Sunday, May 9, 1999
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N E W S Sunday, May 9, 1999 |
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If you can't find water,
have soft drinks Chandigarh, May 8 — Do not scout around for drinking water to quench your thirst while visiting the public offices at the Sector 17 Estate Office. The reason — most water coolers are out of order and in view of the scorching heat, the public has no alternative but to buy soft drinks from the canteen. The condition is no better at the Civil Secretariat and the Municipal Corporation. In fact, only 10 out of the nearly 18 water coolers installed at all the three buildings, which between them house all departments of the Chandigarh Administration, are functional. Besides the employees working there, these offices are visited by hundreds of people daily for getting their work done and their plight could be well imagined. At the Estate Office, only one cooler is functional, although it has more than four such machines. One of them was placed next to the canteen for the benefit of the hundreds of people who came to avail themselves of the services provided under the Swift Disposal Scheme. The space provided to a cooler in disuse is now being used as a temporary storeroom to house used and broken sanitary items. The third one has been dumped in a corner of the recently shifted licensing branch. A thick film of dust covers the cooler and there is "no possibility" of its being operational soon. Another cooler is placed on one of the upper floors. The lone functional cooler has been placed at the rear passageway behind the Deputy Commissioner's office. Peons of several officials on this floor were yesterday seen fetching water from this cooler besides many employees during lunch time. Similarly, of the eight coolers installed in the Civil Secretariat, only five are functional and cater to the demands of the employees and the public. The coolers placed in the canteen and the fifth floor are non-functional. Says a peon filling water from a cooler on the first floor, " Most of us have a hard time just fetching water for the visitors in addition to our other duties ". Out of these, two coolers are installed near the waiting rooms of the Adviser to the Administrator and the Home Secretary, while two serve the needs of the people and employees alike on the fourth floor. The cooler installed in the drivers' rooms is also non-functional. There are two water coolers in the Municipal Corporation office to meet the demands of the employees as well as the public. However, there are no pointers for the benefit of the people to show where they have been placed. While one is near the Mayor's office, the other is on the upper floor. As such they are not enough to meet the increased demand for cold water and most of the time the people have to make do with water stored in the overhead tanks. There is, however, good news for the public as the lone water cooler was made operational in the Food and Supplies Department yesterday. The toilets were also made functional with the installation of large capacity overhead tanks for water. They had been locked for quite some time due to paucity of water. SAS NAGAR Even as the heatwave is at its height, most public places in the city are without proper drinking water facility. This is causing inconvenience to a large number of persons visiting these places daily. After a survey of such places, mostly offices, it seemed that providing drinking water to visiting persons was the last priority of the authorities concerned. At some places, even fans were not available for the visitors. They had to stand in heat for paying their bills and other jobs at these places. During a visit to the Department of Telecommunications, Phase VII, Bill Collection Centre, it was seen that though a couple of chairs and fans had been provided for the visitors, there was no provision for drinking water. The place was swarmed by a large number of persons who had come to pay their telephone bills. "The problem aggravates when there are long queues and persons have to quench their thirst by getting water from nearby shops," said a telephone subscriber. He said that for the convenience of visitors, fans should be provided in the verandah outside the office, besides providing drinking water facility for them. Same was the case with the Phase VI main office of the Punjab State Electricity Board. At this place, there was no arrangement of drinking water for persons who come here to pay their bills. The problem was severe at counters four and five, where even sheds have not been provided. "The least they can do is install a water cooler, a shed and a couple of fans for visitors," said a villager who had come to apply for a new connection. The problem was not different at the office of the Sub Divisional Magistrate in Phase 1, which was also devoid of drinking water facility. When this correspondent, posing as a visitor, asked about where water was available, an official pointed towards the adjoining Punjab Urban Development Authority office. He said, " If you want water, either go to the nearby Town Planner's office or where typists are sitting." In a room, where typists were sitting, a tap was there, but the large room, had only three fans due to which daily visitors at the office had to face inconvenience. Though water was
available at the main bus stand, but the surroundings
were not clean. Plastic bags and trash was seen lying
around the drinking-water post. |
Chandigarh Club polling under tight
security CHANDIGARH, May 8 — Elections for office-bearers of the Chandigarh Club — the biggest social club in the city — were held today peacefully amidst tight security, strict screening of members, last minute canvassing by those in the fray, a minor controversy regarding poll boycott by some members and of course continuous beep of mobile phones. Right from morning, the scene at the club was that of a full-scale election. If not much, it matched with the poll of a municipal corporation. The sitting President, Mr Chaman Lal Sharma and Mr Harish Dhawan alongwith their respective teams braved the heat to battle for the post of President of the club. All ingredients of a polling tables, tents, posters, handbills, polling agents and rows of parked cars outside the club premises, could be seen there. Friends and families were roped in to distribute handbills, and small cards. Polling started at around 4 pm and was carried on till 10.30 p.m. The bar was closed to prevent any untoward incident. Entry was restricted to members only. To cast a vote, each member had to carry either his driving licence, passport or a government approved identity card. As one neared the club from the road outside the residence of the Haryana and Punjab Chief Ministers, cars of members were parked as far as up to Uttar Marg. Traffic police men were guiding traffic and facilitating parking. As one neared the gate of the club, families and friends of the candidates handed over reference slips to the voters. Inside the club, members supporting the candidates were busy calling over fellow members over their mobile phones, exhorting them to come and cast votes. A steady supply of cold drinks, mineral water, cigarettes and pans was maintained by the supporters. At the gate, Mr Chaman Lal Sharma, along with his team were there to seek votes. Mr Harish Dhawan’s group was missing from the gate as he along with 100-odd supporters decided to abstain from the voting . Mr Harish Dhawan alleged
that the President did not complete the agenda of the
general body meeting that had preceded the election
process. It was, therefore, decided to boycott the
elections. Mr Chaman Lal Sharma in his reply said these
people had raised a hue and cry after the general body
had finished. They had wanted to raise an issue that was
not on the agenda today, he clarified. |
Mixed response to revision of
electoral rolls CHANDIGARH, May 8 —The second phase of revision of electoral rolls, which began at 524 polling stations, today received a mixed response from the residents of the city. The exercise is being undertaken on the basis of guidelines issued by the Election Commission of India. The first phase was held on April 24 and 25. Despite today being a holiday, enthusiasm was lacking among the people. Few people turned up at the polling stations and the staff manning these stations were relaxing. The turnout was better at the polling stations in colonies and villages. Persons of these areas were going with claims of inclusion of their names in the voters' list, corrections in name and age and changes in photo-identity cards, to become eligible to vote in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. The response was poor at the urban centres since the students who had attained the age of 18 years till January, 1999, were busy with their examinations. Few students showed any interest for getting their names included in the first phase of revision of electoral rolls. The residents of Ram Darbar area alleged harassment at the hands of the polling staff, who were not accepting their forms without proper proof of residence, though it was not mandatory at this stage. The councillor of this area, Ms Kamlesh, said that many persons thronged her residence throughout the day to get the forms attested for proof of residence. There was confusion among those residents who had recently shifted their residence from Sector 31 Labour Colony and Karsan Colony to Sector 52 as incorrect forms for change in address were given to them, she pointed out. Some people alleged that despite having proper proof of residence, their forms were not accepted. On the contrary, persons who had submitted false proof of residence had no problem in depositing the forms. At a polling booth in Sector 29-D, the children of army personnel staying in separate family accommodation in Sector 28 alleged that they were being discouraged and they could fill the forms only at the intervention of a political leader. Mr M.Ramsekhar, Deputy Commissioner, who is the Returning Officer for Chandigarh, said though nobody could be compelled to submit proof of residence but people were being encouraged to submit forms at this stage as this would ensure automatic clearance for registration as a voter. He further said the procedure was such that in the absence of proof of residence, physical verification would have to be done. This would create hurdles in case of daily wage labour class as they would be out during the day and the neighbour would not be in a position to clarify their stay in that area. Referring to the wards of army personnel, he said the issue of objection could be either the duration of their stay in the city or their having attained the age of 18 years as on January 1, 1999. As regards the problems of the rehabilitated colony residents who had been shifted to Sector 52, he said relevant forms with regard to change of address were distributed. Mr Ramsekhar said the polling staff had been instructed during training that they could point out the mistakes in forms and get them corrected but not reject forms on any such ground. Meanwhile, some traders
have expressed resentment at the closure of banks. This
affected their business transactions adversely, they
complained. |
Fair on career options for
youth CHANDIGARH, May 8 — The Career and Education Fair ’99 began at a Sector 17 hotel here today. Students of all age groups, parents and passers-by flocked to the fair for information on career options. The fair, with over 50 stalls, was inaugurated by the first girl student who made it to the venue. A large number of students thronged the stalls of the armed forces seeking information on the ways to get into the Army, the courses available and so on. The other stall in demand was that providing information regarding entry into the merchant navy, its requirements and what life on the sea was all about. With the youth of the city keen on going abroad, the fair had a stall on the procedure to apply for immigration, its rules and formalities, and the options for students in foreign countries. There were stalls on various loans available for going abroad and for other purposes. The hub of most activity was a stall on career guidance and personality analysis which saw students enquiring on the the stream they could pursue after the exams they had taken and the field ideally suited for their respective personalities. Some of the visitors, comfortable in their respective jobs, wanted expert opinion on whether they had chosen the ideal vocation. Other stalls comprised solar enery-powered devices, computer training stalls, stalls by courses of vocational education and a solitary stall selling embroidered stuff. In the evening, a
request stall played numbers of various countdown shows. |
Allottees decry lack of facilities SAS NAGAR, May 8 — A number of allottees of HIG dwelling units in Sector 48, here being developed by the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA), are an aggrieved lot due to the lack of essential civic amenities in the area in spite of a number of requests to the PUDA authorities. The allottees, mostly retired Punjab government employees, have alleged that PUDA, which had allotted the units under a scheme to provide shelter to homeless retired employees,has charged excessive amount from them for the units and it should be refunded to them without any delay. According to Mr Prem Chand Premi, President of the Sector 48-C Senior Citizen Housing and Welfare Association, though the PUDA authorities, according to terms and conditions in the brochure, had to provide essential services such as roads, sewerage, storm water line, street-lights and water at the time of the issuance of allotment letter in March last year, nothing had been done in this direction so far. “Even street-lights have not been provided to the occupants of dwelling units from numbers 1 to 25,” complained Mr Premi. He demanded that the PUDA authorities should pay interest on the total cost of the units at a rate of 18 percent till these facilities were provided. Mr B.M. Khanna, another resident, complained that the colony has not been developed by the PUDA authorities, resulting in a number of difficulties to the residents. “As the colony is totally isolated, and is surrounded by jhuggi dwellers, empty dwelling units are being used by jhuggi dwellers as toilets, causing unhygienic conditions in the area.” He demanded shifting of the jhuggis and facilities such as dispensary, mini-market, bus stop, police post and post office for the colony residents. Mr Premi, alleged that though PUDA, has charged Rs 8.05 lakh from allottees in Sector 70 for same tipe of accommodation, but an amount of Rs 8.60 lakh was charged from the Sector 48 allottees. The actual construction cost of a partially finished dwelling unit was Rs 6.05 lakh, he added. He demanded refund of the balance amount to the allottees along with the interest. Ms Seema Jain,
Additional Chief Administrator of PUDA, was not available
for comments. |
Aeromodelling show at carnival CHANDIGARH, May 8 — An impressive display of aeromodelling by NCC cadets was the major attraction of the Sector 17 Plaza Carnival today. The cadets with sleek models of aircraft with remote controls gave display of aerobatics and diving stunts to a large holiday crowd. People were also attracted to the display of contemporary aircraft and warships as dispalyed by the NCC Directorate. The evening also featured Shiv Batalvi nite, where Narinder Nindi and a troupe of the Punjab Arts International enthralled the Saturday revellers with their impressive folk performances. In the artists corner,
Mr Mehar Singh, a known painter of Sikh history, drew
portraits. He was joined by Prof Prem Singh and other
artists in the paint and sketch corner. |
Fine century by Yuvraj Singh CHANDIGARH, May 8 — Fine batting by Yuvraj Singh (101) enabled Godrej Cricket Club to beat I.C.C. XI by 10 runs and win the final of the second Shankar Lal Memorial Cricket Tournament at the PGI cricket ground here today. Batting first, Godrej Club were given a good start by Yuvraj Singh and Sukhwinder Tinkoo. Yuvraj scored a flamboyant 101 runs off 72 balls, including four sixes and 10 boundaries. Later, Munish Arora scored a hurricane 70 off 52 balls to enable Godrej Cricket Club to score 226 runs in 30 overs. I.C.C. XI lost two quick wickets. However, Aman Kumar steadied the innings with a useful knock of 45 runs off 49 balls. At the end of the innings Vikram Khajuria blasted 71 runs off 45 balls which included three sixes and seven boundaries. Satnam Singh also contributed 27 runs off 21 balls. The I.C.C. XI required 21 runs in the last two overs but could manage only 11. Aman Kumar was declared man of the series while Parveen Kumar was declared the best bowler. Yuvraj Singh of Godrej Cricket Club was declared the best batsman. Brief scores: Godrej C.C. 226 for 5 in 30 overs (Yuvraj Singh 101, Munish Arora 70, Parveen 2 for 27, Surinder Latha 2 for 41). I.C.C. XI 216 all out (Vikram Khajuria 70, Aman Kumar 45, Satnam Singh 27, Arun Tuli 2 for 25, Naresh Dhingra 2 for 27, Yuvraj Singh 2 for 29, Sukhwinder Tinkoo 7 for 32). Sub-jr wrestling The Chandigarh UT Wrestling Association will conduct the Chandigarh Sub-junior State Wrestling Championship on May 10 at the Wrestling Coaching Centre, Sector 30. Wrestlers born in 1982 are eligible to take part in the tournament. The weighing-in and the registration will be done between 9 am and 10 am, before the matches. UT chess tourney The Chandigarh Chess
Association will organise the UT Chess Championship for
boys and girls below the age of eight and 10 years on May
16, according to a press note of the association. During
the meet, team for the national championship will also be
selected. |
Sewa Bharti gets ambulance
van CHANDIGARH, May 8 — Mr Satya Pal Jain, local member of the dissolved Lok Sabha, has predicted that the BJP-alliance government headed by Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee will be voted back to power in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. Speaking at a function organised by the Sector 29 Sewa Bharti to launch an ambulance van from his MP development fund, Mr Jain said that the Congress and other Opposition parties had no other programme except to oppose Mr Vajpayee. The 13-month BJP-led Government at the Centre, he claimed, did a lot for the development of Chandigarh. The projects cleared during the past 13 months included a Doordarshan Kendra in Chandigarh, upgradation of Chandigarh railway station, sanction for the Chandigarh-Ludhiana rail link, setting up of a 100 MW captive power generation unit, announcement about construction of 5,000 dwelling units for weaker sections of society and release of hundreds of gas connections. He said that after the
BJP Government was returned to power at the Centre, work
on these projects would be expedited. |
Exam dates clash CHANDIGARH, May 8 — There is widespread resentment among students appearing for their B Com final year, Panjab University examinations, on account of a clash with the date of the chartered accountancy examination scheduled for May 12. The paper of auditing of the all-India examination of CA is being held on the same day as the final year paper of cost day accounting of the under-graduate class. The CA examination had to be rescheduled for May 12 following the leakage of the question paper. Most students are of the
opinion that Panjab University should re-scheduled the B
Com paper for a later date to accommodate the CA paper
for the benefit of the students and save them from undue
harassment. |
Heat forces early school
holidays Chandigarh, May 8 — Due to the soaring temperature, local convent and non-government schools have decided to close for summers from May 15. The summer holidays in these schools will continue till July 17. Mount Carmel School, Sector 46, Tender Heart, Sector 33, St. Stephens School, Sector 45 and St Anne's School, Sector 32, will close on May 15. This was revealed by respective principals of these schools. DAV Public School, Sector 8, Aurobindo School, Sector 27, Shivalik Public School, Sector 41, St. Anne's School, Sector 32, and St Stephen's School, Sector 45 have all announced a change in their school timings from May 10 onwards. The timings of these schools will now be from 7:30 a.m. to 12 noon. Meanwhile, all
government schools of the city will close for summer
holidays on June 1, as announced before. |
Cops evade suspension orders Chandigarh, May 8 — The five suspended officers of the Chandigarh police have taken station leave, preventing the Chandigarh Administration from serving the suspension orders on them, according to sources. The issue of evasion of
suspension orders is being seen as a confrontation
between the police and the administration, in official
circles. The Adminisration has decided to suspend two
DSPs, an inspector, an SI and a head constable. |
SNIPPETS Homoeo students entertain Lectures by homoeopathic doctors were interspersed with skits, dances and songs. Dr J.B.D'Castro said that homoeopathy is a complete science that is based on natural laws. Hailing the ground breaking theories of Dr Samuel Hahnemann — the founder of homoeopathy — Dr D' Castro stressed that unlike other systems that attempt to treat disease, homoeopathy treats the patients as a whole person, stimulating the body's vital forces, thus resulting in safe, painless and permanent cure. He added that Dr Hahnemann, a German born on in April 1755, was a highly successful allopath. He gave up his practice because he was dissatisfied with then prevelant medical science. He later developed his own system of medicine called homoeopathy. Dr Alok Agnihotri, Principal of institute, dispelled confusion and fear about the homoeopathic system. Seminar on homoeopathy According to Dr Sanjay Gupta, one of the organisers of the seminar, Dr Khan is the Head of Department of Organon in the NIH and also a member of the advisory committee on homoeopathy to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The seminar, to be organised by Hahnemann Homoeopathic Society and Step Ladders, will be held at CSIO Auditorium, Sector 30, at 9 a.m. The Principal Secretary, Medical Education and Research, Punjab, Mr K.K. Bhatnagar, will preside over the seminar. Cremation ground used finally Disclosing this, Dr Naresh Mittal, Senior Vice-President of the local Aggarwal Sabha, said the Snatam Dharam Kendriya Parishad would provide the basic amenities required at the cremation ground. A special team had also been constituted by the Aggarwal Sabha for this purpose. Dr Mittal said Mr Lachhman Singh, a Rajya Sabha member, had donated Rs 5 lakh for the development of the cremation ground. Camp on IT careers held The main objective of the camp was to provide guidance to students from various institutions in the field of electronics and information technology. Mr R.S. Khandpur, DG of the CEDTI, who was the chief guest, asked students to specialise in one particular area and excel in that field. He highlighted the importance of career planning and opportunities available at the local CEDTI. The camp which was attended by more than 120 students was addressed, among others, by Major Som Dutt of the Rotary Club and Mr Parvinder Singh, President of the local Rotary Club. Egg producers urge import of
maize The NECC and BEPA, in a statement, said the price of maize, an essential ingredient in the feed for poultry birds, had shown a 42 per cent increase, forcing a number of small poultry farmers to close down their businesses. The problem had been further compounded by large scale hoarding by speculating elements, said the associations. Ms Anuradha J. Desai, Chairperson of the NECC and BEPA, said both associations would import around 15000 tons of maize in the next one month to be further sold to poultry farmers on a 'no profit no loss' basis. Any increase in the price of maize, which is present in 50 per cent of poultry feed, could wipe out profits of farmers, she said. The proposed import of maize by the NECC would be in addition to the imports, if any, through government agencies. Guinness Book entrant to be
honoured Mr D.S. Dhiman, General Secretary of the sabha, said the Home Secretary, Mrs Anuradha Gupta, will be the chief guest at the function. Scholars and eminent personalities will highlight the teachings of Lord Vishvakarma on the occasion. A cultural programme will also be presented. CTCC reposes faith in Venod The CTCC members also expressed sympathies with the bereaved family of Jessica Lal. “Mr Venod Sharma has always stood with the party and never dithered whether Congress was in power or not. The CTCC further resolves and reposes full faith and confidence in Mr Sharma, whose family has served the Congress for three generations”, the resolution said. Revised UGC pay scales
notification released In a press note issued today by the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union, Mr N.P. Manocha, Finance Secretary, PCCTU, said the notification is the same as in the case of university and government colleges. He urged upon the Punjab Government to immediately release the grant of Rs 22.34 crore and gazette the amendment of the Service Security Act, passed by the Punjab Assembly on March 30 to make the pension and gratuity scheme part of the Service Security Act. PGI timings to be changed Seminar on role of teachers The focus of the seminar, in which representatives of 25 local schools participated, was to enlighten teachers about the changed responsibilities of the teaching faculty in the wake of scientific and technological advancement in the education system. Some of the participants were of the view that there was an urgent need to incorporate changes in the curriculum of schools as per modern concepts. Some teachers felt that there was a need to train teachers. Mr Pritam Singh Serai, Director of the Satluj Public School, who organised the seminar, said there was a need to create awareness among students through different modes of mass communication. He said the state was busy controlling law and order rather than restructuring the education system. The participants were
urged to develop the personalities of their students to
enable them to face the competitive world. The duty of a
teacher was to make students understand the basic
concepts of their curriculum, they were told. Setting up
of modern schools was also discussed at the seminar. |
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