& V I C I N I T Y
Wednesday, October 28, 1998
|
C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
|
Wednesday, October 28, 1998 |
| weather n
spotlight today's calendar |
 |
|
|
Artificial scarcity, say
working women Administration
move runs into rough weather Protest
over buses not stopping |
 |
 CTCC demands MC dissolution Democracy
ineffective in India, says Mark Tully |
|
CITCO workers hold gate
rallies Judicial
lock-up for Xen
Workshop
on export promotion Sagar’s
assurance to MIG flats’ residents UP
gives permission to build road Telecom
department's move S-I,
14 ASIs transferred |
||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||
Artificial scarcity, say working
women CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 — After housewives, it is the turn of working women to hold the government responsible for the unprecedented hike in the prices of items of daily use which has badly hit their monthly budgets. Some of the women interviewed by TNS were not ready to buy the argument that the price hike was an outcome of the destruction of crops due to the rains. They were of the view that artificial scarcity of these items had been created by big traders, in collusion with implementation officials, politicians who were out to make money out of the situation.These working women suggested that on their part the people should launch a movement in this regard while the government should evolve a regulatory system to check the rising prices and the activities of hoarders. Dr Anuradha Gupta of the Microbiology Department, PGI, said the bickerings among various constituents of the BJP-led coalition government was partially responsible for the situation. Due to infighting, BJP leaders were not able to attend to the problem of price hike.She urged the government to take steps to arrest the price hike of essential commodities. Ms Vinita Sajwan, an advocate, said the unplanned export of some items and hoarding by traders was a major reason behind the price hike. The government must handle the situation by setting up a regulatory mechanism. Besides, steps must be taken to control the activities of middlemen, who manage to gobble up a major share of the profit from producers as well as consumers. Ms Manjit Kaur Sandhu, also an advocate, said the fault lay in the implementation of laws against hoarding. "By not acting against the hoarders, the government is in a way giving them a chance to loot the people for some more time. They will go scot-free as they are helping the politicians to stay in power with money and votes," she said and added that there was little hope for the common man. Ms Sovina, a Civil Engineer, was equally perturbed over the price hike and was of the view that it was due to lack of control on the part of the government. She believes there was no scarcity of these items. They were available in the market in sufficient amounts, but were simply out of the reach of the common man. She blamed lack of planning for the present crisis. "Why were onions first exported to Iran at a price of Rs 9 per kilogram and then were bought back at a much higher price of Rs 12," she asked. Ms Rintu Khanna, an Electrical Engineer, said there was hoarding by the suppliers who wanted more and more profit. She said the public should react to the price hike as no one was going to grant them anything without their raising the issue. Ms Shashi Nanda, a retired college teacher, said globalisation was also contributing to the situation.Food items were being exported to foreign countries after being processed here, without assessing the demand and supply factor in the country. Average retail prices of items of daily use on Tuesday: Pulses (per kilogram): Dal Arhar-Rs 40; Rajmah-Rs 30-34; Dal Chana-Rs 20; Black Gram-Rs 18; White Gram-Rs 36; Moong-Rs 28; Moong Dal-Rs 30; Malika Masoor-Rs 28-30; Besan-Rs 22-25; Atta-Rs 9.50; Vegetable Oil-Rs 62-65.(per litre); Mustard Oil-Rs 70-75 (per litre). Vegetables:
Onions-Rs 50-60; Raddish-Rs 10; Ladyfinger-Rs 15-17;
Lemons-Rs 35-40; Capsicum-Rs 25-30; Cabbage-Rs 25;
Cauliflower-Rs 15-20; Potato-Rs 15-18; Ghia-Rs 10-12; and
Beans-Rs 13-15. |
Case against Mayor CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 — The move of the Chandigarh Administration to withdraw "in public interest" a case registered against Mr Gian Chand Gupta, Mayor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, today ran into rough weather when Mr Ajay Jagga, president of the local unit of the Janata Party raised objections. Mr Jagga, who moved an application in the court of the Judicial Magistrate, Mr Tejwinder Singh, praying for issuance of notice to Union Law ministry on the plea of Administration as "an important legal question is involved". He told the court that the notice was essential as the Administration was apparently acting in an "inappropriate manner, evidently against public interest and the statutory provisions of the law. Taking up the application the magistrate issued notice to the prosecution for November 9. Mr Jagga told the court that the Administration was seeking withdrawal of the case as Mr Gupta had been elected Mayor of the corporation. He said the FIR was registered after proper investigation of the case when Mr Gupta was not in power. He pleaded that trial against public men would strengthen the faith of the public in democratic institutions. He said even on the international scene public figures like Mr Bill Clinton was facing prosecution. Mr Gupta was charged with assaulting Mr K.B. Sharma, Superintending Engineer with the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, besides committing power theft. Mr Sharma had alleged that the accused had assaulted him in the presence of senior officers of the Administration while he was on duty at the Mani Majra Housing Board roundabout in connection with the arrival of Mr L.K. Advani, a senior BJP leader and now Home Minister. It may be recalled that even Mr K.B. Sharma had opposed the move of the Administration against the withdrawal of the case against Mr Gupta. He had filed an application, saying that he was the complainant in this case. Therefore, it would not be appropriate to withdraw the case against Mr Sharma without his concurrence. Mr Sharma was arrested by the Vigilance department of the Administration in connection with the ongoing kickbacks case registered against certain officials of the Engineering department. After his custodial interrogation for a couple of days, he was remanded in judicial custody. He had moved his plea from
the judicial lock-up. |
CTCC demands MC dissolution CHANDIGARH, Oct 27— The Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (CTCC) has demanded the dissolution of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) for its "failure" on all fronts. Talking to TNS, the President of the CTCC, Mr Venod Sharma, alleged that the internal wranglings in the local unit of the BJP had brought the functioning of the MC to a standstill, resulting in the civic amenities going from bad to worse with the each passing day. While demanding the resignation of the Mayor, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, as he had "lost the confidence of the majority of the councillors," following an "open revolt" by the seven BJP councillors, besides the expelled councillor, Mr O.P. Goyal, Mr Sharma demanded fresh elections to the civic body as the current body's work was detrimental to the interests of the residents. He said his party was considering moving of a no-confidence motion against the Mayor if he would not quit on his own. Opposing the recent hike in the power tariff in the city, Mr Sharma threatened that his party would launch an agitation if the proposal to hike power tariff from November 10 was not withdrawn. Mr Sunil Parti, spokesman of the CTCC, said the future course of action in this regard would be announced in a couple of days. Flaying the Chandigarh Administration for its failure to constitute zila parishads for the past over four years, he demanded the immediate elections to the gram panchayats, saying that by not conducting the poll, the Administration was running away from its constitutional responsibility. On the constitution of ward committees, he said all political parties and sector welfare associations should be taken into confidence while finalising the names for inclusion into these committees. Mr Sharma said his party
would oppose the imposition of fresh taxes. He announced
that a new set of office-bearers of his party would be
announced next month. |
Democracy ineffective in India, says
Mark Tully CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 — Indian democracy is a one that does not deliver, said Mr Mark Tully, a prolific TV commentator on Indian affairs, while talking to the TNS here today. The former BBC correspondent in Delhi was in city to deliver a lecture organised as part of the special lecture series by Panjab University. "India is a country which should have done better with its huge potential. This has been proved time and again by the performance of its people abroad where the opportunities for talent to flourish are available," he said. The die-hard advocate of Indian democracy said that the country did not suffer from the Russian problem and people understood the value of democracy. Education, primary health and land reforms were the main areas where the policies had failed and this accounted much for the present state of affairs. The country started with the legacy of the British bureaucracy "which was not very good" and is sadly still intact. Money for basic facilities like education and health was very important but what was more important was the way the money was spent. Mr Tully said people were now facing a "bout of depression". They seemed to have tried all political parties all of whom had failed to deliver the goods. "I am, however, optimistic about the future of the country. It is like the darkness before dawn. A form will definitely appear". While making a point about various possibilities which could lead to an improvement in governance, Mr Tully said a greater degree of federalism was of paramount importance. A good government was the one "which does little but does it well". The over- Centralised system had to be "busted". The Centre should keep minimum work at its hands — like currency, law and order and providing basic facilities to citizens. On the other hand, it should pull out of number of ventures like transport. The former BBC correspondent underlined the need for reforms in the legal system to suit the needs of the people. Administration should be "afraid" of the courts. At the same time courts should confine themselves to their business only. The administrative services should have a clear distinction from the legislature. The entire bureaucracy needed to be modernised. Commenting on the "Punjab crisis", he said that it arose primarily due to "erroneous designs of the Congress to play with Sikh voters till the very forces created by it went out of hand". There, however, was never a "separatist movement in Punjab". Mr Mark Tully is engaged now in writing a book on the sacred places of India. He has also made a film on Indian Railways. The lecture in the morning
was presided over by Prof Yash Pal. |
Protest over buses not stopping CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 — Students blocked road in front of Government College for Men, Sector 11, here today. Traffic remained disrupted for nearly 30 minutes. Students alleged that a
large number of local buses did not stop at the marked
spot, causing inconvenience to them. |
CITCO workers hold gate rallies CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 — The protest by members of the CITCO Workers' Union against the decision of the management to lease CITCO hotels to private parties continued today. The workers held separate gate rallies at the head office of CITCO in Sector 17 and Hotel Mountview and raised slogans against the chairperson of CITCO, Ms Minakshi Datta Ghosh, who they alleged, inititated the move to lease out the hotels to private parties. A press note termed the
report of ITDC experts regarding the non-existence of
professionalism in the CITCO hotels as "biased
one". |
Songs on AIDS awareness CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 — A three-day workshop on songs of national integration and AIDS awareness being organised by the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports began at Government College for Men, Sector 11, here today. The workshop was inaugurated by Dr S.N. Singla, principal of the college. Ms Madhu Bala, youth officer, said the songs which will be prepared in the course of the workshop would be presented at the valedictory function on October 31. The songs will be recorded in form of an audio cassette and distributed to educational institutions all over the country, Ms Madhu Bala added. All songs have been
composed by her. |
BIS conducts raid on geyser maker CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 — Officials of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) conducted a raid at the premises of a local geyser manufacturer who had been "fraudulently using the standard mark of the BIS on geysers and motors". An official spokesperson, Ms Renuka Salwan, said various objectionable material such as empty cartons with BIS marks, lebels of other manufacturers located in Delhi and other places were seized during the operation. "It was also discovered that the manufacturer was also indulging in a false propaganda". Under the provisions of
the BIS it is a punishable offence to manufacture, store
or sell any product without the BIS mark or its colourful
imitation without a valid licence. The crime is
punishable with an imprisonment for a term which can be
extended to one year or with a fine which can be as high
as Rs 50,000 or both. |
Judicial lock-up for Xen CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 —The Judicial Magistrate, Mr Tejwinder Singh, today sent Sadhu Singh, Executive Engineer with the Chandigarh Administration, to judicial lock-up till November 7. He was arrested by the Economic Offences wing of the local police on the charge of making an excess payment of Rs 8.80 lakh to the contractor who installed a generator set at the Chandigarh Medical College and Hospital. Sadhu Singh was earlier arrested in connection with the kickbacks case registered by the Vigilance department of the Administration against certain officials of the Engineering department. After his custodial interrogation, he was sent to the judicial lock-up. The Economic Offences wing
had arrested him from judicial lock-up for custodial
interrogation in connection with the fresh case
registered against him. |
Workshop on export promotion CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 — A two-day workshop on export promotion got underway at the Technical Teachers’ Training Institute (TTTI), Sector 26, here today. Addressing the participants, Dr SK Bhattacharya,Principal, TTTI, said while Indian goods were exportable,their presentation was not according to international standards. He suggested the implementation of ISO-9000 quality system standards in various organisations to make the products attractive and presentable. Prof BS Rathore, head of the Entrepreneurship Development and Industrial Coordination (EDIC) Department, apprised the participants of the current trends in the export trade, OECD tariffs and GATT provisions and the intellectual property rights. Mr SM Goel, Project
Manager, District Industries Centre, Chandigarh, detailed
the incentives and facilities provided by the Centre to
entrepreneurs and exporters. |
Sagar’s assurance to MIG flats’
residents CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 — The Adviser to the UT Administrator, Mr Jagdish Sagar, today assured residents of 504 MIG flats in Sector 61 that a causeway connecting the city with SAS Nagar would be constructed in two to three months. Mr Sagar, who visited the Sector, also said that after the completion of the causeway, plans for developing another road to Chandigarh from SAS Nagar would be prepared. He said he would ask the Department of Posts to add another post office to the list of post offices already demanded for the city. On other demands of the residents, he asked the Architecture Department to identify site for a police post in the area facing the rehabilitation colony in Sector 52. He also asked the department to prepare designs for setting up a dispensary and a creche in the housing complex. The residents complained
that the existing streetlight arrangement on the main
road leading to the flats were inadequate. They also
demanded bus service to the housing complex and a bus
shelter.
|
S-I, 14
ASIs transferred CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 — A Sub-Inspector and 14 Assistant Sub Inspectors of the Chandigarh Police have been transferred from one place to another. Most of the transfers are
of the newly appointed officials. |
UP gives permission to build road CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 — The Uttar Pradesh Government has accorded permission to the Shiromani Sant Khalsa International Foundation to build a metalled road from Gobind Ghat in Chamoli district to Gobind Dham. Sant Pritpal Singh, head of the foundation, having its headquarters at Gurdwara Gursagar here, said that Rs 5.5 crore would be spent on the 30-km-long road. He said that an application would soon be moved to the Forest Department of Uttar Pradesh for getting its clearance. The road would be constructed by the PWD of Uttar Pradesh and funds would be provided by the foundation. Following the construction
of the road, the pilgrimage to Hemkunt Sahib will become
comfortable. At present pilgrims go on foot in the
absence of a road. |
Telecom department move CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 — The Chandigarh Telecom is planning to bring all villages exchanges in and around the city on the optical fibre system. The villages of Maloya and Khuda Ali Sher have already been connected on to the fibre cable. The work on the Sohana
exchange is under way and is likely to be completed soon,
a press note of the Telecom department said. |
CHANDIGARH , Oct 27 — The Panjab University Teachers' Association (PUTA) has drafted an elaborate proposal to introduce short term courses for non-formal students and those who have not had the opportunity of interacting with the university Faculty earlier . The suggestions of PUTA have been forwarded by the Dean ,University Instructions, Dr IBS Passi , to all departments of the university, eliciting their opinion . The nature of the courses will include: short-term duration of about 16 contact hours spread over three to four weeks; incorporating some library, lab work or lectures of audio-visual nature; and textual material to be incorporated as part of the course package. The secretary of PUTA Dr Rajivlochan said the possible courses include nature of mathematics and its use in everyday life, an introduction to history and culture of Punjab, strategies for coping with everyday stress, nature of languages and its uses in communication, rental laws, income tax law and logic techniques and reasoning. PUTA has pointed out that " to be more immediately relevant to the needs of society and the insistence by various funding agencies that the university generate more of its financial resources it may be in the fitness of the things to enable various departments to offer their expertise to the public other than formal students". It has also been pointed out that the introduction of these courses would not involve any additional burden on the budget of the university. At least half of the revenue generated from these courses could be used for the development fund of the university. Programme: The second programme in the series of orientation programme for women councillors from Punjab was inaugurated by Dr Nicole Brewer, head of the Political Affairs Department of the British High Commission, in Panjab University on Tuesday. Dr Brewer gave examples of several British women who faced similar issues as Indian women including 4 C's —of culture, child care, costs and confidence. She said 60 per cent of women MP's among Britain's 120 women in a house of 659 had been elected for the first time. Welcoming the councillors Dr Pam Rajput, Director of the Centre for Women Studies and Development, PU, said that transformation in society could be brought about by enabling women to play a more meaningful role in leadership and decision making positions. Punjab is the first state to have started such a programme. Symposium: The Department of Biophysics at PU will organise a two-day international symposium on apoptosis (genetically programmed death cell) on October 30, an official press note said. Prof NK Ganguly, Director
General of the Indian Council of Medical Research will
deliver the keynote address. |
CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 — The police is yet to make any arrests in connection with the murder of a woman in Sector 30 while doctors at General Hospital, in Sector 16, today took a vaginal swab from the body to establish rape, and sent it for further examination, according to sources. Santosh Kumari, wife of a security guard at the local office of the Reserve Bank of India, was done to death in her Sector 30 house yesterday afternoon. The death came to light only in the evening when her husband, Pritam Singh, returned home. A piece of the iron handle from the hot plate, which was probably used to commit the crime, was removed by doctors from the head of the body. The police had been looking for the missing handle since yesterday. A total of eight injuries have been identified in the post mortem. Though no breakthrough has been achieved, the police is sure that the murderer was an acquaintance of the couple or of the woman. Two of the tea cups that were used to serve tea to the visitor were found by the police today. The find has led the police to believe that there could be two visitors and not one, according to sources. The woman had opened the door and then served tea and snacks. According to the police theory the same person or persons could be behind the murder. The visitors may have tried to force themselves on the woman and then murdered her fearing a case of rape. A woman living in the neighbourhood has reportedly told the police that the deceased and she used to go together in the afternoon to fetch their kids from a nearby school. Yesterday afternoon the woman went to Santosh Kumari's place only to find the house locked. Thinking that Santosh Kumari may have left for the school earlier, the woman left on her own and brought back her child as well as Santosh's child. Today a team of the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory (CFSL) collected samples while the police registered a case under Section 302 of the IPC. A special team comprising Inspectors Ajaib Singh and KIP Singh has been constituted to probe the murder. Pedestrian killed: A pedestrian was killed while two others were injured in separate accidents in the city in the past 24 hours. A pedestrian, Surjit Singh was hit by an unknown Maruti car on Madhya Marg in Sector 26. He died on the spot while the car sped off. Meanwhile, Ajaib Singh of Ropar district was injured and admitted to General Hospital, Sector 16, when he collided with a scooter in Sector 44. The other scooter was driven by Surinder Pal. In another accident, Jagir Singh of Sector 29 was injured when an unknown vehicle hit him near the GMCH. The injured has been admitted to the PGI. Father, son held: A father and son duo — Madan Mohan Sharma and Devinder Mohan Sharma — have been arrested by the police for allegedly assaulting Mr Pradeep Tayal of Sector 21. Meanwhile in a separate incident Lakha Singh and Sanjeev Kumar have been nabbed while carrying 11 bottles of liquor and 40 pouches. PANCHKULA Three held: The local police has arrested three persons of Rajiv colony here in connection with a burglary at a shop in the colony on October 25. The three — Mukesh, Lahwa and Jayoti — were nabbed by the police after, Mr Krishan Pal Jain of the Rajiv colony, in a complaint alleged that the suspects had stolen Rs 11,000 in cash besides other items from the shop. The police had registered a case. Two arrested: The
police has arrested two persons — Puran Chand and
Vijay Kumar — of Majri for allegedly drinking and
creating nuisance at a public place. |
CHANDIGARH: A good piece of work speaks for itself. It conveys a lot about its creator, how much the artist understands his subject and how well he tackles it. What this perfect picture makes the viewer experience is sheer ecstasy. He feels as if he has been transcended into an axalted plane. Here onwards he takes on to a flight of fantasy, winged by the artist's colours and imagination melting into each other. This, in a way, is also the coming together of an expression and the grasping of it. Exactly this is what happens with the paintings of Jivan Adalja, Prem Singh, SK Sahni and K Damodaran. Four friends, three from Delhi and one from Chandigarh, have come together to show to the art lovers of the city what superlative art is all about. It is a show amalgamating different styles of painting — figurative, abstract and straight lines. Jivan deriving inspiration from human life likes to create female forms and folk motifs on his canvas. But he has worked on cloth too, using water colours and the result is simply excellent. No, his figures do not have those detailed, fine features but are with rounded eyes, thick lips and jet black hair. He has used a lot of black because it is a colour which gives the maximum tones of shades. It is also a powerful colour besides being difficult to handle. SK Sahni is an artist with a difference. It is with straight lines that he tries to create an image. The end product resembles something created from computer graphics. The only difference is, it has been done manually and one piece has taken over a month to be laid to rest. This kind of skill requires precision, forethought and a sense of composition. Beckoning patience to the forefront Sahni draws straight lines in various directions continually changing their spacing. The variation done sensitively, gives emergence to different patterns and compositions. To make it more attractive he puts a touch of colour here and there. This he can do with deftness as he was a painter before and switched to playing with straight lines a decade before. Prem Singh and K Damodaran both like riot of colours on big canvases. Hues used by Prem Singh are bright and breathtaking, enabling the viewer to be gulfed by their brilliance. On the other side, frames of Damodaran with thick blotches of paint have a delicacy about them. Though full of shades and pigments, they have a serene quality giving the onlooker a feeling of inner tranquillity. They give the impression of a dream world where one returns for respite from time to time. This exhibition is open at Museum of Fine Arts, Panjab University. —
Priti Verma |
 |
 |
 |
| Nation
| Punjab | Haryana | Himachal Pradesh | Jammu & Kashmir | | Editorial | | Business | Sport | | Mailbag | Spotlight | World | 50 years of Independence | Weather | | Search | Subscribe | Archive | Suggestion | Home | E-mail | |
