Chandigarh, November 29
A high-profile family with roots in Chandigarh lost one of its members in the Mumbai terror attack.

Ruby Randhawa, daughter of the late (Padam Shri) Dr Sant Kaur who had served in the Sector 22 civil dispensary in Chandigarh, was killed during the terror attack at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai.

Her father was a doctor at the PGI and the family used to live in Sector 11 before they migrated to the UK.

Ruby Randhawa spent most of her life educating young minds. Not only was she a good teacher, but also inspired her students to push beyond the perceived limits and achieve that which they thought was impossible.

Her city-based cousin, Manmohan Singh Gujral, said that on the fateful night, Ruby (51) went to have dinner with her husband at Taj Hotel. They were coming out of the hotel after dinner when a terrorist shot her.

Talking to The Tribune on the phone from Mumbai, her husband Davinder Singh Randhawa, who is a pilot with Taj Airlines, said: “Ruby had spent her childhood in Chandigarh. She did her schooling from Carmel Convent, Sector 9, and Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 16. She graduated from the Government College for Girls, Sector 11. Ruby completed her MSc in the UK.”

She settled with her husband in Mumbai. The couple has two daughters.

“I don’t want to remember that awful night when I lost my wife so please don’t ask me anything about the incident,” he said.

Ruby’s sister is married to an IRS officer (retired) and lives in Patiala.

The cremation took place this afternoon.

Chandigarh, November 29
Unsuitable business location of the MC’s much-hyped pilot project of night food street near the PGI seems to be an impediment in attracting restaurateurs and others in the food business to set up shop there.

The MC authorities have decided to re-invite bids for an Indian, a continental and a South Indian food stall after failing to get any attractive bid in the first attempt.

During the last bid, 43 local food chain owners turned up with the highest bid of Rs 31,000 against the reserve price of Rs 5,000. However, there were no takers for kiosks earmarked for South Indian, Indian and continental cuisines.

A restaurant owner commented that the authorities seemed to have given little thought to the growth potential of the business while choosing the site close to the hospital. “A night food street has to be located in the heart of the city and not close to hospitals,” he said, adding that the second project of a similar venture in Sector 17 was a better option.

Nightlife in the city was picking up among the youth, but why would they visit a night food street driving all the way through the city, he asked. He also said the authorities should come up with some projects of entertainment like setting up open air theatre near such streets so that there could be good business.

Another restaurant owner said food street was a good idea, but the authorities should consider the security angle. If one went by the crime record during night, it was hardly safe to venture out at night.

Referring to hotels that have 24-hour service, he said during night, youngsters often created scenes.

The MC joint commissioner, T.P.S. Phoolka, said as the bid for the three kiosks was very low, they decided to invite bids again. Sources in the police department also admitted that the proposed night food street would add to their problems as it was located in a deserted area and may facilitate crime.

Sources in the police also admitted that the night food street would add on the problem for their department as it located at deserted area, which may increase crime.

In a dramatic turn of events, the kidnappers of six-year-old Japjit Singh dropped him at Rose Garden here late this evening.

Japjit was kidnapped from near his house in Sector 38 West when he went for tuition around 4 pm yesterday.

Sources said four persons were involved in the kidnapping and they took the child to Dehra dun side.

Later, they dropped the child at Rose Garden and informed his family to pick him up.

The police claimed that it had clues about the kidnappers and they would be arrested soon.

According to police sources, Japjit reached the tuition place, but left immediately, telling his tutor that he was going to buy a copy from a nearby stationery shop. After that he neither returned for tuition nor at his house.

“After an hour, the shopkeeper reached the boy’s house and informed them that he had got a phone call regarding the kidnapping of the boy.

He informed the boy’s father, an employee with National Fertilizer Limited, about the incident. The father reached the shop and the kidnappers called again and demanded Rs 20 lakh as ransom. They also told the father that the boy was in Ambala,” the sources said.

The family informed the police about the kidnapping around 8 pm, after which the police deputed three parties for the case.

The police instructed the family to keep negotiating with the kidnappers so that they could be tracked.

During negotiations, the family set Mauli Jagran to deliver ransom, which came down to Rs 7 lakh this evening.

While the police was investigating the case, the family got a call that the boy was at Rose Garden.

When contacted, the family refused to talk to the media on the issue

Chandigarh, November 29
Russian Ambassador to India Vyacheslav I. Trubnikov today said his country hoped the new administration in the United States would recognise the legitimate means being used by Russia to play a major role in the new multi-polar world even as he said the west should be cautious in expanding NATO in eastern Europe.

Delivering the Haksar memorial lecture at the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID), here, and participating in an interaction later, the Ambassador said NATO countries were themselves asking the US the reason for this expansion and against whom it was directed.

“I hope the new administration (under Barack Obama) might draw necessary lessons from what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan.” He said the situation in Iraq was the direct result of unilateral action on the part of the US despite the fact that many people in the country had tried to avoid the ‘adventure’.

“We would like to see how the new administration will place its international priorities,” he said, adding it was to be seen if the slogan of change on which Barack Obama fought the election would be extended to the nation’s foreign policy also. He said Russia was in favour of a constructive relationship with the US.

The Ambassador said Russia was in favour of a new Euro-Atlantic treaty. The process for forming the new security architecture must be fast tracked. “We are obviously not happy with the existing one and it is not because we see no place in it for Russia.” He said the real problem was that the current security system was in a state of serious breakdown and could, in a force case scenario, lead to bloodshed.

While speaking on the financial meltdown in the Russian context, Trubnikov said though the country could not be immune to it, its effect had not been profound or overwhelming. He said the country possessed considerable foreign exchange reserves and other safety mechanisms that guaranteed its financial and economic stability.

Replying to a question by noted advocate V.K. Sibal, the Russian Ambassador said his country was apprehensive about relying on income from oil and was investing in the ‘real economy’. Earlier, in his address, he said the recent global crisis is an evidence of a shift from a unipolar world to a multi-polar one. He said the crisis could be addressed only by engaging the leading economies.

Earlier, CRRID executive vice-chairman Dr Rashpal Malhotra and Ambassador (retd) Paramjit S. Sahai also spoke on the occasion. 

Chandigarh, November 29
Negligence on the part of a contractor in laying a sewerage line has damaged the water pipeline in Sector 24.

According to area residents, the contractor started digging work in Sector 24 to lay sewerage pipeline on Thursday night. While working, the workers dug up to the water meters without caring about the damage.

President of the Traders’ Welfare Association of Sector 24 Rakesh revealed that they had not been informed about laying of sewerage pipeline in their area. When the shopkeepers tried to stop the work, the workers ran away, he added.

Zirakpur, November 29
With the clearance from the ministry of surface transport, decks have been cleared to make the Dappar toll plaza operational by the first week of December. The toll would be charged for the costs incurred by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in the four-laning of the Chandigharh-Ambala national highway.

The road users would, however, have to pay the toll at the Dera Bassi flyover. The period to charge the toll for the Dera Bassi flyover is till next year.

Sources in GMR stated that for the benefit of local commuters, the toll operating company had started issuing monthly passes and e-purse facility, besides registration of vehicle owners residing close to Dappar village.

GMR sources stated that as per norms, the discount of 50 per cent would be given to the local commercial traffic. The local private traffic will get 25 per cent discount in the toll.

Sources said these residents could avail exemption passes by producing their ration cards, residential proofs and registration certificate of vehicle for their registration with the toll plaza. GMR officials said, “The company had started e-purse facility in which commuter could pay an amount of Rs 750 to get a smart card as monthly pass.

From this card one gets 30 trips in a month. However, if one could not complete these 30 trips (in a month) then the balance trips would be adjusted in next month at the time of recharge of the smart card.”

Meanwhile, local residents are opposing the toll, terming it against the highway norms, as double toll can not be charged within a distance of 8 km on the same highway while the people of nearby villages have demanded toll free facility for them.

Chandigarh, November 29
The UT Police has decided to approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court urging it to set up a fast track court in the city for speedy justice.

“In a communiqué, which will be sent to assistant registrar of the high court on Monday, we are requesting the judiciary to set up a fast track court in the city at the earliest as it becomes tedious for them to appear for every hearing in cases involving foreign nationals,” said a senior police official on condition of anonymity.

He also claimed that it would not only ensure speedy justice to the victims, but also boost the morale of the police.

“In cases involving foreign nationals, there is a very high probability of not only witness but also the victims turning hostile due to time involved. Such courts will be a boon for police officials and will also help in curtailing crime. The speedy conviction of criminals also have large impact on the other criminals,” added the officer.

The fast track courts have proved beneficial in Rajasthan where a rape case of a German national was disposed of within nine days of registration of FIR.

Chandigarh, November 29
The XXV IATLIS (Indian Association of Teachers of Library and Information Science National Conference), which began at Panjab University on November 27, concluded today.

Prof B.S. Ghuman, dean, faculty of arts, said in his presidential address that India was emerging as a knowledge economy and had the demographic advantage of 550 million youth below the age of 25 years. Commercialisation and privatisation of education was taking place in favour of elite professions like medicine, engineering and business management while social science subjects, including library and information science, were being pushed to the background.

More and more empirical research should be done to generate valuable information to inform social science programmes.

He said the resource crunch would be increasing, but this did not mean that the quality of education and training was compromised.

Teaching methods should be based on the blending of the traditional methods and ICT-based methods.

Prof. C.R. Karisiddappa, president of the IATLIS, said the LIS faculty was required to develop employable skills among future professionals. There was need to change the faculty mindset to strengthen the IATLIS, he said, adding that only 30 per cent of the faculty was member of the IATLIS.

Dr Ashu Shokeen, director of the conference, presented eight resolutions based on the discussions.

About 75 delegates from all over India participated in the conference.

Panchkula, November 29
The Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi has expanded its cultural activities to the semi-urban and rural audience with the staging of a festival of socially relevant plays at Kaimbala village and now at Mani Majra.

The festival is aimed at creating awareness about social evils through the most vibrant and effective medium of street theatre, akademi vice-chairperson Kamal Arora maintained. The presence of a large audience in front of the Mani Majra fort (the venue) was encouraging, he added.

The festival commenced with a Hindi play “Paryavarn ka Vinash” presented by Theatre Arts under the direction of Rajiv Mehta. A powerful satire on the negligence with regard to the upkeep of the ecological balance and the eventual calamity was effectively illustrated. The playwright had borrowed themes from mythology and relied on celestial characters like Yamraj and Chitragupt.

The second play “Jara Bach Ke”, directed by Gurav Sharma, dealt with AIDS, its causes, communication and precautionary measures. The director presented his serious observations and viewpoint in an interesting manner through the story of a eunuch. The issues were presented in a light and subtle style.

Chandigarh, November 29
The Pracheen Kala Kendra organised a special musical soiree featuring Delhi-based duo of Amjad Khan in solo tabla recital and Kashif Ahmed in ghazal concert at Randhawa Auditorium here today.

Both progeny of the acclaimed Esraj maestro Ustad Allaudin Khan, the foremost accompanist of Ustad Ghulam Ali and Mehdi Hasan, have acquired the skills of stage performance with confidence.

Today’s soiree commenced with a solo recital on tabla by Amjad Khan who presented the Peshkar, in slow paced “teen taal” delineating the a wide range of phrases and sounds. Amjad displayed his verve and versatility doling out the fundamental rhythmic syllables of its grammar. He presented “qayida, palta”, showed his skill in executing the “tode, tukde”, varied “relas”, and approaching the “sam” with “tihais” in style. He concluded his recital presenting “chakardar paran” and different “tihais”.

Mohd Umar gave a lyrical “nagma” on harmonium. Kashif Ahmed then took the centre stage to present a series of ghazals immortalised by stalwarts of this realm.

Be it poet Azim’s “Tuth jaaye na bharam”, or a Ahmed Faraz classic “Pyar bhare do sharmeele nain”, Kashif doled out all displaying his command over classical music and modulation of voice. Audience also relished “chain tumse, karar tumse” but reserved applause for Nasir Qazmi’s composition “Dil mein ek lehar si…” a favourite of Ghulam Ali. He concluded the recital with a Sufi kalam “Ye jo halka-halka suroor…”.

Mohd Salil on tabla, Siraj Khanon mandolin, Mohd Umar on harmonium and local lad Goldy provided an excellent accompaniment on Spanish guitar. Kendra director Ms Shobha Koser honoured the artistes. 

Mohali, November 29
Freshers’ day was organised at SAS institute of technology and research here.

Sanjeev Babooa, registrar of university of technology, P Mohadeb, acting executive director, tertiary education commission of Mauritius, were the chief guests. Dr J.S. Dhaliwal, chairman of the institute advised the students to use this opportunity to open up new vistas of amity between the seniors and the newcomers.

Dr Girish Jaswal, director general of the institute welcomed the new batches of MBA, MCA, BBA and BCA advised them to develop their skills to face the competitive world.

Chandigarh, November 29
The department of physics, Government College, Sector 11, organised a poster-making competition today in which more than 30 students displayed their creative skills.

Chandigarh, November 29
While Dr Raj Bhadur’s one-year term as the director-principal of Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, ends on November 30, there is no official nod from the administration about his continuation.

Though a mere formality, Dr Bhadur’s continuation has to be ratified by the PGI’s governing council, which has not taken any decision on it so far.

The council is slated to meet on December 3 and is likely to take a decision then. Dr Bhadur is on two-year deputation from the PGI. His first year at the GMCH would finish tomorrow.

“My duty is to serve my patients whether it is GMCH-32 or the PGI,” said Dr Raj Bhadur. He added: “I have not received any communication from the administration till date.”

Sources in the administration said that as soon as a written no-objection certificate is received from PGI, Raj Bahadur would be given the extension.