The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

CAPITAL’S BLACKLISTED BUILDINGS
Fate of 9 ‘highly unsafe’ buildings sealed
Devastating fire in Lajpat Nagar market
Tribune News Service

Super Bazaar

Sagar Apartments

Deepak Building

Siddhartha House

Shakuntala Apartment

Guru Angad Bhawan

Sanchi Building

CCI House, Nehru Place Area

Deep Shikha

New Delhi, April 13
Property worth lakhs was gutted in a devastating fire that erupted in the Lajpat Nagar Central Market this evening even as the Delhi Fire Service blacklisted nine buildings in the Capital as highly unsafe.

The fire incident took place around 5 pm and immediately 16 fire-tenders were rushed to the spot. The DFS sources said that the basement, the first and the second floors of the upmarket shopping arcade were affected. These floors have the showrooms of Benetton, Adidas and other readymade garments. No casualty was reported during the fire. Although the actual cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, the officials said that the fire could have resulted due to a short-circuit. The incident created considerable panic in the congested market and the shopkeepers said that the loss could run into lakhs.

Among the buildings blacklisted by the DFS are the Super Bazaar — a landmark in the heart of the Capital — and the plush Sagar Apartments. The fate of these “highly unsafe buildings” would be literally sealed if they fail to comply with the safety norms issued by the DFS.

These buildings, out of the 68 unsafe high-rise buildings in the metropolis, were listed as most unsafe as they failed to conform to the 12-point safety directive issued by the department, said Chief Fire Officer R C Sharma. These blacklisted buildings do not satisfy even three of the 12 notified fire safety norms, he said. Initially, 12 structures were blacklisted but three of them later met the safety guidelines.

The DFS had issued seal notices to the highly unsafe buildings, following which the owners had moved the court. However, the 45-day grace period given by the court to meet the safety norms expires tomorrow. “We will now review the situation and take appropriate action,” Mr Sharma said.

The seven other ``highly unsafe buildings’’ that were issued seal notices are: Deepak Building, Siddhartha House, Shakuntala Apartment, Guru Angad Bhawan, Sanchi Building, CCI House in Nehru Place area and Deep Shikha in Rajendra Place. Fire incidents in high-rise buildings had showed a marginal decline, Mr Sharma said, adding 58 distress calls from such buildings were attended to last year compared to four in the corresponding period in the previous year. Between April 2002 And March 2003, DFS attended to 15,344 calls of which 12,485 were fire related, up from 11,204 last year.

Currently, DFS has 36 fire stations in the Capital and an additional 34 would be built over the next five years, Mr Sharma said, adding 26 sites had already been acquired for the purpose. In order to reduce the response time during fire incidents, four temporary fire stations would be made operational this month, he said.

Onus on govt to protect human rights: J S Verma
Our Correspondent

Noida, April 13
The former Supreme Court chief justice and former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, Justice J S Verma, has said it is the duty and responsibility of the government and administration to safeguard human rights.

Justice Verma was addressing a daylong seminar on the Role of Police and Human Rights, organised by Noida police here yesterday.

Justice Verma called upon society, the government and the media to fulfil their responsibility and safeguard human rights. Media, he said, should not indulge in sensationalism but should play a constructive role in this sphere.

He underscore the point that it was not the responsibility of only one department or section of people alone to protect human rights. Different sections of society are equally answerable to uphold and safeguard human rights. All should realise that the interests of the country and society have the paramount importance, former NHRC Chairman said.

Justice Verma advised the media to discharge its duty in a creative and constructive manner.

The distinguished IPS officer, and presently Special Rapporteur, NHRC, Mr Chamman Lal, said that holding a symposium on the human rights by a police department was a welcome step, initiated by the SSP Rajiv Kishen. He said if we protect the economic, social and cultural rights of people, their human rights will automatically stand protected. Mr Lal said it was media’s duty to highlight the serious social problems, but it should ensure that a correct picture is presented before society. It should acquaint the public with their rights within the social ambit.

Mr Chamman Lal accepted that the police force is often used by the political class for its selfish purpose. Addl. Solicitor General Rajiv Ram Chander clarified the definition of human rights in the context of the Constitution of India.

SSP Gautam Budh Nagar Rajiv Kishen underlined the importance of police force in society.

The seminar had been organised with a view to acquainting hundreds of policemen as to what constitutes human rights so that they can follow them in right earnest in their day-to-day working. This was the third seminar of its kind in the district.

REPORT CARD
Colleges give poor marks to grading system
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, April 13
The recent gradations of nearly six dozen colleges in Haryana by the teams of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) have evoked sharp reactions from many quarters including the scholars and educationists. There is a feeling abroad that the NAAC has done injustice in grading the colleges of high educational standards and reputed educational institutions.

The University Grant Commission (UGC) constituted the NAAC in 1994 to evaluate the educational facilities and other sports and cultural activities of the colleges and for grading them in the categories—A, B or C, so that the students and their wardens could have advance information about the facilities in the college of their choice.

According to standards laid down by the UGC, colleges securing 55 to 60 per cent, 60 to 65 per cent and 65 to 70 per cent marks during the assessment, are put in the C grade. Colleges securing 70 to 75 per cent, 75 to 80 per cent and 80 to 85 per cent are graded in B category. Similarly, the top grade A is reserved for the colleges securing 85 to 90 per cent, 90 to 95 per cent and 95 to 100 per cent marks.

It is pointed out that last year when the UGC made the gradation compulsory for the colleges to get financial grants, a large number of colleges in the state applied for gradation certificates and a number of teams were sent to Haryana to make assessments and accreditation before issuing the gradation certificates. In the gradation exercise, the reputed Hindu College of Sonepat has been graded in ‘B’ category by the NAAC team and this assessment has demoralised and antagonised the management and faculty members and even the students of the college. The college principal, Mr S S Goyal, has outrightly rejected the gradation. The students of this college have been leading in all fields of education and their exam results have always been outstanding for the last many decades, he claimed.

Similarly, the local Tika Ram Girls College has also been graded in ‘C Plus Plus’ category much to the discomfort of the management and the Principal, Dr Kamlesh Malik. The college has achieved good positions in state, university and inter-university level competitions, the Principal said and claimed that the college was having one of the best faculty staff members. Another instance of discrepancy in the gradations has also been cited. One college in Sonepat which had reportedly been blacklisted by the UGC two years before, has now been given ‘A’ grade by the NAAC team.

It is pointed out that this college was without facilities of sports ground, auditorium and the enrolment of students in different classes was around 50 per cent of the sanctioned seats.

Similar observations and reports have been received from Faridabad, Bhiwani, Kalanaur and other areas where the gradations have been questioned not only by the management of the colleges, but also by many a scholar.

RELIEVING PAIN
Artificial disc offers spinal patient more movement
Ragubansh Sinha

New Delhi, April 13
At one time or another, most people experience back pain, particularly those above 40. Medical research shows that a large section of the Indian population will develop spine-related problems during the course of their lifetime. Spine disease is more than a medical problem. It is an entire lifestyle problem. Pain and disability from spine pain can affect all aspects of one’s life.

Those suffering from painful and degenerative spinal problems were given hope of an active and painless life with the successful operation of Artificial Disc Replacement at Indian Spinal Injuries Centre by Dr H.S.Chhabra, Additional Medical Director. The patient, Mr N.D.Gupta, not only fully recovered from his severe left arm pain after the surgery but was also discharged from the hospital on the fourth post-operative day and joined work on the fifth post-operative day. The new procedure could help thousands of Indians, victims of repetitive strain injury, who endure chronic pain in the cervical area of the spine.

Most modern industrial or sedentary (involving long hours of work on computer or the desk) work results in stress on the spine. This is not just an ageing problem since the average age of patient with this problem is 42. When the disc degenerates either through ageing or injury, the hydrophilic gel inside the disc sac starts losing its ability to retain water and becomes chunky. This leads to rupture of the disc sac and the escape of the gel, which exerts pressure on the nerve root or the spinal cord lying just behind it. Patients get severe pain in the neck radiating to one of the upper limbs.

There may be associated weakness of the muscles and decreased sensation. In longstanding cases, the changes may result in paralysis below the level of injury.

If conservative methods of treatment fail, the routine surgery is to remove the disc. Bone taken from the hip or artificial material (titanium cages-as in the case of the famous film star Shah Rukh Khan) are then inserted between the vertebrae, effectively fusing them into a rigid segment. This not only reduces mobility of the neck, but the patient is required to wear a neck brace for six weeks after the surgery. While this may successfully treat the patient’s symptoms in the short term, the inability of the spine to absorb additional stresses, caused by the removal of the disc, may cause degeneration at adjacent discs. This is known as “adjacent level syndrome”.

It has been reported that one year after spinal fusion, 3 per cent of the patients return for a second operation, and ten years following an initial fusion, 30 per cent of patients will have returned for additional surgery. The problem may be compared to a car where one of the defective shockers is removed but not replaced. More stress comes on the remaining shockers of the car and they wear out at a much faster rate.

But now we have entered a new era of spine surgery-artificial joints for the cervical spine.

The Bryan Cervical Disc was developed by Spinal Dynamics Corporation and Dr Vincent Bryan of Seattle, Washington. The first replacements were done in early 2000.

The core of the prosthesis is based on a low friction wear resistant elastic disc nucleus. The polymer material of the nucleus is a proprietary material, also used in heart valves.

The nucleus is located between and articulates with two titanium-domed endplates. The prosthesis is inserted with absolute precision between two vertebrae, taking the place of the damaged disc and ensuring spinal mobility. Very high-tech equipment guides surgeons to place the disc in exactly the correct position. The recovery time is considerably shortened, no collar is required after the surgery and patients are able to go back to work within days. The new procedure took years to develop because of the difficulty of finding material that would remain flexible and not wear out quickly. Clinical trials were then held for approximately 20 months.

For those who need surgery, this procedure will almost certainly become popular. It will reproduce the same, full movement of the spine that the original disc gives.

Advani lauds teachings of Khalsa Panth
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, April 13
The Deputy Prime Minister and Union Home Minister, Mr L K Advani, today said that the need of the hour was character building when people were running after materialistic gains. No nation or culture can progress without good moral character and conduct, he said.

Participating as chief guest during the closing ceremony of three-day Adhyatmic Samaroh at the Ashram of Anandmurti Guru Maa near Gannaur, about 20 km from here, Mr Advani said that spiritual leaders like Anandamurti Guru Maa should come forward to help develop the character of people.

He lauded the teachings and sacrifices of Khalsa Panth which, he said, have always stood for impeccable society. Mr Advani pleaded that he had come to the Ashram to listen to the spiritual elucidation of Anandmurti Guru Maa. So, he spoke for five minutes only.

Guru Maa, in her hourlong preaching, said that a man is incomplete without knowledge and a man learns the art of living through his knowledge only.

She remarked that violence should not be replied by violence, rather we should win the hearts of others by love. The service of mankind and remaining free of any ill-will is the best way of life which we all should lead. The creation of mankind by God is for construction and not for destruction and one should not forget that one reaps the fruits of one’s doings in this life, Guru Maa said.

KILLER ROADS
Speeding car ends post-dinner stroll
Tribune News Service

Faridabad, April 13
At least four persons, including a young married woman, lost their lives in separate road mishaps in the district. Mrs Julie Bhatia, wife of Anil Bhatia of E-block of NH-2 area of NIT, was run over by a speeding car on Friday night. She, her husband and their four-year-old son were taking a post-dinner stroll when a car came speeding and rammed into the lady. Her husband and the child had a providential escape as they were pushed aside by the deceased. In the second incident, a water tanker crushed a cyclist identified as Gopal to death. The victim was employed in a company at Ajronda and was returning to his house when the vehicle mowed him down near NTPC chowk.

In the third incident, a couple on a motorcycle were hit by a truck near Srinagar village on the National Highway, a few kilometres from Palwal. The deceased has been identified as Satpal, a resident of Gonchhi village; his wife is badly injured. In yet another mishap, Sunil, a resident of Chirawata village, was killed and his brother injured when their two-wheeler met with an accident yesterday.

Six invigilators relieved of duty: Bhiwani: Two invigilators of Sonepat district and four of Jind district have been relieved of the examination duty on charges of dereliction of duty during exams being conducted by the Board of School Education Haryana.

The Chairman of the Board and MLA, Mr Rambir Singh, said here today that the Hindi paper of matriculation examination had been cancelled at four centres after reports of widespread outside interference during exams. As many as 292 examinees had been caught on charges of resorting to unfair means.

He said that the flying squad booked 40 students copying in Hindi paper on April 12.

Mr Singh said that the Hindi paper conducted in the Government Senior Secondary School, Matanhale-1 and Matanhale-2 in Jhajjar district had been cancelled due to outside interference in the centres. The team of vice-chairman inspected the centres of Sonepat and Mahendragarh districts and detected 100 cases of copying.

He said that the Hindi paper conducted at Janta Senior Secondary School, Gannaur-11 had also been cancelled. OC

SPECIAL FOCUS ON SONEPAT
‘INLD government anti-people’
Our Correspondent

Sonepat, April 13
The president of the Haryana Krishak Samaj and former chief of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, Mr Samsher Singh Surjewala has called the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) government headed by Mr Om Prakash Chautala, as ‘anti-people’.

Talking to mediapersons here today, he said that the implementation of VAT would lead to unnecessary harassment of traders and establish ‘inspector raj’ and encourage corruption in the state.

Mr Surjewala also said that VAT would also add to the burden on the common man as 80 items of mass consumption which were exempted earlier from sales tax had now been reduced to 30. In this way, the state government would recover crores of rupees as taxes under the garb of VAT, he added.

He said that the Haryana Act had given unlimited powers to the staff of the Excise and Taxation Department with regard to inspection of business premises and seizure of account books, which would leave the traders at the mercy of unscrupulous staff.

Mr Surjewala also opposed the levy of fire tax on the urban people and warned that the Congress would not remain a silent spectator on the issue of VAT and other taxes.

He also alleged that the drought-hit farmers had not been given adequate compensation and the farmers had been committing suicide as they were under heavy debt. He also demanded immediate withdrawal of false cases instituted against the opponents of Mr Chautala.

NCR BRIEFS
‘Make the best of life’
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 13
Baba Hardev Singh, the leader of the Sant Nirankari Mission, said that human life is a rare opportunity and should not be wasted in negative thoughts and actions. In his Baisakhi address, he said Baisakhi has social and cultural significance and said that just like a farmer feels happy to see a healthy harvest coming up, we should also adopt noble virtues of love, compassion, humility and tolerance. Hardevji also referred to the teachings of Guru Gobind Singh and asked the people to follow the preaching of the guru.

Ambedkar National Award

The former Speaker of Punjab Legislative Assembly, Mr Charanjit Singh Atawal, will be conferred the Dr Ambedkar National Award for his contribution to uplift Dalits. The Bharat Dalit Sahitya Akademi on Sunday said Atawal and 10 others would be presented with the awards on December 6. Dr Ambedkar National Award carries a citation, a shield and a shawl. Dr S.P. Sumanakshar of the Akademi said the 19th National Conference of Dalit Writers would be organised on December 6 in the national Capital.

Spurious edible oil

Gurgaon: Officials of the Haryana Police, along with some company executives, raided shops in Gurgaon and seized large quantity of spurious Saffola oil in yellow packs The raid followed a complaint from the Marico Industries. Manufacturing spurious oil has become a lucrative business in the recent past due to the imposition of the eight per cent excise duty on branded refinery edible oil. It has led to the increase in spurious activities.

Man commits suicide

Bhiwani: One person reportedly committed suicide by consuming poisonous substance here yesterday. The deceased, identified as Ravi, was admitted to the civil hospital but could not survive. The police handed over the body to his relatives after conducting the postmortem examination.

SI robbed of revolver

The police have launched a drive to arrest the miscreants involved in snatching a service revolver from a Sub-Inspector, identified as Leela Ram. Two unidentified motorcycle borne youths had injured Leela Ram seriously when he was patrolling in the Pipliwali Johri area near Hanuman Dhani here on Friday night. They had beaten up Leela Ram and snatched his service revolver before fleeing. He was admitted to the civil hospital. The Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr Samunder Singh and other police officers reached the hospital on information.

SHOWCASE
Here, hi-tech features come
hand-in-hand with freebies

Intex technologies has launched their latest range of personal computers–the Mikado series, comprising of the Mikado Premium, Mikado Ultra and Mikado Classic. Mikado series comes not only with some of the hi-tech features of the 21st century but are bundled with freebies as special introductory offer.

A customer, therefore, stands to gain not only a silver-black coloured personal computer system with speakers, multi-media, microphone and headphones, but 10 more attractive items.

Real fruit juice: Dabur Foods has relaunched Real fruit juice in a new and attractive look. “The relaunch of Real fruit juice is a part of our strategy to realign the look and feel of the brand more closely with its benefit. Real tastes like eating a fruit, ” said Amit Burman, CEO, Dabur Foods. The new pack has an enhanced food appeal and communicate the fun and nutritional aspects of Real fruit juice, said Burman.

Clear complexion: Oriflame has launched its new Clear range, which includes clarifying cleanser, pore clarifying lotion, spot control treatment and dual action cleansing pads, specially designed for oily skin. Regular use of Clear products helps minimize oil secretion, kill bacteria and clear pores for a truly clear and good complexion.

Cooker hoods: Sunflame has launched a new range of electric chimney or ‘cooker hoods’ as they are called, to smoke out the fumes from your kitchen. By using the Sunflame cooker hood you give your kitchen a pollution-free, fresh and healthy environment.

The product is fitted with specially designed high efficiency motors for optimum performance. It claims to have low noise even at high speed.

The cooker hood is equipped with thermo-protection that protects the motor from burnout as a result of over heating. It has also been provided with long lasting multi-layered washable metal grease filter.

Premium Reebok: Reebok has launched its exclusive collection–the Premium series. Subhinder Singh Prem, Sales and Marketing, said, “Reebok spends over US $ 400 million on research and development of its products. The introduction of the Premier series comes after intensive research by our product design team. These shoes are designed to meet the specific needs of all types of runners.”

Beauty Concerns: The Nature’s Essence has come up with some exclusive offerings. Their sun protection products are specially formulated to protect the skin from the ultra violet rays and prevent any loss of moisture from the skin

Porcelain figurines: d’Mart Exclusif has introduced an exquisite range of porcelain figurines crafted by Giuseppe Armani, one of the world’s leading collectible sculptors and manufactured by the famous Italian art studio –Fluorence Sculture d’Arte. Ms Preeti Rao, consultant, d’mart Elclusif, said, “the team of Giuseppe Armani and Florence Sculpture d’Arte is recognized as one of the distinguished porcelain collectibles designers worldwide.”

Specialized tyres: GRL International has launched nylon tyres for the semi-rickshaw segment. D. B Aasawa, vice-president, GRL International, said, “keeping with the international trends of switching over from natural fiber to synthetic fiber, the company after intensive research and technical assistance from USA and Germany, has developed specialized nylon semi-rickshaw tyres.

Pens from Senator: The manufacturer of high-quality writing instrument, Senator, has launched an exciting range of ‘multi-action and data pens’, across the country through its Indian joint venture Modi-senator. Himani Modi Agarwal of Modi Senator, said, “The multi-action pens are a winning combination of advance technology, superior quality and design. Available in elegant finishes, the new range has been finely crafted to be ergonomic and handy in everyday office work.”

Aashirvaad Salt: ITC Foods has launched Aashirvaad Salt. This is the second product by the ITC Foods. Ravi Naware, ITC Foods, said, “the launch of Aashirvaad Salt is in tune with the company’s strategic direction to develop new product lines by synergising its proven competencies. We believe that our understanding of the Indian consumer is reflected in the increasing confidence in the Aashirvaad brand and more importantly, the trust the Indian housewives are reposing in all our products.”

Master Creations: Daks has launched it latest spring-summer collection 2003, offering master creations in contemporary trends that spell sophistication and style. “The modern Indian man and the well-traveled individual with taste and class will find the collection interesting,” said Reetika Dalal of Daks.

Stylish and Trendy: Having signed Yuvraj Singh as its brand ambassador, Westside has launched its new spring-summer collection 2003. Himanshu Chakrawarti of Westside said, “our collection is stylish and trendy. Yuvraj personifies all those qualities that a modern India needs – indomitable spirit, abundance of talent, great energy and uncontrollable enthusiasm.”

Fashion statement: Numero Uno has unveiled its spring-summer 2003 collection, which is all set to make a distinct fashion statement in the market. The collection is available for both men and women in best of styles and fits. The collection comprises jeans, trousers, troopers, shirts, kurtas, t-shirts, woven tops, skirts, capris and shorts.

Common desire: Men and women now share a common desire for appearances and gestures. This common desire led to the creation of Escada Sentiment Pour Homme, a great future classic. Escada is unexpectedly refreshing. It’s subtle union of unusual ingredients, green accords and musky- woody notes unite into a luminous and tenderly masculine fragrance.

Oral care: Balsara Home Products has launched a new improved Meswak, one of its leading oral care brands. The new improved Meswak is empowered to help strengthen gums, prevent tooth decay, eliminate bad breath and ensure strong teeth.

Audio-cassettes launched: T-Series has launched the cassettes of Armaan and Bhoot. The nine songs of Armaan are sung by Chitra, Udit Narayan, Shankar Mahadevan and Amitabh Bachchan, while the lyrics have been penned down by Javed Akhtar. The movie Bhoot is produced by Nitin Manmohan and directed by Ram Gopal Verma and has nine songs.