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| Thursday,
March 28, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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Hiccups over, spirit returns to liquor trade Chandigarh, March 27 Increase in revenue through auction of vends Vends are auctioned for a year beginning from April 1. This year, the trade looked gloomy when the increase in revenue was only Rs 53.50 lakh more than revenue in the previous year. Then, even this marginal increase was being considered good in excise circles because the auctions in Punjab and Haryana had been at rates below the bids last year. This year, in Punjab and Haryana, auctions of the liquor vends have been good. Punjab earned Rs 99 crore more than last year and Haryana got Rs 14 crore more than last year. Rates in contiguous areas have to be more or less the same for traders to survive and smuggling of liquor to stop. In Tagore Theatre here today, the vends were auctioned in five groups according to location, which hardly took more than one hour with 132 bidders there. The vends clubbed with those near Sector 26 earned the UT Rs 16.21 crore in auctions — Rs 1.66 crore more than this year. The minimum increase groupwise was Rs 11 lakh. Last year, two groups had seen a decline in revenue. Successful bidders deposited 5 per cent of the bid money as security at the fall of the hammer. Another 5 per cent will have to be deposited before March 31. They will have to deposit 2.5 per cent of the bid money by April 7. The rest of the money is recovered over the entire financial year; vend owners keep depositing excise money with mounting sales. Mr Prithi Chand, SDM Central and Collector of Excise conducted the auction. The Administration’s observer was Mr Gurmail Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner. |
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Confusion over Holi holiday Chandigarh, March 27 What’s closed and when On Thursday (March 28) All offices of the Punjab Government, Panjab University, all banks in Punjab and also the Punjab and Haryana High Court. On Friday (March 29) Chandigarh Administration, all offices of the Punjab Government, Panjab University, all Central Government offices like Telecom, Income tax, Excise and taxation, offices of the Haryana Government, Educational institutions in Chandigarh, Punjab and Haryana. Banks in Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. District Courts in UT and the states. Punjab and Haryana High Court. Good Friday will naturally fall on Friday while the date of Holi has been juggled around. The Punjab Government has closed down its offices on Thursday , March 28. In Chandigarh and Haryana, Holi and Good Friday fall on the same day. This has resulted in confusion as to when will banks open, when will schools close and will the courts be open? Since yesterday, there has been talk in official circles about the holiday. The rumour mill was working overtime in offices in Chandigarh and Haryana that a holiday had been declared on Thursday in line with the holiday in Punjab. Nothing of that sort happened. Several residents in the city and around who go to Himachal Pradesh daily, were anxious to know the date of holiday. The Punjab and Haryana High Court and Panjab University are closed till Monday. |
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Holi bash at
Fun City today Chandigarh, March 27 It will probably be the wettest Holi of the region featuring famous Punjabi singers like Pammi Bai, Romey Gill, Gursewak Mann, Lucky Singh, Surjit Khan, Gaurav Trehan, Sukhwinder Sukhi, Saztwinder Bugga, Raj Brar, Jinder Jinda, Bill Singh, Yudhvir Manak, Sarabjit, Balli Singh, Gippy and many more to set the crowd on fire. To add to the excitement there will be jazz groups dancing to the tunes of the Punjabi numbers. The extravagant show is being jointly organised by
Fun City and ACME Event organisers |
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NRI gifts school to govt SAS Nagar, March 27 Mr Baldev Singh, who is now settled in Clarksville, Maryland, USA , said the school building was the brainchild of his wife, Ms Pushpinder Kaur, who was working as a professor at the PAU before moving to the USA. He said since he was born in this village he always felt he owed something to his birthplace. And with the help of his wife he could give concrete shape to his feelings. He said the school had been planned on the pattern of elementary schools in the USA and they had tried to provide all those facilities here as well. But he wished the school building was maintained the way it was handed over to the government. He said that some of his friends from the Education Department did not want him to hand over the school building to the government saying that it would be ruined. He said if the government really maintained the building, he would try to persuade more NRIs to invest in Punjab. The school has eight classrooms, a staffroom, a library water coolers and various electrical fittings. Initially a primary school, Mr Khushal Behal, Education Minister, Punjab, upgraded it to the middle level by making an announcement in this regard today. Mr Behal directed the DPI to complete all the formalities in this connection. Mr Baldev Singh said if the school was further upgraded he would get more rooms constructed. Mr Behal requested Mr Baldev Singh to bring forward more NRIs who were interested to invest in the education sphere. He said 92 per cent of the schools in the state were in rural areas and such investments would help in creating a proper atmosphere for school students. The development of the personality of a child depended on the environment he studied in, added Mr Behal. Mr Bir Devinder Singh, MLA, Kharar, who had accompanied the minister, said the school would be developed as a model school. Mr Joginder Singh, sarpanch of the village, said at present the school was running in a dharamshala and it had only three teachers for five classes. There were about 150 students on the rolls. |
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Punjab, Haryana for immediate
announcement of MSP Chandigarh, March 27 While the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, met the Prime Minister in New Delhi today to demand Rs 690 as the MSP for wheat, the Punjab Council of Ministers at its meeting this afternoon reviewed the arrangements being made as per last year’s MSP of Rs 610 per quintal , including incidental charges. The Punjab Government hopes to procure 84 lakh metric tonnes of wheat through its state agencies for which it will require Rs 6045 crore. The Finance Department has been directed to release the required funds. The Punjab Council of Ministers also reviewed in detail the arrangements for the procurement of the rabi crops. The Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, who presided over the meeting, had met the Prime Minister, the Food Minister and the Agriculture Minister early this month to demand the announcement of the MSP at the earliest so that the procurement operations could start in time from April 1. Mr Chautala, however, apprised the Prime Minister of the difficulties the farmers might face in case of any further delay in the announcement of the MSP. Justifying an increase in the MSP, Mr Chautala reportedly insisted that there had been a steep increase in the prices of inputs, including fertilisers, diesel, pesticides and insecticides, since the last crop. The Haryana Chief Minister, like his Punjab counterpart, reiterated that every grain of wheat would be
procured. Both Chief Ministers have been making promises of prompt payment and quick hassle-free purchase of their crop. After the Punjab Council of Ministers’ meeting, a spokesman said that the Director, Agriculture, had estimated that 152.33 lakh tonnes of wheat would be produced, out of which 120 lakh tonnes would be the marketable surplus . This surplus would be procured by six agencies: the Food and Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Department (12 lakh mt (10%); Markfed 24 lakh mt (20%); Punsup 21.60 lakh mt (18%); the Punjab State Warehousing Corporation 12 lakh mt (10%); the Punjab Agro Industries Corporation 10.80 lakh mt (9%); and the Food Corporation of India 39.60 lakh mt ( 33%).
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Help the underprivileged, says Governor Chandigarh, March 27 Speaking at the annual function of DAV College, here today, General Jacob said that the administration had been running night classes in 17 schools for slum children, who have to perforce work during the day. Calling upon the DAV institutions to participate in this campaign, the Administrator said that with higher education becoming costlier day by day, we would have to ensure that it did not remain the prerogative of the elite only. “Education is the birthright of every citizen and providing education is our duty,” he said. He hoped that the DAV College would run a separate section in each class for the underprivileged to provide them free education and books. Lauding the role of the college, General Jacob said that this Institution was one of the most esteemed colleges of the region. For 31 years in a row, the college has been winning the Sir Shadi Lal shield for general efficiency and excellence in sport and has produced many international sportsmen. General Jacob said that with the world becoming a global village, students should widen their horizons of knowledge. He advised students to participate in outdoor activities, especially, adventure sport. Earlier, the Governor honoured old students of the college, who had made a mark. Mr Yog Raj Singh got an award on behalf of his son, Yuvraj Singh. Dinesh Mongia’s father was also honoured. Mr P.K. Chaudhary, Commissioner, Education, Haryana, and Dr Nipun, IAS were also honoured on this occasion. General Manager Railways, Mr Vijay Sehgal, was also honoured. Earlier, the Governor inaugurated the ‘Shaurya Bhavan’ constructed in the memory of four highly decorated former students of this college who had laid down their lives defending the country. The Governor also laid a wreath on the memorial constructed in their memory. Principal S. Marriya read the annual report of the college. He promised to donate some manuscripts from the library to the Chandigarh Museum. Earlier, the Principal S.C. Marriya, reading the annual report, informed the audience about the tremendous achievements of the college, students who won distinction in national and international contests and the laurels won in co-curricular activities. He added that the Sir Shadi Lal Trophy of Excellence and Efficiency in sport went to the college for the 31st year in a row. |
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BJP-SAD turns heat on Cong Chandigarh, March 27 Mr Gupta was joined by her party colleagues and allies like Ms Kamla Sharma and Ms Harjinder Kaur in demanding a quick action against Ms Usha. The BJP raised the issues in answer to Mr Gupta’s questions on councillors being kept in dark about new parking rates, charges of urination in the BOT toilets and why committees were not being formed. The leader of the Congress in the House, Mr Subhash Chawla, said none of the party functionaries would pressurise the inquiry officer, the Commissioner, for favouring Ms Usha. Mr Gupta said the inquiry report should be placed before the House, which caused a commotion. Mr Chawla said the party was prepared to place the report before the House if the BJP also tabled such reports on power theft and Nehru-Park-allotment scam. The MC Commissioner, Mr M.P. Singh, advised the House not to seek such reports as it would affect quasi-judicial inquiries. Nominated members, Ms Amar Kulwant Singh and Major General A.S. Kalhon, sought division on the issue and said they did not want that this report be sought. The SAD-BJP councillors entered the well of the House and called for walk out, but the Mayor announced tea-break to scuttle the move. Later, Mr Gupta made her promise that the parking-fee issue would be discussed in the House after the next meeting of the Finance and Contracts Committee. Ms Harjinder Kaur called for action against the corrupt before a fixed time. The Congress, however, recovered well and finished all work on the agenda by the evening. A member of the Chandigarh Vikas Manch, Ms Harpreet Kaur Babla, proposed an increase the budget for streetlighting from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 1 crore. The amount increased to Rs 80 lakh and the allocation for landscaping was increased to Rs 1.5 crore. The House decided to launch a quarterly magazine for countering negative publicity. The F and CC recommendations of doubling the rent of liquor vends and having bus-queue shelters, besides 51 toilet systems on build operate and transfer basis, were approved. The House passed a resolution to seek more share from the Administration and give civic amenities in Mani Majra, Burail, Butrela, Badheri, Attawa and the other villages of the UT. Ms Anu Chathrath of the Congress moved a resolution to have the MC undertake development work near the PGI, Punjab Engineering College and Panjab University. |
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Rs 100 for cable connection Chandigarh, March 27 At a meeting held here today, they also decided that if the connection of anybody was discontinued due to this decision, all residents would surrender their connections and look for alternative cable operators. Residents welfare associations of Electricity Colony, Press Colony, sector 28-B, Air Force Colony and common pool houses, Sector 28-C, today held the fifth meeting in a series on the issue. The meeting criticised cable operators’s unilatral decision to increase the monthly charges from Rs 100 Rs to 200 saying the salaried class was under a financial strain. The meeting was addressed by Mr Swaroop Singh Rawat, president of the Electricity Colonies Welfare Association, Sector 28. |
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PPSC chief has no heart ailment Chandigarh, March 27 Mr Sidhu who was admitted to a private room of GMCH yesterday underwent some tests which have ruled out the possibility of Mr Sidhu suffering from any cardiac problem. ‘‘Mr Sidhu is diabetic and hypertensive and both these were not under very good control when he arrived in GMCH, but that was taken care of and by the morning, his condition was relatively stable,”said Dr Atul Sachdev, Head, Department of General Medicine. Stating that Mr Sidhu has not been officially discharged from GMCH, Dr Sachdev informed that one more test was to be done on Mr
Sidhu. |
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YOUNG VOICE Job satisfaction and leading a settled life should be priorities with the youth. In this age of declining resources, youth must aim at having a job in hand as early as possible, gradually moving on to the next step of marriage. These are the views of Rakesh Nagpal, a 26-year-old, Telecom Officer with the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited. He says that telecommunication is one of the fastest growing field and is endless. “Here in our country, a large number of important telecom projects are yet to be implemented. The young technocrats have lots of scope in the field of telecommunication”, claims Rakesh. When asked what should be the criteria while choosing a profession, Rakesh says, “Gone are the days when one used to be choosy about jobs. However, hard work could fetch the desired job”. He also suggested to the young people to accept any job (if a little compromise is necessary, compromise) and one should not keep waiting for the “dream” job to come his way. Rakesh did his Masters in Engineering (ME) in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana, in 2001 and was later selected by the BSNL. OC |
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Liquor kills Chandigarh, March 27 |
One killed over property
dispute Panchkula, March 27 It is learnt that when Kaushalya Devi and Sunita Devi had gone to relieve themselves last night, they were stalled by Sanjeev Kumar, who began to beat up the latter. Hearing her cries for help, Shyam Singh and Mangu Ram reached the spot, where the seven accused, Balbir Singh, RaJ Kumar, Jai Kumar, Husan Kumar, Tara Chand, Kalawanti and Radha- were waiting for them. An altercation took place between the two groups and Raj Kumar attacked Mangu Ram with a lathi. He was killed on the spot.
Burglary Rajinder Kumar has complained that unknown miscreants broke into his shop in Sector 11 and stole three cameras and Rs 1000 .
Arrested The local police has arrested Kishori Lal from Barot Bhoj village and recovered 110 pouches of liquor from him. He has been booked under various sections of the Excise Act.
CHANDIGARH Scooterist hit During the past 24 hours, the local police registered two cases of road accidents. A scooterist, Mr Shammi Kaplush, resident of Sector 11, was injured after being allegedly hit by a jeep, near the sector’s Fire Brigade turn yesterday morning. The driver of the Jeep had been arrested. In the second case, Rajinder Kumar, resident of Sector 52 and were hit by a car near the Sector 44 Gurdwara Sahib, yesterday morning. Both the victims were admitted to the General Hospital, Sector 16 for treatment.
Stolen Mr Satpal, a resident of Sector 39, reported to the police that his Bajaj Chetak scooter had been stolen from Sector 22 yesterday. While, Mr Arvind Chhabra, a resident of Sector 38, complained that some one stole petrol from his car, which had been parked at his residence. Meanwhile, the principal of Government College for Boys, Sector 11, started that three fans had been stolen from a room of the college sometime around March 23. A case under Section 380 of the Indian Penal Code had been registered.
Molestation attempt A Sector 43 resident reported to the police that one Patras Masih, a resident of the same sector, tried to outrage the modesty of his wife. The alleged incident took place near the complainant’s house. A case under Section 354 of the IPC had been registered.
Man found dead Sazish, a 23-year-old resident of Imphal was found dead in his rented accommodation in Behlana village here today. The police suspects it to be a case of suicide. However, no suicide note was found. As per police sources, no injury marks were found on the body of the deceased. The deceased was the only occupant of the room on the third floor of a building, which also houses a branch of the UCO bank. He was said to be a resident of Imphal and was earlier in the Indian Army. Sources that inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC would be initiated. |
‘Change bylaws for new-look Sec 22’ Chandigarh, March 27 Some of the association members met the UT Administrator and put up their demand. They said the height of each building need not be changed and shop-floor depression of upto 4 feet should be allowed. They also sought permission for installing capsule lifts on premises. They sought flexibility in floor-height to explore new architectural concepts. The association wants permission for having 100 per cent coverage in case of shop-cum-flats. However, the coverage of rear courtyard on ground floor has already been allowed. Chandigarh, in spite of being a modern city, has not changed with times, compared to the rest of the country. Bylaws framed in 1952 are still in force in Sector 22, first market of the city. The Estate Office may resume any SCO for changes in the outlook of shops. |
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