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| Wednesday,
November 8, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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SPECIAL STORY CHANDIGARH, Nov 7 — The upcoming township of Anandgarh has invited yet another controversy. And this time it is over the selection of an architect for the town. Three architects among the 10, who were shortlisted, had reportedly withdrawn and one more had asked for more time, giving rise to speculation over the manner of selection of the master designer for Anandgarh. However, Mr Ranjit Singh Balian, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development, Punjab, rules out any such speculations. He says: ‘‘We will get the best architect to design Anandgarh.’’ To select the master architect, the New Town Planning and Development Authority, Anandgarh, gave an advertisement in two newspapers in March. A total of 44 architects from all over the country responded to the advertisement. Of them,10 were shortlisted to submit a conceptual plan for the new township in three months. The selection team consisted of the Chief Administrator, Anandgarh, the Chief Town Planner of Punjab and three expert members, Ms Veena Garella, Mr N.S. Sodhi and Mr J.R. Bhalla. The shortlisted architects are to submit their conceptual plans, land use, etc for the new township by November 10. Mr Charles Correa, a famous architect, had been shortlisted, but he withdrew. It is reported that he had cited two reasons for his inability to participate in the design competition. It is believed that he wrote to the authority that the socio-economic data provided to him was not sufficient. The other reason he cited was that the area to be acquired for the new township is not sufficient for a planned population of 10 lakh. Mr B.V. Doshi of Vastu Shilpa Consultants, who is doing the Mohali City Centre, has also withdrawn and so has Kanvinde Rai and Choudhary. One more firm, which was shortlisted, Raj Rewal and Associates, had asked for more time. Sources in the Punjab Government point out that a few more architects may withdraw. The sources point out that the time period of three months given to the shortlisted architects was not sufficient. Insiders in the government say that the lesser time given to the architects was allegedly to favour a city-based architect who is considered close to the Chief Minister of Punjab. Mr M.N. Sharma, the first Chief Architect of the joint Punjab, said: ‘‘The time period is very important and it depends on the architect to architect and the magnitude of the project.’’ Mr Sharma said that to draw a conceptual plan for a city lots of input from other sources were required by the architect. Sources in the Punjab Government point out that none of the shortlisted architect who is based outside Chandigarh, ever visited the site. Mr Sharma who was associated with the Abuja, the new federal capital project of Nigeria, said: ‘‘I cannot comment on the fact that whether an architect can draw a conceptual plan, etc. without visiting the site, but if I had to draw, I would have visited the site.’’ The sources say that a particular architect allegedly had access to all the necessary data and maps, including aerial maps of the area. Mr Balian said: ‘‘Anandgarh will be a town which the generations for long would marvel at’’. He said the present government is leaving no stone unturned to come out with the best product. He ruled out favouring any architect. He said: ‘‘There is no question that one can get the project by lobbying’’. However, the minister said that Anandgarh was a mega project and at the later stage other architects could be called in for their expertise. He said: ‘‘Even those who were not shortlisted can be called.’’ |
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Nagi refuses to head GMCH CHANDIGARH, Nov 7 — Speculations regarding who will be the next Director Principal of Government Medical College Hospital have intensified with the orthopaedics surgery head at the PGI, Prof O.N. Nagi, formally submitting his refusal to the head of the GMCH, in a letter addressed to the PGI Director, Prof S.K. Sharma According to Prof Sharma, the letter was being forwarded and it will be for the Administration to decide the next course of action to overcome the status quo over the appointment of the next Director Principal of GMCH, which has been continuing for past the one week. Highly placed
sources, however, add that the offer, most probably would now be forwarded to Prof S.B.S. Mann, Head, ENT Department, of the PGI. Prof Mann and Prof Nagi were shortlisted by the Administration out of the five names forwarded by the PGI for the post of the Director-Principal, after Prof V.K. Kak retired on October 31. Sources add that the stalemate was finally put to an end, following a late night meeting yesterday, between the Advisor to the Administrator, Ms Vineeta Rai, and Prof Nagi. The speculation, whether Prof Nagi would actually take over as the Director Principal had been there since day one, owing to the fact that the position was no longer was with dual charge of Secretary , Medical Research and Education. |
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Thieves decamp with jewellery CHANDIGARH, Nov 7 — Striking again, thieves yesterday decamped with a gold necklace and a locket, along with Rs 5,000 cash, besides other valuables and documents, after entering into a house in Sector 20. According to sources in the police department, the thieves struck at Ms Jasvir Kaur's top floor flat while she was away to her office. In her complaint to the police, she alleged that four shawls, some clothes and two fixed deposit receipts, were also taken from her residence. Taking up her complaint, the police has registered a case of house trespass with the intention to commit robbery and theft under Section 454 and 380 of the IPC. Senior police officials, when contacted, said further investigations into the matter were on and the accused were likely to be arrested soon on the basis of evidence gathered from the spot. |
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TRAFFIC RULES CHANDIGARH Most of the students are against any intervention of traffic policemen in the campus life. However, most senior members of the university are not averse to the idea. Mr Parag Jain, Senior Superintendent of Police, had said yesterday that traffic rules would enforced on the campus as well, but the idea behind the move was not to challan defaulters. If the rules are enforced, students will have to wear helmets even when driving on the campus. Amarjot Singh, a student of the Department of Physics Department, said, “The police officials say that they will not challan defaulter, but I do not believe them. The move will definitely cause inconvenience to the university students.” Bhupinder Singh Bhupi, President of the PU Campus Students Council, also said the move would result in harassment of students. He said that he had met the police officials, but had not agreed to enforce traffic rules on the campus. “This issue was never raised during the talks,” he said, “though we discussed the problem of space for parking on the campus.” Santokhwinder Singh Nabha, President of SOPU, said the university should not accept the move. “I am sure that the council will never agree to allow the policemen to enforce traffic rules on the campus,” he said. He said his party would launch an agitation if traffic rules were enforced on the campus as there was no need for such a move. “The police should not interfere in life on the campus.” Mr Madhukar Arya, Chairman of the Department of Persian and Urdu, said, “If traffic rules are enforced on the campus also, there will be no difference between the grain market and the university.” He said the campus was a place of educated persons who knew how to behave properly on road. He said, “Those who are talking of allowing the police to enter the campus should better resign.” Mohita Bhatia, a student of the Department of Economics, said, “Hostel residents get limited money, still everyone will have to spend a few hundred rupees to buy a halmet.” Shimpy Garg, another hostel resident, said, “You will often see three students on one two-wheeler on the campus, going to a department or library. This is because only a few girls have vehicles of their own.” Deepika Soni, another hostel resident, supports the move. She said, “I drive a two-wheeler and, at times, I have seen students driving rashly on the campus. Such driving is dangerous.” Neha Narda, a research student and resident of Sarojni Hall, says that there is no need to enforce traffic rules on the campus. She says, “There is no traffic chaos on the campus roads.” Mr Ramesh Kumar Sethi, an employee of the university who has been staying on the campus for the past 20 years, said, “No one wears helmets here and if the rules are enforced, it will be for the safety of all.” Surjeet Singh Jhabeluuali, a former student of PU, welcomed the move. He said, “Till date, I have not come across any news of a fatal accident on the campus, but if rules are enforced, our campus will always be accident free.” Monica Verma, a student of the Department of Anthropology, opposed the move. “I do not understand why the police wants to enforce the rules on the campus.” |
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Plan to revive beat
system, says SP PANCHKULA, Nov 7 — Admitting that burglaries and car thefts in the city were on the rise, the new Superintendent of Police, Dr C.V. Rao, said that he was planning to lay booby-traps to nab the culprits. He was addressing a press conference at the Mini Secretariat in here today. Dr Rao said that a review of all nakas would be done and night patrolling in sectors intensified to bring down the crime rate. ''At my first meeting with police personnel, I have made it clear that an inquiry would be initiated against anybody found absent from duty,'' he added. Further, a plan to review and revive the beat system to keep regular tab on criminals, inspection of all Police Control Rooms (PCRs) and building rapport with the public were in the offing. Stressing on the need of regular interaction with the public, Dr Rao said that his office was sending invitations to all the citizens' fora in a bid to find a lasting solution to the rising crime. Educational institutions were also being targeted in terms of opening communication channels. The aim was to involve principals who were better positioned to keep the police informed of the goings-on in schools. Being his first posting as SP, Dr Rao admitted that the nature of policing was different in the town as compared to Hisar and Rohtak where he had done his training. ''Also, having been ADC to the Governor is quite different from serving anywhere in the district,'' he held. Spotting similarity in the two jobs, he said that both kept the police personnel on the toes round the clock. ''Personally, I am greatly in favour of night patrolling. Once I am out in the streets at night, my staff will have little choice but to follow suit,'' he said. A qualified doctor, Dr Rao belongs to the 1995 batch and was posted as ASP in Rohtak and Hisar for over a year, the only experience he has in the field. Since January, 1999, he was ADC to the Governor of Haryana. |
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Local delegates may support Sonia CHANDIGARH, Nov 7 — As many as 20 delegates of the local unit of the Congress are likely to support the candidature of Ms Sonia Gandhi for the Congress presidentship, if their
attendance at a meeting before Mr K. Natwar Singh and Mr Manmohan Singh here today is any indication. The delegates assembled at the UT Guest House and interacted with observers for the run up to the poll. They later addressed mediapersons briefly. Both the former union ministers were later escorted to meet the Punjab delegates by Capt Amarinder Singh. Both senior leaders were mobbed by disgruntled party workers who alleged that proper procedures had not been followed while nominating delegates. Many of them claimed that they had held elected posts at various levels of the party, but had been ignored while the nomination process was held. They claimed the decline of the party had been primarily on this count. Certain leaders managed to get their names cleared at the highest level, but hardly did any work at the grass root level. They were only interested in furthering their own cause and the interests of the party were the last thing on their mind, they alleged. Countering these allegations, both the leaders said that the nomination process had been carried out in total fairness and the cropping up of differences was a good omen that intra-party democracy was alive. He, however, said all allegations would be probed and members co-opted if proved true. Claiming that Ms Gandhi was not to blame for the poor showing of the party ever since she was at the helm, they stressed that there was a great need to change certain policies and views which were not in tune with the times. The Panchmarhi Session was the first step in this context by Ms Gandhi and many brainstorming sessions were held to bring about these changes, they pointed out. The delegates who attended the meeting include Mr Harmohan Dhawan, Mr B.B. Behl, Mr Ravinder Singh Pali, Mr Chander Mukhi Sharma, Mr Kewal Arora, Mr D S Babla, Mr Vijaypal Singh Dimpy, Dr O.P. Verma, Mr Subash Chawla, Mr P.P. Matharoo, Mr Kuldeep Singh, Mr Surinder Bhatia, Mr Sham Lal Gupta, Mr R.K. Rathore, Mr J.N. Shastri, Mr Chaman Lal, Mrs Kulwant Dhaliwal and Mr Ram Pal Sharma. Those who did not attend the meeting include Mr Venod Sharma, Mr Pawan Bansal and Mr Manish Tiwari, who are away to Delhi, besides Mr Sunil Parti, Ms Bhupinder Kaur, Mr Kulbhushan Gupta, Ms Lalit Joshi Bhardwaj and Ms Shreshta Mehta. There are 28 delegates from the city out of which are three former presidents of the local unit. |
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Don't leave briefcase
on car seat: police CHANDIGARH, Nov 7 — Commuters beware. A gang of thieves is on the lookout for briefcases carelessly tossed on the back seats of cars or for polythene bags containing crisp currency notes in scooters glove compartments. If you are going to the shopping arcade in Sector 17 or Sector 22, remember to take extra precautions as the gang is active in these areas. Five cases of theft from vehicles have been reported to the Chandigarh Police in the recent past. The police, is, however, not to be blamed. Senior police officials hold the residents responsible for the loss of their belongings. “They leave the bags containing cash inside their cars. The temptation of easy money is too strong to resist”, they insist. In a large number of cases, the police maintains, the offence is committed by “thieves from outside”. “The local involvement is negligible,” says a senior official. “It is thugs on vacation doing the job. On way to places like Shimla from as far as Mumbai, they stop to steal”. The cops also believe that in some cases, the bag is pulled out of the parked vehicle by close associates. “The intention is not to steal,” said a senior police official. “But the sight of cold hard cash, and their inability to earn so much, makes them change their mind” The involvement of drug addicts and gamblers also cannot be ruled out. Sources reveal: “Drug addicts are behind a large number of petty thefts. Running away with the briefcases is an easy way to pay for the drugs.” The modus operandi is simple. The “quarter glass” is taken out by removing the rubber with the help of a screw driver. In some cases, the side glass is also broken by hurling a brick or a stone”. As a precautionary measure, police officials suggest that the bags should not be left inside the car even if they do not contain cash. Electronic locks, they say, reduce the chances of theft to a large extent. “It takes 30 seconds for an expert to disconnect the wires, enough for the beeper to wake the entire neighbourhood”. |
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Taste of own medicine CHANDIGARH, Nov 7 — The drive undertaken by the Anti- Enforcement Wing today to clear encroachments outside a row of private houses in Sector 38-C, ended in drama after the complainant refused to remove encroachments outside his own house. Extended car sheds, gates, fences and all other encroachments were removed outside houses numbered 2854 to 2863 during the drive. Sources reveal that the drive was conducted on a complaint of Mr R.S. Arora, an advocate, who had brought to the notice of the authorities various encroachments in the area. He made special mention of the violations by the resident of house number 2854 at his corner house. The angle irons all around the plot, 6 feet ahead of the boundary wall, were causing problems for movement of vehicles, including school buses and the same was true of some other houses in the area, he had complained. The drive, which was led by Mr Ashwani Kumar faced stiff opposition, especially when they tried to remove the encroachment over Municipal land outside the complainant, Mr Arora’s house. He too had extended the car shed 5 to 6 feet beyond the gate and when the enforcement staff asked him to remove his car so that they could remove the angle irons and the extended portion of the shed, the complaint refused to do so. Mr Arora took the plea that the UT Administration’s notification of August 14, 1996 specifies that car parking/porch covered with AC sheets or fibre glass roof shall be permitted in the front court yard of the residential houses. But in this case, since a portion of the shed was extending beyond the boundary wall of the house, the same was removed. Mr Arora reportedly hurled abuses at the neighbours for instigating the authorities against him. He also threatened that he would take up the matter in the High Court. The neighbouring residents, in a written statement to the Secretary, alleged that Mr Arora is habitual of making complaints and that he did not co-operate with the enforcement staff authorities in removing his own violations. Despite stiff opposition and foul language, the staff removed the said encroachment outside the house . While all this was going on, the residents of the nearby 8-9 houses in that lane voluntarily removed most of the encroachments in front of their houses and the remaining were cleared by the staff. |
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Kothari advocates openness
on reproductive education CHANDIGARH, Nov 7 — People may be afraid to speak on the subject. Adolescents approach the subject warily which their parents hush up, calling it a taboo. Today, however, at the CII auditorium here, a strong audience, mainly students, doctors and social workers came alive and interacted freely with well-known sexologist Prof Prakash Kothari, as he opened doors on the topic which everyone wants to know about, yet is afraid to ask — Sex and Sexuality. Speaking at the Kamla Puri Memorial lecture on “Young people and reproductive health”, he exploded myths and misconceptions, ranging from the right age for sex education to informative questions regarding whether infants too have sexual desire to some more ticklish questions raised by the members of the audience. Prof Kothari, working through myriad of minds of eager listeners, answered their questions. He said, “Notwithstanding the age of an individual, every one has sexual desire, as sex lies between the two ears,” he quipped. The programme was aimed at conditioning community to the importance of educating young men to respect women’s self determination and to share responsibly in matters of family planning. Issues and values related to sex, family life education, contraception, emotional conflicts during adolescence were discussed openly at a lively interactive session between the sexologist and the audience. Talking on the impact of drugs like viagra and other sex stimulants, he said that it was more an exploitation of the ignorant than anything else. Dispelling some of the common myths spread by self-proclaimed
sexologists, he stressed that there was no way conserving semen could increase longevity. “ There is no way you can conserve it and believe me a drop of semen is certainly not equal to a litre of blood,” he said, adding that it were the three “s”—scotch, smoking and stress — which were not good for sex .” Advocating openness of sex education, he said that India has cultural, traditional and historic advantage of being pioneer in this.” The 600-year-old Kamasutra and sculptures on walls of our sacred temples are a testimony to the fact that the subject has been discussed openly in the country with temples being the medium for sex education. Even Lord Krishna, in the 14th adhyaya of the
Bhagavadgita, had proclaimed — I am omnipresent in the human body, in the form of desire.” Lamenting the fact that the medical colleges students were not taught sex education, he added that ideally it should begin at the cradles with parents being the best sex educators.” It was one and only way to tackle unwanted pregnancies, unplanned motherhood, STD, HIV, AIDS and other related problems.” Earlier, in her inaugural lecture, the Advisor to the Administrator, Ms Vineeta Rai, said sex education was an important and contemporary topic. She felt that the adolescents in the age group 10 to 19 formed one fifth of the population of the country, and any misinformation could lead to a host of mental, behavioural and psychological problems. “Disturbing fact is that just 5 per cent out of them, seek help for their problems. It is thus imperative that young people who would be tomorrow voters and tax payers are given correct information.” She added that transition period from childhood to adolescence presented a plethora of problems, leading to many distressing conditions. “However, young girls, as compared to boys usually have problems, but the need of the hour is a multi-pronged strategy for both, at various levels,” she stressed. Dr Nina Puri, President, Family Planning Association of India, in her inaugural address, presented an overview of the organisation and briefed the audience of their collective effort on reproductive health education. Mrs Chanda Singh, chairperson, Social Development and Community Affairs Committee, reiterated CII’s commitment in social development, carried out through its Social Development and Community Affairs Council. She also informed the audience about many initiatives taken by the CII towards population control, health, education and literacy. The Project
Director,FPAI, Dr M.L. Sharma, presented an overview of the programmes supported by the Kamla Puri Memorial Trust. |
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Chandigarh cadets win awards CHANDIGARH, Nov 7 — The First Chandigarh Naval NCC Unit won the awards for the best line area, the best drill and the best-cadet (boys) at the Pre Nau Sainik Camp that ended here today. The camp, under the control of Commander Nirmal Singh, had been organised on behalf of the Punjab Haryana Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh NCC Directorate. Cadet Captain Manpal Singh was adjudged the best cadet among boys, while Cadet Tripti of Second Punjab Naval Unit of Amritsar was adjudged the best cadet among girls. Cadet Rambir of First Haryana Naval Unit of Faridabad and Cadet Petty Officer Shalini of First Himachal Pradesh Naval Unit of Bilaspur stood first in the firing competitions for boys and girls, respectively. Petty Officer Vijay Kumar, also of Bilaspur and Cadet Kamana of Faridabad were declared first in semaphore. The boat-pulling trophy was lifted by the First Himachal Pradesh Naval Unit of Bilaspur. Four teams had participated in the 1 km race. Cadet Captain Tripti and Cadet Gurinderjit of the Second Punjab Naval Unit of Amritsar won the ship modeling contest for girls. Suraj Joshi and Rakesh Chand of the First Chandigarh Naval NCC Unit won the contest for boys. The Deputy Director General of the Punjab Haryana Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh NCC Directorate, Brig R.S. Kalha, gave the awards to the winners at a function organised at Sukhna Lake. A cultural programme, besides aeromodeling and ship modeling displays, was also organised on the occasion. Meanwhile, 28 cadets of the Senior Division and 15 Senior Wing girls have been selected to represent the directorate at the national Nau Sainik Camp. The camp will be held in Vishakapatnam from November 10. These cadets include 12 boys of the First Himachal Pradesh Naval Unit of Bilaspur, seven boys and girls of the First Naval Unit of Chandigarh, seven boys and seven girls of the First Haryana Naval Unit of Faridabad and two boys and one girl of the Second Punjab Naval Unit of Amritsar. Intensive training had been given to cadets at the Pre Nau Sainik camp here. This will prepare them for various competitions at the national Nau-Sanik camp. The activities included rowing, sailing, ship modeling, firing, drill and cultural shows, besides other things. |
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Arrested for impersonation CHANDIGARH, Nov 7 — In an alleged case of impersonation, a city resident was arrested by the police on the charge of threatening the complainant after posing as an officer of the Central Bureau of Investigation. The accused, Rakesh Pal Singh, stated to be a doctor, was taken to custody after a Sector 45 resident, Ms Kamlesh Kumari, alleged that she had been threatened on the telephone. According to sources, the accused, a resident of Sector 7, was trying to mediate between the complainant and her two former employees after posing as a CBI officer. He was apprehended by the police from Sector 45. Taking up the complaint, the police has registered a case of criminal intimidation under Sections 170 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code. Further investigations were on. Assault case In a complaint before the police, a Mani Majra resident, Sanjay, alias Mohinder, claimed that he sustained injuries after being assaulted by Rinku. According to sources in the Police Department, the accused and the complainant, aged between 21 and 22, had fought with each other over a girl. Taking up the complaint, the police has registered a case under Sections 324 and 506 of the IPC. Further investigations were on. Car, scooter stolen The theft of a scooter and a Maruti car were reported to the police during the past 24 hours. In a complaint to the police, Vijay Kumar Suri of Sector 45 alleged that his Maruti car was stolen from outside a Sector 35 hotel. In the other case, Agyawal Singh of Amritsar alleged that his scooter was stolen from the Sector 17 parking lot. Two cases under Section 379 of the IPC have been registered. Petrol theft A city resident was "caught red-handed" while stealing petrol from a scooter parked outside the Survey of India in Sector 32. According to sources, a case under Section 379 and 411 of the IPC has been registered. Held for gambling Four city residents were taken in custody on the allegation of gambling near the Sector 40 kisan mandi. According to sources in the Police Department, Rs 1,900 was seized from them. The four have been identified as Sanjay Gupta, Om Parkash, Parveen Kumar and Parveen. 1 dead in accident
in SAS Nagar Tika Ram, a resident of Phase 11 here, died after the scooter he was driving was hit by a truck near the Kumbra lights of Phase 7. A case under Sections 279, 427 and 304-A of the IPC has been registered against the driver of the truck, Amarjeet. |
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Personalised banking service branch opens SAS NAGAR, Nov 7 — A personalised banking service branch of Punjab and Sind Bank was inaugurated by the Executive Director of the bank, Mr M.S. Kapur, in Phase X here today. Talking to mediaperons, Mr Kapur said the branch would add a new definition to the area of customer care. He said the bank had 877 offices covered under 19 zonal offices throughout the country. The bank was planning to issue capital subordinated bonds to improve its capital share adequacy ratio to ensure a healthy growth in assets. Mr Kapoor had a capital adequacy ratio of 10.75 per cent as on September 30 against a stipulated level of 9 per cent. Welcoming a Parliamentary Committee on empowerment of women, he said around 25000 women borrowers were availing credit facilities worth Rs 85 crore, of which 1,000 beneficiaries were from rural areas. He called upon the state Finance Minister, Capt Kanwaljit Singh, to discuss the government’s plan for disinvestment in the state- owned corporations. |
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