Chandigarh, November 24
The water war between Chandigarh and Punjab is set to intensify in the months to come. With elections to the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) and the Punjab Assembly scheduled for 2011 and 2012, respectively, the reported denial of water from Phases V and VI of the Kajauli waterworks by Punjab to Chandigarh is set to assume political overtones.

Both Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Chandigarh MP and union minister for parliamentary and water resources Pawan Bansal, who will be facing the anti-incumbency factor, it will be a prestige issue to get more water for their respective electorates.

Punjab had already put its foot down on sharing of water with the UT on the plea that “in view of the critical situation of water supply in Mohali, it is not possible for the Punjab Government to agree to share water of Phases V and VI on the pattern of the first four phases.”

Bansal had gone on record, terming the denial of additional water to UT by Punjab as “unjustified”. “A majority of people living in Chandigarh are Punjabis and the Punjab Government has its offices, including the Assembly and the secretariat, in Chandigarh,” he said recently.

Bansal’s reaction has to be seen in the backdrop of Punjab Government’s statement alleging that the UT had misrepresented facts while seeking a grant of Rs 171 crore under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for twin phases of the Kajauli scheme.

Mohali, November 24
In order to overcome shortage of water supply in Mohali, a sum of Rs 316 crore will be spent to bring additional 40 mn gallons of water a day from Kajauli waterworks and another Rs 25 crore will be spent to construct a modern sports complex.

This was stated by NK Sharma, chairman of the Mohali District Planning Board, at a press meet organised by the Press Club, SAS Nagar, here yesterday. He said work on the Kajauli project would begin soon and upon completion, Mohali would not face shortage of water supply for the next 20 years. Already 10 deep tubewells had been sunk in the town at a cost of Rs 4.30 crore for the convenience of residents.

He said the work on the modern sports complex would be completed by September, next year. All towns falling in the Mohali district would be given a face lift which had remained neglected during the Congress government. The roads would be widened for smoother traffic flow. The up coming international airport would also be a big asset for the area.

New Delhi, November 24
The Ministry of Defence has concluded that it was not necessary to get a CBI probe conducted into the death of Capt Sumeet Kohli of Chandigarh. The Defence Minister AK Antony, replying in a written answer to a question raised in Parliament by the BJP MP from Punjab, Avinash Rai Khanna, has said the issues raised by Capt Kohli’s family have already been investigated and the inquiry report, alongwith the documents pertaining to the investigation, have been handed over to the family of the deceased for them to clear their doubts.

“No further inquiry is found necessary in the matter”, Antony has said in response to Khanna’s query if the government was looking to get the death probed by an independent agency like the CBI. The Minister said Capt Kohli committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle in April 2006, when he was posted to Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir. The family had contested this and wanted a detailed probe.

Chandigarh, November 24
“I’m missing my husband very much. He’d have been very happy with our son’s accomplishment had he been alive today,” said Rupa Singh, the proud mother of Sanam Krishan Singh, with tears rolling down her eyes.

The 22-year-old local tennis player, who made the country proud by winning the gold medal in the doubles event in the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China on Monday, lost his father just two days after his departure for the University of Virginia, US on a scholarship in 2007.

“He (Sanam’s father, Kewal Krishan Singh) had always supported him on his love for tennis. I wish he’d been present to cherish the moment,” said Rupa, while talking to this reporter at her Sector 8 home.

Chandigarh, November 24
It’s “chak de” for the Chandigarh junior soccer team which made the region proud by winning the first-ever Subroto Cup (under-14) at Ambedkar Stadium, New Delhi, today.

“This is the first time that the trophy has been won by any team from North India,” claimed the team’s coach, Harjinder Singh, while talking on the phone from New Delhi.

The team trounced the strong contender Mizoram 5-3 in the title clash to win the feat and pocketed ` 1 lakh as cash award. Harjinder Singh also got the best coach award and ` 15,000 as prize money. The runner-up team got ` 60,000 as cash prize.

Earlier, the decision of the final match, which was played under floodlights, came through a tiebreaker as both teams scored 1-1 in the stipulated time. For Chandigarh, Samul netted the goal in the 50th minute. In tiebreaker, Archit, Simran, Nishu and the team’s goalie Timohi took the successful penalty kicks.

“This is a proud moment for all of us as the trophy came to the northern region for the first time in 40 years. By winning the top honours, my boys have proved that our academy is the best in the country,” said an elated Harjinder Singh.

All members of the squad are trainees of the state-run Chandigarh Football and Hockey Academy and are students of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 36. UT Sports Director ML Sharma said the Administration would honour the team for its achievement. 

Chandigarh, November 24
Panjab University is said to be actively considering introduction of the semester system in all its affiliated colleges. The move comes as a sequel to the varsity’s endeavour to adopt the system in postgraduate courses.

Confirming the development, PU vice chancellor RC Sobti said the administration university was considering a plan to change over to the semester system even in graduate colleges on the pattern of a similar move in postgraduate courses in order to cater to the changed academic requirements.

It may be mentioned here that in 2009 the University Grants Commission (UGC) had written to all central, state and deemed universities on adopting a semester and choice based credit system.

PU had already announced the semester system would commence in postgraduate classes from the next academic session. Though the university had proposed to introduce the system from the current year an “expert” committee had sought some more time.

PU is also working on assigning responsibility for conducting the first year annual examination in undergraduate courses to colleges. “The university will undertake the task of preparing the question papers and the date sheets. Colleges handling the examination will not only reduce the varsity’s burden of evaluating the answer sheets, but also give greater responsibility to colleges for helping in the overall academic exercise”, said Sobti.

The Punjab School Education Board has already launched the semester system in schools in classes 10 and 12.

The UGC, in its “action plan” for academic and administrative reforms announced in March 2009, had said: “For long educational institutions have had the format of an academic session spread over ten to 12 months. This format suffers from several limitations, which is why most institutions of higher education in Western Europe and North America follow a semester based system. This system enlarges curricular space and encourages and supports accelerated learning opportunities for all concerned. Further, it has the ability to accommodate diverse choices that dynamic and motivated students may like to have. In India, too, several professional and technical institutions have adopted the semester system. Reportedly, it is working satisfactorily.”

Making the semester system mandatory, the UGC said its adoption called for several interconnected and coordinated steps that would have to be undertaken by the universities and colleges.

Chandigarh, November 24
Thirty per cent of Indian patients suffer from severe valvular heart disease and if infection or degenerative disease has destroyed the valve leaflets, it has to be replaced.

This was stated by Dr Virendar Sarwal, head of the department of cardiac surgery at the Alchemist Hospital, Panchkula. Dr Sarwal was addressing a CME at Hotel Taj.

Dr Sarwal pointed out that valve replacement was done either through open heart surgery with a mechanical or a tissue valve. Cardiac surgeons had been replacing the damaged valve with mechanical ones, but new advances in the availability of the tissue valve had resulted in numerous advantages for patients.

The patient’s own pulmonary valve was used earlier to replace aortic valve, but tissue heart valves came from a variety of sources like porcine (pig) and bovine (cow), though in some cases, a human aortic valve, taken from a donor patient after his/her death, was also implanted, he said.

The major advantage was that the patient did not require lifelong dependence on blood thinners, which was the downside of mechanical valves, said Dr Sarwal.

Blood thinners were expensive as those were to be monitored with regular tests and might lead to bleeding, stroke or blockage. Those were noisy as well. Among pregnant women, blood thinners were contraindicated.

A huge increase in number of such patients was expected in the next 10 years, he opined.

This could go up 10 times in the next 10 years due to various factors, including ageing population, increasing population and under-diagnosed patients in developing countries like India and China, he added.

Mohali, November 24
Even before the onset of winter, residents of Mohali have begun facing severe shortage of LPG, having to wait for seven to 15 days for a refill.

People have complained of having a tough time booking a cylinder as phones at agencies remain busy most of time or are left unattended.

A few agencies are supplying cylinders within four days of booking. Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum have their dealers located in various areas of Mohali.

Chetan Patwari, deputy sales manager (LPG), Indian Oil, claimed that there was no shortage in Mohali district.

“All Indian Oil distributors are supplying refill within two or three days of booking. Our Panipat refinery was shut for some time, which had created shortage, but the backlog had now been cleared,” he stated.

Despite several attempts, no Bharat Petroleum official for Mohali could be contacted for comment.

Indian Oil would stabilise supply within a week, with the corporation initiating a multi-pronged action plan to clear the backlog.

Chitrita Bose, senior corporate communications manager, Northern Region, said Indian Oil’s LPG bottling plants at Nabha and Jalandhar were operating on Sundays and holidays to cope with the additional demand.

She said distributors had been directed to operate on Sundays and holidays, adding that the backlog would be cleared latest by December 5.

Panchkula: The black market has become active and a domestic LPG cylinder is being sold for between Rs 500 and Rs 700.

Indian Oil consumers are the worst hit, with people being forced to wait for about one month for a refill.

LPG geysers are emerging as a major source of shortage in winter as a large number of private companies manufacturing or marketing LPG-run geysers have flooded the markets.

A large number of residential and commercial establishments are using those and people seem to be unaware that it is illegal. Some car owners are using LPG by installing gas kits.

The supply of Bharat Gas is on time, but there is delay in delivery by Indian Oil and HP. The stipulated waiting period for booking is 21 days, but the gap between demand and supply has increased to 40 days.

District food, civil supplies and consumer affairs controller Om Prakash Godara said persons found using LPG cylinders in cars were being fined. 

LPG geysers to blame

LPG geysers are emerging as a major source of shortage in winter as a large number of private companies manufacturing or marketing LPG-run geysers have flooded the markets

Chandigarh, November 24
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) today filed a chargesheet against SK Sekhri, former director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Chandigarh, in a corruption case here.

Sekhri was allegedly caught in Delhi by a CBI team on September 6 last year while accepting a bribe of Rs 2 lakh from a Baddi-based industrialist.

The industrialist Rajesh Dua had lodged a complaint with the CBI Chandigarh that he was harassed by the director, who sought financial favours from him for not to implicate him a case. He alleged that he was being forced to part with Rs 5 lakh.

Following the complaint, a team from the Chandigarh office of the CBI laid a trap in Delhi, where Sekhri had reportedly called the complainant to get the money. Dua told the CBI that Sekhri had called him to his office in Chandigarh to pay the latter Rs 5 lakh. After he reached he was told that Sekhri was in Delhi and was told to go there.

He alleged that a NCB team had conducted a raid at his factory in Delhi, following which he was called to their NCB office in Chandigarh. 

Chandigarh, November 24
Nitish Kumar’s victory in Bihar has brought cheer to local construction contractors. Reason: For the last two months, skilled labour from the city has been missing due to elections in Bihar. However, they are set to return now.

One of the contractors said that most skilled labourers are from Bihar. They comprise plumbers, painters, masons and tile workers. On the other hand, the unskilled labour hails from MP and UP. Bihar elections not only affected the construction in Chandigarh but also affected the construction work in the adjoining areas of Zirakpur, Derabassi and Kharar. He said that earlier panchayat elections in UP had hampered the construction work and now elections in Bihar had delayed many projects.

Today, many residents in Colony no. 4 and 5, Hallo Majra and Mauli Jagran were seen celebrating the victory of the NDA in their native state. The atmosphere at the residence of Municipal councillor’s Rajkumari Mishra was festive. Thousands of Bihar residents gathered and were seen distributing sweets. Mishra said that both of them had gone to Bihar so that their elderly parents could be taken to the polling booth.

Twenty-two-year-old Amit, too, returned recently from Bihar after casting his vote. He said he was able to vote for Nitish Kumar since Bihar was now free from ‘gunda’ elements.

He said that earlier they use to reach Patna railway station after 10 pm and use to wait for the morning to reach home. It was not safe to move out after dark in Bihar. But now things have changed. A resident of Colony No 5, Mohamad Hadi, said he was not worried about the security of his parents and family in a small town of Bihar. He, too, went to cast his vote and was happy to know that the BJP candidate from his area has won.

Today, even domestic workers did not go to work because they were all glued to the television sets to know the results. In Hallo Majra, many Biharis were watching election results in Lakhan’s house. Most of the people from Bihar now want employment opportunities in their own state so that they can return home.

One of construction contractors, Sanjeev Gupta, said he hoped that his labour would return to work soon. 

Chandigarh, November 24
Contractual employees at the PGI have been left in the lurch as their employer agency has decided to end the contract.

The contractor has been finding it difficult to continue their services after the Chandigarh administration revised wages in September, it was learnt.

The contractor had to shell out Rs 5,280 instead of Rs 3,784, which was being paid earlier. The revised wages were to be disbursed with effect from April 1.

The employees, numbering more than 500, had been worried over arrears. They had not got provident fund and Employees Service Insurance Scheme registration numbers.

Employees’ union leader Gopal said the employees had been trying to contact the employer agency’s office in Delhi over telephone, but to no avail.

The agency had been deducting provident fund and ESIC contributions from their salaries since June, he said.

When contacted, the PGI spokesperson Manju Wadwalkar confirmed that the contractor had submitted papers to end the contract.

Nothing had been decided on his application till now, she said, adding that interests of workers would be protected. 

Chandigarh, November 24
Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has approved to establish the Regional Institute of Paramedical Sciences (RIPS) on the premises of Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32.

The institute will cater to Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh. This was revealed at a meeting conducted by the ministry at New Delhi today.

Professor Raj Bahadur, Director-Principal, GMCH, was representing the Chandigarh administration. The ministry has also proposed to have a matching number of paramedics as desired in reference to the population in these states. The Centre will bear 85 per cent of the cost (Rs 80 crore) for the institute.

Earlier, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had proposed to establish the National Institute of Paramedical Sciences (NIPS) and Regional Institute of Paramedical Sciences (RIPS) and supporting state medical colleges for conducting paramedical courses. While NIPS is being set up at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, RIPS has also bagged by the medical institute of city beautiful.

The fast pace of development of medical sciences is throwing up newer technology in the field of diagnosis and treatment, increasing dependence on technology and raising over all demand of well qualified and trained professionals, said Dr Raj Bahadur. Paramedic is a person who is trained to give medical emergency treatment or to assist the physician in providing medical care. Paramedical education and training has not kept pace with the specialisation and super-specialisation in medical sciences under different schemes. Some prominent paramedical streams include medical laboratory technology, blood bank technology, radiography technology, radiotherapy technology, fusion technology, EEG, EMG, ECG technology, cardiac care technology, physio occupational therapy, audio speech therapy, prosthesistry, ear moulder, rehabilitation therapy, optometry, clinical psychology, pre-hospital trauma, dialysis technology, dental hygiene, dental mechanic, medical records, and operation theatre. Paramedical education system in the country is neither organised nor standardised. There is no standard criterion or uniformity in the admission, curriculum, duration of course and qualification granted and accreditation. Most of the paramedics’ courses are recognised by respective professional associations and not by any council or regulatory authority, said Dr Raj Bahadur.

Panchkula, November 24
Keeping in view the number of fraudulent withdrawals of money from various bank accounts of residents by using cloned ATM cards, the district police today constituted a special investigation team (SIT).

The police spokesman said the SIT was constituted under the supervision of Ram Chandar Rathi, DSP (crime). Along with Rathi other members of the SIT would be Om Prakash, SHO, Sector 5 police station, and Randhir Singh Sub-Inspector.

Senior police officials said they had already registered FIRs in connection with ATM card cloning and have deployed the police outside ATMs in plain clothes. Already the Panchkula police had received 25 complaints in connection with the ATM card cloning. In these cases victims had already lost around Rs 10 lakh from their accounts.

Meanwhile, the banks on the other side had already pasted notices outside the banks’ ATMs to inform its customers that entering ATM with covered face or with helmet could lend them in danger.

SP Maneesh Chaudhary said they were taking help from their counterparts in Chandigarh and Mohali.

Chandigarh, November 24
The Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) is all set to roll out the Sector 51-A housing scheme, consisting of 160 flats. The board of directors approved the brochure of the scheme during a meeting yesterday.

It was decided that the board would sell application forms for Rs 1,000 and anyone can fill in any number of applications for a two-bedroom flats, costing Rs 50 lakh. The board was of the view that of the 45,000 flats constructed by the CHB across the city, around 30,000 houses had been sold on general power of attorney (GPA), benefiting a cross-section of property dealers.

The pricing of the proposed flat was a conscious decision of the board, said CHB chairman Mohanjeet Singh. “Instead of money going to individual pockets, the CHB has decided to keep the price at a competitive market price and the money can be pumped back in various ongoing projects of the board,” he added.

It was also decided during the meting that this would be the fastest implemented scheme of the CHB. Brochures would be available in the first week of December and the draw of lots would take place in January. There would be an examination of tenders simultaneously. Work would be allotted by February and the flats would be handed over to allotees by July 2012.

It was also decided by the board to invite sealed bids from various banks for sharing the highest processing fee and the maximum rate of interest. There was a likelihood that six or seven banks would be shortlisted for this.

Chandigarh, November 24
Confusion prevailed among parents whose children study in city schools, as there no clarity on whether schools were closed or not on the occasion of Guru Tegh Bahadur’s martyrdom day here today.

A senior UT official said there was no need to issue a formal notice since it was a gazetted holiday and people were aware about it.

Parents were a harassed lot today as they went to the bus stand to find no bus service. Nevita, a government school teacher first went to her son’s school in Sector 26 and saw it was closed. She then went to her school and the same was closed too.

“We usually get notice from schools incase of holiday, but this time there was no such notice, so we came to school,” she added.

Anandika said she took her child to her School in Sector 9, which was closed too. She was informed that the school had sent a circular on a particular day, but she never received.

Certain parents of children who study in St Kabir in Sector 26 were also confused till last evening. The school was, however, open today. 

Chandigarh, November 24
The commerce club at GGDSD College organised an international seminar on “Existing career opportunities in Canada” here today.

The key resourcepersons for the day included Dr Fionna McQuarrie, associate dean of the faculty of Professional Studies at the University of the Fraser Valley and Prof Trudy Temple, Prof of Business Studies, UFV.

Dr McQuarrie, in her presentation, threw light on industrial behaviour and diverse organisational needs in Canada.

Prof Trudy Temple, in her talk, enunciated interesting facts on emerging trends in industrial and corporate sectors in countries like New Zealand and USA.

She also elaborated upon interesting initiatives being taken by some corporations in Canada to enhance productivity and growth.

Principal Prof AC Vaid also shared his views on “Need to promote and enhance teaching-learning opportunities for students and young professionals across countries.” 

Chandigarh, November 24
The Panjab University Students’ Union during a press conference circulated a list of its achievements in the interest of students during the ongoing academic session here today.

Mediapersons were addressed by the campus council president Gurindervir Singh Aulakh, PUSU president Udey Singh Wirring, PUSU patron-in-chief Simranjit Singh Dhillon and the PUSU chairman Hardev Singh Dhindsa.

PUSU members said the promotion criteria of school had been changed form 80 per cent to 50 per cent credits; Internet coaching classes on university campus started for students; approval of science fest; TPO joined in UIAMS department; construction of parking in BDS department has been initiated; permanent hostel allotment for all those living on temporary basis and Aagaazk, welcome function for freshers was organised without using students fund.