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| Sunday,
January 26, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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Major protest by Kishangarh
villagers Chandigarh, January 25 Hundreds of villagers including women and children, carrying torch-lights came out of their houses late in the evening to block the traffic on the Chandigarh-Shimla national highway but were intercepted by the local police near the Mani Majra railway crossing. The police forcibly stopped them from further proceeding with a mild lathi-charge but no violent incident was reported. There were even some heated exchange of words between residents of the village and the police personnel. The protest continued for more than two hours amid tension. Senior officials of the local police, including Mr Gaurav Yadav, arrived on the spot to assess the situation. Heavy force was deployed to prevent the residents from moving forward. Finally, with the initiatives of SSP Gaurav Yadav the villagers were pacified, subject to the arrangement of their meeting with the Advisor of the UT Administrator within three days. Ms Bhupinder Kaur, Sarpanch of Kishangarh village, warned that if their meeting with the advisor was not arranged as promised by the senior police officials, the villagers would again resort to massive protest blocking the traffic on the national highway on coming Saturday. She said that the UT administration was adamant to acquire residential areas of the village, resulting in the displacement of at least 1500 families. |
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Smita
to Juhi — Raj Babbar transposes roles Chandigarh, January 25 This afternoon a lot of Raj Babbar’s fondness for Smita stood bared as he talked about his latest home production “Kaash Aap Hamare Hote”, which was designed and developed with Smita Patil in mind. The year was 1983 when “Waris” was just about to hit the screen. “We had conceived this film together and we had great expectations from this project. Somehow, things did not materialise and one had no idea they never would. Recently, we were confronted by a tragic situation. A friend’s family was struck by tragedy. And I was instantly reminded of that script which had been written with Smita and myself in mind. I got in touch with Ravinder Peepat, director of the film and that is how “Kaash Aap Hamare hote,” our latest film produced by Nadira Babbar happened.” The project is all about charging values, ideas and attitudes. In the main lead is Juhi Babbar, who has worked hard to do justice to a role originally conceived for the legendary Smita Patil and Sonu Nigam, the singer hell-bent on surfacing in his new mould as an actor of worth. In Chandigarh for promotion of the film, due for release on February 6 and 7, the trio reflected upon what the project is all about. In the first instance, the film is about many firsts. Juhi is seen in a new role, so is Sonu Nigam, whose tryst with fame has been sudden at every level in life. And the man, with all his humility, submitted today, “Please see me as a debutante. I am still learning. I accepted the role because the script was too strong to be ignored. Also the faith which Raj ji reposed in me was amazing. I could not help taking the plunge.” Extremely humble about the way life has opened its arms for him, the celebrated singer Sonu Nigam is now keeping his fingers crossed. The role of Jaikumar had him struggling for perfection. “A lot of character portrayed in the film is not me. As Jaikumar, I am impulsive and emotional. In reality, I am just the opposite. The film offered scope for growth and performance. Both Raj ji and the director worked hard on me and I, in turn, worked hard on myself.” For a while Sonu is taking it easy with songs. “I believe in doing complete justice to what is at hand. Diligence and sincerity pays. So I am trying to be honest with my assignment,” said Sonu, who’s working out his transition from singer to actor in a dignified way (he regrets having signed Jaani Dushman, which proved suicidal). As for Juhi, acting flows in the family. She did not have to bother about technique, literally born into acting as she is. But one wonders why she jumped into fashion designing (she studied at NIFT). “I joined my mother’s group Ekjute. After a year of backstage, I managed a small role in Yahudi ki ladki. And then came the big break in theatre — Begum Jaan.” Juhi’s performance worked at many levels. Father Raj Babbar, who
had kept Juhi away from films, came around and made a film for her.
Raj Babbar admitted today that he enjoyed working with Juhi in the
film. “It was an experience I had been missing for long. As a father
I have been long blessed. Now I am seeking blessings as Juhi’s
co-actor.”  |
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Chemists flout rules with impunity SAS Nagar, January 25 While most chemists offer to administer injections to patients who come to their shop for injectibles, many have regular ‘patients’ among the diabetic or hypertensive elderly who, instead of going to doctors every month, come to these chemists for their doze. Much to the irritation of MBBS doctors who have opened shops in the same markets, these chemists have taken to prescribing medicines to people and the practice is so regularised now that residents are making a beeline for the nearest chemist for ‘‘small coughs and colds’
’instead of doctors who ‘‘charge a fee and make us wait’’. While a qualified pharmacist is trained and can with the requisite dispensing chemist licence, administer injections, do dressing, dispense first-aid and even recommend non-scheduled drugs to the consumer, none among the 110 chemists in the township has the dispensing chemist licence. According to Mr Harish Chander Sethi, President of the Ropar District Chemists Association under whose purview chemists in SAS Nagar also come, none of the chemists are administering injections or suggesting drugs. However, this is clearly not the case. Those manning Baba Medicals in Phase VII and Lakshmi Medical store in Phase 3B2, agree that they are giving injection to patients who ask them to do so. The former said he charged Rs 10 for every injection and the latter said that he charged nothing. Similarly, the shopkeeper at Singh Medical Store in Phase I stated that they gave injections to adults, but not children. Most chemists are not displaying licences in their shops. According to rules, the chemist has to display prominently his licence with his photo and be present in the shop himself. Instead, most of the shops are manned by persons other than the licence-holder. Munish Medical Hall, Shiva Medicos in Phase VII and Bala Medicos in Phase 3B2 were three medical shops where the licence-holders were not present. Instead, their brothers were in the shops. |
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200 rounded up in
search operations Chandigarh, January 25 Police teams from the Mani Majra police station rounded up 32 persons from Mauli Jagroan and Raipur Khurd. The teams from the Industrial Area police station rounded up 40 persons. As many as 13 persons were rounded up from the Palsora colony by a team led by the SHO of the Sector 39 police station. At least 63 persons were rounded up from Nehru colony in Sector 52. Three visitors from Jammu, who were staying in a Sector 35 hotel, were let off by the police after their antecedents were verified. A vigil is being kept on business establishments, hotels and public places around the Parade Ground, venue of the main Republic Day function. |
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Notorious cheat held Chandigarh, January 25 A police team led by Inspector Parmod, SI Sunehri Singh and HC Varinder arrested the cheat, who had shifted from his Sector 21 residence in Chandigarh. Vikas Jagota, had cheated several persons on the pretext of giving them employment in
Punjab and Haryana High Court. In 1995, he had forged the signatures of the then Registrar of the High Court, Mr C.L. Gulati, and issued fake letters of appointment to unsuspecting candidates. He had been declared a proclaimed offender in a case of cheating and forgery registered at the Sector 3 police station. His modus operandi was to take Rs 5,000 from a candidate and elope with the money. Some other cases of cheating and forgery have been registered at the Sector 19 and 26 police stations. In a case of cheating, Vikas Jagota had jumped bail. Several case of cheating and forgery were registered against him between 1995 and 2002. He was about to be declared a proclaimed offender in a case of cheating registered against him on November 4, 2002. He was today remanded in 14 days judicial custody. |
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Naked wires still pose threat to little ones Chandigarh, January 25 Though the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Wednesday ordered the payment of Rs 1 lakh compensation, within three months, to the father of Class II student Dharminder electrocuted in the school premises on September last year, lessons have apparently not been learnt from the unfortunate incident. At the time of the happening, social organisation Lawyers for Human Rights International, along with the boy’s father Vikram, had described Dharminder as a “victim of official carelessness and sheer negligence” after inspecting the school premises. They had also demanded that a high-level committee should be constituted for visiting all primary schools in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, “to ensure that all electrical appliances and gadgets are guarded”. Steps were taken to ensure the safety of the students, so assert officers. The school authorities also claim the carrying out of necessary repair work. Engineering Department officials further insist “everything is fine”. The reality, however, is different. Quite different. Little has been done by the authorities to secure against the repetition of such incidents. The fact is confirmed by a visit to the institutes. As you climb up the dingy stairs leading to the stuffy classrooms, the sorry state of affairs, and the perils the little ones are exposed to, become apparent. You see uncovered electricity wires jutting out of the broken switches. Inside the classrooms, you have to be careful enough not to come in contact with the live wires while switching on the lights, or the fans, lest.... The condition is actually bad in Sector 15 Government Senior Secondary School. Naked wires expose the students to danger in a bathroom on the top floor. The condition is no better in the canteen. This is not all. The ceiling and the classroom walls on the ground floor are constantly damp because of the “leaking water reservoirs”. Though the authorities deny it, some of the students working on the computers claim the conduction of electric current through the walls. When confronted with the situation, the authorities of almost all the schools “with the problem of naked wires”, refuse to come on the record. On the condition of anonymity they, nevertheless, reveal that letters and representations, addressed to the Education Department, have failed to evoke response. Education Department officials, on the other hand, claim repair work is the job of the
maintenance wing. Senior officers of the maintenance wing pass the buck back on the school authorities. “It is the responsibility of the school authorities to inform us about the need for carrying even minor repair work”, says Superintending Engineer
with the Chandigarh Administration V.P. Dhingra. “The problem arises when the school authorities try to extend the wires from one point to another on their own”. He adds, “Messing around with electricity connections is a very dangerous affair and the school authorities should avoid it. As far as we are concerned, the broken switches are replaced instantly. Even the fuse boxes are covered in all the schools”. |
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Women main victims of conflict:
seminar Chandigarh, January 25 The meeting was organised by the alliance in collaboration with the Centre for Women Studies at Panjab University. Ms Suman Krishan Kant, president of the Mahila Dakshita Samiti, inaugurated the session while the keynote address was read by Dr Ruth Manorma. Dr Pam Rajput, Director of the centre, gave the opening remarks while the session was presided over by Prof Bhuvan Chandel, Dean of the faculty of Arts. Certain women legislators and other leaders who participated included Jayshree Banerjee from Jamshedpur, Ms Laxmi Kanta Chawla (Amritsar) and Ms Harjinder Kaur, a local municipal councillor. The background note says that around the world women continue to be the worst victims of armed conflict and the greatest stakeholders in promoting peace. They are the victims not only in terms of direct violence but are also subjected to sexual violence, terrorism, loss of property and livelihood. Women have proved time and again their unique ability to prevent seemingly unsurmountable divides. Around the world the women are already ‘waging peace’. It has been pointed out that women organisations are interrogating the traditional view of peace and arguing that peace is more than mere absence of war. |
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Children’s day out on
double-decker Chandigarh, January 25 They also got to interact with the UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob ( retd) and asked him an unending stream of questions. The Department of Tourism along with the Food Craft institute and Hotel Management welcomed the tourists alighting from the Shatabdi in the morning. As a gesture to promote tourism, a free local sightseeing tour on the hop on and hop off double-decker coach was organised for tourists and children. This included special runs of the bus for slum children studying in night schools. A tourism quiz was organised at the Sukhna Lake in association with the Chandigarh Education Department in which more than 100 children from 30 government and Private schools participated. After enjoying refreshments at CITCO’s Lake Chef view. The UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd) interacted with Children who asked him several questions and even made suggestions. The Chairman of the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB), Mr G.K. Marwaha, and the MD, CITCO, Mr S.P. Singh, also visited the quiz competition. The following were the winners in the order of merit: Abhimanyu Bansal and Raghu Mahajan — Saint Stephens School, Sector 45, Chandigarh; Nishant Goyal and Ramandeep Singh Thakur — Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 35-D, Chandigarh; and Siddharth Sharma and Varun Moudgil — Government Modal Senior Secondary School, Sector 16, Chandigarh. The children were given cash prizes of Rs 700, Rs 500 and Rs 250, respectively. |
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READERS WRITE Me and my wife had purchased bonds from Alpic Finance Ltd at Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh at regular intervals worth Rs 1,10,000. Alpic Finance Ltd issued us four certificates (bearing the numbers 00001560 dated July 24, 1998; 00003861 dated July 24, 1998; 00000230 dated June 11, 1999; and 00000975 dated July 31, 2000, respectively). The bonds were purchased only because the Bank of Baroda are the trustees. This bank is responsible for payment of money with interest if Alpic fails to pay in time. Alpic tried to convert these bonds as shares. When the Bank of Baroda objected to this conversion, Alpic approached the Bombay High Court which, in turn, dismissed the suit and gave a ruling in favour of the Bank of Baroda and the investors. I have been writing letters to newspapers and running from pillar to post to get back my hard-earned money, but in vain. Alpic has been keeping mum despite my repeated appeals and so are the Bank of Baroda officials. I appeal to the Bank of Baroda to clear the payments first and then resolve the issue with Alpic at its earliest convenience. I am now 72 years old and I do not know whether I can get back my money, at least the principal amount. I have undergone a bypass operation at Chennai, having spent huge funds. I had brought this to the notice of Mr G. Rammohan, Member of Parliament, who, in turn, had written to the Union Finance Minister. I am very badly in need of my hard-earned money that I had invested and I request the authorities concerned to help me get back my money. Ch LAKSHMAIAH,
Vijayawada (AP) Camp: Chandigarh Irresponsible youth In his letter titled ‘Talibanisation of Panchkula’ (Chandigarh Tribune, December 25, 2002), Mr Manpreet Singh has pleaded for free mixing of irresponsible and immature boys and girls in open parks in the name of freedom as a fundamental right. I strongly oppose his suggestion. We hear cases of rape, abduction, pregnancies and abortion of unmarried girls, which are eating into the vitals of our society. Such free mixing results in sexual abuse and a further rise in the crime rate. Our cultural ethos and values are very sacred and balanced. The Indian culture as a whole is neither narrow-minded like the Taliban’s Islamic culture where women and girls are required to wear a veil (burqa), nor like the Western values which encourage nudity and obscenity in day-to-day life. Our culture encourages a pure and chaste life, with guided freedom adequate for the development of one’s personality and promotion of ethical values. The Panchkula police is doing a good job. It is shameful that the parents of some boys and girls are not capable of guiding their children and putting them on the right track. The police should also pull up parents of youngsters who are found in open parks. ANAND PRAKASH,
Panchkula Check robberies Recent incidents of robbery in Chandigarh and surrounding areas have raised doubts among the general public about the role of the police. The arrest of some youths, allegedly involved in these incidents has been made possible only due to the coordinated efforts of the Chandigarh Police and the SAS Nagar Police. But then, there is no room for complacency. The new Inspector-General of Police of the Union Territory has rightly decided to set up a joint force by involving all the neighbouring states to restore order. This is a step in the right direction. SALIL BALI,
Chandigarh Stray cattle menace Cows and buffaloes are creating trouble in parks and on the roads. They have made the lives of SAS Nagar residents miserable. In almost all parks in Phase-1, animals can be seen. The children are not able to play in the parks due to this menace. Even those riding two-wheelers do not feel at ease. Apparently, these animals come from nearby villages, walk or sit on the road and create havoc for drivers of vehicles, particularly the two wheelers, and the pedestrians. During the night, one cannot see black cows due to fog and poor visibility. This has become a major reason for the accidents. Garbage and kitchen waste thrown on the roads attract these stray animals. Moreover, people of nearby villages let these animals go when they are of no use to them. The authorities have done little to check the menace. These animals are increasing day by day and creating more problems for the residents. I request the authorities concerned to look into the matter seriously. BHUPINDER SINGH HAPPY,
SAS Nagar |
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President’s Medal for 2
officers Panchkula, January 25 Mr Suresh Nagpal, Company Commander-cum-Civil Defence Superintendent of Panchkula, has been selected for Presidents Award on the occasion of Republic Day by Haryana Home Guards and Civil Defence. His notable achievement has been completing the revised paper plan of Civil Defence for Panchkula within two days during the Kargil operation. Mr Gurinderpal Singh Grewal, Commandant, Home Guards, Panchkula, has been awarded Presidents Medal for Distinguished service. He received President Medal for meritorious service in 1994. Rudra Mukherjee, a student of Class VII of Manav Mangal School , will be honoured at the Republic Day celebrations here. He is being honoured because of his achievements in yoga at the international level. |
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Police medal for SP Sandhu Chandigarh, January 25 The President Police Medal of meritorious services has also been awarded to two officials of the Chandigarh Police — Inspector Hardev Singh, posted in the women and child support unit and ASI Baldev Singh, Assistant Reader in the office of the Senior Superintendent of Police, Chandigarh. |
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Basant Panchmi celebrations by Jat
Sabha Chandigarh, January 25 The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, will be the chief guest and Mr Virender Singh, Adviser to the UT Administrator, will be the guest of honour. Artistes from Public Relations Department, Haryana, and Natraj Kalakendra will present a Haryanavi cultural programme. A special “Ragani” programme will also be organised. The winners of Bhai Surender Singh Malik Memorial All-India Essay Writing Competition held in the state on November 24 will be given cash awards. The competition was held in urban and rural sections. The gold medal winners — Karamjit Singh Gill, Guru Gobind Singh College, Chandigarh, and Renu of Kanya, Gurukul Khanpur-Kalan, Sonipat — will be given Rs 2,100 each. The silver medal winners — Rachna Nehra of G.G.S.S. School, Rohtak and Poonam of G.S.S. School, Lakhanmajra, Rohtak — will get Rs 1,100 each and the bronze medal winners — Neelam of Vishwas Senior Secondary School, Hisar, and Kiran of B.S.S.M.S.S., Nidani (Jind) will receive Rs 900 each. Four consolation prizes in each section will also be given. The recipients include Akanshka Bhalla, G.G.D.S.D. College, Chandigarh, Sandeep Kumar, Government Senior Secondary School, Rohtak, and Aushika of Vishwas Senior Secondary School, Hisar, in urban section and Priyanka of Kanya Gurukul Khanpur-Kalan, Sonipat, Sunita and Sudesh of B.S.S.M.S.S. Nidal and Savita Rathee of S.D. High School Lakhan-Majra, Rohtak, in the rural section. |
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Joshi to lay stone of Sanskrit
Bhavan Panchkula, January 25 The state government has embarked upon an ambitious plan to metamorphose the glory of Mansa Devi temple here by setting up a cultural centre in form of a theme museum on Mother Goddess. The concept of the museum is to embody within itself all intellectual, religious and philosophical traditions and ideas relating to Mother Goddess. It is also proposed to have a library section in the museum, displaying religious and philosophical literature with special reference to Mother Goddess. The Mansa Devi Shrine Board already has a sizeable collection of ancient manuscripts of ancient Sanskrit medieval classics and books on philosophy, religion and occult and oriental studies. This collection will be augmented by procuring copies of all classical and authentic works on Mata Mansa Devi. The project cost has been estimated at over Rs 3.5 crore. Around 10 acres of land around the shrine is currently lying unused. Around two acres of this land has already been identified for developing the theme museum. It may be noted that Mansa Devi temple is an old “Shakti peeth” where lakhs of people come to worship each year. Although this is a sacred religious destination, yet it has a secular dimension. It was thus decided that a cultural centre be developed here in the form of a theme museum to enable the visitors and pilgrims unravel the various aspects of Mother Goddess. The proposed museum will have two distinct sections of display — heritage section and the Mother Goddess section. Exhibits of heritage section will include the pre-historic findings highlighting the pre-historic man in India, along with historical and archaeological findings of Panchkula region which include sculptures, paintings and manuscripts. However, the Mother Goddess section will be the main attraction of the museum highlighting the evolution of Mother Goddess in India and abroad, “shakti” cult, “shakti” and its various forms, worship traditions, rituals and offerings associated with “shakti”, arms and ammunition related with “shakti” et al. |
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Joint prayer by
churches Chandigarh, January 25 The churches participating in the prayer included the Sector 19 church, the Sector 18 church and the Sector 23 Missionaries of Charity. Representatives from all churches addressed the gathering and stressed upon the need for spiritual unity among all Christians as well as communities. |
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Senior officer, wife
booked Panchkula, January 25 The complainant, Mrs Saraswati Gaur, widow of Mr V.N. Gaur, had sought that the case be registered against the officer, his wife and others . She has alleged that the couple accompanied by six others had broken the lock of this flat in Shikhar Apartments and taken away goods with the intention of forcible dispossession. The complainant had pleaded that she was involved in handloom business and Mr Saksena’s wife was a partner. They had been given Mr Saksena’s flat on rent for Rs 1000 per month. However, they suffered losses in business and Mr Saksena, while expressing his inability to repay his share of the loss, asked that the amount be adjusted in the flat. After V.N. Gaur’s death in 2000, Mr Saksena had promised to hand over the flat to them. |
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