Insurgency claims Panchkula Major
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, June 26 — Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir has taken another life in its prime. The latest to join the list of martyrs is Major Sandeep Sagar, a resident of Sector 8 of the city. He was commissioned in 1 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry in June 1995.

The 26-year-old officer was posted at Naushera (Akhnoor). Yesterday, reportedly acting on information, he was leading his platoon, comprising another officer and four other ranks, on a mission to catch some insurgents. The information proved to be true and the company managed to catch some of the militants.

But while the patrol was on its way to the camp, one of the men stepped on a landmine planted by the militants. While the others were injured, Major Sagar succumbed his injuries received during the blast. The condition of the other officer is stated to be critical while the other men have been admitted to hospital.

Oblivious to the tragedy that had hit their family, Prof Harbans Lal, father of the deceased, his wife Raksha and daughters, Anjali and Garima, were vacationing at Manali. Also accompanying the Lals was the husband of Anjali. Prof Lal is the Head of the Department of Punjabi at DAV College, Sector 10, Chandigarh, and his wife is the Librarian at DAV College, Nakodar. Garima is a Class XII student. The major was the only son of Prof Lal.

The major, married in February 1997, had been joined by his wife, Ritu (24) and a year-and-a-half-old daughter Ria, only two months back. She is accompanying the body which is likely to reach the city late in the night. An avid sportsman, Sandeep was a first class NCC Cadet (C Certificate) and student of DAV College. He had represented the IMA cricket team. He was also a member of the team which toured England in October 1994. He did his schooling from DAV School, Sector 8. He was also fond of listening to music, according to some of this friends who had assembled to mourn his death.

Col Roy, an uncle of the deceased, who is posted at Meerut, said he received information from the parents of Ritu about the death of his nephew and immediately rushed to the city to make necessary arrangements as the house was locked. "He was a good boy, full of life and enthusiasm," he said.

Mr S. Marriya, Principal of DAV College, Bhatinda and a former colleague of Prof Lal, said he recieved the information yesterday and informed the Lals at Manali. In view of the heart disease of Prof Lal, it was decided that the news should not be broken right away. It was only conveyed to him that Mr Marriya's elder brother who is also the father-in-law of Anjali, was serious.

The Lals immediately set out for Chandigarh and on reaching the Marriya residence, were told that something was wrong at their residence. But, after reading the spot news at The Tribune about the death of a major in the Rajouri sector, the bereaved family had suspected that something was wrong. It was on reaching their house that the news was broken to them.

Wails could be heard from some distance from the residence of the Lals in Sector 8. Besides the neighbours, many relatives were also waiting for the arrival of the family. The grieving family members were consoled by those present but the inconsolable mother had to be carried inside as she repeatedly fell unconscious while calling out the name of her son.

The funeral of the hero will be held with full state and military honours at the Sector 20 crematorium at 12 noon tomorrow.

More residents honour Kargil heroes
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 26 — In appreciation of the valiant fight put up by Indian soldiers and airmen evacuated to Command Hospital, Western Command, Chandi Mandir, the Management of Gurdwara Sri Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib, Sector 34-C, Chandigarh, headed by Major N.S.Rangi (retd) distributed utility gifts.

They found the jawans in high spirits and highly appreciative of the efficient and humane treatment being given by the medical nursing and the paramedical staff.

Rs 40,000 donated: In another goodwill gesture, a delegation of city residents, led by Ms Ranjana Shahi, Councillor, Municipal Corporation, today called on Lt-Gen B.K.N. Chhibber (retd), Governor, Punjab and Administrator, UT, to present a collection totalling Rs 40,000, in aid of the Kargil war heroes relief fund, at Raj Bhavan.

The money has been collected from 305 households and various residents' associations, including, the Mohalla Sudhar Samiti, Sector Welfare Association, AWHO Society and Market Committee of Sector 47.

The Administrator said that such concern and feeling for those fighting on the icy slopes of Kargil-Drass and Batalik to defend their motherland, reflected the high morale, resolve and will of the people.

General Chhibber said India had given a befitting reply to Pakistan in the 1965 and 1971 wars, and in this intrusion in Kargil also, the Indian forces would defeat the nefarious designs of Pakistan, "which has a military government with a facade of democracy". He also said that India would not be blackmailed by the nuclear threat of Pakistan, because as a nation "we are big enough" to bear damages.

Job offers for kin: The 'We Care' committee under the chairmanship of Mr Surinder Bhakoo has contributed goods worth over Rs 2.5 lakh to the Command Hospital, Chandi Mandir and Air Force, Ambala, for the welfare of wounded soldiers of the Kargil operations. The committee has also procured job offers from various companies for the dependents of the Kargil martyrs.

Mr H.L. Dhammi, President, Senior Citizens Federation, North Zone, has also donated Rs 7,000 for the Prime Minister's Relief Fund for the aggrieved families of the jawans.

Staff contribution: Employees of the Hindustan Machines Tools and Haryana Civil Secretariat also contributed a day's salary for the war heroes relief fund. The employees of these organisations also decided to donate blood for the wounded soldiers admitted in the Command Hospital, Chandi Mandir.

In a similar gesture, Class IV employees of the Hospitality Department, Haryana, also decided to donate their one-day salary for the fund.

The Chandigarh Paint and Hardware Dealers Association also contributed Rs 1,11,000 for the fund.

Show for jawans: A design institute of the city has decided to dedicate an entire series of fashion shows to the Kargil heroes. The institute announced that all annual shows to be held across the country would include a special sequence for the Indian troops.

It has also announced free admissions to wards of soldiers who have been disabled permanently in the operations and a waiver of 50 per cent in the course fee for the wards of those who are fighting in the Kargil sector.

Prayers held: A large number of people held prayers at Shri Kaushlendra Sita Ram Mandir, Sector 19, for the soldiers fighting in Kargil.

A sum of Rs 15,000 was collected for the next of kin of those killed through the Prime Minister's Relief Fund-Kargil.

DERA BASSI

Donation assured: More than 50 persons from various government, non-government and social organisations at a meeting today assured Mr S. S. Sidhu, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, that they would donate to help the troops.

Mr Sidhu said a bank account would be opened to deposit the money donated by the residents of the subdivision.

The total amount deposited by July 15 would be sent to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund.

Where are the Shatabdi frills?
By Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 26 — New carpets will be rolled out when the Railway Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, travels from the Capital to Chandigarh tomorrow by Shatabdi Express, an elitist train, which, in the absence of proper upkeep and maintenance, has been reduced to a pedestrian train.

The rake to be used for minister's visit will certainly be different than what is used in routine. In less than a decade of its introduction, the Shatabdis have slipped from the pedestal of pride of the Railways.

The Kalka-Chandigarh-Delhi and the Chandigarh-Delhi Shatabdis have lost their punctuality. A delay of 15 minutes to over an hour are a routine.

Though the Railways had announced the introduction of electric engines on all Shatbadis running to state capitals, the same has not been done even after the deadline of March 31. The reason, the Ambala-Chandigarh track is yet to be fully elcetrified. Once this segment is elcetrified, the travel time between Chandigarh and the Capital is expected to be reduced by another 15 minutes to 20 minutes. Going by the schedule, the train should take three hours from Chandigarh to New Delhi and vice versa.

Punctuality wise, there is a visible deterioration in the upkeep and maintenance of coaches. Take for example, the Executive Class. With the exception of new coaches, the coach used in routine for this class has old and worn out carpets. These carpets at times stink.

In chair car the situation is deplorable. In most of the old coaches, folding tables are a good pastime. One has to remain busy in folding them back again and again as their levers normally do not work. Invariably, these tables, when unfolded, tilt on one side, making it difficult for a passenger to have his breakfast or lunch comfortably. Even cleanliness of the coaches leaves much to be desired.

The eyesore has been the positioning of pantry along lavatories. The food articles to be served to passengers mostly remain exposed with chances of infection spreading from the adjoining toilet.

There have been numerous instances, when toilets are without water. Soap solution is seldom there.

At times the authorities mix new and old coaches. The difference is obvious. The public address system and the music channel are used sparingly. There is no practice of informing passengers about the delay en route.

The revision of the tariff notwithstanding, the authorities have been unable to maintain the minimum standard of service. The disposal of train garbage is another area which has remained ignored totally.

It would have been a lot better had the minister decided to come unannounced and seen for himself the standard of service being maintained in train. Besides, those who frequently travel by this train, have been demanding persistently that an evening Shatabdi must be introduced from Chandigarh to New Delhi.

Private buses to get parking areas
By Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 26 — Tourist and privately owned buses, parked at every nook and corner of the city, including parks, roundabouts and open spaces, will now have permanent earmarked parking areas.

The Chandigarh Administration is all set to formally notify a new scheme under which the buses parked outside specified parking areas would not only face penal action but may even lose their permits. The notification is likely early next week.

At present, there are nearly 180 tourist and private buses registered in Chandigarh with the State Transport Authority. The busy Furniture Market intersection (Sectors 33 and 34) and the Sectors 21,22,34 and 35 intersection, besides the Inter-State Bus Terminus Intersection are the places where one finds a number of these tourist de luxe and air-conditioned coaches parked round the clock.

Besides, in some of the Phase II sectors, even open spaces and parks are being gobbled up by these private bus operators by continuous parking of their coaches. In certain areas, a large number of school buses remain parked.

Though the Administration is not proposing to levy any parking fee at the proposed designated areas, it would strictly enforce the new scheme so that these heavy public transport vehicles are not haphazardly parked at every available open space.

"In fact, these buses have become an eyesore," remarked a senior functionary of the Administration. The State Transport Authority proposes to issue more permits to raise the number of such buses plying from the city for various destinations to 300.

A spokesman of the Administration maintained that in future, when the new permits were given, a condition would be imposed that the bus would be parked only at the specified or designated area.

The violation of this condition may lead to the cancellation of the permit. The Administration at the time of notification of the scheme would identify the designated places in different parts of the city, making provision for four to 10 buses at each place.

All previous attempts by the Administration to regulate parking of these vehicles have been futile. The new scheme would also cover tourist coaches and private buses coming from outside and plying to or through the city.

In fact, various Welfare Associations, both of residents and shopkeepers, had been making numerous representations to the Administration against the unauthorised parking of these private, tourist and school buses, blocking the scanty parking areas in certain areas besides encroaching on parks and even open spaces in certain residential areas.

In fact, in some of the cases, these parking areas are used as areas of operation by these tourist coach operators. These vehicles are not only parked, but they are cleaned and washed at the place of their parking or their operational bases.

PUDA demolishes Kansal structures
Tribune News Service

SAS NAGAR, June 26 — In the biggest demolition exercise of the year, the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) today cleared about 100 acres of agricultural land falling in the periphery of Chandigarh of structures at Kansal village.

Structures such as boundary walls and residential buildings were allegedly raised by some colonisers in violation of the Periphery Act, according to which the land falling within a strip of 16 km from the boundary of Chandigarh cannot be used for any purpose other than agriculture.

The demolition operation lasted about three hours.

According to Mr Hardev Singh, General Manager (Regulatory) of the PUDA, the land which was being developed by colonisers for residential purposes by forming welfare societies had been cleared three or four times in the past. But this did not deter them from carrying on with the construction activity, due to which they were forced to undertake the demolition exercise.

He claimed that the construction on the land was done after December 10, 1998, the cut-off date fixed by the Punjab Government for the purpose of regularisation of constructions in the area.

The drive, in which six vehicles and a JCV were used, took off with razing to the ground about a 200-m boundary wall along the road leading to Kansal. A two-room office of a coloniser, claiming to be approved by PUDA, was the next to be razed to the ground, followed by another under-construction building, probably that of an amusement park. However, a big overhead water tank was not touched, with the officials saying that the demolition was 'symbolic' and was to discourage people against indulging in unauthorised construction activity in the periphery.

The next phase of the exercise, which did not invoke any resistance, comprised putting down parts of a few underconstruction residential buildings in the area. Buildings occupied by people, were, however, not touched, following requests by residents to Mr Deepinder Singh, Additional Chief Administrator, who gave them two days' time to vacate the buildings. After that, these would be demolished by PUDA.

While maintaining that the demolition activity will continue, Mr Deepinder Singh said no construction, even if it was done before the cut-off date, would be spared if it was done in an unauthorised colony. He also clarified that the process of regularisation was on but nothing had been finalised by the Punjab Government so far.

Neerja Bhanot awards announced
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 26 — The Neerja Bhanot Pan Am Trust today announced the names of Ms V. Gowramma of Bangalore and Ms Chandra G. Kanjilal of Anantapur district in Andhra Pradesh as winners of the Neerja Bhanot awards for 1998 and 1999, respectively.

The awards were announced by a jury comprising Justice Kuldip Singh, Prof M.M. Puri (Vice-Chancellor, Panjab University) and Ms Serla Grewal. The award carries a cash award of Rs 1.5 lakh, a citation and a trophy.

The awards will be presented in Chandigarh on September 7, Neerja Bhanot's birthday.

The award is presented annually to an Indian woman who is subjected to social injustice like dowry, desertion and faces the situation with guts and grits and makes a success of life by assisting other women in similar distress. It was set up in memory of Neerja Bhanot, a senior Purser in Pan Am Airlines, who made the supreme sacrifice in performing her duty with unprecedented dedication to her fellow human beings. She was aboard a Pan Am flight on September 5,1986 when the plane was hijacked by heavily armed terrorists at Karachi airport. She died while trying to assist passengers, including children, to escape from the aircraft after the hijackers opened fire. She has been the only woman recipient of Ashok Chakra, India's highest civilian award for gallantry.

The jury decided to confer the 1998 award upon Ms Gowramma, who along with her four-year-old daughter, after being deserted by her policeman husband, fought the case, traced out his two other wives and got him dismissed from service, got herself educated and started a women's organisation called Vimochana to counsel distressed women.

The 1999 award would go to Ms Kanjilal, an air hostess whose services were terminated after she resisted the behaviour of her seniors. After nine years of her marriage to a naval officer, she had three children. Since her husband took to heavy drinking, she took up a job in private sector where quick promotions followed. Her husband started spreading canards about her. In 1979, they got separated. She got a job in Chennai but later shifted to Delhi where she got a job in a five star hotel. Here again her boss made overtures which she resisted, extended her probation and levelled false charges against her and got her dismissed. She took the hotel to court and subsequently set up the Shree Sanghshema Trust in Andhra Pradesh which works in 26 villages helping women in distress.

The trust now proposes to set up a girls’ town.

12 masters re-promoted
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 26 — The UT Education Department has decided to re-promote 12 master-cadre schoolteachers to the lecturer cadre following a CAT judgement. As many as eight teachers have been served show-cause notices to create the necessary vacancies for adjusting the promoted teachers.

The teachers who will be re-promoted following the judgement are Mrs Shashi Bala, Mrs Suman Bansal, Mrs Pavittar Sharma, all lecturers in history; Mrs Tejinder Kaur and Mrs Vinod Bala, both lecturers in political science; Mrs Asha Jindal, Mrs Urmil Sharma, Mrs Ravinder Kaur, Mrs Santosh Salwan, lecturers in economics, Mrs Madhu Rama, lecturer in English and the late Mr Kulwinder Singh, lecturer in Punjabi.

They had earlier been reverted to the master cadre following an amendment in the rules in 1991.

The 12 teachers had been promoted as lecturers in accordance with a notification of February 15, 1991, which required master-cadre teachers who fulfilled the condition of 50 per cent marks in post-graduation. A month later, these rules were amended following the notification of March 26, 1991, and the previous condition of completing post-graduation with 50 per cent marks was eliminated and teachers were to be promoted on the basis of seniority.

CAT in its judgement has directed the Education Department to "consider the claim of the applicants for regular promotion to the post of lecturer under the statutory rules notified on February 15, 1991, and not under the so called amended rules as notified on March 26, 1991.''

However, the applicants will be considered for such promotion with effect from the date of the regular promotion qua the vacancies in question, which have been made by the department by wrongly applying the amended rules. It is further directed that in case the applicants are found eligible under the February notification, they will be granted all benefits as granted to those who have been promoted under the so-called amended rules.

Meanwhile, the department has served show-cause notices to eight teachers, who were promoted as lecturers according to the amended rules. They will be asked as to why they may not be reverted to the master cadre. These include four teachers in history, three in economics and one in political science.

Probe ordered into rape
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 26 — The Chandigarh Administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the gangrape of a patient at the Sector 16 General Hospital. All the three lift operators allegedly involved in the crime have been suspended.

Ms Geetanjali Kundra, Joint Secretary, Coordination-cum-Sub-divisional Magistrate (South), has been appointed the Inquiry Officer. She has been asked to submit her report within a week. She will look into administrative lapses, if any, that led to this sordid incident and suggest ways and means to prevent recurrence of such a crime in the General Hospital again.

When contacted, the Finance-cum-Health Secretary, Mr Rakesh Singh, who is also the Secretary, Engineering Department, said all the three lift operators who had been named in the First Information Report (FIR) by the victim, were placed under suspension. The suspended liftmen — Vijay Kumar, Dhani Ram and Liaka Ram — are also facing a criminal case.

Mr Rakesh Singh said further action would be taken on the basis of the inquiry report. The Administration, he said, had taken a very serious view of this incident. Though it was an isolated incident of its type, it could not be tolerated and exemplary punishment had to be given to the guilty so as to act as a deterrent for others, he added.

A 22-year-old married woman, who frequented the Sector 16 General Hospital for treatment, was allegedly gangraped by the three lift operators on the night of June 18 in the hospital.

Eucalyptus out, poplar in
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, June 26 — plant growers have switched over from eucalyptus to poplar. High commercial value and easy adaptability to climate of poplar trees is the reason behind this.

Experts feel that plant growers have switched over because of more requirement of water by eucalyptus. But the tall trees could be more beneficial in the areas facing water-logging problems.

Poplar trees are used mainly in the cardboard, safety matches and plywood industries.These were planted in most of the fields in Punjab after eucalyptus trees were grown in plenty. Farmers opted for poplar as eucalyptus led to decline in the water level.

Mr H.S. Gujral, Conservator of Forests, Shivalik Circle, says the water-absorbing capability of eucalyptus leads it to be called "bio-pumps". But persons do not take care of certain factors, the most important being spacing. More trees are grown for more yield but it affects the plants.

Entire tall plants (ETPs) of poplar are grown in January and February. On an average, it is recommended to grow about 200 plants per acre for best possible results, suggests Mr Gujral. Poplar trees need more attention as they grow rapidly. It has lateral and surface roots and it demands proper irrigation. The plant needs as much care as high-yield crops. eucalyptus is deep tap rooted. It needs more water and is hardy by nature.

Mr Gujral adds that the trees can also be planted in the fields but farmers should be more attentive. It is commonly observed that trees are planted in the fields, which affects the crop yield.

The mean annual increment (MAI) of poplar is 50 to 60 cubic unit metre per hectare per annum, which is highly beneficial to farmers. They can have more money from the plantation alongwith regular crops. The fully-grown poplar gets ready to be cut at the age of seven years, when it has a circumference of at least three feet.

Experts suggest that plant growers should opt for different varieties to avoid diseases. If the same variety of the plant is grown throughout the state, they are chances of these being hit by a similar disease and it could have a devastating impact. Mr Gujral says studies show that despite popularity of other varieties, poplar is the most suitable in the climatic conditions of Punjab.

SNIPPETS

No dharna, says court
From Our Correspondent

KHARAR, June 26 —Mrs Neelam Arora, Civil Judge of Kharar, has restrained the Municipal Council Employees Union and its members from staging dharna within fifty meters of the office of the local municipal committee.

This order was passed in a suit filed by Mr Ranbir Singh Kala, President of the Municipal Council of Kharar, today in which he pleaded that the committee had passed a resolution on June 24 for the suspension of Mr Avtar Singh, a clerk of the committee. After this, employees went on strike and were staging dharna in front of the office.

He alleged that on June 25, he and other members went to the committee office for discharging their duties but employees did not let them enter the office and raised abusive slogans. He alleged that no proper notice had been given by the employees before going on strike.

The judge has also restrained the employees from interfering in sewerage and water supply working, besides, pasting posters etc in the office premises.

Villagers want electricity
From Our Correspondent

KHARAR, June 26 — Many residents of Mundi Kharar village which falls in the Kharar municipal limits, in a letter to the Punjab Chief Minister yesterday, have demanded that the Punjab State Electricity Board should be directed to release electricity connections to various applicants without obtaining NOCs from PUDA.

They have written that Mundi Kharar village and Khanpur were brought under the municipal limits in 1976. Even then, these villages have been included in a list of 336 villages to which the PSEB has ordered not to release the connections without obtaining NOCs from PUDA. They have written that this list also contains the names of Fatehullapur, Desu and Majra Chajju Majra villages which were included in the municipal limits this year.

They have urged the Chief Minister to look into the matter and got this list amended according to the present municipal limits. They said PUDA was now not objecting to the sale or purchase of plots in municipal limits of Kharar. They said keeping this in view, electricity connections in these villages should be released to avoid any inconvenience to people.

Kansal reinstated
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, June 26 — The Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner of Chandigarh, Mr S.P. Kansal, who was placed under suspension in March this year, has been reinstated, official sources said here today.

Mr Kansal had been chargesheeted for proposing a hike in sales tax on medicines following allegations that he did so to benefit someone close to him doing medicine business at Panchkula. He had submitted his preliminary reply to the charge sheet.

The sources said there were some valid points raised in the preliminary reply on the basis of which the suspension of Mr Kansal had been revoked. Meanwhile, the inquiry into the allegations against him would continue as before, sources added.