Saturday, December 11, 1999
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N E W S Saturday, December 11, 1999 |
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Jacob
plans to make Chandigarh model city CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — The Administrator of Chandigarh, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), solicits the cooperation of all sections of society to make Chandigarh a model city with a focus on improving the quality of life of the people. He has set priorities which include a botanical garden for the propagation of forestry and herbal sciences, compulsory computer education in all schools, emphasis on vocational and technical training so as to improve the employability of school pass-outs, computerisation of the police department, setting up of a football academy, an improvement in the water and power supplies, setting up of a war museum and a people-friendly transparent administration. General Jacob says that he is aware of the "north-south" divide. "There are imbalances in the development of the northern and southern sectors. I am studying them," he says. In an exclusive interview with the Chandigarh Tribune today, General Jacob said that his association with the city dates back to the time when it was in its initial stages of development. "That time, the high court building was being constructed. Le Corbusier used to be here. It is a well-designed city. Since then, it has changed a lot. "There has been a great pressure on land here. Everyone wants to come and live here," he said, maintaining that he would not be able to comment on the growing slums in the city without actually seeing them. "There is a problem of land and also the problems of human beings. Both have to taken up simultaneously. "I feel concerned about environment. The pollution level is going up as there are more vehicles on the road. Then there is industry coming up. All this has to be taken note of. Chandigarh is a small city. It has a green belt which has to be sustained and maintained. I learn that there are a number of encroachments in the green belt. We have to protect broad leaf trees to contain the pollution levels. We have to have enough of forest areas around the city and the green belt. "I want to build a good botanical garden, grow trees and herbal plants and have a research centre. I know there is a Botanical Garden, but it is different. Indigenous herbs are fantastic. The garden which we propose to start will not have only ornamental plants but it will also be big one. We are trying to acquire land for it in the area of green belt. The scope of this garden will be entirely different. There is a big Botanical Garden in Calcutta but it does not have research facilities. We want to associate the Forest Department and the university in this prestigious project. "In Goa, I got the entire Western Ghats notified as protected area. It was essential for the protection of environment," General Jacob said. The other area of his concern is the infrastructure development. "We must provide the necessities of life i.e. power and water, to people. The health services, too, have to get priority. Whenever someone goes to hospital, he must get proper treatment and medicines. We want to make sure that best of health care facilities are available in the hospitals. "Education concerns me a great deal. It is an era of computers and Internet. I want Chandigarh to be developed as a model city where all high schools must have computers. I want to make computer education compulsory in all schools. I am also trying to sharpen my computer skills. "In the absence of adequate vocational education, there is no employability. We have to concentrate on some aspects of vocational and technical education and training," he said. General Jacob is very keen on computerisation of the police department. This, he says, would help improve the department. While the hardware would be provided by the Administration, the software would come from the Central Government. It would help the police track down criminals. Even the Transport Department would be computerised. The Administrator, who has come here after 19 months' stay in Goa as Governor, is also keen on bringing Chandigarh on the tourism map. "Chandigarh can be the starting point for pilgrim tourists to the nearby places in Punjab, Himachal and Jammu and Kashmir. At present, Chandigarh has not much to offer to tourists. We have to develop the lake further, commission the Botanical Garden, upgrade the Government Museum and Art Gallery where we have some rare collections of miniature paintings, Pahari paintings, the largest collection of Gandhara Art and Sikh School. In collaboration with Punjab, we can promote religious or pilgrimage tourism. "I also want to expand Beant Singh Memorial on the lines of the Kala Akademi of Goa. It has to have performing arts centres. There is a provision for an open air theatre. We have to add more and provide classrooms for training in Punjabi and dances, besides music and other cultural activities. This centre has to attract people," he added. General Jacob sought the cooperation of people in making Continued from page 1 col 7Chandigarh a model city. "Sanitation needs improvement. The garbage collection is not satisfactory. This can improve only with people's participation. "Similarly people's participation can help in conserving water which has become a precious commodity. In Chandigarh, the per capita consumption of water is the highest in the country. We have to campaign to save and conserve water. We have to have smaller tanks to our flush latrines," he suggested. Talking about people's participation, he said that he had already issued instructions on Ward Committees. "My instructions are clear. The Administration has to be transparent and people friendly. It is why I meet people. I am always accessible. General Jacob added that he was trying to catch up on various issues, including the constitution of the Zila Parishad, Panchayat Samiti, sales tax pendency cases and revenue collection by the Estate Office. General Jacob is keen on sports. "I am going to set up a football academy. Why cannot the people of Punjab or Chandigarh with good physique and physical fitness produce good football teams? Goa is a small state but see its football teams like the Salgaocar Club and Churchill Brothers. In the proposed football academy, we will admit boys of 10-12 years of age, provide them education and training in football free of cost. I know there are facilities in hockey and cricket and football needs to be given a fillip. General Jacob said the idea of a war museum in the city was good since Chandigarh and nearby Punjab and Haryana have a large population of both serving and retired defence personnel. It would add to places of tourist attraction in the city. He is also keen to prop up the revenue of the Administration in cooperation with people. "Money has to be raised to provide infrastructure and facilities.We will try to increase our income. Sales tax collection has to improve and as also the recovery of arrears of the Estate Office and other agencies." General Jacob is not keen on many advisory committees. "There have to be some advisory committees, but not too many. Frankly, I have not studied this issue and I am unable to give a clear answer ." "My appeal to the people of the city is to cooperate in making it a premier city," he added. Hospital’s turn, now CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — It was the turn of the Sector 16 General Hospital to get a surprise visitor in the Administrator of Chandigarh, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), yesterday. Patients waiting for more than an hour for their turn at the out-patient departments (OPDs), old x-ray machines, dental chairs, dirty and leaking sinks, taps and water pipes, no soap solution, inadequate waiting halls for patients in the OPDs, inadequate toilets and shortage of staff were the problems noticed by the Administrator or brought to his notice by the patients. The Administrator instructed the Director of Health Services to streamline the working of the OPDs. General Jacob also stressed the need for providing proper medical facilities to the patients and wanted the DHS to take steps to replace the old x-ray machines, old dental chairs and equipment and also provide CT scan and laser cataract facilities to the patients at the earliest. General Jacob visited the emergency OPD, emergency ward and medical, general surgery, gynae, ENT and dental OPDs, Physiotherapy Department, Radiology Department and pathology laboratories. He also visited wards located in the basement of the hospital building and interacted with patients and their attendants to know their problems. Expressing overall satisfaction with the upkeep of the hospital, General Jacob felt that plumbing services in the hospital needed special attention because of a large number of leaking pipes, water taps and broken sinks. He wanted that soap solution should be provided with the sinks and broken sinks in pathology laboratories replaced immediately as they pose a threat of infection. He wanted proper waiting
area for the patients and their attendants. |
90 PGI
selections approved CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — The governing body of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) which met in Delhi on December 8 has approved the selections of as many as 90 faculty members for the posts of Professor and Assistant Professor in various departments. According to information available, these selections include the appointment of 25 professors and 65 assistant professors in various departments. Of these 24 professors and 55 assistant professors assumed charge following the issuance of appointment letters today. The PGI had a total of 140 vacant posts. However, selections were made for 129 posts. While for a few of these posts no candidate had applied, in case of some others no candidates were found to be suitable. Nevertheless, these appointments will not only further strengthen the functioning of the institute but also ensure better patient care due to reduction in workload. It was after a gap of five years that the selection process was initiated following directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which directed that the process be completed before December 15. These selections were made by a Special Selection Committee constituted under the chairmanship of Prof I.C. Pathak from November 4 to 20. In another significant decision, the governing body has decided to give greater financial assistance to faculty members for attending national and international conferences on the lines of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi. The members who were earlier allowed to attend one national conference a year can now attend two in a year. They have also been allowed to attend international conferences to present papers once in two years, which hitherto they could attend only once in three years. Even financial grants for attending these conferences has been enhanced. Sum of Rs 1 lakh would be sanctioned for conferences in western countries, Rs 50,000 for eastern countries and Rs 30,000 for the SAARC nations. The decision has been welcomed by the faculty members as it will provide them with greater avenues for research and international interaction. The governing body had
this time met after a gap of nearly six months as the
meeting scheduled for October 1 had been postponed. Even
at the meeting held on June 22, all items on the agenda
could not be taken up. This time too the agenda was brief
keeping in view the ongoing Parliament session. Notice issued in Ganguly case CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — On an application for the vacation of stay order moved by Dr N.K. Ganguly whose appointment as officiating Director of the PGI was earlier challenged, Justice Jawahar Lal Gupta and Justice R.L Anand of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued a notice of motion for December 13. The counsel for the PGI
had earlier stated that Dr Ganguli should be allowed to
take the charge of the Director, following his
appointment in accordance with the rules.Opposing the
plea, the counsel for Dr R.J. Dash stated that the
petitioner should be given the charge. He added that the
balance of convenience was in the petitioner's favour as
he was the senior most professor. |
Housing
society cheats investors SAS NAGAR, Dec 10 — A bogus cooperative house building society allegedly floated by some employees of Punjab Communications Limited (PCL) in connivance with certain outsiders has duped several persons of lakhs of rupees on the pretext of providing them land at Kanpur village in Kharar. The case came to light after one of the investors, Mr Sukhni Kumar Sharma, lodged a complaint with the police. A case under Sections 406, 420 and 120-B of the IPC has been registered against the cheats. The victim in his complaint said four employees of PCL, Surinder Singh Gill, Jaspal Singh, Vijay Kumar and Som Natha, in connivance with nine persons, including four employees of PCL, located in Industrial Area, Phase 7 here, connived with Manjit Singh, Vir Pal, Sukhpal and Sukhwinder Singh to float the Malwa Cooperative House Building Society. The society took a premises on lease in Phase 2 here to establish its office. The victim, who is working as Accounts Officer in PCL, alleged the registration number of the society shown to the investors was fake. The society collected at least Rs 53 lakh from 63 persons, including 20 women employees of the company. The unsuspecting investors were shown fake documents of land purchased at Kanpur village. The complainant alone invested Rs 1,07,500 with the society. After the society failed to provide plots, the investors lodged a complaint with the police. Meanwhile, an
application for anticipatory bail moved by Manjit Singh
and Vijay Kumar, General Secretary and Cashier of the
housing society, respectively, before the Additional
Sessions Judge, Ropar, has been dismissed. |
Car robbed
at gunpoint CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — A man in his thirties took away a Maruti Zen car (PB-11-K-6057) at gunpoint from the parking area of Hotel Shivalik View here late this evening. The car belonged to Mr Bhagwan Singh, a Congress leader of Rajpura, who had come to the hotel to attend to some work. According to the
information available, while the owner of the car was in
the hotel, the driver of the car, Nathu Ram was sitting
in the car. The youth, at gunpoint, asked the driver to
sit alongside while he drove away the car. After some
distance, the driver was asked to alight from the car. |
‘Awarded
for being inhuman, corrupt’ CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — Once they were honored for curbing terrorism with an iron hand, and were facilitated for bringing normalcy back in the state.Today, certain senior Punjab Police officers were awarded iron rollers, lathis and leather belts for being “most inhuman”, “most cruel”, during a function on Human Rights Day. The General Secretary of the Lawyers for Social Reforms, Socieity, Mr. Arunjeev Singh Walia, standing behind a wooden table — facing a small gathering predominantly of lawyers — announced the awards for “the most dreaded”, “the most condemned”, “the most corrupt” and “the most hated police officer”. Clad in a maroon coat over a red check shirt, Mr. Walia, holding a placard, posed for photographs. He also apologised for their inability to procure a bottle of champagne for a senior police officer once accused of misbehavior in an inebriated state. The cop was, however, awarded a liquor bottle. The awards, Mr. Walia clarified, could be collected from their society’s office within a week, “failing which,” he added, “the prizes would be sent to their residences. Today’s function did start on time, but not at the Sector 17 district courts as earlier announced, creating doubts regarding the entire affair’s seriousness. The venue, with impressive posters pasted on the dust-coated walls, had been shifted to a Sector 22 hotel-cum-conference hall. Permission for holding the function in the court premises was declined, explained Mr. Walia. At the appointed place, the presence of senior Punjab and Haryana High Court advocates, including Mr. R.S. Bains and Mr. Navkiran Singh, besides the former president of the District Court Bar Association, Mr. Amar Singh Chahal, and lawyer Navjit Brar, gave credence to the function. After a “humorous” poetry recitation, serious session commenced. “Do not show innocence if caught by the police,” advised Mr. Bains. “Confess, otherwise be prepared for the torture”. Claiming interrogation to imply thrashing, he stated that a wooden roller was applied to the legs as soon as the suspect was brought to the police station. If he did not confess or “say what cops wished to hear”, the victim was pulled up with a chain around a pully fixed to the ceiling. The third step, he elaborated, was spreading the legs at 180, followed by tying the accused to the wall with chains for as much as 24 hours. Still if the victim did not tow their line, electric current was applied to his private parts with the aid of a generator. The mere possession of
such instruments, he revealed, amounted to contempt of
court. Chandigarh police stations, the advocate added,
were keeping the instruments. Mayor favours quota for women CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — Women in India are not treated on a par with their male counterparts despite constitutional provisions, said Mr K.K. Adiwal, Mayor of the Municipal Corporation, while addressing a seminar of the 'Surya' Foundation on 'World Human Rights Day' at Hallo Majra here today. The function failed to draw a decent crowd in terms of numbers. The visitors were mainly women. The show began well after the scheduled time. The beginning witnessed absence of certain organisers, including UT Social Welfare Advisory Board officials, who were reportedly present at another function. Mr Adiwal said the youth were following Western fashions at the cost of our traditions which was a dangerous signal. He said 33 per cent reservation for women in panchayats should be extended to the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, besides state houses. Dr Ramneek Sharma, founder Director of the Surya foundation, said most country women were ignorant of their rights. The constitutional aspects of any policy assuring them equal status with men were yet to be implemented. Surya is a mission to empower disadvantaged young children, adolescents and women so that they become more capable of gaining control over their and families' health, education and environment. Promotion of self-employment, creating awareness on social issues, popularising family planning and improving scope of education figure prominently on the agenda. Lieut-Col R.K. Sharma, Chairman of the society, was also present on the occasion. The issue of sexual abuse and its prevention method were discussed and pamphlets on the subject were distributed at the function. These said a committee should be set up to look into the issue. The NGOs should also have fair representation in the committees. The complainant's name should be kept a secret. Ms Kamla Sharma,
Chairperson of the Social Advisory Board, spoke on the
importance of education and the domain of fundamental
rights of girl children. |
Candle-light
procession by nurses CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — More than 250 nurses, working in various city hospitals, took out a silent candle-light procession to mark World Human Rights’ Day here today. The procession was organised to focus the attention of the government, health care administrators and public on the need to improve the nurse-patient ratio and facilities to provide better patient care. Attired in uniforms, they carried placards which read, “Help us to serve the patients better’’, “Imrove nurse-patient ratio’’ and “Provide better facilities for patient care.’’ Mrs Rajinder Dhadda, President of the Trained Nurses Association of India, pointed out that the Indian Nursing Council recommends one nurse for every three patients, in general, and one nurse for one patient for specific areas like ICU, CCU, Emergency and Neo-Natal section etc with 30 per cent leave reserve. These recommendations for the nurse-patient ratio were given by a high-powered committee on nursing constituted by the Union Government in 1992. She lamented that the 500-bed government hospital in the city had a strength of 145 staff nurses against the recommended number of 350. The hospital is also without a Chief Nursing Officer and Deputy Nursing Superintendent. Even in emergency, there are two or three nurses for as many as 20 patients, whereas there should be one for each patient. As a result, the quality of patient care suffers. Mrs Dhadda further emphasised that in-service training and education of teachers should be given priority so that they could constantly update their knowledge and keep abreast with the latest technology. A change in the nurse-patient ratio and provision of few other facilities will further improve the quality of patient care. Meanwhile, nurses all
over the country took out similar processions to observe
the day. |
Women
should get organised: Kamla CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — "Women should step out of their homes by organising themselves into pressure groups for making other women aware of their rights.'' This was said by Ms Kamla Sharma, Chairperson of the Chanigarh Social Welfare Advisory Board, while addressing a gathering at Mani Majra on the occasion of the World Human Rights Day. The highlights of the day's programmes were a torchlight procession from Colony No. 5 to Sector 37, debate and meetings with eminent police and judiciary personnels. The board organised awareness campaigns on violence against women at Mani Majra, Hallo Majra and Colony No. 5 today in associationwith the Mother India Education Society, the Indian Public School Society and the Survival of Young and Adolescent Foundation. The campaigns were organised as part of the year-long Chetna Parv celebrations. Dr Supriya, retired
Director of the World Bank Project in Haryana, spoke on
human rights at length. Among others who attended these
camps, were the Mayor, Mr K.K. Adiwal; former MP, Mr
Satya Pal Jain; SSP, Mr Parag Jain, besides some
councillors of MC, members of the board and NGOs. |
CSIO
staff plea to retain houses rejected CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — A Division Bench of The Central Administrative Tribunal, Chandigarh, dismissed 13 connected petitions filed by different employees of the Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO) challenging the validity of Residence Allotment Rules, 1997, declaring them ineligible for allotment and retention of official accommodation since they all owned their own private houses in a radius of 8 km of the Institute premises in Sector 30, Chandigarh. A copy of the orders dated November 30, 1999 was made available today. The applicants had contended that all the employees being previously eligible had been allotted official accommodation in the CSIO premises in Sector 30 under the Old Rules and some of the applicants had even been granted house building advance by the CSIO to construct their own houses while they were in occupation of official accommodation. It was contended that the 1997 Rules could not be applicable retrospectively to now declare the employees ineligible for allotment and retention of official accommodation and no reasons had been assigned by the department in rejecting their appeals and to decline permission for retention of official accommodation already in their occupation. Personal hardship, health problems, nearing retirement ages and non-availability of their own houses in occupation by tenants were pleaded as grounds for seeking exemption and permission for retaining the staff houses occupied by the respective employees in the CSIO campus premises in Sector-30. Mr Anil Malhotra, Central Government Standing Counsel, contended that every house allotment of the individual employees whenever made was subject to the condition and undertaking by the employee concerned that it would be subject to the House Allotment Rules as applicable to CSIO employees as amended from time to time. The 1997 Rules clearly provided that any previous house allotment under the Old Rules will be deemed to be an allotment under the New Rules. As per the 1997 Rules, any employee owning house within a radius of 8 km of the office premises would be ineligible to apply, occupy and retain official accommodation. Consequently, all the employees in occupation of staff houses in CSIO premises in Sector-30 had been asked to vacate them on their respective house allotments having been cancelled after being given opportunity to show cause in such regard. It was further urged that availability of limited number of houses in the CSIO premises, low satisfaction level in the matter of house allotment and pendency of long priority lists of other existing employees waiting for their turn for allotment were the reasons for rejection of permission to retain staff accommodation by employees having their own private houses. Allotment of a house being only a concession granted by the employer and not a condition of service, no vested right of house allotment and its retention could be demanded by employees owning houses at the cost of other employees waiting for the past up to 20 years for their turn for grant of official house allotment in CSIO campus premises in Sector-30. The Tribunal ruled that the employees were bound by the provisions of the 1997 Rules by their own act and conduct of giving individual undertakings in clear terms of having accepted the provisions of the Rules for allotment of staff quarters as amended and applicable from time to time. The Tribunal found no ground for quashing the 1997 Rules on the rationale that there was no arbitrariness suffered or discrimination caused to existing employees in occupation of staff houses who were also getting rents for their private houses under tenancy at the cost of other employees who were forced to live in private rented houses outside the CSIO campus on payment of high market rent for want of official accommodation in the CSIO campus premises. The Tribunal held that housing being a concession, and not a condition of service, no vested right existed with the employees to retain official houses. Even under the Old Rules employees taking house building advance were ineligible to retain official accommodation. Length of service of such employees gave them no right of retention of official houses. Hence, it was wholly misconceived to aver that the Rules were retrospective in operation and took away any alleged vested rights. Finding no merit in all
the 13 petitions, the Tribunal by a detailed common
Judgement dismissed all the cases and vacated the earlier
interim orders granted by it. |
Bajpai
takes over as Director, CSIO CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — Dr R.P. Bajpai, a senior scientist, has taken over as Director of Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO), Chandigarh. He will be giving top priority to bring business and research and development culture at the CSIO to attract industries and business houses as partners in achieving goal of globally competitive instrumentation. It is for the first time in the 37 years history of the CSIO that an internal scientist has been appointed as its Director. Dr Bajpai (55) is a distinguished scientist and technocrat who has contributed immensely to the growth of hi-tech frontline research in the country. Dr Bajpai has established a high level of expertise in terms of trained manpower and infrastructure facilities for undertaking development of instruments for microelectronics, flat panel displays, micro electro mechnical systems (MEMS), surface analysis etc. He has been responsible for the execution of mission mode project on microelectronics instrumentation. Some of the equipments development under this project are: molecular beam epitaxy, stepper optical Lithography, reactive ion beam etching, reactive ion etching, RF/DC sputtering system, electron beam controlled evaporation, LSI/VLSI tester, X-ray lithography, wafer rinser/dryer, hall effect measurement, photoluminescence, etc. His present research interest includes, high speed devices, semiconductor lasers & sensors, semiconductors process technology etc. After completing his Ph.D degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi, in solid state physics in the year 1970, he moved to Hokkaido University, Japan, and obtained Doctor of Science (D.Sc) in the year 1974 in materials and semiconductor technology. He has been awarded various high-level international fellowships such as Alexander Von Humboldt Fellow, Mombusho Fellow etc. Dr Bajpai has worked and
visited number of countries, including the USA, Germany,
Japan, Russia, Finland, France, the UK, Switzerland, and
Italy. He has been the recipient of various awards
including the National Academy of Sciences, India Award
1998, Punjab State Council for Science & Technology
Award (1990-93), WISITEX Award (Indigenous Development)
— 1994. He has more than 100 research publications
in the national and international journals of repute. |
Fire
destroys 11 shops in Lohgarh ZIRAKPUR, Dec 10 — Fire destroyed 11 shops in Lohgarh village on the Chandigarh-Ambala National Highway this morning, causing a heavy loss to the shop-owners. According to eyewitnesses, the fire broke out at about 7:20 am and the shops were destroyed before fire tenders from Dera Bassi, Panchkula, Chandigarh, SAS Nagar, Rajpura and the IAF Station could reach there. It took the fire engines more than one hour to reach the spot, and an hour-and-a half to control the flames. The shops that were destroyed included provisional stores, general stores, a confectionary shop, a vegetable shop, chappal shops, a pan shop and two junk shops. Plastic goods in the shops and plastic sheets used for shade in front of the shops caught fire quickly and made it difficult for the firemen to control the flames. Some LPG cylinders kept in the shops also burst and added to the conflagration. A Kinetic Honda (CH-01-4572) parked inside a store was also damaged. The neighbouring shopkeepers found it difficult to call the fire stations at different places as the Zirakpur Telephone Exchange had been out of order for the past five days. Mr Rampal and Mr Jaipal, two servants, noticed the flames first. They informed the owners of the shops. Fire tenders from the nearby fire stations were called and the police was informed. Power supply to these shops was disconnected from the transformer by a local electrician. The President of the Market Welfare Association, Mr Ramesh Kumar, alleged that there was no one in the police station at the time of the fire to flash the message and call the fire tenders in time. As none of the telephones was working, they had to call the fire stations on mobile phones. Mr Balwant Singh, who was sent to inform the Dera Bassi fire brigade met with an accident near Bhankharpur. Controlling her tears, Mrs Kanchan, a victim, said that she saw her shop caught in flames but could do nothing. “It was the only source of income for the family. The fire has reduced us to beggars”, she lamented. Capt Kanwaljit Singh, Finance Minister of Punjab, rushed to the spot and granted Rs 5,000 as immediate relief to each of the fire victims. He also directed Mr SS Sidhu, SDM, to conduct a proper survey and submit a complete report to the Deputy Commissioner of Patiala. The Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat has a proposal to construct a new market in its master plan. The victims of today’s fire will be given priority at the time of allotment of shops in that market. Besides hundreds of residents of the surrounding villages, Mr Deepinder Singh Dhillon, Chairman of District Congress Committee (Legal Cell), Mr Jagjit Singh Dalli, President of Municipal Council of Dera Bassi, Mr AL Bansal and Mr Bhupinder Singh Saini , President of Rotary Club of Dera Bassi, gathered at the site of the fire. Mr Dhillon announced a
relief of Rs 21,000 for the fire victims to enable then
to restart their business.
|
Value of
residential plots increased SAS NAGAR, Dec 10 — The Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Mr O.P.Popli, yesterday said that the value of residential plots as assessed by the revenue officials had been increased from Rs 2500 per sq yard to Rs 3600 per sq yard. This, he said,had been done to bring it at par with land allotment rates of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA). Similarly, the value of commercial property had been increased from Rs 15,000 per sq feet to Rs 18,000 per sq feet. He said though the stamp
duty was still 6 per cent of the total cost of property,
it would go up automatically as per the new rates of land
value. On the other hand, the stamp duty in Chandigarh
was 12 per cent but the land value was comparatively
less. Besides, the registration fee had been fixed at 1
per cent of the cost of a plot with a maximum limit of Rs
10,000. |
Punjabi
bhavan sought PANCHKULA, Dec 10 — The Punjabi Welfare Sabha, Panchkula, has urged the Chief Minister, Mr O. P. Chautala, to allot land to construct a Punjabi bhavan here. The General Secretary of the sabha, Mr Ravinder Rawal, in a press note said the Punjabis in the township comprised more than 80 per cent of the population. ''For the promotion of Punjabi culture, it is essential that they have a common venue. In the absence of adequate support from the government, the purpose remains unfulfilled'', he added. At a meeting of the
executive body held yesterday, the sabha decided to adopt
10 poor terrorist- affected children. It has also decided
to help solemnise the marriages of poor and needy girls. |
An
evening to remember CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — It was time for dance, music, gaiety, lights and celebration today at the annual function of the Kailash Bahl DAV Centenary Public School, Sector 7, in the school premises. The evening began with the inauguration of the newly-built skating rink by Mrs Sheetal Sharma, Director, DAV Public Schools. The ensuing national skating championship is slated to be organised in this new rink, starting from December 14. An exhibition match of speed skating and a performance by the school skaters marked the inauguration of the rink. The cultural show began with the chanting of Tamsao Ma Jyotirgamya, an invocation of the divine power in a traditional manner, followed by the lighting of the lamp by the chief guest of the day, Mr Hari Jaisingh, Editor, The Tribune. Mr Hari Jaisingh awarded Rs 500 each to the brilliant and meritorious students of the school, instituted by the Kailash Bahl- BS Bahl Trust. The chief guest also gave away the prizes to the 200 winners of the various inter-house competitions held during the academic sessions. The evening began with a colourful and a luminous rendition of the diya dance, which had young girls dressed in the traditional Indian saris and carrying diyas in hands. This was followed by the tiny tots dancing to the popular Hindi film number, It happens only in India, which was a sheer delight. Then came on the stage boys and girls dressed in bright shararas to present a frisky dance number on Shubha Mudgal’s sufiana song Ali Morey Angana. The huge audience was then presented with another enthralling ramp-and-dance show performed on the song Ali Baba. Dressed in gypsy dresses, these young dancers created a spirited mood with their shimmering dresses, complete with shiny scarves and tambourines in their hands. The audience, which largely constituted of parents, immensly enjoyed the Punjabi dance number on Khedan Dey Din Chaar and seemed to be touched by the poignant scenes created by these youngsters of a Punjabi wedding, complete with the traditional charkha, phulakri and eventually even a real doli! The other dance performances like western dance, Rajasthani dance and the Kashmiri dance were the highlights of the evening. The techno-bhangra, on Amritsarian Mundia was foot-tapping all the way, with the kids dressed in both Punjabi and western dresses. The programme, concluded with a light and sound show by the teachers and students of the school. On the occasion, Mr B S Bahl, Chairman of the school, announced a special cash award of Rs 5,000 in recognition of the rare honour of the ‘Woman of the Year 1999’, conferred upon Mrs Madhu Bahl, by the President of the American Biographical Institute INC North Carolina, USA, in November, for her contributions in the field of education. Later, an annual report was presented by Mrs Madhu Bahl. Mr R C Jeewan, Manager of the school, and Principal, DAV College, Sector 10, gave the vote of thanks. Also present on the occasion was Justice D V Sehgal, a former judge and the presiding officer of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Lok Adalat. Earlier, the school
Principal, honoured five eminent persons with the
‘DAV 7 Pride Award’ for their services rendered
to the school and the soceity these were Mr Puranjeet
Singh, Chief Engineer, Municipal Corporation; Mr S K
Sharma, Assistant Estate Officer; Mr Sandeep Bansal, MD,
Siti Channel; Mr Rakesh Arora, President of the Veer Deva
Foundation; and Mr Suresh Sharma of Kaizen Graphics. Enthralling performance by school
children CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — The President, Air Force Wives Welfare Association (regional), Mrs Kusum Gupta, visited 3 BRD Air Force School today. She was accompanied by the President, AFWWA (Local), Mrs Madhu Agrawal. An enthralling cultural programme was presented by students on the occasion. The Headmistress, Mrs kiram Datta, briefed the AFWWA president about the activities of the school and its upgradation programmes. Mrs Gupta also honoured students who had received prizes in state-level gymnastics and aerobics competitions. These included Preeti Sharma (pair and trio gold), Kuldeep Bagga (pair gold) and Navjot Bajwa (pommel horse gold). She distributed sweets among the students. School students entertain CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — The students of the nursery block of St Joseph’s High School, Chandigarh, today staged a variety entertainment programme at Tagore Theatre, Sector 8. Children of the lower kindergarten took the audience into the fantasy world of frogs and mice, followed by a Rajasthani dance and a colourful drill by the upper kindergarten class. Students then presented a change of the season titled ‘The Four Seasons’, after which ‘qawwali’ was presented. Two short English plays titled ‘Little Monica with a large heart’ and ‘The first patient’ were also presented. Later, a Hindi play, ‘Bolta Gadha’ was presented by students, which was prepared with the help of Pawan Nagpal of the Department of the Indian Theatre, Panjab University. And to keep up with the
festival season, children also performed Christmas
carols. |
Seminar
on biotechnology organised CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 —Science has no boundaries, said Prof Yash Pal in his keynote address of the '100 years of the post-Mendelian genetics: advent of biotechnology' seminar organised by the Punjab Science Congress at Panjab University here today. The younger generation was more friendly with nature. The decoupling of science from industry and society was bad and there was need to realise inherent potential of various natural and non-natural things. This would be feasible in coupling all branches of science, Prof Yash Pal said. Prof N.K. Ganguly, Director-General of the ICMR, Delhi, in his inaugural address said that setting a priority list for development was the key for a better future. A strong data base was necessary for any developmental activity. Involvement of all shareholders of the country, mainly consumers, always took the backseat and it needed attention. Prof I.J.S. Bansal, President of the Academy of Sciences, while welcoming the guests, emphasised the need for a value-based education, both social as well as economic. Prof Yash Pal, Dr Daljit Singh, Prof S.V. Kessar and Prof R.L. Mittal were were elected honorary fellows of the Academy for Development of Research for Promotion of Scientific Temper. Prof M.M. Puri, Vice-Chancellor of the university, released a book, "Insights into some aspects of insects". Written by Prof J.S.Yadav and Prof R.C. Sobti, the book is dedicated to Prof H.R. Pajni. The seminar will
conclude on December 12. |
Cheating
accused acquitted CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — A city resident, accused of making people "deliver money on a pretext of getting house allotted on priority basis", was today acquitted by the UT Judicial Magistrate (First Class), Mr Pushvinder Kumar. The accused, Davinder Kumar, was earlier booked by the Chandigarh police for cheating under Section 420 of the Indian Penal Code. According to the prosecution, the accused had cheated city resident Satish Kumar Midda by "dishonestly making him deliver Rs 40,000 on the pretext of getting a house allotted from the priority quota of the Chandigarh Housing Board". The prosecution had added that Balwinder Singh, Ajit Singh and Kulwant Singh had also been cheated by the accused on the same pretext. The accused, when
confronted with the incriminating evidence against him,
had, however, denied the allegations. Claiming to be
innocent, he had asked for a trial. The defence counsel
had added that the accused was being implicated in the
case. |
Cops'
services to be confirmed CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — Services of constables who have been working as temporary employees since 1989, are likely to be confirmed next week. With this, a major demand of the personnel, aired at various inter-department forums, will be redressed. The services of 508 constables, who had been temporary employees for the past many years, were confirmed last month by a department promotion committee (DPC) chaired by Mr Ajay Kashyap, SSP (HQ). Mr Kashyap said the services of constables working on temporary basis since between 1989 and 1991 would be confirmed in the coming days and that all necessary records had been compiled. The confirmation would be done after evaluating the performance of every personnel individually. This time, the services of 22 Class IV employees, mostly cooks and barbers, would also be confirmed, which was pending for the past many years. Similarly, the cases of 30 constables whose services were not confirmed by the previous DPC would also be taken up afresh. If they made the mark, their services would be confirmed. He said efforts were also afoot to confirm the services of officers of the levels of ASI, SI and inspector. The annual confidential records (ACRs) were being collected from the places where they were posted. In many cases, either the ACRs had not been written or certain records were incomplete, making the task cumbersome. Unlike other departments where the confirmations were done in routine, these have to be done at every step in the police. The confirmations at this level would be done as soon as the necessary paperwork was complete. However, the DPC would keep on meeting regularly and clear the backlog, he said. Sources said the issue of confirmations had been hanging fire for more than a decade as the status of Chandigarh was uncertain. The uncertainty on whether the city would go to Punjab or Haryana loomed large and it was felt that such a major exercise should be kept in abeyance. In case it went to either of the states, the confirmations and seniority would have been fixed afresh. As per rules and a
directive of the Supreme Court, a post has to be treated
as permanent and the employee a confirmed one if he has
worked on the post for more than three years, the sources
added. |
Thief
remanded in custody CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — A housewife, accused of committing a theft, was today remanded in police custody till tomorrow by UT Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Naval Kumar. The accused — Rooma alias Roopa of Bapu Dham Colony — was earlier booked by the Chandigarh Police for trespassing theft in a building and dishonestly receiving stolen property under Sections 454, 380 and 411 of the Indian Penal Code. According to the prosecution, the accused was throwing iron rods and metal wire over the boundary wall after entering a Sector 8 house today. Seeking a five-day police remand, the public prosecutor had stated that two other accused, standing outside the boundary wall, were yet to be arrested. Pronouncing the
directions, the Judicial Magistrate observed: “I
deem the presence of the accused essential with the
police for the alleged interrogation. Hence she is
remanded to police custody till December 11”.
|
DAV
students plant saplings DERA BASSI, Dec 10 — With a message for the new millennium, students of Col VRM DAV Public School, Dera Bassi, today planted 100 saplings in the area surrounding the school. Ms Sheetal Sharma, Director and Coordinator of DAV Public Schools and DAV College Managing Committee, launched the green campaign of the school by planting a gulmohar in the school premises. She also inaugurated an art and craft exhibition of the students. She expressed concern over the eroding green cover of the country and emphasised the need to extend awareness about it. Ms Sharma said the organisation had made Vedic and values education mandatory in its institutions. "The organisation is well-equipped to take up the challenges of the next millennium and ensures vocational and computer education," she said. Elaborating the green
campaign of the school, Mr R.C. Jeewan, Manager-Principal
of DAV College, Chandigarh, said that the school would
plant 1000 saplings. He said that tree plantation
campaigns faced the problem of follow-up action and the
institution was keen to ensure that the saplings remained
green. |
Telephone
directory on Internet CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — The telephone directory of Chandigarh and adjoining townships of Panchkula and SAS Nagar can now be browsed on the internet. The web site of the local Telecom Department is chandigarhtelecom.com. The directory
information will be updated each month, Mr Prithipal
Singh, Principal General Manager Telecom (PGMT), said
this evening. At present the directory has been updated
till September 30 , 1999. The directory on the Internet
not only reveals the telephone numbers of the subscribers
but also business-related information of industries. |
New Net
access products CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — Satyam Infoway, the largest private Internet service provider in the country, has launched a new range of Internet access products with enhanced features. Available in a wide
choice of 30, 90, 180, 360 and 600 hours against
conventional packages of 25, 100, 250 and 500 hours,
Satyam has also introduced Flexinet, a feature which
enables effective use of the Net. Under the Flexinet, the
users are charged 50 per cent of the normal rate for
logins between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. The VSNL has also
decided to revise its Internet rates by lowering it to
the MTNL tariff. |
‘Work
on rail project soon’ CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — The Union Railway Minister, Ms Mamta Banerjee, has said the that Chandigarh - Ludhiana rail link project will be taken up on a priority basis. She gave this assurance to Mr Pawan Bansal, the local MP, when the latter met Ms Banerjee in Delhi in this connection. Mr Bansal said after the
annoucement of the project, there had been hardly any
progress towards land acquisition in the portion falling
in Punjab. The local MP urged the minister to sanction
central loans for this purpose and at the same time
ensure that the people of Chandigarh , who would be
uprooted be given alternative plots. |
SNIPPETS World Asthma Day today CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — The Department of Chest Diseases and Tuberculosis, Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, will observe World Asthma Day on December 11 by organising a free medical camp for patients of asthma and other lung ailments like chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and bronchiectasis. According to an official release, the camp is being arranged for residents of Dadu Majra Colony on the premises of Government Senior Secondary School, Dadu Majra, as many patients of respiratory diseases live in this area. Prof V.K. Kak, Director-Principal of the GMCH, will formally inaugurate the camp. Mr Kewal Krishan Addiwal, Mayor, will be the guest of honour. New ASP joins CHANDIGARH, Dec 10 — Mr Sagar Preet, a UT cadre IPS officer of the 1997 batch, has joined as Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) with the local police. Sources said he met senior officers of the department here today. His posting would be known only after Mr S. K. Singh, IGP, returns from Delhi on Monday. Circus comes to town PANCHKULA, Dec 10 —
A feast for circus lovers is on the the anvil with the
opening of Amar Circus at Sector 5 here today. The
Manager of the circus, Mr Krishna Das, said the show
would be in the town for 25 days. Besides acrobats and
gymnasts, the show comprised performances by the star
artistes, animals, which had children spellbound. Four
elephants, nine lions, one bear and one hippopotamus set
the stage on fire with their antics and received good
applause. The performance of Australian parrots was
highly appreciated by the audience. While trapeze artists
did the good balancing act, the 'Japanese doll' item
showed the flexibility of the human body at its best.
While elephants played cricket and performed Shiv puja, a
motocycle ran in a globe. |
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