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October 27, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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Rs 10-crore project for
PGI computerisation Chandigarh, October 26 The project, which was envisaged by the PGI authorities two years ago, had failed to take off on two earlier occasions. Tenders to this effect had been floated by the PGI twice in the past two years but nothing was done beyond that. Sources reveal that in both cases, the technical specifications given were outdated and the kind of hardware the PGI demanded was not available in the market anymore. Sources also state that the PGI is serious in this effort this time and tenders will be floated soon. The PGI has also formed a committee to detail out, among other things, the technical specifications for these tenders. Prof Amod Gupta, head of the department of Ophthalmology, has been made the chairman of this committee. Clarifying that it was premature to talk about the project, Prof Gupta stated that it was a rather ambitious project, quite unlike and much larger than what other medical research health institutes in the country had undertaken. “This is not just about registration of patients etc, its about the likelihood of a marked improvement in patient-care efficiency, with the various departments, the OPD, the emergency, the labs all networked. For example, patient reports will be available online and they won’t have to run around collecting them,” he said. “Computers will also be facilitating both research and teaching, the primary function of an institute like the PGI. And as far as the junior doctors working and studying in this institute, it’s something which is being looked forward to.” added a senior resident of the hospital. “One of the most important part of the project will be the creation of a database of the PGI where information, records of each department and section will be put together. Medical data is available but spread out at various places in the institute and getting it together will be a monumental task. Once done, it will facilitate both research and teaching,” says Prof Gupta. The PGI also lacks a foolproof system of record-keeping and storing and sources inform that as much as 40 per cent records are lost in the process. The project is likely to tide over this problem too. Several multi-national companies (MNCs) and the National Informatics Centre (NIC) are vying for the PGI project and have also made their presentations before a PGI committee. Sources, however, reveal that the PGI is keen on the NIC as it has a fully operational office here. Besides, the NIC has the backing of the Government of India and the PGI is likely not to have any problems in tying up with another GOI concern. |
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Inter-state gang of car-lifters
busted Panchkula, October 26 Five members of this gang have been apprehended so far, according to Mr Manoj Yadav, SSP, Panchkula. The gang has admitted to having disposed off a total of 35 stolen cars stolen from Mumbai in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, UP and Chandigarh. More arrests and recoveries are likely in coming days. Mr Yadav told newsmen here today the police had nabbed Ajay Kumar, resident of Mumbai, and Avinash, resident of Hoshiarpur, on October 8 and recovered 62 fake currency notes of Rs 500 denomination each. Multi-pronged investigations were initiated which led to the arrest of Narendera Pal Singh on October 13 and Padam Singh from Panchkula on October 22. Eighteen fake currency notes of 500 denomination were seized from Narendra Pal Singh. On the basis of a disclosure statement of Ajay Kumar, the police recovered five vehicles, which include four Tata Sumos and one Maruti Van. One Maruti 800 was recovered from Avinash, two Marshals from Narendra, one Santro and two Marshals from Padam Singh. Interrogations revealed that Ajay Kumar had links with car-lifters in Mumbai from where he used to purchase stolen cars. These cars were sold at different places in Himachal Pradesh, UP, Chandigarh and Punjab. Avinash Henda, Narendra Pal Singh and others were involved in this racket. Fake registration papers and NOC were prepared in connivance with Padam Singh, who is a clerk in D C office, Shimla. Fake papers and stamps of the Registration Authority, Shimla, have been recovered from Ajay Kumar. Ajay Kumar used fake currency to purchase stolen cars from car-lifters in Mumbai. Ajay purchased these notes from Narendra Pal Singh. On interrogation it was revealed that Vinod Sharma of Ambala Cantonment was the main supplier of fake currency notes, who is currently in Tihar Jail, Delhi, in an NDPS case. |
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Gaeity, fervour mark Dasehra celebrations Chandigarh, October 26 For watching the “grand finale”, a large number of residents had thronged the venues much before the sunset and captured “vantage points”. The Sector 17 parade ground in the city was the venue of major celebrations. The celebrations in Sector 17 were inaugurated by UT Home Secretary R.S. Gujral. There was a great deal of excitement in the public when the effigies of the demons were set on fire. Reaching the venue was, however, not an easy task. The road dividing Sector 17 and Sector 22 was blocked by the traffic police by placing barricades. It was not easy for the spectators to get away from the rush as cars parked on both sides of the road created problems. Dasehra was also celebrated with traditional gaiety and religious fervour by the Navyug Ramleela and Dasehra Committee in Sector 7. It
was inaugurated by president of Chandigarh Territorial Youth Congress Harmohinder Singh Lucky. In Sector 43, Dasehra was celebrated by the Nav Dusehra Committee. Ex-MP Satya Pal Jain was the chief guest. Mayor Harjinder Kaur, along with other MC councillors and political leaders, were also present on the occasion. The other venues where the celebrations took place included Sector 27, Panjab University, Sector 22, Sector 46, Sector 40, Sector 41 and Maloya.
AMBALA Effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkaran and Meghnada were set on fire in Ambala city and Ambala cantonment on Friday evening. Dasehra procession was also taken out on the occasion. In Ambala city the main function was organised in Ram Bagh, while in the Ambala cantonment Gandhi Ground was the site of celebrations.
DERA BASSI The festival of victory of “good over evil” was organised at the Ramlila Ground here on Friday evening. Capt. Kanwaljit Singh, Finance and Planning Minister of Punjab lit the effigies of Ravana, Meghnada and Kumbhkarn. Mr Pramod Sharma, vice-chairman of an industrial unit, lit the Ravana’s effigy. He also donated Rs 11,000 for the village Ramlila Committee.
SAS NAGAR A large number of people converged at the two main venues, Phase 1 and Phase 8 where Dasehra was celebrated with traditional fervour. In phase 1, the Shri Ram Leela and the Dasehra Committee organised the celebrations. Mr HS Billa, a former president of the local civic body, Mr Indu Sehgal, senior vice-president of the local civic body, Mr Yogesh Gupta, a member of the district grievances committee, and Mr Sham Bansal, a municipal councillor were present on the occasion. Chaos prevailed on roads around the two main venues of the Dasehra celebrations. |
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Traffic snarls at Dasehra sites Chandigarh, October 26 While the entry to the bus stand from the Sector 22-23 -16-17 roundabout was restricted in the evening, other vehicles were allowed to ply on the roads adjacent to the Parade Ground.
Around 1,200 police personnel and Home Guard volunteers had been deployed for Dasehra celebrations. The Riot Control Vehicle was also put on standby in Sector 17, while mounted police was stationed at several places to check the crowds. Even fire tenders were deployed around the city as a precautionary measure.
Bin Laden replaces Ravana as symbol of evil Chandigarh, October 26 Around 100 ABVP activists burnt the effigy of Laden instead of Ravana amidst beats of drums in Students Centre of Panjab University. They raised slogans against terrorism and Pakistan to condemn terrorist atrocities in Kashmir and the world-over. Mr Deepak Balyan, President, ABVP, Panjab University, favoured strong steps to end terrorism in Kashmir. Mr Gurdeep Singh Sandhu, President of the Panjab University Students Association, narrated atrocities his family had to suffer during terrorism days in Punjab. Slogans like ''Bharat mata ki jai'' and ''Tera vaibhav amar rahe maa, hum din char rahen na rahen'' were raised before the effigy of Laden was burnt. |
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PUDA anti-encroachment drive begins
today SAS Nagar, October 26 At least three JCBs, three tippers and around 100 employees drawn from the PUDA’s estate office and office of the local administration would participate in the drive. To work out the final details, the meeting between the Additional Chief Administrator (ACA), the estate officer and other officials of PUDA was held here today. The Additional Chief Administrator (ACA), Mr Dipinder Singh, confirmed that tje drive would be started tomorrow. Around 50 police personnel, including woman police, would escort the demolition squad. Earlier, PUDA was planning to launch the drive from October 30 as the Deputy Commissioner, Ropar, had been requested to provide the necessary men and machinery. It had planned to give some more days to the residents to remove their encroachments but today it was decided to start the drive as per the public notice inserted in the paper. The public announcement about the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court being made since the last over 10 days was stopped in the afternoon today. The official said the drive would be launched phasewise. Members of the anti encroachment committee, which had filed the case of encroachments in the High Court said at least 70 per cent of the houses, especially those constructed in the developing sectors are without the front boundary walls. Mr N.S. Minhas, president of the association, said PUDA should publicise its policy on landscaping of road berms in front of residential and institutional plots. The policy, which was announced in April last, said raising of hedges and fencing would be regularised provided the front boundary wall was constructed. But still the practise was continuing with impunity. |
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Enforcing ban on plastic bags is
even bigger task SAS Nagar, October 26 Over 90 per cent of the market was flooded with ploythene bags, new and recycled having thickness of less than 20 microns — also banned by the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests. A major volume of the banned bags being sold to the domestic and commercial consumers has thickness, varying between 9 and 10 microns. Problem of checking the use and disposal of these bags, manufactured fresh and from recycled plastic waste, was another problem as the rag-pickers were least interested in collecting it. As a result, the plastic bags could be seen littered around dumping places and open spaces. People associated with the plastic industry say that the polythene bags manufactured from high molecular and high density polyethylene (HMHDP) — having thickness of less than 20 microns — was sold at Rs 5 per kg whereas the plastic bags manufactured from low density polyethylene — having thickness of more than 20 microns — was sold at between Rs 15 and Rs 30 per kg. The bags manufactured from high density polyethylene were mainly being manufactured by units in Delhi, Vadodra, Mumbai, etc. Most of the plastic manufacturing units in Punjab and Chandigarh, around 1000, have comparatively less market share. There were few units in Ludhiana that manufacture high-density polyethylene. The production of plastic in the region touched around 20,000 tonnes a day. At least 90 per cent of the plastic bags and containers manufactured from the high-density polyethylene were being sold to the commercial sector due to large number of end users and benefits to the manufacturer, retailer and consumer. However, due to the packaging parametres of the industrial sector, the acceptability of the thickness of plastic bags and related products was more. The people associated with the business say that the government should create awareness among the consumers and enforce the guidelines. strictly. They suggest that checking the sale of banned quality of polythene bags could be enforced effectively by checking its sale. Around 71 units had been identified where around 15,872 kg of recycled plastic was used as raw material. Meanwhile, in light of the high court’s order, the Punjab Pollution Control Board is notifying the rules as applicable in Chandigarh. |
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Durga puja ends with immersion of
idols Chandigarh, October 26 On the day of Durga puja, hundreds of citizens took the idols of Durga, Saraswati and Lakshmi to the river banks. Idols of Lord Ganesh and Kartikeya were also taken to the river. These idols had been installed in different temples of the city for the past few days, the period in which the goddess is believed to be on the earth to destroy all evils. The idols of Goddess Durga along with those of other gods and goddesses were immersed by the devotees on Vijayadashmi in running water of the Ghaggar. According to mythology, Goddess Durga comes down to earth for five days. Hundreds of people moved towards the Ghaggar near Zirakpur in all kinds of vehicles. The immersion procession started from the Kalibari Temple at about 2 pm. The trucks in which idols had been placed were loaded with children. All those accompanying the idols chanted bhajans and kirtans. On reaching the venue of immersion, people applied sindoor to each other and danced glorifying the goddess to the beats of drums and cymbals. The idols were placed on the ground and the devotees offered prayers. Just before the sun set the idols were immersed in the water of the Ghaggar amidst joyous singing and dancing. |
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Mauritius college fixes Indian defence
quota Chandigarh, October 26 Citing a circular issued by Army Headquarters recently, an officer at Western Command Headquarters said that S.S.R. Medical College, situated at Belle Rive on the tiny Indian Ocean island, had reserved two seats in its medical course with effect from January, 2002. The Army had already called for applications from eligible persons. The institute was recognised by the University of Mauritius and approved by the Medical Council of India and its equivalent organisations in Mauritius and South Africa, the officer added. While the college has waived the tuition fee, the hostel expenses are to be borne by the students. Even the air fare for the students will be borne by the institution. Of the two seats, one has been reserved for the eligible ward of an officer while the other is for the ward of any personnel below the rank of officer (PBOR). While the approximate hostel charges to be borne by the ward of an officer is stated to be Rs 3,000-3,500 per month, that for the ward of a PBOR is Rs 1,500. In addition, the ward of PBOR will be entitled to a grant of $ 50 per month for meeting the hostel expenses. As per the eligibility criteria, the candidates must be the wards of personnel killed in war or during counter-insurgency operations as notified by the Army. Besides, they must have an aggregate of 60 per cent marks in Class XII in physics, chemistry and biology. |
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A blind judge’s campaign for human
rights Chandigarh, October 26 Mr Yacoob, presently a Judge at the Constitutional Court of South Africa and Chancellor of the University of Durban-Westville, has been working for the uplift of the people in South Africa and to spread awareness about human rights among the people. Mr Yacoob has also been a member of the executive committee and National Management Committee of the South Africa National Council for the Blind. Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Mr Yacoob who completed his degree in law in 1970 said that he had to struggle a lot to attain a respectable position. He faced many difficult situation but because of hard work and determination he achieved his goal, he added. Talking about rights of the people in his country, Mr Yacob said he is committed to the attainment of social justice and the improvement of the quality of life for everyone. Our constitution declares the founding values of our society to be human dignity, equality and the advancement of human rights and freedoms. Since 1994 South Africa has been involved in a complex and delicate process of transformation. Talking about relation between judiciary and media, he said the Press could play an important role to improve the quality of people life by generating awareness among people about their rights. He said in South Africa, every judgement is a pubic document and there is committee of the judges who deal with the Press. “Freedom of the press was important in present scenario to make everything transparent and the media persons should act like custodian of society”, he added. Mr Yacob said there was a great need to educate people about their fundamental rights especially in developing and underdeveloped countries. He said that human rights bodies could play vital role to generate legal awareness about their rights among the weaker sections. |
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Jacob admitted
to PGI Chandigarh, October 26 Prof S.K. Sharma, Director, PGI, who is also a urologist, was attending him and had stated that there was no cause for worry as the initial examination showed that he could be suffering from prostate enlargement, which is a common problem in males of this age. The Governor has been admitted for observation and will be undergoing some more tests tomorrow. Meanwhile, the PGI has been put under high security following the Governor’s admission. |
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EATING OUT Chandigarh Dreaming when dawn’s left hand This verse comes to mind as you enter Ghazal Restaurant and Pub in Sector 17. And the strains of soulful renditions of ghazal king Jagjit Singh playing on their CD player only heighten the lyrical quality of the ambience. As you partake of a meal, with the visual manifestation of Khayyam along with his kalam and lady on stained glass looking benignly at you, the food acquires a poetic quality. That the quality of their preparation is excellent only hastens the secretion of your gastric juices. No wonder, the restaurant boasts of a regular clientele for the past two decades, ever since it was set up in 1981. “The composition of kitty party members has undergone a change over the years, but their venue remains the same — Ghazal,” proudly claims Mr K. D. Thakur, Manager. This indeed speaks volumes for their preparations. So, it is no surprise that on most days, at least one table is reserved for a ladies’ party at lunch time. You find them savouring baked vegetables, karahi panir, karahi chicken, chilli mushrooms as much as the latest gossip. Their pub is the first such venture to be opened in the city after the administration gave the green signal in 1989. It is in a separate enclosure, though beer, champagne and wine are served in the restaurant if you are with your family. So, while you sip the cocktail, your companions have the option of tasty fruit punch, jeera pani or other mocktails, soups, juices and beverages. The tangy khatta meetha taste of their veg shashlik comes from the dash of continental Worcestershire sauce and the karahi panir gets its unique flavour from the roasted sabut dhania. And for those who prefer a spicy dish, just break the big red chilli that comes with the karahi. If non-veg is what you want, go for the chef’s special karahi chicken or tomato fish along with pudina parantha. Preceded by even half a bowl of manchow soup, one roti or parantha should be enough. From 4 pm to 7pm are the happy hours during which you may get a 15 per cent discount on beer or high tea. Also, this is the time when the restaurant floor is vacated to facilitate birthday and other parties and tables are laid in buffet style. Right from appetisers, in the Indian, Continental or Chinese cuisines to desserts, the eatery offers a wide range of choices. You have starters (jaljeera pani, lassi), soups, shorba, salads, raita, nazrane-e-tandoor (kebabs, murg and panir tikka, reshmi fish), seafood specialties, gosht and nabatiyat (veg dishes) and drinks. Ghazal also undertakes outdoor catering (call 98140-18378, 711473) for parties with 50 to 5,000 guests. Their regular clients include Chandigarh Club.For this, they have a base kitchen in Khuda Lahora village. |
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UNESCO Year of Ecology and Sprituality Chandigarh, October 26 This was announced here today by Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia, Vice-Chancellor of Punjabi University, Patiala, and President of the Guru Gobind Singh Foundation. He also urged the state and Union Government to declare 2004 as the Year of Ecology and Spirituality. The foundation has also planned an international seminar on ecology and spirituality at the Guru Gobind Singh Bhavan, Chandigarh, scheduled to start on February 1, 2002, in cooperation with the World Congress of Faiths, UK, which has consented to collaborate with the foundation in organising this seminar. The proposed seminar would be a part of the larger plan of the foundation to globally organise the 400th anniversary in the year 2004 of the compilation of the Adi Granth. The second national seminar in the series will be held in 2003 in the USA and the concluding one in the UK in 2004. |
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BJP to honour 40
workers Chandigarh, October 26 The announcement of names of those identified will be made tomorrow. The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, will honour these workers with mementos on October 28 here. The BJP had been making preparations by holding meetings of districts, mandals, morchas and cells of the party. The party secretary and Chandigarh in-charge, Mr O. P. Kohli, will inaugurate the workers meet on October 28 by unfurling party’s flag in its office in Sector 33. The function on October 28 is part of the countrywide celebrations of Jana Sangh completing 50 years of its birth. The BJP was formed by those Jana Sangh party men who came out of the Janata Party that ruled the country between 1977 to 1979. The Jana Sangh, the Socialist Party, the Bharatiya Lok Dal and the Sangathan Congress had merged to form the Janata Party after most of the leaders of these parties were put behind bars during Emergency in 1975 by the then Prime Minister, Ms Indira Gandhi. The BJP ad-hoc committee’s convener, Mr Yashpal Mahajan, without revealing details of those whose names have already been identified, said that there could be more than 40 such workers. He said a sub-committee under the chairmanship of the Leader of the Opposition in the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh, Mr Desraj Tandon, was formed to identify these workers. The other members of the sub-committee were Mr Neeraj Tayal and Mr Purushottam Mahajan. He said that the sub-committee had been asked to identify those workers who had either been office-bearers of the Jana Sangh or had any responsible post or went to jail as part of many party programmes, including Emergency. |
6 held for gambling SAS Nagar, October 26 Sources in the police said while the Dasehra celebrations were going on in the Phase 8 ground, a police party got a information that gambling was going on in a room of Majestic Hotel in Phase 9. An official at the hotel, who identified himself as Sukhbir Singh, denied any raid had taken place and persons rounded up. However, the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr A.S. Bajwa, confirmed the incident. He said the raid was conducted by the anti-gunda staff and the in charge of the Phase 11 police post. Despite the best efforts, police officials, who were part of the raiding team, tried to keep the raid a secret. They did not reveal the amount recovered and the names of the gamblers for reasons best known to them. The sources confirmed that at least six persons had been caught red-handed for gambling. A few months back, police parties led by the Station House Officers of the Phases 1 and 8 police stations had booked several property dealers for gambling. |
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Woman commits suicide Chandigarh, October 26 The victim is survived by her husband and two small children. The husband of the victim is reported to be away to Rajasthan. |
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Factory chowkidar found dead Chandigarh, October 26 Rajesh Kumar used to perform the duties of a night watchman in the factory where his body was found while during the day he used to work in another factory owned by the same employer in the industrial area. He was working there for the past about eight years. His body was taken to the Sector 16 General Hospital for a post mortem. The post-mortem report would determine if it is a case of murder or accident. Four held: The police has arrested four persons for allegedly threatening and assaulting a person in Mani Majra. Raj Pal, a resident of Gobindpura, near Mani Majra, had lodged a complaint that he was assaulted with a knife and as a result he sustained injuries in his stomach and had to be admitted to the Sector 16 General Hospital. The accused have been identified as Rajinder Singh and Arshdeep, both residents of Modern Housing Complex, Surinder Singh Rana and Vinay Thakur, both residents of Sector 18. They have been booked under various sections of the IPC for rioting, criminal intimidation and causing injury. Assault: The police has arrested Gurmel Singh, a resident of Mani Majra, after Panchkula resident Nishant Manchanda lodged a complaint that he was assaulted by the accused along with two other accomplices. Scooter stolen:
Sector 22 resident M.L. Malik has reported that his scooter (CH-01-J-3736) has been stolen from near Kairon Block, PGI. Theft: Sector 43 resident Dinesh Kumar has reported that his neighbours' house has been burgled while the owner was away. The loss is yet to be ascertained. In another incident, Sector 22 resident Shamshed Ahmed has reported that the rear door of his house was broken and some property was stolen. He is yet to provide complete details of the loss to the police. |
Women entrepreneurs’ exhibition Chandigarh, October 26 “Though the women participating in this fair excel in their respective field, right from making phulkari suits to home-made chocolates, they face the problem in marketing their products mainly due to stiff competition and resource constraints,” said Ms Harvinder Kaur, Manager of the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development for Women. “So this exhibition is an attempt to imbibe marketing skill by providing them a common platform for interaction, exhibition and sale,” she added. About 95 percent of the total products being marketed here are made by the entrepreneurs themselves. Ms. Puneet Madan, a specialist in Phulkari items, has made a serious attempt to revive the lost glory of Phulkari. She has come up with many trendy phulkari designs, including exclusive “Bagh”dupattas and suits that start from Rs 250 onwards. A wide variety of colourful household linens are a delight for anyone interested in interior decorations. Ms Bindia Bagai has presented the customers with a wide range of bed covers with matching block printed “durries” and cushions and quilts. The range starts from Rs 480 and goes upto Rs 3700 for a complete bed room set. To keep up with the festive mood, Ms. Rammet Bakshi has come up with a variety of home-made chocololates in attractive gift packs. complementing the mood there are delicious jams, ready currey, churna, pickles and cakes. An array of designer candles, lamp shades, aesthetically and artistically done sketches and murals, terracota pottery, decorative flowers and wrought iron items have managed to attract a lot of visitors. The exhibition was inaugurated by the General Manager of Canara Bank, Mr K. Rangaraya, by lighting the traditional lamp. |
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