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January 23, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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NCERT syllabi changes: Too little, too late New Delhi, January 22 “I am happy that NCERT has at least reduced the burden on the students. From what I have gathered, the primary students will be relieved to see the deletion of irrelevant portions. Inclusion of project-based activities is another welcome step. We have always suffered in the absence of team spirit, but with more stress being given to group activities, we will be able to instill that quality in our children. It is also vital for our students to know more about our own country than about the neighbours. Though education now has spread across boundaries, it is essential that we understand our own country. With the changes I feel we have moved from content to concept”, said Lata Vaidyanathan, Principal of Modern School, Barakhamba Road. The deletion of irrelevant portion has found with teachers. “The changes will make studies less cumbersome. At least with regard to the primary student, the NCERT has been thoughtful. However, more thought should have been put in formatting the social science texts”, added Renu, who teaches in a school in Faridabad. Many are sceptical that the changes may be mere lip service. “We are yet to see the texts, you can never be too sure. There has been too much controversy lately. Slant towards a particular ideology or religion will harm the psyche of the students. History should be a fair account of what has happened, not what should have happened. There has to be a meaning in what the NCERT has done”, said a government school teacher, not wishing to be identified. “I think the NCERT is a little late in coming out with this kind of student-friendly syllabi. However, it’s better late than never. I only wish they would pay more attention to inclusion of topics related to Modern India. We must teach our children about those involved in the freedom struggle. There should be an attempt to teach the children the basics of all subjects. Emphasis should be laid on memorising tables and familiarising students with the fundamentals, instead of forcing them to become book worms”, said Mr. S.S. Minhas, Principal of G.H.P.S., Vasant Vihar. |
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Eight Pak nationals under detention New Delhi, January 22 According to sources, the suspects had been rounded up from Central and South Delhi areas almost three weeks ago, but no case was registered against them. They have since been kept in R.K.Puram police station. While the police were reluctant to comment on the detentions, sources said that the Pakistani nationals had been living illegally in the Capital for several years and were involved in subversive activities. They used to leave the Capital after committing heinous acts and would return when the heat subsided. They are reported to have a nexus with some Pakistan-based fundamentalist groups. |
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No takers for court diktat on video theatres Gurgaon, January 22 Following the orders of the High Court, the District Magistrate directed the Senior Superintendent of Police and all Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) in November 99 to ensure that the theatres adhere to the rules of the land. “But in spite of the orders, they are still running illegally, causing losses to the state exchequer and the cinema owners,” said Ganga S Vashisht, president of Gurgaon District Film Exhibitors Association. The theatres are located close to the labourers’ colonies. The owners charge between Rs 5 and Rs 15 per head. In the halls, pornographic films are shown. Not caring two hoots for the district administration, the owners even prominently display the X-rated posters all over the city to woo the Peeping Toms. “The vulgar posters hurt the sensibilities of women,” protested Mrs Neelama Shourie, a teacher in a prominent public school. The district fire officer informed The Tribune that fire safety rules stipulates that each theatre should have minimum two dry chemical fire extinguishers, two water Co2 cylinders and at least four buckets ready, just in case. There must be three exit gates in all the halls. However, the laws are not being implemented. No building plan has ever been approved by the authorities. There is no proper sitting arrangement. The patrons are made to squat on the floor though cushioned chairs are provided in a few halls. While some cinemas are run in thatched halls, the interiors of some of them compete with those of big authorised cinema halls. |
Captive power unit in
Uttaranchal proposed New Delhi, January 22 Delhi Power Minister Ajay Maken is going to Chhattisgarh next week for selection of an appropriate site to set up a thermal power project dedicated to the consumers of the Capital. Participating in an interactive session at the PHDCCI, Mr Maken said dedicated hydro projects would be set up in Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal and the Delhi Government would support private initiative in this regard. To meet the immediate demand of the consumers, he said the first turbine of Pragati Gas-based power project would be commissioned by this month end and the other two turbines would also be commissioned in May and November this year, which would provide an additional 330 mw of power to the Capital. Mr Maken said in Delhi, 35 per cent of the power supply was simply stolen by the consumers and another 12 per cent was squandered during transmission. While the Delhi Vidyut Board has curtailed the transmission and distribution losses from 52 per cent to 47 per cent, the primary objective of the privatisation of the distribution sector was to ensure reliable and quality energy supply to the people. “This will be achieved by considerably reducing theft and ploughing back required investment to strengthen the power generation, transmission and distribution system,” he said. Within five years, the unbundled DVB’s successor companies in generation and transmission segment would turn profitable and the state government, which has been forced to divert Rs 23,000 crore over the years to finance DVB losses, would be in a position to finance priority developmental project in the NCT to the advantage of the people, he said. The DVB chairman, Mr Jagdish Sagar, said the load shedding this winter had been far lower compared to the last season. He said that the bulk supply tariff of the transmission companies would be uniform for the next five years and, for the purpose, holding companies of the DVB would provide Rs 2,600 crore to avoid steep hike in retail power tariff before the power distribution system was modernised. Necessary precautions had been taken for the success of the power sector reform in Delhi after learning from the failure of the Orissa model. The T&D losses would be reduced by three to four per cent per annum with the privatisation of distribution through effective billing. The success of the power sector reform, Mr Arun Kapur, PHDCCI president, said lay in achieving increased customer satisfaction and guaranteed improvement in the financial health. The rationalisation of tariff for agricultural supply and the reduction in T&D losses were crucial issues to be addressed for the success of reform, Mr Ashok Kapoor, chairman of Delhi and NCR committee, PHDCCI said, adding that the state government must ensure an institutionalised system of good governance and strengthening of the legal framework to control the menace of growing theft and pilferage.  |
Case filed after 19 days Faridabad, January 22 A plus-two student of a public school here, Rohit Vashist has been untraceable since January 2. Seventeen-year-old Rohit, residing in Sector-8, had gone on a scooter from his house at noon, but failed to return. It is learnt that he had failed to qualify the screening test of IIT Delhi and had been very upset, according to his family sources. Rohit had been very keen on passing the IIT test. The police sent parties to various places to trace Rohit, but could not ascertain his whereabouts. Surprisingly, the police had recovered the scooter of the victim the same day, but they informed his parents on January 8 only. The delay in informing the parents has angered the relatives of Rohit. Miffed about the conduct of the police, the relatives complained to the SSP that the cops of Kheri Bridge Chowki had been using Rohi’s scooter, but did not inform them about its recovery. The ASP, Mr Sanjay Kumar, who was asked to conduct a probe, suspended one of the policemen in this connection. The police believe that Rohit might have been kidnapped. They are now searching for him. However, the relatives of Rohit alleged slackness on the part of the police and feared that the dithering might have led to some unfortunate happening. |
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Auto spare scam in MCD; seven officials booked New Delhi, January 22 The officials were booked for allegedly purchasing spare parts worth Rs 29.87 lakh for the corporation’s workshop from 15 unapproved and fictitious firms during 1998-99. The suspects were identified as Ram
Kishan, Executive Engineer of Civil Line Zone, Raj Veer, Junior Engineer of Rohini Zone Auto Workshop, Brij Lal, Accountant in Civil Line Auto Workshop, M. K. Gupta, Clerk in Civil Line,
Naresh, Storekeeper, Somesh Bhardwaj, Storekeeper in City Zone and B. D.
Dogra, Assistant Foreman in Civil Line. The CBI filed an FIR against them yesterday. “All the officers of the MCD Auto Workshops, Civil Line, Rohini and Rohini zones and other unknown private persons and public servants” have also been made accused in the case. An official of the CBI alleged that the accused committed irregularities in the procurement of spare parts and repairs of official vehicles, which were carried out without any complaints and approval. Subsequently, the bills for purchasing the spare parts were passed in the names of fictitious firms with an intention to cheat the
MCD. In fact, most of the firms did not exist at their respective addresses and only one such firm figured in the list of firms approved by the corporation’s Standing Committee. The accused did not invite tenders even for major spares parts purchases. The complaint numbers and vehicle numbers were not mentioned on the sanction orders and the stocks were not verified at regular intervals. Some of the firms did not mention their sales tax numbers on the bills and the Executive Engineer passed the bills exceeding Rs 3, 500 in violation of an order issued by the MCD Commissioner regarding the delegation of financial powers. |
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Saket breathes easy as MCD dumps lethargy New Delhi, January 22 Are you wondering what this structure could be? Well, it’s the newly constructed garbage dump in the locality. With the completion of this ‘state-of-the-art’ dump, it seems the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has at last turned a new leaf. An MCD official, before the construction of the dump began, had told the NCR Tribune that they would not give the residents of Delhi anything to complain about and that the New Year would see a “new, result-oriented MCD”. Though the residents have appreciated the governmental agency’s efforts of making a garbage dump look clean,, they are sure the New Year was not the reason. “At least, the Municipal Corporation elections have made them work nicely,” said Mr Dinesh Gupta, a resident of Saket. “Nevertheless, I will have to give them credit for the beautiful work.” Another resident, Mr V.K. Malhotra, said that he would dread taking the Press Enclave road to go anywhere as “the site of garbage overflowing all over the road was disgusting”, but now, he breathes easy while crossing this area. “It is so nice to see a dump like this. It only goes to show that if our agencies work they can do a great job. All they have to feel is that they are as much part of the city as we are. And they have to believe they have the power and efficiency to make it better,” remarked Mr. Malhotra. However, Mr Jeetender Kumar Kochar, member of the MCD Standing Committee said that the elections had nothing to do with the MCD turning a corner. “The minute we got the funds, we decided that the garbage dumps of the city were the first thing that needed attention.” Mr Kochar added that the three garbage dumps on the road would be constructed similarly as soon as the work here inside the Press Enclave garbage dump would be completed. Explaining the change, Mr Kochar said that all other dumps in the city would be bigger like the Press Enclave garbage dump, and their walls would be higher so that the passers-by could not see the garbage inside. And the happiest man is Dr Ambrish Jain, the Medical Superintendent of the G.M. Modi Hospital in the area. And why not, the hospital was actually losing patients because of the dirt outside the road. “Now the garbage dump looks hygienic. I am so happy The Tribune has made the MCD get their act together as far cleaning the garbage dumps in the area is concerned,” remarked Dr Jain. Even the residents are as surprised as they are happy because they see the MCD karamcharis cleaning the dump every day, and what’s more, they are on time. But only time will tell how long the dump remains clean; how long the bulbs inside the beautiful lamps are not stolen; how long the railings remain in its place. No wonder, the MCD has written on the wall of the garbage dump, “Help us to keep the city clean.” |
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A wonder of green fingers New Delhi, January 22 For more than 20 years, Prabha has been maintaining her garden. She got driftwood for her lawn, transported from Bhutan. She said, “I was always interested in gardening but my source of knowledge was All India Kitchen Garden Association. I learnt from it how to maintain parks, plants and trees. I also picked up the art of maintaining temperature of tropical, tray and bottle plants. It has helped me a lot. I treat my plants as my child. We cannot live without water neither can the plants. However, whatever we put whether fertilizers or water, it has to be in proportion. Besides, as we feel cold in winter, even they feel it. So I prefer putting up net both in winter and summer to save my plants.” Some of her collection of plants, includes Champa, Chameli, Mogra, roses, Raat Ki Rani, Juhi, Crotten, Defenvacias, Ficus, Bonsie, Palms, China Palm. Green vegetables includes cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, orcat, carrot, raddish, palak, methi, mint. Fruit trees include guava, mangoes, gray fruit, peers, Pomegranate, China Orange, lemon, sharifa and many more. Prabha also obtains seeds by drying the plants after the season is off and for vegetables, she gets seeds from Pusa Road and even AIKGA distributes to its members. In the beginning, Prabha used to devote 5-6 hours daily to develop her garden. Even now, she spends 2-3 hours for her baby, which includes preparation of manure at home in pits and preparation of pesticides. Prabha said, “I lay emphasis more on organic manure and putting cow dung in plants. For tropical, one has to have proper knowledge of temperature to be maintained, layers to put up and other basics. My one weakness is that I cannot resist buying plants. Once I bought a plant called, ‘All Spice’, which gives a taste of clove, cinnamon and garam masala. Mixed flavour lasts long. It was very expensive.” She also arranged for a fountain, but a few years’ ago, it was closed due to dengue fear. Also, it was the first fountain to be maintained at home in Delhi. For porcelain, Prabha is the only lady to reach the pink of beauty and perfection. She has exhibited her work in Mumbai, Delhi and London. She joyfully said, “I never thought that I would get such a good response from people. Vyjanthi Mala, Late Madhavrao Scindia and many other professors of college of arts visited to see my work and appreciated it.” A devoted gardener who has both love and vast knowledge of flowers and shrubs, cares for every small plant in her award-winning garden with tender care and motherly feelings. Her works adorn the private collections of royalties and art connoisseurs. Each piece is meticulously composed, handcrafted, painted and fired by her under extremely controlled conditions at home. It is true to say that there is a full-fledged garden, invisible in her fingers. She said, “I am dealing in Italian porcelain as it’s standardised. I make all the pieces myself. All are handmade, even big companies, dealing in porcelain, ask me how I do so fine in porcelain.” Her fingers can carve and curve flawless smooth petals of flowers, landscape composition, each rough hewn surface, crafted with precision, giving original look to them and colours as per the products. At the institute of porcelain-making at Naples in Italy, her work was highly appreciated, acclaimed and she was awarded the institute’s insignia- a rare honour. |
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GLITZ & GLAMOUR ACCIDENTS don’t always bring misfortune, they can steer the wheel of your life in a direction where success is a cornerstone. “I ventured into design accidentally. I used to accompany my architect hubby to meetings and the in-depth discussion about design and structure lured me,” says Punam Kalra, the lady behind I’M, a centre for applied arts. A qualified engineer, Punam makes full use of her science background. “I understand metals and castings, I know how it works with amalgamations of different metals”. Dedicated to the inner ego, I’M stands as a marvel of aesthetics and technology. “At I’M, we are constantly experimenting. We are always thinking what colour, texture and material will be used and fused to create a new look. Our strength is our originality. Our signature series has limited editions”. The Kalra duo even educate their clients about the pieces in which they are about to invest. “We actually explain aesthetics to our clients. We have to tell them what they are buying and why they are being advised to combine a little bit of this with a little bit of that. We even go to the extent of tailor-making packages for our clients. If their set up needs a particular carpet or a specific
artefact, we make sure it is delivered.” I’M reflects the myriad manifestations of imagination, a carpet shaped like a hat, a centre table, which is a bird in flight or a feminine and a masculine bell. The store also showcases the works of other sculptors and artists. “It’s a tribute to art, nature and human spirit,” says the woman who is constantly thinking and experimenting to create. Rendezvous with Swarovski chandeliers
Deep sighs and longing looks are just some of the reactions that these beautiful things invite. They have had the privilege of looking down (literally) on Royalty and Heads of State. They occupy the highest spot and dazzle blind and mesmerise. Its time to look up to the wonder of Swarovski chandeliers, the magnificence of which has already found its way into the drawing rooms of the rich and the famous. From being the simple candleholders, they have now acquired an element of luxury. Bathroom accessories major, Jaguar, has made a foray into the chandelier market with the introduction of stunning range of products made from Strass crystals. These strass chandeliers will be imported from Austria from the house of Swarovski. Initially, only 16 models ranging from Rs 56,000 to Rs 2,27,000 will be introduced. The exclusivity will be available in chrome, antique and 22-carat gold plating. ‘Tis time we counted the pennies! Khadi, the new fashion statement
Khadi, the fabric of freedom, has long been accepted by the fashion fraternity. From the dress code of netas to the fancy of the movers and shakers, the fabric that Gandhiji promoted, has become a regular at national as well as international ramps. The fashion gurus having done their bit, the government too has jumped into the fray in a big way to promote the fabric, which held an important place during the freedom struggle. From Gandhiji’s simple fabric, it has risen to the rank of sophisticated merchandise. With the fashion conscious world over sporting the spin, khadi has more than just a few takers. An exhibition on “Khadi-The fabric of Freedom” is being held in the Capital from January 30th to February 12th. Sponsored by the Volkart Foundation of Switzerland, the event will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee on Martyr’s Day. Ritu Kumar, Abu
Jani, Sandeep Khosla, Raghavendra Rathore and Manish Arora are some of the well known designers who will showcase their ensemble in the event, scheduled to take place at Mati
Ghar, Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts. |
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NCR BRIEFS Faridabad, January 22 The new system has been approved by higher authorities at Chandigarh and it could replace the old system in most of the municipal bodies in the state. The present system of accounting has reportedly failed to meet the requirement and the challenges posed thereby. It is learnt that the existing accounting system is very old and outdated. Seminar on rights Rohtak Themes to be discussed under the main topic include human rights as women’s right, gender discrimination and human rights, poverty, women and human rights, girl child and human rights, democratic decentralisation, women’s participation and human rights, and Dalits, minorities and women’s rights. Well-known women activists, sociologists, educationists, members of national and state women commission, delegates from non-government organisations and voluntary institutions and elected women representatives would take part in the seminar. Ornaments stolen Unidentified thieves stole ornaments worth nearly Rs 20,000 from a house in Shiv Vihar colony here last night. According to police sources, the miscreants broke open the house of Sandeep and escaped with the jewellery. The police have registered a case. Youth hostels Sonepat |
Eunuchs castrate youth Noida, January 22 In the second incident in Ghaziabad, five eunuchs were injured in Loni area when they were attacked by their counterparts from Delhi. The assailants also reportedly abducted a eunuch and took ‘him’ to Agra. Livid over the incident, the rival eunuchs staged a protest at the local police station. There is an on-going feud among the eunuchs of East Delhi and Loni area over the territory carved out for the purpose of receiving cash endowments (baksheesh). According to Mehmood and Kiran, hockey sticks, clubs, ‘sarya’ and knives were used by the assailants who kidnapped Ruby to Agra. Sunita, Muskan, Shabanam, Amesha and Neha were injured in the attack. |
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Two ‘dowry’ deaths in Noida Noida, January 22 |
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Two more members of Hansa gang nabbed Jhajjar, January 22 According to a district police spokesman here today, a team of the crime branch at Bahadurgarh on a tip off arrested Satpal and Rajeev, residents of Goyala Kalan village, and seized a motorcycle. On interrogation, they admitted being the members of the Hansa gang the members of which, including the leader, were arrested earlier last week. Apart from their involvement in the Indica car robbery case and an attempt to loot a truck loaded with rice, they also confessed to have stolen five motorcycles, three from Bahadurgarh and two others from Delhi. In another case, the Bahadurgarh police arrested Surjeet of Chhara village along with 50 pouches of liquor. A case has been registered against him. |
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1.5 kg heroin seized, 2 held New Delhi, January 22 The accused, Mohammad Rafi alias Babbu (25), resident of Seelampur, and Rashid (24), were apprehended by a special team under the supervision of the ACP, Operations, Mr S. K. Sharma. The duo revealed during interrogation that they were in Delhi to supply the drugs to one Sultan of Shabad, Haryana. Duplicate shampoos seized The Delhi Police in association with the FICCI Brand Protection Committee seized large quantities of duplicate products with labels of Sunsilk and Clinic All Clear shampoo and Ariel detergent sachets. The team conducted raids in various places in the Capital and seized the duplicate shampoos and detergent worth about Rs 7 lakh. A case under Section 420 of the IPC and Section 63 of the Copyright Act has been registered. The duplicate products were violating the trademarks and copyrights of well-known brands such as P&G’s Ariel detergent and HLL’s Sunsilk and Clinic All Clear shampoo brands. |
Sonepat bus depot makes record profit Sonepat, January 22 Mr H. C. Jain, General Manager of the roadways, told mediapersons here today that the Sonepat depot had registered a loss of Rs 23.90 lakh during the corresponding period in 2000. He said that the depot had a fleet of 207 buses and they covered a distance of 20.67 lakh km in December last year. The depot earned a traffic receipt of Rs 230.25 lakh at the rate of Rs 11.14 per km as compared to the fleet of 202 buses which had covered a distance of 18.69 lakh km at the rate of Rs 10.19 per km during December 2000. The depot had a fleet of 204 buses during the current financial year and these had covered a distance of 174.08 lakh km during the first nine months of the period under review. The depot, he said, had earned a revenue of about Rs 18.75 crore as compared to Rs 17.20 lakh earned during the corresponding period of the last financial year with a fleet of 201 buses, which covered a distance of 166.89 lakh km. Mr Jain also disclosed that the depot had earned an average traffic receipt of Rs 10.77 per km during 2001-2002 as compared to Rs 10.31 per km during the corresponding period of 2000-2001. The increase in the income of the depot was more than 40 per cent during the first nine months of the current financial year as compared to the corresponding period of the year 2000-2001. According to Mr Jain, the expenditure of the workshop was 21 per cent less despite the increase in the traffic receipts of the depot concerned. |
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