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February 20, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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Priya is all Josh, language no bar Chandigarh, February 19 “I am excited about my first Punjabi movie because this project is expected to be a landmark Punjabi film. At present, films here are in a pathetic state”, says Priya in her halting Punjabi. One need not worry about her dialogue delivery because the role she will be playing in this movie is of a girl from Canada who visits India for the first time. “Though I speak fairly good Punjabi, it is nowhere near the Punjabi they speak here,” says this Punjabi girl, who has never had a chance to be in Punjab before this. Born in New Delhi, Priya has been in many parts of India before settling down in Mumbai. “Once I set my heart into something, I pick up very fast,” claims Priya in a tone that exudes confidence. “Though I have no formal training other then acting in a few school plays, I have learnt from experiences,” she adds. She admits to having never thought of acting as her career before “Tere Mere Sapne” happened. “People used to tell me that I should opt for some media related career. I never expected it to be films until the ABCL venture,” says Priya. The actress was at a club on the Zirakpur-Patiala road today in connection with the mahurat shot of the Punjabi film “Jee Aayian Noon”. The mahurat shot was filmed on Harbhajan Mann and Daljit Kaur. |
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Class X examinees await surprise Chandigarh, February 19 The students’ joy stems from the changes introduced by the CBSE in the pattern of the mathematics question paper some five moths back. Under the new pattern introduced by the CBSE, the question paper will have 25 questions instead of the previous 30, and will have a choice on the same subject between questions. However, the teachers visualising a tougher paper, claim the introduction of the new pattern for the first time could have its own teething troubles and are not as optimistic about the alterations. The students, however, don’t share the
skepticism. “The reduction in the number of sums has relaxed us slightly but the effort needed to do well remains same. We can’t afford to sit back and relax,” says Suleen Kaur and Kamalpreet Kaur of Sacred Heart Convent School. In Carmel Convent, the students are equally enthusiastic about the improvements made by the CBSE. Upasna Gupta said, “We are looking at the new pattern only from the point of view of a decrease in the number of questions. The added advantage is that we will get three marks instead of two for attempting the same kind of questions.” A student of DAV School, Sector 15, Kanika
Jain, also voices a similar opinion. She adds, “The only good thing about the new pattern is that there is greater choice in the paper while the number of total questions has come down. The difficulty level seems to have gone up.” |
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Blossom, blossom! Spring is here Chandigarh, February 19 The sun has surely changed colours to welcome the season we fondly call spring. This time round you really don’t need the charming blooms to forward the message of spring. It’s there...with its reflections resting in the exotic birds of Sukhna, in the flower beds of the Rose Garden, in the lush green leaves veiling the romancing idols at Nek Chand’s sculptural marvel, in the lovely trees, the cherry and everything else that is now hanging with bloom along the
bough. The valleys, the gardens are all mirroring the pretty reflection of spring time. And the earth of the City Beautiful is also smiling on the mellow sun...as if sharing some divine secret of happiness and eternity, strengthening an interminable bond of giving and taking, reaffirming to the mighty sun: “Whatever your secrets are, I remember when you entrust them to me, they are still a part of you.” No wonder, as a true guest of earth, the spring is unveiling many such secrets in its sweet ways. Inertia is suddenly back to life. Even the wide open spaces have a strange laughter in their eyes. Everyone around is happy to announce: “We needed spring and we needed it even before God was willing to give it to us.” With every passing day, the season is uncovering better in the green spaces and bright covers of flowers. Blossom by blossom, the spring is unfolding. And so is each young heart’s fancy... |
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Raise excise exemption limit: SSIs Chandigarh, February 19 The central excise exemption limit for the SSIs, which is currently Rs 1 crore, should be raised to at least Rs 2 crore, say the industrialists here. “This will help domestic units to meet the competition following the influx of imported goods”, said Mr Rajeev Gupta, General Secretary, Federation of Small Scale Industries. Emphasising on the simplification of rules and regulations in central excise laws, he said in case of minor errors on part of the industrialist, instead of lengthy procedures and prosecution, simple procedures should be followed. “Such formalities not only take ample time, but also harass the industrialist. Simplification of regulations can save the owner of a small-scale unit from day-to-day paperwork and help him focus on more important business matters”, he said. High transportation charges in case of export consignments were a major hindrance for the SSI units, said Mr R.S. Sachdeva, Co-Chairman, Punjab, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He said in case of goods which were to be exported, the transportation costs within the country were as high as 300 per cent of the international charges. The government needed to provide some subsidy, especially to border states and land-locked states. Another step which could help improve the performance was reduction in the cost of finance. While a section of industrialists suggested reduction in the prime lending rate (PLR) to the banks in the forthcoming budget, a few said all banks should charge a fixed percentage, say two per cent, plus the PLR, so that the total cost of lending did not exceed 12 to 13 per cent. “Currently we are at times, charged even 15 per cent, which increases the cost of production thereby harming our market”, said Mr A.L. Aggarwal, General Secretary, Chamber of Chandigarh Industries. He said targets for advances to SSIs and tiny units should be fixed by specialised SSI bank branches across the country in order to make sufficient credit available for the industry. The industrialists also stressed that reduction in import duty and effective implementation of the Naik Committee recommendations on grant of working capital assistance to all SSI units computed on the basis of minimum 20 per cent of the projected annual turnover for new as well as the existing units would help in the revival of the
SSIs. |
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Illegal phone links threat to security Chandigarh, February 19 While this angle has not been included in the investigations carried out by the CBI into this particular case, sources state that this is not the only case of its kind being investigated. Sources in the intelligence establishment as well as various investigative agencies maintain that there could well be a large number of illegal satellite receivers functioning in the country to divert international voice calls and data transmission. It was earlier reported in these columns that a CBI investigation had revealed that the firm in Gurgaon was receiving international voice calls illegally from the USA and other countries by using sophisticated equipment attached to a satellite antenna. These calls were then diverted via this link to various subscribers through the local telephone network, thereby bypassing VSNL, which is the sole authority in the country for providing international telecom services. This led to a loss of about Rs 5 crore to VSNL. Already the CBI is investigating a similar case in Rohtak, where international telephone calls were being received and diverted illegally. In this case, sleuths are also probing the possible involvement of the telecom staff as the modus operandi indicated that this operation could not be carried out without the assistance of an insider who had access to transmission codes and a high level of technical expertise. Sources were silent on the status of the investigations. Earlier, a former Army official was nabbed in Chandigarh by the CBI for allegedly misusing international data communication lines to transmit voice calls. Following a complaint by MNTL, CBI investigations revealed that dedicated medical transcript circuits were being used to bypass the VSNL channel for two-way voice communication with foreign countries. This illegal activity, however, was short-lived and only about 100 calls had been made when sleuths homed in. Medical transcript circuits are used to pass information and data by doctors on their professional day-to-day activity in the USA and possibly other countries, which are compiled into the stipulated format by computer operators here. Given the time difference between India and the USA, the data is received here as doctors leave their clinics and is ready for use when they arrive for work the next day. Sources add that the Delhi police is also investigating several illegal telephone operations and international voice conferencing in the Nizammudin area. In addition, complaints of illegal telephone connections or that of subscribers vanishing after using telephone connections for a brief period keep cropping up. Such activities assume significance with India being high on the list of countries facing a serious threat of subversive and criminal activities, including terrorism, smuggling, extortion and money laundering, being controlled and monitored from foreign soil Substantial revenue loss to VSNL on this account notwithstanding, the real issue here is keeping a tab on international calls for security reasons. “Technological advancement in communications is so fast that we are not in a position to pre-empt anything. We can only resort to fire fighting,” a highly placed source commented. This is where the problem lies. With VSNL being bypassed, there are no records or evidence to follow during investigations. Even if some information about calls made is available from the illegal operator, another hurdle is voice conferencing. If making calls to a particular country is barred, a call can be placed to a telephone in any other country, which then connects on to the blacklisted country. Records would only show calls being made to the third country. leading to a dead end. This is specially so for the state of Jammu and Kashmir, where there is a bar on STD facilities. |
FAUJI BEAT THE inauguration of the fully air-conditioned, computerised, expanded and renovated CSD canteen in Sector 21, Chandigarh, which was inaugurated by Lt-Gen Surjit Singh, GOC-in-C Western Command on February 10, has made the ex-servicemen’s dream come true. It adds to the customers’ delight to take their pick from the attractive looking racks in the canteen, which also provides the much sought-after self-service. The inauguration reminded one of the soldiers’ faith in God. For, it is a ritual in the Army to pray to God before going into a war or prior to embarking on any significant venture. No wonder then that the religious teacher (right of General Surjit Singh in the picture) took His blessings before the plaque was unveiled and the ribbon was cut. One of the important factors in a soldier’s life that makes him fight and sacrifice his life in war is his faith in God, which keeps his morale high. It is customary for the troops to attend to their religious institute on Sunday, festivals and units’ raising days. In the Army it is believed that the officers have the same religion as that of their troops. That the canteen facilities in the armed forces have improved a lot over the years can be seen from the large variety of stores that are made available to the customers. For example, you can buy anything such as a car, TV, air-conditioner, a washing machine, refrigerator and grocery and liquor etc. at concessional rates. But what one needs to remember is that the misuse of this facility brings a bad name to the Army. Training in mines Surprisingly, about 35 Army personnel were killed and some of them wounded while handling or laying mines during the Army deployment for war in December and January. What is worse is that even some of the Army engineers who are supposed to be the experts in laying and lifting of mines also became the victims of this defensive device. The landmines have also taken their toll on the hapless villagers who have never been so scared of them as they were this time. Not only the civilians, the Army personnel are also scared of touching the mines, leave alone laying and lifting them. This fear stems from their poor training in mine warfare. It has been seen that this training mostly remains on paper and hardly anything is done on ground. This weakness of the Army got badly exposed for the first time in the Rann of Kutch operations in 1965, when we lost a number of men while laying and lifting mines. The general feeling among the infantry battalions is that laying and lifting of mines is the job of engineers. This impression must be dispelled from their minds. For, laying of protective
minefield is the task of the infantry. It is only the defensive minefield which is an engineering task. The answer lies in carrying
out extensive mine training, which cannot be considered complete until each infantryman can confidently lay and lift mines. Interestingly, some infantry battalions had achieved perfection in laying and lifting of mines in 1971 war. As for the engineers, they should take pride in being experts in mine warfare. House tax Over the past few years, the charges for electricity and water and the telephone rental have gone up many times and a retired “fauji” finds it difficult to make both ends meet. This is more pinching for those who retired in the sixties or seventies and are drawing less pension than the present retirees, thanks to the government which has paid no heed to the “one rank, one pension” demand. Incidentally, in several countries the last pay drawn is granted as pension to the ex-servicemen. As if all these bills that the ex-servicemen have to pay for the essential services are not enough to keep them under a perpetual financial strain, what is still in the offing is the house tax. This tax having been imposed in Panchkula has been resented by its residents.
Chandigarh is also gearing up to generate more revenue by levying this tax. But mercifully, for a change there is good news and, this is, that in the states which are levying this tax, the ex-servicemen are exempted from it. The ex-servicemen in this region, that is, in Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are exempted from the house tax if they are occupying their own houses according to the Government of India, Ministry of Defence instructions. |
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Beant memorial plan improvised Chandigarh, February 19 According to sources the council also suggested that the first phase of the project be completed. This will require about Rs 4 crore and the Administration is making arrangements for the funds. The convention centre will be carved out by re-designing the originally planned huge library. With the advent of the Internet and availability of information online it was opined that such a huge library was not required and the space could be used for other purposes. Since the city lacks a big convention centre this seems to be ideal use for the project, sources confirmed. According to another proposal a 9-acre plot adjoining the Beant Singh project will be developed as an exhibition centre on lines of the Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Actually the entire project is closely linked with the Beant Singh Memorial. The latter will lend support with its convention facilities and eating facilities. Besides this the Punjab Government, which till a few months ago had maintained that it did not have the funds for the project, has conveyed that the Planning Department has been asked to make a provision for funds in the forthcoming Budget for the memorial. Sources say the provisioning will be much easier if the Congress came to power in Punjab and the situation will remain the same if the SAD-BJP alliance wins. In the past few years the Punjab Government has refused to provide funds for the project. Beant Singh was Chief Minister of Punjab and is largely credited with curbing militancy in the state. He was assassinated in August 1995. With no funds coming from Punjab, the Chandigarh Administration, explored other alternative ways for the optimum use of the space and the building. |
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Tributes paid to Beant Singh Chandigarh, February 19 Several senior Congress leaders, including former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Mr Sahmsher Singh Dulo, MP, Harminder Singh Pardhan, Mr Amrik Singh Dhillon, Mr Malkiat Singh Dhaka, Mr Tej Parkash Singh, Mr Jagmohan Singh Kang and Mr Gurkirat Singh, attended the function where tributes were paid to the late Beant Singh. Earlier, there was recitation of Gurbani by a ragi jatha. Some other prominent Congressmen, including the PPCC chief, Capt Amarinder Singh, could not attend the function as they were reportedly away to New Delhi. |
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READERS WRITE THIS has reference to the report “Cops summon ‘harassed’ girl”
(Punjab Page, February 7). The Department of Fine Arts is deeply perturbed about the report on the basis of a complaint lodged by Ms Saru Rana, MA-II year student, to the Vice-Chancellor and now to the Chancellor of the university. The position of the department in reference to the charges was made clear to the university authorities immediately. Ms Rana has never been harassed or mentally tortured as has been alleged by her. She has been taken care of like all other students of the department and she has never been discriminated against even though she has been irregular in attending her classes and also not fulfilling her assignments in time. The department does not have 240 marks in internal assessment to harm the student’s interest by the teachers. It has got just 40 marks in internal assessment out of 400 marks. Ever since the department was established in 1995, the 60-odd MA students in the last five batches have never complained about internal assessment or any kind of pressure from any teacher of the department. White dresses and phulkaris for girls and khaddar kurta for boys represent the Punjabi culture. The students wore these dresses in Delhi for reasons of separate identity and for avoiding harassment by the security personnel. As regards the trip to Dehra Dun and Delhi, four students stayed in one room at Dr Balbir Singh Sahit Kendra, Dehra Dun, an affiliate of Punjabi University, Patiala. They had gone there to restore and retouch the art works. The students went to Delhi to exhibit their paintings on Maharaja Ranjit Singh at a seminar on January 24-25, 2002. Suffice it to mention, 18 out of a total of 19 students, all the three teachers and staff members have refuted the baseless allegations levelled by Ms Rana. Still, the department has not recommended disciplinary action against Ms Rana and she is being allowed to attend classes. She is also being taken care of by the department like all other students.
Dr Saroj Rani, Incharge, Department of Fine Arts, Punjabi University, Patiala Oppose the move The Chandigarh Administration’s reported move to regularise nursing homes and private hospitals operating in residential areas will affect the welfare and peace of the residents. These should operate in the assigned commercial areas only. Private hospitals in residential areas are of great nuisance value as the users of these hospitals park their vehicles in a haphazard manner on the narrow roads or in front of the gates/driveway of the residents due to non-availability of parking space. This causes roadblocks and disturbs traffic discipline. Such hospitals/clinics are certainly a ‘no’ in residential areas. I appeal to the ward councillors, sector welfare societies, consumer welfare organisations and the general public to oppose the UT Administration’s move tooth and nail and thwart the design of owners/managers of some private clinics. These clinics are minting money and exploiting the patients. Similarly, schools and guest houses should also be banned in residential areas where there should be no commercial activity under any circumstances. Sateesh K. Dadwal |
JCO hurt in accident Chandigarh, February 19 Held with whisky: A resident of Patiala, Munish, was arrested from the Sector 17 ISBT and 50 pouches of Hero Whisky were recovered from his possession. The police has registered a case under the Excise Act against him. A resident of Ram Darbar, Surinder, was arrested from the same colony and 12 pouches of Hero Whisky were recovered from his possession. The police has registered a case under the Excise Act against him. Assault case: A Ropar resident, Prasana Singh, has reported that he was assaulted by five unknown persons near Punjab Engineering College. The police registered a case. A resident of Mauli Jagran, Kapila was injured after his cycle was knocked down by a scooter near the petrol pump on the Chandigarh-Panchkula highway. He was admitted to the PGI, while the scooterist sped away from the spot. A case has been registered. Complaint of harassment: The police has booked a resident of Kurukshetra after Kavita, a resident of Ram Darbar, lodged a complaint that she was being harassed and maltreated by her husband and in-laws to bring more dowry. After initial investigations by the woman and child support unit of the local police, a case has been registered under Sections 406 and 498 of the Indian Penal Code. Shop broken into: Sector 52 resident Rajbir has reported that his shop in the same sector was broken into and cash worth Rs 8,000 and sanitaryware items were stolen. The police registered a case. Car stolen: Sector 22 resident Parkash Nath Bhanot has reported that his Maruti car (CH-03-D-2072) has been stolen from the same sector. the police has registered a case. Bike stolen: Sector 46 resident Munish Kumar has reported that his Hero Honda motorcycle (CH-03-F-5041) has been stolen from his residence. A case has been registered. Scooter taken away: Panchkula resident Munish Pathak has reported that his scooter (CH-01-S-3378) has been stolen from the Sector 17 ISBT. A case has been registered. Sector 22 resident Gurcharan Singh has reported that his mobile phone has been stolen from the same sector. The police has registered a case. Fraud alleged: A resident of Sector 38, Ms Sunita Goel, complained of impersonation and fraud by a person running a finance firm in Sector 42. According to the complainant, the accused, Rajinder Singh, had given his name as Rajesh Aggarwal and recruited her as an agent for securing deposits for his firm, City Credit Consultant Company. The complainant had deposited about Rs 7 lakh with the firm, having collected the amount from various persons. The accused had later closed the firm and disappeared with the money. The police registered a case. Dowry case: A Sector 37 resident, Ms Poonam Kalra, reported that she was being harassed and maltreated by her Noida-based husband, Vicky Kalra and his parents to bring more dowry. The police registered a case. Panchkula Theft case: The police registered two cases of theft in the past three days. According to a press note, some unidentified persons took away a 5600 metres long ASCR conductor from LT line store at Mattawala village. The theft was committed on Sunday night. A case was registered on the complaint of AEE of SV Subdivision, Chandi Mandir and the investigation was on. In another incident of theft, Mr Sanji Attri of Sector 9, Urban Estate, Ambala City, complained that his Hero Honda motorcycle (HR-01K-7610) had been stolen near from Nuria Nursing Home in Sector 5 of Panchkula. The police registered a case and further investigations were on. One held: The police arrested Krishan Chand another accused in the clash over a land dispute in Hangoli village near Raipur Rani. Eighteen persons involved in the clash had been booked, of which eight had been arrested. Gambler nabbed: The police arrested Narinder Kumar, a resident of Mori Gate in Mani Majra, while playing satta near the Barwala bus stand. An
amount of Rs 10,554 was recovered from his possession. The police registered a case under the Gambling Act. SAS Nagar Infant’s body found: The body of a newborn baby girl was found floating in a seasonal nullah passing through Phase 9 here today. Portions of the body had been eaten up by stray animals. The police suspects that the body had been lying in the dirty water for the past two days as it was swollen beyond recognition. It is being believed that the infant had been dumped in the nullah to evade public attention. The body was sent to the Phase 6 Civil Hospital for post-mortem examination. The autopsy would reveal the cause of death. The police has initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC. Attempt to murder: At least three persons of Kandala village were seriously injured when at least six unidentified burglars barged in the house of Hari Singh and injured him, his wife, Kishna Wati and daughter, Sashi Bala. According to the information available, the burglars escaped without stealing any valuable. The victim Hari Singh and his daughter, Sashi Bala have been admitted at the GMCH, Sector 32 and the woman, Kishna has been admitted at the
PGI, Chandigarh. |
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CBI books own officer Chandigarh, February 19 According to sources, the officer, Inspector O.P. Sharma, had allegedly demanded Rs 5 lakh from a party at Dhaliwal while verifying a complaint. The CBI registered a case after preliminary inquiry following the party lodging a complaint against him. While sources are tight-lipped about further details, they add the investigations are still on. The officer has been booked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act. |
BIZ CLIP Chandigarh SBoP
anniversary State Bank of Patiala celebrated the ninth anniversary of its specialised personal banking branch. The branch, which was the first one in the city where an ATM was established, provides a no queue facility and loans under personal segment to its customers, stated a press release.
TNS
Road show organised The State Bank of India, Sector 37, Chandigarh, branch organised a road show on the campus of Director IT and TE, Sector 36, here on Tuesday. Mr A K Arora, branch manager and other bank employees briefed the visitors about personal and housing loans and education loans.
TNS
Blood donation camp More than 60 employees of Canara Bank donated blood on the blood donation camp organised by the Chandigarh unit of the bank at Canara Bank circle office, Sector 34, here on Tuesday.
TNS |
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Palio Sport is here Chandigarh, February 19 Priced at Rs 4.48 lakh (ex-showroom Chandigarh), the new car comes with an engine capacity of 1,242 cubic cm, 32 bit ECU, electronic MPI integrated with ignition-fuel system and electronic ignition integrated with injection. Palio Sport would offer contemporary styling, comfort, safety and value for money to users, said Mr Ashwini Anand, Managing Director, Anbros Motors. |
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