Saturday, October 16, 1999
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N E W S Saturday, October 16, 1999 |
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weather spotlighttoday's calendar |
15-year-old cases hushed
up? CHANDIGARH, Oct 15 — In what may be a sequel to the infamous missing files case in February this year, it seems the Chandigarh police has been allegedly hushing up other sensitive and sensational cases also. This time, sources say, nothing is known about two important cases that were filed in the Sector 26 police station almost 15 years ago. Though copies of the first information reports (FIRs) in both cases are available, the records do not indicate about any action against anyone. No records, other than a few case diaries relating to bit of activity in the case, are available, a cop confirmed. A special report about the cases was sent today by the police station authorities to the high-ups for action. Among them is the infamous ''beef tallow'' case that created ripples in the city as well as in the region 1983, sources said. Similarly, the police seems to have taken no action in a case relating to the property of Philippines-based woman. The woman's property in Sector 21, worth several lakhs, was allegedly usurped by a property dealer in alleged connivance with the Sector 19 police authorities in 1984. And unconnected to this is the fact that the property dealer has since been murdered while his killers are at large, a source in the police department pointed out. In the "beef tallow'' case, the police, on August 10, 1983, seized four trucks (HRX-8537, DHL -3630, DHG - 2245 and DHL 745) near the traffic lights at Sectors 29 and 30. According to the FIR, the trucks, carrying about 48 tonnes of beef tallow were bound for Overseas Processor Private Limited, Sector 29, and Shahji Industrial Private Limited, New industrial Area ( now industrial area phase II). The goods were then valued at Rs 16 lakh. The tallow in the trucks was to be mixed with vanaspati ghee for sale in the market, according to a statement in the FIR. This had then hurt the religious sentiments in the country. The story about the seizure of banned beef tallow was first broken by The Tribune in 1983. Ganga Ram, who had allegedly connived with the drivers of the trucks to make fake documents to transport the beef tallow from Kandla in Gujarat was arrested and booked under Sections 420, 120-B, 467, 468, 471 and 295-A of the Indian Penal Code was registered. The single-page FIR is the only document on record with the police in this case. The records do not show any other evidence, action or case against anybody else, says a confidential report of the police authorities. In the second case of the Sector 21 property, Jagdish Kaur of Sector 21 alleged that a Sub-Inspector in the Sector 19 police post, in connivance with a property dealer by the name of Rocky, had put pressure on her husband Manjit Singh, while dealing with a dispute. In the FIR registered against the SI in the Sector 26 in March 1984, the complainant alleged that Rocky threatened her husband and the SI concerned put pressure on the latter to sign a document which showed Rocky as the tenant. Mrs Jagdish Kaur had alleged it was a case of forceful occupation that the police changed to tenancy. A case under Sections 448 and 380 of the IPC was registered. Meanwhile, till late at
night it could not be ascertained if any action was
initiated by the senior officials in this regard.
However, the matter is being debated by middle-level
officials, who believe that this is just the tip of the
iceberg. |
SHOs told to report all cases
since 1966 Chandigarh, Oct 15 — To deal with the recurrence of missing and misplaced files from various police stations, the Chandigarh police has decided to hold the Station House Officers (SHOs) concerned personally responsible for all the files in their respective police stations. The officers have been ordered to make detailed reports of the files pertaining to all FIRs registered in their police stations since 1966 and file it by October 30. A similar report of the case properties and their status, whether it had been released on superdari, was being held or had been auctioned, would also be prepared and sent to the police headquarters (PHQs). The report would mention the number of cases registered till now, their status — whether they had been solved or were pending investigation or were under trial in the courts, what was the outcome, convictions, if any — and the place where the case record was at present. According to Mr C.S.R. Reddy, SSP, this has been done to tackle the problem of missing records and files once and for all. Till now there was no way to know as to what happened to a case file which was quite old. Routine inspections too were not the ideal way to access and evaluate the filing system of the police stations. To prevent this and have an exact and foolproof record at the PHQ level, the SHOs have been asked to prepare the information and tally it with the FIR registers, case wise. They have been asked to furnish details about any missing files in their police stations, the investigating officer of the case and who had last requisitioned the file at any given period of time and the reason why it was missing. The SHO will also provide a list of the case property in his station and its present status. He will also attach a certificate along with his report testifying that he had gone through the entire record, the information provided was genuine and no attempt had been made to conceal anything. Mr Reddy said any lapse after this would rest squarely on the SHO in whose station such incidents happened. He, however, clarified that the officer during whose tenure the file or record had been lost or misplaced would also face the music. He said this follows the discovery of four police files pertaining to events related to the militancy period and a 34-year-old rape case in the photographers' dark room of the Sector 19 police station. A preliminary enquiry is under way and strict action would be taken against the erring officials, he added. Meanwhile, police sources said the files found are that of the nine-year-old murder of M.L. Sekhri, a former Chief Engineer of the SYL in Sector 26 by alleged militants, killing of six protesting students in Sector 39 during the Mandal agitation, the murder of BJP leader Vijay Gupta and the rape case of a minor girl in 1964. The file of the last case has been prepared in Urdu. The files were found in the dark room, bound together and tucked between a wooden trunk and a wall, by certain employees when they were cleaning the room. The files had been
recalled from the Sectors 26 and 39 police stations when
efforts to nab militant Jagtar Singh Tara and others of
his ilk were under way in 1996, but how they reached the
dark room is a mystery, the sources added. |
'Insurance bill in winter session' CHANDIGARH, Oct 15 — The Insurance Regulatory Bill would be reintroduced in the winter session of the Parliament, Mr D.S. Narain, Member of the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA), said here today. In an informal chat with reporters during the first International Insurance Expo '99 (IIE '99) — 'Customer Care' — here, Mr Narain said since the bill had already been approved by a standing committee of the Parliament, no major changes were expected to be made in it. The Finance Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, had already announced that the bill would be brought in the winter session, he added. Earlier, the Adviser to the UT Administrator, Ms Vineeta Rai, while inaugurating the expo, hoped that the views exchanged in the IIE '99 would go a long way in paving way for customer-friendly policies. She said she was happy that the city was now commanding popularity in the international arena. In his message, Mr N. Rangachary, Chairman of the IRA, who was to be the chief guest but could not make it to the venue, said one of the main objectives of the IRA was to protect interests of customers. For a healthy and orderly growth of the industry, insurers should strive towards satisfaction of customers which could come about through proper disclosure, education and awareness of the customer. Ms Necia Quast, First Secretary of the US Embassy, detailed various benefits of opening the insurance market to foreign players. She said ultimately India would benefit, since long-term funds would be available for country's infrastructure. She said the experiences of Asian countries which had opened their insurance markets to foreign players had been positive. She also said foreign insurers had brought greater competition, besides improved products and services into the market. Mr Derek Stott, Director of the General Insurance Customer Services of the Prudential (UK), stressed the need for customer-friendly approach, essential to serve Indian customers by understanding their needs and educating them during the tenure of their policies through personal care. Though information technology should take a key role in the back and front office support, the ultimate success would depend on one-to-one interaction, he added. Mr Kim Singh, Director of the KJS and International Associates said the key elements governing the success of the insurance company were customer care, dependability and service after sales. With these, performance of any insurer was gauged by the consumer. Bringing in competition should introduce modern customer-savvy products, which was the need of the day for the Indian consumer, he added. Presenting a paper on insurance pricing problem in non-life sector on behalf of the Insurance Services Offices Inc. of New York, Mr B.K. Sharma regretted that no actuarial courses for non-life sector existed in India. Pricing of general insurance products without actuarial and precise data support might result in wrong pricing of the products, he said. The expo was jointly
organised by the UGCE-Insurance Services Division and the
Indo-American Chamber of Commerce. |
RI for 2 Estate Office men CHANDIGARH, Oct 15 —The Additional Sessions Judge, Mr S.S. Lamba, who is also Special Judge of the CBI, today convicted Babu Singh and Ramesh, Kanungo and Patwari at the Chandigarh Administration’s Estate Office, respectively, under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Judge sentenced them to undergo rigorous imprisonment for three years, apart from paying a fine of Rs 1,000 each. In case of default of fine, they were ordered to undergo further imprisonment for six months. According to the prosecution, Mr Brijinder Singh, a resident of Dadu Majra village in the Union Territory, had raised a house on his agriculture land. Babu Singh and Ramesh went to his village and threatened to demolish his house, if he did not pay them a sum of Rs 2,000 by way of illegal gratification. They asked him to visit their office and pay the amount. On October 27, 1994, Mr Brijinder Singh went to the Estate Office. He persuaded them to reduce the amount of the illegal gratification. Afterwards they agreed to accept a sum of Rs 1,000. Babu Singh and Ramesh asked Brijinder Singh to go to a dhaba with the money. In the meantime, Brijinder Singh contacted the local CBI office and lodged a complaint. As a result, a CBI party reached the dhaba. Brijinder Singh was asked to give the amount to the dhaba owner, which he did. They two went from there without taking the money. In the evening, Babu Singh and Ramesh again visited the dhaba for collecting the amount. The CBI party continued to wait for them at the dhaba. When they came and took the amount, the CBI party nabbed them. While Babu Singh had taken Rs 600, Ramesh took Rs 400. Both were booked under
Section 13(I)(D) read with Section 13(2) of the
Prevention of Corruption Act. |
Student suspended for ragging CHANDIGARH, Oct 15 — Gaurav Sachdeva, a third year student of civil engineering in the local Punjab Engineering College who was removed from hostel on account of ragging recently, has been suspended, an official source said here today. The accused has been suspended on account of ragging first year students in Himalaya Hostel recently. A letter of father of one of the victims, Sandeep Kumar, said that keeping aside the normal ragging by senior students on September 17, he was still facing physical and mental harassment. "My son and three other boys were slapped and kicked again and again." The report of the proctor Dr V.P.Singh who conducted the inquiry said " it is clear that ragging took place". The boys were assaulted physically. The inquiry committee
said that Amit Kaul(civil branch), Dinesh Rauniwal (civil
branch),Kulwant Singh (metallurgy branch) and Deepak
Kumar(mechanical branch) should be put under suspension.
The committee also recommended that others involved in
the case be removed from the hostels. |
Sweeping at night? SAS NAGAR, Oct 15 — In the first experiment of its kind, the Local Government Department of Punjab is toying with the idea of sweeping during the night throughout the state. Aimed at yielding better results, the local municipal council is working out the modalities to put the experiment to test in the township. Sources say that the Local Government Department has asked the heads of civic government to give the cleaning job to private hands. Though the details of proposal are yet to be worked out, officials of the local municipal council say that the routine job of collecting garbage and sweeping the township suffered during the day due to heavy rush. A heavy vehicular traffic on the roads also hampered the operation. The Principal Secretary, Local Government Department, Punjab, Mr N.K. Arora, said the idea of night sweeping was given to the heads of civic bodies and it was up to them to accept the proposal. He said the proposal could be tested first in SAS Nagar as the council officials had shown interest in it. Making it clear that the existing staff with the sanitation wings of the local bodies would not be disturbed, he said the night sweeping would be given to private contractors. Inadequate staff with the civic bodies was also a reason for opening up the sanitation to private sector, he added. The Executive Officer of the local municipal council, Mr Yash Goyal, said the job of earmarking the populated areas was expected to be taken up soon. The areas where the night sweeping would be initially undertaken were Phases 1, 6, 7, 10, 11, Industrial Area, Mohali and Shahi Majra villages. It may be pertinent to
mention here that the council has already invited tenders
to pass over sanitation in certain parts of the township
to private hands. However, it has not yet been handed
over due to protests by the workers of the sanitation
wing of the council. A decision in this regard is
expected to be taken soon. |
Gen Oberoi takes charge of
WC CHANDIGARH, Oct 15 — Lieut-Gen Vijay Oberoi took over as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, while Lieut-Gen H.B. Kala, the outgoing GOC-in-C, who has swapped with the former as the GOC-in-C of the Army Training Command at Shimla, was given a send-off at the command Headquarters in Chandi Mandir near here today. On his arrival at the headquarters, General Oberoi was welcomed with a a guard of honour by a contingent of the Maratha Light Infantry. General Oberoi, an alumnus of National Defence Academy who was commissioned in the 1st Battalion of Maratha Light Infantry Regiment in 1961, said he would try to augment the operational preparedness of the Western Command with harder and professional training. "Emphasis will be on better care of families of those who have sacrificed their lives or have been disabled during the Kargil conflict. My focus will be on the working conditions of all ranks, particularly jawans," he added. General Oberoi, a graduate of the Defence Service Staff College, Wellington, and the International Fellow of the United States Army War College, has held a number of key positions, including that of Defence Adviser with the Indian High Commission, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. He has also been Director-General Military Operations (DGMO). For his distinguished service in general and particularly during the Goa operation and the 1965 Indo-Pak war during which he lost his right leg, he has been decorated with the Param Vishisht Seva and Ati Vishisht Seva Medals. General Kala was given a send-off by his colleagues before his departure to Shimla where he took over as the GOC-in-C of the Army Training College today. He also laid a wreath at 'Veer Smriti', the Command war memorial, which was followed by a guard of honour to him by a contingent of the regiment. An alumnus of National Defence Academy, General Kala, who was commissioned in the Jat Regiment in 1961, has seen action during the 1961,1965 and 1971 wars while commanding a brigade, division and corps in the Western sector, respectively. He took over as the GOC-in-C of the Western Command in 1996. He said media's role
during the Kargil conflict has been very encouraging to
the men in uniform, who felt that the whole nation was
with them while they were busy driving out the enemy from
our motherland. |
Syndics' memo CHANDIGARH, Oct 15 — The Chancellor of Panjab University, Mr Krishan Kant, who is also the Vice-President of India, is examining the "comments" of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof M.M. Puri, on the allegations contained in the memorandum which was submitted by half-a-dozen Syndics and members of the Senate some time ago, to the Chancellor. The memorandum, running into 19-odd pages (besides annexures), contains allegations in respect of "serious financial irregularities, maladministration and chaotic academic situation prevailing in Panjab University, Chandigarh — appointment of an independent investigating team/inquiry commission and taking of suitable corrective action". Mr Puri when contacted at his residence camp-office today confirmed having received a copy of the memorandum from the Chancellor. He said the comments sought have been submitted to Mr Krishan Kant; this was in September. He, however, did not divulge as to what he had to say on the sum and substance of the memorandum. The memorandum is signed by Mr Joginder Singh Yadav, Senator (he is Professor of Zoology at Kurukshetra University); Mr Mohammad Khalid, Lecturer, Political Science, University's Evening College; Mr Rajinder Deepa, member of the Syndicate; Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, MLA and Syndic; and Mr Ashok Goyal, another Syndic. The delegation, which met Mr Krishan Kant, included Prof I.M. Govil, Chairman, Department of Physics, and a Syndic; Mr Anirudh Joshi, a former Dean, Students' Welfare; besides Mr Yadav, Mr Khalid and Deepa. The memorandum, inter alia, expressed concern over the happenings since the present Vice-Chancellor took over on July 23, 1997. The allegations pertain to financial irregularities, wasteful expenditure nepotism and favouritism in respect of appointments, etc. "Panjab University is today marred by serious maladministration, patent instances of financial irregularities, academic inertia and deliberate undermining of authority of the Syndicate and the Senate — highest policy making and governing bodies of the university", it reads. Most of the appointments, it is alleged, were in contravention of the university calendar, rules and regulations. Several retired persons have been appointed on key posts and offered handsome emoluments and perks, despite the fact that the university faced a financial crunch and could ill-afford extravaganza. At least 15 retired persons, occupying key posts in the administration, are mentioned in the memorandum, giving full particulars in respect of their connections with Prof Puri, pay, perks, money spent on renovation of offices, houses, new vehicles, telephones, etc. In a nutshell, the memorandum projects the university in bad light. Those who have submitted the memorandum have appealed to the Chancellor that a thorough investigation by an independent agency be got done. Sources in the university said the present Syndicate, elected in December 1998, has been subjected to political machinations, consequently now majority is pro-Prof Puri. Therefore, the earlier decision of the Syndicate of getting the minutes of previous meeting approved in the next meeting and that of presenting action taken report on the decisions of the Syndicate and Senate, has been "reversed". It is alleged that tilting of the balance was done when some of the dear ones among the Syndics were "adjusted" in certain posts and thus obliged. It is pertinent to mention that the Syndicate comprises 17 members; 15 elected and two ex-officio members, besides the Vice-Chancellor. He presides over the Syndicate meetings in the absence of the Chancellor. In fact the Punjab
Government is demanding that as a majority of the
colleges affiliated to the university are in Punjab, the
control should vest with the Governor of Punjab, who is
also Chancellor of other universities in the state.
Panjab University, since 1966 continues to be
remote-controlled from New Delhi till this day much to
the consternation of Punjab and the faculty. |
PU Senate meeting to
discuss UGC letter CHANDIGARH, Oct 15 — The University Grant Commission's letter asking for a 10 per cent cut on posts will come up for discussion at the Senate meeting to be held on October 18, sources said here today. The letter asks for 10 per cent mandatory cut on non-plan and non-salary expenditure as part of "austerity measures". Ban on creation of plan and non-plan posts, ban on filling of vacant posts, ban on purchase of new vehicles and on foreign travel also figure in the letter. A subsequent letter to the university, however, clarified that vacant posts did not include teaching posts. In another change recommended , the annual youth welfare fund will be enhanced by Rs 12 per student per annum from the current session. Each student will be contributing Rs 2 to the host college of the youth festival. The budget head for youth festivals, seminars and conferences will have an additional amount of Rs 5,00,000 for the year 1999-2000. The office contingencies have been put at additional amount of Rs 13,000 and the purchases for computers and related items will have a budget head of Rs 60,000. The department also says that a vehicle be provided for its activities. The Senate also deliberates on a notification from the Principal Secretary which said that all colleges imparting education in health sciences previously affiliated to Guru Nanak Dev University, Punjabi University and the local university would be affiliated to Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot. The offer made by the Puri Foundation for donation of Rs 70,00,000 also figures in the list for Senate information. The items list enhanced amounts for special assistance programme for the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences .The amount for non-recurring items is Rs 48,00,000. This is besides the recurring expenditure on books and journals and field visits, among others. Creation of 10 additional seats under the NRI quota in the same department also figures in the list. The four-year course in
bachelor of engineering programme in agro-processing
technology with an intake of 20 students (10 from the
medical and 10 from the non-medical) has already been
introduced. The Senate also receives information for the
adoption of the UGC letter regarding relaxation of 5 per
cent from 55 per cent for several posts under the
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes category. |
Riot of colours at Navratra
festival CHANDIGARH, Oct 15 — A riot of colours, mood of gaiety and spirit of festivity, this is what the celebration of the navratra festival was all about at the National Institute of Fashion Design (NIFD), Sector 27, here today. The institute organised a ''dandia dance/garba'' and a ''mehndi'' competition for its students. Extravagant dresses of both boys and girls, colourful patterns of rangoli, flowers, ''matkas'', traditional ''bhandani dupattas'' and the beat of the ''dandia'' sticks to the tune of merry music seemed to mark the beginning of the festival season. The students also displayed the creative art of applying ''mehndi'' on the occasion. The following are the results of the various contests: Best ''dandia;' female
dancers — Kanchan (1) and Seema (2); best ''dandia''
male dancer — Anit; best ''mehndi'' display —
Sangeeta; best female costume — Diksha; best male
costume — Angad and Rahul; and best faculty dancer
— Rita Jhanji. |
Free bus travel for disabled
sought CHANDIGARH, Oct 15 — The right to safe orientation and mobility for the disabled people should be implemented strictly in the country. This was demanded in the north zone seminar on 'Orientation and mobility for the disabled' held here today. It was organised by the National Handicapped Welfare Council (NHWC) in collaboration with the Physically Handicapped Association, Punjab (PHAP) to mark 'World Cane Day'. About 100 delegates from Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh participated in the seminar. Mr K.B.S. Sidhu, Director Transport, Punjab, in his presidential speech assured that the Punjab Government would take up the issue of the problems of the handicapped. He said that the handicapped could send complaints regarding the behaviour of bus staff. Mr Prithi Chand, Director, Social Welfare, UT, announced that the city would provide facilities to the handicapped on the Punjab pattern. He also assured that the PWD Act 95, which says that the disabled would have safe and equal opportunities for their mobility at all public places as well as all buildings, would be implemented Mr Ajit Salani, Secretary of the National Handicapped Welfare Council, criticised the state and central governments for not providing rights for the disabled at the grass-root levels. He demanded that a national policy be framed for free bus journeys for the handicapped in all the bus services of the country. Mr Harbhajan Batalvi, Station Director, All India Radio, Jalandhar, who himself is physically challenged, stressed on the need of creating awareness about the importance of orientation and mobility for the disabled. Mr Batalvi said that the electronic and the print media could play an important role in this area, and demanded the creation of a separate cell in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for this purpose. Mr J.S. Pali from Himachal Pradesh spoke about the problems faced by the disabled in rural hilly areas, and added that in Himachal Pradesh, mobility for the handicapped was a crucial issue. Mr S.S. Shukla, Secretary, NHWC, Haryana unit, complained that the Haryana Government discriminated between the handicapped and other employees. On the front of artificial limbs, Dr V.J.S. Vohra, Nevedac Prosthetic Centre, Daulatsinghwala, said that his centre was facing problems in providing free artificial limbs to the needy handicapped people since the Central Government was showing reluctance in releasing grant-in-aids for this purpose. Mr Kashmir Sanawa, Secretary, PHAP, suggested workshops at the block levels for training of government employees related with the mobility of the disabled. He also urged the social organisations to organise courses for providing training to the blind about their orientation and mobility and also about the use of the white cane. The organising secretary
of the seminar, Mr Avtar Singh Gharuan, declared that the
findings of the seminar would be sent to the state and
Central governments. |
Workshop on AIDS for children Panchkula, Oct 15 — The Survival of Young and Adolescent (Surya) Foundation held a one-day orientation workshop on HIV/AIDS at the forest auditorium in Pinjore today. The workshop, which was funded by the Haryana AIDS Control Society, was for the students of senior secondary schools of Kalka subdivision. Mr P.K. Mahapatra, Director, secondary education, Haryana, was the chief guest. Mr P.H. Vaishnav, Director, SOSVA, a non-government organisation, was the guest of honour. Mr Mahapatra stressed the need for awareness about AIDS at the adolescent age. He urged the teachers to actively contribute to the cause. Fiftyeight students and 15 teachers from various schools attended the workshop. The workshop was divided into various phased modules. The first phase highlighted the growing menace of AIDS in society. Lectures and visual demonstrations conducted by Dr Ramneek Sharma, founder Director of the foundation, informed the participants about the modes for spread of the virus in the human body. Various aspects of sex and sexuality and their relation to AIDS were debated at the programme. The second phase focused on the management of AIDS. Explaining the failure of modern science to develop a suitable vaccine for AIDS, Dr Sharma said: "The anti-genicity of virus changes over with passage of time, thereby the antibodies of the virus are not effective, leading to the failure to develop an effective vaccine for the treatment of AIDS." The third phase included video-aided demonstration of documentaries prepared by the Haryana government on AIDS awareness. The final phase was marked by a mock game session for the students. The objective of this module was to analyse the feedback by the students and enhance their problem solving skills with a positive attitude. The programme concluded
with an interactive session among the students and the
specialists. |
Daily flight to Delhi begins CHANDIGARH, Oct 15 — A daily air service between Chandigarh and New Delhi has been restored with the Jet Airways, the country's largest private airline, introducing one of its two ATR 72-500 aircraft on this sector today. The first two of five new commercial aircraft arrived in India on October 6 and 8. The third aircraft is scheduled to be delivered next month while the fourth will arrive in March next year and the fifth in April. The flights between Chandigarh and Delhi will provide direct connections to and from Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Bangalore, Calcutta and other major cities with the waiting period in New Delhi varying between 40 minutes and three hours. Mr J.B. Singh, Area Sales Manager of Jet Airways, said the flight would benefit executives, businessmen, doctors, technocrats and others who have to travel to major cosmopolitan and metropolitan cities from here as also international travellers, especially non-resident Indians belonging to Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh as Jet Airways has a tie-up with both British Airways and KLM. Mr I.S. Paul, Chairman of the CII (Chandigarh Region), inaugurated the first flight to the Union Capital from here. "A long-standing demand of the CII and industry of the region has been met. The industrial belt from Parwanoo to Ropar, including Chandigarh, Panchkula and Dera Bassi, has a large export potential. Chandigarh has been perhaps the only city of its stature in the world which did not have regular air connectivity with other major towns within and outside the country. We hope that more air services would be added," Mr Paul said. Mr J.B. Singh said that
Jet Airways was considering extending its wings to other
destinations in the North, including Chandigarh-Jammu and
Chandigarh-Srinagar sectors to utilise the new aircraft
fully. |
Sanchayika Day held CHANDIGARH, Oct 15 — The National Savings Organisation, Punjab and UT of Chandigarh, in collaboration with the Directorate of Small Savings, Chandigarh Administration, observed the state-level sanchayika day function at the Government College of Education, Sector 20, here today. Speaking on the occasion, Mr K.A.P. Sinha, Joint Secretary (Finance), appealed to the students to enrol themselves in the scheme of the Government of India. In the year 1998-99, the collection was Rs 65.67 crore as against the target of Rs 22 crore, he added. Mr P.C. Ekka, Regional Director of the National Savings, Punjab and Union Territory of Chandigarh, informed that in Chandigarh 104 sanchayikas with a membership of 86,000 had collected Rs 2.53 crore during 1998-99. As many as 2,920 schools and colleges were having sanchayikas in Punjab, he said. The chief guest awarded the overall best sanchayika award for 1998-99 to Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 46. While in the category of government schools, Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 18, won the first prize, in the category of private/public schools, Vedic Girls Senior Secondary School, Mani Majra, got the first prize. In the rural category, Government Senior Secondary School, Dhanas, got the first prize. Besides this, 36 other schools having 100 per cent coverage under the scheme were also awarded. As many as 12 students having the maximum deposits also got prizes. A large number of
principals and teachers of the city schools attended the
function which was presided over Mr D.S. Saroya, DPI
(Schools). |
|
Educating tiny
tots on Dasehra The celebrations came a few days prior to the day marked for the festival as today happened to be the last day before the autumn break. Enthusiastic children came and occupied their seats at a safe distance from the effigy. They could be seen talking among themselves about what could possibly happen. Mr R.I. Meredith(86), headmaster of St John's School, was the chief guest on the occasion. He praised the school surroundings and the aesthetics in managing the school affairs. Mr Atul Khanna, director, said that linkage with Indian traditions and history was of paramount importance during the current times. Insurance
staff stir A press note alleged here today that the government was buckling under the pressure from the World Bank and the IMF to open the insurance sector so that the huge amounts of money could be taken out of the country and used for private profits and speculative purposes. Sai
Baba devotees hold function A large number of devotees of Sai Baba participated in the function. ‘Bhajan Kirtan’, followed by Sai Satchritar Path was recited by devotees. On this occasion, the Centenary-2000 silver coins with image of Sai Baba inscribed on these were released by Mr Satish Sahni, a devotee of Sai Baba. A ‘Bhandara’ was also organised by the samaj on the occasion. H.K.
Nagpal Meanwhile, the Chandigarh Administration has re-employed Mr Gurcharan Dass as District Commandant of Home Guards. Bowled
over by Kumble visit Kumble visited the house of Sadhvi as part of the promotional drive by a soft drink giant. She had penned a slogan which was adjudged best by the company. "It feels great", said the BA final year student of MCM DAV College. Goods
destroyed in godown fire Mr Manoj Kumar, a general store owner, was the first to notice smoke coming out of a room on the first floor of the godown. He informed Mr Rakesh Kumar Aggarwal, owner of the godown, at about 1.30 a.m. The owner rushed to the spot and informed the police. Two fire engines, one from Dera Bassi and the other form Panchkula, took more than two hours to control the flames. Mr Aggarwal said that plastic goods, rubber material, tricycles, walkers, swings and some other inflammable material in the godown caught fire and the flames reached the first floor. "Someone had broken into the godown by making a hole in the wall and stolen money from the counter and set the godown on fire. The goods stored in the godown were not insured. The counter, along with the records, was also destroyed," Mr Aggarwal claimed. However, the exact cause of the fire could not be ascertained. Suspected
dengue patient in hospital Encroachments
removed The team removed hedges,
barbed wires and temporary structures which had virtually
come to the road berms. |
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