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Tuesday, December 1, 1998
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C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
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Tuesday, December 1, 1998 |
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MC to probe change of bridge design CHANDIGARH, Nov 30 — The Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh today decided to hold an inquiry into the change of design of the bridge over the site of the causeway connecting SAS Nagar with the city, which collapsed recently. Trade ties with Peru ‘top priority’ CHANDIGARH, Nov 30 — "Consolidation of trade and commerce relations between India and Peru shall be my immediate priority," says Mr Butshikan Singh, India's Ambassador-designate to Peru. |
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MC to probe change of design
of bridge CHANDIGARH, Nov 30 — The Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) today decided to hold an inquiry into the change of design of the bridge over the site of the causeway connecting SAS Nagar with the city, which collapsed recently. Officials of the civic body at its meeting here came in for severe criticism from the BJP and nominated councillors, who charged them of bypassing the elected representatives while taking major decisions. Angry members wanted to know who had ordered the change of design from that of the high-level bridge approved in principle by the civic body at a cost of Rs 1.71 crore to that of the box culvert. While listing the technical faults in the box culvert, Mr R K Aggarwal, nominated councillor and a former Engineer-in-Chief of Haryana, said due to the erosion of soil and in the absence of a strong foundation, this type of bridge might be "unstable". He alleged that the box culvert was not suitable for the the fast traffic as was the case in the V-3 road connecting the city with SAS Nagar. He also contested the claims of the officials that the repairs of the causeway would have cost Rs 15-20 lakh. Mr Raghubir Lal Arora (BJP) wanted to know why an emergency meeting of the House was not called if the design was at all to be changed. He came down severely on the Chief Engineer, Mr Puranjit Singh, saying he should have taken the democratically-elected representatives into confidence rather than carrying out the directives of the Chandigarh Administration. Mr Harish Bhanot(nominated) while demanding an inquiry, said the corporation should have invited Mr P C Bhasin, an expert on bridges, before starting the work. Several BJP members wanted to know whether the administration had rescinded the earlier resolution of the MCC in favour of the construction of the high-level bridge. Putting up a strong defence, Mr Puranjit Singh claimed that the box culvert was "as good as a bridge". Saying that the box culvert was a cheaper option at Rs 60 lakh than the bridge, he said it was best technical solution since for the bridge the road had to be closed for over two years. While, on the other hand due to change in design, the traffic on the road was likely to be resumed shortly. After a prolonged discussion the Mayor, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, announced the formation of a five-member inquiry committee. The chairman of the road committee, Air Marshal R S Bedi (retd) will be convener of the committee. The councillors will suggest terms and conditions in two days. The committee will submit its report in one month from the day it starts work. Earlier, during question hour Mr Kewal Krishan, chairman of the Slum Development Committee, alleged that the committee was not taken into confidence while purchasing mobile toilets. While the committee had recommended the purchase of 20 toilets the civic body had purchased 47 toilets. Mr Rajinder Kumar (BJP) alleged that a majority of the toilets were not functional. The Superintending Engineer, Mr Manmohanjit Singh, assured the House that all toilets would be functional by December 5. A three-member committee was also formed for the inspection of the toilets. The meeting disapproved the recommendation of the finance and contact committee of giving cash amounting to Rs 18,57,562 to Class III and IV of the MCC in lieu of the uniforms. The employees will instead get uniforms. The committee also okayed the creation of one post of junior accountant in the loan cell of the MCC. Meanwhile, another meeting
of the MCC will be held on December 4 for taking up the
agenda which could not be taken up today. |
Trade ties with Peru ‘top
priority’ CHANDIGARH, Nov 30 — "Consolidation of trade and commerce relations between India and Peru shall be my immediate priority," says Mr Butshikan Singh, India's Ambassador-designate to Peru. "Of late there has been a growing focus on Latin America. A number of agreements were signed during the visit of the President of India to Peru early this year. Some agreements were signed when the President of Peru visited India last year. My immediate priority will be to consolidate the existing relationship and strengthen commercial relations between the two countries. There is a tremendous scope for increasing trade with Latin American countries. "Since we are seeking closer and friendly relations with Peru, my focus will be on commercial relations. I was pleasantly surprised that some of Punjab industrialists have already been to Peru. They export bicycles, cycle parts, motorcycle parts and agricultural implements to Peru. Of late, there has been significant improvement in the quality of light engineering goods manufactured in India. On the other hand, Peru has advanced in area of mining," says Mr Butshikan Singh. A postgraduate in English literature from Government College, Ludhiana, and the Department of Mass Communications, Panjab University here, Mr Butshikan Singh belongs to the 1976 batch of the IFS. His previous diplomatic assignments had taken him to New Zealand, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Hungary and Italy. His last assignment was in Italy where he was Deputy Chief of Mission. "There are 40,000 Punjabis in Italy. When I went there three years ago, the population of Punjabi immigrants was mainly concentrated in Vatican City. There were some with the FAO. Because of general amnesty declared by the Italian Government from time to time, the population of Punjabi immigrants has grown manifold. They are all legal residents and mostly work in fields," says Mr Singh. Talking about trade relations with Italy, Mr Butshikan Singh said that after the United Kingdom and Germany, Italy had been India's third largest trading partner in Europe. At the time of the Malta boat tragedy, Mr Singh said he was in Italy. The Italians did not find any clue to the tragedy. Talking about the Punjabis settled in Italy, he said they were law abiding. The Embassy had been helping them with consular services.They had set up two gurdwaras, one in Rome and the other in Milan. There used to be scramble for The Tribune in the Indian Embassy in Rome where it used to be displayed, he added. Mr Butshikan Singh hopes
to take up his new assignment very soon. He will also
hold concurrent charge of Ambassador to Bolivia. |
Teachers' shortage in UT govt
schools CHANDIGARH, Nov 30 — A lone teacher is trying hard to "teach" a class of 90 students in a dingy classroom of a school in a colony of the city beautiful. In spite of best efforts, the teachers fails to get her point across to the students due to cacophony created by the latter. On enquiry, it is found that there are only two teachers for two sections of Ist standard (each comprising 90 students), which is against the stipulated norm of the teacher-student ratio of 1:40. It is not an isolated case where such a large number of students are handled by a teacher, but there are a number of such schools in the UT where this unrealistic teacher, student ratio exits. Though the situation is alike in many UT schools, the problem is acute in schools of colonies and rural areas as teachers rarely prefer to be transferred to these schools. Underlining her experiences in dealing with such a large number of students, a teacher in Palsora Colony school said it was always a problem to get the students to concentrate and to study in such a situation. The teacher said it takes a lot of time to mark the attendance of such a large number of students. The problem is compounded in case one of the colleagues is on leave, leaving the other to deal with 180 students of both sections. "We know that more attention is needed for children at this level, but how can a single teacher do so in case of so many students?" asks another teacher. Officials of the Education Department admit that the problem of high student-teacher ratio persists owing to shortage of teaching staff in schools. "Now we are concentrating more on schools situated in colonies and villages," said a senior functionary of the department. According to sources in the department there was a wide gap between the prescribed teacher-student ratio and the present ratio in UT schools. Against the specified number of one teacher for 40 students, there is one teacher for 60 students in UT schools. The situation to a large extent was a result of non-approval a of a plan by the UT Education Department for the creation of 200 vacancies of teachers. The Ministry of of Human Resources Development has not granted an approval to the plan, which is pending with it since 1991, the sources said. When contacted the UT DPI
(Schools) said: "At our level we have been trying to
bridge the gap. A number of teachers have been appointed
on contract basis, for which the principals of the
schools concerned have been given powers." He said
the department was going to recruit more JBT teachers. |
CTU staff stir hits commuters CHANDIGARH, Nov 30 — Commuters were put to great inconvenience following a strike by the CTU Workers Joint Action Committee here this morning. The two-hour strike from 8 a.m was held in protest against the non-acceptance of the long-standing demands of the union by the administration. The bus service was, however, normal by 11 a.m. Commuters, including office-goers and school children, were stranded at various bus stops in the city. Many could be seen voicing their protest at such strikes and the inability of the strikers to use other means of protest rather than harassing the people. Mr Kanhaiya Lal, Mr Waryam Singh, Mr Narain Singh and Mr Jagdish Singh, leaders of the committee, while addressing the protesters at the ISBT in Sector 17, said that the CTU management was anti-employee and despite agreeing to implement some of the demands had backtracked. The leaders said no overtime had been paid to the workers for the past nine months and the dues ran into crores of rupees. As a result of which the employees were in great hardship and in case the dues were not cleared by December 9, they would not work in double shifts and would go on strike. The other demands are
payment of bonus, TA and ex gratia in death cases,
issuance of uniforms and shoes, grant of leave on the
pattern of Punjab Roadways, clearance of retirement
benefits immediately, besides creation of more posts of
sub-inspector. |
Lemon prices shoot up CHANDIGARH, Nov 30
—The price of lemon today high in different city
markets. Lemon which was priced between Rs 15 and Rs 20 a
kg yesterday, was available for Rs 30 and Rs 40 in
Sectors 32 and 35 today. According to traders, the hike
in the price of lemon and other vegetables was temporary
and due to the closure of the Sector 26 vegetable market
today. The market remains closed on the last Monday of
every month. |
Recession a temporary phenomenon:
Khusro CHANDIGARH, Nov 30---Recession is a temporary phenomenon, according to Prof A.M. Khusro, Chairman of the Finance Commission of India. Professor Khusro was addressing the valedictory session of a special training programme for senior bank officers at the Centre for Research In Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID) here today. It has been through linkages that the recession came to India. He said the recession never lasts for more than three years. He said in spite of fall in revenues, the government was trying to enhance expenditure by 35 per cent, particularly in building and insurance sectors. Professor Khusro said there was a great need to modify norms in the banking sector according to the needs of time. He expressed hope that competition in the banking industry due to the entry of foreign banks would result in better performance of the public sector banks. The Director of the
centre, Mr Rachpal Malhotra, said there was a need for
research in the banking sector. |
Transport Chowk flyover to cost Rs
19.61 cr NEW DELHI, Nov 30 — The Centre has received a proposal for the construction of a flyover at Transport Chowk in Chandigarh. This was stated by the Minister of State for Surface Transport, Mr Debendra Pradhan, in a written reply to a question by Mr Satya Pal Jain, MP from Chandigarh. The Minister informed Mr Jain that the project, to be constructed near Sector 26 and 28, is expected to cost Rs 19.61 crore. It is expected to take three-and-a-half years for completion after the commencement of work. The Minister said the proposal had been received by the Ministry for technical approval. In a statement here, Mr
Jain said he called on the Minister and requested him to
start construction work as early as possible so that
traffic on Chandigarh-Panchukla road can be regulated. |
School kids present impressive
show PANCHKULA, Nov 30 — Students of St Michael School in Sector 16 here presented an impressive cultural programme on the occasion of the annual day function here yesterday. The Deputy General Manager of The Tribune group of newspapers, Mr O.P. Arora, was the chief guest on the occasion. Most of the items
presented by the students pertained to the conservation
of environment. Students dancing to the tune of Hindi pop
numbers kept the audience glued to their seats. |
Residents grudge anomalies in plot
allotment CHANDIGARH, Nov 30 — The allotment of plots to 94 persons under the rehabilitation scheme of the Chandigarh Administration has come in for criticism from residents of Pir Palsora and other nearby colonies. The allegations levelled by them include clearing the names of persons ineligible to get the plots as per norms. The Estate Office had received applications from 544 persons for allotment of the plots and following verifications of their documents, the claims of 94 persons were found to be correct. Those shortlisted include residents of Pir Palsora colony, Indira Colony, Colony number IV, Lal Bahadur Shastri colony and Palsora. Some complainants alleged that many ineligible persons had "managed" to get their names included in the final list. The discrepancies pointed out were that the names of these persons did not figure in the 1990 voters' list, they did not have ration cards and even the numbers allotted to people during the previous surveys by the Estate Office had not been mentioned in their applications. A list of names of 25 such
persons had been submitted to the Deputy Commissioner by
the activists of a local political party for necessary
action. The list had reportedly been okayed by the
Adviser to the Administrator, they added. |
Poll officers appointed Chandigarh, Nov 30 — The UT Election Commissioner, Mr B Prasad has appointed Returning Officers(ROs) and Assistant Returning Officers(AROs) for the elections of panches and sarpanches of the gram panchayats of Chandigarh. The RO and ARO for Kishangarh, Mauli Jagran, Daria and Raipur Kalan are the Director, Transport and General Manager, Chandigarh Transport Undertaking, according to an official release. The RO and ARO for Behlana, Hallomajra, Kajheri and Palsora are Director, Public Instructions DPI(S).For Raipur Khurd, Dadumajra,Dhanas and Sarangpur the RO and ARO are the Director, Industries and Joint Director, Sports. The RO and ARO for Khuda Ali Sher, Kaimbwala, Khuda Lahora, Khuda Jassu and Maloya are the General Manager, Super Bazaar and the Tehsildar, Enforcement(B). Besides this, the Block
Development and Panchayat Officer has been appointed
Electoral Registration Officer for the villages. The
Tehsildar, Enforcement (G), and the Revenue and Assistant
Labour Commissioner have been appointed as Assistant
Electoral Registration Officers. |
Rally to muster support for stir CHANDIGARH, Nov 30 — A rally by members of the Punjab unit of the Platform of Mass Organisations was held in the Sector 17 Plaza to mobilise people for the all-India general strike to be held on December 11. The impressive rally saw participation of employees, farmers, agricultural workers, youth and women activists from all over the state. The protesters gathered near the venue and raised slogans against the state government for the skyrocketing prices, large-scale closure of factories, increasing unemployment, disinvestment of the public sector, debt burden on the peasants and the recent spate of starvation deaths in the country. The backtracking of the government on its promises was also decried by them. Mr Chander Shekhar, general secretary of the Punjab unit of CITU, and Mr Bant Brar, general secretary of AITUC, condemned the non-performance of the BJP government, besides coming down heavily on the communal and fanatic approach which had endangered the body politic of the country. Attempts were also being made to undermine the federal structure of the country by the BJP. They demanded Rs 3,500 as
the minimum wage for industrial workers, abolition of the
contract labour system, grant of bonus to all employees,
implementation of labour laws, enactment of a
comprehensive legislation for agricultural workers,
waiving the loans of small farmers, provision of 33 per
cent reservation to women in Parliament and state
legislatures, creation of more employment avenues for the
youth and strengthening of the PDS. |
'Fall of Mirpur' reminisced CHANDIGARH, Nov 30 — Miseries suffered by Mirpuris during the partition of the country were highlighted during a function organised by the local Mirpur (J&K) Welfare Association in connection with the 51st anniversary of "Fall of Mirpur" at the Rose Garden here today. Eminent scholar, Dr Sansar Chandra, presided over the function which was attended by a number of Mirpuris settled in the city and the surrounding areas. While addressing the gathering, the speakers lamented that even after 51 years of Independence no compensation had been paid to Mirpuris, who had to leave their homes in the Occupied Kashmir, under the Displaced Persons (compensation and rehabilitation) Act. The General Secretary of
the association, Mr B.K. Gupta, said though a committee
was constituted by the government in 1947 for sorting out
problems of the displaced persons from the PoK nothing
had been done by it to grant compensation to the
Mirpuris. |
Dances mark cultural festival CHANDIGARH, Nov 30 — Dances by Tanya Gill and six-year-old Harpreet and songs by Madan Shaunki and Bhupender Gill were the highlights of the fifth cultural festival of the Sadabahar Cultural society held at Dafarpur, near Ramgarh, yesterday. Other singers who graced the day-long function were Neelam, Ranjit Sohi, Ranjeet Khairpuria, Surinder Saikhon, Balvinder Sandhu and Inderjeet Jeet. In his presidential
address, Mr Ravinder Singh Sohi, Chairman, Zila Parishad,
Patiala, said the president of the society, Mr Manishwar
Singh Dhillon, and his team was doing yeoman's service in
preserving Punjabiat and spreading social and cultural
harmony. |
CHANDIGARH, Nov 30 — In protest against the delay in the implementation of the revised pay scales for the university teachers, executive committees of teachers' associations will hold protest dharnas on December 11 in universities of the region. This was decided at the first regional conference for the formation the All-India Federation of Universities Teachers Associations (AIFUTA), which concluded here yesterday. The dharnas will be held in the universities of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Jammu and Kashmir besides Chandigarh. PUCSC's demand: The Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) has demanded re-checking of the urban sociology (code-721) papers of MA (semester II). The president of PUCSC, Mr Dayal Partap Singh Randhawa, alleged today that of the 12 students, five who had passed the examination, secured very low marks in this paper. On the other hand, these students had secured more than 60 marks in other paper. Workshop: A two-day
workshop to explore the possibility of introducing a
uniform curricula in geosciences in the country will be
inaugurated on December 7 at the Department of Geology,
Panjab University. Thirty heads of Indian universities
and members of the Earth Science Panel are likely to
participate in the workshop. |
CHANDIGARH, Nov 30 — Balak Ram, a newspaper hawker,in a complaint with the police, alleged that he was "assaulted" by the Regional Passport Officer, Mr Bhagat Ram, outside his office today. According to police sources, Balak Ram was distributing a periodical, published from Kurukshetra, in which a report against the RPO had appeared. Meanwhile, the RPO in a complaint to the SSP alleged that certain travel agents against whom he had taken action, were responsible for maligning him. He urged the SSP to take action against them. Jewellery stolen: A Jalandhar resident has lodged a complaint with the police that some jewellery had been stolen from his car parked in Sector 22 here on Monday. The police has registered a case. Complaint lodged: Ms Sunita, a resident of Sector 37, lodged a complaint with the police that the rear window of her house had been broken while she was away. A case has been registered. PANCHKULA Arrested: The CIA staff of the district police has arrested Mohan (18), a resident of Muradabad in Uttar Pradesh, and seized two stolen bicycles and two black and white colour television sets from him. Accident: Mr S.S. Urmanitty, who was working as a supervisor in HMT, Pinjore, died after he was hit by a truck on the Amabla-Shimla National Highway at Pinjore on Saturday. Mr Urmanitty was going on a scooter when the accident took place. The police has registered a case under Section 304-A of the IPC against the truck driver. Car stolen: Mr Suresh, a resident of Sector 10, in a complaint lodged with the police has that his Maruti car had been stolen from in front of his house on Saturday. The police has registered a case. Case registered: The police has registered a case against one Som Nath for allegedly trespassing on a piece of land leased to Mr Hans Raj by the Punjab Wakf Board at Bhainsa Tibba village and assaulting him. The complainant in his
statement given to the police said Nath had trespassed on
the land on which he had raised a boundary wall and
assaulted him. The police has registered a case under
Sections 323, 452 and 506 of the IPC. |
CHANDIGARH: For the ‘balle balle’ people, it is, perhaps, going to be the first date with classical jazz on December 2 at the PGI Auditorium. One of Israel's top jazz groups will be in Chandigarh on the invitation of the Confederation of Indian Industry. The mere mention of Israel brings to mind a conglomeration of Jews from over 70 countries, their pathetic plight during the Nazi regime and their courageous survival to protect and preserve a tradition along with their achievements in modern science and technology. An average Israeli is stickler to tradition. History and culture remain deeply integrated in the life and blood of Israel. Dan Gottfried, Albert Piamenta, Arale Kaminsky, Mamelo, "Gaits" Gaitanopoulus and Arnon Palty make up the group with a wide repertoire which includes contemporary Bee Bop, modern jazz, Arab and mid-eastern improvisations and jazz interpretations of both contemporary Israeli and traditional Jewish music. It is to Dan's credit (also the leader of the group) that Israeli jazz enjoys a pride of place not only on the local music scene but also in the international community. Being part of Israel's first generation, jazz artistes have added a rare depth to his piano renderings. Dan is an active musician who has long-term plans for making jazz more popular. He established the only international jazz festival in Israel — the Red Sea Jazz Festival. Albert who plays the saxophone and clarinet was part of the Israeli Army Orchestra and is presently heading the Tel Aviv Musical Centre for Youth. Arale is the drummer percussionist of the quintet. Mameolo plays the trumpet and tenor sax. Arnon is a faculty member of the Rimon School of Music. He lectures on traditional and advanced harmony theory, ear training, arranging and bass. Vandana Shukla |
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