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66 more helmetless women challaned Chandigarh, June 1 The traffic police positioned itself on the light point separating Sectors 15 and 16 and at South End. A delegation of gurdwara and Sikh institutions urged the Chandigarh Administration to withdraw the order to respect the feelings of Sikhs. Compliance with the helmet orders increased, with the police challaning the least number of women for helmetless driving. The campaign had initially met with opposition from women. Ms Malkiat Kaur Basra, president of the Working Women Association, said working women had to perform multiple responsibilities like dropping children at creches and schools, apart from going to work. Helmet became a liability in such a situation, where there was no arrangement to keep them in offices, she claimed. A social activist, Ms Amrita Kohli, said helmets were needed for protection to women exposed to dangers because of increasing traffic and road rage. She said technology should be utilised to lessen the weight of helmets and tune these to the needs of women, she added. Another social activist, Ms Santosh Singh, chided the police for suddenly starting the campaign without consulting representatives of the people and community leaders. She asked which fresh court ruling had come after the drive had been called off earlier. The Akali Dal (Ravi Inder Singh) President, Mr Gurnam Singh Sidhu, asked why the police had not been able to frame rules for cracking down on a bigger menace of smoking. He said the police should tell the people why it
chose targeting helmetless women instead of smokers, who were a greater threat to public health. A few persons, who did not want to be identified, said keeping women helmetless would indirectly amount to keeping them out of the speed and power game in the name of encouraging them to look beautiful. They said the final male bastion of superiority was their presence in activities where speed and power were involved. If women wanted to be in areas like defence, police, boxing and flying, they would require protective gear to give men competition, they asserted. A person seeking anonymity said helmets could lead to less chain snatching and eve-teasing incidents. A delegation of Sikh bodies led by Mr Gurpartap Singh Riar today met Adviser Lalit Sharma and Home Secretary R. S. Gujral and asked them to follow Punjab in this regard. Mr Riar said Mr Sharma assured them to follow the Punjab pattern, but said the matter was pending in the Supreme Court. |
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PU ‘foolproof’ system on 75 p.c. attendance
Chandigarh, June 1 To be introduced this forthcoming academic session 2004-05, the students seeking admission in any of the 52 varsity departments would have to furnish an undertaking at the time of admission that they would fulfil the attendance requirement before sitting in the final examination. In case they fail to do so and ask for condonation of shortage of lectures, PU would take out the signed undertaking to remind the erring students that they have already agreed that they would never seek lecture condonation. “We are always bothered at the end by students to condone their lectures, who sometimes come up with the plea that they were not simply aware about the attendance rules. But at this level of their education, we want students to be responsible towards the mandatory regulations. In case a student fails to complete 75 per cent attendance, we would remind him of his undertaking and lecture condonation would be out of question,’’ said Dean, University Instructions, (DUI) Prof S.K. Sharma, confirming that the new move which would be a part of the admission guidelines this session. Another attempt to streamline the attendance requirement system is to ask the department chairpersons to send the attendance sheet of their respective departments to the DUI on a monthly basis so that an abrupt abberation in number of lectures attended does not creep in at any stage of the session. |
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Opening shops on Sunday optional: Admn Chandigarh, June 1 The shops or commercial establishments could be opened or closed either on Sunday or any other day as per the convenience of the shopkeepers/owners. In case,
a shop/establishment was opened on all seven days, it was mandatory on the part of the employer to give a day off to its employees in that week. The initiative of the Administration is intended to make Sunday more lively and vibrant and also to afford an opportunity for shopping to tourists on Sunday to promote tourism in the city. The Labour Department is alive to the interests of the workers and these have been duly protected in the Administration’s notification allowing opening of shops on Sundays. In case of any specific violation of the labour laws, the department is committed to take action under the law against the defaulters, said a spokesperson for the Administration. |
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Tracing the psyche of Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Chandigarh, June 1 Conscious of the risk involved in understanding Jinnah on a purely human level, Dr Mohan began working on the theme about two years ago. The first inspiration came from Jinnah's biography, "Jinnah of Pakistan", which dwells on the sensitive side of a politician who supervised the dissection of India. Not all shrewd, Jinnah was after all a man of aesthetics, as also of peace. "Jinnah wanted to be the Muslim Gokhale. He was known to be one of the most vocal supporters of peace and amity. Why else would Sarojini Naidu label him as the "biggest spokesperson of Hindu-Muslim unity?" asks the playwright, who could not overcome the urge of trailing the conversion of Jinnah's thought processes. In Chandigarh today to read out the first draft of the play, Dr Mohan said, "As I began devouring literature on Jinnah, his goodness as a man and his dexterity as a professional opened before me. The turn of historical events began to haunt me. As a man of literature, I felt obliged to find out why a promoter of unity became the very reason of Partition." The play is bound to be controversial and Mohan is well aware of that. But he clarifies that his purpose is not to glorify Jinnah. "The play is an attempt to discover reasons behind the change in Jinnah's mindset. Also, it throws light on his private life. I was fortunate enough to reconstruct his family life through comments from his drivers, and two of his best friends. Not many know that after losing his first wife at a young age, Jinnah did not marry until he was 40. Later he fell for a Parsi woman named Rati, who finally rebelled against her community to marry him. Still further in life, Jinnah refused to give his daughter in marriage to a Parsi. The event is revealing in that it shows how sectarian elements had taken the better of Jinnah." Although it was easier for Dr Mohan to make "Jinnah" a political play, he chose to keep it at a human level. At various places, he reveals the predilections of Jinnah, who was passionate about theatre. He even knew Shakespeare's dialogues by heart. So strong was Jinnah's love for theatre that it is said he would have been a great actor had he not been a great politician. Dr Mohan's play moves in the backdrop of these events that make Jinnah a different man than most know him as. Finally, it bares layers after layers taking us to the fag end of Jinnah's life which ends rather tragically. A victim of tuberculosis, Jinnah reflects on his past, regretting some mistakes, accepting some, but finally…losing it out. He was never satisfied with what he got in the name of a new nation. He was always remorseful about the moth-eaten Pakistan he got. |
Mohali areas go without water Mohali, June 1 There was very little pressure on the ground floor in some areas while in certain pockets there was hardly any supply of water even on the ground floor. Residents living on first floor levels and above had to carry water from the ground in order to fulfill their basic needs. It is learnt that a 24-inch main pipeline, which supplied water to Phase I to VII, had bursted last night. The repair work on the damaged line was carried out during the day. Mr Surinder Puri, a resident of Phase I, said no water supply was received in his locality during the day. He was living on the ground floor and even then he could get only one bucket of water in the morning. He said the family had to manage with the water that had been stored but for the evening, he would have to go and get mineral water for drinking. The water pressure was quite low even last evening. He said officials concerned should have made some arrangements to supply water with the help of tankers to the affected areas. He said the water that was being supplied was not fit for drinking as it had too much of mud particles in it. Such a problem was going on for the past about three weeks but authorities concerned were not bothered about it. Ms Jasminder Kaur, a resident of Phase IV living in a first floor accommodation, said even at 5 a.m. there was no supply of water. She had to carry water from the ground floor level and even there the pressure was very low. Moreover, the water supplied was muddy and this problem was going on for the past many days. Dr G.S. Bedi, a resident of Phase VII, said he had received supply of water in the morning, though the pressure was low. But there was no supply of water in afternoon. Mr S.S. Ghuman, Executive Engineer, Public Health Department, told Chandigarh Tribune that the main pipeline had bursted last night near the mango belt near Phase I. As the department did not have a 24-inch pipe, PUDA was requested to make the arrangement for providing the pipe. A collar which had to be fitted on the pipe was got from the Public Health Department of Chandigarh. The repair work was carried out and efforts were made to restore water supply in the evening. |
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Residents
complain of dirty water Chandigarh, June 1 The general secretary of the Motor Market Welfare Association, Mr B.S. Makol, complained to the junior engineer concerned about the problem being faced by the residents of the area. He claimed that people had been getting dirty water for the last one week and had been forced to make alternative arrangements for drinking water. “We told him that the smell in the water indicated that the sewage line and the fresh water line were connected at some place. He assured us that the department would have it checked at the earliest,” Mr Makol added.
Powermen to protest The UT Powermen Union has decided to organise rallies, dharnas and indefinite fasts to protest against the indifferent attitude of the Chandigarh Administration towards their demands. Their demands include notification of draft rule meant for UT Employees, re-designation as assistant linemen, adoption of PSEB circulars for revision of pay scales and stalling of privatisation, among others. At a meeting here on Tuesday, the executive committee sought repatriation of deputationists who were working against the interest of the electricity department and its employees. |
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Power board employee
electrocuted Mohali, June 1 According to sources, the victim, Vikram Pachala (21), a resident of Kharar, was taken to a hospital in Banur, where he was declared brought dead. His body was brought to the local Civil Hospital where a postmortem was carried out today. It is learnt that six more employees of the board, who were working along with the deceased, also got a minor electric shock. They are Mr Ram Singh, Mr Baldev Singh, Mr Rodhal Singh, Mr Harbans Singh, Mr Radhe Shyam and Mr Hakam Singh. The work of tightening wires, which had become very loose, was being carried out at Manakpur village when the incident took place. It is learnt that high-tension wires were passing over the low-tension wires, which were being tightened. The employees had taken a work permit and power supply to the low-tension wires had been cut. Accidentally, a low-tension wire touched a high-tension wire, which led to the accident. Mr S.C. Aggarwal, Superintending Engineer, told Chandigarh Tribune that some live high-tension wires were passing over the wires for which maintenance work was being carried out. He said wires were being tightened to keep them in a proper position. A permit for the work had been taken but another permit for high-tension wires passing over the area should also have been taken though in most cases this was not done. He said he had given instructions to officials concerned that work permit for all types of power lines passing in the area should be taken whenever maintenance work was going to be carried out in future. |
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HUDA engineers’ plea to revert deputationists Panchkula, June 1 A press note issued by the association stated that more than 50 per cent engineers of the rank of SDE and above were on deputation with HUDA at Panchkula for more than seven years. Some of them have been ordered to be reverted to their parent departments but HUDA has not relieved them so far. The association further claimed that no employee could continue his services on a deputation beyond five years, but in some cases HUDA is violating government instructions by letting these engineers continue their services on deputation for even seven and eight years. |
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New Sector 34 plan on display from today
Chandigarh, June 1 The open areas in Sector 34, which are part
of the masterplan for the sub-city centre, will now be developed as
per the new planning. This includes a new format for commercial
buildings. For the first time in the history of Chandigarh, the
buildings will have an individual style of their own. The architects
impression will be available at the exhibition from tomorrow. |
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Tribune Assistant Manager
retires
Chandigarh, June 1 Mr Jaswal joined the organisation at Ambala in 1966 and worked in various capacities during his service. Mr O.P. Arora, Additional General Manager, lauded the services of Mr Jaswal at the farewell function. |
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Man hurt in road mishap Lalru, June 1 Suresh was driving the jeep (HR-68-2979) towards Chandigarh when a truck (HNA-9086) approaching from the opposite direction collided head-on with his vehicle. In the accident, Suresh sustained severe injuries and was rushed to the PGI in Chandigarh. No case was registered. |
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Fire in house
at Mohali Mohali, June 1 It is learnt that a fire broke out in a store which later spread to the kitchen area. The occupants of the house were not at home when the incident took place. Neighbours informed the fire brigade which came and removed the gas cylinder from the kitchen before the flames engulfed it. A scooter, a big trunk which contained beddings and some other household goods were damaged. |
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Illegal construction removed Chandigarh, June 1 |
Two held for snatching
chains Chandigarh, June 1 Rupinder Singh, alias Rupy, and Bhinder Singh used to snatch chains in Chandigarh and return to their villages. The police claimed to have worked out four snatching cases with their arrest. It has recovered 70 gm of gold and was likely to get around 40 more gm of gold items snatched by them. The snatchers told the police that they used to get their daily expenses from their families but after their addiction came to the notice of families, it was stopped. They told the police that initially they sold belongings of the family. During their addiction trips, they met another duo which was continuing their addiction through chain snatchings in Bassi Pathana. The Bassi Pathana gang gave them the idea to snatch chains in Chandigarh. They had snatched chains in June, September and December last year in areas of Sectors 34, 39 and Central police stations. Their involvement in crime in Chandigarh was conveyed to the UT police by the Sirhind police which had earlier caught them in connection with similar cases. The police has also recovered two two-wheelers used in crimes from them. |
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11 drivers booked
for violating notified route Chandigarh, June 1 Three buses of Punjab Roadways and one each of the Haryana, Himachal and Punjab State Road Corporations were impounded as their drivers did not have documents of the vehicles and licences. The traffic police booked these vehicles at Kisan Chowk when they were found passing through the Sector 35 and 36 dividing road. As per the notified route for the buses, they had to go to the Sector 43 Inter-State Bus Terminus through Sectors 44, 45 and then to the GMCH chowk. |
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2 held for selling non-ISI helmets Chandigarh, June 1 The police arrested Deepak Chauhan of Mohali and Atul of the Burail village for possessing six new non-ISI helmets. They also had five non-ISI helmets for repair. |
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