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Chandigarh Club election counting stayed Chandigarh, April 3 The votes have been sealed and no counting will be done following an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The executive of the club will meet on Monday to deliberate the issue. The court will decide subsequently. Mr S.C. Kapoor, Returning Officer, said the polling had been peaceful except for one incident where a bogus voter was handed over to the police. The voter was impersonating a member who actually stays in Kolkata. He said the polling had been a little over 4,000 and the exact figures would be known later. Earlier, it was decided that only the first 5,000 members could cast their ballot as per the provision of the Company Law Board. Certain members had approached the Punjab and High Court. The court directed that all members could cast their ballot. The votes of the members who were enrolled after 5,000 were cast in a separate box. The camp of Mr Amarjit Sethi, one of the presidential candidates, made allegations of bogus voting. The rival presidential candidate, Mr Mukesh Bassi, contradicted the claims and said the whole affair had been efficiently handled and there had been no omissions at least inside the polling station. Mr Sethi said the polling officers had not exhibited grace in his handling the job. “ We were not told about how have many votes have been cast nor about other minor details”, he said. It was also alleged that certain ballot papers were found in club toilets which had been stamped only in favour of Mr Bassi and Mr Sahni. Mr Gopal Gupta, the candidate of the vice-president against Mr Sahni, said scores of bogus ballots had been discovered in the toilets which clearly indicated that bogus voting had taken place. A Bassi loyalist said, “ Mr Sethi sees his loss and all allegations about bogus voting are baseless”. A representation against alleged bogus voting was also submitted to the Returning Officer. |
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If you can’t carry it, drag it Chandigarh, April 3 With more books have come trendy schoolbags. A trolley bag has hit the market to save young shoulders from bruises. It costs just Rs 700! The nexus between the school authorities and booksellers is well-known. Books and exercise copies are prescribed even when students do not need them. According to a harried parent, “Every year my son’s school forces me to buy new dictionaries, atlas, marker pens, colour pencils and pencil sets, which number about 100. How can a student use 100 pencils in a year?” The schools, it is alleged, get a commission on the purchase of books made by parents. As such, new editions are added every year so that the booksellers’ bill gets heavier and heavier. This is contrary to the guidelines of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), which has asked affiliated schools to reduce the size of schoolbags to relieve students of undue stress. Aware of the problem, the UT Education Department is working on a plan to reduce the number of books carried by students of government schools. But before this happens, the students will have to bear the weight of their schoolbags. Trolley bags are already in big demand. Mr Sanjeev, a shopkeeper in Sector 7, dealing in schoolbags, said as compared to the normal schoolbags, priced between Rs 150 and Rs 300, of trolleybag could be wheeled to any floor. “It is specially designed for schoolchildren,” he said. Ms Vandana Sharma, mother of a Class VI student, said, “ I cannot imagine my child carrying 5 kg of books on his shoulders. I have opted for the trolley bag as I can afford to buy one”. Another concerned parent, Mr Balwinder Singh, said, “The moment I saw the long list of books I had to purchase for my daughter, I decided to opt for the trolley bag”. Sources in the CBSE said the board had been urging schools to make the process of learning a joyful experience. Dr G.
Balasubramanian, Director (Academics), CBSE, in a communiqué to the heads of schools, has said that the homework of students should be reduced. The board has stressed the need for broad-based learning. |
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Scooterist booked for colliding with Chahal’s car Mohali, April 3 The car was being driven by Sarbjit Pandher, a senior journalist, who along with Mr Chahal were returning to Chandigarh from Patiala after attending the funeral of Gurcharan Singh Tohra. Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Mr Pandher today stated that the accident took place when a scooter came in front of the car. “Riding triple, it seemed kids were driving the scooter and they suddenly came in front of the car (Skoda PJS 1) on my left. I swerved to my right to save the collision but by then the scooter had been hit and the car too went out of control. I don’t remember much after that,” he said. Mr Kiranbir Singh Kang also came to meet Mr Pandher at his residence today with Mr Sukhbir Badal and Mr Babbi Badal. The scooter driver has been booked under Sections 279, 338 and 427 of the IPC. The driver, a resident of Rampur village, was allegedly riding the scooter with 12-year-old Harkirat Singh (11) and Gurdial Kaur (60), both residents of Khuni Majra. Meanwhile, the SAD has demanded a public apology from the Chief Minister on behalf of his media adviser for causing the accident. |
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Bhutanese student ends life Chandigarh, April 3 He was staying along with three other students at a house in Sector 9 here. According to the police, after taking an overdose of the pills, Pema fell unconscious. He was rushed to General Hospital, Sector 16, by his room mates. However, the doctors declared him ‘brought dead’. He was a drug addict. The body was handed over to the Bhutanese Embassy without postmorterm examination today following the request from his family. |
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5000 lawyers to take part in secret ballot Chandigarh, April 3 Elections are likely to be held on April 23. However, continuing difference of opinion between the present office-bearers and the returning officer over whether the general house decision should be implemented retrospectively - that is from the start of the current calender year — or prospectively — that is from the date the decision was adopted by the house - has necessitated that a vote be taken to settle the issue. “Yes, a decision has been taken to hold a secret ballot to decide the issue. But, a date has not been finalised so far,” stated Mr Surjit Singh Swaich, Secretary of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association. In fact, secret ballot was ordered by the returning officer, Mr Rajinder Singh Cheema, Senior Advocate, after there was a clear division among the members during a meeting to discuss the issue. While a majority of the members came out in support of the decision being implemented from the date on which the general house met, the view that any member who has voted in the election of any district bar associations in Punjab, Haryana or Chandigarh in this calender year should not be allowed to vote also found some support. “It is the decision of the general house to debar members from voting in the election of the High Court Bar Association if they have voted in the elections of the district bar associations. We will honour the decision of the members. But, the secret ballot has become a necessity due to the difference in opinion,” said Mr Sanjeev Manrai, ex-officio member of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association. Giving the example of the recently held elections of the Chandigarh, Hoshiarpur and Jalandhar district bar associations, Manrai said it would be decided next week if the members who had voted in the elections of any of these association should be allowed to cast their vote when voting was held to select the new team to manage the affairs of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association. “Quite a few members of the bar association also voted in the elections of the District Bar Association, Chandigarh on January 16. The issue is whether to allow them to exercise their franchise in elections for the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association or not?” Manrai added. Talking to The Tribune, Dr Anmol Rattan Sidhu, President of the bar association, expressed the hope that the issue would be resolved next week. |
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Long wait for a kidney transplant Chandigarh, April 3 After undergoing over 150 dialyses at a hospital in Amritsar, and numerous representations before the authorisation committee for allowing a transplant operation from an unrelated donor, her anguished husband, Mr Onkar Singh, approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court last month, requesting that the court directed the authorisation committee for renal transplant to expedite her case (the authorisation committees give clearance for conducting the transplant operations in accordance with the Transplant of Human Organs Act, 1997). The court directions to the authorisation committee at Amritsar were passed on March 12. However, three precious weeks have been lost and the patient is awaiting clearance for an operation from the committee, even as her condition continues to deteriorate.”
The committee asked us to get a battery of medical tests done for the patient and the donor, which were done at the earliest. The donor was grilled separately, but the operation has not been cleared. Each time a frivolous reason has been given and we are asked to get one certificate or the other. Now, a verbal communication has been given to us that the transplant operation has not been cleared. Since no written communication has been given, we cannot approach the High Court for violation of its earlier directions,” says Mr Onkar Singh. The doctors attending on Ms Kamal Singh say that her condition is fast deteriorating. Ms Kamal was first detected with renal failure in April, 1995, and was subsequently operated upon, with a kidney being donated by an unrelated donor. However, a life-saving drug that she was put on to in the post-operative stage reacted, and her kidney failed again. Within six months, a second operation was performed, this time with her mother donating her kidney. But the second transplant operation remained successful only for seven years, and Ms Kamal is back in the hospital- this time round with little hope in sight. She is not the only one knocking at the doors of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Inquiries made by TNS reveal that over the past two years, eight petitions have been filed by renal patients seeking the intervention of the court when the three authorisation committees in the state — at Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala- have refused to clear cases of transplant from unrelated donors. At least three more petitions are still pending before the court. It may be noted that 50- year- old patient from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh Rajinder Kumar died in July last year because of procedural delay in getting permission for a transplant. The nephrologists in the state, too, have refused to operate upon renal patients having unrelated donors, just in case the authorization committees have given them the go ahead. After the unearthing of “Rs 100 crore kidney scam” in Amritsar, the nephrology departments in various hospitals have refused to entertain cases where donors are unrelated. With family sizes decreasing, and problems like hypertension and diabetes getting very common, donors from within the family may not be available. Also cadaver transplant in the country is less than 2 per cent, which again makes getting a kidney difficult. Renal failure patients have little hope for survival through transplants, if the present situation were to continue for long. |
Swedes eager to trace
Corbusier’s genius Chandigarh, April 3 These students originally belong to the School of Architecture in Stockholm and are mainly here to compare and contrast the architectural features of Indian and Swedish structures. Leading the team in India is Rob Van Mierop, a Professor in architecture, who has studied Indian buildings in great detail. Talking with Chandigarh Tribune today, he referred to two Indian architects who have a major world appeal — Charles Correa and Raj Rawail. “These two architects are very famous in Sweden. And it should be a matter of pride for India that both Charles and Raj excite the imagination of the most successful architects back in Stockholm. In Delhi, we visited their structures, studying the technical details as well as romantic overtones,” said Prof Rob, who also led he team in Jaipur and Agra. For their part, the students have a lot to share. They are most excited about the finesse of old buildings in India. While many of them still seem smitten by Jaipur’s royal charm and Agra’s wondrous Taj Mahal, the others are already talking about the architectural features of Chandigarh, where they have visited the Capitol Complex and the Chandigarh College of Architecture (CCA). In fact, they secured the permission to visit the complex only with the help of Prof Rajnish Wattas, CCA Principal. Today the team got unlucky when it discovered that the Government Museum in Sector 10 was closed. The plan was to visit the City Museum, study the layout and plans of Chandigarh in detail, pick a building of choice and visit it to follow its birth and evolution through the years. As Prof Rob said: “They were supposed to fill the travel diaries with their experience of Corbusier’s idea as also of how the idea transformed into reality. It would have been worthwhile to enter the mind of the genius and trace the development of his works by actually picking up one of his structures and living it right till reality. Architecture, after all, is all about manifestations. How an idea turns into reality is the real magic in all architecture. Also we want to see Corbusier’s sensitivity towards his surroundings and the people who make them come alive. Every space of this city is like a companion, a comforter.”  |
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General Samaj Party to contest city seat Chandigarh, April 3 Mr Bhupinder Bansal, convenor of the Yuva Morcha of the party, has been named as the candidate for the Chandigarh seat. Interestingly, he has no base in the city and runs an electrical goods shop in Bathinda. Mr Bansal said, “Our sole aim is to voice our opinion against the current reservation policy. Merit was being compromised in the name of equality. Give them (reserved categories) food and fee concessions, but no compromise on merit”. Mr Rajbir Singh, general secretary of the party, said the party was formed two years back against the reservation policy of the government in order to honour ability. The government should give equal opportunities to all downtrodden for their development irrespective of their caste or creed. Mr Goyal said our party would work for making business free from unwanted paper work and complicated procedure of taxing. The party is also contesting at Gurdaspur, Bathinda and Patiala parliamentary seats.
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Singla not a BJP worker: Congress Chandigarh, April 3 Mr Kehar Singh Koundel, party spokesperson, said Mr Singla was not a member of the BJP for the past eight years. He had also contested the elections of the Panchkula Municipal Council against a BJP nominee. The local unit will celebrate the foundation day of the BJP on April 6. The sammelan will be addressed by Mr Bal Apte, national unit Vice-President. Addressing a public meeting at Ram Darbar, Mr Jain said Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee had brought the country to its zenith during the past five years while the Congress had lost its base. |
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Bahl refuses party membership to Babla Chandigarh, April 3 The controversy had arisen in wake of Mr Devinder Babla, an ousted leader, being reintroduced into the party by Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal. Mr B.B Bahl, president of the local unit of the Congress, said his permission had not been sought. Mr Bahl said Mr Babla had been expelled by the All-India Congress Committee, which was a body at the national-level. Now first his name requires to be cleared by the local unit and subsequently by the AICC. Mr Bahl added that Mr Babla was welcome to support the Congress but he cannot be given the party membership till his name was cleared by the office-bearers of the party unit. Mr Bansal said Mr Babla was not joining in as any office-bearer at a senior level. His name for joining at the lower level of the party did not need any clearance from the AICC. Mr Babla had allegedly misbehaved with Mr Motilal Vohra, a senior Congress leader, at a function in the Congress Bhavan. He had also allegedly used harsh language against Ms Sonia Gandhi, the party president. |
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Looking for lifestyles? Choose from this book fare Chandigarh, April 3 There are full-fledged sections on almost everything from gourmet and art to fitness and craft. There is a great deal on world history for those who have missed out on some of it. “Napoleon”, “The Naval Battles”, “The Titanic and her Sisters” are just a few strong books on that list. Homes feature prominently and in all their flamboyance, tempting every homemaker to look beyond four walls while dressing up a home. There are instructions for homemakers of all tastes, right from those who like the new country style to those who like it ethnic. Among the interesting books in this section are — “Decorating Tricks in New Country Style”, “Over 45 Easy to Follow Projects to Transform Homes”, “Decorative Floors on a Weekend”, “Home Improvement Techniques” and more. The richness of the variety can be gauged from its attention to detail, no matter how minute. Butterfly Books, the publishers, have also brought to town some collections for those who would wish to make their own greeting cards or those who wish for beautiful hands and feet. There is also a lot on fitness, where the Japanese art “Shiatsu” dominates. An eastern method like Tai Chi, Shiatsu literally means acupuncture sans needles. Naturally, the section evoked much interest. A special focus on religion and art has also been made with inclusion of books like “The History of Religion”, “Complete Guide to Paintings and Drawings” and “Painting on Glass”. A children’s section not to miss! Speaking about the exhibition, publisher Madhavi Sonawala said, “The idea was to match the modern sensibilities of the people of Chandigarh. We are offering discount up to 15 per cent and all our books have a very competitive range. “The manager of The British Library, Mr Sushant Banerjee, added that the exhibition had been put up to cater to the rising demands of city readers who want more than fiction. “Changing lifestyles in Chandigarh are best exemplified through this collection,” he said. The book exhibition will be open till April 7. |
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UP Governor to visit city Chandigarh, April 3 Mr Shastri, a Sanskrit scholar and earlier a Professor at Calcutta University, is an exponent of the Indian culture. He was earlier the Governor of Himachal Pradesh before shifting to Lucknow. The Ramakrishna Ashrama is having a three-day celebrations to remember Swami Vivekanand, Maa Sharda Devi and Shri Ramkrisha
Paramhansa. |
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Mahavir Jayanti celebrated Chandigarh, April 3 Devotees also took out an impressive shobha yatra. It started from Sector 27 Jain temple and reached Jain Sathanak in Sector 18. From there, it reached Sector 22, 21 and Sector 20 before Returning to Sector 27. The devotees vowed to follow the path of truth and non-violence. Digambar Jain temple in Sector 27 was the venue of prime celebration. Bottlenecks were created on the road leading to the temple, decked up with colourful lights and buntings, as the residents parked their vehicles on either sides of the road. |
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5.5 quintal ‘ladoo’ for Hanuman Jayanti Mohali, April 3 The “ladoo” weighing over 5.5 quintal is being prepared on the temple premises. Special cooks having been called for the purpose. Other than the massive
ladoo, 56 varieties of dishes will be prepared for the celebrations, said the general secretary of the mandal, Mr Manoj Agarwal. The festivities will begin at 7.30 am with the bath giving ceremony of the 32-feet-high Hanuman idol at the temple. The ladoo will be distributed as
prasad.
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Shobha yatra organised Chandigarh, April 3 Devotees crooned bhajans while moving along with the yatra. A devotee dressed up as Baba Balak Nath, along with other children atop the truck, also participated in the yatra. It started from Sri Sidh Bab Balak Nath Mandir in Sector 29-A. It passed through the markets of Sector 30, 20, 21, 22 and 23 before reaching Batra chowk. It moved towards Sector 37 and 38 market before culminating in Sector 40. |
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NCP to
back Pawan Bansal Chandigarh, April 3 In a press note issued here today, Principal Gurbachan Singh, president of the local unit, said as per instructions of the party president, all office-bearers and party workers of the NCP would work in support of Mr Bansal. A separate function of the Congress Committee (Urban) was held under the chairmanship of Mr Satish Kainth, general secretary, and Mr B.N. Tewari, block president. Mr Bansal the Mayor, Mrs Kamlesh and Mr Pawan Sharma, district unit president, were present on the occasion. |
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Rath yatra held Chandigarh, April 3 According to Mahant Shahapurkar, the programme started with Gita paath at 6 am. Parvachan and bhajan kirtan were held from 9 am to 1 pm. The inauguration and murti sathapana will take place on Sunday from 8 am. |
2 rag pickers held for theft Panchkula, April 3 According to the police, the woman had stolen copper wires worth Rs 12,000. A case has been registered against them with Sector 20 police station. Two Iranians hurt Two Iranian nationals, Ms Nakhodtoi Terai and her mother Ms Zairi were injured when an unidentified vehicle hit their scooty near the Amartex roundabout this morning. According to the police, a student of Panjab University, Chandigarh, Nakhodtoi along with her mother had gone for shopping on their scooty when certain vehicle knocked them down. They were taken to General Hospital in Sector 6 and were later discharged. The police has registered a case with Sector 20 police station. One arrested The police has arrested Vyas Verma, an accused in an attempt to murder case, from his brother’s house in New Delhi, today. Verma was absconding since March 30. The suspect was earlier booked by the police in a case of attempt to murder Rajesh Kumar at Plot No 247 in the Industrial Area on March 30. The suspect would be produced in the court tomorrow. |
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Kidnapper held, child recovered Chandigarh, April 3 According to the police, Yadav, a scrap dealer, lured the child and took him to Ambala. Since the child was familiar with him, he did not cry while being taken away. From Ambala, Yadav made a ransom call on the mobile of Mr Ashok, a neighbour of Mr Shiv Dev, father of Deepak. He threatened to kill the child if Mr Shiv Dev failed to pay him Rs 50,000 at a specified location in Sonepat. The matter was reported to the police. A police party comprising of inspectors Jagbir Singh and Karam Singh, and sub-inspectors Dilsher Singh and Neeraj Sarna traced the phone call to an STD booth in Ambala. For identification of Yadav, the police had taken along Mr Ashok. After a couple of hours, Yadav made another call on the mobile and asked for money, but this time the demand was raised to Rs 1 lakh. The police immediately called back on the number. The call was made from an STD booth at Pipli. The police told the booth owner that the man who had made the call was a kidnapper and urged him to apprehend the man. The booth owner swung into action and caught Yadav, who was carrying the child. However, Yadav outwitted the booth owner by creating a drama. He reportedly told the crowd, which had gathered near the booth, that the child was his nephew and he was taking him to Sonepat. “Since the child was familiar with the suspect, Deepak appeared calm and happy with him. The crowd did not doubt his story and let him walk away with Deepak. By the time the police team reached Pipli, Yadav had fled in a bus. Yadav made another ransom call on the mobile from Sonepat. By this time, the police had managed to collect more information about Yadav. Yadav was earlier employed at a school in Sonepat, but was sacked after he was found involved in a theft. A trap was laid with the help of the Sonepat police. With the help of Mr Ashok, Yadav was arrested last night. The child was handed over to the family in the wee hours today. Yadav and Mr Shiv Dev belong to Jhanga Ka Purva village in Sultanpur district, UP, and were staying in the same house in Kajheri village here. With an aim to make a quick buck and to settle an old score with Mr Shiv Dev, Yadav had kidnapped Deepak, said the police. Mr Shiv Dev is also a scrap dealer. |
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