Friday,
October
17, 2003,
Chandigarh, India
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Re-play screen doubles ‘mazaa’ Chandigarh, October 16 Giant images of the batsmen and bowlers, scoreboard as well as a section of the crowd drew widespread uproar whenever these appeared on the screen. Though its functioning did not look flawless, as it was in the initial stages of installation, the screen is sure to be a hit with the spectators over the next few days. As Indian bowlers struggled to get wickets of the New Zealand batsmen, the screen triggered scenes of jubilation and hysteria all round the stadium. Imported from Taiwan and installed by the company engineers, the screen, only the second of its kind in any stadium in the country after Chennai, has cost the Punjab Cricket Association Rs 1.55 crore. The screen can be used to insert advertisements during the matches, thus generating revenue. During the day and night One-Day matches it is sure to draw bigger crowds.
Fortis to lend healing touch Mohali, October 16 This tie up with the Punjab Cricket Association is a part of hospital’s resolve to provide international quality healthcare to the visiting teams. A medical team consisting of 24 members from Fortis headed by Dr Gurbir Singh, Medical Superintendent, Fortis Heart Institute and Multi-Speciality Hospital has been deputed to provide comprehensive medical cover to both Indian and New Zealand teams for the entire duration of their stay here, both on and off the field. In addition to a state-of -the -art ambulance stationed on the PCA grounds. In patient facilities at the tertiary care Multi-Speciality Hospital are kept to deal with emergency situations Mr Daljit Singh Chief Executive Officer- Operations, Fortis Healthcare Limited. |
Sponsors go all out to woo fans Chandigarh, October 16 *First it was the television screen, where visuals of top players like Saurav continued to appear then it was Yuvraj Singh, who caught the attention of viewers in Nippo Commercial. The venue, PCA Stadium too had put up many hoardings, of various sponsors, but with meagre 8,000 plus crowd, sponsors were a worried lot. Sponsors are expecting no increase in number of people tomorrow when Kiwis will resume batting. l Today was, however, a dull day for the Indian fans and so was the response in the city and elsewhere where people paid only casual attention to the cricket match. l Thursday was an official holiday in the Punjab Government offices, departments, yet people preferred to sit at home watching the cricket match, even though many of them had the tickets/ passes. l Organisers expect heavy rush on Saturday and Sunday when India might bat with Sachin, Dravid and Yuvraj. Good news for fans Pepsi’s innovative consumer campaign has caused a lot of excitement among cricket fans in the city. Winners of the Pepsi contest “Join the Huddle” will get an opportunity to meet and greet “The Wall” Rahul Dravid and the dashing speedster Zaheer Khan. Pepsi has asked consumers to give a caption to the famous photograph of Pepsi’s Men in Blue in a huddle in the middle of the cricket ground and send completed entries to conveniently allocated locations. More than 30 participants who give best captions will get a chance to meet Rahul Dravid and Zaheer Khan in Hotel Mountview on October 18. SAS Nagar, October 16 Accompanied by their teachers who were to keep them together and in straight queues while they were being led one by one into the stadium, the students, however, had to wait for long time in the morning before they could reach their seats. As long as the Chief Minister was inside the stadium for the first hour of the match, most of the entry gates were closed and only two gates remained open to let hundreds of people in. Moving at a snail’s pace, the school students had to stand out in the sun for hours as they had all reached the venue by 8.30 in the morning. However, nothing could dampen their sporting spirit. Cheering, laughing and raising slogans these children, dressed in their school uniforms, formed the most colourful and enthusiastic part of the crowd today. |
Cheers all the way from Kiwi
land SAS Nagar, October 16 ‘‘We arrived last night and this is the first time five of us are visiting India. Only David among us has lived here for 15 years and he is the one who is showing us around. But for David too this is the first visit to the City Beautiful and the stadium. ‘‘We are from Christ Church and Oakland in New Zealand and have found that this city is beautiful. We had read about it a lot but it is exciting to visit a place better than Delhi which we found was too busy,’’said Bruce. Putting up at Hotel Mountview, the six said they would be meeting the New Zealand team later in the day. ‘‘We intend to see the city too in the evenings, though we will be here in the morning every day for our team. We are here for them, to cheer them to a resounding victory.’’
they said waving the flag of their country. SAS Nagar, October 16 But it was Pankaj Garg who managed to hog the limelight. Dressed in a tracksuit but with colourful add ons, Pankaj had put two Indian flags on top of his head, cricket caps, anything and everything he could get his hands on. ‘‘We are lucky to be at the right place at the right time. We are enjoying every moment of our visit here.’’
gushed Apoorva. Distinguished fan follows
team SAS Nagar, October 16 A typical Mumbaite with an M.Sc in mathematics from St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, Mr Vijay, however, chooses to remain jobless. ‘‘I have two Ranji players in Mumbai who sponsor my various trips across the country to see India play,’’ he says. And who does he think is the biggest cricket player in the world. ‘‘Doubtlessly it is Sunil Gavaskar,’’ he says, ‘‘but I have lot of expectations from Sachin Tendulkar and if he makes anything less than a century I am going back to Mumbai’’, he says. |
Ropar cops’ day
out SAS Nagar, October 16 Many policemen were, however, also used as easy tickets to gain entry the stadium. ‘‘Anyone who knows any police person here can get inside the stadium’’
said a spectator. Some people even alleged that at some of the back gates the policemen were even making money by letting people get in after taking a small amount. However, arrangements had been made to cater for their needs. Special food packets arrived for the policemen during breakfast and lunch time. ‘‘It has been decided that every policeman on duty will be served at the place he is. The others, however, are collecting near the catering van to get food,” pointed a police official. The food had been arranged for by some of the major shopping stores of the township and delivered by a leading catering agency. |
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City resident shot at Chandigarh, October 16 The bullet, suspected to have been shot by two unidentified motorcyclists, reportedly pierced through the side of his waist. He is currently recuperating in the PGI. The attack on Mr Duggal follows a day after Gunvant Singh Walia was stabbed to death by three unidentified persons on the roundabout of Sectors 41, 42, 36 and 37. The police has not yet confirmed whether the bullet was actually fired as no one in the vicinity reportedly heard the shot being fired. Mr Duggal was operated upon today, but no bullet was found in his body. The X-ray also did not show the presence of any foreign substance in his body. A police team, led by SSP Gaurav Yadav and SHO KIP Singh, visited the spot where the incident had taken place. The police did not find any trace of shot. Even the blood stain on the site was reported to be unusually small. The police has talked to Mr Raj Kumar, brother-in-law of Mr
Duggal, who lives opposite to his house to reconstruct the story. The help of a person known to Mr Raj Kumar, Mr Ashwani, is also being sought in the recreation of the sequence. Mr Raj Kumar, Mr Ashwani and his brother, who were there when Mr Duggal reached home, are being asked to assist the police. Mr Raj Kumar told the police that he saw his brother-in-law parking his vehicle. After this, his niece came running to tell him that her father had fallen down. Mr Raj Kumar said he had not heard any gunshots inside the house. Doctors attending on him have not yet given their version, which could be crucial for the police to prove whether it was a bullet injury or not. Mr Sanjay Duggal has also not given his statement. The police says his statement will help it provide some lead. Nobody else also seems to have seen the shot being fired at Mr
Duggal. Even the type of weapon used is not known because there is no trace of a bullet, either in his body or on the spot. Mr Raj Kumar reportedly told the police that Mr Duggal had no enmity with anybody.
Zirakpur Burn victim dies: Kamaljit Kaur, a resident of Bartana village, died due to burn injuries in the PGI, Chandigarh, this
evening.s The police said that exact reason behind the incident was not yet known. No case has been registered. |
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MC to file review petition on hotel site issue
Chandigarh, October 16 Sources in the corporation said after a notice served by the bidder of the Sector 35 hotel site to pay the compensation amount within a month, the corporation would be filing the petition against the apex courts order to pay compensation at a rate of 12 per cent rate on the principal amount of Rs 9 crore. The interest amount comes to around Rs 7.12 crore. The Mayor of the corporation, Mr Subhash Chawla, has claimed that a former BJP Mayor allegedly colluded with certain officers of the Administration and the Corporation to cause a loss of over Rs 16 crore to the civic body. The issue has given a chance to the Congress to embarrass the BJP in the coming general elections. A thorough probe into the alleged 16 crore scam has indicated laxity on the part of many. It has been found that the Sector 35 hotel site was auctioned by the corporation five months before the UT Estate Office gave permission to transfer the hotel site. In the agenda item to be tabled at tomorrow’s meeting, it has been pointed out that after holding the auction on April 28, 1997, the allotment letter was issued to the bidder on November 21, 1997. The sources said the official level at which the proposal to hold the auction was cleared needs to be probed. Meanwhile, another important issue of the controversial auction of two commercial sites in Sector 9 will come up for discussion in the Finance and Contract Committee meeting. The sources said the committee was likely to recommend cancellation of the auction. In that eventuality, the bidders would claim interest on the amount deposited and the damages. The recent successful auction of commercial sites in Sector 9 could be the main reason behind cancelling the auction.
Chandigarh, October 16 Mr Subhash Chawla, Mayor of the corporation, said he had discussed the trouble points with the Commissioner, Mr M.P. Singh, and certain additional measures could be taken. A new initiative to involve more than one resident welfare associations in each sector was being considered. He said the problem of providing sufficient number of rehris for the collection of garbage was being sorted out. The councillors concerned have also been asked by the Mayor to give their comments on the issue. Some residents allege that the corporation had washed its hands of the responsibility of collecting and disposing the garbage by asking the residents to make arrangements for throwing the garbage at earmarked sites even though the kendras were yet to come up. There was a need for strengthening the system of door-to-door garbage collection. An officer of the sanitation wing said before starting the door to door collection, the resident welfare associastion and the area councillor had been taken into confidence. The concept of sehaj safai kendras when implemented would drastically improve sanitation in the city, he added. |
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Airtel to invest 200 cr in
North Chandigarh, October 16 Addressing mediapersons, he said by notching about 6 lakh connections in Punjab, Airtel has become the number one cellular operator in the state in just 19 months. The company has also maintained its leadership in Himachal Pradesh by crossing the 50,000 customers mark and in Haryana with the 1lakh customers mark. Mr Mittal announced that Airtel has planned to invest an additional Rs 200 crore in the next five months in the Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh circles to upgrade the network. That amount will be funded from internal resources and from the funds raised from overseas market. Earlier, he inaugurated the third switch, thus making Airtel the only mobile operator in Punjab to have three switches. It will increase Airtel’s network capacity to 8 lakh customers and provide congestion- free service. The company will also increase the number of its cell sites from 459 to 813. “We have a special relationship with Punjab as our family belongs to that state. Our target is to achieve at least 10 lakh connections in the next few months in the state by offering world-class services,’’he announced. Regarding the TDSAT’s recent decisions, he said, “we are still waiting for the government’s final verdict and hope that GSM will emerge as the dominant technology in telecom sector.’’ Mr Mittal asserted that the company has plans to start its operations in other circles as well. Initially, Airtel will make efforts to get a licence for Jammu and Kashmir and start operations by the year end. For the quarter ended June 30, 2003, the revenue of Airtel had crossed Rs 1,036 crore, while the total revenue during the financial year ended on March 31, 2003, had crossed Rs 3,050 crore." By June 30, 2003, the company had made a gross investment of over Rs 10,650 crore. Bharti Tele-Ventures claims to enjoy 25.2 per cent market share in the domestic market. Mr Mittal also announced another initiative of the company— Airtel Ashiana— which will work for the uplift of the less-privileged children through education in the age group of 8 to 15 years. |
PEC is deemed university Chandigarh, October 16 The status of Punjab Engineering College would be like the other deemed universities in the country and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). A copy of the notification has been received by the Chandigarh Administration. The notification came after a series of inspections by the University Grants Commission and the All India Council for Technical Education. The Administration had taken several steps to make the college ready for the deemed university status, including the registration of the Punjab Engineering College Society. With this, the college shall be able to confer degrees to its students and carry out the recruitment of faculty on its own under the over all guidance of the governing body and the Chandigarh Administration. |
Kanwaljit seeks more autonomy for
states Chandigarh, October 16 He was speaking at a confluence of ‘Sikh Youth with Think Tanks of Punjab’ which was organised by the All-India Sikh Students Federation at Panjab University. The occasion was the 30th anniversary of the Anandpur Sahib resolutions in Sikh history. Captain Kanwaljit Singh said the demand for more autonomy to states had been raised on several occasions earlier, but each time it was assigned a “wrong” meaning by the opposition. Self governance was aimed at making states more independent and also more responsible. He said self-governance was also important for security of minority citizens and it should be understood in the context of rising communalism of the majority. The equal status of the minorities in India with the majority provided for in the Constitution needed reconsideration of the Centre. Captain Kanwaljit Singh said intellectuals and religious thinkers should immediately be concerned with the youth going away from the fold of Sikhism these days. There is need for a deep research to identity the reasons. One of reasons could be lack of stability at homes because of stringent employment avenues. Punjab had thousands of unemployed youth. He said no one can turn their back to the fact that today political leadership was not enough to lead any community or country. Economy had become an inseparable constituent of any vehicle of progress. The state needs to think on these lines for any future plan of action. Mr Manjit Singh Bhoma, president of the AISSF, addressing a press conference later said the AISSF, which sacrificed a great deal during the last 20 years of Sikh struggle, was now divided into various factions due to infighting. “ We have initiated the process of reunification”, he said. The AISSF thinks that unity of the country can be maintained only by giving more powers to states. Sikh youths languishing in jails for no fault of theirs should be released. A five-member committee will submit a report on the issue shortly. Mr Bhoma also expressed concern about confrontation between different panthic organisations in the state. Prominent among others present on the occasion were Mr Atinder Pal Singh, a former Member of Parliament, Dr Gurdarshan Singh, Dr Bhagwan Singh, Mr Gurattan Pal Singh, Principal Bharpur Singh and Mr Jaswant Singh. |
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Dhindsa reviews R&D
at NIPER SAS Nagar, October 16 Mr Dhindsa, who was accompanied by Mr Chhattrapal Singh, Union Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilisers, and a few MPs from different states, took a round of the R&D block of the institute. Mr Dhindsa told mediapersons that improvements in R&D would be discussed at a meeting to be held at NIPER today. Mr Chhattrapal Singh, said there was need to develop drug research to tackle diseases prevalent among economically weaker sections of society and make medicines available to the poor. By giving a boost to research, funds being spent on import of medicines would be saved. Mr Chhattrapal Singh said that so far no state government had approached the Centre for setting up an institute on the lines of NIPER, Infrastructure for such an institute had to be provided by the state government concerned though the Centre had a lot of funds to help the institute in various other ways. Speaking about elections and other matters, Mr Dhindsa said his party had not yet decided the coming Lok Sabha elections. Mr Dhindsa criticised the Congress for the treatment meted out to Mr Parkash Singh Badal and other SAD leaders. He said the actions of the Congress showed that it had a revenge motive. Mr Dhindsa said the Congress had never thought of the welfare of farmers. Dharnas staged by that party were merely a drama.
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267 acres to be acquired for IT
park Chandigarh, October 16 The notice issued by the Administration says: ‘‘the land is required for the provision of city level infrastructure, the regulated urban development of the area between Chandigarh and Mani Majra, for the planned development of Chandigarh Technology Park and also for the protection of the ecology and environment of the Sukhna Choe watershed.’’ At least 267 acres of land mean that the area will be about the size of one sector of Chandigarh. Already the Administration has signed a memorandum of understandings with top IT companies like Infosys and Microsoft. Software exports from Chandigarh have crossed the Rs 100 crore mark and the Administration even gives out software export awards thus the acquisition of land is seen as a major step. |
Blast in Daddu Majra dumping ground Chandigarh, October 16 Though Fire Department officials denied that any blast had taken place, the residents said they were witness to the blast as a heap of garbage suddenly caught fire. It took several hours for firemen to control the blaze. The residents lamented that the authorities had failed to take remedial measures to control the fire. “One of the channels for exit of the methane gas got blocked, leading to the blast,” said the president of the Mazdoor Welfare Committee, Mr Ramesh Chandoli. An officer said some residents of nearby Dadu Majra village had even laid their own pipelines and used it as cooking gas. Since methane is highly combustible, a major blast could effect a radius of about 1 km. This means several localities like Sector 39, Sector 38-West and the Dadu Majra village are under the threat. Sources said that the Administration was not following proper procedures. An equal proportion of loose earth is dumped with garbage to stop the generation of methane gas. |
Panchkula Diary Panchkula, October 16 Disclosing this here today, Mr Dilbagh Singh Nain said 25 individual and eight group dances had been selected for the competition from 75 entries received for the show. He said Hindi, Punjabi, Haryanvi and Rajasthani dance items would be presented. Mr Nain, who is also the president of the urban unit of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), said the aim of the competition was to revive folk dance forms amongst youth. School camp A camp was organised for students of Delhi Public School, Himshikha, Pinjore, at Rajgarh in Himachal Pradesh on the Solan - Nauni - Nauradhar road. A press note of the school said the three-day camp concluded on October 12. As many as 41 students participated in various fun filled activities like river crossing with the help of a rope and rock climbing. Mehndi competition A mehndi and prayer competition was held at DC Model Senior Secondary School today. Neha won the first prize in the mehndi competition in the senior category, while Sneha and Manisha Verma won the second prize. In the junior section, Saloni won the first prize in mehndi and Rimmy and Richa the second prize. In the prayer competition, eight teams participated. The Yellow and Red Houses won the first prize. Dengue control To control the menace of dengue and malaria, special steps have been taken by the Health Department, including door-to-door surveys. An official press note said that the survey had shown that the density of aedes mosquitoes was very less in Panchkula and fogging had been done in Kalka, Pinjore, Sectors 16, 17, 18, 7, 8 and Industrial Area, Phase I and II. The fogging work in the entire district will be completed by October 24. Cultural function A cultural programme on poem recitation, songs and dances was organised by the Commerce Section of Government College here today. The programme was presided over by the Principal of the college, Dr Usha Malik. The winners of the competition are as follows — poetry recitation Preeti, Satish and Mahinder; singing competition — Phool Singh, Subhashini and Mayank; and dance competition — Nisha and Preeti. Camp organised A blood donation camp was organised by the Swachik Raktdata Sangh at the Grameen Sanatan Dharma Sabha dharamshala, Ramgarh, recently. As many as 60 units of blood were collected in the camp. The camp was organised in association with doctors of the PGI, Chandigarh. Karva Chauth function The VLCC, Sector 9, organised an afternoon of fun and frolic to make Karva Chauth a more joyous experience on October 14. |
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Avtar Singh’s family
opposes post-mortem Chandigarh, October 16 The autopsy of the body, parts of which were exhumed on October 10, 15 days after the murder, had to be postponed as his family members refused to join a three-member medical board set up for the purpose. This has created a problem for the police as even if Avtar Singh’s ribs were found, it would be difficult to match them with different parts of the body unless scientific help is taken. The police believes that the torso might have been eaten up by animals and there were very thin chances of finding the ribs. The police has succeeded in recovering the skull, arms and legs of the deceased. |
Market pulse Chandigarh, October 16 Inaugurated by Mr Kanwar S. Bhutani, Managing Director, Tupperware India, this event was held to celebrate the market growth achieved by the women from Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana. Attended by over 1,000 enterprising women, the event recognised over 700 Tupperware saleswomen for their achievement. Speaking at the function, Mr Bhutani said, “Due to the spirit of entrepreneurship among women, the company has made sales of Rs 100 crore in seven years since it was set up in India in 1996.” Top 10 achievers in the categories of sales, recruiting, promoting and activities were honoured. Cultural shows, lucky draws and display competitions added a dash of colour and music to the function. Thailand shopping fest The Buyers Den in Sector 26 is organising a special Thailand shopping festival at its showroom. The products brought from Thailand, include flowers, dresses and jewellery. A lucky draw scheme has also been started to attract customers, under which a lucky draw will be held on December 25. One can win a free trip to Thailand. Along with these offers there is a heavy discount on crockery items as well. Office opened Dewan Housing Finance Ltd (DHFL), India’s second largest housing finance company today inaugurated its branch in the city, the 42 nd branch. It will offer all sorts of home loans, including loans for home extension and repairs as well. The branch will service customers in city and in Patiala, Shimla, Amritsar, Solan, Ambala and other towns as well, said Mr Kapil Wadhawan, Managing Director, DHFL, after inaugurating the company office here today. |
Dastkar’s traditional fare in
city Chandigarh, October 16 Over 25 artisan groups and crafts-based NGOs have converged at the same platform to share with customers their exclusive creations. Being displayed at the venue are a host of wares ranging from jewellery, which is a traditional favourite to crafts, intricately designed in the most exotic patterns. Artisans participating in the display are from Gujarat and Maharashtra to Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The Dastkar collection features among various other things, the Gujarat fare, which comprises intricately embroidered garments and home furnishings, woven shawls, stoles and durries, along with cut-work leather. From Orissa comes tribal jewellery and decorative items in dhokra cast in the lost wax technique. From Madhya Pradesh, the exhibition has characteristic sculpted iron animal figurines. There also are tussar weaves in natural dyes from Bihar. A dramatic range of lambani tribal embroidered garments, saris, soft furnishings, gift items and vegetable-dyed bags from Karnataka are adding a special lustre to the exhibition. Artisans from Himachal Pradesh are displaying a fine range of shawls and stoles woven from pure angora wool and dyed in natural colours as well as glazed pottery in vegetable colours. Tribal jewellery and decorative items in dhokra cast from Orissa is also impressive, along with bandhani fare from the desert land of Rajasthan. Hair-beading artists were in special demand during the day, which saw many college students line up for seeking decoration for their hair. A further edge to the collection is added by the beautiful Kanjeevaram range of sarees from Tamil Nadu. |
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