Saturday, July 31, 1999
|
N E W S Saturday, July 31, 1999 |
|
weather spotlighttoday's calendar |
Police
foils PU students’ march CHANDIGARH, July 30 — The morning at Panjab University here today began on a different note altogether with the area around the Administrative Block, the venue for the Syndicate meeting, full of baton-wielding uniformed men armed with teargas shells, apprehending trouble from students. The Syndics were quickly ushered into the building though no students or activists of student organisations made an appearance at the scene contrary to their claims on the eve of the meeting. However, student activity picked up momentum only after 11 a.m. when activists started showing up at their parties guidance cells. A police team led by Mr Baldev Singh, Superintendent of Police, alerted his men and remained prepared for any eventuality. Activists of the Students Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU) were the first to attempt marching towards the Administrative Block. Accompanied by policemen on both sides and carrying banners demanding a roll back of the recently recommended fee-hike, the students shouted slogans against the university authorities and in favour of the arrested party leader, D.P.S Randhawa. A couple of police officers stepped in to prevent the students’ march from proceeding to the office. The agitated students ignored the police and tried to force their way through the police cordon. The policemen, without much force, pushed the boys back to ``their line of control’’. Following this, the students sat on the road and raised slogans against the authorities, the police and the fee-hike. There was tension built up when activists of Panjab University Students Union (PUSU), Haryana Students Association (HSA), Student Federation of India (SFI) and National Students Union of India (NSUI) arrived on the scene. Through their slogans, they voiced their dissatisfaction with the fee-hike, opposition to grant of extension to the former Dean Student Welfare and the “indifferent attitude” of university authorities to their demands. Some members distributed pamphlets to passers-by, mostly students. After sometime, the students organised themselves and planned to march towards the ‘’prohibited’’ area but their bid was foiled by the police. An attempt to use forceful tactics to break the police cordon was curbed by the police. Most of them were slapped, pushed around and even kicked. The activists, however, tried to persist in their attempt. Consequently, the police arrested a few student leaders of these organisations as a preventive measure under sections 107 and 51 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cr.PC). Those to be arrested were — Gurwinder Singh Grewal, Munish Anand, Nitin Verma, Suresh Thakur, Bhupinder Singh, Lakhjit Singh and Amandeep Singh. The arrests were made in apprehension of breach of peace. Also, office-bearers disassociated themselves from the student who was assaulted and kidnapped from the campus yesterday while reiterating that they would work towards establishing amity among various organisations. Meanwhile, in connection
with yesterday’s kidnapping incident the police has
arrested Ajay Pal Singh and Gurpartap Singh, alias Guri,
besides D.P.S. Randhawa. They have been booked under
sections 147, 149, 323, 332 , 364 and 506 of the Indian
Penal Code. According to police sources the trio were
remanded to police custody for two days when produced in
court. While Randhawa was arrested from outside the
campus, the other two were nabbed from a hostel on the
campus. One of them, Gurpratap Singh, tried to escape
from the clutches of the police before he was found
hiding on the terrace of the hostel building, sources
added. |
Syndicate
approves fee hike CHANDIGARH, July 30 — The Panjab University Syndicate has approved the proposed fee hike and authorised the Vice-Chancellor to appoint the three deans. In the case of superannuated persons employed by the university, the Syndicate, at a meeting held today, decided to retain a few while granting approval of completion of term to the others. The issue of implementation of the proposed fee hike has been a burning topic with the students' organisations opposing the massive hike tooth and nail. The Syndicate gave its nod to the recommendations of a sub-committee constituted to propose the hike. Before the beginning of the admission process, the Vice-Chancellor had granted approval to the fee hike but it had to be rolled back because of a spurt of protests by various students' bodies. Before any discussion on the hotly debated issue of the appointment of deans could begin, Mr Rajinder Deepa, a member of the sub-committee concerned, stated that the Vice-Chancellor was authorised to make these appointments, provided he did not give an extension to the former deans. The Vice-Chancellor readily agreed to the proposal since granting extension to former deans would have complicated the controversial appointments. The Syndicate approved the appointment of three superannuated employees, Mr H.C. Sethi, Mr S.D. Sharma and Mr Sita Ram, while seven members, Mr Ashok Goyal, Mr Rajinder Deepa, Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, Dr R.N. Sharma, Mr Rajinder Bhandari, Prof I.M. Govil and Mr S.S. Hundal, recorded their dissent on granting approval to them. Prof G.S. Gosal, Prof N.N. Pangotra, Mr Chander Mohan Sharma and Mr T.R. Bajaj will continue till their contract expires later in the year, Prof B.S. Dhillon will continue for the current academic session while Prof R.L. Bagga and Mr J.R. Verma have not been granted extension after expiry of their contract. The resignation of Mr S.K. Bijlani has been accepted with immediate effect while Mr B.S. Ojha's services have been retained. The Syndicate decided to revert to the process of centralised admissions for B. Com. classes after a proposal from Mr Rajinder Bhandari. Also, Mr Deepa proposed granting 10 per cent additional seats in the B. Com. stream with a view to admitting more students in the much sought-after course. Other members seconded the idea and approval was granted. The decision will be implemented from this session onwards. Besides granting provisional extension of affiliation to various colleges, the Syndicate decided to constitute a committee to look into the available infrastructure with the colleges for running the BBA and BCA courses. This was proposed by Dr R.N. Sharma and seconded by Mr G.K. Chatrath and Mr S.S. Hundal. The remaining items were approved by the House without much discussion, though only half of the items on the agenda could be discussed. The degree of Doctor of Philosophy was awarded to 31 candidates. The members of the Syndicate observed two minutes' silence for martyrs who laid down their lives in the Kargil sector. The Syndicate decided to grant exemption in fee and in hostel fee for the direct descendants of these martyrs and approved the creation of additional seats in various courses run by the university in departments and colleges. The members felicitated Prof B.M. Deb, Department of Chemistry, on having been awarded a silver medal by the Chemical Research Society of India. The vital issue of
appointments of lecturers and readers has been kept
pending for the next meeting as also the issue of
condoning lectures of students of various departments.
Further, the case of students who had been admitted to
various courses in violation of the calendar was not
taken up because the Syndicate is not empowered to relax
the minimum qualifications with regard to admissions. |
Slums to
have 40 water taps PANCHKULA, July 30 — Faced with the problem of wide-scale theft of water by slum dwellers in Indira and Rajiv labour colonies here, the Public Health Wing of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) has decided to provide safe drinking water to the jhuggi dwellers. Under the scheme, Public Health officials plan to install at least 40 taps at different places in the slum area. The proposal was mooted after some cases of cholera due to contaminated water supply were reported from the colony. The colony residents have "unauthorisedly" punctured a water supply line passing precariously close to a dirty water nullah. In fact, the PGI authorities had intimated the district health authorities to check unhygienic conditions prevailing around the existing sources of drinking water in the colony. Even water samples taken by the Health Department from the colony had failed in the past. Terming the theft of water from the supply line as a law and order problem, an official of HUDA said the slum dwellers, while paying scant attention to the consumption of safe drinking water, had laid a network of pipes to carry water to their tenements. Now finding a solution to the long-pending problem without provoking the jhuggi dwellers, the Public Health wing has decided to install at least 10 standposts — four taps at each standpost. The scheme has been approved by the Chief Administrator of HUDA and the details to implement it are being worked out. The water supply line to the standposts would be laid in such a fashion that it does not come close to the dirty water nullah passing through the colony. Sources say that the
scheme, expected to cost over Rs 4 lakh, would involve
laying a 500 metre-long supply line, either on the outer
fringes of the colony or passing through it. It is likely
to be implemented in three months. The existing supply
from a tubewell near Budanpur village, which has been
punctured by the slum dwellers, would be closed and a new
supply line linking the standposts laid. |
Poll
schedule on August 11 CHANDIGARH, July 30 — A formal notification of the election schedule for the Chandigarh parliamentary constituency to be issued on August 11 will set the election process in motion. The city will go to polls on September 4, during the first phase of election, according to a press note issued here today. Following the special revision of electoral rolls, the total voting population of the city stands at 5,83,979, comprising 3,37,411 male voters and 2,46,568 female voters. Among the new voters in the revised rolls are 33,972 male voters and 21,843 female voters. Chandigarh is one of the 46 parliamentary constituencies, where electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be used for the first time in the entire election process, in accordance with the Election Commission's guidelines. These machines will be used at all the 643 polling stations, including auxiliary booths in the city. While 400 odd machines were already available with the department, the remaining have been brought from Bihar where they had been lying unused. Meanwhile, the
department will organise a series of awareness programmes
along with demonstration of EVMs for the benefit of
general public, polling staff and representatives of
political parties. With a view to highlighting the
mechanism of the machine's operation, the department has
planned to put up hoardings, distribute pamphlets and
ensure proper print and electronic coverage. |
‘India’s
Most Wanted’ held in city CHANDIGARH, July 30 — The Chandigarh police nabbed notorious criminal Varinder Singh alias Jyoti in Mani Majra. here today. He was wanted in four crimes, including two cases of murder in Delhi. The Delhi police had declared an award of Rs 50,000 on his arrest. He was declared a proclaimed offender by a court after he jumped parole in 1997. He had been featured in the television programme, India' s Most Wanted, last week. Mr Ajay Kashyap, SSP, HQ, said the police received a call on the newly-installed crime stopper cell telephone line, informing about the presence of the accused roaming about in a silver-coloured Maruti car (CH-OI-H-0783) in the city and its vicinity. The Crime Branch was alerted and a special team was constituted under Mr S.C. Abrol, DSP, and Inspector J.S. Cheema, incharge of the branch. Teams were deputed to trace the owner of the car. The car had changed many hands and after more than 10 days of endeavour, Varinder was caught at a naka set up near the housing board roundabout in Mani Majra. He was unarmed at the time of his arrest. The SSP said the well-built 29-year-old was staying in Himshikha colony near Pinjore with his pregnant wife and his two-year-old son. He was making a living by claiming to be an NRI money lender from Canada. The accused was running a guest house and a restaurant in 1993 in Azadpur market. He and his brother, Sukhwant Singh, were harassed for protection money by the Mohinder Singh Pehalwan-led gang. They refused to pay the money. One day, Mohinder Singh, accompanied by his associate, came to the restaurant and demanded the money. An altercation ensued, in which the brother duo beat up Pehalwan and his accomplice, who later succumbed to his injuries. They were charged of attempt to murder and spent some time in jail. In the meantime, Mohinder Singh, to avenge the death of his companion, tricked the brother-in-law and another relative of Varinder by expressing the desire for a compromise, into accompanying him to Barwala village on the outskirts of Delhi. He reportedly murdered them there. To avenge this double murder, Varinder and his brother shot at and killed Mazhar Khan alias Shera, an Afgan national, a notorious criminal and friend of Mohinder Singh, in broad daylight at the Tis Hazari Court complex in Delhi in 1997. The brothers fled from Delhi and remained underground but Sukhwant was caught by the police from Jalandhar a year later. Varinder managed to evade arrest for the last nearly three years. He was also wanted in the sensational gang killing of Jeetu of Delhi. He has been arrested under Section 41 of the CrPC. The Delhi Police has been informed about his arrest and a party is likely to reach the city by tomorrow morning. The police authorities
expressed their gratitude to the public. They were
thankful for the timely tipoff, due to which a notorious
criminal was put behind bars. |
Ahmediyas
give Rs 50,000 CHANDIGARH, July 30 — The Ahmediya Muslim Jamat, Qadian (Gurdaspur), today delivered a cheque of Rs 50,000 at The Tribune office for the Army Central Welfare Fund. The Ahmediya Muslim Jamat is spread over 164 countries in the world. According to Maulvi Tanvir Ahmad Khadim, Missionary in charge, Punjab and Himachal branches, every Ahmediya is a part of the country and loves it from the core of his heart and is absolutely faithful to it. “We are very proud of the officers and jawans who laid down their lives while defending the honour of the country. We have great sympathy for their families and are contributing our mite to their cause.We have so far donated Rs 5 lakh, out of which Rs 3 lakh has been sent to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund,” he added. Mr Aziz Ahmad, President of the Jamat Ahmediya, Chandigarh, and Mr Krishan Ahmad accompanied Maulvi Tanvir Ahmad Khadim. The Nagal Red Cross and the Hospital Welfare Society has contributed Rs 1.51 lakh to the Army Central Welfare Fund. Mrs Savita Ritolia, patron of the society, presented a cheque to the Deputy Commissioner of Ropar today. The Sector 38 Sri Guru Harkrishan Model School, Sector 38, contributed Rs 11,000 to the Army Central Welfare Fund. Meanwhile, Mr Harish Bhanot, President of the Sarvhitkari Siksha Samiti, has contributed Rs 5 lakh to the National Relief Fund. The money was contributed by students of various schools run by the samiti in Punjab and Chandigarh. Proceeds from a two-day culinary workshop organised by the Food Craft Institute, Sector 42 , for the benefit of the families of Kargil martyrs will go to the Army Central Welfare Fund. A sum of Rs 64,427 will be sent and this includes collections made from fees for the workshop, one-day staff salary and independent contributions collected through students, Mr Alok Shivapuri, Principal of the institute, said today. Staff members of the
Telecommunication Department, Chandigarh Secondary
Switching Area (SSA), have donated one day’s salary
for the welfare of the families of Kargil martyrs, The
PGMT, Mr Prithipal Singh, said Rs 1,67,529 will be sent
to the National Defence Fund. |
51 awarded
diplomas CHANDIGARH, July 30 — A total of 51 students were awarded diplomas in the disciplines of instrument technology, mechatronics and industrial automation and die and mould making at the 34th convocation of the Indo- Swiss Training Centre, at the CSIO here today. Besides, the Director’s Gold Medal and the Principal’s Silver Medal were given to two students in all three disciplines. While Umesh Kumar and Rohit Sandlesh got the two medals, respectively, in advanced diploma in mechatronics and industrial automation; Kamal Pal Singh and Balwinder Singh got it for advanced diploma in die and mould making; Deepak Sareen and Abhay Pal Singh for diploma in instrument technology. In his convocation address, Mr T.N. Mishra, Director, Regional Computer Centre, Chandigarh, lauded the role played by the centre in producing technologists of high quality. He said that in the wake of today’s fast developing technology, growing industrialisation and modernisation, engineers and technologists hold a prominent place in society. He stressed upon the need of making technical education more dynamic and responsive to national aspirations, objectives and goals. Earlier, while welcoming
the chief guest, Dr R.P. Bajpai, Acting Director, Central
Scientific Instruments Organisation, highlighted the
activities of the ISTC. He said that CSIO was in the
process of establishing a training centre similar to the
ISTC in Bardang, near Gangtok, in Sikkim. He later gave
away diploma certificates to the pass-outs. |
Parties join hands against
helmet order CHANDIGARH, July 30 — While an All-Party Helmet Joint Action Committee was formed today on the helmet issue, there was no let up in the ongoing agitation against making wearing helmets mandatory for women. Except the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), major representatives of all major political parties such as the Congress, the Janata Dal, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Shiromani Akali Dal and of different women organisations formed a Helmet Joint Action Committee to chalk out further strategy to protest against the helmet order for women. In a meeting at Sector 17 here today, the committee criticised the government and demanded that the implementation of the ‘black law’ regarding helmets should be revoked without further delay. It said the order was a direct interference in religious affairs of a community which could not be tolerated. The committee said it was a matter of shame that on one hand, the BJP and the SAD were allies, while on the other, the latter was not in a mood to relent on the issue. The committee threatened that if the order was not withdrawn, its members would defy the Section 144 and march to the office of the Adviser on August 2 to lodge their protest. The committee also urged the Administrator to intervene into the matter and solve it. Otherwise, if the situation deteriorated, the responsibility would lay with the UT Administration. Among others who attended the meeting included Mr Gurpartap Singh Riar, President of the local unit of the SAD, Mr Mata Ram Dhiman, President of the local unit of the BSP, Mr Rampal Sharma of the INTUC, Subhash Chawla of the Congress and Mr Subhash Kataria of the Shri Mandir Parbandhak Committee. Meanwhile, the local unit of the SAD organised an ‘anti helmet’ procession beginning from Dhanas village. Women participants, who were without helmets, offered themselves to be challaned by the police, which was accompanying the procession. The procession passed through Sarangpur, Khudda Lahora, Khudda Jassu, the PGI residential colony, and Panjab University campus before reaching judges’ houses in Sector 24 where the participants staged a dharna. Accepting the request of the police, the protesters shifted the venue to Sector 17, where leaders, including Mr Riar, Mr N.S. Minhas, Mr Subhash Chawla, Mr Dhiman and Mr Kataria addressed the gathering and criticised the alleged indifferent attitude of the government on the issue. Meanwhile, the chain fast started by members of the Sikh Nari Manch in front of the Sector 34 gurdwara entered its second day today. Participants took out a procession on two-wheelers from the Sector 22 gurdwara with a team of ‘gatka’ playing youngmen from Baba Deep Singh Akhara leading the procession. The protest took an interesting turn when coconuts were broken on the heads of women participants. The gathering was addressed by Mrs Harjinder Kaur, a local councillor, and Mr Rajinder Singh, President of the Gurmat Prasar Sewa Society. The Chandigarh Beopar Mandal has decided to support the demand of the women community that the orders regarding helmets should be withdrawn. The mandal urged the administration not to issue such controversial orders in future, said Mr Charanjit Singh, General Secretary of the mandal. Meanwhile, different
Sikh bodies such as the Sikh Missionary College, the Guru
Gobind Singh Study Circle, the Gurmat Prasar Sewa
Society, the Guru Granth Sahib Sewa Society, the Dashmesh
Sewa Society, the Young Khalsa Sewa Society, the Sukhmani
Sewa Societies, the Sukh Amrit Jatha, the Baba Deep Singh
Akhara, the Gurmat Mission, the Kalgidhar Sewa Society
and the Gur Kirpa Kirtan Jatha have termed the order as a
first step towards eradication of the Sikh tenets. These
organisations felt that Sikhs would have to wage a
relentless struggle to obtain their rights. These
organisations in a statement issued here today,
criticised the Punjab Government for not raising a finger
against the order. They alleged that Mr Satya Pal Jain, a
former MP, had not bothered to raise his voice against
the order, even as he had won the election with massive
support of Sikhs of the city. |
Shop Act
to be enforced ZIRAKPUR, July 30 — The state government has decided to enforce the Shop Act in the newly formed Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat under which the market would remain closed once in a week and no dhaba would be allowed to remain open after 11 p.m. This was stated by Mr Jasbir Singh Bir, Deputy Commissioner, Patiala, while hearing public grievances at a Sangat Darshan programme here today. The nagar panchayat is in contact with the Punjab Urban Development Authorities (PUDA) on the issue of release of power connection to various colonies and villages falling under the jurisdiction of Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat. He directed the Executive Engineer, Zirakpur subdivision, to submit a report to his office till Monday after discussing the issue with departmental authorities as well as PUDA. Fifty complaints were made by the residents out of which 27 were sorted out on the spot while the rest were marked to the officers concerned for consideration. On this occasion, the Zirakpur Welfare Association demanded a permanent new bus stand here. A number of residents of various colonies and villages complained that though the government had declare Zirakpur a nagar panchayat, they were not getting no objection certificates (NOCs) from PUDA for power connections. They demanded that in spite of PUDA, the newly formed nagar panchayat should issue NOCs to the colonies and villages falling in the nagar panchayat. Residents of Himmatgarh complained about the soil erosion due to floods and demanded to check it. Mr Nakshatra Singh, a resident of Badal Colony, sought the removal of high tension electricity wire crossing over houses in the colony. A deputation of employees of Sukhna Paper Mill complained that the management had not released their salary for 15 months and bonus for the past three years. More than 10 old-age pension cases were also taken up. Some aged persons of Zirakpur village, which has been shifted to Patiala, district now, had not got their pension. The DC directed the District Welfare Officer to shift their bank accounts from Ropar to Patiala within a week so that they may withdraw their pension from the banks in their respective areas. The Tribune Friends Co-operative House Building Society complained about the deplorable condition of the link road to their locality. Some representatives of the Bartana village demanded a new primary school as their children had to cover a long distance to school on foot. Mr Jaswant Singh, President, Lok Dal, alleged that some officers and employees of the Revenue Department were indulging in corrupt practices and charging commission for getting the land registries done. This was the first-ever
Sangat Darshan programme held at this town since the
inception of the nagar panchayat in which Mr Surjit
Singh, Administrator, nagar panchayat, Zirakpur, Mr
Gurdeep Singh Pannu, SP (Operation), Mr Sher Singh Sidhu,
SDM, Mr H.S. Bhullar, DSP, Mr Tej Prakash Singh Phoolka,
Assistant Commissioner, (Grievances) and other
departmental officers were present. |
Youth
behind 10 major burglaries held CHANDIGARH, July 30 — The Crime Branch has nabbed a notorious burglar involved in more than 10 major burglaries in various sectors of the city. The total amount of the goods burgled in these theft cases is estimated between Rs 7 lakh and Rs 8 lakh. According to police sources, the 24-year-old Mandeep Singh, a resident of Ramdass village in Amritsar district, had come to the city to study three years ago and was quite smitten by the city. The son of a farmer with a small land holding soon fell into bad company and began flaunting a lavish lifestyle. He was reportedly fond of the company of women and most of the money was spent on entertaining them. The money sent by his family was not enough to support the luxuries he indulged in and it was a matter of time before he took to crime. Tall, good looking and with a gift of the gab, he had no problem finding accommodations in the sectors he wanted to strike. He mostly posed as a student of the Department of Laws, Panjab University. He was presently residing in Sector 23. He reportedly ran a one-man show and he mainly struck in Sectors 16, 22, 23, 38 and 44 . He was produced in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Sat Prakash, who remanded the accused in police remand till August 8. The recoveries effected include a car, a scooter, jewellery, cellular phones, CD players, cordless phones, LPG cylinders, household electronic appliances, shares, Indira Vikas Patras and in one case the entire set of utensils in a house where a marriage was scheduled to take place. Mr S.C. Abrol, DSP, Detective, and Inspector J.S. Cheema, in charge of the branch, said they had been on the lookout for Mandeep for the past many days as he had given the slip to a police party in Sector 22 a couple of days ago. The case is also being handled by SI Balwan Singh. Acting on a tip-off on Wednesday, a police party laid a naka near a bridge on the Khuda Lahora road and signalled a person driving a scooter without wearing a helmet to stop. Since the person could not produce any documents of the scooter, he was taken in custody and questioned. Upon interrogation he confessed that the scooter was a stolen one and that he was involved in many other cases of burglary, they added. Describing the modus operandi, the officers said he used to target those houses where the couple were officer-goers and which were locked during the day. He used to break open the lock with the help of an iron rod and decamp with the goods. A car (DDQ 3089) stolen from Sector 23 and parked at the ISBT, besides a scooter, shares worth Rs 60,000 and one LPG cylinder have been recovered from his residence(3480, Sector 23). The other cases solved include theft of a scooter (CH-OI-Q-1394) from Sector 17, theft of 10,500 shares of different companies from the house of Mr M.S. Kadian. Police parties have been
sent to Amritsar, Delhi and Ludhiana to make recovery of
most of the goods disposed of by him in these cities.
Meanwhile, further investigations are on. |
Fear of
epidemic stalks villages RANI MAJRA, July 30 — The absence of a garbage disposal system in the periphery of Chandigarh may cause the outbreak of an epidemic. Scores of families in more than 10 villages are in the grip of diarrhoea, influenza and viral fever. The queues outside primary health centres are getting longer with every passing day. Residents of Rani Majra, Manauli, Shangariwala and other villages say despite their pleas to the district administration that the monsoon brings diseases like viral fever and malaria, no attention has been paid by the authorities towards solving the chronic problems of this area, especially the rural belt. A visit to the villages reveals pools of stagnant water and heaps of garbage in street corners and open spaces. In the absence of means of disposal, garbage fills the air with stink. Residents say repeated complaints to the panchayats over the past many months have been futile. In most cases, shortage of funds has been cited as the reason for the inaction by the panchayats. According to a teacher in a government school in Mullanpur-Garibdass village, household waste and cow dung is dumped in the bylanes and streets which have become breeding grounds for flies, insects and mosquitoes. The villagers also demand that the authorities should make some permanent arrangement for the disposal of garbage. Panchayat members say the garbage is dumped by sweepers employed by the panchayats on temporary basis. Owing to financial constraints, the number of safai karamcharis is less than required. Earmarked dumping sites are cleared once a month. The funds provided to panchayats have not kept pace with increase in population. Funds provided to the panchayats need to be increased, opine some panchayat members. The grants sanctioned by the state government reach the panchayats late, they add. The collected garbage is normally dumped outside the village but the villagers complain that no insecticide is sprayed on these dumps to check the breeding of insects. Residents of many
villages accuse panchayats of neglecting locals. a
sarpanch says the 'safai karamcharis' are not prepared to
accept wages lower than what is paid elsewhere. |
Gastro
cases in Palsora Colony SAS NAGAR, July 30 — Gastroenteritis is spreading in epidemic proportions in Palsora Colony, near here, if the figures of the patients reporting at the Phase VI Civil Hospital are to be believed. None of about 100 cases reported at the hospital since May, when the outbreak of the disease started, however, were of serious nature and all the patients were discharged after initial treatment or were being treated in the Out Patients Department (OPD) of the hospital. According to Dr Tirath Goyal, Chief Medical Officer, no case of gastroenteritis or cholera has been reported from SAS Nagar so far and all cases reported at the hospital were from Palsora Colony, the main reasons of which are lack of hygiene and contaminated drinking water. "On an average we are still receiving five cases a day, all of which were being treated in the OPD," said Dr Goyal, adding that in the absence of a dispensary residents of the colony, though falling in the UT area, were coming to the local hospital for treatment. Dr Goyal denied that the
number of gastroenteritis cases were unusual as during
the past years too, the average of cases reported at the
hospital was the same. "During last year we had been
receiving between four and five cases a day," said
Dr Goyal, adding that the contaminated water, mainly due
to improper storage and consumption of overripe fruit,
were the major sources of disease in the colony. |
Lunch
with Kapil, help martyrs' kids CHANDIGARH, July 30 — Have lunch with Kapil Dev with your family, get clicked and take autographs of the cricketer on your bats and balls tomorrow and help children of Kargil martyrs get foster parents. The Rotary Club Chandigarh Midtown and Kapil Dev have joined hands to organise a unique fund-raiser at the CII, Sector 31, tomorrow from 10.45 a.m. to 12 noon. Your family portrait with Kapil and autographs on the bat and lunch (maximum four persons) come for Rs 10,000 and family portrait with Kapil and autographs on the ball for Rs 5,000. The Rotarians have pledged to see children of our valiant troops through the formative of their lives, till they are settled by becoming their mentors, said the President of the club, Capt M.S. Kahlon (retd). With the help of the Director of Sainik Welfare, Punjab, Brig Kuldeep Singh Kahlon (retd), the club has identified such needy children and obtained concurrence of their guardians. Jatinder Singh, a 10-year-old son of Subedar Joginder Singh of 8 Sikh Battalion, who died while trying to regain Tiger Hill, is the first lucky child to be assisted in his education, medical needs and career placement. Belonging to Miani village in Hoshiarpur district, Jatinder has a brother studying in Class X and a six-year-old sister. Major-Gen A.S. Kahlon, club Director, said seed money of Rs 50,000 for the noble cause had been donated by Rotarian Ajay Gupta, a local entrepreneur, and other members were contributing in packages of Rs 11,000 and Rs 6,000. Next they would take on the responsibility of a girl child. Out of the funds so
collected, Rs 2 lakh is proposed to be placed in the
fixed deposit in the name of each child, the interest
from which would be available to the beneficiary till he
starts working. After that, the principal amount would be
passed on to the child. |
Palac
Shri to contest poll CHANDIGARH, July 30 — Palac Shri, a former Miss Chandigarh, has jumped into the election fray by announcing her candidature for the lone Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat. Within hours of announcing her candidature, she started her electioneering by visiting Burail village, where she held a corner meeting. "The political system is far from satisfactory. Politicians are corrupt. I want to do something for the old and the children, especially street kids," says Ms Palac, who was crowned Miss Chandigarh in 1992. "I have been brought up in political atmosphere. My father has been working for Mr Bansi Lal for the last three decades. I want to do something for my people. I think I have a fairly good chance against political stalwarts here," she adds. Miss Palac has signed a
film to be produced under Padmavati Banner and continues
to be in modelling. She has been closely associated with
theatre here and has played a lead role in Shyam Juneja's
'Gaj, Foot, Inch'. Ms Palac is among the first few to
announce their candidature for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha
seat. |
Jaundice
cases PANCHKULA, July 30 — Cases of jaundice have been reported at government-run hospitals, public health centres, dispensaries and private clinics in the district. At the local General Hospital at least 18 cases of jaundice have been reported in the past one month. The doctors at the hospital say that the cases, in the age group of two to seven years, were coming from different sectors, apart from Old Panchkula and slum areas. Teams of health officials have been sent to the houses of the patients to identify the cause of the disease, if any. According to the data available, at least 14 cases were reported from different places in the district during June. The corresponding figure of the number of cases during May was six. The Chief Medical
Officer, Dr H.C. Nagpal, when contacted, said the cases
of jaundice were on the rise. He said he had been daily
examining two cases of jaundice in his OPD. |
"Sawan"
singing contest on Aug 5 CHANDIGARH, July 30 — "Sawan" will be the theme of the contest for singers to select the "Malhaar Raja" "Malhaar Rani" of the region on August 5 at Tagore Theatre here under the aegis of the Majlis Journalists and Artists Association. Based on Hindi film songs, the preliminary rounds for female singers will be held at 10 a.m. and for male singers at 3 p.m. on August 4 at Tagore Theatre. The finalists will compete for the best-of-three in each category awards on August 5. The awards include attractive prizes like TV sets, two-in-ones, blankets, wristwatches. The participants must be
above 20 years of age and will be required to sing two
songs in the preliminary rounds. Outstation participants
will be provided board and lodging if need be. For entry
and other details contact phone numbers 548911 or 548777. |
SNIPPETS LLB, B Com results out CHANDIGARH, July 30 — The Panjab University declared the result of Bachelor of Laws, first and second semesters, and B Com III (Honours), here today. Copies of the gazette will be available at the new enquiry counter from August 2 during office hours on all working days. ‘Invest in small savings
schemes’ DERA BASSI, July 30 — Planned development of the state is possible only if public makes saving a habit, said Mr V.K. Bhalla, Director, Small Savings Punjab, while addressing investors and saving agents of Lalru, Banur, Mubarakpur and Dera Bassi here today. He said 75 per cent of the investment in small savings by any government could be availed as credit, which shows the wealth of a state. Mr Bhalla said the facilities of small savings would be implemented in the post offices. Post-office-related problems were also discussed by him. He urged agents to educate public about the small savings schemes and encourage them to invest in these. R.K. Saboo bereaved CHANDIGARH, July 30 — Mr R.K. Saboo, a noted industrialist and social worker, lost his father, Mr Tara Chand Saboo, at Calcutta recently. Mr Tara Chand Saboo was a close confidant and trusted lieutenant of Mr G.D. Birla and was identified as one of the pillars in management of the Birla group. He retired as Director in the Birla group after starting at the grassroot level. A special prayer meeting will be held at the Sector 36 Hare Krishna temple on July 31 from 2.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. Seminar on corporate restructuring CHANDIGARH, July 30 — The Chandigarh chapter of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry will jointly organise a seminar on “Corporate Restructuring” tomorrow at Haryana Niwas, according to Mr Parveen Gupta, Secretary of the Chandigarh chapter of the institute. The Commissioner of Income Tax, Chandigarh, Mr Ashwani Luthra, will inaugurate the seminar which will be presided over by Mr Ashok Khanna, President of the chamber. Eminent speakers from Delhi will speak on issue like amalgamation, absorption, take-over and reconstruction of companies. ‘Fill’ group D posts CHANDIGARH, July 30 — The Chandigarh Administration has directed all departments and offices to make recruitment against group D posts from amongst the work-charged and daily-waged workers of the Engineering and Forest Department, provided they fulfil the educational qualifications as prescribed in the relevant recruitment rules. ‘Give particulars of
servants’ CHANDIGARH, July 30 — The District Magistrate, Mr M. Ramsekhar, has made it mandatory for the residents of Chandigarh, including landlords, tenants and those running commercial establishments to furnish particulars of their domestic servants, helpers and part-time maid servants to the Station House Officer ( SHO) concerned in writing. The orders issued here today under Section 144, CrPC, will remain in force for a period of 60 days from August 2. Any breach of this order would invoke action under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code. Kros Fire-99 held CHANDIGARH, July 30 — As part of the year long silver jubilee celebrations of the St Kabir Public School, Sector 26, an evening of a “press conference” of students, followed by a prize distribution ceremony was held today at Tagore Theatre. The programme, “Kros Fire-99”, was organised by the former students of the school. The programme, which began almost an hour late, was followed by other hiccups like half-an-hour power failure in the auditorium. The programme began with a press conference, an inter-school competition, in which 12 students of different schools participated and came dressed as Bill Clinton, Rani Mukherji, George Fernandes, Bill Gates, Cindy Crawford, Kiran Bedi and Jayalalitha. After a long delay, caused by electricity failure, the evening progressed with a fashion show presented by students. The dance presentations of the students, on Harbhajan Mann’s ‘oye-hoye’ and Mika’s ‘boliyan’ were a great hit with the young audience. The chief guest of the evening was Mr Justice V.K. Bali of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, who also distributed the prizes. According to Mr Pankaj Chandgothia, president of the association, ‘Kros-Fire-99’ was the maiden event, organised by KROS in their inaugural year. This would be followed by a painting competition and inter-school cultural competition in October. The results of the press
conference were: Shekhar Nikhanj, St Kabir (1); and Rahul
Arora, St Kabir (2).
|
 |
 |
| 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 | |
