We've won, fight is for margin: BJP
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 26 — The local unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party today claimed that it had already won the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat as the fight now was for the margin of victory.

Talking to newsmen here this afternoon, Mr Mahaveer Prasad, spokesman of the party, said that the claim was based on facts and comparative analysis. Election campaigning, organisational working and people's opinion or wave are the crucial factors that decide the fate of candidates in elections.

Mr Prasad said that in campaigning, the BJP was far ahead of the Congress and other candidates. Starting of the campaign by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, and rallies addressed by Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal (Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh), Mr Rajbir Singh (MP from UP) and overwhelming response to an evening of Bhojpuri folk songs by the Bharat Sharma Vyas were indications of the success of BJP rallies and sabhas. On the other hand, he said, the Congress was yet to organise a major election rally or sabha anywhere in the Union Territory.

Talking about the organisational working, Mr Prasad said that now when there is a complete unity in the Bharatiya Janata Party and all were working for the success of the party candidate, the Congress was a house divided. The burning of an effigy of the party candidate, controversy over statement issued by the chief of a frontal organisation of the party, dissolution of district units of the youth wing of the party and infighting reflected the poor organisational working of the Congress.

The BJP spokesman said that joining of the Congress by Mr Harmohan Dhawan will benefit the BJP as the anti-Congress vote which used to go to him would automatically be transferred to the BJP.

Further, he held that since the BSP was contesting on its own, its vote bank would no more be available to the Congress as was the case in the last election.

He also maintained that there was a strong wave in favour of both Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee as the next Prime Minister and BJP-led coalition as the ruling party.

Meanwhile, the BJP candidate, Mr Krishan Lal Sharma, started his door-to-door campaign in a novel way by starting parbhat pheris in different parts of the city. The programme was launched in Sector 22-A here this morning where a large number of women supporters of the party tied rakhis on Mr Sharma.

Yesterday, Mr Sharma was weighed against coins by traders of Sectors 7 and 18 and at Notified Area Committee Market in Mani Majra. Addressing the traders, Mr Sharma promised to get the building bylaws amended and end to "inspector raj".

Know your candidates — I

Mr Pawan Bansal (Congress)
AN advocate by profession, 51-year-old Pawan Bansal is a product of Yadavindra Public School, Patiala; Government College, Chandigarh, and the Department of Law, Panjab University.

He has been the General Secretary and President of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee and held various positions in the All-India Congress Committee, including official spokesman in 1995.

He has been a member of the Rajya Sabha (1984) and the Lok Sabha (1991); and the Whip of the Congress Parliamentary Party in the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.

Mr Bansal has been a widely travelled person and has been a member of Indian parliamentary delegations to Commonwealth parliamentary conferences and the UN General Assembly.

Mr Bansal has been the General Secretary of the Panjab University Students Council; the General Secretary of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association; a member of the Senate and Syndicate of Panjab University; a member of the PGI, and a member of the Local Advisory Council.

Mr Krishan Lal Sharma (BJP)
A bachelor, 74-year-old Krishan Lal Sharma, a graduate, has been in active politics since 1964 when he was the Organising Secretary, Bharatiya Jana Sangh. He has held various organisational positions, both in the BJP and the JP Narayan Sangharsh Samiti. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha (1990) and the Lok Sabha from Outer Delhi in 1996 and again in 1998. He has been a member of various committees of Parliament.

His association with the RSS started in 1942 when he was just 17 and he became a parcharak in 1946. He worked for relief and rescue operations during partition in 1947; actively participated in the Kashmir movement in 1953 and the Bangladesh liberation movement in 1970-71. He went to jail for political reasons at Rohtak, Hisar, Ambala and Yol Camp during 1948-49 and remained in Ferozepore jail for 17 months during the Emergency in 1975-76.

He has travelled to Canada, the UK and the USA, besides being a member of the Indian delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference in Mauritius and the 43rd Commonwealth Conference in September,1998.

Once cynosure, now an eyesore
By Geetanjali Gayatri
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, Aug 26 — Nirjhar Vatika in Sector 5 here is a picture of neglect with grass and weeds growing in abundance and thriving side by side in the garden frequented by fitness freaks in the morning as well as in the evening. Flowers are conspicuous by their absence as the flower beds cry for attention.

The garden has been landscaped to perfection and has an eating joint in the centre and an artificial waterfall. In the evening multi-coloured lights prancing on the waterfall are an attraction and people of all age groups relax on benches which dot the garden, especially the area around the water body until recently.

A pathway for walkers and joggers meanders through the garden and branches out in all directions from the entrance to ensure that the visitors do not trample upon the grass. Ironically, the grass has grown so tall at some places that people have started avoiding those areas.

However, the process of deweeding the grass has been initiated by the Horticulture Department. Mr Jogi Ram, Executive Engineer, said that the grass was mown whenever needed though no regular schedule was followed in this regard. He added: ''The monsoon season has been responsible for the profuse growth and men are at work in the whole garden though clearing the garden may take some time.''

The artificial waterfall which used to be the cynosure of all eyes has become an eyesore for the visitors. It has become a pool of stagnant, shallow water. The water level in the pond has gone down considerably and whatever water is left is full of litter and has a layer of slimy green algae.

While workers of the fast-food joint allege that the pond is cleaned only once in six months, Mr A.K. Aggarwal, Executive Engineer concerned, contends: ''We check the pond frequently and try to keep it as clean as possible. However, with the monsoon season at its peak, we have been unable to clean the water but we will soon get down to business.'' Also, a fountain at the entrance is not in working order and one of the workers says that it will be set in order only when someone makes a complaint in this regard.

Rusted and broken dustbins mar the beauty of the garden as do the bushes which urgently require trimming. The flower beds are in an unkempt condition. Mr Jogi Ram explains: ''The summer flowers have gone out of season and the winter flowers are yet to be planted. Once that is done, the flower beds will be attended regularly.''

Vocational courses, but few jobs
By Vishal Joshi and Bipin Bhardwaj

CHANDIGARH, Aug 26 — Students and teachers of schools in the city's periphery have demanded job opportunities for those who pass the vocational courses from schools in the rural areas.

Government Senior Secondary School, Lalru, was sanctioned three trades — electrical, auto-mechanic and stenography by the state Education Department in 1993. The posts of instructor for the auto-mechanic trade have been lying vacant since the introduction of these courses. One of the two stenography instructors is being paid by the Parents-Teachers Association (PTA).

Classes are held in rooms too small for this purpose. It makes practical work difficult. The lack of furniture is another problem.

Nikhil (name changed), who joined the electronics trade at the 10+1 level in the Mullanpur Government Senior Secondary School in 1996-97, says that only five of the 23 students were able to pass the examination. Most of them had failed in English.

Poor training programmes further deteriorate the situation. "In the practical training programme, we were instructed in air-conditioner repairs whereas we had taken up electronics", he adds.

Another student of the same batch said that after doing the course in accountancy, he applied for a few posts in Chandigarh but no one was willing to take him. Another student, who did the electronics course, is working as a helper in a grocery store at Mullanpur Air Force station.

The school offers mechanical, electronics and accountancy trades at the 10+1 and 10+2 levels. There are no norms for admission to the vocational stream. Every year, about 50 students pass out from the school but only one or two of them are able to set up their own business in the field concerned.

According to experts, though the government started to enable the students earn their livelihood, yet some courses have not ever been introduced. They opined that agriculture-related courses should be introduced.

A section of teachers thinks that the government should reserve a few jobs for students who pass out from these vocational courses. Whereas others feel that the students should be given financial aid to start their own business as in most cases financial constraints restrict their progress.

India, Israel have special affinity: Haim
By Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 26 — "Sky is the limit for growing economic relations between India and Israel," says Dr Yehoyada Haim, Ambassador of Israel to India, maintaining that there has been a 38 per cent increase in exports from Israel to India during the first six months of the current financial year compared to last year. Similarly, there has been a 28 per cent increase in exports from India to Israel during the same period.

In an exclusive interview with Chandigarh Tribune here this afternoon, Dr Haim said that the total trade between the two countries last year was worth $ 700 million. Soon the trade between the two countries would touch $ 1-billion mark, he said.

"Both India and Israel have unique affinity with each other. They have nothing to compete. Fifty joint ventures in agriculture and 150 in other areas are nothing compared to the vast potential the two nations have on the economic front," Dr Haim said.

Talking about exchange of visits by scientists, researchers and educationists, the Israeli Ambassador said that every year 30 to 40 courses were conducted here by bringing experts from Israel. Four experts had been working at the PUSA Research Institute. More experts of mutual interest to farmers of the countries were regularly invited from Israel to conduct special programmes there.

"The Agriculture is now at a much advanced stage. In Israel where we do not have an inch of rain, we have been using water by recycling it. We have advanced technology in dairy farming. For example, an Israeli cow gives the highest milk yield in the world. These are some areas where more cooperation between Israel and India can help farmers on both sides.

"Besides agriculture, there are other areas where regular exchange of experts takes place. For example, three eye experts will be arriving in Kulu in a day or two and will stay there for some time to conduct surgeries and examination of eyes of patients.

"A team of scientists from the National Council of Science and Technology will soon visit Israel for conducting research. Besides, by the year-end, a professor from Israel will come to Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi to teach Hebrew, history of Jews and Jew civilisation," Dr Haim said.

Stressing the need for an increased people-to-people interaction, Dr Haim said that scientists, educationists, economists, farmers and other sections of people in either of the country could learn from each other.

Complementing Indians, Dr Haim, who had been a teacher at Washington before becoming a diplomat, said: "I have found best intellectuals in India. They are excellent scientists and researchers. The Indian and Jewish brains combined can create miracles.

Dr Haim disclosed that during 50 years of Independence, it was Israel which sent not only a jazz group which performed at Chandigarh and other places, but also 33 dancers, 16 models and four chefs. Besides, a group of intellectuals visited India and interacted with their counterparts in major towns of the country.

An ardent lover of Indian classical music, Dr Haim said that the civilisation bonds between India and Israel were unique and strong. "There is a special affinity between the two nations".

Dr Haim said that nearly 30,000 Israelis visit India for tourism purposes every year. They mainly head for Kulu, Manali and other areas.

Dr Haim said that if any one from India approached him or his Embassy in New Delhi with a concrete proposal and other definite details seeking a joint venture or cooperation, he would definitely get a quick reply.