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April 29, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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Health Ministry reverses PGI Director’s order Chandigarh , April 28 It may be noted that the PGI Director, Prof S.K. Sharma, had dismissed Mr Munjal from services nearly a week ago. Mr Munjal was recently reinstated after a period of suspension from August 12, 1997 to March 12, 2001. Mr Munjal had been charged with for having committed serious acts of misconduct, resorted to coercion and physical duress, acted in manner unbecoming of an employee of the institute and failed to maintain devotion to duty. He had also been disqualified for future employment under the government as per Rule 11 (ix) of the CCS CCA Rules applicable to the employees of the PGI as per regulation 38 of the PGIMER Regulations 1967. Sources said the Health Ministry had told the PGI administration to go ahead with the chargesheeting of the union leader even after he was reinstated. After the dismissal order was issued a group of PGI employees had approached the Health Minister seeking reversal of the PGI Director’s order. Meanwhile, the PGI administration has also received a communication from the Health Ministry asking it not to move the Supreme Court against Dr Sumitra Dash, who was recently granted permission by the High Court to rejoin the PGI. |
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A host of courses on your PC Well, Internet has it all for you. You can now do these courses sitting back at home on your PC. We have institutes that are offering online courses, which due to their convenience factor and cost effectiveness are gaining popularity each day. There are courses in IT, marketing, e-careers and offbeat courses. An online course means that after enrollment into t he course you can complete it and even appear for the examination on the Internet. Though the field does not have many players in the
market, certified courses via Internet, which are available at even less than half the rates which are charged if similar courses are done in regular stream. “We have enrolled nearly 100 students in less than a month of introduction of these courses”, says Mr Ankush Sood of Sector 34 centre of Zee Career Academy with
i- cell which is offering online courses. Not only housewives, retired or working persons, even students are equally interested in online courses”, he adds. Attributing the popularity of these courses to the convenience factor, he says, “One only has to come to us for enrollment into the course after which he is given a password”. “Not only this, one can complete the course at his own pace as one gets first-hand information and so it also includes the benefits of computer based training”, says Lalit, a student. The fees charged for these courses is less than half that would pay for a similar course under regular stream. The IT courses include Java, web data base, C++, advanced HTML etc. Fee for 240 hours Java script course, for instance, is Rs 2000, for a 100-hour advanced HTML course it is Rs 950. In the management courses one can go in for a programme in e-Human Resource, transactional analysis, team building management course etc. Rs 4,000 are charged for 150 hours programme in finance, whereas the fee for team building and time management course (40 hours) is Rs 950. In e-career courses like
Netpreneurship, e journalism, e travel and tourism, setting up of business online etc are available. Courses in marketing and medical transcription are also being offered. Knowledge Pub is offering web based training whereby interactive courseware has been developed. One can do programmes in Oracle, an introductory course in computers, web technologies, Java etc. Offbeat courses include summer courses, gardening, bonsai, grooming, party management, etc. A fee of Rs 4,000 is charged for the 75 hours courses. Recently, some companies have also added the facility of live interaction. With this the students can have live interactive sessions with experts to satisfy their queries related to the course. |
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80 pc high-rise buildings vulnerable to fire Any building with a height of 15 metres or above is called a high-rise building and is considered prone for fire. If such a building catches fire, outside help alone cannot prevent fire. * The high-rise building should be easily accessible for the fire engine, and entry and exit gates should not be less than six metres in width. * There should be an underground or overhead static water tank exclusively for fire fighting. * There should be an automatic water sprinklers with independent pumping
arrangements and overhead connection as secondary source of water supply for the sprinklers. * All types of fire extinguishers provided in the building should be ISI marked. * Automatic heat or smoke detection system should be provided with the facility of control panel in control room to be located on the ground floor. * The building should be provided with a public address system in addition to talk-back systems on each floor with control panel in the fire control room. * The building should be provided with illuminated exit way marking signs.
Chandigarh, April 28 Even today — after about four years — buildings in the city are unsafe. The blazing fact came to light after a Tribune team carried out a survey of the high-rise buildings in Sector 17 and 34. Almost 80 per cent of the structures are without fire-fighting equipment. The fire safety norms are being flouted not only by the occupants of private buildings, but even in government offices. The passport office in Sector 34, along with several other offices of the Punjab and Haryana government, are included in the list. This is not all. The staff, too, had not been trained. Some of the peons had not even held an extinguisher in their entire life. Worse, the Fire Services Department is still not equipped to tackle the situation in case a major fire breaks in a high-rise building. Investigations further reveal that both the authorities and the occupants show callous disregard for the precious lives of the visitors exposed to great risk. A considerable number of hospitals, restaurants, banks and government offices in the city do not have the prescribed fire safety equipment, which amounts to criminal negligence. Sources in the Fire Department of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation say that the Regional Passport Office building is without adequate fire prevention and fire safety measures. The passport office, which is virtually thronged by hundreds of visitors every day has no fire-fighting measures in the building, thereby posing a threat to human lives in case of a fire outbreak. It may be recalled that over 1,000 files and an unaccounted number of index cards were destroyed in a major fire which broke out in February, 2000. Ironically, among the defaulters are a large number of private buildings who spend crores on construction and interiors, but are hesitant to spend even 5-10 per cent of the total cost on equipping the same with fire-fighting equipment. It is learnt that 40-bed hi-tech hospital in Sector 34 has “inadequate” fire-fighting system at present, thereby endangering the lives of hundreds of patients, doctors and visitors within the premises. According to information available, the system was installed when the building was constructed two years ago, but was later removed. While an official of the Fire Department maintains that these were removed as they did not gel with the decor of this hi-tech hospital, the Managing Director of the hospital denies the allegations. He maintains that since the outlets were opening in the rooms of the patients and it was difficult to operate them from outside, especially in the event of a fire-breaking at odd hours, the same were removed. However, civil work is on to install the system in such a way that the said outlets open either in the corridors or the staircases, he added. Fire authorities point out that as per the Act, it is mandatory to install fire safety measures in high-rise buildings and keep them in proper working order round the clock. But the fire officials during inspections have found that a majority of the organisations either remove 50 per cent of fire safety equipment after getting the required No Objection Certificates from the Fire Department or do not bother to get the same repaired once it goes out of order. The onus of keeping the fire safety systems working lies with the owners. The building housing the Punjab and Haryana Secretariat in Sector 2 here, though considered to be the pride of Chandigarh as far as its architecture goes, has so far not been able to install the required fire-fighting system to tackle any eventuality, thus endangering the lives of the public as well as hundreds of employees
working in such buildings. Similarly, the 30 Bays building housing many Haryana and UT offices in Sector 17 also does not have up-to-the-mark fire-fighting
system. While in a few other new buildings the system is installed, no steps have been taken to ensure that the system is functioning properly. A visit to the Sector 34 telephone exchange building brought out that the fire-fighting and fire alarm system is virtually lying dead for the past few months. Hose pipes and branches are lying damaged and not in a useable condition. In fact, some of them are being used as dustbins. During a recent inspection, the fire officials had found things far from satisfactory and were served a notice asking them to set their house in order. Despite these blatant violations, the local Fire Department has during the last ten years sealed only one building in Sector 17 for not installing the fire safety system despite repeated notices. However, a special drive was launched in February to enure that all high-rise buildings in the city were equipped with fire safety equipment, and the department had issued notices under the Delhi Fire Prevention and Fire Safety Act, 1986, to as many as 18 erring buildings, both private and government. But it is pertinent to mention that the drive was once again left mid-way and the officials attribute it to staff shortage. The Fire Department is empowered to seal a building which has not complied to the norms of the Fire Prevention and Fire Control Act after three months of issuing of notice to a building. Sources further allege that presently the department has no proper equipment to tackle fire outbreaks or rescue people in case of fire in these buildings. In fact, the buildings also lack the hydrant system and though underground water tanks have been provided in fire prone areas, most of them are non-functional. Mr Bajwa refutes the same by saying that safety of high-rise buildings in the city is high on their priority as the High Court had also issued directions in this regard. He said that the department is all set to purchase a hydraulic platform-cum-turntable ladder (snorkel make) at an estimated cost of Rs 3.50 crore, which will be the first of its kind to fight fire and carry out rescue operations in these buildings. |
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Illegal
construction of ‘religious structure’ Chandigarh, April 28 Interestingly, while the labourers at the site said area residents had engaged them, the residents were evasive when enquired about the same. A ghee diya was seen lit at one corner of the foundation and incense sticks were also seen. When a Chandigarh Tribune team visited the spot, foundation of nearly 15 square feet had already been dug. Six to seven labourers were engaged in the process. A truck load of bricks was lying along the side. The foundation was dug adjacent to house number 5258 and in front of house number 5266. Residents who did not want to comment admitted that the land belonged to the government and no prior permission was taken for any construction work. After making frantic enquires, it was learnt that some locals had planned to construct the structure and the work had begun at around 6 p.m. At the time of going to press it could not be known who were the persons behind the construction. No officials of the encroachment wing of the Municipal Corporation could be contacted. |
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Eight in fray for PU Dean’s post Chandigarh, April 28 The post is one of the strongest university pillars of liaison with nearly 104 affiliated colleges in Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Ferozepore, Moga and Muktsar districts of Punjab. Reliable sources have confirmed that at least eight academicians are in the fray for the post. They include Principal B.D. Budhiraja (KL SD College, Ludhiana), Dr Baljit Singh Kapoor (Punjab Engineering College), Dr C.L. Narang (Coordinator of the NSS, PU), Principal Surinder Kumar Anand (former head of an institute in Shimla) and Dr M. Shakeel (Urdu Department, PU). The other candidates are Major D.P. Singh, Dr Sarwan Singh Sooch (Deputy DPI) and Principal Sarwan Singh Chohan (formerly from the State College of Education, Patiala). The selection committee this time figures big names. |
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READERS
WRITE IF we want to keep the city Chandigarh beautiful then the rehabilitation schemes for slum dwellers will have to be scrapped. These schemes have served no purpose except creating vote banks for politicians and damaging the beauty of the city. The intention of the Administration to improve the quality of life of the migrant labour and the economically weaker sections is noble. But this has made no difference to the quality of their life. It has only increased crime, brought down the literacy percentage in the UT and created more slums in and around the city. The rehabilitated slum dwellers generally sell these houses, make a profit, and continue to live in jhuggis. The inflow of migrants needs to be checked to keep the city clean, beautiful, green and well maintained. Increase in the city’s population is putting a pressure on its facilities. The Administration will be well advised to discourage migrants who are thronging the city in the hope of getting free houses. Harinder Mohan Singh Chandigarh
Low-budget tourists The Chandigarh Administration had set apart a camping ground for tourists near the lake. It functioned for some time and the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation (CITCO) provided tents and other facilities there. But for some years now, the site has been occupied by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and they have pitched their tents and raised some concrete structures. This has left the city with no camping ground for tourists. Chandigarh has acquired fame for its Rock Garden and other places of tourist interest, and a number of foreign tourists with a limited budget who throng the city are unable to find an affordable place to stay. A gurdwara in Sector 19 offers furnished rooms to tourists at a nominal rent but the Chandigarh Administration has raised a posh high-priced hotel on a site originally earmarked for a janata hotel in Sector 17. Thus, with the camping ground under CRPF occupation, and the site for a janata hotel taken by a high-cost fashionable hotel, the low-budget tourist is left to be fleeced by private guest houses. The Administration should have a second look at its policy in this regard and give some relief to the low-budget tourist. Narinder Singh Chandigarh
Unsafe junction The junction dividing Sectors 45, 46, 49 and 50 has neither traffic lights, nor a roundabout. It is not even manned by a traffic policeman. Initially, it was a T-junction. It came into being with the construction of the road to the cricket stadium in Mohali. This junction now takes a big volume of traffic. Moreover, the number of vehicles in the city has increased and houses and colonies have come up in Sectors 48, 49, 50 and other border sectors. All this has contributed to the rush of vehicles at this junction. Chaotic conditions prevail for most of the time, making it a highly accident-prone zone. The Chandigarh Administration should construct a roundabout or instal traffic lights at this point before a major mishap takes place. Tarundeep Aggarwal Chandigarh |
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FILM REVIEW ‘MEET the parents’ (Kiran) is a cute little family drama with father-in-law Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro) and son-in-law Greg Fockey (Ben Stiller) keeping to the centre stage attempting to outplay each other. Laughter bells ring gently but constantly throughout the show. Greg Focker is a male nurse in love with Pam (Teri Polo). The pair is invited home over a weekend when marriage of Pam’s sister is to be held. Focker carries along a ring for proposing at her place but the luggage gets lost midway. At Pam‘s home “Love comes first, then comes ... the interrogation”. At her home Jack cannot warm up to Focker right from the beginning. Greg is also a CIA cop who keeps an eagle’s eye on Focker to keep her away from his daughter at least for the weekend. Jack will do anything to get Focker out of the way. Focker does not smoke in front of Pam’s father. The only time he does, the scene ends up with the whole set for Pam’s sister’s marriage on fire. He paints the tail of a cat to make it resemble the one that Jack loved as a child. The cat breaks the entire kitchen cutlery. Nancy Tenenbaum, Jane Rosenthal, Robbert De Nero and Jay Roach have produced ‘Meet the parents’ Jay Roach is also the director. The movie lacks consistency of action. The first half is spent showing producer Ram Gopal Verma’s favourite Urmila at her modelling best after which the situation changes with the film turning into a psycho-thriller. Urmila discovering Fardeen’s marriage somehow seems an unconvincingly created situation as is the story of a servant running away with Rs 10 lakh posing as an underworld don. Fardeen Khan is a photographer on a tour to beaches in Goa where he discovers Urmila (a loner) exercising and fits her in his camera. The exhibition finally leads to Urmila coming on the ramp and making it big. Fardeen is by her side always eulogising her personality. She mistakes it to be love. She finally decides to propose to Fardeen and lands up at his home. Sonali Kulkarni, Fardeen’s wife, opens the door. Urmila is shattered. She keeps on calling Fardeen and even threatens to end her life. Nothing works till Fardeen decides to leave the town with his wife. Urmila lands up at his home when wife is alone. Urmila stabs his wife. She is about to cut her throat when Fardeen arrives and goads her to leave the knife. Urmila’s father Suresh Oberoi comes to the spot and discovers the truth. Six months later Fardeen is having a happy time at home with his wife when Oberoi comes home and invites Fardeen for a small appearance on his daughter’s birthday. Fardeen agrees only to land up at the mental hospital where Urmila is locked up. Fardeen still has a long way to go to prove his mettle. |
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FENG SHUI TIPS IN Feng Shui regular shapes are preferred to irregular shapes. Whether it is for plots, houses, offices or even furniture like centre tables, dining tables or even seating arrangements, shapes like squares, rectangles or ovals are considered better. Regular shapes are complete and don’t have anything missing in them. Regular shapes are symmetrical and balanced, offering a chance of deriving out maximum benefits when advanced Feng Shui is practiced. Irregular shapes often attract ill-fortune, as they are incomplete and missing. The luck pertaining to that particular missing corner is absent from the same premises. Buildings with corners jutting out and protruding may also suffer from various kinds of misfortunes. Protruding corners appear like extensions to the basic shapes, with the result that other corners seem to be missing. L or U shaped houses and shops are particularly unlucky. Generally, these places can be rectified and put to order with the help of Feng Shui. It is very interesting to note that “Shermukha” plots or pieces of land are deemed lucky in Feng Shui as they represent a moneybag in which money flows in easily but gets out with a much slower pace. Harshna Send your Feng Shui queries to: E-mail: fengshui@tribuneindia.com |
Evening dedicated to courage Chandigarh, April 28 It became fresh again today, with the Tagore Theatre reverberating with vibes of courage and conviction which the 23-year-old Chandigarh girl displayed on November 5, 1986, the fateful day which tested her for guts and grit. The
function was organised to pay homage to the great sacrifice of Neerja Bhanot, the daughter of Harish Bhanot, who has been
honoring brave women year after year, to keep alive the memory of his daughter. It was the fifteenth Neerja Bhanot Award distribution function. As the audio-visual told of Neerja’s feat, the air swelled with breaths of admiration for her. History stood reconstructed before the public. One of the trustees of the Pan Am Trust, Mr Irfan Khan, talked about the objectives of the trust. He said, “It is meant to celebrate Neerja year after year. The quest here is to find Neerjas from all over the country and honour them for their conviction.” The trust, which has a corpus of Rs 36.50 lakh, aims to fund women who have in situation or under certain circumstances, replicated the courage of Neerja. The trust has awarded 14 women till this day and accepts no donations. Before the awardees of the day — Ashamma from Andhra Pradesh and Alice Garg from Jaipur — were called over for being honoured, the Chairman of the jury, Mr Hari Jaisingh, shared his feelings with the gathering. “I am generally reluctant to be associated with such public functions. But Harish has been a friend, a guide, a philosopher, and when he asked me to head the jury I could not refuse.” That he was overwhelmed throughout the speech, was clear from the way he talked of Neerja. He then went on to tell the gathering about how
he, along with two other jury members, Mr Mac Sareen and Mr Harold Carver, arrived at the same two names. Quoting Swami Vivekananda: “Strength is life, weakness is death,” Mr Hari Jaisingh said Alice and Ashamma richly deserved the honour. As the Punjab Governor and UT Administrator, Lt-Gen J.F.R. Jacob, honoured Ashamma, she fell on his knees, confirming how deeply grateful she was to be a part of the family. While she talked about her miseries as a ‘jogini’, tears rolled down Ashamma’s cheeks. The ultimate gesture from her came in the form of donation of Rs 1 lakh from the award money. She said, “I will keep Rs 50,000 for my child. The rest will go to the sangh I work for.” Alice Garg, who spoke in Hindi and with a lot of substance said, “I am taking back the faith which you all have so strongly reposed in me and my
institution. This faith will inspire me to work better and work more fearlessly,” she said. Mr Jacob talked about the power of courage which, he said, lies latent in each one of us. He called upon the people to display strength in testing times. “Courage is in all of
us. Let us not shirk our responsibility. Let us face injustice squarely,” he concluded. At the end of the function Mrs Kanta Krishan Swaroop called members of Neerja’s family to the dais. A vote of thanks was proposed by Mr C.D.
Ramachandran. |
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Harike
being developed as tourist area Chandigarh, April 28 There is a proposal to set up a joint police checkpost to curb poaching in the wetland. For this purpose floating and static watch towers would be set up. Besides, hidden trails would be created to provide opportunity to people to watch rare birds from a close range. Through hidden trails one can watch the birds without disturbing them, according to experts. The Harike wetland has emerged among the best wetlands in the world and a lot of has been written about it in the recent past in the known ecology journals world over. It also finds mention in the books of famed birdwatchers and experts on the subject . The involvement of local population, watershed management, recharging ground water, checking water pollution are part of the eco-tourism project. There is a proposal to spend Rs 125 crore to develop the eco-tourism in the state. International bodies are prepared to fund the project. “There would be no problem as far as funding the project”, is concerned, said a senior official of the Wildlife Department. A wetland authority may be set up on the Manipur pattern, according to the sources. There is a need for plantation in the wetland area to provide adequate habitation to migratory birds. A proposal to this effect is being prepared by the authorities concerned. The Army has done excellent work in the wetland as far as the removal of weeds especially hyacinth is concerned. The wild growth had almost spread in the entire wetland in such a manner that birds faced difficulty to move about. Wildlife Department officials say to keep the wetland free from unnecessary wild growth, the department has not only put its men on the job but also engaged labour for this purpose. Army officers have trained about 22 men of the department in deweeding job. The Army has also provided an equipment worth Rs 20 lakh to the department for this purpose. At present about 100 tonne weed is removed daily from the wetland area, according to an officer. The department is contemplating to freeing excess wild animals from the various zoos in the state. The population of black bucks and sambre has crossed the permitted capacity of the zoos in the state. About 75 black bucks are in excess in three zoos in the state. Likewise about 12 sambres are in excess. They might be released in a forest area near Hoshiarpur. The proposal to provide fire-arms to wildlife guards and other staff is hanging fire for the past some months for want of funds, it is learnt. |
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‘Action against B’desh after inquiry report’ Chandigarh, April 28 We are waiting for the report of inquiry ordered by the Bangladesh Prime Minister, Ms Sheikh Hasina Wajed, to probe into the killing of 16 Border Security Force (BSF) jawans by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR). The stance of the government will be known only after the report is out and will also depend on what action our neighbours take on the issue, said Dr Swami. Ms Hasina has already committed to India that those found guilty of the criminal misadventurism of first barging into an Indian village and then brutally killing 16 BSF jawans, will be punished. No time frame has been fixed to wait for the report, said the minister, who has just returned after a visit to the Assam-Meghalaya-Bangladesh border. Relations with Bangladesh have not been strained due to the skirmish between the BSF and BDR. He did not see a wider gameplan in the attack on the BSF jawans and said, “it could have resulted due to some internal problems.” The only feeling is that what has happened was never expected as the border was dormant. The minister said he did not agree with the opinion that Bangladesh should have been taught a lesson for this misadventure, while replying to a question if the common man was feeling disillusioned with the action of the Indian Government. When asked about the reported joint naval exercises of Bangladesh and Pakistan, he said, “I have just read it in the newspapers and no official information has been received yet”. While narrating his findings of the visit he said the BDR had dug up 145 trenches outside the Pyrdiwah village of Meghalaya and attacked the village looting homes and places of worship. He confirmed that no first information report has been lodged against the BDR as it was a war crime. He admitted that neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar had become like safe havens for anti-national elements but he denied that any terrorist training camps were being organised in these countries. |
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Lending
helping hand to bright students Chandigarh, April 28 A non-political and secular registered charitable institution, the Guru Harkrishan Educational Society, has been giving scholarships to hundreds of students belonging to economically weaker sections every year to enable them to finish their studies. So far, it has helped 2,818 students with a non-refundable assistance of Rs 33.24 lakh. The society is the brainchild of Mr A.S. Rawel, a former Joint Director of Industries, Punjab, who, inspired by the eighth Sikh guru, Guru Harkrishan’s ideal of dedication to the service of humanity, thought of setting up an institution, worked out its details, completed the preliminaries, persuaded 11 more like-minded persons and got the society registered in November, 1986, under the Societies Registration Act, 1980. Ever since, Mr Rawel has been steering the society as its honorary secretary. In an interview with TNS here yesterday, he said the main programme of the society was to give scholarships for the full period of the course to needy brilliant students getting any type of vocational education in a recognised institution. For this the main eligibility criteria was that the income of the parents of the student should be less than Rs 7,000 per month and that the student must have secured at least 60 per cent marks in his previous final examination. The scholarships are given to all without any discrimination of caste, creed, religion or domicile. During 2000-2001, the society has given scholarships to 391 students involving a sum of Rs 6.04 lakh whereas in the first year of its working in 1987-88, the society was able to help only 46 students with a sum of just Rs 33,000. The society has also set up a separate special assistance fund for students who are from extremely poor families, orphans, fatherless, wards of deserted/divorced women and sufferers from any kind of physical disability. The total assistance in such cases so far amounts to Rs 3.54 lakh. Each year, the society holds a “sanman samaroh” to honour the toppers in selected professional faculties of various universities and boards in Punjab, Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh. This programme is being implemented since 1992-93 to inculcate a spirit of hard work and competition among students in their pursuit for academic excellence. Voluntary public contributions are the main source of funds for the society. The society taps this source in different ways. The foremost among these is the enrolment of members. The membership is open to all by payment of a prescribed subscription. Having started with only 11 members, the society today has a membership of 41 patrons, each one having paid a subscription of Rs 10,000, 75 life members with a payment of Rs 5,000 each and 301 ordinary members, each one paying Rs 500 or above — a total of 417 members. These voluntary contributions have enabled the society to build up a capital fund of Rs 60.57 lakh, which is judiciously invested in Government of India approved institutions and yields to the society an annual interest income of Rs 6 lakh. This assured income enables the society to meet the recurring commitments both towards the students and the donors. The transparent working of the society has earned it credibility among needy students. This has resulted in an automatic flow of scholarship applications to the society. Last year, the society received 788 applications but restricted by the resources, scholarships have been awarded to only 391 students. |
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Politicians
back CHB residents’ demands Chandigarh, April 28 Addressing the rally, the leaders, while urging the authorities concerned to accept the genuine demands of of the CHB
allottees, assured full cooperation to the federation. Prominent among those present were Mr Harmohan
Dhawan, Mr Devinder Singh Babla, Mr Sandeep Singh, (all Cong), Mr Satya Pal Jain and Mr Kewal Krishan
Addiwal, Ms Harjinder Kaur, SAD, Mr Raghbir Singh Sidhu, CPI, and Mr JS
Bhogal, a non-official member of the board of directors of the CHB. Later, through a memorandum to the UT Administrator, Mr Nirmal
Datt, Chairman, Mr Jatinder Bhatia, President, and Mr B.S. Chadha, General Secretaty of the federation, again urged the authorities to regularise structurally sound additions and alterations which did not encroach upon the public land. It said the CHB residents were the lower middle class and middle class people coping with the problems of expanding families and shrinking space. “Till this is done, the language of the affidavit on the so-called violations, demanded at the time of transfer of ownership to the general power of attorney (GPA) holders, be amended. It should not stand in the way of immediate transfer of ownership to the people who had made full payment to the board about a decade back and have been waiting for such a long time to become owners of their dwelling units,” the memorandum demanded. Demanding that the registration fee should be fixed on the allotment price and not on the current market price, the memorandum urged the Chandigarh Administration to look after the southern sectors in a better way. |
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Pollution
problem in Mohali SAS Nagar, April 28 The Chairman was listening to grievances of the residents here. They said obnoxious smells, especially at night, were emanating from industrial units like Swani Rubbers, Raja Ram Corn Products and Ranbaxy Laboratories. Mr Mahajan said such complaints had been received earlier, too, and raids were conducted by board officials. He gave a clean chit to Swani Rubbers in the matter of meeting the required standards. He said as a court relating to Raja Ram Corn Products was in progress, he could not comment, while Ranbaxy was undergoing third-party audit by a committee. The panel would give its report within two months. Mr Mahajan warned that if the Ranbaxy management did not fulfil its commitments made to the board, he would order the closure of the factory. Residents, however, said they were not in favour of closure as workers would lose their jobs but wanted some other solution to the problem. Mr S.K. Behal, liaison officer of Ranbaxy Laboratories, told The Tribune that the unit had been given time by the board till May 15 to plug loopholes, if any. He said the smell sometimes emitted from the factory premises was that of hydrogen sulphide. The effluent treatment plant was being covered at a cost of Rs 35 lakh and the work would be completed within a few days. Stress would be laid on the plantation of saplings, under the guidance of PAU, Ludhiana, in and around the factory premises which would absorb smells. Mr Behal said a US-based company had been invited to give a demonstration of an oil spray method under which smells could be eliminated. |
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Trees felled to widen road SAS Nagar, April 28 The felling of the trees was carried out by the Punjab Urban and Development Authority for the widening of the road. The bypass will reduce traffic congestion on the highway, particularly on the narrow bridge over the Balongi river. PUDA officials said the bypass would be helpful for residents of Balongi and surrounding villages. Moreover, the new route will reduce the distance from Chandigarh to Kharar by 2 km. This will ease traffic on the Ropar-Chandigarh highway. Following the direction of Punjab Chief Minister to open the bypass for vehicular traffic, the authorities have intensified the felling work. The road would be opened in the first week of May, said an official. Meanwhile, residents of the village have criticised the felling of neem trees. Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, residents said that though the neem tree, which is being used as medicine, is already dwindling, the department had shown its ignorance over this matter. |
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NGO that
helps sharing pain Chandigarh, April 28 The
difference between the two is that while, Ms Bakshi, as part of the
survivor group, as her son, Rizul, survived the onslaught of the
disease, Ms Toor, with tears swelling in her eyes reveals that her
Gagan, unfortunately did not. But together they try and give much
needed solace to other parents who too are undergoing the emotional
stress cancer brings with itself. For the parents, who gathered
together with Sahayta Vatsalya Sahyog, an NGO, today, it was a
platform for interaction between parents whose children are afflicted
with cancer for mutual support to cope with the situation and solace
and also meet the survivors. As Ms Neeru Tuli, President, Sahayta
Cancer Sahyog, adds, it is the personal pain and suffering that has
brought the group together, she adds. The PGI Additional Professor,
Dr R.K. Marwaha, Department of Paediatrics, says interaction between
parents helps them overcome initial disbelief and overcome their
emotional trauma and stress. “Doctors and nurses, even if they want
to, cannot provide this emotional support,” he says while adding
that parents being at par, can understand each other’s pain in a
better way. Ms Tuli agrees. Remembering the time when her
six-year-old Gagan was diagnosed for leukaemia in 1986 she said that
she battled with her fears and the disease all by herself. “It was
very difficult to express the mental agony. Even after 14 long years,
whenever I remember the pain, someone so young, so full of life had to
through while undergoing the chemotherapy, it becomes unbearable for
me,” she adds with tears in her eyes. Financial crunch is yet
another crisis parents of the patient faces. A hospital like the PGI,
on an average gets 300 new cases every year. Dr Marwaha asserts that
childhood cancers, whether blood related or solid , are very much
treatable if the patients receive treatment in time. But the very fact
that hospitals do not provide drugs for treatment acts as a major
deterrent for the parents. Before Sahayta stepped in, as many as 30 to
40 per cent of the parents of children diagnosed with cancer would
drop as the treatment procedure as it is an extremely long and
expensive process, he added. In absence of government support, aid
from NGOs like Sahayta Cancer Sahyog help parents to cope up with
their financial problems. Dr Marwaha adds that the NGO has already
helped 60 children with cancer. Dr Marwaha explains that after
diagnosis and introduction of chemotherapy, treatment for most common
blood related cancer, acute lymphomatic leukaemia takes more than 27
months. And treatment for solid tumours, depending upon stage of
disease, takes 12 to 15 months. Solid tumours have a better prognosis
and are comparatively less traumatic for parents as well as the
patients, Dr Marwaha adds. This long time duration and expensive
medicines makes cancer treatment an expensive proposition. A
bonemarrow transplant can cost around Rs 9 lakh and treatment for
solid tumors around Rs 30,000 to 40,000. Ms Tuli, who had to take
Gagan to the UK for bonemarrow transplant in 1993, had spent more than
Rs 25 lakh on the treatment. Ms Alpana Bakshi also adds that actual
cost of treatment works out to be much more. “Rizul was diagnosed
for retino blastoma when he was one and a half years old. While the
actual treatment must have cost around Rs 40,000, we have spent more
than Rs 9 lakh till now. Both my brother and I had to quit our jobs to
look after Rizul during those 15 long months Even now, we get him to
Chandigarh for regular check up. But today Rizul, a student of
National Institute for Visually Handicapped, Dehra Doon, is a role
survivor. A survivor who smiles and provides much needed hope to
parents of other cancer afflicted children. After all this is what
Sahayta Vatsalya Sahyog is all about. |
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RCAA must for city to regulate urban growth: Kaul Chandigarh, April 28 The RCAA should be legislated by an Act which would require compulsive participation of both Punjab and Haryana, besides the Union Territory of Chandigarh in the development of this new urban centre. The project should be assisted and aided by various central agencies, including the National Highways Corporation and Indian Railways. The present capital project should be put to rest, says Mr Kaul. The RCAA should be the main agenda for the year-long golden jubilee celebrations of the city starting next year. “The golden jubilee celebrations must be planned properly,” says Mr Kaul, recalling his role as a member of the silver jubilee celebrations of the city during his posting with the Chandigarh Administration as Senior Superintendent of Police between 1976 and 1979. “I have very strong emotional bonds with the city,” he says. At that time we organised 53 functions, though a majority of them were cultural events. But we had some good academic discussions also about the future of the city by discussing the successes and distortions of Le Corbusier’s original plans for the town. We had involved well-known urban planners and architects of our times. Our apprehension that unless steps were taken to restrict inflow of migrant labour, there would be serious distortions of urban planning have come true. “Now is the occasion for us to sit back and look at the future. What would be the shape of Chandigarh in 2005 by carefully scanning the progress in urban decay, expanding limits and expansion of population. By 2005 there would be no green belt left between Chandigarh on the one side and SAS Nagar, Dera Bassi and Panchkula on the other. “Chandigarh was originally planned as a replacement for Lahore. But now the city has been attracting people from every nook and corner of the city, thinking it to be good alternate urban habitation. Originally, it was meant for people of Punjab and Haryana, besides the local population,” he says, cautioning against the plethora of problems the uncontrolled urbanisation of city may pose.” Mr Kaul feels that all issues need to be debated in the concept Master Plan of the City for 2005. Besides the RCAA, he says that Chandigarh also needs an effective MRTS which should be conceived immediately to avoid catastrophical mistake of Delhi. One of findings of the Silver Jubilee celebrations was allowing cycle rickshaws and autorickshaws in the city for local transport as the Administration at that stage could not provide an effective public transport. Now these rickshaws and autorickshaws need to go. “This we can do only if we have an alternative system in place. The new system has to be efficient and inexpensive. The ideal would be an elevated railway corridor supported by trolley bus service,” he says maintaining that high cost of such a project would definitely be of no consequence to urban decay that would take place otherwise. “When Chandigarh was planned, it was to be city free from slums. But now we have 30 per cent slums. For next 25 years we have to have concrete plans to free the city of its slums. The best way is to follow the Turkman experiment. Shift the slums to alternate sites and develop those areas before bringing them back to their original habitats. “The North Zone Cultural Centre must develop a concert hall with a minimum seating capacity of 1500,” he says, suggesting that Chandigarh was an ideal and poor man’s alternate for international conventions and conferences. He recalled that it was during his tenure that such a convention centre was conceived also but never got off the ground. Mr Kaul also advocates Patiala as an alternate international air hub to provide better connectivity to the city. “ Patiala could assume the role of standby to Indira Gandhi International Airport ( New Delhi ) on the lines of what Gatwick is doing for Heathrow in England,” he said. He also strongly advocates for “rainier water system in the river bed of the Markanda” to meet the future requirements of the city as Kajauli alone cannot handle the water requirements. He also wants captive power generation for the city and a strong civil defence system for the city. “At present, the city does not have a civil defence system worth the name. The city is already in Seismic Zone 4 and could be in zone 5 any time now. A total safety system for the population needs to be conceived,” he added. |
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Migration
to NE must be checked: Gill A new law which will replace the now abolished Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act, is being framed to curb militancy and to deal with anti-national forces, said the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Dr I.D. Swami. The law will be more effective and foolproof than TADA, he said, while admitting that scrapping of TADA has proved to be detrimental for internal security of the country. Human rights activists are already opposing the proposed legislation. However, the government is trying to create enough public opinion in favour of a legislation of this nature, the minister added. Chandigarh, April 28 Talking on the problem of militancy and ethnic violence, Mr Gill did not dwell on the recent skirmish on the Assam-Meghalaya-Bangladesh border. After studying various options, prevention of fresh migration is the most plausible and workable solution. The government has to accept the existing migrants. Disfranchising them will be opposed by the political parties, said the top cop, who has served in the North East for long being an Assam cadre IPS officer. Another option of trying to issue identity cards for the entire population of Assam was unworkable. Corruption would have been seeped in as several migrants try to get such cards issued. It must be kept in mind that politics in this country runs not on any ideals or principles but on vote banks. Starting with a brief introduction of the north eastern states and the problems of ethnic conflicts, Mr Gill said: “Immediately after my first posting in Assam, I realised the influx of foreigners into the state was the greatest security threat.” No political party ever made enough efforts to solve it and the problem continues to exist even today. Although Assam seems to have
stabilized on its own, migration continues in the region. Mr Gill will be speaking on the Kashmir issue tomorrow. The lecture was presided over by Dr. I.D. Swami while Mr Bhardwaj, Chairman of the Chandigarh Chapter of the Panchnad Institute, welcomed the guests and read out the citation of Mr
K.P.S. Gill. |
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‘Need
to evolve people’s media’ Chandigarh, April 28 The contents at large were market-oriented and not people-oriented. A democracy cannot be run where information is manipulated. “Without a well-informed citizen, there cannot be any real democracy. If private media’s main aim is to earn profits and the government controlled media’s tilt towards the administration, then there is the need to evolve people’s media that would address to their needs and problems more selflessly.” “The moment one forgets the dharma of his profession and ignores the people’s interest he should quit. The freedom of media means freedom of people to be informed accurately and adequately without any bias.” There was an obligation on media which was different from other enterprises to delineate itself from the sole motive of profit earning. Talking about the objectives of media and the people’s interests, he said: “There is a difference between what is of interest to the people and what is in the interests of the people. There is no such thing as consumers’ market — it is always a suppliers’ market.” He said there was an obligation on media to supply information which was in the larger interest of the people. He added that a person could not go to any extent just to give information. Talking about media accountability, he said: “We will have to invent or carve such a machinery or such a media which will discharge its job of giving correct information.” |
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Residents
resent HUDA’s indifference Panchkula, April 28 In representations to the HUDA authorities and the Deputy Commissioner, the association has stated that the authorities have given a poor response to their problems discussed with the administrator at a meeting last year. The residents have to face a lot of problems including encroachment by jhuggi- dwellers in Madrasi Colony and Azad Colony and absence of a , community centre, traffic lights and dispensary. Mr Brij Lal Manju, General Secretary of the association, alleged that HUDA, complying with the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, had removed the encroachments by the residents but has not cared to remove those on the HUDA land by departmental employees in Madrasi Colony and Azad Colony. Violating HUDA bylaws, these encroachers had started operating business establishments from there. Besides this the community centre, which was almost complete, but was awaiting inauguration for the past over three months. The building of the civil dispensary was yet to be constructed, while its boundary wall had been constructed. Moreover, HUDA’s decision to link Sector 21 with the Kalka-Zirakpur highway has not taken the physical shape. |
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World Earth Day
celebrated Chandigarh, April 28 Raj Kumari won the first prize in the on-the-spot painting competition, while Reenu came first in the paint-your-gamla contest. Raj Kumari got the first prize in on-the-spot essay writing competition and Sukhvinder won the first prize in the slogan writing contest. Chanda got the first prize in the cultural function. Prizes to the winners were given away by the UT Director, Technical Education, Mr Chandra Shekhar. Speaking on the occasion, he said that there was a need to spread awareness among the youth about burning issues like environment preservation. Mr S.K. Sharma, President of the
Environment Society of India, Chandigarh chapter, delivered the keynote address and related the importance of Earth day. |
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Broaden
tax base, says Bansal Chandigarh, April 28 Participating in the discussion on the Finance Bill in the Lok Sabha, Mr Bansal said the sum total of taxes which the common man paid as the percentage of his total earnings was much more than what the rich man paid. Accepting the need to broaden the tax base, Mr Bansal said efforts should be made to encourage people to pay taxes voluntarily. But, at the same
time, the taxation should not be punitive or unbearable. When a citizen already paid several taxes in other forms, he should at least be exempted from the income tax. The loss of revenue on this account could be made good through efficient administration. |
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Compromise
in land dispute Kharar, April 28 The administration had made tight security arrangements for implementing the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on this issue, and April 28 had been fixed the day for this purpose. Tension eased after a compromise was reached between the parties in which Mr Devinder Singh, SDM Kharar, Mr Rupinder Singh, DSP Kharar, Mr Charanjit Singh (former president Municipal Committee Kharar) and many others played an important role. According to the agreement between the parties the owners of the land would give one and quarter acres land free of cost for the construction of a community hall and would give Rs 6 lakh to the villagers for the construction of the community hall. The land on which there were at present “Guhares” and “Dhers” would also remain with the villagers of Khanpur. All cases — civil and criminal — pending between the parties would be taken back according to the rules. According to the compromise there won’t be any tussle between the parties in future and the residents of Khanpur village would not interfere in taking/giving possession of the land to the owners. |
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Awareness drive Chandigarh, April 28 A meeting with the rickshaw-pullers would be held in the coming week and they would be asked to follow the rules. |
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Shramdan
from May 5 The annual shramdan of the Sukhna lake will commence on May 5, sources in the engineering wing said.
TNS |
Woman’s gold chain snatched Chandigarh, April 28 A case has been registered under Sections 379 and 356, IPC.
Trespassing Man assaulted A case under Sections 325 and 34, IPC, has been registered. Caught red-handed A case has been registered. |
Meet on industrial partnership SAS Nagar, April 28 Mr Joseph Mavingui of Professional Global Industrial Partnership representing the European industry, said there were opportunities available for global partnership between local industries and those in France. He said his team had enough database of the European industry seeking global partners. He suggested the Mohali Industries Association to sign a MoU with consultants from France to facilitate business tie-up. Mr S.S. Sandhu, President of the MIA, welcomed the suggestion of Mr Mavingui for signing of the MoU. |
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Chandigarh, April 28
Pyaar
Tune Kya Kiya... (Batra and Dhillon, Mani Majra) is a lacklustre collage of psychic endeavours of Urmila Matondkar to bag her love and her too often repeated ‘Oomph! Oomph! Umph!’ poses, this time as a magazine model.
