& V I C I N I T Y
Tuesday, January 12, 1999
|
C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
|
Tuesday, January 12, 1999 |
| weather n
spotlight today's calendar |
 |
|
|
Electioneering picks up in villages Students
feel Indian woman's essence |
Centre to ban use of
polythene bags |
 |
Duty evasion detected |
|
Lists for ward panels sent
Air
Cmdre Banerjee takes over Fresh
snow in HP, J&K areas Bank
staff hold rally |
||||||||
|
Architects
favour completion CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — "Noble things always appear impossible at first," says Sir Denys Lasdun, one of the oldest and most respected architects from Great Britain while airing his views whether Chandigarh should go ahead with the Governor's palace as proposed by Le Corbusier or not. Some of the renowned architects, planners and critics participating in the three-day international conference celebrating "Chandigarh 50 years of the idea", along with Adviser to the Administrator of Chandigarh, Mr Jagdish Sagar, and Chief Architect-cum-Secretary, Urban Planning, Mr S.K. Midha, this afternoon visited the Capital Complex where a mock structure of the palace has been erected. The structure of bamboos and sheets of cloth has been sponsored by the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The visit to the site generated a lively debate as to whether the proposed palace should be constructed or not. The consensus was in favour of constructing it, leaving it to the Administration to decide about its use. On behalf of the visiting delegates, Sir Denys Lasdun, made a statement saying that once it was decided to construct the Governor's palace, money would come. Sir Lasdun had been a friend and colleague of both Maxwell Fry and Drew. Besides, he had worked with Le Corbusier. He recalled how his friends and colleagues associated with design and planning of Chandigarh were full of admiration. They described and quoted to him the then Prime Minister, Pt Jawahar Lal Nehru, about the Capital Complex and its uniqueness. Of the three temples of democracy, the Court of Justice and Assembly has been completed. The third, the Governor's palace, has not been built. "It is a brilliant gesture to raise mock structure of the palace to give an idea of the shape, size and scale of this component of the Capital Complex. Sir Lasdun also talked about the design of the Governor's palace and said that bowlshaped dome at the top invites to perceive horizon of foothills of the Himalayas. He recalled how the National Theatre designed by him in London was held up for want of funds and how it was later completed. Almost all other architects, including Charles Correa, Charles Jencks, Romi Khosla, William Lim Siew Wai, Xiao-Wei Luo and Mahendra Raj supported the completion — "missing link of the Capital Complex as visualised by Le Corbusier". One of suggestions made was that it should be completed for the Governor of Punjab. Other suggestion was to make it state guest house. "I am personally in
favour of the construction of this building," said
Charles Correa. Mr Beant Singh and Mr Wig, Chairman of
the infrastructure Committee of the PHD Chamber of
Commerce and Industry, said the chamber sponsored the
mock structure at the actual site earmaked by Le
Corbusier to give the participants of the conference an
idea of what it would look like.
|
Re-densification
of sectors suggested CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — It is now time for the planners of Chandigarh to go in for re-densification of population. Vast vacant spaces need to be utilised and even lands of the surrounding villages should be put to judicious use, opined Mr Charles Jencks, an expert architect from England, while talking about the future of the city. He was here to attend a three-day conference "Celebrating Chandigarh 50 years of the idea". The conference concluded today. After delivering the talk he was discussing the future of the city with mediapersons when he suggested that the density of the city could be tripled by using the vacant lands in the north. Building high rise buildings was not a bad idea, he said. In some sectors the density of population was low. He opined that French architect Le Corbusier was wrong in his concept of separation of traffic in Chandigarh. A road is firstly an economic activity due to the shopping malls followed by its usage by road users. People living in the surrounding villages should also get good facilities otherwise their desire to live a good life will put additional pressure on services in Chandigarh. The changes in the modern context were necessary and even if Corbusier were alive he would have changed his mind and the plan of the city. A similar opinion on re-densification of sectors was expressed by Mr Peter Davey. He said " I do not agree with the plan of Corbusier as there are vast tracts of unused land." Even the offices should have been scattered and placed in one area as is the present concept. Earlier in the morning architects, students and the local bureaucracy sat throughout the session on the legacy of Le Corbusier. Bernard Huet, the French architect, opened his speech by his remark "we are celebrating the end of Chandigarh" and said that the future of Chandigarh needed to be Indianised though admitting that Chandigarh was truly a Corbusian city. The workshop sessions held today had "Urban conservation — Chandigarh" as the first workshop. Mr S.K. Midha, Chief Architect and Secretary, UT Chandigarh Architecture Department, talked about the existing scenario, original plan and changed parameters of the city and also highlighted the problems of transport services, slums in the city and increasing population. Prof Kiran Joshi Nangia talked about preserving the basic character of Chandigarh. Prof Nalini Thakur spoke on "Conservation: architects' perspective". She talked about the impact of modern architecture of the city and said there was an urgent need of a Chandigarh resource centre which would study its potential for improvement and redensification. A display of graphics was organised at the Gandhi Bhavan which explained the idea of city, prevailing factors and their effects. This was followed by distinguished architect Mr B.V. Doshi's talk regarding proposals for amendments and additions in the urban planning of Chandigarh. Eminent architect Mr
Charles Correa spoke briefly of Corbusier's influence on
him. He also spoke on the seriousness of the situation
facing Chandigarh by the increasing population. |
Attitude of
UT Administration condemned CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — The Punjab Food and Supply Minister, Mr Madan Mohan Mittal, while attacking the Chandigarh Administration today strongly protested against its indifferent attitude with regard to Punjab Ministers. Speaking at a press conference, Mr Mittal said that no Punjab Minister was invited by the UT Administration when the president of India, Mr K.R. Narayanan, visited the city last week for inaugurating the international conference "Chandigarh 50 years of the Idea". Mr Mittal said that Chandigarh was a capital of Punjab and it would have been better if the Administration had extended an invitation to Punjab Ministers to know their views on what sort of city they would like to have. When asked whether any senior functionary of the UT Administration was specifically responsible for this, he said the "whole administration was responsible" for this attitude. Incidentally the Punjab Governor is the Administrator of the Chandigarh Administration. He said that he was
speaking on behalf of all Punjab Chief Minister. When
told that the Punjab Ministers, Mr Parkash Singh Badal,
had received the President at the local airport, Mr
Mittal said that it was a part of protocol. |
Lawyers'
dharna against Judge CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — It was the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association versus Mr Justice G.C. Garg at the High Court today. Issue: An alleged attempt to forcibly evict advocate J.S. Yadav and his advocate son, Mr Parduman Yadav, from the house purchased by the Judge. Lawyers boycotted the court of Mr Justice Garg. A group of advocates led by the Bar Association president, Mr G.C. Dhuriwal, sat in dharna outside the court of Mr Justice Garg. When asked what was the cause for boycott of Mr Justice Garg's court the Bar Association chief said: "Mr Justice Garg has purchased a house (No 157 in Sector 27-A) in Chandigarh. The Yadavs have been living in that house since 1991. "The Judge gave the ground floor of the house to his restorer, Mr Paul Chand, and started harassing the Yadavs by cutting off water supply and locking the main door and entry to the first floor". He also alleged that the restorer and members of the Judge's family hurled abuses at the Yadavs. Mr Dhuriwala quipped: "On December 24 when the Yadavs were coming to attend the dinner hosted by the Bar Association in honour of the Chief Justice of India, they were stopped by the restorer with the help of the police and their clients were turned away. The situation was saved only when Mr Amar Singh Chahal, president of the District Bar Association, reached the spot and offered to court arrest. Mr Vijay Pal Singh, D.S.P. of the area, rushed to the spot and sorted out the matter. The decision to boycott the court of Mr Justice Garg was taken by the full House of the Bar Association. We shall also boycott the Judge socially and will not host a farewell party when he retires in July." When contacted the Judge
said: "Please talk to the Chief Justice, I will not
say anything." |
Electioneering
picks up in villages CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — Electioneering in the villages has picked up and one indication is that preparations for celebrating Lohri are in full swing. Candidates are bent upon encashing this opportunity and leaving no stone unturned in wooing the voter. Villagers claim the candidates are pulling all stops and have promised the voters a treat they will never forget. Good food and wine are being offered along with night-long revelries notwithstanding the expenditure limit imposed by the Election Commission. Electioneering has picked up after the allotment of election symbols to the candidates. Posters and wall paintings have appeared on walls in the main bazars and localities. Groups of supporters can be seen doing the rounds, meeting villagers and seeking votes for their candidates. The contest in two of the largest villages of the city — Kajheri and Palsora — is expected to be a close one. In Palsora, only three candidates — Mr Harbhajan Singh, Mr Bhupinder Singh and Mr Jai Chand — are left in the fray for the post of sarpanch in the 13-member panchayat. The candidate who will carry the migrant population with him would be the winner. As many as 65 per cent of the voters are migrants and outsiders but the going will be tough for the insiders, that is the original inhabitants of the village. Mr Bhupinder Singh, who is being projected as an outsider, has in fact managed to use this factor to his advantage. In a village with a majority of voters being outsiders this will prove to be the winning factor. As two candidates are claiming to be backed by the Congress, it has yet to be decided as to who is the "real" candidate. However, Mr Harbhajan Singh has the advantage of being the president of the Action Committee for the Development of Villages and expects to reap dividends in view of the work done by the committee for the development of villages. In Kajheri it is a straight contest between Mr Jagir Singh and Mr Ramu. The former is a landlord in his seventies while the latter is a young rickshawpuller. Thanks to the majority of voters almost 70 per cent are migrants. The contest will be interesting and in the words of various political leaders "determine the politics of villages in the years to come". Villagers are "angry" at the decision of the previous sarpanch, Mr Kuldip Singh, to field his former servant for the post of sarpanch after a consensus had been reached on the former. But the decision is justified as a sound one in view of migrant voters. This decision has reportedly not gone down well with many villagers that an outsider is contesting for the top post. However, the migrants see this as a dream come true with the realisation they may finally be a force to reckon with, especially in the villages. Polling will be held on
January 16 between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. |
Students
feel Indian woman's essence CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — Twenty students of different disciplines from Luther College, Lowa, are in the city at the Centre for Women's Studies, Panjab University, for a week, as a part of an "intensive study abroad" programme. The two professors, Dr Charlotte A. Kunkel from the Department of Sociology and Ms Jyoti Grewal from the Department of History, accompanying the group have brought the students to expose them to the Third World feminism. Dr Kunkel says, "I wanted the students to see for themselves what they have read in books all along. Secondly, the US feminism limits itself to he the upper class. Thus, it is a must to take into account the multiple women's perspective." Ms Jyoti Grewal explains, "We are travelling all over India to get the essence of the Indian woman. The students are oblivious to the Third World feminism and the aim is to ignite a spark of interest in the students so that they continue their studies in the field." Sarah, a student, says, "I was intrigued by the peasant woman on one hand and the very strong picture of the working woman on the other, though I had trouble envisioning the middle rung." Kate and Amy's knowledge about India and the women is confined to what they learnt in school. Jean identified India with poverty and explains that people back in the USA have a problem with the oriental culture. "They were under the impression that we were going to be like other tourists, going abroad to have a good time. What we miserably failed to convey to them was the study aspect involved", she says. Janet's perspective of the Indians being outspoken underwent a change when she met the diverse kinds that make up India. "It is definitely more diverse than I knew back there in the USA," she admits. Leah views the Indian woman as very strong with lots of inner strength. She is quick to add, "She gets a lot less respect than she deserves in spite of being the hub around which the family revolves.'' Casey says she is here to learn more about how women survive in India. She feels that she will learn more about her culture in the process since such visits help in comparisons. Jack, too, is of the view that the Indian woman is strong yet unjustly treated. He says that he is in India for a discussion on the "concrete change". Elissa has come on this study trip for the experience and to broaden her outlook. She hopes she will be able to interact with people without any bias once she is back in the USA. They all agree that there is less of violence the women of India are subjected to as compared to their counterparts in the USA and domestic problems are the major cause. Elissa says, "There is violence, only the circumstances are different." Most girls were impressed by the toiling women in the fields who worked from dawn to around midnight in villages. Three girls together spelled out that they are "spoilt brats", "indisciplined" and "very lazy" to a great extent vis-a-vis the Indian woman. Meanwhile, Dr Pam Rajput,
the in charge of the Centre for Women's Studies says,
"besides lectures by the faculty drawn from various
departments on women's movements, their political
participation and their changing image in India, we plan
to arrange visits in a nearby village. We have also an
interaction session with the students of Government
College for Girls, Sector 11, on the agenda." |
Centre to
ban use of polythene bags CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — The Central Government proposes to ban the use of polythene bags and containers made of recycled plastic. According to a draft notification by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, no person shall use carry-bags or containers made of recycled plastic for storing, carrying and packing of foodstuff after the final issuance of notification. The final notification is expected after January 20, which is the date of expiry of the mandatory 60 days notice, officials of the UT Environment Department say. The draft notification says the usage of polythene bags and containers made of recycled plastic will be allowed only if these are made of recycled plastic conforming to specifications mentioned in the Prevention of Food and Adulteration Act 1954. According to these specifications, the bags and containers should not be pigmented and in case of recycled polythene bags, the thickness should not be less than 25 microns. Similarly, the thickness of carry-bags made of unused plastic should not be less than 20 microns. The rules further specify that the recycling of plastic should be undertaken strictly as per the "guidelines for recycling plastics" laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standards. The final product from such plastic should be marked as "recycled". Besides, the manufacturers will have to indicate the percentage of recycled material used in the manufacturing of the product. With the onset of the
process of phasing recycled plastic, the UT Environment
Department has initiated a project to study the quantum
of plastic used in the city and the measures needed for
its proper disposal. |
Duty evasion
detected CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — The Chandigarh Excise Commissioner-II has detected duty evasion of about Rs 85.50 lakh by some manufacturers of switchgears and yarn. The Commissioner, Excise, Mr Inder Raj Soni, said here today that his anti-evasion officers detected misuse of Modvat credit to the tune of over Rs 60 lakh by five manufacturers of switchgears based in Jalandhar and Kapurthala in collusion with registered dealers who issued Modvatable invoices. The officers found that the manufacturers' modus operandi was to avail Modvat credit on the strength of invoices issued by registered dealers on hot rolled or cold rolled coils, which they never received in their factories. Moreover, Mr Soni said the manufacturers did not have sufficient godown space and equipment like cranes and straightening machines to handle the jumbo-sized hot rolled or cold rolled coils. Though the invoices had the description of excisable goods, the manufacturers were supplied sheets instead of coils. It was also noticed, Mr Soni said, that even the factories engaged in making sheets did not file any declaration with the Excise Department. Mr Soni said in another
case an Amritsar firm did not have a godown and yet it
was issuing Modvatable invoices from its office at Braham
Buta Market, Amritsar, and the goods were despatched
straight from the transport companies. |
Lists for
ward panels sent CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — The Mayor, Mr Kewal Krishan Addiwal, will send the lists of ward committees recommended by the elected councillors to the UT Administrator; Lieut-Gen B.K.N. Chhibber(retd), by the end of this month. According to sources, all but three elected councillors have sent in their lists to the civic body. While 16 councillors have forwarded the lists to the Mayor, Ms Kamlesh, a Congress councillor, is reported to have sent the list to the Commissioner, Mr Satish Gathwal. A Congress councillor, Mr Gurcharan Dass Kala, and two BJP councillors — Ms Ranjana Shahi and Mr Rajinder Kumar — are yet to send in their lists. Each councillor has sent in a list of 15 persons for the ward committees to be constituted by the Administrator under the Punjab Municipal Corporation Act as extended to the Union Territory, Chandigarh. Mr Addiwal, when
contacted, said he might hold informal discussions with
the Administrator with a view to expediting the
constitution of the committees. |
PIL on
pension, pay dropped CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court today closed the public interest litigation initiated suo motu by the court on the news report, "Punjab stops pay, pension", published in The Tribune of January 7. The First Division Bench comprising Chief Justice A.B. Saharya, and Mr Justice H.S. Bedi, treated the Bathinda report as a public interest litigation petition and issued notice of motion to the Union of India and the state of Punjab for today. The Punjab Expenditure Secretary, Mr Vijay Kain, today filed an affidavit before the Division Bench comprising Mr Justice R.S. Mongia and Mr Justice S.S. Sudhalkar describing the report as "totally baseless and misleading". Mr Kain said at no time had the state government decided or issued orders to stop salaries and pensions. He said as per normal practice the salaries and pensions for December were released on December 30 and 31. As a measure of abundant caution, all the Treasury Officers in the state were directed to ensure immediate clearance of every salary and pension payment due. In view of Mr Kain's
affidavit the Bench decided to drop the case. |
14 cases
settled at Lok Adalat CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — The permanent Lok Adalat set up at the Punjab and Haryana High Court today started work with Mr Justice D.V. Sehgal, a former Judge of the high court, and Mrs Reva Gandhi, a social worker, as its presiding officers. As many as 48 cases were listed for disposal. The Lok Adalat succeeded in settling 14 cases by bringing about a compromise between litigant parties and providing relief to the petitioners. Most of the beneficiaries were peons, sweepers and suspended women employees. Their cases had been hanging fire for the past several years. Mr Justice Sehgal appreciated the overwhelming response of lawyers to the cases listed before the Lok Adalat. "It was beyond our expectation". On their arrival, Mr Justice Sehgal and Mrs Gandhi were received by Mr Justice N.K. Sodhi, Executive President of the Legal Aid Society. Even during the lunch break Mr Justice V.K. Jhanji and Mr Justice Sodhi called on Mr Justice Sehgal to enquire whether they faced any difficulty. Some of the cases
involving contentious legal questions were returned to
the high court for disposal by judges on merits and in
accordance with law. |
Order
reversed on Sukhbir's plot resumption CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court today reversed the order of the Single Judge upholding the resumption of 17.5 acres of land by the HSIDC to Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal, Union Minister of State for Industries, for setting up a resort at Gurgaon. Mr Justice R.S. Mongia and Mr Justice V.S. Aggarwal, who delivered this order, held: "The parties would be relegated to the same position as before the order of resumption was passed". The resumption of land was questioned on the ground that the order was passed with mala fide intentions. The resumption had been ordered by the then Chief Minister on January 2, 1995, who was a political rival of Mr Devi Lal. The appellant had alleged that the resumption orders were passed in gross violation of principles of natural justice. He had stated that he was not afforded an opportunity of being heard before passing the order. The stand of the
respondents, on the other hand, was that the action had
been taken in accordance with the terms and conditions
mentioned in the agreement. They stated that the
appellant was changing the project drawings from time to
time without consulting the authority. |
Air Cmdre
Banerjee takes over CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — Air Commodore Shyamal Kumar Banerjee took over as Air Officer Commanding, 12 Wing, AF, at an impressive ceremony here this morning. He took over charge from Air Cmdre R.V. Kumar, who has been appointed as Senior Air Staff Officer at Air HQ, Jammu and Kashmir. He was AOC of 12 Wing for more than two years. Commissioned in 1967 in the transport stream, Air Cmdre Banerjee is a recipient of the Vayu Sena Medal. He has also completed a course at the National Defence College. Prior to that he was posted at HQ, Western Air Command, where he was in charge of transports and helicopters operations in Western Sector. Popularly known as Banjo, he has more than 8000 hours of flying experience and has commanded an operational transport squadron in Eastern Sector. He is also one of the few pilots who undertook the challenging task of operations to the Siachen Glacier in 1984 on Packet aircraft which were finally phased out in 1986. Earlier, a ceremonial parade was inspected by him. Mrs Rina Banerjee, his
wife, is the new president of the Air Force Wives Welfare
Association (regional). |
Seminar on
"Career options in Army" CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — A seminar "Career options in the Army" will be organised by Headquarters, Rtg Zone, Ambala Cantonment, in Chandigarh on January 16 and 21. The seminar for girl students will be held at Government College for Girls, Sector 11, here on January 16 at 10.30 a.m. The seminar for boy
students will be held at Government College for Boys,
Sector 11, on January 21 at 10.45 a.m. |
Malik new
CJA chief CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — Mr Ashok Malik of Dainik Tribune and Mr Ashok Puri of The Tribune have been elected unanimously President and General Secretary, respectively, of the Chandigarh Journalists Association affiliated to the National Union of Journalists (India). The other office-bearers
of the CJA are: Vice-Presidents — Mr Vinay Sharma
and Mr N.S. Mahara; Secretaries — Mr Amar Nath and
Mr Sunil Vashisht; Treasurer — Mr Avtar Singh and
the executive members — Mr Jitender Awasthi, Mr
Haresh Vashisht, Mr Pramod Narula, Mr Rajinder Dhawan, Mr
N.S. Sharma, Mr Ram Chand, Ms Renuka Nayyar and Mr Roshan
Sharma. |
Yog Raj
appointed CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 —
Mr Venod Sharma, President of the Chandigarh Territorial
Congress Committee, has appointed former Test cricketer
Yog Raj Singh chairman of the sports cell of the CTCC. |
Auto show CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — A three-day consumer and auto show will be organised at the Sector 16 Red Cross Bhavan from January 14. The main attractions of the exhibition will be the display of automobiles, including two-wheelers and four-wheelers, besides garments, footwears, household appliances, decoration items, moulded furniture, food stalls, kids wear and other items. Mr Venod Sharma, President
of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee, will
inaugurate the show. |
CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — Mr Balraj Gupta, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of the Punjab police, was arrested by the Chandigarh police today following a complaint of a senior Punjab police official. The DSP, who is in the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) belongs to the Punjab police. He was booked under Sections 332, 506 and 447, IPC, for allegedly manhandling a constable and misbehaving with Mr Sumedh Singh Saini, DIG, Administration, Punjab police. Mr Saini in his complaint to the Chandigarh police said that Mr Gupta had barged into his office during a meeting today. Mr Gupta had reportedly come for a matter regarding his service and had been absent from his place of posting since long. In his complaint Mr Saini has said he told Mr Gupta that he ( Mr Saini) could not help in the matter on which the DSP said he would not leave the office without getting the work done. The DIG asked him to leave his office and also called his orderlies. One of the orderly requested the DSP to leave but the latter allegedly manhandled him. Senior police officials of Chandigarh while confirming the incident said a complaint had been received. Body found: Shivnath of Uttar Pradesh, was found dead in his hut in Colony Number 5 here today. The body was eaten up by animals, according to the police. The death may have occurred two days ago. The police have ruled out any foul play. Women exchange blows: Two women rained blows on each other in a Sector 44 house today. The women, Ms Sangeeta Bhatia and Ms Sunita, are the first and second wives, respectively, of Mr Vipan Bhatia. Ms Sangeeta reached the home of Mr Bhatia in Sector 44 and demanded some money for her maintenance. Ms Sunita was at home at that time. An argument ensued and ended in blows, according to police sources. No case has been registered. Injured: A couple and their child were injured when their scooter collided with a Tata Sumo (PB-07-D-3299) near Behlana village here today. The scooter driven by Mr Amrit Singh of Dyalpura village collided with the vehicle when he made a wrong turn, according to sources. The driver of the Tata Sumo, Hardeep Singh, sped off but was nabbed by some villagers later. The injured were admitted to the GMCH, Sector 32. Meanwhile, Ms Tripat Kaur was injured when a car hit the motor cycle she was riding. She was admitted to the PGI. Succumbed: Salma of Kurali died in an accident that took place here today. She was hit by a scooter outside the PGI main gate and was admitted to the PGI, where she succumbed to her injuries around 6 p.m. PANCHKULA Booked: The Chandimandir police has arrested Amar Singh of Gate No. 1, Chunna Bhatti, Chandimandir, for allegedly gambling at a public place. Rs 2,150 were recovered from his possession. He has been booked under the Gambling Act. Case registered: The local police has booked Onkar Anand, Managing Director (MD) of a private company, for allegedly by rioting with deadly weapons, trespassing and intimidation. A case under Sections 148, 149, 323, 342, 448, 452 and 506, IPC, has been registered against him on a complaint filed by Mr Mohan Lal Grover of Sector 4 here. According to police, the MD has obtained an interim bail from the court and the next date of hearing has been fixed for January 13. Complaint: The Chandimandir police is clueless about a Maruti car (HR-03-B-6522) which was stolen from the parking of a shopping centre at Western Command on December 9. The owner of the car, Mr
Sanjay Dhania, alleged that no effort has been made by
the police to trace the vehicle. |
Bank staff
hold rally CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — A rally by members of the United Forum of Bank Unions was held here today in protest against the non-implementation of wage policy by the Indian Banks Association. Addressing the rally in the bank square during lunch hour, leaders said the IBA was dilly dallying on the wage revision settlement which had been overdue since November, 1997. they said the nationwide strike tomorrow was the first step towards a long-drawn battle if their demands were not met. They said an indefinite
strike was also on the anvil if their demands were not
met as all efforts by the forum had failed in the
implementation of the negotiated settlement of wage
revision. |
|
CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 (UNI) — Most of North-West India shivered under intense cold wave conditions for the sixth day today following fresh spells of moderate to heavy snowfall on the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh during the past 24 hours. Srinagar, Leh, Kargil and the forward areas were reeling under 5°C to 7.5°C below the freezing point. Reports available here said that Leh, Kargil and the forward areas received fresh spells of moderate to heavy snowfall while the areas around Srinagar reported mild to moderate snowfall. The dense fog early today and during the day in Chandigarh and parts of Haryana and Punjab disrupted normal train and bus services. Visibility in and around Chandigarh was greatly reduced by the afternoon. Srinagar reported the low of -5°C and the maximum of 4.4°C. Reports here said that the tribal belt in Himachal Pradesh and the areas bordering Ladakh district and the Rohtang Pass were experiencing widespread snowfall. Bhuntar, Sundernagar and Solan reported the low of 0.5°C, 1.3°C and 2°C, this morning. Hisar, in Haryana, and Amritsar, in Punjab, recorded 6.6°C and 7.9°C temperatures this morning. The day temperature in and around Chandigarh today fell to 12°C, 8.4 degrees below normal, as icy winds from across Himachal Pradesh swept the region. A report from Shimla said snowfall on the higher reaches in Himachal Pradesh intensified the cold wave in the state. The belt of Himachal Pradesh bordering Tibet and the Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti and Pangi areas of Chamba district, besides the Dhauladhar ranges were experiencing moderate snowfall since early today, resulting in a sharp fall in the temperatures. Shimla and its adjoining areas had overcast sky and icy winds blew across the town during the day. The tourist resorts of
Wildflower Hall, Kufri, Naldehra and Narkanda in Shimla
district and Manali in Kulu district also reeled under
severe cold wave conditions. |
Tribune
vehicle found CHANDIGARH, Jan 11 — An official vehicle (CH01-H-1502) of The Tribune group of newspapers which had been stolen a few days ago was found parked outside a Sector 33 house here this evening. Police sources said the
vehicle was lying abandoned. |
 |
 |
| Nation
| Punjab | Haryana | Himachal Pradesh | Jammu & Kashmir | | Editorial | | Business | Sport | | Mailbag | Spotlight | World | 50 years of Independence | Weather | | Search | Subscribe | Archive | Suggestion | Home | E-mail | |
