& V I C I N I T Y
Saturday, August 1, 1998
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C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
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Saturday, August 1, 1998 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Anti-encroachment drive to
be intensified |
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 Housing board chief visits complex CHANDIGARH, July 31 — The Residents' Welfare Association of the 504 MIG flats, Sector 61, has urged the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) authorities to provide basic amenities to the housing complex. |
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Defence pensioners honoured
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Anti-encroachment drive to be
intensified CHANDIGARH, July 31 — The anti-encroachment drive, launched by the Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh (MCC) under the directives of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, will be intensified in the days to come. Sources said with the acquisition of three more trucks by the civic body, the drive would be carried out with more vigour when the second phase started on Monday. The trucks, which have been purchased at a cost of over Rs 12 lakh, would also be used in the routine anti-encroachment drive by the civic body. The Secretary of the MCC, Dr Amar Pal Singh, said that in the second phase the emphasis would be on main roads running from east to west. The new trucks would strengthen the enforcement wing of the civic body, he added. Meanwhile, the enforcement wing of the MCC today challaned 32 persons for doing business from municipal land. Though no new encroachments were removed, follow-up action was initiated for the encroachments removed in the first phase. The follow-up action would continue on August 1 and 2. Employees' charge: Sanitary beldars, working in the malaria unit of the civic body, have alleged that they had not been paid salaries since their appointment on an ad hoc basis on May 26. They in a statement alleged that though they were appointed through the employment exchange with the assurance that they would be given daily wages as per the guidelines of the Chandigarh Administration, the MCC was delaying payment of salaries. Meanwhile, a press note of the Footpath Sangharsh Committee said that a number of wayside cobblers, barbers, cycle repairers and 'tandoorwalas' assembled in front of the MC office to protest against "excesses by the enforcement wing of the MC". Workers demanded that the tools by the MC authorities be returned to them failing which they threatened to launch an agitation. The Federation of
Chandigarh Traders (FOCT) in a separate press note said
that the FOCT "does not favour any unauthorised
encroachment" but demanded that alternative sites be
allotted to the uprooted mechanics.
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Women who quit jobs can rejoin CHANDIGARH, July 31 — Those women employees of the UT Administration, who had resigned their jobs after marriage due to family problems, can now rejoin service, subject to vacancies. A decision to this effect was taken by the Administration today. In fact the Administration has decided to implement the recommendations of the Punjab Pay Commission in respect of the women employees. The Punjab Government had already ordered the implementation of these recommendations on June 11 this year. According to Mrs Anuradha Gupta, UT Home Secretary, the period for which the women employees of the Administration remained out of government service shall be treated as extraordinary leave under Rule 8.121 of the Punjab Civil Service Rules (Volume I, Part I). On rejoining, all such women employees shall be placed below the employees in the cadre for the purpose of seniority. This benefit shall be available only to those ex-government employees who had no gainful employment during the period they remained out of service and had completed their probation period successfully before quitting their jobs. The period of 10 years shall be limited to the child-bearing age (maximum up to two children), the order said. The Administration has also decided to introduce the facility of part-time service for women employees to enable them to look after their small children. In such cases, the women employees can attend their offices from 9 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. This facility will be limited to women employees with two living children up to the age of four. During this period of part-time service, the women employees would be entitled to half of their basic pay and dearness allowances as admissible. This period shall be treated as "duty" for all intents and purposes. City compensatory allowance (CCA), house rent allowance, fixed medical allowance and other such allowances will be paid to them on full basic pay. Other facilities, such as government residential accommodation, LTC, and pensionary benefits, shall continue to be available to them. The Administration has also decided that in any office where there are 10 or more women employees, there shall be separate toilets and retiring rooms for them. This facility will be provided in new buildings under construction also. The Administration has
also decided to extend the special facility of adoption
leave to those women employees who adopt new-born babies,
provided they do not have a child of their own. Under the
new provisions, such women employees shall be granted
three months' adoption leave on the adoption of a
new-born baby till the child is three months' old.
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Housing board chief visits complex CHANDIGARH, July 31 — The Residents' Welfare Association of the 504 MIG flats, Sector 61, has urged the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) authorities to provide basic amenities to the housing complex. This demand was raised by the association with the Chairperson of the CHB, Ms Meenakshi Ghosh, when she visited the housing complex this morning. She was taken round the area by the members of the association and shown the road at the entrance of the complex which is in bad shape. She was also shown open manholes, the wild growth of congress grass and accumulation of muddy water at different spots due to non-levelling of the area. Mr B.K. Gupta, general secretary of the association, claimed that she assured the residents that she would take up their problems with the authorities concerned. She also promised that she
would visit the complex every month to apprise herself of
the residents' problems.
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Defence pensioners honoured CHANDIGARH, July 31 — The 250th anniversary of the Defence Accounts department was celebrated by the Controller, Defence Accounts (Western Command), at Tagore Theatre in Sector 18 here yesterday. The department, which is responsible for payments, accounting and internal audit of the three defence services was established in 1748 by the British during the days of the East-India Company. Addressing the gathering, Mr P.R. Sivasubramaniam, Financial Advisor, (Defence Services) Ministry of Defence, who was the chief guest, said the Defence Accounts department had come a long way since its inception and had pioneered in mechanising the accounts by installing computers way back in 1961. To meet the challenges of the 21st century, the department needed to reorient its outlook and to equip itself with state of the art information systems and technologies. Deliberation on the future role of the department, Mr Sivasubramaniam said with the decentralised budgetary system, the department would have to act as financial adviser and participate in decision making so as to give value for the tax payer's money. Mr Sivasubramaniam
hounoured 27 pensioners with shawls and certificates for
their dedicated service to the department. Later, a
cultural programme was held.
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Allot land to societies: Jain CHANDIGARH, July 31 — The local MP Mr Satya Pal Jain, has urged the Chandigarh Administration to allot land to cooperative house building societies immediately. Mr Jain raised the issue in the Lok Sabha yesterday where he stated that Chandigarh which was being ruled by the union government faced an acute shortage of residential accommodation. The Administration had in the past allotted land to cooperative house building societies. Now that the Administration has decided to allot land to societies for construction of multi-storeyed flats, for which an initial deposit has been made, no steps have been taken by the Chandigarh Housing Board to allot land to eligible societies. Keeping in view the rising cost of construction, any delay in the allotment of land is making it difficult for the societies to construct their dwelling units, Mr Jain said. He sought the intervention
of the union government so that the Administration could
be pressurised in alloting the land to the societies.
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St John's wins Bournvita Quiz
prelim round SAS NAGAR, July 31 — St John's School, Chandigarh, won the preliminary round of the Bournvita Quiz Contest held at Yadavindra Public School (YPS) here today by securing 96 points. The second position went to St Stephen's School, Chandigarh, with 75 points. The contest was conducted by well-known quiz-master Derek O' Brien. Pulkit Dewan and Gunjit Singh represented St John's, while St Stephen's was represented by Abhinav and Indraneil. The YPS came third by getting 64 points. St Anne's got 63 points, St Kabir 55 and Hans Raj Public School 35. To start with, Mr O' Brien conducted a written test, in which 22 schools from Chandigarh and surrounding areas took part. Six of them were selected for one-hour quizzing on the stage. In the written test too, St John's got the highest marks (26 out of 30). It was followed by St Anne's (23),, St Kabir, St Stephen's and Hans Raj Public School (20 each) and YPS (19). The stage quiz points started from the score of the written test. The two winning schools
will now go to Mumbai for the contest. Mr O' Brien said
the participants of both teams would get specially
designed watches as prizes on reaching Mumbai.
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Panchkula girl second in contest CHANDIGARH, July 31 — Anupama, a Class X student of Modern Public High School, Kangra, has won the regional-level painting contest organised by the Directorate of Field Publicity, a press note said today. The contest was organised as part of the golden jubilee celebrations of India's Independence. Aradhana Kaur, DAV Senior
Secondary School, Sector 8, Panchkula, stood second. The
third place was bagged by Hemant Bansal from Government
Model School, Sector 36.
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Move on civic body opposed PANCHKULA, July 31 — The Citizen's Welfare Association here has opposed the formation of a municipal council in the town. The association, in a representation to HUDA, has sought completion of all development works before the town is handed over to the Local Bodies Department. Mr S.K. Nayar, president of the association, said development of parks, community centres, providing markets in all sectors, and remetalling of the internal sector roads had yet to be undertaken by HUDA. He has also sought the
removal of unauthorised rehri and pheriwalas from the
roundabout of Sectors 7 and 17.
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Campus Beat CHANDIGARH, July 31 — A student with compartment in B.A. or B.Sc. (I and II) of Panjab University will have to clear the compartment within two consecutive chances "immediately" following the examination in which he was placed under compartment. The regulation will also cover candidates who have been admitted provisionally to the subsequent undergraduate class. A change in the existing regulation has been proposed by the Regulation Committee subject to approval by the Senate. In case a student fails to qualify the compartment within two chances "immediately" following the examination in which he was placed under compartment, his admission to the subsequent higher class will be cancelled. His result for the subsequent class will also stand cancelled. For the compartment subject, the student will appear as a regular or as a late college candidate. Sources indicate that students might lose the mercy chance as a consequence. The regulations will be given effect from admissions to the 1998-99 session in anticipation of approval by the Senate. Another proposed change in the regulations for MA examination which was put before the Syndicate said that a candidate should offer mathematics only if he had passed B Sc (honours school) B.A. or B.Sc (pass) with that subject or having at least 50 per cent marks in the aggregate on 45 per cent marks in subject of mathematics from a recognised university. The panel also proposed additions to the existing regulations for admission to MA classes. A candidate who is placed under compartment in one subject in B.A., B.Sc. (third year) examination of Panjab University will be allowed to join MA-I provisionally if the subject in which he has to re-appear is not offered for the postgraduate class. If the candidate fails to clear the compartment examination of the undergraduate class his provisional admission to MA I as also his result for MA I will be cancelled. The additions are likely to come into force from the session 1998-99 onwards. The committee has
recommended that duration for the MEd courses through
correspondence would be two years. The present regulation
has provision for just one-year duration.
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Crime File CHANDIGARH, July 31 — A resident of colony no 5, located south of Sector 44, was allegedly murdered late last night by a resident of the same colony. The deceased, Piare Lal, was hit by Pawan with an iron rod after the two had a wordy warfare. The incident occurred when Anokhe Lal allegedly tried to molest the wife of Budhi Lal around 11.30 pm. Budhi Lal caught Anokhe Lal and was taking him to the police station when Pawan, and others intervened. A verbal duel ensued between Budhi Lal and the other party. Upon hearing the commotion, Piare Lal, who was an uncle of Budhi Lal, stepped out of his jhuggi. It was at this time that Pawan allegedly attacked him with an iron rod. An injured Piare Lal was rushed to the Government Medical College and Hospital Sector 32 where doctors declared him dead on arrival. Pawan has been arrested. A case under Sections 304 and 308 of the IPC has been registered. Nabbed: A thief trying to burgle a locked house in Sector 8 was caught red handed on Thursday evening. The owner of the house lives in Canada and had asked his cousin, Mr Kanwal Jeet Singh of Sector 21, to look after the house . When Mr Kanwal Jeet came to the house he found the iron grill broken and peeped inside to find the thief . The thief had already picked up a VCR, a watch, a leather bag and some house hold items and was about to escape, the police said. Accidents: A person has been killed and two others — a scooterist and a pillion rider — have been injured in separate accidents in the city in the past 24 hours. Mr Pratap Singh of Pucchad Chharalli village in Shimla district succumbed to his injuries at the PGI on Friday after he was hit by an unidentified vehicle in Mani Majra on Thursday night. A scooterist, Mr Swaran Singh, was injured when a Maruti car driven by Mr Amrik Singh hit him. Amrik Singh, has been arrested. In another accident Mr Ram Singh riding the pillion of the scooter driven by his son, Tarsem Singh, was injured when a tractor hit the scooter near the railway station traffic light point. Girdhari, the tractor driver has been arrested. Hospitalised: A Sector 11 resident, Mr Hem Chand, reportedly consumed a poisonous substance and was admitted to the PGI. Car stolen: A
Maruti car (CH-01-0689) owned by Mr Jaswanjit of Sector
35 was stolen from his residence on Thursday night.
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