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| Saturday,
July 21, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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Rs 10.6 crore grant approved for PGI Chandigarh, July 20 The PGI Director, Prof S.K. Sharma, who is the member secretary of the committee, told TNS, on his return from New Delhi late this evening that 19 items on the 42-point agenda were granted approval by the committee. This includes creation of new post of assistant professor in neurology, restoration of six posts of mortuary attendants, linen and surgical items for the paediatric and paediatric surgery wards, writing off expired drugs worth about Rs 1.68 crore, creating two posts of senior residents in Radiology Department, increase in the prospectus prices of the postgraduate courses and a senior grade for the PGI advocates. Besides these, the SFC also approved of putting some posts of the sanitary department on par with the AIIMS, creating two new posts of group C and D posts in forensic medicine and 21 posts of parking assistants and some budgetary allocations for the institute. The committee, which met under the chairmanship of the Union Health Secretary, Mr Javed Chaudhary, deferred some of the long-pending issues. Sources said that in the meeting Member Parliament from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, Mr Suresh Chandel who is the member of the SFC raised the issue about the more accountability in the PGI and also stressed upon evolving ways for better performance of the institute. Nearly all the agenda items were discussed but those deferred include grant for education of children of the employees drawing the Punjab payscales, creation of new posts of assistant professors for endocrinology and parasitology, filling vacant posts of store keeper, nursing superintendent, nursing sisters, class III and IV employees and restructuring of class IV on the pattern of AIIMS. The committee has sought some more details on 25 faculty posts for the National Institute of Nursing Education Staff which has already been approved of by the expenditure and finance committee. The cases which were passed will be placed before the governing body meeting scheduled to be held in New Delhi on July 25. |
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City students to contest petition against engg seat quota Chandigarh, July 20 Another application is being filed for vacating of the interim stay order in this petition granted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on July 16 by which counselling for admission due to commence on July 17 was stayed so far as the 85 per cent quota was concerned. These applications in the petition would be filed tomorrow. Decision to move the court was taken during a meeting of more than a 100 students of the city and their parents held at Panjab University today. Yesterday a joint front was formed to chalk out a course of action attempting to ensure that the reservation policy of UT Administration was followed for admission to Punjab Engineering College. Since the case is still pending in the high court and no admissions will take place before a decision on the matter is taken, many of these students are likely to miss out on their chances in other engineering colleges of the region. These students stated that they fate would be undecided at the first session of counselling of Punjab colleges and they would miss out on the counselling to be held for admission to Thapar engineering college at Patiala. ‘‘At many places we will now have to reserve our seats by paying fee. The fee at PTU is more than Rs 50,000 for an engineering course and has to paid by July 25.’’ they said. Many of the students, who had scored high position on the PEC merit list, did not attend the first sessions of counselling at many of the other institutions and ‘‘now if we go and attend the second round of counselling we will get only the leftover seats. That can affect our entire career negatively.’’ The postponement of admission to these seats was likely to upset the schedule of many related fields. Admission to the various undergraduate science honours courses being offered by the university were scheduled to be held from July 23 onwards and most of the students, who have lower positions in the CET, applied in these departments for admission. Now these admission would go on as scheduled and many students, unsure of their fate in the joint admissions, would have to reserve a seat here too. Teaching of the classes of BE and B.Arch which were to begin by the end of this month was also likely to suffer a delay. Members of the front also sent a representation to the UT Administrator yesterday apprising him of the situation and requesting him to ensure that ‘outsiders not be allowed to encroach upon the legitimate right of our wards’ It might be recalled that the Punjab and Haryana High Court had stayed admission to the 85 per cent seats reserved for the UT pool in Punjab Engineering College on the petition filed by Ludhiana resident Harsimran Singh. |
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PU employees to move court Chandigarh, July 20 These employees claim that their wards
have not been considered to be eligible for admission to the
degree-level engineering/architecture courses of the PTU under a
clause listed in the PTU’s brochure of information. In a
representation to the PTU Vice-Chancellor, these employees have stated
that according to the PTU CET 2001 admission brochure, the
children/wards/dependents of regular employees of statutory bodies
established by or under an act of the State of Punjab, are eligible
for admission under 85 per cent reservation of seats. And since Panjab
University was created by an ordinance/enactment passed by the
competent authority of the state of Punjab titled, “The Punjab
University Act VII of 1947” it is a statutory body established by an
act of the state of Punjab. The representation further states that
the employees of the Panjab University are posted at different centres
of the university in different part of the state. These posts are
transferable from these places to Chandigarh and vice versa. Moreover,
the Punjab Government contributes 40 per cent towards maintenance grant of Panjab University. The employees also claim that till last
year their wards were considered eligible for admission to these
institutions under the clause. |
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Seats to be
upgraded ‘not filled’ Chandigarh, July 20 The parents claimed that the PTU had in an advertisement stated that upgradation would be based on the results of the first semester of 2000-2001. Yesterday, during counselling of these students, the PTU reportedly put up an unsigned notice that only those students who had clear-all results in the first semester would be considered for the upgraded seats. The parents also claimed that the result for the first semester was only 18 per cent and therefore many of these upgraded seats could not be filled. |
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MC to penalise defaulting cable operators Chandigarh, July 20 According to information available, there are about 86 such cable operators in the city, who have not been paying monthly fees to the MC regularly, ever since it was imposed more than a year back, thereby causing losses of revenue worth few lakhs to the corporation annually. With a view to generating revenue, a monthly fee of Rs 1000 per sector was to be charged from these sector-level cable operators. This would have meant an annual fee of Rs 12,000 from each operator. The same stands approved by the House, but only a few cable operators paid it for a month or so. However, perturbed by the poor response and with a view to recovering the money due to the MC , the AC-I has asked X -EN roads -I, Mr S.K Chadha, to fix responsibility and recover the dues after serving notices to them for default in the payment of their monthly dues. He has also proposed strict action against these defaulter operators. For instance, the overhead wires of these cable operators passing over MC land will be removed by the enforcement staff with the help of the police force. Sources reveal that action will also be taken against the concerned officials, who have failed to recover these long-pending dues, despite the same having been approved by the House. It may be recalled that the officials had in February this year sought permission from the MC Commissioner to launch a special drive to remove the overhead wires of those sector-level cable operators, who have been defaulting in the payments. However, the same perhaps was never launched. Meanwhile, the MC had also decided to impose monthly fees of Rs 1 lakh per month on multi-system operators ( MSOs), who give signals to 2-3 small time cable operators. But following representations that the fee imposed is too high, the F and CC had proposed that the same be reduced to Rs 2,000 per month but the same is yet to be approved by the House. It was also suggested that the fees charged should be according to number of sectors a multi-system operator feeds. They had even moved the court and a decision on the issue is still pending. |
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Many buyers for IT dream in schools Chandigarh, July 20 In 65 local schools, wherever at least 125 students would opt for the courses, the company will establish its computer laboratory there. The fee for the course will be Rs 72 per student per month. There is a good level of awareness about the courses in model schools, so the response to these is encouraging as expected. However, students of schools that are in places like Sarangpur, Mauli Jagran and Mauli Colony, Khuda Ali Sher, Khudda Lahora, Kajheri, Dhanas, Karsan, Maloya and Mani Majra are also opting for these courses. In schools of slum colonies of Sectors 25 and 38, the number of students who have opted for the courses is 165 and 237, respectively. There are still schools like those in Behlana, Hallo Majra, Sector 11, Sector 31 and Sector 24 where these course may not be introduced due to low enrollment. Principals of some government model schools said, at some places, the response to the courses was so good that accommodating as many students might be a problem. About 700 students had opted for computer courses in each of such schools. The Principal of the Sector 33 Government Model Senior Secondary School, Mr Karan Singh, said, “About 700 students of this school have wished to join these courses. They are happy that these courses are being introduced in their school.” The
courses have attracted a similar response from students of the government model senior secondary schools of Sectors 16, 35, 37, 46 and 40. The principals said, once the project was launched, more students would want to join the courses and the number of such aspirants might cross the 20,000 mark. |
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Dream bus has much to give Chandigarh, July 20 How would you like this coach to be? Obviously, you would want it to be a symbol of the city, for which wonderful murals that make the beholder fall in love with Chandigarh have been painted on its facade. Bright colours give the coach a look that exports one to a pleasure-trip dreamland. A joint venture of CITCO and the UT Department of Tourism, it is for not only tourists but also residents of the city. Every trip is to begin from Hotel Shivaliview and end at the Sector 17 piazza after stopovers at Rose Garden, Gandhi Bhavan, the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Assembly Hall, the Secretariat; the Punjab and Haryana High Court; the Open Hand monument, Rock Garden and Sukhna Lake. The coach has 35 luxury seats on the lower deck and 22 seats on the upper deck. The paintings on the exterior feature not only various tourist spots of the city but also include a mural created by Le Corbusier. The duration of each trip will be 60 minutes. Officials said the fare would be reasonable to attract as many tourists as possible. The fare from one point to another on the route will be Rs 10. A single trip will cost Rs 25 and you can enjoy any number of rides for half a day at Rs 50. A day’s trip will cost Rs 75. Tourists can board the coach and alight at any tourist spot on the route. The bus will ply between 9.30 am to 7 pm. Officials said a crooner would entertain the passengers on the upper deck on weekends and festival days. There are also music and public address systems on this coach that has been procured at Rs 17 lakh from Satluj Motors of Jalandhar. Officials say that the service is the first of its kind in the country.
Refreshments will also be available on this coach for passengers. The bus arrived here today and was parked in the CTU workshop. For the next two days or so, it will be test driven. |
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FLAVOUR OF THE WEEK Chandigarh This apart, there is considerable festivity in the air. With Teej and Raksha Bandhan on the anvil, all city shops are being decked up. The kind of raakhis that have appeared this year, have never been seen before. There are musical raakhis in many shops, and there are also fragrant varieties. Nek Chand’s Rock Garden seems to be preparing especially for Teej. Some new features have already been added to the garden which is being spruced up for the festival. The swings in Phase III are all bright and embellished. The colleges have come alive and so have the favourite youth haunts of the city. Despite a ban on ragging, the seniors in Government College for Girls, Sector 11, did manage to play some pranks on the new-comers. It was heard that one of the daring new-comers went up to the SHO of the area concerned to lodge a formal complaint. The issue was, however, sorted out. The weather maintains its old mode — blending hot and cold elements. But by and large, it has been pleasant. Frequent spells of rain are keeping the weather balanced. The Sukhna is expected to spill over anytime now. The authorities are prepared to open the gates. The art front was active after a long spell of dormancy. The best part of the week was a play, ‘Zinndagi kabhi retire nahi hoti’. Directed by G.S. Chani, Harleen Kohli and Munna Dhiman, the play displays the pangs of old age in a subtle and sensitive manner. It was staged on the occasion of the senior citizens’ meet. The gathering left convinced that the youngsters and the elders must learn to understand one another to make a happy life. Another theatre event was seen in Tagore Theatre. Ghungroo Musical Club presented two Punjabi plays of Gursharan Singh — ‘Toya’, a one-act comedy on the indifferent attitude of the people, and ‘Begmo di dhee’, a beautiful portrayal of the trauma of a young girl who seeks revenge for the sexual wrong done to her mother. Punjab Kala Bhawan also looked bright with two major functions held on its premises: an evening of ghazals and a Punjabi play, again by Gursharan Singh. A Garhwali film, the first in the city, was screened in KC Theatre. Interestingly, Garhwali seems to have quite a few takers in this heterogenous city. |
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Three held for
selling fake gold coins Chandigarh, July 20 According to information available, it is learnt that Shiv Kumar, Panna Lal and Shanti Devi, all residents of Delhi, went to a shopkeeper in Sector 23, Mahavir Jindal, and said that they had found gold coins weighing over 1 kg while digging. They said that they wanted to sell the coins. They gave him two coins to check the purity and said that they would come back again to strike a deal. The SHO of the Sector 11 police station, Mr Satbir Singh, and SI Gurmukh Singh, who later arrested them, said that after Mahavir Jindal had verified that the coins were real, he agreed to buy the rest of the treasure for Rs 10,000. A deal was struck and the accused went away after delivering the gold. Later, when Mahavir Jindal again took the coins to a goldsmith, he found that they were fake. The police was summoned and the accused were later arrested. Mr S.S. Randhawa, DSP, Central, said that the police investigations so far had shown that they were involved in several other cases in Haryana and Delhi. He said that the accused would be presented in the court tomorrow. |
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SPECIAL REPORT Chandigarh, July 20 It fears that if Mr Goyal is asked to resign after he has been accused of illegally selling soap to the corporation, it will amount to admission of guilt despite the party feeling that the Mayor has not done anything illegal as his firm did not enter into any ‘subsisting contract with the corporation.’ And, if Mr Goyal continues after these allegations and with a determined majority Opposition, the BJP ‘‘not letting the House run’’, the Congress’ image is going to get a beating ahead of elections, top CTCC sources told The Tribune here today. The sources said, ‘‘Mr Goyal had been advised earlier to resign to oppose the non-cooperative attitude of the BJP, cross-voting of whose members led to minority Congress member defeating BJP candidate Ranjana Shahi seven months ago, but now it is up to Mr Goyal to decide on his own.’’ The Congress, in fact, feels that if they are sure of the Mayor’s resignation either leading to dissolution of the House or the BJP itself taking over the reins, the party may ask Mr Goyal to resign again, accusing the BJP of not allowing the House to run either through lung power and boycott of proceedings or levelling allegations after allegations against him, the sources said. The party apprehends that the BJP’s game plan is that first hang Mr Goyal as a corrupt Congressman and then replace him with an ambitious Senior Deputy Mayor, Mr Gurcharan Dass Kala, again a Congress member, and bring pressure on UT Administrator J F R Jacob through the Union Home Ministry to let the House continue for the remaining full period, exposing a rustic Mr Kala to public rebuke, the sources said. The party feels that the earlier warring BJP factions are now competing against each other to show their loyalty to the party after being pulled up by the party High Command after losing the mayoral election despite having majority in the House, sources said. The Congress also feels that the BJP will not now take over the mayoral reins to escape an anti-incumbency effect and that the Congress had messed up by first admitting to the party three supporters of former Union Minister, Mr Harmohan Dhawan, who himself has been expelled from the party for anti-party activities and then accepting the post of Mayor in the House where he could only survive at the mercy of the BJP. The party for record, though, has been shielding Mr Goyal but is nonplussed on how to get out of a devil and the deep sea situation to salvage its image to improve its tally in the coming corporation election. The Congress is also aware of the fact that Mr Goyal has antagonised at least two of the three remaining corporation member colleagues, who have openly been taking a defiant posture against the Mayor, smelling that the Senior Deputy Mayor of the Congress will become a natural choice to succeed Mr Goyal when the BJP is not interested in grabbing the post few months ahead of elections, the sources said. The Congress can now only hope either Mr Kala to leave the party and become Mayor through the BJP support or the House getting dissolved with Mr Goyal continuing in the Chair to go to the people on the issue that the BJP has employed machination not to let House run and then dissolve it. But, Mr. Kala realises the importance of remaining a Congressmen instead of leaving the party to remain the best bet for the BJP’s intrigues to fulfill his dream of becoming the Mayor. The party also is not able to understand why Mr Goyal has not earlier been heeding the advice of senior leaders and has been pressing for completing his term to become the first man in the corporation to complete a one-year term. |
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Soap scandal report back to Home Secy Chandigarh, July 20 Mr Singh, when contacted, refused to divulge the details of the additions in the report, but said that clarifications had been made on various aspects. Mr Gujral had yesterday returned the report finding it to be incomplete and had sought some more information, which was important to proceed further in the case. According to highly placed sources, information was sought for the reasons for giving permission to Mr Goyal for supplying soap to the MC, the officers responsible for the same and the violation of rules and regulations contained in the Act. They have also been asked the reasons for discontinuing the supply of soap from government approved agencies. Mr Gujral has reportedly also inquired if Mr Goyal was the sole dealer of the product in the city and whether he was supplying the product as a shopkeeper or as a company dealer. |
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Jain for dissolution
of MCC House Chandigarh, July 20 In a letter written to the MCC Secretary, Mr Jain
demanded a special meeting of the House for a fair and thorough discussion on the matter. He favoured dissolution of the House. Citing reasons for dissolution, Mr Jain alleged that the Mayor had failed to discharge his duties due to his incapability, incompetence, inexperience and involvement in various serious controversies and irregularities. On the other hand, the councillors, both ruling and opposition, have not been able to bring a no-confidence motion against the Mayor due to their infighting, disunity, mistrust, non-cooperation and were not sure if they would muster the required number of votes. |
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Beant case: HC directs IG to appear in court Chandigarh, July 20 The orders were pronounced by the Bench, comprising Mr Justice G.S. Singhvi and Mr Justice Mehtab Singh Gill, on a petition filed by Sector 7 painter Surinder Sharma. His statement had reportedly led to the arrest of the accused in case. According to the prosecution, Sharma had painted a grey Ambassador car, allegedly purchased from New Delhi by an accused in the case, for the commission of the offence. The car, as per the prosecution story, was seized from the spot soon after the explosion in which the former CM was killed. The vehicle had later led to the identification of the accused and their subsequent arrest. Sharma, in his petition, had alleged that the award, promised to the person providing information in the case, had not been handed over to him. The former CM, it may be recalled, was killed in an explosion on August 31, 1995. While the believed-to-be human bomb died in the blast, the other accused in the case are facing trial. According to sources, more than 130 prosecution witnesses have been examined by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Today, pronouncing the orders in the open court while taking up the petition, the Bench observed that since no one had appeared on behalf of the respondents, they were left with no option but to direct the IGP to appear in person and inform them about the progress in the trial. |
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Villagers face threat of electrocution More Thikari (Dera Bassi), July 20 Repeated representations by villagers to the PSEB authorities for the replacement of old electricity wires and the installation of a new transformer to ensure regular two-phase power supply to the village, have fallen on deaf ears. Villagers complained that the department had installed electricity poles a year ago which were brought by villagers from SAS Nagar at their own expenditure. But the work stopped after installation of these poles and no wires were put on these, they alleged. Mr Sukhjit Singh, a resident, complained that at many places a number of pieces of electricity cables had been joined to give a sufficient length to it. At many places, temporary wooden poles have been erected by residents to support the cable. The cable has also been made to cross over roofs of many houses and cowsheds. This may lead to a tragedy in case there was any short-circuit. Mr Nijja Ram, a 70-year-old resident, alleged that the government had done nothing to improve the electricity supply in the village. The villagers were facing unscheduled power cuts for the past many years. Another resident, Mr Mallar Singh, said these live electricity wires had claimed two buffaloes and four sheep in the village during the past five years. A girl was also electrocuted five years ago, still the authorities were not listening to their demand. The villagers complained that a representation containing their grievances and demands was given to Capt Kanwaljit Singh, Finance and Planning Minister of Punjab, but no action has been taken by the authorities so far. When contacted Mr H.S. Oebroi, SDO, Dera Bassi, electricity cables would be replaced within a week or so. |
Who is to blame for misery that
rain SAS Nagar, July 20 Water enters a number of houses in Phases I, IV and V and other areas every monsoon but the hue and cry raised by the sufferers only falls on deaf ears of the officials. Certain pockets in Phases 1 and V in particular face major problems when it rains heavily. Filthy water enters homes and some have even considered selling their houses and shifting elsewhere. While PUDA officials say that the affected areas have been handed over to the Municipal Council for maintenance, the latter lays the blame at the door of the sewerage wing of the Public Health Department. PUDA officials say that the problem arose after the Godrej complex came up in an area which was part of a choe. The choe was diverted and RCC boxes were constructed instead of a storm water channel. The disposal of rain water from Phase V was into the choe. The surplus run-off water from Chandigarh affects certain areas here, leading to overloading of the drainage network. PUDA officials say they had come up with two schemes to give relief to the affected residents of Phase V. First, they decided that water from the Union Territory should be arrested at source and disposed of independently and, second, to augment the outfall storm sewer of Phase V. They claim that the first scheme has been made operational but residents of Phase V are not able to get the desired relief as officials of the Public Health Department have connected the stormwater sewer in a low-lying pocket of Phase 1 with that of Phase V. According to PUDA officials, the stormwater sewer of the affected area of Phase 1 should have been connected with the Patiala ki Rao choe. However, Public Health Department officials say that the stormwater sewer of Phase 1 has been connected with the main sewer and not with that of Phase V. PUDA officials say the second scheme of augmenting the outfall storm sewer of Phase V is awaiting approval. But the work of augmentation will start only after the storm sewer pipes of the area are properly cleaned. Mr G.R. Jakhu, Chief Engineer of PUDA, says that since the Phase V area has been handed over to the Municipal Council for maintenance, it should be taking the lead and PUDA will help solve the problem. He says that stormwater pipes in the Phase V pocket are choked and are not able to take the full discharge. PUDA is ready to lay an additional line, but before that proper cleaning of the choked pipes will have to done by the Public Health Department. The size of the additional pipeline will depend on the remaining discharge. While PUDA officials are repeatedly saying that stormwater pipes in Phase V are choked, the Executive Engineer of the Public Health Department, Mr Gurnam Singh, says that the pipes have been cleaned. He challenges the PUDA authorities for a joint inspection in this regard. He says the main problem is that the Phase V area is almost 24 ft lower than Phases I and II. As such, excess water from other areas creates problems for the Phase V residents. Moreover, the PUDA authorities should re-examine designs to determine whether the system planned years ago is able to take the present load. Similar views have also been expressed by Mr Albel Singh Shyan, general secretary of the House Owners Welfare Society of Phase V. He says the stormwater pipes in the area have been cleaned and are functional to full capacity. The pipes are able to take the load of the Phase V area but water from other phases has made life miserable for the residents. He says a Rs 2.50 crore project was prepared by PUDA in 1998 to deal with the problem. However, it had not yet been executed for one reason or the other. The PUDA authorities have again given an assurance that the residents’ grievances will be redressed, he says, and hopes that this time they are serious about their promise.  |
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Leaders seek arrest of Dalit children’s murder Kharar, July 20 Mr Balwant Singh, secretary, CPM, Punjab, Mr Rajbir Singh
Padiala, vice-president, Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal, Mrs Lakhwinder Kaur
Garcha, secretary, PPCC, Mr Tirlochan Singh Rana, secretary, CPM, Ropar, and Mr Bhupinder Singh, Secretary,
AISSF, participated in the march which started from the Civil Rest House and passed through Rurki
Pukhta, Barouli, Ghrauan, Theri, Batta, Garangan Deh Kalan, Badali, etc. Rallies were held in these villages. The speakers demanded the arrest of a SAD leader of this area. Mr Balwant Singh said that opposition parties would organise a mass dharna and block traffic on July 25, near
Balaungi. Meanwhile, the sarpanches of Deh Kalan, Nabipur and Batta criticised the opposition parties for organising the rally. |
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Senior citizen-police interface Chandigarh, July 20 More than 100 senior citizens from different parts of the city converged on the venue to have an interface with senior officials of the police and discuss the problems faced by them. The objective of the meet was to see that how the police and society could help them in a better way. Major-Gen Jaswant Singh Bhullar (retd) demanded that the police issue identity cards to the senior citizens which would ensure that there was no undue harassment. However, the IG, Mr B.S. Bassi, later declined the request on the grounds that the cases of harassment were an exception. A lecture on the medical services was also delivered. Col T.S. Roohewal of Sector 19 also spoke about the land disputes that were faced by the senior citizens. He said that they had formed a panchayat with the help of the police in order to address the grievances of the people in their area. A number of senior citizens put forth their problems as well as their views on a number of issues which were addressed by the police officials. The senior citizens were asked to take precautions while employing servants, watchmen and to enhance the physical security of their houses. |
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Councillors for end to disparity in bus pass fee SAS Nagar, July 20 The issue has already been brought to the notice of the UT Administrator and the Governor of Punjab, Lt Gen JFR Jacob (retd). Mr Amrik Singh, a councillor of local civic body said due to better educational facilities at the school and college level, students from the town preferred to seek education at Chandigarh. He said the CTU was charging Rs 50 per month from students living at Hallo Majra and Mani Majra. On the other hand students travelling on CTU buses had to pay for 25 single fares which to Rs 250 per month. If the CTU applied uniform fee on students travelling from parts of different parts of Chandigarh as per the charges levied on students living in SAS Nagar, the fee came to Rs 175 per month. He said even if Rs 2 as transport entry tax was levied on the pass fee for students of SAS Nagar, the pass fee would come to around Rs 100 per month. Mr Singh said there was a need to start a local bus service linking different phases with the local bus stand in Phase 8 here. In absence of a proper bus service autorickshaw drivers were fleecing the commuters. The long route buses coming to and from Chandigarh did not touch the local bus stand. It may be pertinent to mention that a proposal of running buses on a local route was pending with the State Transport Department. |
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City surpasses small national
savings target Chandigarh, July 20 The District Saving Officer, National Savings, Mr B.S. Dhaliwal, stated this here today while addressing a function to celebrate Pay Roll Saving Day at the Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO) adding that 42,000 employees of 172 government, public and private offices had been contributing Rs 15 lakh monthly for the Pay Roll Saving scheme. The function was presided over by former acting Regional Director, National Savings Haryana, Mr R.S. Swahney, and the CSIO Director, Mr R. P. Vajpai, was the chief guest. Mr Vajpai said 150 employees of the organisation had been contributing Rs 25,000 to the five years recurring deposit account and had enrolled themselves in the scheme. |
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EATING OUT Chandigarh Jasmine Hotel in Sector 35, has a variety of stuffed paranthas and naans on its menu. And compared to other such hotels, their prices are lower, claims the Manager, Mr J. S. Raj. Also, their size is such that one full item is enough for one person, or even two. Cheese naan (Rs 25), cut into four pieces that fit into the basket attractively, has a filling of cheese laced with spices like dhania, salt, pepper etc. While pickle or raita or curd could complement it, you may also go for some gravy-based delicacy with it. The same goes for chicken naan (Rs 50). And, palette tingling onion kulcha with gravy (Rs 40) can definitely be had on its own. Gravy, which is the pride of any hotel, comprising a secret mix of sauteed onion, garlic, ginger, tomatoes, dry fruits and masalas, obviates the need for anything else. Then you have the ever-favourite Punjabi paranthas stuffed with aalu, gobi or mooli (Rs 25). A sprinkling of panir in these make them tastier. Or, there is also a full panir-stuffed parantha (Rs 30). For the meat eaters, there is parantha filled with shreds of chicken (Rs 50) or the egg parantha (Rs 30). For those who prefer the simple, there is tandoori roti (Rs 6), missi roti (Rs 15) and sada naan (Rs 15). If calories is no problem, go for butter naan (Rs 15). Needless to add that these have to be had with some vegetable, dal or chicken. The hotel offers both Indian and Chinese cuisines. Head cook T. S. Rawat proudly proclaims that these rotis are served hot and fresh within 10 minutes of the order. He has been working for Jasmine for seven years. Before that, he had training in Piccadily Hotel, too. This Garhwali began his career in Jalandhar. Rawat says that the hotel special is the dessert shahi tukra toast (Rs 60). It is a creamy delicacy of milk, condensed milk and dry fruits cooked together with fried bread pieces. While savouring the typical Punjabi style Cheese naan, I cannot help but notice certain things about the restaurant that leave something to be desired. In the light of the bar and accommodation bringing in the major chunk of revenue, the restaurant seems to have been somewhat neglected. Even as the food department is fine, the proprietor, Mr Narinder Singh, could do well to spruce up the restaurant a bit and give competition to other hotels. The walls cry for a fresh coat of paint. The upholstery and table covers look old and frayed. Maybe, a change of decor, including flooring and lighting, is needed. The waiters, too, could be given smarter uniforms. By the way, there was only one during lunch time on Thursday (though the Manager said they have three of them). When it is all done, some light music, paintings and flowers could also liven up the atmosphere. |
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‘Stop absorption of deputationists’ Sas Nagar, July 20 The association in a memorandum to the minister said presently there were employees in different cadres, who were working on deputation. In some cases the deputationists had been absorbed putting extra financial burden on the authority. Mr Ashok Mehra, general secretary of the association, said the process affected the chances of promotion of PUDA employees. He said the authority should make fresh appointments at the lowest level, after promoting the eligible employees through a proper channel. |
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‘Allow plying of trucks on Madhya Marg’ Chandigarh, July 20 According to a press note, the Adviser assured the deputation that a high-level team of the Chandigarh Administration would visit the market shortly to assess the ground realities and the genuine problems of shopkeepers would be sorted out by July 27. In view of the meeting, the traders of Sectors 7 and 26 and Transporters Association have decided to postpone the peaceful agitation, which was scheduled to start from July 24. The deputation comprised Mr Subhash Sethi, Mr P.N. Khanna, Mr Mahavir Parshad, Mr Sat Pal Garg, Mr Nand Kishore and Mr Kamaljit Singh Panchhi, chief of the task force of the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal. |
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SGPC member threatens legal recourse SAS Nagar, July 20 The agenda item was sent to the central government for approval, which had further sought comments from the Badal government. But the state government was silent on the issue, he stated. He demanded that the state government should give its version on the issue. |
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Union holds general body meeting Chandigarh, July 20 The meeting decided that the Independence Day and the birthday of Mr Rajiv Gandhi, falling on August 20, would be celebrated at Palsora Colony, near Toori Tall, and at the Mahila INTUC Office (House No. 2736, Sector 55), respectively. The meeting also formed a body of the Chandigarh Subordinate Services, which includes four vice-presidents. They are Mr Kalu Ram, Mr Munshi Ram, Mr Ajmer Singh and Mr M.P. Mishra. A press note issued here by Mr M.L. Narang, general secretary of INTUC, said Mr Ashwani Kumar, Mr Arun Kumar Sharma and Mr Suresh Chand were made general secretary, office secretary and secretary, respectively. The press note stated that Mr Ram Kishan and Mr Baldev Singh were made its press secretary and propaganda secretary, respectively. |
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Relay fast by
residents Chandigarh, July 20 The members of the federation assembled at different sectors in the morning and groups of people sat on the fast till evening. In the evening, leaders of different political parties offered juice to the members, who sat on the fast. The federation is demanding the withdrawal of the proposed demolition drive to demolish illegal additions and alterations from August 1 and have asked them to be regularised. They are also demanding the implementation of conversion charges and stamp duty on the Punjab pattern. The reduction in the conversion fee for leasehold to freehold has also been sought by the federation. The fast was organised in Sectors 47, 46, 45, 44, 42, 41, 40, 39, 61 and 29. |
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Amritsar man commits
suicide Chandigarh, July 20 According to the police, the deceased Harjinder Pal Singh Walia had booked a room in the guest house yesterday. This morning when the staff did not get any response from his room, they got alarmed and broke into the room, where the man was found dead. The police was summoned and he was rushed to the hospital, where it was found that he had died after consuming a poisonous substance. According to the police, a suicide note was also found from the room stating that he was in a deep financial crisis and was unable to cope with it and hence, he was ending his life. |
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Group clash on placement of
holy book Dera Bassi, July 20 According to the police, about 100 persons of a community, whose holy book was kept in the other community's place of worship, went to a religious place located in the village and objected to the placement of their holy book in a manner not befitting its honour. The group forcibly took away the book resulting in a clash between the two communities. Security men of the other community’s local religious head fired in the air. Villagers, including women, later reported the incident to Dera Bassi police station, which registered a case. |
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FENG SHUI TIPS Plants play an important role in everybody’s life. Chinese homes display lots of ornamental and real plants. Feng Shui recommends the use of broad-leafed plants that look healthy and green. If cut flowers are used in homes, please see to it that they look fresh and bright. Sickly or dead-looking flowers emit a lot of negative energy and signify loss. To energise the wood element of the house one should use as many plants as possible. Almost any plant will do as long as it looks healthy and vigorous. Plants should be healthy and green. If a plant is in poor health, replace it with a healthier specimen. However, some plants are more auspicious than others. There are plants which are not recommended at all. Avoid those with thorns such as cacti as they emit negative Chi. The Chinese jade plant is a highly valued one. All affluent Chinese homes have these plants. These have succulent leaves which suggest wealth. Ornamental plants made from real jade also attracts prosperity. Plants suggests abundant growth. Avoid displaying deformed plants in your home or in your garden.
Harshna Address your Feng Shui queries to: |
Robbers strike in Barwala house Panchkula, July 20 The robbers injured Rajiv Kumar and Ashwani Kumar seriously by hitting on their heads, while Suresh Pal sustained minor injuries. The seriously injured were taken to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Chandigarh. Sources said that the robbers struck at the shop of Suresh Pal which is located on the Barwala-Naraiangarh highway at about 11.30 p.m. Apart from some gold jewellery, the robbers directed the family members to hand over the cash to them. Narrating the incident, Suresh Pal said that as many as six robbers, who were chasing Rajiv Kumar, alias Bittu, from Naggal village to Barwala, forcibly opened the door when he was just to bolt it from inside. They hit him on his head with iron rods and he collapsed. On hearing the cries, Ashwani Kumar, another family member, came for his help, but he was also beaten up by the robbers. In the meantime, the neighbours raised the alarm and started gathering at the spot. The robbers fled. The people informed the police on night patrolling, but failed to chase and nab the criminal. The police has registered a case. Mr Manoj Yadav, SP, said that the gang seems to be the same which has been active in Lohgarh, near Zirakpur, and Banur and other parts of Patiala district. |
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Booked for carrying fake identity card Chandigarh, July 20 According to the FIR registered under Sections 419 and 420 of the IPC, it is alleged that Home Guard volunteer Naresh Kumar was travelling in a CTU bus with a fake identity card. The case has been registered on the complaint of Mr Surinder Kumar, General Manager, Chandigarh Transport Undertaking. Scooters stolen: Two scooters were stolen from different parts of the city during the past 24 hours. While one scooter (CH-01S-1672) was stolen from Sector 40-C residence of Mr Shyam Sunder, another scooter (CH-01P-1607) was stolen from the Sector 17 market. A case under Section 379 of the IPC has been registered. One
arrested: Shankar Kashyap was arrested on the charge of attempting to outrage the modesty of a young girl near Sector 27 market. The other accused Ojasvy, alias Jassi, has absconded. An FIR under Sections 509, 354 and 34 of the IPC has been registered. Liquor
seized: The police arrested two women, Krishna and Roshani and seized 10 bottles of countrymade liquor from them. They have been booked under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act. SAS
NAGAR Arrested: A resident of Khuda Lahora village, Rajesh Kumar, was arrested by the police while allegedly possessing a .38-bore gun and 11 live cartidges near Phase XI here today. A case the Arms Act has been registered by the police. |
MARKET
PULSE Chandigarh, July 20 “Though the AC market had been witnessing tremendous growth and we expected an additional 50 per cent sales, the demand increased by less than half of what we had expected”, said an electronics dealer. Dealers in ACs and coolers say the market for ACs has also been expanding due to various financing schemes being offered by the companies and also the low prices at which assembled ACs are available. “Earlier the price differential between ACs and coolers was much more. This difference now being low, the demand has shifted mainly to ACs”, said another dealers. “The sale of coolers this time was almost negligible due to which we have decided to discontinue with coolers from next season onwards”, he said. “While demand is mainly high during the months of May and June, a substantial decline was there in the overall demand during May this time. Last year we sold around 60 ACs in May whereas this time , the number was hardly 30. Early arrival of monsoons played havoc”. Sales in July are usually low and no increase in this trend has been witnessed. Quoting his sales figures, a dealer said these were 55 in May, 25 in June and 10 in July last year, compared to 30 in May and 25 in June this year. Market for second-hand ACs is also growing. Though most buyers for these include hotels, corporates, the number of individual buyers has also increased. The growth in second-hand ACs is not much due to less supply. It is a new market comparatively. However, trends are changing, said a dealer. |
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Meeting of Industrial
Advisory Committee sought Chandigarh, July 20 In a press note, Mr Yash Pal Mahajan, president of the federation, stated that issues which should merit the attention of the administration included ownership rights of CITCO shareholders, transfer rights of industrial plots, high charges for additional covered area, bad roads, etc. Mr Mahajan said the UT Administration must recognise the General Power of Attorney in case of industrial plots and CITCO sheds as it would help the entrepreneur to mortgage the property and raise loans from financial institutions. |
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‘CBM a club of big businessmen’ Chandigarh, July 20 In a written statement, he said no proper representation had been given to the elected representatives of several market committees, thus misleading the Chandigarh Administration that it represented the trading community of the union territory. He announced that a traders’ conference would be held here in October where Mr Sharad
Yadav, Union Minister for Civil Aviation, would address the traders. Meanwhile, Mr Bhardwaj has appointed Mr Pawan Kumar Mittal convener of the traders’ cell of the party and authorised him to constitute sector-level committees within a month.
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