Zirakpur to be beautified
Badal promises bus stand, stadium within 2 years
From Our Correspondent

ZIRAKPUR, March 5 — Being the gateway of Punjab to City Beautiful, there was a need to develop and beautify the Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat, said Mr Parkash Singh Badal, Chief Minister of Punjab, while addressing a public meeting on the concluding day of the International Kabaddi Tournament here today.

Expressing happiness over the development of the nagar panchayat, Mr Badal said the Zirakpur area would be developed and beautified. He said the SAD Government had done away with the Periphery Act. "Zirakpur is my own village. The local school will be upgraded to 10+2. It will also get a bus stand with modern facilities," said Mr Badal.

He said a stadium with modern infrastructure would be constructed at Zirakpur. He also announced a grant of Rs 1 lakh to the Sher-e-Punjab Sports Club. The facilities would be provided within two to three years, assured Mr Badal.

Capt Kanwaljit Singh, the Finance and Planning Minister of Punjab, welcomed the Chief Minister and thanked him for creating the nagar panchayat. A master plan, which had been approved, would be implemented soon, he said. May 28 had been fixed the date of elections to the nagar panchayat, he said.

Residents of Bhabhat and Nabha Sahab demanded the merger of their villages in Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat. He switched on the lights installed by the nagar panchayat authorities along the Zirakpur-Chandigarh highway and the Zirakpur-Panchakula road.

Mr Ajaib Singh Mukhmailpura, PWD Minister of Punjab, Mr Mal Singh Ghuman, Chairman of the Punjab Mandi Board, Mr Jasbir Singh Bir, DC, Patiala, Mr SS Sidhu, SDM, Dera Bassi, Mr Jaspal Singh, Chairman of Sher-e-Punjab Sports Club, were also present. Mr Badal was presented the Punjab Rattan Award on this occasion.

Punjab State Electricity Board, Patiala, won the title by defeating Sher-e-Punjab Sports Academy, Jalandhar. In the semifinals, Sher-e-Punjab Sports Academy, Jalandhar, beat Tony Club, Malwa, and Punjab State Electricity Board, Patiala, beat Kurukshetra Club, Haryana, to enter the final.

In village open kabaddi matches, Bhal Majra, Fatehgarh Sahab, won Rs 10,000 and Kakrali of Ropar won Rs 7,000. Among women's teams, Jalandhar and Gurdaspur were declared first and second, respectively. They were given cash prizes of Rs 3,000 and Rs 2,500, respectively.

Scared of exams, boy leaves home; traced in Hardwar
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 5 — The controversy regarding the alleged kidnapping of the a SAS Nagar boy, Gian Inder Singh alias Raju, has taken a new turn, with the police tracing him in Hardwar.

According to the police, the boy, a Class XII student of a Sector 37 school, had gone there on his own as he did not want to appear for examinations, scheduled to begin on March 2, as he was poor in studies. He had been making calls to his parents and his friends from a Hardwar STD, saying he had been kidnapped. Following this, the police kept the telephone under surveillance and the calls were traced.

A police party led by Mr Jarnail Singh, SI, went to Hardwar and traced the boy, who stayed at Parlahad Yatri Niwas, where he mentioned a different name and address. He had Rs 3,000 with him, which he took from his parents for paying tuition fee.

The boy has been medically examined at General Hospital, Sector 16. Earlier, the police had registered a case under Section 365 of the IPC on the complaint of the father, Mr Ashwani Kumar, who suspected that his son had been kidnapped.

Revolt in CTCC over suspensions
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 5 — The infighting in the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (CTCC) has resurfaced with several office-bearers and workers of the party revolting against the suspension of three office-bearers — Mr Surinder Bhatia, Mr O.P. Verma and Mr Sandeep Singh — by the officiating President, Mr Kulbhushan Gupta, yesterday.

In a signed memorandum, those opposing the suspension of the three office-bearers urged the party high command to dissolve the CTCC, appoint a new regular President in consultation with the local MP, Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, and revoke the suspensions.

Among those who have raised the banner of revolt include Mr Devinder Singh Babla, Mr Subash Chawla, Mr Kuldeep Singh, Mr Dharamveer Manchanda, Mr Satpal Gupta, Mr B.B. Behl, Mr Chaman Lal Sharma, Mr Amarjit Sethi, Mr Harminder Singh Lucky, Mr Balraj Singh, Mr K.S. Panchhi and Mr Pradeep Chabra, besides Ms Lalit Joshi Bhardwaj of the Mahila Congress.

They maintained that Mr Kulbhushan Gupta had no constitutional right to expel any Congressman, especially office-bearers of the CTCC. They said at the meeting of the CTCC held on March 3, Mr Gupta had called all those who had worked against the party candidate, Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, in the last Lok Sabha elections.

Some Congressmen who had been suspended by the AICC observer were also present at the meeting. When this issue was raised at the meeting, Mr Gupta blamed them for disrupting the meeting. Later, Mr Gupta decided to suspend three office-bearers.

They alleged that Mr Gupta did not have the capacity to mobilise people to go to Delhi to take party in a rally being organised by the All-India Congress Committee on March 6.

Sensing trouble, he had tried to put the blame on leaders and workers who were taking a strong contingent of workers from here to participate in the rally, they added.

Uprooted tree blocks traffic
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 5 — Traffic on a road behind Kiran Cinema in Sector 22 was disrupted for several hours this morning following the uprooting of a huge tree in the duststorm which hit the city yesterday.

According to residents, the tree, which was uprooted around 10 p.m., fell on overhead electricity wires, bringing them down and disrupting the power supply in the area.A large number of persons, intending to go to Shastri Market and adjoining areas were inconvenienced as they had to take a detour to reach their destinations.

Horticulture department staff, who were on the job to remove the parts of tree since morning by chopping them off, could only clear the road by noon. The power supply was also restored later in the day.

CHANDIGARH CALLING

"Surprise guests" in UT

LAST week, the Chandigarh Administration had some "surprise guests". And these guests came from Goa, the State where the present Administrator of Chandigarh, Lieut-Gen JFR Jacob (retd), had served before coming here.

Among them were the Sports Minister, the Director of Sports and the Executive Director of the Panaji centre of the Sports Authority of India. When these guests reached Chandigarh from New Delhi, they did not know what to do and where to go. Probably, they were a little late in informing their Chandigarh counterparts of their last-minute decision to visit the city and study its sports complex.

The guests walked into The Tribune office from where they were put in contact with the senior functionaries of the Sports Department of the administration. Rooms were immediately booked for them at the UT Guest House and special visit to some of the sports complexes was organised at the instance of the Director of Sports, Mr M. Ramsekhar, who also happens to be the Deputy Commissioner.

The visiting Goans were also invited by the Principal of the Sector 45 St Stephens' School who runs a football academy.

The Director of Sports, Dr (Ms) Susana de Sousa, said that a football academy in Goa would become operational by July this year. The idea of the football academy in Goa was also mooted by General Jacob when he was there, she said..

The Goans then visited Patiala and Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports before returning home.

Cleanliness: The Sector 36-D Residents Association has taken upon itself the onerous task of keeping its environs neat and clean. The association has procured a cycle rickshaw and employed a young man for door to door collection of garbage.

The president of the association, Lieut-Col K.S. Grewal (retd), in a letter to Sentinel, says that residents of the sector have been requested not to throw litter, garbage and malba everywhere. Instead, they have been requested to pack it in the polythene garbage bags and keep it till it is picked from their door. Unfortunately, not all cooperate.

The problem is created more by safai karamcharis and domestic helps who throw away the garbage anywhere they like to the great discomfort of others. The association has been even advising those who keep dogs and other pets to take their pets to fixed places for defecation.

The association keeps on issuing circulars from time to time impressing upon members the need to keep their surroundings in particular and the sector in general neat and clean.

The day after: It is not in the Bollywood movies alone that the police comes much after the crime. The local police, too, seemes to have mastered this quality if patrolling in the Chandigarh Housing Board’s complex in Sector 61 here after a series of thefts is any indication.

In fact, it was only after several thefts in the city’s smallest sector, including in the day time, that the police set up a beat box and intensified patrolling. Now the police proposes to set up a police post in the area — a long-standing demand of the residents.

The former Adviser to the UT Administrator, Mr Jagdish Sagar, during one of his visits to the sector in 1998, had assured the residents that a police post would be set up soon. However, the issue hanged fire and the Chandigarh Administration woke up from slumber only after recent thefts.

“Administration ke ghar der hai andher nahi hai”, is common refrain of the residents!

Innocent victims: Controlling noise pollution is a good idea. However, among those who are bearing the brunt are a section of people who are hired by hosts of parties. Of late, teams of the Chandigarh Police have cracked down upon singers, performers, disc jockeys and those who give out sound equipment on hire. It is forgotten that the function organiser is equally responsible.

Disc jockeys says the onus to arrange for permission from the District Magistrate lies with the host of the function. At present no loudspeaker or amplifier is allowed to be used in the city during daytime without permission. With the permission of the DM it is allowed till 10 p.m.

Artistes say once the function starts and drinks are served the disc jockeys or the performers are in no position to refuse to play or tone down the music. The cops come and confiscate the equipment and book the musicians. This leads to further loss of business.

City-based performers crib that when popular singers like Harbhajan Mann, Jasbir Jassi and Anamika came to the city to perform in the pre-Lohri celebrations at the parade ground the show carried on till 11 p.m. Why were they not arrested? Why did the same yardstick not apply to these stars as it applies to local musicians who are harassed day in and day out?

Different rules: Most things like roads, buildings, byelaws, rules, orders and directions in Chandigarh follow a pattern. But an exception is the traffic rule on turning left at a slip road. With the exception of two traffic light points in the city, a motorist can turn left on all slip roads without waiting for a green light.

The two exceptions exist on Purv Marg running alongside the Industrial Area Phase I. This makes matters confusing with even locals getting challaned regularly, not to talk of visitors from outside the city. The road is used by several people going towards Panchkula and beyond to Chandimandir, Kalka and Shimla.

While negotiating the traffic light point near the Modella factory and Sector 29 and the other traffic light near the Petrol Pump in Sector 28, one has to wait for the green light before crossing the road. Ever eager traffic cops simply issue a challan. In the entire city, be it the busy crossing in the transport area, the government press or the one near Aroma hotel, one can turn left on the slip road without waiting for the green signal. Why two sets of traffic rules being followed in the city? Any answers, Chandigarh Traffic Police.

Breast cancer: Breast cancer is the second most common cancer affecting women in India. In fact, there has been steady rise in its incidence. Breast cancer has been found to affect Indian females at a much younger age as compared to those in west; and obviously, the disease over here is seen at a much advanced stage.

Management of breast cancer is controversial. The confusion is multiplied, as there is no recommended standard management protocol of breast cancer in India. To meet this lacune, Prof S.M. Bose of the PGI, Chandigarh, has brought out a book, "Consensus on Breast Cancer" which covers all aspects of breast cancer, right from classification to follow-up. The contributors to the book are eminent medical persons interested in the subject and are from all over the country. The book was recently released during the inaugural function of the International Breast Cancer Conference held at Nagpur and has got excellent reviews.

Dr Bose last year received the prestigious Dr B.C. Roy National Award for Eminent Medical Teacher. His popular book "Cancer" published by the Government of India and written for the health education of people has been translated in many languages. Recently Dr Bose has been elected Fellow of National Academy of Medical Sciences.

Diagnostic centre: Bharat Vikas Parishad, a nonpolitical social organisation, has been running a charitable diagnostic centre at Indira Holiday Home, Sector 24, since 1991.

To quicken the process of pathological tests and bring precision, the parishad imported a semi-automatic analyser from Italy and installed it a few months back. Last month, an X-ray plant was also added with the help of contribution made by Dr Pratima Duggal, who had lost her doctor husband in the Beant Singh assassination case.

The samples are collected for various tests from 8.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and reports are delivered from 1.00 p.m. onwards. The centre has proved a boon for the poor and needy patients who cannot afford exorbitant test charges in the market. Only a pocket-friendly fee is charged and that too is waived in case of really deserving poor patients. As a result, this centre was visited by more than 1500 people and nearly 6000 tests were conducted in the month of February alone.

The Parishad has fixed Rs 50 for X-ray with report, Rs 30 for ECG. All other pathological tests cost 33 per cent less than the market rates. Not only this, the reports of this centre are accepted by PGI, Govt. Medical College Hospital and other government dispensaries.

This diagnostic centre of Bharat Vikas Parishad runs on contributions from members and donations. For further details the needy and donors can contact Mr Ajay Dutta (694260), Dr P.N. Thapar (691541) or Madan Gupta ‘Spatu’ (702790).

Encroachments: The Chandigarh Administration finally seems to have made up its mind to grapple with widespread encroachments in various parts of the city, if its resolve to start a massive anti-encroachment drive in April is any indication. There are encroachments galore, be it by shopkeepers, Chandigarh Housing Board allottees or private house owners. All its efforts to vacate encroachments so far have not yielded substantial results as a result of which the problem has assumed alarming proportions over the years. The administration this time will have to ensure that the drive covers every area whether inhabited by VIPs or VOPs (very ordinary persons). So far, such drives have remained confined to sectors this side of Madhya Marg. Moreover, there have been allegations of a pick-and-choose policy having been adopted by the authorities while vacating encroachments in southern sectors.

Encroachments by shopkeepers in several busy markets of City Beautiful, especially Sector 22 and Sector 19, have curtailed the right of shoppers to free movement. With shopkeepers monopolising the corridors in front of most of the shops to display their goods and "phariwalas" clogging the pathways, one has to elbow one's way through, especially in the evening.

The situation had taken a turn for the better during the short stay of Kiran Bedi as IGP in the city. But things are back to square one with her departure. Let us hope the planned anti-encroachment drive will show longlasting results this time.

READERS WRITE

Pledge mortal remains for medical study

The thoughts expressed by participants at the 12th annual conference of the Indian Society of Organ Transplantation, held at the PGI, are laudable. (Cadaveric donor transplantation stressed’, Chandigarh Tribune of February 19, and ‘Educate people on organ donation’, Chandigarh Tribune of February 22.)

It is through sincere efforts of eminent medical and social educators that misconceptions and superstitions regarding organ donation, cadaveric donor transplantation and autopsies can be dispelled. An increasing number of people can be educated and motivated to pledge their remains to medical science for study.

Modern advances in medical and computer technology have put some excellent tools at the service of students training for the medical profession. And computer-generated three-dimensional imagery, simulated and real-time animated practice sessions through the use of powerful interactive software prior to surgery are beginning to gain popularity. In our country, however, many centres would still not be in a position to boast of such facilities. Till such time we get sufficiently equipped with the latest in such technology, the best solution would be for more and more people to voluntarily donate, besides body parts for transplantation, the rest of their mortal remains to the services of the medical profession. This would prove invaluable for medical students as they would get access to more cadavers for the purpose of anatomical study.

Vivek Khanna
Panchkula

Disappointing Budget

The budget presented by Mr Yashwant Sinha for the year 2000-2001 is a cruel joke on the salaried class people. No exemption in the ceiling has been given despite the fact that there has been a steep rise in the prices of essential commodities and the cost of living has increased manifold.

The Finance Minister, instead of giving any relief, further pushed the salaried class into corner by imposing 5 per cent surcharge, thereby making it pay more without any incentive. The business class has been given many incentives such as cut in the rate of mobile phones, many lucrative incentives to the IT sector and so on.

It was expected from the Finance Minister that he will offer some relief to the service class. As a matter of fact, it is the salaried class which is paying tax honestly and accurately. As far as business class is concerned, it conceals facts and pays only marginal tax — much less than what is actually required to be paid. The Finance Minister should have tightened the loopholes in the tax payment, thereby making business class pay tax honestly.

Ujagar Singh
Chandigarh

Rose Garden festival

Apropos your report that the Rose Garden got littered with trash and many rose beds were damaged. It is surprising why anyone would want to hold a festival in a garden. I just can’t believe why officials in India keep doing things like this over and over again.

By the way, what is the Mayor of Chandigarh doing about the Rock Garden?

Rajinder Singh
Amherst, MA, USA
Received via e-mail

COMMUNITY

'Shun vices on Shivratri'
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, March 5 — The persons who have gone astray and are in the grip of mental agony, should shun ego, differences, jealousy, negativity and impurity of thoughts on the auspicious occasion of Shivaratri.

Expressing these views at a public function organised by the Brahma Kumaris Ishwariya Vishva Vidyalaya at Rajyoga Bhavan in Sector 33-A here yesterday, Mr D.P. Malik, Station Director of the Chandigarh Station of AIR, said though Indians were drifting towards the West, the Westerners were eager to adopt Indian heritage.

Saying that religion united and never divided, Mr Malik said whenever there was decay in morality and selfishness prevailed, man was discontented and mentally sick despite physical progress.

Though one might be physically healthy, but his lifestyle was at its lowest ebb, he explained. The 21st century would be full of spirituality, virtues and divinity, he said.

Dogs vaccinated against rabies
Tribune News Service

SAS NAGAR, March 5 — As many as 978 dogs were vaccinated against rabies and were given de-worming medicine at camps organised by the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) at different places in Ropar district today. The camps at Ropar, Kharar, SAS Nagar, Anandpur Sahib and Nurpur Bedi were organised under a special campaign.

The dogs were also examined for skin diseases. The SAS Nagar unit of the SPCA vaccinated 149 dogs at two camps in Phase 7 and at Lakhnour village.

Mr N.S. Gill, President of the local unit of the SPCA, said stray dogs and pet dogs were examined at the camps, which were inaugurated by the Subdivisional Magistrate, Mr O.P.Popli.

At Kharar civil veterinary hospital, 150 dogs were vaccinated. Mr Pawan Kumar Jain, President of the Kharar unit of the SPCA, said a comprehensive plan to start a birth control campaign for stray dogs had been chalked out. At Ropar, Anandpur Sahib and Nurpur Bedi, 415, 180 and 234 dogs were vaccinated, respectively.

CRIME

Fake cop caught extorting money
From Our Correspondent

PARWANOO, March 5 — The police has arrested Mohinder Singh from near octroi post at the Old Kasauli Road for allegedly extorting money from truck drivers by posing as a police officer of the Himachal Police.

According to sources, the imposter was wearing the uniform of the Himachal Police at the time of his arrest.

Mohinder Singh was employed as a peon in one of the factories in the industrial area here. He reportedly confessed that he extorted money from truck drivers by posing as an Assistant Sub-Inspector of the police.

Four thieves caught
From Our Correspondent

DERA BASSI, March 5 — The police has arrested four members of a gang who were involved in a number of theft cases in the area and has recovered industrial machinery, a truck and weapons used in thefts and burglaries from their possession.

According to Mr H.S. Bhullar, DSP, those arrested include Sarjivan Lala of Mukerian, Bhupinder Singh alias Bhinder of Ropar, Ramesh Mahato alias Kalia of Smastipur in Bihar and Rakesh Kumar of Kajehri village in Chandigarh.

Their accomplices, Ramdhari, Robin Bahadur, Matru Bhaiya, Satish, Khushi Ram, Bhupali Shiv Nath, Sajjan Lal, a driver and five to six more managed to flee in a truck (PB-12B-9753) and a canter (HR-45-2763).

A press note issued today by the DSP said the arrested accused had confessed to committing robberies and thefts in the surrounding areas of Lalru and Dera Bassi. A truck (HRX-1653), six empty LPG cylinders, an air conditioner, eight electric motors, a three-phase conductor motor, 40 hexa blades, a reversible switch board, an electric hooter, two boxes of grease, 13 boxes of electric fuses, a tool box containing old and new keys, besides other electric goods were recovered from their possession.

The accused had planned to sell these goods to some junk seller in Delhi as they had earlier sold some goods to a Chandigarh-based junk seller, said the DSP.

CHANDIGARH

Opium seized: The police seized 430 gm of opium from a car (CH01-P-240) past night. According to the police, on a specific information, the opium was seized from the car standing in front of House No 401, Sector 46, around 10 p.m.

Pickpocket held: A pickpocket, Sanjeev Kumar of Maloya, was caught red-handed while he was stealing a purse and Rs 20 from the pocket of Mr Inder Bakhshi, a resident of Sector 38, at the local bus stand in Mani Majra.

A case under Section 379/411 of the IPC has been registered.

Liquor seized: The police has arrested Gurmukh Singh, a resident of Sector 21-D, and had seized 12 bottles of whisky from him.

In another incident, Ram Narain of Bapu Dham Colony was arrested and 28 pouches of whisky were seized from him.

Separate cases under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act have been registered.

PARWANOO

Liquor seized: The police recovered 60 bottles of liquor from two passengers who were travelling in a bus from Chandigarh to Solan at the Parwanoo police barrier. According to the police, Sunder Lal was carrying 34 bottles of whisky, while Sunil Datt was carrying 26 bottles.

BUSINESS

Jobs sought for youths in local units
From Our Correspondent

BADDI, March 5 — A meeting of the committee constituted to seek employment for local unemployed youths of Baddi, Barotiwala and Nalagarh in local industries was held at Barotiwala yesterday. About 200 youths belonging to various panchayats attended the meeting.

Mr Jagdish Mehta, coordinator of the meeting, criticised the local industrialists for providing jobs to people from other states and neglecting youths belonging to Himachal Pradesh. He said that a sub-committee had been formed to create awareness amongst the local people about unemployment. He added that though the state government had offered all infrastructural facilities to establish industries in the state on the undertaking that about 75 per cent of Himachalis would be employed in the industry, the employment given is negligible.

The meeting appealed to the Himachal Government to employ 60 per cent Himachalis in the industry and take action against industrialists who do not give preference to Himachalis in giving jobs.