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| Sunday, August 6, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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Shops closed to mark J-K killings CHANDIGARH, Hundreds of protesters assembled in the Sector 22 Nehru Park and raised slogans against the government for not taking adequate steps to ensure the safety of the innocent yatris. They also demanded adequate compensation by the state government and the government of their respective states for the next of kin of the deceased. The protesters later went to the Sector 22 market and requested the traders to put up their shutters. Many of the traders expressed their solidarity with the agitators and joined the procession. Later, the activists passed through the markets of Sectors 21, 20 29, 30, 34 and 17. The shops in these markets were closed from 10 a.m. till 3 p.m. Addressing the processionists at the Plaza, speakers decried the lack of adequate security measures for the protection of the pilgrims and demanded that strict action be initiated against those guilty for the lapses which resulted in the gunning down of 100 persons. They demanded the imposition of President's rule in the strife-torn state and the arrest of the CM, Dr Farooq Abdullah, for his failure to improve the situation during his tenure. Things have gone from bad to worse during his reign, they alleged. They also stressed that the militants should not be arrested but shot summarily so that it is a lesson for others. Members of the Traders Association, Sector 17, also burnt an effigy of Pakistan and raised slogans against the inaction of the government for the security lapse. Activists of the All-India Anti Terrorism Front also decried the massacre and burnt effigies of Pakistan and General Musharaff. Addressing the protesters, Mr Pradeep Chhabra, President of the unit, said the Abdullah government should be immediately dismissed by the government and President's rule imposed. The demand for autonomy by Mr Abdullah also had subtle sinister dimensions. He said Pakistan had learnt no lessons from successive and humiliating defeats at our hand in the 1965 and 1971 wars. He said Pakistan was responsible for the infiltration and the bloody proxy war in the state in the past decade. Mr Chhabra stressed that we should initiate action at the international level to have Pakistan declared a rogue state. He also added that the government should provide adequate compensation to the next of kin of the deceased. |
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B.Com results on sale
for Rs 10 each PANCHKULA,
Charging Rs 10 from each student, book sellers contend that this happens every year during the result 'season'. Due to non-delivery of the gazette, students flock to these shops, now established centres for results. A shopkeeper in the Kalka market, said, "We tap anything that is lucrative. Procuring the results is a day's labour and the reward keeps coming for at least a week. The added advantage is that without advertising, it gives us a lot of publicity, killing two birds with one stone.'' He informs that to get the results they don't even require to go to Kurukshetra. "We have very few students in the college at Kalka and our purpose is served with the results of this college only since students from the other two colleges don't come here. I have tied up with a bookseller in Ambala who gets the result from the university and delivers the relevant information to us,'' he adds. The same holds true for the students of Barwala college who meet the same fate every academic session. In Panchkula, the situation is no better and shops have displayed boards saying: "BA, B Com result can be seen here''. The shop owner admits that the delay in the delivery of the results is a boon for them since students visiting the college invariably find their way to his shop. A student in the college at Kalka, Shivani Sharma, opines, "I don't even have to visit the college when my result is declared since I know it will not be there. I directly go to the shop, look up my result and am back home in no time. Moreover, Rs 10 is nothing for the convenience and anxiety-free days during admissions.'' In Panchkula, Savita Rani, contends, "This has been routine with the university and we don't hesitate to pass on the information of shops where result is available to the succeeding batches.'' A Principal explains, "We can do very little about the delay in the arrival of results. I have contacted the university and the only answer I got is that the results have already been sent by registered post and will arrive any day. However, even before we get them, the students are aware of the marks they have secured. After that, the gazette serves little purpose as far as students are concerned.'' Another adds that though they can buy the result from the booksellers so that each student is not required to dish out Rs 10 every time, there is no guarantee that information supplied will be correct till they get official confirmation. "We can get into serious trouble as a mistake does arise in the declaration of the result,'' the principal rues. By evening, the gazette of the result had still not arrived, further postponing the delivery to August 7, delaying it by a week. |
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Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat
renotified ZIRAKPUR,
The government exercised powers conferred under Section 4 (1) of the Punjab Municipal Act, 1911 (as amended by Act No. 11 of 1994) to reconstitute the civic body for the local area specified as transitional area. Earlier, the government had merged the seven villages of Zirakpur, Lohgarh, Himmagarh, Bishangarh, Bishanpura, Bartana and Dhakauli to constitute the Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat and had excluded Bhabhat village from the civic body. The constitution of the erstwhile Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat was quashed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court following a petition, seeking quashing of the body, filed by the Bhabhat Gram Panchayat. The panchayat had objected to being excluded from the Nagar Panchayat. Meanwhile, residents of the village have again filed objections to the Principal Secretary to the Department of Local Government of Punjab against excluding the village from the civic body. Nabha Sahib village has been excluded this time which had been included in the notification issued by the government while seeking objections for the creation of the erstwhile Nagar Panchayat. Residents, investors and property dealers have heaved a sigh of relief after the reconstitution of the Zirakpur Nagar Panchayat. |
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Cylinder blast kills
employee CHANDIGARH, Aug 5 — A powerful explosion killed a PGI employee working in the institution’s workshop here this morning. According to sources, 43-year-old Harjinder Singh was filling water near the workshop when a cylinder of gas used in air-conditioners burst, killing him on the spot. The impact was so powerful that the head of the deceased was blown off and was recovered from a tree nearby. The other parts of his body were collected from all over the place. Pieces of the metal cylinder were also recovered from the site. The cause of the explosion could not be ascertained. Sources said the deceased was a resident of Sector 23 and his wife is a schoolteacher. Although the incident occurred at about 11. 30 a.m., the director came at 1 p.m., employees alleged. They also alleged that the workshop was locked all the time. The body of the deceased has been sent for a post-mortem and further investigations are under way. |
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Bus stand land may be
sold for less SAS NAGAR,
Will the government offer land at a subsidised rate like in the case of two sites offered to medical institutions in Sector 62? Officials of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) believe that in view of the incentives being offered to the information technology industry, the land can be offered at 50 per cent of its commercial price. Under an ambitious Rs 62 crore joint venture of the Punjab State Bus Stand Management Company (PUNBUS — a corporate body of the Punjab Department of Transport) and PUDA, the local bus stand was scheduled to be modernised. Under the project, the land owned by the transport was to be made available to PUDA. Now, a new structure will have to be built by PUDA at the proposed site in Phase VI, say PUDA
officials. |
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‘Relocation of bus stand will be unwise’ SAS NAGAR,
Some residents want that before relocating the bus stand, the government should introduce a local shuttle bus service from the proposed site in Phase VI. The Citizens Welfare Council, which had led an agitation for making long-route buses enter the town, has threatened to launch another agitation if the decision to shift the bus stand is not revoked. Lieut Col Angad Singh (retd), General Secretary of the Indian Ex-services League of Punjab and Chandigarh, said the present bus stand was centrally located and easily approachable from all phases of the town. He said the headquarter of the Punjab School Education Board was near the present bus stand, which was good for persons visiting the office. "A number of offices, medical and leisure facilities are to come up in Phase VIII and the shifting of the bus stand will cause inconvenience to all," said Lieut Col Angad. He said the long-route buses that presently touched entered the town, would bypass it if the bus stand was shifted. A former Municipal Councillor, Mr Amrik Singh, said shifting the bus stand for building a five-star hotel at the site was not a wise step. Residents would rather use the Sector 43 ISBT-II in Chandigarh than the relocated local bus stand in Phase VI along the Chandigarh-Kharar road. “Common man who travels in buses will have to suffer because some persons want the luxury of a five-star hotel at the site,” he said. The present site of the bus stand had been chosen keeping in view the future expansion of the town. Shifting the bus stand to Phase VI near the milk plant would only cause inconvenience to the public, said Mr Amrik Singh. Mr Sukhjeet Singh, a resident of Phase 3A, said, “The Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) has already earmarked a 3.5 acre site in Sector 62. The present bus stand is in 13 acres and building a new one will burden the state exchequer. Crores of rupees spent in demolishing the structure will go waste. The proposed five-star hotel should instead be relocated,” he said. Mr S.S. Sandhu, President of the Mohali Industries Association, however, supports the relocation of the bus stand, provided a local shuttle bus service is introduced. “The relocation will lessen the burden of traffic on the roads of the town,” he said. Mr B.S. Tej of the Citizens Welfare Council said, "A memorandum against the shifting of the bus stand has been given to the authorities and if nothing is done in this regard, we will protest.” He said a meeting of the council would be held soon to chalk out the future course of action. Mr Amardeep Sharma, an entrepreneur of Industrial Focal Point in Phase IX, also opposed the relocation of the bus stand. He said industrial labourers in the focal point area behind Phase XI, would the suffer the most as the new site was located on the other corner of the town. |
‘Government-NGO coordination
can uplift mankind’ CHANDIGARH,
Mr Mehta is the only Indian to be elected President of the International Association of the Lions Club. He is here in connection with the installation of the cabinet of the District Governor, Dr N.K. Grover, of District 321-F of the club. Mr Mehta said the organisation was involved in social work and promoting international peace and brotherhood in 186 countries. It has an extensive network of 45,000 clubs all over the world with over 14.5 lakh members. Mr Mehta laid emphasis on the two major projects of the club, ‘Sight First’ and ‘Lions Quest’. “Lions clubs have done tremendous work in the intraocular lens transplant area. As many as 90 per cent of the blind live in the developing countries and 80 per cent of them can be helped through medical help and surgery,” he said He said the Lions Club in Bangalore had tied up with the Eye Bank in Colombo, for corneas. The island country has a surplus of corneas as eye donation, after death is quite prevalent, in that country. About ‘ Lions Quest’, Mr Mehta said that with the help of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation, many schools were participating in value-based education for youngsters, falling in the age group of 10 to 14. Dr
N.K. Mehta, District Governor of the club, highlighted the activities with emphasis on spreading literacy and eradication of blindness through the international ‘Sight First’ programme.
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13 migrants
arrested CHANDIGARH, Aug 5 — The local police has arrested 13 migrants who had not intimated the police about their stay in the city. According to police sources, 10 persons were residents of Uttar Pradesh, while two belonged to Jammu and Kashmir and one was a resident of Bihar. They were taken into custody from the jurisdiction of the East Police Station. They were booked under Section 188 of the IPC. Gambling in public: They were booked under Sections 13, 3 and 67 of the gambling Act. Caught stealing: Cars stolen: In another incident, Mr Mohan Singh, of Sector 19 reported that his car, (CHOIW 0230)was stolen from a parking in Sector 35. Cases under Section 379, IPC, have been registered. SAS
NAGAR Youth injured in clash: According to information available, the victim, Satvinder, had come to the college to get his character certificate along with Manvir Singh, both residents of Bhadala. A group of youths led by Tej, confronted the two youths and injured Satvinder with a sharp-edged weapon. The victim has been admitted to the Civil Hospital in Phase-6 here.
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ST-38 scheme criticised PANCHKULA, Aug 5 — Terming the government’s idea to introduce the ST-38 scheme for the business community as “a discouraging act’’, Mr K.P. Singh, District President of the Haryana Vikas Party, said that business in the state was already in a bad shape and this act was bound to worsen the prevailing conditions.“By this new move, they are giving out signals to the business community that has to be monitored for every transaction,’’ he said. He added that while entrepreneurs from abroad were being given a red carpet welcome, local people who had invested money in businesses were operating with very little infrastructure. Condemning the formation of a municipal council in the city, Mr Singh informed that the authorities were not clear about the division of workload between MC and HUDA and as to how the two would function in tandem. “We strongly oppose the formation of the MC at present. The idea was shelved during Mr Bansi Lal’s reign as well, since it was felt that there were many development projects which needed to be taken up. Also, there is no indication as to where the funds for running the MC are going to come from,’’ he contended. Mr Singh said that though the present government had announced the implementation of information technology for schools, there were many schools without proper buildings, furniture, electricity and staff. ``These machines will be bought and locked in cupboards,’’ he opined. He was critical of the suspended construction work of the new hospital building in Sector 6, the non-maintenance of the green belt in the area earmarked for the same and the inability of the administration to check growing encroachments.  |
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