 |
|
| Wednesday, March 7, 2001, Chandigarh, India |
|
|||
|
Widen roads, police
writes to PUDA SAS Nagar, March 6 Four-lane road has been recommended by the police. Several steps to regulate flow of traffic on the busy Chandigarh— Fatehgarh Sahib road passing through Sohana and installing trafficlights at intersection on the existing route taken by the incoming and outgoing buses bound for the local bus stand have been suggested. The SP, Mr GS Chauhan, who held a meeting in this regard with PUDA officials, said the slip roads at the Phase III and VI traffic lights and the Phase VII and VIII trafficlights had also been advised to the authorities concerned. He said the recommendations had been forwarded to PUDA. Other recommendations are: Providing a central verge on the road from the Ambwala chowk to the PCA chowk, removing encroachments from parking areas in the markets, providing parking space in front of the community centres, and providing ‘no parking’ signs and relocating the parking area for trucks. A PUDA official said on the recommendation of the police, work on slip roads at the Kumbhra intersection and the Phase VII and VIII intersection was expected to start soon. |
|
|
Fissures not related to earthquake:
scientists Nadha (Panchkula) March 6 The cracks were not correlated to the Gujarat earthquake, said Dr K.C. Prashar,a former director of the Geological Survey of India, while talking to Chandigarh Tribune this evening. He said the fissures were due to a subsurface activity. Views were also expressed by a team of four scientists from the Centre of Advance Studies in Geology, Panjab University. The scientists, Prof L.N. Gupta, Prof Ravinder Kumar, Prof G.S. Gill and Prof Naval Kishore , who surveyed the affected area this afternoon, said that during preliminary investigations it had been observed that there were two sets of fissures which started from the left bank of Ghaggar river bed and extend into the hills up to a distance of about 1.5 km. Geologists are of the opinion that the depth could be as much as 1,000 m. The areas affected are oval in shape. The minimum width of the fissures is about a few inches to on the river bed while it increases to over 15 feet in the hills. The fault is parallel to that of the Himalayan structures at the main boundary fault in Parwanoo and Toonda Pathar areas. And this has a displacement of the order of 10 cm upthrown and was an upcoming of Himalayan tectonic events, the team opined. The fissures may have appeared during rainfall between December and February. The rain-water levelled the earth on the left side of the fissures but the cracks remained on the other side. Panic gripped the areas as the news of fissures spread and a large number of people from Panchkula and its surrounding area thronged the site. IN
view of fissures, all further development in Panchkula will be based on geological reports of the area submitted by a core team to be formed by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA). The team shall comprise geologists from Panjab University, soil scientists and scientists involved in seismic studies. The area in which the fissures have surfaced had been earmarked for future planning of the town . |
|
Few takers for PU
scholarships Chandigarh, March 6 Conditions like specific family income levels, sex and specific subjects underlined by donors leave very few avenues. As it is there are only a few applications. In the Hindi category there is not a single application this year. Dr Dinesh Gupta, Dean of the Alumni Association, said a new scholarship worth Rs 5000 had been introduced. The department lacks a form in management. Dr Gupta said: “I gave a birthday call to an alumni member. I made a mistake of addressing him as a lecturer whereas he was now a reader. This is because the records were rarely updated”, Dr Gupta said. Dr Dinesh Gupta said: “There was no effective communication either ways between the university and the members. The donation amount is low but people do not seem forthcoming to add even a little considering the money worth today. Some are even dead”. Also, an effort is being made to get back to the donors and get their profiles. “It is a noble deed for the people who are benefited to know the source. Maybe, later in life they would like to get in touch with them. I wrote to my donors, but, the record also seems lacking proper addresses of the donors”. A meeting of the stipend committee is scheduled shortly where 12 names feature up for the scholarships. These scholarships are exclusively meant for the postgraduates. The list of 12 applicants this time has two undergraduates. The Alumni Association and the Rulia Ram scholarships are in the open category. The list of scholarships also includes Prof B.L.Bansal scholarship for the commerce stream, Ms Lajwanti Bhanot for Hindi, Mr Deep Chand memorial for laws, Ms Shelly Sardana for Sanskrit, MG Industries for the University Business School and Lal Chand Mahajan (one stipend each for professional and social sciences each). The total income of the candidate and the parents should not exceed Rs 60,000 annually. The candidate should have secured a minimum of 60 per cent marks in the past university examination. The condition is to be reduced to 50 per cent incase sufficient number of candidates are not available. Most of the scholarships are based on interests of endowments. The whole scholarship package needed a re-study to make the exercise for helping students worthwhile. The association has made alterations in the minimum income levels. More importantly, for small amount applicants had to send heavy package of supporting documents plus make queues to the department for interviews. Dr Dinesh Gupta said that the attestation of the concerned college principal was a proof enough for the eligibility of the candidate. Maximum effort was made to avoid inconvenience to students. |
|
Technocrats against privatisation of power
boards Chandigarh, March 6 These were the issues raised by the technocrats during a workshop organised by the Institution of Engineers, Punjab and Chandigarh State Centre, here today on the topic of “Energy Scenario in Northern Region- Ailments and Remedies”. The deliberations centered around the fact that there was no need for privatisation in the state electricity boards. They felt that wherever privatisation was introduced, it had failed to produce the desired results and had instead turned out to be against the consumer interest. The chairman of the organising committee of the workshop, Mr G.S Bachhal, said the workshop was conducted with a view to get feedback from the technocrats of the northern region about privatisation and to find out the remedies of the problems that the state electricity boards were facing presently. The Additional Superintendent Engineer of PSEB, Mr M.S. Bajwa, said the government should take technocrats and professionals into confidence before deciding the fate of the electricity boards. It was unfortunate that although the privatisation in the electricity introduced in the various states of the country had turned out be unsuccessful, the government was willing to privatise the PSEB. The president of the Punjab State Electricity Boards Engineers Association, Mr Padamjit Singh, said there was no need to provide free electricity to the consumer as it ultimately led to financial crunch . The political interference in the functioning of the boards should be avoided. The PSEB should provide more powers and for free hand to start new power station and generate more power. Mr Nirmal Singh, a former Chief Engineer, said privatisation was not going to solve the financial crisis of the PSEB. The government must support PSEB and provide it more freedom for handling its affairs. The engineers had to work together to avoid theft of electricity, as it had become cause of major financial loses. Lt-Gen J.S Bawa, the chief guest, said the problem of privatisation was serious and the technocrats should not rely on the decision. It was right time for the technocrats to come forwards and convey the message to the government. Mr Harbans Singh, a Former Chief Engineer, Irrigation Punjab felt that the consumption of the electricity was increasing day by day. There was need to modify the structure of the PSEB rather then adopting a path of privatisation. The technocrats expressed their concern over the power losses in theft (about 40 per cent) and transmission losses( 20 percent). They felt that there was urgent need to reduce these losses as this contributed substantially to the PSEB’s financial crunch.Various others participants felt that hydel projects avilable in Punjab and in the region should be encouraged to meet increase in demand of power instead of banking on thermal power. |
|
|
Debates start for Women’s
Day Chandigarh, March 6 Urging the women to be economically independent, the Society president, Mrs Kamaljeet Saini, highlighted the role of women in maintaining peace and harmony in society. Mrs Sunita Kanda and Ms Jasminder Kaur from the Police Department talked about the atrocities on women and the role of police in stopping the victimisation of women in the male-dominated society. The discussion was attended by about 250 women. Mr Arjun Kamboj, Director, Incharge of Jan Shiksha Sanstha was the chief guest. Meanwhile various organisations in the city are gearing up to celebrate the International women’s Day on March 8. The Chandigarh Press Club, in collaboration with Markfed, is organising a talk related to women welfare. Renowned personalities from different walks of life are expected to participate. The Sikh Nari Manch in collaboration with the Punjab Sangeet Natak Akademy will celebrate the day by organising a seminar at Punjab Kala Bhawan here on March 7. |
|
Taliban leader’s effigy burnt Chandigarh, March 6 The effigy was burnt by activists of the Chandigarh Territorial Youth Congress and various Tibetan organisations like Ladakh Students Association, Tibetan Youth Congress , Tibetan Freedom Movement joined in the protest. The protesters said it was big disrespect being shown to these ancient statues, built before the arrival of Islam in Afghanistan. It was an attack on the world peace and the philosophy of truth and non- violence. It is also an attack on Buddhism, which is a unique religion and culture of this world. All religions including Islam preached respect of the places of worship of other religions. No religion allowed destruction of religious places of any community. The decree of the Taliban was very unfortunate. Historical monuments are the heritage of all mankind and did not belong to any government or people. The Youth Congress appealed to the United Nations and other organisations to put pressure on the Taliban. |
No malpractice in club poll:
Gupta Chandigarh, March 6 In a statement issued here, he said all No Dues Certificates (NDCs) were in possession of the secretary and he had to authenticate all NDCs as a part of his duties. This modus operandi of countersigning all NDCs was finalised in consultation with the president, executive members and returning officer so that no one could bring fake NDCs as per the apprehensions of various contestants especially Mr Ravinder Chopra. “This process was continuing from the past 15 days when date for filing of nomination forms was announced.The procedure was evolved to facilitate and streamline the issue of NDCs and also to prevent the induction of fake NDCs as apprehended by some contestants. Some contestants were present in the polling area at the time of polling and were impressing the voters to cast their votes in their favour. When they were asked by the polling staff to leave the polling area they levelled false allegations against the club secretary and threatened the staff with dire consequences”, he said. |
|
Minor fires in city, no property loss Chandigarh, March 6 A transformer in Hallo Majra caught fire following a short-circuit, but the same was controlled in no time as the electricity was switched off. A minor fire outside shop No. 1 in Grain Market engulfed sacks, but the fire was controlled by fire tenders from Industrial area, Phase-I, and Sector 17. Besides this, a fire broke out near the Air force quarters in Sector 31 at 4.36 p.m. Another fire broke out in H. No. 2321 in Dadu Majra colony due to leakage from an LPG cylinder, but no loss has been reported. |
|
|
GOOD NEWS:
PUBLIC RESPONSE Chandigarh, March 6 Guided by his contact and main supplier in India, Mr Inder Singh Paul, Chairman of the Chandigarh office of the Confederation of Indian Industry, Mr Parpia also sent a draft of an equal amount to the Gujarat Chief Minister’s Relief Fund through a different organisation also. Meanwhile, men and officers of the 318 Field Regiment collected Rs 44,225, says Col S.S. Sekhon, Commanding Officer of the Regiment. They sent a draft to the Editor of The Tribune of the said amount for onward transmission to the Gujarat Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. “From time immemorial defence personnel always care and come forward to help those in distress,” he said in his note accompanying the draft maintaining that “meagre amount contributed by the Regiment would surely help a few needy families”. |
|
|
Sec 15 residents highlight problems Chandigarh March 6 According to a release issued here today, the main demands of the residents are parking and lighting in Patel Market, extension of the road in front of the community centre upto the footpath near electricity office and boundary wall in the green belt to separate it from Patel market. The other demands include raising the level of the footpath in the green belt to prevent accumulation of rain water on the footpath, fountains in Sector 15-D and Patel Market, and tiles on the back of Sector 15-D, market and near the entrance of the floral garden. The secretary general of the society, Mr M.R Lakhanpal, has on behalf of the residents, sought lights on the footpath leading to children’s park in Sector 15-B, replacement of defective water meters before the deadline of March 31, provision of un-interrupted water supply in the green belt, improving water supply in Sectors 15-C and D and beautification of market in Sector 15-D on the lines of Pandara Road Market, Delhi. The representatives of the Patel Market and the president of market society, Sector 15-D, have expressed their gratitude to the Mayor for undertaking a visit to the sector and directing the officials to redress their grievances at the earliest. |
|
Id celebrated
with traditional fervour Chandigarh, March 6 Fruits, sweets and traditional eateries were distributed to mark the occasion. Little children were dressed in their best and could be seen asking their parents for balloons, sweets and toys. The local unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (Minority Morcha) congratulated the entire Muslim community. The Chandigarh Nationalist Congress Party has also congratulated Muslims on the occasion of Id. |
|
St Xaiver’s donates Rs 2
lakh Chandigarh, March 6 The students contributed of Rs 1,46,216 and the staff contributed Rs 54,784. Residents of Harmilap Nagar, Baltana, Rs 23,665 for the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund This includes Rs 5,000 donated by the Devi Dayal Charitable Trust. The Welfare Society, Sector 15 here donated Rs 2.08 lakh with the Indian Red Cross Society.
Chandigarh, March 6 The Governor commended the book for all those who aspired to adopt beekeeing as a vocation in Punjab, where conducive conditions prevailed and beekeeping could flourish in the organised sector. |
37 kg poppy husk
seized Chandigarh, March 6 It is learnt that the two accused, Nihal Singh and Hein Singh, both residents of Badayu in Uttar Pradesh, boarded an autorickshaw at the Mani Majra this afternoon. They were carrying poppy husk with them and had reportedly hired the vehicle for going to Landran village near Kharar. However, on the way to the village, the two accused started discussing about their work. The driver realised that they were drug peddlers on their way to deliver a consignment. The autorickshaw had just reached Sector 31 when Manoj Kumar decided to hand them over to the police. It is learnt that the driver told the accused that he would take them to Landran via an alternative route and started back towards the Mani Majra light point. Upon reaching there, he took the autorickshaw right near a PCR van parked near the traffic lights. Though the accused tried to flee, they were nabbed by the police and booked under Section 15 of the NDPS Act. Booked for impersonation Cash stolen Assault case Man beaten up Injured in accident |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 121 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
