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| Tuesday, September 12, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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‘Wear helmet for the sake of your family’ CHANDIGARH, Sept 11 — The recent decision of the Chandigarh police to take action against women drivers who do not wear helmets may have confused some persons and angered the others. Most persons agree that wearing helmet is necessary as no head is made of steel. The Punjab and Haryana High Court, in an order issued on July 9, 1998, had made it compulsory for both men and women drivers and pillion riders to wear helmets. Persons wearing turbans had been exempted from wearing helmets. However, after strong protests from activists of a community, the order could not be implemented. The PGI receives about 25 cases of head injury in a day. “Out of these, 70 to 80 per cent are a result of the road accidents,” say doctors. “Wearing helmet is not only compulsory according to the Motor Vehicles Act, but also the duty of an individual towards her family,” says Dr Simran Kaur of the Department of Experimental Medicine in the PGI. Past Friday morning, she and her husband, Dr Chander Deep Singh Tandon, were on their way to work when on the Chandigarh-Panchkula highway, they saw the body of a young girl on the road. “I realised that she had suffered a fatal injury only because she was not wearing a helmet,” says Dr Simran Kaur. “The girl lost her life because she took a chance with her life,” she says. Her husband, Dr Tandon, says, “All such youngsters should be made to visit the emergency ward of the PGI. Perhaps the visit will make them realise the importance wearing a helmet. People realise the importance of wearing a helmet only after one of their relatives gets injured in an accident,” Mairu Mohan and Gurpreet Sachdeva, both students of the Sector 11 Government College for Girls, and Mandeep Gill of the Department of Psychology in Panjab University, say that girls should wear safety helmets. “Why should there be different rules for boys and girls?” Mairu says. “The accident on past Friday proves that skulls of women are not made of steel,” Gurpreet Sachdeva says that wearing helmets should indeed be compulsory for both sexes. “I am a Sikh, but would advise all girls to wear helmet for their safety.” Vanita Bhatia, a resident of Hoshiarpur and an MCA student in Chandigarh, says “If girls demand equality in every sphere, why should they not wear helmets as well?” she says. Mandeep Gill says that helmets are important, but are not stylish to wear. “It doesn’t feel good to wear one. That is why, even though my parents insist, I avoid wearing one.” Harveen Kahlon says, “It is cumbersome to carry helmets.” Deepinder Dhingra of the Khalsa College says that it is important to wear a helmet for one’s safety. “Moreover, it saves your skin and complexion from exposure to the sun,” she says. Ms Padma Vij, a retired Chief Librarian, says that all women should wear helmets while driving two-wheelers. “All these girls who do not wear helmets are fools. Instead of worrying about their life, they are concerned about their looks. While you are driving a scooter, it is not the time for a fashion show,” Uday Bir Singh, a student, said wearing helmets should not be made compulsory. He said that boys should also be exempted from wearing these. “After all, it is my life and I can look after it,” he says. Mr Avtar Jeet Singh, a businessman of Ludhiana, says that wearing helmet is a good precaution, but as the Sikh religion does not permit it, it should not be made compulsory for women.” Dr Simran Kaur says that no woman should ever drive a two-wheeler without wearing a helmet. “Every woman has a responsibility towards her family. Moreover, a woman’s head is not made of iron,” Ms Manu, a lecturer of the APJ College of Fine Arts at Jalandhar, says, “I drive a lot, but never wear a helmet. Past year, I had been caught driving without a helmet, but was let off without a fine. Had I been issued a challan, I would never have dared to drive without a helmet. The government makes rules without seriously implementing these. Besides, such one-day drives do not make a difference. No woman, either a Sikh or a Hindu, should be allowed to drive without wearing a helmet.” |
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What Admn says on helmets CHANDIGARH, Sept 11 — Senior Chandigarh Administration officials were locked in a series of meetings throughout the day today on the issue of wearing of helmets by women two-wheeler riders. No official instructions to stop or carry on the challaning had been issued by the Administration till late tonight. It is learnt that the Administrator, was informed by senior officials that the motor vehicle rules were being followed in exempting women riders from wearing helmets. Meanwhile, sources in the legal department of the Chandigarh Administration have clarified that there was no stay in any court on the issue of women wearing helmets. In 1998 a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court issued directions making helmets compulsory for all men and women two-wheeler driver and pillion riders. Subsequently, the matter went to the Supreme Court which stayed certain points of the High Court directions. This did not include the aspect of helmets for two-wheeler riders. However, the SGPC’s special leave petition in the Supreme Court seeking exemption to Sikh women from wearing helmets was also discussed and brought up during meetings of Chandigarh officials today. The first meeting of the day was held between the Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob, his Adviser, Mrs Vineeta Rai, and the UT IGP, Mr B.S. Bassi. This was followed by a series of meetings at the level of the Adviser and this included the new Home Secretary, Mr R.S. Gujral, and his team of Home Department officials. Meanwhile, a source said the reason taking this rule of making helmets compulsory for women two-wheelers riders was taken out of cold storage after a thought among a section of officials to “test the waters” by implementing the
rule. |
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Kharar highway mishap toll 12 KHARAR/SAS NAGAR,
Sept 11 — The death toll in the road mishap, which took place last evening on the busy Kharar- Morinda highway, today rose to 12 with six more persons, including the driver of the ill-fated Punjab Roadways bus, Devinder Singh, succumbing to his injuries. The deceased included two persons whose identity has not been ascertained. The unidentified bodies were being kept at the mortuary of the PGI, Chadigarh. Kharar police officials said that of the total 12 casualties, at least nine victims have been identified. A pall of gloom descended on the Phase 4, SAS Nagar, residence of a family whose four members died in the mishap. The family members — Shamsher Singh (60), Gurdev Kaur, Amrik Singh (17) and an eight- year-old girl, Jasleen — were travelling in a Maruti car, also involved in the road disaster. Another member of the family, Tajender Singh, who was driving the car, however, escaped with minor injuries. The other deceased who have been identified till the filing of this report are Vijas Sidana (Sri Ganganagar), Phool Chand (Hanumangarh), Lakha Singh (Malout), driver of the private bus of Northern India Travels, Jaswinder Singh (Faridkot), and the driver of the Punjab Roadways bus, Devinder Kumar, Neetu Chanalla ( Nagpur), and Krishan Investigations by the police have resulted in the registration of a first information report (FIR) against the deceased driver of the Punjab Roadways bus under Sections 279, 337, 338 and 304-A of the IPC. The police officials said the Punjab Roadways bus was over speeding and while trying to overtake a truck it collided with the other bus coming from the opposite direction. The bodies of the eight victims, whose post-mortem was today conducted at the Civil Hospital, Kharar, were handed over to their kith and kin by the SDM, Kharar, Mr Davinder Singh. Dr S.S. Dhanoa, SMO of the Civil Hospital, said a total of 26 injured persons had been admitted to the hospital. Fifteen were discharged last night after first aid. At least 27 seriously injured were rushed to the PGI. While expressing shock over the last night’s bus accident on the Kharar-Morinda highway leading to death of at least 12 persons, the Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, today directed the state transport authorities to give an ex gratia grant of Rs 50,000 each to next of kin of the deceased and compensation to the injured as per the rules. Mr Badal directed the transport authorities and the Ropar district administration to ensure the transportation of the bodies of the deceased to their respective places and ensure medical treatment to the injured persons. |
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A night of disaster management at PGI CHANDIGARH, Sept 11 — It was yet another day in well-planned disaster management at the PGI. The doctors, paramedical staff, nurses and other peripheral teams rose to the occasion last night as the senior doctors put a well laid-out disaster management plan to work. This was to handle more than 27 accident victims rushed to the PGI from the accident site on the Chandigarh-Ludhiana highway, 3 km from Kharar, near Pakki Roorkee village. Last night was no different when the accident victims were rushed to the PGI. According to doctors at the PGI, out of 27 victims, five were brought dead. “ As soon as the first victim, a woman, was wheeled into the emergency ward at about 9.10 p.m., we knew that we have a major disaster on hand.” The doctors and nurses on duty added that by 9.30 p.m. almost all the victims had been brought in. “It had been after a long time that the PGI had witnessed such a major accident. Most of the cases were poly-trauma with multiple injuries and fractures.” Later, two victims, Gursharan Das and eight-year-old Jassey, succumbed to their injuries. The PGI authorities added that of the 20 injured, five were discharged today after first aid. Four patients continued to be in critical condition. Out of the critically injured, one is suffering from head and abdominal injuries, another patient has a serious spinal fracture. Two other victims are suffering from compressed spine, multiple injuries and severe head injuries. As many as 15 persons are receiving treatment for their injuries in the emergency ward. Meanwhile, the scene at the emergency ward, post-disaster was under control today with all the victims having been identified. Most of the victims are still shaken and are in no position to respond to queries. “It happened so suddenly that we really didn’t know what actually happened,” said 50-year-old M.K. Bhatia from Sri Ganganagar. “Most probably, one of the tyres had burst,” added his wife, Manju, who had a miraculous escape. Their daughter, Gagan, too was lucky to escape with minor injuries and has since been discharged. Budha Singh’s daughter-in-law Devinder Kaur was not so fortunate. This 25-year-old woman has been badly injured and has missed her B.Ed interview for which she was to appear today. “I think the government should compensate me for that,” she wispers weakly. Her mother-in-law, Jeet Kaur, lying on the adjoining stretcher, consoles her. Jeet Kaur herself had suffered abdominal injuries in the accident. List of the injured admitted in the PGI. Those discharged today included Vivek (31), Chandigarh, Gagan Bhatia (17), Sri Ganganagar, Jagtar Singh, Tarsem Singh and Sikandar Singh. |
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Votes for 4 Senate seats cast CHANDIGARH, Sept 11 — The elections to the four seats of the Panjab University Senate from the constituencies of professors, readers and lecturers teaching in the university were held today amidst a heavy turnout of voters. The total number of votes in the professors constituency are 197, of which one was to be voted from Muktsar and three from
Hoshiarpur. Out of the remaining votes, 175 were polled at the university Law Auditorium. According to Prof
V.K. Bansal, Dean, Students Welfare and Chairman, Department of Laws and candidate from this constituency, “All those who were in Chandigarh today came to vote and, thus, it was an almost a 100 per cent turnout.” The total number of voters in the readers and lecturers constituency was 546, of which 32 were to be polled at Hoshiarpur and Muktsar. Out of the remaining, 478 lecturers and readers of the campus cast their vote. The votes are being cast under the preferential voting system wherein the voters are asked to list their preferences of candidates. And since morning when the voting started till 5 p.m. teachers were filing in and even waiting in queues to cast their votes. Prof P.P.
Arya, former President of the Panjab University Teachers Association and candidate poised against Professor Bansal for the seat from the Arts faculty, said, “The number of seats in the Senate from these two constituencies was very low and not representative enough.” Contending for the seat from the science faculty in the professors constituency are Prof R.N. Vashist, Prof R.K. Kakkar and Prof Rabinder Kumar. In the readers and lecturers constituency the main contenders in the arts faculty are Dr K.K. Sharma, Dr Pradeep Kumar, Dr Keshav Malhotra and Dr Kiranpreet Kaur. For the science faculty seat, the main contenders are Dr Harjinder Singh Laltoo from the Chemistry Department and Dr Tankeshwar from the Physics Department. Talking to TNS on the issue of preferential voting, Mr Tankeshwar said that this system was a much better system than the direct voting system as it allowed the science stream teachers to interact with the ones in the arts. Otherwise, the science teachers ended up voting for the science candidates and the arts for their candidates. But then this system has its disadvantages too. It sharpens group pressures.” Dr Laltoo said, “This was an opportunity for the teaching community to participate in a democratic process and it was for the community to decide on the deserving candidate. The factor that counts is merit and personal relationships and group pressures should not weigh on these decisions.” Mr
Khalid, a Senator said, “The preferential voting system led to a proper representation in case the number of candidates contesting is more. Even the minority can represent itself and each group can assert itself and has a chance to make its candidate win.” “The preferential voting system is a rather complicated system and only political scientists can understand the benefits. All I can say is that a simple direct system of voting would be better in the university system”, says Dr M.
Rajivlochan, former secretary, PUTA. |
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File tracking system opened in Estate
Office CHANDIGARH, Sept 11 — For people wanting to get property-related work done in the Estate Office, it is goodbye to running around babus of the Estate Office. This is due to the start of a ‘’ file tracking’’ system through computers, which was opened here today by the UT Administrator, Lt Gen
J.F.R. Jacob (retd). Under the new system, called the Public Facilitation Counters, an applicant will be given a date-bound coupon indicating a tentative date for the completion of his work. This is aimed at bringing about accountability in the office which deals with real estate valued at crores of rupees, according to Mr M. Ramsekhar, Deputy Commissioner-cum-Estate Officer. Whenever an application is submitted for any of the 18 designated tasks, a computer-generated token number will be allotted. The same number will be fixed on the application and will be used to track down a file. This will also create a check at the middle-level of officialdom to keep a tab on who is delaying a file and why. Besides, the usual checks to curb forgery and mischief will be maintained, says the DC. For each work, a separate timeframe will be fixed. This time-frame will be fixed depending upon the levels of which the file needs to be cleared. Same is true for building plans and occupation certificates. Over 70,000 plots of various kinds have been allotted by the Estate Office to individual allottees in Chandigarh. Every day several plot holders come to the Estate Office for a variety of operations like payment of outstanding amount, permission for raising construction, transferring their property etc. Since the property allotted by the Estate Office sometimes runs into several crores of rupees, the office thoroughly examines each case before granting permission. In the absence of any time-frame fixed for a particular operation, the allottees are made to come to the Estate Office several times and they have to meet the officials dealing with the files. To tackle this and to promote transparency and accountability at every level, a computerised application tracking and monitoring system has been introduced with time limits fixed for the most common public transactions. Once the basic data is fed into the computer, it generates for every application form, a receipt in duplicate, a job description sheet detailing various branches and officials who have to deal with that along with the time limit fixed for each such operation at the level of every official. One receipt is given to the allottee and the other job description sheet along with the documents submitted by the allottee are then sent to the Superintendent concerned. In the morning, every Superintendent of each branch would be given a list of all such cases which should be disposed of by his branch on that day and if there is any delay anywhere he should take necessary remedial actions. Likewise a pendency list on daily basis is generated which will be tracked by the Assistant Estate Officer. It is hoped that this method will ensure timely action and disposal of cases. To tide over the problem of lack of comprehensive information booklet for advising the allottees about the documentary formalities to be complied, an information booklet covering all common transactions for which an allottee comes to the Estate Office has been got published. This booklet has specimens of affidavits and forms, to be submitted by an allottee for a particular transaction. It will be available at the counter for sale for Rs 50 per copy, said Estate Officials at the inauguration. |
Anandgarh — a panacea
for Chandigarh CHANDIGARH, Sept 11 — The Anandgarh Development Authority believes that Anandgarh is a timely, pragmatic and a logical solution to the problems confronting Chandigarh. This was stated by Mr R.K. Verma, Additional Chief Administrator, ADA, here today. Countering the criticism that Anandgarh in periphery of Chandigarh would reduce the green cover and have an adverse impact on environment, Mr Verma said the real danger to the city beautiful comes from increasing population. He assured that the green cover in the periphery will not be reduced by coming up of the new township. ‘‘The Punjab Government is planning a nature reserve on a approximately 20,000 acres exclusively for forests rather than existing measure of declaring area under the LPA while allowing private ownership which has not yielded desired results. Nature reserve will be an ideal solution to ensure that Chandigarh and surrounding region gets abundant green cover on permanent basis’’, he said. About the Periphery Act and its relevance to Anandgarh, the Additional Chief Administrator said, ‘‘The much talked about Act in the context of new town has been equally misunderstood and misinterpreted by various people’’. He said that most of the people were ignorant about the letter and the spirit of the Act, and were making false propaganda in this regard. He added that true purpose of the Act could be best ascertained by from the minds and words of those who passed the Act. Referring to the debate, which took place in the Vidhan Sabha when the Act was introduced in 1952, he pointed out that the proceedings of the debate clearly bring out that the Act was passed to curb the menace of haphazard and unplanned growth, which takes place outside municipal urban limits, by unscrupulous elements due to evasion of municipal taxes/bylaws etc. Mr Verma said the idea was that the land surrounding Chandigarh would be required in future for the expansion and therefore the same must be protected. While reacting to the suggestions that the site should have been located at Siswan or Anandpur Sahib, Mr Verma said, ‘‘Then also the detractors of the project would have cried foul’’ and added,‘‘ the land near Siswan also falls under periphery as well as the Land Preservation Act’’. So far as building the township near Anandpur Sahib, he clarified,‘‘It was never announced that the new township would come up at Anandpur Sahib’’. |
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146 complaints taken
up at khula darbar PANCHKULA, Sept 11 — As many as 146 complaints were taken up by Mr Surinder Kumar Monga, Deputy Commissioner, on the first day of the khula darbar series organised by the administration at the Community Centre, Kalka, today. The complaints regarding private water tap connections, better power supply, electricity bills and meters, old-age pension, pension for widows and handicapped and other personal grievances were taken up and solved. Complaints about construction of link roads, repair of drains and streets, outlets for storm water, sewerage system and construction of spurs to restrain soil erosion were also put up by residents of the area. The officer directed the officials concerned to look into the grievances. Following a complaint by residents of Bara Godam village, the DC asked the Subdivisional Magistrate of the area to direct the patwaris to perform their duties by sitting in patwar circles only. Mr Monga also directed the Secretary of the Municipal Committee to take care of the sanitation in Ramnagar. Public cooperation was sought to get rid of the monkey menace in Ward 10. Mr Monga directed the Public Health Department officials to sink new tubewell and install a transformer till October end to meet the water and power shortage being faced by residents of Khera Sitaram village. Reacting upon the Kalka bypass and bus stand, he said that the administration had taken up the matter with the national highway authorities. He directed the Subdivisional Officer, the Deputy Superintending of Police and the President of the Municipal Council, to solve the problem of taxi parking before the shops along the highway in Gandhi Chowk. The Additional Deputy Commissioner, the Subdivisional Magistrate, Kalka, and other senior officials were also present.
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Reward for
palmists CHANDIGARH, Sept 11 — The local unit of the Tarksheel Society has offered reward of Rs 1 lakh to the astrologers and palmists who could correctly pick those males and females from a set of 10 palm prints or astrological charts giving the exact time of the birth, correct to the minutes and places of birth with latitudes and longitudes. The offer was made by the President of the society, Mr Joga Singh, to the participants in the second international jyotish conference-2000, which concluded here yesterday. He even offered a margin of 5 per cent error to the “astrologers and palmists who hoodwink the gullibles by claiming that astrology and palmistry are scientific.” Meanwhile, speaking at the first workshop of the society here, Mr Balwinder Singh Barnala, Press Secretary of the Punjab unit, said the organisation was committed to the objectives of inculcating scientific and rational thinking among the people. In many regions of the world, irrational beliefs dominated the daily lives of our people so that they were easy victims of various superstitions, rituals, charms, tantriks, fortune tellers, godmen and religious fanatics, he added. Dr Lok Raj and Dr Jagdish Chander from the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, clarified that a majority of the persons suffering from superstitions could easily be cured psychological techniques and medicines. Mr Jaswant Jirakh, General Secretary of the Punjab unit, showed magic tricks on the occasion to motivate the members that there was nothing supernatural behind magic. |
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Admn revises
wheat rates CHANDIGARH, Sept 11 — Following the revision of the issue price of wheat by the Government of India, the Chandigarh Administration has re-fixed the wholesale and retail prices of wheat and wheat flour for the above poverty line (APL) and below poverty line (BPL) categories to be sold through the public distribution system. Now the wholesale rate of the flour, excluding the sales tax, for the APL category will be Rs 90.27 per 10-kg pack. The wholesale price, including the sales tax, will be Rs 92.27 per 10 kg. However, the retail price will be Rs 94.07 per 10-kg pack. Similarly, the wholesale rate of wheat, excluding sales tax, for the BPL category will be Rs 427.70 per quintal. The new wholesale price, including the sales tax, is Rs 446.52 per quintal. The retail price will be Rs 4.50 per kg for this category. Meanwhile, the administration has decided to revise the scale of levy sugar from 1 kg to 600 gm per unit for September only. |
Gen Malik likely to
settle in Panchkula CHANDIGARH,
Sept 11 — The Chief of the Army Staff, General V.P.
Malik, is expected to settle down in the satellite township of Panchkula after he lays down office on September 30.
“I am thinking of settling down in Panchkula after retirement”, he told reporters after laying the foundation stone of the Army Institute of Law in SAS Nagar today. It is learnt that General Malik had paid a quiet visit to Panchkula in mid-June for acquiring a house there. Western Command functionaries had then stated the visit to be a private one.
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2 arrested in dowry death case PANCHKULA, Sept 11 — The Panchkula police has arrested Ram Partap and his mother, Gaggo Devi, residents of Rajiv Colony, in a dowry death case. Geeta (20) and wife of Ram Partap today succumed to her burns in the PGI, Chandigarh. The accused would be produced before the court tomorrow. Dharna staged:
Following the non-registration of a case of scuffle between two groups of Rajiv Colony, members of one group today staged a dharna before the Sector 16 police station here today. The agitators were demanding the registration of a case against the members of the rival group who reportedly beat up Suresh, Bhupinder and Rinku on Sunday. Bhupinder had sustained head injuries and was admitted to the
PGI. The police reportedly arrested five agitators today. Chain snatched: The police has registered a case of chain snatching on the complaint of Ms Prem Thakur, a resident of Sector 15. According to police sources, the woman was on her way to the market this evening when two unidentified youths, on a motor bicycle without any registration number, snatched the chain. The police is investigating the matter. Rash driving:
The police has registered two cases of rash driving. According to police sources, Ms Geeta, a resident of Sector 21, has complained that a speeding truck (HPA-6690) hit the scooter causing her injuries. The accident occurred near Doon Public School.
A case under Sections 279 and 337 of the IPC has been registered. The second case has been registered on the complaint of Mr Gurmeet Singh, a resident of Ghatiwala, against the unidentified driver of a truck (HYS-3997).
The truck hit the car of the complainant which resulted into injuries to him.
A case under Sections 279, 337 and 427, IPC, has been registered by the Pinjore police. |
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