The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Friday, August 17, 2001, Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

R E G I O N A L B R I E F S

REGIONAL POTPOURRI

He slogs 16 hrs a day for Rs 200 per month
A CA who has shown the way

A garden to glorify minjars

PUNJAB

AMRITSAR
SERVICE TAX FLAYED: The All-India Photographic Front has condemned the levying of 5 per cent service tax on photographers. It submitted a memorandum to the government. Mr Satish Kumar Sharma, president of the front, said photography was not a business and hence not taxable. Moreover, photographers were already paying tax on film roles and processing, he said.

DHURI
BODY FOUND: The body of a 17-year-old youth was found from a canal near the Police Lines, Sangrur, on Tuesday evening. He was murdered allegedly by two unidentified youths with whom he was last seen. The victim has been identified as Ravi Kant. A case under Sections 302, 404, 201 and 34 of the IPC has been registered.

JALANDHAR
IMA’S PLEA: The Punjab unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has urged the government to revive the Punjab Medical Council, which has been lying defunct for the past about 20 years. In a resolution passed at a state-level meeting here on Monday, the IMA demanded the resurrection of the council to avoid the need to bring forth the proposed clinical establishment Bill.

LUDHIANA
FACTORY VISIT: The MBA and MCA students of GGN Institute of Management and Technology were taken to a visit of a T-shirt manufacturing unit here on Thursday. They interacted with the chairman, director and employees of the mill to know about quality management, information systems, merchandising, brand building, advertising and public relations.

MEDICAL CAMP: A medical camp was organised by the Grewal Brotherhood, the village panchayat and managing committees of Nankana Sahib Public School and Khalsa Girls High School at Kila Raipur on Thursday. Doctors examined more than 700 students and educated them on personal hygiene and healthcare, with emphasis on dental care. Free medicines and toothbrushes were distributed among schoolchildren.

SALDI NOMINATED: BJP leader and vice-president of east mandal of the party, Mr Jaswant Rai Saldi, has been nominated election in charge for Ludhiana East constituency in the coming Assembly polls. The appointment has been made by the BJP District (Urban) president, Mr Harbans Lal Sethi, in consultation with the party high command.

SAPLINGS PLANTED: A tree plantation drive was launched at Government Middle School, Phullanwal village, in association with the State Bank of India, on Thursday. The students planted saplings and a cultural programme was organised.

PATIALA
SANGAT DARSHAN PROGRAMME: Out of a total of 45 grievance cases, 13 related to the Police Department have been sent to the district police chief for their possible solutions. As many as 10 other cases were solved on the spot during the sangat darshan programme that was presided over by Mr Gagandeep Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner, at Red Cross Society here on Thursday. Apart from solving these grievances, an assurance of providing free medicines and medical check-up was given by the Red Cross.

IMA’S OFFER: The Indian Medical Association (IMA), Punjab, has offered to enroll students and interns of the state medical college as “Student-members of IMA Punjab” during a meeting of the state working committee held at Jalandhar on Thursday. Stating this, Dr D.S.Bhullar, IMA spokesperson, said the students would be enrolled without charging any membership fee so that they can attend continuing medical education (CME) programmes being conducted by the IMA regularly and to enable them to remain in touch with the latest developments in the field of medicine. He said the drive will start shortly. It was also decided at the meeting that the IMA would oppose the Punjab Government’s move to transfer the medical teachers during Medical Council of India (MCI) inspections of the state medical colleges if all the colleges are not inspected by the MCI. Taking a serious note of the large number of posts of medical teachers lying vacant since long in the state medical colleges, the state government has been urged to fill up these vacancies on priority.

OFFICE-BEARERS: Mr G.K.Chopra has been appointed as the president of Accounts Welfare Club at a meeting held here on Thursday. The other office-bearers are general secretary — Mr Narinder Diwan; senior vice-presidents — Mr R.K. Khanna and Mr Rehman Dass Chug; vice-presidents — Mr S.P. Mehta and Mr Ranbir Kumar; finance secretary — Mr Subash Arora; office secretary — Mr Gobinder Singh; and executive members — Mr Avtar Singh and Mr Pawan Kumar Malik.

CRITICISED: The Marxist Communist Party of India (MCPI) criticised the proposed ‘secular front’ likely to be forged by CPI(M) and CPI along with Congress in the state under the garb of fighting communal alliance of Akali Dal (Badal) and BJP. Stating this here, a central committee member Mr Prem Singh Bhangu, said anti-national and anti-people new economic policy was initiated by Congress thus giving open invitation to foreign capital and multinational corporations to invest in India. He added that after signing the GATT agreement and becoming the member of World Trade Organisation, the BJP government at the Centre was pursuing the economic reforms of Congress and has thrown wide open doors for the import of 1429 agricultural and industrial items produced in India. Mr Bhangu stressed the need of unity among left and democratic forces in the state which are opposed by the Congress and Akali Dal-BJP alliance and have concrete economic political programme. He added that the recently formed ‘Punjab Lok Morcha’ was a step to encourage this unity.

PHAGWARA
DEMAND: The local Railway Passengers Welfare Association on Thursday demanded that the Shatabdi Express should halt at Phagwara. The association has sought intervention of the Punjab Governor.

CHANDIGARH

DIPLOMA COURSE: The Sector 16 General Hospital is likely to start a diploma course in nursing shortly. The three-year course will exclusively be for candidates from the city and will have 20 seats. Though the PGI conducts degree courses in nursing, in absence of a diploma course, the students often have to depend upon institutions in other cities.

ELECTED: Mr Diwan Arya, past chairman of the Chandigarh Panchkula chapter of Cost accountants, have been elected to the post of Secretary, Northern India Regional Council (NIRC) of the institute of Cost and Works Accountants on India (ICWAI), on August 8 for the year 2001-2002. Mr Arya plans to organise seminars on topics of cost and management, accounting and cost controls at almost all the chapters of NIRC at Simla, Chandigarh, Jammu, Nangal, Ludhiana, Patiala etc.

MUKTI PARV OBSERVED: On the occasion of the Independence Day on Wednesday, the Sant Nirankari Mandal observed the “Mukti Parv”. Addressing the gathering, Mr Kesho Ram Nandwani, zonal in charge, we needed same kind of determination to liberate our minds from negative and anti-social tendencies as we successfully displayed for the achievement of freedom. Earlier, the Sant Nirankari Sewa Dal celebrated the day as “Guru Pooja Divas”. Several items of socio-spiritual values were performed by the youths at the function, where Mr Niranjan Singh, Financial Commissioner, Punjab, was the chief guest.

ELECTED: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Neighbourhood Welfare Associa-tion, Sector 19-A: president — Mr S.S. Virdi; general secretary —Mr V.S. Sodhi; joint secretary — Ms Ranjit Mehta; vice-president — Ms Poonam Angrish; and treasurer — Ms Harmohan Bhasin.

CBI INQUIRY DEMANDED: Dr Anwar Ali, president of the National Muslim Welfare Movement, has demanded a CBI inquiry into the alleged gang rape and murder of a minor Muslim girl of Laxmangarh village in Fatehgarh Sahib district. In a representation to the Union Home Minister, Dr Ali alleged that the police was trying to hush up the case.

OFFICE-BEARERS: The following have been elected office-bearers of the Garhwal ramleela Avam Sanskritik mandal: chariman — Mr Sabar Singh Bisht; president — Mr Bhagwan Singh Rawat; senior vice-president — Mr Gopal Singh Rawat; vice-president — Mr Prem Singh Rana; general secretary — Mr Bhagwati Prashad Gour; secretary — Mr Kewal Singh Bangari; treasurer — Mr Satish Joshi; accountant — Mr Jagat Singh Rana; auditor — Mr Vidya Dutt; store keeper — Mr Jagdish Bisht; publication secretary — Mr Kamal Kishore; Director — Mr Jagdish Bangari; assistant director — Mr Depak Gour; make-up director — Mr H.S. Negi; assistant make-up director — Mr B.S. Belwal; scenary director — Mr Gurudayal Bangari; and stage director — Mr Kuldeep Bisht.

PROBLEMS HIGHLIGHTED: A delegation of the LIG Residents Welfare Association, Sector 41-D, today met the Executive Engineer, Mr DP Singh, and apprised him of the problems being faced by the residents on account regular power failure. The delegation brought to his notice that the transformers in the sector were overloaded as commercial consumers like the shopkeepers of Badheri village, booth owners and “rehriwalas” drew power from here. The delegation threatened to start an agitation if the power supply was not restored.

HARYANA

AMBALA
RECRUITMENT: An Army recruitment rally is going to be held at Dronacharya Stadium in Kurukshetra from August 22 to 24. An Army officer said the recruitment rally will be for Jat, Rajput, Sikh (Mazhabi and Ramdasi), Gorkha and Muslim candidates. The candidates from Ambala, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Yamuna Nagar, Panchkula and Chandigarh and in the age group of September 30, 1980 to August 22, 1985, will be eligible. The candidates must bring the relevant documents with them, a release said.

SAPLINGS PLANTED: NSS volunteers of Government Senior Secondary School, Baldev Nagar, Ambala city, observed vana mahotsava by planting saplings. Speaking on the occasion, the Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mr Mahinder Kumar, said it is the sacred duty of the teaches and students to plant saplings. The Forest Divisional Officer, Mr Rambir, said around 3.5 lakh saplings of various kinds have been distributed free of cost to different educational institutions, municipal councils and village panchayats, a release said. Among others, Principal Ms Shashi Malhotra and the NSS programme officer, Dr Nirmal Asija, were present.

CAMPAIGNING PICKS UP: With less than 24 hours left for the campaigning deadline, electioneering has picked up in the by-election to ward No. 24 of the Municipal Council, Ambala sadar. Besides holding corner meetings, the candidates and their supporters are making last minute efforts to woo the voters. The candidates in the triangular contest are Narendra Bangali of Vikas Parishad, Pradeep of Bharatiya Janata Party and Chanchal Kumari of Congress. The candidates and their supporters are going all out to garner the support of the residents of ward No. 24.

BHIWANI
BLOOD DONATION CAMP: Fifty students donated blood at a camp held here on Tuesday. The camp, organised by the Lions Club and the Health Department, was inaugurated by the SDM, Mr Yogesh Chander Bhardwaj. In another programme, 870 prisoners planted saplings on the district jail premises.

ROHTAK
SUICIDES: Two women allegedly committed suicide by taking poison in separate incidents. Saroj of Tilak Nagar locality reportedly took poison as she could not get admission to a course of her choice. The other suicide victim has been identified as Sapna of Bharat Colony.

SONEPAT
WATER RECEDING: Water has started receding in the Yamuna, near here, thereby averting damage to crops and property in the Khadar tract of the district. The 48-km-long bundh between Bega and Dahesra villages is intact and officials are patrolling the embankments. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr S.N. Roy, told mediapersons on Thursday that a flood control room was working round the clock.

HIMACHAL PRADESH

MANDI
GOVT MOVE FLAYED: The state chief of the Dalit Sena, Mr Mahinder Singh, on Monday criticised the move of the state government to increase the power tariff for all categories, including domestic consumers. He said after hiking the power rates twice in the recent past, another raise would further burden the poor.

NURPUR
WELFARE FUND: The Welfare Society of the local 100-bedded Civil Hospital at a meeting on Tuesday set up an emergency medicine relief fund for the poor. A four-member committee was also constituted aimed at mobilising people to contribute to the fund. A local MLA, who presided over the meeting, said he would contribute Rs 500 per month to the fund. The society also decided to enhance ultrasound charges to Rs 150.

ARRESTED: Satva Devi and Ramesh Kumar, mother-in-law and brother-in-law of Rita Devi (21), respectively, have been arrested in connection with an incident of burning in which Rita Devi sustained about 70 per cent injuries. She gave a statement that she had married Vipon Kumar a year ago. Her mother-in-law and brother in-law had sprinkled kerosene on her and set her ablaze. She was saved by her husband, she said. The accused were remanded in judicial custody on Tuesday.

REGIONAL POTPOURRI

He slogs 16 hrs a day for Rs 200 per month

For Vinod, a six-year-old Bihari boy, the ongoing ‘‘crusade’’ by the government and other child rights’ organisations for child welfare has no meaning as he has to earn his livelihood by working the whole day at a tea stall for a paltry sum of Rs 200 per month.

Oblivious of any of his rights, he has no choice but to do his job comprising washing of utensils and serving tea to customers for about 16 hours a day to feed his old parents at Kehar village in Bahraich district. In this village, his parents have a small piece of land but they are unable to cultivate it.

‘‘I have to get up at five or six in the morning and have to work till late in the night. I have to do every kind of job like washing of cups, preparing tea and serving it in different offices,’’ said the weary-looking boy, who has been working for a tea stall owner near Namdev Chowk in Jalandhar for about two to three months. His elder brother works for a “chhole bhaturewallah’’, but Vinod is not aware about his salary.

Narrating his tale of woe after he indulgently picked up a chat with this correspondent where he had come to serve tea, a moist-eyed Vinod said he has no option but to send his entire ‘‘salary’’ to his parents through money order and has to live on whatever food is provided to him by the tea stall owner, who has also given a small corner of his house to him, which serves as his ‘‘den’’.

Mornings are more tormenting for Vinod as he says he wants to study, provided he is given a chance. But where is the chance and how to get it, he does not know. ‘‘I don’t like working here like a servant, I would rather want to go to school,’’ he says wistfully.

A CA who has shown the way

Where there is a will there is a way. This proverb was translated into reality by Sachin Goyal of Sirsa who with his strong motivation, dedication and diligence secured the top position in the four states of Haryana, Punjab, J&K, Rajasthan in the chartered accountancy examination this year. He secured the 11th position at the all-India level examination.

Attributing his success to his will power, he acknowledges the encouragement and cooperation he received from his teachers and local chartered accountants.

Sachin (23), the only son of a Sirsa-based chartered accountant, attained this distinction in his first attempt and proved that lack of infrastructural facilities for education in this remote town and educationally backward city cannot deter a person from making a mark if he works with perseverance towards the goal.

A garden to glorify minjars

Thanks to concerted efforts of Chamba’s Municipal Council under the aegis of Department of Tourism, Manjari Garden recently came up on the right bank of the Ravi. Earlier this site used to be uncared for.

The garden is located on the site where “minjars” (blossoms of the maize plant) or tassels along with coconuts are immersed in the Ravi on the concluding day of the historic Minjar Fair, one of the major festivals of Himachal Pradesh.

Manjari Garden, depicting the works of art and craft of the local craftsmen, would perhaps be the first of its kind in Himachal Pradesh. Located on the entry point of Chamba town, the art garden greets tourists and visitors who are on way to Chamba from the outer world.

According to Mr KL Mastana, Assistant Tourism Development Officer, the work on Manjari Garden project was started in 1997 and so far about Rs 18 lakh has been spent on development.

The work on the embossed rock sculpture of a Minjar procession and Chamba’s musical instruments has been completed till now, besides three parks having ornamental plants developed.

The artists carved the hill slopes from both sides simultaneously working on sculptures on rocky soil. The proposed works of art in the Manjari Garden include embossed rock sculptures of Pahari paintings, art gallery, amusement park, figures of wild animals and birds in rock, and a fast-food cafe.

Embedded in a rich variety of craft and folklore of the distant forested valley of Chamba, the garden would be magnet for art lovers, tourists and historians.

Contributed by Varinder Singh, Bhupinder Dharmani and Balkrishan Prashar.