& V I C I N I T Y
Monday, March 29, 1999
|
C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
|
Monday, March 29, 1999 |
| weather n
spotlight today's calendar |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
VC fails to get power over
selection panels
Gaurav,
Nipinder to the fore 2
killed in road accident Complaints of
overcharging at PCOs CHB
told to hand over house Mullanpur
phones out of order Council
plans multi-cultural complex
Premiere
of film on kirtans held Time
to repair threshers ‘Influence’
needed to register cases |
||||||||||||||||||
  |
VC fails to
get power over selection panels CHANDIGARH, March 28—Chaos, confusion and bedlam marked the end of the Senate meeting which began with an equally stormy zero hour in the morning at the Administration Block of Panjab University, here today. The very first item on the agenda of the Senate, relating to the restoration of power to appoint selection committees for Class `A’ posts to the VC was deferred till the last, but when it was open to discussion, hell broke loose. Mr Randeep Surjewala opened the discussion with a convincing argument on why the item should not have been brought to the Senate and that the item be withdrawn immediately. The Vice-Chancellor, Prof M.M. Puri, insisted that the House consider it. While presenting every aspect of the item, an argument ensued between Mr GK Chatrath and Mr Pawan Vallechha and they practically came to blows. They were separated by the others who, in an effort to put their view across, spoke in raised voices. When Professor Puri saw that his item was falling through, he said,``Let us not pin too many hopes on the functioning of the university,’’ The Senators supporting the retention of powers to the Syndicate did not take kindly to this remark. They became more vociferous in their demand that the item ``be approved’’. After a vitriolic attack by the members not in favour of the item, threats to adjourn the House and vacillating between withdrawing the item and reaching a conclusion by voting on the issue, the decision weighed in favour of those wanting the item to be approved. The drama was punctuated by pleas from the Vice- Chancellor to consider the item, send it to the syndicate or vote on the issue, The prime movers of the resolution that the item be approved included Mr Charanjit Chawla, Mr Rajinder Deepa, Mr Ashok Goyal, Mr Kuljit Singh Nagra and Mr S.S. Hundal, besides Mr Surjewala. The other item which took up a lot of time of the meeting was the budget which was to be approved by the House. The sources from which the deficit was to be generated was of prime interest once the Vice-Chancellor assured the House that money would not be given from the higher education fund at the disposal of the university. A proposal to pass the budget as a vote-on-account for four months was made by Mr Surjewala which was turned down by the House on the pretext that it would set a wrong precedent. The House vehmently resented the pay-scale being given to Mr Devender Marwaha, SA to Vice-Chancellor, with a statement,``You can keep a man of your choice but you cannot give him a pay of your choice.’’ The budget was considered passed, subject to the recommendations of the sub-committee of the Board of Finance which would look into ways of generating funds and meeting the deficit. Mr SS Gill highlighted the wasteful expenditure which was burning into the pockets of the university. The proposal to implement the UGC letter of December 24 ``in toto’’ came in for deliberation once it was brought to the notice of the House that besides giving a two- year extension in service to teachers, the letter also sought to provide grades to administrative officers. An inspection team would visit to Mata Ganga Khalsa College at Ludhiana to enquire if the college had to its credit the required infrastructure, was giving approved pay scales to its teachers and had qualified staff at its disposal to conduct the course. The zero hour was dominated primarily by the pension scheme which has been shuttling between being considered ``viable’’ and ``not viable’’ by the officers at the helm of affairs. Dr Satya Pal Gautam, Mr Charanjit Chawla, Dr Anirudh Joshi, Mr Rabinder Sharma and Mr Ashok Bhandari among many others spoke on the topic. Dr RD Anand raised the issue of research scholars who had not been given scholarships, in spite of having been registered with the university. He also pointed out that the President of India, as the Chancellor of the university, should be informed of the meeting of the senate and a copy of the agenda be sent in advance to him. Issues ranging from proper sanitation and recarpeting roads in Sector 25 to separate funds for financing the TA DA bills for those involved in memorial lectures and non-implementation of resolutions passed by the senate and syndicate were elucidated upon during zero hour. The deplorable condition of the examination system, the marking scheme and the revaluation system drew the wrath of the fellows. The house also appealed to
the Vice-Chancellor to seek an appointment with the Chief
Minister regarding the demands of the teachers and the
deadlock of the principals and management of private
aided colleges with the government. They demanded a
meeting be fixed before April 5 when a rally at the
housing board chowk is proposed. |
CJI’s
alphabet for institutions CHANDIGARH, March 28 — “The contemporary society is at the crossroads. There is a crisis of moral fabric besides degeneration of value system,” says Dr Justice A.S. Anand, Chief Justice of India. Addressing a gathering at the foundationstone laying ceremony of the third phase of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan here this morning, Dr Justice Anand said, “It is not the vastness or architectural beauty of a building that is important but the value system practised in it.” “We all are responsible for the present crisis. Nothing is lost. That is where the role of institutes like Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan comes in focus. It is not only children who start their education by learning the alphabet. The institutions should also learn their alphabet,” he added. “For any institute, ‘a’ stands for achievement in the type of knowledge it imparts to its students, while ‘b’ means making better citizens. ‘c’ means building character of its students as without character, learning means nothing. Discipline, devotion, dedication and decency are symbolised by ‘d’, while ‘e’ stands for ethical values imbibed. “Feeling of fraternity is symbolised by ‘f’ while ‘g’ stands for good qualities and for belief in God. The taught must believe that God is here now and not God is nowhere. Likewise, ‘h’ means hope. “The next letter in the alphabet, ‘i’ is very crucial. If it is in capitals, it stands for ego but in reality it should stand for integrity. Jealousy, represented by ‘j’, is the most potent enemy which destroys the jealous first. ‘k’ stands for acquisition of knowledge, while ‘l’ is essential for mankind as it stands for love. One must love mankind and love each other. ‘M’ means motivation for improvement,” Dr Justice Anand said. He also recalled the great contribution made by the founders of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and the role it had been playing in spreading the message of the Indian value system. Earlier, Mr M.L. Sarin of the local society of the bhavan, in his welcome address, traced the history and growth of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan during the past 61 years. Mr R.K. Saboo, Chairman, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chandigarh kendra, highlighted the achievements of the local kendra and said that the budget of the bhavan network has grown from Rs 12000 to Rs 55 crore annually. Mr Jagdish Sagar, Adviser to the Administrator of Chandigarh, said the city was changing rapidly and no one could promise that the character of the city would remain the same for all times to come.The administration was conscious of its duty to promote and protect the distinct character of the city. He assured all help to Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan on behalf of the Administration. Mr Veera Raghvan, Director of the Delhi kendra of the bhavan, talked about the role of the bhavan in the present context. Earlier, the invocation
was sung by students of the school. |
Gaurav,
Nipinder to the fore CHANDIGARH, March 28 — Gaurav Gill of Delhi in the Open Class and Nipinder Jassy, also of Delhi, in the Expert Class emerged victorious in the Indian Oil-sponsored Servo Super Moto-Cross here at the Circus Grounds, Sector 17, today. Gaurav Gill also won the Novice ‘B’ Class, while Janu of Delhi got first position in the Novice ‘C’ Class. Twenty three riders from Delhi, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh took part in this all-India event, organised by the Chandigarh Motor Sports Association. A total of four different events were conducted: Open Class (five participants), Novice Class ‘B’ (15), Novice ‘C’ (five) and Expert (four). The Open Class had three rounds of Moto, while Expert, Novice ‘B’ and ‘C’ two each. The Circus grounds track which had hosted nearly four Moto Cross, as per the rules got all regular hurdles made such as various double jumps, whoop-de-doo (with many small jumps), table like jump and the camel jumps, having a total track length of 1.1 km. The action started at 11.15 a.m. with the riders lined up for the Open Class: Gaurav Gill (Delhi) (No 4), Ashok Sharma (Indore), Ashok Raja, Pune (43), E. Joy (Madras-44), and Nipinder Jassy (Delhi -77). Six laps were given to each rider to complete with final points allotted to the first three motorists. The moment the cross flagged off the first blind curve, hardly 50 m away from the starting point, the initial lead was taken by a particularl rider. Gaurav, driving a RX-100, remained first followed by Nipinder Jassy on Suzuki (RM-125) and the third position went to Ashok Raja of Pune (43) in RM-125. The second Moto Cross in line was of Novice ‘B’ riders who were 15 in number and some of them were having their first appearance. Here again it was Gaurav Gill who stole the show followed by Amit Kapoor of Delhi and the third position was bagged by Hiten Dass of Assam. In the cross, Ismail Ali of Assam while taking the camal jump got his back sprained as he fell from the bike. He was removed to hospital. The third cross was the Expert Class, where four riders — the best in India — vied for the top honours. These were Nipinder Jassy, Gagan Kapoor, Ashok Raja and E. Joy. Ashok Raja begged the first position, while Nipinder Jassy and E. Joy finished second and third, respectively. In Novice ‘C’, no modification in bike can be made. The next six moto organised in order of preference were: Novice Class ‘C’ Open Class IInd Moto, Novice Class ‘B’ IInd Moto, Expert Class IInd Moto, Novice Class ‘C’ IInd Moto and the last one Open Class, IIIrd Moto. Spectators had lined all along the ground and there were cheers for the riders who did acts of dare devilry, such as tossing at some end and then recovering. In the eighth lap of the Open Class IInd Moto, Gaurav Gill while trying to cross Ashok Raja collided with N. Jassy but this spirited guy from Delhi thrilled the crowd with heroic acts and went ahead of Raja, and ultimately finished second in this cross. Earlier, the Moto-Cross was inaugurated by Mr Jagdish Sagar, IAS, Adviser to the Chandigarh Administration in the morning, while Mr Sarabjit Singh, Director-General, Punjab Police, gave away the prizes in the afternoon. Final results: Novice ‘C’ Class: Janu (Delhi) 1, (cash prize 3500), Paramjit Singh (Delhi) 2, (Rs 2500), Ravinder Singh (Delhi) 3. Novice ‘B’ Class: Gaurav Gill (Delhi) 1, (Rs 5000), Amit Kapoor 2, (Rs 3000) , Hiten Dass 3. Expert Class: Nipinder Jassy (Delhi) 1, (Rs 7500), Ashok Raja (Pune) 2, (Rs 5000), Gagan Kapoor 3. Open Class: Gaurav Gill
(Delhi) 1, (Rs 15,000), N. Jassy (Delhi) 2, (Rs 10,000),
Ashok Raja (Pune) 3.
|
Kiran to
join on April 5 CHANDIGARH, March 28 — Ms Kiran Bedi will assume charge as Inspector-General of Police, Chandigarh, on April 5. According to informed sources, Ms Kiran Bedi, the first woman IPS officer of the country, will arrive here on April 4. The sources discounted speculations that she will bring officers from the Delhi police with her.The earlier reports suggested that she will take over from the present incumbent, Mr R.P. Singh, on April 2. Meanwhile, the number of Senior Superintendents of Police in Chandigarh has gone up to three. Mr N.S. Randhawa, who was replaced on March 26 by Mr Ajay Kashyap, as Senior Superintendent of Police (Headquarters), has taken over as Senior Superintendent of Police, Anti-Terrorist Operations, against a newly created post. With the joining of Mr
Kashyap, the number of IPS officers in Chandigarh
Administration has gone up to six. The other IPS officers
are Mr R.P. Singh, Mr N.S. Randhawa, Mr C.S.R. Reddy, Mr
Balbir Singh and Mr Alok Kumar. |
2 killed in
road accident CHANDIGARH, March 28 — Two persons travelling in a rickshaw were knocked down by a Tata Sumo (HR-37-3766) near the Rehri Market in Sector 41 here. According to the police, both were seriously injured and shifted to the PGI where they succumbed to their injuries. One of the deceased has been identified as Manoj. The police has impounded the vehicle and arrested the driver. A case has been
registered. |
Burgers,
noodles replace sams, pakoras CHANDIGARH, March 28 — Shhhh .... Samosas, bread pakoras — no, no, no. Burgers and chowmein — yes, yes, yes. This reflects the current fads of the college and university going generation. The old-time popular items have found new rivals in the shape of dosas, burgers and chowmein in the canteens of most city colleges. While the buying power of the student community has gone up, the calorie-conscious teenagers avoid the `desi’ fried stuff. Their preference is more for yuppie fast food items. Students studying in MCM DAV College, Sector 36, and DAV College for Boys, Sector 10, are among the fortunate few in terms of having a well-equipped refreshment infrastructure. MCM DAV College not only boasts of a proper canteen but also a neat and clean juice bar and fruit shop in its open surroundings. Rajni, a student proudly says, “You name a thing and we have it all in our canteen — from samosas to dosas. However, with the number of girls increasing every year, there is need to make the canteen bigger.’’ Kanchan feels that the canteen ought to be be more spacious, with more chairs as it become suffocating in summers.’’ Another student, Swarnima is all praise for the neat and clean fruit and juice shop. Janak Raj, the contractor claimed that when the session is in full swing, they register sales worth Rs 2,000-Rs 2,500 daily. The HPMC juice bar which offers chilled seasonal juices in summer provides tomato and vegetable soup in winters. Mr Parminder Sandal, canteen contractor, said that cola and fresh juices are more popular drinks among the girls. Among eatables, South Indian and Chinese dishes are preferred as compared to samosas and patties. The sale of papri chat and golgappas also goes up in summers, he added. The canteen also stocks the latest in chips, chewing gums, biscuits and chocolates. DAV College for Boys, Sector 10 has an exclusive Indian coffee shop, which serves a variety of South Indian delicacies, including dosas, uttapam, hot dogs, burgers, besides aerated drinks and coffee. Mr. M.K Divakar, the in charge, said that demand is maximum for cheese dosa and masala dosa. Rakesh, a student while lauding the quality and services said that it should remain open till late night, particularly during the examination days for the benefit of students. However, most students say that the canteen is pathetic in terms of hygiene, service and quality. It has no chowmeins, paranthas or even patties, just routine stuff. Ram Kumar, the fruit shop owner, said that banana shake and fruit juices are a big hit with the boys, many of whom take 2-4 glasses every day. “We sell about 200 glasses of shake and 150 juice glasses when the session is in full swing,” he disclosed. In fact, the nearby milk booth owner does not have much sales of both hot and cold milk. In sharp contrast, is the canteen of the Government College for Girls, Sector 42. Housed in a shed-like structure which was perhaps used to store cement, it lacks adequate inftrastructure. Besides a few benches, there are just some chairs and tables provided by a bottling company. The Principal, Mrs Mohini Sharma said that repeated proposals sent to the administration have not yielded any results. They can give us a better temporary arrangement till they have adequate funds for a proper building, she suggests. In the absence of proper covered space, the students face hardship going to the canteen on rainy days or when it is too hot. Gurpreet feels that pizzas, burgers and sweets like ‘gajrela’ should be added to the menu of samosas and patties. Pooja feels, “Once we get a proper structure, we can think of facilities like a good music system to liven up the atmosphere.” Students also complained of poor service and unhygienic conditions. The canteen facilities in Government College, Sector 11, are no better. Vinod, a student laments, “The school canteens are better equipped. It neither has proper seating arrangement nor basic hygiene, what to talk of the eatables.’’ Another student Parvinder said that Radhey Shyam, the channa kulcha seller on the campus draws more crowds. All one gets in the canteen are stale samosas, bread and eggs. Jaspal, who has a juice rehri thrives mainly on the sale of banana shakes and fresh juice and the registers daily sales worth Rs 200-Rs 250 when the session is on. The conditions are quite similar in Government College, Sector 46, which is also plagued with shortage of furniture and lack of variety in eatables. Here too the demand is for burgers, chowmein and other fast food items. Contrary to this, Government College for Girls, Sector 11, has much better facilities — a well-equipped canteen, a Verka milk booth, two chaat shops and juice rehris selling fresh juices and sugarcane ‘ras’. The milk booth which opened in the college four years ago records good sales — about 150 bottles a day in summers, says Prem, the caretaker. Chaat and bhelpuri are a craze among girls all through the year and a new shop was started to meet the growing demand. But Shri Pal, whose entire family is engaged in catering to this requirement of the girls for the past 32 years feels that rates need to be revised, keeping in view the rising prices of raw material. Shalini and Tina are of the view that addition of vegetable fried rice, pizzas and some non-vegetarian items like chilly chicken in the canteen will be a boon for the hostelers. The canteen contractor, Gurinder, revealed that there are more takers for dosas and vegetable chowmein than samosas and patties. Ritika wants good English music to play and more variety of ice-creams. The canteen of SGGS College for Women, Sector 26 is lagging behind as the only novelty they serve is maggie noodles for Rs 15, besides oily eatables. Shivani, a student, feels that chaat is a must for girls and asserts that quality of food items also need to be improved. The canteen of the adjacent SGGS College in the basement is not ideally located, feel many students. Vikas does not like the idea of separate canteens for boys and girls. When it is a co-educational college, the canteen should be combined. Munish is of the view that prices need to be regulated and quality improved. He complained of stale tea and samosas being served. Jagat Singh, the
contractor said that he did not keep much on the menu
because there is no demand and items like chowmein are
preferred mostly by Manipuri students. |
CHB told to
hand over house CHANDIGARH, March 28 — The Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Chandigarh has directed the Chandigarh Housing Board to hand over a dwelling unit in Mani Majra to the widow of a Mahavir Chakra winner. The complainant, Ms Lily Bawa, widow of Lt Col. I.B.S Bawa who had lost his life during an operation in Jaffna, Sri Lanka made an application to the UT Administrator for allotment of a flat in or around Chandigarh, as she had received a notice to vacate her official accommodation. Upon this request, she was allotted a flat in the Manimajra complex on December 7,1989. She then filed the required affidavit that neither she nor any of her children possessed any other dwelling unit throughout India. However, the board again demanded an affidavit on the plea that the affidavit supplied earlier had been misplaced. The complainant submitted a second affidavit and continued to make deposits towards the price of the flat. By the end of 1994, she had deposited over Rs 5.5 lakh. The CHB sent her a show cause notice on December 7, 1995, for cancellation of the allotment as she owned another house at Panchkula. The allotment was cancelled on July 9, 1996. The complainant submitted that the house at Panchkula had been bought by her in April 1990, after the allotment was made in December 1989, because the possession of the flat was not being handed over to her. The commission, after going through the records, found that the company did not own any plot on December 1989, when she had submitted all the required documents, including the affidavit for allotment. After receiving the letter of allotment, the loss of affidavit by the respondents could not be taken against the complainant. It further directed the
payment of interest at the rate of 18 per cent per annum
on the deposits made by the complainant and costs of Rs
3000. |
Health mela
for mentally retarded CHANDIGARH, March 28 — A health mela was organised here today at the Government Institute for Mentally Retarded Children (GIMRC) in Sector 32. Apart from the regular activities conducted for the mentally retarded at the institute, an exhibition of products made by the children of the institute, including candles, caning work and painted points, was held today. It also provided for spot admissions to the institute, along with a free medicine counter for children. Parents of the mentally retarded children were shown video cassettes on mental retardation. Dental, skin, orthopaedics and paediatrics check-up were also conducted by specialists. 117 children were registered today for treatment from the city and Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Currently the institute, according to Joint Director, Dr B.S. Chavan, has 60 children in the age group of six to 16 years, including six children in its hostel. The institute, formally handed over to the Department of Psychiatry, Government Medical College, Sector 32, in December ‘98, has instructors for yoga, music and craft besides a speech therapist, a psychologist and special educators. Mrs Anuradha Gupta, Home Secretary, UT, Chandigarh, was the chief guest while Prof V.K. Kak, Director, Principal, Government Medical College and Secretary Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, was the guest of honour. The GIMRC also plans to
organise a two-day workshop for parents of the mentally
retarded children, on April 15-16. |
Workers lead
from front SAS NAGAR, March 28 — The local Ajay Electrical Industries Workers Union has created history in the region by sacrificing the right to wages. Workers have been running the sick factory on a cooperative basis for the past about nine months. They had not been paid wages since January, 1998, but with a view to restart the unit, workers agreed not to demand wages till May, 1998. They also agreed to accept the wages based on production. The bulb and tubes factory is now being run on a “job work basis”. Out of the total job charges, the power bill and some other production-related expenses are being paid and whatever is left is distributed among the staff in a specified ratio. Sometimes workers get less than half of their due wages owing to low production. The union President and the General Secretary, Mr Suresh Kumar and Mr Satinder Kumar, respectively, say the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) has, in an important judgement, given the workers an opportunity to submit a revival scheme. The case of the company had been pending before the BIFR since 1994. The BIFR had given opportunities to the management to finalise a revival plan but to no avail, and the board untimately issued a show-cause notice for winding up. The union leaders say workers had objected to winding up and submitted an interim rehabilitation scheme to the BIFR on March 12, 1999. They also urged banks, financial institutions and the Punjab Government to oppose the winding up. Their objections and suggestions were heard by the BIFR on March 22. The board then gave the management another opportunity to deposit Rs 55 lakh before April 5 and another Rs 50 lakh within two months from that date. It also asked the workers to deposit Rs 25 lakh and submit a detailed scheme for the revival of the company. It also ordered initiation of proceedings for the recovery of funds that had been siphoned off by promoters to the extent of about Rs 6.5 crore. The union leaders say
there is now a ray of hope for the workers who had been
facing the threats of winding up and loss of employment
for the past more than one year. |
Teaching
traffic rules lyrically CHANDIGARH, March 28 — “Lakhon vahan
chalen sadak par, dhoop ho ya baarish, Mr Desh Raj penned these lines after the death of former President of India, Giani Zail Singh in a road accident. Mr Desh Raj is not a high profile poet. He is a head constable with the Chandigarh traffic police. Posted at Children’s Traffic Park (CTP) at Sector 23, Mr Desh Raj is an instructor preparing the youngsters to be ideal drivers. He is obsessed with his job. He educates the public about traffic rules with a difference: he lectures them through poems written by him on road safety. The 42-year-old cop hails from Sarai Ghasi village of Bulandshahr, UP. He was quite young when his family shifted to Tarn Taran in Punjab because of his father’s business interests. His father had an export business of dry fruits with Pakistan. His father expired when he was nine years old and within two years, his mother too died of heart attack. Then he was brought up by his uncle. Mr Desh Raj was shifted to the Chandigarh police on deputation from the Railway police. Before being shifted to the traffic wing, he was posted at various city police posts and stations. He revealed that he was shifted to the CTP from accident cell as “punishment” because he challaned a relative of a highly placed officer for violating a traffic rule. But he is thankful as it was this posting at CTP which developed his interest in poetry. “When I joined the CTP, I realised that lessons on traffic were outdated and even students hardly show any interest in it as is was too boring. Then I decided to try with lyrics on experimental basis to instruct traffic norms. Amazingly, it really worked”, he joyfully says. He has a lot of words of praise for Mr Vijay Pal Singh, a DSP. “In 1993 when Mr Singh was Inspector with the Chandigarh Traffic Police, he decided to do something new on Road Safety Week. He suggested me to do it with lyrics and encouraged me to write songs on road safety for the occasion”, he recalls. He is very thankful to his saab, with whom he had recorded an audio- cassette on road safety week which is played on several public functions. The topics of his poetry vary from pillion riding and driving without helmet to over speeding and much more about traffic safety. He instructs students, army personnel and also rickshaw pullers. He is also called to deliver lectures at various government offices, schools, colleges and at other public functions. Mr Desh Raj has only one
regret that he is not enough educated. To overcome that
he has started taking English lessons at home. |
Complaints
of overcharging at PCOs CHANDIGARH, March 28 — A large number of public call offices (PCO) here are overcharging residents and denying them the facility to make local calls. According to Mr Subhash Singla, a resident of sector 27, “We are charged Rs 2 for a local cal whereas the rate fixed by the Telecom Department is Rs 1.35.” He said that if a PCO owner is told about overcharging, he disallows a local. Mr Manik Aggarwal, a college student says that one has to face difficulty while making a local call from a PCO if one does not possess coins. Some PCO holders do not allow local calls after 7 p.m. “It is the peak business hour and we cannot afford to ignore our long distance call makers”, said Mr Rinku at a booth in Sector 19. People at the local bus stand have a similar story to tell. Mr Gian Chand Marwaha who had come from Bathinda to visit a relative at Panchkula complained that he had to give Rs 3 for a single call. “When I opposed this he started humiliating me loudly”. Residents are also not satisfied with “fax charges”. It is common practice of charging Rs 10 a page to fax any document, besides the bill. According to Mr Naresh, an operator at a PCO in Sector 9 said customers do not mind paying Rs 2 for a local call as neither they nor we have the change. “If we do not charge any extra amount for any “call-back” when a customer pages a message, why do they raise such a hue and cry when we take a few paise from them?” he asks. According to a source in
the Telecom Department, there are several PCO holders who
provide fax service illegally. “One has to deposit a
yearly fee of Rs 3000 to use fax machine for commercial
use”, he said. The department is aware of this
practice but no action has been taken so far. |
Mullanpur
phones out of order MULLANPUR, March 28 — Residents of Mullanpur village, about 10 km from here, say that for the past four days their telephones have been out of order. The residents alleged that they were being put to inconvenience as they had to come to Chandigarh for making calls. However, they could received calls from outside. Mr Arvind Puri, President of the Youth Welfare Club, alleged that despite repeated complaints to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), nothing had been done, making over 350 subscribers, a harassed lot. As the STD booths were also not functioning, they faced inconvenience during emergencies. On Friday the wife of Mr Ram Rattan Sharma, a resident, died and persons had to go to Chandigarh to inform the relatives about it, he added. Shopkeepers said that with
the disruption of the telecom link, their businesses had
been badly affected. They urged the DoT to remove the
technical snag, supposed to be the cause of the
telephones being out of order. |
Maharana
Pratap Hostel mooted CHANDIGARH, March 28 — The general meeting of the All-India Rajput Students Aid Society was held here today. Mr Chhattar Singh, Haryana
Vidhan Sabha Speaker, who was the chief guest, urged the
society members to donate money for the construction of
the Maharana Partap Hostel in the city. He announced a
contribution of Rs 31,000 from his discretionary fund.
Several society members also announced contributions for
the construction. |
Chatterjee re-elected Press Club
chief CHANDIGARH, March 28 — Mr Abhijit Chatterjee of The Tribune and Mr Charanjit Ahuja of The Financial Express will be the President and Secretary-General respectively, of the Chandigarh Press Club for another term. In the election held today, while Mr Chatterjee defeated Dr D.S. Dhillon, Mr Ahuja was elected unopposed. For the posts of Vice-President, Mr Kuldip Singh Sandhu (Northern News) and Mr Rakesh Raki (Jansatta) were declared elected. For the posts of Joint Secretary, Mr Manmohan Gupta Moni (Dainik Tribune) and Mr Gurmail Singh Sidhu Damdami (AIR) were elected. Mr Nand Lal Gupta (The
Tribune), who was elected unopposed, will be the new
Treasurer. |
Palm Sunday
procession CHANDIGARH, March 28 — Members of the Sector 19 Christ Church (CNI) took out a procession waving palm branches, besides singing songs of triumph to commemorate the Palm Sunday here today. Palm Sunday marks the end of lent, which is a time of fasting and prayer. This day also marks the beginning of the holy week which will culminate in Good Friday and Easter. Christians also gathered
at other churches in the city to offer special prayers. |
School
annual day celebrated SAS NAGAR, March 28 — The annual prize distribution function of Shastri Model School, Phase I, was held here today. The function started with a shabad. Students also presented a group song and bhangra. Two students — Geeta of Class IX and Gagandeep of Class VII — read out a write-up on “Keep water resources clean”. Mr M.D. Sabharwal, Chairman of the school, read out the annual report. The following were adjudged best students in each category: Ramanpreet Kaur (primary wing), Harpreet Singh (middle wing) and Amandeep Kaur (high wing). The best teacher award
went to Mr Pawan Kumar. |
23 BJP
activists court arrest CHANDIGARH, March 28 — Demanding the immediate release of their leaders, 23 BJP activists from colonies along with workers of the youth wing of SAD, courted arrest near the Indian Express chowk on the Ambala-Chandigarh highway today. The protesters also
blocked traffic for some time. When they tried to break
the police cordon, they were arrested by the police. They
were produced before the Ilaqa Magistrate, Mr PS Gill,
where they refused bail and were sent to jail till March
31.
|
DAV bodies, Arya Samaj honour
Chopra CHANDIGARH, March 28 — DAV institutions and Arya Samaj of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh here today felicitated Mr Gyan Prakash Chopra, Senior Vice-President of the DAV College Managing Committee, in connection with the Padamshri award bestowed on him by the Government of India for his services in the field of education. Mr R.C. Jeewan, Principal, DAV College, Chandigarh, said the award was an honour for not only Mr Chopra but for all DAV and Arya Samaj institutes. Mr S.P. Jain, the local Member of Parliament praised Mr Chopra for his literary acumen. Justice P.C. Pandit,
Principal B.S. Bahl and Principal Ms Sneh Mahajan were
also present on the occasion. College principals of DAV
colleges in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh also
spoke on the occasion. |
Council
plans multi-cultural complex CHANDIGARH, March 28— The building of Punjab Arts Council, situated in Punjab Kala Bhavan, Sector 16, has embarked on an ambitious project of “making the last dream of Dr M. S. Randhawa (the founder Chairman of the council) come true”. The two-phased project would include the building of a multi-cultural complex and a portrait gallery. In fact, the foundation stone of the gallery has been existing since the 1980s, laid by Dr Randhawa. But was neatly hidden with wooden planks, which have now been removed by the council. The gallery, obviously, never came up. The project for the proposed complex includes a fine arts exhibition foyer, music recording and training rooms and an auditorium with a capacity of 314. The council has written to the central government for a grant of Rs 1.87 crore for the project. It has started preliminary work with the Rs 10 lakh from its “savings”. The portrait gallery, for which Dr Randhawa collected 60 portraits of people who have “built Punjab”, would now have a collection of 100 such portraits in the basement of the proposed complex. Each portrait would have a facility of playing a recorded sound-track on the brief biography of the personality concerned . The composite complex is proposed to be an extension of the administrative block, located on an area of about one acre. The extension would cover 10,000 square feet and cost around Rs 2 crore. Interestingly, there is a Government of India scheme for setting up multi-purpose cultural complexes. It gives Rs 1 crore to autonomous bodies created by the States and registered under the Societies Act. However, there are reportedly very few takers for this one-time grant. Under this scheme, land is provided free of cost by the state government. Most eastern states have already availed themselves of this scheme. Assam has been given Rs 6 crore of the promised Rs 10 crore, in keeping with one of the clauses of the Assam accord. Reportedly even the Rajiv-Longowal accord envisioned the need to promote Punjabi culture, but little is visible on the front. Punjab Arts Council had been non-existent for almost one-and-a-half years, before February 9, when the council was formed again by the Punjab Government. Dr Harcharn Singh is the Chairman and Mr H.S. Bhatty is the Secretary General of this council. The Council runs on a corpus fund of Rs 1 crore, on which it reportedly accrues Rs 15 lakh annually to coordinate its activities. The Council had also applied for the Government of India scheme ,but was late in putting its application because of its non-existence till February. The original building,
whose foundation stone was laid by the Punjab Chief
Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, in November 1979,
reportedly has a ‘wrong’ entrance. It was
supposed to be the rear of the building, and the open-air
stage is also an “illegal performing stage”. |
Ailing
eagle dies, forlorn CHANDIGARH, March 28 — For an ailing full-grown eagle and residents of House Number 3152, Sector 52, where it has been lying for the past three days, animal rights organisations virtually proved to be nothing as none of these came to the rescue of the bird in the three days during the which it had been struggling for life. The bird died this evening. The bird, which had strayed into the house has been lying in a paralysed state in a corner of the lawn outside the house. In spite of a number of calls by Neeru, the owner of the house, none of the officials of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty Against Animals (SPCA) or the People for Animals (PFA), have turned up so far to extend any medical aid to the ailing bird. “It descended on our lawns on Thursday, but flew away the next day, only to return in the evening with a reclining neck. After that it has not left our house as it seemed to be seriously ill,” said Neeru. She further said though they had tried to feed it with ‘chapatis’, it had refused to take even water. It has only been able to toddle from one corner of the lawn to the other. Today its condition deteriorated and it has not left the corner where it had been sitting with its neck down since morning,” she said. Questioning the utility of the animals’ organisations, Neeru complained, “I had been trying to contact the PFA for the past two days, but nobody is picking up the phone. On the other hand, when I contacted the SPCA so that the bird could be removed for medical aid, a gentleman there said that the bird would fly away on its own,” said Ms Neeru. “When I insisted on getting help, the person attending the phone said they had no arrangement to remove the bird,” she said while adding that help could still save the bird which was in a critical condition. “The problem is that I cannot touch it as I fear that it might attack me. Otherwise, I could have taken the huge bird to the hospital”, she added. No office-bearer of any of
the two organisations was available on phone for
comments.
|
Premiere of
film on kirtans held CHANDIGARH, March 28 — On the occasion of the tercentenary celebrations of the Khalsa panth, the Punjab Sangeet Natak Akademi today began its three-day celebrations. The akademi, besides presenting a ‘kirtan’ programme in the morning, also had a world premiere of a Punjabi film on the Sikh ‘kirtan maryada’, at the Punjab Kala Bhavan, Rose Garden, Sector 16. Produced and directed by Bhai Baldeep Singh, the film was not only about ‘kirtan’ as devotional music but threw light on the elements of kirtan music. Bhai Baldeep Singh had been initiated into music by the late Ustaad Arjan Singh Tarangar and the Late Ustad Mohinder Singh. The film, with English sub-titles, which was punctuated with interviews, is targeted towards a mass base. It has been entered for the International Film Festival at Cochin. The film had its moments, but why some shots had been shot in black and white remained a mystery. The old ‘raagis’, interviewed in the film lamented not only that the ‘bani’ (words) in ‘kirtan’ had lost its purity, but also that gurdwara committees were not concerned about this fact and only did their duty by simply taking out ‘Gurbani’ cassettes. The shot showing a guru and a ‘shishya’ doing their gurbani ‘riyaaz’ and laughing after having taken a wrong cue, showed ‘kirtan’ in its true mortal form. Information about the ragas to be used and the kind of music that had been propagated by the Gurus to be used in ‘kirtans’, provided a lyrical quality to the film. But the high point of the film was the story of ‘kirtan’ being told as not only a spiritual form of music, but as a form of music that lays great emphasis on the sacred word or the ‘bani’. There was a huge gathering at the bhavan today. The akademi will hold a
kavi darbar, dhadhi sangeet, a gatka presentation, and a
play to celebrate the 300 years of the Khalsa. |
Time to
repair threshers LALRU, March 28 — With the harvesting season slated to start in the middle of April, almost all thresher repair workshops here and in the nearby areas are abuzz with activity. Farmers are getting their threshers ready. The workshops in Dera Bassi, Lalru, Mubarikpur, Zirakpur and other towns are overflowing with threshers and tractors meant for repair. Mr Dev Raj, who runs a workshop at Lalru, says that for the harvesting season, the repair work of threshers begins in the first week of February and ends in May. One workshop owner earns Rs 250 to Rs 500 per day during this season. Mr Amar Chand, owner of a
workshop at Dera Bassi, who has been working here for the
past 20 years, said that he used to repair five to 10
threshers daily and earn about Rs 200. Most of the them
come for greasing of machinery and with minor defects
such as replacement of belts, pullies and sieves. |
Senior Congress
leaders to address camp CHANDIGARH, March 28 — Several senior Congress leaders, including former Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Mr P.A. Sangma, former Finance Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, and former Civil Aviation Minister, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, will visit Chandigarh during the next three days to address the Youth Congress workers at the North Zone regional orientation camp starting tomorrow. Mr Pranab Mukherjee, General Secretary, All-India Congress Committee, will inaugurate the camp. He will also participate in a Meet the Press programme at the Chandigarh Press Club on Monday. Mrs Mohsina Kidwai and Mrs Shelja would address the workers on March 30. Mr P.A. Sangma and Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad will visit the camp on March 31. The topics to be discussed
during the three-day camp include the role of
globalisation and liberalisation of the Indian economy in
alleviating poverty and unemployment; the relevance and
importance of training and orientation camps; the role of
the Youth Congress in combating obscurantism,
fundamentalism and terrorism; the current political
scenario with specific reference to the divisive agenda
of the Sangh Parivar; the role of the Youth Congress in
the current scenario; the need for coordination between
the Congress and its frontal organisations; environment
versus sustainable development; relevance of affirmative
action or reservation in social emancipation and
integration; and organisation-building at the
grassroots-level. |
Ill-equipped
post office ZIRAKPUR, March 28 —A small steel trunk has been serving as the branch post office (BPO) at Dhakoli, near here. It has been lying inside a room of a private house for the past about 35 years. The BPO is functioning with only one Branch Post Master (BPM) and two Extra Department Delivery Agents (EDDA). The central government is paying these employees according to its policies. This branch falls under the jurisdiction of Sub-Post Office (SPO) at Mubarikpur, about 10 km from here. According to sources, the workload on this branch has increased a great deal due to growth of various colonies in the area. Residents of various villages which fall under this branch have to face a number of problems as they receive their mail 10 to 15 days late. Villagers complain that postman is rarely seen and letters are generally delivered by school students. Mr Bahgwant Singh, a resident of Bartana village, complains that EDDA either hands over mail to various shopkeepers or passes it to the addressee through neighbours. Mr Puran Chand, a resident of Harmilap Nagar, alleged that the BPO functions with shortage of inland letters, stamps etc. There was also no provision for telegrams. Ms Parminder Pal Kaur,
sarpanch of Bartana village, said regarding setting up of
a SPO, request letters had been sent to Post Master
General, Chandigarh, and Superintendent Postmaster,
Rajpura, but no action had been taken so far. |
‘Influence’
needed to register cases ZIRAKPUR, March 28 — Zirakpur and its adjoining areas are facing a rise in cases of crime. Though residents blame the police for its inability to check such incidents, the police says that certain persons are creating an atmosphere of fear for their benefit. The residents allege that the police does not register a case until it is supported by some influential person. On January 8 this year, four shops were looted at Bartana village near here. Though they informed the police, no FIR was lodged. Sources in the police said that complaints are registered as mentioned by the complainants. At times, the motive of the complainant is to make false claims of insured goods, they added. A shopkeeper, on condition of anonymity, said that when he approached the local police chowki to register his complaint, he was harassed and told to get witnesses to prove his complaint that he had lost his bicycle. Last month, a case was registered with the Sohana police station of a theft at Zirakpur. The theft had taken place in a godown of a shaving blade company. But the police has no clues in the case so far. According to the sources
the real problem is that a part of Zirakpur is under
Patiala district, while other falls under Roopnagar
district. Complainants avoid going to Sohana police
station which is about 20 km from here. |
Anand asks Rotarians to serve the
weak PANCHKULA, March 28 — The Chief Justice of India, Dr A.S.Anand, today exhorted the Rotarians to make the world a better place to live for the weak and downtrodden sections of society. Dr Justice Anand was addressing a gathering at a ceremony organised in his honour by the Rotary clubs of Chandigarh, Panchkula and SAS Nagar, here this evening. He was accompanied by his wife, Mala. Stressing upon the need to serve society, he said : “ Being a rotarian does not mean joining an elite club or acquiring a social status. It means coming forward to serve fellow beings.” He called upon the club members to synchronise their speech with action. Holding aggressive materialism responsible for the general deterioration in moral values in society, he said this new phenomenon had caused change in attitude towards elders. He suggested the Rotary Club to do something for the aged. A former rotarian, he recalled his stint in Chandigarh before moving to the Jammu and Kashmir High Court in 1975. Going down memory lane, he mentioned the days when he was approached by two friends to join the club and how he had hesitantly accepted the offer. Dr Justice Anand talked
about inculcating qualities like dedication and sincerity
to work. Earlier Mr R.K.Saboo, a former President of
Rotary International, Dr O.P.Vaid, President-elect of
Rotary International, Ms Kamal Bedi and Mr Balram Gupta
also spoke. A film on the achievements of the Rotary
clubs of Chandigarh, Panchkula and SAS Nagar was also
shown on the occasion. |
PGI
employee ends fast CHANDIGARH, March 28 — In view of the doctors’ report, Mr Gurnam Singh, a PGI employee, who had been on fast for the past 13 days, broke his fast today. Another employee, Mr Rameshwar Sharma, started the fast. A press note of the PGI
Employees Union today said the second round of talks with
regard to its demands with the PGI authorities would be
held in the presence of the local MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain,
tomorrow. |
Mahavira
Jayanti celebrated CHANDIGARH, March 28—Mahavira Jayanti was celebrated with gaiety and religious fervour in the city today. The main function was held at the Digambar Jain Temple in Sector 27, where a large number of devotees paid obeisance. They took a palanquin of Lord Mahavira round the temple. At a function organised by the SS Jain Sabha, the flag was unfurled by Ms Mahima Wati Jain. The local MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain, was the chief guest. Meanwhile, the UT Administrator, called upon the people to follow the path of non-violence as preached by Lord Mahavira. KHARAR: A religious sammelan was organised by the S.S. Jain Sabha in connection with Mahavira Jayanti here today. Jain saint Shri Jyoti Dhar Ji Maharaj said at present, when the whole world was getting ready for a war, only the teachings of Lord Mahavira could save the humanity. He appealed to the masses
to follow the teachings of Lord Mahavira and work for the
welfare of the humanity. |
CHANDIGARH, March 28 — There is a good news for those intending to buy a second- hand car or some other family vehicle. The prices of almost all such vehicles have witnessed a decline ranging between 15 and 30 per cent during the past one year. A visit to the Sunday car bazaar reveals that if Marutis have become cheaper by 15 to 20 per cent, other cars have gone down by 25 to 30 per cent during this period. According to traders dealing in used cars, the steep fall was due to the entry of an array of new vehicles such as Santro, Matiz and Indica in the market during this period. “The prices had started crashing during August last year, when some auto giants announced their intention to launch new vehicles in the market,” said a dealer of used cars. It was found that if a 1996-model Maruti 800 was available in the market for Rs 1,55,000 last year, it could be owned now for Rs 1,25,000. A 1995 model of the vehicle, priced at about Rs 1,45,000 last year, was available today for Rs 1,20,000. The decline was more noticeable in the recent models. A 1997-model Maruti, which used to sell for Rs 1,80,000 last year, was selling for Rs 1,40,000 today. The 1990-model in a good condition and other old Maruti cars, the prices of which centered around Rs 1 lakh last year, were available for between Rs 72,000 and Rs 90,000 today. There were, however, a few buyers for Premier Padminis. These were virtually selling at throwaway prices. If one could purchase a 1990- model of the vehicle, for about Rs 25,000, a 1997 model was available at Rs 50,000. On the other hand, 1990 model Ambassador, was commanding a price between Rs 40,000 and Rs 50,000. Its 1997 model, which used to fetch around Rs 1,50,000 during last year, was available now for Rs 1,20,000. The price of 1994-model Ambassador has also come down from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 60,000 during this period. “The prices of old models of Ambassador were almost stable as these were being used as taxis after being converted into diesel vehicles,” said another dealer. The price of 1995-model Maruti Esteem has come down from Rs 2,50,000 to Rs 2,10,000 during this period. Its 1996-model, priced at Rs 2,75,000 last year, was available today for Rs 2.40 lakh. If one could own a 1997-model Esteem for Rs 3,00,000 during last year, it could be purchased today for Rs 2,70,000. The cases of Sumo, Zen, Contessa and Tata Sierra were not different as the prices of these vehicles have also stumbled during this period. A 1994-95 model Sierra, priced at Rs 2,50,000 during last year, was available today for Rs 2,10,000. A 1996- model of the same vehicle was priced today between Rs 2,25,000 and Rs 2,35,000. A 1997-model Sumo, priced at Rs 3,15,000 last year, could be bought for Rs 2,75,000 today. A 1995-model Maruti Zen which was priced at Rs 2,25,000 last year, was available today for Rs 1,75,000. The 1997-model car, priced at Rs 2,75,000 last year, could be had for Rs 2.10 lakh in the market today. Likewise, if 1995-model Contessa could be purchased last year after shelling out Rs 1,00,000, it was priced today at between Rs 75,000 and Rs 80,000 depending on its condition. If one could own a
1996-model Ceilo after spending Rs 3,00,000 last year, he
could purchase it now for Rs 2,70,000. Its 1997-model was
available for Rs 2,90,000 less than its price of Rs
3,00,000 during last year. |
CHANDIGARH, March 28 — The police has arrested Gurmail Singh and Charanjit Singh from Sector 24 here and has seized 20 cases of whisky from their possession. In another case, Kasmira Singh, a resident of Badheri village has been arrested from Sector 41 and 12 bottles of liquor have been seized from him. In yet another case, a Dhanas Milk Colony resident, Kajinder Singh, has been arrested and 8 bottles of whisky have been seized from him. Cases under the Excise Act have been registered in all the incidents. Case registered : Mr Nirmal Singh, a resident of Burail village, in a complaint to the police, alleged that he was threatened with dire consequences by a resident of SAS Nagar, Pishora Singh. A case has been registered. Scooter stolen : Mr Farsha Ram, in a complaint to the police, alleged that his scooter (RNC-3377) has been stolen from Sector 22. A case has been registered. Dead : Jaswinder Singh, a resident of Arnauli village (Morinda), who was injured in a group clash a few days ago and admitted to the PGI in a serious condition succumbed to his injuries last night. Suicide bid : Arun Kumar, a resident of Sector 24, was admitted to the PGI after he consumed a poisonous substance at his house. Admitted : An
unidentified person and a resident of Sector 31, was
today admitted to the PGI after he consumed excessive
liquor.
|
CHANDIGARH: Painting on fibre glass is not something usual. This unusual thing has been done by Gauri and Rajinder. The two ex-students of the Chandigarh College of Art have used this as a base for giving vent to their imagination. Almost all works are in abstract, done in bright colours. Basically for Gauri they are “a play of colours. We have been working on this for the past six months”. She says they made them for their own enjoyment. The idea to work in fibre glass struck Gauri and Rajinder when they were making fibre glass pots in December. It was then that they thought of doing something creative with paint and brush which could be displayed in gardens and verandahs. These are paintings which can be put outdoors as varied weather conditions and water would have no effect on them. An exhibition of the works of the two will be open at Art Folio, Sector 9, till April 9. — Priti Verma CHANDIGARH: In Rig Veda, the definition of good, music goes something like this "Geetam vadyam tatha nrityam, triyam sangeet muchyate" (good music consists of good literature, instuments and dance): This evening's kathak performance by Shobha Koser, a kathak exponent of the Jaipur gharana, presented a sychronised blending of these three. Starting her performance with thaat, Shobha presented a Ganesh Paran in traditional Jaipur style. Upaj, a hallmark of the Jaipur gharana which reflects sponteneous response of the dancer on different rhythimic patterns showed intricacies of footwork, an important aspect of the kathak dance form. This was followed by a tukda in "Faag Ang", where a very mature dancer was transformed into a young mischievious gopika by the sheer force of her "abhinaya" and "lasya", who teases Krishan in different ways. In a Bhava Ang Pradhan Thumri, where a "virahini nayika" awaits her departed lover, the intensity of emotion was aesthetically presented by the dancer. "Choot ke Tukde", where the rhythm breaks in a rhythmic pattern, the dancer stormed the stage with the agility of her pirouttes and swift movements. Her versatility in expressing emotions was brought out effectively in the last item where she depicted different avatars of Lord Vishnu, based on a composition of Jaydev. She was accompanied by Pt Tej Prakash Tulsi on the pakhavaj, on the tabla by Subhash Nirvan, on the sitar by Vijay Sharma, and the vocalist was Pt Jwala Prasad ji. These artists also presented a "Taal Vadya Kacheri", a combination of different instruments like mridangam, pakhawaj, nagari — an almost forgotten instrument and the tabla with various intricate patterns of rhythm. Today's programme was presided by Lt-Gen B.K.N. Chhibber, Governor of Punjab, who said there was a strong need to highlight our own culture in a planned and organised manner to counter the attack of the cultural invasion of the West. —
Vandana Shukla |
| calling |
A feather in Chandigarh's cap With the foundation-laying ceremony of the permanent exhibition-cum-convention centre in Sector 31 on March 26, the City Beautiful has added another feather to its cap. This would be the second permanent exhibition ground in the country after Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. This interesting bit of information was provided by a representative of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at the ceremony. Cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Calcutta and Chandigarh are fast emerging as the preferred locations despite the fact that none of them had a permanent exhibition centre. Besides the CII, Wisitex Foundation, the ITPO, the Chemtech Foundation, the ITE, the Business India Exhibitions, Exhibitions India and the Tafcon Projects were the other seven major domestic exhibition organisers, the representative went on to add. Fiery writer Mr Narinder Singh Bhuler, the 81-year-old Akali leader who was once a morcha dictator of the Punjabi suba agitation, is now a tormentor to the Akali leaders of all hues. Still going mentally and physically strong, Mr Bhuler who claims to have taught ABC of politics to the present Akali Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, does not mince words when he writes about politics, religious affairs of the Sikhs and the Akalis. He had taken to pamphlet writing six years ago and has kept a steady stream of hard hitting, analytical writing with lot of insight. "After Operation Bluestar, I felt that both the Congress and the Akali Dal have taken a dangerous course and I started writing extensively on Punjab. We had a different perception of politics", Mr Bhuler recounted. What marks Mr Bhuler out is the number of anecdotes he can narrate and his prodigal memory to recount events, dates and personalities involved. These could be late Partap Singh Kairon, Master Tara Singh or Giani Kartar Singh or even Left leaders, including Mr Harkishen Singh Surjeet. Mr Bhuler evidently rubbed shoulders with many, but somehow got sidelined after his heyday as morcha dictator in the late fifties. These wellwritten brouchers which Mr Bhuler regularly mails to many, including politicians, officers and journalists, are read with great interest. Col Tilak Raj Col Tilak Raj, Chief Postmaster-General, Chandigarh and Punjab Circle, has brought honour to the city by representing India at postal executives' seminar organised at Tokyo by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Col Tilak Raj who was among 12 representatives from 11 countries at the seminar for postal chiefs held by Japan, which is the top donor of the ODA (Official Development Assistance) of the UN for developing nations, says we in India need to emulate their spirit of nationalism, hard work and punctuality. It is interesting to find that the Japanese Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications lays adequate emphasis on physical fitness. Post office employees start the day with 15 minutes physical drill. Also, the postmen in Tokyo deliver the mail on motorcycles. However, many of the bulk mailers/big companies collect from and leave their mail at the post office in their own vans in their own interest. They also make abundant use of the express mail service which is the counterpart of Indian speed post. Honour for artist Vijay Pal Goel, a noted city artist, has been honoured by Rotary Club of Chandigarh Midtown for his singal contribution to the field of art. Goel has so far created 600 pieces of art out of waste sanitary material which have attracted keen enthusiasts from far and near. On March 6, he was honoured by the Sibra Tourism Research and Development Centre in Chandigarh in Sector 42 Food Crafts Institute for creating wonderful metaphors in art to attract potential tourists. On August 15, last year, Goel was honoured by the Chandigarh Administration for his unique contribution to the City Beautiful. For the past three years, Goel has been spending all his humble earnings on his first love, creating delightful items from sanitary items. Many enthusiasts throng to see his items on Festival days near the Kalagram. So far as many as one lakh people have seen and praised his creations. In the visitors' register that Goel has maintained about 15,000 persons have highly admired his creations. It is reliably learnt that the administration would construct a museum, near Attawa village out of his creations, but right now it is very difficult for this reputed artist to make both ends meet. Dental teacher The Indian Dental Association of Southern California has given a "dental teacher of the decade" award to Dr Malkiat Singh, Principal of Government Dental College, Patiala. The decision to confer this award on Dr Malkiat Singh was taken at a general body meeting of the Association. For presenting the award, Dr Malkiat Singh was invited to California. He presented a paper on a topic "role of Dental Surgeons in the prevention and control of oral cancer" at a seminar organised by the Association on this occasion. Dr Ranjeet Salwan, President of the Association, who presented the award to Dr Malkiat Singh, reading the citation said that it has been given to Dr Singh for "dedication to the field of dentistry and his desire to serve people". Dr Malkiat Singh called upon doctors present there to come in rotation to work in the under-served areas of Punjab. Record run Jaspal Bhatti's Punjabi comedy film "Mahaul Theek Hai" has run successfully for 12 weeks in Chandigarh, breaking all the previous records of Punjabi films for the past 25 years in the history of the city. The film is directed by Jaspal Bhatti himself. Readers will recall that a premiere show of "Mahaul Theek Hai" was held in Delhi's Tihar jail and about 2500 jail inmates besides media persons witnessed the show. Real "Swadeshi" At a recently held seminar on "Swadeshi Today" by the University Business School, a disgruntled staffer of the teaching faculty preferred to stay in his room rather than attend the lecture. His argument — it held a lot of water — was, "What kind of a seminar on 'swadeshi' is this? The speakers have all come in shirts and pants complete with ties. Moreover, the seminar itself is being conducted in English. If this is not a mockery of the concept of 'swadeshi', what is? I'd rather stay out and leaf through a magazine than be party to any such activity." HUDA drive A drive started by the Haryana Urban Development Authority to remove fences and hedges in front of houses in Panchkula has not found favour with the residents as different Resident Welfare Associations are appealing to the authorities to abandon the drive. While, HUDA launched the drive to remove the structures which had come up on public land meant to be used for essential services, the residents argue that unattended open spaces in front of their houses are being maintained by them. They lament that HUDA instead of removing jhuggis which had mushroomed all over the township was targeting the law-abiding residents who were maintaining green belts in front of their houses. Gambling dens? The PGI lawns seem to have become gambling dens, if the number of persons engaged in playing cards during lunch hours and even after that is any indication. The largest concentration of such persons, most of whom are employees of the PGI and not the relatives of patients, is witnessed under the trees in the lawn at the backyard of the PGI auditorium. The attraction for the game seems to be so much that these employees keep playing cards even after lunch time, thus adversely affecting the work in different laboratories and offices of the institution. What a flower! Cauliflower, that seems to be now strewn all over the streets of the City Beautiful, and is being sold at the rate of Rs 4 per kg, is being now put to some new use. The popular winter vegetable, after being sold at the exorbitant rate of Rs 45 per kg, can now not only be found in use as one of the favourite "flowers" during "flower days" on the university campus but also as a device to ward off evil spirits! Most citizens are familiar with the sight of "chappals" or black "parandis" hanging in front of trucks to repel spooks and ghosts. But now in the time to check out cauliflowers serving the same purpose! A truck driving on the
Chandigarh-Mullanpur road had a whole set of fresh
"gobhis" hanging and dangling on its bumper. A
healthy way indeed of staying away from spirits! |
Readers
write The Haryana Urban Development Authority, Panchkula, has recently undertaken a drive for the demolition of all types of fences and hedges in front of and along the houses. The whole plan seems to be the product of an unimaginative and thoughtless mind. Such an exercise was undertaken a few years earlier also but was soon abandoned in the wake of public protests. HUDA’s essertion that the space between the metalled road and the wall of the house belongs to it is not contested by any house-owner. That this land is meant to be uses for laying water, sewerage pipes and telephone lines is also well known to the residents. No right-minded resident ever protests when this land has to be dug up to repair faults or to lay new pipes or lines. HUDA is conveniently losing sight of the fact that the ramps in front of houses or on the sides of the corner houses also run on this land. The argument that fences and hedges reduce the width of the road causing inconvenience to the traffic on the road is untenable because the open land being utilised as lawns is as wide as the width of the ramps. No vehicular traffic can move on the open spaces along the houses between ramps. A ramp is not an encroachment; it is a necessity. How will cars and scooters move in and out of houses in the absence of ramps? By constructing ramps or raising fences, house owners are not trying to establish their ownership on this land. No resident in his senses has thought in terms of raising a permanent concrete structure on this land. Spaces hedged in by residents have been transferred into beautiful lawns. These lawns do not only add to the beauty of the surroundings but also contribute significantly in reducing environmental pollution. It will not be possible for HUDA to arrange funds and to organise alternative manpower to substitute the manhours and the funds invested in the maintenance of these spaces by the residents. In fact, HUDA never intended this land to become part of the main road. That is why it fixed concrete slabs between metalled roads and the unmetalled space. The fences and hedges have been raised inside these slabs and thus in no way interfere with HUDA’s plan. If all hedges and fences are removed, the residents will obviously lose all interest in maintaining these spaces. These might become garbage dumping grounds. With the menace of stray cattle increasing in the town, these spaces will become places of rest and defecation by cattle. Some neighbours might like to park their fourwheelers on open spaces in front of other people’s houses. Such as act will lead to quarrels and thus create a law and order problem. The removal of fences and hedges will also affect the privacy of the occupants of the houses. Any mischievous or anti-social element can walk right up to the windows on the corner side and peep in. The houses will also become vulnerable to thefts from the corner side. Some owners of corner houses have raised very tall and thick hedges all along the front and the corner side. Such hedges become traffic hazards as they obstruct the view of the vehicle-drivers at the turn of roads. Such hedges must the removed without delay. They can cause accidents. In the interest of a beautiful and pollution-free Panchkula, HUDA will do well to do some re-thinking on the subject in the light of its implications and not disturb the peace of mind of the residents. Suman Lata
Davessar Meet Principals I appreciate the move of Chandigarh Tribune for introducing a new column, ‘Meet Principals’. The column has great educational value. It can help in improving and enriching administrative and supervisory skills and knowledge of educational managers, planners and principals. While interviewing principals, reporters must not ignore to cover the innovative steps initiated by principals to enrich educational thought and practice. They must bring to light various educational experiments conducted by principals to make the teaching-learning process more easy, lively, result-oriented and cost-effective. Similarly, issues pertaining to the types of techniques different school principals have evolved and used to exploit the resources at their disposal must be discussed. Arun Kumar Sharma Learning precedes teaching I read the Chandigarh Tribune report “A good teacher is a good learner” (March 22) with interest. Learning precedes teaching. A teacher’s treasure is knowledge. This is what Dryden had in mind while he saluted Ben Johnson; “whereas other scholars read books, Ben Johnson read libraries”. As Tagore says; “We cannot teach a student unless we ourselves remain students. One lamp cannot light another lamp unless its own wick is burning”. It is unfortunate that many teachers take teaching casually. They enter classes without doing their homework. But knowledge alone is not enough. It’s the integrity of a teacher that also counts great deal. If a teacher loses his credibility, he can neither be firm nor fair to students. Values are taught better by example. Goethe once remarked that the quality of a person is known by the type of books he reads. Book culture or reading habits can make a teacher savour the joys of this profession. S.S. Jain |
 |
 |
| 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 | |
