Tuesday, December 28, 1999
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N E W S Tuesday, December 28, 1999 |
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weather spotlighttoday's calendar |
Chinks in
security at airport CHANDIGARH, Dec 27 — Sounding of a red alert and the present security environment notwithstanding, Chandigarh airport has been doing with a defective handbag x-ray machine and without a baggage x-ray machine for the past several months. The issue was taken up when the airport authorities convened a meeting today of representatives of various airlines and other agencies connected with air operations. When the Union Civil Aviation Minister, Mr Sharad Yadav, made a surprise visit to the terminal building, he expressed his unhappiness over the upkeep and maintenance of facilities here. He hinted at major action on his return to the capital. But nothing has been done to set the facilities in order. Though the case for repair of handbag x-ray machine has been sent to the airport authorities several times, nothing has been done so far. Airline representatives complain that random checking of some handbags is not enough for security. Jet Airways and Jagsons are operating a daily flight from here and Indian Airlines operates three times a week from the terminal. Though the entry of non-passengers into the terminal building is not barred, the security at the terminal has often been resented by passengers and airline officials. Many passengers say during random checking of their bags, especially handbags, they are embarrassed and harassed. Their problems will be solved if all cabin bags are checked through x-ray machines, as it happens at other small and big airports. Checked-in baggage has no x-ray facility here. Airline officials maintain that they have been pointing out flaws in the security system at the terminal and demanding installation of a checked-in baggage x-ray machine and a properly working handbag checking x-ray machine. Some passengers and airline officials have resented the apathy of airport authorities towards maintaining the minimum security equipment. They say Chandigarh has witnessed more hijackings than any major airport in the country, but a little has been done to make the security system foolproof. The meeting held today
was attended by officials of the Airport Authority,
Chandigarh air terminal and the Air Force, the Air
Traffic Controller and representatives of Indian
Airlines, Jet Airways and Jagsons, besides the police and
other agencies. Airport officials insisted that everyone
should be more vigilant and alert. |
We could
not storm plane: IGP CHANDIGARH, Dec 27 — The Punjab Police is not equipped like the National Security Guards to be able to have stormed the hijacked aircraft of Indian Airlines at Raja Sansi International Airport when it landed there shortly after 7 p.m. on December 24. Talking to The Tribune here this evening, the Director-General of Punjab Police, Mr Sarabjit Singh, says that Mr J.P. Birdi, who had been associated with the handling of a previous hijacking case in Amritsar and is presently posted as Inspector-General of Police, Border Range, supervised the entire operation that evening. “I was in constant touch, both with Amritsar and the Union Government throughout. Our brief was to keep the hijackers engaged and gain as much as an hour and 15 minutes to facilitate arrival of a special team of commandos of National Security Guards from New Delhi. In fact the NSG team was already airborne when we tried to delay the taking off of the hijacked aircraft. “We could not have stormed the hijacked aircraft on our own as we do not have the required equipment and infrastructure. For example, to gain entry into an aircraft like Airbus 300, you need a special ladder which opens up automatically as the door of the aircraft is almost 15 ft above the ground. Then you need special explosive to open the locks of the aircraft to enter and stun bombs to hurl inside the aircraft. “All these things are available only with the NSG commandos. We do not have any,” says Mr Sarabjit Singh. “Immediately after I came to know of the hijacking, I got the state aircraft ready for take off to Amritsar. But since the hijackers were both suspicious and panicky, they would have reacted adversely to another aircraft landing on the same runway. So we decided against using the aircraft. The state helicopter was with the Chief Minister who was in Faridkot at that time. Its coming here would have taken a minimum of 40 minutes. And in the process we would have lost two hours in reaching Amritsar. “We also kept the third option open thinking that our men at Raja Sansi would be able to engage the hijackers in a long conversation and I would be able to reach Amritsar by road. So I had my vehicles ready. But the entire operation at Raja Sansi lasted less than 40 minutes. “Further, the brief was to engage them in negotiations and conversation. But the hijackers were so determined and trained that they did not open their mouth and communicated only through the Captain of the aircraft. The Captain was panicky and maintained that a pistol was pointed at his skull. It was the Captain who told our DIG at the Air Traffic Control Tower that the hijackers were armed with AK-47, hand grenades and pistols. He further maintained that four people had already been killed by them. “We had, in fact, briefed the driver of the oil tanker to resort to delaying tactics even after reaching the aircraft. But once they saw the tanker moving, they directed the Captain of the aircraft to take off. It just missed the tanker by three feet. Otherwise, there would have been a major accident. “If we had tried to
block the runway and prevent the aircraft from flying
out, the hijackers whom we suspected of carrying
sophisticated weapons and grenades, may have resorted to
random killing of hostages,” adds Mr Sarabjit Singh. |
Night IAF
sorties to Leh CHANDIGARH, Dec 27 — While there has been a manifold increase in airlifting operations in the wake of increased military deployment along the Dras-Kargil axis. It is for the first time that the IAF is undertaking regular operational sorties to Leh at night. ''Earlier, night sorties to Leh used to be for training purposes. One such sortie was carried out every three or four months,'' an officer here commented. Night flying is done during the ''moon phase'' when visibility is adequate for navigation. IAF sources say whereas there has been a three-fold increase in the number of troops and human resources being transported by air to the forward areas after "Operation Vijay" the cargo factor has gone up by two. With the strategically vital Srinagar-Leh land route (national highway 1-A) having been closed to vehicular traffic earlier this month due to inclement weather conditions, the IAF remains the principle line of logistics and communication to forward posts in the northern sector. Though the Army maintains a six-month reserve of ammunition ordnance items, petroleum products and rations, these have to be replenished regularly to maintain the strategic stockpile. Similarly, troops have to be inducted and de-inducted at intervals and casualties have to be evacuated. ''The flying hours have increased significantly,'' an IAF officer commented. ''Average flying hours per squadron in a month touches 550 as compared to less than 400 hours in a month during pre-Kargil days,'' he added. Flying hours had peaked during the Kargil operations, when squadrons logged an average of 650 flying hours in a month. An AN-32 sortie from Chandigarh to Leh or Thoise takes an hour and 15 minutes while an IL-76 logs 50 minutes. The increase in flying hours works out to two or three extra sorties in a day. With the operational costs for AN-32 and IL-76 sorties being Rs 2 lakh and Rs 12 lakh per hour, respectively, the total cost of airlifting operations can be well imagined. Though the air maintenanace task has increased considerably, the number of aircraft and aircrew carrying out the task has remained the same. All air maintenance to the northern sector is carried out from the Chandigarh Air Force station. Two squadrons, one equipped with AN-32 medium-lift transport aircraft, and the other containing a composite of AN-32s and the IL-76 heavy-lift freighter, bear the prime responsibility of maintaining the air bridge to the ''roof of the world''. Besides, these squadrons have to perform other tasks, including regular couriers to the North-East. An IL-76 can airlift 140 troops along with a load of up to 23 tonnes, including vehicles, in its standard configuration or 230 troops if its cargo hold is converted into a ''double-decker'' configuration. As per reports, the IAF airlifts about 50,000 tonnes of supplies every year to forward posts in the northern sector as well as inaccessible areas in the North-East. Till recently, air maintenance was mainly to support Siachen operations, which has now been stretched along the Line of Control, with a new formation — 14 Corps — being raised to defend the stretch north-east of Ziji La. The corps, which is ''in the process of being raised'', is the first-ever high-altitude corps in the subcontinent and will comprise two mountain divisions in addition to specialised elements. A special emphasis is
being laid on the defence of the Yaldor Batalik axis,
particularly the Batalik —Chorbatala sector.
Situated east of Kargil, the area is vital as any thrust
into this area can isolate the area north of the Indus
river in the Ladakh sector. This area includes the
sensitive Nubra and Shyok valleys that contain the air
corridor to Siachen. |
Tour
leaves kids spellbound CHANDIGARH, Dec 27 — As the notes of Sandeshe aate hain drifted across the lawns of Headquarters Western Command, 38 students from remote areas of Jammu and Kashmir joined hands with students of the local Army Public School for a song and dance stint. The students from Jammu and Kashmir are on a 15-day tour of the region, Amar Yatra, which has been planned and sponsored by the Army. They shared their experiences with the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lt-Gen Vijay Oberoi. The Army Commander said the purpose of the tour was to provide an opportunity to the students to get an impression of development activities in other states and to expose them to culture and lifestyle in these states. The President of the Army Wives Welfare Association (Regional), Ms Daulat Oberoi, presented gifts to the visitors, while the staff members and students of Army Public School gave them cards and souvenirs. During their two-day stay here, they visited Rose Garden, Sukhna Lake, Secretariat, Rock Garden and Panjab University. Prior to arriving here, the children had visited Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala. "The trip has been an eye-opener. We have visited places and seen things we have only read about or have seen on TV," said 13-year-old Zubair Maqsood. The Golden Temple at Amritsar was perhaps the most striking monument he had seen, he said. Besides the first-ever ride on a train, 12-year-old Wazir Ahmed Khan was impressed and simulated by the ceremony at Wagah. It was the first time they had Chinese food and vegetables cook the non-traditional way. Said one of the teachers accompanying them, "They were curious about the food. They thought some colours were added to it." While these students, studying in classes VIII to XII, thought the recent hijacking of the Indian Airlines flight was the handiwork of Pakistan-backed militants, they were unanimous in saying that the Kargil war had reaffirmed their faith in the Army. "There was no interaction with the Army earlier. Now locals approach the Army with any problem they have," said one of them. "They are quite curious. They are like other choldren around us," said Manisha Pathak, a student of Army Public School. "Though some of them are shy, others are outgoing and friendly. They are keen on more interaction with others and have invited us to their native places," added Jasmine Singh. "What they have seen and experienced will widen their horizons and make them more dynamic," said Ashraf Hussain, a teacher accompanying them. "During the tour, they met Kashmiris working as managers and engineers in various organisations. This has encouraged them," he added. "These 15 days seem
like 15 hours," said Mehraj-ud-din, another teacher.
"With the impact that this tour has had on them,
they will not go astray," he added. He said many of
them are from economically weak families. One of them had
just Rs 80 in his pocket. When an Army officer learnt of
this, he gave him Rs 500 to spend on things he liked. Captain Batra cremated SAS NAGAR, Dec 27 — Capt Davinder Pal Singh Batra of 329 Field Ambulance, who died in a road accident near Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir on December 25, was cremated with full service honours here today. The Army Medical Corps officer was a resident of Phase 4 here and had been posted at Military Hospital, Sambha, as officer in charge of the hospital’s dental centre. Buglers sounded the last post as a ceremonial guard reversed arms as mark of respect to the departed soul. Wreaths were laid by Col Karnail Singh on behalf of the GOC-in-C, Western Command. Capt Batra is survived
by his wife, Dr Sharanjeet Kaur, and a four month old
boy. He was commissioned in the Army in July, 1997. |
74 plots
fetch Rs 20.5 crore CHANDIGARH, Dec 27 — Despite the much-talked about recession in real estate market, the Chandigarh Administration netted a whopping Rs 20.5 crore by auctioning 74 residential sites in the city today. This was 14.30 per cent or Rs 2.56 crore, over and above the fixed reserve price for these plots. Already the reserve price for residential plots had been jacked up by 5 per cent since the last auction held in December, 1998, the authorities said. The average price on per square yard basis works out to Rs 9,152. The total area of land auctioned under various plot sizes from 7.1/2 marla to one kanal have been taken into account while calculating this average per square yard rate. The Estate Office wing of the Chandigarh Administration, that is the auctioning authority, also held back 50 residential sites due to lack of “good bids’’. Some of these sites were in areas that are not yet commanding good premium. The other segments to be held back were sites like those of two kanals. Sites that are bigger than one kanal in size cannot be converted into free-hold under the present land conversion rules. Due to this the bidder has to pay lease money at the rate of 2.5 per cent of the bid price till the lease period ends. So if a two-kanal plot is auctioned for Rs 1 crore the lease money itself works out to be Rs 2.50 lakh or almost Rs 20,000 a month. Also held back from the auction were 14 sites of 15 marlas. Only one site in this segment went under the hammer. One of the highest bids was in the category of 10-marla plots. Even the lowest bid in this segment was Rs 22.35 lakh for a plot in Sector 38. The highest bid in the same segment was Rs 36 lakh for a plot in Sector 33. The reserve price of this plot was Rs 22.07 lakh. Also in demand were the
12-marla plots located in Sector 38. The highest bid was
for Rs 31.50 lakh. Meanwhile, in the segment of one-
kanal plots the lowest bid was Rs 46.15 lakh for a plot
in Sector 40. The Assistant Estate Officer, Mr S.K.
Sharma, while clarifying the confusion prevailing on
account of Dr S.D. Sharma’s death, said the auction
of commercial sites would be held as per schedule on
Tuesday. |
7-day
mourning in UT begins CHANDIGARH, Dec 27 — The Chandigarh Administration has decided to observe state mourning for seven days in the Union Territory of Chandigarh, from December 27 to January 2 to condole the death of former President, Shankar Dyal Sharma. A statement issued here said that the National Flag will be flown at half mast on all government buildings and there will be no official function or entertainment during this period. Expressing shock and grief, the Punjab Governor, Lt-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), in his condolence message said that in his death, India had lost not only a great statesman and distinguished parliamentarian, but also a scholar who was committed to the values of secularism. A spokesperson of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee said that Congress members paid tributes to the departed leader and termed Dr. S.D. Sharma's death as an irreparable loss to the nation. At the Sector 46 Government College, the Principal, NSS programme officers and volunteers observed a two-minute silence. Members of the Servants
of the People Society, in a condolence meeting, said that
the services rendered by Dr Sharma as a freedom fighter,
parliamentarian and head of state would be long
remembered. |
HUDA staff
stir from today PANCHKULA, Dec 27— With the due date of fulfilling the demands of the workers expiring today, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) Employees Joint Action Committee, Panchkula, has decided to launch an agitation against HUDA from tomorrow. Informing this, the General Secretary of the JAC, Mr Krishan Lal Dhiman, said that the agitation would begin with demonstrations in front of the head office in Sector 6, by union workers from other districts as well. The foremost demand of the JAC is the regularisation of the services of all eligible daily wage workers and ad hoc employees. The JAC demands include a refund of the amount, reportedly taken forcibly as deductions under the general insurance scheme, promotions under the rule to field employees working as clerks, cash bonus along with pension benefits after retirement and deployment of an additional administrator officer at the circle level. The union has also demanded that the Estate Officer should be from HUDA and not from outside. The JAC has urged that those employees who were made regular in 1993 and 1997, should be issued the appointments from the date of regularisation. The due service benefits for the handicap employees should be provided. Other demands of the
union include additional posts in all wings of the
department, ending of the policy in regard to deputation
and contractorship, approval of 5 per-cent plot quota and
withdrawal of the FIR against the union leaders of the
electrical wing. |
Underground parking lots to be
opened CHANDIGARH, Dec 27 — To ease the parking problem in the main shopping centre of the city in Sector 17, the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) has decided to open the two underground parking lots to the general public. According to sources, the parking lots have been spruced up, white-washed and made ready for use by the public. Skylights have been installed near the lots so that the residents do not have any problem in parking vehicles, particularly during night. They are being opened as there is an acute shortage of parking space in the sector due to a rise in the number of vehicles. It may be recalled that the parking lots have been lying unused and are in a state of drift for the past many years. Efforts to auction them, along with the adjoining parking lots, was opposed by traders and employees last year. The Commissioner, Mr M.P. Singh, along with the SSP, Mr Parag Jain, reportedly visited the parking lots on Saturday to asses the lots. The sources said the parking lots, which were to be manned by police personnel initially, would be opened to the public in a day or two. Meanwhile, work on the cycle track being constructed by the civic body in the city will be completed in a month. The work on the Rs 23.85-lakh cycle track is in the final stages. The cycle track, which starts from Sector 41, will pass through Sectors 37, 24, 15, before ending at Sector 11. The track is being
constructed for the slow-moving traffic like bicycles and
is intended to reduce accidents in the city, the sources
added. |
Baba held
for kidnapping girl DERA BASSI, Dec 27 — The local police claims to have solved a kidnapping case by arresting a tantrik, Baba Bhura Shah. He had allegedly lured 17-year-old local girl to flee with him. A resident of Kauni village in Muktsar district, the "baba" was popular as he claimed to have divine powers and powers of healing. The father of the girl was reportedly a diabetic and had approached the baba for treatment. The baba allegedly lured the girl when she visited Muktsar along with her father. The girl was working at a factory in Dera Bassi and her father got suspicious when she did not return till late evening, informed the local DSP, Mr H.S. Bhullar. On getting the complaint, the police raided various places to locate them. Her medical examination revealed that the baba had sexually assaulted the girl, the DSP said. A case under Sections
363, 366 and 376 IPC has been registered. |
Goods
worth Rs 1 lakh recovered PANCHKULA, Dec 27 — The CIA staff of the local police on Saturday recovered stolen goods worth Rs 1 lakh which included three computers, two electronic typewriters, one printer and five ceiling fans . The goods were stolen on October 7 from the premises of Surbhi India Limited, which had reportedly been acquired by the Haryana Financial Corporation following non-payment of the loan. Earlier the police had
recovered goods worth Rs 1.84 lakh from Parvinder, an
accused in the case. The accused, Vijay, Ajay, Mahender
and Devender Pal, confessed to the crime after
interrogation. Parvinder has been remanded in police
custody till December 31. No holiday in UT offices today CHANDIGARH, Dec 27 — All offices of the Chandigarh Administration, its boards and corporations, institutions and other bodies will function normally on Tuesday, a spokesman of the Administration said here tonight. The spokesman maintained that the Punjab Government had probably declared a holiday today as the former President of India, Mr Shankar Dyal Sharma, who died last night, had been Governor of the state. Since no holiday was declared either by the Union Government or Delhi, the Chandigarh Administration and its offices functioned normally today. Similarly, all offices, including banks, post offices and other Central Government offices in Chandigarh will also function normally tomorrow. In Punjab, it is a
restricted holiday tomorrow because of Shaheedi Jor Mela
of Sahibzadas at Fatehgarh Sahib. |
UT
Administrator’s powers discussed CHANDIGARH, Dec 27 — Powers of the Administrator of Chandigarh, financial position and Budget of the Union Territory of the Chandigarh, creation of more posts and more sophisticated equipment for the Chandigarh police, problems related to land acquisition and several other issues were discussed by Mr V.D. Shennoy, Additional Secretary in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, who arrived here on an official visit here this morning. Mr Shennoy held a meeting with all senior functionaries of the Administration and discussed various issues, demands and problems of various departments. Mr Shennoy, who would return to New Delhi tomorrow, also reviewed the general law and order situation in the Union Territory of Chandigarh before taking up some of the pending issues of the local police for discussion. Some other issues, including allotment of industrial plots to the successful applicants of early 80s, were not discussed. “The meetings
addressed by Mr Shennoy were mostly routine meetings and
were mostly to review various projects, issues and
demands,” the Home Secretary, Mr N.K. Jain, said. |
Police
plan to cut accident rate CHANDIGARH, Dec 27 — The police is planning cetain measures not only to bring down the accident rate but also to decrease the number of fatal cases. As many as 129 persons were killed in 121 fatal cases which took place this year. Out of a total of 451 accident cases registered by the police, 330 were non-fatal in which 404 persons suffered injuries, according to data compiled by the traffic police. According to sources, with hundreds of vehicles being added every day, the safe movement of traffic appears to be a thing of the past. The roads have become congested and the ever-increasing number of two-wheelers, cyclists, rickshawpullers and pedestrians have emerged as the high-risk group. This year, too, 121 persons were killed in accidents. Most were victims of negligent and rash driving by themselves or other road users or simple ignorance of traffic rules. Many of those killed were from the high-risk group and the pattern was fairly uniform on all the accident-prone spots in the city. The department conducted a study and it was established that there were 13 major accident-prone areas in the city. They include the traffic lights points near the railway station and transport traffic lights, the Hallo Majra roundabout, the poultry farm roundabout, Labour Chowk, the Grain Market roundabout, the entry point to the Modern Housing Complex, the Government Press roundabout, the Sector 37-38-40-41 roundabout, the Sector 45-46 dividing road, the Housing Board roundabout and the airport roundabout. Sources said the largest number of fatal accidents took place in April (17) followed by February (16), March (13) and January (10). In the first two months alone, as many as 26 persons were killed. The largest number of fatal accidents, 150, were recorded in 1997, followed by 128 in 1998. There are several contributory factors like checks for over-speeding and drunken driving, behind the decrease in number of deaths. Of the major accident-prone spots, Dakshin Marg from the roundabout at the airport, is a stretch to be driven on carefully combined by the Sector 45-46 dividing road and the Sector 46-47-50 turning point. The stretch from Zirakpur to the poultry farm roundabout is a virtual killer stretch with crossing of the road dividers by villagers and migrants living in the adjoining villages and colonies. Being a highway, the speed of vehicles on this stretch is fast and the berm jumpers are often spotted by motorists when it is too late. Officials said that the installation of fencing on the major roads like the one being done from the railway traffic lights to Transport Chowk had succeeded in bringing down the incidence of accidents. The raising of the height of the railing opposite the Sector 17 ISBT is also expected to prevent accidents and deter people from jumping the railings. Another cause of worry for traffic planners is the road that divides Sectors 31 and 47 to run through the southern sectors. This road has little options for further expansion and double-laning. On the road itself, the worst stretch is where it divides Sectors 33-45, 34-44, 35-43, 36-42, 37-41 and 38-40. The city in view of the
congestion needed flyovers and a proposal had been
forwarded by the department to the Administration. Given
the costs involved, it had been initially put on hold,
but at some point of time long-term measures had to be
initiated, a senior officer remarked.
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A
nostalgic reunion CHANDIGARH, Dec 27 — It was a nostalgic trip down the memory lane when the batch of 1974, and some even from earlier times, met up with their school mates to re-live memories. With the ex-students walking around in the school premises wearing badges flaunting their names and year of passing out, it was an ambience of joy, camaraderie, back-slaps and hugs at the millennium reunion of the St John's Old Boys Association (SJOBA) at St John's School, Sector 26, on Saturday. A day for 'old boys' and also for 'old teachers' to get together, the reunion was not only about the times-gone-by but also about songs and dances and fun and laughter. The evening began with a special toast to 86-year old Brother Meridith, one of the senior-most brothers associated with the school. His favourite songs like 'Brown Girl In the Ring' were sung by the Rodrigues, a popular group in the town, who especially performed for this occasion. It was also interesting to watch the 'Old boys sons and fathers duos' being honoured on the stage, in which about 10 pairs of fathers-and-sons who have passed out from the school were honoured. This was followed by the honouring the student holding the first school roll number — Roll Number 1 — Mr K.I.S. Dhillon. The Old Boys' Neck Tie was also launched during this millennium reunion. The presence of spouses and children of these old boys made this another event to be watched with interest, with many families of even the 'best' friends meeting for the first time! Amongst others who were honoured included old students from various other countries, including Australia and the USA. All teachers who have been associated with the school for 25 years or more were then called on the dais. The Principal of the school, Father C. D'Abreu, expressed his joy at having this reunion with one big family coming together. Earlier in the day, a treasure hunt was organised for the old boys, which had the cars whirring past from the crematorium till the CII. But none of the teams could crack all the 15 clues. In fact, a slight mishap also occurred when one of the contestants happened to meet with a minor accident. The winner of the
treasure hunt was Sanjiv Sood and his team, who won a
cash award of Rs 5,000. The other winners were Rajni
Chugh and team and Ajay Pratap and team. |
Damsels
dig in minis for new year do CHANDIGARH, Dec 27 — Teeny-weeny baby linen mini skirts with tantalising slits — revealing bare to dare mood — are pressed and hanging, good and ready, for exposing dancing damsels to the passionate heat of cool millennium parties. It's resolved. The guys can shake, rattle and roll in jeans, even three piece suits. Anything. City "kiddos" — under high-wattage colourful blinking lights, to the deafening beat of bhangra music, are hell bent on twisting'n shouting in long-breath-inviting pygmy skirts. "The chill will not freeze the thrill," says li'l miss Ruhi. "Even if I cough my lungs out afterwards, I will go for the millennium dance party in the my alluring micro-mini. That or nothing. Anyways.... Dad's promised me to lend his brand new car". Her last year's floral purple salwar kameez is all starched and neatly folded in the bedroom closet. The one she arrested revelers' thoughts with during the bash. Not to be taken out. "What?" screams the bubbly plus-two "cutie" at her father's repulsive word in the ear. "You gone crazy or something? Wanna me to jive into a chic new era ragged up in model T, covered with rust of antiquity, salwar kameez. No way. Le' me savour time's morning march in kittenish apparel." To go with the adorable black skirt, the demoiselle has picked up a cheerful red silk top to be tied at the waist. And net stockings. High heel boots also. For cover, she'll zip up a long leather jacket. "And when tearing passion breaks lose and the spirits are high," jabs postgraduate student Chhaat, "the jackets will go off the shoulder, up in the air." But for her, to feel the warmth of party glad-rags around her beauty-saloon pampered fair self wasn't easy. Buying 'em that is. For 90 days and 89 nights she submitted with grace to the pangs of temptation, pushed chicken-in-a-bun and black currant out of her restless secret dreams, to save 6,000 bucks. "The skirt turned out to be more expensive than I could have ever imagined — Rs 600. But then I was lucky enough to get the top cheap from Janpath in Delhi," says the pretty dame. "It was the leather jacket which burnt holes in my handbag." With "hep gals" like Chhaat all excited about the bash, little wonder the garment sellers are beaming as daddy's money shines. "Minis in winter, they were asking for. We found it hard to believe," says Rajiv Kataria of a Sector 35 garment house. "Then one day, I mustered up courage and asked one of them. For the bash, she said. Only then we understood. Since then we must have sold over 20, including the velvet and woollen ones." Good for the guys. But hey, do not let counterjumper Kataria depress you, "ba-by". If minis excite a frown on dad's weather-beaten wrinkled face, you can twirl all around the dance floor in lurex gowns. Or sparkling body-hugging tops over hipsters. The slinky glittering stuff you see dazzling under the brilliant lights in the showroom windows. "Parallels in blacks with silvery tops are also in," reveals director of a fashion designing institute Ritu Kochhar. "You can also cut foot loose in wrap-arounds, bright long dresses, even formal suits with five buttons." Dress gloriously —
it's a thousand year's opportunity. To kill in style. |
Hello,
Hello 2000 on January 1 CHANDIGARH, Dec 27 — To welcome the new year, the Jalandhar Kendra of Doordarshan will present a cultural programme, Hello, Hello 2000, on January 1. A noted music director of the region, Kanwar Iqbal, has composed songs of renowned singers of Punjab, including Sardool Sikandar, Saleem, Amar Noorie, Sarabjit Cheema, Surinder Laddi, Sukhi Brar, Palli Datwalia, Manmohan Waris and Debi Magsoodpuri. The special attraction of the programme will be the title song Hello, Hello 2000 by children. Mehar Mittal, Sunita
Dheer, Upasana Singh, Sardool Sikandar and Ghughi will
anchor the programme which will also have giddha
choreographed by Gill Surjeet.
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Police
gears up for New Year's Eve PANCHKULA, Dec 27 — The police is gearing up to ensure safety and precautions in the township on New Year's Eve. The Superintendent of Police, Mr Sudhir Chaudhary, said today that additional police force would be deployed to cope up with possible exigencies on the day. Special police patrol parties would be mobile round the clock and a drive in this regard would begin a day prior to New Year's Eve, he said. Nakas would be set up at various places in the township to check anti-social elements. ''Most of the violations on such occasions pertained to violation of the traffic rules, the Excise Act and the Gambling Act, prevention of which will be the foremost priority,'' he said. Special vigil would be ensured at the establishments where new year celebrations will be conducted. DERA BASSI: The Dera Bassi police has made arrangements to ensure uninterrupted vehicular traffic on the Chandigarh-Ambala road on New Year's Eve. Mr H.S. Bhullar, DSP, said that a special drive would be launched to challan drunken and rash drivers. An increase in the number of resorts along the national highway had added to the risk while driving at night. Policemen stationed at various points along the highway would take strict action against those who violated traffic rules. Moreover, all the
resorts, hotels and restaurants in the area had to obtain
permission of the District Magistrate, Patiala, to hold
New Year's Eve functions. |
NRI
making film in Punjab CHANDIGARH, Dec 27 — Based on a true life story, a non-resident Indian of Punjabi origin is making a film on a little boy who grew up in Pathankot and did just about everything to earn a living finally becoming famous and successful. Talking to TNS here today, Stephen V. Mann, producer-director of US-based Emperor Production Pictures said that the film, the shooting for which began on November 14 is being shot at several locations around the world, including Bangkok, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Taipei, besides several places in India and the USA. Mann said that the film brings out that if you stay focused and work hard, you can achieve anything in life, no matter how poor you are. ‘’It is a very emotional film, one that brings tears to the eyes,’’ he said. Mann said that he is looking for 50,000 to 60,000 people to work in the film, the shooting for which is to be finished in 18 days. He would recruit people at Pathankot on December 30 and start filming on January 1 next year. An alumnus of the
Hollywood Institute of Films with three diplomas in film
production and direction to his credit, Mann said that he
has produced 80 music CDs and several digital films,
besides a flim in Punjabi and English. |
Symposium
on nuclear physics CHANDIGARH, Dec 27 — The 42nd symposium on nuclear physics was inaugurated by Dr Raja Ramanna, a former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, at the Panjab University campus here today. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Ramanna gave details of the achievements of research in nuclear physics in the country. He also spoke on the unsolved challenges of the next century, like the discovery of new radioactive exotic nuclei and their properties. Dr V.S. Ramamurthy,
Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology,
spoke on the mushrooming of universities, which had
affected the scientific temper in the university system.
Prominent among others spoke were Dr S.S. Kapoor, Dr B.K.
Jain and Dr A.K. Sahni. |
SNIPPETS SHO told to enforce injunction
order SAS NAGAR, Dec 27 — The SHO of the police station here has been directed to enforce an injunction order issued by a Kharar court regarding the working of the President of the local Truck Operators Union, Mr Gurdip Singh Gharuan. The Additional Civil Judge, Kharar, Ms Neelam Arora, directed the SHO to enforce the injunction order of the court issued on December 4. The court said the defendant, Mr Amarjit Singh, was disobeying the injunction order in one way or another through musclemen. The injunction order was also extended up to January 19 next year. Painting workshop for deaf, dumb PANCHKULA, Dec 27 — A three-day painting workshop for the deaf and dumb began in the Mansa Devi shrine complex here today. The workshop, being attended by over 100 participants from all over the district, was organised by the Haryana Welfare Society for the deaf and dump. Professional painters from the region gave vital tips on painting to the children. The children attending the workshop were in the 10 to 18 years age group. PU exams on schedule CHANDIGARH, Dec 27 — All examinations of Panjab University and its affiliated colleges scheduled for Tuesday will be held as per schedule. However, the offices of the university will remain closed. This will be as a mark of respect to Dr S.D. Sharma, a former President and Chancellor of the university. The meetings to elect
Syndics for the year 2000 and to transact business
scheduled for today were postponed and will now be held
on January 6 and 7, 2000. |
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