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| Friday, March 17, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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UT Home Secy N.K. Jain goes
on long leave CHANDIGARH, March 16 — The Home Secretary of Chandigarh Administration, Mr N.K. Jain, has taken a long leave, after the Administration received a fresh panel of names to select his successor. Sources in the Administration said a senior functionary of the Administration was sent to Delhi yesterday with the recommendation of the Administration on appointment of a successor to Mr Jain. Before proceeding on the three-week leave from today, Mr Jain had been on leave for the past few days as well. Mr Jain had joined the Chandigarh Administration less than a year ago. After his appointment, the charges of the Chief Electoral Officer and the Chief Vigilance Officer, which were previously held by the Home Secretary, were given to the Finance Secretary, Mr Rakesh Singh, and Chairman of the Chandigarh Housing Board, Mr Balbir Singh, respectively. Now, after Mr Balbir Singh has been recalled by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the charge of the Chief Vigilance Officer has again temporarily been given to the Adviser to the Administrator, Ms Vineeta Rai. There have been several developments in the past few days. One of the Office Superintendents working in the UT Secretariat, against whom an employee of the State Transport Authority had filed an affidavit, alleging that a bribe was demanded from him for continuing at a particular position, has also been placed under suspension. The Department of Transport is also controlled by the Home Secretary. This Office Superintendent, who was reinstated past year by the new Home Secretary in a complaint case of Punjab Engineering College, was also questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation, after the Administration referred the affidavit case to it. The CBI team also, reportedly, recorded statements of some other functionaries of the Administration in the same case. The CBI team also talked to at least one senior functionary of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation in a related case. The CBI sleuths had taken in their possession, certain other files for further investigations. Before ordering his suspension in the earlier case, the Administration had served a show cause notice on him. After considering his reply, a fresh suspension was ordered yesterday. At present, the
Administration is still awaiting appointment of a new
Chairman of the Chandigarh Housing Board, besides waiting
for a fresh panel of names to fill a couple of HCS posts. |
Stray cases of bogus voting PANCHKULA, March 16—The panchayat polls in the district went off peacefully barring stray cases of alleged bogus voting which led to tension in a few villages here today. However, voter turnout was heavy and most polling stations had reported 60 per cent voting by afternoon. In Abheypur, tension over alleged involvement of the local police in casting bogus votes led to a furore even as the two candidates, Mr Jagdish Saini and Mr Jagdish Jaiswal, disappeared from the scene unobtrusively. While one side contends that the supporters of Mr Saini tore ballot papers and pelted stones at the police, those of Mr Saini claim that they caught a few people and policemen casting votes in favour of the rival candidate following which they beat up a policeman while the rest managed to escape. Additional force was immediately sent to the village and things were brought under control. Later, a slogan-shouting procession of a handful of people met the Deputy Commissioner, Mr SK Monga. In Haripur, Nada and Maheshpur villages also there were heated exchanges between the candidates and their supporters over the issue of bogus voting. In Maheshpur, the main issue was the missing name of voters in the electoral list. The villagers alleged foul play, contending that the list for the assembly elections had their name though it was nowhere today. In Batod, one of the hyper-sensitive villages, the police kept strict vigil and did not let voters to gather outside the polling stations. After casting their vote, they were guided out of the premises where they sat within the supporters and nothing untoward was reported from here. In Ramgarh village and other villages in Barwala and Raipur Rani block people in large numbers had gathered outside polling stations to cast their votes amidst police presence. Elections went off peacefully in Pinjore and Morni block. Elections were held in
the four blocks of Morni, Pinjore, Barwala and Raipur
Rani. While sarpanches for 128 panchayats were elected
today, 325 panches were also elected. Elections were also
held for 42 panchayat samitis, while six more were
earlier elected unopposed. Also, nine wards of the zila
parishad had 30 candidates in the fray. One candidate was
elected unanimously in one of the 10 wards. |
Mann causes chain reaction at
Cyanide Y2K CHANDIGARH, March 16 — Harbhajan Mann nite at Panjab University was the grand finale of the three-day technical festival, CyanideY2K, organised by the Department of Chemical Engineering. The crowd demonstrated its jovial mood right at the outset when it began tapping on a Gursewak Mann number, Ek Gal Theton Puchi E Jaroor. Harbhajan Mann was received amid great applause. The audience was neatly divided into a girls' wing and a boys' wing. Harbhajan Mann managed a dialogue with these wings and the reply was often a loud appreciation. Mann began with a Bulleh Shah composition. Another sober composition on the theme of a mother missing from one's life were among the slow numbers. Nachdi Jawaani set the mood for the evening. The rest had the crowd on its feet. The good response as usual to the number Gallan Goriyan Vich Toye. The Home Secretary of Haryana, Mr Rakesh Chhabra, was the chief guest on the occasion. Prof D.K. Vohra and Paramvir Singh, overall event coordinator, were also present at the inaugural ceremony for the evening. Lalit Sharma who was responsible for security at the event said he was satisfied at the help provided by the police. The dancing crowd gave encouragement to the singer. The girls' wing in particular could be seen swaying freely to tappy numbers. Harbhajan Mann, at a press conference earlier in the day, said there had been no change in the original Punjabi music. The instruments had changed, but, not the spirit. The traditional Sassi, Heer and Mirza numbers had the old beautiful look. The village audience was so illiterate that it would accept anything, he said. Gaurav Sheel, Press Manager of the event, giving details of the contests at the festival, said Yamini and Abhishek of the host department won the Hindi duet contest in the music-contests category. Shiraj of Punjab Engineering College won the western solo contest. The SLIET, Longowal, team won the antakshari contest. The second place was won by the hosts. Amit Joshi and Gagandeep, both mechanical engineering students, won the Hash contest in the literary-events category. The team of Parveen, Nitin and Hemant won the Wordsworth contest. Saurabh Bhandari and Vir Pratap of the PEC won the general-quiz prize. Sandeep Bhargava and Sumit of the PEC won the technical-quiz contest. Vikram of SLIET, Longowal, won the Ignoble Award. In the Paint the Heart
contest in the fine arts category, Hemant and Manjiri of
Government College of Arts emerged as the winners.
Brijbala of the host university won the rangoli contest.
Twisted-movie prize went to the host department. The PEC
team won the stage-play prize. |
Army Chief in city CHANDIGARH, March 16 — The Chief of the Army Staff, Gen V.P. Malik, arrived here today on a two-day official visit to Western Command headquarters in Chandi Mandir. He was accompanied by his wife, Dr (Mrs) Ranjana Malik. On their arrival at the Chandigarh Air Force Station, they were received by the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lieut-Gen Vijay Oberoi, President AWWA (regional), Mrs Daulat Oberoi, and AOC, 12 Wing, Air Cmdr S.K. Banerjee. The Army chief, during his stay, will hold discussions on operational and administrative matters with Lieut-Gen Oberoi and senior functionaries of the command. Gen Malik is also
scheduled to address all station officers. Meanwhile, Dr
Ranjana Malik will be briefed on welfare activities being
undertaken by the AWWA in the Western Command zone. They
will leave for New Delhi on March 18. |
Employers told to submit PF
returns CHANDIGARH, March 16 — The Regional Provident Fund Commissioner, Mr M.L. Meena, has asked all employers to submit PF returns in form 3A/6A for the year 1999-2000 immediately. Last date for submission of return is April 30 and employers have been asked to submit their returns before the last date to avoid legal complications. Annual slips for the year 1999-2000 will be handed over to those employers who will submit floppy by March 21 instead of form 3A/6A process of settlement of claims will also be expedited as their accounts will be up to date. Cheques and PPOs will be
handed over to the retiring employees on the day of
retirement provided one month’s advance contribution
is deposited and claim is submitted 20-days before the
date of retirement. All employers and members are
requested to avail the above said facilities and give
opportunity to the department to hand over the account
slips on April 1,2000 and handing over cheques on the
date of retirement. |
ACE & PAES CHANDIGARH, March 16 — Leander Paes has been working hard on his singles to improve his ATP ranking so as to gain direct entry in the French Open and Wimbledon Championship, says Dr Vace Paes, his father. Talking to Chandigarh Tribune at the CLTA complex here this afternoon, Dr Paes, Olympian in field hockey, says that injury to Mahesh Bhupathi has been unfortunate and expressed the hope that once he recovers, both Mahesh and Leander will pair up again in doubles. Since they were top seeds in doubles last year, the pair would hopefully get wild card entry in the doubles events of the Olympic Games to be held in Sydney later this year. In singles, Leander Paes will also get wild card entry for being the bronze medallist of the last Olympic Games. “Leander,” he says,” has been focussing on his singles and Davis Cup matches.” When asked about any possibility of local boy Sunil Kumar, a member of Indian Davis Cup team, partnering Leander in doubles in near future, Dr Paes maintained that Sunil was too young and needed international exposure. “It is too early to say anything. He is good, hardworking boy and will need at least two to three years of international exposure. And if Sunil gets through the international competitiveness, he would get into big tennis. He is talented and has tremendous competitive skills. “Leander’s coach, Bob Carmichael, has agreed to provide him free coaching as and when he accompanies Leander on international tours, “ Dr Paes said, maintaining that the old concept of tennis academies is fading away and the new concept of fitness and complete tennis is coming in where promising youngsters need technical builds up in the formative years of eight to 14. He said that once Sunil starts playing in international circuit, he would be away for eight to 10 months a year. “In signing him with Paes as a part of the CLTA, we want coordination between his coach, Kanwaljit Singh, coach of Indian Davis Cup team, Ramesh Krishnan, and coach of Leander Paes, Bob, to team up for his development in tennis in a coordinated effort.” Dr Paes said that he would keep on visiting Chandigarh once in every three months. He was highly impressed by the infrastructure Chandigarh Lawn Tennis Association has. He was all praise for the Chandigarh Academy of Rural tennis (CHART) and said that some of the youngsters, whom he saw playing, are very talented and have the potential to go up. The President of the CLTA, Mr Rajan Kashyap, who was present, said that after Sunil Kumar, Chandigarh has two more promising youngsters in Amanjot Singh and Tushar Liberhan. The success of Sunil, he said, has provided the much needed fillip and encouragement to several other promising youngsters who are determined to emulate Sunil Kumar. The next phase of CHART would start in July this year. Mr Kashyap disclosed
that the Director-General of Jammu & Kashmir Police,
Mr Gurbachan Jagat, wants that some of the children from
Jammu and Kashmir should also be recruited under CHART. |
Entry to rly station from
Panchkula side soon Chandigarh, March 16 — The work to provide entry to the Chandigarh railway station from the Panchkula side is in its last stages. The revised target to complete the work has been fixed by March end. All work at the second entry to the railway station from the Panchkula side has been completed. The last remaining work is to build an overbridge to connect the platforms. Work on this all-important overbridge is also in full swing. An overbridge to connect platform number 1 with platform number 2 and 3 is to be completed before the second entry is formally opened. This has to be done for the safety and security of passengers using the new entry. The original target for completion was by the end of November. The basic work of laying a road has been completed. A bridge across a seasonal rivulet was also built last year and so was the case of civil works for the new building. Even the parking lot is ready. The new road, that
starts from the backside of the newly constructed
platform number 3 at the railway station, will connect
the station with Panchkula. It will join in on the road
dividing Sectors 17 and 18 of the township. Railway
sources said this is expected to reduce the rush from the
present single entry as several commuters living in
Panchkula or Chandi Mandir will prefer to use the second
entry as it will be a shorter route by almost 2 to 2.5
km. This will be for people coming in from the Panchkula
side. A road connection between the township and the
Chandigarh station had been long pending. |
NOC not needed for power
connections CHANDIGARH, March 16 — The Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) has, in pursuance of the Punjab Government policy to simplify interaction between the general public and government agencies, has done away with the requirement of obtaining No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the PUDA for grant of fresh electricity connections by the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) for Zirakpur. Mr K.B.S. Sidhu, Chief Administrator, PUDA, said in a press note that this had been done in view of the formal legal constitution of the Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat and was on the pattern of similar relaxations in place at Kharar, Dera Bassi and Banur. The instructions, Mr Sidhu said, would be equally applicable to the enhancement of existing electricity connections and the objective was to save the prospective consumers from harassment of obtaining clearance from multiple agencies. Mr Sidhu further said nothing under these instructions might be construed as granting any exemption to develop local colonies within the limits of Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat, which would continue to require a valid licence under the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Act,1995. The Chief Administrator disclosed that the PSEB had been requested to accept all applications for domestic electricity connections from the consumers within the periphery in Chandigarh. However, the final decision thereon might be taken only in the light of instructions being issued separately. This was in view of the decision of the State Government to regularise constructions upto the cut-off date of December 9,1998, in the periphery of Chandigarh. However, it would
continue to be the responsibility of the PSEB to ensure
that buildings or premises, in respect of which the
electricity connections had been sought, were situated
within and not outside the territorial jurisdiction of
the Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat. |
Holi revellers, don’t
break traffic rules Chandigarh, March 16 — The police has made elaborate arrangements on the eve of Holi to prevent incidents of rowdyism and sabotage by anti-social elements in the city. Contrary to the earlier practice of ignoring traffic violations on that day by youngsters and others, this time they would be dealt with strictly. Special nakas have been set up all over the city to ensure that the festival of colours could be celebrated by the people in the right spirit without the fear of being bothered by spoil sports. This was disclosed by Mr Parag Jain, SSP, here this evening. Elaborating on the arrangements, he said as many as eight DSPs, 28 Inspectors, 106 NGOs and 800 other ranks will be on duty that day. This was in addition to the force of the police stations, which has been left untouched to carry on with routine policing. The outer nakas, on all the entry points to the city, have been sensitised to pre-empt any disruptive activity and to keep a tab on law and order situation in the city. All the vehicles leaving and entering the city that day would be checked. He added that the Operations Cell will also set up seven special nakas at various sensitive points in the city. Mr Jain said since a majority of the incidents pertained to rowdyism, as many as 21 nakas, manned jointly by the traffic police and other personnel, have been set up to check hooliganism, rash driving, besides eve-teasing by youngsters and others. Besides this, certain vulnerable points like girls’ hostels in the university and colleges, working women’s hostels and other allied places have been identified and adequate staff has been posted. The entry to the Panjab University has been restricted to bona fide students of the university only and they would have to present their identity cards at the entry points, he added. The SSP said all the vehicles of the PCR would be evenly spread out on patrol duty in the city. They would be posted near the markets and major points. As many as 108 have been shortlisted. Besides this, all the guest houses, hotels and dhabas will be checked for any anti social activity. An eye is also being kept on all the known anti-social elements of the city, he informed. The police will confiscate all objects and material which could act as flying missiles, like water filled balloons, from the people. This was being done as the balloons could result in serious injuries if a scooterist or a cyclist were to be targeted. Adequate force has been posted all along the “geri route” in the northern part of the city. Personnel have been directed to keep it free of any traffic obstructions and incidents of rowdyism. Barricades have been set up to restrict the tendency to drive at high speed. Mr Parag Jain, SSP,
appealed to all the people to enjoy the festival in the
right spirit and try not to create problems for the other
revellers. |
Rise in consumer exploitation PANCHKULA, March 16 — An alarming rise in consumer exploitation and the need for awareness among the consumers was stressed at a function held at Manav Mangal School in Sector 11, here yesterday, to commemorate the World Consumer Day. The programme was organised by the Panchkula Consumers Forum. Dr VP Dubey, President of the forum, said that there was a total lack of accountability and governance in the overall system, which had led to an alarming situation.’’ Consumerism is on the rise, yet the purpose of providing timely justice remains unfulfilled on account of delays caused by the consumer courts’’, he said. Mr Anurag Aggarwal, Administrator (HQ) of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), was the chief guest. He expressed that the increasing gap between the perceived value and the delivered value between the consumers and the manufacturers, had led to a rise in consumer exploitation. Mr Aggarwal observed that the consumer felt cheated, mostly on account of adulterated milk. He promised all possible support in setting up autonomous and accredited agencies in the district, especially for testing milk and milk products . Mr Bhupinder Singh, Director, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), informed the consumers of the trademarks of quality assurance available today. He also described the benefits to the consumers under the Quality System Management Scheme (QSMS) and the Environment Management System (EMS). Prizes were given to the winners of the essay writing competition held recently at the Government Degree College in Sector 1. Ms Neha Gupta, received the first prize, followed by Neetu Bala. Chandan Awasthi, was given the third prize. A book written by Mr Pankaj Chandghotia, titled — ‘’A Consumer Law Guide’’, was inaugurated at a function held here today at the District Consumer Courts (DCC) in Sector 12 A. The function was organised by the Rotaract Club, Panchkula. Mr RC Taneja, President of the DCC, called upon the law makers to provide more powers to the consumer courts for speedy justice. Mr Chandgothia, who is
also the President of the club, said that about 2000
copies of the book shall be distributed free of cost
through 50 clubs of the Rotaract Organisation in the
region of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. |
‘Extend consumer drive to
villages’ CHANDIGARH, March 16 — The Administrator of Chandigarh, Lieut-Gen JFR Jacob (retd), today gave a call to extend the consumer movement to villages. Inaugurating the consumers awareness mela here today, General Jacob said the consumer movement, which established its roots after enactment of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, remained confined to urban areas. Since 80 per cent of the population was in rural areas, there was an urgent need to educate the village population regarding their rights and duties.The General regretted that the village population, especially farmers, were being exploited by some unscrupulous traders at each and every step. Farmers as consumers did not know any legal remedy available to them as they might not have heard about consumer courts, he observed. General Jacob said voluntary organisations should extend their areas of operation to villages also. They should educate farmers at events like kisan melas. He was hopeful that the Consumer Forum would make the consumers movement a broad-based movement in the country. General Jacob also went around various stalls at the mela. He also extended
heartiest felicitations to people on the eve of
Id-ul-Zuha. |
Narrow stretches that take
their toll SAS NAGAR, March 16 — The SAS Nagar-Kharar section of the Chandigarh-Ludhiana highway claims four lives in a month on an average. This year alone eight persons died and another 30 were injured in 12 road accidents, say the Kharar police records. The Balongi — Sauhara and the Khanpur-Gharuan stretch, approximately 22 km which falls under the jurisdiction of the Khahar police station, is the most notorious section of the highway for fatal and non-fatal mishaps. The police officials say that narrow stretches of the road, haphazard parking of trucks at the Balongi sales tax point and a few sharp turnings, especially near the Khahar bus stand, were the main points of accidents. Figures given by the
police reveal that in 1998, 51 persons had died and
another 59 were injured in 56 total accidents. In 1999,
33 persons lost their lives and another 49 received
injuries in 49 accidents reported to the police. This
year in eight accidents eight people have died and
another 13 were injured. |
One-way traffic has always
proved fatal for motorists CHANDIGARH, March 16 — The accident rate on a stretch of 31 km from Zirakpur to Jharmari barrier, near Ambala, on the Chandigarh-Ambala National Highway-22 has increased many fold since the last two years. According to Dera Bassi police records, 123 accidents took place on this road in 1998 and 71 persons lost their lives, while 124 were injured. The number of accidents increased up to 133 in 1999, claiming 71 lives. This year 160 persons were injured. During the current year, 28 accident cases have been registered within over three months — January to March 15, which is a shocking number in this small period. The main reasons of increase in the accident rate on the ‘bloodthirsty’ road is the one way traffic, absence of berms and potholes on its surface. Parking of vehicles along the highway and plying of heavily loaded tractor-trailers further make the road accident prone. The number of other factors like overspeeding, wrong overtaking, ignorance of road rules and absence of break lights also contribute to the increasing accident rate on this highway. The vehicular traffic has increased manifold, whereas the highway hardly fulfils the required width. Moreover, a railway crossing at Bhankharpur village on the highway which remains closed for long hours creates traffic chaos and road congestion. As the crossing opens, the road users drive rashly and overtake vehicles, throwing all the norms to the winds. Though, the Punjab
Government has decided to install six lanes on the
Chandigarh-Ambala highway, no work has been started so
far. To reduce traffic jams on the highway at the
Bhankharpur railway crossing, work on an overbridge has
been started by the Punjab Public Works Department
(Building and Roads). |
ITBP officer cremated Chandigarh, March 16 — The mortal remains of Commandant Narayan Dutt Joshi of the Indo-Tibet Border Police Force (ITBP), were consigned to flames at the Sector 25 cremation grounds here today. The cortege carrying the body was led by Mr Gautam Kaul, Director General of the ITBP; Dr R.N. Samantray, IG; and senior officers of the force through the city. The deceased was diagnosed with cancer while participating in counter-insurgency operations in Srinagar. Wreaths were laid on the body on behalf of the force by the DG and other officers. The officer belonged to Majeti village of Ranikhet in Almorah (UP) and had joined the force in 1967. He rose through the ranks to be a gazetted officer and was made Commandant in 1997. He had served in various forward units, training institutions, besides on staff duties. He was decorated with many force medals for his exemplary performance and topped nearly all the training courses he attended. He is survived by his
wife and three children. |
Beware of half-bodied trucks PANCHKULA, March 16 — The weather-beaten half-bodied truck racing across the Panchkula-Kalka highway gives no indication of death’s presence. Not until it is too late. The anxious car driver desperately steps on the brake pedal too late. He makes the ‘‘final exit’’ with his shoes on and is not the only one. In 1998, in the area under the Chandimandir police station, 68 accidents were reported, 22 of which were fatal. The number, fortunately, was a little less compared to the previous year’s statistics. In 1999, out of 62 accidents reported to the police, 15 were fatal. This year’s figures were not yet available. The police informs that the half-bodied trucks are wreaking havoc on the lives of motorists during the day and the barricades put up by the Army police are the primary cause of accidents during the night and most cars are involved in crashes. They add that most accidents take place during the night when light vehicles, not familiar with the stretch, bang head-on into barricades which appear without any indication. They claim that they have demanded the removal of these in writing but to no avail. In Kalka, though the record of accidents on the highway was not available, the police personnel at the police station contented that most accidents took place between light vehicles, especially during the day. Interestingly, they claimed that the accident-prone spots were not the crowded market places or narrow highway running through the populated area. In the stretch governed by the Kalka police, accidents were common in unpopulated pockets where drivers tend to relax rather than being attentive towards their driving. A slight shift in concentration is usually enough for accidents in the face of blind turns also. In Pinjore the police
attributed the fatal accidents to half-bodied trucks
plying on the highway which drove through the marketplace
with utmost callousness and invariably ended up with a
car or scooter underneath. Here, the tendency of
accidents in the crowded area was more than those along
the unpopulated highway stretch. |
Superfast operators seek
SHO’s transfer SAS NAGAR, March 16 — The Mohali Superfast Operators Union, which runs light commercial vehicles, today demanded the immediate transfer of the SHO of Phase I, Police station for his alleged biased role in a dispute involving the union. Mr Jaswinder Singh Kaka, union president and head of the local Block Congress Committee, told a press conference here that there had been a dispute among union members over the past three months, ultimately leading to the formation of a new union. The SHO, Mr R.S. Sohal, he alleged had made no efforts to end the dispute and in fact had sided with the rival faction headed by Mr G.S. Dhillon. Mr Jaswinder Singh said the SHO often “sided the Akali supporters against Congressmen” in disputes. Rival union members, he said, had earlier threatened to take over his union office. They came to the office armed with lathis, forcing those present there to lock it up and flee. The SHO, he claimed, took around one and a half hours to reach the scene giving an opportunity to the rival union men to run away. He said though the DSP had sorted out the matter, his union still feared harassment at the hands of the SHO and wanted his immediate transfer. If no action was taken, the union would resort to protests, including the staging of a dharna, and also meet the PPCC chief, Mr Amarinder Singh, in this connection. Mr Sohal, however, later
denied that charge. He told The Tribune that the union
dispute was of a personal nature requiring no police
intervention. On March 14, he said, both parties had
given applications to the police levelling charges
against each other and the next day the DSP has sorted
out the matter. The SHO said action had been taken today
under Sections 107 and 151 of the CrPC as a preventive
measure. This step seemed to have annoyed Mr Jaswinder
Singh’s union, he added. |
Leader’s behaviour
condemned SAS NAGAR, March 16 — The local Municipal Employees Union today condemned the way a BJP leader behaved with two members of the staff. The union President Mr
Ved Jasuja and the General Secretary Mr Krishan Lal
Saini, said the BJP leader and council contractor Mr
Balwant Rai Giga, allegedly misbehaved with a
stenographer and sewadar yesterday. They said the
contractor barged into the Executive Officer’s room
while an official meeting was on, pushed aside the
sewadar and used objectionable language while talking to
the stenographer. The union also objected to the
Executive Officer’s failure to take action against
the contractor. |
Arpana workers’ exhibition CHANDIGARH, March 16 — A three-day exhibition-cum-sale of hand-embroidered garments, bed covers, etc and household linen by Arpana workers started at Hotel Piccadily here today. It will remain open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. till March 18 and all its proceeds will go to the charities. Arpana, a registered charitable spiritual organisation at Madhuban, has about 80 members from different faiths drawn to Pujya Ma, the light and inspiration of the organisation. Over 1600 rural women have been trained in fine hand embroidery, contributing significantly to family income, helping to feed, clothe and educate their children by the organisation. Among the items on
display are close cross stitch and silk embroidery. |
Women’s programme
concludes SAS NAGAR, March 16 — A six-week entrepreneurship development programme for women concluded here today. The programme was conducted by the Regional Centre for Entrepreneurship Development on behalf of the Small Industries Development Bank of India in association with the local District Industries Centre and the lead bank (UCO Bank). Mr Gurkirpal Singh, a former President of the Mohali Industries Association and the chief guest at the programme, said self-discipline was necessary to run any show. Mr Gurmeet Singh, Manager of the lead bank, said one needed to allow ample time for any business to stabilise. The desire for immediate results could only lead to frustration. In all, 24 women who
completed the course were given certificates. They
planned to enter fields such as food processing, mushroom
growing, stationary, stuffed-toy making and computers. In
all, 40 beneficiaries under the Prime Minister’s
Rozgar Yojna in the Ropar district were also given
certificates. |
Fruit prices high in Panchkula PANCHKULA, March 16 — Fruit prices continued to be high in the local markets of the township though these were marginally cheaper than prices prevailing in Chandigarh. Vendors, however, were of the opinion that prices would fluctuate over the next month and come down considerably. Mangoes have already made an entry into the markets though these were available for Rs 70 a kg, which are expected to be priced between Rs 20 to 30 a kg later in the season, depending on the variety. A kg of grapes could be bought for Rs 40 in Sector 7 but the same was higher by Rs 10 at Rs 50 a kg with vendors. Black grapes could be bought between Rs 40 and Rs 45 in Sector 7 and 8 with vendors. Pineapple was priced at Rs 40 a kg in Sector 8 and pomegranate at Rs 40 in Sector 7. Apples and ‘baer’ could be had for Rs 40 a kg and Rs 15 a kg, respectively. Chiku was priced at Rs 20 a kg in Sector 8. Strawberries and
raspberries were being sold for Rs 20 a kg. Coconut was
also available in Sector 7 and 8 for Rs 15 a kg and
bananas were priced at Rs 18 a dozen. Oranges and
‘kinnows’ were available for Rs 50 a kg in
Sectors 7 and 8. |
Elderly resident crushed to death Chandigarh, March 16 — An elderly resident was crushed by a bus near the Cricket Stadium here this afternoon. The 75-year-old Prem Raj, who was on his moped (CHP 7640), was hit by a bus (PB 11 M 8507). He died on the spot. The police has arrested the driver, Jugraj Singh, and registered a case under Section 279\304-A, IPC, at the Central police station. Gas agency
worker held He was arrested from Sector 46 following a complaint from some residents who informed the police that the accused was tampering with the cylinders. His accomplice, Raja Ram, however, managed to flee leaving behind the three wheeler, CHV 1856, which was used to ferry the containers to the people. Three cases of
theft Mr Nirmal Singh, a resident of Sector 29, reported that his van, CH-OI-D 4507, was stolen from the Sector 22 market. Mr Vipul Sehgal, a resident of Sector 30, reported that someone had stolen his motorcycle, CH-OI-U 1433, from Sector 27. Mr Raj Kumar Jain, a resident of Sector 11, reported that someone has stolen gold and silver jewellery besides Rs 2,500 in cash while he was out of station. Drunk driving SAS NAGAR 3 workers
arrested According to information available, the theft was detected by a security guard. The sack was thrown outside the complex of the factory by a worker, Balbir Singh. Next morning he came to pick the sack and was arrested by the security personnel. His questioning revealed the involvement of two more workers, Amrik and Balwinder. Car occupants
injured ZIRAKPUR Held with opium |
Beopar Mandal flays changes in
rent Act CHANDIGARH, March 16 — The Chandigarh Beopar Mandal today condemned the changes in the East Punjab Urban Rent Restriction Act 1949, recently approved by the Punjab Government. At an emergency meeting, the executive body of the mandal, appealed to the Punjab Government to review the changes and ensure the protection of the commercial tenants of the state at all costs. Denouncing statements of the Chandigarh Nagrik Sabha, the Beopar Mandal advocated a separate rent Act for India’s most modern city, ensuring protection of commercial tenants as well as taking care of reasonable appreciation in rent for the landlord. It said Chandigarh does
not have old buildings at very low rents and commercial
areas and markets in the city are clearly demarcated and
limited, hence needs full protection for the growth of
trade. |
Market body chief submits
memorandum Chandigarh, March 16 — The President of the Janta Rehri Market, Mani Majra, Mr Sat Pal, today met Mrs Vanita Rai, Adviser to the Administrator, and submitted a memorandum of demands. The issues raised include long-pending demands of residents of Manimajra. He also impressed on Adviser to roll back the hike in the rent of rehris. He said instead of the rent of Rs 100 per month, they were willing to pay Rs 25. He also told her that he had met the the Finance Secretary, who had assured him that they would be provided with pucca booths. The Adviser assured the
delegation that all schedule caste certificates/ schedule
tribe certificates/ birth and death certificates would be
prepared by the civic body at Manimajra. |
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