& V I C I N I T Y
Sunday, March 21, 1999
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C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
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Sunday, March 21, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Wine, light beer prices
down BJP-SAD
to boycott MC panel elections
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Formation
of models’ body laughed at |
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‘Tackle spinal
deformities early’ Chikan
wear from Lucknow Civic
amenities lacking Polyurethane
industry viable in Punjab 435
graduates get degrees Kids
impress parents with art, craft Why
private colleges excel in sport Truck
operators’ case adjourned ‘Chandigarh
a youthful, vibrant city’ Kokey
da Lishkara dazzles traffic Couple
file suit for damage Steps
to ease power crisis |
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Wine, light
beer prices down CHANDIGARH, March 20 — Light beer, wine and Indian made foreign liquor (IMFL) will become slightly cheaper in the Union Territory of Chandigarh from the next financial year. According to the excise policy for 1999-2000 announced by the Chandigarh Administration today, a concerted effort is being made to promote the consumption of lighter drinks like wine and beer not only by lowering duties on them but also making them available at more places. The excise duty on wine has been reduced to Rs 3 from Rs 5 per bulk litre (BL). Besides, the number of pubs in the city will go up from 27 to 35. These pubs will also be allowed to sell wine on a payment of annual licence fee of Rs 1.10 lakh. The proposal that wine, along with imported foreign liquor, which were to be permitted to be sold from reputed provision stores in the city on payment of the annual licence fee of Rs 20,000, did not take off during the current financial year, is being remodelled for the next financial year. Reputed provision stores can now get this licence on payment of Rs 10,000 and sell wine and liquors procured from L-1 shops. By another significant decision, the administration has reverted to the old practice of single slab on all types of IMFL brands instead of two slabs of last year. In the adjoining Punjab and Haryana states, the duty on IMFL is also being levied in a single slab. The excise duty chargeable in Chandigarh would be Rs 24 per proof litre (PL). In all there will be 49 liquor shops in the Union Territory. Of these, 44 will have a country liquor and IMFL shop under one roof while five will be independent IMFL shops. The auction of liquor shops will be held on March 24 at Tagore Theatre at 10 a.m. The basic quota of country liquor for Chandigarh has been increased from 15 lakh. PL to 18.5 lakh PL which can be lifted by licencees in the form of country liquor (50 degrees) and IMFL (60 degrees). The licencees shall be allowed to lift 70 per cent of the quota in the shape of IMFL 60 per cent and the remaining 30 per cent in the shape of country liquor (50 per cent). The licencees will be allowed to convert 10 per cent of their quota either way (from country liquor to IMFL and vice versa). An additional quota of 15 per cent will be allowed at an additional duty of Re 1 per PL to be lifted on promotional monthly basis or as a whole after total basic quota has been lifted. The sale of country liquor (CL) in pouches of 90 ml and 180 ml will continue and in addition, pouches of 375 ml will be introduced from this year. There will be no change in the payment of security system. The minimum acceptable incidence at the time of auction will be Rs 60 per bottle. The administration, as usual, has decided not to fix any maximum price for 50 degrees CL and 60 degrees IMFL. The minimum sale prices of 50 degrees CL and 60 degrees IMFL have been fixed. For CL, the minimum price for a quart, pint and nip will be Rs 65, 33 and 17, respectively. In case of IMFL, it will be Rs 70, 36 and 18, respectively. The administration has also decided to reduce the personal possession limit from six bottles of 750 ml each to two bottles of 750 ml each. The licence (L-13) for wholesale supply of CL is being given to Super Bazar. The suppliers of CL will also be given L-13 licence. In addition, the five highest bidders in terms of revenue will also have the option of getting the L-13 licence the fee for which has been fixed at Rs 50,000. The excise duty on country liquor will be Rs 2 per PL. There is no provision for sub vends. The licence fee for ahata in case of liquor shops will be Rs 35,000. In case of the CL and IMFL shop being separate, the licence fee of last year will apply. In case of IMFL, the minimum sale prices of economy brand, medium brand, premium brand and deluxe brand have been fixed as follows: In case of beer to be sold at pubs, the minimum price will be : Beer containing alcoholic contents up to 5.25% Rs 15 per mug of 325 ml “5.25 % to 8.25 % Rs 25 per mug of 325 ml Personal limit: Six bottles of 750 ml, including Brandy and imported liquor 24 bottles of beer 650 ml
each The administration has also decided to issue L-42 licence for special occasion for serving liquor to guests. In case of licensed bars, it will Rs 1000 per function and Rs 3000 in case of unlicensed premises. The licence fee for L-1 (wholesale of IMFL) has been fixed at Rs 5 lakh per annum. The duty on beer will be Rs 2.50 per bottle for beer containing alcoholic content up to 5.25 per cent and Rs 5 per bottle for beer containing 5.25 per cent to 8.25 per cent alcoholic content. The duty on foreign brands of liquor will be Rs 45 per PL To provide funds for educational purposes, to civic bodies, for infrastructure, development activities and social work, additional excise duty will continue to be Rs 2 per PL. The dry days will be
January 26, August 15 and October 2. the sale of
miniatures of the capacity of 60 ml will continue. |
BJP-SAD to
boycott MC panel elections CHANDIGARH, March 20 — The BJP-SAD alliance in Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has decided to stay away from the election of Chairman and Deputy Chairman of various sub-committees reconstituted by the Mayor. A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the councillors of two parties held today. No resolution for dissolution and recasting of the committees under Section 42 of the Act was passed in the House and the Mayor could not suo motu dissolve and recast these committees, a resolution passed at the meeting said. A joint statement issued
by Mr Des Raj Tandon (BJP) and Mr Mohinder Singh (Akali
Dal) said the Section 42 of the Act said that it was the
house which constituted the committees. This was another
act of defiance and lawlessness by the Mayor. He was
showing complete disrespect to the Municipal Act under
which he had become Mayor, the statement said. |
Mayor hears
residents CHANDIGARH, March 20— Perhaps, in a first of its kind of an ‘open darbar’ in the city, about 25 residents of Sector 33 voiced their problems which the Mayor, Mr Kewal Krishan Addiwal, heard for more than an hour and a half and promised to improve the conditions. The ‘open darbar’ was organised by the Sector 33 Residents Welfare Association in the sector last night. It began with the residents voicing complaints pertaining to the lack of civic amenities and cleanliness in the area. It ended with the Mayor promising to try solving these problems. Mr M.L. Singhal, a resident, complained that in spite of a number of complaints regarding insanitation in the sector, no senior Municipal Corporation officer had ever visited the area. He alleged that the parks in the sector were in a miserable state,but nothing had been by the civic body to improve this situation. Dr Rama Rattan, another resident, expressed her anguish over the cancellation of the ‘Guldaudi Show’ this year. It used to be held in the Sector 33 Terrace Garden every year. While demanding the resumption of the show, she said that the Community Centre in the sector should be made available to the residents for various functions. She also raised the issue of non-functioning of street lights. On a point raised by Col T. S. Dhillon, the Mayor said he could not make false promises, but he would try to solve the problems being faced by the residents. “The roads, except the B-VI ones will be repaired by the end of June”, he added. He also cited staff shortage as one of the reasons behind the delay in the repair of roads. We have only one Xen to deal with the repair of roads”, he added. While holding stray animals responsible for road accidents, Mr Surinder Singh Johl, a resident, said the problem could be tackled by controlling the population of such animals through vaccination. In response to this, the Mayor said the animals would be impounded. He further said he would ensure that a sanitary inspector visited the area regularly. In a charter of demands, Mr H. S. Virk, the President of the association, demanded that the civic body should tackle the problem of encroachments in an open space in front of the Sector 33-A market. He also urged the mayor to allow the residents to use the Cosmopolitan Club in the sector for holding their monthly meetings. The Mayor promised to
visit the sector again in June. He hoped that most of
problems will get solved by then.
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Adviser
visits Mauli Jagran CHANDIGARH, March 20 — Mr Jagdish Sagar, Adviser to the Administrator, UT, today visited Mauli Jagran colony and village and heard the grievances of the residents. He was accompanied by senior officers of the Chandigarh Administration, Chandigarh Municipal Corporation and Chandigarh Housing Board. The residents complained about non-functional street lights, bad condition of roads leading to the colony and within the colony.The other problems highlighted by the residents include shortage of water supply, non-availability of post office and lack of cleanliness in the colony and village. They also put forth their demand for setting up another dispensary in the colony as the existing one was not adequate to meet the requirements of the area. Meanwhile, the president
of Janta Rehri Market, Manimajra, Satpal has in a letter
written to the Adviser pointed out the bad condition of
roads in Mani Majra. He has furher threatened to close
all shops in Old Manimajra on March 29, if steps are not
taken immediately to improve the condition of roads in
the area. |
Formation of
models’ body laughed at PANCHKULA, March 20 — After just a few days of Chandigarh models getting together and forming an organisation to end exploitation in the fashion industry, a ‘Fashion Fiesta’ will be organised tomorrow which would include only “top Indian models” and “no Chandigarh model”. At a press conference here nine models talked about how hard work and dedication was important to reach the top position in the fashion world. The attraction of the day was Shweta Menon, now known as the ‘Humko tumse payar hai” girl from Indra Kumar’s film, ‘Ishq’. While talking about the competition in the industry, Shweta said, “There are no friends here. It is rat race in which one has to prove oneself”. The other models were Jaishree, Femina Miss India Talented ‘97, Dipika Uppal and Ankita, both Delhi models, Mrinalini, the official model of NIFD, Mirika and Nupur, both Femina Miss India Finalists ‘99, Jaspreet, Femina Miss India Finalist ‘98, and Gautam Singla, Mr North India. The models, fashion choreographer, Jeet Brar and Aditi Srivastva, General Manager, NIFD, Chandigarh, were vociferous about fashion being a very “serious and a tough” business. Interestingly, all of them laughed at the idea of forming an organisation against partiality to Chandigarh models and exploitation. “They are just not professional. It is obviously very cumbersome, in terms of time and money, to ‘import’ models from outside for a show in the city. But the Chandigarh girls are just not professional enough to stay up late and rehearse or even come to the sets on time”, said Aditi, while commenting on the ‘local’ models. Piyush Soni,
‘Chokra’ fame singer was the other attraction. |
Shweta
ko films se pyaar hai PANCHKULA, March 20 — ‘My heart is in modelling but satisfaction comes from films”, said model-actress Shweta Menon at a press conference of models today. Her claim to fame is the controversial Kamasutra ad and the ‘Humko tumse pyar hai’ song with Ajay Devgun and Aamir Khan in the film ‘Ishq’. “Ads do not have a reach in the masses. So it is not correct to say that it was with Kamasutra that I gained recognition. It gave me some attention and that was it”, said this dusky damsel. Talking about her venture in films, which include ‘Shikari’ with Govinda and ‘Hera pheri’ with Akshay Kumar, Shweta said, “I got myself into films because modelling is just about being a mannequin, but doing films is all about getting into a character. In fact films have provided me an insight into myself, because with each emotion I portray on the screen, I discover a new shade of myself”. A natural course for a model to turn into a mainstream Bollywood actress? “At my age I did not feel like doing ‘art’ type of films and wearing cotton saris, something that I don’t believe in at this stage. So masala films for me do just fine”. She said she did not plan becoming either a model or an actress as she had wanted to be a gynaecologist. But like the PYT (pretty young thing) of today’s world she added, “I am very happy to be into modelling and films, and I like this thing about being on a perpetual holiday and getting paid for it as well”. Laughing about her role in Salman Khan starrer ‘Bandhan’ for which she had to put on 12 kg of weight, she said, “I am still trying to shed those kilos. But I certainly did not enjoy the feeling of eating and eating and lazying around for 25 days to put on those extra kilos”. This Chandigarh-born gal, who is otherwise a Keralite, said, “I have worn so many clothes in these past 5-6 years of modelling, seen so many places and met so many people, that I have no craze now for material things”. About films as a full-time career, Shweta said, “Right now, our film industry is in a recession, so I’ll wait till it has money to pay me”. Piyush Soni of the ‘Chokra’ fame and popular albums ‘Ek Baar’ and ‘Kudi dil mangdi’, says “there are more talented people than me in this music industry, and because I know it I have now even opened my own music company to introduce new talent”, he said. Confirming that he cannot play any instrument and is not trained in classical music, Soni said, “When everybody was learning music, I was learning what sells. People always tend to miss out on technical points like what sound sells, and instead focus on what music sells”. On the subject of Indian
music,he said, “Our kind of music is the
‘dilwale dulhania’ style. We might make our
music as westernised as possible, but it would always be
the sounds of dhol, harmonium and shehnai which would
appeal to our senses”. |
‘Tackle
spinal deformities early’ CHANDIGARH, March 20 — Orthopaedic surgeons from different parts of the country and abroad, deliberated upon the latest techniques in orthopaedic surgery on the opening day of the two-day 18th annual conference of the North Zone Chapter of Indian Orthopaedic Association at PGI here today. Speaking on spinal deformities, Prof P.K. Dave, Director of AIIMS, Delhi, said there was a lack of awareness about the child deformities — more prevalent among girls. A general impression among the people was that an affected child should be treated only after he reached at least 14 years of age. The parents also tended to neglect the affected child. The new approach to handle child deformities, he said, was to tackle the problem when the child was young. This helped in preventing the deformity from spreading. An equipment called brace was being used as a corrective and preventive measure before operating the child. Besides, he opined that the government should open more centres to deal with spinal injuries which he said was a neglected area. Dr S.S. Babhulkar of Indira Gandhi College and Post-Graduate Institute of Orthopaedics, Indore, explained the changing concept of surgery. Talking about fracture of thigh bone, he said interlocking nailing to fix the thigh bone resulted in fast healing, reducing stay of a patient in hospital. The conventional surgery, on the other hand, demanded restricted movement of the joint and a longer stay in hospital. The other risks in the conventional surgery were deformity, stiffness and pain. The new technique which was costly, was used in rare cases, he said. Dr P.S. Maini of Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi, explained the treatment of a fracture of hip joints socket, common among victims of road accidents. The aim is to create a smooth regular joint surface. The method is to first diagnose and determine the nature of fracture before deciding whether surgery is required or not. Speaking on treatment of fractures of knee joints, Dr P.M. Desai, from Ahmedabad, said the modern concept was to preserve the function of the joint and the factors. The intricate mechanism of knee joint required proper handling. Experts from Sweden and Germany had prepared equipment which studied factors to control such fractures. The present technique could prevent occurrence of arthirits in 70 per cent of the cases. The experts presented
papers on subtrochanteric fractures, fibular graft for
femoral neck fracture, acetabular fractures, biochemical
and biological aspects in operative treatment of spinal
injuries, interlocking nail of humerus and other related
subjects. |
Tribune
staffer hurt in mishap CHANDIGARH, March 20 — Mr Sanjeev Bariana, Staff Correspondent, The Tribune, was seriously injured in a road accident here last night. While the exact cause of the accident could not be ascertained, the police suspects it to be case of hit and run. Mr Sanjeev Bariana was on his way home in Sector 43 on his motor cycle when the accident took place near the intersection of Sectors 33 and 34 around midnight. The police flying squad
removed him to the Sector 32 Government Medical College
Hospital with a head injury from where he was referred to
the PGI. Mr Sanjeev Bariana was operated upon for head
injury before being shifted to the Intensive Care Unit
where his condition was described to be serious. |
Chikan wear
from Lucknow CHANDIGARH, March 20 — When summer is approaching, chikan suits and saries can’t be far. The Pooja Mahila Seva Sansthan has brought a collection of formal and designer wear to Chandigarh from the heart of chikan work: Lucknow and Aligarh. With an aim to bettering the lot of poor village women expert in this traditional art, the sansthan provides them with business and helps market their produce. Each hand-embroidered salwar kameez is so intricately done that it takes up to four days for the artiste to complete a piece. The organisers have tried to give a new look to the garments by embellishing them with beads, sequins, mokash and cut-work. This additional touch is mainly the cause of the high prices of suits. The crisply starched attire in cool pastel shades are designed in latest cuts with short sleeves. Various forms of chikan like bakhiya, tepchi, jali, daraz and patti work transform glass kota fabric, organdy, cotton crepe and organza textile into sheer poetry. The exhibition is on at
Aroma till March 22.
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Civic
amenities lacking DERA BASSI, March, 20 — Though the state government has declared the area from Dera Bassi to Lalru free enterprises zone(FEZ) it is lacking in many basic civic amenities and infrastructure. This industrial belt is not having a fire station. Some big factories have set up their own hydrant systems whereas others are functioning with only fire extinguishers. The President of the Dera Bassi Industrial Association, Mr Kewal Garg, said the government was not providing basic civic amenities to the industrial units of the area. About 200 industries of Dera Bassi and Lalru industrial areas are paying octroi worth Rs 1.80 crore per annum and house tax between Rs 5 to 9 lakh. Despite this the condition of roads and water supply to these units is deplorable. Sewerage system and street lights to the factories were not provided to factories despite so many requests to the authorities, he complained. The government is deducting ESI from the salaries of employees of various industries and other government employees despite absence of any ESI dispensary in the area. The local Civil Hospital is lacking in essential services and emergency cases are referred to either the Government College and Hospital, Sector. 32, or PGI Chandigarh, Mr Garg said. When contacted, Mr Paras
Jain, Chairman of the MC, said the area falling under the
MC would be provided all facilities like sewerage system,
street lights and water supply in the next financial
year. Two deep bore tubewells would be dug to overcome
the shortage of water supply. |
Polyurethane
industry viable in Punjab CHANDIGARH, March 20 — Polyurethane is fast emerging as the most significant innovation of the chemical industry. Punjab has a big scope for this industry as power is no problem, trained labour is available and the industrial atmosphere is peaceful. This was stated here today by the Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilisers, Food and Consumer Affairs, Mr Surjit Singh Barnala in a seminar on “Opportunities in polyurethane industry”, organised by the Hindustan Organic Chemicals Limited (HOC). Polyurethane was a versatile polymer used in an ever-increasing range of products which were a part of everyday life. It was light, strong, versatile, durable and cost-efficient. Mr Barnala said the market potential of polyurethane could be realised by innovative and joint efforts by multinationals and Indian companies. India secured major raw materials from companies like Manali Petrochemicals, Spic Organic, Narmada Chematur and HOC. He added that India had strength in terms of availability of qualified and skilled manpower and markets. These factors could be leveraged to the advantage of the Indian polyurethane industry. He added that the growth of polyurethane should be environmentally sustainable. As part of the Montreal Protocol, environmental-friendly polyurethanes should be widely propagated and used. He lauded the efforts of HOC in bringing to India the production materials and latest technologies of the world. Mr Barnala further said this Rs 700 billion industry had contributed to the growth of sectors like pharmaceuticals, dyes, fibres, plastics, pesticides, fertilisers, paints and auxiliary chemicals. The annual turnover in the chemical sector in India was around Rs 50,000 crore. Despite this, India’s share in the global chemical market was very small. The Asian market commanded 30 per cent of the global market, though the recent currency crisis in the region had adversely affected the markets. Earlier, Dr Reena Ramachandran, Chairman and Managing Director HOC, said the growth of polyurethane industry in India had gone up by 20 per cent in the past three years. With the availability of abundant input, the industry was expected to grow phenomenally, she said. Mr D.S Guru, Special Secretary, Punjab, said with the availability of raw materials like cheap power and infrastructure such as roads, telephones, airports and skilled human resources, the industry could be very viable in the state. Punjab offered subsidy of 30 and 20 per cent for establishing industries in rural and urban areas, respectively, and bureaucratic hassles had been reduced. Others present included Mr
Govind Singh Kanjla, Welfare Minister, Punjab, Mr N.S
Kalsi, Director Marketing, HOC, and Captain Narinder
Singh, Managing Director, Punjab Small Industries
Development Corporation. |
Seema, Puja
adjudged best CHANDIGARH, March 20 —Seema Chawla and Puja Chowdhary were adjudged the best outgoing students from the arts and commerce stream, respectively, at the annual convocation and prize distribution function of Guru Gobind Singh, Sector 26, here today. Jasmine was adjudged the best sportswoman of the year. The students with important accomplishments are: best singer-Vidya Bakshi, best dancer Rajmeeta, best actress-Amandeep Kaur, best home science student Pamella Chaddha, best in mono acting Anamika, best in Gurmat Vichar sabha Baljinder Kaur, best NCC navy cadet Gaylina Athokpam, Best NSS worker Manbinder Kaur, best speaker Shalini Sharma: best hosteler-Gyaneshwari. The chief guest for the occasion, Dr Deepak Manmohan Singh, Dean, College Development Council, gave away degrees to 250 students and prizes to winners of various academic, sports and cultural activities. In his convocation address, Dr Deepak Manmohan said that women needed to be more self-reliant and independent and take the challenge presented by the pravelent situation head-on. The girls studying in colleges need to look beyond beauty pageants to stand on their feet and become women of substance. He advocated the teachings of Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs, at the function. Earlier, the students of
the college presented the college “shabad”
which was followed by the annual report of the college
presented by the principal, Mrs Harjit Kaur Dhillon. She
highlighted the achievements of the college in different
spheres of student activity. |
Kids
impress parents with art, craft PANCHKULA, March 20 — The annual result day at the Firstep Montessori School (Sector 7) was deftly combined with an art and science exhibition. This gave a chance to the parents not only to know about the academic performance of their kids, but also witness their performance in various co-curricular activities. The exhibits in the art and craft section of the exhibition showed how a little bit of imagination could transform items of day-to-day care to objects of art and gave an expression to the artiste in a child. Whether it was a painted pot, a flower vase made from ice-cream sticks or door hangings from used glasses, the hard work put in by the students was evident. The science and social
sciences exhibits made by students of classes II to VI
included models of a windmill and a greenhouse and charts
depicting the parts of plants and human body. The
students explained the working of the models and charts
to the parents with confidence. |
Why private
colleges excel in sport CHANDIGARH, March 20 — Sports kits that have to be returned, Rs 10 to Rs 20 as daily diet money, disgruntled sports teachers, hardly any grants — these are some of the ‘facilities’ being provided to students taking up sports in colleges. “Our college has participated in the maximum number of sports disciplines at the inter-college level — 22 teams for all 22 events. But I am not happy at the way the participation in sports events is decreasing. Whom do you blame when day scholars get Rs 10 per day and hostlers Rs 20 per day as diet money, and no incentives are provided to either the students or the teachers?”, said Mrs Vijay Lakshmi, Principal of the Government College for Girls, Sector 11. Talking about incentives, Mr R.C. Jeewan, Principal of the DAV College Sector 10, said, “We always go all out to help the outstanding sportsmen. The Principals of private colleges are more involved in sports and other activities. Besides the prescribed diet money, we also give extra facilities at the mess and a better infrastructure for sports.” “Kapil Dev may never have passed his examinations but we proudly claim that he belongs to our college”, Mr Jeewan added. Reportedly, a body-builder of a government college, whose parents were spending thousands of rupees on his diet every month joined a private college, where he is now getting the necessary diet money. Mrs Harjeet Khanna, Principal of the GGS College for Women, Sector 26 said: “Depending on the performance and economic status of a student, we give her scholarship worth Rs 150 to Rs 200 per month.” Compare one of the private college’s sports budget for 1998-99, Rs 3.44 lakh, to Rs 77,000 spent by the Government College for Girls, Sector 11, in the same session, Government College, Sector 11, spent Rs 64,793 on sports in 1997-98, while in 1993-94 it had spent Rs 89,964. The Principal of the college, Dr S.N. Singla, said: “I was not the Principal then so I don’t know why so much money was spent on sports.” Most physical education teachers, meanwhile, resent sports being always last on the priority list of all principals. Sanctions for sports are always hard to get approved, so sometimes, money to be used for sports remains unspent. All colleges collect Rs 200 per annum as amalgamated fund from the students, out of which funds are allocated for various college activities, including sports. But the private colleges, reportedly also use various donations and grants to arrange extra funds for sports. The government colleges complain that the university is partial towards the private colleges. “We have been demanding grants from the UGC since long, but only the private colleges seem to walk away with these, said a government college principal. “It is only once in five years that we get a grant from the UGC to buy equipment”, said Mrs Sneh Mahajan, Principal of the MCM DAV College for Women, Sector 36. Most government colleges allege that private colleges “woo away” their sportsmen. The private colleges do admit spending more time and money on sports but as Mrs Mahajan puts it, “We are not grabbing anyone’s students. How can we stop a student from getting enrolled in any college.” With an annual sports budget of about Rs 1.5 lakh, 60 sports wings, free transport facilities, this college was doing well in sports only because of the dedication of the teachers, she added. But a government college
maintained that not only were their girls being
“taken over” by the private colleges, but those
still wanting to study in the college were sometimes
debarred from participating in games, improperly.
“This is because there is a lobby of private college
principals, who want to maintain sports as their own
domain”, said a government college principal. |
Truck
operators’ case adjourned SAS NAGAR, March 20 — The court of Ms Neelam Arora, Additional Civil Judge (Senior Division ), Kharar, today adjourned the case for restraining the Truck Operators Union Mohali till April 3 as the defendants could not appear in the court. Earlier the plaintiff Mr Shiv Kumar Sharma, proprietor of Nandan Cargo Carriers, had filed a suit for restraining the defendants from interfering in any manner in plying of trucks owned and possessed by him. Mr Gurdeep Singh Gharuan, president of the Truck Operators Union, Mohali alleged that trucks were being supplied with unvalid permits. He demanded that trucks should be plied from here throughout India. When contacted Mr Sharma said that the operators were charging more compared to trucks hired from open market. The services of these operators were also poor. They load and unload goods without care, resulting in losses to owners, he added. Mr S. Talwar Managing
Director of the Punjab Anand Lamp Industries Limite, said
services of the truck operators should be satisfactory.
Transportation of goods should not suffer due to the
tussle between the truck union and Nandan Cargo Carriers,
he added.
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Steps to
ease power crisis SAS NAGAR, March 20 — The PSEB authorities here are gearing up to provide better power supply to residents especially during the summer. More transformers are being installed, old cables being changed and even new feeders being provided keeping in view the power demand. Phase X residents faced a major power crisis whenever there was a day and night cricket match at the PCA stadium. Power was mostly diverted to meet requirements at the stadium adversely affecting the consumers. Agitated residents had even organised protests against such arrangements. Mr R.R. Garg, Senior Executive Engineer, said to tackle the problem of the Phase X residents a new transformer had been installed at the 66 kv substation. This year they would not suffer because of day and night cricket matches at the stadium. A separate feeder was being provided for the Phase VI waterworks. Earlier due to frequent power failures during the summer the water supply was also hit. The feeder project was in the finishing stages and would be made operational by March 31. Mr Garg said another new feeder (Urban II) was being provided for easing the problem of overloading. This feeder would cater to Phases I, II and III A. New transformers were being installed in Phase II, III A, IV, VII, VIII, IX and XI. Mr Garg said in the next 15 to 20 days maintenance work would be undertaken in various phases and residents would have to face power shutdowns. He said the Mullanpur
substation had been made operational and had improved the
supply position in villages. Transformers had also been
installed in villages like Nayagaon, Kansal, Mastgarh and
Ferozpur. |
‘Chandigarh
a youthful, vibrant city’ CHANDIGARH, March 20 — “There is no city like Chandigarh. I have seen it grow since its inception,” says Mr Nek Chand, creator-director of Rock Garden. Recipient of Padamashri, Mr Nek Chand has been in Chandigarh since 1951 when he came here from Faridabad to join the Capital Project as a Road Inspector. “That was the time when villagers, the original domiciles of this city, resented any talk or even mention of the acquisition of their land or its dispossession. The development of the city since then has been beyond my expectations. It is now a youthful vibrant city.” “I have travelled all over the world and observed many cities and towns from a close range. But no other city has fascinated me so much.” “When I came here, it was an altogether different work experience. I have seen Le Corbusier and other architects working. But I never had a chance to interact with him directly. Since I was too junior a functionary, people at my level used to watch and admire him from a distance. He used to visit various sites,issue instructions to our superiors. We would just watch him from a distance,” recalls Mr Nek Chand. “During those days, emphasis used to be on visit to sites than sitting in offices to issue instructions. Architects and engineers used to visit their respective sites in the morning before going to offices. Most of them had bicycles.There were hardly any cars. It was at a much later stage that executive Engineer (Roads) got a jeep. Otherwise, everybody used to be on bicycles. “At that time, since there were hardly any machines, we used to wonder at wide and spacious roads we were building. I remember having swum from the Government Press intersection to the Bus stand chowk following a flash flood in a cho that used to run along the Himalaya Marg at that time. On that particular day, we were repairing the Sectors 8,9,17 and 18 intersection when the water came gushing down. There used to be a pond somewhere near where the present ISBT is located. “I think major threat to the city is from population explosion. The way the population is increasing, the city will be hard pressed to maintain services. I also feel that there is gradual laxity in governance. All those responsible for enforcing various bylaws must be held accountable for any violation going unnoticed.” “The problem of encroachment and other violations must be tackled on a regular basis than allowing things to go out of hand and then launching special anti-encroachment campaigns. “Chandigarh has always been lucky to good people at the helm of affairs. The present Adviser to the Administrator, the Home Secretary and the Chief Engineer are well meaning and good people. If everybody does his job well, I do not think there will be any problem in making this city more beautiful,” says Mr Nek Chand. He is disillusioned with some services, for example telecommunication. “For the past five days, telephone at my residence is not functioning. As a matter of habit, I go in person to lodge my complaints. I have visited the office of the Principal General Manager (Telecom) several times but to no effect. I have talked to him personally at his residence. I have talked to the SDO concerned also. But there has been no success. “This is not the first time. Some time back, my telephone remained dead for almost two months. I do not understand, why we the subscribers have to beg before telecom officials to get our telephones working. It is very unfortunate.” “Believe me, I have never faced any such problem with regard to other services. Minor complaints and breakdowns apart, water and power supply has been greatly satisfactory.” “Even for garbage disposal, we in Sector 27 have engaged a private contractor for door-to-door collection of garbage. Previously, there were government vehicles. But with the new arrangement, I do not find any problem,” he adds. He also maintains that
Chandigarh is a very green city. To corroborate his view
point, he has some aerial pictures of the city, in
general and Rock Garden, in particular. “I myself
have done a lot of plantation in the Rock Garden area. In
fact, I feel very happy to find grown up trees, planted
during the time of Dr M.S. Randhawa. We must maintain the
greenery,” concludes Mr Nek Chand. |
'Kokey da
Lishkara' dazzles traffic DERA BASSI, March 20 — Road blockades, traffic jams, lights, camera and action. This was what the shooting of a song-and-dance show ‘Kokey da Lishkara’ was all about it was being shot as part of the Baisakhi and the Khalsa tercentenary celebrations at a resort situated at the National Highway-22, near Bhankarpur, Dera Bassi. While cars, scooters, cycles and even trucks parked right on the highway, with people rushing towards the resort to have a look at the ‘stars’, the traffic jam kept on increasing. But even after the initial disappointment of ‘just’ encountering Punjabi folk singer, Surjit Bindrakhia, of ‘Mode naal moda maar ke’ fame, and Aarti Puri, the second lead in ‘Mahaul Theek Hai’, the rush of onlookers did not lessen. Being directed by Jaswinder Jassi, ‘Kokey da Lishkara’ is a one-hour programme being shot for the Punjabi World Channel, ATN and Music Asia, to be telecast on April 13. The eight songs of the programme, sung by various singers, including Anuradha Paudwal and Sukhbir, have been penned by Shamsher Singh Sandhu. The sequence also includes five skits, presented by Jaswinder Bhalla and Bal Mukund Sharma. Today was the second day
of shooting for this programme, which would be shot in
and around Chandigarh. Cine actors Sunny Deol and
Shatrughan Sinha are slotted to anchor ‘Kokey da
Lishkara’ . |
Couple file
suit for damage CHANDIGARH, March 20 — Mr I.P. Atre and his wife Harjit Kaur, have filed a suit for damages of Rs 35 lakh against Mr Jatinder Mohan Singh and seven other persons for allegedly liquidating their only daughter, Miss Manisha, an advocate, at the local district courts. Mr Jasbir Singh, Judicial Magistrate, before whom the suit came up for hearing today, directed the respondents to file written statements on or before April 17. Notice on this suit was issued on March 16, 1999. The plaintiffs stated that
their daughter was murdered by hatching a conspiracy. Mr
Atre said that after the murder of his only daughter his
personal freedom and liberty had been considerably
curtailed because he was required to be by the side of
his "mentally tense, troubled and physically
disabled wife for long periods." |
435
graduates get degrees CHANDIGARH, March 20 — The Jagan Nath Kaushal gold medal and cash award of Rs 1100 along with the Anju Miglani Award of Rs 200 was pocketed by Manisha Aggarwal for standing first in the final year B Sc examination (computer applications) of Panjab University at the 27th annual convocation of Mehr Chand Mahajan DAV College, Sector 36, here today. While Sonia Sharma was honoured for standing first in the B Sc III (medical) examination of the university, the Sita Bai cash award for first position in honours went to Sonu Mehmi for political science, Upneet K Singh for psychology, Amaninder Saini for history and Ruchika for economics. The Rs 200 Anju Miglani cash award for the college topper was given to Nisha Garg in B Com and Upneet K Singh in BA. The Ishwari Devi prize for topping in the university in Sanskrit went to Pratibha Chaudhary. The prize for the best article for the college magazine went to Amrita Dhingra and the topper in Hindi, Sunita, was given the Sita Devi award. The chief guest, Swami Agnivesh, in his address, exhorted the graduates to do away with the age-old and out-dated customs and understand the true meaning of service and spirituality. He inspired them to rise and work with head and heart to bring about a ‘new society’ and a ‘new India’ which would start rising in position on the chart of human development. Degrees were conferred on about 435 graduates at a function which began with a ‘saraswati vandana’ after which Justice Bahri gave a brief introduction of the chief guest, Swami Agnivesh. Later, the principal, Mrs
Sneh Mahajan, read out the annual report and gave away
the degrees. |
CHANDIGARH, March 20 — Allowing O.As filed by Miss Savneet Kaur, ad hoc stenographer and four others working on an ad hoc basis at the Income Tax Department in Jalandhar, Mr J.S. Dhaliwal, judicial member of the local Central Administrative Tribunal Bench, held that ad hoc employees were entitled to earned leave, leave on Saturday and Sunday and gazetted holidays. He ordered the refund of deductions made for such leave from the ad hoc employees' pay. The tribunal observed that the applicants were not daily wagers but drew pay on a time scale and held that the applicants were also entitled to increments on the completion of one year of service. The tribunal also directed the respondents to examine the applicants’ case for grant of ad hoc bonus under the central government’s instructions dated October 4, 1988, and September 20, 1995, which sanctioned grant of ad hoc bonus to government employees, as per the averments made by the applicants. But the tribunal refused
to concede their demand for medical reimbursement and
L.T.C. and gave the applicants liberty to approach the
tribunal, if such instructions were there. |
CHANDIGARH, March 20 — The Managing Director of a private company has been booked by the police for allegedly cheating a person of Rs 2.10 lakh on the pretext of allotment of a flat. A case under Section 406 and 420 of the IPC has been registered against the MD of Sodhi Glass House, Burail, Mr A.S.Sodhi, on a complaint lodged by Gurmail Singh. Killed: Tirlok Chand, a resident of Sector 40 who was hit by an unidentified vehicle in Sector 40 here, died on way to hospital on Saturday. A case has been registered.. Theft: Mr Sukhsagar, a resident of Sector 16 here, complained that four gold bangles, two gold chains and cash worth Rs 2500 had been stolen from his house. A case has been registered. Assaulted : Krishan Lal, a resident of Manimajra, alleged that he was assaulted by Sukhbir Singh over some minor issue. A case has been registered. Nabbed : Krishan Kumar, a resident of Jhajjar in Haryana, was nabbed by residents of Burail village while he was fleeing with a TV set, allegedly stolen by him from the house of a woman of the village. According to the police,
the accused entered the house of Pushpa after breaking
open the lock in her absence. On her return to her house,
Pushpa was stunned to find her TV set being taken away by
someone near her house. As she raised an alarm, residents
of the area chased him and handed him over to the Sector
34 police station officials. In the scuffle which ensued,
the TV set was damaged, the officials said. A case has
been registered. |
Poor water
supply today CHANDIGARH, March 20—The residents of city will get poor water supply tomorrow following the shuttting down of two of the three water pipes supplying water to the city from the Kajauli waterworks due to bursting of an air valve of the pipes near Kharar today. According to Mr R. C.
Raina, XEN, Public Health of the Municipal Corporation,
the timings of the water supply to different parts of the
city will remain the same. However, there will be low
water pressure. He said the normal supply was likely to
be resumed by tomorrow evening following the completion
of the ongoing repair job. |
150 take
part in baby show CHANDIGARH, March 20 —- Nearly 150 children up to the age of five years participated in a healthy baby show organised by the local chapter of the Air Force Wives Welfare Association (AFWWA). The competitions were held in three categories. All the participants were medically examined by lady doctors who also spoke to their mothers about health care. Mrs Madhu Agarwal,President, AFWWA(L), and wife of Air Cmdre A. Agrawal, Air Officer Commanding, 3 BRD, gave away the prizes. A photo exhibition on mother and child health care was also put up on the occasion. Results of the competition
up to three places in each categories are as follows. Age
group 0-1 year — Abin, Gulshan Kumar, Shreya Dubey;
1-3 years : Vaishali, Ankita Singh, Dilip Sharma, 3-5
years : Mridul Sharma, Arunima Priyadarshini and Kritika
Sharma. |
Eye camp
organised CHANDIGARH, March 20 — The Lions Club Chandigarh Central today organised its silver jubilee free eye operation camp at Satsang Bhavan, Sector 26. Inaugurating the camp, Mr I.P Vashist, Lokpal, Haryana, said by organising such eye camps, NGOs provide tremendous support to the government. The camp examined more than 400 persons. Nearly 60 persons were screened for cataract operations. Operations will be performed on Sunday and patients along with their attendants would be provided free lodging, boarding and medicines. The camp will also provide spectacles free of cost to needy patients. An appeal was also made to
the people to pledge their eyes after death. |
UGC seminar
on social studies CHANDIGARH, March 20 — A UGC-sponsored seminar-cum-workshop on preparation of question bank in the subject of social studies at B.Ed level was inaugurated by Dr Sodhi Ram, Controller of Examination, Panjab University, here today. Thirty two participants drawn from various colleges of the region are being provided exposure in the field of construction of question bank by Dr P.K. Tulsi and Dr S. Dutt from the TTTI. Dr Tulsi, in her talk on “Evaluation and relevance of question bank”, pointed out drawbacks in existing question papers. She also described the key features of adequacy of test items, stages in development of question bank and benefits of having question bank. About 100 questions were evolved by subject experts who worked in two groups. Prof Gopal Krishan, Department of Geography, Panjab University, advised the participants to take this as an initiation only and not as stagnation and the end of activity. Earlier, Mrs Surinder Kaur
Tangri, Principal, welcomed the guests and participants. |
Sikh
history comes alive CHANDIGARH, March 20 — The Sikh history from the times of Guru Nanak to Independence of India, came alive at the Sector 16 Shanti Kunj garden, where “bole so nihal”, a fusion of film, drama and light and sound was organised by the Bank of Punjab and Shobha Shakti Films tonight. The two-and-half-hour multimedia extravaganza depicted the life, teachings and sacrifices made by the Gurus and Sikhs to save the humanity. As many as 36 important events, spanning over the Pathan, Mughal, Sikh and British eras, were presented during the show. The show began with a soulful rendition of a shabad, “Satgur Nanak Pargatya, Miti Dhund Jag Chanan Hoa,” by Mohinder Kapoor, along with images related to different episodes of Guru Nanak’s life on the screen. Episodes from “Janam Sakhis” showed Guru discarding the food offered by Malik Bhago and how he settled at Kartarpur after undertaking an arduous journey during his four “Udasis”. Incidents related to the Gurus were portrayed on stage by artistes such as B.N. Sharma, Hargurjit, Sudesh Sharma, Ravinder Grover, Arvind Sood, Surjit Kaur, Rajinder Rozy and Nikki. Aferwards, the focus
shifted to creation of the Khalsa by Guru Gobind Singh
and his battles with “Pahari” and Muslim rulers
and his stay at Anandpur Sahib. Besides, other incidents
of Guru leaving Ananpur and how he sacrificed his four
sons were well portrayed by a team of artistes, supported
by a commentary of Shammi Narang and Avinash Kaur Sareen. |
One injured
in accident DERA BASSI, March 20 — A resident of Panchkula was injured in an accident involving two vehicles near petrol pump here today. The injured Subhash Arora, who was driving a Maruti car, was hit by another vehicle coming from the opposite direction. The police has impounded the vehicles. No case has been registered so far. Arrested: The police has arrested Bacchi Lal, a resident of Mubarikpur, for possessing illicit countrymade liquor. A case under Section 61-1-14 of the Excise Act has been registered. Challaned:
The district transport authorities at Patiala have
challaned nine vehicles for violating traffic rules.
According to Additional District Transport Officer J.S.
Brar, the vehicles challaned included five trucks, two
buses and two tempos. |
Cultural
show CHANDIGARH, March 20
— The management and students of the Parihar Sangit
Natyashala will organise a cultural programme to
celebrate the birth anniversary of Lord Rama at the
premises of Government Polytechnic for Women, Sector 10,
here on March 24 at 7 p.m, according to Natyashala
President, Mr Jagdish Walia. |
Carnival
goers treated to Sahir’s melodies CHANDIGARH, March 20 — A programme of selected songs and qawwalis, composed by Sahir Ludhianvi, entertained the audience today at the Plaza Carnival in Sector 17. The singers were Rinku Kalia, Pradeep Dutta, Mona Sankar and Mukesh Dewan. Popular songs like “Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Main”. “Ye Raatein Ye Mausam”, Maang Ke Saath Tumhara”, “Aye Meri Zohra Jabi” and Naa To Karwaan Ki Talash Hai” delighted the audience. At the artists’
corner today, Anil Vadhera demonstrated the art of oil
painting to the gathering. Sketching and face-painting
was also done by other artists.
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