Chandigarh, December 29
Acknowledging the need for being extra cautious to prevent planting of bombs and shootouts on New Year Eve, the Chandigarh Police today issued instructions to Station House Officers of all police stations to ensure the deployment of adequate police force at the venues of celebrations. The Deputy Superintendent of Police, in charge of security, has also been asked to ensure the carrying out of anti-sabotage checks at all important hotels, discothèques, restaurants and guest houses in the city. All the SHOs have been deployed for entire night patrolling and they have been directed to be in their areas from 6 pm till the New Year celebrations are over. Besides this, they would check all the newspaper distribution centres, vegetable markets, rehri markets and ensure proper deployment at these points.

The police would also remain present at parking lots and happening places and would also ensure that parking areas should be kept at a reasonable distance away from party places. The police would also keep colonies under their watch during the late night hours.

Senior officers have also directed police officials to be in contact with the people making arrangement for parties and the concerned SHOs have been asked to submit their reports with the DSPs of their areas, who would further inform the Police Control Room.

The Chandigarh police has also requested the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to provide one section of each battalion at pickets to be set up in various parts of the city. Besides this, one section of mounted police would be provided to each sub-division as per the requirement.

The SHOs of all the police stations have been asked to ensure that wine shops in the city are closed at the scheduled times. The officers have been given strict instructions to keep an eye on their subordinates so that they should not indulge in drinking and no one should leave his duty without informing.

UT Senior Superintendent of Police Gaurav Yadav said special emphasises was being put on drunken driving or incidents of hooliganism. The police force has been asked to be in touch with the traffic police in order to assist them in restoring law and order in parking lots and other places to ensure smooth flow of traffic.

He also added that traffic violators were being challaned in an aggressive manner to give signal to the violators.

An amount of Rs 10 crore has been sanctioned for the dual carriageway. The earth embankment work is almost complete. In order to meet the shortage of power supply, the Administration has cleared a 50-MW solar plant that only needs a formal approval from the Ministry of Non-Conventional Resources.

The work will commence shortly on the Water Amusement Park with signing up of an agreement recently. The Administration is coming up with Education City which will house at least six major educational institutes with a state-of-the-art infrastructure and related courses in different fields.

The Administration has also cleared the preliminary work on a Milk City and one of the biggest names doing the names is of Amul Dairy Products. The Film City has witnessed big names, including Subhash Ghai and Sippy Brothers, besides others.

The Rajiv Gandhi Chandigarh Technology Park is one of the biggest developments in the recent years which will have a marked impact on the future of the city. Work has also commenced on the major housing project in the park which was bagged by the Parsvanath.

It has sanctioned the plans for a mural in Sector 17 which is the commercial hub of the city. The renovation of Tagore Theatre and the construction of Nehru Centre for Performing Arts have already been cleared by the Administration and the coming year is likely to show the results.

Chandigarh, December 29
Elections of Deans of various faculties of the Panjab University were held here today.

Deans to eight faculties were chosen today from among members of various faculties of the university. The day belonged to the ‘rotation group’ of senators with all elections turning out to be unanimous.

No voting took place as no names were proposed by the members of the GK Chatrath group against the names proposed by the members of the ‘rotation group’.

Prof B.S. Ghumman of the Department of Public Administration, PU, was chosen as the Dean, Faculty of Arts replacing Prof Ashwani Aggarwal.

Prof Deepak Manmohan Singh of the Department of Punjabi retained his post as the Dean of Languages.

Prof S.S. Sangha, Principal, Dashmesh College of Education for Women, Badal, was elected as Dean of Faculty of Education while Dr Jagdish Bains, Principal, Dev Samaj College of Education, Ferozepur, was elected as secretary of the faculty.

Prof Satish Kapoor of the University Business School was chosen as the Dean, Business Management and Commerce, replacing Prof A.K. Sahajpal. Dr Jagwant Singh of the GGDSD College, Sector 32, here, was chosen as the secretary of the faculty with Prof Kapoor.

Prof Daljit Singh of the Department of Chemical Engineering, PU, was elected as Dean, Engineering and Technology, while Prof U.S. Shivhari of the Department of Chemical Engineering was elected as secretary of the faculty. Prof Akhtar Mehmood of the Department of Biochemistry retained his post as Dean of the Science Faculty.

Ms Pankaj Mala Sharma of the Department of Music has been elected as the Dean of Design and Fine Arts while Ms Gurpreet Kaur, Principal, Master Gurbanta Singh Memorial College, Kartarpur, was elected as the secretary of the faculty.

Mr V.R. Sinha of the University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences was elected as Dean Pharmaceutical Sciences and Prof Manoj Kumar of the same department was elected as the secretary of the faculty.

Elections to the new syndicate will be held tomorrow along with the election of the Dean, Medical Sciences, Dean of the Law Faculty and Dean of Dairying, Animal Husbandry and Agriculture.

Chandigarh, December 29
The Chandigarh Administration has notified rules for the erection and re-erection of buildings in villages falling in the limits of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC).

The bylaws provide a big relief to the residents in the mixed use of buildings. All the buildings in the villages may be used for residential or commercial or any other trade or purpose prescribed under the rules. However, no industrial activity shall be permitted except for the existing household industries permitted by the Department of Industries of the Administration, a press note said here today.

This implies that the guest houses, which were illegal under old bylaws, are permissible now.This would help the inhabitants of these villages to improve their financial as well as living condition.

The minimum height of a building has been allowed to be 34 feet, i.e. two floors. This excludes the height of the parapet and water tank. The minimum size of a habitable room shall not be less than 100 sq ft.The site coverage shall be as below subject to condition of height and ventilation under the rules. Open balconies/projection not exceeding three feet in width are allowed, provided these do not project on government land.

The residents will now have to submit their building plans to the MCC for approval. The residents can submit their plans to the architectural wing in the office of Chief Engineer, Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, at Room No. 120 and at Ground Floor, New Deluxe Building , Sector 17, Chandigarh .

In the bylaws special incentives have been provided to encourage regulated development. These also provide for substantial incentives to those residents of existing village "abadis", who collectively opt for improving the existing civic infrastructure, specially roads and other services. Another important feature of the bylaws is that developers who can acquire minimum of half an acre of land in the abadi area of the village can construct six-storey flats with a mix of residential/commercial use.

The bylaws, with the special provisions, will certainly change the face of the villages and the village abadis would in long run develop into independent and environment friendly small towns with tremendous scope for future improvement.

Mohali, December 29
In a controversial decision, the Minister for School Education, Punjab, Mr Pratap Singh Bajwa, has made last-minute appointments in the Punjab School Education Board with one person joining less than an hour before the model code of conduct was enforced across the state.

Highly placed sources in the Education Department said the Controller of Examinations, Ms S.K. Saroya, was unceremoniously divested of her charge as the Controller and was replaced with Mr Avtar Singh, a Circle Education Officer, posted at Jalandhar.

Mr Avtar Singh joined the board this afternoon even as Ms Saroya is on a week’s leave and has not handed over her charge.

The sources said the minister had also filled the post of the Vice-Chairman, lying vacant for the past few months, by appointing Mr Ranjit Singh Bajwa Vice-Chairman. Sources pointed out that desperate measures were on to issue the orders in today’s date to hoodwink the model code of conduct.

The sources said in the appointment of Mr Avtar Singh, the minister had overruled an observation of the Principal Secretary, Education, Mr Sarvesh Kaushal, who had asked the board’s Chairman to appoint a regular Controller of Examinations in accordance with the rules.

Ms Saroya, who is the Senior Legal Adviser of the board, was appointed the Controller of Examinations in August, 2004, and the then Principal Secretary, Education, Ms Tejinder Kaur, had noted that Ms Saroya was the only person in the board who could have filled the post as she was suitably qualified for the same.

Ms Saroya had cracked down on the cheating mafia in school examinations.

The board has since 2002 not initiated the procedure for the selection of a regular Controller and the post continued to be occupied by senior board employees as additional charge.

Following a move initiated by the minister to appoint Mr Avtar Singh to the board as the regular Controller, Mr Kaushal had reportedly suggested that proper procedure be followed and only then a regular Controller be appointed. Proper procedure involved the issuing of an advertisement and passing a circular regarding the post within the department, for which all those qualified would have applied.

The sources added that the procedure had been started and a note to this effect even circulated within the board and the Education Department. However, even before the contenders for the post could send in their applications, the minister went ahead with the appointment.

Chandigarh, December 29
A Sector 21-B doctor allegedly left the mother of a doctor in pain on the operation table without completing an endoscopic procedure here today.

Ms Manni Devi (61), the mother of Dr S.R. Meena, a child-specialist with the ESI Hospital in Ram Darbar, was undergoing endoscopic procedure for the removal of a stent in CBD when the surgeon, Dr Neeraj Nagpal, owner of Hope Nursing Home, left the procedure half way allegedly to attend another appointment.

The child specialist said after getting various tests conducted on his mother for locating the position of the stent, he sought appointment with Dr Nagpal. He reached the clinic this morning where he was told that the hospital charged Rs 10,000 for the endoscopic procedure to remove the stent called ERCP. He was asked to deposit Rs 7,500 in advance while the rest of the payment was to be made after the surgery.

Dr Meena alleged, “After administering local anaesthesia, the surgeon inserted endoscope inside my mother’s stomach. Dr Nagpal made futile efforts for over 15 minutes to remove the stent.”

Chandigarh, December 29
In a fit of rage, a Burail resident in an inebriated condition allegedly set afire a woman in his neighbourhood by pouring kerosene on her at her residence late last night. The police cited an old financial dispute with the victim’s husband as the reason behind the attack.

The victim, 26-year-old Nanhi, mother of two, was admitted to the Sector 32 Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in a critical condition. She reportedly suffered 90 per cent burn injuries. Her husband, Rajbir, a street hawker, also suffered burns on his face and hands while rescuing his wife.

The police arrested Bhagwandas, the neighbour, in a case of attempt to murder under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code on a statement given by Mr Rajbir Singh. The accused has been arrested.

The police said the accused forcibly entered the victim’s house and poured kerosene over her and then set her afire. Nanhi and her two children, five-year-old son and one-year-old daughter, were at home at that time. The accused after setting the woman afire locked the house from outside. In the meantime, Rajbir reached home and found Nanhi engulfed in flames. He tried to extinguish the fire by wrapping her in a sack and raised the alarm. Soon people gathered there and rushed the victim to hospital.

Mr Rajbir told the police that he had borrowed Rs 450 from Bhagwandas, also a street hawker, which he returned later. Bhagwandas came to his residence on Wednesday and demanded money from his wife. When she told him that the amount was already returned, Bhagwandas forcibly snatched Rs 1,000 from his wife and ran away. This led to a confrontation and the matter was reported to the police. The police intervened and Bhagwandas returned the amount.

“Enraged over being forced to pay back the money, Bhagwandas nursed a grudge against me and last night he assaulted my wife in a fit if rage”, alleged Rajbir. The police said the victim’s statement has been recorded before a magistrate and it had also corroborated with the statement given by her husband.

The police said the accused was produced before a local court today, which remanded him in judicial custody.

Mr Rajesh Bhasin, director of the Zirakpur-based ONS Developers and Promoters, will be in New Delhi on Saturday in connection with the business plans of the group. Promoted by professionals, the group plans to venture into real estate projects, including housing and shopping malls, on Chandigarh's periphery, particularly Zirakpur and Kharar. The main emphasis of the group is going to be on timely possession and quality construction.

Deepa Narayan Jha, wife of playback singer Udit Narayan, will be in town on Saturday in connection with the ongoing New Year celebrations by the Chandigarh Administration. A talented singer, Deepa has many songs, both duets and solo, to her credit. She forayed into producing films with her debut Bhojpuri film “Kab Hoi Gaona Hamar”. Her next Bhojpuri production, starring former Miss World Yukta Mookhey, is ready for release.

Zirakpur, December 29
The municipal limits of the township of apartments and shopping malls - Zirakpur - have been extended with the inclusion of two more villages - Nabha and Singhpura.

According to sources, the Punjab Government has extended the limits apparently for the "development of the area in a planned manner" and to check haphazard urban growth.

Chandigarh, December 29
“Culturally speaking”, 2007 will be no cakewalk for Chandigarh Administration which has its hands full with promises. And when promises have been made, they must be fulfilled, too, especially when everyone is watching. In a way then, the year ahead will be less about making announcements about new projects and more about crystallising those already made.

Needless to say, on top of the agenda will be the promotion of Chandigarh’s heritage and tourism potential. Where 2006 brought the news of Chandigarh entering the tentative list for nomination to UNESCO’s World Heritage list, the year ahead is expected to take the news further and bring home the promise of “world heritage status.”

On job are top minds, including Prof Kiran Joshi from the Chandigarh College of Architecture, who has, along with UT Administration, prepared the city’s case for the global recognition. But whether the case stands UT Administration in good stead is to be seen over the coming months.

Interesting to note is the diverse package for tourism promotion which the UT Administration has worked out. The idea is to ensure that the city no longer remains a transit point. Much has been heard about adventure and theme parks which CITCO will develop, also about two lakes which are to come up along the course of Leisure Valley stream in Chandigarh. Work on the one of them, in Sector 23, has begun, though experts are apprehensive about the need of such lakes. The apprehension is backed by lack of studies that detail the inflow and outflow of water at the designated spots. The issue of flooding of areas near to the proposed lakes will have to be addressed. But how, no one knows.

What the Administration does, however, know is that it will fast-track the work on Chandigarh Film City project. The promise has been well-made considering Yash Chopra’s repeated warnings. As chairperson of Chandigarh Tourism Advisory Forum (CTAF), Chopra has made it clear to the UT Administration that he means business. When he chaired the first meeting of the forum on November 15 this year, he told the authorities that he will return only if he sees progress on the agenda items---professional school of acting and international film festival on regular basis.

In its zeal to deliver, the UT Administration did host the first Chandigarh Film Festival in mid-December this year. Well-conceived though, the project failed to take off due to lack of proper management. Classics were shown at Fun Republic for three days, but no facilities were provided to give the event a truly-festive feel. People did not know whether the entry was on passes or tickets. They also didn’t know where to get those tickets. And those who actually wanted to see the films were discouraged by a lame one-liner which all the Administration advertisements carried. The message said: “Limited seats available.” It is another matter that brilliant films were screened to empty chairs later.

More planning would has to come in if anything good has to be made of the annual film festival. The key to success, as film critic and buff Gautam Kaul pointed out during the inauguration of the festival, “is to constitute a committee of sincere professionals who know their films and film-makers.” A help desk at the venue of the festival is an absolute-must.

Equally important is to focus with conviction on the Film City project, which promises world class studios, courses in direction, acting and much more. As Yash Chopra said: “We need political will to see the project through. We also need passion, which is the quintessence of all projects related to creativity.”

Thankfully, political will is there, with UT Administrator Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd) himself getting involved in the affair. Now the ball is really in the bureaucracy’s court. They have two important promises to keep — deliver on the film city project and build on Chandigarh’s medical tourism potential — which has been discussed in seminars over and over again.

Chandigarh, December 29
Happy New Year… Soch rahe ho ki itni jaldi kyon?... Kya ab tum Don ko bataoge ki kab New Year wish karna hai?

With the SMS being one of the best communication mantras in today’s world, New Year greetings have already started beeping on mobile phones. Fearing a clogging of the network due to congestion around midnight on December 31, the last days of 2006 are already seeing a frenzied exchange of New Year SMS wishes.

Interestingly, most people come up with interesting explanations on why they were sending SMS in advance. A good example is: A photo of a teddy pleading: “Can I stay in your inbox until 01/01/07, so that I am the first one to wish u a Happy New Year?” Others decide to send simple greetings with a polite explanation like, “Well as the networks may be jammed for the next two days, and messages lost in thin air, I would like to wish you a Happy New Year in advance”.

Officials in various telecom companies say that SMS traffic increases 20 to 30 times on New Year’s Eve and on New Year’s Day. They, however, say that sufficient arrangements have been made to ensure that SMS traffic flows smoothly.

Airtel has made extra efforts to ensure this: "A new SMSC has been installed to tackle additional traffic." Officials of Spice Telecom told Tribune News Service that they are all geared up to deal with SMS traffic. “We have enhanced our capacity this year so that subscribers have no problem in greeting their loved ones. Besides, we have also launched a host of value added services, such as astro-predictions, juke box, caller songs, background music, polytunes and MMSs. 

Chandigarh, December 29
The UT Administrator, Gen S.F. Rodrigues, today awarded special remission to prisoners on the occasion of New Year Day, i.e. January 1, 2007.

The remission has been done to encourage good behaviour among the prisoners and to get the convicts into mainstream. As many as 97 convicts will be benefited.

The prisoners, who are convicted by the courts of criminal jurisdiction, including special courts in the Union Territory of Chandigarh, and confined in the model jail, Chandigarh, will be granted remission.

The special remission for the prisoners sentenced to imprisonment for more than 10 years or for life will be one year, for prisoners undergoing sentence of more than five years and up to 10 years it will be eight months, for prisoners undergoing sentence of more than two years and up to five years, it will be four months. For prisoners undergoing sentence of not more than two years, two months’ remission has been awarded.

Chandigarh, December 29
The Uppal Group will be investing over Rs 800 crore for its realty projects in the city, over the next one year. With three of its projects already on the ground, the group is now eyeing for projects in the Chandigarh Technology Park, Chandigarh City Centre and another housing project.

Talking to TNS here today, Mr Manish Uppal, Managing Director of Uppal Housing, said Chandigarh had a huge potential in the realty sector. “Being a well planned city, it attracts a lot of persons from outside, especially the NRI population. As a result, there is huge potential in the real estate market here,” he said.

The Uppal Group had made their debut in the city’s realty business last year with the taking over of a 5.4 acre chunk of land in Manimajra for over Rs 108 crore in an auction. The group plans to construct high end luxury apartments - Uppals Marble Arch - here, at a cost of Rs 1. 14 crore to Rs 1. 31 crore. In April this year, the group took over the Centra Mall - the tallest mall to come up in the Industrial Area here from Pasco Real Estate. Two months ago, the group successfully bid for a hotel site in Sector 35 and got the site for Rs 101.37 crore - the highest ever in the city on a leasehold basis.

Mr Uppal informed TNS that the Marble Arch apartments project would require an investment of Rs 300 crore, while the Centra Mall project would require an investment of Rs 125 crore. “The hotel will have 175- 200 rooms with large banquet halls and four F&B (food and beverage) outlets. We also plan to have high end retail space in the hotel. After construction, the hotel will be handed over to an international management company for operation. The total estimated cost of the hotel project is Rs 400 crore,” he said.

The Centra Mall will have a glass facade, 344-feet frontage and will have a clear visibility to all stores. The building will also have a food court, besides four state-of-art-auditoriums and a 53-ft high atrium. The building will be earth-quake resistant. The fifth floor will have a multiplex, which will have 1,000 seats. Keeping in mind that most commercial areas in Chandigarh have an external verandah, the architects have chosen to give an edge atrium instead of a regular central atrium to the building. The building will have panels of cold cathode red lighting running along the glass facade that is recharged by the sunlight and emits a reddish hue at night. The family entertainment centre aims to provide an all-round leisure and retail experience to the residents in an ecologically sound and responsible manner.

Mr Uppal said that all three projects in the city would be functional within the next two and half years.