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| Tuesday,
June 11, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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BJP asks Dy Mayor to quit Chandigarh, June 10 A former Mayor, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, has asked the president of the local unit of the Congress, Mr B.B. Bahl, to seek resignation of Mr Balraj Singh on moral grounds. The Deputy Mayor has left the matter of his resignation on the party which would discuss it in the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (CTCC). Mr Gupta said the Congress could not set two standards as a former Union Minister, Mr Venod Sharma, was asked by Ms Sonia Gandhi to resign from the post of the CTCC after his son, Manu Sharma, was charged with the alleged murder of Jessica Lal. The BJP president, Mr Yashpal Mahajan, also echoed the same sentiments asking Mr Bahl to fight against corruption as the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, claimed to do in his state. Asked to comment, Mr Balraj Singh said he was not responsible for his wife’s act and she still had the avenues of appealing before higher authorities and courts. He, however, said he would leave the
matter of his resignation on the party leadership but would not quit on his own. The Deputy Mayor said he would consult his leaders to frame his response to the termination of his wife. Mr Bahl while defending his party colleague said he would place the matter of Mr Balraj Singh’s resignation before the party and would act as per the wishes of the CTCC. He said the meeting for the purpose would be called after the local MP, Mr Pawan Bansal, returned from London in around 15 days. The Leader of the Congress in the Municipal Corporation sought to expose the BJP’s demand for seeking resignation saying how could the BJP demand resignation for a happening having taken place in their tenure and did not oppose him during the Municipal Corporation elections. Congressmen, however, feel the BJP’s attempt to link the Manu Sharma’s case is aimed at exposing differences between the Bansal, Bahl and Sharma groups. Mr Balraj Singh is now stated to be near the Sharma group but is acceptable to both factions of the party. But the party would have to face pressure from a third group of Mr Manish Tiwari for following a line shown by Ms Sonia Gandhi. Sharma camp followers would also like to show Mr Sharma having been wronged in the Manu Sharma case as Mr Balraj Singh was being saved in this case on the question of the family head taking responsibility for wrongs done by their family members. A section of Bansal supporters would also like the leadership to punish Mr Balraj Singh for switching loyalty to Mr Sharma. Congress sources said the BJP’s demand would fall through as Mr Gupta himself did not resign as party president when he was booked on charges of electricity theft. The Congress would also take refuge in projecting the Manu Sharma case and the Usha Rani case in different lights due to the seriousness of charges, but then the Congress claim of fighting corruption in Punjab would weaken for protecting a responsible person for the ‘’wrongs’’ of his family member. |
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Bid to assault Magistrate Chandigarh, June 10 Just as the court had settled to hear undertrial Vikram’s case, there was sudden panic in the room. While Sub-Inspector Satpal, complainant in the case, was about to record his statement, which went against the accused, the latter broke free of the security people holding him and set forth to attack the Judicial Magistrate (First Class), Ms Sangeeta Rai Sachdeva. In a moment, he was settled on the bench right in front of the magistrate. The situation was, however, brought under control by the court employees. The accused reportedly attempted the assault because he was dejected with the “sluggish progress” in the case. The case against him was registered in 1997 and he was apparently upset by the delay in the administration of justice. People in the courtroom, who were standing close to the accused, said that the accused was shouting against the SI who, he said, was deposing falsely. The SI was the last witness in the case. The magistrate was immediately rescued by naib court, Sadhu Singh, steno typist, Ashwani, and reader, Gian Chand. The employees then took the accused outside the court room. Sadhu Singh alleged that the accused also attempted to assault him. Meanwhile, Ms Sangeeta Rai Sachdeva submitted a complaint to
the court authority, requesting registration of a case against the accused. Acting on the complaint, the Sector 17 police personnel registered a case of assault and criminal intimidation against Vikram. The cases were registered under Sections 186, 332, 353, 323 and 506 of the IPC. Thereafter the accused was produced before UT Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr C.L Mohal, at about 4.45 p.m. Continuing his protest, Vikram refused to sign the arrest memo before the CJM, who then remanded the accused to judicial custody till June 24. Police sources revealed that Sector 39 police personnel had booked the accused in 1997 for theft. He was allegedly involved in stealing of watches. The police added that Vikram remained absent from the court proceedings for a long time and was declared a proclaimed offender in the case. Thereafter, he was nabbed by the police in 2000. But he again remained absent from the court. The accused was then arrested in November 2001. He has been in custody since then. |
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UT Admn rejects BHEL report Chandigarh, June 10 BHEL has been asked to re-work various financing options and to explain in detail each option in its final DPR. This was conveyed to BHEL at a meeting this afternoon. A formal letter will be despatched within two days, well-placed sources said. Initially, BHEL had asked the Chandigarh Administration to make a provision for Rs 70 Crore from its own kitty which the administration cannot manage from anywhere. Then there is the issue of the fare structure. This has to be kept in mind within realistic estimates. It has been proposed by BHEL that the tickets be kept at the same rate as CTU buses. This means heavy susbsidies. This means losses. BHEL has been asked to explain such scenarios also as to who will bear the losses, if any, and in what ratio. The DPR suggests the taking up of two main routes one linking the PGI with Panchkula and the other connecting Punjab and Haryana civil Secretariat with S.A.S. Nagar. The Government of India needs to be approached if the administration needs to save Rs 65 crore in the massive Rs 225 crore. Since these buses are to
be imported, the Government of India can waive customs and excise duty keeping in view the eco-friendly nature of the such buses. |
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‘Kundi’ connections removed Chandigarh, June 10 Similar operations will continue in other colonies too. |
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Landscaping
policy amended SAS Nagar, June 10 As per the revised policy (suggestive) a minimum width of five feet would have to be left from the metalled portion of a road in case of all internal roads ( V5 and V6), except the V4 roads where a minimum distance of 8 feet would be from metalled portion of the road. In case footpaths have already been provided by the PUDA or municipal council, the area for landscaping would be limited to the portion excluding the area under
footpath or a distance of 5’-8”, whichever is less. Landscaping at the level of road berms would be permitted and no raising, lowering of berms would be allowed. Baring tow walls, plastic or iron mesh upto a height of 2’-6” would be allowed. In case of violation, a penalty at the rate of Rs 25 per sq feet would be charged from the day the violation was detected. |
Contractor blamed for woman’s death Chandigarh, June 10 Alleging that his mother-in-law had died due to the negligence of the contractor with whom she was working as a daily wager, Prem Kumar told Chandigarh Tribune that his mother-in-law was forced to work on a dangerous point in a building under construction in Kurukshetra from where she fell. On the other hand, Mr Faqir Chand, an associate of the contractor, when contacted, said that it was an accident and that the contractor had extended full support to the family while they were at the hospital. According to Prem Kumar, Lakhsmi Devi had been working with Ajay Bansal, a contractor for more than two years as a daily labourer. She was working at the construction site of Centre Regional Engineering College building at Kuruksthetra when the incident happened. “My mother-in-law told me that she was forced to go up the scaffolding, which was tied loosely. She pointed this to the contractor also who was at the construction site that day. But he asked her to start her work. By the time he reached the second floor, she had already fallen along with the scaffolding,” said Prem Kumar. “The contractor had assured my mother-in-law that it was safe to work on that floor but it was not. She fell and after remaining in the hospital for over a fortnight, she died today morning.” Prem Kumar and his wife Beby Devi own a small shop in Arjaheri village in Neelon Kheri of Karnal district. They were informed of Lakshmi Devi’s fall on May 25, hours after the incident happened. “We were attending a wedding at Panchkula and reached the hospital from there,” he says. Lakshmi Devi could not survive the fall, as she had injured her head and neck. “She told me everything before dying,” Prem Kumar said, adding that the contractor was of no help at all during their 17-day ordeal at the hospital. “He helped in getting my mother-in-law here and even deposited Rs 1000 with the chemist shop in the hospital for taking care of the expenses. But the next day, the shopkeeper refused to give medicines on that money.” Confirming this, the chemist stated that the Rs 1000 which was deposited by someone called Ajay was taken back the next day by him. Prem Kumar also alleged that Mr Faqir Chand also offered the relatives of Lakhsmi Devi a sum of Rs 50,000 to sign on a document, which stated that Lakhsmi Devi fell due to her own fault and none was to be blamed for this. “I asked my mother-in-law but she refused to sign and said that the contractor be requested that he should help save her life,” said Prem Kumar. Despite repeated attempts, Mr Ajay Bansal could not be contacted for comments. Meanwhile, a police party from GMCH-32 has been dispatched to Kurukshetra and the body of Lakshmi Devi has been sent to the mortuary. |
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Prabhu to open power station today Chandigarh, June 10 This will be the fourth source of power supply for the city and the first to be located within the Union Territory. The existing power sources for the city are Pinjore and Dhulkote in Haryana and SAS Nagar. The station will not only provide one more link with the Northern Power Grid, it will also provide a link with the upcoming National Power Grid. A line connecting the new sub-station with the PGI, Sector 12, Sector 39 and the main Secretariat in Sector 1 has been erected. All these places have 66 KV sub-stations, which are the final points from where power is then supplied to users. The real use of the Kishangarh sub-station will be visible once a high-tension line linking it with the 66 KV sub-station on the Chandigarh-Panchkula road is ready. The Power Grid Corporation of India has already been granted the contract to erect this line. This will complete the link between all 66 KV sub-stations in the city. This means if a sub-station supplying power to an area breaks down, power supply will be restored through the link, meaning breakdowns will last for less time. |
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Rotarians to the help
of senior citizens Chandigarh, June 10 The President elect, Rtn (Dr) G.S. Kochhar, explained the objectives for the year 2002-03 and past president Prithi Vohra, Secretary, introduced the team members. The team consist of Hemi Sabhlok, Dharinder Tayal, Sandeep Luthra, H.S.Thukral and Virendar Sachdeva (directors). Sneh Popli and Balbir Singh will be treasurer and Sargeant-at-Arms, respectively. Rotary Shivalik under the presidentship of Rtn Dr G.S. Kochhar has plan to execute various projects for senior citizens, environment protection, traffic awareness, health education, medical camps, AID awareness, TB control, and helping the disabled. Youth will be given career guidance. Seminar on painting competition and declamation contest on issues of importance will be held in which specialists from complementary fields will be involved. Cataract operation for the poor will be performed with the help of Rotary Club Elgin Breakfast, Chicago, USA and restorative surgery for birth defect in children will be undertaken with financial assistance from Rotary District 6270, USA. |
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Creating Bhagats — Bhatti style Chandigarh, June 10 So today, he was busy working with 10 children attending the theatre workshop with his Academy. Gathered at KC Theatre, with Raj Kumar Santoshi’s ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’ resting in the background, the 10 kids attended a fairly long training session conducted by Jaspal Bhatti himself. Ask him his idea behind this queer venture and he sends back a confident version, “Going by the pace with which the film industry is working on Bhagat Singh themes, we are sure to see some 20 productions on this very theme shortly. They will require fresh faces for a fresh cast. I am training young Bhagats, who will be prospective leads in any Bhagat Singh film to hit the cinema halls in the near or far future.” After having understood what their director had to say, the 10 kids donned the Bhagat Singh look — which becomes most underlined once the martyr sports a hat, a moustache and a gentleman look. With Jaspal planning a full grooming session, the kids are sure to make it to films that cash in on the patriotic fervour. As Jaspal Bhatti himself admitted, “We enacted sequences which had politicians garlanding Bhagat Singh on the occasion of his birth anniversary and so on. The idea is to bare the truth. Even the politicians would remember a martyr only if they have an axe to grind. Same goes for film people. Earlier one might have agreed that a sense of patriotism bred all these simultaneous film productions, but now one knows it is just a game of commerce. The film industry has suddenly run out of fresh ideas for scripts. So it cannot think of anyone except Shaheed Bhagat Singh. This has been happening earlier. In this industry people follow the herd. If one romance becomes a hit, tens of romances follow.” As for now, Jaspal Bhatti’s sole objective is fuel the Bhagat Singh fire and let the heat spread. Let’s then wait to see how much of heat can Jaspal and his young Bhagats’ sting manage! |
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FAUJI BEAT IN her inaugural address at the bi-annual conference of the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) in New Delhi the other day, Ms Roopa Padmanabhan, president of the association, lauded the role that the wives of Army personnel play at home. She said while the soldiers were in full operational readiness at the border, their wives, by efficient management at the home front, kept them in high spirits to face the external challenges boldly. The conference was attended by the wives of General Officers Commanding-in-Chief of all Commands and also by the ladies representing different formations and stations. A number of interesting subjects such as balance between career and home, compatibility and adjustment for making marriage a success and work opportunities at home were discussed. It was also emphasised during the conference that the AWWA should undertake commercial ventures as an outlet for the talented and creative members of the organisation. In the armed forces, the welfare of wives and children of Army personnel is the responsibility of the Command. And this role is played well by the unit commanders. The functions of the AWWA at Commands and crops headquarters cover a large spectrum of subjects which include child and family welfare, family planning, healthcare and vocational training, etc. At most vocational centres, courses on cutting and tailoring, hand and machine embroidery, knitting, bag-making and typing are regularly held. Openings for Army children The result of the entrance test for admission to the Army Institute of Technology (AIT) Pune, was declared a few days ago. The institute was established in 1994, exclusively for the wards of the serving and retired Army personnel as also for the war widows. It is affiliated to the University of Pune and is one of the few institutions established by the Army Welfare Education Society (AWES). The one nearer home is the Army Institute of Law at Patiala. The AIT offers four-year BE courses in mechanical engineering electronics and tele-communication engineering, computer engineering and information technology. Over 12,000 candidates appeared in the entrance test for 240 seats. The courses will commence in the first week of July, 2002. All the Army institutions are providing excellent opportunities for the children of Army personnel to pursue their professional studies with hostel facilities which most of them were missing earlier because of frequent transfers of the serving soldiers. What makes these institutions stand out is their disciplined and efficient functioning. And this unmistakably percolates down the line to the students. Another advantage of these institutions is that these provide better all-round facilities at a cost much less than other professional colleges in the country. A bond has, however, to be signed by all candidates joining the AIT (expect war widows) that, if found fit, they will serve in the Army on permanent or short service commission.
Punjab ex-servicemen “Why reserve seats for us if these are not to be filled”, say most ex-servicemen from Punjab. At present 10,000 posts meant for ex-servicemen are lying vacant in various departments in Punjab. These vacancies are not being filled because the Cabinet sub-committee on fiscal management has decided that there should be an absolute freeze on all new recruitments. The Punjab police has finalised a list of 4,600 SPOs, for filling 900 vacancies of police constables on the basis of seniority and suitability. If this recruitment is not considered new for the purposes of “absolute freeze”, then why the ex-servicemen who have been ensuring the security of the country at the cost of their lives while serving in the Army, are being hit by this freeze. There is statutory provision of 13 per cent quota for ex-servicemen in the state. The Director-General (Resettlement), Ministry of Defence, has taken up case with the Punjab Government that this quota should be protected while making selection of police constables from among SPOs. Incidentally, a sizeable number of ex-servicemen were recruited as SPOs. Their Army background will, admittedly, make them better police constables than all others, provided the “notorious selection scam” does not invade their selection. The ex-servicemen sound optimistic when the say, “We are sure with Capt Amarinder Singh being the Chief Minister, it will be a fair play”.
PRITAM BHULLAR |
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‘Malba’ removal campaign launched Chandigarh, June 10 While announcing a programme to clear ‘malba’ first from V-3 roads of Sectors 31-32, 32-33, 33-34, 34-35 and 35-36, the Chief Engineer, Mr S.K. Bharadwaj, sought the cooperation of the people to remove it on their own, apart from the corporation’s effort to clean the city at the earliest. Mr Bharadwaj said in these areas there was around 4.5 lakh cubic feet of ‘malba’ which would take 74 days to be cleared and at this speed its lifting would take years. The campaign was launched with the flagging off the new machinery worth Rs 48 lakh allocated from the MP’s Local Area Development Fund. The Mayor, Ms Lalit Joshi, urged the Municipal Commissioner, Mr M.P. Singh, to take stringent action against those who create unhygienic conditions once it is removed by the corporation. She said one more tipper would be added to the fleet. Enquiries with officials revealed that the corporation was considering setting up a mobile checking squad to punish those who again dump ‘malba’ on public land. The corporation was also considering to engage private parties for being involved in the monitoring of sanitation. Mr M.P. Singh said the corporation had opened 10 ‘sahyog’ centres in the city and would open more for keeping the city clean. |
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Restore green belt, Jacob urged Chandigarh, June 10 In a representation to the Administrator, the association president, Mr P. C. Sanghi, said he came to know that a piece of land developed by the Municipal Corporation in sector-21A was being converted into an institutional area to deprive the residents of their “breathing’’ space. The representation said the Municipal Corporation had spent Rs 2.93 lakh on development of this area by fitting railings and playing equipment. Former Administrator N.K. Mukherjee allowed a park after residents sat on a day-long dharna against the allotment of land to a private school and a social organisation by cancelling the allotment, Mr Sanghi said. |
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Solar eclipse today Chandigarh, June 10 Dibrugarh, Digboi, Itanagar, Jhorhat, Kohima, Lakhipur, Sadiya, Sibsagar, Tinsukia and Ukhrul will see the eclipse between 4.15 am and 4.27 am tomorrow. The path of annularity begins at a point near Celebes in Indonesia, crosses the Pacific Ocean, and finally ends in Mexico. The partial phase of the eclipse will be seen from eastern Asia, Japan, Indonesia, northern Australia, Pacific Ocean, northern Mexico, the USA and Canada. |
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PGI police appeal Chandigarh, June 10 The fair complexioned man, between 28 and 30 years of age and is 5 feet 6 inches tall, was brought to the PGI Emergency with serious head injuries by a person who after leaving him on the stretcher went to get his card but never came back. This person has been lying in an unconscious condition in the Emergency since then. Anyone having information about this patient may contact the PGI police post. |
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Co-accused yet to be arrested Chandigarh, June 10 |
6 booked on eve-teasing charge Chandigarh, June 10 Scooter thieves held Cash, jewellery stolen Vehicles stolen Liquor seized |
MARKET PULSE Chandigarh, June 10 Mr S. Sreenivas Reddy, Oyzterbay’s award-winning designer, says: “Fine jewellery is a melding of nature, art and fashion and in its summer 2002 collection, Oyzterbay brings a broad and sparkling
spectrum to choose from”. The designs have been inspired by the free flowing forms and geometical representations of nature by the famous Dutch painter Piet Mondriaan. The highlight of the collection is a pendant with triangular arrangement of colours, using a baguette cut peridot, amethyst and a garnet set in white gold. Cool Nike collection: If sticky, sweaty clothes are a deterrent to your going outdoors, think again — maybe you haven’t checked out Nike’s SP/SU’02 collection of T-shirts that breathe. Whether you are a globetrotting business executive, a self-confessed outdoor enthusiast or just a bloke with hyperactive sweat glands, this cool line is for each one of you. So comfortable is the clothing that it assures absolute relief while giving you that classy, chic look. This line, through its unique natural style that transcends the conventional, is meant to empower your body to give that freedom of movement wherever you are. Colours that suit every mood, styles that befit every personality and quality that surpasses every expectation, you will find it all in this new range. The DRI F.I.T. product is available across various Nike categories. JK’s technical presentation: A technical presentation on J.K. all steel truck /bus radial technology was given by Mr Kapil Mohan, deputy manager, TR, JK Tyres,
Chandigarh, during a seminar held at CTU depot here today. The seminar highlighted the basic difference between radial and cross ply tyres and on the upkeep, maintenance and performance of radial tyres. It was attended among others by the senior officials and workshop staff of CTU. Personal point: Keeping up with the demands of time, Personal Point, the pioneer slimming centre which initiated the fitness movement in
India, is going to diversify in the beauty treatment. The new section which is going to be called Glampoint will focus on all type of beauty and skin treatment. “Though Personal Point in Delhi has already been running these skin and beauty treatment since last year, the Chandigarh and Panchkula branches are yet to follow suit,” says Miss Shikha Goel, who is the franchisee of Personal Point in Chandigarh and Panchkula. according to Miss Goel, the
Panchkula branch which is already equipped with the necessary infrastructure for this purpose will be the first one to introduce Glampoint. |
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The new marketing mantra — catch’ em young Chandigarh, June 10 The reason for adopting this strategy is not very hard to see. “Students are easily influenced,” says Neeraj Verma, a Client Service Manager with a local advertising agency. “As a result of their naivety, they can be easily convinced. No wonder then that the advertising agencies are targeting students in schools”. Giving details, copywriter with another advertising agency Dhruv Vashistha, asserts: The idea is to encourage the young parents to buy these products by making them popular among the young-sters. In a way it means targeting the parents through their children. He adds: “Children are easily lured. Unlike the elders, taste of the product, or its packaging, is all that matters to the little ones. Price is secondary. If you are able to attract the youngsters into demanding the product, the parents, in most of the cases, will not be able to turn down their request”. This, he claims, is particularly true in case of Chandigarh. “Here, most of the families are nuclear with both the parents working. As a result of this parents get very little time to spend with their children and whatever little time they get, goes into pampering the kids. Therefore, refusing them becomes nearly impossible, particularly if the demand is not very hard to fulfil”. Harman Singh, an executive with an advertising and product promotion company says: “The method is not only successful, but is also very cheap. Advertising on television, and even on radio, is expensive and with so many channels, the chances of the message getting lost are very high. Here, the target audience is contacted and convinced personally, the manufacturer doesn’t have to shell out to much of money on advertising. A large number of companies are visiting the school premises every other morning to promote their products. Recently, a firm manufacturing milk flavour started offering their product to the students by visiting the institutes one by one — a strategy, which is being disliked by the parents. “We do not mind if printers of magazines try to hook our children to their product by offering them free mags, but we protest against the offering of milk for the basic reason that we do not know what is being offered to them,” says a concerned parent Rajan Malhotra, “We hope that the authorities will act and make sure that the kids are not forced to consume such products against our wishes”. |
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Sylvie launches herbal products Chandigarh, June 10 In town to unveil and launch a new range of herbal products from the Ayur Herbal group, Sylvie talked of the significance of natural elements in beauty and hair products. And having conversed about the herbal care line introduced by the group Sylvie went on to hold a training workshop for the gathered beauticians. Along with the products came expert advice on hair fashion by Sylvie, who demonstrated various hair styles on a model Sylvie also talked about the elements to be considered during a haircut — the jaw line, the face cut and other elements. It is in this very connection that the group has roped in Sylvie to deliver special tips on hair styling, facial, hair art, skin care in a live interactive session with beauticians in different cities. |
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