'People's help can improve city'
By Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 25 — "Those looking after the administration should be clear about the problems facing the city. An analytical study of all such problems should be conducted to find solutions," says Mr Resham Singh, former Chief Engineer-cum-Secretary, Engineering Department of the Chandigarh Administration.

Mr Resham Singh, who spent 17 years of his service in Chandigarh — from 1950 to 1954 as Subdivisional Engineer; from 1962 to 1973 as Superintending Engineer; and from 1978 to 1980 as Chief Engineer — feels that the future of the city will depend upon both who administer the city and also the people who live here. Public cooperation is very important.

"Chandigarh, by far, continues to be the best place to live in. But if the things are controlled and people cooperate, it may not be difficult to maintain it. Once the things are let down then nobody can stop it from becoming another Ludhiana.

"When I cam here in 1950 as a subdivisional engineer, I used to live in a small hutment on the Ambala-Kalka Road. I was sharing the hut with a colleague. Our main assignment was to ascertain the availability of water.

'Since there was a lot of resentment and opposition from the original domiciles of the villages here, who opposed acquisition of their land for the capital city, we mostly used to work at night under police escort. To investigate the availability of water supply, the Administration had appointed a Water Diviner. He was Mr Patnaik from the Orissa High Court. Water divining is a method in which a stick is used to look for places where water was available underground.

"Subsequently, we used to drill tubewells. At that time, there was nothing in the city. The first sectors — 22 and 23 — came up but only a limited number of people could get houses.

"From a hutment, we got into a tent. No transport was available at that time . We mostly used to be on foot and at times used bicycles. I remember before I was posted out from Chandigarh, we saw the first scooter arrive in the city. That was the time when we used to come from our hutment via Bhainsa Tibba to Chandigarh. Mani Majra, the old town, used to be our Connaught Circus. For all our shopping needs, we used to go there. There was noting else in the city.

"But it was a good experience to work here. It was a small team but there was very good team spirit. After I left Chandigarh, I had a posting in Amritsar and Ferozepore before I went to Calcutta for my MEPH degree. In 1962 I was posted back in Chandigarh as Superintending Engineer. My assignment was public health management and engineering works.

"It was during my second posting that the problem of water shortage started cropping up. The population was increasing. Investigations revealed that water from tubewells was sufficient for a population of 1.5 lakh. But as the population started growing, other proposals were formulated. One of such proposals was to bring water by raising a dam on the Ghaggar river. At that time it was to cost a few crore rupees. But since the Capital project was starved of funds, it was deferred. Since the demand for water was increasing, other options were thought of.

"It was around 1966 or 1968 that the water supply augmentation scheme was conceived and it was decided to bring water from the Bhakra mainline from Kajauli. The initial programme got into a political controversy as the reorganisation of Punjab had taken place. After the share of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh was decided, the scheme was finally approved in 1973. By the time I left on promotion as Chief Engineer at Patiala, the proposal had been cleared but execution had not started," recalls Mr Resham Singh.

Mr Resham Singh was appointed Chief Engineer in 1978 after Mr Kulbir Singh retired. "For almost two years and two months I was Chief Engineer-cum-Secretary, Engineering here.

"In my opinion, the major problems that need to be tackled for the future of the city are population, influx of migratory labour and their rehabilitation, transport and traffic problems.

"I strongly feel that unless we go in for grade separators or separate the slow traffic from fast moving traffic, some problems will persist. See for the past week or so, you do not hear of many road accidents. If someone can come and control the traffic in less than a week, why others cannot do it. This is what I feel is lacking now.

"There are violations of building bylaws. These have not taken place overnight. It means something is missing somewhere. That is why I say that people have to cooperate and those in administration must be strict.

"The growth of slums has affected basic services, including water and power supplies. Now we are at the end of April. This is the time when those looking after storm water drainage should get busy and get the storm water roadside gulleys cleared of garbage so as to prevent flooding of different parts of the city in the coming Monsoon season.

"While I was in Chandigarh, both as Superintending Engineer and Chief Engineer, the Administration used to respond quickly to public grievances and complaints. It is no more the same," says Mr Resham Singh, who was a freedom fighter as well. He went to jail during the Quit India Movement while being a student of Banaras Hindu University. In 1973, he was awarded a Tamra Patra by the Chandigarh Administration.

Education system impractical: Gosain
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 25 — The present educational system is impractical and superfluous. It needs a drastic change. This is how Principal Andrew Gosain of St Xavier's Senior Secondary School, Sector 44, describes the present education system. He says the system is making the students materialistic, self-centred, aggressive and ruthless.

He is of the view that stress should be placed on liberty of thoughts, spirituality and games. The students should be taught to respect all religions and love all human beings.

Mr Gosain who took his early lessons from a Gorakh Panthi sage, did his high school from the Delhi board. While he did his intermediate from the UP board, he did his graduation and post-graduation from Rajasthan University.

He began his teaching career with the French Missionaries at Udaipur. He came to Chandigarh in 1962 and taught in St John's High School, Sector 26, for over 20 years till February 1983. The founder-Principal of St Xavier's High School and Chairman of the school management, has in the past 15 years made it grow into a senior secondary school.

Teachers are the pillars of strength of any good school. According to him, a good teacher should be first and foremost a good human being, gentle, loving and inspiring. He should be well read and have a selfless approach. A successful teacher is one who has a fair and firm approach in dealing with students.

Mr Gosain feels that on account of the present superfluous system, the student of today is confused and aimless. His advice to the students is that they should choose a career keeping in view their interest and aptitude in a subject and not be forced into anything they are not inclined to by their parents and teachers. Parents and teachers can play a more positive role by channelising their energies in the right direction. They should also be encouraged to develop love for flora and fauna and taste for good music.

`` Dignity of the child is paramount and thrust of the education should be on imparting teaching by love and affection''. Mr Gosain asserts that significant stress should be laid on character building and leadership.

He believes that students who excel in various fields should be applauded in front of the entire school for their achievement and the others should be motivated to do even better.

Corporal punishment should be completely banned as good teachers can always think of alternative punishment to mould the naughty students. His advice to the teachers is not to be harsh with such students. Rather, they should treat them with more affection and counsel them every now and then. In fact, respecting the personality of the child can to a great extent curb the criminal mind.

Answering a question on his preference for the ICSE system of examination, Mr Andrew Gosain who is also the coordinator of the ICSE schools in the city, said that this system is characterised by fairness, promptness and simplified syllabus. While the standard of English in ICSE is much better, the gap between science and mathematics of both systems is also narrowing down gradually.

Besides, the school also provides teachers free education for one child and 50 per cent exemption on the education of the second or the third child. However, for the Class IV employees, there is complete exemption of fees.

To make education more cost-effective, he has been struggling to make the bag of the child lighter and wishes to have do away with too many books for every subject.

Even though as a Principal, he is not in favour of tuitions for it deprives students time to play and indulge in other recreational activities, he feels about 40 per cent students definitely need tuitions and special coaching on account of the heavy dose of syllabus.

Way to road carpeting not cleared
From Our Correspondent

MANAULI (SAS NAGAR), April 25— A feeling of resentment is growing among the residents of several villages adjoining Chandigarh as their long-pending demand of carpeting of roads has being ignored by the authorities.

Mauli- Baidwan village, 4 km from Sohana, is among the worst hit. The only connecting road to Manauli, Chilla and other dozen villages, passing through the village has not been repaired for the past two years.

Mr Jeet Singh, a local resident, said that the road was washed away by the nearby sewer nullah during heavy rains and since then nothing had been done in this direction. Later the villagers made a kutcha road.

The submerged road further posed a serious threat to the commuters during night as the stretch lacked any lighting facility . Bhag Singh, a student of Government college, SAS Nagar, said that the poor condition of the road had hit them as the bus service to the area was withdrawn. A teacher in the nearby Manauli government school complained that it became extremely difficult for them to reach school in time.

Mr Jagtar Singh, who works in Industrial Area, Chandigarh, said that the situation got worst during monsoon when the water level increased and the villagers had to opt for an alternative route which cross from several villages. "It burdens us financially as we have to cover an extra distance of 7 km to 9 km to reach Chandigarh via Sohana", he added.

The situation of roads in the villages falling under the jurisdiction of the UT Administration is also far from satisfactory. The Chandigarh- Kurali via Mullanpur village road is in a very bad state as it has not been carpeted for past the one year.

Residents complain that the deteriorating condition of the road has led to several problems in the area as it was virtually becoming a deathtrap.

According to Mr Partap, a taxi driver of Khudda Ali Sher, the poor roads have affected his business as a good amount of money goes in repairing his van.

Another stretch of road which is lying without any care is the one leading to Phase X1, SAS Nagar, from Sector 47, Chandigarh.

Local residents say that their problems are not taken seriously. The Chandigarh Tribune carried a news item on February 21 regarding the poor condition of the stretch. The portion falling in SAS Nagar was carpeted after that but no change has come to the stretch which is in Chandigarh.