& V I C I N I T Y
Tuesday, November 24, 1998
|
C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
|
Tuesday, November 24, 1998 |
| weather n
spotlight today's calendar |
 |
|
|
6-member gang busted in
city |
 |
 Eminent writers pay tributes Hayer's killing CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — Dubbing the ruthless killing of Vancouver-based media personality Tara Singh Hayer as a cowardly act of fundamentalists, eminent writers today asserted that the power of gun could kill a person but not his logic. |
|
Potato,
onion 'avoidable' |
||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||
6-member gang busted in city CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — A gang of six members, including a woman, was nabbed in the early hours today. It was allegedly involved in 18 different cases of looting, dacoity, theft and snatching incidents in the city in the past few months, the Chandigarh Police claimed today. However, so far, no direct connection of the gang has been established with the recent spate of thefts in shops and the gang rape in Khuda Lahora village. But a splinter group of the gang that is said to be responsible for the present incidents has been identified and a search was on for it, the police said. The police has also recovered four country made pistols, two scooters, 17 cartridges, swords, 2 kg of "charas", a police uniform besides other crude implements from the gang. While search parties have been sent to Patiala to recover six stolen cars and a scooter, the police is still looking for another member of the gang, Sanjay, who is a former Home Guard. The gang involving Om Prakash alias Saini, Sagar alias Guddu, Ravi, Jasbir, alias Neenu and Bhinder was nabbed after secret information was received about their movements. They were scheduled to assemble behind the cremation ground last night. The Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ram Pal Singh, told a crowded press conference this afternoon. Shakuntala, a resident of Sector 33 and a class IV employee of the UT Fire Department, was also arrested. The woman is separated from her husband and was nabbed for allegedly harbouring Om Prakash, despite knowing about his antecedents. A party led by Inspector K I P Singh intercepted the gang that was reportedly making preparations to rob a leading trader in southern parts of the city. The arrested members have told investigating officers that they were planning for an armed dacoity at the shop of a trader in one of the southern sectors. Another startling revelation is the fact that organised gangs were operating in villages of the city. The arrested members narrated an incident that occurred some days ago in which they claimed that a gang from Dadu Majra had backed off after seeing them. "We were carrying more arms than them," the gang members have told the cops. Almost all of them are uneducated or very poorly educated. Barring Bhinder and Ravi all of them live in labour colonies. Among the major crime they committed were dacoities in Dadu Majra and a burglary in a Sector 40 home. Besides this, numerous snatching incidents were also their handiwork. Om Prakash, the kingpin of the gang, was allegedly involved in a shooting incident in the Sector 25 labour colony. He had jumped bail, once in Chandigarh and once in Karnal. He was one of the most wanted criminals in the city, according to the police. The gang members were produced in court and the police is expecting some more recoveries in the coming week. Meanwhile, it appears that having more girlfriends than he could possibly handle at one time proved to be the nemesis of the kingpin of the gang. The leader of the gang, Om Prakash, alias Saini, had close relations with three women, out of whom two live in Chandigarh. Hailing from Kaithal, Saini used to spend his time with three women, Shakuntala of Sector 33, Veena of Sector 29, and Sushma, an educated girl in her early twenties from Shimla. The police after learning that Saini, used to visit these women, tightened up its grip and started keeping an eye on the homes of two local women. Similar vigil was being maintained at the homes of his relatives in Chandigarh, one of whom works in the cremation ground. When in Chandigarh, Saini, a six feet tall bearded guy, used to spend nights with either of the two women. Sushma, the third woman and possibly the most beautiful of them all, is a resident of Shimla, according to police sources. Both Shakuntala and Veena are separated from husbands while Sushma is unmarried. Shakuntala, who is the only one to be arrested so far, has told investigating officers that she knew about Saini's criminal record but was afraid of approaching the police.
|
Poor response to move on
rickshaw-pullers CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — The move of the Chandigarh Administration to issue licences to check the proliferation of rickshaws in the city has evoked a poor response. Of the estimated 10,000 rickshaw-pullers, only 1432 have opted to get licences. The appeals of the Administration to rickshaw-pullers to get basic training in traffic rules have evoked little response, with few persons turning up at the training centre of the traffic police in Sector 23 here. An effort has been made to break the stranglehold of a cartel of rickshaw owners in the city which owns hundreds of rickshaws. The cartel rents out rickshaws to migrants on nominal sums, thereby providing ready employment to a large number of persons. However, little care has been taken to ensure that the person renting the rickshaw for the day is aware of traffic rules. According to sources, only 1560 persons have bothered to get rickshaw ownership licences. The reason given for the the delay in challaning the unauthorised rickshaw-pullers is that the cut-off date is yet to be fixed even though the last date for applying for licences expired in October. Besides, even the challan books are yet to be prepared and issued to the police. An officer of the rank of ASI and above can challan and impound a rickshaw. As per norms, it would be mandatory for rickshaws to have number plates and display a rate list for the benefit of passengers. The fines for various violations ranged from Rs 200 to Rs 500, the sources pointed out. Owing to the fact that rickshaw-pullers do not have any identification or number plate, it is impossible to register a complaint against them with the authorities. The growing number of rickshaws in the city poses another problem of encroachment in the corridors of various markets. Numerous complaints by the market and sector-level committees to the Administration have, however, been in vain.
|
|
Eminent
writers pay tributes CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — Dubbing the ruthless killing of Vancouver-based media personality Tara Singh Hayer as a cowardly act of fundamentalists, eminent writers today asserted that the power of gun could kill a person but not his logic. While paying tributes to Mr Hayer at a condolence meeting organised by the Kendri Punjabi Lekhak Sabha here this afternoon, the speakers also felt that the killing was directly or indirectly linked with the 'hukumnama' controversy. Expressing anguish over the incident the Editor of Punjabi Tribune, Mr Gurbachan Singh Bhullar, said though difference of ideas and debates to find a solution to a problem through dialogue was always there in the Sikhism, but situation never such an ugly turn. "Use of gun in place of logic in itself is a proof that someone has already conceded defeat," he said. He further said the killing of a person like Mr Hayer, who had contributed immensely towards popularising Punjabi language in North America was a sign of political, religious and ideological degeneration. Mr Harbhajan Halwarvi, a former editor of Punjabi Tribune, described Mr Hayer as a fine journalist and a person who never dreaded anyone. Nobody could afford to forget his contribution towards popularising Punjabi culture among young Punjabi Canadians, he added. Mr Rajinder Singh Bhasin, a former Director of the Punjab Languages Department, said the right to speech was a fundamental right and trampling of it was a threat to peace. He, however, said as there was no evidence for linking the murder with the 'hukumnama' controversy, one should take utmost care in commenting on the murder. Dr Joginder Dayal, secretary of the Punjab unit of the Communist Party of India, said Mr Hayer bravely fought against fundamentalism which had emerged as a major threat to mankind. There was an ongoing confrontation between fundamentalism and liberalism and we have to be careful as to who sided with whom, he added. Among others who spoke on the occasion included Mr Santokh Singh Dhir and Mr Labh Singh Kheewa.
|
FCI's role needs hard look CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — The Food Corporation of India (FCI), the country's largest operator in the foodgrain market, is now burdening the taxpayers with rising fiscal costs. Pricing policies and managerial inefficiencies besides, corruption has added to the cost of handling. When food subsidy of 6 per cent is one major reason for the mounting deficit for the country, the FCI's role needs a hard look. The World Bank in a detailed report has suggested that the FCI, which has displaced most of the private effort at the public distribution system in case of foodgrains, must now encourage competition. India today is the second largest producer of foodgrains in the world, but it is slow in modernising its procurement, storage and distribution network. This often leads to wastage. Reform or perish is the message of the World Bank. The FCI has grown in every aspect of its operations, except in efficiency. Employing about 65,000 employees, it manages 1,446 storage depot centres. Procurement, for instance, has almost tripled, from seven to eight million tonnes in the early 1970s to 20 to 25 million tonnes during the mid-1990s. But as the volume has grown, so has the operating cost. And as payrolls and purchases rose, so did the FCI's per-unit operating costs. Procurement costs increased 2 per cent a year in real terms from the early 1980s to the early 1990s, twice the annual rate of growth in per-unit distribution costs. Aggregate rice marketing costs in real terms spiralled upward 70 per cent between 1980-81 and 1994-95, a period during which the same costs for wheat rose by 10 per cent. The subsidies channelled through FCI undermine India's fiscal stability in the name of food security. During the 1990s, for instance, the total rice and wheat subsidy amounted to Rs 42 billion in 1994-95. Between 1980-81 and 1995-96, the FCI rice consumer subsidy per unit rose by about 70 per cent in real terms, averaging Rs 1240 per tonne in the 1990s compared to Rs 720 per tonne in the early 80s. The wheat consumer subsidy per unit rose about 25 per cent in real terms reaching Rs 1,230 per tonne in the early 90s compared to Rs 980 per tonne in the early 80s. In addition, FCI received a substantial, interest rate subsidy on its working capital requirements. The inflation in foodgrains subsidies derives not only from its slim marketing margin but also from its ballooning per unit operating costs. During the past 15 years, the FCI's rice and wheat marketing margins covered on an average only about 30 per cent of its marketing costs — procurement and distribution. The FCI's low cost recovery is partly due to the narrow prescribed PDS marketing margin — issue price less procurement price — which does not vary according to season or locale and thus fails to cover fully transport or storage costs. Poor costs recovery is further exacerbated by rising FCI operating costs. Between 1980-81 and 1994-95, the aggregate FCI rice marketing cost per unit for procurement and distribution increased in real terms from an average of Rs 670 per tonne in early 1980s to Rs 1140 in the early 1990s. Wheat marketing costs rose during the same period from Rs 1390 per tonne to Rs 1500 per tonne. Storage and interest charges increased yearly at a rate of 2 per cent. Per unit buffer-stocking costs remained practically unchanged only because declining interest charges compensated for rising administrative costs and storage charges. The lack of a clear-cut price stabilisation policy, particularly on exports and imports, has produced stock levels that exceed norms and needlessly add to storage costs. Indeed, between January 1993, and April, 1998, actual buffer stocks stood above quarterly minimum norms 90 per cent of the time. The FCI's working capital
costs, for example, account for about 30 per cent of its
distribution costs and half its buffer-stocking costs. In
this area, the FCI not only can borrow at rates about
three to six percentage points lower than private
traders; it is also exempt from selective credit
controls. In 1997, FCI interest rates on commercial
borrowings averaged 14.6 per cent compared to about 18
per cent for the private sector. The FCI moves about 95
per cent of its foodgrains by rail, a relatively cheaper
means than road transport on which the private sector
primarily relies. Since freight charges account for
another 30 per cent of the FCI's distribution costs, its
edge in transportation is an important source of
potential savings. |
Potato, onion 'avoidable' CHANDIGARH: The prevailing high prices of all vegetables, onions and potatoes in particular, during the past few months notwithstanding , the nexus between the traders and politicians has certainly kept several commodities out of the reach of the common man by manipulating the supplies . Whatever the reason of the phenomenon, it must be admitted that onions and potatoes are consumed in most of the houses more for the satisfaction of the palate rather than their food values. Both these commodities can be considered to be easily avoidable. Dr A.P. Sanwaria, a former President of the Chandigarh unit of the Indian Medical Association, says stone prone patients are generally advised to avoid consumption of onions which contain a significant quantity of oxalic acid which has the tendency to form stones in certain people. Although, potatoes are good for carbohydrates and energy but they do not essentially form part of a comprehensive nutritive diet as they do not contain significant amount of protein and fatty acids. No doubt, roots and tubers like onions and potatoes are rich in carbohydrates, the current situation is ideal for those who are advised to restrict calories. In fact, they are rich in moisture contents — 100 gm of onions contain 86.6 per cent moisture and 100 gm of potatoes contain 74.7 per cent moisture. The same quantity of onions and potatoes contribute 50 and 97 calories, respectively. Although potatoes do contribute significantly to the vitamin C content of the diet, green leafy vegetables are far richer in vitamin C content and may be cheaper than potatoes. In addition, these leafy vegetables, are a rich source of calcium, iron, B carotine, riboflavin and folic acid, says Ms Manju Mathur, Chief Dietician at Government Medical College Hospital in the city. Other vegetables like brinjals , beans and gourds add a variety to the diet and also provide vitamin C, minerals and fibre. Being calorie-dense, says Ms Mathur, potatoes are certainly good for children but adults can surely do without them. Ms Mathur says , onions, nutritionally, do not have any substance that cannot be obtained from other vegetables. We basically use them for taste. Try cooking vegetable with hing/zeera/adrak tarka and you get the real taste of the vegetable, she says. Vegetables that are cooked in lots of onion, all taste alike. If a special thick gravy without onion is required, it can be made by addition of a little curd/milk/ kharbuje ke beej, she added. Food values |
Capsicum, tomato out of reach CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — The spiralling prices of capsicum and tomato have rendered these commodities out of the reach of consumers. The good quality capsicum, which was available for Rs 50 a kg yesterday was priced today at Rs 60 a kg. Even the small-sized capsicum was available for Rs 45 a kg. Similarly, tomato which was priced between Rs 30 and Rs 40 a kg yesterday became dearer today at Rs 45 to Rs 50 in Sectors 15 and 29. However, there was no noticeable change in the prices of other vegetables. The following are the retail prices of good-quality vegetables and other food items: Vegetable Sector 15 Sector 29 Cauliflower 14 10 Cabbage 20 14 Peas 20 16 Bittergourd 30 26 Capsicum 60 45 Carrot 20 16 Brinjal 12 6 Beans 32 20 Ginger 20 20 Garlic 30 28 Radish 6 6 Lady's finger 28 20 Sugar beet 10 10 Onion 28 20 Potato 10(14) 8(12) (old, fresh) Cucumber 32 28 Gourd 20 12 Lemon 30 24 Tomato 45 50 Grapes 80 80 Banana 15 16 Apple 25 25 (delicious) Apple 30 32 (Shimla Royal) Apple 40 35 (Kinnauri) Pomegranate 40 35 Orange 20-40 30 (per dozen) Pulses (Sector 29): Moong dhuli 30, Moong sabat 30, Moong chhilka 30, Mah sabat 30, Mah chhilka 30, Mah dhuli 36, Malika masoor 30, Masri 26, Kala masar 30, Dal chana 20, Kala channa 22, White chana 40, Arhar 48, Rajmah 40, Roungi 40, Besan 22, Suji 10, Maida 10, Atta 8.50, Zira 100, Black pepper 250, Turmeric 60, Red Chilli 90, Dhania 50, Mustard oil 65-79, Groundnut oil 75(one litre), Sunflower 60.
|
Sand prices surge fifty per
cent CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — Realisation of the dream of making one's own house has become harder as, like other commodities, the prices of bricks and building material too have registered a sharp hike this year as compared to their prices last year. The price of sand rose about fifty per cent during the past fortnight alone, bricks have become dearer by more than twenty per cent. However, there is not much change in the prices of other construction material like cement, dust of crusher and gravel. According to sources in the trade the rates of a truckload of sand have increased from Rs 400 to Rs 600 within the past 15 days. Attributing the hike to an increase in prices by sand quarry contractors, Mr Mohan Lal Sharma, a supplier of building material said the rates of royalty for a truckload of sand has been increased by the contractors from Rs 80 to Rs 200. The royalty rate fixed by the authorities is only Rs 50. Demanding that the authorities concerned should ensure that no one was able to charge more than the prescribed rate, he said the hike had affected the middle class adversely. Similarly, the price of quality bricks has increased from Rs 1700 per 1000 bricks to Rs 1750 during the past year. The price of second class bricks has increased by Rs 200 to between Rs 1300 and Rs 1400. Quality bricks are being sold by some suppliers in different parts of the city for between Rs 2000 and Rs 2100 per 1000 bricks. Mr Kuldip Kumar Khanduja,
the vice president of the All-India Brick Kiln
Association, said the hike was due to unprecedented and a
long spell of rains during current year and closure of
the kilns for more than six months owing to
non-fulfilment of pollution norms by the kiln owners. He
said due to bad weather the kilns around the city
consumed more coal than those situated in the areas where
rains were less which ultimately added to the cost of
bricks. |
Sunderland varsity, PEC tieup likely CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — Students of Information Technology (IT), both undergraduates and postgraduates, can now hope to get degrees from the University of Sunderland in England by studying at Punjab Engineering College (PEC) here. A team of experts from the University of Sunderland, which visited PEC, has expressed total satisfaction over the existing infrastructure. When contacted, the Secretary, Technical Education, Chandigarh Administration, Mrs Anuradha Gupta, confirmed the proposed tie-up. "If all goes well and conditions are mutually acceptable to both PEC and the University of Sunderland, admissions for the next academic session will be made in September, 1999. In that all details can be frozen by March next year and subsequently a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) can be signed accordingly," she added. The University of Sunderland has even agreed to modify its courses to suit requirements of Indian students. By providing the basic infrastructure and other facilities to students, who will study by distance learning, PEC wants the University of Sunderland to suitably invest in upgradation of laboratories and improvisation of faculty here, Mrs Gupta added. The other modalities, including sharing of revenue and related financial matters, would be settled before signing the MoU. Besides, other procedural details, including criterion for admission, evaluation of courses and their relevance, the curriculum here, would also be worked out before freezing of details. The PEC authorities are proposing that the present system of common entrance test (CET) can be extended for admission to undergraduate courses while a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Panjab University or other recognised universities could be made the pre-requisite for admission to postgraduate course in IT. Once the proposal comes through, it will provide an impetus to the academic environs of PEC where a high speed data communication NODE has already been set up. The Administration has already earmarked 10,000 sq ft to be furnished fully for use by incubating software export-oriented industry. With the commissioning of NODE and furnishing of the plug and play area, the Administration proposes to extend on hourly basis the facilities to the software industry in a big way. Because of the continuous emphasis on computerisation, the alumni of PEC is well accepted outside. For example, Tata Consultancy has picked more than 60 students this year from the college. Students from any area of engineering, including aeronautical engineering, electrical or mechanical engineering are exposed to computer-based applications in their respective areas during their initial years at the college. This is the reason for high absorption rate of the alumni in the industry. The NODE and plug and play facilities will also help the students in sharpening their IT skills as they will provide appropriate academic environment in the area of Information technology, Mrs Gupta added.
|
205 cases of power theft
detected PANCHKULA, Nov 23 — A number of steps have been initiated by the Ambala circle of the Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (HVPN), which covers Ambala and Panchkula districts, to strengthen the power transmission and distribution network. Disclosing this here today the Superintendent Engineer (Operation) Ambala, Mr R.K. Verma, said 2100 km of low tension cables distribution transformers and service lines have been identified for replacement in the Ambala circle. 302 overloaded transformers have been identified for augmentation, which will be done in a phased manner. More than 1000 metres of cables of distribution transformers had already been replaced in the circle. Under a campaign to check theft of power 205 cases had been detected and a penalty of Rs 33 lakh imposed. All defective single and poly-phase meters were being replaced with electronic meters. To control the problem of tripping in Panchkula township the 40 MVA transformer at 132 Kv sub station at Pinjore was being upgraded to 50 MVA by the construction division of the Nigam, he added. Work on the Shahbad-Madanpur 220 Kv line was in progress and once operational it would provide an alternative source of energy supply to the township.
|
NSS volunteers take part in
integration camp CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — Chandigarh is the biggest symbol of national integration as people from all over the country live here in complete harmony and universal brotherhood. Stating this here today while addressing NSS volunteers at the local Punjab Engineering College, Mr Jagdish Sagar, Adviser to the UT Administrator, said the city was unique in the sense that it was the only place in the country where three different governments function together harmoniously. As many as 180 NSS volunteers from seven states — Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh — are participating in the integration camp-cum-pre-Republic Day Parade, which is being organised by the NSS Regional Centre, Department of Youth Welfare and Sports, Government of India. Some of the volunteers will be selected to represent the NSS Regional Centre at the 1999 Republic Day Parade.
|
HC orders probe into wheat sale
plaints CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — The wheat scam of 1996 refuses to die down. A Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, comprising Mr Justice N.K. Sodhi and Mr Justice V.S. Aggarwal, today ordered the CBI to investigate three complaints made by a local newsman, Mr S.S. Bajwa, to various authorities alleging irregularities by certain serving and retired bureaucrats in the open sale of wheat by the FCI. The order came on a writ petition filed by Mr Bajwa in the High Court. Mr Bajwa had alleged that a conspiracy was hatched by a former Industries Secretary of Haryana, Mr R.S. Malik, with the then FCI Managing Director, Mr M.D. Asthana, and the then FCI Senior Regional Manager (Punjab), Mr Sarvesh Kaushal, under which the entire wheat was allotted to flour mills for a consideration. While Mr Asthana is now posted as Union Secretary in the Statistics Department, Mr Kaushal is the Special Principal Secretary to the Punjab Chief Minister. Mr Bajwa alleged that with the help of Mr Malik and the FCI officers the flour mills purchased two crore quintals of wheat from the FCI at a rate of Rs 490 per quintal for making wheat products, but sold the wheat at double the price. The Bench on the request of the Union Government allowed the Auditor and Comptroller-General of India to submit his report about the physical verification of the FCI stocks to the court by March 31, 1999.
|
Traders demand more policemen CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — The first three meetings of the Inspector General of Police with members of the public today was attended mainly by local political leaders, municipal councillors and traders of Sector 17 and Sector 22. A majority of the questions revolved around personal opinions with only a few speakers talking of core issues. Requests for more policemen was the common refrain of traders of Sector 17 and 22. Mr Ashok Kapani suggested that the police needed to keep an eye on the guest houses in Sector 22 and check rehris opposite the ISBT. Mr Jagdish Pal Khalra suggested that the police identify "accident prone areas" and put up warning signs. Mr Subhash Chawla sought concrete steps to prevent crime and check migrants. Mr Subhash Kataria claimed that gambling was rampant under the garb of lotteries. Mrs Satinder Dhawan, a Municipal Councillor, suggested the formation of a special cell to counter immoral trafficking. Meetings with the public are scheduled to be held in police stations in Sector 34 and Sector 26 within this week.
|
Notice issued on kids' fashion
show CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — The Judicial Magistrate, Mr Jasbir Singh, today issued notice for November 25 on a suit filed by Yuva Satta Sangthan seeking directions for declaring a fashion show to be organised for minor children on November 25 as illegal. The plaintiff sangthan stated that the proposed show would depict children in an indecent and derogatory manner. The show will be organised by the Fashion Designing Institute. The participating children in this show would be in the age group of two to 12 years. The plaintiff added that
the show, if permitted, would corrupt the minds of the
children and injure their morality. |
Essay writing contests held CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — As part of the World AIDS Day celebrations, inter-college and inter-school on-the-spot essay writing contests were organised at Government College, Sector 46, here today. More than 55 students participated in the contests on the subject of AIDS awareness. The winners of the competitions would be given prizes at the main function at Government College for Men, Sector 11, on December 1. According to a press note
here today, a declamation contest on AIDS awareness will
be held at MCM DAV College, Sector 36, on November 25. A
poster competition would be organised at Arts College,
Sector 10, and the last date for the receipt of posters
will be November 27.
First prize for Suvidh, Harshat CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — Suvidh Arora and Harshat Sekhon from Bhavan Vidyalaya, Sector 27, secured the prize in the Eco Quiz -'98 organised at the Institute for the Blind, Sector 26, here last night. While Shitij Goyal and Mohit Dogra from St. John's School, Sector 26, won the second position, the team of St Anne's School, Sector 32, comprising Mohit Handa and P Anand, finished third.
|
280 women attend training
classes CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — The inspectorate staff of the Haryana Labour Department conducted 256 inspections, launched 43 prosecutions and obtained convictions in 100 cases for the effective implementation and enforcement of various labour laws during the fortnight ending October 30 last. A sum of Rs 1.59 lakh was recovered as fine imposed by various courts. Stating this here today, a spokesman of the department said that Rs 4.24 lakh had also been recovered from various industrial establishments on account of unpaid wages during the same period. He said 20 labour welfare centres located at various towns in the State were imparting training in sewing, knitting and embroidery to the dependants of the workers. As many as 280 women took benefit by way of attending these training classes. He said that the Labour
Welfare Board had provided seven bicycles to industrial
workers as interest free loan.
Two caught while accepting
bribe CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — The Haryana State Vigilance Bureau recently caught red handed Mr Sat Narain Aggarwal, Sub-Divisional Officer, and Mr Prahlad Singh, Cashier, Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam, Ding, while accepting Rs 1000 as illegal gratification from Mr Amar Singh of Khusambhi village in Sirsa district for replacement of his tubewell's meter. A case has been registered against them and they have been arrested.
|
Villagers meet UT Adviser CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — A deputation of the Action Committee for Development of Villages today met Mr Jagdish Sagar, Adviser to the Administrator, and apprised him of the problems of the villagers. Mr Chaman Lal, general
secretary of the committee, said that the Adviser assured
them that a meeting of the sarpanches, zila parishads and
panchayat samiti members, besides their representatives
would be held soon and their demands would be redressed.
Roadways staff stage rally CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — Members of the local unit of the Haryana Roadways Workers Union held a rally to protest against the dictatorial attitude of the depot authorities in the Industrial Area here today. The employees raised slogans against the officials and claimed that certain union activists had been marked absent to settle old scores even though they were present. Mr Raghbir Singh, president of the union alleged that they were marked absent 10 minutes before the shift started in the morning. Moreover, some employees were transferred to far off places even though transfers had been banned some time back.
|
Kavi darbar CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 —
A kavi darbar was organised by the Sector 22-D Gurdwara
Asthapan Committee last evening to mark the martyrdom day
of Guru Teg Bahadur. Poets like Pritam Singh Panchchi, S
S Saaqi, Shangara Singh Komal and others recited poems to
eulogise the sacrifices made by the ninth Sikh Guru.
|
PCP
dates for B.Com announced CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — The Department of Correspondence Studies of Panjab University today announced dates for the personal contact programme (PCP) for students of B.Com-II and B.Com-III. While the PCP for B.Com III students bearing enrolment Nos from 2601 to 2760 would be held from November 30 to December 5, it would be held from December 7 to 12 for the students from enrolment Nos 2761 to 2920. For students bearing enrolment numbers above 2921, the dates would be from December 17 to 22. In case of B.Com II, students with enrolment numbers from 2001 to 2280 will attend the PCP from November 30 to December 5. The dates for PCP in respect of students bearing enrolment numbers from 2281 to 2540 will be from December 7 to 12. The students having enrolment numbers from 2541 to 2600, from 30001 to 30165, and above 30451 will be required to attend the PCP from December 17 to 22. Oration: The 10th pharmaceutical sciences oration was delivered by Prof Harkishan Singh at the university campus here on Monday. Tracing the pharmacopoeial history of India during the colonial period, Professor Harkishan Singh claimed that the drugs of the Indian origin received much attention of the European nations. He said the pharmacopoeial history mirrored the colonial history of India. He said a detailed account of this demonstrated how ideas and demands of the empire and striving for independence of the India people affected the pharmacopoeias. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof MM Puri, in his presidential remarks, drew attention to the rich heritage of our country and asked the audience to draw inspiration from the works which were produced by our forefathers. The Chairman of the Panjab University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Prof VK Kapoor, dwelt on the establishment of the oration. Republic Day Parade: A contingent of six NSS volunteers will represent the university at the Republic Day Parade to be held at New Delhi on January 26 next year. While three students of GCW, Ludhiana, will participate in the parade, one student each of the MCM DAV College, Chandigarh, GN College, Killianwali and College of Nursing will take part in the parade. The selection of the contingent was done on Sunday, according to Dr CL Narang, Director Adult Education and NSS. Cultural zone: The university has decided to create a separate cultural zone for its departments. This decision was taken at meeting of students representatives, principals and university officials here on Monday. Under the new proposal the university will itself comprise a zone. The teams of the departments will first compete among themselves and from among them the teams of the university will be selected, sources said here on Monday night.
|
Robbers
break into bank CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — A major robbery was averted last night when robbers made a futile attempt to break open the lockers of the Oriental Bank of Commerce, Sector 26, last night. The gang managed to enter the bank by forcing the shutters up from the centre. However, despite repeated attempts they could not break open any lockers. Attempts were also made to open the strong room of the bank. In the past fortnight or so this is the sixth time that robbers have forced shop shutters in this manner though this was the first abortive attempt. The manager of the bank lodged a complaint with the police who have registered a case under Sections 380, 457 and 511 of the IPC. A Nigerian, Cyril Archbong, alias Tony, who was arrested by the police a couple of days ago with smack worth Rs 2.5 crore, has been described by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) as an important member of a wider drug racket, according to sources in the Chandigarh Police. A team of the NCB had interrogated him in Chandigarh and later taken him to Delhi to help in recoveries. He is also one of those who knew French tourist Ms Katia Darnard. Jailed for drunkenness: A youth from Kinnaur in Himachal Pradesh has been jailed for one month after he reportedly admitted in court to having banged his jeep into a roundabout in a drunken state. Yatin Nargo banged his jeep into a roundabout at Kajehri village on Monday. While no one was injured the Sector 36 police booked him under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act. Meanwhile in a separate incident, Mani Lal, of colony number 5 was nabbed red handed by the Sector 36 police last night for allegedly stealing a bicycle. House burgled: The Sector 21 home of Dr Rakesh Srivastava, was broken into while he was out of station. He has reported to the police that he lost two watches. A case under Sections 380 and 454 of the IPC has been registered. Meanwhile in a separate incident a car owned by Mr Kiran Deep Singh was stolen from his residence in Sector 33. Gamblers held: Four persons — Ramesh Chand, Paramjeet Singh, Raj Kumar and Satish Kumar — were arrested while allegedly gambling near the taxi stand outside the PGI. In another case Ashok Kumar of UP has been arrested from Sector 20 for carrying 2 cases of liquor. A case has been registered.
|
250
encroachments removed CHANDIGARH, Nov 23 — The enforcement staff of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) removed encroachments from government land in Sector 40-B here today. A team of the MCC with the help of a JCB removed about 250 encroachments from the road berms. The encroachment removed included angle irons and barbed wires. The operation, which began at about 9 a.m, ended at about 1.30 p.m. No untoward incident was reported. Sources said encroachments from Sector 8-A will be removed tomorrow followed by Sector 7-C, where the remaining encroachments will be removed on Wednesday. Meeting: The Mayor, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, on Monday called a meeting of councillors of his party and Opposition parties. At separate meetings with BJP and SAD councillors and Congress councillors, Ms Kamlesh, the Mayor reportedly sought their cooperation for the smooth functioning of the MCC and holding of meetings in a "congenial" atmosphere. The expelled BJP councillor, Mr OP Goyal, also attended the meeting. The Mayor has invited the nominated councillors tomorrow for a meeting.
|
 |
 |
| Nation
| Punjab | Haryana | Himachal Pradesh | Jammu & Kashmir | | Editorial | | Business | Sport | | Mailbag | Spotlight | World | 50 years of Independence | Weather | | Search | Subscribe | Archive | Suggestion | Home | E-mail | |
