Subway not fully utilised
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 23 — Lakhs of rupees spent on the construction of the subway connecting Sector 17 with Sector 22 seem to have gone down the drain as the facility is used only partially by the public.

The idea behind the construction of the subway — discouraging people from jumping over the iron railings dividing the two roads — has been virtually defeated as a majority of them do not use the subway. The fixing of glass pieces on the area over which the people jump has failed to dissuade them from doing so as these pieces have been removed from the corners.

A large number of persons, who do not jump the iron railings, use the area near the small rotary towards the Sector 22-A market to cross the roads.

As there is heavy traffic on both roads, the persons jumping the iron railings risk their as well as others’ lives. Since local CTU buses also stop near the area above the subway, the situation is compounded as traffic jams are common.

And with no police personnel to direct people to use the subway only, the practice continues.

Meanwhile, certain persons jumping iron railings have said that the location of the subway is not proper as it is at one corner of the Inter State Bus Terminus (ISBT). Why should I trek half a km after using the subway when I can jump over the iron railing, asked Mr Sunil Katoch from Shimla, who regularly comes to the city.

Moreover, area in front of the booths inside the subway has been encroached upon by shopkeepers which hinders the movement of people. As there is little space for the passage of people, women tend to avoid the subway, especially during the night time.

'Sport is equally important'
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 23 — In the changing educational scenario, sports has suffered a serious set back due to an overemphasis on academics, particularly to meet the requirements of technology sector, laments Mr R.D. Singh, Principal of New Public School, Sector 18. The present education system is faulty with its vast syllabi and examinations putting undue pressure on children, who are gradually moving away from sports ond other extra-curricular activities, which are must for their healthy overall development, he maintains.

The faulty system, coupled with fewer openings for sports in terms of jobs has sounded its death knell. He says that but for a few games, sports no longer attract students as they offer no financial benefits. A keen sportsman, Mr Singh not only has taken steps to provide adequate infrastructure for inculcating students' interest in sports, but also plans to involve more girls in games like volleyball and basketball.

An engineer by profession, Mr Singh worked in the industrial sector till 1993 before he joined this institution as Principal. He had a brief teaching stint at Batala in early eighties.

With this background and commitment to keep pace with latest trends in education, Mr Singh has introduced a multimedia interactive lab to impart computer education. "The motive behind introducing computer as a subject from Class III onwards and organising seminars is to make students understand the potential of this tool." he adds. Students will now be able to access internet from the coming session for getting more information on their subjects. Efforts are also being made to impart education to the junior classes though the audio-visual aids, models and playway methods.

He is of the view that a good teacher positively shapes a child's personality and exposes his potential for his overall development. To achieve all this, a teacher has to be conscientious in perfoming his duties and capable of delivering good results, he says. The speed of the leader is the speed of the team, so the head of the school should try and be a role model for his subordinates in all aspects.

Parents have an equally important role to play in shaping a child's future. According to Mr Singh, they are required to cooperate and coordinate with teachers in such a way that they have an insight into a child's everyday life, both inside and outside school. There is a need to counsel parents to help them judge their child's capabilities and not force on him a career of their choice, he emphasises.

He resents that tuitions today have become a necessary evil just because majority of the parents, mostly those who are working, do not find time to teach their children. So they have to depend on external help to ensure the good performance of their child. Even at the higher levels, the menace of tutions can be weeded out if policy makers evolve a system of common aptitude test after Class XII, which is recognised by all educational and technical institutes in the country, he suggests. According to him, the vast disparity in the syllabus of boards and that of entrance examinations is also responsible for making students more dependent on tuitions rather than effective classroom teaching.

Regarding the use of corporal punishment, he does not advocate it as a rule but it may be resorted to in certain cases. "Giving a naughty child, a responsibility, or channelising his energy through sports and extra-curricular activities will also help check violence and maintain discipline,'' he says.

He prefers the CBSE system of examination as it is widely prevalent and entrance examinations of various professional courses are also based on it. Hence, it makes the task of preparing for these exams, easier for students. The authorities should try to reduce the syllabi of various courses and lighten the burden on children.

On being asked what incentives the school offered to keep up morale of teachers, he said that school, being run by a non-profit society where even the members, except the Principal, did not receive salaries or perks is just able to give its teachers a salary at par with the government grades, minus the DA. But they are entitled to EPF and pension schemes as stipulated by the PF commissioner. The fee and funds collected by the school are pooled back for the development of the school, he says.

"All children are born equal and should be given equal chances at the time of fresh admissions to various school," he asserts. The school follows the policy of first come first serve to ensure this equality at the time of admissions to kindergarten classes.

A record of sorts
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 23 — The feat of Mr Gulshan Kumar Girdhar, a Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) official, may not have figured in any of the records books but it is a record in itself.

The 42-year-old Girdhar has been writing the word ''Ram'' in hand in 26 diaries of different sizes and and pages since 1996. So far he has written the word for over 30 lakh times and used over 6,000 pages. He writes the word in Hindi over 3,000 times daily.

Explaining the rationale behind writing the word, Mr Girdhar said due to some "unforeseen" happening in his life in 1996 he started writing this particular word which gave him solace and contentment in distress. ''However, I have faith and respect for all religions,'' he added.

What was unusual about his writing was pens of different colours he used. For instance, on Monday he writes with a blue pen, on Tuesday with red, on Wednesday with green and on Saturday with a black pen. The particular colours had been chosen keeping in view the days on which they were considered auspicious, he explained.

Mr Girdhar said he was 42 years (15,442 days) old which meant that he had written the word eight time per hour. His aim was to write one word per minute of his life which would take him 10 to 12 years, though he wanted to continue the practice for whole of his life.

He claimed that this feat was a record as no record book carried such a record. In fact, he has already written to the Limca Book of Records in this regard.

Mixed response to expulsion of Cong men
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 23 — The expulsion of Mr Sharad Pawar, Mr P.A. Sangma and Mr Tariq Anwar by the Congress Working Committee from the party for six years following their opposition to accept Mrs Sonia Gandhi as the prime ministerial candidate has evoked a mixed response, with people divided over the decision.

While a section of the residents consider the decision to be an extreme step against the three leaders, others supported it, saying that in the interest of the party and its discipline, expulsion was needed.

"It is in the interest of the party and its discipline that even in case of difference of opinion on the prime ministerial candidature, the letter should not have been made public. The issue could have been taken up at the party meeting. In fact, these leaders have played into the hands of the BJP in opposing Mrs Gandhi as the next the Prime Minister of the country," is the opinion of those who support the action and Mrs Gandhi as the next Congress Prime Minister of the country.

On other hand, those who oppose the expulsion feel that this would only deepen the crisis.

Mr H.L. Kalla, a research coordinator in CRRID, finds no logic in the expulsion of the three senior Congress leaders. He is of the view that this was certainly not the opportune time to do so and they should have been allowed to carry on with the party. "The Congress Working Committee should have focussed on solving the problem within the party rather than creating dissent.'' he said.

This extreme step may lead to the formation of another group within the party which will try to galvanise support to expose them. This in turn will weaken the stand of the party in the forthcoming elections, he added.

Terming the decision to be a hasty one, Mr S.C. Jain, a businessman, lamented that such a drastic step, particularly on the eve of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's death anniversary, is rather unfortunate. This is certainly not what the three leaders deserve, especially when they have stood with Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia all along. He suggested that the committee could have avoided this situation by convening a special CWC meeting to deliberate at length on the issue of expulsion following defiance of views of the highest decision making body of the party.

According to him, this will only deepen the ongoing crisis in the party, so they should revoke their expulsion, he opines.

The Congress has taken a wrong decision in expelling three senior leaders, who have been the backbone of the party and have a thorough understanding of party politics, said Mr Sant Ram Tyagi, a private sector employee. The three were simply trying to warn Mrs Sonia Gandhi against projecting herself as the Prime Minister candidate at this stage when the issue of a person of foreign origin occupying the office was hot, especially among the BJP ranks. The committee will sooner or later have to pay a price for this as the Congress is bound to suffer a setback. The committee should have concentrated on taking steps to sort out the issue and make them cooperate with the party.

According to Mr K.K. Sharma, a senior banker, the expulsions were not justified at any stage. The senior leaders could have addressed the objection raised by the three through a resolution without taking such a drastic action. He is of the view that no individual can be larger than the party and a party of Congress's stature should have the ability to arrive at a consensus on such dissenting issues.

According to Mr Sharma, the best solution would have been to sort out the issue directly with these leaders who perhaps had started feeling ignored and sidelined. However, he does not see the crisis getting affected any further for the other leaders will not oppose their own partymen. The expulsion has only been done to ensure that others do not stand up, he pointed out.

Mr A.K. Nanda opines that the expulsion was inevitable as the disgruntled leaders could have otherwise gone to any extent. Though the party may not suffer much, but this is certainly not the end of the matter keeping in view the cult of personalities involved and their respective stands on the issue. However, the committee by taking this decision has only tried to temporarily solve the problem of anyone challenging the authority of the party leader Mrs Gandhi. Perhaps, this was the only way out for the power-hungry politicians, he adds.

On the contrary, Mr Sarabjeet Singh, a computer professional, maintains that the expulsion of these leaders is justified as far as the party's larger interests are concerned. He is of the view that Sharad Pawar was adamant on what he wants and this called for this expulsion. Motivated by their selfish interests, they were speculating that they will be sidelined and not projected as the candidates for prime ministership, hence they raked the issue. The expulsion could not have been avoided, it could have at best been delayed, he added. Though the biggest crisis facing the Congress is that of leadership, but this expulsion is not likely to affect the party, which has once again acquired sufficient standing.

Dr Sukhmani Riar, a Reader of history, also justified the expulsions on the grounds that these leaders were busy creating dissent within the party by not abiding by the decisions. "What was the need of making Mrs Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin an issue when the Constitution does not specify anything in this regard? However, the Congress Working Committee should have had serious discussions and served a show-cause notice before expelling them. The expulsion of such leaders may only intensify the crisis as the split in the party can prove harmful at the time of elections, she said.

‘One of the most livable cities'
By Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 23 — "When I came to Chandigarh in 1960, I felt uncomfortable and out of place. But now it is the other way. I get desperate to come back to Chandigarh when I go out," says "Flying Sikh" Milkha Singh.

"When Mr Partap Singh Kairon, the then Chief Minister of Punjab, appointed me Deputy Director, Sports, after the Rome Olympic Games, I used to feel lonely and isolated here. I used to commute between Delhi and Chandigarh everyday. I would leave Delhi at 4 a.m. and reach my office by 9.45 a.m.

"In between, whenever I would get a chance, I would either go to Sukhna Lake or to Panjab University for my training and practice. Mr Kairon had given clear instructions to Mr Fletcher that all help should be extended to me for my training and practice. And this trend continued for more than six months.

"At one stage, I even told Mr Kairon that I did not want this job as I was tired of commuting between Chandigarh and Delhi. At that time, Chandigarh was an open and lonely place. The population was very thin.

"Things started changing for me when a friend of mine offered to give a room to me in his restaurant-cum-residence in Sector 22. I would use that room once in a while. It was probably in 1960 or a year later that I was offered a two-kanal plot in Sector 18 for Rs 4,000. But I had no money. Sometime later, I bought a 1.5 kanal built up house in Sector 18 for Rs 35,000.

"A year later, the then Chief Commissioner of Chandigarh, Dr M.S. Randhawa, offered me a plot in the Sector 36 Defence area. I was not keen. But Dr Randhawa virtually convinced me not to turn down the offer. I consulted the son of my sister-in-law, who was a student of architecture, to advise me which plot should I buy.

"It was around this time that the foundation stone of the Sector 36 MCM DAV College was being laid. I took a two-kanal corner plot for just Rs 15,000. In fact, I was the first one to build a house in Sector 36. Before that, I had sold my Sector 18 house for Rs 60,000. I repaid the loan which I had taken for the earlier house. At that time I used to draw a salary of Rs 800 a month while my wife, Nirmal, an Assistant Director in Sports, used to get Rs 350 a month," recalls Mr Milkha Singh.

He says that a couple of other real estate transactions, including a farmhouse on the Chandigarh-Ambala road, near Zirakpur, which he bought for Rs 7,200 was sold by him 15 years later for more than six lakh, gave him some money.

"Besides training in athletics, I was very fond of hunting. It was all forest area around Chandigarh. Beyond the Railway Bridge, it was all forest. I used to go for shikar of wild boar, titar and sambhar. There was no Panchkula or Chandi Mandir cantonment.

"Gradually, I started liking Chandigarh and now I cannot live anywhere else. It has come up very well. It has blossomed into a modern, neat and clean city," adds Mr Milkha Singh.

It was he who masterminded the construction of the Sector 7 Athletic Stadium before the reorganisation of Punjab in 1966. He maintains that Mr Partap Singh Kairon was a visionary and greatest Chief Minister Punjab ever had. It was he who visualised Chandigarh as a city of excellence. He brought the best doctors to the PGI, got Punjab Engineering College and was the actual brain behind Chandigarh.

The "Flying Sikh", a keen golfer now, however, feels that the city is not as it was in the late 70s and early 80s.

"It used to be neat and clean. But now one finds heaps of garbage everywhere. The roads are no more the same. Population explosion has done the maximum damage.

"At times I wonder whether Chandigarh is heading to be another Delhi with monsters like pollution raising their ugly head here. We must do something about it.

"I think we have reached the limit for developing sectors. Now the effort should be on maintaining the infrastructure and services so created. Rather, some of the basic services, including water and power supply, need to be augmented in view of the more than the projected figure of five lakh of population that we have.

"Whenever I travel abroad, people praise Chandigarh. It is called the city of Nek Chand, Kapil Dev and Milkha Singh. Many of the NRIs want to come and settle down here. It is one of the most modern and livable cities. We must maintain it," concludes Mr Milkha Singh.

Akademi chief to promote regional talent
By D.S. Gupt

CHANDIGARH, May 23 — The newly-appointed Chairman of the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi, Major-General (retd) Himmat Singh Gill, holds that the akademi is a movement par excellence. It provides an opportunity to writers from all walks of life to bring out their best, not only at the local but at the national and international levels and their writings should go to the common man.

“Chandigarh lies at the confluence of many cultures and diverse human movements and I see the akademi playing a predominant role in the fusion and development of literary talent. It will be our object to project the vibrancy and potent force of this part of the country on the national literary screen and beyond.” Mr Gill expressed these views in an exclusive interview, He has taken over three days earlier, after his appointment by the Chandigarh Administration.

Though the assignment is new for the retired Major-General, he is determined to promote all writers and artists of this part of the country in general and the city in particular. He has assured that he will provide a chance to all upcoming writers to make their mark in culture and the arts.

Having done his Senior Cambridge from St George College Mussoorie, and graduation from Government College, Ludhiana, Maj-Gen Himmat Singh got a Master’s degree in Defence Studies from Allahabad University after being commissioned in the army, he worked in various capacities and was decorated with ANSM and VSM.

Being a columnist, he has been contributing to leading papers and weeklies. He will try to bring the akademi on the lines of Sahitya Akademi, Delhi. The authors will be provided with subsidy.

Maj-Gen Gill has no idea of resources and the budget but is firm that this will not stand in the way of the akademi. However, he agrees that it will require the support of the Chandigarh Administration and patronage of non-government organisations, publishing houses and other agencies like the North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala.

He will plan literary interactions of all people in all languages and in all forms of writing, whether poetry, prose, fiction or non-fiction. He will conduct literary forums, get-togethers, meet the author programmes, workshops, book exhibitions and poetry reading sessions. He says much of our vast literary flavour and ethos have been confined to the local level, the metropolitan cities and the lanes of Delhi. It will be his endeavour to help uncover the dormant literary potential.

The Major-General, who was an associate of Khan Abdul Gafhar Khan, is the brother of the Chief Election Commissioner, Dr M.S. Gill. He is critical of the degeneration in creative writing in India. According to him, juries and selection panels should look into this aspect. He holds that book scouts and publishers should be so good that a writer does not have to look to the West for his next publication contract. Maj-Gen Gill, who is busy with his story on the sufferings of the people of Afganistan, promises to have a broad-based structure for the akademi.

Phone woes continue
From Our Correspondent

PAROL (Kharar), May 23 — Subscribers of the Mullanpur-Garibdass telephone exchange are a harassed lot.

A number of them complained that their telephones were not working properly for the past at least five days. Mr Labh Singh, a freedom fighter staying at Parol village, said he had to dial many times to get the desired number. The problem is more acute in the morning and late evening hours, he added.

The telephone authorities have been intimated about the persistent problem, but no step has been taken to solve it permanently. Mr Arvind Puri complained that the telcom service has been hit in the Mullanpur telephone exchange territory. Also, due to non-availability of enough staff, it takes time to rectify the fault.

The local exchange covers more than 15 villages but has the maintenance staff of two persons. Subscribers said that practically it is difficult to look after such a vast area by two persons.

Another resident said that he opted for the paging service to have constant communication link with his family. Commander R.S. Gill (retd), a consumer rights activist, feels that it is gross injustice to them. "We are charged the full rental, even then we get deficient services", he argued.

Telephone users said the condition of the telcom building is in bad shape, with the roof of the exchange leaking.

Complex lacks sport infrastructure
By Our Sports Reporter

MANI MAJRA, May 23 — When Sukhpreet, a 14-year-old girl who regularly played badminton at one of the centres in Chandigarh, shifted to Modern Housing Complex in Mani Majra six years ago, she thought, being a new and “modern” colony, every kind of facility will be provided there.

But her dream of actively engaging in sporting activities could not be realised due to lack of playground, park etc in the complex.

Like her, thousands of children are devoid of this vital activity of life here.

Paramvir Dhiman, a former national-level gymnast, says, “If there is will, open spaces here along with the community centre can have facilities for many sports”.

A lot of people here have shifted from posh sectors of Chandigarh but find it difficult to adjust to the environment prevailing here. “When Chandigarh sectors can have playgrounds, parks and other sport facilities, why cannot this vast complex with open available land?”, ask residents.

Ms Reena Khanna, a bank officer, quipped, “Earlier it seemed, this complex might become one of the best in Chandigarh but now it looks that is impossible. Nearby Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) complex is coming up. Also a school, telephone exchange building and another building is being constructed and gradually no open space will be left. When open land can be allotted for the Kalagram cultural centre, why cannot an athletic track, stadium or gymnasium be earmarked, questions Mr N.K. Verma, an officer residing in multi-storeyed flats.

The land earmarked for a community centre is dumped with garbage and pigs openly roam around. A community centre that was recently inaugurated outside the complex could have accommodated a hall for indoor sports such as judo, gymnastics and even table tennis, carrom, opined Mr V. Sharma, an executive who shifted to this complex for years ago.

“It is really the pressure and push which matters”, says a retired accounts officer, Mr H.K. Sharma.

Mr Arun along with a few of his sports-conscious friends recently decided to form a sports club in the complex, and plan to organise a tournament to create interest in sports in the complex. “I hope the sports-minded people of the complex will show concern for making available land for developing sport infrastructure”, says Mr Smriti Khanna, a school lecturer.