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June 17, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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Canada opens doors to undergraduates Chandigarh, June 16 Canada has opened its doors to undergraduates for immigration. According to official information here today, Mr Denis
Coderre, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Canada, after deliberate consideration on the standing committee’s report, last week released the regulations. This announcement has been widely hailed as it mostly relates to the selection grid parameters of skilled category immigration. The revised selection parameters have not only given a big hope to the
aspirants but has equally opened the doors of Canada to undergraduate skilled personnel whose skill is based on one or two years diploma/certificates as per Mr Batth of Can-Asia Immigration Ltd. Mr Batth further informed that the major highlights of the new rules, which will be adopted from June 28, 2002, are the age bracket for immigration has been increased from 44 years to 49 years.; this will offer better career opportunities to senior skilled professionals; the pass marks for immigration have been reduced from 80 points out of 100 to 75 out of 100 points, which are based on factors such as age, education, language, experience, arranged employment and adaptability; and there is no change in points awarded to various parameters except education, language, experience and adaptability. The maximum points for education remain unchanged at 25, but the applicants with double graduation degree eg BA, B.Ed or BA, LLB will score 22 points as against 20 points awarded for graduation earlier. Similarly, undergraduates having done one year or two or 3 years diploma after Class XII will score 15, 20 and 22 points, respectively. This will be a boon for aspirants with basic education of matriculation and Class XII. Similarly, spectrum of the French language has been increased from four points to eight points. Thereby increasing the points for language from 20 to 24. In regards to experience factor, its overall score has been reduced to 21 from 25 points. Another good news is that the requirement of settlement funds which had been increased to more than Rs 6 lakh has been reduced to affordable limit of Rs 4 lakh for a family of three. This will again rekindle the hopes of the aspirants who thought that the dream of Canada will not fructify. All such applicants are advised to get themselves reassessed. While Canada opened its arms to welcome immigrants, New Zealand closed its doors by increasing the pass marks from 25 to 28 points wef June 18, 2002. This will eliminate the chances of immigration to New Zealand in majority cases. However, the Immigration Minister has assured that the pass points will be revised every month. |
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PU students’
stir: 2 hospitalised Chandigarh, June 16 The girls backed by all major students unions of Panjab University, and accompanied by around 60 other students went to the residence of the Vice-Chancellor, Mr K.N. Pathak, shouting slogans in the night after Amit Rana and Juhi became “unconscious.” Mr Pathak rushed to the Government Hospital, Sector 16, to see the students himself in the mid-night. Amit Rana is reported to be on drip. The police went to the dharna site and took the students to the hospital after two of the six students sitting on the past fell “unconscious.” Amit Rana, Juhi, Malwinder Singh Kang, President Punjab University Students Union (PUSU), Harbir Singh, President, Students Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU), Jaspreet and Ajay Singh Pathania were sitting on a fast to demand the immediate removal of the warden, Ms Veena Sachdeva. Angry students told The Tribune that if no action was taken by 12 noon tomorrow the agitation would be intensified. He said the Sub-committee formed to go into the matter had given its findings. The Vice-Chancellor, however, said he did not know the content of the findings. During the day, the stand-off between the students and the university negotiator, Dr Pam Rajput, continued with the students sticking to their demand of first removing Ms Sachdeva before any inquiry was held. Ms. Rajput said the action could wait till the inquiry was completed. The long-drawn agitation was intensified three days ago when two girls of the hotel sat on a fast, on June 14, which was joined by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the Haryana Students Association (HSA), SOPU and PUSU. The students who had gone to Mr Pathak house came back after the Vice-Chancellor reportedly himself offered to resign if students did not heed to his advice for waiting for some more time. Hospital sources said the condition of students had improved. Mr Pathak had formed a sub-committee on June 15 under the chairmanship of Dr Rajput to resolve the imbroglio. The sub-committee comprised of the Dean, University Instruction and the Dean, the Student Welfare. |
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Compensated, still hoping to reap benefits SAS Nagar, June 16 Going by the official records, the possession of land in Mauli Baidwan and Sohana villages, which was free from legal incumbrances, was taken over by the engineering wing of PUDA in May and June last year. The office of the LAC has already distributed over Rs 124 crore as compensation for 1,272 acres of land of Sohana, Mauli Baidwan, Lakhnour and Raipur villages. Around 61 petitioners had gone to the Punjab and Haryana High Court against their dispossession of their land and were granted stay. Of these, 35 petitioners had withdrawn their case. Sources in the department said the officials of the estate office had been going to the villages telling the evacuees not to cultivate the land. In some cases the work of fencing the land had also begun, said an official. Enquires reveal that the evacuees had reaped the last crop of wheat. But some of the evacuees were allowing illegal quarrying on their land in Mauli Baidwan villages. Cases of the farmers cutting trees against which they have already taken compensation had also come to light. An official of the Engineering wing said the department would have to incur additional costs in laying roads on the low lying land which had been used for the illegal mining. As per the norms, mining can not be undertaken without the permission of the authority and if the permission was given, a royalty had to be paid. Development of roads in Sectors 76 and 80 had begun and the work of roads for Sector 79 had been allotted, he said. Last year, the Estate Office had to deploy force to till standing crops on PUDA land in Sector 65-A, adjoining Kambali village. |
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Larger than life after playing martyr Chandigarh, June 16 With a good performance in Raj Kumar Santoshi’s ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’, Ajay Devgan is the man of the moment. He has been flooded with offers of many similar roles. He is here to promote the film. He talked about his passions — from films to the San Francisco getaways with wife Kajol, who has adored Ajay the most for his performance in ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’. “She rates it my best performance, so far,” says Ajay. Success has never been an issue with Ajay, who sports a rugged look these days. “I am playing a bearded protagonist in a film and shooting for two projects — ‘Deewangi’ and ‘Chori Chori’. Honesty towards work is my policy. My father Veeru Devgan gave me this advice that I follow: Never cheat work because it is like cheating yourself. See work as religion and blessings will follow,” he said. Breaking away from action roles he has been playing since his debut in ‘Phool Aur Kaante’, Ajay is gradually building himself up as an intense performer, handling sensitive themes. His intensity was for all to see in Mahesh Bhatt’s ‘Zakhm’. From ‘Zakhm’ to ‘Lajja’ and ‘Company’, Ajay has proved his intensity as a performer who does not believe in orthodox acting. “I am a spontaneous actor, who does not need to be in the mood to enact a particular sequence. Script is my only inspiration on the sets. A
good movie is about not only the lead actor doing well, but also a healthy teamwork,” he said. With ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’, he has joined the league of sensitive actors. He not only portrayed the character, but also lived it along with costars Sushant Singh, Akhilendra Mishra and D. Santosh, who played Sukhdev, Chandrashekhar Azad and Rajguru, respectively, in the movie. They, too, were here today. For Ajay, doing justice to the role was not easy, as he was in constant awe of the martyr. He says, “What we have shown in the film is not even a fraction of what Bhagat Singh was all about. I don’t think it is humanly possible to do portray this man, who courted death with an admirable ease. Every act was difficult and evoked strange emotions. The whole unit would have choked voices at times.” Producer Ramesh Taurani says: “It was strange, but we were all living the pain of the martyr. The film is a tribute to him.” Ajay says that the controversy on the replication of theme is unwarranted. “All I know is that Santoshi approached me with an offer for this role three years ago, when the research on the subject was already on. Our project was the first to begin. There has been no misgiving with Sunny Deol over the issue; we are still friends,” he says. Ajay does not hide the fact that Kajol lends meaning to his life. He says: “I believe in the institution of marriage, as it brings a subtle, strange change in one’s life. It has given me tremendous strength and Kajol and I discuss our projects with each other. We leave the final decision to each other.” |
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Bollywood stars Chandigarh, June 16 |
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Ethics
define new IT chief Chandigarh, June 16 When she took over the charge here last week, Ms Hardeep Kaur came home, after travelling full circle to become the senior most IT official of the region. The career of this enterprising woman commenced with a postgraduate degree in economics from Panjab University, where she studied under Dr Manmohan Singh. In 1965, she joined the Punjab Education Service as a lecturer of economics and, in 1967, she made it to the Indian Revenue Service. Her first posting was at Patiala. Her career has taken her across the country and she has served in various capacities in New Delhi, Ambala, Kolkata, Udaipur, Ludhiana, Amritsar and Panchkula. In her view, the Department of Income Tax plays an important role in mobilising revenue for the state. She says that, in the WTO framework, the scope of customs duty is increasingly marginalised and excise is a regressive instrument, leaving income tax the most balanced instrument for revenue collection. “The rich, who can afford to pay it, should pay more in a poor country,” she says. From each according to his means to each according to his needs is the mark of a progressive tax structure. “The scope of the tax is tremendous. Presently, only 2 per cent of one billion Indians pay taxes, mainly because there are a lot of deductions. Gradually, deductions are being scaled down. This year, even exporters will pay tax on 50 per cent of their income,” she says. |
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PIL on number plate issue Chandigarh, June 16 Mr Minhas had filed the case for temporary injunction restraining the UT Administration, the Inspector General of Police(IG) and in charge, Traffic Lines under order 39(b) rule 1 and 2 read with Section 151 of the Cr PC from issuing challans. |
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EVER since the Punjab Vigilance Bureau has started investigating cases of alleged amassing of wealth by ministerial colleagues of the previous Chief Minister of the SAD-BJP government and their close associates, the vigilance bureau in Sector 17 has been virtually turned into a fortress. The bureau sleuths are ensuring that no outsider, including scribes, has an access to their office when they have an illegal detainee. The vigilance officials fear worst when a warrant officer appointed by the Punjab and Haryana High court comes knocking at their door to secure release of an illegally detained person. Last Saturday was no exception. A close associate of Mr Sucha Singh Langah, Mr Sher Singh, was being questioned without any permission. A warrant officer came looking for the detainee, but he was not allowed entry. Earlier, another associate of Mr Langah, Subash Jain, was thrown near the cricket stadium in Sector 16 when the vigilance team came to know that a warrant officer was coming to the vigilance office to secure release of the illegal detainee. An official of the bureau defended the process, saying that it helped them to prepare solid ground on the basis of facts before investigations could be taken to a logical conclusion. Please wait! VIPs have been making people wait but officials at a function in the city sought to do it to the Administrator, Lt-Gen J. F. R. Jacob (retd), unsuccessfully. The Administrator delayed his schedule only by five minutes despite messages that the people had not gathered for the inauguration of a vermi-culture compost demonstration unit in Sector 15. Mr Jacob, a stickler to the schedule, was said to be angry at officials who urged him to delay his programme and reached the function site in time which was unthinkable from other VIPs. Probably the fauji in the Punjab Governor and Administrator keeps reminding him of the value of time — something which his officials and politicians need to learn from Mr Jacob. Botched inquiry Blind faith between politicians of two different streams, despite political rivalry, has torpedoed an inquiry by municipal councillors into the recruitment controversy in the local body. The chairman of the committee, Mr Subhash Chawla of the Congress, is believed to have left the whole effort of finding out the wrong-doing to a sharp BJP councillor, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, only to realise he had made a mistake as the BJP councillor is alleged to have selectively leaked the findings of the committee ahead of the final report. The leakage, the Congress believes, will alert officials to make amends for the weaknesses in the interview procedure traced by the committee. They fear now the committee was left with no option but to officially give the same inquiry report. The Congress councillors also fear that with the officials getting the virtual findings of the report, they might fudge the information to nullify the report itself. The Congress chairman, also the leader of the party in the House, has been pushed by the BJP councillor, either to innovate to save his image as a sharp leader of the ruling group or see a dent in his image which could be detrimental to his prospects as the next mayor of the city. Soccer fever Many places in the city are trying to cash in on the soccer fever. Most of the food joints are now stocking footballs and other paraphernalia of soccer. The same are also being sold out from the joints. Not just that some places in the city are also stocking umbrellas, caps, bags and shoes, bearing the signature of British soccer star David Beckham. Never mind the authenticity of the signature, youngsters are blindly purchasing all this stuff for a heavy sum. The World Cup is thus proving handy for all and sundry. Shiamak mania The participants of Shiamak Davar’s dance workshop are busy working on their lavish costumes these days. After a bulk costume order was received from an SAS Nagar-based boutique some days back, the finishing touches are being given by the students themselves. Special trinkets have been arranged by the Shiamak Davar’s Institute for the Performing Arts (SDIPA) and they have been given to the students, who are required to cover the entire satin uppers with the same. So the participants are busy gluing trinkets on the upper costume. Many of them are sitting through the night to add glamour to the costume. Ask them if they mind the effort, and most of them reply: “We would work every night if it were for a grand and professional show like this.” Former Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Chandigarh, Gen O.P. Malhotra (retd), is getting involved in some welfare activities in the city. He is setting up a Cheshire home, which will house and take care of the disabled people. The home will not house people with mental handicaps. However, children who are born with handicaps will be taken care of. The home will start functioning in the next three months. For the time being, till a building is readied, one of places identified is the foreign student hostel in Sector 15 along Madhya Marg. General Malhotra was in the city during the week advising the local Chairman, Maj Gen A.S. Kahlon, on the project and its details. General Malhotra has been associated with the Cheshire homes in the past few years. Actually he says it was his friend Major-Gen Virender Singh, who got him involved. The Cheshire home in Chandigarh will be the first in Punjab. And completing the foursome of former Generals in this noble mission is UT Administrator and Punjab Governor, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd). He is keen that the Cheshire home comes up in the city. Donations for this are entitled to tax benefits. Think about it At the recently concluded organ donation awareness week at the PGI, a banner set everyone thinking about the message being given to them. The banner said: please don’t take your organs to heaven…Heaven knows we need them here. PGI dean An anonymous fax which reached The Tribune office sometime back stated: At the risk of maybe annoying the honourable judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, I can’t but help suggest that a betting club be started on who is going to be the PGI dean? With the two main contenders once again in the court rooms, one really cannot predict who will hold the post and if the matter will ever be settled once and for all. Verse technique Dr Iqbal Singh Dhillon, an eminent poet and scholar (working as Director, Youth Welfare, Panjab University), claims to have developed a verse technique exclusive to Punjabi language. So far, two types of prosody is generally used in Punjabi poetry. One is “Pingal” which is borrowed from traditional verse metres and the other is Agrooz, borrowed from Arabic for the “ghazal” form adopted through Urdu language. Both prosody forms are alien to Punjabi language because of their distinctive character in grammar as well as phonetics. The character of prosody is different to Sanskrit which has gone extinct as a spoken language and on the other to the Arabic which belongs to Afro-Semitic family. Punjabi is counted among 14 major languages of the country, but, strangely enough it has been without a distinctive verse technique exclusive to it throughout its history of about two millenniums as a spoken language in spite of its having very rich traditions in the field of poetry as well as folklore. Dr Dhillon says that an attempt was being made by him to delineate prosody of Punjabi language which has been introduced through his recently published book “Punjabi Chhand Shastar”. the novel device has been based purely on phonological structure of Punjabi language. Latest phonetic concepts and tools have been employed for the purpose. Dr Dhillon has also authored another book in English on the same subject for purpose of propagation of his “new concept”. For senior citizens “We basically make efforts to provide old citizens a relaxed life, a place which apart from providing a sense of security, helps them enjoy independence to the fullest”, says retd Col Kulbir Singh, the resident manager of Senior Citizens’ Home, Sector 43. It is run by the Chandigarh Administration and is directly under the Chandigarh Children and Women Development Cooperation. It provides old citizens an accommodation where they can find solace and enjoy their freedom. The Senior Citizens’ Home was inaugurated by the Punjab Governor on June 9, 2000. However, the first resident came in February, 2001, and by June 16, 2001, all rooms were occupied. Col Kulbir Singh aspires to augment the triple-storey building into a big structure. “I visualise basement parking in front of this building over which will stand a big complex that will provide active life to our citizens with health club, swimming pool, billiards room, bar, and other superior facilities. I have presented this plan to the authorities and wish it would be soon approved by them”, he says. Profile in courage Life is different when it comes to physically challenged people, but coming across Ajitpal and Jagjit Singh, this notion proves to be a misconception. Both Ajitpal(27) and Jagjit Singh(48), who cannot speak as well as hear, are so dedicated towards shramdan operations that for the past six years they have been the most regular volunteers . The love for City Beautiful has always driven them. That is why they were troubled by the accumulation of silt in the Sukhna Lake and regularly lend a helping hand. Ajit’s younger brother, Manmeetpal Singh, who also cannot speak or hear, is a renowned painter who is holding junior fellowship from the Ministry of Social Justice in the field of art. His paintings have been appreciated by critics, art lovers and the general public. Jagjit Singh is employed with the local unit of Red Cross Society, and is leading a normal married life.
— Sentinel |
Commission agent goes missing Chandigarh, June 16 As per members of his family, Mr Ramesh reached the market at 3.15 am. Prof Charanjit Chawala, his elder brother, claimed Mr Ramesh was seen in the mandi by four to five people. According to him, it could be a case of kidnapping for ransom or somebody might just be interested in the car. It is learnt that Mr Ramesh did not open his shop this morning. He was carrying a mobile phone, but it is believed to have been switched off. However, police sources said they had no evidence to prove that Mr Ramesh reached the market in the morning. Sources informed that no one in the market reported any ‘‘unusual’’ incident in the morning. Mr Ramesh Chawala is a resident of Sector 10, Panchkula, and owns New Jullandher Fruit Company in the grain market. His brother-in-law, Mr Arun Kakar, said several blank telephone calls were received by Mr Ramesh's family today. |
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Residents want SDO shifted Chandigarh, June 16 In a statement its general secretary, Mr S.K. Juneja, and president, Mr R.K. Mann, said if the Administration did not transfer the official, they would launch an agitation. They said a delegation led by Mr Juneja last night went to complain against power failure in the sector to the complaint centre. The association representatives said the complaint centre personnel asked them to talk to the SDO for a permanent solution, but when they went to the house of the SDO one boy there threatened to call the police while they were waiting outside the house. When the boy told them that the officer had gone to grid, the representatives contacted the grid where they were told that Mr Gujral had not reached there. Later when they went to the complaint centre again, Mr Gujral rang up and allegedly hurled abuses at Mr Juneja on the phone in the complaint centre for going to his house. The association said the matter had been reported to the area councillors Mr Kuldeep Singh and Ms Shyama Negi, and the police. Mr Gujral was not available for comments. |
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Collecting faulty currency is his passion A completely distorted Rs 10 note, coins with double stamping or overlapping or ones with half head and half tail on the same side or like those with one side printed and the other side completely blank make an interesting collection. Anurag has a collection of about 40 such coins and an equal number of currency notes. This Sangrur boy started collecting ancient coins when he was in Class V but soon the commonness of this hobby alienated him. So when he came across a distorted coin which was in circulation, his old hobby was ignited once again but with a different tilt. He collected a number of such currency notes and coins which stand testimony to the negligence of the authorities concerned. “These coins are in the condition as issued by the Reserve Bank of India without any tempering from outside,” says Anurag. A member of the Sangrur Philately Club, the Chandigarh Coins Collectors Club and the Ludhiana Numismatic Society, Anurag also boasts of a big collection of ancient coins and currency of the Kushana period to Mughal period. These reveal economic life of great rulers like Jahangir, Akbar, Sher Shah Suri, Raja Man Singh and Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Though his collection has already appeared in exhibitions at the Chandigarh Art Gallery a couple of years ago, Anurag has not yet prepared to put up a solo show with his collection. “Besides being an expensive hobby, it takes years to race something rare and interesting,” he says. “I will give myself a few more years to take my faulty coin collections to public,” he adds. |
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2 killed, 12 hurt in road mishaps Panchkula, June 16 Mr Singh was riding a scooter (DL-4C-8089) when he was hit on the Dera Bassi-Barwala road. The police has not been able to trace the vehicle which hit the scooter. In another accident, the driver of a tractor-trailer (HR-10-0291), Pal Singh, died when his vehicle overturned on the
Kalka-Paploha road this evening. Twelve labourers, who were in the tractor-trailer, were also injured. Two of the seriously injured have been referred to the
GMCH, Sector 32, Chandigarh. |
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Maharana Pratap remembered Chandigarh, June 16 The Punjab MLA, Mr Rana K. P. Singh, while addressing the gathering, said Maharana Pratap’s life had to be seen in a new light to strengthen the fight for freedom, dignity and honour of the people. He donated Rs 50,000 for the hostel library. The Chairman, M M Engineering College, Mullana, Mr Tarsem Kumar Garg, who presided over the function, donated Rs 1,01,000 to the society. |
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Shaurya Divas Panchkula, June 16 |
Scooterist dies in mishap Dera Bassi, June 16 According to the police, Pawan Kumar of Jawaharpur village was on his way back to his home when an oil tanker (HIU-1721) hit his scooter (HR-01E-9743) leaving him dead on the spot. The driver of the tanker sped away from the scene after the accident. After registering a case, the police has sent the body to the Civil Hospital, Rajpura, for postmortem.
PANCHKULA One killed Six booked Car stolen Three held CHANDIGARH Vehicles stolen A Gypsy (PB 27 4221) of Mr Balwinder Singh, a resident of Sector 43, Maruti Zen car (PB 03 J 5917) of Mr Rajinder Singh, a resident of Sector 21, and a Maruti car (CH 03 E 7749) of Mr Jagjit Singh, a resident of Sector 44, were said to be stolen. Three cases of thefts have been registered. Smack seized Theft Gamblers held LALRU Succumbs to injuries |
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Two children found missing from jhuggi Zirakpur, June 16 According to Shishpal, a labourer, he found his four-year-old son Dharmendra and Neelam (6) missing when he along with his wife returned home at about 7 last evening from work. Shishpal said the children were noticed in a jhuggi located in Ram Darbar Colony in Chandigarh this morning, where someone had left them late last night. The jhuggi owner, with whom the kids stayed last night, told Shishpal that the both went away, in the morning after taking their breakfast. Complaints about the children have been made to the Lohgarh police post in Zirakpur, Industrial Area, police station, Chandigarh, and Sector 31 police post. |
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Chandigarh, June 16