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| Sunday,
March 16, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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STD code change inevitable Chandigarh/SAS Nagar, March 15 The change in STD codes is mandatory as per the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) direction which says all telephones in one Secondary Switching Area (a technical term for earmarking telecom jurisdiction) have to be within the same revenue district. This means all numbers of Ropar district have to be part of the Ropar SSA and not part of the Chandigarh SSA. The same is true for telephone numbers in Panchkula. So far, telephone numbers of S.A.S. Nagar and Panchkula, respectively, have been attached with the Chandigarh SSA. The Chief General Manager Telecom (CGMT) , Punjab Telecom Circle, Mr S.C. Chaudhary, said, ‘‘We were working to sort out the technical problem which has led to postponement in change of STD codes.’’ When asked if the change would be in place by the month end, Mr Chaudhary said once the problem was rectified the change would be carried out. In case of Panchkula also the change was on the cards but, this would be carried out after effecting the change in STD code for S.A.S. Nagar, the CGMT added. Last night the Union Ministry of Telecom postponed the proposed change in STD code for S.A.S. Nagar till further instructions. Sources said this had been done to ward off immediate pressure from various bodies. The move to change the code is still on and it has to be changed. For the two townships, it is like severing off the proverbial umbilical cord with Chandigarh. The dialling code 0172 is recognised nationally as well as internationally as the STD code for Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana. In the past three decades telephone users have got used to using 0172 to access numbers in Chandigarh and also in S.A.S. Nagar and Panchkula. For telephone numbers in S.A.S. Nagar, the Punjab Telecom Circle has made out a case that S.A.S. Nagar is attached with Ropar for all practical purposes like registration of vehicles, births and deaths, property deeds, supply of water and power bills, among other aspects. In case of Panchkula , the Haryana Government had been demanding that subscribers in the township be allowed to dial numbers in a 200 km radius for towns in Haryana. At present Panchkula is attached with the Punjab Telecom Circle and the telephone users can dial towns in Punjab within a 200 km radius, however, access in not possible for towns in Haryana. This is possible only if Panchkula is attached with the Haryana Telecom Circle. For this Panchkula need to have a separate STD code and be delinked from Chandigarh. Meanwhile, a sense of relief spread among S.A.S. Nagar residents following the decision to defer the change in STD code for the township. According to Mr K.K. Sarangal, General Manager, Telecom, SAS Nagar, since the complete changeover has been deferred, the number ‘2’ will also not be prefixed to telephone numbers from midnight tonight. Welcoming the decision, local MLA, Mr Bir Devinder Singh, who had spearheaded the opposition to change in STD code, said he was grateful to Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Union Cabinet Minister, who had been instrumental in getting the changeover deferred. ‘‘I express hope that a permanent decision to this effect will be taken soon. We will ensure that the matter is followed up and a reasonable decision is taken keeping in mind the pulse of the residents,’’he said. Mr B.S. Baidwan, President of the Mohali Industries Association who also opposed the change stated that the decision was welcome. |
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Meat sellers clarify Chandigarh, March 15 Talking to Chandigarh Tribune over telephone, Mr Jaspreet Singh Garewal, director of JD’s supermarket, said their livestock was being regularly sent to the slaughter house and animals were stamped everyday. “As slaughtering is done just once a day in the morning, we order our suppliers in advance, knowing our requirements. During the day of the raids, it was by chance that to cater to an emergency order, the slaughtered animals remained unstamped,” he added. |
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Docs for ban on sale of uniodised salt Chandigarh, March 15 “A pinch of iodised salt daily can protect children from mental retardation, squint, deafness, goitre and low IQ level as there is no other source which can provide the body with iodine,” said Dr Rajesh Kumar, Head of the Community Medicine Department at the PGI. Iodine deficiency disorders are popularly known as the “disease of the soil” since the only source through which iodine can pass into food is through the soil on which it is grown. “The Union Government lifted the ban on the sale of uniodised salt in 2000. Some states are still enforcing it but we feel that this leaves scope for certain manufacturers to sell uniodised salt, he said. The Department of Community Medicine is currently holding a two-day workshop on iodine deficiency disorders (IDD), being attended by doctors, social workers, educationists, salt manufacturers and traders. “After reviewing the implementation of the iodisation programme in various states and identifying the problems, we will make recommendations so that IDD can be eliminated,” he said. He informed that as a result of the nationwide iodisation campaign, the situation had improved considerably. Prof M.G. Karmarkar, a former Professor of Laboratory Medicine at AIIMS, said the worst kind of iodine disorder was when due to insufficient iodine intake a mother gave birth to a baby whose brain and central nervous system is affected.
Check your iodine intake • 15 grams of iodised salt consumed daily through meals is enough to prevent iodine deficiency disorders. • Total iodine requirement for a human being in his entire life is a mere 4 grams of iodine, equal to one teaspoon. Daily iodine requirement is 150 micrograms, equal to a needle tip. • A considerable percentage of iodine is lost if it is added while the meal is being cooked and heated. Doctors say it must be added when the food is ready to be consumed. • Iodised salt must neither be stored for too long nor exposed to sunlight. It should be moisture- free as iodine is highly volatile. • Consuming vegetables, foodstuffs and meat of animals reared in iodine-sufficient areas is the only way one could get the required iodine intake. |
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ECG through telephone Chandigarh, March 15 What, ECG through telephone? How is that possible? Well, you can ask the President of Heartcare India, a division of American Heartcare Limited. Khushjit Ahluwalia, popularly known as Kooks Ahluwalia, will tell you all about the technology that will set many a heart thumping in the region by mid-April. He says: “For transmitting your heart beat to the cardiac stations all you will need is a telephone, and a monitor. Nothing else. No heavy machines, no doctors, no assistants. It is all a part of tele-medicine”. Giving details, he asserts: “After placing transtelephonic cardiac monitoring system on your heart for 300 seconds, you will call up the cardiac station for transmitting the beats directly to the computer. In less than two minutes, the technician will take out a print and tell you about the condition of your heart”. The monitor, the NRI asserts, will not cost more than a cell phone. “There are three models costing between Rs 12,000 and Rs 18,000. We are sure people will not mind buying the product, specially for post-operative examination,” he reveals. “But in case they do not wish to invest money, they will be able to rent it out. Initially, the monitors will be imported from the USA, but soon we will be setting up our own manufacturing unit in SAS Nagar”. But is the new technology a success? “In America, about 50,000 persons are using the technology. Some of the hospitals in Delhi are also offering it entirely to the satisfaction of the patients. But so far the service is not available in this part of the region”. Highlighting the benefits of the technology, he says: “The device will go a long way in helping the patients suffering from heart ailments. They will not have to call the doctor home, nor be forced to drive down to the clinics. They will not only save time and energy, but also money as they will not have to pay more than Rs 100 for the entire process. A demo centre will become operational in SAS Nagar by the middle of next month. Video-conference service will also be introduced soon”. The facility, he reveals, will be available round the clock, all seven days a week. “You will be able to call up the cardiac station from anywhere in the world for getting the results”. His dream is to connect 18 districts with the Punjab Chief Minister’s office through video conferencing facility. Why Punjab? “Well, I am a Punjabi. Born in Jalandhar and educated in Delhi. Otherwise also, the present Punjab Government has been more than helpful. Everything is fine as we have signed an agreement with Punjab Venture Capital Limited. The government-run organisation has an equity share of 24 per cent”. Further details about the technology can be had from www.heartcareindia.com, he asserts. |
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Supporter
turns opponent Chandigarh, March 15 If you do not believe it, go through the judgement pronounced by Mr Justice G.S. Singhvi and Mr Justice S.S. Grewal of the High Court on a petition filed by the Union Territory of Chandigarh and the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh. In their 16-page order, the Judges have observed: “It is rather surprising that after having supported the candidature of Dr Jagdish Chander before the Tribunal, the petitioners have challenged the impugned orders”. Dr Chander — Reader in the Department of Microbiology — had initially filed an “original application” before the Tribunal challenging the decision of the Union Public Service Commission rejecting his candidature for Professor’s post on the ground that he did not fulfil the eligibility conditions. Allowing his application on April 24, 2000, the Tribunal had ruled: “Annexure A-9 is the opinion of the Chandigarh Administration which in no uncertain language shows that the applicant is fully eligible. This letter was written by the Administration in response to a letter received by the Union Public Service Commission clearly mentioning that the applicant had more than 12 years standing in the profession and, therefore, he fulfilled the requisite qualification....” However, after a gap of about two and a half years, the Administration filed a writ petition in the High Court challenging the order on the ground that the Tribunal’s view on eligibility issue was based on erroneous interpretation of the qualifications prescribed by the Medical Council of India. Taking up the petition, the Judges observed: “Admittedly, the original application filed by Dr Chander was allowed by the Tribunal vide order dated April 25, 2000, and the writ petition was filed on September 18, 2002, after a gap of two years and five months. The petitioners have not offered any explanation whatsoever for this long delay in filing the writ petition.” The Judges added: “There is another reason for our disinclination to entertain the writ petition. Before the Tribunal, the petitioners had categorically supported the candidature of the respondent. This is clearly borne out of paragraphs 10 and 11 of the impugned order....” The Bench concluded: “Even on merits, we are satisfied that the reasons assigned by the Tribunal for granting relief to Dr Chander do not suffer from any error of law warranting interference.” Dismissing the petition, the Judges concluded: “We entirely agree with the Tribunal and hold that Dr Chander was eligible to be considered for selection for appointment on the Professor’s post and the Commission had illegally rejected his candidature.” |
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Divorce cases on
the rise Chandigarh, March 15 The next step takes her to the courtroom where she faces hostile onlookers and an even more hostile lawyer. However, city women seem to be
undeterred by all this, as one divorce case on an average is being filed in the district court daily. Despite the trauma which a woman must endure while she faces divorce proceedings, the number of divorce cases are on the rise. The trend points towards
something's serious — men are becoming increasingly difficult to cope with. The reasons for divorce are plenty. These include harassment, both physical and mental, husband’s addiction to alcohol or drugs, extra-marital affairs, temperamental incompatibility,
in-laws’ interference, lack of feeling of adjustment, etc. A random survey reveals that in the upper strata of society, cruelty and extra-marital affairs are the main reasons. A couple got separated after three days of marriage when the girl came to know that her husband had a relationship with another girl. She filed a divorce case and got divorced two years later. “Having lived in a protective environment, it was painful to appear in the witness box to record statements and be
cross-examined by counsel,” she said. Narrating her story, another girl said: “ I could never imagine that a person whom I loved and trusted so much would cheat me one day. When I came to know of his affair, he started abusing me on one pretext or the other. Finally, I finally decided to file a divorce case against him.” A woman who had filed a case against her husband on the charge of cruelty said he used to beat her after consuming liquor. She went through a lot of trauma in the past few years of her marriage. “So I have now decided to file for divorce. A senior advocate, Mr Varinder Issar, said incompatibility in temperament, physical and mental harassment, interference of parents in the couple’s life and difficulty in adjustment were common reasons for divorce. He said many cases these days ended in compromise. The UT District and Sessions Judge, Mr H.S Bhalla, said every effort was made to dispose of the divorce cases as quickly as possible. In mutual divorce cases, six months’ time was given to the parties to think over the matter. Thereafter, divorce was granted. He said contested cases usually took a longer time. Mr Bhalla stated that to avoid harassment of litigants, counsel could ask for in-camera proceedings as women litigants were likely to face harassment during crossexaminination. |
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Writers’ relay fast continues Chandigarh, March 15 Those who sat on fast today were Karnail Singh Nijjer, senior vice-president of the Kendri Punjabi Lekhak Sabha, Mohinderdeep Grewal, secretary of the sabha, Pritam Singh Pandher, Harbhajan Singh Dharna and Darshan Singh Darshan. They mostly belonged to Ludhiana. Addressing the rally, Nijjer condemned the ‘anti-Punjabi stance’ being adopted by the Punjab Government. He said Punjabi should be the language of instruction at the primary level and English should be introduced only from Class VI. The rally was also addressed by Sudershan Walia and Dr Sarabjit Singh, vice-presidents of the sabha. Dr Sukhdev Singh, Gurnam Kanwar, Nazar Singh and Karam Singh Waqeel, executive members of the sabha, also addressed the rally, besides Sanjivan Singh, convener of the Sarghi Kala Kendra and Ranjivan Singh, secretary of Taraq. In a resolution passed later, those attending the rally supported the indefinite dharna by farmers at the Matka Chowk here and demanded the acceptance of their demands. In a separate resolution, the writers also condemned the aggressive stance adopted by the USA against Iraq. |
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Traders
threaten to oppose BJP Chandigarh, March 15 The Beopar Mandal threatened that it would oppose the BJP in the elections and asked the traders to come forward and decide if they wanted to save their livelihood or see the party flourish. The president of the mandal, Mr Jagdish Arora, said as the BJP was the ruling party at the Centre, it could have easily got the notification repealed. Without the support of traders, the BJP cannot win the Chandigarh seat, Mr Arora claimed, adding that traditionally a large chunk of the traders had voted for the BJP. On November 7 last year, the Chandigarh Administration amended the East Punjab Urban Rent Restriction Act, 1949, and gave more powers to owners of property to evict tenants. About 95 per cent of the traders in the city are tenants and fear eviction from landlords who have been empowered by the notification. Mr Arora said the mandal was amazed at the doublespeak of BJP leaders, who had been promising that the Act would be withdrawn while some of them were siding with property owners. The decision of the mandal against the BJP was taken following a general body meeting where representatives of various markets agreed to demand a boycott of the BJP, Mr Arora said. He said representatives of the mandal had met the Prime Minister on March 10 along with the All-India President of the Vyapar Sangh, Mr Shyam Behari Mishra. Mr Arora said the Prime Minister had promised to look into the matter. The mandal clarified that it had sought exclusion of commercial property from the ambit of the November 7 notification and had not touched upon the issue of residential property. |
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Holi Bash at Funcity Chandigarh, March 15 The main features of the event will be the famous Punjabi singers Sarabjeet Cheema, Raj Brar, Romey Gill, Bai Amarjit, Azzi Ash, Surjeet Khan, Sharen, Gurkirpal, Babu Gill, Sunita Bhatti and Vicky
Bedi. The event is slated for March 18 and 19 at Funcity Wunder Water from 10 a.m. Entry will be only for couples and families. The invitees can also look forward to a host of fabulous prizes. Those include titles like best Dancing Couple, Best Dance Male, Best Dance Female etc. Holi milan: The Purvanchal Welfare Association will celebrate Holi Milan on March 16 at Government College, Sector 46. The Adviser to UT Administrator, Mr Virender Singh (IAS), will be the chief guest. The function will start at 3 p.m. and conclude at 7 p.m. Others expected to be present at the function include Pawan Kumar Bansal, MP, and Mayor Subhash
Chawla. |
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Cops listen to the aggrieved Chandigarh, March 15 During the camp, 293 of the 323 complaints relating to various disputes were solved by police officials of the police station concerned. The complaints were forwarded by the police station concerned after consulting the plaintiff and the defendants. The complaints solved today received the acknowledgement of the State Legal Services Authority. Apart from the top brass of the city police, DSPs and SHOs had set up separate tables to redress the complaints. Mr Rajesh Kumar, IGP, Chandigarh, said there were certain disputes in which the police could not legally intervene. Complainants often alleged that the police was siding with the other party, he said. Mr Sant Parkash, Judge, Permanent Lok Adalat, Chandigarh, the SP(Operations), Mr H.G.S. Dhaliwal, and the SP(City), Mr Baldev Singh, also spoke on the occasion. The SSP, Mr Gaurav Yadav, Mrs Amar Kulwant Kaur and Mr K.K. Monga, both Lok Adalat members, were also present. |
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Consumer
Awareness Mela Chandigarh, March 15 He appreciated the role of consumer forum in disseminating the information among the urban masses as well as the rural people regarding their consumer rights. He assured all possible help from the administration to the consumer forum in this public welfare project and handed over a draft of Rs. 40,000/ to the forum compensating the cost of publications brought out by the Forum for free distribution among the consumers. A painting competition was also organised. Amanjot Kaur stood first in the 3 to 8 years group followed by Anandita Bhanot and Ashima. Similarly, in the 8 to 12 years group Pratiba Garcha stood first followed by Anjana Mehta and Ekta Singla. And in 12 to 16 years of age group Sheetal Goel was declared first followed by Gagandeep Kaur and Minal Gogia. Khula Manch on the problems of licensing and registration of vehicles, a lecture on traffic awareness and a cultural programme was also organised by the North Zone Cultural Centre. A spokesman for the forum said that the prizes would be given to the winners during the closing day ceremony on Sunday. |
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Another
lead in rape case SAS Nagar, March 15 The girl, claimed to be a minor, had delivered a child at the PGI on March 1, and in her statement to the UT police named five persons — Gurdhian, Kesar, Panch, Tari and Rinku — whom she had illicit relations with. The SAS Nagar police had registered a case of rape against the five men. Two of these five men, Kesar and Gurdhian, according to her, hail from Karoran. However, the police is still trying to find out the residences of Kesar Singh and Gurdhian Singh allegedly involved in the murder of Pala Singh. Kesar Singh and Gurdhian Singh along with many others were arrested within days of the murder that took place on July 2, 2002. The assailants had chased Pala Singh for at least 15 meters before pumping in three bullets into his body at Khuda Alisher village. Meanwhile, the police also visited the Missionaries of Charity, Sector 23. Denying any information to the police, the Missionaries of Charity, however, confirmed that no child had been brought there from the PGI between March 1 and
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READERS WRITE
A large number of persons have rightly given their views against the intended change in the STD code of Mohali. Apart from these valid economic and other reasons already aired, I wish to highlight a few other aspects in this regard. Mohali has a large number of serving defence and paramilitary forces (PMF) personnel who are deployed in far-flung areas, including Nagaland, Manipur and other North-Eastern states, apart from being deployed in J&K and other parts of the country. Families of these persons who are in similar large numbers are staying in Mohali. In addition to the families of these persons, separated families of other such persons, from other cities/towns are also staying at Mohali, as Chandigarh is an “Air-Head” for entire J&K, including for troops deployed in Siachen, as rentals in Chandigarh are exorbitant as compared to Mohali. To inform all those thousands of soldiers (term includes sailors and airmen as well) and PMF persons will be next to impossible. Since none of such troops have telephones (with the exception of a handful of very senior officers) and depend upon STD/PCOs to contact their families, the family members from Mohali cannot intimate them the change in the STD code. As such all these troops and their families will not only be put to avoidable inconvenience but the troops’ anxiety levels will further increase manyfold due their not being able to contact their families because of the change in STD code. Also, Mohali has been planned as an extension of Chandigarh as is evident from the layout and numbering of residential sectors and even the commercial center of Mohali (Sector 62). Mohali has also come on the world map due the existence of world class cricket stadium. Thus the whole world is familiar with the existing STD code of Mohali. In view of the above it is requested that Mohali must continue to be linked with Chandigarh and no change be made in its STD code. Brig Harwant Singh Mohali
The condition of a number of roads in the city is in bad shape. With the increase in the volume of heavy traffic on the road dividing Sectors 31-32, the situation is grim. Big potholes on bumpy roads greet visitors. The stretch leading to the roundabout near the Sector 32 fire station is also full of potholes. The traffic moves at a snail’s pace. The leaking water pipe near the SD College roundabout has been repaired several times. The road leading to the college is in such poor condition that it may lead to an accident any time. The authorities are requested to get the road repaired immediately. Dinesh Kumar Sharma,
Best homage The 42-year old ‘mission specialist’ Kalpana Chawla is no more with us but her mortals, feat and achievements will be ever lasting and long remembered by academicians and other fellow-beings. What the young generation can follow from her short but bright career was the noble quality she possessed of mixing social instinct with professional approach. How kind-hearted, serious and sensitive she was to the needs and requirements of her fellow-beings was another remarkable feather in the cap of the deceased astronaut. She earned glory for all Indians in and outside the country, and virtually served as a ‘gesture of cooperation’ between India and the USA. The best homage that we can pay to the able-minded astronaut is to discourage brain drain. The governments of Haryana and Punjab and PEC, Chandigarh, have done laudable work by instituting memorials in her name. Nirmal Kumar Panchkula |
2 held in flesh trade racket Chandigarh, March 15 A police party led by the DSP, South, Mr S.S. Randhawa laid a trap. A decoy customer was sent with marked currency notes. The customer struck a deal for Rs 500. After the deal was struck, the customer gave Rs 200 to the women. The police party apprehended the two women on the spot. A search of the women was done by a lady constable. A case under the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act has been registered at the Sector 39 police station. Pirated CDs seized:
The Chandigarh Police has seized 785 pirated CDs, including five porno CDs from Pooja Music Centre in Ram Darbar, Phase II. The raids were conducted by the CIA wing of the police on a tip-off by a company engaged by T-series to protect its copyrights. A case under the Copyrights Act has been registered at Sector 31 police station. Cases of burning:
Two cases of burning were reported from the city yesterday. A woman of Sector 52, Lata, received around 49 per cent burns injuries on the lower part of her body. She was admitted to the Sector 32 GMCH. The police said the women received the injuries when a stove in her house burst accidentally. She is said to be stable. In another case, Ranjeet Singh, a resident of Ram Darbar, Phase II, received around 40 per cent burns when he allegedly set himself afire outside his house late last night. The victim had come to the house of his friend, Om Parkash. Dowry:
Devinder Kaur, a resident of Sector 37, has complained to the police that Harjinder Singh and Jaswinder Kaur, husband and mother-in-law, have been harassing her to bring dowry. A case under Sections 406 and 498 of the IPC has been registered. Phone snatched:
The UT police has registered a case under Section 356, IPC, on the complaint lodged by Nalini Chauhan, daughter of an MLA from Nahan in Himachal Pradesh. In her complaint, Nalini has said her mobile phone was snatched away from her while she was roaming in Sector 17 at about 8.45 p.m.
Panchkula Girl killed:
A six-year-old girl, Sunita, was killed after she was allegedly run down by a truck (HP-11-5354) near Kota Matawala bus stand here yesterday. The girl reportedly died on the spot. The driver of the truck, Somnath, has been arrested. Case of Cheating:
A resident of Baruli village, Mr Jasbir Singh, has reported with the police that a fellow villager Jaspal and Gurmeet Singh of Patiala district (Punjab) have duped him of Rs 1 lakh. He stated that the two took the money in June last year on the promise of sending him abroad but they failed to both honour the promise and return the money. A case has been registered. Assault:
A watchman at Society No. 18, Sector 5, Chander Sharma, reported that he was assaulted and threatened by a resident of the society, Suresh Verma, and another person here yesterday. Theft:
A Maruti car (DL 8CA 7158) of Ms Rajbala, a resident of Sector 2, was reportedly stolen from here yesterday. A case has been registered. Two held:
The police has arrested Bharat Singh and Dinesh, both residents of Gate No. 4, Old Panchkula, for allegedly gambling at a public place. |
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