& V I C I N I T Y
Tuesday, February 16, 1999
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C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
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Tuesday, February 16, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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PU to have more evaluation
centres No
police post in Zirakpur ‘Fleecing’
in LPG hotplates UT
to auction industrial plots Admission
jingle for nursery |
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Valentines
let down traders
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Solar eclipse today
Sector
4 nullah poses danger UT
grabs land of Mohali, says forum Students
burn the midnight oil Roadside
vendors hold rally Work
on at Beant memorial Call
for war on killer diseases Facilities
at CEDTI strengthened Doctors
propose, bureaucrats dispose EC
decides to revise electoral rolls No
cut-off date for reimbursement: CAT |
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PU to have
more evaluation centres CHANDIGARH, Feb 15 — To decentralise the system, Panjab University will increase the number of evaluation centres for the annual examination of undergraduate classes. A significant decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the committee to examine problems being faced during the conduct of examinations and evaluation of answerbooks. The high profile committee with Ms Sneh Mahajan in the chair had approximately 30 members, including 26 principals of colleges affiliated to the university. Another significant decision was taken with regard to the evaluation of answersheets in subjects which have a large number of students. These subjects include English, Punjabi and political science. It was decided that bundles of answersheets be sent to principals of colleges, who could get the papers evaluated from their teachers within a stipulated time. This will also reduce the pressure of the evaluation process. One major recommendation pertains to compulsory invigilation duties for teachers. Sources pointed out that the committee said that teachers should not be asked options. Colleges should follow a roaster system by sending teachers according to seniority and everyone should be given a chance to perform the examination-related duties. Relaxations can be made in case of emergencies. The decision to increase evaluation centres was taken following complaints by teachers that they had to travel long distances to do the job. A principal pointed out that the system of a centralised evaluation was introduced during militancy because of fear of losing the answerbooks. The university has four evaluation centres for students of more than 100 colleges. An examination branch report said the number of teachers recommended by colleges for supervisory duty were not according to the rules. This clearly indicated a shortage of staff. The teachers appointed for the out-station duties were often not relieved although their names existed in lists of teachers recommended by respective principals. Some teachers do not accept the assignment at the outstations on one pretext or the other. This leads to a lot of complications. In certain cases, ad hoc teachers named by the colleges are no longer teaching in the college after the completion of their term in March. The evaluation work starts simultaneously and a number of teachers leave their invigilation duties to do evaluation works as it is more remunerative. It was also pointed out that sufficient number of teachers did not report for evaluation duty which led to a delay in the declaration of the results. Meanwhile, the Controller of Examination in a letter written to the principals of all colleges asking names for examination duties has said, "If any teacher refuses the invigilation assignment, his name must be communicated to the Controller of Examination, the DPI (Colleges) and the college management, respectively." It has also been said that
any teacher who is practicing private tuition work or
running, directly or indirectly, any private academy be
not associated with the examination duty. Any person who
has published any help book, guide or cheap notes is also
ineligible for examination duty. |
No police
post in Zirakpur ZIRAKPUR , February 14 — Residents of this village-turned town, situated on the border of Ropar and Patiala districts, feel insecure in the absence of any police post here. The National Highway connecting Chandigarh to the union Capital separates this fast developing town from Lohgarh village which falls in Patiala district. Zirakpur now falls under the Sohana police station. The residents have to go there, several kilometres away, in case of any problem. Police personnel allegedly often refuse to entertain their complaints. They dole out promises that they would look into the complaint but do not take any action, laments Mrs Manjeet Kaur Pasricha, who has been running a private school here for the past 21 years. “I have seen dead bodies on the road for two to three days due to the negligence of the police” she adds. She also complains that in spite of a big populated area, there is no public toilet in the town. Most of the residents and the migrant labourers use open spaces for defacating. This is not only an eyesore but has become a major health hazard. Mr Gurmail Singh, another resident, shows his resentment by saying that the drainage system of the town remains blocked with the solid waste of the shops along the road. The problem has been there for more than a year. With no police station in the town, boozers are a major nuisance. According to Mr Inder Mohan Singh, Zirakpur is an accident-prone area, and in the absence of any link road between Zirakpur and Mohali, traffic on the Zirakpur—Chandigarh road remains heavy. This congestion, he says, can be ended by providing a Zirakpur-SAS Nagar link road. He also demanded the installation of sodium or mercury lamps to minimise accidents at night. The Sarpanch of Zirakpur, Mr Jaspal Singh, says that the police personnel deployed in the Lohgarh police post have turned down their complaints many times on the plea that they contact the police station under which the area falls. On the issue of public toilets, he said that the matter has been discussed with the Punjab Finance Minister, Capt. Kanwaljit Singh (retd.) The Sarpanch also demanded the construction of a roundabout with lights and fountains at the main intersection of the town as the maximum number of people will travel through this area to join the tercentenary celebrations of the birth of the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib on April 13 and 14. He also said that the government had conducted a survey to set up a police post here. The Sub-Inspector of Lohgarh police post, Mr Tejinder Singh, however, denies the allegations, saying that whenever there is any complaint from residents of Zirakpur, his team helps them. He adds”, The road remains busy as more than 480 four-wheelers pass through the town every hour and we try our best to avoid any untoward incident.” Mr H.S. Bhullar, Deputy
Superintendent of Police, was not available for comments. |
‘Fleecing’
in LPG hotplates CHANDIGARH, February 15 — It is “fleecing time” for the unscrupulous LPG distributors of the city. With the three major oil companies — the Indian Oil Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum and Bharat Gas — clearing the waiting list till December 31 and releasing over 65,000 LPG connections, the distributors are “forcibly” selling hotplates and other accessories with the new connections. A survey by The Tribune during the past few days revealed that contrary to the norms the distributors had been virtually “bullying” the gullible new gas consumers, who already had the hotplates bought from outside, to buy high-priced hotplates and gas lighters . The allotment letters clearly mention that “if you are already in possession of a hotplate/cooking range, the same would be inspected by us within seven days from the date of payment of the inspection charges. Subject to the hotplate/cooking range meeting the specifications, the connection will be installed immediately”. The letter adds: “While you are welcome to purchase a hotplate/cooking range from the range available with us, we would like to make it clear that it is not obligatory on you to purchase the same from us. You are at liberty to buy the same from any source so long as it bears ISI codes 4246 or 4760, or is of equivalent foreign make.” Many harassed consumers this paper spoke to alleged that prices of the hotplates sold by distributors were quite high as compared to the open market. Many said they had no use of new hotplates as they had already purchased these at much lower rates. Mr Kewal Krishan, a handicapped resident of Sector 38, alleged that he had to make repeated visits to a Sector 37 gas agency to convince it that under the rules he was not bound to purchase a “chullah” from it. “Though ultimately I did not buy the hotplate, it charged Rs 2,410 for a double-bottle connection (DBC) from me and gave a receipt for only Rs 1,900”, he alleged. Mr Ajay Sood, an advocate and resident of Sector 30, alleged it was only after his threat that he would move the consumers court that a Sector 32 gas agency refunded the money realised from his sister-in-law which for a particular brand of hotplate. A Mani Majra resident, who did not want to be named for fear of being victimised, said he had to buy a “chullah” and a gas lighter for over Rs 1,600 though he already had them. “It was only after many years’ wait that I got the connection and I did not want to lose it even if it meant spending some extra money on the hotplate and the gas lighter. Mr Sat Pal, a Congress (S) leader and President of the Janata Rehri Market, Mani Majra, demanded a CBI probe into the whole issue. The hotplates sold by the LPG distributors were priced much higher than those sold in the open market. Meanwhile, the Deputy General Manager of the Indian Oil Corporation(IOC), Mr A.M. Nagar, while confirming that it was not necessary for the consumers to buy hotplates from the distributors, informed that the inspection charges, the money which went to the distributors, had been increased from Rs 20 to Rs 100. Mr Manish Grover, Deputy
Manager (LPG) of the IOC, while confirming that he had
received verbal complaints from the general public, said
that action against the erring distributors could only be
initiated if written complaints were made.
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Admission
jingle for nursery CHANDIGARH, February 15 — The city is caught in the mad race of parents running helter-skelter for admission of their wards to playway, nursery and junior classes. Interviews in most schools are either over or are in progress, and the results have started coming in. The harassed parents are pulling all strings to ensure the name of their ward in the list of successful candidates. In spite of schools speaking of “no vacancy” or of “availability subject to vacancy at a later stage’’ they are giving out forms which the parents are lapping up. Those in the sphere of influence know whom to approach and when to usurp the seat that falls vacant even before the whiff of the vacant seat gets out. Among the most sought-after schools for the preparatory classes are Strawberry Fields, Saupins, Stepping Stones, and Tender Heart, with the admission fee varying between Rs 5000 and Rs 7500. Also, in demand are Sacred Heart, Carmel Convent, and Shivalik Public School for kindergarten and higher classes. Though some schools are categorically denying any vacancy, parents continue to pour in with admission forms with a firm belief that it just might happen for them against all odds. The results of the interviews conducted for KG class of St John’s High School, Sector 26, will be displayed on the 20th of this month even as the pressure on parents mounts, while the notice of admission to classes I to VIII has also been put up. The last date of receiving forms has been fixed as March 19. St Kabir’s School in the same sector will display the admission notice for KG till the class IX from March 27, once the result of the final examinations which commence in the first week of the next month is out and they know how many seats are at their disposal. For the playway class, the result is out though hopeful parents refuse to take no for an answer and keep checking and cross-checking. Kailash Bahl DAV Centenary School, Sector 7, has completed the process of submission of forms for those seeking admission to Class III and above. Having received about 20 forms for each class, the school has fixed February 21 as the date for the written test to be conducted in all major subjects. Its playway admission list was put up on February 13. In Sector 36, Guru Nanak School is accepting forms for admission to the 50 seats in nursery class and eight to 10 vacancies in each of the other classes, the last date for submission of forms being March 15. While those applying against seats in the nursery class will be required to meet the Principal on March 21, those seeking admission to higher classes will take the written test to be conducted by the school on the same day. The list of successful candidates will be displayed on March 25 and the new session begins on April 1. The registration for admission to Class VII and below is going on at Shivalik Public School, Sector 41. Each year the school admits 1000 students here and its branch in Mohali. The maximum gain admission to playway and Class XI, with only about 200 students being accommodated in other classes. Besides, a new section is being added to a few classes which will have a capacity of 40 to 45 students. The entrance test will be conducted on March 21 and the last date of submission of forms has been fixed as March 15. The curtain will be rung
on the admission process once the session begins. Parents
of children will carry on their queries in the offices of
the schools till they are blue in the face and the
offices will be the hub of activity. |
Goes for
treatment, returns with burns PANCHKULA, February 14 — Parents of 5-year-old Manisha, have yet to recover from the trauma their daughter has been undergoing since January 24. The girl, a resident of Badona village in Raipur Rani, suffered burns on her face while being treated for pneumonia at Raipur Rani Government Hospital. The girl, now recovering at her home, suffered the injuries while receiving steam therapy. The parents allege that a doctor over-exposed her face to steam, resulting in the burns — a claim contradicted by the district health authorities. The father of the girl, Mr Raj Kumar, a mechanic, says since January 24 was a holiday, there was a skeletal staff at the hospital. The doctor on duty reluctantly admitted the girl and gave her steam therapy. “After the girl received burns, the hospital staff asked us to wrap her in a blanket. The child kept on weeping, but the doctor said that it was due to illness, he claims, while recalling the ordeal. To the utter surprise of the parents, when the blanket was taken off, parts of the skin of her face started peeling off. The hospital staff advised them to take the child home and bring her back when required. “When we insisted that the child be kept in the hospital till she recovered, we had to face the rude behaviour of certain staff members,” says the father. The girl was ultimately kept there and discharged on February 6. The shattered father then approached the Chief Medical Officer who referred the girl to the Civil Hospital in Sector 6, where she was kept till February 9. The girl’s father has urged the CMO to take action against the erring doctor. The CMO, Mr H.C. Nagpal
said that the doctor had only advised steam therapy for
the child. He also said that Dr S.P. Gupta would conduct
an enquiry into the matter.
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UT to
auction industrial plots CHANDIGARH, February 15 — The Chandigarh Administration will seek repealing of the 1981 scheme for allotment of industrial plots on a leasehold basis by proposing to auction the vacant plots in the long-pending ‘green belt’ case. This decision will form the basis of the future stand of the Administration in all legal cases pending in various courts with regard to the allotment of industrial plots to 254 successful applicants of the scheme. It is a sequel to Railways reasserting its demand for the allotment of 26 acres for the development of siding and stock yards and the Ministry of Defence objecting to the development of area within 900 metres of the Air Force station here. The Administration had received 3,735 applications for the allotment of industrial plots — measuring between one-kanal and four kanals — in response to its scheme in 1981. Since the applications for one kanal plots — 2174 in all — were not processed, the Screening Committee of the Administration recommended allotment of 339 industrial plots on November 30,1982. The committee had based its recommendations on the basis of project reports and in some cases had reduced the plot size from four kanals to two kanals and from two kanals to one kanal or 10 marlas. Of these, 282 applicants were allotted plots in Industrial Area Phase I (Extension) i.e. the green belt, and the remaining 57 were allotted plots in Phase II, already a developed area. Of these 282 plots, seven were exchanged by the Administration with the developed area and 21 other successful applicants took back their money, thus leaving 254 applicants from amongst green belt allottees who could not be given any physical possession of the plots. Since the applications for one-kanal plots were not processed, a majority of them — 1114 in all — asked for refund of their earnest money. Some of the remaining 1060 applicants have filed writ petitions which are pending before various courts. The Administration has been constantly maintaining that 254 allottees could not be given possession as their plots fell in the green belt and the Ministry of Environment and Forests turned down the plea of the Administration for the dereserving forest area. The matter was reconsidered in 1991 and it was decided to accommodate these allottees against vacant plots in the Industrial Area Phase I, II and II (Extension). It was also decided to reduce the original size of the allotted plots. Subsequently, a draw of lots was held on March 27, 1991 but again the physical possession could not be given as some of the allottees filed writ petitions in the Punjab and Haryana High Court which ordered that allotments so made should not be confirmed till further orders. The petitioners maintained that reduction in size of plots was not acceptable to them and further the new industrial policy of the administration of 1991 was also not applicable to them. The stay order was subsequently vacated by the high court in May,1996. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence objected to development of land within 900 metres of the Air Force station here, maintaining that this was against national security. After a series of meetings and exchange of correspondence, the Chief Architect of the Chandigarh Administration on May 22 conveyed to the Air Force authorities to take possession of land within 900 metres of the station on payment and keep it vacant and guard it so that this land remains free from encumbrances or alternatively, the Administration may be permitted to undertake controlled development of this area subject to appropriate environmental safe guards. The Ministry of defence is yet to respond to this offer. In November last year, the demand for allotment of industrial plots was again revived. At the time of original allotment, the price quoted was Rs 70 per square yard. At one stage, the Administration was considering converting 26 acres of land earmarked for the expansion of railway station here and using some area in the periphery of the Air Force station to accommodate the left out allottees by revising the land price. But then both the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Railways had different ideas. With the “go-ahead available” on the Chandigarh-Ludhiana rail link, the Ministry of Railways now wants this land for siding and development of yard. The Ministry of Defence has made it known that the land within 900 metres of the Air Force station cannot be permitted to be developed for security reasons. In view of the changed
scenario and probably applicants having settled down at
nearby industrial estates, the Administration has taken a
policy decision to seek revocation of the 1981 scheme and
auction whatever industrial plots are available with it. |
Punjab board
middle exam begins today S.A.S NAGAR, February, 15 — More than four lakh students will appear at 2393 examination centres set up by the Punjab School Education Board for the middle standard examination scheduled to begin from February 16. Dr Jasbir Singh Ahluwalia,
Chairman of the board, said a control room has been set
up to monitor any untoward incident related to the
examination. |
CHANDIGARH, February 15 — A group of vandals, armed with iron rods and hockey sticks, attacked residents of two hostels on the Punjab Engineering College (PEC) campus in the small hours of the morning here today. Besides injuring one student, the attackers smashed the headlights and indicator lights of more than a dozen two wheelers and broke window panes. Anyone trying to even ask the attackers the reason for the attack was roughed up. The miscreants had entered Himalaya Hostel around 1 a m and reportedly challenged the boys by saying “those who had a verbal duel with us last afternoon should come forward.” On seeing no response the youth started smashing the two wheelers before they moved on to the adjoining Kurukshetra Hostel, where they repeated the act and terrorised students for more than 30 minutes. The Principal of the college, Prof Rajnish Prakash called in the police. A case under Sections 147, 148, 149, 323, 452 and 427 of the IPC has been registered. Robbed: A resident of village Palsora, Umesh Kumar, was attacked and robbed by a resident of the same locality, who tried to strangulate him with a rope before escaping with a sum of Rs 6,000 last night. Umesh Kumar, who had got married recently, had saved a sum of Rs 22,000 to bring his wife from her parental home in Uttar Pradesh. A neighbour, Neet Pal, came to know of Umesh’s plans. Last night seeing an opportune moment he waylaid Umesh and tried to strangulate him with rope and took out Rs 6,000 from his pocket. A bleeding Umesh was admitted to the PGI while Neet Pal escaped, according to sources. Charas seized: A resident of S.A.S. Nagar, Prahlad, was arrested by the CIA wing of the local police from Sector 45 today. Hailing from Bihar, he was allegedly carrying 2 kg of charas. He used to smuggle in the contraband from Nepal. A case has been registered. Group clash: Two groups of youth clashed in Sector 36 last night. Five persons — Raman Sharan of Sector 36, Abhimanyu of Sector 7, Ripu Daman of Sector 18, Hardeep Singh Brar of Sector 38 and Rohit Jakhar of Sector 7, Panchkula — have been arrested by the police. They have been booked under Section 160 of the IPC. Car stolen: A car (CH-01-H-5778) owned by Jagdish Kumar Gupta of Sector 21 was stolen from Sector 30. A case under Section 379 of the IPC was registered. Caught: A resident of
Pinjore, Ajay Kumar, was caught red-handed while stealing
eight water taps and a wash basin from Ambedkar Bhavan in
Sector 37 last night. Mr Prem Singh, a resident of the
bhavan, lodged a complaint with the police and a case has
been registered. |
Solar
eclipse today CHANDIGARH, February 15 — An annular eclipse of the sun will occur tomorrow. The eclipse will not be visible in India, according to the local Meteorological Department. It will be visible partially from the South Atlantic Ocean, South Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, southern parts of Africa and south of the Philippines. The eclipse commences at 9.22 a.m. (IST) and ends at 2.45 p.m. (IST) This solar eclipse and the
coincidental full moon will mark the end of a 19-year
cycle, which began in 1980: the sun and the moon will
reposition themselves vis-a-vis the Earth. |
GHG
Harparkash College excels CHANDIGARH, February 15 —In closely contested events, the GHG Harparkash College of Education, Sidhwan Khurd, won the overall trophy in inter-state inter-college skills-in-teaching competitions organised by the local Dev Samaj College of Education here today. The GHG Harparkash College also won the overall trophies in the skills-in-teaching and teaching aids categories. The Malwa College of Education, Ludhiana, won the overall trophy in the blackboard writing contest. The Government College of Education, Sector 20, and Government College, Sector 46, were the winners in the home science and creative writing contests, respectively. The Sohan Lal DAV College of Education won the trophy in the literary activities. The contest was inaugurated by Mr K.P. Sinha, Associate Editor of The Tribune. He addressed the students of education as lighthouses for human ships in the ocean of illiteracy and also as potential makers of society. He said a popular notion was that the people who could not make it to the IAS, medical or engineering fields opted for teaching. People who were dedicated and committed to teaching should come forward to dispel this notion, he said. Earlier Mrs Satinder Dhillon, principal of the college, welcomed the guests. In the morning session students impressed with a lively poetry session. The afternoon sesson saw lighter moments in a mock press conference. Students had the audience in splits as they played Laloo Prasad Yadav, Bill Clinton and Archana Puran Singh, among others. The individual winners in the various categories include: Skills-in-teaching in science, maths and home science — Rabban Mangat, Hemlata and Liveleen Sabarwal : in economics, geography , history and social studies)- Chander Mohini, Manjit Kaur and Harleen: and in English, Punjabi and Hindi — Shelly, Charu and Gurjit. Teaching aids competition in science, maths and home science — Parveen Kumari, Manju, Varinder, Shalu, Raj Kumari and Anil Kumar in economics, geography, history and social studies — Gurpreet, Rinku, Simran, Simranjeet, Arshdeep and Deepinder Kaur and in English, Punjabi and Hindi — Pooja Bawa, Sarbjeet , Avnita, Sukhwinder, Pooja Bawa and Deepak. Blackboard writing competition in English — Rinku, Jagdeep and Manjeet in Hindi — Charanjeet, Ranjana and Pooja and in Punjabi — Amandeep Kaur, Surinder Kaur and Ajinder Kaur. On-the-spot painting cartoon — Gurpreet, Komal and Balkrishan pot making and decoration — Archana Gandhi, Sarika and Ramnik; composition — Manu Sharma, Arti Verma and Bhawna and fabric painting — Poonam Jain, Navneet Kaur and Payal Rekhi. Home science competition : embroidery — Chander Kala, Jyoti and Prabhjot Kaur; mehandi — Ritu, Priyanka, Pooja, Harinder and Priya; and table setting — Monica, Roopsikha and Namrata. Literary competitions:
mock press conference — University College of
Education, Kurukshetra, and Government College of
Education, Sector 20; extempore — Jasjeet, Rajbir,
Narinder Jasdeep, Jaspinder and Monica; poetical
symposium —Sohan Lal DAV College, Ambala, GHG
Harparkash College, Sidhwan and Malwa College of
Education and poetry competition — Harjot from the
host college.
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Sector 4
nullah poses danger PANCHKULA, February 14 — Residents of Sector 4 here claim to be a discriminated lot. Their resentment is not without reason. The sector continues to be bereft of basic amenities. Such is the state of unhappiness of the residents that the Sector Welfare Association recently generated funds on its own for an approach road to connect the sector with the main road. Earlier, residents had to make a detour to reach their houses. The roads in the area have not been recarpeted for the past five years, says Mr Girdhari Lal Gupta, senior vice-president of the Residents Welfare Association. Road users find it difficult to negotiate potholes, especially at night, as there are no street-lights. Another cause of worry for the residents is quarrying in the seasonal rivulet passing through the sector. The quarrying continued from October 1 to 18 and again in December last year from the bed of the nullah. It is creating danger for the houses located near the nullah. House owners apprehend that in case of a heavy discharge in the nullah, the houses may suffer damages. Mr Gupta said he had
raised the issue with HUDA Administrator, Mr Devender
Singh, who visited the site on January 13 this year. Due
to the quarrying, the course of the nullah, which also
carries sewage of different sectors, has been blocked,
leading to accumulation of stinking water. The bed of the
rivulet has to be levelled to make for the passage of the
water, says Mr Gupta. Besides, choking of sewers has also
been troubling residents. |
UT grabs
land of Mohali, says forum SAS NAGAR, February 15 — The local Consumer Forum today protested against the alleged land grab here, by the Chandigarh Administration. The forum organised a dharna in front of the office of Ms Seema Jain, Additional Chief Administrator of PUDA, in Phase-I. Mr Nagar Singh Tur,
President of the forum, alleged that nearly 3 kanals in
Phase III A, belonging to SAS Nagar, had been given to
some jhuggi dwellers by the Chandigarh Housing Board, for
construction purpose. He demanded that a wall from Phases
VI to XI, be constructed by PUDA to stop this alleged
“land grab”.
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Roadside
vendors hold rally CHANDIGARH, February 15 — Roadside vendors held a rally here today to protest against the indifferent attitude of the Chandigarh Administration towards their demands. The rally was organised under the aegis of the Footpath Workers Rozgar Bachao Samiti. The protesters assembled at the Sector 20 labour roundabout and raised slogans against the administration before marching to the residence of the UT Administrator. The procession passed through Sectors 21, 22, 17, 18 and 19 before reaching the Sector 19/8 roundabout. A strong posse of policemen prevented the protesters from marching any further following which the agitators sat on dharna on the road. Addressing the rally, leaders of the local unit of the CPM, CPI and various other workers unions said while migrants were given houses in a couple of years after their arrival in the city under various rehabilitation plans the vendors had been left to fend for themselves for the past 30 years. The recent survey of the administration carried out to determine the number of roadside vendors was “erroneous” as many persons who had not plied their trade had been mentioned while others had been left out. “The survey report was discriminatory and smacked of favouritism”, they alleged. There were many instances when persons who had been providing essential services like cycle repairs, dhobis, barbers had been left out to “accommodate” others. The protesters demanded that a fresh survey should be conducted and the persons provided with licences so that they were not harassed by the Municipal Corporation. The heavy fines imposed by the civic authorities on rickshawallas, rehri and phari vendors besides the confiscation of the tools of mechanics was also deplored. The local unit of the Samata Party has expressed its solidarity with the agitators. A memorandum was later
presented to senior officials of the administration. |
Work on at
Beant memorial CHANDIGARH, February 15— The Beant Singh Memorial Society today signed a Rs 7.7 crore memorandum of Understanding with a construction company. Under the contract, work on the first phase of the memorial would be completed within 18 months from today. This would include construction of a library and an auditorium. The work on the construction of the boundary wall of the memorial has already been completed by the Engineering Department of the Administration. Meanwhile, work on the construction of the-16-foot high memorial is expected to be completed by March 31 this year. The memorial is also being constructed by the Engineering Department as a deposit work. The foundations of the memorial have already been completed. Eight segmental columns along the outer circle have been completed to the maximum height of 16 feet while four segmental columns along the inner circle of the memorial have been completed up to a height of 12 feet. The Beant Singh Memorial Committee, which is headed by the Governor of Punjab, has among others the Punjab Chief Minister and senior officers of the State as its members. At the memorial site, work on the construction of roads is also in progress. Out of a length of 1800 feet of V-6 road, work on 700 feet has been completed. On the rest of the road, earth work on the embankment is in progress. The memorial will have gardens of all five senses. In all there are nine terraces at different levels and earth filling has been completed in four. The landscaping experts of the architectural team hired for designing the complex made its presentation on November 27 last year. The Society, according to
its member-secretary, Mrs Anuradha Gupta, will undertake
plantation of plants in all the five gardens immediately
after the monsoon season this year. |
Call for
war on killer diseases CHANDIGARH, February 15 — The Administrator of Chandigarh, Lieut-Gen B.K.N. Chhibber (retd), today stressed the need for a coordinated approach for various health systems to tackle the spread of killer diseases. Speaking after releasing a book, “Bright Horizons for Obstinate and Killer Diseases” by Dr B.L. Manocha, at Punjab Raj Bhavan here, General Chhibber said that since most of the diseases were getting drug resistant because of overuse of allopathic medicines, all systems of medicine must join hands to wage a war against deadly diseases. He lamented that even
after 50 years of Independence, the country could not
provide health services to all its citizens. The cost
effective system like homoeopathy could play an effective
role in mitigating the sufferings of humanity.
Complimenting Dr Manocha for donating all the money
collected from the sale of the book to the Prime
Minister’s Relief Fund, General Chhibber expressed
the hope that the new book would emerge as a milestone in
the field of preventive medicine. |
Congressmen
organise padayatra CHANDIGARH, February 15 — Mr Venod Sharma, President, Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee, today blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party for its failure in handling the situation arising out of attacks on minorities, especially the Christians. He was addressing members of the CTCC who organised a padyatra in Sector 31 and Shaheed Bhagat Singh colony here today. The CTCC organised this padyatra in protest against the rise in prices of essential commodities, attacks on minorities and non-provision of basic amenities in labour colonies. Mr Sharma also criticised the Chandigarh Administration for its proposed hike in sales tax on petrol and diesel. The Congress would oppose any hike in sales tax on petrol, diesel and medicines, he declared. Meanwhile, Mrs Lalit Joshi
Bhardwaj, the newly appointed President of the Chandigarh
Territorial Mahila Congress Committee, addressed women
workers in Labour Colony. No 4. She assailed the BJP for
its anti-poor and anti-minorities policies.
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Excellence
‘not matter of chance’ SAS NAGAR, February 15 — Excellence is not a matter of chance but of devotion and dedication. The inner desire to achieve excellence should be inculcated. Stating this in a lecture today on “Striving to attain Professional Excellence” on the Foundation Day of the local National Institute of Pharmaceutical, Education and Research (NIPER), the Director of the PGI, Dr BK Sharma, emphasised that one should never yield to difficulties. The path of excellence was not expected to be smooth and failures should not lead to frustration. Dr Sharma, who gave a number of examples from the lives of eminent persons like Abraham Lincoln, Marie Curie, Einstein, Edison, Newton and others to illustrate points, said thinking should be inculcated in students. They should not merely be provided with information which could even be got from a computer. The role of teacher should be to challenge the mind of a student and encourage him. The PGI Director said many institutions of national importance started off well but something went wrong somewhere and one could see where they were now. He wondered why the quest for excellence was not taken to its logical conclusion. Dr C L Kaul, Director of Niper, highlighted the progress of the institute over the past years. He said research projects of the faculty had been approved by various agencies. Prof Harkishan Singh, who
presided over the function, gave away prizes to students
for various sports activities. |
Facilities
at CEDTI strengthened SAS NAGAR, February 15 — The local Centre for Electronics Design and Technology of India (CEDTI) has strengthened its facilities, resources and programmes in the field of information technology to meet the growing needs of professionals in this emerging area. Stating this at a Press conference here today, Mr R.S. Khandpur, Director-General, CEDTI, said the new facilities established included computer-aided design, a multi-media centre for entrepreneurship development, advanced software laboratories and a corporate training wing. The Director-General said a nationwide franchising scheme for computer education and training, both in hardware and software, had been launched by the CEDTI which was being coordinated from the local CEDTI branch. All centres of the CEDTI, which came under the Union Government, located at Aurangabad, Calicut, Gorakhpur, Imphal and Jammu, besides the local centre, would implement the scheme and conduct examinations. Mr Khandpur, who was speaking before the inauguration of a workshop on the Internet for mediapersons, said the local centre would launch an entrepreneur’s forum which would help promote the development of electronics and the IT industry. Besides, the centre, the C-DAC, Pune, the PGI, Chandigarh, the AIIMS, New Delhi, and the SGPGI, Lucknow, were likely to join hands for a telemedicine project. These premier institutes would be linked by a telecom network, to establish a tele-consultation facility and promote tele-education in medicine. Mr Khandpur said that the centre here had set up a special centre for multi-media entrepreneurship development at a cost of Rs 1.07 crore. The project was being implemented in collaboration with the C-DAC, Pune, and Jadavpur University. The CEDTI here has so far
conducted over 550 short-term courses attended by 7,300
students. It has also been granted the ISO 9002
Certification. This year it will celebrate 10 years of
its establishment. A national-level conference and
exhibition on electronics and information technology is
planned to be organised in May. |
Doctors
propose, bureaucrats dispose CHANDIGARH, February 15 — Protest against low wages carried out by PGI doctors has the sympathy of professionals from other fields. A bureaucrat should not be allowed to sit in judgement and decide the pay of a doctor, who looks after several thousand patients and does tremendous research, is the emerging opinion. Ideally, pay should be directly related to the market value of a doctor and pay commissions without bureaucratic controls should be set up for technical people. Though talks between PGI doctors and the Central Government have failed, doctors have not been provoked to go on an indefinite strike that would have hampered patient care as it has happened in the case of AIIMS, New Delhi. A former Director of PGI, Prof I.C. Pathak opines: “I am convinced that PGI doctors are justified in protesting. However, it is difficult to justify the strike carried out by AIIMS doctors.” The government has been ignoring the demands of doctors for long. This cannot go on forever. He hopes that the government will give the doctors their due. Prof N.R. Kalla, of the Bio-physics Department, Panjab University, says: “In fact the entire scientific community is feeling let down due to the bureaucrats.” If not higher, pay scales for scientists must be equal to those in the bureaucracy. People, who reach the top in science come through very tough competitions. And if after all this a PGI doctor is treated like this, it is unfair, he adds. If things are not set right soon then these premier institutes will not get top doctors. The theory that every good thing has to cost more is advocated by Prof Ramesh Pandey of economics in the Evening Studies. Justifying the protest by PGI doctors, he says that the government is just not perceiving the work being done by technocrats. Sadly, the bureaucracy is of the opinion that they are good at everything, said Professor Pandey. He also suggested a separate pay commission for university teachers, doctors and armed forces. A former head of the Nephrology Department, PGI, Prof K.S. Chugh, is of the view that if a scientist is not at peace he cannot work. The emoluments be enough to enable a doctor lead a comfortable life. Professor Chugh says everything was not bad due to only bureaucratic control. We must retain the best doctors with better pay and perks. Otherwise, things will go bad in the two premier institutes, PGI and AIIMS. Principal of the Chandigarh College of Architecture, I.J.S. Bakshi’s sympathies are with the PGI doctors as their demands are genuine. The best part is that they have not gone on strike, he says, adding that public sympathy will wane if the doctors here also go on strike on lines of the AIIMS doctors. He cited the example of Japan where people work more when they want to protest. The doctors are experts and we have to accept it and give them their due. In our country, however, technocrats are working under generalists, Professor Bakshi opined. A professor in the Punjab Engineering College, Dr Harish Bhatia, while justifying the demands of the PGI doctors, pointed out that the status of professional people should be the same. “We are bothered as
to why we are being controlled by the bureaucrats,”
he said. |
Valentines
let down traders CHANDIGARH, February 15 — With love becoming as commercially viable a product as any, this year’s Valentine’s proved to be a dull routine for many who had hoped to make some fast bucks. Tight security by the police, many an organisations coming forward to denounce the “Western concept of love” and the fact that the day had fallen on a Sunday did turn the Valentines’ into a “flop show” for many. “We hardly had any sales yesterday. The number of youngsters out in the streets was less than last year,” moaned Prakash, who had put up a chocolate stall at a Valentines’ fete. The flower and the request stalls at the fete also recorded a low sale . Many florists in the city who had purchased more than their daily quota of flowers also reported dismal sales and large volumes of left-over stock. This day seems to have become a metaphor for all that is “cool”. This is the opinion of Dr Vidhu Mohan of the Psychology Department of Panjab University, who is doing a research on eve-teasing. “Chandigarh does not have the culture of ‘healthy interaction’ between the two sexes. And Valentines’ thus seems to come as a blessing in disguise. Also the fact that the whole concept is not indigenous, has more attraction value”, she adds. But with a regular dose of media hype, all was certainly not lost. The discotheques and eating joints in the city did brisk, if not roaring business. “Valentines’ proved to be a bonus for us this year, since it fell on a Sunday. The one-day event for us, spread over for two days. All those who did not venture out on ‘The Day’ did so on Saturday. Also it was a maturer Valentines’ this year”, said Manmohan Singh, who runs a popular restaurant in Sector 22. “People who need to
be controlled by the police to make it a safe day can
hardly be called wise or mature. There is certainly a
strong need for specific platforms to educate people on
even the matters of the heart. Otherwise, who would think
of proclaiming love in such a public affair?”, said
Dr Vidhu Mohan. |
Break-up of
joint family lamented CHANDIGARH, February 15 — Justice V.K. Khanna, Chairperson of the Punjab State Human Rights Commission, has expressed concern over the deteriorating social and moral values and break-up of the joint family system. He was speaking at a “Mahashivaratri” function organised by the Prajapita Braham Kumaris Vishvavidyalaya Rajyoga Bhavan in Sector 33, here last evening. Ms Satwinder Kaur Dhaliwal, Ropar MP, emphasised the need of purity in thought, peace and national integration. The national coordinator of the social service wing of the Rajyoga Education and Research Foundation, regretted the growing materialism among the people and stressed the need for following Lord Shiva’s teachings. The zonal chief of the
Brahmakumaris, Sister Anita, urged the people to have
faith in God and render selfless service to society. |
Students
burn the midnight oil CHANDIGARH, February 14 — They have their heart in their mouth and their nose to the grindstone. They are working against time, keeping their head and not complaining. These are the students gearing to take on the challenge of the forthcoming Board examinations. With the advent of New Year, most students are in the thick of studies with their dancing shoes tucked away in closet and books as their sole companion for the next three to five months. Some parents go to the extent of imposing a blanket ban on activities other than studies. One such student opines, “It’s a dog’s life once the examination fever catches on.” Deepti Chhabra, a plus two medical student, says, “I’m burning the midnight oil for a position in entrance tests which will follow soon after the board exams get over. The board exams are no big deal, you are only required to qualify them.” She says she puts in 10 to 12 hours of study daily. Her contemporary, Vaibav Loomba, aspiring to be an engineer, is unusually cool about his exams. Relaxing with pool, snooker, television and pumping iron at a local gymnasium after an enervating round of tuitions, he claims, “I am thoroughly prepared for my papers. I know it all after a back-breaking one year of tuition sessions. Where is the need to panic when you have your lessons on fingertips?” Kunal Sharma, a student of commerce stream and who is taking his board examination this time, says the expectations of his parents are motivating him to work more and more as exams draw near. He says his sister scored well in her exams and he is expected to surpass her mark. There is a lot of anxiety among those taking their boards for the first time. Though help from sample papers is all very well, the impact of the real thing — it happens in a few days from now — is what sends shivers down their spine. A look at Sidharath Kaushal, a student of Class X, speaks volumes about his state of mind. He has a “far-away” look on his face as he contends, “These exams will make or break me. So, I have to give my best. Also, I’m not allowed to play games anymore, watch television for long or even sleep for hours on end. My parents are very worried on account of how I will fare in my exams. In fact, they are more plagued by the exams than I am.” Gurveena Gill, also taking her Class X exams, hasn’t lost her chirpiness in spite of the gruelling study schedule she lives with everyday. “My parents keep reminding me that life ahead is very tough whenever I become lax. My mother wakes me up at 4.30 a.m. everyday to sit up and study”. Sadhna, another student who feels light-headed thinking of the board exams, has found an escape route from the tension of exams. Everytime she buckles down to study, she turns on music to feel at ease. She ends up retaining more, she says. Even a student of Class VIII who is not taking board exams, Varun Sethi, says he has altered his routine to accommodate the exams. Exuding confidence, Seerat
of Class VII says she wants to excel in the business
world. She explains, “There is so much competition
all-around, you need to stand out. Besides studying
throughout the year, I am putting in special efforts now
to come out with flying colours. I want to go to the next
class every bit a winner. Never mind if these are not the
boards, this is just the beginning.” |
EC decides
to revise electoral rolls CHANDIGARH, Feb 15 — The Election Commission has decided to take up the revision of electoral rolls in the country with January 1, 1999, as the qualifying date. According to a communique of the Election Commission, the revision of electoral rolls in all states (except for Madhya Pradesh and Tripura) and union territories would be taken up as special revision. In continuation of the major efforts for the computerisation of rolls and harmonising the rolls with the programme of elector's photo identity card (EPIC), the revision was intended to complete this process and produce computerised rolls in the new format for the whole country. Another major objective of the revision would be to consolidate and integrate the mother rolls and the supplementary rolls at the time of the final publication of the revised rolls for 1999, the communique said. The commission had further decided to take up the special revision of rolls through an intensive publicity campaign to create awareness among electors and political parties. There would be two phases of the special campaign on April 24 and 25 and again on May 8 and 9. On these dates, claims and objections would be received at each of the designated locations. Claims and objections could also be filed directly with the EROs between April 10 and May 10. The special revision envisaged a countrywide coordinated campaign on two specific occasions to enable the voters to get their names included or corrected in the existing rolls. According to the schedule,
the draft rolls would be published on April 10 and claims
and objections could be filed until May 10. All claims
and objections would be disposed of by June 12 and the
final publication of rolls would take place on July 12,
the communique said. |
No cut-off
date for reimbursement: CAT CHANDIGARH, Feb 15 — The local Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal, allowed with interest the plea of Mr Maharaj Krishan Puri, former Senior Assistant to the Deputy Commissioner, for medical reimbursement which was denied to him on the ground that the benefit to such retirees was applicable from February 6, 1997. The applicant had met with an accident on March 26, 1995, and got treatment. He submitted a claim of Rs 26,506 for reimbursement to the UT administration. The administration had contested the claim of the applicant on the ground that medical reimbursement was a concession and thus the respondents were justified in choosing the cut-off date. The claim of the applicant was of prior date. Rejecting the administration plea, Mr JS Dhaliwal, Judicial Member, relying on the tribunal's judgement in the Vinod Kumar Lamba case, observed that it was apparent that the choosing of the cut-off date was found to be illegal and arbitrary, the said concessions already stood extended with effect from April 1,1991, denying the same is found to be illegal, said the tribunal. The Bench directed to
consider and allow the medical reimbursement with
interest at 12% p.a. |
Trainee
advocates seek stipend CHANDIGARH, Feb 15 — Trainee advocates working at the district courts today demanded that they should be paid a stipend of Rs 3,000 per month. In a signed statement they said they had been working hard but were not paid any money by their seniors. They said they had to shuttle from one court to another under the instructions of their guides and are not even provided with vehicles. They claimed that in
professions like engineering and medical, apprentices
were paid between Rs 2,000 and Rs 2,500 per month. |
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