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| Monday,
March 4, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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Earthquake rattles
city residents Chandigarh, March 3 The police, Fire Department, city hospitals and Railways have not received any reports of loss of property and lives. While the seismic observatory in Delhi recorded the earthquake at 6.7 on the Richter scale, the Central Scientific Instruments Institute (CSIO) observatory in the city registered 6.3 on the Richter scale with a duration of 20 seconds.. A Panchkula resident said one of her chandeliers fell off due to the impact of the earthquake. A large number of people were seen outside their houses after the earthquake as doors and windows of their houses rattled. Mr Vinay Malhotra, living on the third floor in Mani Majra said windows and doors felt tremors for around 30 seconds and the people ran out. Mr Malhotra said he felt as if the building was swinging. The audience at Tagore Theatre watching a cultural programme started looking back, feeling as if somebody had pushed their chairs. A Sector 23 resident, Mr Jasbir said he jumped out of his bed when he felt that the it was trembling. The people in Burail felt cattle and animals showing uneasiness, sensing the destructive natural phenomena. Newspaper offices received a large number of calls, enquiring whether there was any earthquake in the city. Railway sources said traffic was not affected and there were no reports of derailments. The police control room and Fire Department said they did not receive any requests for help and no loss of life and property were reported. Hospitals of the city did not receive anybody injured due to collapse of buildings caused by the earthquake. |
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No takers for poor
scholarships Chandigarh, March 3 Senior academicians concede that an amount of Rs 100 per month or less is too paltry to attract students. Students feel that the procedure for application and sanction is slow in many cases. There is no information available in the prospectus about the scholarships. Many students complain about lack of knowledge as one of the reasons for less applications. It is felt that a proper list of scholarships should be included in the prospectus or displayed prominently at the Students Centre or the library. The papers which come up during discussions of the Board of Finance have a list of scholarships, which have low sums in certain cases. Those offering Rs 100 for 10 months include Sri Thakur Datta Sharma Trust Stipends, Bishan Chand Mahajan Scholarship, Wing Commander S.L. Malhotra Scholarship and Mrs Kamal Gupta Memorial Scholarship. Certain scholarships have been earmarked for poor and deserving students. These include Shivcharan Singh Scholarship, Bishan Chand Mahajan Scholarship (Poverty and merit basis), Dr and Mrs V.S. Puri Scholarship (merit and financial circumstances), Prof I.S. Gupta’s Subsidies (two deserving poor students amongst the wards of a teacher) and Justice G.R. Majithia Poor Students Welfare Fund (for needy students to be given by the Vice-Chancellor). Certain scholarships provide decent amounts in financial aid. These include Prof I.S. Gupta Subsidies (Rs 500 per month), Rajinder Mohan Kumar Memorial Scholarship (Rs 500 per month), Durga Devi Ram Dass Merit Scholarship (Rs 600 per month), Mons P. Jeannert Fund (Rs 500 per month), Mrs Udham Kaur Menon Educational Scholarship (Rs 1000 per month) and two Late Hari Ram Luther and Ved Kaur Luther Memorial Scholarships (Rs 9000 annually). One senior research scholar says instead of giving small amounts, the university should hold a scholarship for certain years till the amount increases. He says another option is to club two or more scholarships to increase its worth financially. Another student says many scholarships are only a matter of honour, without any financial attraction. The university’s list of special lectures include Prof Brij Narain, Dr Bawa Kartar Singh, Prof D.C. Sharma, Panjab University Pharmaceutical Sciences Oration, Jawaharlal Nehru, Dr V.N. Tewari, Chief Justice Deshpande and Prof O.P. Vij Endowment Lecture. The university has 43 medals for merit in various academic fields. Certain medals, including Pritam Devi Rampal Memorial Gold Medal, Seree Doongaji Silver Medals and Sudershan Pal Sidhu Memorial, are only for girl students. |
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Spring Fest
over Panchkula, March 3 Though the incessant rain spoiled the inaugural day of the festival yesterday, the sunny day today attracted a large number of visitors. Speaking on the prize distribution function, the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, Mr M.K. Miglani, said Panchkula would be made one of the most beautiful places in the world. Mr Miglani appreciated the various cultural performances, martial arts and the flower show. The Chief Administrator, HUDA, Mr N.C. Wadhwa, said 2,500 entries had been received for the various competitions. People from Chandigarh, parts of Punjab and Haryana have come to participate in the festival. The results are:
Healthy baby show; six months to one year (boys); Aryan (1) and Radhav (2). Six months to one year (girls); Samridhi (1) and Ayushi (2). One-and-a-half-year to three years (boys); Akshat (1) and Aashman (2). Girls: Noor (1) and Muskan (2); Three to four years (Boys); Sartaj (1) and Kabir (2); Girls; Alisha (1) and Bandagi (2); Solo dance below 10 years; Gobind Arora (1) and Chandani (2); Ten years and above; Vijeta (1) and Somriti Mitra (2). Painting contest; below six years; Arshita Sharma (1) and Shubham Aggarwal (2); Six to 12 years; Harish Papneja (1) and Vineet Kharab (2); 12 years and above; Poonam Sharma (1) and Deepika (2). Open category; Surya Raj Senna and Sagun Sharma (1); and Shivam Pathania and Seema Rani (2). |
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Traffic chaos at District Courts Chandigarh, March 3 ‘‘Initially the problem was not so bad,’’ asserts a lawyer. ‘‘The reason for this is not very hard to see. The number of advocates practicing in the District Courts was almost half in the past. And most of the lawyers used to come on cycles. The number of scooter owners was quite small. Very few — hardly one of two — used to drive cars’’. Now the number of visitors to the courts has also increased. ‘‘In those days, the number of cases filed was far less,’’ he adds. ‘‘As a result the pendency too was less’’. But today, the situation has undergone a complete metamorphosis. There are more cases being filed in the courts then can be comfortably handled. The affect is there for all to see on the infrastructure, including the parking space,’’ he adds. Now vehicles are parked everywhere. In the paid parking lot, even outside. On footpaths, sometimes even in the middle of the road, creating traffic bottlenecks. Driving across the sea of vehicles parked on both sides of the road is not easy. Little wonder, most of the residents avoid driving around the complex, at least if the car is not already dented or scratched. ‘‘I had to go to the courts for the hearing of a bounced cheque case, says a city businessman Dinesh Kumar. ‘‘And I committed the mistake of driving down to the court complex in my car. For over 15 minutes, I tried in vain to find a place for parking. Finally, I left the car along the roadside as that was the only place available. When I came back after half an hour or so, I found the car badly scratched on the driver’s side." He is not the only sufferer. A Sector 33 resident, Mr Rakesh Aggarwal, also got his car damaged while passing through the road separating the courts from the police station. ‘‘I was going to Hotel Shivalik View for attending a conference,’’ he says, ‘‘when all of a sudden a driver, trying to reverse his car from the parking lot, banged into my vehicle. I had to spend good Rs 5,000 for getting the dent removed’’. The problem does not end here. In fact, it becomes worse when exhibitions are organised in the Parade Ground or during the evenings when some singer or the other is performing. |
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CHANDIGARH CALLING As the talk about allocation of portfolios to newly elected MLAs in Punjab hotted up, the social circuit in Chandigarh could not have been oblivious to the developments. Local resident, Mr Angrez Singh Badheri, had a simple solution: ‘‘Make them ministers on a rotational basis’’. Well, this means keep on shuffling them otherwise it results in lopsided development. Ministers pay more attention to their own constituencies. If the portfolios are changed then there is no problem. It seems logical, however, but is it possible to do so in the fragile world of politics. And is Capt Amarinder Singh listening to what the common man wants?
Going back UT Joint Finance Secretary K.A.P. Sinha goes back to his parent cadre of Punjab after putting in three years of service with the Chandigarh Administration. The silent bureaucrat that Sinha is, he had come to be known as the man who balanced the budget and planned it in detail, putting each point of the UT to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and seeking funds on basis of performance. This 1986 batch official of the IAS cadre goes as Deputy Commissioner of the border district of Gurdaspur. In official circles he was fondly referred to as ‘‘KAPS’’. The name was coined by his seniors using his initials KAP and joining the ‘S’ from Sinha to make it KAPS. A keen player of badminton, Sinha is known to go by the rule book.
Waste management Local man Ajay Sehgal of the Indian Forest Service cadre will be presenting a novel paper on indigenous rural low cost waste treatment technology of cowdung use in the country. He will be going to participate in the IVth international livestock waste management symposium and technology expo in Penang, Malaysia. The five-day expo begins on May 19. He admits he will be talking about biogas, which is not a recent technological input. But , this is the only answer to save the forests from degradation. Managing cowdung will result in earning from it, besides proving clean fuel in rural areas.
The Punjabi spirit The Punjabis have always been committed to their faith. Be it the question of offering sewa at gurdwaras or the question of rising together to further the cause of faith, they have never remained lagging. History is replete with examples of their unity. And even if one was not to go by history, many events that fill normal days would confirm this basic element in the Punjabi’s character. It was a wonderful sight at the Rose Garden the other day. The occasion was the folk dance contest going on around 2 pm on the inaugural day (February 22) of the Garden of Festivals. Many folk dances were presented. Finally, it was the turn of Sikh martial dance — the gataka. Men, dressed as soldiers, ascended the stage only to be greeted by the gathered Punjabis. The best part was, however, yet to come. One was amazed to see that every time the performers recited : Bole
so nihal, thousands of Punjabi visitors to the garden recited back: Sat Sri Akal. For those 25 minutes, the air of Rose Garden kept resonating with sounds from Sikh scriptures.
Poetic bankers The evening of February 27 saw employees of various city-based banks displaying their poetic talent. For once, the poetic symposium did not begin with recitations from established poets. In fact, many renowned poets like Som Thakur and Madhav Kaushik remained seated on the stage, listening to bankers and their poetic satire. It was only later that they took control of the stage. Poems recited by most bankers were greatly appreciated not just by the audience but also by all the poets invited by Bank Town Official Language Implementation
Committee which organised the function. When it was the turn of celebrated poets to recite their works, the comperer announced: “The fact that bankers can recite such wonderful verses is surprising.” Clarifying the misconception, city-based poet Madhav Kaushik said: “It is a little known fact but many among highly rewarded personalities of the world have been connected with finance or economics, be it Karl Marx or Amartya Sen. Not just that one of the greatest poets of his times T.S. Eliot also sought lessons in economics.” He wrapped up the issue beautifully, saying: “Shaayad arth ki vyarthata ko arth ke nazdeek rehne wala hi jaan sakta hai.”
Cheap attention While all was well with the Rose festival held between February 22 and 24, the one thing that pinched the heart was insensitivity shown by some people. Many ropewalkers dotted the garden during the festival, trying to impress the visitors and earn some words of praise, as also some money from those who were willing to give. While most passers-by took some time off to stand by and watch the feats being performed by small girls and boys, hardly anyone had the grace to acknowledge the art and praise it. Contrarily, many youngsters were seen laughing as girls performed feats. Some of them even passed unsavoury remarks at them.
No crime Seminars and lectures on serious subjects become dull unless interspersed with cultural activities. Therefore, to break the monotony organisers usually introduce songs and poems to make the atmosphere lively. On March 2 the Punjab Human Rights held a conference on the release of a report on female infanticide and foeticide in Punjab. A young girl of eighth class at the Ludhiana Sacred Heart School recited a thought-provoking poem titled “Larki Hona Paap Nahin Hai” befitting the occasion. The poem said: “Khandaan ki izzat larki, Khandan ki raunak larki, Par jab larki paida hoti Kyon maatam-sa chha jata hai? Kyon mukhra kumlha jata hai? Ab to yug bhi badal gaya hai, Badal gai yug ki paribhasha, Ab to larki kul ka hai deepak, Ab to larki desh ki aasha. Ab vah sab kuchh ban sakti hai, doctor, barrister, minister, Phir kyon uskey paida hotay , Khaandaan ghabra jata hai?
Research grant Dr Pankaj Kaul, a doctor in the Experimental Medicine at the PGI, is the only person from India to get IBMS Research Grant from the UK. He has been paid £ 1500 from the Institute of Biomedical Sciences in the UK. He has been asked to complete the research on pre and post treatment antigen detection for the diagnosis of visceral leishmaniasis (kala-azar) using specific monoclonal antibody. Dr Kaul has already received many awards for his scientific work/presentation during various national conferences. He has got the second best scientific presentation award at the recently concluded lab-con II held at All-India Institute of Medical Sciences. The research Dr Kaul has undertaken will help in early detection of kala-azar in addition to assessing cure and seroconversion in post-treatment patients, the technique may prove useful for epidemiological studies.
Open day In Chandigarh shops remain closed on Sundays. However, a few of them, free from any fear of being challaned, remain open in various sectors. Some remain open till lunch time. A visit to the Sector 26 Grain Market would prove this. Grocery and some other shops carry on their routine business on Sundays. Even showrooms in Sectors 17, 9, 35 etc remain open on Sundays, holding seasonal clearance sales. With no holiday on Sundays, the employees of these establishments face a paradoxical situation. A readymade garments dealer at the Sector 17 Bridge Market said that the employees prefer a free Sunday to an enticing offer of Rs 200 per day to perform Sunday duty.
Tailpiece Written on the top of menu list of a food stall in Sector 17 commercial area: “Ek saal ki roti par bhaari chhoot” (heavy discount on one year’s food). — Sentinel |
Community lunch: 36 fall ill Panchkula, March 3 The incident
occurred around 12 noon at the residence of Om Prakash where as many as 50 persons had gathered for a community lunch organised to celebrate the birth of a grandson. As soon as the guests ate the rice, they started
vomiting. A few them vomitted three to four times and also complained of severe chest pain. It was then that Mr Om Prakash rushed all his guests to the local Civil Hospital . Except his daughter,
Sukko, who has been admitted to the hospital, the other guests were discharged after sometime. Only seven of these persons had to be given primary first aid. The rest of them were kept under observation for three hours and then asked to leave. Doctors at the hospital said none of the guests had complained of stomach ache and vomitting for three hours, while in the hospital. They said even Sukko had been administered saline water intravenously in order to calm her down. |
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Bumpy roads jolt
motorists Chandigarh, March 3 The roads are bumpy and in rainy days the roads become more dangerous as silt gets deposited on the roads, said Mr Sukhchain Singh, a commuter. According to him the roads are causing damage to the vehicles plying on them. These roads lead to the Punjab Government Officers Flats and the newly developed Sector 38 (west) houses and flats. The divider at the turn near the small roundabout adjacent to the Sector 38 gurdwara has been damaged for quite sometime now. The roundabout itself is in no better condition. The white paint on the dividers and the roundabout has also faded thus causing great difficulty to those driving at night. Nearby residents told this correspondent that often motorists dashed into the dividers or the roundabout. The motorists have to slow down to a crawling speed if they want to use the road from the roundabout towards the cremation ground. The road near the roundabout has been lying damaged for the past many years. Mr Rajinder Singh, who uses the road for going to Sector 39 for his tuitions. says that he prefers ‘‘not use the road’’ during the rainy seasons. ‘‘I have to be extra careful while using the road as my motorcycle could skid’’, said Mr Rajinder. Residents of the area demand that the roads should be re-carpeted on a priority basis. No official concerned could be contacted. |
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Residents clean garbage Chandigarh, March 3 The drive was started today from the park in front of house numbers 3117 to 3162 and 3062 to 3189. Bricks, pebbles and garbage were collected and dumped in ditches, a press note said. It said the drive would continue till parks and backlanes were cleared in the sub-sector. A Chandigarh Vikas Manch leader and area councillor Harpreet Kaur Babla’s husband Devinder Singh Babla assured the residents that the parks would be fitted with railings, swings and benches. |
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Mother-in-law
booked Panchkula, March 3 The incident took place on February 27 when the victim, Praveen, was making tea on a stove. In her dying statement, she had accused her mother-in-law of immolating her. Her husband, Nayab Singh, was off to work at that point of time. The victim, who had been admitted to the PGI, died yesterday. Two killed One arrested Chandigarh Pedestrian killed Five held Trespassing case Theft case Kharar Liquor seized |
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Consumer fair Chandigarh, March 3 A ‘khula manch’ will be organised to bring complainants face to face with the authorities concerned in food and supplies, telecommunications, public health, sanitation and environment. The Consumer Forum Chandigarh will operate its special complaints registration counter and information centre in the fair. |
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