating the people on the eve of Dasehra, the Governor said the fight against evil, initiated by Lord Rama, must be sustained. The symbolic burning of the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkarana and Meghnath symbolised the forces of hatred, communalism and fundamentalism. Chief Minister Parkash
Singh Badal has also extended greetings to the people on
the occasion. |
Librarians
demand benefits CHANDIGARH, Oct 18 — The step-motherly treatment allegedly being meted out to librarians by the Government of India received a sharp criticism at a general body meeting of the Chandigarh Librarians Association here today. The general body expressed its anguish over the denial of the benefit of fixation at 14,940 in the scale of 12,000-18,000 and preponing of the pay scales to librarians due to the reduction of the period for the grant of the senior scale and selection grade. In a press note issued here, Mr I.B. Verma, General Secretary of the association, said these benefits were allowed to lecturers but denied to librarians without any justification. He said it was totally unfair, especially when all conditions and qualifications were same as these were for lecturers. Members of the association have urged the Union Government to restore parity without further delay. They have also resented the alleged lukewarm attitude of the UGC towards librarians with regard to introduction of refresher and orientation courses at Academic Staff College in Chandigarh for the working libriarians of this region. They also demanded that the minimum two-year gap between two courses, imposed by the UGC, should be withdrawn immediately as it was detrimental to the interest of librarians and teachers. Meanwhile, this year's
Competition Master Library Related Competitions will be
held on November 14 at St John's High School, Sector 26. |
Librarians
Association CHANDIGARH, Oct 18
— The following persons have been elected
office-bearers of the Chandigarh Librarian Association:
President — Mr J.K. Kataria; General Secretary
— Mr I.B. Verma; Senior Vice-President — Mrs
Jaspal Kaur; Joint Secretary — Mr G.S. Thakar; and
Finance Secretary — Mr Raghbir Singh. |
Balbir
Singh is CVO of UT CHANDIGARH, Oct 18 — Mr Balbir Singh, Chairman, Chandigarh Housing Board, will be the new Chief Vigilance Officer, Chandigarh Administration. He will relieve Mrs Vineeta Rai, Adviser to the Administrator of Chandigarh, of the additional charge she is holding after the previous incumbent, Mrs Anuradha Gupta, opted to go back to her parent state of Haryana. The appointment of the Chief Vigilance Officer has witnessed some interesting developments during the past few months. The Chief Vigilance Commission had reportedly sent a letter to the Administration making it clear that the present Home Secretary was not acceptable to the commission for appointment as CVO. Though Mr N.K. Jain made a representation claiming that he had good record and should be considered for appointment as CVO, the commission did not agree with his plea and persisted with its earlier stand. The Administration had proposed the names of Mr Balbir Singh,Chairman, Chandigarh Housing Board, and Mr Rakesh Singh, Finance Secretary, to the CVC for consideration for the post of CVO. The commission has at last agreed to give green signal to the Administration to make Mr Balbir Singh the CVO. Mr Balbir Singh is a UT cadre officer and belongs to the 1971 batch of the IAS. At one stage the
Administration was also contemplating a change in the
Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation
where again Mr Balbir Singh was tipped to take over as
Chairman. The proposal, however, has been awaiting
approval. Until recently, the Home Secretary used to hold
the positions of both Chief Electoral Officer and Chief
Vigilance Officer of the Chandigarh Administration. But
after the last reshuffle in the Administration some
months ago, the position of the Chief Electoral Officer
has gone to the Finance Secretary and now the CVO to the
Chairman of the Chandigarh Housing Board. |
Speed
restrictions delay trains CHANDIGARH, Oct 18 — Due to technical reasons all trains coming to Chandigarh are being delayed everyday by anything between 15 and 45 minutes. This has been happening for almost a month now. Everyday the Shatabdi Express train that is scheduled to reach here at 10:45 p.m., arrives late. Similar is the story of the Himalayan Queen train that is supposed to reach here before the Shatabdi train but it reaches late, thus delaying the Shatabdi Express train also. Today the Himalayan Queen train was even running late than the Shatabadi express train. The delay is further compounded as only a single track exists between Chandigarh and Ambala. According to railway sources, almost eight speed cuts have been imposed by the maintenance wing. At some points between Ambala and Chandigarh the speed is restricted to just 20 km per hour (KMPH). So despite the electrification of the Shatabdi express train it is forced to crawl. The Himalayan queen
train is also delayed. Sources said that the punctuality
could be maintained only when the speed limits were
lifted. |
Misleading
medical report KHARAR, Oct 18 — An alleged negligence, on the part of a famous laboratory of Sector 15, Chandigarh, created hue and cry and lot of problems for a local patient who was running fever. The laboratory conducted platelet count of the patient, Mr Hardeep Singh, on October 16 and the result was shown as 0.10 lac/cmm. The patient, who is a male person of 38 years, according to this report, was supposed to be in a critical condition. When he visited the local Civil Hospital, his platelet count was found to be 1.70 lac/cmm. Dr S.S. Dhanoa, when
contacted, confirmed this and said that the patient had
been given medicines and advised rest for four days and
he was out of danger. |
Military
police celebrates 57th anniversary CHANDIGARH, Oct 18 — The Corps of Military Police (CMP) celebrated its 57th anniversary in Chandi Mandir cantonment, near here, today. A social get-together, 'barakhana', cultural programme and a sports events marked the occasion. Felicitating all ranks of the corps, Colonel H.S.Chahal, Deputy Provost Marshal, Western Command, exhorted them to continue the good work with dedication and maintain good order and military discipline in the true spirit of the corps' motto "Seva thatha sahayata". At a special sainik sammelan at the command provost unit, Major I.P.Singh, Officiating Commanding officer, greeted all ranks and their families. He appreciated the dedication and hard work put in by the troops in the performance of their duty. He also gave away prizes to the winners of the sports events. Raised during the Second World War, the white belts participated in all theatres of operation where the Indian Army was deployed. After Independence, besides serving with distinction in every conflict, units of the corps served with the UN forces in Korea, Congo, Gaza, Cambodia, Somalia, Mozambique, Angola, Rwanda and Lebanon. Personnel of the military police continue to excel on all fronts. The corps has the distinction of having provided the best marching contingent for the Republic Day on five occasions. The motor cycle display team fondly known as 'shwet ashwa' is well-known in the country for the dare devilry of its riders. The team has done the corps proud by setting a world record by carrying 133 personnel on 11 motor cycles driven together, which has been entered in the Guinness Book of World Records. General V.P.Malik, Chief
of the Army Staff, Lt-Gen Vijay Oberoi, General Officer
Commanding - in - Chief, Western Command, Lt Gen S S
Grewal,Colonel Commandant of the CMP, and Maj Gen
Surendra Shah, Provost Marshal, have lauded the services
of the corps and have extended their good wishes to all
ranks of the corps on this occasion.
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BE course
in agro-processing introduced CHANDIGARH, Oct 18 — Panjab University has introduced a four-year bachelor of engineering programme (BE) in agro-processing technology in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology from this session. This new undergraduate programme will have great utility in agro-industrial processing system for preparation, production and preservation of different types of agricultural and food products. A total of 20 students, 10 each from the non-medical and medical streams, who have passed the plus two examinations will be admitted to the course. The admissions will be based on the merit of the Common Entrance Test conducted by Panjab University in May this year for engineering and medical college admissions. The department, which has received nearly 200 applications for these seats, will hold interviews on October 22. The introduction of this course was approved by the Syndicate at its August 27 meeting and placed before the Senate today. Highlighting the relevance of the course, Prof D.K. Vohra, Chairman of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology, agro-processing plays an important role in increasing production, productivity and storage of different agricultural products by which post-harvesting losses can be reduced drastically. The surplus food, which is produced during the season should be processed and made available throughout the year. Hence, a variety of food products can be prepared and preserved efficiently within the country. There is a vast potential in the area of food processing and technology and students will be absorbed in various jobs on completion of this course. Professor Vohra said that each academic year will be divided into two semesters. In each semester, students will be required to take five theory courses of four hours per week and five laboratory courses of three hours per week. The total curriculum of the course consists of 50 per cent professional, 25 per cent basic engineering, 10 per cent agricultural science and 15 per cent of basic sciences topics. In addition, the students will undergo industrial training during summer vacations after the third year in various food processing units. Two technical tours in which students will be made to visit different agro-industrial processing centres like dairy plants, slaughter houses, food processing industries and winery, bakery and confectionery industries will also be organised . In the seventh semester, the students will be offered an elective course such as wine technology, dairy technology, meat technology, project management, industrial safety and hazards etc. And in the eighth semester, students will be made to work on a technical project having practical utility. This includes courses such as agro-processing legislation, industrial management, process engineering economics. Emphasis will be laid in the areas of drying and dehydration of fruits and vegetables, rice milling, soyabean processing, edible oil extraction, sugar milling, onion storage and food products preparation. The course by its very nature is an inter-disciplinary course and hence infrastructure and expertise available with the Departments of Microbiology, Biotechnology and Biochemistry will also will also be utilised. The laboratory in the department would be upgraded to include sophisticated and precise process equipment's and machinery. The All-India Council
for Technical Education (AICTE) had earlier rejected a
proposal submitted by the Department of Microbiology for
a post-graduate course in food technology and recommended
that a course should be introduced at the undergraduate
level. |
Hairstyle
show organised PANCHKULA, Oct 18 — "Hairstyle is all about personality development. However, there is a paucity of professionals managing this business in our country. There is a need to understand that there are no fixed styles and these need to be altered according to an individual's personality,'' Habib Ahmed, a hairstylist of Delhi, said at a press conference, here today. He was in town to inaugurate a showroom with beauty parlour, fashion house, health-fitness centre and a department store under one roof. Equipped with the latest, the in-house gymnasium has a wide range of machines to choose from to suit every age. Also, the showroom offers casual wear and has a wide variety of perfumes to choose from. Habib who runs his own hairstyling schools in Delhi, said he was running a school for the handicapped also. "My idea is to pass on some of my talent to them so that they are able to make a living without depending on anybody. This way I am contributing to making society a better place for them,'' he adds. The kind of disability and the financial position of the person are the only criteria for securing a seat at the school. Accompanying him was his son Jawed Ahmed, who said that the hair-and-skin rejuvenating industry was going to occupy centrestage in the coming times. He said a good stylist should ensure that his client did not dictate the style he wanted but left it to him to make the right choice. "That is when the stylist truly comes of age and people begin to recognise his worth,'' Jawed opined. Commenting on the styles and colours that are in vogue, Jawed said the ramps of London did not set the trends. "Whatever we see on the ramp is not practical and professionals are looking for the easy-to-manage look in their styles, something that is a lot more practical in daily life,'' he said. In the evening, a hairstyle show was organised by the duo. The look of the 60s, a time when backcombing was popular, and elaborate styles were in, was presented, followed by the hippie look of the 70s. The 80s were marked by heavy perms and that was when chemicals for the hair made their first appearance. The casual look of the 90s came next which saw perms being replaced by the easily manageable look, though length of the hair was not a criteria. The show, scheduled to
begin at 7 p.m., began two hours late. |
Bajrang Dal, VHP to oppose
Pope's visit CHANDIGARH, Oct 18 — The Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) have decided to oppose the visit of Pope John Paul II scheduled for November 5, the national convener of the dal, Mr Surinder Jain, said while addressing a press conference here today. Mr Jain informed that as part of the protest programme these organisations would organise "dharam jagran yatras" all over the country. The first "yatra" would start from Goa to Delhi tomorrow and a similar "yatra" would pass through Chandigarh on October 26. Similarly, a "yatra" would be taken out in Jalandhar on November 2. Mr Jain urged the Prime Minister and the President not to welcome or depute a high functionary to receive the Pope since he was on a private visit to the country. He alleged that the visits of the Pope to many countries had given a fillip to the organisations involved in the conversion of the native people to christianity. The dal and the VHP would not allow this to happen in India come what may, he added. He claimed that the Ram temple would be built at the disputed site in Ayodha and preparations for it were in full swing. The construction material was being stored near the site and it was expected to be completed by 2001. The mandir would be built shortly after that, he added. He, however, said the organisations would welcome the Pope if he accepted their five demands. First, the Pope should apologise to the people of the country for the alleged execution of over 50,000 persons in Goa during Portuguese rule from 16th to 18th centuries. Secondly, he should declare that all religions were equal and it was only through Hinduism that man could attain "moksha". Thirdly, he should direct the church to keep away from religious conversions. RSS men, kidnappad by ultras in Tripura, allegedly aided by the church, should be freed, he demanded. Lastly, the alleged disinformation campaign by the missionaries against the Hindu organisations should be checked. Mr C.L. Sharma,
organising secretary of the Punjab unit of the VHP, was
also present. |
Bid to
kidnap girls; 1 held CHANDIGARH, Oct 18 — The police has arrested one youth and is on the lookout for his accomplice for an alleged bid to kidnap and molest three young girls late last night. The accused, Kuldeep Singh, a son of a rich farmer of Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh, is cooling his heels in the police lock-up while police parties have been dispatched to nab Parminder Singh, his accomplice and resident of the same area. While the former is studying in a college in Sector 26, the latter is a student of the GGDSD College, Sector 32. Both are students of BA (I). According to police sources, the complainants — Arsona Anjum, Sangeeta and Jyoti, all residents of Kanpur — are employees of Seven Star Marketing and have been living in the city for the past many months in connection with their jobs to sell water filters by going door to door. Today evening when they had finished their rounds in Phase 7 of SAS Nagar and were on their way to their rented accommodation in Kajheri village, they were offered a lift by two car ( HR-OI-H-8901) borne youths who claimed that they were going the same way. The unsuspecting girls accepted the offer and that was the beginning of their nightmare. Following this the accused took them to Sector 15 of Chandigarh on the pretext that they wanted to call on a friend to deliver an urgent message. While they waited downstairs, the duo went upstairs, came down a few minutes later and asked them to accompany them upstairs. They refused, but Kuldeep caught hold of the hand of one of the girls and started pulling her out of the car. Following this the complainants managed to escaped from the car, reached the market across the road. Here they locked themselves up in an STD booth and tried to call the police but were chased by the duo in the car. While asking them to accompany them peacefully they again tried to push the girls towards the car. This was objected to by the STD booth operator, and in the ensuing melee the girls managed to flee and met the beat constables and told their story. The beat staff ran and chased the accused one of whom managed to run away through one of the bylanes, while Kuldeep was nabbed. A case under Section 354
of the IPC has been registered at the Central police
station against the accused and the car has been
impounded. |
'Kabaris'
cause pollution CHANDIGARH, Oct 18 — Causing pollution by some ''kabaris'' has become more of a routine in the phase 1 of the local Industrial Area, resulting in problems to others. According to people, ''kabaris'' burn trash like used tyres and plastic items on every second day following which the area is engulfed by a thick layer of smoke. "During this even breathing becomes difficult for us," complained Mr Krishan Gupta, adding that repeated requests to the ''kabaris'' had failed to yield any result. He urged to pollution control authorities to take action against these people. So much so that when The
Tribune photographer went to the place to click the
picture of the acitivity, some of the ''kabaris'' even
tried to snatch his camera. |
Shopkeeper
beats up customer ZIRAKPUR, Oct 18 — A labourer, Mr Azeez Kabri, who went to a shop in Zirakpur to buy a pair of chappals, was allegedly beaten up by the shopkeeper today. The trouble started when the customer, a Nepali, asked the shopkeeper, Mr Ravinder Kumar Aggarwal, to show him some pairs of chappals. He found the price high and asked the shopkeeper to lower it. A bargain could not be struck. The shopkeeper insisted that the customer must buy a pair of chappals since he had wasted his time. Hot words were exchanged and finally the shopkeeper beat him up. A shopkeeper of the market admitted that some of the traders were using unfair means to sell their goods to labourers who came from other states to make a living. Some of the shopkeepers
have criticised the beating up of the customer who had
gone barefooted to purchase a pair of chappals. |
Sharma
not to take gubernatorial post CHANDIGARH, Oct 18 — Scotching all rumours of his taking up gubernatorial assignment, Mr Krishan Lal Sharma, BJP Vice-President, said here today that there was no question of his becoming Governor of any state. Addressing a press conference at the party office, Kamalam, in Sector 33, Mr Sharma said that in the wake of military take-over in Pakistan, security forces had been put on a "high alert" with a view to ward off any possible "misadventure" by the Pakistan Army. It was a "strange coincidence" that on the day the Atal Behari Vajpayee government was sworn in in New Delhi, the Nawaz Sharif government was overthrown in a military coup. Answering a query, Mr Sharma said India was ready to talk to Pakistan provided the latter demonstrated through its actions that it also wanted to live in peace with India. The onus now lies on Pakistan to take steps like withdrawal of forces and stop aiding terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir with a view to regain its credibility which it had lost in the Kargil crisis. Saying the electorate was sick of frequent elections, the BJP leader claimed that the voters had "punished" the political parties which were responsible for forcing mid-term poll on the country. The BJP-led NDA alliance would solve the long-pending problems of the people and last full five years, he hoped. Reacting to his defeat at the hands of the Congress candidate , Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, from the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat, Mr Sharma said that his being an "outsider" did not become main issue in the election as the BJP got more votes in the polls than in the year 1998. However, he accepted the verdict of the people, adding that he would conitnue to keep in touch with the city through regular visits. Asked whether factionalism in the local unit was the reason for his defeat, he answered in the negative, saying that he had worked for keeping the party united. The party would deliberate on the issue soon as on account of the use of electronic voting machines, the booth-wise break-up of different parties was now available, he added. Regarding the change of the UP Chief Minister, Mr Kalyan Singh and party's debacle in the state, he said the national executive of the party would meet in New Delhi on November 13 and 14 to take stock of post-poll scenario. Mr Sharma ducked a
majority of local issues, saying they would be attended
to by the local unit. |
SNIPPETS Rural school models win prizes KHARAR, Oct 18 — All the three models exhibited by students of rural Government High School, Brahmna Di Bassian (Kharar), has won the prizes in the Kharar tehsil science exibition held here on October 14 and 15. The models of solar desert AC and modern self-cooling house won the first prize in their respective categories, while the model of pressure cooker converted into coffee machine got the secong prize. The prizes were given by Mr Tota Singh, Education Minister, Punjab. Two models of this school had got the first prize at the state level last year and one model of 1997 was exhibited at the national science exibition organised at Amritsar last year. Pre-paid phone cards CHANDIGARH, Oct 18 — In an effort to join in the festivities the local Telecommunications department has made arrangements to offer pre--paid phone cards in a printed cover with season's greetings. This card can be purchased by anyone wanting to gift it to someone. The card enables the user to call up STD and ISD numbers from any telephone without any charge. Honour for school teacher KHARAR, Oct 18 — A local resident Mrs Balbir Kaur, who is working as head teacher in Government Primary School in Majat village has been given the national award in recognition of her services to the community as teacher of outstanding merit. The award was given to her last month by the President, Mr K.R. Naryanan, at a function organised in New Delhi. Mrs Balbir Kaur, who is writing books for primary education now, started her career as a teacher in Chamkaur Sahib in 1972. After working in may schools she was transferred to Majat village in 1989. She struggled to get the land of the government school vacated from unauthorised occupants in the village. She, along with villagers, collected funds and constructed rooms and a boundary wall of the school. She started educating elderly people and persuaded the parents to send the girls to school. She was awarded the state award by the Punjab Government earlier. Lacklustre art exhibition CHANDIGARH, Oct 18
— The Bank of Punjab has put up its annual
exhibition at Punjab Kala Bhavan Gallery in Sector 16
which is a lacklustre affair, on the subject 'Myths and
Legends of North India'.Not only is the show dull, but
also many mediocre works have been displayed at the
exhibition. Works of professionals like Bhim Malhotra and
Madan Lal stand out among the otherwise shoddy array of
paintings. |
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