& V I C I N I T Y
Sunday, December 27, 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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Sunday, December 27, 1998 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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It's dance time for UT residents |
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 Cold wave persists as Ladakh records -14°C CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — The entire north-Western region continued to reel under shivering cold wave today with no respite from the dense fog which disrupted movement of road, rail and air traffic in the region. Traffic moved at a snail's pace with headlights on this morning as the fog reduced the visibility to zero. |
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Adventure
across hill & dale Economic
offences up in Panchkula High-energy
physics Varsity
teachers' convention Residents
seek amenities MP
invites applications RJD
to field candidates |
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It's dance time for UT residents CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — Come December the momentum begins to build up in the last week of this month and everyone feels a stirring. It's a time to put on your dancing shoes and make new resolutions. Hotels, too, await you with open portals, sumptuous meals and a merry whirligig. They have rolled out the welcome mat, and are ready to celebrate New Year with lights and tinsel, streamers and balloons with everything aglitter--recreating the fantasy and magic year after year. This year too, the residents have a wide variety to choose from to usher in the New Year. Assorted people are expected to throng the bedecked city hotels. From lavish meals to a programme for kicks and laughs, it is all chalked out and planned. Hotel Mountview, Sector 10, has invited Charlie dancing group from Mumbai along with three singers and a disc jockey from Delhi and a six-piece live band, especially for the New Year. An elaborate multi- cuisine buffet with 60-odd dishes has been decided to suit every taste. Charges range from Rs 1,500 for a couple to Rs 1,000 for a single accompanying the couple. While the charges at Hotel Shivalikview, Sector 17, have been fixed at Rs 1,200 and Rs 900 for a couple and a single with a couple respectively, the entertainment agenda is limited to the dance floor, and an elaborate dinner besides games like lucky dip. Mehfil in Sector 17, celebrating a festival week, will create a cafe outside the restaurant with a canopy and a live band playing soft music whereas the exuberant and enthusiastic can fall in step with the rest and create their own dance floor to the beat of the drums. It is offering a 20 per cent discount on meals throughout the week. Hotel Ghazal, right next door, has planned a menu of 25 dishes-Indian, Chinese and continental and a chef's surprise for those who decide to welcome the New Year away from the maddening crowd. The hotel is offering a 15 per cent discount on lunch on December 31. President Hotel, Sector 26, has thought of a novel way to celebrate New Year's eve for its guests. It is organising a 'qawwali' and a ghazal night with troupes coming from as far as Hyderabad and Lucknow. A treat for melody lovers, it will cost Rs 900 for a couple, Rs 450 for a single and Rs 225 for a child. A special menu with 15 items will be the surprise of the night. Piccadilly in Sector 22, has a masquerade party with a local DJ calling the tune. Essentially a "Pirate Party", the visitors will be given masks to add to the fun. The waiters will also be dressed in keeping with the theme. Enthusiastic pirates will be allowed entry for Rs 1,300 as a couple and Rs 700 for a single. Maya Palace in Sector 35 has invited a DJ from Delhi to rock the house, charging Rs 600 per couple. Hotel G.K.International, Sector 35, with an entry fee of Rs 1,000 per couple, has called three dance performers for the New Year celebrations. Clubs in the city and other restaurants have planned special menus while the discotheques will vibrate with wild, whacky numbers.
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Cold wave persists as Ladakh records -14°C CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 (UNI) — The entire north-Western region continued to reel under shivering cold wave today with no respite from the dense fog which disrupted movement of road, rail and air traffic in the region. Traffic moved at a snail's pace with headlights on this morning as the fog reduced the visibility to zero. Buses playing on long distance inter-state routes ran behind schedule throughout the region, causing a lot of hardship to the travelling public. Train services also continued to be badly affected due to the foggy weather conditions in the region all trains running to and fro on the Delhi Ambala section were one to two hours behind schedule. The Howarh-Kalka Mail arrived here late by 2.25 hours, while the Delhi-Kalka Himalayan Queen was behind its schedule by 1.40 hours. The Delhi-Chandigarh Shatabdi arrived here late by 1.25 hours. The thick blanket of fog also considerably delayed the arrival and departure of flights in the region till noon today. Housing weather condition prevailed in the entire Ladakh region, with the mercury plummeting to several degrees below the freezing point. People groaned under the trauma of soul-stirring -14°C at Leh, district headquarters of Ladakh, turning it the coldest place in the region. Kargil was in the Vicinity of -10°C. The entire Kashmir valley also continued to shiver under ferocious weather condition. Srinagar reeled under -7°C three degrees below normal. Intense cold wave gripped the entire Jammu-region, Jammu registered the minimum at 4.1°C, was five degrees below normal, this morning. Several parts of Himachal Pradesh also reeled under shivering cold-wave conditions. The mercury dipped to freezing point in Una district town, while Bhuntar recorded the low of 0.8°C. Sundernagar a sub-divisional town in Mandi district, groaned under 0.5°C. The cold wave was not so unkind in Shimla, capital of Himachal Pradesh. The weather office registered the minimum temperature at 6.4°C, two degrees above normal. Severe cold wave gripped Chandigarh and its adjoining areas in Punjab and Haryana. The day temperature hovered at 11°C against the normal of 22.3°C. The minimum was 5°C, two degrees below normal in the city today against 8°C yesterday. The cold wave persisted unabated in its rage in Punjab and Haryana. Hisar, in Haryana registered the lowest temperature of 5.5° C, one degree below normal, Rohtak (Haryana), Ludhiana and Amritsar (Punjab) had the minimum of 6.5°C each. Delhi and its adjoining areas of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh were also in the grip of a severe cold wave. The meteorological office reported the minimum temperature at 5.2°C three degrees below normal in the national capital.
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Wrong CT scan invites penalty Chandigarh, Dec 26 — The UT Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed consultant radiologists at Dr Sodhi's CT Scan and Imaging Centre, Sector 22 A, to refund the charges of a CT scan on account of deficiency in service to a Sector 27 resident. In addition an amount of Rs 1, 000 is to be paid as costs within two months. A decision to this effect was handed down by Justice J.B. Garg and Mr Sada Nand, president and member of the commission, respectively. The complainant had demanded Rs 19 lakh as compensation on account of deficiency in service, hospitalisation charges, permanent disability, physical harassment and mental agony. According to the complainant, Mrs Darshan Kaur, the report of an ultra sound of her stomach supplied by the respondents was "wrong". The report stated " the gall bladder contains multiple echogenic shadows of stones accompanied by P-A shadowing in the neck region". On the basis of the report, she was operated upon at a nursing home but no stones were found. The son of the complainant contacted the respondents who were neither prepared to listen to their complaint nor realise their mistake. However, the respondents later admitted their negligence and offered to pay the entire expenditure incurred on the treatment of the complainant. The complainant alleged on the basis of a story appearing in the local newspaper, that a wrong report had resulted in an operation which was not required. The commission on perusal of the evidence and in view of the testimony of Dr N.S. Sandhu, the doctor who operated upon the complainant, that no stones were found, said that the report of the radiologist was wholly erroneous. It was also not convincing that stones would disappear from the gall bladder within 17 days of the test. Holding that there was a deficiency in service, the commission directed the respondents to refund the cost of the examination and pay Rs 1,000 as costs.
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Adventure across hill & dale CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — Tom Sawyers running free in the wilds probing and discovering joys of nature might seem a little out of context in today's world. But a group of 48 children from different schools were out to prove the opposite as they crossed brooks, tramped on forgotten paths, climbed mountains and even flew as part of the Winter School adventure programme organised by the Durga Das Foundation. The Winter School started on December 24 introducing children to gliding at the Civil Aviation Club, Pinjore. Some of the kids were a little reluctant to board initially but once they discovered the glory of soaring in the clouds and landing, they wanted it once more. Trekking from Sanawar to Sabathu on the second day did not dampen their spirits as they walked into the thorny, weedy wilds. Dr Harish Dhillon, Principal of Lawrence School, Sanawar, played host to these little spirited reservoirs of energy aged between seven and 14 years on their visit to the school. Saturday gave them an opportunity to camp at Nehru Bhavan in Sector 24. The cheerful, lush green setting with tents pitched for the night stay surprised one when one saw the children's fresh spurt of enthusiasm, birth of new ideas and a feeling of joie de vivre. A camp fire the highlight of the evening. Children sang, danced and played around it. Looking forward to tomorrow's "face to face" with tiger cubs at the Chhatbir Zoo under the supervision of its Director, Dr Vinod Sharma, these boys and girls are surely putting their minds and bodies to optimum use. Camps like this not only break the monotony of regular school life but also offer scope for personal growth, interaction, dissemination of knowledge and a lot of stimulation. A day of horse-riding, cooking in the open in the forests off Nepli, a visit to the nearby Army installations and organised games and a party at a country club near Zirakpur are some of the other activities planned for children in the coming days.
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Economic offences up in Panchkula PANCHKULA, Dec 26 — If burglars forced the residents to spend sleepless nights, white-collar criminals did not lag behind in jacking up the crime graph of the district in the current year. In both cases the men in khakhi had to face public ire. Apart from over 230 cases of theft and burglaries, two daring robberies shook the township. Propelled by public criticism the police solved a number of cases of burglaries. The robbery at the house of a JE in Sector 21 was attributed to a Bawaria gang. Both cases of robbery were solved by the police. At least three major cases of corruption, one involving a politician and government officials were registered by the police. Mr Dharamvir Yadav, a former Cabinet minister in the Bansi Lal government and two officials of the PWD (B&R) were booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act for allegedly demanding bribe from a building contractor. In another case of corruption a retired bureaucrat of Haryana and two technocrats of the Haryana Housing Board were booked for allegedly committing grave irregularities in the execution of development works of the head office building of the HHB and a housing colony here. As compared to last year when 40 cases of economic offences were reported, this year saw 63 cases. Another crime which raised its hood was cruelty against women. The police registered as many as 33 cases under the Dowry Act as compared to 10 last year. This year the police was confronted with a specific nature of murders in which the victims — all men — were found in a naked position after being murdered. Barring one case in which a 40-year-old man was found murdered in Sector 17 here, the police has not been able to ascertain the identity of the three other victims. This year 10 murders took place as compared to nine last year, say police records. Besides the total number of road accidents — fatal and non-fatal — were 232 as compared to 251 last year.
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High-energy physics CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — Prof Yashpal, a former Chairman of the UGC and a distinguished alumni of Panjab University, exhorted the young scientists to follow the example of high energy physicists and not remain confined in a groove of narrow field but look outside in search of creative avenues. He was speaking at the XIIIth national symposium on high energy physics, sponsored by the Department of Atomic Energy at Panjab University, here today. He also referred to the interaction of physics with the society and how everyday words have been adopted by physicists and given specific meanings. He spoke of his early days in the field of particle physics. As many as 150 delegates from premier research institutes from across the country attended the symposium, which was inaugurated by the Vice-Chancellor of Panjab University, Prof M.M. Puri.
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Varsity teachers' convention CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — A national convention of university teachers' associations for the formation of an all-India Federation of University Teachers' Association will be held in the auditorium of the University Business School, Panjab University on December 28 and 29. The inaugural session will begin at 11a.m. The convention is being organised by PUTA and co-hosted by the University Teachers' Associations of the North-Western Region. AIFUTA will identify the sources of acute crisis affecting the work culture in universities and will work actively for the implementation of the revision of pay scales. It will also strive to ensure that the university managements are made accountable.
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Residents seek amenities PANCHKULA, Dec 26 — The Housing Board Residents' Welfare Association of Sector 26 has sought basic amenities like dispensary, a government school and a bill collection centre in the colony. The general secretary of the association, Mr I.S. Kaushik, said the residents had to cover more than 10 km to reach the 66 KV sub-station at Industrial Area, Phase-II here, to deposit their electricity bills. In the absence of a local bus service connecting the area with the local bus stand, problems of the residents had aggravated. Besides this the residents
have demanded issuance of ration cards to them and the
inclusion of their names in the voters' list. |
Plea to remove jhuggis CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — Residents of Sector 71 have demanded the removal of illegal jhuggis from the sector. In a statement here today, Lt-Col G.S. Bedi and while the open areas in the sector had been properly developed the area behind house number 114 onwards was neglected. He said more jhuggis were coming up. The jhuggi dwellers defecate in the open besides contributing to unclean surroundings. The residents have urged
the PUDA authorities to remove the encroachments and
develop a park. MP invites applications CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — The local MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain, has invited applications from bona fide residents of the city for gas connections on out-of-turn priority basis. The connections will be given out of his discretionary quota. In a statement here today, Mr Jain said in view of the decision of the Kerala High Court, the applicant had to fulfil four conditions — proof of residency, urgency for the connection, his name should figure in the LPG waiting list with the distributor concerned with the certification that he would use the LPG for domestic purposes only. The applications should reach his residence by December 30.
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RJD to field candidates CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — The local unit of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) will field its candidates in the coming panchayat polls. According to Mr Tarvinder Singh, a spokesperson of the party, said an 11-member committee to shortlist the candidates had been formed. Two party MPs, Mr Surinder
Yadav and and Mr Nagmani, will campaign for their
candidates. Blood donation camp Chandigarh, Dec 26 — A blood donation camp was organised by the Lions Club Chandigarh (Host and Krishna) at Lions Bhavan in Sector 18 here today. Mr R S Mathoda, Commissioner, Income Tax was the chief guest. As many as 100 persons, including members of the club, donated blood.
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MC clarification CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation today clarified that recommendations have been invited from the councillors of the corporation by December 31 for the constitution of ward committees and not from the public as published in a section of the press. Visit: Mr Ashok Pradhan, BJP MP from Noida Khurja, called on the new Mayor, Mr Kewal Krishan Adiwal, here on Saturday. Mr Pradhan and Mr Adiwal exchanged views on mutual areas of interest with regard to working of civic bodies.
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Two
pedestrians hurt in road mishaps CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — Two pedestrians were injured after they were hit by vehicles and admitted to the PGI today, in two separate accidents. Mr Joginder Pal, a resident of Sector 39 was hit by a car, (PB 10 L 3170) near the Sector 9, 10 intersection. The driver fled the scene soon after the accident. Another pedestrian, Mr Mangal Singh, a resident of Sector 29 was hit by a speeding truck near the Ram Darbar roundabout. The driver in this case also fled the scene. Cases under Section 279/ 337, IPC, have been registered at police station north and police station, Sector 29, respectively. Abduction charge: Mr Najir Hussain, a resident of Sector 32 D, reported that his minor daughter has been abducted by Gola, a resident of the same sector from a Sector 32 school. A case under Section 363, 366, IPC, has been registered. Hailed: Mr Sanjiv Sood, a resident of Sector 21 D, has hailed the role of the police for taking necessary steps in tracing out his car within two hours of its theft from outside the Press Club late on Friday night. After receiving the complaint, Inspector Kultar Singh formed a police party headed by ASI Rajinder Singh which traced the car within two hours. The car was released on Saturday on 'supardari' by the Chief Judicial Magistrate.
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Daler
jives away to glory CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — If there is anybody who can tempt people out of their cosy homes to jive away into a cold frosty night, it certainly is Daler Mehndi. This Badshah of Bhangra proved to be the Pied Piper who lured an impressive crowd to the Parade Ground in Sector 17 today. The almost three-hour fun fare started with his appearance on the stage. Beginning with a folk song "Ucchada Bur", Daler, dressed in his customary sequinned yellow turban and a flowing black robe, went on to yodel all-time hits like "Hey Kanchi", "Aan Milo Sajna" and "Duma Dum Mast Kalandar". In on time was the audience up on their seats to dance away the foggy night. Few could resist swinging with this singing-dancing sensation, especially when be belted out his foot-tapping numbers like "Ho Jayegi Balle Balle" and "Bolo Ta-Ra-Ra Ra". The frenzied crowd could even be seen removing their jackets when Daler sang and danced upon "Ankhiyon Se Goli Mare", Samundar Mein Naha Kar" and "Chaiyyan-Chaiyyan"! Daler Mehndi's excitable dancing and spirited singing does not need any embellishments and his presence is enough to ignite the whole ambience. The presence of Miss Chandigarh '97, a leggy beauty, cat-walking on the stage, to his "Dil Mera Naal-Naal" did nothing to electrify the already animated crowd. The laser show, which showed different coloured laser lights in all patterns and designs piercing through the fog to reach the crowd, was definitely a dazzling display. The people of the City Beautiful relished every bit of Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" 'illustrated' with laser beams and 'pictures' of the 'Titanic' and its stars Leonardo Di Caprio and Kate Winslet bobbing in the air! A resplendent Daler dancing passionately to his 'swinging' songs had not only a wild attendance matching his every step and every word but some scribes could also be seen joining in the fun! His "Na-Na-Na, Na Re, Na Re" had the crowd going absolutely crazy. Daler's many coats, which he kept on changing while the brilliant compere of the evening Jo Bhatt kept the audience in splits, were the envy of any woman's wardrobe. Bringing the evening to a close with "Tunak-Tunak", while the crowd inside the venue and those outside and dancing atop bus stops screamed for more, Daler seemed a delighted man after the fiasco at Mohali. Daler Mehndi was
accompanied by Ustaad Shamsher Singh on tabla, Pritpal
Singh on lead dhol, Kuldeep Singh on the octopad, Sohan
Singh on the dholak, Joginder Singh on the keyboard,
Shailendra on rhythm guitar and Mukesh Jolly on the
tambourine. |
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