Tuesday, December 14, 1999
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N E W S Tuesday, December 14, 1999 |
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HC vacates
order on PGI acting chief CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court today vacated its order passed on November 30 and December 1 restraining Dr N.K. Ganguly, Director-General, Indian Council for Medical Research, from taking over as acting Director of the PGI. Mr Justice Jawahar Lal Gupta and Mr Justice V.M. Jain, who handed down this order, earlier took on record the minutes of the 81st meeting of the PGI Governing Body which, inter alia, said: "The Governing Body observed that of late there has been considerable controversy about the functioning of the institute. In order to avoid further exacerbation of the controversy, after detailed discussion, it was felt that as an interim arrangement, in the overall interest of the PGIMER, Chandigarh, it would be appropriate to appoint an acting Director who is not associated with the recent functioning of the institute. In this context, it felt that the person chosen to be acting Director should be an eminent scientist of high stature who is not a candidate for the post of Director, and is also not working at the institute. The minutes further said: "For these reasons, the Governing Body did not consider it appropriate to appoint Dr R.J. Dash as acting Director. Keeping the requirements for acting Director in mind, it decided that Dr N.K. Ganguly, Director-General, Indian Council for Medical Research, be appointed as acting Director, PGIMER, in addition to his own duties under proviso to rule 7(4) of the PGIMER Rules, till a regular Director is appointed or for a period not exceeding six months, whichever is earlier". The Judges observed that a perusal of the minutes showed that the matter was discussed. Therefore, a decision to make an interim arrangement was taken. While emphasising that the incumbent should be an "eminent scientist", it was felt appropriate to appoint a person who was not a contender for regular appointment. "Without expressing any opinion on the merits of the controversy", the Bench ruled, "We are of the view that by virtue of this order, the first respondent (Dr N.K. Ganguly) is entitled to perform the functions of the office of Director. Restraining him would not be in public interest. For the present, we are also clearly of the opinion that it would not be appropriate to allow the institute to remain without a person who can give it proper directions. It is in public interest to allow the person appointed by the institute to discharge the functions of the office of Director". The appointment of Dr Ganguly was questioned by Prof R.J. Dash on the ground that under the PGI Rules the seniormost professor should be appointed acting Director. He had claimed that he was the seniormost professor of the PGI and was, therefore, entitled to be appointed as acting Director. The High Court had, thus restrained Dr Ganguly from functioning as acting Director of the PGI. While restraining Prof Ganguly from functioning as Director of the PGI, the High Court had left the question of appointing new Director by the Institute Body of the PGI open in conformity with the PGI rules. The Institute Body of
the PGI, at its meeting held on December 8, took a
decision to appoint Prof Ganguly. It had also recorded
reasons for not appointing Prof Dash as acting Director.
This decision of the Institute Body met the mandatory
requirement of the PGI rules. |
Ganguly
assumes charge CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — Prof N.K. Ganguly, Director-General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), assumed charge as the Acting Director of the PGI here this evening following vacation of the stay by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He started looking after
the normal functions of the Director with immediate
effect and will continue to do so till a regular Director
is appointed. The institute body, which met in New Delhi
on December 8 under the chairmanship of the Union Health
Minister, Mr N.T. Shanmugham, had ratified his
appointment as Acting Director of the PGI. |
No
decision yet on Mayor’s post CHANDIGARH, Dec 13—With just four days left for filing nominations for the post of Mayor, uncertainty prevails as no party has yet decided on its candidate for the prestigious post. Though political activity has picked up momentum, a clear picture as to who would be the prospective Mayor, the Senior Deputy Mayor and the Deputy Mayor had not emerged, as parties had failed to arrive at a consensus for the three posts. Like the earlier years, the candidates for various posts were likely to be finalised on December 17 — the last date for filing the papers. The election is scheduled for December 23. There seem to be five aspirants for the post of Mayor, which is reserved for a woman councillor for a period of one year. While the BJP has three contenders — Ms Kamla Sharma, Ms Shanta Abhilashi and Ms Ranjana Shahi — for the post, the Congress may field Ms Satinder Dhawan. Ms Harjinder Kaur of a faction of SAD, who unsuccessfully contested for the Mayor’s post last year, is also in the running for the post. According to sources, though the two factions of the BJP had formally buried the hatchet recently, unanimity on the candidate for the post of Mayor still eludes it. Till recently, the Satya Pal Jain faction of the BJP was projecting a former Mayor, Ms Sharma, for the post. But now it seems to be having second thoughts for her nomination, since she would have to resign for the post of the Chairperson of the Chandigarh Social Advisory Board, which seems to be unlikely, as the Mayor’s tenure was only for a period of one year. On the other hand, the Gian Chand Gupta faction has two contenders for the post — Ms Abhilashi and Ms Shahi. The sources said Ms Abhilashi, whose husband, Babu Hitabhilashi, was gunned down by militants during militancy in Punjab, stood a better chance than Ms Shahi. Though her contribution to discussions on the floor of the House had been minimal, the very fact that she had been less controversial than Ms Shahi may go in her favour. Ms Abhilashi is also reported to have the blessings of Mr K.L. Sharma, a Vice-President of the BJP. Ms Shahi has two disadvantages. One, she is young and she is not taken seriously by the councillors. Two, apart from being unpopular with the Jain group, she has been unpopular with the nine nominated councillors as she has often criticised them for being supporting the current ruling group. It may be recalled that the nominated councillors, by their very numerical strength, play an important role in the election to the three posts. Meanwhile, the Congress is banking on the support of the nominated councillors since the Gupta faction had moved the court prior to the elections last year, contending that the nominated councillors should have no right to cast their votes since they were not elected, and represented the whole city in an advisory nature. Last year the Congress
candidate, Ms Kamlesh, had lost to the current Mayor, Mr
Kewal Krishan Addiwal, by a narrow margin. The official
BJP candidate, Mr Rajinder Kumar, could only finish a
poor third in the election last year, and the councillors
owing allegiance to the Jain faction had bagged all three
posts of the Mayor, the Senior Deputy Mayor and the
Deputy Mayor. |
Swooning
over Indian males CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — “Our visit to India has passed off like a dream, and we still haven’t had enough of the country and its people. Even before we have been able to get a feel of its rich culture and heritage, it is time to go back and none of us are looking forward to it,” contended the girls from Bishkek Humanities University, seven in all, visiting Panjab University under an exchange programme. All of them in unison add that they sometimes miss home and their families but the thought of returning fails to infuse any enthusiasm in the group. “We definitely feel homesick at times, but once we return, we are sure we are going to be ‘India’ ‘sick’, and then there will be no way we can return. So, we are having a ball everyday of stay here,“ they explain. The girls return to Kyrghystan in the third week of December after spending three months in Panjab University, where they had been attached to the Department of English to brush up their knowledge of the language. A peek into the Indian culture and family-life has swept the girls off their feet. Velta, who has witnessed a Hindu marriage, says: “Indian marriages are an elaborate affair. The whole thing was exquisitely done up and the bride and the groom looked resplendent. The happiness and joy of the event got me so involved that I sat through the entire length of the ceremonies and felt a part of the whole affair.” Incidentally, her sister, too, is getting married to an Indian, she informs. After her description, the others too, can’t wait to attend a marriage ceremony, and they claim they will do so in the traditional clothes. Another point they all agree on is that Indian men are incomparable. “They have taken our breath away and one is better than the other. We can’t help swooning over them everytime we step out of the hostel,” they say. However, this feeling is reciprocated and the girls have taken Panjab University by storm since all around there is talk of the seven girls dressed in black and this has its disadvantage also. As Diloram points out: “Whenever we go out to have a good time, our every action comes under close scrutiny. It seems the students can’t get over the fact of having foreigners in their midst. To be under the spotlight perpetually gets in our way of enjoyment, but nonetheless we have learnt to bask in the glory of our popularity over time and it no longer makes us uncomfortable.” Indian dishes have been relished by the girls. Though spices and chillies were a ‘no, no’ for us when we started out, we are beginning to relish these in due course of time. We have decided to learn a few dishes which we will make back home and savour the taste of India,’’ Nurilya states. ‘Alu ka parantha’ is the team-favourite as of now. Also, a couple of movies was all it took for them to decide their ‘heroes’. Here, too, it is a war among the three Khans. While most of them prefer Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, Aamir Khan has a sole taker. On the movies, the group comments: “We can hardly make head or tail of the dialogues, but we are drawn to the theater because the movies invariably take you far from reality, and all the mushy stuff and sentimentality is expressed with such finesse. The ends, too, are also very touching. Elnura says: “We are together which means Hum Sath Sath Hain has been our hot favourite because it portrays an Indian family drama at its best.” For Ms Aigul, it was a chance to expand her horizons as far as the exchange programme went. “The academic programme conducted by the Department of English was par excellence, and the chance to learn about the Indian culture and tradition came like a whiff of fresh air. The visit has been wonderful and will be unforgettable. We are already looking forward to coming back to India and especially to Chandigarh.” Also, the girls are
returning to their university after learning lots of
English and a few sentences of Hindi. In the unmistakable
accent, they rattle out the sentences they have learnt.
Mein tumse pyar karti hoon. Tu mera raja hai aur mein
teri rani hoon. Haanji, they say, and giggle. They
justify: “We got a lot of love from everybody we
have met in the country. Since India stands for love and
hospitality, we couldn’t have left without learning
a few such sentences.”
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Jacob
continues surprise visits CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — For the new administrator of Chandigarh, Lieut-Gen JFR Jacob (retd), today, though a public holiday was a day of scheduled visits, he make several surprise visits to various places of the city. And on his schedule were the Kala Gram on the Chandigarh-Panchkula road and the Chandigarh Housing Project in Sector 38 (West). At the North Zone Cultural Centre at Kala Gram, the Administrator was greeted by the Director, NZCC, Mr R.T. Jindal, who briefed him about the entire project. General Jacob evinced keen interest in the design and plan of the proposed Kala Gram. He wanted that performers and other artistes coming to Kala Gram for stay for performing here must have a comfortable and easy stay and all the modern facilities should be extended to them. He was keen that auditorium being constructed should have cinema projection facilities so that the best and award-winning films could be screened to make the people in general and children in particular aware about the rich cultural heritage of the country. Accompanying him were the Adviser to the Administrator, Mrs Vineeta Rai, the Home-cum-Cultural Secretary, Mr N.K. Jain, and the Chairman of the Chandigarh Housing Board, Mr Balbir Singh. General Jacob also
visited the Housing Board Colony in Sector 38 (west) and
interacted with senior functionaries of the board Jacob's surprise visits praised CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — Mr Ram Pal Hans, President, New Congress Party, has lauded the surprise visits of the new Administrator of Chandigarh, Lieut-Gen JFR Jacob(retd), to various places, including the Sector 17 Police Station, Sector 9 Police Control Room, Sector 16 General Hospital and Mauli Jagran Colony. Mr Hans said that if the Administrator maintains the same zeal and enthusiasm, there will be better civic amenities in villages and colonies and good discipline in the offices of the Administration. He also appreciated the
schemes initiated by the new SSP, Mr Parag Jain, and said
that discipline must be enforced. All class IV employees
of the Administration must be asked to attend their
offices in the uniforms supplied to them and remain
present at the place of their posting throughout duty
hours, he added. |
Tributes
paid to Guru Tegh Bahadur CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — Martyrdom Day of Guru Tegh Bahadar was observed with great reverence here today. Though special congregations were held at almost all gurdwaras, the main function was held at the Sector 34 Sri Guru Tegh Bahadar Gurdwara. Eminent ragi jathas recited Gurbani after the bhog of akhand path in the morning. Discourses on the life and teachings of the Ninth Sikh Guru were also organised at the gurdwara. Rich tributes were paid to him for making the supreme sacrifice for Kashmiri pandits. There was a heavy rush
at the gurdwara. The queue for paying obeisance to Guru
Granth Sahib was so long that one had to wait for almost
an hour to reach the holy book.A special community
kitchen (langar) was also held at the gurdwara. |
Top
glamour stars for fashion display CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — Some of the country’s top glamour stars, including Miss India Gul Panag, super model Shweta Menon,former Miss India and Miss Universe runner-up Manpreet Brar, besides Shefali Talwar, Poonam Nath, Aparna Kumar, Joey Mathews and others will participate in an exclusive fashion display to exhibit ethnicity of the country at Taal, the traditional Indian fashion extravaganza, to be held at Yavnika Open Air Theatre on December 17. The show will be choreographed by Priyanka Singh. According to Mr Jagdeep Chaudhary, organiser of the show, the programme will highlight the rich cultural heritage of the country depicting different outfits by enacting different occasions like wedding scene, Garba, Malkous, Punjabi Jago and Rajasthani Dholna. The show is an attempt to capture all the traditional values, aura and beauty of the garments currently in vogue depicting the vibrant and rich Indian style which speaks volumes of the cultural heritage of the country. It will also mirror colourful, vibrant and rich dabka, nakashi, sitara, ari and mirror work. Plants, a group led by
Ronica Jacob, would perform its electricfying dances to
enthral the audience during the brief intermissions
between different rounds. Yuri from Mumbai will anchor
the show. |
Admission to MS, MD courses
completed CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — The admission to the MD (Doctor of Medicine) and MS (Master of Surgery) courses at the PGI was completed after the declaration of the results of the entrance examinations here last night. According to Dr Kusum Joshi, professor, incharge of the examination cell, a total of 3,737 candidates appeared for the entrance examination on Saturday last. The candidates were from all over the country. Of the total 70 selected, 42 are in the general category and the remaining belong to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, rural areas and those sponsored by governments and foreign nationals, she added. In the first counselling held today, while the top rankers were given an option of the choice, a few others were kept in the waiting list. Among the most preferred options were medicine, radio-diagnosis, orthopaedics and pathology. The heads of the departments ensured that the options were given in accordance with merit. The examination for the
super speciality courses in medicine and surgery such as
DM (Doctorate in Medicine) and MCH will be held on
December 15. |
Prosecution
shirking duty: Jerath CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — In written arguments submitted before the UT District and Sessions Judge Mr B.S. Bedi, former Chief Engineer K.K. Jerath today alleged that the prosecution was “shirking its lawful duty” by not supplying certain “relied upon” documents. Seeking directions to prosecution for the supply of documents, the former Chief Engineer stated that he was being “denied the right of meeting the allegations at the stage of framing up of charges”. The former CE stated that he would not be able to cross examine the prosecution witnesses “for the want of these vital documents”. When the police officer, he added, after completing the investigations, “submitted his report to the magistrate, the copies of the statements and the documents referred to were to be furnished to the accused”. Going into the background, the accused stated that on the scrutiny of the challan “several deficiencies and shortcomings were pointed out and brought to the notice of the court through written applications”. Jerath added that some documents were supplied by the investigating officer following the court directions, “while most of the documents relied upon by the prosecution were withheld”. Declining the prayer for
the supply of documents, the prosecution stated that it
did not rely upon the same, Jerath claimed. The
application will now come up on December 15 for orders. |
Ravi
Inder Singh files suit CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — In a civil suit filed today, a member of the Punjab Legislative Assembly, Mr Ravi Inder Singh, sought directions against Mr Parkash Singh Badal acting as the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President. Claiming the absence of a “valid legal right”, the plaintiff sought “declaration to the effect that the defendant had become “Functous Officia” as SAD President since August 1997 and could not act as the party President”. In his 13-page suit against SAD and Mr Badal, the MLA stated that the President of the party and the district Jathas were to be elected by the general house annually. The defendant, Mr Singh elaborated, “was elected President in mid-1996 when the first meeting was held”. A general house meeting, he added, was held in July - August 1997 but no new President was elected. Mr Singh further added that the Election Commission “had already issued a notice to the defendant and the party secretary to hold fresh enrollment”. The SAD secretary, he claimed, had written to the Chief Election Commissioner for extension of time, but reply had not been received so far. The MLA, in the suit, also sought “declaration to the effect that the SAD working committee had over-lived its tenure of two years and could not act anymore”. The counsel for the
plaintiff also sought directions against the calling of
the working committee’s meeting on December 12
through “newspaper report”. They added that the
same could not be called by “just issuing a press
statement”. The case will come up for hearing
tomorrow. |
Milkman
convicted CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — For selling adulterated milk, the Chief Judicial Magistrate Mr Sant Prakash, today convicted Malkiat Singh, a resident of Ropar district, under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA), and sentenced him to six months’ rigorous imprisonment, besides imposing a fine of Rs 1,000. In default of payment, he was further directed to undergo another two months’ rigorous imprisonment. Earlier, the food inspector, Mr Vireshwar Singh, intercepted the accused in Sector 22 with 20 litres of cow milk, brought for public sale. As per the reports of the public analyst, the milk fat was found to be 10 per cent less, and milk solids were 18 per cent less than the minimum prescribed standard. Pronouncing the orders in the open court, the CJM observed. “The prosecution has been able to establish that the accused was found selling cow’s milk and the same was found to be adulterated on analysis, and a case against the accused is established. The accused is hereby
held guilty and convicted for offence under Sections 7
(1) of the PFA”. |
Six
granted bail CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — The UT Additional District and Sessions Judge, Mr S.K. Goel, today granted bail to six city residents, accused of attempting to commit culpable homicide. The accused — Neeraj, Tejinder, Gurpreet, Maninder, Ashwani and Rajiv — were earlier booked by the Chandigarh Police for “voluntarily causing hurt”, criminal intimidation, attempt to commit culpable homicide and rioting under Sections 323, 506, 147, 148, 149 of the Indian Penal Code. According to the prosecution, the accused, on November 11, had “inflicted injuries on” one Anil Kumar at a petrol pump following a dispute. Today, granting the
bail, the judge observed: “Without commenting upon
the meritts of the case, all accused are ordered to be
released on bail in sum of Rs 15,000 with a surety of the
like amount by each to the satisfaction of the
illaqua/duty magistrate”. |
Police
remand for vehicle thief CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — Accused of stealing a DCM Toyota, Rajesh Kumar was remanded in police custody till December 15 by the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Sant Prakash, here today. The accused, a resident of Ram Nagar in Kurukshetra, was earlier booked by the Chandigarh police for stealing and possessing the vehicle under Sections 379 and 411 of the IPC. According to the
prosecution, the accused had stolen a DCM Toyota
(HP-12-2004) parked in front of SCO 243 in Mani Majra on
November 2. On the complaint of its owner, Mr Pawan
Kumar, the police had registered a case and arrested the
accused. |
Pensioners
to meet on December 17 CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — Pensioners of the Punjab government and semi-government concerns residing in the city, SAS Nagar and Panchkula in collaboration with pensioners of the Central Government and the Chandigarh Administration will celebrate Pensioners Day on December 17 in the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10, here. A decision to this
effect was taken by the 21-member executive under the
chairmanship of Mr K.L Issar. The general secretary of
the association has appealed to the pensioners to
participate in the celebrations and take a pledge to
continue their struggle to protect their rights, which
they had got as a result of a Supreme Court judgement. |
Army show
on December 18-19 CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — A two-day exhibition of the Army's equipment and capabilities is being organsied by western command Headquarters at the Sector 17 Parade Ground on December 18 and 19 to commemorate the historic victory over Pakistan in 1971. The occasion is celebrated as Vijay Divas every year on December 16. A statement issued here said that in view of the Kargil victory, the celebrations would have a special significance this year. A wreath-laying ceremony will be held at Veer Smriti war memorial in Chandi Mandir to pay tributes to those who had laid down their lives in the line of duty. The Governor of Punjab, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), and the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lieut-Gen Vijay Oberoi, will lay wreaths at the war memorial. The highlight of the
Army show will be the display of various arms and
equipment, a sky diving show, air evacuation, motor cycle
skills, cultural programme and mass band display. Weapons
captured from Pakistani intruders during Operation Vijay
will also be displayed and a film show on the Kargil
operations held. |
VC for
check on population CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — Prof M.M.Puri, Vice-Chancellor of Panjab University, in his inaugural address of the seminar on "Political landscapes: on the threshold of 21st century and emerging patterns" here today said the role and capability of a state was bound to affect the political rhythm of the world. The concept of power needed to be redefined. He said population growth had to decline for a secure future. The population had multiplied in the current century alone which needed to be checked. Prof G.S.Gosal, geographer of international repute, in his presidential address focussed on trends of global homogenisation and local ethnic conflicts. Local conflicts in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Chechnia and other places had a deep underlying message which needed to be addressed through research. The reasons were numerous and complex, Professor Gosal added. Professor Vladmir Kolosov, Chairman of the International Geographical Union Commission on World Political Map (who could not make it for the seminar) in his keynote address highlighted the significance of the growing interdependence of the world and the need for ensuring peace and security. The gap between the developed and the developing countries continued . Prof Swaranjit Mehta, convener, introduced the theme of the seminar. She also read out the keynote address of Professor Kolosov. Prof Gopal Krishan introduced the subject while Chairperson of the Department of Geography Dr Smita Bhutani proposed a vote of thanks. The international
seminar is being attended by delegates from Australia,
Hungary, Israel and the USA. Apart from geography,
scholars from political science and sociology are also
participating in the seminar deliberations. |
Delimit
MC wards afresh: CPI SAS NAGAR, Dec 13 — The local unit of the CPI has flayed the “confused manner in which the delimitation of Municipal Council wards has been done, and demanded that it should be undertaken afresh. The Secretary of the city Commitee of the party, Mr Sudagar Singh Grewal, said today that the delimitation should have been done in conformity with the town planning. Roads and streets defining the boundaries of various wards had been named after residents, many of whom were not even known to residents of the area. Mr Grewal said confusion
had been created by including Phase 3BI and Phase IV in
Ward 8, part of Phase IV and Phase II in ward 7 and part
of Phase V and 3BII in Ward 12. Residents who had been
working for the welfare of one particular phase and
wanted to stand for election might be unknown in parts of
new phases included in the ward in question. |
Panel
discussion on women librarians CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — Ms A.K. Anand, a former Librarian of the Panjab University Library, was felicitated at the foundation lecture on "women and librarianship — gender perspective" on the university campus here today. Mrs Kalpana Dasgupta, Director, Central Secretariat Library, Delhi, in her keynote address said librarianship was basically a male-dominated profession. Women joined the profession largely for employment and finding areas of work. They, according to her, were basically not interested in the administrative work. A panel discussion was organised which comprised 10 women librarians as panelists. The session was chaired by Prof Pam Rajput, Director, Centre for Women Studies. Mr A.R. Sethi, university Librarian, anchored the session. It was proposed that ''in-service training on site should be provided to motivate women librarians and give them opportunities to get trained in new environment''. There was the need for research on various aspects of women and librarianship. The panel also suggested
that services of women librarians, who were dropouts from
regular jobs, might be utilised for specialised library
projects. Information on the primary data on women and
librarianship needed to be created. |
Entertaining
show by students PANCHKULA, Dec 13 — The students of BRS Dental College put up an entertaining cultural show on the occasion of their annual day, on the college premises, here today. Comprising mono acting and dances, the programme was peppered with solo siongs. A Punjabi group dance by second-year girls set the mood for the day. Girls in colourful dresses danced to the tune of Jindawa which was well appreciated by the audience. A mono acting by Saurabh, a second-year student, on the inadequacy of school teaching was well presented, while the item on 'Modern Ramayana' had the audience in splits. A group dance on the song Kahin Aag Lage Lag Jave by Anuradha, a final-year student, was engaging, while a performance on the song Maine Payal Hai Chhankaiye by the second-year students drew rich applause. The programme ended with a fashion show presented by students of all four batches. In a theme-based presentation, first-year students came dressed as priests of various religions of India. The item presented by second-year students had the defence forces as its theme. Third-year students' theme was 'colours' and fourth-year students had brides and bridegrooms as their theme. The 'defence forces' theme won the first prize, while the second prize went to the 'colours' theme. At a prize distribution function held later in the day, Rajat Sharma, third-year student, was declared the best male athlete while Shefali won the best female athlete prize. The running trophy for the best class went to the second-year students of the institute. Over 150 other prizes for academic excellence and co-curricular activities were given. The Principal of the
College, Brig S.C. Anand (retd), presented the welconme
address, while Dr Ramneek Sharma read out the annual
report of the college. |
Mayor
meets entrepreneurs CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — On an invitation of the Laghu Udyog Bharati,the city Mayor, Mr Kewal Krishan Addiwal, today visited the Industrial Area to make an on-the-spot assessment of the problems faced by the entrepreneurs. Mr B.K.Kapoor, General Secretary of the Chandigarh chapter of the body, urged the Mayor to immediately start development work in the area. Meanwhile, in a memorandum to Mr Addiwal, Mr Rajeev Gupta, General Secretary of the Federation of Small Scale Industries, urged the Mayor to improve the water supply and condition of the roads in the Industrial Area. Improvement in storm water drainage system, pathways on both sides of roads, separate parking sites for the trucks and provision of more dumping sites and dust bins were the other demands highlighted in the memorandum. The memorandum also
wanted the removal of scrap dealers, who had encroached
upon the municipal land, and the development of the parks
in the area. |
Protesters burn effigy of
Administration CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — Residents of the Deep Complex, Hallo Majra, today protested against the notices issued to them by the Electricity Department to remove “kundi” connections from their houses. Raising slogans against the Chandigarh Administration, residents assembled in the village in the evening and demanded that they should be provided regular power connections, as had been the case of rehabilitation colonies. It was only in the absence of regular power connections that they were forced to draw power through “kundi connections”, alleged the protesters. The police had a tough time controlling the mob. While the protesters wanted to take procession in the village to highlight their demands calling it their fundamental right, the police, apprehending that the Chandigarh-Ambala highway would be blocked by the protesters, confined them to a corner of the village market. Ultimately, an agreement was reached between the police and protesters when Mr Surinder Bhardwaj, a political leader, promised the police that the highway would not be blocked and the protest would be peaceful. The protesters marched
in procession though the streets of the village raising
slogans against the Chandigarh Administration. Later,
they burnt an effigy of the administration and dispersed
peacefully after protesting on the side of the the
highway. Civic amenities elude residents ZIRAKPUR, Dec 13 — Residents of the colonies surrounding the Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat area, which are yet to be regularised after the formation of the civic body, are facing various problems relating to roads, streetlight, electricity, telephone, hospital, post office, sanitation, water supply and other facilities. More than 250 buildings have come up in Harmilap Nagar Colony and the maximum of them are getting electricity from their neighbours or existing consumers. Residents are forced to do so as the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) has stopped releasing power connections to the unauthorised buildings. Residents of the colony complain of the poor condition of the roads and streetlight. Deep potholes in the internal roads have made the plying of vehicles difficult. At some places two-wheeler owners prefer road berms than road. Storm water accumulates at different places because of the absence of a drainage system in the colony. Filth and heaps of garbage can be seen at different places. Because of the absence of government water supply to the colony, residents have installedhand pumps to meet the water requirements. But the shallow hand pumps draw contaminated water. This poses a great health hazard," Mr Neeraj Goel said. Many residents have sunk their own tubewells in backyards of their houses. People have to fetch water from hand pumps in the adjoining villages whenever there is a power cut. Though the electricity department has started granting power connections, yet most of the residents have not been able to obtain NOCs from the Nagar Panchayat and are still forced to use kerosene lamps. Residents have to go to Zirakpur or Panchkula to post letters as the department has not placed any letter box in the area. Residents allege that the postman hardly visits the colony to distribute letters. The colony has no
dispensary. The telephone lines often develop faults and
the telephones remain disconnected for days. |
Village
with poor amenities CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — Insufficient water supply, poor condition of roads and absence of other civic amenities have led to the demand for a notified area committee (NAC) by residents of Chhoti Karauran village on the periphery of Chandigarh. The village, located near Punjab Engineering College (PEC), has witnessed a sharp increase in its population. More and more residents of Chandigarh are coming to this area to build houses. A visit to the area reveals that the road leading to the village is full of potholes. The residents blame unplanned growth of the area for the deplorable condition of the road. The internal roads of the village are also in poor state. Mr Kuljeet Singh, a local resident, maintained that as the authorities had overlooked the illegal constructions, the problems of the villagers had increased manifold. Pointing out inaction by the authorities, he said the villagers had been demanding a civic body but nothing had been done in this direction. A nagar panchayat or an NAC should be set up on the lines of Zirakpur, he opined. Villagers complained of insufficient water supply. Sources in the department said that the increase in the population of the area had affected the water supply system. Several villagers complained that certain ''new settlers'' in connivance with officials of the water supply department were getting water connections. It had resulted in low water pressure. In the absence of proper garbage disposal, heaps of waste material are seen on the roads and streets. Open drains in the
streets get blocked because of poor maintenance. Colony's tale of woes CHANDIGARH, Dec 13
— The Himachal Maloya Nivasi Sudhar Sabha has drawn
the attention of the Chandigarh Administration towards
the deteriorating civic amenities in Maloya Colony.In a
representation to the Adviser to the Administrator, the
sabha alleged that local buses avoided the colony.
Deplorable condition of the colony inroads,
non-functioning of streetlights, scarcity of drinking
water and choking of gutters were some of the problems
highlighted in the representation.The Adviser assured the
delegation that the problems would be solved in one
month, according to a press note of the sabha. No grant given, says sarpanch KHARAR, Dec 13 —
Mrs Swarn Kaur, sarpanch of the nearby Balaungi Colony
village, has alleged that the government has not given
any grant for development works in the newly created gram
panchayats although more than one-and-a-half years has
passed. The sarpanches too have not been given
telephones.In a press note issued here yesterday, she
alleged that lands and properties had not been handed
over to the new panchayats. She added that the income of
these panchayats was zero. |
SNIPPETS 5,000 chickens die in farm fire KHARAR, Dec 13 — Five thousand chickens and other articles were destroyed in the nearby Cholta Kalan village last night when fire broke out in a poultry farm. Mr Thath Singh, the owner of the farm, has reported to the Kharar police that short-circuiting was the cause of the fire and Sarkanda lying there caught the fire. He has written a letter to SDM Kharar mentioning that the loss was worth about Rs 2.29 lakh and demanded due compensation. Yuva sankalp launched CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — The nationwide Vande Mataram yuva sankalp programme was launched at Lajpat Rai Bhavan in Sector 15 here yesterday. While giving details of the month-long programme, Dr S.M. Sehgal, Chairman of the Zonal Steering Committee, said that it had been launched with a view to paying homage to thousands of freedom fighters who were instrumental in throwing out the British. Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion were a noted freedom fighter, Mr O.P. Vij and the President of the Lok Seva Mandal, Mr Onkar Chand. Started under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, the programme coincided with the birthday of legendary poet Subramaniam Bharati. Dr O.P. Dhir, Mr Harbhajan Singh Cheema, Mr Kuldeep Singh Batra, Major Jaswant Singh (INA), Mr S.R. Sharma and Dr O.P. Sharda, all freedom fighters, were honoured on the occasion. Scholarship for city student CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — Sukhmeet Singh, a student of St Joseph's High School, has been selected for the Year 2000 for SIA Youth Scholarship offered by Singapore Airlines. The award is conferred on Asian students for their academic and extracurricular achievements. Under the scholarship, he has been admitted to Raffles Junior College. The award allows a two-year course in reputed junior colleges. Son of Dr Daljit Singh Toor, Sukhmeet, placed on the merit list, had secured 93 per cent marks in the ICSE examination and topped St Joseph's High School. Residents seek basic facilities CHANDIGARH, Dec 13 — The Sector 39-C Punjab Government Employees Residents Welfare Association at its meeting held yesterday urged the Chandigarh Administration to provide minimum basic facilities in the sector. In a press note issued, the association maintained that though there was a model school in the sector, no official of the Education Department had ever bothered to visit this school. The school lacks basic facilities. Requests for its upgradation have not been acknowledged. The computer has been lying locked. Further, the sector does not have any park. The association urged the Administration to take necessary action to solve these problems of the residents. PO phone out of order for years KHARAR, Dec 13 — Ms Jasmer Kaur, Sarpanch, and some residents of the nearby Sahoran village have urged the Telecommunication Department to repair the telephone in the post office of the village. It has been out of order for the past about three to four years. They have written that
the postmaster has apprised officers of the complaint
many times, but to no avail. |
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