Friday, July 23, 1999
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N E W S Friday, July 23, 1999 |
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Question
mark on PGI appointments CHANDIGARH, July 22 — Enforcement of the model code of conduct due to the general election may have put a question mark on the appointment of Dean and more than 140 faculty members of the PGI. These posts have been lying vacant for several years. The appointment of Director, PGI, due in November this year is likely to be made after the elections. Except the appointment of the Director, these appointments were deferred due a lack of a consensus at a meeting of the Governing Body in June last. The appointment of Director is expected to take place after the elections as a new government will be in place before the term of the present incumbent, Prof B.K. Sharma, expires in November. This issue was not on the agenda of the last meeting of the Governing Body, but the Union Health Minister, Mr Dalit Ezhilmalai, was empowered to constitute a selection committee to appoint the next Director. The dates for a fresh meeting of the Governing Body are yet to be finalised. And unless a meeting is held, the appointments of Dean and the 140 faculty members cannot be made. Also there is no sign of the meeting being held, though the model code of conduct does not bar the Governing Body from holding a meeting. Yet the reaction of the Election Commission to these appointments cannot be anticipated. On June 22 when the two important issues were deferred, it was reportedly said that a meeting would be held very soon. Then July 27 and 28 were suggested as the tentative dates for the meeting, but were not finalised. Even if the meeting is fixed now it requires a notice of 14 days to all members. By then it will be the first week of August. And its is doubtful if the Election Commission will allow these appointments as the first phase of polling commences on September 4. The post of Dean has been lying vacant since September last year when Prof Amrit Tewari retired. The issue of filling the 140 vacant posts is hanging fire for several years due to the prolonged fight over reservation in top faculty posts. In April last year the Supreme Court gave its verdict and the PGI sought the opinion of the Union Law Ministry and the Department of Personnel before advertising the posts in November/December. After this the Association of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, PGI, Faculty, petitioned the Union Health Ministry seeking modifications in the advertisement inviting applications to fill the 140 posts. On April 6 the Health Ministry constituted a five-member committee headed by the Union Health Secretary to look into the issue of reservation in top faculty posts of the PGI. A report of this committee was also presented at the June 22 Governing Body meeting. For the appointment of Dean, five PGI doctors — Prof R.J. Dash, Prof R.N. Kataria, Prof A.K. Banerjee, Prof Subhash Kumari Gupta and Prof S.K. Sharma — are in the running. This was also deferred when a consensus could not be evolved. In this maze of legal
petitions the PGI continues to suffer for want of staff.
A question mark hangs on the convening of the Governing
Body and the reaction of the Election Commission. |
Jayanti
temple on verge of collapse JAYANTI MAJRI, July 22 — The 550-year-old temple at Jayanti Majri village, 8 km from the PGI, is on the verge of collapse due to continuos rain for the past four days. A wall of the temple, located in the Shivalik foothills, has been endangering the whole structure. Soil erosion in the hillside is causing the temple to cave in. Mr Om Prakash, priest of the temple, says that the building had suffered similar damage during the rains last year. Though there was no loss of human life, a kitchen of the temple had collapsed. Even after repeated requests to the district authorities, nothing has been done to repair the temple When The Tribune team reached the spot in the afternoon, it was found a protective wall raised by the temple management sliding into a gorge below. The priest, who is also the Senior Vice-President of the temple committee, said that they had taken the help from experts of Punjab Engineering Collage, Chandigarh, in taking the protective steps. While giving details of the temple, Mr Chandra Mani, a member of the committee, said about 550 years ago when the temple was built the village was part of Hathnour state under the Mughal empire. According to folklore, the temple was built by a dacoit, Garibu or Garibdass, who was popular with the masses due to his ''Robinhood'' image. Though the temple management committee blames the authorities for their indifferent attitude, the local residents blame the management itself. According to a regular visitor to the temple, the management claims its ownership of the historic temple but refuses to accept any responsibility for its maintenance. Several residents of the
adjoining villages blame the management for the poor
condition of the temple. The sewer of the temple empties
near the base of the building which is endangering the
structure. Residents demand that a trust should be
constituted for the maintenance of the historic temple. |
Demand to withdraw order on
helmet CHANDIGARH, July 22 — The demand for withdrawal of order on wearing of helmets by both women drivers and pillion riders of two-wheelers has been gradually gaining momentum as more and more organisations have come out in support of it. The Chandigarh District Congress Committee (urban) has urged the Chandigarh Administration not to force Sikh women and others from wearing helmets while driving or pillion riding two-wheelers. In a statement issued here today, Mr P.C. Puri, President of the committee, said that if one went through records and statistics, not many women had died in road accidents while driving or pillion riding two-wheelers. The local unit of the Yuva Lok Shakti and the Mahila Wing of Lok Shakti have also demanded that order for wearing of helmets by women drivers and pillion riders of two-wheelers should be withdrawn. Members of the Sikh Nari Manch, Management Committee of the Sector 30 Gurdwara Hargobind Sahib, local unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal and Bibi Bhani Jatha organised a protest procession on two-wheelers in defiance of the helmet order today. The procession which started from the Sector 30 gurdwara, moved through Sectors 30, 20, 21, 22, 17 and 18. It raised slogans against the helmet order of the administration. A delegation of Sikh women met the Adviser to the Administrator, Mrs Vineeta Rai, and urged her to withdraw the compulsory helmet order. The Adviser assured the delegation that she would take up the matter with the Chief Secretary of Punjab and sort out a legal way. Mrs Tripat Kaur, Chairperson of the Coordination Committee, said that the next procession would be taken out on July 24. SAS NAGAR The Sarabhind Akali Dal today cancelled its protest rally against making helmet-wearing compulsory for women, following assurance by the Punjab Chief Minister that the issue of exemption of Sikh women from the order would be taken up with the Union Government. The party had planned to hold a rally from Phase 11 to the office of the SDM, where a memorandum had to be handed over by its leaders for the Governor of Punjab. According to sources in
the party, the party has decided to launch an agitation
against the UT Administration if it failed to exempt Sikh
women from the order. Meanwhile, Mr Hardip Singh, an SGPC
member, said the agitation against the order in
Chandigarh would be launched from July 26 with a
procession at 8.30 a.m. from Gurdwara Amb Sahib which
would culminate here after passing through Sector 17 in
Chandigarh. Breaking her silence on it for the first time since the helmet issue snowballed into a controversy, Bibi Jagir Kaur, President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has supported the demand of exemption of Sikh women from wearing helmets in the UT and other parts of the country. In a press note issued
here today, she said the statement of Mr Badal regarding
exempting women from the order in the state was a welcome
step. Legal battle in the court would be fought till the
demand of exemption for women was not accepted, she added
without specifying who will spearhead the legal course of
action. |
Milkha
Singh adopts martyr's son CHANDIGARH, July 22 — "Flying Sikh" Milkha Singh has decided to adopt seven-year-old Gurvinder Singh from Kubheri village in Kharar. He is the son of brave Havildar Vikram Singh who made the supreme sacrifice during the recapture of Tiger Hill on July 6. Mr Milkha Singh said:"I spoke to my son, Jeev Milkha Singh,who at present is in England. He too has agreed to adopt the child of a Kargil martyr. He further said:"My son and I will take up the responsibility of raising the adopted child. I will make sure that the boy gets immense love and care as my own son. He can count on me throughout his life for education, career, medical and all other needs." Not only this, Mr Milkha Singh is approaching the aggrieved families of jawans belonging to the nearby villages. He is providing each family with Rs 1,000. According to him,"although crores of rupees have been donated for the welfare of the families of the martyrs, most of it will be blocked at the higher level. War widows and children of the jawans are the real sufferers since they don't have reasonable source of income. Therefore, I find this idea of contacting the affected families most reliable." With Army background, Mr Milkha Singh is all praise for the brave soldiers. He gives the credit to the Army for spotting him as an athlete which paved his way towards glory. He feels strongly against the tension existing at the border. "I feel war is the real enemy as both sides bear heavy losses. Therefore, India and Pakistan should forget the enmity and make judicious use of monetary resources for the uplift of the poor sections and becoming self-sufficient in every field." He also stressed promotion of games and cultural exchange programmes with Pakistan. Mr Milkha Singh made a
sincere appeal to the people. He said: "One should
be well aware of the ongoing Kargil crisis and its
repercussions. Each one of us should generously
contribute in this goodwill effort. I want that every
Indian who can afford a decent living should make a
hearty effort by making an adoption or by providing job
security to the grown-up dependents of wear heroes." |
2 more
bodies arrive CHANDIGARH, July 22 — The mortal remains of two Kargil martyrs were received at N Area here at noon today. The bodies of Naik Surinder Singh Shekawat, 10 Para (Special forces), and Sepoy Sukhchain Deep Singh, 3 Punjab Regiment, were flown in from Leh for their journey to their native places for cremation. According to personnel accompanying the bodies, 26-year-old Naik Singh was killed in artillery shelling on May 21 in the Batalik sector but his body could not be recovered for two months as the area was being heavily pounded by enemy guns. It was recovered a couple of days back. The second soldier, 26-year-old Sukhchain Deep Singh, was injured in artillery shelling and succumbed to his injuries in the same sector on July 21. While the former belongs to Hudeel village in the Nagaour district of Rajasthan, the former hailed from Gudhani Kalan village in the Ludhiana district. They were accorded full military honours before being sent to their native villages. Wreaths were laid on behalf of the Army Chief, the Air Chief and the Western Army Commander by Colonel Shakti Prashad and Group Captain R.N. Merani, respectively, besides Col R.K. Rana, Col P. Datta and Col Surjeet Singh. Wreaths were also laid
on behalf of the Punjab Chief Minister by Col R.S.
Shergill (retd), Deputy Director for Sainik Welfare, and
on behalf of the UT Administrator and Adviser by Col
Ramesh Lal (retd) of the UT Sainik Welfare Board. |
Tribune staff contribute one
day's salary CHANDIGARH, July 22 — On the call given by the The Tribune Employees Union, 925 employees of The Tribune Trust have decided to contribute one day's salary, amounting to more than Rs 3 lakh, to the Army Central Welfare Fund. All 925 employees, expressing their solidarity with the soldiers fighting the enemy in the Kargil and Dras sectors, have given their consent in writing to The Tribune management to deduct their one-day salary and send the amount to the fund. Members of The Tribune
Employees Union have also offered to the Command
Hospital, Chandimandir, to donate blood for the wounded
heroes of Kargil and Dras. |
Picnic for
the old CHANDIGARH, July 22 — The Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation (CITCO) will organise a picnic for senior citizens on July 24. People above the age of 65 may register themselves for the picnic at the Tours and Travel office of CITCO at the Sector 17 Inter-State Bus Terminus on telephone number 703839 on "first come first serve" basis. The CITCO will provide complimentary lunch and tea to those attending the picnic. An essay-writing competition will also be organised to make the programme interesting. Buses carrying the senior citizens will be flagged off by the Home Secretary-cum-Chairman of CITCO, Mr N.K. Jain, at 10 a.m. from Hotel Shivalikview. The programme was being
organised because 1999 had been declared a 'year of the
old persons' by the United Nations, a Press note of the
administration said. |
BE, B.Arch
admissions begin CHANDIGARH, July 22 — Admissions to Bachelor of Engineering course run by Punjab Engineering College (PEC), Sector 12, and the Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Panjab University, along with admissions to Bachelor of Architecture course at Chandigarh College of Architecture (CCA), Sector 12, got underway at Law Auditorium on the campus, here today. In the PEC, there are 355 seats in the general category for eight streams. In order of preference, the first choice of most students is the computer science stream which has only 30 seats. There are 60 seats in the electronics stream which is the second best option for most students. There are 60 seats in mechanical, 60 in electrical, 30 in production, 40 in metallurgy, 15 in aeronautical and 60 in civil engineering at PEC. There are 28 seats reserved for foreign nationals and state-sponsored candidates. In the Department of Chemical Engineering, there are 75 seats which include 10 seats for NRI candidates. There are a total of 40 seats in the CCA. These seats are divided in the ratio of 60 to 40 between the UT pool and the general pool, respectively. For the day, all 22 seats in Computer Science and 44 seats in electronics were full. In the remaining branches, 14 out of 17 seats are vacant in the general pool while all 27 seats are still available in the UT pool. In metallurgy, there are 10 and 20 seats in the general and UT pools, respectively. While no other branch of engineering has seats in the general pool, there are seven, 19, four and 14 seats available in the pool for UT students in aeronautical, electrical, mechanical and production streams, respectively. In the CCA, 24 seats were filled during admissions today. There are ten seats still vacant in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Technology. Out of the 39 seats available, there were takers for 29 seats only. For the engineering courses, students with ranks between 710 and 1350 will be interviewed and students with ranks between 201 and 400 will be interviewed for the architecture course. On the final day, interviews will begin from rank 1351 and will go upto 4000 for the engineering courses. Students with ranks between 401 and 600 will be interviewed on July 24. All students in the reserved category were given admissions in the last two days. One of the co-ordinators of admissions, Prof D.K. Vohra, said that the second counselling session for vacant seats was scheduled to be held from August 17 to August 19 at the same venue. Date changed Due to the change in dates of admissions by the university, the date of qualifying aptitude test-cum-interview of candidates seeking admission to MA I (History of Art) has also been changed from July 23 to August 2. The reporting time in the office of the department was 8.30 am, a press note by the Chairperson of Department of Fine Arts, Dr Alka Pande, said here today. BA III results out Panjab University has
declared the result of BA (General) III and B.Com
(General) II held in May, here today. Copies of the
result gazettes are available at the new enquiry counter
of the university for consultation by students on all
working days during office hours. |
Donations
for troops continue CHANDIGARH, July 22 — Two women of the city — Amita Khorana and Meena Gupta — have been collecting donations for the welfare of families of soldiers who took part in the Kargil operations. Their efforts for the past four days have yielded Rs 32,050, which they have sent to the Army Central Welfare Fund. Many others are collecting funds and items of immediate use by soldiers and their families. Ms Vijay Lakshmi, Principal, Government College for Girls, Sector 11, presented a cheque for Rs 1.16 lakh to the Adviser to the Administrator, Ms Vineeta Rai, on behalf of the staff of the college. The college was also contemplating to organise a blood donation camp for Kargil victims. A delegation of the Mani majra Motor Traders Union called on the Administrator of Chandigarh, Lieut-Gen B.K.N. Chhibber (retd) and presented him a cheque for Rs 1 lakh for the Western Command Welfare Fund. The delegation informed him that it had sent a draft for Rs 1.25 lakh to the Army Central Welfare Fund. The Administrator appreciated the effort of the union. Members of the Audit Officers and senior Audit Officers Association of the office of the AG (Audit), Haryana, decided to donate their one day's salaries to the National defence Fund. The principal and staff of Government College, Sector 46, presented a demand draft for Rs 27,200 to the Adviser to the Administrator. Mr Narayan Singh Dahiya, Deputy Superintendent, Haryana irrigation Department, donated his one month's salary towards the Chief Minister's War heroes Relief Fund. Mr K.A.P. Sinha, Joint secretary, Finance-cum-Director, Animal Husbandry, presented a cheque for Rs 16,705 to the Adviser as donation towards the welfare of the Kargil martyrs. It included one day's salaries of Animal Husbandry Department employees. Mr S. Khorana, Director-principal of Shishu Niketan Model Senior Secondary School, presented to the Adviser a draft for Rs 1,00,011 for the Army Central Welfare Fund on behalf of the students and staff of the school. The local unit of Istri sat Sangh Sabha, led by its President, Ms Janak Arora, contributed Rs 11,000 towards the fund. Dr Ambedkar Study Circle donated Rs 11,000 towards the fund. Mr Ram Lal, President, Construction Workers Labour Union, and Mr Bahadur Singh, Sarpanch, Raipur Kalan village, presented drafts for Rs 11,011 each to the Adviser. PANCHKULA The Chemists Association
of Panchkula contributed Rs 18,902 towards the Chief
Minister's War Heroes Relief Fund. The cheque was
presented by Mr B.B. Singal, president of the
association, to the DC here. |
Burning
of biscuits irks residents CHANDIGARH, July 22 — The residents of Sector 24-D here faced a peculiar problem today. a heap of packets of biscuits was burnt by a wholesaler in an open space behind the market, filling the air with smoke and foul smell. At about 11 a.m., a heap of biscuits was set on fire by servants of the wholesaler in the backyard of house number 3152. The burning of biscuits, polythene bags and some tyres raised a cloud of smoke, which hung in the air for a couple of hours. "The smoke and foul smell entered our house through our desert coolers, forcing us to stay outside for two hours. Even breathing became difficult during this period," complained Surjit Singh, a resident. He alleged that it was a common practice for shopkeepers and junk dealers in the market to burn such articles in the open space. He said he had requested the person supervising the burning of these articles not to do so but his pleas fell on deaf ears and the burning continued for about five hours. Some children tried to retrieve packets of biscuits from the burning heap. A number of children and beggars were seen relishing the biscuits, which had been discarded by the wholesaler because the expiry date had passed. Some residents had cautioned the wholesaler against the sale of such biscuits. Officials of UT Environment Department said they were helpless in curbing the burning of containers and tyres in the open as it did not come under the Air Act. "We can come into the picture only when somebody is causing air pollution through some manufacturing process," said Mr P.J.S. Dadwal, an Environment Scientist in the department. Residents of the area
demanded that the practice of burning toxic and other
material by junk dealers and shopkeepers be stopped by
the administration by taking strong action against the
offenders. "We have made a number of complaints to
the authorities concerned but no action has been taken so
far," complained Ms Madhu, another resident. She
added that junk dealers occasionally set tyres on fire to
remove iron wires, which kept emitting smoke and foul
smell for hours. |
HUDA
notices worry Raitten residents PANCHKULA, July 22 — Fate of hundreds of persons residing in the Raitten and Doon areas of the Kalka subdivision here seems to be uncertain in the wake of criminal and civil proceedings initiated against them by HUDA. The criminal notices against them were instituted under section 10 of the HDR Act for the alleged violation of the New Punjab Capital Periphery Act, 1952 in the areas . The Act, which is applicable within a vicinity of 30 km from Chandigarh, stipulates that any construction on highways without prior permission of the authorities concerned would be termed invalid and that no land falling in the area ,originally registered as ‘agriculture land’, could be sold in small plot sizes. For years, land owners in the area have been selling plots from their patch of agricultural land as and when required as per their needs, apparently ignorant of any rules. The Tehsildar and the Revenue Department here also carried out all possible Registration documentation at the time of execution of the sale deed, also seemingly ignorant of rules. Today, a large number of residents in the area are in a state of shock after having received criminal notices in this regard. Their justification of the plots being registered by the local authorities as per the rules at the time of its sale may not presently hold good. Some had sold their land in small pieces from time to time due to economic constraints and even do not have enough resources to contest their case. Several respondents wait eagerly everyday for bail to be granted at the District Courts here in sector 1. The District Congress
Committee (legal-cell), has decided to file a public
interest litigation ( PIL ) in this regard. The President
of the legal cell Mr Vijay Bansal, said the Periphery Act
of 1952 should be termed as invalid and obsolete and that
the local authorities in the Kalka subdivision were
responsible for the situation today. |
Administration
decision hailed CHANDIGARH, July 22 — The Federation of Small Scale Industries has hailed the decision of the Chandigarh Administration to delegate more powers to power engineers on the pattern of the Punjab State Electricity Board. Mr Yash Pal Mahajan and Mr Rajeev Gupta, President and General Secretary of the Federation, respectively, in a joint statement said the proposal had been pending with the Administration for long. The delegation of more powers will bring relief to the industrial units of the city as it will increase the efficiency of the department, they added. They demanded revision
of financial powers of engineers on the Punjab pattern
and a formal notification for the simplification of
procedure for the enhancement of power load.
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SNIPPETS Irrigation
JEs stage dharna CHANDIGARH, July 22 — Members of the Irrigation Department Junior Engineers Association staged a dharna in support of their demands in front of the office of their head office in Sector 18 here today. Members from all over the state took part and raised slogans against the authorities for not accepting their demands. Agitators are protesting over lack of promotional avenues, non-framing of service rules, their promotion vis-a-vis those engineers who have done AMIE. They alleged that while their representatives were being assured by the Punjab Chief Minister that their case for promotions would be considered, yet the department had set up a departmental promotion committee to decide the cases of more than 105 engineers in this context. The protesters resolved to start a chain fast in the city in case their demands are not met by August 16. Admission date extended SAS NAGAR, July 22 — The Punjab School Education Board has allowed admission to classes VIII, IX, X and XII in all schools and colleges affiliated to it by July 31 along with a late fee of Rs 200 for those candidates who could not take admission earlier. Mr Jagjit Singh Sidhu, Secretary of the board, however, said that the schedule for admissions to class XI would remain the same. Milkfed workshop concludes CHANDIGARH, July 22—A two-day workshop on organisational development and restructuring for chief executives and senior managers of the Milkfed and other milk unions concluded at the Sector 34 office of the Punjab Milkfed here today. The work was aimed at upgrading the organisational structure to cope with the increasing demand of competition and environment. On the conclusion, an action plan emerged, which is likely to be put into practice to enhance the competitive effectiveness of the Milkfed. The work was inaugurated by Mr Amrik Singh, Managing Director of the Milkfed. New system commissioned CHANDIGARH, July 22 — An optical-fibre system has been commissioned between the Manauli and Sohana telephone exchanges, providing the most modern link between all exchanges of the Chandigarh Secondary Switching Area (SSA). Another optical-fibre-ring link was planned to link all exchanges to avoid any dislocation of services if any link was disrupted, the PGMT, Mr Prithipal Singh said. Water supply contaminated DERA BASSI, July 22 — Some pockets here have been getting contaminated water supply for the last two weeks. The problem is acute in Preet Nagar and its surrounding areas. The residents of this locality complain that the tap water stinks. There is a possibility of water-borne diseases spreading in the area. The supply of stinking water has disrupted the routine work. Women have to fetch buckets of drinking water from the private tubewells far away from their houses. Mr Harish Kumar of Preet Nagar alleges that sewerage water is getting mixed in drinking water supply pipes. The water lines are crossing through manholes of the sewerage system at various intersections, he says. Residents complain that though the Municipal Council (MC) has been given many representations, no action has been taken so far. They add that they have given water samples to the MC to examine it. Meanwhile, the MC authorities have admitted to contamination of drinking water supply in this pocket of the subdivision. The normal water supply will be restored after rectifying the faults, the authorities claim. New IT course launched CHANDIGARH, July 22 — The Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) has tied up with a local computer centre and announced the launch of the bachelor’s degree in information technology, at a press conference here today. Separate courses will be available for students who have completed their plus two and graduation. The pro Vice-Chancellor of MAHE, Prof Janardhan Jha, said the course would offer a degree programme in information technology which will entail information and communication. There are diploma courses also available for the same and the course will be based on semester examinations which will be conducted by the academy. While MAHE will provide resource material for the course, the local computer centre will step in to provide computer training and cover the practical side of the course. An effort to make the course more industry-responsive will be made from time to time and the course of the next two semesters would be chalked out at that time, keeping in mind the changing face of technology. Music programme by mandali CHANDIGARH, July 22 — A song and dance event was held at Punjab Kala Bhavan, Rose Garden, Sector 16 here today. It was a part of the regular Thursday programmes held by the Punjab Sangeet Natak Akademi. A group from the Lok Sangeet Mandali, Pataur, performed in front of a huge audience. The Thursday programmes, held in the open-air stage of the bhavan, had always managed to attract audiences. The mandali presented traditional Punjabi songs and patriotic songs in the wake of the Kargil issue. The stage was managed by Gursharan Singh. A group song, titled
'Jago Jago' had some interesting formations. Other songs
included 'Jago Ayeaa' and 'Sitiyan Nu Boor Payea'. |
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