Monday, December 27, 1999
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N E W S Monday, December 27, 1999 |
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6-acre
theme park for SAS Nagar CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — With the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) submitting the project report on its proposed Archaeological Theme Park at SAS Nagar to the Punjab Government, the long-awaited project appears to have taken off. The three-phase park is estimated to cost about Rs 1 crore, which will be made available by the Central Government. It will include 16 monuments of archaeological and architectural importance, which are listed by the UNESCO as World Heritage monuments. The report was submitted a few days ago by the Chandigarh Circle of the ASI. The ASI is executing the project. Based on the report, the state government will allocate land for setting up the proposed park. The project envisions converting about 6 acres in Sector 62, adjoining the Chandigarh — SAS Nagar border into a sculptured, landscaped park. Sources said after the project was mooted during a seminar on archaeology held at Ropar last year, the Punjab Government had agreed to allocate land free of cost. The earlier proposal was to set up the park at Ropar, but it was decided that SAS Nagar was a better option. Adopting a resolution at its general conference in 1972, the UNESCO made a convention concerning the protection of world cultural and natural heritage. The objectives included defining world heritage in cultural and natural aspects and enlisting sites and monuments in member countries which were of exceptional interest and universal value. Of the 506 sites world-wide, there are 16 cultural sites and five natural sites in India. India is among the 107 member countries which signed the resolution. The 16 cultural sites are Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves, Agra Fort, Taj Mahal, Sun Temple at Konark, Mahabalipuram Temples, churches and convents at Goa, Khajuraho Temples, Hampi Temples, Fatehpur Sikri, Pattadakal Temples, Elephanta Caves, Brihadisvara Temple at Thanjavur, Buddhist monuments at Sanchi, Humayun’s Tomb and Qutab Minar. Scaled-down replicas of these monuments will be constructed at the park. The park will be landscaped to incorporate features of plains, mountains and water bodies to simulate the actual terrain on which the respective monument is situated. The ASI had, in 1997,
proposed to set up a similar theme park at Panchkula. Due
to certain technicalities, the proposal had been shelved. |
‘Make encroachment a criminal
offence’ CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — Encroachment on government land should be treated as a criminal offence, a paper on encroachments prepared by the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) has suggested. The multiplicity of authorities — the MCC, the Estate Office and the Chandigarh Housing Board — for checking the encroachments and lack of motivation in the officials handling this difficult job are among major reasons pointed out for the mushrooming of the encroachments in the city, SAYS the paper. Giving a list of the encroachments on the municipal land, building and periphery control violations, and violations in housing board flats, the paper, which was circulated among senior officers at a recent meeting here, SAID the problem of encroachments had reached alarming proportions in the absence of clear directions, demarcation of duties and single-point responsibility, besides the inadequate police support. It says the unpleasant job of removing encroachments, besides attracting criticism makes different powerful lobbies enemies of the enforcement staff. At times, sufficient support is not available from seniors and difficulties in handling such hazardous duties are not well-appreciated. Picking holes in the current anti-encroachment policy and returning the confiscated material at nominal charges, which do not deter encroachers, the proposal suggests regular follow-up action and stiff measures to tackle the problem. It adds that the encroachments in green belts, gardens and parks by residents continue unabated and the encroachments by road-side vendors on road berms and open spaces in the market are increasing with each passing day. The proposal takes serious view of the mushrooming of the unauthorised religious places in the city and its periphery and continuous extension of their areas and starting of various commercial activities from such premises. Listing the occupation of varandahs by rickshaw-pullers for sleeping at night as a major encroachment, the paper says the encroachments on the public corridors in front of the shops, booths, SCFs and SCOs are a major menace. Besides, encroachments by kabarisare rampant in Industrial Area. Parking of vehicles unauthorisedly at various places, holding of illegal car and scooter bazars, unauthorised use of adjoining open spaces by hoteliers, extending day markets into circulation and parking areas and mushrooming of rehri and phari markets at new and old sites are among the other major encroachments listed in the proposal. In the section on “building and periphery control violations”, the proposal, which calls for an independent set-up to tackle the menace of ever-increasing encroachments, informs that these include the violations in constructions, zoning, excess built-up area, use of residential and institution-building for commercial purpose, conversion of trust-building into commercial activities and violation in commercial, industrial and institutional buildings. The openings of
residential houses on V-3 roads and their conversion for
commercial use is the order of day, the paper says,
adding that the fresh constructions are taking place in
unacquired and even acquired government land.
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Unceremonious
scenes at PU meeting CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — Unceremonious scenes marked the last Panjab University Senate meeting here today with appointments issue consuming bulk of the time. It was pointed out that earlier after selection as per the university advertisement, candidates were put on a panel. In case of vacancy or additional vacancy in the department during six months, these candidates were considered for the posts without calling fresh candidates. The UGC in a notification in July earlier this year aborted the panel method and notified a new procedure which had a ‘selective list’. Members, including Mr Ashok Goyal and Prof Charanjit Chawla, pointed out that the change was not practised even for the December selections, which were informed in the meeting today. Prof Joginder Yadav and Prof Ram Prakash said that the reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes was not followed in letter and spirit. Professor Yadav said that the selection committees for candidates should have an SC or an ST panelist according to governmental provisions. Mr Kehar Singh pointed out that in a majority of the departments, none of the SC/ST candidates had been selected in about 58 appointments recently. Ms Sneh Mahajan pointed out to the selection of Ms Supriya Verma in the Department of History and Ancient History. She pointed out that the candidate had filled the forms “fraudulantly”. There was a very big difference in the academic record of the candidate who was put on the waiting list and had three gold medals. The issue would be “re-looked into”. Differences were also pointed out in appointments in case of the Microbiology Department. Mr Rajinder Deepa at the end of the session wanted the Vice-Chancellor to reply to a written query that VC made ‘excessive ‘expenditure on telephone bills. Mr Deepa wanted to know the areas of the communication “internationally” amounting to Rs 4.70 lakh within a short span. The Vice-Chancellor read the Registrar’s reply, saying that in accordance with the Syndicate meeting of 1970 there was no limit on Vice-Chancellor’s calls since most of them were confidential and could not be made public. Members pointed out that an Associate Dean was not needed when there was a post of Dean Colleges. The calendar was checked out and found that there was a provision for two posts. The appointments were assured to be made by March 31. Tempers were high on item of Readers as Professors, who made it in the third attempt. Members pointed out that the benefits should be given from the same date. Dr Naresh said that often a candidate’s promotion got delayed due to overlooking of experts. Prof Puri, however, said that the promotions in these cases were more ‘out of mercy’. There was also a difference among members over the status of financial management of the Muktsar centre. The university passed the item of enhancement of retirement age of all employees from 60 to 62. In case of the postgraduate course in anatomy at the PGI, the Dean informed that he was not taken into confidence. The matter will be taken up again. The Senate passed the
proposal of Dr Ram Prakash that two blocks be named after
Guru Dutt Vidyarthi and Shaheed Udham Singh in the
campus. |
Prayers
for couple's return CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — The parents of Rakesh Kataria and Pooja, the newly-wed couple from Chandigarh aboard the ill-fated IC 814 flight of Indian Airlines, are praying for their safe return here. Married early this month, Rakesh and Pooja had in a quick decision made it to Kathmandu before returning home here after their honeymoon trip to Goa. "It is the destiny which took them there," remarked Mr D.K. Aneja, an employee of the NCC Directorate here. He is the father of Pooja and says that after marriage ceremony, the family was heaving a sigh of relief after all guests left and Puja and Rakesh returned happily from Goa. The parents and brothers say they have no information whatsoever about the welfare of the couple. "The only source of information has been either television or newspapers. We do not know whom to contact for any other information. We have been praying since Friday evening for their safety and well-being." The Chandigarh office of Indian Airlines, however, has no information that any of the passengers on the ill-fated Airbus 300 aircraft is from Chandigarh. "We have checked the entire passenger reservation and confirmation list and found none with Chandigarh address or telephone number. Probably Rakesh and Puja made a reservation at Delhi itself by giving a local number there. Therefore, we missed them out," says Mr Kashmiri Lal, Station Manager of the airline here. "I have been keeping two lists at home. On Friday night, four persons, including myself, remained at our Sector 17 office until midnight to answer telephone calls from general public. We did not get any call from any relative or friend of a passenger on board of the hijacked aircraft," he adds. Mr Rakesh Kataria is the youngest of five brothers and sisters. The family runs an auto shop in Sector 27 in Chandigarh though it lives at Mani Majra. Gloom has cast its spell in the locality in which Katarias live. All in the vicinity, however, have been praying for the wellbeing of Rakesh and Puja. The family members, relatives and friends, who had assembled at Mani Majra, were critical of the government for not doing anything to secure the release of hostages. "Unfortunately, no
relative, son or daughter of any Union minister is among
the hostages. If they can release hardcore terrorists to
secure the release of a Union minister's daughter, why
not for all those who are being held hostages for more
than 50 hours now," ask the father and brothers of
Rakesh. |
Family
awaits body's arrival CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — Almost three weeks after a city resident, Swaran Singh, who had been living in Dubai for the past seven years died, his family is still awaiting the return of his body. Swaran Singh's son Harminder Singh told TNS today that Swaran Singh had died due to a heart attack on December 3. Though his uncle, also residing in Dubai, was intimated by the firm he was employed in, the family was conveyed the news only on December 20. A fax message marked ''urgent'' received by the family here via a Mumbai-based placement agency through which Swarn Singh had gone abroad had asked the family to intimate it about the airport where the family would like to receive the body. Harminder said that they had contacted the company in Dubai several times, but the standard response from the company officials was that the body would be despatched within two or three days. Swarn had spoken to his family just a day before his reported death, telling them about his tensions and asking them to send him money as he had not been paid for three- four months. He had been working there as a carpenter. He had visited India
earlier this month to marry off his elder daughter. |
Deputationist
as board Controller opposed SAS NAGAR, Dec 26 — The filling of the post of the Controller of Examination of the Punjab School Education Board through deputation recently has again become a bone of contention between the Punjab Government and employees of the board. Earlier, the continuation of the then incumbent, whose term had expired on September 30, had resulted in a ruckus between the management of the board and the Punjab State Education Board (non-teaching) Karamchari Association. A Deputy Secretary of the board, Ms Narinder Kaur, had been asked to officiate as the Controller of Examination. The issue has now again come in the limelight, with the appointment of a Deputy Director in the state Education Department, Ms Harcharanjit Kaur, who has been sent on deputation. The Punjab School Education Board Officer Association has said the appointment had been done with an ulterior motive. A memorandum of the association, demanding her repatriation to her parent department, has been given to the Chairman of the board, Dr Kehar Singh. Members of the association lamented that as per the rules, the post of the Controller should be filled from within the board as there were eligible persons. Since no requisition for filling the post from outside had been sent to the government, bringing a person on deputation was unfair, said a member of the association. Seniority of the deputy secretaries of the board, who it said had to work under the new Controller, was also cited as a source of resentment among the employees. The General Secretary of
the karamchari association, Mr Jarnail Singh Brar,
claimed that the job of the Controller was a skilled one
and only an experienced person should have been
appointed. The last three controllers had been inducted
from within the department, he said. |
Bus moves
sans driver SAS NAGAR, Dec 26 — In a bizarre incident, a bus of the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU), which had been parked with its engine on in Phase XI, started moving all of a sudden, making the people around panicky. It came to a halt after covering a few yards, when one of its front wheels got stuck in a pothole. According to an
eyewitness, the bus plying on route number 38 had been
parked by its driver on the main road at around 11.30 am.
The driver of the bus, when confronted by shopkeepers of
Khokha Market, said the engine of the bus had to be kept
running as there was no battery in it for ignition. |
AIDS
awareness carnival SAS NAGAR, Dec 26 — A 10-day AIDS awareness carnival organised by a liquor manufacturing company in coordination with the AIDS Control Society, Punjab, which visited over 60 towns of the state, culminated here yesterday. During the carnival a message about prevention of aids was spread through audio cassettes, pamphlets and hand bills. Another feature of the carnival was road shows through a band troupe mounted on a truck. The organisers of the carnival said the members of the band team gave over 150 performances in 60 towns of Punjab. They stated that over five lakh persons came in their contact during the carnival. At least 1,000 audio cassettes on AIDS awareness were distributed. The organisers said
there were plans to extend the road shows to towns of
Haryana. |
'Sinusitis
can be cured' CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — Sinusitis can be cured by medical experts, and is not by any standards incurable, as widely believed. This was disclosed by a team of experts attending the concluding day yesterday of the live functional endoscopic surgery workshop at lecture theatre I, PGI. The workshop was organised by the ENT Department of the PGI. The 108 delegates attending the workshop were a witness to two live operations performed by Dr S.K. Kaluskar. The first surgery of the day, choncha bullosa was performed on a nose which had develped a fungal infection. The second surgery was on nasal polyposis which was performed on a patient who had developed pain behind his eyes and had continuous headache, besides a foul smell coming from the nose. The other highlights of the day included a lecture on ''dacryocystitis'', a disease in which eyes water continuously. Later while talking to
TNS, Dr S.B.S. Mann, Head of the ENT Department, PGI,
said that earlier the conventional way of treating such
patients was to operate them from the outside, which
often left a scar. But such an operation can be performed
from inside the nose. This lecture was chaired by Dr M.R.
Dogra from the Department of Ophthalmology, PGI. |
Awareness
about oral cancer PANCHKULA, Dec 26 — The problem posed by missing teeth topped the list of complaints of senior citizens at a dental camp organised at the Old Age Home in Sector 15 here today. Out of the 97 patients examined at the camp, 56 persons reported trouble due to missing teeth. The President of the Dental Health Awareness Society, Dr Sanjay Kalra, said that the patients were informed of the necessity to replace missing teeth or else the remaining would shift to the vacant spaces and create trouble. Screening for oral cancer was also carried out and patients were explained in detail the diseases afflicting the teeth and the solutions to the problems. Also the correct brushing technique was taught to the visitors with the use of models of jaws. The visitors were given handouts specifying the dos and don'ts for healthy teeth at the camp. A computer with special software on the subject was operational at the camp. Mr M.C. Gogia, a
resident of Sector 8, was declared first in the ''healthy
smile'' contest, while Mr J.G. Aggarwal from Sector 2 and
Dr K.L. Arora from Sector 4 were adjudged second and
third, respectively. In the essay writing contest on the
topic ''dental health and old age'', Mr Sham Lal Gupta, a
resident of Sector 8, came first, and Mr Arun Kumar Roy,
a resident of Sector 7, and Mr M.C. Gogia of Sector 8
came second and third, respectively. |
Talk on
aged and ageing CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — The Servants of the People Society organised a public lecture on ''aged, ageing and Alzheimer disease'' at Lajpat Rai Bhavan here today. DR J.G. Jolly, Consultant, Transfusion Medicine, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, said that ageing was a phenomenon resulting from deficiency of dietary supplements and had to be understood distinctly from the ''aged'' which reflected the longevity of the individual in terms of years of life. Thus aged or getting older and ageing were not synonymous. He pointed out that ageing was preventable unnatural condition and was reversible because it was due to accumulated damage to individual cells. However, the rate of ageing can be slowed down or stopped by taking care of the factors responsible for the deterioration of these cells. The main factors associated with this process were ''free radicals''. It was on this account that the study of free radicals, antioxidents and certain dietary supplements had generated considerable extent during recent years. Their role in the process of ageing and pathogenesis of certain diseases like cancer, cardiovascular problems, arthritis and diabetes, etc had received special consideration. The manner in which free radicals played their role in human diseases and ageing process was still under investigation, but a number of scientists believed that oxidative stress was the prime factor. Dr Jolly said that Alzheimer's disease was forgetfulness and this appeared to be a common feature among the elderly but when it was noted at a comparatively younger age it required a careful review for appropriate diagnosis. Such a situation was invariably due to Alzheimer's disease, a condition reported for the first time by Dr Alois Alzheimer, a German scientist, during the earlier part of the 20th century. He termed it as a progressive and degenerative condition of the brain. Besides dementia, he observed that there was definite loss of intellectual potential. In addition to memory loss, there was definite evidence of impaired thinking and behaviour. Among the common symptoms were memory loss affecting job skills, difficulty in performing familiar tasks, problems with language, disorientation in time or place, poor judgement, abstract thinking, tendency to misplace things, changes in mood or behaviour, changes in personality and loss of initiative. Dr Satnam Singh,
Honorary Director, Regional Institute of Public Health,
presided over the function and laid stress on changing
lifestyle to ensure that one led a purposeful and healthy
life. |
Centre
for handicapped to come up at Kala Amb KHARAR, Dec 26 — The Rotary Club has decided to set up a centre for the rehabilitation of handicapped persons and a hospital for corrective surgeries near Kala Amb in Himachal Pradesh. The construction work on the centre will start within two-three months. This was announced by Mr
Arun Sharma, District Governor, District 3080, while
talking to reporters here last night. He said that the
total cost of the project would be about Rs 1.5 crore,
which would be shared by foreign donations and
collections by Rotary Clubs. The land for this project
had already been purchased and earth work was going on
and a Trust had already been set up for this. He said the
centre would have an old-age home and a 25-bed hospital
and an operation theatre. |
Training
programme for youth held CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — A unique programme of Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) organised jointly by the Rotary Chandigarh Shivalik and SAS Nagar concluded today. As many as 56 children from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab attended the programme at Shivalik Public School, SAS Nagar. It was inaugurated by the District Governor, Mr Arun Sharma. The RYLA is an intensive training programme for talented young people in the age group of 14-18 years who attend a residential three-day camp, debating problems of professional responsibility and human relations, learning about and visiting business institutions, exploring inter-personal relations and honing the art of leadership, said a press note of the Rotary Shivalik Chandigarh. The participants were
trained in verbal and non-verbal communication,
leadership skills, creativity and group dynamics, besides
visiting Punjab Tractors Ltd and organising a talent
nite. |
City
student for Boogie Woogie CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — Vanita Jagdish, a standard IX student of Stepping Stones, Sector 9, has been chosen to be featured in the dance programme Boogie Woogie on Sony channel. The winner of a dance competition held recently at Bal Bhavan, Sector 23, Vanita was asked by the organisers to send her cassette recording which was accepted by them. A student of Birju
Maharaj, Vanita studied at his Gandharva Mahavidyalya
Kathak Kendra, New Delhi, for three years, and is
currently busy shooting for a Punjabi music album. These
days she is also on the lookout for someone to teach her
kathak dance of the Lucknow Gharana here. |
‘13
crore spent yearly to protect 102’ CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — The Chandigarh police is spending Rs 13 crore per year on the security of 102 protected persons in the city, the Secretary of the All-India Congress Committee (AICC) and the local MP, Mr Pawan Bansal, said here today. Addressing a press conference here, he said of these persons, 81 were officials and 21 from the general public. He informed that following the amendment to the Panchayati Raj Act, direct elections would be held to the Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad in the city. Regarding land for the cooperative house building societies, he said the administration was in the process of acquiring 240 acres for the eligible 109 societies. Mr Bansal pleaded for uniform compensation — Rs 10.86 lakh per acre — for the UT villagers, whose land was to be acquired. He criticised the administration's dual policy of paying Rs 10.86 lakh per acre for the land acquired from Burail village and Rs 3.5 lakh for the land acquired from the adjoining Jhumru village. Calling for the simplification of the conversion of property from the leasehold to freehold, the MP said due to the cumbersome process, of the 46,991 leasehold properties, the owners of only 2,065 had applied for conversion. Talking about the rehabilitation of the jhuggi dwellers, Mr Bansal stated that 26 unauthorised colonies needed to rehabilitated. These comprised 33,260 households with a population of 1,18,386 and were covered under the cut-off date of December 8, 1996. In response to a question on the commissioning of the new 120-MW gas-based thermal power plant, he said he had been informed that the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) had submitted the draft feasibility report to the administration. Mr Bansal favoured voting rights for the nine nominated councillors of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh. Answering a question on
hijacking of the Indian Airlines plane, Mr Bansal,
alleged that the government "lost the opportunity of
freeing the passengers at Amritsar." Mr Bansal today alleged
a "scam" in the award of contracts for aircraft
meant to carry over 77,000 Haj pilgrims to Mecca early
next year by the Central Government. The contract had
been awarded to a UK-based firm, Midos, by flouting
norms. Its aircraft were over 25 years old and endangered
the lives of pilgrims, Mr Bansal added. He has already
raised the issue in Parliament. |
SNIPPETS Rhythm '99 results CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — A dance competition for children, Rhythm '99, was organised last evening by the Auxiliary Plus Institute of Modelling at Bal Bhavan, Sector 23. Dressed in colourful dresses the children cavorted and frisked to the tunes of a medley of popular Hindi music in three different age groups — five to 10 years, 11 to 16 years and 16 years and above. Later, Rukhsana Begum, a Punjabi singer who regularly performs for Jalandhar Doordarshan, performed for the audiences. The results in the various categories were as follow: Five to 10 years: Divya (1) and Harmanjit Singh Mani (2); 11 to 16 years: Supreet (1) and Gaurav (2); 16 years and above: Treasa (1) and Jatinder (2); group dance: Jumping Jacks Group (1); and special prizes: Suresh for candle dance and Anchal Saini for the best performance. Trio Olympiad CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — Over 10,000 students of more than 150 schools participated in the Trio Olympiad, which was held today in 25 cities of India. Science Olympiad was conducted for students of classes IX and X and Physics and Bio Olympiad for students of classes XI and XII. The olympiad was organised by The Educationist, a voluntary organisation. At the centres in Chandigarh — Shishu Niketan Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 22 and Kendriya Vidyalaya in Sector 47, 2,000 students took part. The coordinators at these centres were Mr Savinder Singh and Mr O.P. Sachdeva. Martyrdom day of sahibzadas CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — The martyrdom day of Sahibzadas Zorawar Singh and fateh Singh was observed with great reverence at the Sector 56 Gurdwara Pir Colony here today. A special congregation was organised where eminent ragis recited shabad kirtan. A special langar was also organised. Ex-Addl MD of Markfed dead CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — Mr Manmohan Singh Gulati, a former Additional Managing Director of Markfed, died of a heart attack here this evening. He was 66. He suffered the heart attack while taking tea after delivering a lecture on cooperatives at Lajpat Rai Bhavan. He had been a keen golfer. Mr Gulati will be cremated tomorrow. Millennium dance CHANDIGARH, Dec 26 — Nippy Rocks and Gig Guys will organise the Mavericks dance mania to usher in the new millennium featuring bonfire on December 30 at De Ja-Vu Cyclone Go-Karting at Zirakpur for the young generation. A special bus will carry
the youngsters that day from the city to Zirakpur. |
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