5 immigration agents held with 52 passports
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 16
Five immigration agents were arrested here this evening along with 52 passports while illegally interviewing persons for recruitment in Arabian countries. Dhyan Singh of Hoshiarpur, Nand Lal of Ram Darbar, Jasbir Singh of Ropar, Anil Kumar of Daddu Majra and Tejpal of Khattal village in Panchkula were booked under Section 420 of the IPC before being arrested.

The police raided a place in Maloya after a local immigration agent, Bhupinder Singh, who is running B. S. Enterprises in Sector 42, complained that these persons were conducting interviewing for recruitment in Arabian countries without a licence and permission. Bhupinder Singh informed the police that Dhyan Singh and his accomplices had 17 passports and Rs 1.5 lakh in their possession. The police, however, could not recover the money.

The police asked the recruiting agents, who are authorised to carry on their operations in Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur, if they had any licence from the Labour Ministry to recruit people in Chandigarh and permission to conduct interviews in Maloya. The agents could not furnish any document to support their claim that they were legally recruiting people for assignments in Saudi Arabia. The police is planning to recover the money and the 17 passports. The police said the agents had called the labourers to Maloya for interview. However, the police reached before the labourers could appear for it.

According to the police, an agent, apart from having a licence to recruit people from a particular area, must also have permission to conduct interviews on particular days. The police said the agents used to charge around Rs 10,000 with the bio-data initially. The agents used to charge a candidate around Rs 60,000 for a job in Arabian countries. 

New admission rules for PU colleges approved
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 15
Students of institutions affiliated to boards or universities other than Panjab University, seeking admission to PU-affiliated colleges, will have to submit a personal undertaking about their marks to the colleges. This will apply to only those candidates whose gazettes are not available with the colleges.

This is among the admission rules passed by the Syndicate at its meeting yesterday. The students will also be required to submit their migration certificate at the time of admission. The approved rules mention that the student will have to score “neat” pass marks and divisions, adding that decimals would not be rounded off to the advantage of the candidate for the purpose of admission.

In the case of plus two students, admission will be allowed within 15 working days of the declaration of result, provided it is declared before August 10. The attendance of such students will be considered from the date of admission. In case of delayed declaration of result of a student of PU, he or she will be allowed admission without late fee within 10 days of the result and will not be required to seek fresh admission.

The guidelines state that the Bihar Intermediate Education Council, Patna, not recognised earlier, will be recognised from the 2004-05 session. A booklet of all boards, councils and universities recognised by PU can be bought for Rs 80 from the Deputy Registrar (General).

Foreign students seeking admission under the general category will be required to pay $305 as registration fee while those taking admission in the NRI quota will have to pay $455.

Panjab University will conduct CET, MBBS, BHMS and BAMS entrance tests while Guru Nanak Dev University will conduct the BEd examination for all colleges affiliated to PU except those of the city. The entrance test for the education colleges of the city will be conducted by the UT Education Department, Chandigarh Administration.

Three killed as truck overturns
Our Correspondent

Lalru, May 16
Three persons were killed and nine others injured, three of them seriously, when a truck in which they were travelling overturned on the busy Zirakpur-Ambala road, near here, late last night.

According to the police, a Tata 407 truck (HR-45-0468) laden with vegetables, coming from Kurukshetra to Chandigarh, met with an accident as it tried to overtake a horse cart. The driver of the truck lost control of the vehicle, hitting it into another vehicle approaching from the opposite direction.

While Kailash (32) of Durana village, near Kurukshetra, died on the spot, Parameet (22) of Durana village died at Civil Hospital, Dera Bassi, and Som Dutt (40) of Maduda village was declared brought dead at the PGI, Chandigarh. Three others — Rinku (20), Rishipal (32) and Deep Chand (40) — were admitted to the PGI with severe injuries.

The others who received injuries have been identified as Ishwar Chand, Lakhmir, Karnail Singh, Raghubir Singh, Joginder and Amar Chand. Soon after the mishap, Raghubir Singh, one of the injured, informed the police, which reached the accident site.

Raghubir said 12 persons, including the driver, were in the vehicle when it met with the accident. While three were travelling in the driver’s cabin, others were in the rear of the truck. Those who were sitting on gunny sacks containing vegetables were thrown out of the truck when it overturned, he added.

The police has registered a case of negligent driving against Deep Chand, driver of the truck, on the complaint of Mr Karnail Singh, one of the injured. The bodies have been sent to Civil Hospital, Rajpura, for post-mortem examination.

No more sweating it out for power complaints
Pradeep Sharma
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, May 16
Harried electricity consumers can breathe a sigh of relief as the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) will start “model complaint centres” in four districts —Panchkula, Ambala, Karnal and Panipat — from June 1.

On the lines of complaint centres being run in states like Andhra Pradesh, the 24-hour computerised centres are aimed at faster processing of complaints. A four-digit hotline having three lines is being sought by the nigam from Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for each centre for the convenience of consumers, sources said.

Giving details, the sources said the complainant had to simply register his complaint at the hotline of the centre manned by private parties. Once fed into the computer, the complaint would be acknowledged and the time-frame for rectifying the fault will be communicated to the consumer.

And to further streamline the process, the field staff of the UHBVN would be provided with mobile phones to keep in touch with the staff at the complaint centres. The field staff would then give feedback to the centre about the time taken for repairs, which in turn would be forwarded to the consumer.

The pilot project was being initiated to redress electricity complaints in minimum time, the Director (Operations) of the UHBVN, Mr S.K. Diwan, told Chandigarh Tribune. With a view to providing better service and avoiding monopoly, the contract for manning the centres was being given to different parties for each centre, he added.

Elaborating on monitoring system evolved by the nigam, Mr C.K. Gupta, UHBVN’s Chief Engineer (Operations), said a daily status report on the complaints would compiled. Middle-rung officials would monitor the functioning of the centres and their performance would be discussed at the top level at regular intervals, officials highlighted.

It may be recalled that the need for such centres had been felt as the current system of the department was all haywire. Under the present system, electricity consumers were left high and dry as it took days to repair even minor faults.

The current complaint centres, which have virtually outlived their utility, will be gradually phased out if the new experiment works well, the sources added.

Hazel crowned Miss Glamour
Our Correspondent

Mohali, May 16
Hazel was declared Miss Glamour North India-2004, while Gaurav won the title of Mr Glamour at a beauty pageant held at a farm near Landran village late tonight. Noor was declared first runner-up among girls, while Kanika was adjudged second runner-up. In the boy’s contest, Kamal was adjudged first runner-up and Akash got second runner-up title.

The contest, which was choreographed by Jeet Brar, saw three rounds. In the first round, ethnic girls came on the ramp in ghagra cholis, lehanga kurtis, while boys showcased achkans, kurta cholis, jutis. The second round, causal, featured participants in short crop tops, caparis, cargo, bermudas etc. The formal round saw evening gowns, formal suits, designer stoles etc.

The judges were Mr Brijesh Ahuja (singer), Ms Candy Brar (Gladrags super model finalist-2003), Ms Neera Bhatnagar (textile designer), Mr Ashok Kumar (businessman), Mr Anil Puri (journalist), Mr Gurpreet Singh (customs official) and Mr Sanjay Sethi (The Fort, Ramgarh).

The contest, which started with 13 girls and 21 boys, had only seven finalists each in both categories. Winners of various sub-titles in contests held earlier were also announced today.

Fake kills: Major seeks fresh probe
Maneesh Chhibber
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 16
Major Surinder Singh, the officer who brought into focus the alleged fake kills 'executed' by some army units posted in Siachin between July and November 15, 2003, has moved a representation to Chief of Army Staff, General NC Vij, seeking a fresh investigation by an impartial, independent agency into his complaint.

Meanwhile, the Major, who was so far attached with N-Area, Chandigarh, has been moved to another unit, the location of which could not be known. However, sources said that the Major had not been shifted anywhere in Northern Command.

According to sources, in his representation sent to General Vij on May 9 through proper channels, Major Surinder has said that the decision of the court of inquiry headed by Brigadier H.S. Nagra, Deputy General-Officer-Commanding (GOC), 3 Infantry Division, was wrong.

The court of inquiry, which looked into the complaint of Major Surinder that units in Siachin had carried out fake kills in order to get medals, had held that the Major could not substantiate his accusations against his Commanding Officer, Col K.D. Singh.

Incidentally, Army headquarters is also said to have removed Col K.D Singh from the command of the 8/8 Gorkha stationed at Siachin.

It may be recalled that the Army has already decided to shift the trial of Major Surinder to outside Northern Command. The Major had moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court, seeking directions to the Army authorities not to hold the trial in the jurisdiction of Northern Command.

He had said that he feared that he would not get justice from a court of inquiry if the proceedings were conducted in the territory under the Udhampur-based Northern Command. However, after counsel for the Army informed the court that the trial would not be held in Northern Command, the Major withdrew his petition.

Fair sex demands share on Bench
Our High Court Correspondent

Chandigarh, May 16
The fair sex among advocates today demanded that they be given their rightful share when it came to the elevation from the Bar to the Bench. Speaker after speaker at a seminar held today demanded, in the presence of some senior Judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, that the discrimination against them in the matter of elevation to the Bench be stopped.

"We are equally good. But, till today, the High Court does not have a female Judge elevated from the Bar. Why this discrimination?" asked the women advocates.

Though the topic of the seminar was 'Role and status of women in legal system', discussion revolved around the issue of non-elevation of female advocates to the Bench in the High Court.

Speaking on the occasion, former president of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association Daya Choudhary claimed that women lawyers are continuously discriminated against. "Give representation to us on the Bench also. If somebody feels that women can't properly do the duty of a High Court Judge, consider the case of judicial officers in the region. They are doing such a good job," she asserted.

Advocate Nirmaljit Kaur asked why Judgeship has eluded women of the region so far. "Women have crossed all barriers, sometime even before the men did. But, they are still not considered fit for the post of a High Court Judge. All the women who have been Judges of this High Court have come from judicial services. It is time the women advocates also got their due," she said.

Advocate Amarjit Kaur Khurana pointed out that the High Court currently did not have a single female designated senior advocate.

She said that it was generally felt that the acceptability of a female as lawyers, either by the litigants or the Bench was not seen. "But that the same time, whenever women have been elevated to the High Court Bench, they have worked very diligently and decently. Why then are recommendations of women advocates for the Bench not forthcoming?" she asked.

However, the claim that women advocates are discriminated against did not find favour with some speakers.

Judicial officer Sangeeta Rai Sachdeva, presently posted in Chandigarh, said that she had never encountered any kind of discrimination in the profession. "We must stop making these excuses and do our work. I am sure nobody can overlook us if we are good enough," she said.

In his address, Mr Justice GS Singhvi, urged the women advocates to work harder and make a name for themselves in the Bar. "I have sat on the Bench with four women Judges. They were all good," he said.

He also observed that the participation of more women in the professionwas must if the legal system was to be strengthened. He also urged the women advocates to help in uplifting the standards in the High Court.

Mrs Justice Kiran Anand Lall said that it was a misconception that the merit of a woman was not recognized only because she was a woman. "There is no discrimination," she said.

Among others who addressed the participants were advocate Sangeeta Dhanda and advocate Gargi Kumar.

Those who couldn’t vote — 6th list

Chandigarh

Rent Act issue did Jain in
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 16
Who cooked the BJP leader Mr Satya Pal Jain's goose in the Chandigarh parliamentary election? This is the question uppermost in the mind of the Congress, BJP and INLD workers as they carry out a detailed analysis of the election verdict delivered by the people of UT. The seat was retained by Mr Pawan Bansal, a senior Congress lawyer and parliamentarian. Mr Bansal polled a total of 1,39,880 votes against 94,632 votes secured by Mr Satya Pal Jain. Mr Harmohan Dhawan, a former Union Minister who contested as an INLD nominee, polled just 17,762 votes and his security deposit was forfeited.

Mr Bansal's margin of victory (45,248 votes) came as a big surprise to his friends and foes alike. The contest for the prestigous seat was seen as a close fight between Mr Bansal and Mr Jain with Mr Dhawan playing the role of a spoiler. As a matter of fact, the contests for Chandigarh seat have generally been close and keenly fought. In 1999, Mr Bansal managed to win by a margin of just 5,000 votes defeating the BJP stalwart, Mr Krishan Lal Sharma, in a tough fight.

Mr Bansal says that he himself expected his victory margin to be between 15,000 to 20,000 votes. Therefore, the final figure was a pleasant surprise for him. A detailed analysis of the poll result shows that he led in the city, villages, labour colonies as well as in the suburb of Mani Majra. He also managed to get the votes of people of all sections of society, including the Sikhs, despite appeals to the contrary by the local SAD chief, Mr Gurpartap Singh Riar, who rooted for Mr Dhawan.

One of the biggest factors contributing to the victory of Mr Bansal was the almost en bloc support extended to him by Chandigarh's trading community. There are about 22,000 registered traders in the city. There is almost an equal number of unregistered shopkeepers in the city. All of them have been in a state of panic ever since the UT Administration suddenly amended the Rent Restriction Act taking most of the shops and houses in the city out of its purview.

Although both Mr Bansal and Mr Jain had committed themselves to evolving a "more balanced approach" to the problem, Mr Bansal's promise seemed to carry more conviction with the traders. As a matter of fact, many traders regarded Mr Satya Pal Jain as the source of their troubles. Hence, their decision to vote for Mr Bansal.

Meanwhile, Mr B. B. Bahl, President of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee, thanked the people of Chandigarh for electing Mr Bansal. He also asked them to organise a "deepmala" in their houses and commercial establishments on the day when Ms Gandhi will assume office as the Prime Minister of India.

Speaking Out
Sonia hai right choice, say youngsters
Foreign origin a non-issue
Geetanjali Gayatri
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 16
The BJP can cry itself hoarse over the foreign-origin of Ms Sonia Gandhi, the seniors in the party can take the most preposterous stand of threatening to resign from the Rajya Sabha to ensure they don’t have to refer to Ms Gandhi as “Madam Prime Minister” and the party’s rank and file can rant and rave on having an Italian as the next Prime Minister of the largest democracy of the world. But city youngsters feel that the mandate, in favour of the Congress and its leader, has left no scope for doubt that Sonia’s foreign-origin is a non-issue being raked up by an exasperated BJP which is unable to digest the fact that it has been voted out of power. Defending the appointment of Ms Gandhi as Prime Minister, Charu Vaid, a final-year student of SD College, Sector 32, says, “Ms Gandhi can of course be Prime Minister of our country. She married an Indian, has Indian citizenship, has been residing in India since her marriage. What more is the BJP looking for? It seems they are unable to come to terms with the popularity of Ms Gandhi and the fact that the Congress is back in power under her stewardship. They should resist from such lowly tactics”.

A graduate from MCM DAV College, Sector 36, Sabeeha Dhillon, adds, “The BJP’s grouse against Ms Gandhi has more to do with her being a woman rather than her being an Italian. They have used unparliamentary language for her all through the election despite which she has romped home to victory. They must accept the verdict gracefully and let her take over the reins of the country”.

“The Congress got votes without even asking for them. When the electorate voted for the Congress, it was fully aware that Ms Gandhi was the party’s leader. There is no disputing the fact. She can and should, certainly become the Prime Minister and more so because the BJP is hell-bent on making an issue out of nothing,” maintains Harish Attray, a final year student of Government College, Sector 46.

For Aman Dhanoa, a student of the Post-Graduate Diploma in Computer Applications, Ms Gandhi is more Indian than several born in India. “She has moulded herself according to the Indian traditions after her marriage to Rajiv Gandhi. Her children are Indian and she belongs to a family of astute politicians. She is, in fact, the ideal choice from among the members of the Congress-led coalition. The BJP is being rather immature in harping on her foreign origin issue. I see it as an attempt to hide the humiliation of defeat,” he claims.

A post-graduate student at Panjab University, Anmol Gill, justifies, “When Indians abroad can be given positions of power, when they can be elected representatives of people and head governments then why this fuss over Ms Gandhi. I think the BJP is sending wrong signals to the world by bringing up Ms Gandhi’s foreign-origin issue. Other countries, just might take a cue from all this and ask Indians to step down. In this era of globalisation, I think the BJP needs to think and not talk through its hat.”

‘Love people, not things’
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 16
Human life is distinguishable from all other creatures in the universe but the man has not appreciated this uniqueness because he has failed to live as a human being. Man uses people and loves things whereas he is expected to love people and use things.

This was the central theme of the two-day Regional Nirankari Media Workshop which concluded at Sant Nirankari Satsang Bhavan, Sector 15-D, here last evening. This workshop was inaugurated and presided over by Mr Kirpa Sagar, former senior officer of the Indian Information Service, now heading the Press and Public Relations Department of Sant Nirankari Mandal, Delhi.

It was attended by about 100 delegates from Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Chandigarh.

In his presidential address, Mr Kirpa Sagar explained that loving things amounted to materialistic outlook, which had weakened the fabric of the society to a point where selfishness had become endemic in all walks of life resulting in shocking crash of human values. Calling for loving relationship between man and man, Mr Kirpa Sagar said the real priority of life should be to be spiritually awakened so that with the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God, man spontaneously acquired intimate and loving brotherhood with fellow beings.

Mr Naranjan Singh, Chairman, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Commission, Punjab, brought out the patent four pillars in the mainstream of spirituality. Quoting from the Vedas, Upnishads, Geeta, Ramayana, Bible, Koran, Adi Granth and Avtar Bani, he explained that God, the ultimate reality of the cosmos was one and man’s primary aim was to know Him; God could not be realised through any number of rites and rituals performed for any length of time; and God realisation was only a matter of blessings of satguru.

Dr B.S. Cheema, former Director, Health Services, Punjab, and Managing Director, Cheema Medical Complex, Phase IV, Mohali, talking on need-based life, said with the spiritual touch in life, relationship between man and man became smooth and sweet. There was no confrontation of any kind and the energy thus saved turned into economy. Stressing on the need-based life, he pointed out that there was enough in the world for everybody’s need but there was not enough in the world for one man’s greed.

Making a fine distinction between ritualism and spiritualism, Mr C.L. Gulati explained that those engrossed in ritualism used people and loved things whereas the practitioners of spiritualism, loved people and used things. When it was easy to accept the existence of one god, it should not be difficult to have one religion for all, a religion of man, a religion that suited the whole human race.

Speaking on the importance of knowledge of God in our day-to-day life, Mr H.S. Chawla, zonal in charge of the mission, Ludhiana, said God was at hand and his worship was fruitful only when we actually known Him.

Ms Rajwant Kaur, zonal In charge of the mission in Shimla, said life was a gift of God. While no one could live a reasonable life without Him, the happy life was certainly a gift of humility and gratitude towards him. There was an organic unity in mankind and in the absence of actual knowledge of God, His most secular-entity stood communalised. God was different for different persons and for the same person on different occasions. This led to visible chaos in the society and insensitive violence in the name of religion. In fact, religion was losing its gravity, she added.

On the second day of the workshop, the participant were given detailed practical knowledge on the specified aspects relating to the print and electronic media. Mr S.C. Talwar dealt with public relations and feature articles, Mr S.S. Sethi dilated upon electronic media. Besides conducting the stage, Mr H.S. Nirman discussed the preparation of press release followed by open discussion.

Admn to observe Anti-Terrorism Day on May 21
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 16
he Chandigarh Administration has decided to observe May 21 as Anti-Terrorism Day in order to wean people, especially the youth, away from the cult of terrorism and violence.

Efforts will be made to generate awareness among all sections of society about the danger of terrorism, violence and its dangerous effect on the people, society and the country as a whole.

A pledge-taking ceremony will be held in all government offices, public sector undertaking and institutions at 11 am.

Another pledge-taking ceremony will be held for officers and officials working in the Deluxe and Additional Deluxe Building of the UT Secretariat, Sector 9, here.

General Dhir arrives on inspection visit
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 16
The Director-General of Health Services, Lieut-Gen R.C. Dhir, arrived on an inspection visit to various dental establishment of the Army Dental Corps in the Western Command Zone here today.

He was received by Brig K. Ravishankar, Commandant, Command Military Dental Centre, Chandi Mandir.

During his maiden visit, General Dhir is scheduled to inspect various dental units of the Army and Air Force in the region, besides attending the inaugural function of a new dental lab complex at Chandi Mandir. He will also call upon the GOC-in-C, Western Command in Chandi Mandir, and GOC-in-C, Army Training Command in Shimla.

His visit to the dental centres will be another step towards the modernisation of services. Plans are afoot to introduce latest equipment and technology in the centres located in the command zone.

Honour for Dr Naresh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 16
Jan Parishad, an organisation based in Madhya Pradesh, has announced its lifetime achievement award for Dr Naresh, a well-known poet and writer, for his contribution to literature.

Dr Naresh, the author of 60 books in Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu, has received several awards, including state awards of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar, besides an award of the Central Government and an international award of the UK-based Music World.

Goods worth Rs 30,000 gutted
Tribune News Service

Mohali, May 16
Goods worth Rs 30,000 were destroyed in a fire that broke out following a cylinder blast at a residence in Jhotte Kutt Colony here. The occupants of the house including a child had a miraculous escape as the three managed to run out of the house in time before the cylinder burst.

The house owner, Mr Satwinder Singh, said the LPG cylinder had been leaking since last night but they did not take it seriously.

However, this morning, when his daughter Simran lighted an incence stick the whole room caught fire and the cylinder burst. Most of the household items were gutted.

Girl crushed under engine
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, May 16
Two persons died in separate incidents here today. According to information, unidentified girl was run over by an engine near Baltana village near here this evening.

In another incident, Bapula Pradhan, a resident of Orissa, died under mysterious circumstances at his house in Abhaypur (Sector 19). His body was found by his neighbours late last night.

Woman found hanging from ceiling fan
Tribune News Service

Mohali, May 16
A 32-year-old married woman was found hanging from a ceiling fan at her residence in Hassanpur village in Kharar this morning. While the victim, Rajwant Kaur, seemed to have committed suicide, her relatives alleged that she was murdered in a fit of rage by her husband.

Sources said Rajwant Kaur had had a fight with her husband last night and had called up her brother, Surinder, in Amritsar this morning, telling him that her husband had beaten her up. Surinder had called up in the afternoon but was told that she had committed suicide by hanging herself with a rope from a ceiling fan.

The sarpanch, Mr Balbir Singh, said Rajwant's husband, a taxi driver, was not home when the incident occurred. Rajwant's two children, three-year-old Jaskaran Singh and five-year-old Dilbagh were sitting outside the house crying. When asked they said their mother had locked herself in the room and was not opening the door. Some villagers peeped into the room from a window and saw her hanging from the fan. The police was called, which broke open the door and took out the body.

The body was later sent to the Civil Hospital. A post-mortem examination will be conducted once the victim's relatives arrive from Amritsar. The victim's husband, too, had not returned even by the evening. Sources said Rajwant Kaur and her husband were having fights over buying of a new vehicle and he had hit her on more than one occasion.

Theft case solved
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, May 16
The police today claimed to have solved a case of theft and recovered stolen property. The breakthrough came after the interrogation of a Sector-21 resident, Inderpreet Singh, who was caught red-handed while committing a theft in a Sector-21 house on Thursday.

During the interrogation, accused confessed to having stolen a mobile phone, an ATM-cum-debit card, some documents and Rs 4,900 from the house of Mr Veer Vikram Singh in Sector 21 on May 9.

In a separate incident, a Mohali resident, Mr Amrinderjit Singh, today reported to the police that a stereo of his car, which was parked near Neelam cinema, Sector 17, was stolen yesterday. A case has been registered.

Domestic help commits suicide in Sector 27
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 16
Ramkhilawan, 34-year-old domestic help of a law officer, today committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at the latter’s residence in Sector 27-B. The officer, Ms Payal Chaudhary, who was not at home when the incident occurred, was informed about it by her daughters on the phone. She rushed back home and informed the police. No suicide note was found by the police.

BUSINESS

Poultry farmers feel the heat
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 16
Continuing heat wave conditions have resulted in a slight decrease in the prices of poultry products, both eggs and chicken, in the city and the surrounding areas. Poultry farmers, who heaved a sigh of relief after their sales picked up during the month-long election campaign, will now again find the going a little tough.

Mr Ajit Singh of the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) said with the temperature hovering around 42-43 oC, mortality among egg-laying birds was getting higher. If the temperatures continue to rise, the prices will fall further, he feared.

The wholesale price of eggs has come down by a marginal 5 per cent, from 115 per 100 eggs to Rs 100 during the past two days. Chicken, which was being supplied to wholesalers for Rs 45 per kg, is now being made available at Rs 40 per kg.

Mr Ajit Singh said fall in consumption had also resulted in the fall in prices. The sale of chicken had picked up during the election period along with liquor.

Majority of party workers savoured chicken and egg dishes during campaigning, because of which the demand had gone up.

This did bring cheer to poultry farmers, who had suffered heavy losses following the scare of bird flu (influenza) in the region.

Giving retail prices, Mr Rajinder Mittal, general secretary of the North India Poultry Farmers Association, said eggs, which were available at Rs 18 per dozen before the poll, were now priced at Rs 16 per dozen. Similarly, the price of broiler chicken had also come down from Rs 85 per kg to Rs 80 per kg.

This means losses for poultry farmers, as the wholesale price of egg is now Re 1 per egg even as it costs them Rs 1.1 per egg.

Mr Mittal said the prices would once again become stable with the outset of monsoon, when the sales pick up once again due to higher consumption.

High temperatures have also brought a fall in the consumption of fish and other meat products.

Hotels and restaurants in the city have also reported low sales of non-vegetarian dishes after the rise in temperatures.

Screw manufacturers threaten closure
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 16
The Chandigarh Screw Manufacturers Association has threatened to close industrial units permanently if the shortage of raw material continues. As many as 350 units manufacturing screws in the city had temporarily shut down their operations due to non-availability of raw materials.

In a release issued here today, Mr R.S. Rathore, president of the association, said for the past three months there had been a shortage of wire rod material, which came from the Vishakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP), SAIL, and Bhillai Steel Plant. It was supplied to them by CITCO at a controlled rate of Rs 21,200 per metric tonne.

For the past 45 days, of the total 400, 50 units that were operating on half the capacity were being forced to buy raw material from the open market at a price of Rs 40,000 per metric tonne, he added.

He said despite assurances, CITCO officials were not making the raw material available.