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Social worker’s zeal goes awry
Chandigarh, November 2 “The act was well-inspired. I wanted to underscore social acceptance of HIV positive people,” says Mr Gaurav Gaur, in charge of the project which Servants of the People Society is running on behalf of the Chandigarh State AIDS Control Society. What Mr Gaur did not realise is that perceptions differ from person to person. In as sensitive a matter as this one, he could have chosen silence over an act that served no one’s cause, but his. He got some publicity which he realises he could have done without. And whereas it is clear that he had no bad intentions, the HIV positive woman at the heart of the issue is bearing the brunt of a thoughtless act to which she had consented. “It seemed harmless at that time,” she admits. A few months on, she knows it was not that harmless after all. Stigmatised by her own people, she and her family, comprising an HIV positive son and an HIV positive husband, is leading a life of alienation. The neighbours who used to be friends with them are strangers now. “No one wants to stand in the same row as I. I am made to feel guilty if I take water from the same tap as others. When I stand in the queue to fill water, others fall out of it. I feel miserable,” says the woman whose family has fallen to pieces after its HIV positive status became known in the community. About her husband, there is nothing much to cheer about either. Not in the best of health for obvious reasons, he has had to change three jobs in recent past. “I was a painter, but when I could not do manual labour due to ill health, I started selling vegetables. But soon I found that no one wanted to buy vegetables from me. Earlier, I used to make about Rs 200 a day, but soon Rs 30 a day was all I managed. I stopped vegetable vending and resumed painting,” he says. About a month ago, he injured his foot after falling off from a stair while painting a wall. Ever since, he has been out of job, hoping the NGO in question absorbs him in their project as an HIV/AIDS peer educator. Mr Gaurav Gaur, for his part, has given his adopted sister a job for the time being. He told the Chandigarh Tribune today: “We have been taking care of this family since February this year when we first identified them as HIV positive. “We have never refused them support — monetary or otherwise. As far discrimination is concerned, they never informed us about the problem. Had they, we would have done something to counsel the community.” But counseling the community is easier said than done. And no one knows this more than the man of the family, who has to put up with indignation and scorn even at home. “My own landlady keeps warning me all the time, as if I don’t know what precautions I am supposed to take as an HIV positive person. “I don’t expect any sympathy from anyone. All I want is the freedom to live peacefully and a decent job to feed my family,” says the man. He still hopes to find a job, although his prospects appear dim. For the time being, his wife must substitute him as the family’s breadwinner. They have an infected son, who is attending school.
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Matka Chowk gets rid of rallies
The orders will come into force from tonight. As per the prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC, holding of dharnas and rallies has been banned anywhere in the city, except at the designated site in Sector 25, near the crematorium. Over the years the chowk has been a favourite site for protestors due to its close proximity to the Punjab and Haryana Secretariat and the UT Secretariat. Approximately 350 rallies were held in 2005. Since holding of rallies and dharnas and carrying of lathis has been banned on the Jan Marg stretch from the cricket stadium chowk to the housing board chowk, the road separating Sectors 14 and 25 and a stretch of 100 m on both sides of the abovesaid roads, the protestors coming from different parts of Haryana and from Patiala side would now have to take a longer detour through the Dakshin Marg or the outer Dakshin Marg to reach the dharna site. The movement of private heavy vehicles is also banned on Madhya Marg. Since there is no fixed time slot for the entry and exit of vehicles carrying protestors, the southern part of the city would be the most affected. “The Administration and the police should fix time slots on the movement of such vehicles so that the city traffic was not affected,” said Mr Ram Kumar, a resident of Sector 38. He opined that there should be dedicated corridors for the movement of rally vehicles. A senior official said after the Chandigarh Administration decided to shift the dharna site to Sector 25, the Engineering Department levelled the land and installed water posts there. Provision for public toilets
had also been made at the site. Earlier, the Administration was working on shifting the site to Rajindra Park adjoining the secretariat. But it was found that the area falls in the silence zone and a provision had been made for a museum of knowledge, open-air auditorium and landscaping in the original master plan. Meanwhile, various employees’ unions have protested against the change of site. They lament that it was a step to quell their democratic voice. Mr Makhan Singh, an employees’ union leader, said if rallies could be held at the Boat Club in Delhi, the Chandigarh Administration could also allow rallies at Parade Ground or some other location.
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Rally ban: CITU holds protest
Chandigarh, November 2 Mr A. Sawhney, general secretary, alleged that the decision was aimed at curbing the democratic rights of the working class. By extending Section 144 of the Cr. PC from the northern sectors to Matka Chowk, the Administration was trying to “muzzle the voice of the working class”. Mr Balkrishan, CITU president, alleged that the authorities were backtracking from their commitment to the employees. Mr Rakesh Kumar, convener of the coordination committee of the UT and MC Employees, urged the Administration to accept the genuine demands of the employees.
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PCCTU shifts rally venue
Chandigarh, November 2 Dr Jagwant Singh, general secretary, PCCTU, has described it as an attempt to stifle the voice of protest which is essential in a democratic society. “The ban amounts to saying that people from outside should not enter the city to protest and people from city should go out of Chandigarh to protest,” he said in a press note yesterday. He described the site as inappropriate as it was too close to Indian Oil Depot which was a no-smoking zone. He demanded that the ban should be revoked immediately.
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MC poll: it is any party’s game
Pradeep Sharma Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 2 In fact, repeating the 2001 performance is going to be a tough task for the Congress, whose two main factional leaders, Mr Pawan Bansal, Union Minister of State for Finance, and Mr B.B. Bahl, president of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (CTCC), buried the hatchet recently, ahead of the all-important civic body polls. Riding high on the development plank, the Congress’ record was impressive in the 2001 MCC polls and the 2004 Lok Sabha polls. It was a virtual cakewalk for the Congress in the last MCC poll when it had bagged 13 seats in the 20-member House by getting around 66,067 of the 1,73,033 votes polled in the wake of anti-incumbency wave and alleged non-performance of the BJP-SAD alliance, which ruled the corporation from 1996 to 2001. The BJP-SAD alliance, which polled only 32,457 votes, could hardly manage four seats. However, the Chandigarh Vikas Manch (CVM) fared worse than the BJP-SAD alliance by bagging three seats and polling about 28,507 votes. One of the CVM councillors, however, later joined the Congress. Even in the percentage terms, the Congress was slightly ahead of the alliance with the former securing 38 per cent votes than alliance’s share of 35 per cent. Even in the latest battle of votes among the traditional rivals in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections,Mr Bansal, with 1,39,880 votes, outclassed Mr Satya Pal Jain (94,632 votes) and Mr Harmohan Dhawan (17,762 votes) by a handsome margin. Mr Bansal secured about 52 per cent votes as against a combined 42 per cent by the candidates of the BJP-SAD-CVM alliance. However, 2006 may not be 2001 and 2004. With charges and counter-charges flying high, the battle of wits between the Congress and the alliance is set to be a keenly-contested affair.
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Police distorted facts, toddler died in accident: kin
Chandigarh, November 2 Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Mr Sandeep Bhagat, the uncle of Lovepreet, on whose statement the police has claimed to have registered a case of murder, said: “The police has deceived us by getting three blank documents signed in good faith. The SHO of the Industrial Area police station, Mr Baljit Singh Chadha, had called us to the Aggarsain Bhavan, Sector 30, and after winning our trust made us sign the blank documents. Even at that stage we failed to understand his intensions”. He further added that despite the fact they had been permitted by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) to cremate the body without a post-mortem examination, the police got the post-mortem conducted on the body. Narrating the sequence of events that led to the tragic death of the toddler, Mr Bhagat said he and Malkiat Lal had dinner at their residence at around 8 pm. At that time Lovepreet and two other children were playing besides the dinning table. After getting up from the table, Malkiat Lal saw Lovepreet playing and picked him up. Out of affection, he tossed him up but the child got slipped out of his hands accidentally and fell down. His head hit the floor. The child fell unconscious instantly. He said his wife and two children, Lovepreet’s mother Rekha, Malkiat Lal his wife and a son were at home at the time of the incident. Kuldeep Bhagat, Lovepreet’s father was out of station and was on the way back home. At the PGI, the doctors said it was a medico legal case and informed the police. The police asked us whether there was any foul play to which he made clear that it was an accident. “The doctors carried out certain tests on Lovepreet, who remained unconscious throughout the time, including a CT scan. The doctors then told us that the child had clinically died as his brain had stopped functioning. Next day in the afternoon, they declared him dead. As we were busy in the hospital, we did not know what to do and the police continued with its proceedings on its own, without taking us in confidence”, alleged Mr Bhagat. About Malkiat, he said before leaving the house they locked him in the storeroom of the house as he was not mentally fit. Malkiat’s wife and his son remained back at home to look after him. Malkiat was undergoing treatment for his psychic problems as he was not keeping well since 2004. Two-three days before the incident, he tried to end his life by jumping before a school bus in the locality, but was saved for the alertness of the driver. He was earlier taken to the Civil Hospital, Mohali, from where he was referred to the PGI. The PGI later sent him back to the Civil Hospital, recommending him to consult a psychiatrist. Judging the seriousness of his condition, we applied for medical leave for 10 days. Earlier, also he fainted in the PCA Stadium, where he was deployed to protect the pitch. Malkiat was so ailing that he did not move on his own. When they returned from the PGI, Malkiat’s wife told them that Malkiat, kept inside the storeroom, was not responding. To which, Sandeep tried to open the door. After gaining entry into the room, he was shocked to see Malkiat bleed profusely. He rushed him to the PGI. On the other hand, the SHO of the Industrial Area police station termed the allegations as baseless. He asserted that the police had not distorted the facts and the statements were read out before getting them signed. “Further, the reports prepared by the doctors and the statement recorded by family at the PGI police post mentioned that the child was dashed on the floor repeatedly”, maintained the SHO. About Malkiat Singh, police sources said the police was likely to book him in a case of attempt to suicide as the doctors had said that injuries found on his body and head were found to be suicidal and self-inflicted. But, as he was not declared as fit to record his statement by the doctors treating him, it would be premature to say anything about the future action in this regard against him, said a police officer.
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Court finds Principal on wrong side of law
Panchkula, November 2 Pronouncing the orders in a trespass case filed by the former Principal of the school, Ms Rajni Thareja, the Magistrate directed that the accused be chargesheeted for wrongful restraint, trespass and other offences under Sections 341, 451 and 427 of the IPC. In a detailed order, the Magistrate observed: “As far as the
accused, Vijay Kumar, is concerned, he has acted in an overzealous manner by taking law in his hands.” He added that prima facie no case was made out against Mr Subhash Marriya, who had been discharged of the offence for which he had been challaned. “He had suo moto taken law in his own hands without seeking help from the
The order added: “Under no circumstances accused Vijay Kumar had the authority to direct the breaking open of the lock and his participation in the entire incident is highlighted in taking the forcible possession of the residence in the most uncivilised manner.” Meanwhile, reacting to the orders, the school Manager, Mr S.C. Marriya, said Vijay Kumar was not at fault and the entire management would staunchly support him. “We will fight it out. Ms Thareja has been suspended and dismissed from service. The case is nothing but pressure tactics to force us to compromise,” he added.
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‘Red ribbon brigade’ gears up to check HIV
Chandigarh, November 2 Hundreds of boys and girls from professional and non-professional colleges and the university volunteered to dawn upon themselves the mantle of a HIV trainer who would go to slums, villages and other vulnerable areas and deliver a message to target groups in clear simple language that they understand. "True love waits" is what these volunteers will tell adolescent and young adults, while the message to commercial sex workers is "a condom can save your life". While they will distribute clean syringes and needles to the intravenous drug users. Not because they want to promote drugs, but since telling these people to stop drugs is futile, so at least they can be protected from HIV that is transmitted through infected needles. Training of peer educators under the Red Ribbon Clubs is a project of the Chandigarh State AIDS Control Society in association with a local NGO Yuvsatta to train college students, who in turn would go out and spread awareness about the dreadful disease. "Since there is no cure for HIV, the only way to protect anyone from it is to make the person aware about the threat of HIV and tell him how to guard against it", Dr Sonia Trikha Khullar, Director of the Chandigarh State AIDS Control Society, told these young students. The project sought five volunteers each from every college of the city seeking their participation in the two-day "training the trainer" programme being held at the local DAV College. The response has been overwhelming. To the utter surprise on the organisers, the participants are not only very aware about HIV and related issues, but have shown a strong commitment to work as ambassadors of knowledge without the slightest hesitation of any sort. These five volunteers from each college will go back and form a Red Ribbon Club (a red ribbon is the accepted symbol of HIV/AIDS as the pink is for breast cancer) in their respective colleges. The objective of the clubs will be to provide a forum for students where they can talk about sexuality, sexual behaviour, female foeticide, issues and concern pertaining to such other issues. These students would in turn visit slums, rural areas, colonies etc and interact with commercial sex workers, injective drug users, etc and distribute condoms, needles and syringes and gave them tips to protect themselves from HIV etc. A Project Manager with the society, Mr Gaurav Gaur, said that students had been involved in the HIV /AIDS awareness campaign as the youth was the most critical target group and can become very effective agents of social change. According to the UNAIDS data on HIV, there are 40 million HIV positive people in the world, with India having 5.7 million - the largest number - even though the percentage of HIV positive people is less than 1 per cent due to India's large population. There is no place in India that can be termed as HIV safe. While Chandigarh and Haryana in North India are termed as 'vulnerable', Punjab is categorised as 'highly vulnerable', according to Dr Khullar. After a day-long interaction with experts, these future HIV volunteers now understand that HIV is no longer limited to people with "wrong habits", but every individual is equally at risk. Women constitute 35 per cent of the HIV infected population in India. These volunteers will start their work with the "A, B or C" mantra that is believed to be vital in curtailing HIV. Here "A" stands for "abstaining" from pre-marital sex, "B" for "being faithful" to one partner and in case both these are violated than "C", using a condom, will prove to be
the saviour.
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Watch out
Mr Krishan Mohan, Home Secretary, Chandigarh, will represent the Chandigarh Administration at the World Travel Mart (WTM) to be held in London from November 6 to November 9. At the international event, the Administration will showcase its recent tourism initiatives.
The Administration is participating through the Indian pavilion at the WTM. A number of visitors from the UK come to India on medical tourism. Over 5,000 tourism organisations and professionals from across the world would participate in the event. Through the WTM, the Administration hopes to get more tourists.
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In Town
Actor Katrina Kaif is here shooting for Vipul Shah’s “Namaste London”, her second film with Akshay Kumar. For her, Hindi films happened quite by chance when filmmaker Kaizad Gustad discovered her in London where she was modelling and gave her a role in his film “Boom”. One of eight sisters, Katrina was born to a Kashmiri father and an English mother and grew up in Hawaii.
With several releases to her name, including ‘Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya’ and “Sarkar”, she is set to reprise the role of widow made immortal by Jaya Bachchan in “Sholay”, in Ram Gopal Varma’s remake of the film.
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Does the paper production in India commensurate with the growing demand? No, there is a huge shortfall in the demand and supply of paper. The demand in India is increasing at the rate of 5 per cent while the production is increasing at the rate of 1 percent. The paper industry is moving from wood pulp-based paper to agro waste-based paper, Kraft. Are you planning to expand your production? We are planning an expansion by setting up a manufacturing plant with a capacity of 33,000 TPA at Kala Amb for the manufacture of writing and printing paper. How do you propose to raise capital? The total project cost will be Rs 137. 98 crore. Other than internal accruals, we propose to raise Rs 28. 50 crore through the IPO, which will be opened in November. — Ruchika M. Khanna
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Include Nada, Karoran in Naya Gaon NAC, demand residents
Mohali, November 2 A joint statement issued yesterday by several citizens, including Naya Gaon panches Suresh Sharma, Sucha Singh, Jagjit Singh, Sadhu Singh and Vikram Singh Dhillon, thanked the Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, and the Local Bodies Minister, Chaudhary Jagjit Singh, for living up to the expectations and aspirations of local people. “This would bring an end to the hardships of people of Naya Gaon by ensuring proper drinking water supply, proper sewerage disposal, storm-water drainage, roads, street lights etc”, said the statement. While welcoming the Punjab Government’s decision to notify Naya Gaon as the Notified Area Committee, residents of Naya Gaon, Nada and Karoran villages have sought extending the scope of the proposed NAC beyond Naya Goan only as per the committee report submitted by the former Deputy Commissioner of Ropar, Mr G.S. Grewal. A joint statement issued by Balwinder Kaur, Sarpanch, Karoran village, Bago Devi, Sarpanch, Nada village, Prabhu Dayal, Kansal village, Garwal Sabha, Naya Gaon and Maa Durga Society, Naya Gaon sought to apply the recommendations of the former DC which has categorically recommended inclusion of areas of Nada and Karoran village into the proposed NAC area. The statement said the committee had been formed on demand of the residents in 2001 and only after considerable deliberations did it recommend a more comprehensive nagar panchayat for the areas. The inclusion would also mean uniformity within the whole area as it would be unfair to keep certain areas bereft of the advantages of the NAC while letting others enjoy the status. It would only serve the larger public interest to include the leftout areas in the NAC and make it more comprehensive. The citizens of Karoran, Nada and Naya Gaon villages again looked up to the Punjab Government, especially the Chief Minister, to facilitate uniform facilities and scope of development for the entire area by removing disparities which would be created once only Naya Goan was notified as a nagar panchayat and other areas outside revenue limits are left high and dry, added the statement.
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Admn to give shelter to rickshaw-pullers
Chandigarh, November 2 The idea, said to be the brainchild of the UT Administrator, was put forth by the Administration some days ago and has now been forwarded to its engineering wing for implementation. The building will come up in Sector 45-A at a cost of Rs 1.76 crore. The ground floor will have parking space for rickshaws. The upper floor will have 17 dormitories with 196 concrete beds and a common kitchen. A toilet block will also be set up on the same floor. Sources in the Administration stated that at present the number of rickshaw-pullers in the city, who did not have shelter, was very large and they were using shopping areas to sleep at night. Their condition was abysmal during extreme winters and summers. They also cooked their food in the open and left their meagre belongings in heaps under trees, etc. The sources pointed out that each year during winters the Administration would provide blankets to some of those homeless persons who slept on the roadsides. However, the Administrator had asked the officials to come up with a more permanent solution to the problem. The construction of the building is expected to begin in the next fortnight and will be completed by next winters.
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Rly station gets 24-coach washing line
Chandigarh, November 2 The facility will be in addition to the existing 24 coach washing line, which was today inaugurated by the General Manager, Northern Railway, Mr V.N. Mathur. He was on an annual inspection of the railway station here. Mr Mathur inspected various public amenities like the passenger reservation system, waiting lounge and the state of maintenance at the station. Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, he said the remaining rail link of the Chandigarh-Ludhiana railway line — between Morinda and Ludhiana — would be completed in another three years. He said though a survey for the Chandigarh-Baddi rail link had been completed, it had been observed that it was not a feasible proposition. He further said another siding for loading and unloading goods would be developed on Kalka side. The entry to the station from the Panchkula side was also being spruced up. He also checked the stations at Kalka, Chandigarh, Chandimandir and Lalru along with senior officials of the Ambala division. The entrance to the station has now been paved with tiles in place of a road. A VIP lounge has been constructed, while the rest and waiting rooms have been spruced up with fresh interiors. New glow sign boards have also been put up. Meanwhile, the Senior Citizens Association, Kalka, has urged the General Manager to extend the Jan Shatabdi Express to Kalka.
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Nagar panchayat duly notified, says Kang
Mohali, November 2 He said the notification was undertaken after taking all relevant points into consideration and also to meet the long-pending demand of about 40,000 residents of the area. He lamented that it was unfortunate that some disgruntled elements were trying to create panic among the residents of the area for vested interests.
OC
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Army Aviation Corps
Chandigarh, November 2 A press note issued here today said the corps had played an active role by being a part of the UN peacekeeping force, earning laurels for itself and the country. At Western Command headquarters the Army aviation branch was formed on June 1, 1993, and is currently headed by Brig R.S. Chauhan.
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Man held for molesting minor
Chandigarh, November 2 The accused had allegedly lured the victim by offering her biscuits and took her to his residence. Sources in the Sector 31 police station said the accused, Shubash Kumar, a waiter in a Sector-9 coffee house, has been booked for an attempt to rape under Sections 376 and 511 of the Indian Penal Code. He was produced in a local court today and was remanded in the judicial custody. The incident came to light at around 7:30 pm, when the victim’s family started looking for her as she failed to reach home for a long time. Her aunt went to Shubash’s house and saw him sitting on bed with the girl who was crying bitterly. On seeing this, her aunt raised an alarm and people gathered at the spot and nabbed the accused. The victim, who was bleeding at that time, was rushed to the Sector 32 Government Medical College and Hospital. The police was also informed about the incident. Taking cognizance of the incident, the police got the victim and the accused medically examined and initiated action on the basis of statement recorded by the victims’ grandmother. The police said the victim, daughter of a factory worker, was living with her grandmother at the ground floor of the house.
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Shop burgled
Chandigarh, November 2 According to the police, Mr Darmindra Kumar alleged in his complaint that he found the locks of his shop broken in the morning and five TVs and four DVD players, along with other articles, missing. A case of burglary has been registered.
Vehicle stolen
Mega Ranjila of Sector 2, Panchkula, has lodged a complaint with the police that his Maruti car was stolen from Panjab University on Wednesday. In another incident, Sanjay Sharma of Sector 20-A has reported to the police that his motorcycle was stolen from Leisure Valley, Sector 10, on October 29. Ashwani Kumar of Sector 45-D has lodged a complaint that his Bajaj Chetak scooter was stolen from Sector 8 on Wednesday. Three cases of theft have been registered.
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Charges to be framed against Chief Engineer
Chandigarh, November 2 A case under different sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act read with Sections 406, 409, 420 and 120-B of the IPC had been registered against the Chief Engineer by the UT Vigilance Department in 1998. After the production of challan in the court, the case was being heard on a day to day basis. Following the registration of the case, the Chief Engineer had been charge sheeted in June 1998 and suspended in July 1998. He was reinstated following a court order.
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Engg student missing
Dera Bassi, November 2 His father, Mr P.G. Nair, an Inspector with the ITBP, said Sethu left for college from Chandigarh on October 31 but never reached the college. He said though a case had been registered, the police had failed to find any clue so far.
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Biz clips
Chandigarh Magazine launched: The Next Gen Publishing Ltd., a Forbes group and HDFC Ltd enterprise, on Thursday launched a magazine — “The Ideal Home and Garden”. Dedicated to young homemakers, the magazine is styled to enhance the Indian home with international trends and thoughtful designs. TNS Connect winners: HFCL Connect on Thursday announced the lucky winners of their Star Cruise campaign at Planet Connect in Sector 35 here. Mr G.D. Singh, Vice-President (Operations), HFCL Infotel Ltd., announced the lucky winners — Raj Kishan of Sector 45, Chandigarh, and Dhani Ram Gupta of Jalandhar. TNS |
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Chandigarh, November 2
