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| Wednesday, January 16, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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Traffic mess outside city schools Chandigarh, January 15 Each day is a shade worse as while traffic police is turning a deaf ear to all complaints, claiming inability to handle the situation for want of manpower. Interestingly, police personnel deployed outside schools are away for their lunch break when school gets over, thus contributing to the mess. The DSP, Traffic, Mr Vijay Pal, says, “Some of the personnel on duty at main roads have been asked to position themselves outside schools in the morning. However, they are away from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch.” It is during this time that most schools usually get over and buses, cycles, cars waiting to pick up children lead to confusion. “Our men are manning as many as 26 schools where the situation usually gets out of hand most of the time. Anymore additions to this existing list is practically impossible,” he explains. He added that under a special drive initiated by the traffic police against the existing bottleneck outside schools in the afternoon, the Police Department had held a training programme to educate teachers to handle traffic on their own. “These trained teachers were required to pass on similar training to students which, it seems, they have not done. Our men on
duty have been asked to make themselves available for policing outside school during school hours”. The Principal of Shishu Niketan School, Ms S. Khorana, says, “I have on numerous occasions informed the police of the threat such a confusion poses to school children but they don’t seem interested. The traffic week being held for the past few years seems only a formality where students are told of traffic rules. The real test of the police lies in addressing our problems on traffic.” Another school principal, Ms Rakesh Sachdeva, tired of sending repeated reminders to the police to come to her rescue, adds, “I have categorically stated that managing the traffic on roads after school hours is a Herculean task and the traffic police is urgently required. It has been two months since I gave applications but nothing has happened.” The other schools are facing similar problems and are making do with teaching staff for attending to the commotion. It takes over half an hour after school everyday to manage the mess and for schools, it is the most trying time of the day. |
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GMCH to frame referral policy Chandigarh, January 15 “A uniform referral policy is required for the city hospitals so that the patient care management be streamlined, but right now we are starting with one for our hospital and to be more specific for the Gynae and Obstetrics Department,” said Dr Mann. The department has decided to take only cases of first deliveries, complicated and high-risk deliveries and start refusing cases which are normal and routine and can be handled by peripheral hospitals and polyclinic. “The average bed occupancy in the Department of Gynae is 170 per cent, the largest among the various departments in the hospital, as a result the quality of services being provided to the patients who have gone through or are likely to go through high-risk deliveries is getting diluted. It is as unfair to them as those whom we will have to refuse admission,” informed Dr Alka of the department of Gynae and Obstetrics. Clarifying that near-delivery cases will not be refused, Dr Mann said that in case there were a few hours before the delivery has to take place, the patient will be referred to the city’s secondary healthcare hospitals and clinics and all efforts would be made to arrange a conveyance for the patient. The two heads of the GMCH also stated that although a referral policy existed for government hospitals in the country, it was virtually impossible to follow it due to extreme pressure on hospitals. “The main cause is population explosion but if timely steps are not taken the GMCH too will lose its referral status and its status of a tertiary healthcare centre like the PGI,” said Dr Raj Bahadur. The GMCH, following its policy, also does not take infected cases. Giving a reason for this, Dr Mann said that to be able to take care of septic patients or unclean patients, special enclosures are required which the GMCH lacked. Stressing the need to improve communication between various city hospitals and peripheral health service providers, Dr Raj Bahadur said that ideal would be to establish standardised referral procedures down to the last detail but ‘‘such things are rarely possible on the ground. Unless one becomes like the AIIMS, New Delhi, where a very strict internal referral policy is followed and in every department no extra patient is taken even if the patient comes in a very bad condition.” Dr Mann informed about the new machinery which the hospital had acquired or was in the process of acquiring. Carbon dioxide laser which the hospital had procured lately was functionally satisfactorily but it was clarified that it was an instrument which was awaited CT scan machine is likely to take some more time since it had been decided in consonance with the city Administration that the demand for the scanner be retendered. The hospital will also start treatment of cancer patients within the next one month after two machines for the purpose are procured. |
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Power cut timings rescheduled Chandigarh, January 15 Under the system, power is switched off in a selected and demarcated area for a fixed period. The same process will be repeated in another area for 30 minutes followed by the next area. This has been done following an increase in the availability of power in the morning hours. Besides, Chandigarh has been overdrawing power till about noon everyday. There is some good news for the industry. Peak load hour restrictions on industrial consumers located in Industrial Area, Phase-I, and Phase-II from 6.00 a.m to 9.00 a.m have been lifted. However, restrictions will
remain from 6.00 p.m to 9.00 p.m every day.
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Gang of car
thieves busted Panchkula, January 15 The police has already arrested two members of this gang — Parmod Sharma and Beeru, alias Manmohan Pal — while Lakhwinder Singh, Satish Kumar and Dheeraj Kumar are absconding. A police party has been sent to arrest Satish Kumar. It is learnt that a team of CIA staff was deputed at naka duty on the Sectors 10 and 1 roundabout last night when they came across a car being driven by Parmod and Beeru. This car was without a number plate. It was on persistant questioning that the accused confessed that the car (HR-03A-9725) was stolen from Sector 10 on January 12. They also confessed that they had stolen six other cars. |
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Bhardwaj takes
charge as CE Chandigarh, January 15 Mr Bharadwaj met Municipal Commissioner M.P. Singh and held a meeting with officials in the evening. He joined the office in the afternoon as he could not be relieved in the morning from the Chandigarh Administration. Mr Bhardwaj has replaced Mr Manmohanjit Singh who has been repatriated to his parent Punjab cadre. |
Pride of lions in for a ride Chhat Bir, January 15 The authorities are in a fix to tell the vasectomised royal inhabitants from others. The absence of any identification mark on the nine lions that were operated upon for vasectomy in the last week of October may lead to tranquilisation of the same animals during the next vasectomy drive in the zoo. For the king of jungle that would be another round of torture after being incarcerated in dark and tiny cages without ample roaming space and little sunshine for over seven months before and after being sterilised. Of the population of 22 adult male lions, nine were operated upon in two stages — on October 25 and 31 — and 11, yet to be vasectomised, are still kept in houses of the safari. The zoo authorities in a bid to contain the growing lion population decided to go in for en masse vasectomy of the big cats. In this context, the entire adult male population was caged in August and only nine lions were released in the safari after been sterilised. Sources in the zoo revealed that at present, of the 74 lions in the lion safari, only 33 lions, including nine vasectomised ones, have been released. The remaining, including 11 that are yet to be operated upon for family planning, some cubs and lionesses, are still caged in houses and hardly exposed to sun. When contacted, Zoo Director R.K. Luna, under whose supervision the lions were operated and released into the safari, refused to comment. Dr Vinod Sharma, Chief Warden (Zoos), Punjab, expressed his ignorance about the release of vasectomised lions without any identification mark and said that he would look into the matter. A visit by Chandigarh Tribune team to the lions safari revealed that a majority of the lions have become quite weak during their captivity and hardly even raise their heads to give a cursory glance to the visitors. They were even seen along with female partners in different groups roaming inside the safari. A zoo employee said that the lionesses have started “dominating” the vasectomised lions after they were released inside the safari. Some of the animals have also sustained injuries in fights, he said. |
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Oil Conservation Fortnight SAS Nagar, January 15 He was speaking at the inaugural function in connection with the Oil Conservation Fortnight-2002 celebrations at PCA Stadium here today. He said the government had made a petroleum policy to attract direct foreign investment in the country. Earlier the Chief Secretary, Punjab, Mr N.K. Arora, in his inaugural speech said since the country had limited sources of petroleum, energy conservation was required. He said Punjab was among the big consumers of the petroleum products and there was a need to create awareness among the masses about the energy conservation. It was informed that the students of DAV School, Ludhiana, who had won the first and the second positions at the national-level essay writing competition on “Role of advertising in petroleum conservation” would be honoured at a function in Delhi. A cultural programme was also organised on the occasion. Mr A.S. Bajwa, manager, Petroleum Conservation Research Association, gave tips about the conservation of petroleum products. |
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Magistrate raids Apni Mandi Panchkula, January 15 It is learnt that the City Magistrate, Mr Rajesh Jogpal, raided the mandi after the administration had reportedly received complaints about certain malpractices going on in the mandis for the past couple of days. Vendors had yesterday raised their voice against the Weights and Measures Inspector and demanded that the issue be taken up with the administration. The Mandi Board Inspector had assured them to take up the matter with the administration. It was following this that the City Magistrate found that several of the farmers had been issued certificates for their weights by a private party for Rs 40 each, in addition to the official certificates. The official certificates, once issued, are valid for one year. The farmers revealed that the private party had been charging them for issuing the certificates since last Wednesday. The Weights and Measures Inspector, Mr Pritpal Singh, was asked to accompany the City Magistrate with all the valid documents to the SDM, Panchkula, for further inquiries. |
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Show of strength by Cong dissidents SAS Nagar, January 15 The leaders, Mr Harnek Singh Gharuan and Mr Balbir Singh Sidhu, justified their claims for the party ticket on the basis of the works they had undertaken during the past five years. After the “revolt” by the party candidate from Barnala, Mr Surinder Singh Sibia, who has threatened to fight as an independent if he was not given the ticket from Sangrur, the local leaders are demanding that Mr Bir Devinder Singh should also seek the ticket from the place of his political activity. Mr Balbir Singh Sidhu, who lost the seat to the SAD candidate, Mrs Daljeet Kaur, in 1997, said today’s gathering had been called by supporters which included sarpanches and panches of various villages. Short spells of rain did dampen the spirit of the crowd, still the leader was able to gather enough people. Addressing his supporters, he said that the Member of Parliament (MP) from Ropar, Mr S.S. Dullo, and other party leaders were convincing the AICC Treasurer, Mr Moti Lal Vohra, to reconsider the candidate for Kharar. “My well-wishers at Delhi have asked me to wait till January 20. I will announce my further course of action after January 20 only”. A former MLA from Kharar, Mr Gharuan, said he had resigned from the party. “If the party wants to expel me it can. I have a strong claim on the ticket and I will contest the election as an Independent even if I am not given the party ticket”, said Mr Gharuan after addressing a meeting of his supporters. He claimed that he had the support of 103 of the total 130 panchayats falling in the Kharar assembly segment. He said he would welcome a review of the decision to allot the party ticket. “The PPCC President wanted to give me the ticket. A senior CWC member, Mr Arjun Singh spoiled by case”, he claimed. On being asked his siding with the Akalis if he won as an independent candidate, he said the chances were less. He said the manner in which the party ticket was given, the party would not be able to win a majority.
Highlight As the date to file nominations is approaching, a section of the ruling group in the SAS Nagar Municipal Council is considering to field the president of the civic body, Mr Kulwant Singh, as an Independent from Kharar. Sources close to the ruling group feel that it would be easy for the councillors to get the votes in the town. |
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KNOW YOUR COUNCILLORS A
Dalit labourer’s son who has written 14 books, is available to the Municipal Corporation as a nominated councillor to represent the voice of the downtrodden in a consensual manner. With a goal to take the message of Guru Gobind Singh, Sant Ravidas and Sant Valmiki, an eminent historian Dr Raju distributed his 14 publications, that fetched him Guru Ravidas International Award, Dr Ambedkar National Award and the Punjab State Award for the best book. Growing from a clerk to PCS and than IAS, he is presently running two vocational training centres of sewing, embroidery, type and short hand in Ram Darbar to train the poor. The new councillor insists on development of the Dalits along with the other poor without differentiation of caste. Dr Raju is President and Chairman of Maharishi Balmiki Bhavan Committee, Dr Ambedkar Social Justice Forum, Ratna Memorial Charitable Trust, Sri Guru Ravi Dass Bhavan, Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha and Bharatiya Dalit Sahitya Akademi of Punjab and Chandigarh Chapters. *** P.C. SANGHI, a nominated councillor of the MCC, may guide the House to check pilferage of funds, ensure speedy implementation of projects and find solution to the day-to-day problems of the people having been a Chief Engineer in Haryana and as President of the Citizen’s Association, Sector 21. He has been trained in corporate planning of projects in Management Development Institute, New Delhi, cost reduction in building materials, RCC design of multi-storeyed buildings at Hyderabad and management of urban development in the UK on the sponsorship of the Government of India. Mr Sanghi has done national appreciation programme on value engineering as applied to building and housing, management of housing projects in the National Institute of Construction Management and Research, neighbourhoold improvement and slum upgrading of All-India Housing Development Association, contract management and arbitration. The Indian Council of Arbitration has taken him on the panel of arbitrators and the Income Tax Department has his services as a valuer. Mr Sanghi has an experience of fighting for the welfare of the people as the President of the Sector 21 Residents’ Welfare Association and has been extending novel suggestions to the authorities. His dream is to give the city a proper sanitation mechanism, better roads and sector markets. |
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YOUNG VOICE HE is a successful travel agent and that also only at the age of 24 — an age when most of the students and research scholars while away their time whispering sweet nothings under the shade of dense trees in Panjab University campus. Vaneet Sharma, in the profession since 1999, has no regrets that his daily routine leaves little time for him to join his friends whizzing down the geri route. The reason, he says, is not very hard to see. “I believe in dedication, discipline and determination. These are not merely words, but principles that ensure success in life,” he asserts. The realisation that “work is worship” dawned upon young Vaneet soon after he completed his graduation in commerce. “No, I was not facing any problems as such, but I always wanted to be on my own feet. Wanted to be independent. That is the reason why most of my pals are still taking pocket money from their parents while I am earning my daily bread from the sweat of my brow,” he reveals.
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READERS WRITE THIS has reference to Mr A.S. Prashar’s article ‘Phokat culture a st(r)ain on City Beautiful’ (Chandigarh Tribune, January 11). Chandigarh remained a city beautiful till today because of many reasons: planning and architectural beauty, cleanliness and efficient administration and above all, its law abiding citizens. Chandigarh is, perhaps, the only city in the country, where citizens do not have to pay property tax or house tax. Other civic amenities provided by the UT administration or the Municipal Corporation also come free as of now, which might, perhaps, be changing in the near future. In days to come, one should be prepared to bear the burden of all kind of taxes, cesses and levies on all things, as Paid Parking System, just introduced, is just a ‘Prologue to the Chandigarh Tale’. Chandigarh, however, is not an ordinary city and to retain its unique character, sacrifice has to be made by one and all. The Administration has to sacrifice, the Local Self Government has to sacrifice and of course, the people has to sacrifice for the betterment of society. There are certain aspects which need to be discussed in detail. All properties, commercial or residential, are on a lease hold basis and lease money has to be paid to the Administration every year. In other words, the City Beautiful itself is on a lease basis, which is a unique system. Of late, free-hold system has been introduced and things are changing slowly. But one can never construct a residential or any commercial building without permission. Beyond second floor, construction is not allowed in residential buildings and the number of rooms on each floor is also restricted depending on the size of the plot. As regards the proposed property tax and house tax, Chandigarh is already the costliest city in India and any tax imposed on property and house shall, ultimately, be passed on to the tenants and the middle class people will suffer. The Administration is already generating money out of the commercial and residential sites, which are being auctioned at hefty price every year. Stamp duty on the registration of properties is another service of revenue. It is common knowledge that properties are sold in Chandigarh on the basis of general power of attorney. In most cases, this is being done so, not because of any intention to evade stamp duty, but because of some limitations attached to these kind of properties. The properties are changed into hands many times, but revenue never goes to the exchequer. If transfer of properties are allowed without any hindrance, a good amount of money shall be flowing to government coffers. Beautiful city needs beautiful surroundings. With the increase of population, garbage disposal shall be a real problem in the days to come. Till now nothing is payable for the collection of garbage to the Corporation. On the other hand, no one ever throws any garbage outside their house or on the road. In most areas, private garbage collectors are engaged and landlords or tenants are paying charges for this. If these charges are to be paid to the Corporation, who will resent? It is the collective approach, which makes a problem easy, where everybody plays his/her part honestly. V.V. NARAYANAN Scrap paid parking I do not agree with the views of Mr A.S. Prashar. The majority of the city people consists of employees of three states and the Union Territory itself. These are regular taxpayers and are never the ones who would make a hue and cry as they are busy with their daily chores. Free passes to musical nights/cricket matches/New Year eve and such other functions are only accessed by the elite class whereas the common man doesn’t have access to these. And even if the common man buys economy class tickets, he finds it difficult to get into the venue as the VIPs have already overcrowded the same. To talk of perks being provided to the Government servants such as cars, bungalows and phones which are either rent-free or highly subsided, why be jealours with the Government servants getting their due, as their counterparts get much more in terms of salary and perks. As regards Paid Parking, Chandigarh is a city where people enjoy visiting different market places (such as Sector 17, Sector 22 etc) and also for their daily routine. They have to visit these sectors as all the important offices viz Estate Office, Food and Supplies office, Central Library etc. Paid Parking would mean an extra burden on these people. Thus Paid Parking should be done away with for the common man. Gurpreet Singh
Khurmi, |
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Kanwar Lajinder Singh Bedi dead Chandigarh, January 15 A renowned and popular personality of Ferozepore district, he represented the Jalalabad constituency as an MLA. Coming from a family of Punjab chiefs, and a grandson of Sir Baba Khem Singh Sahib Bedi, he was a man of dignity, loved by one and all. A philanthropist, he took active interest in the uplift of the underprivileged. He was also a keen sportsman, a marksman of national repute who represented Punjab in the National Shooting Championship a number of times. He is survived by his wife, Mrs Satwant Kaur, brother Kanwar Surinder Singh Bedi, IAS (retd), son Brig A.S. Bedi and daughters Biba Deep Kahlon and Biba Gogi Randhawa. The cremation will take place tomorrow at 1 p.m. at the Sector 25 cremation ground. |
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Rain brings down temperature Chandigarh, January 15 The minimum temperature was recorded at 12.4 degrees Celsius which is likely to fall to 8 degrees on Thursday. The maximum temperature was recorded at 19.4 degrees Celsius today. Tomorrow is likely to be partly cloudy with significant thundery developments. |
One killed in accident Chandigarh, January 15 Gamblers held:
In different incidents, the police has arrested seven persons from the Bapu Dham Colony for reportedly gambling at public places. Ram Pher, Deepu and Khush Dyal were arrested from the Phase-I of the colony and Rs 150 along with a deck of playing cards was recovered from their possession. In the second incident, Ram Shankar, Mohinder, Chhote Lal and Nam Chand were arrested from Phase III of the colony. The police has recovered Rs 420 and a deck of playing cards from their possession. Separate cases under the Gambling Act have been registered against the accused. Car lifted: A Sector 46 resident, Anoop Goyal, has reported that his Maruti Car (CH-O1-A-0008) has been stolen from his residence. A case has been registered. TV stolen: A New Delhi resident, Amit Chopra, has reported that his colour TV has been stolen from the lobby of Hotel Mountview, Sector 10. The police has registered a case. Windshield stolen: A Sector 42 resident, Manendera Sharma, has reported that the front windshield of his Maruti car, which was parked at his residence, has been stolen. A case has been registered. SAS NAGAR Injured: Mr Vipin Kumar, a resident of Phase 4, was injured when the scooter he was driving was hit by a motorcyclist near the Phase 5 market here today. The pillion-rider was also injured. The motorcyclist fled leaving behind his vehicle. Assault case:
Mr Harkamal, a resident of Phase 7, complained that Harjeet Singh, Dr Jolly and another person assaulted him. A case under Sections 323, 437, 502 and 34 of the IPC has been registered by the police. |
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One more held in fake degree case Chandigarh, January 15 According to the police, Balwinder had earlier been employed with the Punjab School Education Board as an ad hoc employee. He was currently unemployed and used to provide inputs for serial numbers to be put on the fake certificates. The police says that more employees of the education boards thought to be involved in the racket are likely to be exposed and further arrests are likely soon. It may be recalled that the police had recovered several hundred fake educational and sports certificates of various institutions and boards from Lamba, who had also contested the recent Chandigarh Municipal Corporation elections. |
MARKET PULSE Chandigarh, January 15 “Encourged by the response we are having, we are seriously looking at the possibility of having an outlet in City Beautiful. After New Delhi, Chandigarh is the most important city in the North”, said a spokesman of the store here today. Crafting abodes for the veritable ‘who’s who’ of India is the young pair of Anjalika and Shaifalika whose brainchild has now taken on the shape of a large 10,000 sq ft showroom in the capital displaying a stunning and somewhat eclectic collection imported mainly from the USA and Italy. Catering to a select clientele by appointment only, the store counts on a combination of unmatchable quality and personalised service to carve out a niche for itself. Says Anjalika Kripalani, a qualified interior designer from FIT, New York, “We have positioned Renaissance Homes as a complete lifestyle store where our clients can simply walk in and select from a comprehensive display of items covering every single design aspect of a home”. The principal brands represented are Henredon and Baker Furniture. The American South, the English Regency Period and the Stately Homes inspire their collections. Baker Furniture takes pride of place not only in the White House but also in celebrity homes such as Donald Trump, Cindy Crawford, Kevin Costner and Madonna to name just a few. Other brands that feature in the showroom are McGuire, Milling Road, Sligh, Fiam, Beacon Hill and Osborne & Little among others. According to Shaifalika Panda, a management graduate from Boston University, “Indian customers have always had a taste for sophisticated and stylish interior products but getting it for their homes had been a hassle. Through this showroom we have tried to make the purchase of internationally renowned furniture pleasant experience by taking on the responsibility of delivering at the doorstep”. She goes on to add that “besides the awareness in metro cities we have found a lot of interest in our products coming from cities like Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Chandigarh”. Dial design contest: “Dial Design Contest” will be organised by Kamla Dials and Arena 17 later this month for the city youth. “Watches have become a fashion accessory and leading fashion designers like Versace, Calvin Klien, Pierre Cardin, have entered this field. We feel that there is a need to identify and promote local talent, who can come up with designs of international standards. “Design a Dial” is the first step in that direction”, says Mr Gurjeet Singh Dahri, head export sales, Kamla Dials, Dera Bassi. The participants will collect raw material from Arena 17. Kamla Dials will give preliminary presentation to applicants regarding considerations for dial designing. These participants will then submit a set of five designs. The total prize money is around Rs 30,000, with the first prize as Rs 10,000. Discussions would be held with selected designers for career opportunities. Last date for submitting entries is January 28. Presentation for the product will be held at Arena 17 on January 18 at 12 noon. This is the first time that such a contest is being organised in the city. Kamla Dials and Devices Limited was established in collaboration with Leschot SA of Switzerland. Since early 90s, the company has catered to the demands of the European and Hong Kong markets. |
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Dr Karam Singh Raju (74), a Ph.D, MA and LLB, is committed to use his experience as a Secretary of a municipal corporation in Punjab. 
A Delhi College of Engineering graduate and 64-year-old technocrat, Mr Sanghi has worked with Punjab Agriculture University, National Industrial Development Corporation, Delhi, Chandigarh Administration, as a Superintending Engineer in Haryana Housing Board (HHB) and the Chief Engineer of the HHB.