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Monday, February 1, 1999
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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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Monday, February 1, 1999 |
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Stress on making biodegradable bags CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — "The recycling units should be encouraged to produce the biodegradable bags, says Dr S.C. Jain of the Department of Chemical Engineering of Panjab University. Alumni House fails to come up CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — The site of alumni house whose stone was laid by former Prime Minister I.K. Gujral, less than a year ago in Sector 25 is a picture of total neglect. Surrounded by filth on all sides with not so much as an identity for itself, a "beheaded" pillar stands against the backdrop of "jhuggis" of Kumhar Colony. |
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Ravi
Dass Jayanti celebrated |
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Stress on making biodegradable
bags CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — "The recycling units should be encouraged to produce the biodegradable bags, says Dr S.C. Jain of the Department of Chemical Engineering of Panjab University. Dr Jain, who was speaking at a seminar "Say no to plastics" organised by the Environment Society of India at the Sector 11 Karuna Sadan here today said incentives like subsidies should be given to the industry engaged in recycling of polybags so that they could produce a substitute like biodegradable bags. He said as a first step towards the elimination of polybags, environment- friendly bags could be developed by a simple and cost-effective process involving a coat of plastic spray over a sheet of durable paper. "Such bags are as durable as the conventional bags made of polythene," he added. Mr Bhupinder Singh, secretary of Environment Protection Society, S.A.S Nagar, said that the polybags had become a major source of nuisance as there was no concrete solution for their disposal after use. "So much so that these bags could be seen scattered all around in rural areas." He advocated a complete ban on the use and manufacturing of such bags. Prof M.L. Sarin of Panjab University averred that the misuse of these bags could leading to serious health problems among people. "The worst form of misuse of these bags is done by people by packing foodstuff in them," he said. Mr S.K. Sharma, president of the society, said what was intriguing was that despite the fear of outbreak of deadly diseases, no study had been conducted to establish the side-effects of polythene. He alleged that in spite of a ban on the use of polybags in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana, nothing concrete had been done by these states to ensure the proper implementation of the ban. In a resolution, the
participants demanded that in addition to a ban on
recycling of plastics, manufacturing of bags with a
thickness less than 10 microns should not be allowed.
They also favoured that the government should encourage
the industry to develop an ideal substitute for polybags.
The people should be educated against the use of polybags
and the rag-pickers should be rehabilitated, the
resolution said. |
Alumni House fails to come up CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — The site of alumni house whose stone was laid by former Prime Minister I.K. Gujral, less than a year ago in Sector 25 is a picture of total neglect. Surrounded by filth on all sides with not so much as an identity for itself, a "beheaded" pillar stands against the backdrop of "jhuggis" of Kumhar Colony. Pigs can be seen wallowing, in the slush and basking in the sun. Interestingly the foundation stone stands outside the recently constructed boundary wall to protect residents from the mischievous elements of the adjoining colony — solitary, forlorn and devastated. The whole place wore a festive look last March to welcome the then Prime Minister, who was to perform the preliminaries before actual construction of the house got underway. After the ceremony, within a couple of days, the "proclamation" slab was removed from the pillar by the Xen office, claim residents and officials. This was done to avoid theft of the "expensive" slab which lies under lock and key at the construction office of the campus. Since then the pillar is "headless". The Chief Architect of the university, Mr Kishore Verma, when asked about the alumni house was taken aback but explained, "We cannot have the Prime Minister visiting us everyday. When an opportunity came, we made the most of it. Again, if the foundation stone has been laid it does not necessarily imply the building is likely to come up immediately. There were no funds at the time the project was initiated and still not much has been garnered to finance the project. The Dean, Alumni Relations, Prof RC Sobti, says the society has Rs 25 lakh at its disposal at the moment. "I made concerted efforts to make the alumni conscious and have made 350 additional members besides the existing 1700 in less than a year. Money for construction has to come from members of the association and since the paltry Rs 100, the lifetime membership fee, will not serve any purpose, we have opened chapters of the alumni abroad which will help us monetarily," he says. The previous Dean, Alumni Relations, Prof VK Bansal, contends, "There is no problem of funds because many have promised us financial assistance. The only need is to start construction work which has been lingering for some time and funds will flow in automatically once the work begins. I had initiated the process with a request to the officials concerned to appoint contractors for the job as the map was ready. My term expired last year on March 31 and the new Dean took charge. Now, it is for him to get the work started." Prof Sobti says work on the project will be initiated once Vice-Chancellor M M Puri returns from abroad. "We have divided the work among five committees, one being the construction committee. The meeting of the panel is to be chaired by the VC, so we are helpless on this account as he is not here," he explains. The proposed alumni house
will comprise a big hall for educational, cultural and
social functions, residential suites for visiting alumni
and two small seminar rooms besides housing the office of
the Dean. This will come up in a phased manner
"soon", according to officials in-charge. |
Inadequate library facilities CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — A number of colleges affiliated to Panjab University have been found wanting in adequate library facilities by inspection committees which have submitted their reports. The reports will be reviewed at a high-level meeting scheduled later this week. Few prominent colleges which have been asked to invest more in library books and journals include local GGDSD College, DAV College for Girls, Garhshankar, SMS Karamjot College, Maini, SSMD Ayurvedic College, Moga, SDS College for Women and SDS College for Education, Lopon, AS College for Women, Khanna, Government College, Hoshiarpur and Dasmesh College, Muktsar. A committee has recommended that the amount sanctioned for general books in GGDSD College, Sector 32, be revised to at least Rs 15,000. In DAV College, Garhshankar, the committee has recommended that books worth at least Rs 20,000 be added to the existing number of books in the library which is not adequate and books worth Rs 30,000 in SDS College for Women, Lopon. Help books should not be purchased, it suggested. In Government College, Hoshiarpur, the committee said there was no maintenance in the college library. Books were simply stacked in stalls. Similar comments were made for AS College, Khanna . The management of amalgamated fund and little expenditure by colleges on extra-curricular activities has also been pointed out in certain colleges. The committee has recommended that Guru Nanak College, Killianwali appoint an amalgamated fund utilisation committee according to rules. It asked the DAV College, Malout Mandi, to have student representatives on the committee of amalgamated funds. Instructions have been given to DAV College for Girls, Garhshankar, to divert money out of amalgamated funds towards organising extra-curricular activities like debates and declamation contests. Extra curricular activities were found to be non-existent in SDS College for Women, Lopon, and the college has been asked to use amalgamated funds for organising various functions. Deficiencies with regard to the shortage of staff too, have been pointed out in certain colleges. DAV College, Malout Mandi, has been asked to pay lecturers appointed on an ad hoc basis as per Panjab University or Punjab Government rules. College of Nursing, PGI, has been asked to make efforts to overcome staff shortage and adopt the staffing pattern recommended by the Nursing Council of India. Recommendations for the appointment of teachers have been made to GTB Khalsa College for Women, Dasuya, GTB National College, Dakha, Dasmesh Khalsa College, Muktsar, and SSMD Ayurveda College, Moga. The committee discovered that the teacher-taught ratio was discovered to be 1:50 against the required 1:20 at Dasmesh College, Muktsar. GTB Khalsa College, Dakha, has been asked to bring the teacher-taught ratio to the prescribed one against the existing 1:30.
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Ravi Dass Jayanti celebrated CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — Guru Ravi Dass Jayanti was celebrated with usual fervour in different parts of the city and the surrounding areas today. A large number of devotees took part in a function which was organised by the Sri Guru Ravi Dass Gurdwara Parbandhak Sabha at the Sector 30-A Sri Guru Ravi Dass Gurdwara. Addressing the gathering, Mr Venod Sharma, President of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee, who was the chief guest, urged the people to follow the footsteps of Guru Ravi Dass. Mr Sharma was presented a "siropa" by Mr R.C. Jakhu, the president of the sabha. Later, Mr Sharma also visited the Sector 20 Guru Ravi Dass Bhavan where a similar function was organised. On this occasion, the bhog of akhand path was performed. Shabad kirtan was recited by Bibi Balbir Kaur and other 'jathas'. A 'langar' was also organised by the sabha. Guru Ravi Dass Jayanti was also celebrated at different places in SAS Nagar and Panchkula. Speaking at a function in Sector 15 of Panchkula, Mr R.S.Verma, Chief Secretary of Haryana, said to enable poor students to get employment, the sabha should set up a vocational training and coaching centre at Panchkula. He suggested the services of a number of retired officials could be availed of to teach the students at the proposed centre. A large number of people
took part in a function organised in this connection at
Sri Guru Ravi Dass Bhavan in Phase VII of SAS Nagar. The
Punjab Food and Supplies Minister, Mr Madan Mohan Mittal,
was the chief guest. He said the guru taught the people
that man was "high" or "low" due to
his work and not due to his birth. The minister also
announced a grant of Rs 50,000 for the bhavan. A 'langar'
was also organised on this occasion. |
Sarpanches, panches honoured CHANDIGARH, Jan 31— The Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (CTCC) today honoured sarpanches and panches elected in the recently held panchayat elections in the union territory. Mr Venod Sharma, CTCC chief, accused the local MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain, of meting out step-motherly treatment to the UT villages. He alleged that hardly any development had taken place in the villages after Mr Jain was elected. Mr Pawan Bansal, a former MP, said the Congress would give all out support to the elected representatives so that the villages could be developed as "model grams". The 14 sarpanches, who were honoured, were Thakur Kartar Chand(Mauli Jagran), Mr Manmohan Singh (Khudda Lahora), Mr Harbhajan Singh (Dhanas), Mr Balbir Singh (Khudda Jassu), Mr Paul Singh (Khudda Ali Sher), Mr Darshan Singh (Behlana), Ms Bhupinder Kaur (Sarangpur), Ms Shanti Devi (Raipur Khurd) and Ms Lila Devi (Daddu Majra). Mr Jai Chand (Palsora), Mr Ramu (Kajheri), Ms Bhupinder Kaur (Kishangarh), Mr Umesh Gupta (Hallo Majra) and Mr Parkash (Daria) were the other sarpanches to be honoured. Besides, over 100 panches were also honoured. Mr Sat Paul Sharma, an INTUC activist, was also honoured for his services to the TU movement.
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Scribes resent interference in
working CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — A meeting of Chandigarh-based journalists here today condemned the interference in functioning of the press by various religious and political leaders in the country in general, and in particular in Punjab. In a resolution passed at the Press Club, journalists urged all political parties and religious bodies across the country to continue to stand by the Constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression in the manner they have demonstrated in the past. The meeting said this was crucial to avoid "relapse into the kind of situation that existed in Punjab in the eighties and early nineties when the media was threatened and many in the industry were killed". The meeting assailed killing of Mr Tara Singh Hayer, Editor of Vancouver-based Indo-Canadian Times. Concern was expressed over the indifference of the ruling party and the Government of India to the murder. By another resolution, the
meeting deplored the recent murder of Delhi-based
reporter Shivani Bhatnagar . |
Christians’ plea to Vajpayee CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — The Northern India Christian Federation has urged the Prime Minister to put an end to the increasing incidents of violence against Christians in the country. Mr Sharif Masih, president
of the federation, in a press note here today, said the
assurances by the Prime Minister regarding safety of life
and property of Christians notwithstanding, the violence
against Christians were on the rise. "Even after the
assurance, Christians have been attacked in Orissa and
Allahabad," he added. |
Stress on oil conservation CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — As part of an oil conservation campaign, the local office of the Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) organised an exhibition of paintings on the theme of "Oil conservation to save economy and environment" at Kendriya Vidyalaya (3 BRD) here yesterday. Mr A.S. Bajwa, Manager, PCRA, who inaugurated the exhibition, gave tips for the conservation of petroleum products. He warned of hard times if the misuse of petroleum products was not stopped. He stressed the use of non-conventional sources of energy like solar, wind and bio-gas. Ruby Verma was awarded the
first prize. Seema Sharma and Priti Vishwakarma won the
second and third prizes, respectively. Five consolation
prizes were also given. |
NRI pledges 40 lakh for
village school CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — Mr Nathu Ram Puri, a UK-based industrialist, who hails from Mullanpur Garibdass village, 10 km from here, pledged an amount of over Rs 40 lakh for the building of a higher secondary school in the village yesterday. Mr Puri visited the village in connection with the finalisation of the building plans of the school. The school, to be built by the Puri Foundation (UK) and headed by Mr Puri, will be built in the memory of his father ML Puri, according to Mr DD Puri, president of the Puri Development Trust for Mullanpur Garibdass. Though work on the boundary wall of the school had begun, the work on the main building will commence soon as a decision on naming of the school was taken. Mr Puri had already spent Rs 6 lakh on the cremation ground in the village and was keen to built a community centre, he added. Mr Puri reportedly also met the president, Mr K.R. Narayanan, on January 29 and presented him some original letters of Mahatma Gandhi which he had purchased at an auction in the UK recently.
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V.P. Bansal retires CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — Mr Ved Prakash Bansal, an Assistant Editor in the Dainik Tribune, retired today after putting in more than two decades of distinguished service in the institution. A formal farewell party in his honour was arranged at the Chandigarh Press Club yesterday. Mr Hari Jaisingh, Editor of The Tribune; Mr S.D. Bhambri, General Manager of the Tribune Trust; Mr Vijay Saighal, Editor of Dainik Tribune; and Mr G.S.Bhullar, Editor of Punjabi Tribune; and others lauded his services. Mr Bansal started his journalistic career in 1961 as a Sub-Editor in the Daily Pradeep (Urdu), Jalandhar. Later he switched over as a staffer in the Hindustan Samachar News Agency. He finally joined the Dainik Tribune on July 15, 1978, in the capacity as a Sub-Editor. Being a founder member of
the editorial board in the Dainik Tribune, Mr Bansal
worked as Chief Sub-Editor, News Editor and Assistant
Editor. In his career spanning over four decades, he
wrote in English, Hindi and Urdu. |
CM expresses regret CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, has described as "unfortunate" yesterday's incident on the Chandigarh-Ambala road in which the car of Major-Gen S.S. Grewal (retd) was damaged by men of his security entourage when he was on his way to Ambala. The Chief Minister spoke to General Grewal this morning and expressed regret over the incident. The wife of the General confirmed that the Chief Minister rang up in the morning to express regret. The Chief Minister said the matter was being investigated and the defaulters would be punished. Mr Bansi Lal, who is a
former Defence minister, said that he held the defence
personnel in high esteem and it was unfortunate that
General Grewal and his family had to face such an
unpleasant situation. Press club to have website CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — The Chandigarh Press Club will soon become the first press club in the country to have its own website, an official press release said here today. ICNet and FOCUS-two, both local companies, have offered to set up the website. It will incorporate information like profile, facilities and members directory. The site will be created by the third week of February. A one-day workshop —
"exploring internet" — was held today for
members of the club. It was attended by about 30
journalists. |
Car
stolen from house CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — The car (CH01-F-1953) of a Sector 15 resident, Mr I.M. Khullar, has been stolen from his house. A case has been registered. Scooter stolen: Mr Ujjal Singh, a resident of Sector 23, in a complaint with the police, alleged that his scooter (CH01-H-6570) had been stolen. A case has been registered. Injured: In a hit-and-run case, a scooterist, Ms Ruhi Kalia, a resident of Sector 11, was injured when his vehicle was hit by another scooter. Suit case stolen: The suit case containing clothes and belonging to Mr Sudh Singh Arora, an employee of Neelam Theatre, has been stolen. A case has been registered. Dead: Gurmail
Singh, a resident of Moga who attempted suicide by
jumping from a water-supply pipeline at the PGI
yesterday, succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. A patient
of asthma, he was reportedly under depression, according
to the police. |
Fine guitar recital CHANDIGARH, Jan 31 — It was an unusual concert of classical music. A recital on guitar by Pandit Barun Kumar Pal at Bhargawa Auditorium was organised by the P.G.I. and the AICMFA today. The instrument that gained tremendous popularity in the 70s with the hippie culture and was given serious place in the light music section by artists like Brij Bhushan Kabra is often not associated with Indian classical music. A disciple of the sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar, Pandit Barun Kumar Pal's sensitivity and stylised rendering of the finer nuances of Raga Charukeshi, a raga of the Carnatic style, proved his passion to get the instrument a place of honour in the Indian classical music. The artist has improvised the standard guitar by adding extra strings, known as Chikari and Tarab, to make the instrument respond to the depth and tonal quality of the classical music. The elaborate alap jod and a highly stylised gatkari proved the mastery of the artist over his instrument. The second item for the evening was a soul-stirring devotional composition based on a combination of different ragas. The evening concluded with the soothing notes of Bhairavi, a raga to be played in the morning. His accompanist on the tabla, Udai Majumdar displayed the highest standards of Sangat on a finely tuned instrument. — Vandana Shukla
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White elephant THE bridge over the Ghaggar on what is popularly known as the Bansi Lal highway near Nadda Sahib gurdwara is turning out to be a white elephant for the Public Works Department of Haryana. The cost of its maintenance so far has been six times its cost of construction. The bridge was constructed in early seventies at a cost of about Rs 45 lakh. But the department has already spent about Rs 2.60 crore on its frequent repair and maintenance in the past 28 years. Since 1977-78, the department has been spending huge amounts in the name of providing protective works for the bridge. The minimum amount of Rs 4.34 lakh was spent in 1985-86 which rose to Rs 109.23 lakh in 1996-97. Next year, another Rs 45 lakh was spent on the upkeep of the bridge. Sources in the department say that the maintenance of the bridge is so lucrative that officers vie with each other to have charge of the bridge. For the past couple of years, the charge of maintaining the road on which the bridge is constructed is with one officer and the maintenance of the bridge is with another officer, who is close to the powers that be. The sources say this arrangement is a unique phenomenon to "accommodate" influential persons. No wonder the bridge is known as a gold mine in the department. Helping the poor Within one month of its formation, Lions Club, Kansal, has initiated nine projects for the weaker sections of society. On January 28, the club solemnised the marriage of a poor girl of Burail village. Besides providing the young couple with ornaments and clothes, the club gave them Rs 1,100 as "shagun". Among the projects undertaken by the club are the distribution of blankets among the needy and donation of household items to a poor family of Kansal village, whose house was gutted in a fire recently. Manoj Kohli Mr Manoj Kohli, a chartered accountant, has brought laurels to the city by winning the "commendable performance award" of the Institute of the Chartered Accountants India for the year 1998. Mr Kohli was presented with the award at the annual general meeting of the Northern India Regional Council of the institute at New Delhi by the Delhi Finance Minister, Mr M.S. Sathi, recently. Mr Kohli has also been elected member of the Chandigarh branch of the institute for 1998-2001. "Next week" When it comes to making false promises, officials of the telecom department seem second to none. At least this is the impression residents of Sector 61 have gathered after visiting various offices for the past over six months in connection with the shifting of their telephones. Whenever the residents have visited the office of the Principal General Manager Telecom (PGMT), Mr Prithipal Singh, the stock reply has been that though Sector 61 is "technically non-feasible", yet all efforts are being made to lay additional cables so that the remaining residents can be provided with "this necessity" as "consumer satisfaction" is the motto of the department. The residents are told that the work on laying of cables had "started" and the phone would be shifted "next week". The residents wonder when the "next week" will come and their link with the outside world restored. Chandigarh Club Chandigarh Club has become the first club in this part of the country to introduce golf driving range. The driving range is expected to become operational by the end of next month. Driving Range apart, the club has 19 tennis courts and is now going for a couple of synthetic surfaces. The new synthetic surfaces are being provided in cooperation with the Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association. The club has also recently got renovated its two squash courts with new wooden flooring. It has a swimming pool besides provision for table tennis. Under its renovation programme, which is nearing completion, the club will also have an airconditioned table tennis hall and a billiards room. No other club in the region boasts of so many sports facilities. During the past six to eight months, the club has also got renovated its existing block to make room for a couple of banquet halls, non-smoking family bar, and an airconditioned hall for holding regular club functions. The club has also reorganised its open spaces with a view to utilising them to the maximum. Hindi Gita A local school bookseller, Mr Ashok Guglani, has brought out translation of the Srimad Bhagwadgita in simple Hindi. The effort of the
publisher, apart from that of the author from a non-Hindi
speaking area who has chosen to remain anonymous, is
commendable in the sense that the object of bringing out
the book is enlightenment and not to make money. |
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