& V I C I N I T Y
Saturday, April 3, 1999
|
C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
|
Saturday, April 3, 1999 |
| weather n
spotlight today's calendar |
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
Inadequacies
of fire services HUDA
considering fresh rules
Sector
28 ITI to be upgraded Nostalgia
marks nite
Garbage
heaps dot Lalru Eight
jhuggis gutted |
||||||||||||||||||
  |
Visitors
overwhelmed by hospitality CHANDIGARH, April 2 — On the second day of the Pakistanis’ visit to the City Beautiful, it was an interesting sight to see the main Chandigarh markets abuzz with a lot of activity and excitement even as the hot sun shone for the whole day. The Sector 17 market saw a rush of shoppers from across the border during day time. But what was certainly more interesting to watch was the interaction between the “brothers and sisters” of India and Pakistan, who were busy exchanging their views on subjects ranging from political tensions between the two countries to similar cultural backgrounds, to women’s emancipation in India! “The kind of warmth and affection that I’ve received here is incredible. It is nice to see so many women roaming around the city, everywhere”, said Mrs Salma Kamal, busy shopping for shoes in Sector 17. Another Pakistani woman, Mrs Jaleela added, “It is amazing to see women whizzing around the city on two-wheelers, and doing all kinds of jobs here”. Mr Sayed Jawad Ahmed (23) said, “Chandigarh girls are very beautiful. Also I love Indian films, especially Shahrukh Khan and Sushmita Sen”. Another 22-year-old Mehmood said, “It is nice to see so many good-looking girls and women everywhere. I loved shopping in all the show-rooms where there were sales girls to help us”. Most shops had banners welcoming these guests and some like the Punjab Government Emporium, in Sector 17, laid out a red carpet welcome for the Pakistani buyers, where most of the visitors could be seen gathering a horde of discounts and freebies being offered to them. A shop-owner in Sector 17, Ramesh Kapoor said: “It is very difficult to find out who is from Pakistan and who from India. They all look alike, dress alike and even speak the same language”. Though a large crowd gathered outside a shop where Inzamam-ul-Haq went shopping, a large number of Chandigarhians were seen tapping shoulders of anybody wearing salwar-suits or even any man with “gorgeous looking women” , to ask if they were from Pakistan. Mr Nasir Alan, professional cricket coach of the Lahore Cricket Club Association said: “The visit has been a terrific experience for not only the cricketers but also the visitors”. A businessman, Mohd Ali Raza, who was seen clicking photographs with his Indian “brothers” added, “I would love to stay here for some more days. In fact the governments should now work towards relaxing the visa procedures, especially for the common man”. In the Sector 22 market, most jewellers had a profitable time today selling their silver-ware to Pakistani women. The lure of the stronger Indian currency, reportedly, attracted a lot of businessmen from Pakistan in and around Sector 26 ‘mandi-market’, to sell dry-fruits that they had brought along with them. “We were told that Chandigarh is very expensive, but it is very much like any modern town of Pakistan. It resembles Islamabad a lot in its outlook and character. But even though it is a modern city, I love its “Punjabiyat”, said Mr Irfan. Later in the afternoon, some Pakistanis visited the Pinjore Gardens. Shivalik Public School, Phase VI, Mohali, organised a cultural afternoon for all those putting up in its hostels. The Pakistanis were regaled by some local folk-artists. In fact, without wanting to miss out on much happening in the city today, about 60-70 visitors, who went for sight-seeing to the Secretariat, were also found near the fire ragging in the Punjab and Haryana High Court! Mr Tariq, a businessman,
seemed to sum up the visit by saying, “It was not
the cricket match so much which was thrilling for us, but
the very fact that so many of us were able to visit India
was absolutely “zabardast”.
|
Indians,
Pakistanis interact CHANDIGARH, April 2 — A cultural programme was organised here today at the Rock Garden in honour of the 1000-plus cricket fans from Pakistan by the UT administration. It was followed by a dinner for the visitors. The North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala, had organised a colourful cultural programme for the special guests. This included giddha, bhangra and as a surprise item, the famous Wadali brothers gave a performance. The high-point of the evening was the interaction between the Indians and the Pakistanis. In fact the loudspeakers were downed by the din of people from both sides trying to chat with each other. A visitor from Pakistan Asim Javed, said “The kind of welcome we have received here has been overwhelming”. Added Maneka Grewal, from Chandigarh. “We made Pakistani friends yesterday at the match. It’s been great fun being with them these two days”. Another Indian, Mrs Sunita Goyal, seen herding around a contingent of young Pakistani men, said, “I now want to visit Pakistan and spend some time with the friends I have made here”. With flowers, swings and garlands brightening up the atmosphere and the smell of “halal” and “jhatka” meat floating in the air, the ambience was predictably “Pakistani-Hindustani Bhai-Bhai”. Burqa-clad Mrs Ayeza Nadin, with their two young children said, “People have gone out of their way to welcome us, even though the security has been extraordinary”. Commenting on the “emancipation of women” Mrs Nadin said, “It is a good thing to say that everything is now alright between the two countries, but then there is a lot of difference between our values and yours, our religion and yours. I did not expect women in India to be so westernized as I experienced here”. Added her friend, Mrs Farha Mati, “This whole thing about women being so free here is slightly amazing, but then somewhere it does feel nice. At the same time, even as a woman I would say that I feel happier now that Nawaz Sharif is the Prime Minister and not Benazir Bhutto”. A lot of Pakistani youngsters were seen buzzing around with their Indian counterparts and “having pure simple fun”, but did maintain that when it came to the political relationships between India and Pakistan, “it is imperative to sort out the issue of Kashmir”. But the sugary-and-sweet atmosphere of “everybody being very friendly and nice to everybody” was to be seen to be believed. It seemed as if the gates of friendship had virtually been opened. Lient-Gen (retd) BKN
Chhibber, Governor Punjab and Administrator UT
Chandigarh, was the chief on the occasion. |
Pak
journalists visit The Tribune CHANDIGARH, April 2 — For a group of Pakistani journalists, a visit to Chandigarh was more than watching one-day international game between India and Pakistan at SAS Nagar, yesterday. “It has been a warm and exciting experience. We are overwhelmed by the hospitality and welcome we received everywhere eversince we arrived in India a couple of days ago,” said Mr Qaiser Zamir, Sports Editor, Daily Awaz, and leader of the visiting journalists delegation, during an interaction programme with members of The Tribune family here this afternoon. “The main purpose of our visit was not cricket but to see India. The PCA Stadium at SAS Nagar is excellent, the crowd was supportive and the traditional rivalry and enthusiasm peculiar to Indo-Pakistan encounters was there. But more important has been the warmth and cooperation the people extended to us,” he said. The visiting journalists were received by the Editor, Mr Hari Jaisingh, on their arrival. In his welcome address, Mr Hari Jaisingh recalled the emotional link The Tribune had with Lahore. In response to a query by a visiting journalist as to whether the present attempt to improve the Indo-Pakistan relations was part of an American agenda, Mr Hari Jaisingh said that there was no doubt that the present exercise started under pressure from the USA. “But at the same time we must improve our relations. There is a need to create an atmosphere of goodwill. Religion does not divide but unite people. After Indonesia, India has the biggest Muslim population. There is no discrimination against any one in this country. The mutual trust and distrust have been artificially created “If the people-to-people understanding is developed, there is no reason why we should not learn a lesson from the European Union. Both India and Pakistan must benefit from SAARC. “There is no doubt that India accepts Pakistan’s separate identity. The need is to develop a genuine mutual trust. Once we do that there is nothing to worry about the US agenda. The leaders have to prepare an agenda of peace, friendship , cooperation and development. For such an agenda courage and conviction are required,” he added. Mr Gurcharan Singh Bhullar, Editor, Punjabi Tribune, said that an exchange of visits by journalists, writers, poets and artistes between the two countries should be more frequent and without any restrictions. His views were corroborated by Mr Vijay Saihgal, Editor, Dainik Tribune. Earlier, Mr S.D. Bhambri, General Manager, The Tribune, recalled his days at Government College, Lahore, from where he did his graduation in 1943 and postgraduation in 1945. Later all members of the visiting delegation were presented copies of “History of The Tribune”, a set of newspapers and some mementos. The delegation comprised Mr Qaiser Zameer (Daily Awaz), Mr Asif Sohail (The News), Mr Ashraf Lodhi (The Pakistan Times), Mr Amir Razakhan (Daily Khabran), Mr M. Babur (MLI), Mr Afzal Talib (N. Akhbar), Mr Asif Khan (Daily Khabran), Mr Rizwan Butt (NNI), Mr Syed Salman (Daily Pakistan), Mr Naeem-ul-Hassan (Daily Azad), Mr Aqeel Ahmad (Daily Mussawat), Mr Ghulam Hussain (DNI), Mr Rafiq Khan (Daily Din), Mr Musstansar Mushtaq (Daily Awaz), Mr Shaid Siddique Chhina and Mr Zahid Siddique Chhina (Daily Sadaqat), Mr Zahoor-ul-Haq (Daily Din) and Mr Imran Siddiqui (Weekly Olympic). Earlier in the day, three Pakistani journalists, at an interaction programme at Chandigarh Press Club, expressed the hope that the relations between India and Pakistan would improve further to increase people-to-people contact. The three journalists — Mr Moin-ud-din Hameed of The News, Mr Shahid Rizvi of Daily Mussavat and Asim Mia of Daily Surathal — said that people of both countries want cordial and affectionate relations with each other as they had lot of respect for each other. These journalists also released a City guide brought out by a daily eveninger. Later, these journalists
called on the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal. The
Haryana Chief Minister enquired about various places in
Lahore, including Lawrence Gardens, Mall Road, DAV
College, Jahangir’s Tomb and Shahi Masjid. |
Dancers
create magic in Tango CHANDIGARH, April 2 — It was poetry in motion as five dancers of Euro Dancertainers troupe of Europe enthralled the audience with their unrestrained movements at a local hotel here today. The colours were blended to perfection with the amazing prowess of dancers, in tune with the balanced perfection of shapes and the sweeping movements of the danseuse. It was performed with boldness in style and surety. The stage lit up with various hues of a rainbow reflected in the attire of the dancers and the yellow plume they sported, in the lively Brazilian dance samba. This clubbed with ramba and cha cha cha, was the first item of the show. The different dances could be distinguished by the change in the music and the mood, the dances were a wonderful example of an exuberant style. The team of five, dressed in black peppered with green glitter, tangoed through their second performance. The expert use of contrasting colours of black and red was the high point of the finely curved movements lucidily depicted in the ‘Pasadoble’ dance, symbolic of the Spanish sport of bullfighting. The curtain was lowered on the dazzling performances with ‘Antre’, a rendition denoting festivity, performed to mark the opening and closing of any show. It had all the ingredients to liven up the evening. Dressed in white, the dancers set the stage on fire as they swirled and twirled to unleash an exiting night of power, passion and glory. The sole male member in the troupe, Abrashekoy Edward, held centrestage throughout the one-hour performance. The engineering, choreography and composition, were also done by Edward. It displayed a genius for adapting different movements to decorative purposes.The other dancers were Alla, Tamara, Ruslana and Oksana. Olga Ozhygyrey provided
the fillers between the performance. Among a few popular
numbers she presented were “La Isla
Bonita’’ and “My heart Will Go
On’’. |
Inadequacies
of fire services CHANDIGARH, April 2 — A major fire in the record room of the Punjab and Haryana High Court early this morning has exposed the inadequacies of the Chandigarh Fire Brigade in meeting the requirements of the city. Though a number of Public Interest Litigations have been filed both in the Punjab and Haryana High Court — after a major fire broke out there a couple of years ago — and the District Courts since September last year, little has been done to augment or strengthen the fire services in the Union Territory. Though a number of budgetary provisions have been made for improvising fire services in compliance with the observations made by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the situation is more or less the same as it was at the end of 1997. The city continues to have six fire stations with 13 fire engines and a staff strength of 250. After the 1997 fire at the Punjab and Haryana High Court premises, a PIL was admitted and a criminal contempt notice was issued to the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. The Court had then observed that the Fire Service Department was not properly equipped with modern techniques. The Corporation then assured the High Court that the then fire fighting system would be strengthened immediately. An hydraulic platform-cum-turn table ladder (Snorkel make), which can be effective in the control of fire in the high rise buildings, would be acquired. The Municipal Corporation also proposed to set up three new fire stations, including one at the capitol complex to look after the Civil Secretariat, Assembly complex and the Punjab and Haryana High Court complex. The second was to come up in Timber Market, Sector 26 and the third in the southern sectors. An allocation of Rs 75 lakh was made in the budget of 1997-98 for the fire services. It was also proposed to purchase five more fire engines at a cost of Rs 50 lakh and a provision of Rs 20 lakh was made in 1997-98 for construction of the new fire stations and garages for fire engines. But apparently, there has been little or no progress on any of these fronts. No new fire station has come up at the Capitol Complex. Two of the newly purchased fire engines are still half bodied. In fact, since September last year, the city has witnessed some major fires, including one in the basement of a showroom in Sector 26 in which two persons were roasted alive. This happened on September 27. Three days later, the rail reservation centre at the Sector 17 Inter-State Bus Terminus was gutted. Earlier on June 11, a fire broke out in the UT Secretariat where the room of the Superintending Engineer (Electricity Operations) was completely destroyed. After the September fires, a PIL was filed in the local court seeking sealing of all those government buildings which do not meet safety requirements as per the Fire Safety Act. The Municipal Corporation had in September/October last year, issued notices to 108 buildings in the city for not complying with the fire safety norms. These included 28 government buildings, including the Civil Secretariat, Estate Office, District Courts, telecom building and Municipal Corporation building. Even till today, things are still not up to the mark in some of these buildings. Though the Municipal Corporation advertised to recruit leading firemen and firemen, the interviews were cancelled at the last moment. The earlier tests witnessed chaos and the police had to intervene and even make a show of its strength to control job seekers. In February this year, the interviews were cancelled. The corporation was to recruit 18 leading firemen, 18 drivers and 72 firemen. During the past two weeks, the city and its surrounding areas have witnessed several major fires, including one at Dera Bassi where cotton and other highly flammable material worth Rs 90 lakh was destroyed. In another fire at SAS Nagar on March 22, 160 jhuggis were destroyed. On March 30, another major fire engulfed more than 70 booths at SAS Nagar. Besides, there have been
some minor fires, including one at Palsora colony in
which eight jhuggis were gutted this morning. The
situation has come to such a pass that when a fire broke
out in the Industrial Area here this afternoon, the
Sector 38 fire station had to despatch a two-wheel driver
to the High Court complex to send a fire engine to the
spot. The Fire Department, perhaps, does not have enough
of walkie-talkies or wireless equipment to pass emergency
messages to other stations in case of exigencies. |
HUDA
considering fresh rules PANCHKULA, April 2 — Confronted with encroachments by residents growing fences, hedges or other enclosures in front of their houses, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) is considering a move to formulate fresh guidelines to check illegal structures in different urban estates in the state. The focus of the guidelines will be on keeping the open spaces along the roads free of hedges, fences and other structures to leave enough space for pedestrians to walk. Aware of the problem since long, the authorities are now considering issuing new guidelines only after HUDA has attracted much criticism after its drive to raze such structures here last month. Sources in HUDA said in case of houses along 24 metre and 18-metre-wide roads, it was proposed that only a green belt at distance of two metres from the corner of a road would be allowed to be raised. However, raising of tow-walls, angle-irons, fences, hedges and boundary walls would not be permitted on the two-metre-wide belt. The residents would be allowed to grow trees and maintain lawns on this belt. The rest of the space would be kept free for pedestrians. In case of houses along nine and ten-metre-wide roads, residents would not be allowed to maintain any open space outside the boundary walls. In case of corner houses, no relaxation would be given as hedges and fences hid roads from drivers leading to accidents, said the sources. Widening of junction points of 18 metre and 24-metre-wide roads was also proposed. Moreover, no resident would be allowed to raise boundary wall till the edge of the road. Driveways from a metalled road to a house would have to be constructed in such a way that these started from the bottom of a curve channel or from the road level. Sources said the proposal had been agreed in principle but had to be approved by the higher authorities. The Chief Administrator of HUDA, Mr P. Raghavendra Rao, said after a number of resident welfare associations contacted HUDA in this regard, it was decided to formulate some guidelines to check the encroachments. He said the residents growing hedges and fences outside their houses projected neat surroundings but it did not establish their right over the land. It was meant to be used by the pedestrians. He said the Administrator
of HUDA( Panchkula) had been directed to make a concrete
proposal before it was forwarded to the government for
approval. Residents
oppose HUDA action PANCHKULA, April 2 — Residents of Sector 2 adjoining the road dividing sectors 2 and 4 are up in arms against the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) for allegedly tampering with a green belt along a seasonal nullah passing through the sector. The horticulture wing of HUDA, had raised a three-foot high boundary wall along with barbed fencing on it about three years ago. Over a dozen tree saplings were also planted in the green belt. Residents allege that on March 31, the boundary wall was demolished at two points to make space for parking of vehicles and to use the area as a thoroughfare. Then a new wall was raised along the nullah thereby interfering with the flow of water in the nullah, especially during the monsoon season. Officials of the horticulture wing, when contacted, said certain residents of the sector had met the Superintending Engineer demanding a thoroughfare through the area. It being a dead end there was problem of direct accessibility to a section of houses, they said. A delegation of the
residents met the Administrator of HUDA yesterday in this
regard. The Administrator assured the residents that he
would look into the matter. |
Day of
prayer for Christians CHANDIGARH, April 2 — It was a day of prayer and fasting for Christians as they thronged various churches to mourn the death of Jesus Christ. At most of the churches the three-hour worship service was held. At the Catholic Church in Sector 19 the Stations of the Cross service was held in which the pastor led the congregation through the 14 Stations of the Cross. The Sector 18 CNI Church was overflowing with the devout at the 12-noon service. Almost all the Keralite Orthodox Syrian Christians of the city and vicinity gathered at the St Mary’s Church in Sector 46 for the eight hours of devotion which included processions holding the cross by the preist. The Catholic Church will
hold an Easter Vigil service around midnight on Saturday
to usher in Easter Sunday.
|
Problems
galore in Kalka KALKA, April 2 — Poor water supply here has become a cause of concern for the residents. They fear that this time too it would be a thirsty summer. The town, with a population of more than 10,000, lacks a well-maintained water supply system. Residents blame the local civic body for not taking any steps to solve the problem. Mr Jagmohan, a resident of Parade Mohalla, says that water supply in the area is very poor. “Water is available for only 2 to 3 hours a day, which is far from sufficient”, he says. He further says that the water pressure remains low. Residents feel that the water availability will be irregular in summer. They say that they have to carry water from other sources, such as tubewells and wells, which are far from their houses. Another problem highlighted by the residents is the absence of a bus stand. Mr Shankar Das, says “Passengers have to face a lot of problems as there is no regular stopping of different buses”. He further adds that taxi and autorickshaw drivers charge passengers as per their wish. Residents demand a government school for girls. “Kalka has only one government school for boys and we cannot afford to send our daughters to private schools as they charge exorbitant fees”, says Mr Ravinder Kumar, a vendor. Residents further complain of the traffic nuisance created by haphazard parking of vehicles on the main road and in inner lanes. The public transport facility is poor and taxis are parked on the civil hospital premises. Taxi drivers have a different story to tell. “There are at least 350 valid taxies in town but there is no parking lot for us, though we pay tax to the government. Moreover, the local police harasses us, as they use our vehicles without paying and nobody listens to us”, says a taxi operator on the condition of anonymity. Poor electricity supply is also a cause of concern for the residents. They further blame the Municipal Committee for ignoring their long-pending demands. They say that there is not proper provison of disposal of garbage. Littered lanes tell the sad story of civic facilities in the town. Waste from construction could be seen heaped in various lanes. Locals also blame their
elected representatives, who have never listened their
woes. |
Sector 28
ITI to be upgraded CHANDIGARH, April 2 — The Technical Department of the Chandigarh Administration has taken a lead in making the curriculum and teaching in ITIs more suitable to the requirements of industry. It has recently accepted the recommendations of the Ministry of Labour, Government of India, for upgrading the Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Sector 28, with all modern facilities for the purposes of improving employment opportunities for the students. The Institute happens to be among the 11 institutes selected all over the country under a pilot project for industry-institute interface to meet the growing industrial challenges. The UT Home Secretary-cum-Secretary Technical Education, Mrs Anuradha Gupta when contacted said that the objective behind the upgradation of the already existing infrastructure in the Sector 28 is institute was to provide students with the latest skills relevant to the expectations and requirement of the modern industry. According to her a constant industry-institute interface would help to quickly change teaching methodology and related infrastructure in accordance with the industrial changes. With the UT Administration approving the formation of two committees under the scheme, the upgradation would come into effect immediately. Giving details of the formation and role of the two committees, Dr S.K Aggarwal, Director Technical Education cum convener of the committee said that the Steering Committee which would be formed under the chairpersonship of the Secretary, Technical Education, would have ten members, including Director General, Employment and Training (DGET); Secretary, in charge of Vocational Education; five representatives of industry, representative of CII ( Northern Region) and Principal of ITI and Director, Technical Education. The hi-powered steering committee would decide on the powers to be devolved to the Institute Managing Committee (IMC) to monitor its performance and functions, to encourage industries to actively participate and contribute to the development of vocational training and to coordinate with the State government, DGET, NCVT and industry. The Institute Managing Committee (IMC), the second committee formed under the scheme would have 10 members comprising of four representatives of industry, including the Chairman, representatives from the State Directorate of Technical Education, Principal of ITI, one senior faculty member of ITI, a CII (Northern Region) representative, a student representative and representative of the District Employee Office. The role and responsibilities of the IMC would be wide ranging. The first and foremost would be generation and utilisation of resources and the IMC would be free to generate resources through various projects from industry and utilise them. The committee may adopt innovative ways of transparent selection of students to meet the individual needs of each institute and can also allow industry sponsored candidates. While the theoretical examinations will be jointly supervised by industry, practical examinations and evaluation will be conducted jointly by industry and external examiners through seminars and group discussions. The IMC will design the faculty development form, which will include criteria for gradation and development of faculty but the steering committee will do the evaluation which will carry weight and recognition. With a view to upgrade the teaching aids, the IMC will concentrate on working models, slides, video projections and detailed job assignments. Under the guidance of the Steering Committee the IMC will introduce an MIS system for each ITI and CII will provide the necessary inputs for creating such a system. To ensure that their product is acceptable in industry, the IMC will help students in registration and before passing out all ITI students will be registered with the local employment exchange, overseas employment cell and regional HQ of CII. The industrial patronage at the Institute stage will encourage employability. The trainees will be helped by the industry to go in for self-employment through acquisition of skills relating to interaction with Financial institutions and familiarity with basic trade and commerce facilities. To meet the needs of changing technology, the faculty will also be encouraged to update their knowledge from time to time. For this, IMC will plan detailed annual and quarterly training calendars, budgets and release of personnel for training programmes, including exchange of personnel between industry and institute. Industrial training will be compulsory for all the students and faculty of the institute to acquaint themselves with the latest technological advances. The IMC will not only arrange short trips to the industry or on-job training for vocations but will also decide about the stipend to be paid to each student and faculty, by the industry providing training. The IMC will also have a say in the transfers of faculty members from one institute to the other and deputations will also be made on the basis of its recommendations. In order to make the curriculum more compatible with the needs of the Industry, IMC will be allowed to revamp the curriculum of any trade above the NCVT’s norms. It will have the power to include new trades and discontinue obsolete trades by following simplified procedures to be decided by DGET. The rules for providing consultancy by the ITI will be laid down in consultation with the committee. The recommendations also
specify certain indicators for monitoring the performance
of IMC. These include the employment rate within six
months, student output to sanctioned capacity in terms of
admission rate, retention rate and pass rate, internship
and on-the-job training per student per year, average
number of days of deputation of instructors in industry
per year, revenue generated as percentage of operating
expenses, donation of new machinery and equipment to ITI
by industry, time devoted by experts from industry in
conducting classes or other activities in ITI and
recommendations made by IMC and their implementation. |
Nostalgia
marks nite CHANDIGARH, April 2— It was an occasion for the residents of the City Beautiful, who had a chance to relish a number of Punjabi songs, originally rendered by the legendary playback singer Mohd. Rafi. Drenched in a nostalgic mood, they clapped and sang with the singers who enthralled them at "Virasat", a cultural programme of Punjabi film songs of Mohd. Rafi, organised by the local Yaadgar-e-Rafi Society at Tagore Theatre here today. The programme took off on a religious note with a shabad, "Mitar Piyare Nu”. Another shabad, "Mere Sahib, Mere Sahib,"which was originally rendered by Asha Bhonsle in "Nanak Naam Jahaj Hai," an old Punjabi film was sung by Rinku Kalia. Shabads like 'Dukh Bhanjan Tera Naam Ji', 'Jis Ke Sar Upar Tu Swami' and 'Deh Shiva Var Mohe’ were recited by Davinder Kaushal, R.P. Singh and Amarjit amid chants of 'Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal'. In the next round, the singers presented Punjabi filmi songs of Mohammed Rafi. The round started with an old popular duet from "Sassi Punnu", “Dass Meria Dilbara”, sang by B. D. Sharma and Rinku Kalia. The mood of the audience was set by R.L. Anand, who tried his best to exhibit the spontaniety of Rafi by singing,"Ruk Jaa O' Sajna”. Another popular number from "Guddi", “Pyar De Bhulekhe”, was presented by Arvind Verma and Darshan Saini. It was backed by equally good performances by the musicians — Rajesh Naik and Laxman Neeta on dholak, Gautam on tabla, Subhash on banjo, Sudarshan on guitar, Bimal on flute and Arun and Rama Kant on keyboard. V.M. Sharma sang "Dana Pani, Likh Ke Liaunda," from “Bhangra”. "Veh Das Royia Karenga", originally rendered by Mohammed Rafi and Shamshad Begum, was sung by R.D. Kailey and Pushpa. "Saanu Bukk Naal Pani Hi Pilade Goriye," by Gurpal Singh, and "Te Main Jhuth Bolia," by K. S. Chattwal and B.D. Sharma, also drew applause from the audience. Mr Satya Pal Jain, the
local M.P., was also present . Earlier, the society
honoured a veteran singer, Lacchman Dass, by presenting
him with Rs 5,100 and a shawl. |
Garbage
heaps dot Lalru LALRU, April 2 — The grain market area here is marred by huge heaps of garbage adjacent to the Dera Bassi-Ambala national highway. The spot has turned into a dumping place for trash and disposal of house-hold articles. The drainage system of the area has been blocked due to rubbish and stinking water which has gathered at many points in the area. This blockage of water poses a threat to the life of residents here. Mr Paramjit Singh, who has been running a tea stall in the area for the past 20 years, says the problem was there when he started the stall. All shopkeepers and vegetable sellers use the place as a dumping spot for waste, he adds. Mr Satish Kumar, a vegetable seller, said the local Market Committee should get the area cleaned. Mr Suresh Kumar, a cloth merchant, said eatables on rehris, stalls and shops are exposed to this filth and flies emanating from here. He said despite repeated requests, the market committee authorities had turned a blind eye to the problem. Mr Manmohan Kapur,
Secretary of the Market Committee, said the area falls
under the jurisdiction of Public Health Department and to
keep it clean was the duty of the department. |
Eight
jhuggis gutted CHANDIGARH, April 2 — A fire in Palsora Colony gutted eight jhuggis and partially damaging two others here today. The fire which broke out at about 4. 30 a.m. in one of the jhuggis spread to neighbouring ones and damaged others. The fire spread so quickly that occupants did not have time to retrieve their belongings. Household items and belongings worth nearly Rs 9 lakh were reported to have perished in the fire. The residents of the colony alleged that the fire engines did not reach on time, though they had informed the fire authorities in time. They said all the fire engines with the municipal authorities had been sent to the High Court. Following this the fire authorities at S A S Nagar were informed which sent two fire engines. According to the fire authorities it took nearly an hour to control the fire. Mr Ram Charan, said he was woken up by something burning and when he came out, he saw the neighbouring huts afire. He immediately woke up others and they came out with whatever little they could salvage. He said he was trying to put up a makeshift structure to spend the night with materials offered by his neighbours. Since most of the residents were sleeping they could not move their belongings to safer places. The cause of the fire was being ascertained, fire officials added. Meanwhile, another fire broke out in the shop of a scrap dealer in Industrial Area, Phase II. As all the fire engines were pressed into service to control the fire at the High Court, none could be set to control this fire. Ultimately, a scooterist was sent to inform the authorities and a fire engine was rushed to the shop. The extent of the damage
was being ascertained, officials added. |
CHANDIGARH, April 2 — Manisa Devi, of Sector 34, was overrun by a Maruti car and seriously injured in the Sector 34 market here last night. She was rushed to the PGI where she died this morning. A case has been registered Hit by car: A cyclist, Dineshwar Giri of Hallo Majra village, was injured when he was hit by a car (DL-3 -CD-7444) near the Transport Chowk. He has been admitted to the PGI. A case has been registered. Assaulted: Mr Manohar Lal, a shopkeeper in Palika Bazar, Sector 19, reported that he was assaulted by Tarsem Lal and Ishwar Chand. A case has been registered Threatened: Mr Barjinder Singh, of Sector 47, complained that he was assaulted and threatened by Ravinder Singh, of Burail village along with another person at his residence. A case has been registered. Car stolen: Mr Ajay Behal, of Sector 46, alleged that his car (CH-01-E-402) was stolen from his house. The police has registered a case. Booked: The police has booked one Sanjay of Bapu Dham Colony for abducting a 12 year old girl from the Colony yesterday. In a complaint to the police, the parents of the girl had alleged that her daughter had been abducted by the accused yesterday. Though no arrest had been made so far, a case under Section 363\366 of the IPC has been registered. MUBARIKPUR Body found: A dead body of a 45-year-old saint was found near the cremation ground adjacent to Mubarikpur camp railway crossing. According to police sources, the sadhu” had been staying at this place for the last year and a half. A “KK” mark had been tattooed on one of his arms. The police sent it for post-mortem to the civil hospital at Rajpura. PANCHKULA Arrested: The local police arrested three persons in connection with a case of theft here. Stolen goods worth Rs 400 were recovered from them. The thieves, Deepak, Sher Singh and Sonu are residents of Rajiv Colony here. In another case, stolen jewellery worth Rs 1200 was recovered from Sartej Singh, a resident of Bhaudhana and Amarjit Singh, a resident of Fatehgarh in Punjab. Rs 1,000 were also recovered from them. Case registered: The local police has registered a case against the driver of a Haryana Roadways bus, Rattan Singh, for negligently driving the bus leading to the death of a woman, Maya Devi here yesterday. A case under Sections 279 and 304 A of the IPC was registered against him. Injured: Dr
Sanjay Malik, a resident of housing colony in General
Hospital Sector 16 was injured after the car in which he
was travelling was hit by a truck driven by Alaudin near
a road dividing Sectors 6 and 7 here on Thursday. The
police registered a case under Sections 279, 337 and 427
of the IPC against the truck driver. |
CHANDIGARH, April 2 — The orders of reversion of Ms Asha Jindal and eight other ad hoc government school lecturers working in various schools in Chandigarh, were quashed by a Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal comprising Justice R.K. Nehru and Mr V.K. Majotra. The Bench directed the respondents to consider the claim of the applicants for regular promotion to the post of lecturer under the statutory rules as notified on February 15,1991 and not under the so-called amended rules as notified on March 26, 1991. The Bench also directed that the applicants should be considered for such promotion with effect from the date of regular promotion with respect to vacancies made by wrongly applying the rules. They should also be granted all consequential benefits, if found eligible and suitable, from the date of actual promotion within four months. The applicants were promoted ad hoc lecturers on the basis of their qualification of 50 per cent marks in a post-graduation examination and seniority. Subsequently the administration notified the recruitment rules for the post of school lecturers on February, 15, 1991, where in the condition of 50 per cent marks in a post-graduation exam in the relevant subject was essential. However, their cases for promotion were not considered. In the meantime the administration amended the staturory rules vide notification dated March 26, 1991 whereby condition of 50 per cent marks was deleted so as to promote seniors who had scored less-than 50 per cent marks in the post-graduation exam. As a result those lecturers, including the applicants, were reverted to the post of master or mistress by the authorities. The Bench observed that it was a well-established principle of law that the vacincies which occurred prior to the amendment of the statutory rules had to be governd in accordance with the unamended rules, i.e. rules applicable at the time of occurrence of such vacancies. Consequently, the tribunal held that the action of the respondents in reverting the applicants was bad in law. Directive to UPSC on post The Union of India and the Union Public Service Commission were directed to consider Dr K.A. Reddy, Director General, Poultry Breeding Farm, Chandigarh, and other similarly qualified persons for the post of Deputy Commissioner (Poultry) in the Ministry of Agriculture on deputation. The direction was issued by a Bench of the local tribunal comprising Justice R.K. Nehru and Mr V.K. Majotra, while allowing the O.A. filed by Dr Reddy. In defence against the plea of the applicant. The respondents objected to the eligibility of the applicant saying that for the post, the essential qualification was post-graduation in poultry science, whereas the applicant had done post-graduation in animal breeding. Rejecting the plea of the department, the Bench observed that the scope of judicial review in the evaluation of various qualification for a particular job was limited. At the same time, the courts or tribunals could not be mute spectators in case the action of the authority was found to be arbitrary and discriminatory. It was found by the Bench that One Dr Iqbal-ud-din who rose to the position of Joint Commissioner poultry, possessed the same qualificiations. The Bench directed the
respondents to convene a review selection for the post.
The post shall be filled after fresh consideration within
two months and till then a stop-gap arrangement made. |
Kirtan
darbar today CHANDIGARH, April 2 — As a part of the Khalsa tercentenary celebrations, the Gurdwara Kalgidhar (Kheri), Sector 20, will organise a kirtan darbar tomorrow. Mr Manjit Singh, secretary
of the management committee, said the kirtan darbar will
start at 5 p.m. and will continue till past midnight.
Eminent ragi jathas will perform. Bhai Sandip Singh, Bhai
Narinder Singh, Bhai Banta Singh and Bhai Balvinder
Singh, all hazoori ragis, Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar, and
Bhai Niranjan Singh, Jawaddi Kalan, will participate.
|
Water line
bursts CHANDIGARH, April 2 — The main water line from Transport Chowk in Sector 26 to the bridge on the Kalka-Chandigarh road burst today putting motorists to a lot of inconvenience. According to information available, with the water from the supply line jetting upwards, a large stretch,including the road from Transport Chowk to the bridge, was inundated. The breach was plugged in
the evening. |
Kids
Karnival opens CHANDIGARH, April 2 — “Kids Karnival” began at the Parade Grounds, Sector 17, here today. The carnival would be on till April 4. Structures like the Eiffel Tower, the London Bridge, the Arc de Triomphe and the Titanic were erected to attract children, along with counters of toys, games, computers and kitchen gadgets. Though the entry fee was Rs 25 per person, the organisers justified it by saying, “We are giving a geometry box free on every purchase of Rs 46, and all fun games are free of cost”. Children were seen scampering around the place on bicycles, taking part in drawing and dance competitions. Various stalls at the carnival had set up microphones to talk to the children and make them sing and recite poems. Besides theme spaces like
“coastal parks”,”African jungles” and
a “European skyline” , the carnival would also
have a healthy baby contest and interactive games for
families. |
Bar panel
poll results PANCHKULA, April 2 — In the annual election of the District Bar Association which was held here Mr Randhir Singh has been elected as the President while Mr Amit Singla has been elected as Secretary. The post of cashier has been won by Mr Anirudh Sharma. Mr B.S.Virk and Ms Vandana
Bhuria had already been elected unopposed as
Vice-President and Joint Secretary, respectively, |
Classes for
poor kids to be held CHANDIGARH, April 2 — The Sivananda Mission will organise teaching classes for poor children from Class I to graduation level free of cost. Expert guidance for post-graduate classes will also be provided at the Sivananda Seva Sadan. During vacations in
schools, classes in painting, tailoring, yoga and
English-reading will also be conducted. Elders too are
free to join the classes, according to a statement by the
spokesperson of the sadan here today.
|
Delay in
salaries condemned CHANDIGARH, April 2 — The Federation of UT Employees and Workers has condemned the non-release of the salaries of the workers in the city despite assurances to do so by the Administration. Mr Bhag Mal Rana, General
Secretary of the federation, said the employees were in
dire straits as they had paid their income tax dues last
month and the present delay had posed a lot of
difficulties. The salaries would now be paid on April 5,
the next working day. |
Dhull to
hold exhibition CHANDIGARH, April 2 — An exhibition of paintings and drawings by Anshul Dhull, a first-year student in BFA, will be held at the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10 here, from April 4 to April 7. The solo exhibition will
be inaugurated by Nek Chand. |
 |
 |
| 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 | |
