& V I C I N I T Y
Saturday, March 27, 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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Saturday, March 27, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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No
takers for HUDA commercial sites PU
reschedules BA, BSc, B.Com exams |
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Teachers suspend exam
boycott call City
captivates kids from Doda Panel
ruling on plot allotment AMC
conference begins
CJI
to visit city tomorrow ‘Kids
Paradise’ opens Kashyap
joins SSP (HQ) |
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Exhibition
centre to boost trade: Chhibber CHANDIGARH, March 26 — The UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen B.K.N. Chhibber (retd), here today laid the foundation stone of the prestigious exhibition-cum-convention centre in Sector 31. Speaking on the occasion, General Chhibber said the centre would play an important role in the promotion of trade and commerce in the region. He informed that an independent autonomous body would be set up to run the centre in a professional manner . The local MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain, hoped that the centre while catering to the needs of consumers and producers would give a boost to the industrial development of region. He said that the Centre had okayed the construction of 5000 dwelling units for the weaker sections of society, which he hoped would solve the problem of housing in the city to a large extent. The local Doordarshan Kendra was likely to be functional by July this year, he added. Mr Jagdish Sagar, Adviser to the Administrator, said with over 1,700 sqm of exhibition area, the centre would offer enough space for the international and national exhibitions and would be an ideal alternative to the Pragati Maidan. The construction of the centre, coupled with the setting up of Beant Singh Centre for Performing Arts, was intended to fill the gaps in the development of the southern parts of the city. Ms Meenakshi Datta Ghosh, Chairperson of the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB), said with the construction of the state-of-the-art centre, Chandigarh would come in the league of metropolitan cities. Terming it as a “landmark project”, Ms Ghosh said the board would recoup the cost of the project by auctioning commercial property in the West of Sector 38, transferred to it by the Chandigarh Administration. Mr I.S. Paul, Chairman of the CII Chandigarh Council, proposed the idea of setting up of Chandigarh Trade Promotion Organisation(CTPO) with extensive private sector participation. “The role of the CTPO should be that of a fair, independent regulator as also a promoter of trade shows”, he added. Terming the centre as a developmental initiative by the CHB, he claimed that the Pragati Maidan was no longer an attractive location for the exhibition organisers due to inadequate parking facilities, outdated exhibition halls and high space rentals. Mr Ashok Khanna, Chairman of the PHDCCI, said the centre should be run professionally so that the society as a whole was benefited. Earlier, architect and consultant for the project Mr S.D. Sharma, explained the model and drawings to the chief guest. Mr Man Mohan Singh, president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Chandigarh, said the centre would bring in multi-dimensional prosperity to the region and the hospitality industry. This was an important step in the direction of the promoting trade and tourism in the city. The 15-crore project would
have an indoor and outdoor exhibition area, a restaurant,
a multi-purpose hall, besides two-tier parking space.
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Slogans
raised CHANDIGARH, March 26 — Around 50 protesters, including women, who were raising slogans as the foundation stone of the exhibition-cum-convention centre was being laid at Sector 31, went mum when the police moved in to arrest them this afternoon. At the time of the ceremony, the protesters were shouting slogans at the top of their voice. Senior police officials swung into action and the SSP directed the SP, City, Mr Baldev Singh to have a talk with the protesters. The cop reminded the
leaders of the protesters that they had promised not to
shout when the show was on. On seeing no breakthrough, he
said he was asking his men to arrest the lot and anyone
wanting to court arrest could come forward. The
protesters backed off the gate of the temple, the
entrance to which has become a bone of contention between
the administration and some religious bodies.
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Inconvenienced
on NH-21 CHANDIGARH, March 26 — Hundreds of vehicle owners and commuters were put to inconvenience as the Chandigarh Administration kept a section of National Highway 21 closed for varying periods, both yesterday and today, in an apparent bid to prevent any “demonstration or protest” at the venue of the Exhibition Centre. No prior notice was given for diversion of vehicular traffic. The vehicle owners and road users were left to themselves to look for alternative routes to reach their destinations. The worst hit were the commuters, especially those who come from Ambala, Patiala, Dera Bassi, Bhankharpur, Banur and Rajpura, by bus and work in Industrial Area, Phase II, or nearby areas, including the Sector 32 Government Medical College Hospital, Survey of India and other offices. “Our bus from Dera Bassi got diverted from near Hallo Majra towards Industrial Area. We all had to walk long distances to reach the Sector 32 Hospital for a check-up,” complained 80-year-old Gurdeep Kaur. She said that her daughter-in-law, who is pregnant, also underwent a similar experience early in the morning. Mr Ram Sewak, a handicapped person, who works in an industrial unit in Industrial Area Phase II, says that he had to walk all the way from Hallo Majra to reach his place of work, almost an hour behind his duty hour. Some of the drivers, who were heading for various destinations in Himachal Pradesh, Ropar, Nangal, Hoshiarpur and Nawanshahr, said that they almost got lost in the city as there were hardly any “diversion marks” to guide them back on National Highway 21. “First I tried to come back to National Highway 21 from Industrial Area but was diverted back. Then I tried another road but was again diverted back. Ultimately, I got back on the right road after my third attempt. I lost almost an hour in this process and just could not keep my appointment at Anandpur Sahib,” complained a contractor, engaged in construction of one of special projects in connection with the tercentenary celebrations of the birth of Khalsa. A large number of Tribune employees, who come from Ambala and nearby areas, also underwent similar experience as they had to walk to office from different places. Even those who come by their own vehicles had to make a longer detour to reach office. Also hit were the advertisers who could not come to The Tribune because of closure of Dakshin Marg. Even the Editor of The Tribune, Mr Hari Jaisingh, had to make a longer detour through Industrial Area to reach office on his way back from Delhi this afternoon. A number of residents, and even those who came to attend the foundation stone-laying ceremony, questioned the wisdom of the Administration in keeping national highway closed for two days. “It is simply panicky and over-reaction. I wonder what the feedback the Administration had from its intelligence agencies, “ remarked a councillor, who does not want to be identified. “It is all the more ridiculous that even if they had to close the highway to prevent assembly of protestors, they should have invoked Section 144 Cr P C and publicised the traffic diversions in newspapers for the information and convenience of road users so that people could work out their alternative plans and routes in time,” he added. In fact, attempts made by Chandigarh Tribune to persuade both the Chandigarh Administration and the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation authorities to notify road closures in advance in newspapers on the pattern of power shutdowns have been futile. “We ourselves do not know which road will remain closed for recarpeting and when,” remarked a senior functionary of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. The other from the Engineering Department of the administration said that it was a “good idea” but then “ we can be criticised if we take longer than notified period for recarpeting a section of the road. We may have a machinery breakdown or any other problem. That is why we only write to the Traffic Police about our programme and road closure.” “We will have to get clearance from the top before we take a decision,” he added. Whatever be the reason,
public convenience is not high on the agenda of the
administration or its official wings. |
No takers
for HUDA commercial sites PANCHKULA, March 26 — The absence of buyers for commercial sites in the Urban Estate forced the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) to withdraw all the sites which had been offered for sale at an auction here today. The sites put under hammer included SCOs, service booths, booth sites, and built-up shops in Sectors 16,17, and 21 and Sector 5 of Mansa Devi Complex. The auction scheduled to begin at 11 am started at 12 noon and was called off within fifteen minutes after there were no takers for the sites. Sources in HUDA said high reserved prices of the sites acted as a deterrent to keep the prospective buyers away. The reserved price of 12 booth sites with basement had been fixed at Rs 14.11 lakh each. Another reason cited by
the sources was that the auction had been held within 18
days of the last auction during which HUDA had sold 11
sites thereby earning Rs 4 crore. |
PU
reschedules BA, BSc, B. Com exams CHANDIGARH, March 26—All Panjab University BA, BSc and B. Com parts I, II and III pass course and honours examinations, which were scheduled to begin on March 31 and April 1, have been postponed and will now commence on April 16. The new datesheets will be notified shortly. Enquiries regarding
issuance of duplicate roll numbers will be attended on
April 8 and 9 instead of March 29 and 30 as announced
earlier. |
Teachers
suspend exam boycott call CHANDIGARH, March 26 — The Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU) has suspended its examination boycott call till April 10, in response to the notification for UGC pay scales for the teaching staff working in the 150 non-government aided colleges by the Punjab Government, on a par with the teaching staff of the universities and government colleges. Prof S.S. Hundal, President of the PCCTU, said that the decision was taken by the coordination Committee of the teachers working in the universities and colleges of Punjab and UT. The union also appealed to the Punjab Government to implement its own decision of adopting the December 1998 notification issued by the HRD Ministry/UGC for the teaching staff of universities and colleges. Students’ festival: The President of the Punjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC), Mr D.P.S. Randhawa, held a press conference today at the Panjab University Campus, after his return from the International Students’ Festival in Trondeim (Norway) (ISFIT’99), from March 5 to 14, where he represented India. The festival, which is the world’s largest thematic student conference, is recognised by the UNO. It is organised by university students in Norway at NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim), with the help of the Royal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway, and under the direction of the Norwegian Government. Mr Randhawa claimed to be the first Indian to attend this festival, the main topic of which was ‘solving conflicts’. Exam centre: The indefinite fast by students of Government College, Zira, demanding the re-instatement of examination centre for regular students, today entered its second day. The Haryana Student Association (HSA) submitted a memorandum to the Vice-Chancellor (VC), a copy of which has also been given to the DUI and COE for the revival of the centre. Meanwhile, Mr D.P.S. Randhawa, President, PUCSC, met the VC and appealed for the reinstatement of the examination centre. The VC, Prof M.M. Puri, has reportedly assured the setting up of a new centre. Non-teaching staff: The executive committee of PUSA in its meeting held on Wednesday took a serious note of the undue interference of the Finance Secretary of the Punjab Government in the affairs of the Panjab University. In a press note issued today it said that while approving the budget estimates, it has become a routine matter with the government representatives to raise objections on the additional demands of the non-teaching staff. The Executive Committee deplored the government of ignoring the legitimate needs of the staff of the universities, and added that this had greatly eroded the autonomous character of the universities. MFC Assignments: The
Department of Correspondence Studies, Panjab University,
Chandigarh, has announced that the date of submission of
MFC assignments has been extended from March 30 to April
5. |
City
captivates kids from Doda CHANDIGARH, March 26 — Is Chandigarh a part of “Hindustan”? Not really, if the views of more than 42 young students from various parts of insurgency-affected Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir are taken into consideration. These young persons are a part of Operation Yuva Jagriti, undertaken by the 8 Rashtriya Rifles, to broaden their horizons and ensure that they have some pleasant memories to carry back home.These children, all volunteers, are from Banihal, Ghat and Baderwah in the district. The group is being led by Major Sandeep Tejpal, his wife, Meenakshi, and their three-year-old son. The itinerary of the group includes Delhi, Agra and Ajmer. The tour will last 10 days and the expenditure will be met by the unit itself. The exercise is the brainchild of Colonel Ajay Saxena, Commanding Officer of the unit. The awe-struck children were unanimous that this was the type of place they would love to live in. Most of them expressed the feeling that “ Wahan (Doda) kya rakha hai. Bus chaley to yahan he reh jayee”. This did not go well with their escort, who jokingly remarked that he would have to make sure that no one was left behind. They recalled their first-time journey experiences out of their respective districts and in some cases even villages. Sahir Hanif Zargar, a class IX-student said he was surprised on seeing a hand pump when they stopped for some water in Gardhiwala, a hamlet near Hoshiarpur.” I thought that the water was coming from an underground tank, but was taken aback when I was told that it was straight from the ground. I had never even heard that such contraptions existed. Water for us means waterfalls or streams, he said. A high point of the visit was Chatt Bir Zoo. Most of the children were taken in by the grace of the big cats. They also visited Rock Garden this afternoon. There are six special women police officers in the group, who are not only students but are also engaged in information gathering for the army. “Some of the information provided by them has resulted in the capture of hard-core militants or large catches of ammunition”, claims Major Tejpal. One of them, Babli, has taken part in active operations. The fear of militants has receded from the minds of the people. Zia- ul-Haque Bhoru, a 10-year-old boy, said, “I am not afraid and would have given anything to see such wonderful things”. The group will leave for
Delhi tomorrow morning. |
Panel ruling
on plot allotment CHANDIGARH, March 26 — Disposing of as many as 11 similar cases relating to auction of residential or commercial sites by the Chandigarh Administration, the Chandigarh State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has held that allotment of plots without basic amenities amounts to unfair trade practice and deficiency in service on the part of the authorities. In one of the cases, a complainant, Mr Kanwarjit Singh Jolly — a resident of Darua — has contended that he had purchased a residential plot in Sector 33A in an open auction in January 1997 for Rs 32 lakh. He had deposited Rs 3,20,000 ( Rs 50,000 in cash and Rs 2.70 lakh by means of a demand draft), being 10 per cent of the bid money on the same day. The balance 15 per cent of the bid money i.e Rs 4,80,000 was deposited on February 18, 1997, and subsequently an allotment letter was issued to him on May 28,1997. Mr Jolly has in his complaint alleged that when he went to take the possession of the plot along with the Executive Engineer, he found that there was no approach road to the plot, no street lights and no proper arrangements for sewerage, rain water drainage system and facility of drinking water. He has further alleged that it was not possible to reach the site, which was about 15 to 20 ft deep and was filled with rain water and huge grass had grown there. In fact till the date of filing the complaint, the possession of the plot has not been delivered. The opposite party in its reply has said that the estimates for providing the basic amenities such as sewerage, drainage, roads etc have been prepared and provided to the higher authorities for seeking administrative proposal . The respondents have started providing the basic amenities. The Commission, comprising its president Mr J.B Garg and its members Mr Sada Nand and Mrs P. Ojha, observed that the plots being auctioned in Chandigarh under the Capital Project are always provided with the basic amenities so that the moment the possession is delivered the purchaser could start his construction work. They held that since the allegation of the complainant that the person who went to deliver the possession could not even reach the site has not been denied by any of the respondents, the deficiency on the part of respondents is writ large in this case. The Commission, held that “it was an unfair trade practice on the part of the respondent qua all the complainants. Regarding the date of auction for payment of price, it shall be deemed to be the date on which plinth level was given and all basic amenities provided. The amount paid by the complainants shall earn interest at 18 per cent per annum till the date of providing the amenities and plinth level which shall be certified by an officer of the rank of Chief Engineer or a person next below him in each case. The interest on the
outstanding amount shall be payable from the date the
aforesaid certificate is issued and the instalments shall
be rescheduled in each case. The remaining price of the
plots shall be deposited according to the terms contained
in the letter of allotment without any change in the
price. The lease money shall also be payable from the
date of certificate to be so issued. The complainants are
also entitled to costs of Rs 3,000.’’ |
AMC
conference begins CHANDIGARH, March 26 — A two day conference of high ranking officers of the Army Medical Corps began at the Western Command Headquarters today. Lieut Gen S.C. Verma, Director- General of Medical Services (Army) and Colonel Commandant of the corps, while inaugurating the conference, stressed the need to bring qualitative changes in the medical care provided to the soldiers through a multi pronged strategy. Highlighting the achievements of the corps in the fields of modernisation and medical support in counter insurgency operations, he urged the delegates to strive for professional excellence with dedication, competence and compassion. He also emphasised that every officer should attain computer literacy and the medical services should be prepared for nuclear, biological and chemical warfares. Lieut Gen S.S. Grewal, Adjutant- General of the Army, hoped that the deliberations would focus on logistical problems including climactic changes, and the changing concept of warfare, to give concrete shape to futuristic plans. The conference is being
attended by deputy directors of medical services of all
the commands, general and senior serving officers of the
Director-General of Armed Forces Medical Services, dental
and nursing services besides senior staff officers of the
AMC Centre. |
Police
acquires alcometer CHANDIGARH, March 26 — To make the drunken driving test more authentic and stringent the Chandigarh police has acquired an alcometer breath analyser with printer facility to detect people driving vehicles after consuming of alcohol exceeding the permissible quantity. Under Section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988, driving or attempting to drive a motor vehicle with alcohol content exceeding 30 mg per 100 ml. of blood is punishable for the first offence with imprisonment for a term up to six months, or with fine which may extend to Rs 2000 or both. The second or subsequent offence, if committed within three years, will attract imprisonment up to two years or a fine up to Rs 3000 or both. Earlier the local police had been conducting such tests with the help of balloon-type breath analyser without any printer facility and in the case of a dispute the police had no proof of such test. Besides, it was not possible to determine the exact level of alcohol consumption. With the new equipment, it is possible to detect the exact level of alcohol consumed by the driver. The Chandigarh police
would soon start prosecution of drunken drivers with the
help of the new equipment, a spokesperson said tonight. |
CJI to
visit city tomorrow CHANDIGARH, March 26 — The Chief Justice of India, Dr A.S. Anand, will visit Chandigarh on Sunday to lay the foundation stone of the third phase of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan building in Sector 27-B here. The third phase will have
24,000 sq ft of covered area, including an inhouse
auditorium,an administrative block and classrooms. |
‘Kids
Paradise’ opens CHANDIGARH, March 26 — ‘Kids Paradise-99’, a children’s fair was held today at a hotel in Sector 10. Termed as the “vibrant summer fair”, the children’s fair, that had various stalls of toys, games, confectionery, books and schoolbags along with those of kitchenware, foot-wear for women and the predictable ‘mishri’ and ‘supari’ stall, seemed to be like any other trade fair event. Most of the stalls in the fair were still being erected during late afternoon. Even the dance floor for children was being painted in the afternoon. The organisers, who are
still deciding on the celebrities to be called for this
four-day event, said that the fair would also organise
painting and dancing Kashyap joins SSP (HQ) CHANDIGARH March 26 — Mr Ajay Kashyap, who belongs to the 1985 batch of the IPS, joined as SSP, Headquarters, Chandigarh police, here this morning. The present incumbent Mr N.S. Randhawa has been asked to stay on as the SSP, City. Mr C.S.R. Reddy is going a month-long study tour. Mr Kashyap, who had been
posted in Delhi, arrived in Chandigarh this morning.
Within an hour of his arrival he joined his duty at the
Police Headquarters in Sector 9 . |
CHANDIGARH, March 26 — The former Mayor, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, today urged the UT Administrator to take appropriate action against those found guilty in various inquiries ordered during his tenure. In a representation to the Administrator, a copy of which has been sent to the Union Home Minister, Mr Gupta alleged that no action had been taken against those found guilty in the three inquiry reports — the land scam in Mani Majra, the purchase of paints and renting of Nehru Park to a UP-based potteries firm — even after several months. The progress of the inquiry into the change of the design of a bridge connecting the city with SAS Nagar was also not known even after four months, he added. Meeting: The Mayor, Mr Kewal Krishan Addiwal, held a meeting with newly-elected chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of the sub-committees of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC). He emphasised the need for holding regular meetings of the committees so that the pace of work, which had been slow during the past few months, could pick up. Inaugurated:
The Mayor on Friday inaugurated a sports tournament being
organised by the gram panchayat at Kajheri village. |
CHANDIGARH, March 26 — The scooterist , Kamaljit Singh, who was injured when hit by a truck yesterday, succumbed to his injuries at the PGI late last night. A resident of Phase II in S.A.S. Nagar, Mr Kamaljit Singh, was hit by truck (PB —12 — 8125) near the Sectors, 20, 21, 33 and 34 roundabout. The truck driver had fled, leaving behind his truck. The police said that the truck belonged to a person living in Dhainpur village in Ropar district. Women injured: Three women have been injured in separate road accidents in the city since yesterday. Radha, a resident of Sector 38, was hit by a scooter (PB—27—9587) driven by Joginder Singh of Sector 40. A woman, Pinky of Sector 18, fell off the pillion of the scooter she was riding in Sector 32. Meanwhile, Ganga Devi of Banur, Patiala district was hit by a motorcycle outside the Panjab University gate. Windowpanes broken: Some miscreants persons broke the windowpanes of the house of Ms Renuka Nayyar in Sector 33 last night. The police has registered a case under Sections 451 and 511 of the IPC. In a separate case, gas cylinders were stolen from the house of Dhoom Singh in Sector 55. A case has been registered. PANCHKULA Cyclist dies: One person died and two others were injured in three separate road accidents in the district. A cyclist, Parmod Kumar, who was admitted to the PGI in Chandigarh after being hit by a truck, succumbed to his injuries today. The police has registered a case against the truck driver on the basis of a statement given by Krishan Lal, a resident of Raipur Rani. In another case Jagdish Lal, a resident of Sector 8, who was driving his scooter, was injured after being hit by a Maruti car near the Sector market. The police has registered a case against car driver Kamal Sharma. Vishav Nath, a scooterist, was injured when he was hit by a Haryana Roadways bus (HR-07-A-1583) at Tangri bridge, near Barwala. A case under Sections 279, 337 and 338 of the IPC has been registered against the bus driver, whose identity could not be ascertained. Arrested: Om Chand, a resident of Tirlokpur in Raipur Rani, was arrested while carrying five bottles and 10 pouches of country liquor, near here, on Friday. He has been booked under the Excise Act. DERA BASSI Scooterist killed:
In an accident on the Dera Bassi-Barwala road a
scooterist, Lakshman Singh, resident of Behra village,
was killed on Thursday. The victim, who was driving a
scooter (CH-01-8665), was hit by vehicle. The local
police has registered a case in his connection. |
CHANDIGARH: Creativity through computers is fast catching up. Computer graphics is becoming the medium of expression for many. To join the group is a very senior and reputed artist of the city, Malkit Singh. In his words, “When I went to Canada in 1996 I tried my hand at the machine to see the paint-like effect on screen. But I don’t think I will continue doing this kind of work. My first love is painting”. He worked for about one and a half years on graphics and made 150 paintings. But out of those he selected and exhibited 40 pieces at Museum of Fine Arts, Panjab University. The subjects he has chosen to work on are dreams, women, trees, farms. All these have personal importance for the artist. Women in his opinion are the ultimate towers of strength and respect. To him his mother meant a lot who had immense influence on his upbringing. Farms also bring back old memories of his childhood days in the native village. The colours used are bright and lively — lime greens, violet, magenta, turquoise blue, yellow. There is a feeling of joy in the paintings. To this the artist says: “I have made a conscious effort to use bright colours, previously my paintings were very gloomy. This could be attributed to my visit abroad which changed my perspective of life.” The overall impact is joy-giving, the graphics are so perfect that they seem like real paintings. The exhibition ‘Man Paint and Machine’ will be open till March 29. Abhinav’s photos: Experi-mentation and excellence in photography are akin to Abhinav Nayar. Every time he has exhibited, his works have left an indelible mark on the viewer’s mind. No matter how hard one tries they simply cannot be scrapped off the memory section of the brain. This time once again Abhinav has succeeded in making a dent in the art field as well as in the soul of the onlookers. In the show titled “Beyond the Visible Spectrum” he has chosen the theme of visible and invisible. According to him, man’s life is ruled in two halves — things which can be seen and touched and elements like wind and space that can be seen and touched and elements like wind and space that can be felt but not touched. In these the photographer has tried to show as to how the two work together in harmony with human being as the pivotal point and make the universe go round. For him colours also have a philosophical and spiritual connotation. They emit a fragrance which caresses the sould in different ways and each time the caress has a different meaning. Abhinav’s style of presentation complements the subject he has chosen. All the photographs are in matt finish. Here the negatives have been partially developed but the colours have been quietly enhanced. The whole effect gives an unearthly quality to the snaps, giving a clear indication of Abhinav’s expertise. What lends credibility to the artist’s work is that it is spread over a few years and the pictures do not belong to one place. The amount of travelling he does is simply unbelievable. This exhibition has frames which can take the viewer on India tour. He has covered places like Mandvi and Palitana in Gujarat, Pushkar in Rajasthan, Gulbarga in Karnataka, Ujjain, Pachmarhi and Maheshwar in Madhya Pradesh, Mumbai, Goa Diu, Shimla, Kasauli and Amritsar. Titles definitely deserve a special mention. They have always been most appropriate, catchy and well thought off. Here it seems Abhinav’s scholarly bent of mind and the fact that he is a journalist come in handy. The exhibition which will
be open at Alliance Francaise Art Gallery, Sector 36,
till April 3 should be a must on the visiting list. |
Gang of
thieves busted PANCHKULA, March 26 — At least eight different cases of burglary, which took place in the township during the past three months, have been solved with the arrest of two members of a four-member gang. Stolen goods worth Rs 1.60 lakh have been recovered from them. The gang had been active in Sectors 9, 10 and 15 since January this year and mainly targeted locked houses. On the basis of information, a team of the CIA wing of the district police led by Inspector Surjeet Singh and ASI Hari Pal arrested two members — Prem Singh (40) and Ravi (35) — of the gang. According to the information available, Prem, who is reported to be the leader of the gang, was earlier arrested in a case of theft in 1995 and he had recently come out of jail. He and Ravi, both mechanics of generator sets, had been living in Ludhiana. During a burglary attempt at the house of an ASI in Sector 15 here in February Prem was injured in the stomach when he was fired upon by the policeman in self-defence. He got himself treated at DMC Hospital in Ludhiana. The modus operandi of the gang members was that they used to come to the township in the morning and after committing theft returned to their house in Ludhiana. The stolen goods, which include gold jewellery, silver ornaments and VCRs, have been recovered from their house. The arrested persons have
been remanded to judicial custody. |
Farmers
condemn Budget CHANDIGARH, March 26 — Farmers from various parts of Punjab condemned the anti - farmer Budget presented by the government and demanded that the loans of the small farmers be waived. They were attending an impressive rally organised by the Kiati Kisan Union at the Parade Grounds here today. The agitators raised slogans against the government. Mr Hardev Singh Sandhu, president of the union, said the farmers were groaning under debts and they were being forced to commit suicides. Farmers were being forced to sell their land and farm equipment to pay the high interests charged by moneylenders. It was ironic that the Chief Minister was blaming the farmers for the situation they were in. The suggestion that the farmers should go in for other crops was also criticised and it was pointed out that the farmers who went in for diversification were in dire straits as the state had no marketing policy for their produce. The prices of farm produce spoke for themselves. The farmers who grew onions, potatoes and other crops were being forced to plough their crops in view of the unremunerative market prices. Mr Balvinder Singh, General Secretary of the union, said the Akalis were too busy in their internal squabbles. He appealed to the farmers not to take to the road of suicides but come together and fight back. The resolutions passed at
the rally include fixing a land holding ceiling and
reconsolidation of the land of the state so that the
excess land could be given to farmers, opening of farm
centres in villages, steps to control waterlogging,
compensation to those whose crops were damaged, besides
giving Rs 5 lakh to next of kin of the farmers who had
committed suicide. |
MC chief
‘misusing’ Rs 1 crore: SAD SAS NAGAR, March 26 — Four municipal councillors belonging to the SAD today attacked the civic body president, accusing him of trying to “sabotage” the programmes drawn up in connection with the Khalsa tercentenary celebrations. Addressing a press conference here, the councillors, Mr Amrik Singh Mohali, Mrs Joginder Kaur, Mrs Manmohan Kaur and Mr Amrik Singh, claimed that the president and others were trying to use Rs 1 crore allocated for the town’s beautification in connection with the celebrations for their “own benefit”. They also alleged that a thin carpet was being provided on roads which were already in good shape. Besides, old and broken road-kerb channels were being fixed. Mrs Manmohan Kaur, though not present at the conference, said on the phone that she agreed with what the other councillors said. They said only a small part of the beautification work had started, even though March was drawing to a close. They said whenever the president was approached to solve the problems of stray animals and encroachments, he put off the complainants wrongly claiming that the Punjab Chief Minister had directed that no illegal khokha or rehri should be removed. Even stray animals in the cattle pound had to be let off on “directions from the Chief Minister’s office”. The councillors further alleged that their civic wards were being discriminated against by the president. No development work had been undertaken in these areas and problems related to streetlights, footpaths, drinking water supply and sanitation had been ignored by the president. Rejecting the councillors’ charges, the president, Mr Harinder Pal Singh Billa, strongly denied any misuse of Rs 1 crore allocated for the celebrations. Throwing a challenge to the councillors, he said he would resign if any corruption charge against him was proved. Mr Billa said 50 per cent of the beautification work had been completed. The councillors, he said, could inquire into the progress of the work and bring deficiencies, if any, to the notice of the council’s engineering wing. Payments to the contractors would be made only if the work was up to the mark. He denied that the Chief
Minister had given him directions on encroachments and
stray animals as alleged by the councillors. |
‘Shed
prejudices in Partition study’ CHANDIGARH, March 26 — Prof Mushirul Hasan, former Vice-Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, advocated shedding present-day prejudices and preconceived suppositions in studying the history of Partition. He was speaking at the fourth Bhagat Singh Memorial Lecture, held at the English Auditorium in Panjab University here today. He said that most people were indifferent to the borders that were created at the time of Partition and were neither committed to Aryavarta nor the land of Islam. He emphasised, that Pakistan was not everyone’s dream and Jinnah was not everybody’s leader. According to him, researches on Muslims are still mired with traditional frameworks. There is a talk of a “Muslim mind”, a “Muslim outlook” and an obsessive pre-occupation with the construction of a Muslim identity around Islam. “There has not been a single, inalienable Muslim identity,” he said. He added that the Islamic rhetoric must not obscure the more mundane class, regional and local differences. He called upon writers to
provide a foundation for developing an alternative
discourse to current expositions on inter-community
relations. He explained that the subject in the study of
Partition was primarily ‘human beings’ and not
Hindus, Muslims or Sikhs. He said that the experiences of
one community mirror the experiences of the other.
“We are in different position than the men and women
of August 1947. Our choices are not limited to exile,
death or resignation,” he concluded. |
DAV College
boy wins contest CHANDIGARH, March 26 — An essay writing contest on Indo-Pakistan friendship was conducted by PCA Stadium in collaboration with the YPS here today. Abhishek Goel, a student of class XII of local DAV College, won the contest. He wins 10 tickets for the India-Pakistan cricket match. The second prize went to
Sarvagaya Bhatnagar, a class IX student of the host
school, and he gets five tickets for the match, while
Puneet Dhanda and Rukmani of class XII of Kendriya
Vidyalaya and Khalsa college, respectively, have been
declared third. They get three tickets each for the
match. |
UT
employees hold rally CHANDIGARH, March 26 — Members of the Federation of UT Employees and Workers staged a rally in support of its demands here today. Employees from various departments of the Administration and the Municipal Corporation assembled near the Housing Board roundabout and raised slogans against the indifferent attitude of the Administration towards their long-pending demands. Mr Rakesh Kumar and Mr Bal Krishan, President and Vice-President of the federation, said the callous attitude of the authorities was playing havoc with the sentiments of the employees. The gathering resolved to intensify the protest in case the demands were not met within 15 days. The major demands of the
agitators are release of the bonus for 1997-98,
regularisation of daily-wagers, payment of arrears of
HRA, DA and CCA, implementation in the Factories Act,
grant of a proficiency step to all field staff,
restoration of technician scale and grant of uniforms to
class III employees and pay scales to kitchen gardening
and aaganwadi staff. |
Semester
system for M.Sc classes CHANDIGARH, March 26 — Various faculties of different disciplines met at the Administrative Block of Panjab University here today to approve the syllabi of their respective faculties. Elections for various boards were also held during the meetings. In the meeting of the science faculty, it was decided to introduce semester system at the M. Sc. level physics and chemistry. During the meeting of the faculty of commerce and business management, confusion on the issue of giving a second chance to students of the course of Masters in Finance and Control prevailed. The members came to the conclusion that the students already had two chances for re-appearing as per an earlier notification. The elected members of the Board of Studies are as follows: Chemistry — Dr Krishan Kumar Goel, Mr Mohinder Singh Bhalla, Mr S. K. Gupta, Dr S. M. Sehgal, Mr Yogesh Chander Bali; Zoology — Dr Amar Shobha, Dr Dalip Kumar, Dr Neelam K. Sharma, Mr Rajinder Kumar Kaporr, Mr Ravi Mantosh, Dr S. Bansal; English — Mr Balraj Thapar, Mr Inder Paul Setia, Dr Kusum Narula, Mr O. P. Sharma, Mr Ranjit Singh Pannu, Mr R. P. Sabharwal; Punjabi — Dr Amarjit Singh Dua, Dr Guriqbal Singh, Mr Hamans Singh, Mr Hardiljit Singh Gosal, Mr Prabhakar Singh Gill, Dr S. P. Singh; Hindi — Dr Abinash Chander, Mr Dedar Singh Kalsi, Dr Mahesh Chander Sharma, Dr Rajinder Pal Singh Josh, Mr Ramesh Kumar Vaid, Mr Satya Brat Dwivedi, Dr Tilak Verma; Business Management and Commerce — Mr Arvind K Malhotra, Mr Ashok Kumar Sood, Mr Hem Raj Saini, Mr Inder Kumar Chopra, Ms Indira Gupta, Mr Vijay Asdhir. The meetings of the
faculties of design and fine arts, engineering and
technology, law, and the Faculty of Dairying, Animal
Husbandry and Agriculture would be held tomorrow.
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