Monday, November 1, 1999
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N E W S Monday, November 1, 1999 |
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weather spotlighttoday's calendar |
Fire in
CII consumer fair pavilion CHANDIGARH, Oct 31—The Mega Brands hall at the CII fair in the Parade Ground, Sector 17, had to be closed for over two hours here this afternoon on account of a fire in one of the stalls. However, no major loss of property was reported in the fire, which broke out at about 2.30 p.m. in the LG stall of hall no 5. A cabin inside the stall of the electronic giant having brochures and several cutlery sets besides a couple of tarpaulins were reduced to ashes. Several of the TV sets were saved as they were moved out in time by company representatives and police personnel. Company officials said the loss was estimated to be a few thousand rupees. The fire was reportedly caused by a short-circuit. According to the Chief Fire Officer, Mr Darshan Singh, four fire engines, including one stationed at the fair, were pressed into service and the blaze was put out in a few minutes. The Fire Department's job was apparently made easy as one fire engine was stationed at the fair and its office was just at a stone's throw and it did not take much time to extinguish the fire, thus averting a major disaster. As soon as the fire broke out, the hall was cordoned off and closed for the public. Hundreds of persons had to return disappointed as they could not enter the hall for over two hours and CII officials had a difficult time in controlling the restive crowd wanting to enter it. After putting out the fire, the organisers swung into action. The burnt-out tarpaulins were replaced and the cabin was cordoned off by ply wood and new banners were put up at the stall and the opposite cabin. It was business as usual after over two hours and the hall was opened to general public. Meanwhile, the Regional Director of CII(Northern Region), Mr Piyush Bahl, said: "A fire is a fire and we as organisers, who have been in the business of holding international-level exhibitions and fairs are aware of the ramifications of both man-made and natural disasters. The exhibition was insured and no stone was left unturned in using fabrication materials which are fire-resistant." "The canopy which covers the hangar structure and the exhibition panels were both fire-retardant which prevented the fire from spreading. Our hall directors, who are in charge of every hall, were there to take immediate remedial action, control crowds and throw the fair open again. It is the first time such a thing happened at one of our fairs and we are terribly distressed," he added. The fire broke out in a
store which the electronic company had erected to store
their equipment. The store had printed literature and
solution which is used to glue the carpets on the floor
and is inflammable. Due to the short circuit, this caught
fire leading to bigger flames, a CII statement said. The
fault was with the interior decorator hired by the
private company. The CII being the overall organiser
expresses its anguish over the mishap because safety and
quality have always been our paramount concern, the
statement added. |
MC apathy
killing plan for fire stations CHANDIGARH, Oct 31 — Continuous apathy of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation authorities towards augmentation of fire services in the city has come in the way of construction of two of three new fire stations in the city. Only one of these three stations — at Ram Darbar, Industrial Area Phase II — has been completed and will be formally inaugurated by the new Union Minister of State for Home, Mr I.D. Swamy, here tomorrow. This station has been completed at a cost of Rs 20 lakh and will have the latest dry chemical powder fire engine, an ambulance and a 5,000-litre capacity fire engine. The foundation stone of this fire station was laid by the then Mayor, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, on March 27, past year. One of these proposed fire station was to be built and commissioned within five months of the laying of its foundation stone at Capitol Complex on April 15 this year. The work has not progressed beyond laying of the stone. The corporation also wanted to lay the foundation stone of the Sector 26 fire station on April 20 this year. The ceremony was cancelled at the last minute. Since then, no progress has been made on this project either. No reasons have been given for delay in execution of work on these projects. Investigations reveal that both these sites are yet to be given 'encumbrance free' certificates. At Capitol Complex, it is the presence of the Punjab Armed Police deployed on security duty at the proposed site that has delayed the work. Similar is the problem at the Sector 26 site. At this place, some material has been stacked which has not been cleared even after repeated requests by the authorities concerned. Interestingly, for both these sites, the Fire Services Department has already deposited Rs 39 lakh each for the proposed construction work with the Engineering Department of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. A major fire in the record room of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the morning of April 2 this year had the official machinery of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation on the run as it wanted to meet the inadequacies of the Chandigarh Fire Brigade in a hurry. However, the action died sooner than expected. Though a number of public interest litigations have been filed both in the Punjab and Haryana High Court — after a major fire broke out there a couple of years ago — and the District Courts since September past year, little has been done to strengthen the fire services in the UT. Projects are planned in the heat of incidents but are seldom pursued. Though a number of budgetary provisions have been made for improvising fire services in compliance with the observations made by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the situation has not improved much since 1997. From tomorrow, the city will have seven fire stations with 17 fire engines, two water fire-fighting engines, one dry chemical powder fire engine, five ambulances, five motorcycles, two emergency fire engines and a staff strength of 250. After a 1997 fire on the Punjab and Haryana High Court premises, a PIL was admitted and a criminal contempt notice was issued to the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. The court had then observed that the Fire Services Department was not properly equipped and had no facility to control fires in high-rise buildings. The corporation had then assured the High Court that the fire fighting machinery would be strengthened immediately. It had said a hydraulic platform-cum-turn-table-ladder (Snorkel make), effective in controlling fires in high-rise buildings, would be acquired. The Municipal Corporation also proposed to set up three new fire stations, including one at Capitol Complex to look after Civil Secretariat, Assembly and the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Another station was proposed to be set up at Timber Market, Sector 26. The third was to be inaugurated tomorrow at Ram Darbar's Industrial Area Phase II. An allocation of Rs 75 lakh was made in the 1997-98 budget for the fire services. It was also proposed to purchase five more fire engines costing Rs 50 lakh. A provision for Rs 20 lakh was made in 1997-98 for construction of the new fire stations and garages for fire engines. Since September past year, the city has witnessed some major fires, including one in the basement of a showroom in Sector 26 in which two persons were roasted alive. Three days later, the Railway Reservation Centre at the Sector 17 Inter-State Bus Terminus was gutted. Earlier on June 11, a fire broke out in the UT Secretariat where the room of the Superintending Engineer (Electricity Operations) was completely destroyed. After these fires, a PIL was filed in the local court seeking sealing of all government buildings which did not meet safety requirements as per the Fire Safety Act. The Municipal Corporation past year had issued notices to 108 buildings in the city for not complying with the fire safety norms. These included 28 government buildings, including Civil Secretariat, Estate Office, District Courts, Telecom Department and Municipal Corporation buildings. Till today, things are not upto the mark in some of these buildings. Though the Municipal Corporation advertised to recruit firemen, the interviews were cancelled at the last moment. The earlier tests witnessed chaos and the police had to intervene and use force to control job seekers. In February this year, the interviews were cancelled. The corporation was to recruit 18 leading firemen, 18 drivers and 72 firemen. No fresh dates for recruitment have been announced. The shortage of manpower in the Chandigarh Fire Brigade is of more than 200 persons. In the past two weeks, the city and its surrounding areas have witnessed several major fires, including one at Dera Bassi where cotton and other inflammable material worth Rs 90 lakh was destroyed. In another fire at SAS Nagar, 160 'jhuggis' were destroyed. Another major fire had engulfed more than 70 booths at SAS Nagar. In a minor fire at
Palsora Colony eight 'jhuggis' were gutted this morning.
When a fire broke out in Industrial Area here today, the
Sector 38 fire station had to send a two-wheeler to the
High Court to send a fire engine to the spot. The
department, perhaps, does not have wireless equipment to
use in emergencies. |
Ten more
trees axed CHANDIGARH, Oct 31 — As part of the decision of the Chandigarh Administration, at least 10 of the 30-odd trees at the intersection of sectors 21,22, 34 and 35 were felled early this morning and yesterday while the remaining await the axe any time. The Administration had been dithering over the idea of transplanting these trees for the past seven to eight months. Even after clearing budget estimates for transplantation of these trees and delaying the completion of work on the provision of slip roads at this junction, the horticulture wing of the Engineering Department was ordered early this month to go ahead with felling in a phased manner. During the past one week, nearly two dozen trees were felled on Dakshan Marg. Though none of the non-government organisations connected with the upkeep of environment and ecology of the city has been stirred by the latest move of the Administration, certain individuals rang up Chandigarh Tribune to express their concern at the felling of trees. One of the readers, a retired defence officer, said the trees felled during the past two days could have been saved had the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning and Engineering Department visited the site and studied the volume of traffic at the intersection. He said the Engineering Department should have considered joining slow carriageways of Sector 22-C with that of slow carriageway of Sector 22-C Himalaya Marg to save at least five beautiful well- grown trees. A lesson to this effect has already been learnt by the Engineering Department of the Chandigarh Administration in changing the design of the slip road at the intersection of sectors 8,9,17and 18 where slip road and slow carriageway have been connected on an experimental basis. And sources in the Engineering Department point out that similar experiment is planned for the intersection of sectors 7,8, 18 and 19. One of the reasons advanced for back tracking on tree transplantation decision is that results of similar experiment undertaken at Delhi have not been very encouraging as most of the replanted trees were attacked by termites. It is felt that the Administration spends so much on tree plantation and publicity at the time of annual vana mahotsava. The Administration also spends a lot of money, as it did recently in providing tree guards. Further, in spite of several public interest litigations, the Administration is yet to order a tree count in the city. The Tree Preservation Order, though notified in early 50s, has never been enforced in the Union Territory. The worst culprit is none other than the Administration itself. Unfortunately, the heaviest green cover in Chandigarh has been at the intersections. For example, the density of trees at the intersection of sectors 21,22, 34 and 35 is perhaps much more than any other segment of Dakshan Marg. If the Administration
continues to pursue the same policy when it provides slip
roads at The Tribune intersection, it will have to
undertake a massive destruction of trees as mango
orchards are on either side of Purv Marg. And their
density is very high especially near the Tribune
roundabout. |
Malaika
adds glamour to Halloween bash CHANDIGARH, Oct 31 — Painted young faces amongst hanging cardboard skeletons and loud music remained central to the Halloween bash at Jail House Rock, a discotheque, here tonight. MTV celebrity, Malaika Arora Khan, taking to stage gave colour to the celebrations. That a section of crowd did not know about the relevance of the celebrations did not dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd. The programme started nearly two hours behind schedule. The show was organised by X-factor Entertainment and had two segments. The first segment featured models dressed up like witches and cats. The male models, dressed as vampires for the evening, included Mittar Bains, (Mr North) and Inderjeet Chinna (Prince Female models, included Candy Brar (Miss North) and Manpreet. Malaika made a dramatic entry in the second segment of the programme, as she stepped out of a coffin. The show was choreographed by Sunayna Bhinder and Rajit Khurana. Lack of ample space, however, made it difficult for the audience to get a proper view. Talking to TNS Malaika,
of "chhainya chhainya" fame, said she had come
to the city for the first time and was thrilled by the
crowd's response. |
Halloween
bash at disco CHANDIGARH, Oct 31 — Deja Vu, a new discotheque here, came alive last night for the Halloween bash with a large number of persons dancing their way out till wee hours of morning. The open air discotheque was launched last week with Carmel Ex-Students Association organising their annual dance and dinner meet there. Singer Baba Sehgal paid a brief visit during the launch party. People of all age
groups, including a couple of foreigners, attired in
'spooky' costumes and painted faces had a great time
dancing to the latest English and Hindi numbers. DJ Bejan
is the brain behind this project. |
Overwhelming
response to polio programme DERA BASSI, Oct 31 — The first phase of the intensive pulse polio immunisation programme in the four circles in Dera Bassi subdivision was a success in that 25,571 children up to the age of 5 were given the vaccine against the Health Department’s target of 24,692. The Health Department, in collaboration with the Rotary Club, Rotaract Club and the Bharat Vikas Parishad, completed four rounds covering rural areas, urban areas, slum areas, industries and brickkilns. As many as 412 health workers including volunteers of social organisations were deployed in 90 booths in the village and eight booths in Dera Bassi. To cover the slum areas, industries and brickklins, the department used four vans. In the first round, 23,041 children were vaccinated. They included 6,602 children from high-risk areas, 1,214 from brick-kilns and industries, 2,080 from urban areas and 13,145 from rural areas. In the next four days, the drive was focussed on door-to-door immunisation to cover children who did not visit the immunisation centres. On the first day 132 children from urban and 1,846 from rural areas were given anti-polio drops. On October 26, the teams combed the target areas and vaccinated 35 children in the urban and 494 in the rural areas. The next day, 16 children from the rural areas were given the vaccination and in the last round only seven children in the rural areas were vaccinated. The Sub Divisional Magistrate, Mr S S Sidhu, inaugurated the drive by giving the drops to five children. He appreciated the efforts of Mr Bhupinder Singh Saini, president, Rotary Club, and the heads of other organisations which gave voluntary assistance to the health workers. Mrs Satwant Kaur Bhalla,
SMO, who supervised the campaign, said the success was
the result of team work of social organisations. Now,
Dera Bassi subdivision is with zero-level polio “,
she claimed.
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Cases
against shopkeepers KHARAR, Oct 31 — The local Municipal Committee has filed cases against about 30 shopkeepers of Kharar, who are running their business in the shops owned by the committee, for their eviction pleading that they are in unauthorised possession of the public premises. The cases have been filed in the court of Mr S.S. Johal, Collector-cum-Deputy Director, Urban Local Bodies, Punjab, at Ludhiana under Sections 5 and 7 of the Punjab Public Premises and Land (Eviction and Rent Recovery) Act, 1973, for the ejectment of the respondents from the premises. The committee has also
claimed damages from them for the unauthorised use of
these premises. |
Cultural
show by students CHANDIGARH, Oct 31 — A cultural programme was presented by the students of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Dayanand College of Communication and Management here today to welcome the next millennium. The function had a variety of items on songs and dances, skit and a programme on national integration. However, the highlight of the show was an emotional stage performance on the armed forces and their sacrifices in the Kargil operation. Mr R.K. Saboo, Chairman of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, presided over the function. The other eminent persons who attended the function included Padma Shri Chander Mohan, Mr P.R. Aggarwal, IAS (retd), Ms Neelam Mann Singh, renowned theatre personality, and Mr R.C. Jeewan, Principal of DAV College. The cultural programme was directed by Mr Harinder Singh, one of the faculty members, and compered by students Gunmala Singh and Amarjit Singh. Later, students who had
put in special efforts in organising this show were given
mementoes. |
Punjab
‘ignoring SC guidelines’ SAS NAGAR, Oct 31 — The North Zone Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Welfare Federation today charged the Punjab Government with not extending benefits as per the guidelines to its SC and ST employees. Mr Viru Mal, President of the federation, while addressing a conference in Phase 7 here today, said the instructions of the Supreme Court in the Ajit Singh Janjua case had not been implemented by the state government in the true spirit of the judgement. He claimed that those SC and ST employees whose promotions had been held up due to retrospective implementation of the two judgements — R.K. Sabharwal and Ajit Singh Janjua case — had not been given any relief. He maintained that the Chief Secretary of Punjab had made promotions exclusively of the employees from the general category in utter violation of the Supreme Court judgement by considering the seniority from the clerk level. Mr Bharpur Singh, chief adviser of the federation, said there was resentment among the SC and ST employees against the anti-Dalit policies of the state government. The participants at the
conference stressed that the member of Parliament should
take up the matter of making the necessary amendments to
the Constitution to bring the entire reservation policy
in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. |
Murder
case registered SAS NAGAR, Oct 31 — In connection with the death of Soma Singh, a 45-year-old safai karamchari of Lakhnour village, who was found dead near a nullah on September 15, the local police has registered a case of murder against three persons, including the wife of the deceased. Differences between the victim and his wife, Surjeet Kaur, over an extra-marital affair between her and a resident of Mundi Kharar has been probed to be the reason behind the murder. Earlier, the Phase 8 police station, under whose jurisdiction the body was found, stating it to be natural death, had initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the Cr PC. When repeated representations to the police to investigate the case did not yield any result, the gram panchayat led by the father of the victim, Haria, met the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Ropar, alleging foul play behind the death of the safai karamchari. The SSP had then directed the SP (Detective), Ropar, to inquire into the matter. The Superintendent of Police, SAS Nagar, Mr B.S.Randhawa, said the investigations were initiated in the case on the basis of information about the death of the victim given by brother of the deceased, Bala Singh. He said the victim’s wife had extra-marital affair with Sukhpal Singh, a resident of Mundi Kharar. The paramour of the
woman used to visit her house to which the victim —
who was working as safai karamchari in an eye hospital at
Sohana — objected. Agitated over the interference of
her husband, a conspiracy was hatched to eliminate him.
On the evening of September 14, Sukhpal along with his
accomplice, Kuldeep Singh, hired an Ambassador car (No.
DL-4C-1481) from Phase 7 here, and took the victim to
Mundi Kharar. The trio had a drinking session at the
house of Sukhpal, after which the victim was hit in his
head with a brick and then dumped near a dirty water
nullah near Lakhnour village. A case under sections 302,
120-B and 34 of the IPC has been registered by the
police. |
MIC
celebrates anniversary CHANDIGARH, Oct 31 — the Military Intelligence Corps (MIC) celebrated its 57th anniversary at Chandi Mandir today by organising a "bara khana" for all serving and retired personnel of the corps. A special sainik sammelan and a social get-together for officers will be held tomorrow. Felicitating all ranks of the corps, Brig Dalip Kapur, Brig general Staff (Intelligence), Western Command, exhorted them to continue to work with dedication, courage, competence and versatility in the true spirit of the corps motto. Raised on November 1, 1942, as part of the British Indian Army, the Military Intelligence Corps has come a long way from its modest beginning. Over the past five decades, it has grown into an elite force consisting of operationally efficient and professionally competent members of the intelligence fraternity who not only act as eyes and ears for the Army but also provide valuable help for effective and timely command decisions. The personnel of the
corps have proved their mettle in various wars as also in
combating insurgency in the north-east and anti-militancy
operations in Jammu and Kashmir. The corps men and
officers have also served in various international
peacekeeping missions. More than 200 of its personnel
have won honours and awards in recognition of their
exceptional performance. besides, two of the intelligence
units hold the unique distinction of being honoured with
the unit citation by the Chief of the Army Staff. |
Energy
conservation stressed BAROG (Solan), Oct 31 — A need for energy conservation, use of latest equipment and methods, employment of a strong research and development base to ensure cutting of costs and a clean environment through optimum use of fuel was stressed upon at a technical session 'Fuelling Furnaces for Profitability' organised by the Petroleum Conservation and Research Association and the Institute of Indian Foundrymen here today. Mr V.K. Sharma, Director of DCM Engineering Division, said time was ripe to deliberate on conservation of energy as its wastage could lead to a national financial crisis, particularly when the Indian market was no more a protected zone for industry. "The situation is such that only those who can deliver quality goods at a minimum price can stay put. This is possible only if production cost and wastage, which are high in case of Indian industry, can be brought down by conserving energy," he said. He said we could not operate by adding costs, which had cast a shadow on exports, which were two per cent of world trade. "Our main problem is that quality is inferior and costs are unviable," he said. He added that we did not have petroleum and had to import it at an annual bill of Rs 28,000 crore. He said the biggest financial loss to the nation was being done by high power transmission losses ranging from 26 to 35 per cent. He suggested that all people connected with the industry sit together to find a solution to energy loss and discuss measures to contain it. Mr U.P. Singh, Deputy General Manager, PCRA, said his organisation believed in networking and was open to deal with anybody in energy conservation. India consumed less per capita energy due to a low standard of living, yet losses were high on account of lack of management and use of obsolete technology. Identifying leakages and wastage in different industries he said there was a great potential of conservation to the tune of 35 to 40 percent in our country in all sectors but that needed money and good house-keeping. Mr P. Thareja of the Department of Metallurgical Engineering, Punjab Engineering College, Chandigarh, discussed anomalies in the firing process of furnaces and ways to reduce these to get more production capacity. He said the primary goal metallurgical, ceramic or heat intensive engineering units was to make money, despite their pretence of being environmental friendly and such an exercise implied that concern for competitiveness was relegated to the backseat. He said an industry which could sustain competitiveness in worst circumstances could do better as working environment improved. He underlined measures to reduce heat losses from furnaces. Mr J. S. Pannu, an expert in energy conservation in electric motors, said most people did not know that about 50 per cent of input energy was lost in electric motors due to minor faults and 75 per cent of power consumption was in the industry sector. He advised against rewinding motors and suggested new energy efficient motors conforming to world standards. Mr A.S. Bajwa, Manager of the SRO, Chandigarh, dwelt upon oil conservation in furnaces and said fuel cost was small and was a small part of manufacturing cost. Stressing on the need for cleanliness in manufacturing, he said if fuel was stored properly and fuel supplied to burners was inadequate and not clean, poor results were inevitable. Mr Sanjay Kumar of the
Indian Oil Corporation dwelt upon the role of lubricants
in cutting costs and better efficiency of machines. He
said high performance lubricants should be used to get
better results and awareness regarding this should be
created among users. |
ENT
problems discussed at seminar CHANDIGARH, Oct 31 — Common ENT problems like discharging ears, nasal problems like sinocitus, fungal infestations of nose and para nasal sinuses and deafness of ear were discussed at the 23rd Annual Conference of the North West Region of the Association of Otolaryngologists which concluded here this evening. The two-day conference at Bhargava Auditorium was attended by more than 175 delegates from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Chandigarh. The delegates deliberated at length on prevention of deafness and said neo-nates and children in our society needed special attention. They said an early diagnosis, proper use of hearing aids and speech therapy could help in proper speech development even in children with profound deafness. Another highlight was an interesting panel discussion on the problem of discharging ears, where it was pointed out that 20 per cent of the patients at the ENT OPDs had this problem. Subsequently, pitfalls in present treatment, ideal surgical treatment and role of sophisticated equipment were discussed to seek preventive measures for discharging ears. It was said that many times, the disease could destroy the bone and could cause life threatening complications like 'brain abscess'. The need for better and early diagnosis was highlighted. Earlier, Prof S.K. Kacker, former Director of AIIMS in New Delhi, presented an oration on scope of the ENT in the next millennium and said in addition to advanced surgical techniques like cochlear implants, good patient-doctor relationships and a patient hearing was essential in everyday practice. Prof S.B.S. Mann, Head of the ENT Department in the PGI, talked about the changing patterns of surgery which he said now included important areas of head, neck and skull bases. The growing incidence of head and neck tumours, role of surgeries and CT scan were discussed in detail. It was also said that resident doctors should be trained in endoscopic sinus surgeries which had replaced conventional surgical techniques. Later, two medals, namely Khosla Gold Medal and S.B.S. Mann Gold Medal, were awarded. Dr Rohit Sharma of Medical College in Shimla was awarded Khosla Gold Medal for his work on sensory neural deafness. Dr S. Srinivasan and Dr Gautam Bir Singh of the PGI were given S.B.S. Mann Gold Medal. In the quiz competition, the team of Medical College of Patiala stood first and won a cash prize of Rs 1,000. The team of Medical College of Jammu stood second and won a cash prize of Rs 500. The quiz was compered by Dr Achal Gulati of Maulana Azad Medical College of Delhi; Dr A.K. Gupta and Dr Vikas Nehru of the PGI. Among others who
attended the conference were Padma Shri Prof P.K. Kakkar,
Prof Ala-ud-din from Bangladesh and Prof R.C. Deka,
Professor and Head of AIIMS in Delhi. |
Brahma
Kumaris hold seminar CHANDIGARH, Oct 31 — "The 21st Century will be full of spirituality and materialism. Life will be fully disciplined and free from all kinds of tensions," said Mr D.P. Malik, Station Director of All India Radio, Chandigarh. He was speaking at a seminar organised by Parjapita Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya at Rajyoga Bhavan in Sector-33 here today. Earlier, students of various schools expressed their visions for bringing in a new era. The students represented politicians, administrators, youths, women, scientists and religious leaders. The stress was laid on inculcating the spirit of patriotism, character building, positive thinking, universal brotherhood and spiritual lifestyle at the seminar. The tiny tots of Durga
Model School, Barwala, staged a mini-play, 'Anpad Rahey
Na Ek", on this occasion. The song 'Chandan Hai,
Chandan Hai, Ish Desh Ki Mati' kept the audience
spellbound. |
'No
threat to Persian' CHANDIGARH, Oct 31 — Persian has a direct influence on the development of Punjabi language in its various aspects, including idioms and grammar, said Dr Mohhamad Asif Niam Siddique, a Persian scholar, while addressing mediapersons at Panjab University here today. The 21st All-India Persian Teachers Conference begins at the campus tomorrow till November3. Panjab University is hosting the event after a gap 65 years. Dr Siddique said Persian was a language which captured various fields, including archaeology, museum, painting, architecture, art and culture. Study of history would be incomplete without knowledge of Persian. Prof Aliga A. Dukth Safavi, President of the Persian teachers Association, said nobody could find his original roots without knowledge of Persian. During the seminar, scholars will discuss contribution of Persian to language, art, culture and thought.There will be a business session on the final day where solutions, suggestions and ideas for the popularisation of the language will figure, Professor Safavi added. He said Persian language did not face any threat because it was being constantly updated.The Delhi centre has developed a software(input) and also has an Iranian version "zarmigar". Aligarh University had between 500 and 700 students which were positive signs, Professor Safavi added. Hafiz Mohammad Tahar Ali
from Shanti Niketan, Dr A.H.Amadi and Dr A.W.Azhar were
other prominent speakers in the conference. Anti-crime group criticises police CHANDIGARH, Oct 31 — The President of the All-India Crime Prevention Society, Mr Avtar Singh Matharoo, has expressed concern over the non-participation of the local police in a seminar on "police-public relationships: opportunities and challenges" organised here yesterday. Talking to newsmen here, Mr Matharoo criticised the backing out of the police at the last minute without caring to know that a case against an individual was not a case against the organisation which was preparing the people to cooperate with the police in preventing crime. He informed that the society had already identified the crime-prone zones in the country and the next programme would be held in Mumbai. The executive director
of the society, Prof Joginder Kaushal, expressed concern
over an increase in the crime rate in the city. |
Tributes
paid to Indira Gandhi CHANDIGARH, Oct 31 — Rich tributes were paid to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her 15th death anniversary here today. A special function was organised by the Chandigarh Mahila Congress at the Sector 35 Congress Bhavan where rich tributes were paid to Indira Gandhi by the Mahila Congress chief, Mrs Lalit Joshi Bhardwaj, and the local MP, Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, besides others. Also present were Mr Kulbhushan Gupta, Mr Shyam Lal, Mr Harmohan Dhawan, Mr Surinder Bhatia, Mrs Pushpa Sharma, Ms Salochana Ahuja, Ms Sudesh Chaudhary and Dr Rama Ghosh. The Mazdoor Sudhar Sabha organised a function to pay floral tributes to Indira Gandhi in Sectors 32 and 33. Children presented patriotic songs at these functions. The Chandigarh Territorial Congress Seva Dal also organised a function to pay tributes to the former Prime Minister. The UT Education Department observed ''Sankalap Divas'' on the death anniversary of Indira Gandhi by organising ''prabhat pheris'' in various government schools. Nearly 300 students of Government Senior Secondary School ( Boys), Sector 20-D, participated in the ''parbhat pheri''. Students carrying colourful banners with messages of national integration, patriotism like ''Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan'' and ''Vande Mataram'' passed through the lanes of the sector. The students of various other schools also pledged themselves on similar issues. Meanwhile, as many as 32 teams from various government schools participated in a group song competition on the theme of national integration at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 10. While the first prize was bagged by Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Sector 23-A, Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 32, won the second prize and Government High School, Sector 24, the third prize. The first consolation prize went to Government High School, Sector 38, and the second to Government Model Middle School, Sector 39. A patriotic song competition was also organised at Shivalik Public School, Sector 41-B, to commemorate the day. Students and staff of the Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 33, organised a ''sankalp'' rally in the sector. Led by Dr Surinder
Singh, students march through the streets of the sector,
carrying placards with the message of patriotism. |
SNIPPETS UK group’s show today CHANDIGARH, Oct 31 — The Punjab Arts Council and the Punjab Sangeet Natak Academi will stage a dance, music and cultural performance of the Shropshire Exchange Group (UK) at the Chandigarh Press Club tomorrow. A press note of the Shropshire Punjab Cultural Exchange said the programme, started by Prof Rajpal Singh and Mr N. Rathmell, offered young artists an opportunity to share arts, culture and lifestyle. Ten musicians from Shropshire have arrived. The group is led by Diane Walton and includes Simon Lanzon and Patrick Mcardle. The group is accompanied by dramatist Bryorry Lavery. Ten artists from Punjab have been selected. The group will also visit Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Amritsar and Faridkot. 77 donate blood CHANDIGARH, Oct 31 — As many as 77 persons, including 14 women, donated blood at a camp organised by the Ambedkar Study Circle at Ambedkar Bhavan, Sector 37, here today. The camp was inaugurated by the Adviser to the Chandigarh Administrator, Mrs Vineeta Rai. Speaking at the function, she said that blood donation was the noblest task as it saved the lives of injured. She lauded the members of the circle for organising the camp and hoped that they would continue organising more such camps for the benefit of the needy. She talked about the role played by Bharat Ratna Dr B.R. Ambedkar in the creation of a classless society in the country. Mrs Rai assured to help them in putting computers in the centre for the benefit of the students. Later, she gave away certificates and mementos to the blood donors and organisers. Divali mela concludes CHANDIGARH, Oct 31 — Over 50,000 people visited the 29th Lions Divali Mela organised by the Lions Club, Chandigarh (Host), in Sector 17, on the concluding day here today. As many as 700 school children participated in a fancy dress competition and an on-the-spot painting competition. A cultural show was also organised. Mr Paramjit Singh Kohli, District governor of 321-F, distributed the prizes among the winners. The results: Painting competition — (8 to12 years): Shaifali Aggarwal 1 and Arjan Singh 2; (12 to15 years): Arwinder Singh 1 and Bharat Sindhwani2; fancy dress — (8 to12 years): Pradeep 1 and Kavita 2; (12 to15 years): Ashutosh 1 and Amarpal 2. Octroi to go in Haryana SAS NAGAR, Oct 31 — The Public Health Minister of Haryana, Mr Jaswant Singh Bawal, today said that the state government had decided to abolish octroi with effect from November 1. The decision to increase the old-age pension from Rs 100 to Rs 200 per month and a scheme of giving Rs 5,400 each for the marriage of Dalit girls would also come into effect from tomorrow. He said the implementation of the decisions would coincide with Haryana Day, which falls tomorrow. The minister was here to inaugurate a new sales outlet of a garment manufacturing unit in the Industrial Area, Phase 3. He was accompanied by Mr R.S. Brar, Press Secretary to the Chief Minister of Haryana. 2-day management programme ends SAS NAGAR, Oct 31 — A two-day management development programme conducted by the National Productivity Council on "team building" ended at the Verka Milk Plant here today. The programme was conducted with a view to ensuring implementation of total quality management. The Managing Director of
the plant, Mr Manmohan Munjial, inaugurated the
programme. The faculty of national productivity was led
by Mr A.M. Singh. |
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