Gurdwaras brace up for celebrations
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 11 — The city gurdwaras are all braced up for the tercentenary celebrations. While "akhand paths" in most of the gurdwaras will commence on Monday, a number of other events have been planned to mark the occasion.

All the gurdwaras will be tastefully illuminated on the Baisakhi Day. Some of the gurdwaras have already organised special kirtan darbars. The Sector 34 Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Gurdwara organised a series of "kavi darbars" by inviting eminent poets from all over the region. The management of the gurdwara is now planning a special ayurvedic camp on April 14, the Baisakhi Day.

Three "Khalsa processions", including one of Sants, have already passed through the city.

The Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (CTCC), to mark the celebrations, started an "akhand path" at its Sector 35 Congress Bhavan this morning. The "Bhog" of the path will be held on April 13. It will be followed by langar.

The Chandigarh Nagar Kirtan Taal Mail Committee has decided to take out five nagar kirtan processions tomorrow to commemorate the memory of all Panj Pyaras to mark the tercentenary of the birth of Khalsa .

A procession dedicated to Bhai Daya Singh will be taken out from Dhanas gurdwara. The second dedicated to the memory of Bhai Dharam Singh will be taken out from the Sector 7 gurdwara. The third procession will be dedicated to Bhai Himmat Singh and will be taken out from the Sector 29 gurdwara. The fourth procession will be dedicated to Bhai Mohkam Singh and will be taken out from the Ram Darbar gurdwara. The fifth procession will be taken out from the Sector 46 gurdwara in memory of Bhai Sahib Singh.

All these special processions will start at 12.30 p.m. and terminate at the Sector 34 gurdwara at 7.30 p.m.

Folk singers from Punjab, including Mohammed Siddique, will organise a procession from here to Anandpur Sahib tomorrow to participate in the celebrations.

"The procession will be totally dedicated to the celebrations. All members of the procession will pray at Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib for peace and prosperity of humanity, " Mr Jagtar Singh Jagga, President of the Chandigarh Lok Gayak Manch, said today.

The Chandigarh Administration in collaboration with the North Zone Cultural Centre will present programmes by Puran Chand Wadali on April 13, by Manpreet Akhtar on April 14 and a martial dance show on April 15 at Tagore Theatre to mark the celebrations.

Meanwhile, Mr Satya Pal Jain, local MP, says that the 21st century shall be the century of Indian values, culture, rich heritage and Indian way of life. He was speaking at a number of functions held in different parts of the city in connection with the tercentenary celebrations of the birth of Khalsa.

Mr Jain said that Sikhism stood for universal brotherhood as there was no caste system in this religion. Sikhism believes in the coexistence of people of all castes and categories. He said that the world needs to be taught the values for peaceful coexistence which are enshrined in the holy Granth Sahib.

He said that the Union and Punjab Governments deserved all appreciation for efforts made by them to celebrate the occasion in a befitting manner.

‘Train of kites’ flies high, raising spirits
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 11—For a few moments there was no difference between the city kids and elders, who were mesmerised, watching kites of many hues, shapes and sizes embrace the firmament during the 'Patang Umang', a kite flying event, organised here today.

The main attraction was Bhanu Shah, a kite flier and his family, who involved those present by letting them have a feel of different types of kites prepared by them.

The event started with the flying of a 'Train of Kites', which generated a lot of interest among kids, as each of them was keen to fly the 'train' comprising more than 200 kites, all tied with a single string. So much so, a 70-year-old woman was found to be requesting Mr Shah to let her fly the kites as it had been her passion since her childhood. The lady, who was identified as Oshima Reikhy, President of the Punjab Istri Sabha, said she had been flying kites along with other boys at Kartarpur, her native village.

What bemused the children, who photographed the event, was the flight of parafoil, a huge multi-coloured, multi-layered kite, with a number of strings. The kite, which started floating in the air after a number of efforts, was so big that it had to be controlled by three members of the Shah family.

Then came 'delta', the bat-shaped kite, which though small in size, drew applause from those present due to its effortless flight for more than an hour. As the audience was busy watching the flight of kites, a sudden whisper, similar to that of a storm coming at a distance, disturbed. It was found to be nothing but a jet black 'shark kite', hovering elegantly over their heads. "Oh! big fish has come," murmured the children, who clapped and cheered the entry of other varieties of kites such as rokoku and a colourful hexagonal kites, which dominated the skies for more than two hours.

'Open spaces being sacrificed'
By Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 11 — "Open spaces must not be sacrificed for commercial activity," cautions Mrs Satinder Dhawan, Councillor of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, saying that the essential character of the city must be maintained.

Mrs Dhawan, who has been in the city since 1960, feels that Chandigarh is gradually losing its charm and glory. "It is no more the same neat, clean, green and open city as it used to be in 60s and early 70s. No doubt, every developing city has its problems. But these problems cannot be allowed to change the basic character of the city.

" I feel that open spaces should not be sacrificed to promote commercial activity. See what is happening to Sectors 8 and 9. The back lanes of the new commercial buildings coming up in these sectors are filthy and stinking. The openness of these sectors is vanishing. See their parking lots. They are congested, narrow and inadequate. As a result, the vehicles are overflowing onto roads, restricting the normal vehicular movement.

"For the growing problem of parking in the city, it is the Department of Architecture and Urban Planning which is to get the blame. Take for example, the new multistoreyed commercial buildings that have come up on Jan Marg. The Punjab Mini Secretariat, Kendriya Sadan of Central Government and Police headquarters of Punjab have come up on Jan Marg facing Sector 9-A. There is hardly any parking area for general public at any of these buildings.

"The situation is no different elsewhere. The architects and planners are fully aware of the explosion in population of motor vehicles. Why adequate parking provision is not mandatory in designs of such buildings. Even the new commercial buildings on Madhya Marg are facing the problem of inadequate parking areas," she says.

"I cherish the memories of my university days when we used to go to Sukhna Lake from the PU campus all through an open area. There were only few houses in Sectors 9,8 and 7. The only populated area at that time was Sectors 22 and 23. Even Sector 17 came up while I was in the city.

"The major problem in administering the city has been the steep growth in its population and development. The services have not been able to keep pace with its growth. In many areas, the number of employees have remained the same as they were when only phase I sectors — Sectors 1 to 30 — had been developed. Now, the phase III sectors have started coming up.

"In the absence of adequate manpower, it is difficult to maintain essential services like sanitation and water and power supplies. The ideal thing would be that both the Chandigarh Administration and the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation sit together and work out detailed planning of the city for the next 20 years. This planing must address the problems of basic services, like water and power supply, sanitation and environment.

"Without an integrated and definite plan, the city cannot retain its unique character. The integrated plan must be religiously followed and whatever bylaws are framed to maintain the character of the city, those must be strictly enforced.

"Recently, we have approved sanitation bylaws, prohibiting spitting and open defecation in the city. Unless inspectors and those supposed to enforce these bylaws work with dedication, these legislations will have no meaning.

"The Administration must also address itself to the problem of slums. There has to be a definite and concrete plan to handle this problem," she adds.

Mrs Dhawan says that unless something is done immediately, the population of the city as per its present growth rate would cross 20 lakh mark by 2020. The total population of the city and its peripheral areas would touch the 40 lakh mark.

The pressure of this population explosion will directly affect the services.

Unless the services and the support system are strong enough to take this load, the city faces the danger of collapsing, warns Mrs Dhawan.

"We must exercise all our controls before it becomes too late," she adds.

Village facing power, water crises
From Our Correspondent

MULLANPUR-GARIBDASS, April 11 — Residents of Mullanpur-Garibdass village and its surrounding areas fear that during summers, power and water supply may be severely affected.

Residents complain that poor power supply has caused several problems for them. Mr Kesar Singh, resident said people of the area suffered frequent power failures. The situation was there for the past fortnight but nothing had been done in this direction despite several complaints to the authorities, he said.

The 66 KV feeder at the village was upgraded after the village panchayat offered a piece of land to the PSEB to construct the substation, said Mr Diwan Singh, sarpanch of the village, The upgradation was meant to provide electricity on the pattern of urban areas, besides, a better power supply he said.

But the residents are not satisfied with the present situation of the power supply.

A resident, Mr Pawan Kumar, said that the substation had been providing almost uninterupted electricity supply to the belt, after its inauguration, a year back. But problems started after about three months and now power cuts were imposed without any prior information.

Water supply in the area is also far from satisfactory. The rural water supply system needs to be updated as it has not been repaired for a long time. Sources said that the present system was not enough for the villae. With the growth in population, more pipes and a better network were needed.

Residents complain of low water pressure. Not even half of the population of the village had access to water supply, Sarpanch said. “Water supply is limited to only three times a day”, said Mr Pal Singh, a resident. “Two hours of water supply each in morning, afternoon and evening is not enough”, he added. Villagers complain that there is only one water pump when it developes snag, the village has no alternatives.

Reliable sources said that a proposal in this direction had been sent to the higher authorities for approval. The proposal recommended laying new water supply pipes and constructing a water tank.

Poor electricity supply has also hit the telecom services. Sources in the Telecom Department revealed that the cause behind the telephones going dead non-availability of enough electricity supply for batteries in the exchange.

Raised road level poses problem
From Our Correspondent

MULLANPUR- GARIBDASS, April 11— The owners of more than 50 houses and shops along the Mullanpur-Siswan road demand immediate action to avoid any inconvenience to them during monsoons as the ongoing carpeting of the road has raised its level by more than 3 feet. They allege that the raised level of the newly constructed road could cause damage to their houses.

Located in the Shivalik foothills, the area is prone to floods during monsoons. Water coming from hills damages the fields and reaches Mullanpur 'nadi' through the road. The residents say that water stagnates on the road now because of its raised level. They fear that water would enter their houses and shops if some preventive measures are not taken immediately.

Dr G.S. Sohi, who runs a health clinic in the village, blames the authorities for not solving the chronic problem of draining out the rainy water. Instead of taking some concrete steps the authorities have opted for a shortcut to avoid work on proper channeling the rain water.

In the locality, residents have themselves laid pipes in front of their houses and shops to drain out the water. But they feel that the arrangement made by them is not satisfactory. ''It cannot withstand the water pressure we have been witnessing for the past several years,'' adds Mr Harpal Singh says.

Residents demand that the drain pipes should be laid before the onset of the rainy season to avoid of any unpleasant situation.

Mr Diwan Singh, sarpanch of the village, said that it was not possible to take any immediate action as the panchayat had not received any funds for past six months.

Y2K baby? — Big deal, say most
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 11 — Health experts all over the world have identified April 9 as the ‘best day’ to conceive a baby, that would be born on January 1, 2000 — a millennium baby. Interestingly, the world over competitions have been announced, prizes promised and hotels and motels booked for couples to try and conceive the first millennium baby!

But talks with a cross-section of gynaecologists of City Beautiful revealed that the craze for the Y2K baby has not struck the Chandigarhians, and the city would have its very natural ‘sprout’ of such babies.

With the doctors saying that only a very low figure of 3 to 5 per cent actually succeed in ‘making’ a planned baby, it is not surprising that people of Chandigarh are not apparently queuing up to nursing homes to get the year 2000 baby.

“Only if the day of conception is April 7, and not 9th is there maximum number of chances that the baby would be a Y2K baby. But the day of conception can never be one day, but a period of 10 days which is called the ‘fertile period’. Otherwise, this hype is only in the West, and not thankfully in India”, said Dr Manjari Bhargava, gynaecologist and obstetrician. According to another gynaecologist, Dr Mangla Dogra, “All this talk about the millennium baby is only about commercialisation. But Chandigarh is neither very materialistic, nor very commercial in the medical field. So, there is hardly any such talk going on. I have yet to receive any such queries from my patients. Also, scientifically or medically, there is nothing to this baseless hype”.

In fact, most doctors are not only terming the announcement of a ‘conception day’ as ridiculous, but also reiterating the fact that there is no foolproof method of ‘planning’ a baby. According to the doctors, even a baby that is due on the 30th or the 31st of December, could be born on January 1, 2000. But would that increase the incidence of Caesarean births, with would-be-parents asking doctors to induce labour or perform surgery on the first day of the millennium?

“There seems little chance for this, because no doctor would agree to something silly like this. When there is no way to predict the coming of a baby into this world, how can a day be set like this? Any baby could be born within a period of 36 to 40 weeks. So, it is not a very scientific thing to say that tomorrow is ‘the’ day. It is possible that some people might be planning to have a baby on the first day of next year, but I hardly have had any queries. Just one single query regarding this, and that also in passing reference”, said Dr Yash Bala.

Added Dr Reeti Mehra, “It is actually surprising that the so-called educated West is wasting so much time and energy into it. There is hardly any sense at all in this thing. Also every child, I think comes into this world with his own destiny, so what is the big deal about being born on one particular day or another ?”

Said a young Mrs Bains, “I think I would be open to an idea like this, and there would be no harm in trying. But seeing the hype in the West, the whole thing does sound a little overboard”.

How good is city’s bus service !
By Umesh Ghrera
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 11 — Manjula Gulati, a second year commerce student of MCM DAV college, prefers not to move out in the morning the day she does not have her scooter. Reason: “You simply can’t rely on public transport,” For her, travelling by a local bus is a harrowing experience. “The bus service is erratic. The crowd generally is not good. It is never safe for girls,” she says.

Manjula is not the only one to be disappointed with the city’s public transport system. Though the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) plies 215 buses on the city and suburban routes, the common refrain of the residents of the ‘City Beautiful’ is that the bus service is not efficient and punctual.

Kulwant Singh, a school teacher who commutes between Sector 33 and Ram Darbar, points out that one ends up wasting considerable time travelling by buses. “First, one has to walk a long distance to reach the bus stop. Similarly after leaving the bus, one has either to hire a rickshaw or to walk some distance. It is better to have your own conveyance,” he says.

Kulwant Singh for whom time means a lot, had to buy a scooter when he found the public transport system unable to meet his requirements.

Balwinder Singh is a rickshaw puller and his favourite haunt is the Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32. He prefers this spot because here he is able to make a quick buck. “People who come to the hospital generally travel by buses only when they have to go to the bus stand. For other destinations, they prefer to hire a rickshaw since the bus service is not frequent enough”, he explains.

Rajender Singh, a government contractor, who lives in Sector 7, says that the routes of the buses generally do not suit the people. “Many a time one has to change buses to get to one’s destination and in the process one wastes a lot of time and money. The inconvenience is extra,” he says.

The commuters in general complain of an erratic bus service, high fares, crowding in buses and unco-operative attitude of the staff.

Manpreet Singh and Devinder, both first year science students of SD College, Sector 32, say that at times they have to wait for as long as 45 minutes for a bus. What adds to the woes of the passengers is the absence of shelters and a proper time table.

According to Hans Raj Singla, a retired Principal, “One has to pay Rs 5 for a small distance whereas in other places travelling the same distance costs Rs 2”. He adds that besides the high fares and a poor service, the CTU buses also cause a lot of pollution.

However, the transport authorities explain that the city’s lay-out and planning coupled with stringent by laws are responsible for the public transport not being popular with the people. “The inner roads in the sectors are V5 roads and the city administration does not allow heavy vehicles on these roads,” says Mr S.K Dahiya, General Manager, CTU. “People will always have to walk some distance to board a bus,” he adds. He also points out that it is not feasible to connect all the sectors with one another by a direct bus service since the buses already plying on the available routes are yielding poor revenue.

Sweeping aside complaints of crowding in buses as baseless, Mr Dahiya says that the timings of office-goers and students are different. “We have enough buses to cater to their needs.”

The authorities, however, admit certain flaws. For instance the routes are not prominently displayed on the buses and time tables are missing at many places. But they maintain that they have augmented the fleet to provide an efficient and regular service. The number of buses has risen from 30 in 1966—when the CTU came into being—to 417 at present, including the ones that ply on inter-state routes.

Regarding fares, the authorities say that the CTU has a system of issuing monthly passes for which one is required to pay Rs 200. “Students are charged only Rs 30 for the pass,” they say.

On complaints of pollution caused by the buses, the authorities say that old buses which are in a bad condition and cause pollution are being phased out and new ones bought. “We have added four new buses this year and our aim is to make public transport more reliable and efficient,” the authorities say, claiming that the bus service in this city is better than many other places.

Agreeing with them, Mr Harwinder Singh, a Delhi-based businessman who was in the city to see his daughter says: “In Delhi the drivers and conductors often mislead you but in Chandigarh, I have never had such problem. I am a regular visitor here and always travel by bus.”