& V I C I N I T Y
Monday, March 15, 1999
|
C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
|
Monday, March 15, 1999 |
| weather n
spotlight today's calendar |
 |
|
|
Babies bloom at spring show PANCHKULA, March 14 — It had all the ingredients of a beauty pageant. The contestants posed; their intelligence quotient (IQ) was tested and reflex were watched by a panel of judges. Plan to extend ‘apni beti apna dhan’ scheme CHANDIGARH, March 14 — The Chandigarh Administration may extend the benefit of “apni beti apna dhan” scheme to 100 more beneficiaries, in addition to 200 newly born girls already covered under the scheme during the current financial year. |
 |
|
|
Girl
killed, 50 injured in tractor mishap
Caring
for employees’ kids
Need
to befriend China stressed Residents
at their wits’ end Bartana
lacks civic amenities Barwala
a picture of neglect Phone,
billing cases at consumer mela Army’s
garden, flower show ends Cheating
case: Admn, IGP get notice
Machine
to test bone density |
||||||||||||||
|
|
 |
Babies bloom at spring show PANCHKULA, March 14 — It had all the ingredients of a beauty pageant. The contestants posed; their intelligence quotient (IQ) was tested and reflex were watched by a panel of judges. The event was not a Miss and Mr contest but a baby show organised as part of the two-day Spring Fest 99 which started at Town park in Sector 5 here today. Of all the events organised over the past two days, the baby show turned out to be the most popular event. At least 200 entries in the three different categories, varying from six months to four years, were received at the baby show. Dressed up in their festive best, the little angels had there moments too. The parents could be seen heeding to their “demands” of wards — least they refuse to put up their best on the occasion. The contestants were judged for their mental alertness, hygiene, behaviour and, of course, for overall performance. Besides, the revellers enjoyed the cultural events organised at the garden. A number of people could be seen at the stalls selling eatables outside the garden. A hasya ras sammelan by children, antakshri and folk dances were organised at the Yavanika open air theatre here. In the evening, the Chief Secretary of Haryana, Mr R.S. Verma, gave away prizes to the winners of different contest held during the festival. He lauded the role of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) for organising the event. Meanwhile, as the crowd swelled a large section of the audience could be seen standing. At the end of the function
representatives of the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB)
complained that they were deprived of the overall trophy
in the flower show. |
Plan to extend ‘apni beti
apna dhan’ scheme CHANDIGARH, March 14 — The Chandigarh Administration may extend the benefit of “apni beti apna dhan” scheme to 100 more beneficiaries, in addition to 200 newly born girls already covered under the scheme during the current financial year. Though the scheme was introduced during the last financial year, the budgetary allocation of 1997-98 remained unutilised in the absence of notification of the scheme. The Administration has adopted this scheme from neighbouring Haryana. Under the scheme, any girl-child born in a Scheduled Caste family in Chandigarh entitles her to a saving bond of Rs 3,000 under the Unit Trust of India Child Growth Fund. The bond matures after 18 years and remains in the name of the girl. The scheme was formally implemented and introduced this year. During the current financial year, the Department of Social Welfare, which monitors this scheme, received 300 applications. Of these, 200 have already been issued UTI bonds for Rs 3,000 each for 100 per cent utilisation of the funds earmarked for the scheme for the current financial year. “We are now contemplating to extend the benefits of the scheme to the remaining 100 applicants also,” a senior functionary of the Administration said. While the “apni beti apna dhan” scheme has got overwhelming response, another scheme — free education scheme for meritorious Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes students — did not get sufficient response. This scheme was announced by the Adviser to the Administrator, Mr Jagdish Sagar, during his Independence Day speech. Under the scheme any SC or OBC student, who clears plus two examination in his or her first attempt by securing 60 per cent marks from any recognised institution in Chandigarh after studying here for two years is entitled to special financial incentives. Other conditions of the scheme are that the total annual income of his or her parents should not exceed Rs 75,000 per annum. The parents should be bona fide residents of the Union Territory of Chandigarh and the beneficiary must have secured admission to any professional course like MBBS, BE, BDS or MCA. The beneficiary student gets an annual lumpsum allowance of Rs 2500, monthly pocket allowance of Rs 250 and reimbursement of admission fee subject to a maximum of Rs 20,000. Purchase of books, reimbursement of tuition fee and other annual charges are also admissible under the scheme. Though the scheme was well publicised, the Administration received only 11 applications. A committee headed by the Home Secretary, Mrs Anuradha Gupta, and comprising Director Social Welfare, Mr Prithi Chand, and Director Public Instruction (Colleges), Mr D.S. Mangat, as its members scrutinised all these applications and found two SC candidates eligible under the scheme. No candidate from the OBC was found eligible. Mr Kiranjit, a student of
Government Medical College, and Mr Suresh Kumar, a
student of Bachelor of Engineering at Punjab Engineering
College, thus become the first two beneficiaries under
this scheme in the year of its inception. |
Private colleges ‘have an
edge’ CHANDIGARH, March 14 — While most top positions in the exams of Panjab University, at the graduate-level are wrested by students of three local colleges — two private and one government — it is rare that a star shines from the remaining colleges. The reasons, say lecturers, are socio-economic background of students, red-tapism in the government sector and prompt action by managements of private colleges. Mrs Sushma Sethi, a lecturer at MCM DAV, contends, “There is greater efficiency in the private sector and this is true for all areas of activity. It is no secret that the government runs into losses in everything it undertakes and this is what ails government colleges.’’ Her colleague, Mrs Usha Gupta, adds, “You require good ingredients to bake a good cake and we, in our college, get the best students from all around.’’ Mr SC Mahajan from DAV College, says, “Teachers in private colleges have an opportunity to show improved results while teachers in government colleges keep shuttling between colleges on account of transfers which are frequent”. He, though, is quick to say that in private colleges we have ad hocs taking most classes and they are very particular about taking their classes religiously otherwise they will be shown the door. Another argument in support of better results from these colleges is the strict disciplinarian role of the principal which gives little rope to the teachers. Citing this as a closed system with little opportunity to the student to allow for the development of mind, Dr AK Shaida of the Government College for Girls, Sector 11, opines,``Our endeavour is to encourage the child to think for himself, decide the rights and wrongs of things and this is why our students are better placed in the long run, a few marks here or there, in academics, do not make a big difference.’’ A veteran in the field of teaching, Mrs Binder Chhabra, of Government College, Sector 46, said better results in private colleges were on account of the bright students they attracted. This is due to the reputation they had built over time by admitting students with high percentages. “The teachers are the same in all institutions. My result in this college will not be as good as it was when I was teaching at GCG-11 because we do not get brilliant students here. It is not that I am not giving my best or that my technique is not more student-friendly. At the most, the students will perform better in the forthcoming exams though no miraculous change can be expected,’’ she explains. Another lecturer from the Government College for Girls, Sector 42, Mrs Rama Kaushal says, “Students in our college come from surrounding villages and they can’t be expected to have the same intellectual level as their counterparts studying in the best colleges of the city. Then, again, we have no cut off percentages, and end up admitting all those who apply for admission.’’ A chronic complaint voiced by all lecturers working in government colleges is the large number of students they are required to cater to which is a stumbling block for many as individual attention is little. Mr V.K. Gupta says a large number of students is a double-edged knife — it gives better over-all results, though it is a problem managing them. The more the number, the higher the pass percentage of the college concerned. Mrs Shashi Kiran Vermani of Government College, Sector 11, says, “There are only two private colleges showing good results. The rest of them are just like us and the pass percentage in our colleges is sometimes higher. We are working more than the teachers of private college because we get students from the lower strata of society and there is a major problem in putting across our point. Everything has to be translated in Hindi for them to grasp the point the teachers are trying to put across.’’ “Could teachers from
private colleges, showing good results in these colleges,
produce the same results here ?’’, she asks. |
31,000 kids given polio drops CHANDIGARH, March 14 — The UT Health Department, with active support from voluntary organisations and a team of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), today administered additional polio drops to around 31,000 children living in various slums and villages in the union territory. Teams of the Health Department fanned out in the villages and slums. They went from door to door to administer the drops to children below five years of age. The ones who were left out would be covered tomorrow, a spokesperson of the department said. The additional drops are being given as three cases of polio were reported in the slums in Chandigarh. The Government of India has asked all states to repeat the polio drops in affected pockets. A unique feature of today’s campaign was that people brought along their children, who had crossed five years of age. No one was refused and another 2,000 children above the age of five were also administered the drops. A team of the CRPF
organised it’s own camp where they administered
polio drops to about 4,400 children. The CRPF also
provided communication network for the teams moving
around the city. |
Girl killed, 50 injured in
tractor mishap PANCHKULA, March 14 — A five-year-old girl child died and 50 others were injured when the tractor-trailer in which they were travelling overturned near Pinjore here this morning. According to the information available the occupants of the trolley were going from Mullanpur in Ropar district of Punjab to a village in Pinjore when the hook of the trailer broke off near Kholmolla village leading to the mishap. The deceased has been
identified as Sarabjit Kaur. Of the 50 persons who
received injuries at least 28 have been admitted to the
PGI in Chandigarh. The condition of three of the injured,
whose name could not be ascertained, is reported to be
serious. |
PU teaching styles
‘monotonous’ CHANDIGARH, March 14 — Students of Panjab University feel that teaching styles are too drab to sustain their interest in classes. They would rather do with self-study under the “mechanised system”. A cross-section of students interviewed by this correspondent at the campus felt that hackeyened syllabi and monotonous approach towards delivery of lecturers by a large number of teachers were deterrents which contributed significantly to non-seriousness on the part of students. Jagdish Chatha, a student of the Department of Laws, says “teaching process is boring”. The methods have not evolved properly. Students go for lecturers more out of fear of being denied roll numbers than out of genuine interest. This was true of a vast majority of average students. Chatha feels that the teaching style of a teacher was of great importance. “It is not interesting that a couple of teachers in all departments were so popular that no one liked to miss their lectures?” “These teachers usually come well prepared with their lectures and are full with daily life examples”. Jagjit Singh agrees with Chatha. He says it is unfortunate that computers are not being utilised for teaching purposes in one of the most premier institutions of the country. He says students should be allowed to evaluate their teachers. This should not be a comment on their qualification, but used by teachers themselves as a device for self-improvement. Ashok Rawat, a student of Masters in Business Administration (Evening classes), feels that the teaching styles had very less to encourage students. The syallabi in a number of practical courses had little relevance as teachers bothered little to know about the applications in the field. Delivering theory lectures based on texts which remained unrevised for several years can only be understood as a “job-like approach” which went little with the image of academicians. Rawat is , however , of the view that attendance should be made compulsory for students as well as teachers. A number of teachers arrive late for the class. A computerised punching machine should keep an account of the actual lectures delivered as well as the number attended. Rawat also subscribes to evaluation of the teachers by students. “Gossiping and politics is another malice among a section of teachers “, he feels. Narender Shura, another student, however differs on this issue. “There is a possibility that strict teachers who were particular about classes might get adverse reports while those who were casual manage good ones”. Mahender Kumar feels that teachers are often not available in the departments for consultations after they were through with their assigned lectures. They should be available at least during the total teaching hours in a day. Saurabh Jerath, a student of the Botany Department, said unless the courses were job-oriented and gave assurance to students there was little that could be done. Kiran Kumar, a student of the Department of Gandhian Studies, said the teaching methods were definitely “not up to the mark.” The teachers were becoming too monotonous and out of tune with the present times. He says it would not be wise on the part of students to evaluate teachers because they were seniors in every respect. But, teachers who are “seniors” should sit together to come out with a definite action plan regarding a problem which is largely accepted. Ms Geha, a student of the
Department of Psychology, said it depends on teacher to
sustain interest in his students. |
Caring for employees’ kids CHANDIGARH, March 14 — The presence of day-care centres for small children in two government offices of the city reflects the sensitivity of these offices towards working parents. Though the actual working of these centres is seemingly wanting in areas of hygiene and proper maintenance, the very existence of such day-care units seem to please most parents. The Anindita creche, set up in 1994, in the office of the Accountant-General (A&E), Punjab, Chandigarh, Sector 17, caters to 23 children of the office employees. The creche has space for two separate rooms for play and sleep, along with an attached kitchen and a toilet. The large rooms for children, complete with toys and bedding look quite comfortable, but the stink from the almost-waterlogged toilet is overpowering. The authorities claimed that the stench was not coming from the creche, but from “some pipes” running underneath the rooms. Mr GS Rupyal, the project Welfare Officer, says the charges for the creche are Rs 225 per month for up to one-year olds and Rs 175 for the age group of one to seven years. The A&E, Punjab, Chandigarh, does not have any separate budget provision for this project, but “we sometimes spend from the joint budget provided for sports and recreation though we try to make do with the earnings of the creche itself”, said Mr Rupyal. “I am quite happy that I have a place where my grandson can be looked after, since my daughter, a doctor, has long working hours”, said Mrs Kamlesh Khanna, an employee working in the Welfare Section. She had come to look up her six-month old grandson in the lunch break. In the Central Revenue
Building, Sector 17, the Indian Revenue Services Ladies
Association (IRSLA) has opened a creche by the name of
‘Thumak’. It has children from the age group of
six months to seven years of not only parents working in
that building, but also outside. Bright rooms, colourful
paintings on walls, bunk-beds, in which even mothers can
be found cuddled with their little ones during the lunch
hour, a kitchen and swings seem to come at a reasonable
price of Rs 200 per month for children above the age of
one year, and Rs 250 for those below one year. |
BJP govt stable: Naidu CHANDIGARH, March 14 — Accusing the Opposition of trying to destabilise the BJP-led coalition government at the Centre, the BJP General Secretary and spokesman, Mr M. Venkiah Naidu, today hoped that the government would last its full term of five years. "After the defeat in the elections, the frustrated Congress and Communist parties, despite their differences, have come together and are behaving in an irresponsible manner with the sole aim of defaming the government," Mr Naidu alleged while addressing a press conference at the State Guest House here. He claimed that despite limitations, the BJP had provided a stable government and an able leadership in the past one year. This was despite communal, casteist and corrupt forces joining hands to pull down the government from the day one, he added. Answering questions on the Bihar issue, the Rajya Sabha MP accused the Congress of having double standards on the issue. Except the RJD, all major political parties wanted the dismissal of the Rabri Devi Government. Even the Patna High Court had termed Mrs Rabri Devi's rule as "jungle raj", Mr Naidu said. The Government wanted to have an early poll in the state and the imposition of President's rule was only a stop gap arrangement. Though the BJP had to reinstate the Bihar Government, its credibility had gone up, he claimed. Regarding the shifting of the Bihar Governor, Mr S.S. Bhandari, he said Mr Bhandari wanted to be relieved from the charge of the state. He said that his successor should be a "tough man". Listing the achievements of the government, which will complete one year on March 19, he said the Lok Pal Bill, the Urban Land Ceiling Act, the Patents Bill and the Companies Law Amendment Bill had been introduced by it. Similarly, the resolving the Cauvery waters, dispute , the nuclear tests and a "popular Budget" were its other achievements, he added. Regarding the river dispute between Punjab and Haryana, he advocated the formulation of a national river waters policy. Talking about the imminent split in the SAD, Mr Naidu said the BJP did not want the Akalis to split. He hoped that the Akalis would sort out their differences, adding that the BJP would help them in all possible manners. He said he was surprised at the withdrawal of support by the Indian National Lok Dal led by Mr O.P. Chautala. Since Mr Chautala had been a victim of Congress policies, he should not do anything to strengthen the Congress, he added. Regarding the "split" in the local unit, he said since he was not in charge of Chandigarh, he was not in a position to comment on the issue. Earlier, addressing a poorly-attended rally at the party office in Sector 33 here, comprising mostly colony residents, he accused the Congress of ruining the country during the past 50 years and said despite differences, the BJP was the only stable party. The local MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain, warned officials who he said were "harassing" hundreds of footpath workers. The foundation stone of the Chandigarh-Ludhiana rail link would be laid next month, he added. The party President, Mr Dharam Pal Gupta, and a former Mayor, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, were among those who spoke on the occasion. In the morning, Mr Naidu
was received at railway station by the Mayor, Mr Kewal
Krishan Adiwal, the Senior Deputy Mayor, Mr Kanhya Lal
Sharma, the Deputy Mayor, Mr Bachan Singh, Mr Jain, Mr
Dharam Pal Gupta and Mr Gian Chand Gupta, among others. |
Need to befriend China stressed CHANDIGARH, March 14— “India and China together constitute almost 40 per cent of the world’s total population. And if these two countries were to come together, they would not only ensure peace and prosperity in the region, but would also prove to be a barricade against the United States”, said Mr S.S. Mahapatra, a former member of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, at a press conference at the ICSSR complex, Panjab University, today. As part of the Shri Tarachand Memorial lecture series, organised by the Indo-China Friendship Association, Mr Mahapatra will deliver a lecture tomorrow at the Panjab University campus. At the press meet today, he said it was foolish to make statements like “China is our enemy number one”. “And even if Pakistan is being provided with technical aid in the nuclear race by China, it does not mean that China is not our ‘friendly neighbour’”, he said. Mr Mahapatra said both India and China had lost many chances to “befriend” each other, and it had become imperative that a dialogue be initiated on the Line of Actual Control (LoC). He also said besides being friendly, India needs to move in a realistic and cautious manner. Maintaining that the
relations between India and China had always been viewed
with a “myopic view”, he said since the Dalai
Lama was demanding autonomy for Tibet within the Chinese
framework, this issue had been a “permanent
pinprick”, and needed a review. |
Residents at their wits’ end CHANDIGARH, March 14 — The residents of Sectors 8 and 9, especially those who live across the under construction showrooms along the Madhya Marg, are at their wits end to curb the menace of insanitary conditions spread by the labourers. Several showrooms are under construction in these sectors and hundreds of labourers in the construction activity are virtually without proper sanitary facilities and therefore a source of nuisance to the residents. Over a period of time several jhuggis have sprung up on the vacant areas and are eyesores. Residents complained that despite several reminders to the authorities nothing concrete has been done to either remove them or provide them facilities inside the shops which have been constructed. The authorities or the owners should make alternate arrangements for the labourers, residents say. The major problem is the lack of bathrooms and toilets in the absence of which the labourers defecate in the open spaces adding to the insanitary conditions. The half naked men take their bath in full view of the womenfolk of the houses who may happen to be standing in front of the houses. It is very embarrassing to see the men answering to the call of nature in the early hours when residents are taking their morning walk. In Sector 8, the labourers have constructed a water tank which is used to wash their clothes and all the water is thrown on the road. Water stagnates for days together as all the manholes have been choked with debris and from the digging of the basements. The road berms too have been covered with refuse, residents pointed out. Another problem raised by the residents was regarding noise pollution and power fluctuation. The power to the showrooms have been given from the existing power lines and the heavy machinery used for construction, which starts early morning and carries on till quite late at night, is responsible for the fluctuations. As a result of which costly electrical gadgets get damaged. The labourers are in the habit of putting their radio at full blast, disturbing the sick and the elderly. The students preparing for their examinations too are disturbed. The labourers are also in the habit of playing dholaks at night, depriving the residents of their sleep. At times such sessions carry on till the early hours. A resident pointed out that some of the labourers have a pet dog which is in the habit of biting passers-by and many children have become unwitting victims of the canine. Requests to keep it chained have failed to have any effect. They have appealed to the
authorities to do something in this context at the
earliest. |
Bartana lacks civic amenities ZIRAKPUR, March 14 — Haphazard growth of residential colonies and lack of civic amenities have rendered Bartana a poor cousin of Chandigarh. Having a population of about 5000, Bartana lags behind in developmental activities. Link road to this place needs attention as it has developed potholes. Water supply is far from satisfactory. Certain parts in the area are without water as the panchayat is unable to provide them fresh water supply. Mushrooming of several colonies here has become a matter of concern for residents. Rajeev Kumar, a local resident said,”waste from construction activity lies on the main road”. Residents complain that bus service to the area is poor.”Bus comes here only four times a day and that too after a gap of two hours each,” said M.M. Kashyap, a government school teacher. Residents also complain against a brick-kiln located residential area. Power supply in the area, said Rahul Garg, a local resident, is not up to the mark.”The situation worsens during summers.” No government dispensary operates in the area. Residents have not even been provided with a letter box and they have to go Zirakpur for the purpose. Trucks parked near the
link road from Zirakpur pose a serious threat to
passers-by as unloading from trucks to carts is done.
According to Tarsem Kumar, another resident,
“complaints to the authorities have not resulted in
any action.” Trucks parked here belong to kiln
owners coming from different places to sell bricks. They
have selected the spot because of construction work in
the area. |
Barwala a picture of neglect BARWALA, March 14 — This mofussil town, which enjoys the status of a sub-tehsil, is a picture of neglect on part of the government. Civic amenities exist here only on paper. The condition of roads, bus stand, street lights and the drainage system of the town is pitiable. Heaps of trash and garbage can be seen at different places in residential areas of the town and the market. Roads branching towards Dera Bassi, Panchkula and Naraingarh need repairs. Knee deep potholes dot the road in front of the local bus stop, which functions from a ramshackle shed. The problem aggravates during the monsoons when even a light shower is enough to fill the potholes with muddy water. Mrs Geeta , a school teacher, complained that during the rainy season roads turn into a mud track and accidents are common. Mr Shyam Lal, former chairman of the local Market Committee, complained that street lights of the town are not maintained properly. Mr Sadhu Ram, a shopkeeper, said the drainage system of the market had been blocked for the past several months and representations to the Public Health Department had failed to evoke any response. Insanitary conditions prevail here due to a large number of garbage dumps. Mrs Veena Rani, Sarpanch
of Barwala, said cleanliness operations in the town and
development works had taken a back seat as the area falls
in the constituency of Mr Chander Mohan, Member of
Legislature Assembly and a son of Mr Bhajan Lal. |
Phone, billing cases at consumer
mela CHANDIGARH, March 14 — The Punjab Finance Minister, Captain Kanwaljit Singh, here today formally inaugurated the four-day-long consumer awareness-cum-sale mela, organised by the local Consumer Forum in collaboration with the Chandigarh Administration and Municipal Corporation at Nehru Park, Sector 22-B. The fair has been organised as part of the 11th annual Consumer Day, which falls tomorrow. The minister announced a grant of Rs 51,000 for undertaking various consumer welfare activities. He appreciated the role of volunteers associated with the Consumer Forum for undertaking such a project. He visited various stalls put up at the venue and released a souvenir Earlier, while welcoming the chief guest, Mr Jaidev Singh, Secretary-General of the forum, highlighted the activities of the forum during the past two decades and also the number of complaints settled without going to court. A total of 60 awareness-cum-sale counters have been set up at the complex. While most of the stalls dealing with consumer durables are offering products at concessional rates, about 16 stalls of various government and non-government organisations deal with campaign awareness. The complaint registration and information centre drew large crowds as people kept coming there for redressal of complaints and guidance. The two-day free medical check-up camp, being organised by the Consumer Forum and the Senior Citizen Health Care Centre of the Servants of People’s Society, drew a good response from the senior citizen’s of the city on the first day today. As many as 80 persons were examined by a team of doctors and provided consultation free laboratory services for checking blood sugar, cholesterol, ECG, X-ray facilities, besides free medicines. About 65 persons went in for a dental check-up at a free dental consultancy camp. “Khula manch” programme was organised in the evening, which provided the consumers a forum to air their grievances to the Telecom Department. Most of the complaints pertained to excess billing, delay in rectifying faults, delay in installing new connections and filling up of the trenches dug for putting cable wires. They also appealed to the department to check the behaviour of junior officers and improve the efficiency of the department. The Public Relations Officer of the forum, suggested that the maximum time limit for replacing the instrument may also be fixed. Mr Prithipal Singh, Principal General Manager (Telecom), said we now have a capacity of 1,75,000 connections whereas 1,45,000 connections are working. He talked about intelligent network in which toll-free service and virtual calling card facility-coded card could be used from any telephone. He assured subscribers that many new facilities would be added to the present network. Mr H.S. Ahluwalia, President (Complaints), brought it to the notice of the PGM that many subscribers had not yet received the telephone directories and that the complaints were not even being acknowledged. The day concluded with
folk songs and dances by the song and drama division of
the Government of India. |
Army’s garden, flower show
ends CHANDIGARH, March 14 — The three-day garden and flower show organised by the Army at Chandi Mandir concluded today. The display of potted plants and flowers followed by the prize distribution by Mrs Kusum Kala, President of the Army Wives Welfare Association, Western Command, were the highlights of today’s activities. Speaking on the occasion,
Lieut-Gen HB Kala, GOC-in-C, said with its charming
gardens and ornamental and flower plants, , Chandi Mandir
was one of the most beautiful cantonments of the country.
It was everybody’s duty to promote conservation of
environment and maintain clean surroundings. |
Cheating case: Admn, IGP get notice CHANDIGARH, March 14 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued notice to the Chandigarh Administration and the Inspector-General of Police, Mr R.P. Singh, for March 31 on a petition filed by Dr Mahesh Batra. Dr Batra had urged the court to order a CBI investigation into the case of alleged cheating and forgery by his brother, Mr Naresh Batra. In his petition he had alleged that efforts were made to scuttle the case for “extraneous reasons”. This petition had come up for hearing before Mr Justice K.S. Kumaran. Dr Batra further alleged that “unscrupulous attempts” were made to cancel the first information report. He further alleged that the investigating officer was being pressurised to “write tailor-made reports”. He also alleged that after the death of their father on August 10, 1993, Mr Naresh Batra, installed himself Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the firms owned by their father. “The shares of I and his family were transferred from companies which had assets worth crores of rupees into a company which had no assets,” the petitioner stated. Dr Batra further alleged
that Mr Naresh Batra had evading returning certain signed
documents, papers and original share certificates to him. |
Honey no more sweet for
bee-keepers DERA BASSI, March 14 — Bee-keeping, which has been providing employment to thousands of youths, has run into rough weather. The weather has hit it during the past three years. When one approaches Ambala or Yamunanagar, the fragrance of honey fills the air. This profession has been developed on a large scale in villages like Barwala, Jalauli, Sultanpur, Kami, Alipur, Rehawar, Sarkpur, Haripur, Fatehpur and Samgholi, and towns like Naraingarh, Yamunanagar, Shahbad, Lalru, Mandi-Gobindgarh and Hoshiarpur. Bee-boxes can be seen along the roads in the fields. Bee-keepers place bee-boxes in fields where they find plenty of flowers. In the area around Barwala, there are more than 250 bee-keepers. Almost every resident of this belt owns 5 to 10 bee-boxes. To collect nectar from seasonal flowers, they have to shift to a number of places. They collect four flavours of honey — “toria”, mustard, sunflower and eucalyptus — from mid-October to May-end. During the winter they collect honey for their own consumption and feed bees with sugar. To collect khair flavour, they move to the Shivalik hills. The white honey collected from “chhichari” flowers, found in the Kangra and Chamba belts in Himachal Pradesh, is the costliest. Experts say white honey contains ayurvedic ingredients. Mr Panni Lal of Jalauli village, who has 1,200 bee-boxes, says that the chilly and foggy weather claims the insects. The last three years have hit the bee-keepers. Moreover, cutting of flower-bearing trees for domestic use has resulted in less production of honey. Earlier bee-keepers collected honey four times on an average but the average has now been reduced to twice. Mr Bhagwan Singh, a bee-keeper from Jubbal in Shimla district, who has placed 200 bee-boxes near Bhankharpur here, laments that due to fluctuating rates, bee-keepers face a lot of problems. He complains that big companies purchase honey at Rs 2,600 per quintal, which is less than the production cost. Earlier the rate of honey was Rs 4,500 per quintal. Dr Shiv Raj Sharma, a bee-keeper from Barwala, says that bee-keepers face a problem in marketing their produce here. To get reasonable rates for it, they have to seek different honey-consuming companies in Delhi, Ludhiana, Saharanpur, Hoshiarpur and other cities. Mr Anil Kumar Sharma, a
diploma-holder in bee-keeping, demands that the
government should set up a honey processing centre in
this area so that bee-keepers can get government rates.
He alleges that despite giving a boost to small-scale
industries, the government discourages bee-keepers. |
Machine to test bone density CHANDIGARH, March 14 — A machine that tests the density of a bone to determine if a patient suffers from osteoporosis was inaugurated by Prof O.N. Nagi at a private clinic in Sector 20 today. In three minutes, the machine gives the report of the test. The test is ultra-sound based, thus having no radiation and being non-invasive. The need to know the bone density is there to diagnose osteoporosis which is prevalent most among post-menopausal women, explained Professor Nagi, who is the Head of the Orthopaedic Department of the PGI. People suffering from the
disease do not come to know about the advent of the
problem as it is “silent” invader, the doctor
explained. This leads to fractures of the bones. |
Ugadi on March 18 CHANDIGARH, March 14
— The Andhra Samskrutika Sangham, Chandigarh, will
be having its Ugadi celebrations on March 18 at the
Police Officers Institute in Sector 26. A mimicry
programme would be part of the celebrations, according to
the president of the sangham, Mr C.S.R. Reddy. |
Cauliflower, apple dearer CHANDIGARH, March 14 — The prices of cauliflower and apple have increased, while beans, banana and grapes have become cheaper in the local market during the past 24 hours. For the first time after a glut-like situation, which has been going on during the past about one month, cauliflower fetched the maximum retail price of Rs 5 in different markets today. During the past one week the maximum price of cauliflower fluctuated between Rs 2 and Rs 4 a kg, but it never touched Rs 5 during this period. The wholesale price of the vegetable has also increased from Rs 15 per five kg to Rs 20 per five kg during this period. According to traders, the price of the vegetable is on the rise as the arrivals are shrinking in the market with the rise in the temperature. The price of cauliflower will keep jumping up steadily as the arrivals are shrinking. Out of frustration owing to low prices during the past one month some farmers had ploughed up the standing cauliflower crop in their fields. Similarly, the prices of bitter gourd and gourd have also seen a decrease during this period. A kg of bitter gourd which was available yesterday at between Rs 30 and Rs 35 was priced at Rs 20 today. The traders attributed the fall to the enhanced arrivals due to the onset of local crop in the market from ‘choe beds’ of Ropar and Hoshiarpur districts. Similarly, the price of gourd has come down from Rs 15 to 16 a kg to Rs 10 owing to an increase in the arrivals of the early local crop. The price of beans has also witnessed a decline during this period. A kg of beans, priced at Rs 24 yesterday, was available today at Rs 20. The reason for the fall was said to be the same — rise in the arrival from Howrah and Calcutta. On the fruit front, the price of grapes has come down from Rs 35-40 a kg to Rs 30 a kg during this period. The fall was attributed to the fresh arrivals from Sangli and grape producing areas of Maharashtra. The wholesale price of the fruit has also decreased from Rs 115 (per 4 kg box) to Rs 100 during the past 24 hours. On the other hand, apple and dates have become dearer during this period. A kg of “Kinnaur” variety of apple, priced at Rs 40 yesterday, was available today at Rs 50 and the price of the similar quantity of dates has gone up from Rs 20 to Rs 25 a kg. Sources in the market say the apple price has gone up due to almost nil arrivals from Himachal Pradesh. The market is receiving the fruit from cold storage only. The prices of other fruits
and vegetables are: ginger — Rs 40 a kg, garlic
— Rs 32 a kg, potato — Rs 3, tomato — Rs
6, onion — Rs 7, carrot — Rs 6,
cucumber — Rs 15, capsicum — Rs 30,
brinjal — Rs 10, sugarbeet — Rs 4, sqashgourd
— Rs 15, mango (perry) — Rs 70, banana
— Rs 15, pomegranate — Rs 50, papaya — Rs
15-20, orange — Rs 40 a dozen, and kinnow — Rs
30-35 a dozen. |
Cops face action CHANDIGARH, March 14 — Departmental action will be taken against those policemen who allegedly looted rehriwalas and their goods during a lathi charge on protesting teachers on March 12. The SSP, Mr C.S.R. Reddy,
said “we have initiated proceedings to pinpoint the
people who were involved and action is being taken.” |
Tailoring course for Maloya women CHANDIGARH, March 14—A human resource development programme for the care and welfare of women, children and the destitute, started by Chetana, a non-government organisation, was inaugurated at Maloya Colony by Mr Satya Pal Jain, Member of Parliament, here today. Headed by Mrs Vanita Gupta, a dermatologist at General Hospital, Sector 16, the organisation will give training in tailoring and cutting to the 14 women who have enrolled themselves with the centre. Adult education has also been identified as the thrust area, besides opening a library for the children of the colony. Lessons on health and hygiene would also be given to the women. The books for the library will come from the library at Mohindergarh which has been shut down. The organisation has bought four sewing machines for the one-room centre. It is being supported by the Rotary Club in the venture. The blackboard and books for running classes of illiterate women of the village will come from Mrs Joginder Moti of the Education Department. Mrs Surya Pandit, a member of the society says, ‘‘We have evolved a syllabus for the six-month course in tailoring and we will ask for contributions to buy the remaining machines.’’ The organisation is
charging Rs 50 for the material to be used from the women
students. The idea is to make the women financially
independent. |
READERS WRITE Fee hike and private schools APROPOS of “Schools told not to hike fees” (Chandigarh Tribune Feb 25) regarding a decision taken by the Deputy Commissioner, Panchkula, at a meeting attended by the District Education Officer and representatives of 22 schools in the city. The decision to follow the existing fee structure and not to hike the capitation fee is praiseworthy. Every year, private schools enhance monthly fees, admission fees, various funds, building fund, school bus charges etc. by 30-60 per cent on various pretexts. In some schools, charges payable at the time of admission range from Rs 10,000 to 15,000. Not only this, to supplement income from other sources they a) prescribe books published by private publishers, costing almost twice the price of similar books published by the NCERT. These books are available at particular shops fixed by the school authorities. This clearly indicates a nexus between shops, school authorities and publishers. Helpless parents are thus forced to pay exorbitant prices. Not only this, books cannot be used in the next year for the same class as either the same are not prescribed or some chapters of books are changed. b) prescribe separate uniforms for summer and winter which are available only at particular shops. c) even if 30 per cent increase in salary is given to staff and teachers, hardly one tenth of money collected from enhanced fee is disbursed. In many schools, salary paid to staff and teachers is less than the minimum wages fixed by the Administration for unskilled workers. d) admit 50-60 students in a section, making it difficult for teachers to pay equal attention to all students. It will be appreciated if Chandigarh Administration/ District Education Department, Panchkula, make rules/policies in the public interest for private institutions covering following aspects: 1) prescribing books published by the NCERT, 2) no amount towards any fund is charged. Annual fee and monthly charges not to be more than one and half times that of government senior model schools, 3) bus charges should not be more than Rs 100 per month for Chandigarh/Mohali/Panchkula. Buses should be allowed to ply only after they are passed and have adequate facilities as per the Motor Vehicles Act 4) pay scales for teachers and staff are the same as those for government senior model schools 5) disbursement of salary through treasury or bank 6) full pay vacations/holidays 7) restriction on the number of students admitted to a section . A.P. Bhardwaj No sermons, please This refers to the Chandigarh Tribune news report “Cong ready for snap poll: Pranab” (March 1). Holding that the coalition experiment had failed in the country, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, whose track record of winning elections in itself is not so good, made a prediction that the Vajpayee government would fall in the near future. It may, but who would form the new government? Certainly not Mrs Sonia Gandhi who took 13 years to decide if she would apply for Indian citizenship. Messrs Pranab Mukherjee and Venod Sharma seem to have read to much into the Congress victory in Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections. If the Congress is honest about what it says and if the interest of the nation for this power-hungry outfit has any place in its agenda why can’t this “secular” outfit support the “communal” BJP from outside?. I would like to draw the attention of the Congress rank and file towards how the Congress lost in 1967 and SVD governments functioned in eight states. Hopeful of the fall of the Vajpayee-led coalition government on the issue of the President’s rule in Bihar, the Congress had to swallow the bitter pill as the government got 279 votes (against its strength of 275) while the Congress remained way behind with 250 votes. I was most amused to read Mr Mukherjee say that only the Congress which could provide a clean administration to the country. Scams and scandals surfaced in this country during the regimes of Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and P.V. Narasimha Rao. Did any scandal appear in the days of Mr Inder Kumar Gujral or in the 11-month old Vajpayee-led coalition? Is Mr Mukherjee fooling himself or the nation? The nation knows fully well how clean an administration the Congress can provide for the country” Enough is enough. No more fooling the people, Mr Mukherjee. S.S. Jain Danger from electric wires I am a resident of house number 2777, Sector 37-C, and want to bring to your notice the danger posed by electric poles/wires of street lights in my sector. The stretch wires of an electric pole in front of my house have been removed by the Electricity Department, leaving the distribution system without any safety arrangement. These electric wires/poles may fall any time due to the pull/weight of electric wires, posing danger to the life of residents in the area. My pleadings with the authorities concerned have not yielded any results. S.K.Chadha Streetlights Sector 6 in Panchkula needs immediate attention regarding improvement of roads, particularly in the area around the General Hospital. Approach roads here should be well-lit during night. Attendants of patients have to go to nearby chemists at night time. Poor street lighting adds to their misery. Many streetlights around the hospital do not function. Pole number 88 remains perpetually out of order. Will the authorities concerned wake up? Dr Harish Khanna |
CHANDIGARH, March 14 — The practical examinations of graduate classes, scheduled for tomorrow, have been postponed till further orders, the Controller of Examinations Panjab University, Mr Sodhi Ram, said here today. The decision was taken by a five-member committee comprising the Secretary to Vice-Chancellor, Prof I.N. Chaudhary, the Dean University Instruction, Prof I.B.S. Passi, the Registrar, Prof Paramjit Singh, the Dean College Development Council, Prof Deepak Manmohan Singh, and the Controller of Examinations. The decision was taken on the basis of a memorandum submitted by the principals of private colleges declaring their inability to conduct the examination on account of the ongoing strike of the teachers. Fast by students enters third
day Chandigarh, March 14 — The chain fast by student leaders of the Haryana Student Association (HSA) and the National Students Union of India (NSUI), on the Panjab University campus, for demanding the resignation of Mr R. S. Grewal, the Dean, Student Welfare (DSW) of the university, entered its third day today. At a press conference organised today, the leaders, Chand Singh Madaan, Chairman of the HSA, Ajay Pal Singh, Campus President of the NSUI, H.S. Lucky, President of the NSUI’s Chandigarh unit and Munish Anand, former President of the Panjab University Students Council, alleged that there existed a nexus between the Students Council, the DSW and the Vice-Chancellor. Demanding the resignation of the council and the DSW, the leaders alleged that the functioning of the latter was biased and authoritarian. They further alleged that the DSW was being used as an organ of the Student Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU), and should now be called “Dean, SOPU Welfare”. While condemning the recent fee hike, they questioned the need of spending Rs 15 lakh on the renovation of the VC’s office if the university was facing a cash-crunch. They pointed out that the hostel fee and the electricity fee had regularly been increased since 1987. While in the session 1987-88, the hostel fee was Rs 38 per month, it increased to Rs 70 per month in 1997-98 and Rs 165 per month in 1998-99. Even the electricity fee was hiked from Rs 13 per month in 1987-88 to Rs 20 per month in 1997-98 and Rs 100 per month in 1998-99. The leaders also alleged that while the amalgamated fund of the PU has various heads under cultural activities, no cultural programme, except ‘Aagaaz’ and ‘Antakshri’, were organised in this session. They also condemned the holding of the ‘Flower Day’ on the campus, which they said was against their culture. Regarding the non-submission of proof of attending of the seven mandatory lectures in environment studies in case of private candidates of final year undergraduate classes of the university, it was demanded that students of the Department of Correspondence Studies, these candidates should also be allowed to attend lectures after the completion of examinations. The students said that the strike would continue till all their demands were met. These students also carried out a mashal march, from the VC’s office to his residence. Tomorrow the HSA will also organise a Mahayagya at the Students Centre to protest against corruption and nepotism. The authorities said fee hike was just a proposal now, and the final authority to approve the same was the Syndicate, which would meet on the 17 March. The authorities also said that since the university was not a money-earning machine, after the Punjab Government refused to provide it with funds, the fee-hike was justified. “This is group
factionalism at play. Today the lost parties are
protesting, and tomorrow the winning parties would also
set up a tent to support the VC and the DSW,” said
an official of the PU, while reacting on today’s
strike . |
 |
 |
| 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 | |
