Sunday, October 17, 1999
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N E W S Sunday, October 17, 1999 |
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weather spotlighttoday's calendar |
Raids, analysis to check
spurious liquor CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — As part its drive to prevent the flow of spurious liquor into the local market, the UT Excise and Taxation Department today conducted raids on a number of liquor vends in different parts of the city. The raids, a part of a drive initiated on September 14 to ensure delivery of 'pure' whisky to consumers, were conducted by the Excise Department and police officials in the presence of representatives of various liquor companies on liquor vends in sectors 22, 32, 30, 20, Mani Majra after which about 57 samples were collected. After an on-the-spot analysis, which was conducted by representatives and chemists of liquor companies, the samples would be sent by the department to the Sector 11 government laboratory for culture testing to establish whether the liquor was spurious or not. The culture test report was likely to come within a period of 15-20 days. Nothing 'objectionable' was, however, found during the preliminary analysis, the officials said. The raiding party, headed by two officers, at first descended on the Sector 22 market. They conducted the tests in the presence of liquor vend employees. Similar raids were conducted on vends in sectors 20, 30, 32 and Mani Majra. According to officials of the department, the drive was started by the department following complaints of dipping sales by 15-20 per cent of different medium and cheap brands marketed by different liquor companies. " Except for 35 cases a few days ago, we have found nothing objectionable during preliminary investigations, however, the final laboratory report was being awaited," said an official, adding that every effort was being done to ensure 'secrecy' about such raids. According to official sources, the department had written a letter to different liquor companies about the suspected 'circulation' of a few cases of liquor as the sales are usually high near Divali' and Dasehra and had advised them to check the menace. Following this, certain liquor companies approached the police without reportedly taking the department into confidence. During raids, two
samples of a brand were collected to ensure more
transparency as in addition to testing at the government
laboratory one sample would be analysed at the laboratory
of the liquor company, said an official, adding that the
reason of low sales might be the availability of liquor
at less prices in Haryana and stalling its flow to Punjab
where carrying liquor more than specified under the
Excise Act has been made a non-bailable offence. |
City DSPs to be absorbed in IPS CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — A proposal to absorb long-serving deputy superintendents of police (DSPs) of the Chandigarh police in the UT cadre for countrywide posting under the IPS is to be revived. The Chandigarh Administration will press the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to accept the DSPs of the Chandigarh police as part of the ''feeder cadre'' to the UT cadre of the IPS. This will pave the way for further promotion of the DSPs and save them from stagnation, senior officials say. At present, police personnel above the inspector level are being governed by ad hoc measures as the Chandigarh Police Rules have not been framed since 1968. Earlier, attempts to transfer the DSPs out of the city have failed to find favour with the MHA. Even the DSPs who have worked here throughout their career right after joining as ASIs, are known to be reluctant to join the UT cadre. Sources said this was being done to tackle the stagnation levels in the local police and the need to curb corruption and the ineffectiveness of punishment meted out to erring personnel. Officials are of the view that many police officers have reportedly developed vested interests as they have been earning their promotions without being posted out. With the Chandigarh police being a small set-up and limited postings, especially at the middle and senior levels, many officers were in a position to browbeat their detractors or intimidate them when faced with inquiries. They were smug and secure in the knowledge that they will be posted back to lucrative or influential positions even if they faced departmental or vigilance inquiries. It is a fact that punishments in the form of suspensions have lost their impact, a source added. The proposal entails the fixing of conditions and rules for the feeder cadre and for this, new rules could be fixed or the ones prevalent either in Punjab or Haryana extended to the city. Subsequently, the officers would be absorbed in the UT cadre of the Indian Police Service (IPS). Those who have risen after being recruited as ASIs or from the constable level, are the worst affected as they have to be in queue for their next posting for more than a decade. Many middle-level officers have seen some of their colleagues, who went on deputation to Punjab, get their seniority and promotion at fixed intervals. The local police has 50 inspectors and about 250 SIs who have been waiting for their next promotion for over a decade. A majority — about 60 per cent — will retire waiting and the level of frustration is very high, a source added. As compared to this,
their counterparts in Punjab get their promotions as per
the provisions of the Punjab Police Rules at fixed
intervals. |
Free PGI services withdrawn CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI) has decided to discontinue free out patient department (OPD) treatment given to employees of the Punjab and Haryana governments and the Chandigarh Administration with immediate effect. The decision will also apply to bio-medical and other investigations which were until recently free for the employees. Sources in the PGI said the Punjab Government had revised with effect from January 1,1998, the fixed medical allowance to all eligible government employees and pensioners on a uniform basis. This medical allowance is for OPD treatment and has been raised from Rs 150 to Rs 250 per month. The increase has been on the basis of the recommendation of the pay commission. The Chandigarh Administration followed suit and adopted the instructions issued by the Punjab Government. The Administration also introduced these instructions with retrospective effect from January 1,1998. The Haryana Government has also started giving a fixed monthly medical allowance of Rs 125 to its employees from January 1,1999. The Sector 32 Government Medical College Hospital was the first to act on these recommendations and decided to levy charges on government employees of both Punjab and Haryana, besides the Chandigarh Administration. The GMCH introduced its own tariff and started charging for OPD treatment and other hospital charges also. The sources pointed out auditors of the PGI referred to this anomaly and suggested to the institute authorities that since the governments of Punjab and Haryana and the UT Administration were paying a fixed monthly medical allowance to cover OPD treatment, the employees must be charged for the OPD treatment, investigations and other hospital charges on the lines introduced by the Sector 32 GMCH. The new order of the PGI
of discontinuing free OPD treatment, investigations and
hospital charges has been implemented with effect from
October 14. |
SC seeks PU teachers' views on
Mandal panel PIL CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — Nine years after the Mandal Commission recommendations flamed the country youth, the Supreme Court has called two Panjab University teachers for comments in a public interest litigation. The teachers had sought court intervention due to the agitation in 1991. Public interest litigators Dr D.C. Saxena and Dr R.D. Anand will appear before the Constitution Bench on October 26. Thereafter the petition will be taken up on dates when asked for by the court. The litigation becomes a part of scores of other PILs which had sought court intervention for directions to curb the uneasy situation in 1991 under a petition by the name of Mr Ranji Thomas. The violence took place after the Mandal Commission recommendations received the Central Government's approval. The ugliest part of the agitation was the youth taking to self-immolation. Mr V.P. Singh, the then Prime Minister, saw that Other Backward Classes had not been given suitable government favours for their uplift in the years after independence. Reservation for OBCs in jobs and institutions for their economic upliftment was recommended. The commission recommendations directed reservation of seats which were welcomed by these OBCs. The left-out classes, however, found this unjustifiable. In certain cases, it was discovered that a backward class in one state was forward in the other. The petitioners expressed concern at the prevailing conditions then and sought court intervention for directing the government to hold an in-depth study regarding implications of the commissions recommendations. The petitioners say that the court expressed faith that "the executive would not use undue force against those agitating on the issue, so that the issue in dispute could be judicially examined in a cool and calm atmosphere". The petition says,
"Far from hearing counsel for sanity, the Prime
Minister, Mr V.P. Singh, has further fuelled passions by
his public pronouncements to implement the said report
without any dilution." Analysis of the
recommendations in the current scenario with its
implications was central for the PIL. |
English draws more students in
govt schools: minister KHARAR Oct 16 — Mr Tota Singh, Education Minister, Punjab, has appealed to the teachers to impart education to the students with full interest and labour so that Punjab could rise in the field of education in the country. He was addressing a gathering after distributing prizes to the winners at an exhibition in Khalsa Senior Secondary School here yesterday. More than 70 schools of Kharar tehsil participated in the exhibition with more than 200 science models prepared by students of these schools. He said when the SAD-BJP government took charge in Punjab, in the field of education the country was placed 17th but now its position had gone up to 10th. He said that in future,
action would be taken against supervisor in an exam in
place of student if the latter was caught copying. He
said the number of students in government schools in the
state had increased ever since the government introduced
English as subject from Ist Class. |
Residents sore over water leakage
issue SAS NAGAR Oct 16 — Residents of a group of houses in Phase VII here have flayed the Public Health Department (PHD) for its failure to find a permanent solution to the problem of pipe leakage in the area. The residents of house numbers 175 to 199 say there has been leakage off and on in the stormwater and water supply system since last year, leading to the caving in of portions of land next to the house boundary walls. This had put the buildings in danger. Mr Isher Singh Lang, President of the Phase 7 House Owners Welfare Association, said the front portion of house number 182 had caved in last year and it was difficult to enter the building for a long period. He said whenever there was a cave-in, the PHD carried out repairs but had found no permanent solution. Ramps of houses were broken time and again to undertake repair work. Ms Kanwaljit Kaur, resident of house number 184, said on Thursday that it was difficult to enter house as the PHD had dug up the ramp portion on Tuesday. Nobody had turned up since then to fill up the dug up portion. On Thursday, it was seen that digging work had been carried out in front of four houses. Mr H.S. Dhillon, General Secretary of the local unit of the AISAD, said the PHD had purchased pipes at a cost of over Rs 4 lakh for the repair work which had been lying in the area for about eight months. These had not yet been used and were a nuisance for residents. Officials of the PHD told this reporter on Friday that around 70 per cent of the repair work, which started in May, had been completed. Thirtysix pipes had been purchased in advance for use if required. Pipes joints were being redone to stop the leakage and said the work was likely to be over by next week.
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Claims of coaching academies in
ads misleading CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — On July 28 this year, a coaching college operating from Sector 22 claimed in a newspaper advertisement that the topper of an entrance exam to the Regional Engineering College (REC) Hamirpur, was their student. Exactly a week later, another academy functioning in Sector 36 inserted an advertisement claiming that the same topper was their student. The photographs carried in the two advertisements were the same. How come both academies are laying the claim? One possibility is that the student may have attended classes for a particular subject in one place and for another subject in the second tutorial. This is not a stray case. Each year, when the new academic session year begins, tutors offering ''specialised coaching'' or ''guaranteed success'' start advertising in newspapers, claiming very good success rates in getting students clear ''high profile'' entrance tests to engineering, medical, IIT, CET or other streams of study. Are these advertisements misleading or can they influence a parent who is looking for some good coaching class for his child ? In some cases, yes, especially in cases of people living in small towns of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh having no source to clarify these claims made by academies operating in Chandigarh and having branches in numerous small towns of the region. Claims of these tutors running such coaching classes or academies may not be false but seem to be contradictory. The catch may be in the number of claims they make due to which a clear picture does not emerge. A study of such advertisements appearing in leading newspapers of the region in the past two months shows that a parent or student has to have some kind of experience to find out the facts. None of the advertisements show if the students they taught were admitted to some professional college or had just cleared the Combined Entrance Test (CET). Were the students left out due to paucity of seats in a particular stream? If all were admitted, then to what stream of study? Take another example of advertisement published on August 3. A Sector 19 academy claimed that 541 of their students had secured seats in various professional courses across the country. Exactly four days later, another advertisement of the same academy scaled down the number of secured seats to 530. The first advertisement of the academy also claimed that seven top positions in the REC were secured by their wards but did not specify which REC. The same advertisement uses the words ''top positions'' while claiming the seats secured in other entrance exams without specifying the ranks. Another academy running from Sector 36 inserted an advertisement on August 22 claiming ''4 selected in IIT-JEE''. The rank of only one student is mentioned and the advertisement is quiet on the others. Almost six days later, the same academy issue one more advertisement, claiming that 163 students have been selected in CET (Chandigarh), Punjab CET and CEET. It does not specify if the students actually got admission somewhere or not. Another advertisement inserted in another newspaper claimed that four of an academy's students had cleared the Himachal PMT. A look into the official gazette shows only one student cleared while the ranks of the others were far below in the waiting list. Another camouflage used
by the academies is that they use a few top figures while
quoting the positions of their students and then the
phrase ''so on'' is mentioned in fine print. Usually, a
host of photos accompany the text of the matter. Local
police officials who have investigated the matter
initially say no cheating case is made out. Besides, none
of the students or their parents have complained about
fleecing or any malpractice. The only way out is to read
the ads carefully, said an educationist. |
Competition on Khalsa tercentenary CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — As many as 200 students of different schools participated in a state-level educational competition held at the Sector 23 Bal Bhavan here on Friday. Dedicated to the Khalsa tercentenary celebrations, the competition was organised by the Punjab School Education Board. Mr Jagjit Singh Sidhu, Secretary of the board, stressed the need for inspiring students to take interest in art and culture, besides their studies. Mr Gurdev Singh Sidhu, Vice-President of the board, distributed the prizes. The results are as follows: Hymn singing — Mahavir Jain Senior Secondary School, Phagwara, 1; Manav Vidya Mandir, Balipur Kalan, 2; and Adarsh Senior Secondary School, Bhagu, 3. Handwriting — Amrit Pal Singh of Government Primary School, Sohana, (1); Navjot Kaur of Government Primary School, Navsi Kalan, (2)' and Gurjit Singh of Government Primary School, Bhudda, (3). Arts — Harmeet Kaur of Senior Secondary Model School, Patiala, (1); Mahesh Kumar of DAV Model School, Khanna, (2); and Alpana Gupta of Shri Mahavir Jain Senior Secondary School, Phagwara (3). Heroic songs — Mr Amandeep Kaur of Government Primary School, Amargarh, (1); Beant Kaur of Bal Bari, Muktsar (2); and Yashpal Singh of Government Primary School, Litran, (Jalandhar) 3. Folk songs — Guru Nanak Public School, Dalam Nangal, (1); Dashmesh Public School, Mehta Chowk, (2); and Guru Nanak High School, Dalam Nangal, (3). Kavishri — Manpreet of Adarsh Senior Secondary School, Khatkar Kalan, (1); Amandeep Kaur of Robin High School, Dhuri, (2) and Prabhjot Kaur of Chhevipal Shahi Senior Secondary School, Faridkot, (3). Fancy dress — Amrik Singh of Khalsa School, Bela, (1); Amardeep Singh of Bhupindra Khalsa Senior School, Moga, (2); and Ravi Kumar of GGS PC Model School, Ropar, (3). Bhajan singing —
Aradhana of Government Primary School, Mubarikpur, (1);
and Kuldeep Kaur of Government Primary School,
Gajjanwala, (2). |
Fancy dress contest for kids CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — Tiny tots attired as various characters of Ramayana participated in a fancy dress show organised by the Sanjivni Preparatory School and Day Care Centre in collaboration with the Inner Wheel Club of Chandigarh to celebrate Dasehra today. The little ones through their acting, delighted their parents and the audience. The youngest participant in the show was a-year-and-3-month-old kid. The following are the results in order of merit of the fancy dress based on Ramayana. The contest was open to children of different schools in the city. In the age group of one to two, Jhilmil, attired as Hanuman, won the first prize, while Gargi as Shrupnakha won the second prize. In the age group of two to three, Sukanya as Naarad won the first prize, Gitesh as Lakhsman won the second prize and Sanjeet as Sita won the third prize. Siddharth as Shiva won the first prize in the age group of three to four. Dhriti as Sita won the second prize and Swara as Urmilla won the third prize. In the age group of four to five, Dhruv as Ravana won the first prize, Sehar as Shabri won the second prize and Varun as Ram won the third prize. Later, students
presented yoga, PT display, songs and dances. The maximum
participation was in the age group of two to three. |
Science exhibition results out CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 16, and Government Model High School, Sector 36, won the first positions in the category of model schools at the senior secondary and secondary levels, respectively. The results of the 23rd State Science Exhibition were announced at State Institute of Education in Sector 32 here today. Government Girls Senior Secondary Model School, Sector 18, won the overall first position in the category of urban schools at the senior secondary level. At the secondary level, Government High School, Sector 22, and Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 45, jointly shared the first position in the category of urban schools, while Government High School, Dadu Majra, won the first position in the rural schools category. The four-day exhibition on the theme 'Science and Technology to Meet the Challenges of Life' was organised by State Institute of Education, Sector 32, in collaboration with the NCERT in New Delhi. More than 5,000 persons, including students and teachers, visited the exhibition. They were all praise for the hard work put in by schools in their respective exhibits. As many as 310 models, both working and static, had been displayed in 69 stalls. There were five panels
of judges to evaluate these projects. Each panel
comprised three judges of Punjab University, Chandigarh;
the SCERT, Punjab; the SIE, Punjab; degree colleges and
scientists from the ICR, Chandigarh. The judges asked
probing questions to students about their projects and
were satisfied at their quality of work, confidence level
and creative skills. |
Film on dhadhi singer
screened CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — A 17-minute film on the traditional dhadhi singer, Idu Sharif, who is based in Mani Majra, was screened at the Punjab Kala Bhavan this evening. Titled 'Idu Sharif — Songs of the Five Rivers' and made by Rajiv Sharma, a product of the Indian National Theatre, Panjab University, the film is an effort to document the dhadhi form of singing, though its short duration left many areas untouched. At the end, the viewer is left wanting to know more about the singer, his life-style and family. A team director with the popular DD serial, 'Surabhi', for the past two years, Rajiv said that this was the first film in the series that he intends to make on various folk artistes and styles of Punjab. "My intention is to promote the original Punjabi music and not just the commercial variety that can be heard on all music channels. This film is a kind of a rehearsal for such films." The film, produced by Harkanwal Singh and researched by Daljit, has some interesting camera work by Harmeet Basur, which include shots of Sharif playing a sarangi in the twilight with only the pigeons as his audience. Claimed to be produced on a budget of just Rs 300, with the crew travelling to different places with a 'toy' camera on a scooter, the film could well serve as a document on the legacy of dhadhi singing, an almost dying art in the region. Later, Idu Sharif, and his sons Nusrat Ali and Baqar Ali performed for the audience. Talking about his appointment as Guru in government schools by the Chandigarh Administration to revive the dying arts of Punjab, he said he went to Senior Secondary School, Mani Majra, as master only for eight days. "There is a problem in making my payments, I have been told", Sharif added. In April, the
Administration had promised Sharif a stipend of Rs 5,000
a month, by the Department of Cultural Affairs,
Chandigarh, for teaching his art to school children. In
addition, he had also been promised a place of stay. |
Health camp organised KHARAR Oct 16 — A general health and eye check-up camp for the elderly was organised today by the HelpAge India at nearby Sante Majra village. Two hundred patients were examined and provided medicines free of cost. According to a press note issued by Mr Ajaib Singh, Senior Programme Adviser, HelpAge India (North), out of these about 150 were treated for general ailments like hypertension, asthma, arthritis and 50 were treated for eye ailments. Thirteen patients were selected for cataract operations. He said the camp was
organised as an exercise of mobile medicine unit of the
Helpage India, which is already providing services in and
around Chandigarh. |
Notice on Constable’s
torture plea CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — On a petition filed by U.T. Constable Bhag Chand, who was allegedly tortured by the Chandigarh Police, Mr Justice T.H.B. Chalapathi has issued notice to the Public Prosecutor U.T., Chandigarh, for November 25, 1999. Constable Bhag Chand of the Sector 17 police station, Chandigarh, stated in the petition that on October 1, 1999, he had returned from Shimla to Chandigarh and in the evening he was standing near an ice cream bar in Sector 22, and eating ice cream when Inspector Daljit Singh Chadha stopped his Maruti Gypsy and got suspicious about him since one number on his scooter was not visible. He asked his men to pick the petitioner and took him to police station in Sector 36, where he was illegally detained from October 1 to October 3, and was subjected to third degree treatment to force him to confess that he had been engaged in chain snatching. He alleged that Sub-Inspector S. Singh and Sub-Inspector Baljit Singh of Sector 36 police station under the influence of liquor stripped him naked and mercilessly beat him, put an iron rod between his legs and forced him to sit on it. They threatened to kill him and sought confession from him. In spite of his pleading his innocence, he was continuously tortured. The petitioner submitted that he made a complaint against Inspector Daljit Singh Chadha, Sub-Inspector S. Singh and Sub-Inspector Baljit Singh who subjected him to third degree treatment but no case has been registered. The petitioner submitted that the police is meant to protect the humman rights of the citizens, but by subjecting him to third degree treatment for no fault of his, his human rights had been violated and he was illegally detained. He sought registration
of an FIR against the three cops for illegally detaining
and subjecting him to third degree treatment. |
Migrant violators to be arrested Chandigarh Oct 16 — Action, including arrests under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), will be taken against those migrants who have not got themselves registered with their respective police stations. The police had launched a week-long drive from September 7 to enable the migrants to furnish their particulars for verification by the cops. In this context, more than 25,000 forms had been distributed among the 11 police stations in the city with instructions to get the maximum number of migrants, including rickshawpullers and tenants, to fill the forms. The response has been lukewarm and out of an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 migrants, only 6, 000 have come forward to fill in their particulars. Two photographs were to be submitted with each form. Mr C.S.R. Reddy, SSP, said they were to initiate action immediately after the drive ended but had been approached by the various associations of rehri phari and rickshaw unions to give them some more time to get the needful done. The welfare organisations had also asked for more forms to be supplied to them which have been done and it was now up to them to urge their members to comply with the law or face action. A plan had been drawn up which will be followed all over the city, including the villages and the labour colonies. The violation of Section
144 CrPC, which makes it mandatory for all the people who
visit the city in search of livelihood, to get registered
with the police, is issued by the District Magistrate and
the violators are liable to be arrested, he added. |
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Jain
takes up ragging case with Governor CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — Taking up the case of ragging of a student in a Lucknow college highlighted by The Tribune, Mr Satya Pal Jain, former MP, has urged the UP Governor, Mr Suraj Bhan, to take strict action against students of the Institute of Engineering and Technology Lucknow who tortured Amit Goyal, a student of the college and a resident of Chandigarh. Mr Jain, in a letter to Mr Bhan, said such an incident was a slur on working and name of any educational institute. He met Amit today and sought details of the episode from him before writing a letter to the Governor. Mr Jain said he would take up the case with the Prime Minister as the students of college indulged in a criminal activity which led to Amit quitting the college. PU convocation today CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — As many as 757 students will be awarded DLitt, PhD and MA degrees at the 49th annual convocation of Panjab University here tomorrow. The toppers in post-graduate courses in the university will be given gold medals, while those who secured second position will be given silver medals. The entire campus, particularly the auditorium, has been spruced up for the mega event. During the rehearsals today, 400 candidates turned up to receive their post-graduate degrees. Of the 170 students who are to receive medals, 120 marked their attendance. The auditorium has a seating arrangement for 1,100 persons and nearly 400 renowned personalities have been invited. The former Prime Minister, Mr Inder Kumar Gujral, will deliver the convocation address. Breakdowns irk subscribers DERA BASSI Oct 16 — Telephone subscribers of this town have to cope with frequent breakdowns in the telephone exchange and this has been going on for the past four months. The lines remain out of order for long periods and the dial tone goes silent. Residents of villages served by this exchange allege that their complaints are not attended to in time. Repeated representations to the authorities concerned have yielded only promises, they complain. Traders and industrialists are a harassed lot. A breakdown in the exchange affects their operations and they have to bear losses. Capt Swaran Singh (retd), an STD operator, said his business came to a halt whenever there was a fault in the exchange. His customers had to make repeated calls to convey their messages as the link often got disconnected. Assembly reporters get gazetted
status CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — As per the order conveyed vide no. 7/4/97IPA/16804-07, dated October 15,1999, the Government of Punjab has granted gazetted Class-II status to reporters working in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Secretariat, Chandigarh. A representative of the reporters thanked the government for conceding their demand. This category makes verbatim record of the proceedings of the Assembly, its committees and other high-level meetings of the government. Sewers blocked in village SANGALA (Kharar) Oct 16 — The raised level of a road in Sangala village has caused several problems for the residents. Open sewers are blocked and water has accumulated in lanes. Residents maintain that the sewer system of the village was blocked and a road was raised above the level of the open sewers. Water now flows into the streets. Stagnant water has now exposed the villagers to the danger of epidemics. Even in winter, the area remains infected with mosquitoes. Another problem highlighted by villagers is the absence of a telephone connection. According to Mrs Kamaljit Kaur, Sarpanch, the village is awaiting a telephone connection. Another resident, Mr Teja Singh, said he had been waiting for a telephone connection since 1995. Villagers also demand a regular bus service. At present, the village is served by a private bus service and the residents complain that it often misses trips to the village. 'Sanghi' contest organised Panchkula Oct 16 — The Public Relations Office of Panchkula today held a district-level 'Sanghi' competition at the mini-Secretariat, in which 21 women from the district participated. The Sub-Divisional Officer (C) of Panchkula, Mr Rajbir Singh, was the chief guest. He lauded the spirit of the participants and said such activities were an attempt to preserve the rich cultural heritage of our country. Ms Mamta Verma stood first in the competition, followed by Ms Rekha Rani. Both are from Ramgarh. Ms Promila of Kakrali got the third position. They were given cash prizes of Rs 1,500, Rs 1,000 and Rs 750, respectively, by the chief guest. The panel of judges comprising Ms Sushila Malik, Mr V.K. Verma, Dr Indra Rani Rao, all lecturers of the Government Degree College of Panchkula were also honoured by the District Revenue Officer, Mr Prahlad Singh. Sanchayika Day organised Panchkula Oct 16 — The National Savings Organisation, Haryana, today organised Sanchayika Day at Kendriya Vidyalaya, HMT, Pinjore. Ms Sushma Babbar, President of the HMT Ladies Club, was the chief guest. She highlighted the importance of savings in one's life for a better and prosperous future. An elocution contest with the theme 'Importance of savings', was organised to mark the occasion. Students of Kendriya Vidyalaya, HMT High School, and Government High School, Kalka, participated in the contest.Ms Rachna stood first in the competition followed by Ms Shivani. Both girls are from Kendreya Vidyalaya, Kalka. Ms Shivani of HMT High School, Kalka, won the third prize. Mr Hem Raj Kapoor, Regional Director, National Savings Organisation, said the Sanchayika Scheme was initially introduced at the school level in 1971 to generate awareness on savings at an early age.The scheme had been adopted by almost all government schools in Haryana, he added. Maloya Colony roads in bad
shape CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — The local Himachal Maloya Sabha has expressed concern over the bad state of roads and lack of civic amenities in Maloya Colony. In a press note issued here yesterday, Mr Harnam Singh, Chairman of the sabha, said that the roads of the colony were in a poor condition with potholes spread all over, resulting in accidents in the area. "The condition turns deplorable during rains," he added. The residents are also facing shortage of drinking water, particularly those residing in houses nos 4001 to 6500, the sabha alleged. Gujral to lay stone today CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — Former Prime Minster Inder Kumar Gujral will lay the foundation stone of the cultural centre-cum-auditorium of the Punjab Arts Council (PAC) in the Punjab Kala Complex tomorrow. This Rs 2-crore complex is being built under a central government scheme of giving grant of Rs 1 crore to every state for creation of such complexes. The stone-laying ceremony will be followed by honouring of eminent writers and artistes who have devoted their lifetime to the field of education, literature and fine arts. These include Dr S.S. Johal, Prof Pritam Singh, Mrs Shobha Koser and Mr Mehar Singh. Monica, Sandeep win contest CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — Government High School, Sector 37, yesterday held an on-the-spot drawing and painting competition at the school premises. The competition was sponsored by the State Bank of India, Sector 37. According to Mrs Sushma Bhalla, Headmistress of the school, 70 students participated in the function. The winners are:(age group 10-12) :Monika,VII (1); Amit, VI (2); Ravi Sharma, VII (2); Vijay Singh, VI (3); Simerjit Kaur, VI, (3) and Shalesh Kumar, VII, (consolation).(age group of 13-15) :Sandeep Kumar, X, (1); Manveer Singh, X, (1); Ekta, IX (2); Gurpreet, IX (consolation) and Jaswinder Singh, VIII, (consolation). PU giddha team tops CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — The giddha team of Panjab University stood first in folk dances at the third international youth festival organised at Rajasthan University, Jaipur, earlier this week, an official press note said here today. Kulwant Kaur of the Punjabi Department got the first prize in the folk song contest while Paramjit Singh got the second prize in the mono-acting contest. Harpreet Singh Dhillon and Shweta Sood bagged the second position in the fancy dress and classical dance contests, respectively. Shweta also stood third in the Western dance contest. Ram Bajh got the second prize in the poetry contest of Hindi and Urdu; Harjit of the Music Department got the second prize in the classical vocal and light vocal music competitions. Kapil Singh Verma got the third prize in the poster-making contest. 3 awarded for good work CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — the Rotary Club Chandigarh Midtown has selected three persons, who have excelled in their respective fields for the vocational awards. TMs Santosh Khurana, an employee in the Punjab Architecture Department, Chandigarh, has been chosen for her devotion to duty in serving the elderly; Mr Malkiat Ram, postman in the GPO, Chandigarh, for his punctuality and exemplary attitude to work and Mr Kanwarpal Singh, Head Constable, for his demonstrated traits of honesty and integrity. The recognitions consist of a memento and a cash award of Rs 50,000. The awards were given away by the Senior Superintendent of Police, Mr CSR Reddy yesterday. Appeal on polio vaccination KHARAR Oct 16 — Dr Rajinder Singh Saghu, Civil Surgeon, Ropar, has appealed to the sarpanches, panches and social organisations to make sure that every child is given polio vaccine drops on October 24, November 21, December 17 and January 23 in order to eradicate polio from the country. Dr Saghu was addressing a gathering of panches, sarpanches, represntatives of social organisations and clubs, organised by the Primary Health Centre, Gharuan (Kharar), here today. He said migrant labourers, coming from other states, should be our target because even if one child is left behind he might create problems. Mr Amarjit Singh, SDM, Kharar, while addressing the gathering appealed to all to make the campaign a success. Dr B.K. Goel, District Immunisation Officer, Dr B.S. Grewal Chief Medical Officer, Gharuan and Dr S.S. Dhanoa, SMO, Kharar, also spoke on the occasion. UK students in city CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — A team of 15 students led by three teachers from the UK arrived in the city today under the Shropshire Punjab Cultural Exchange Programme. The Punjab Sangeet Natak Akademi hosted an informal get-together with the students at Punjab Kala Bhavan in Sector 16 today.The group will travel to some select places of Punjab. At the end of their tour, they will present a live performance in the city on November 1, sponsored by the Punjab Arts Council.This visit has been coordinated by Prof Rajpal of Patiala. GCG girls, staff donate
blood CHANDIGARH Oct 16 — Nearly 151 units of blood were donated by students and staff of the Government College for Girls, Sector 11, at the blood donation camp today for the session 1999-2000. There was an overwhelming response for this noble cause of donating blood for the needy people among the students. The camp was inaugurated
by the Principal, Mrs Vijay Lakshmi. |
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