Sunday, August 15, 1999
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N E W S Sunday, August 15, 1999 |
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weather spotlighttoday's calendar |
Shatabdi
to be faster CHANDIGARH, Aug 14 — The Shatabdi Express arriving here in the morning around 10.30 from Delhi will shortly be hauled by an electric locomotive, reducing the travelling time between 15 minutes and 25 minutes. The same train that departs from here around noon on its return journey to Delhi will also be on power. On the other hand, the Shatabdi departing from here in the morning will not be on the electric loco as the track between Chandigarh and Kalka is yet to be electrified.This train returns from Delhi at 8.30 in the night. It originates and terminates at Kalka. Railway sources said this will be done by the first week of September after a final inspection from the Commissioner Railway Safety (CRS). The track between Ambala and Chandigarh has been electrified and upgraded to handle the express. An electric locomotive was run between Ambala and Chandigarh on a trial basis this afternoon as part of the final testing of the track and equipment between the two stations. The Railways have granted permission to operate electric locomotives to haul trains up to Chandigarh from tomorrow, the local authorities said, while adding that this has been done in view of the Independence Day tomorrow. With this, the first phase of the track electrification between Ambala and Kalka has been completed. The second phase between Chandigarh and Kalka is expected to be completed by March next year, said Mr N.K. Singhal, Chief Project Manager, Railway Electrification, Ambala Division. Once a clearance is obtained, passengers trains can be put on electric locomotives, Mr Singhal, who was on board the trial locomotive today, said. Sources said there is a proposal to run all trains on the Ambala-Chandigarh section on electric locos till Chandigarh and later switch them on to diesel for the run till Kalka. The other opinion is to speed up the electrification work till Kalka and wait till then before all trains on the section can be run on electricity. However, till then Chandigarh-Delhi Shatabdi will be benefited and the same is true for a couple of passenger trains that terminate at Chandigarh. The Jagadari-Saharanpur
section is also being energised on a trial basis from
Monday, the Railway authorities informed. |
Lawsuit
filed against CHB CHANDIGARH, Aug 14 — Applicants, who have been found to be ineligible by the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) for owning flats in Sector 52, have filed a suit in the court, seeking permanent injunction, restraining the CHB from holding the draw of lots scheduled for Monday. The case will also come up for hearing on the same day. Applicants have alleged that the CHB has declared them ineligible for the draw of lots without assigning any reason or allowing time to appeal. Ineligible applicants should have been informed. An applicant can appeal against the decision of the CHB declaring him ineligible. This is permitted under Section 23 of the Chandigarh Housing Board (allotment and management) Regulations 1979. On the other hand, the
CHB has already filed a caveat in the court pleading that
stay may not be granted before the CHB is heard. |
Tractor
stuck in trench CHANDIGARH, Aug 14 — The functioning of the local market committee authorities came under sharp focus today when a tractor-trailer got stuck in a six- foot- deep trench filled with slush and remained there for more than two hours near the main platform of the Sector 26 Grain Market. The tractor went inside the ditch filled with slush and garbage when its driver was pulling it out onto the road after unloading wheat at the open platform meant for stocking of foodgrains and other items. According to Baljeet Singh, the driver, he could not visualise that there could be such a deep ditch in the pucca platform . moreover it was filled with garbage up to the road level. He said he tried his best to pull the machine out of the trench with the help of tractors but failed to do so as it went down further with every attempt. We approached the market committee authorities, responsible for the maintenance of the grain market, and urged them to send their crane or some tractor to get the tractor out, but they did nothing for more than two hours, alleged Harmail Singh, another farmer. A number of farmers and
labourers at the site alleged that a man had fallen into
the trench recently and had to be saved with a great
difficulty. saying that the trench had become a death
trap, farmers demanded that it should be filled without
any further loss of life and property. |
Poor
response to BBA course CHANDIGARH, Aug 14 — The admission process for filling vacant seats of BBA I in various colleges of Punjab, affiliated to Panjab University, drew a poor response during the second counselling session held today at Government College, Sector 46. A total of eight students were admitted against 362 vacant seats of the total 510 seats in 24 colleges of Punjab. Earlier during the first counselling held earlier this month, 148 students were admitted to these colleges for this course. However, admissions to all 240 seats in various city colleges was completed today with the last seat going to a student ( 592 rank) of SGGS College for Women, Sector 26. Seventeen colleges from Punjab had set up their counters at GC- Sector 46. The lone candidate who was admitted today went and deposited the fee in the college. In case of Punjab colleges, five admissions were made to SD College for Boys, Ludhiana, one each in Arya College, Ludhiana, Khalsa College for Women, Ludhiana and Guru Nanak Girls College, Ludhiana. With this, all seats in Arya College have been filled, eight other colleges had filled all their seas during the first counselling. Figures available at the end of the second counselling indicate that the response to the BBA course, which was started only last year has been rather poor in these colleges with not even a single admission in at least seven colleges. This includes DD Jain Memorial College for Women, Ludhiana; Guru Nanak College; Moga, DAV College for Girls, Garhshankar; Bondli Malwa College, Samrala; DAV College, Ferozepur cantt; BAM Khalsa College for Women, Garhshankar. The admissions in few other colleges such as SDP College for Women, Ludhiana; Ramgarhia, Miller ganj College; Ludhiana and Guru Nanak College; Ferozepur Cantt have been one, two and three respectively of the total 30 seats. According to Principal D.P Singh of Government College, Sector 46, who is the co-ordinator for admissions to BBA course, the response for the course has been good in the colleges of urban areas particularly Chandigarh and Ludhiana but there have been hardly any takers in the colleges situated in rural areas for instance GTB Khalsa College for Women, Dasuya; GGS DAV College, Jalalabad and Guru Nanak National College, Doraha. Another trend that has come to light is that all students who have sought admissions to the Chandigarh colleges are first divisioners, except those in the reserved category. Keeping in view the poor
response, Dean College Development Council, Mr Deepak
manmohan Singh has convened a meeting of the principals
of the colleges of Punjab who opted for the BBA course on
August 18 to deliberate on the issue. According to
sources, they are likely to allow colleges to consider
even those students who had not appeared for the entrance
examination but have the required 50 per cent marks in
plus two to fill the vacant seats. |
Poll staff
can vote on duty CHANDIGARH, Aug 14 — The election authorities have made arrangements to enable government employees on election duty for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat to cast their votes while on duty. Those employees who are voters in Chandigarh and are posted on duty within the city during the poll scheduled for September 5 will be issued a Election Duty Certificate (EDC). This will be marked against the names of the employees concerned in the electoral rolls where they are registered as voters. An employee carrying an EDC will be allowed to cast his vote on the electronic voting machines (EVMs) at the centre where he or she is posted. The EVMs are being used for the first time. The alternative arrangement to be made is the postal ballot. This is for defence personnel and for those employees who have to go out of the constituency on poll duty. In this case, regular ballot papers are being dispatched as it will be physically impossible for those posted outside to cast their votes through the EVMs. So this miniscule population will still be casting their votes through the traditional method. Meanwhile, the department has started off with its programme to create awareness among the city electorate about the voting machines. Mobile teams will visit Sukhna Lake , the Sector 17 market and the grain market each day on fixed schedules. Besides the awareness
centre being run in Sector 17, centres have been set up
in the Notified Area Committee (NAC) building, Mani Majra
and the Community Centre, Sector 37. Today the mobile
teams visited rural areas to demonstrate the functioning
of EVMs. A daily schedule has been drawn up for the
awareness purposes. |
Shortage
of seats in PU hostels CHANDIGARH, Aug 14 — Shortage of seats in Panjab University hostels has been causing concern among the students, particularly during the past few years. The scenario remains unchanged this year. Unhappy students can be seen returning without getting any assurance from the warden's office. Boys are being made to stay on sharing room basis. In certain cases, senior residents like research scholars have been given an additional room mate. Mr V.K. Bansal, Dean Student Welfare, says there were approximately 800 seats for girls and about 1,600 for boys. There was a need for hostels to ease the situation as the number of seats in some courses had increased over the past few years. Unlike class admissions, hostels do not follow merit as the basis. The seats are given on a first come first served basis. There should be weightage for merit in examination, an old resident suggested. Serious concern was expressed by students who stayed in hostels for years without completing the courses. A senior student pointed out that a number of boys, mainly student leaders, managed to change their courses but stayed in hostels for more than five years. One of the major reasons cited for the situation was increase in the number of seats in various subjects. Departments like MBA had nearly doubled seats during this period. There was also an increase in seats in professional degrees, besides history and Punjabi. A senior student said an additional hostel was needed. The university authorities should take proper care of research scholars, who could be shifted to Hostel VI. Despite continuing education, they stayed in hostels without arrangement for meals during vacations. The Dean Students Welfare said strict action on the accommodation front would be chalked out against students who overstayed unnecessarily. This also extended to students who repeated one course after the other. Mr Bansal also said the number of local students in the university had gone down while the number of outsiders had increased. He said the situation usually eased out a little in November, when students vacated rooms after submitting their theses. Extension of the time for submission of thesis was also one of the reasons for overcrowding, he said. Creation of additional seats under the NRI quota, particularly in professional courses, also resulted in the increase in demand for seats in hostels. These students were in addition to the normal quota of seats. The demand for rooms in
girls hostels also continued but the hostels managed to
adjust majority of the students. A number of girls, who
were admitted on the basis of merit, did not join the
classes since there was no guarantee of getting rooms in
hostels. |
Shruti
Gupta wins poster competition CHANDIGARH, Aug 14 — Shruti Gupta Of DAV Model School, Sector 15, won the first prize in an inter-school poster exhibition organised by the school here today. Hemant Bansal of Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 40, and Swati Bhandari of DAV Model School, stood second and third, respectively. The exhibition was organised to pay tributes to Kargil heroes. A series of functions were held in various schools in the city either to pay tributes to Kargil heroes or to commemorate Independence Day. The exhibition was inaugurated by Prof Harbans Lal, father of Major Sandeep Sagar, a hero of the Kargil war. He was a former student of the school. Dumb charades: An inter-school dumb charades competition was held at the YWCA hall to mark Independence Day celebrations. Eight schools participated. St Stephen's School and St John's School were declared winners and runners-up, respectively. Song competition: An inter-school patriotic song competition to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sri Aurobindo was held at the sector 27 Sri Aurobindo School of Integral Education. The following were the results: Group A- Sri Aurobindo School of Integral education 1, Kailash Bahl DAV Centenary School 2, and Bhavan Vidyalaya 3; Group B- St Kabir Public School 1, KB DAV School 2, and Vivek High School 3. consolation prizes were given to Mount Carmel School and Sri Aurobindo School. War scenes: The Kargil war was the main subject for an exhibition at St Xavier's Senior Secondary School, Sector 44. Many scenes of the Kargil war were captured in sketches, colour paintings, collages and portraits. 'Dandi March': Staging of a skit on 'Dandi March' and other cultural items marked the celebrations at St Soldier International School. Floral tributes were paid to Kargil heroes and sweets were distributed among children. Painting contest: An on-the-spot painting competition was held at Ajit Karam Singh International Public School, Sector 41. About 240 students from 17 schools of Chandigarh and SAS Nagar participated. The winners included Tushar Khanna, Jasleen Singh and Avneet Kaur in Group A, Prabhdeep Kaur Gill, Simi Bharadwaj and Kavisha Singh in Group B, Rupinder Kaur, Harpreet Kaur and Sachit in Group C, and Ravin Sharma, Priyanka Khandewal and Pardeep Singh in Group D. Models put up: Nearly 300 science and commerce models were put up by students of Pandit Mohan Lal SD Public School, Sector 32, at an exhibition 'The Contemporary World'. Students of Class XII (humanities) focussed on the Kargil issue in their charts and models. The commerce students covered topics like banking, finance, marketing, manpower and planning, besides recent issues such as the effect of the Kargil conflict on our economic development. The exhibits of science students were marked by working models in physics, chemistry and life sciences. Children in the age group of 3 to 6 years of the primary section 'Petals' also exhibited their talent through drawing, thumb painting, potato painting, paper tearing and blow painting. The exhibition was inaugurated by the DPI (Schools), Mr D.S. Saroya, who appreciated the efforts of the students in preparing these models. He said this exercise would further clear their concepts and provide them with an indepth knowledge of certain topics. The staff and students
of other schools, including St Stephen's, St Xaviers and
Bhavan Vidyalaya, visited the exhibition. It will be open
for parents tomorrow. |
Focal
point body flays MC DERA BASSI, Aug 14 — The Dera Bassi Industrial Focal Point Association has criticised the decision of the Punjab Government to extend the municipal limits of this town. In a press note, the association said that since the inception of the focal point, the Municipal Council of Dera Bassi had not spent a single penny on its development. The entire amount on providing basic amenities and salaries to the staff was being spent by Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation Limited (PSIEC). The association said the PSIEC had certified in a letter that the Dera Bassi focal point was being maintained by it and that it had not been transferred to the Municipal Council. The association also said that it was decided in June 1993 that the local bodies would not levy any property tax for five years after the development of the focal points. The local bodies could levy property tax on the allottees after taking over the focal points for maintenance. Mr R.C. Kalia, General Secretary of the association, criticised the council for ignoring the terms of the resolution by imposing house tax on various units in the focal point. The octroi post put up near the entrance of the focal point was charging varying rates from the truckers which amounted to unnecessary harassment, he said. The exclusion of Mubarikpur village from the extended municipal limits was not justified, he said. He also pointed out that
the Dera Bassi focal point was situated farther than
Mubarikpur which had been excluded. |
Telephone
users resentful MULLANPUR GARIBDASS, Aug 14— Telephone users of more than half a dozen villages connected with this rural telephone exchange are resentful on account of the problems they have been facing for several months. More than 350 telephones went out of order on August 9. The service remained off for the whole day. Telephone users complain that dead phones have become a regular problem and the telephone department was doing little about it . Despite several complaints, snags in the telephone lines are not rectified. A common problem was the difficulty of getting the desired numbers. Both incoming and outgoing calls take a long time, said Mr Arvind Puri of Mullanpur-Garibdass village. One has to cover a distance of more than 5 km to reach the PGI to make a call. Moreover, the local subscribers are unable to get the paging and cellular services, he added. The Mullanpur exchange is housed in a rented building which is not adequate for it. Besides it leaks during the rainy season. The telephone at the local branch of a nationalised bank has not been functioning for a month and a half. Similarly, the telephones at several other public offices, including the local government dispensary, have also been out of the order for the past several days. Public call office (PCO) owners of the area also complained of a fall in their business. A PCO holder said that due to faults in the lines their telephones remained non-functional for long periods. The residents of Shingariwala village complained of the indifferent attitude of the authorities towards the village. Several villagers said that though they had submitted applications long ago, they had not been allotted the connections. Mr Balwinder Singh, a local resident, submitted his application for a telephone connection on September 2, 1997. But he has not got it so far. Though all the nearby villages, including Perch and Seonk, have been allotted telephones, Shingariwala seems to have been ignored even after submission of applications. Meanwhile, Mr Kushwant
Rai, Deputy General Manager, SAS Nagar, denied on Monday
that there was any problem at the Mullanpur rural
telephone exchange. "They make such complaints only
to see the name of the village in their newspapers,"
he said on the telephone. |
Disabled
voters’ demand CHANDIGARH, Aug 14 — The seven crore disabled voters of the country would vote for those candidates only who would give an assurance for 'favourable' amendments in the Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation Act 1995. This was announced by Ajit Sailani, National Secretary of the National Handicapped Welfare Council, who was addressing a press conference here today. He said as 16 per cent population of the country was disabled in one or the other way, the time was not far off when no political party would be able to form its government without the support of the disabled of the country. He said as per a survey, as many as 7 crore persons in the country were handicapped, besides whom, millions of their relatives could be moblised for getting more rights for the handicapped. He further said
according to the WHO, while we would enter the 21st
century, half of the disabled population of the world
would be in India. But the problem was that even after 52
years of the country attaining independence, 90 per cent
of the handicapped people were leading miserable lives,
particularly those living in rural areas. He alleged that
the government had failed to gather exact figure of the
disabled. He said welfare schemes should be launched for
the handicapped with less than 40 per cent disability. He
alleged that political parties had failed to include any
welfare programme in their election manifestoes for the
disabled. He said the council had sent an amendment
charter and a list of desired welfare programmes to all
national and state-level political parties for adoption. |
Play on
soldier read out CHANDIGARH, Aug14 — A yet-to-be-titled Punjabi play was read out by writer-director Sahib Singh this afternoon at the Punjab Kala Bhavan, Sector 16. The story revolves around an Indian soldier, and is based on four short stories penned by Jasbir Bhalla.The stories are 'Maran Mitti', 'Dana Peta', 'Soormey' and 'Baraf Dey Daaney'. Sahib Singh recited his play, a story of a patriotic soldier who is ready to die for his country, but is also humane enough to be affected by the death of enemy soldiers. The high point of the play, in fact, was the presentation of a soldier in all its human attributes— that of a killer, a lover, a father and a son. Another interesting aspect of Sahib Singh's play is that though it starts off as a single-character play, it also includes other characters in the periphery, to heighten the mood of the war-situation. The inclusion of a few anti-state and anti-politicians statements from the soldier, though heart-rending at times, do tilt the mood of the play. After the recitation, several theatre artistes discussed various aspects of the play, which gave the entire eveent a shape of a workshop. Sahib Singh had announced that suggestions would be considered and incorporated wherever possible. The play reading of this
untitled play was also held earlier at Amritsar. Sahib
Singh plans to stage the play later this month. |
Villager
stabbed to death LALRU, Aug 14 — Mr Harvansh Singh, alias Shera (40), of Tiwana village, near here, was reportedly stabbed to death by his companions last night. According to sources, the victim was returning home from Dera Bassi along with his brother Gurdyal and some other persons of the locality. Mr Harvansh Singh had gone to the Tehsil Office in connection with a land deal. On the way, he had an argument with his companions and they had heated exchanges. In this process, one of his companions allegedly stabbed him in the abdomen with a sharp-edged weapon, injuring him seriously. He was rushed to Civil Hospital, Dera Bassi, where the doctors declared him dead. The local police was
tight-lipped about the names of the suspects. The body
has been sent to Civil Hospital, Rajpura, for a
post-mortem examination. No arrest has been made so far. |
SNIPPETS 200 saplings planted CHANDIGARH, Aug 14—'Plant and own a tree', a programme in connection with 'Van Mahaotsava' was organised by the local Municipal Corporation, Forest Department and residents in Sector 42 here today. During the programme, 200 saplings of silver oak and other indigenous trees were planted by Mr M.P. Singh, Commissioner of the local Municipal Corporation, Mr D.S. Saroya, DPI (Schools), Mr H. S. Sohal, Chief Conservator of Forests and a large number of residents, particularly children in different parts of the sector and in the government school. According to Mr M. P Singh, each sapling planted on the occasion has been adopted by a resident, who will nurture and protect it. Sikhs protest against helmet CHANDIGARH, Aug 14 — Members of the Sikh Nari Manch and other organisations took out their weekly protest march today to demand a permanent solution to the order of the administration making wearing of helmets by women both drivers and pillion riders of two-wheelers compulsory. The procession started from the Sector 40-B Gurdwara and moved through various sectors before terminating at the Sector 7 Gurdwara. Teej celebrated CHANDIGARH, Aug 14— A colourful programme of dance and music marked the Teej festival, which was celebrated at the Chandigarh Press Club here today. The programme, presented by artists of Pracheen Kala Kendra, consisted of classical and folk music and dance items under the direction of Kathak maestro Shobha Koser. The programme took off with an impressive solo Kathak performance by Nikhar, a three-year-old student, followed by a group Kathak dance by Misha, Shruti and Pooja, three young students of the kendra. Folk dance, based on the theme of Teej festival, was presented by Kanchan. Sushmita Chakaraborty presented ghazals and the programme concluded with duet folk songs by Manpreet and Harleen, who delighted the audience with their melodious voice. Patriotic
fervour marks function CHANDIGARH, Aug 14 — Patriotic fervour marked the colourful cultural programme presented by children of various government schools in the city on the eve of Independence Day at Tagore Theatre today. The programme commenced with an invocation to Bharat Mata in the form of a semi-classical dance by the students of GMSSS-18. However, the highlight of the evening was an impressive skit `` Jadon Dulda Khoon Shaheedan Da'', presented by the students of GSSS-47. They depicted the sacrifices made by the brave Indian soldiers of the country in ``Operation Vijay'' in Kargil. In the group song,`` Jayanti Jayanti Bharat Maa'', the students of GMSSS-22 stressed upon the sacrifices and valiant role of Indian soldiers for safeguarding the honour of the country.The message of the qawali presented by the students of GMSSS-21 was also that we shall not allow them to encroach upon an inch of our land and strive to make areas like Kargil prosperous. The other items presented on the occasion included a colourful Gujarati dance by students of GMSSS-32, `` Maa Tuhje Salaam'' by GMSSS-19 and the vibrant Rajasthani dance by GMSSS-10, which kept the audience spellbound. Kirtan darbar at Sec 34 gurdwara CHANDIGARH, Aug 14 — A special kirtan darbar featuring eminent ragis will be held at the Sector 34 Gurdwara Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib on August 16 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Bhai Harbans Singh, Bhai Harjinder Singh, Bhai Balwinder Singh Rangila, Bhai Anup Singh, Bhai Gurcharan Singh Rasia, Sant Naranjan Singh Jawaddi and Bhai Devinder Singh Sodhi will participate in the kirtan darbar. Eighty families of Kargil martyrs will be felicitated after the kirtan. A sum of Rs 8 Lakh will be disbursed among these families, Major N.S. Rangi (retd), President of the Managing Committee of the gurdwara, announced today. Misuse
of Kargil funds feared CHANDIGARH, Aug 14 — Lieut-Col Partap Singh Gill, former Lieutenant-Governor of Goa, Daman and Diu, in a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, has urged him to set up a central committee to ensure that money collected in the name of the Kargil heroes should reach the families concerned. He feared that the money collected in the name of Kargil martyrs by politicians, certain organisations, central and state governments, religious bodies and newspaper organisations may be misused if distribution is done by politicians or those who collected it. Colonel Gill alleged that there was misuse of the money in Punjab. While suggesting some names for the committee, he said Mr Jaswant Singh, External Affairs Minister, or the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir could head it. Day’s salary donated CHANDIGARH, Aug 14 — All officers, members of the staff and industrial employees of the Ordnance Cable Factory have contributed their one day’s salary to the Army Central Weflare Fund. A sum of Rs 1,54,739 has been contributed for the welfare of the families of the Kargil heroes. 36
bus parking sites 'not enough' CHANDIGARH, Aug 14— The Chandigarh Tourist Bus Operators Association has said that the 36 sites earmarked for parking of luxury coaches are undeveloped and insufficient. It has claimed that 145
buses have been registered in Chandigarh. All of these
buses are not plying daily, thus need parking spaces.
With just 36 parking lots it will be difficult to park
the rest of the vehicles. The association has said that
it should be provided a site in the shape of a complex
that would have facilities for offices, water and
sanitation. |
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