Chandigarh, October 26
The Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB), the monopolistic arm of the Chandigarh administration, has found a unique way of dealing with bankruptcy.

Giving a jolt to the housing dream of the common man, it has hiked the rates of its upcoming two-bedroom apartments at Sector 51-A here by a whopping over 60 per cent over the past two years.

In fact, as compared to the Sector 63 housing scheme, floated by the CHB in 2008, where a two-bedroom flat, measuring 1,075 square feet, cost Rs 29.14 lakh, a flat at Sector 51-A, measuring 1,027 square feet, would cost around Rs 50 lakh. In the Sector 63 housing scheme, the cost of a three-bedroom flat was pegged at Rs 39.57 lakh.

“The price is certainly on the higher side and goes against the mandate of the CHB to provide affordable housing to the common man. In neighbouring Mohali and Zirakpur, two-bedroom apartments with better specifications than the CHB dwelling units are available for between Rs 25 lakh and Rs 35 lakh,” Zirakpur-based property developer Sunil Bandha said.

CHB sources claimed that keeping in view the strategic location between Chandigarh and Mohali and the burgeoning property prices in the city, the prices were reasonable.

“Chandigarh is still the most liveable city in the country and the overwhelming response to earlier housing schemes is testimony to this,” the sources asserted.

CHB claims of providing state-of-the-art housing complexes notwithstanding, the CHB’s performance on the housing front in recent years had brought its functioning under a cloud.

For the past two years and-a-half, not a brick had been laid for its Sector 63 and special UT employees’ schemes (Sectors 52 and 56).

That was perhaps the reason CHB officials’ statement about starting work in December this year was being taken with a pinch of salt.

While the architectural world was coming up with new designs and techniques everyday, CHB’s designs for housing projects had failed move with the times.

“The dwelling units built by the CHB since its inception in 1971 give a monotonous look, with hardly any innovation over the years,” rued AK Gupta of Sector 45.

Taking all factors into account, pricing seemed to be on the higher side and was being seen as a way by the CHB to come out of the red.

Chandigarh, October 26
The mandatory verification of servants and tenants residing in every house has virtually become a pointless exercise in the city. The major reason cited is the lukewarm response by cops of other states to inquiries about servants’ antecedents.

“In fact the response is never more than 3 percent of the total number of forms sent in the past several years. They (other states) only respond in cases where the records of someone wanted by them in a crime is sent”, said a police officer.

Chandigarh, October 26
This season, playing cards are out to give a Midas touch to your Diwali. Available in solid gold or 24-karat foil options, this deck of 52 cards is the latest rage among gold lovers and ‘festival gamblers’.

Strengthened by the ages-old belief of gambling on Diwali being auspicious, the cards have given conventional coins and idols a run for their popularity.

“Diwali and Dhanteras are considered the best days to buy gold. Playing cards are also considered auspicious and so, what can be more appealing than a sparkling deck of cards? For the past few years, we have been getting alternative gold gifts, but nothing is so popular. We are getting a customer or two everyday, asking for it,” says a jeweller at Sector 22.

“Not everybody is going in for a proper deck. Many have opted for miniature versions as a symbol of luck. Such gifts are unaffected by day-to-day variation of gold prices and are sold as per specified MRPs. A lot many people consider those as good Diwali gifts. The deck, specially the foiled one, is in huge demand,” says a jeweller at Sector 17.

Mohali, October 26
Hinterland brats dazzled by fast life are showing their muscle power on the streets to claim their supremacy.

Enrolled at various engineering and management colleges dotting Chandigarh’s periphery, raw youth power is finding expression in the form of car races, drunken bouts and exchange of muscle power, causing headache to residents and the police alike.

During the last nine months alone, at least six cases of major clashes between students of different colleges have been reported. In addition, there are many cases of the police managing to end the matter in a compromise.

Yesterday’s clash between two student groups at the Phase 7 market is reflective of a disconcerting trend in street violence among students. The incident was the outcome of a trivial issue between two groups studying at the Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Landran, about 5 km from Mohali. The victims,

Gurlabh and Anktirsh, who were attacked with swords by Jeevanjot, had dared to stare “offensively” at the assailant. The result: the assailant came armed to teach the boys a lesson.

Of late, the Phase 7 rehri market had become a hub for clashes between student groups. At least three incidents of clash had been reported from the market in the last six months. Each time, the police had recovered swords and baseball bats from swanky cars of these brats. Yet, no preventive action had been taken by the police.

On October 24, four unidentified persons were booked for firing in the air outside the Civil Hospital at Phase VI. A case was been registered on the complaint of Balwinder Singh, a resident of Kharar.

On August 12, a student leader, Amandeep Singh Multani, was involved in firing incident at Phase IX, near the Burail jail. He, along with his accomplice, fired three rounds on Moga-based youth Sartaj as the latter had been calling up a girl known to Multani.

To teach a lesson to Sartaj, the student leader called Sartaj to the spot and fired on him. Sartaj escaped and one of the bullets hit a cop standing at a distance. Eyewitnesses recalled that the firing was preceded by a hot chase in swanky cars.

On March 6 last year, two groups of boys clashed and one of the youths fired on another youth from the rival group. The bullet missed the target. About 40 youths armed with crude weapons came in the rear side of the market and started clashing with each other.

One of the youths, who came in a Hyundai Verna car, fired on a youth from the opposite group. After the firing, the youths escaped in two Verna cars, a Zen and a Pajero.

On October 22 last year, sons of two senior police officials at Phase 3 B2 created a ruckus, reportedly under the influence of liquor. College student Abhishek, son of former Punjab Police ADGP BP Tewari, and Lovpreet, son of a retired Himachal Pradesh Police official, entered into an argument with JP Singh, president of the Jalgidhar Sewak Jatha and other persons in the market over parking.

Market residents also objected to smoking by the duo. Even as they were allegedly abusing the shopkeepers, a PCR vehicle was called. The duo also misbehaved with photographers who tried to click their photographs.

On February 15, 2007, a student of Gian Jyoti Institute of Management and Technology got injured in a clash between two groups. Vikas, who was a second-year BCA student, was taken to a hospital, where he was given stitches. Some heated exchanges took place between two groups, with one including an outsider, in connection with Valentine’s Day the previous day.

Chandigarh, October 26
Going for the status quo, the Congress today retained the incumbent president of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (CTCC) BB Bahl for the record fourth time.

Bahl, a protégé of Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, was chosen ahead of Lalit Joshi Bhardwaj and Subhash Chawla, both former Mayors of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, former AITUC president Rampal Sharma and Pawan Sharma.

With the nomination of Bahl, the uncertainty surrounding the post has come to an end. Bahl’s nomination as the AICC member had given rise to speculation that Bhardwaj could replace him.

Recently, the Territorial Congress Committee delegates had passed a resolution authorising the AICC president Sonia Gandhi to nominate UT Congress president. In the past, there used to be a semblance of democracy as various candidates used to file nominations. However, this time around, no nomination papers were filed by any of the claimants for the post.

Bahl’s proximity to Mukherjee coupled with good relations with Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources Pawan Bansal seem to have tipped the scale in his favour.

Ahead of the MC elections next year, a section of the party wanted status quo ahead while the another section was rooting for a president who was a grassroots worker capable of inspiring confidence among the electorate.

Being non-controversial, Bahl suits every faction in the party. Since Bahl has never fought any election, he is perceived to be no threat to Bansal, sources said.

Chandigarh, October 26
The Chandigarh municipal corporation’s dream of seeing the “soleckshaw” (battery operated solar rickshaws) take off in a big way in the city has fallen flat.

Within a week of its launch almost a year ago in December, 2009, all five solar rickshaws delivered to the allottees with much fanfare were detected with technical defects and returned to the authorities.

The “soleckshaws”, which had cost around Rs 30,000 each, have been gathering dust in the basement of the MC office for the past nine months.

In their last-ditch effort to make their pilot project a success, authorities are now busy ordering new “soleckshaws” from the Punjab Engineering College (PEC), Chandigarh.

The seriousness of the municipal corporation authorities can be gauged from the fact that the recharge station for the solar batteries has been set up on the first floor of the fire station in Sector 17.

As a result, “soleckshaw” operators are forced to dismantle their solar batteries and carry these up a staircase to the first floor and back. This is both an inconvenient and time-consuming process.

Operators also object to the absence of an earmarked place to park their vehicles during night. Allottees have also been fuming over the low battery backup in the “soleckshaws”, which has forced them to pedal their vehicles without battery power many a time.

The operators also complain that the vehicles are heavy and it is not easy to pedal them.

The allottees have requested the department to replace these “soleckshaws” and issue them lighter models.

On the design of “soleckshaws”, the allottees point out that these are not comfortable for passengers as the seat is sloping and the vehicle does not have a canopy.

Sources in the MC say out of the 20 batteries provided by the company, 12 have been stolen from the MC parking lot.

Chandigarh, October 26
The police today rounded up a Panipat resident on a suspicion of carrying two quintals of spurious khoya in his car.

The suspect was stopped for traffic violation and during a routine search of the vehicle, traffic policemen spotted khoya in the car and informed the area police.

The SHO of the Sector 31 police station, Bakshish Singh, said the incident occurred at around 11 am when traffic cops stopped a Fiat Punto car bearing a temporary registration number.

The search of the vehicle led to the recovery of khoya. The car driver has been identified as 28-year-old Shaukat Ali, a resident of Panipat.

The SHO said the health department had taken the sample of the seized khoya. The police has impounded the car as a preventive measure.

The police released Shaukat after he filed surety bonds with the health department.

The SHO said if the samples failed quality test, they would register a case against him after the report from the health department.

Chandigarh, October 26
Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Shivraj V Patil inaugurated the second Chandigarh National Crafts Mela here at Kala Gram today.

Interacting with artists of different states, Patil said the mega event had been conceived to promote a better understanding and to reach out to each other to unify diverse and rich cultural ethos of the country.

Appreciating the efforts of the Chandigarh administration and the North-Zone Cultural Centre for organising the mela, the administrator said: “We have to set new standards for the years to come and shape a better future for the youth.”

Speaking on the occasion, Adviser to the UT Administrator Pradip Mehra said: “We have to revive our folk skills and folk dances for the generations to come.”

Home Secretary Ram Niwas said the mela would go a long way in showcasing the skills and crafts of around 150 craftsmen from different parts of the country. This 10-day mega event will provide residents of the city an opportunity to witness various energetic folk performances along with art and heritage of the different states, he added.

Panchkula, October 26
A resident of Mauli Jagran, Jagdish Kumar, has alleged the Kalka police kept his 7-year-old son in illegal confinement for three days, accusing the cops of even demanding a bribe to release the child.

Panchkula deputy superintendent of police (HQ) Badri Prasad has asked the Kalka DSP to hold an inquiry into the matter and hold a fair investigation of the complaint filed by the child’s father.

Kumar stated his son, Rahul, was missing since October 23. “After searching for him in various places I came to know from his friends that the Kalka police had picked him up from the town’s railway station”.

He said he had been visiting the Kalka police station for the past three days to get his son freed but to no avail. “The cops there told me my son was involved in a theft case and demanded Rs 5,000 for his release”, he alleged.

After Kumar lodged a complaint with Prasad, the Kalka police brought Rahul to Panchkula and handed him over to his parents.

When contacted Prasad said he has marked an inquiry into the matter to the Kalka DSP and has asked him to file a report as early as possible.

However, sources said the police has not yet registered any case into the incident and, moreover, has not conducted a medical examination of the child, which his parents had been demanding. 

Chandigarh, October 26
Law students of Panjab University today expressed resentment over the examination dates that are clashing with the festival season.

They said the other departments had rescheduled their examination dates. However, following the protest, the authorities are mulling over postponing the dates from November 9 to 16.

Around 150 students of the department said they would intensify their protest if the authorities did not accede to their demands.

Students said they would not attend the first lecture on Wednesday as a mark of their protest.

“We have been urging the authorities to postpone our exams for the past many days. Now we are left with only one option and that is to agitate till our demands are met,”said Buland Singh, a law student.

Later, Dean Student Welfare (DSW) Naval Kishore arrived on the spot and pacified students. He assured them that the dates would be rescheduled.

Chandigarh, October 26
The Joint Action Committee of the Teaching and Non-teaching Employee Federation (NTEF), Chandigarh, has decided to stage dharnas in all colleges from October 28.

Stating this in a press release today, Prof Ghanshyam Dev, district president of the Teachers’ Union, and RK Sharma, president, NTEF, said they had also decided to observe a black Diwali this time.

The committee is protesting against the non-payment of revised pay scales and the delay in release of arrears. — TNS

Chandigarh, October 26
There has been a major decline in agricultural dependence and village communities in rural India, where political influence has penetrated, in the last five decades.

Having studied the difference between rural India from 1956 to 2007, particularly one village in minute detail, Yogendra Singh, sociologist and professor emeritus at JNU, today discussed his research at a UGC-sponsored seminar at the Postgraduate Government College for Girls, Sector 11.

He pointed to the replacement of rituals, festivals and get-togethers by political influence on rural communities, which were now divided on party lines. “In 1956, dependence on agriculture was 80 per cent in villages. There are 60 per cent people now who are not entirely dependent on agriculture,” he said, adding that these facts were not true for Punjab.

“People who are dependent on agriculture in rural India now are the ones who are poor. But when the evolution of rural India began after Independence, the per capita land share in various states was different. For instance, it was 11 acres in Punjab and 2.5 acres in Bihar. It is unfair to compare the states,” he said.

Yet another stark difference between villages was their perception about growth, he added. “When villagers were asked about their future and goals in 1956, they used to reply that the government would do things for them. Now when villagers are asked this, they say they will be able to do things on their own,” he said.

He said strategic planning for villages needed to be decentralised. Over the years, development had happened on all fronts, but villages had been bypassed, he noted.

Chandigarh, October 26
On the second day of one-week first autumn school for training and research in pharmaceutical sciences under the UGC Networking Resource Centre on “Newer Paradigms in Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics” held at the University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), the stalwarts from industry, academia and overseas shared their experience and erudition with the younger faculty members.

Dr J K Paliwal, director, BV Patel PERD Centre, enlightened audience about the importance of PK/PD modeling in drug discovery, development and therapeutics.

Capt Prabhjot S Dhanoa, pharmacy manager, Canada, apprised the audience of the nuances of current pharmacy profession with a special reference to Canadian practice in hospital, community and military pharmacies. RSR Murthy, director, ISF College of Pharmacy, shared his experience on gene delivery by modulating pharmacokinetics of plasmid DNA using liposomes and lipoplexes.