 |
|
| Thursday,
April 10, 2003, Chandigarh, India
|
|
||||
|
Births and deaths in HUDA godown Panchkula, April 9 A sharp contrast to the main three blocks with their granite floors and freshly painted walls, this public dealing office is housed in the godown which is also used for storing the confiscated goods by the Enforcement Wing of Panchkula Estate Office. Open electric wires dangle loosely overhead, the furniture for the employees ( two chairs and a table) is broken and five chairs confiscated by the enforcement staff during their anti-encroachment drives in the city are kept on one side for the public. In fact, the total space for office staff and public together is barely 200 square feet, with the rest of the space taken by the confiscated rehris, tables, cane juice machines, and parts of broken furniture. The old revenue records, records of birth and death, slum rehabilitation scheme, rehri licences and census are lying covered under several inches of dust and cobwebs, scattered in racks and almirahs that cannot be closed. A single ceiling fan and a tubelight dangle from the asbestos roof of this office, which is frequented by almost 1000 residents each month. Senior officials in the Estate Office, requesting anonymity, say that inspite of numerous representations to the Chief Administrator, HUDA and Administrator, Panchkula, over the past several years, the authorities have failed to allocate a better place in the HUDA Complex for shifting this office. Officials in Estate Office here inform that on an average 30 to 50 people visit this office daily for getting birth and death certificates, though this number has increased to almost double these days because of parents trying to get their wards birth certificates for school admissions. Says Mr Suresh Jangra , a resident of Sector 10, who had come here to get a birth certificate: “When the government cannot provide a proper seating place for its staff, how will they think of the public? Obviously the efficiency of the staff is less because of such shabby work environment.” Since the old age, widow pension, pension to handicapped etc is also distributed from this office, the rush here increases by almost 100 persons per day for an entire week from April 12 onwards. It is during this week that a long queue of these pensioners can be seen beating the heat outside this office, waiting for the turn. Mr Dharam Singh, a resident of Sector 10, who had come here to inquire about his old age pension, said that often during the summer months, a lot of old persons faint while waiting for their turn to get the pension. The Estate Officer, Ms Monica Mallik, when contacted by Chandigarh Tribune, said that efforts would be taken to bring this office in proper shape. If possible, the office can also be shifted, she added. Till that time, the catchy slogan painted on the board indicating the name of this office, “...Janam Mrityu Karao Darj; Mile Labh Poora ho farz,” is meant for the public only. The government, at least in this case, has forgotten its duty towards the public. |
|
Sardines
in a can or kids in a van? Chandigarh, April 9 In some of the city schools, parked among the school buses are Maruti vans with drivers in plain clothes ready to stuff junior class students inside these vehicles. A random survey carried out by a Chandigarh Tribune team revealed the truth. At a Sector 26 boys' school, a driver and his companion were seen forcing 15 students inside a van. Their innocent complaints and protests were ignored as the driver pulled shut the door. Within minutes, another van zoomed out of a school with at least 10 students sitting inside. As the van came to a screeching halt at the traffic lights, children’s heads banged against each other. This was not all. In an apparent attempt to fool the authorities, the van had a ‘car pool’ sticker glued to the front windshield. Another tag with the same message was hanging from the rear-view mirror just above the driver's seat. But the driver was charging money, the students suffocating inside confirmed. The secret behind the acquisition of the tag, and the sticker was anyone’s guess. Interestingly, the vehicles were being overloaded daily in complete violation of the directions issued by the Punjab and Haryana High Court in traffic regulation and pollution control case. Pronouncing the orders on a civil writ petition number 7639 of 1995, Mr Justice Swatenter Kumar and Mr Justice Sat Pal on page 23 of the judgement had ruled: "No bus shall allow the children to sit in excess of 1.5 times its registered capacity. All the directions and conditions shall be applicable to the three-wheelers, taxis and other vehicles being used for the purpose". The State Transport authorities, when contacted, claimed periodic raids were conducted. A senior officer said violators were being challaned, but blamed the school authorities for not co-operating. The school staff, on the other hand, asserted they had nothing to do with the vans. They belonged to private contractors, the authorities asserted. One of the owners, meanwhile, claimed the students had been asked to get on the van as the bus deployed for carrying them had ‘gone for repair’. "Normally, we do not use vans for dropping the students," he insisted. “Rubbish”, a Sector 15 parent claimed. "They are just making a mockery of the whole system," he commented. "They charge Rs 600 for ferrying the children in mini-buses, but take them in vans with ‘car pool’ stickers. Absolutely funny", he lamented. Agreeing with him, another parent added, "Just today, my daughter was taken in a mini-bus before being shifted to a van right in the middle of the road. The reason was not hard to see. The bus was required to take a marriage party to some other city. Will the authorities do something about it?" |
|
Randeep
murder case: police grope in dark Chandigarh, April 9 Meanwhile, the police has rounded up some youths on suspicion, who were later let off after questioning. It is learnt that the police also conducted several raids. A senior police official, requesting anonymity, claimed that the police was following a definite lead and the culprits would be brought to book soon. The police today also questioned Harjinder Singh. As per sources, one of the assailants has been identified. Randeep Singh (16), a native of Ferozepore district, was stabbed to death allegedly by a gang comprising about 10 youths near the Sansi Colony market in Sector 38 around 9 pm yesterday. Randeep Singh had come to the city only a month ago to prepare for medical entrance test. The post-mortem examination revealed stab injuries near his heart. |
|
Gharuan
to be made ‘adarsh village’ Kharar, April 9 This was announced by Mr Bir Devinder Singh, MLA and Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, while addressing a gathering in the village yesterday. He said all departments of the state government would start planning about the works to be done in the village within two weeks.
OC |
|
MC okays proposal to privatise sanitation SAS Nagar, April 9 The president of the Municipal Council, Mr Kulwant Singh, told the councillors that he was quite hopeful that the condition of sanitation would improve by allotting the work to one contractor who was financially stable and had enough machinery, manpower and work experience. He said earlier the work had been allotted to a number of contractors who had failed to work properly and sanitation had remained in a state of neglect. He said the work could be given on an experiment basis to one party and if the civic body failed to get the desired results the contract could be cancelled after six months. However, the Opposition councillors argued that the work should be allotted phase-wise or ward wise. They felt that by allotting the sanitation work to one contractor the town would face problems. It would become a “one man show” who would try to monopolise his services and create problems for the civic body. There was a possibility that he could enter into some dispute and go to court and council would be helpless in such a situation. The Municipal Engineer had prepared an estimate of Rs 98 lakh for the sanitation work. According to his estimate, the residential area from Phase I to Phase XI and Sectors 70, 71 and 48-C measured 234 km and according to norms there was a need to employ 234 safai karamcharis for the work of sanitation. Additional 28 safai karamcharis were needed to clean Shahi Majra, Matour and Mohali villages and Guru Nanak Colony in Phase X. The final estimate after working out all details was Rs 98,49,348. The Municipal Council has also decided to give the work of catching stray cattle in the town to a private contractor for Rs 1.30 lakh for a period of one year. The council had received only three applications for the work. The maximum rate - Rs 1.30 lakh - was quoted by Mahalaxmi Association of Phase VII. The council will be providing its store building in the industrial area to the contractor for keeping stray animals. The contractor has been advised to impose a fine of Rs 1000 per animal in the case of cows and buffaloes and Rs 500 per animal in the case of goat, sheep, pig etc. Animals that are not got released by owners within one week of their impounding would be auctioned. And in the case of animals that failed to attract bidders, the contractor will have to transport them and leave them away from the municipal limits. The problem of stray dogs was also discussed in the House. It was decided that separate guidelines would be laid down for tackling the problem after working out various formalities. Among other items on the agenda of the meeting the House also cleared the proposal of providing direction boards at a cost of Rs 4.94 lakh at various chowks in the town. The orders in this regard had been given by the Ropar Deputy Commissioner. |
Link road
inaugurated Chandigarh, April 9 Missing portion of V-4 road between Sectors 42 and 41 has also been completed and rotary has been constructed for the smooth flow of traffic. The road, bridge and the rotary have been well illuminated and sufficient number of saplings of shady trees have been planted on both sides of the road. General Jacob appreciated the Engineering Department for completing this vital link on schedule. The Adviser, Mr Virendra Singh, the Finance Secretary, Mr Karan A. Singh and the Chief Engineer, Mr Puranjit Singh, were present on the occasion. |
|
Board checks polluting units Panchkula, April 9 This was stated by the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, after inaugurating the new building (head office-cum-laboratory) of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board here today. The building has been constructed at a cost of Rs 2.5 crore. Mr Chautala said with the expansion of industry, the concept of environment and pollution control had changed over the years, thus making it a significant department in the government set-up. He appreciated the efforts being made by the Pollution Control Board in motivating the industrial units to adopt pollution control measures. He urged the entrepreneurs to cooperate with the government in checking pollution. Earlier, Mr Bains said the board had taken up the task of disposing hazardous waste with the help of the Canadian Government. He said the Haryana State Pollution Control Board had been able to shift more than 200 units from residential areas to the industrial area within a year. The dyeing units of Panipat were also being shifted from the residential areas. He said the rules had been simplified and the number of application forms had also been reduced so as to improve the efficiency of the board. He said the number of industrial units within the jurisdiction of the Pollution Control Board had increased from 2,400 to 6,500 during last three years. The President of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr P.K. Jain, while speaking on the occasion, described the Pollution Control Board as an industrial-friendly department and said that there had been tremendous progress in the field of industry in Haryana. He also appreciated the Haryana Government for becoming the first state to introduce VAT. Those present on the occasion included the Minister of State for Education, Mr Bahadur Singh, the Commissioner and Secretary, Environment, Mr D.S. Dhesi and senior officers of the state government. Earlier, the CM also laid the foundation stone of District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) Centre in Sector 2 here and said that five more DIET centres would be set up in the state, raising their number to 17. A sum of Rs 1.5 crore had been sanctioned by the Central Government for this purpose. It was informed on the occasion that the DIET complex here would have a building for training and another building for hostel for teachers. The other four DIET centres would be set up in Yamunanagar, Kaithal, Panipat and Rewari districts. |
|
Alarming
rise in juvenile crime rate
Chandigarh, April 9 If juvenile crime figures collected by the Chandigarh Tribune are anything to go by, we are heading for tough times. Out of 400 arrests effected between January and March this year, juveniles account for 33 arrests, forming a substantive eight per cent of the total crimes committed. The UT Inspector-General of Police, Mr Rajesh Kumar, confirmed that an increasing number of children were being arrested for committing substantive offenses under the Indian Penal Code like theft, rape and even murder. The IGP said the classification of offences and the social background of children involved in crimes further confirmed that 50 per cent of the arrested juveniles hail from upper and middle class families. The recurrence of crime among children is also very common. The IGP confirmed, “The tendency of a juvenile to indulge in crime is substantive. There are cases where children have been arrested again for the same offence.” Investigations reveal that the UT police had arrested 68 children under various IPC sections in 2002. Maximum arrests were effected in the category of thefts, with 20 juveniles being rounded up followed by burglary and riots in which six and four children were arrested, respectively. Last year, there were three rape cases and two cases of murder by children. Other arrests were made for robbery (4), abduction (3), accidents (3), sexual harassment (1) besides the Excise Act and for trespassing. As against 68 arrests last year, this year the police has already arrested 33 juveniles (in three months), out of which 17 have been arrested for theft, nine for rioting, six for causing injury and one for rape. As the trend continues, it becomes important to establish a link between the rising juvenile crime cases and the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, which has been amended as the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000. Given the rising juvenile crime in Chandigarh, it is clear that the Act, which stresses upon rehabilitation and social integration of juveniles, is not being implemented efficiently. The Sector-15 Observation Home for Juveniles at present has 13 juveniles (five facing charge of murder). With only one ward to care for them at a given time, rehabilitation cannot be expected. There have already been about five attempts to escape by juveniles till date. The Home Superintendent, Mr V.M. Pillai from the office of Director, Social Welfare, UT, has introduced a gymnasium and a library to engage children, but dearth of space defeats his purpose.  |
|
Saviour
of national bird Chandigarh, April 9 Saving the life of the national bird was like performing a national duty for this unassuming person after he noticed the injured bird lying unconscious in the local Air Force Station area late last night. Speaking on condition of anonymity because of stringent service rules, he said this was his duty. His sterling effort in carrying the huge bird with a long plumage on his scooter, in the maze of the city traffic saved the life of the peacock. “Even though it was already 10 pm when I was returning home from duty, I couldn’t leave the dying, unattended bird as it is our national bird,” remarked the contented man in blue after the bird had been given treatment at the People For Animals
(PFA) clinic. It is easy to fall prey to herd mentality in such a situation. The crowd of onlookers told him to forget about the bird, as they felt that his efforts would be futile. Undeterred by the discouraging public, the man headed straight for the PFA clinic. As efforts to arrange for a rickshaw did not succeed, the man with one hand on the scooter and the other holding the flapping peacock, drove to the clinic to seek medical help.” It did strike me momentarily that I was putting my life at risk, driving on a crowded city road with the bird’s long plumage jutting out, but I just couldn’t stop myself,” he said. The veterinary doctor at the PFA clinic wasted no time in taking the peacock under his care. For almost one and a half hours, Dr B. Mazumdar gave it first aid, pain killers and antibiotics. The listless bird could not even lift its neck or open its
eyes. The doctor from Assam, for the first time in his career, was treating a peacock. He made incisions on the palate of the bird so that pus would ooze out. Dr
A.R. Choudhary, another veterinary doctor at the PFA clinic, said the bird was feeble as it had not been able to take food for many days. “The bird is much better and had glucose and porridge and it is only after a week that we will release it in to a forest area,” he said. The good samaritan left the clinic at midnight requesting the doctors to take good care of the bird. He said he would come back to take away a hale and hearty peacock so that it could by released in a forest once again. |
|
Some banks sans guards,
others use them as peons SAS Nagar, April 9 This has been revealed in a police check of security in various bank branches here, Mr Jasjit Singh, Circle Inspector, said today. He said all three branches of the Oriental Bank of Commerce (OBC) in Phase I, VII, VIII and the Corporation Bank in Phase X had no security arrangements. The branch managers of the OBC claimed that they had no provisions to keep guards for security. However, officials of Corporation Bank claimed that they had sent a request in this regard to higher authorities. He said officials at Punjab National Bank (PNB) in Phase VII had adopted a casual approach to security arrangements. This was the bank where cash amounting to Rs 11 lakh, of the PSEB, was looted in broad day light in may last year. Mr Jasjit Singh said on one occasion when he had gone to check security arrangements at the PNB branch in Phase VII, he found the guard missing. He was by officials that the guard had gone to get his gun repaired. During the second visit again the guard was not there and he was told that the security personnel was on leave. When the checking was carried out the third time the guard was found doing the work of a peon. The matter had been brought to the notice of the SP, Mr Harcharan Singh Bhullar. The circle inspector said at the Punjab and Sind Bank branch in Phase V and UCO Bank branch in Phase I it was seen that the security guards on duty were doing the work of peons. He said at some branches of ICICI Bank and HDFC Bank the security guards did not have weapons, instead they carried batons. He said it was unfortunate that at some banks security guards usually plugged their gun barrels while on duty to prevent dust from damaging the weapons. The guards had been told time and again that in case of emergency there was a possibility of the barrels exploding if they failed to remove the plugs. During a check carried out today it was found that the barrel of a gun carried by a guard on duty at IDBI Bank in Phase III B-2 was plugged. The matter was brought to the notice of the branch manager who assured that the complaint would be forwarded to the security contractor. The police found that there were no security guards on duty today at Cooperative Bank and ICICI Bank in Phase VII. |
|
Raids to check sale of adulterated food
Chandigarh, April 9 The Deputy Medical Superintendent, General Hospital, Dr G. Deewan, said units manufacturing sweetened carbonated water (banta type) in Burail, Ram Darbar and Darwa, had been raided. He said after the expiry of last date for seeking licences on April 30, challans would be issued as unhygienic conditions in the manufacturing units could lead to outbreak of water-borne diseases, especially in summer. A team of food health authorities also raided the premises of Grand Networking Services Private Limited on the basis of a complaint filed by a member. The senior Food Inspector, Mr M.K. Sharma, said the label declaration on some of the spices was incomplete, while some of them were being sold even after the expiry date. Mr Sharma said food articles prepared or manufactured by firms, not having licence under the PFA Act, would not be allowed to be sold in the market.
TNS |
|
Live simple life, Mayor advises people Chandigarh, April 9 He was speaking on the second day of the 33rd annual function and six-day spiritual gathering being held at Shree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math, Sector 20, here, late this evening. He said one should love humanity and have the sympathy for his fellow beings. In order to get relieved from the worldly sufferings, one should look into his inner self for attaining peace. The Governor of Haryana, Babu Parmanand, urged the people not to go for money in their life. Shreemad Bhakti Dayta Madhav Goswami Maharaj, former president of the All-India Shree Chaitanya Gaudiya Math, in his discourse elaborated the cause and remedy of worldly sufferings. |
|
Cremation
ground to get facelift Chandigarh, April 9 Mr Chawla and his team found that the cremation ground was in a state of utter neglect. “It appeared that Mr Chawla’s predecessors had never realised the problems being faced by people who bring the bodies of their near and dear ones for performing the last sites”, said Mr Rana. The municipal corporation team was of the view that the cremation ground needed renovation, including raising and beautification of cremation platforms, construction of cemented platforms around the trees, increasing the number of water tanks, carpeting of the parking area and white washing of the entire area. The Mayor instructed the officials to take up these works on a priority basis and prepare an estimate of the expenditure so that the work could be initiated as soon as possible. |
|
Checking
drive Chandigarh, April 9 During the hour -long special drive, which started at 6 pm, documents of vehicles were checked. As per police sources, some suspicious persons were also questioned. All SDPOs and SHOs carried out the checking drive in their respective areas. |
|
Save Sukhna DEBATE City Beautiful's most prominent water feature, Sukhna Lake, is in danger. Readers of Chandigarh Tribune are invited to send in their valuable views not exceeding 150 words on the subject along with a passport size colour photo for publication in the newspaper to: Save Sukhna Lake, Chandigarh Tribune, Sector 29-C, Chandigarh. Don't upset ecology Innovative ideas low on budget, low on technology, low on damage to local ecology and living environment but high on horse-sense often tend to throw up simple but highly effective plans of action. In the instant case, one such plan would
be: Open the water regulators, allowing the lake water to drain out and prevent the flow and pounding of water coming into the lake and create conditions which will facilitate rapid and easy dry desilting through mechanical means. In the final stages of desilting employ state-of-the-art sensors to ensure that desilting/dredging processes do not scrape the original floor of the lake-bed. For, in the natural course, it takes years/decades for biological forces to create aquatic communities which layer the bed, thus allowing percolation of impounded water at a naturally controlled momentum ensuring a desired equilibrium between recharging of sub-soil aquifers and enough water in the lake. If this balance is upset either by design (temptation to increase the depth of the lake-pond) or by accident (gung-ho dredging), it would take decades for the lake to become functional. The home/lake edge of these trenches must be higher than the choe bed, and stone-concrete paved so that in conjunction with the trench, the in-coming water will deposit its silt-load in the trench. — Lt-Gen Baljit Singh (retd) |
|
Eating
Out
SAS Nagar, April 9 Shorn of the sleek trappings that come with their modern counterparts in Chandigarh — designer tiles, ACs, liveried staff etc — the USP of Katanis is to cater to the typical Punjabi taste. And going by the full occupancy at the tables in the dhaba during lunch time, they seem to have a common resident literally eating out of their plates. As the evening hours approach, the tikki and noodles wallahs start heating their tawas for shoppers punctuating their trips with snacks and fast food. The eateries are run by Mr Harnek Singh Katani along with his sons and nephews. Mr Harvinder Singh, his nephew manning Katani Dhaba in Phase 3B2, says that the family began business here in 1987 when the township was still in a nascent stage. Beginning with the sweets shop, they gradually expanded to serving snacks and Punjabi meals. Bowing to the changing tastes and demand for Chinese and Continental fares, they set up the Hot Shoppe, mainly targeting the youth. Thus, came out a variety of burgers, pizzas, beverages, bakery products and confectionery items. They have also diversified into the catering business, providing mouth-watering dishes for guests ranging from 20 to 2000, along with waiters and crockery. Let’s begin with the restaurant. The vegetarian delights cooked up in their kitchen include the easy-on-the pocket dal fry, rajmah, kofta, mixed veggies and paneer dishes as also the costlier specialties with thick gravies like karahi paneer, kaju curry and shahi korma. Breakfast comprises the ever-favourite stuffed parathas (with an option of dry or pure ghee fried). If making a choice is a problem, go in for the thali (Rs 40) that will make you richer with its paneer dish, subzi, dal makhni, raita, rice pulao and four chapattis. (I wonder if anyone of their customers has pointed to the small size of katoris?) Giving lustre to these greens and pulses are the assortment of breads and rice in tandem with zira, veg and paneer. If it’s fast food that you dig, walk into the neighbouring Hot Shoppe that serves tempting sandwiches, kulchas and bhaturas. Their slide over the palate is made silkier with the juicy beverages prepared in the juice bar or the milky drinks and shakes. Besides the refreshingly cool kulfi and ras malai, you have a whole of range of barfis (kalakand, dhodha, kesar etc), rasgullas, hot gulab jamuns and halwas and Bengali sweets to complete the course. That’s not all. The kiddies’ day is made with the Katanis’ pizzas, burgers, pastries and hot dogs. For the spicy-toothed, are the delectable varieties of pakoras, samosas, gol gappas, noodles and dosas, vadas and uttapams with sambar. All this, if you don’t mind the discomfiture of flies or lack of AC. The Katanis would do well to spruce up their joints if they want to retain their clientele and shore up the sales. |
|
READERS
WRITE Going through the ‘‘Readers write’’ column published in Chandigarh Tribune on April 8, 2003, it came as a shock as to how the process of law is abused by tenants so as to circumvent the ejectment proceedings pending against them by fraud and with mala fide intention. Tenants deposit money due as arrears of rent or as advance rent in the bank account of the landlord without the knowledge or even the consent of the landlord. As a matter of fact, this act of the tenant can be checked in the ejectment proceedings itself by calling into the witness box the dealing person from the bank and also the landlord himself stepping into the witness box. These witnesses can specifically state before the court as to whether the money deposited in the account of the landlord has been paid by the landlord in the bank account or not. This procedure, if adopted by cautious and alert landlords, can check the fraudulent intentions of the tenants. The Supreme Court of India has issued directions that preference is to be given to the litigants who are senior citizens. Similarly, instructions have also been issued by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana at Chandigarh. It will be most appreciable if the lower courts also observe the same and seek to decide cases, to which senior citizens are a party, on a priority basis like by giving short dates. Dr Raj Kumar Gupta,
Chandigarh
Paid parking problems This is with reference to The Tribune investigation report ‘‘Contractors forging slips to fleece people’’, Chandigarh Tribune, April, 4. The Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, had given parking place to the contractors in three sectors to earn revenue and also ease heavy traffic. The contractors have been fleecing visitors by adopting their own methods since last year. The city people are ignorant and do not know the difference between paid parking and pass parking. Chandigarh Tribune has informed the residents about the rates of car and scooter paid and pass parking. In this way the contractors have been looting the visitors with car and scooters by charging the double amount of Rs 5 for car and Rs 2 for scooter. The Municipal Corporation has also given ‘‘free parking space’’ in all the three sectors but hardly any notice board is available. There are boards with ‘‘free parking for government employees but with passes’’. A pass parking board has been placed near Anand Theatre in Sector 17 without any authority either by the MC or by the contractor. The contractors also overcharged during Rose Festival days. The contractors want money and issue tickets on every stop in parts of Sector 17 A,B,C,D and E, and Sectors 8 and 9. If the contract is with the same person in Sector 17, he should charge one time only. M.L. Garg,
Menace of loudspeakers Through this letter we seek to draw your attention towards noise pollution being created through loudspeakers installed in places of worship in our vicinity at odd hours throughout the day. Though we have contacted each such place with our request to keep the volume in control, our plea has landed on deaf ears, as each such institution is out to prove a point of its existence to its entire neighbourhood. Though two places of worship — one near the police station and the other near Amb Sahib — have been in existence for a long time, we have seen two more behind Leisure Valley come up in the past two years. It is quite surprising that in an area of 1 sq km there are four places of worship, each striving to get the maximum share of devotees. But instead of providing a peaceful ambience, which should be the order of the day, we come across blaring loudspeakers, each trying to outperform the other. A point here could be that even if a person is interested in listening to the spiritual teachings, it would be hard to decipher what is being sermoned amidst so much competition. Fortis, YPS, and other hospitals/schools/hotels are in our vicinity. It is not hard to imagine what suffering the patients must be undergoing under the present circumstances. Incidentally, the homework period for YPS hostlers is 7 p.m. to 8 p.m, during which the noise level emanating from such places is the highest. However, a good night’s sleep in our area is also a distant dream as at sharp 4 a.m, we are rudely woken up by these blaring loudspeakers in these institutions. We fail to understand the reasons for this blatant non-acceptance of noise laws by these institutions and rejection of our requests by their management. Our similar request over the phone to Sector 34 police station to curb the noise of the S.B.S. colony place of worship was taken seriously and we are quite happy to face one less loudspeaker. Dharamvir Singh Gill, AS Virk and others Speed-breakers or bone breakers? The condition of roads in Ambala cantonment is very poor with deep cuts across the roads after every 10 metres or so in almost every colony. It has not received attention of either the state government or the civic authorities inspite of a news item on this issue in a Hindi daily. The civic authorities seem to have got made speed-breakers on every road from some inexperienced labourers. These speed-brakers are conical in shape with the top blunt, which causes serious jolts and jerks to the riders of the passing vehicles. This has caused serious damage to the axle and shockers of the passing vehicles. These speed-breakers may not break the speed of the vehicles but these shall surely break the bones of the riders when passing repeatedly over them. There are no Zebra markings on any of the ‘speed-cum-bone breakers’. The civic authorities are requested to get the blunt top of all these speed-breakers cut as has been done in front of the local air base. S.C. Kapoor, Ambala cantonment |
Timber trader drugged,
looted of Rs 1,30,000 Lalru, April 9 According to the police, the victim, Mr Narinder Kumar Dhiman, was called by some of his clients to Zirakpur to make a business deal. They told Mr Dhiman that they required timber for a hotel they were constructing at Bahadurgarh near Patiala. The deal was clinched and the “hoteliers” paid him Rs 50, 000 in advance. Mr Dhiman was also carrying Rs 80,000 with him. The “buyers” assured Mr Dhiman that they would pay the rest of money at the time of lifting the timber. Putting the money in the dickey of his scooter, Mr Dhiman drove off towards Ambala. While on the way, he was signalled to stop by two persons near Dera Bassi but Mr Dhiman ignored them and sped away. While narrating the incident, the police said, Mr Dhiman recalled that two scooter-borne persons again signalled him to stop and begged for some petrol. As Mr Dhiman stopped and tried to help them out, one of them put a drug-laced cloth on his nose and he fell unconscious. He regained consciousness after more than three hours and found the money from the dickey of his scooter missing. The matter was then reported to the Lalru police. Meanwhile, the police today registered a case under Section 420 of the IPC against Mukesh Kumar, S.D. Singhania, N.K. Verma and seven other persons on the complaint of the victim. The police has also seized some documents and cash from their houses at Lohgarh village, but no arrest has been made so far. |
|
Burglars
decamp with Rs 2,400 Chandigarh, April 9 As per police sources, besides the cash, the thieves also took away two refrigerator compressors and two mobile phone instruments. As per police sources, the burglary seems to be the handiwork of drug addicts and not professionals. A cash-box, which was lifted from one of the shops, was later found in a nearby public toilet. A case has been registered. |
MARKET PULSE Chandigarh, April 9 The well-known Channel V’s video jockey, Yudi, was at hand to launch the “latest in Generation-X denim wear with a slew of radically different designs and fits”. Targeted at the youth aged between 18 to 21 years, these jeans are bold and quite unlike anything the market has seen before in terms of washes, treatments and styles, according to Mr Sanjeev Mohanty, brand head, SF Jeans. Bearing testimony to this, says Mr Mohanty, is the Ice’d Collection, a revolutionary line of denim that takes its inspiration from a truly stark sub-zero imagery and frigid scapes, with designs like Ice Blast, Padded Ice, Show Blast, Blizzard Wash and 3-D Ice. On display here are some of the “coolest” effects ever attempted on jeans: a blast of icy blue on light blue denim, sprays of light blue on darker denim, completely bleached jeans with just the stitching in dark blue etc. Available in a variety of fits such as grunge, hipster, stretch and beltless frayed, they also come in lightweight denim, making them perhaps the coolest way to beat the heat this summer. For those who prefer the pre-worn look, SF offers the Mother’d Collection, essentially an ad line of jeans that has a uniquely tinted and destroyed effect. The fabric here looks like it has been better days, with pockets roughly sewn on, rakishly angled or in some cases simply ripped out. The pre-worn look includes frayed edges, rips, cuts and laster-etched age marks that make the jeans look naturally old, using six different treatments. These jeans come in a variety of fits and it is possible to select the amount of ageing effect — from the slightly worn to the badly mauled. Mother’d Collection shares the spotlight with two other collections: Stylised Denims and the Lazered Collection. While the former consists of naturally whiskered denim with effects like Zigzag patterns and tasseled edges, the latter comes with text and graphics seared on to the jeans without weakening of the fabric. The look has been created using sophisticated laser technology and is miles ahead of what is currently seen even in international markets. The new collections, seen for the first time in the country, come in an exhaustive variety of fits and styles, like boot cut, hipster, beltless frayed, low waist, a-crotch boot cut, wide stitch anti-fit and body cut
bo.
New salt In a strategic move, ITC Foods, a serious player in the branded staple foods segment, today announced the launch of “Aashirvaad Salt”. This is the second product offering from ITC Foods — Staples Business within a span of 10 months under the brand name of “Aashirvaad”. Speaking at the launch function, Mr Raja Ramakrishna, branch manager, ITC Foods, said, “The launch of “Aashirvaad Salt” is in tune with the company’s strategic direction to develop new product lines by synergising its proven competencies. The primary target audience for “Aashirvaad Salt” will be the woman of the household. The product will focus on essential qualities such as “free flow” and “iodised”, apart from being pure. “Aashirvaad Salt” will be available across 15,000 retails outlets in an attractive pouch pack, competitively priced at Rs 7.50 per kg. “We plan to launch our salt in a phased manner starting with western UP, Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana. Over the next 2-3 months we expect to be present in all one lakh plus towns across India”, added Mr Ramakrishna.
Lucky draw scheme Ethos, which claims to be the largest watch store in the country, has introduced a monthly lucky draw scheme. According to a company press statement, all visitors to the showroom are eligible to participate in the draw just by filling up a simple feedback form. The winner will be decided at the end of each month through a draw and the lucky winner will get a Swiss watch. Ms Niharika Mathur from Ludhiana is the winner of March, who has been presented with Tissot watch worth Rs 7,500, stated a company statement. |
|
Workshop
on communication skills Chandigarh, April 9 In his inaugural address, he emphasised the importance of business communication skills for achieving organisational goals. The Chairperson, NIPM, said the Punjab chapter of the NIPM was pursuing its objective of promoting professional excellence in the field of human resources management by providing a forum to HR professional for exchange of information. The workshop was conducted by Ms Renu Mattoo of Delhi. The programme covered verbal and non-verbal communication, including listening skills and business etiquettes. The workshop was attended by practising managers from leading corporate houses. |
|
MARKET
SPOTLIGHT—18-C The visitor to the eateries or hotels of the city or that of tourist places in Himachal finds his culinary taste enhanced with the aesthetics and comfort added to eating by the crockery and utensils supplied from Sector 18-C market. Garg Crockery House, Dharamchand Aggarwal and Sons and Jain Crockery Store are the favourite sourcing vends for hotels and restaurants of the city and Himachal, especially in Manali and Shimla. Mr B.D. Garg, who has been in the market for the 33 years, says the market has been surviving on the strength of being able to offer competitive prices and a wide range of variety. The volume of crockery retail is so big that they have virtually become wholesalers. Around 32 shops and 15 booths are doing an average business of Rs 6 to 8 lakhs per day. The market attracts an average of 1000 visitors a day. Shops here have been doing a booming business in the market since 1970 when a decade-old struggle for creating a niche for them ended. Mr B.D. Garg, the market association president, says he came to the market in 1969, at least nine years after these shopkeepers were shifted from the Bajwara market. He said for nine years, shopkeepers here could not convince the customer that there existed an alternative market for crockery, building material and electrical appliances. Bajwara is still the biggest market of building material in the region. Shopkeepers here have been exuding confidence of being capable of competing with the Sector 22 building material market, saying the variety and price offered in the market can match the one found in Sector 22. In fact, this market, when initially developed, was known for building material and paints. Firms like Jessa Ram, Bishan Narayan, United Hardware, Karni Paints, Roshan Lal-Charni Ram, Dhani Ram and Sons are leading names in the business of hardware. Glass Trader, Delhi Plywood Company and Diwan Singh and Sons are thought to be the best in the business of glass. Pal Electric Company and Fancy Lights are house hold names in the business of decorative lights. The market is one of those rare ones where there is no cloth shop. Shiv Misthan Bhndar, a leading food joints, has emerged as one of the principal contributors to the eating culture of the city. It has brought Rajasthani taste to the city and has now become a food chain with many shops scattered around the whole city. Gift General and Provision Store and Capital Provision Store have been attracting customers from across the city. Most of the shopkeepers here are considered very courteous and have been very receptive to the complaints of the customers. This brand image of the market has been built during the entire period of around four decades. A crockery dealer said he had asked his employees not to turn down genuine complaints of customers, even at the cost of some loss in the business on the account of complaints. He said when a shopkeeper was ready to pay around Rs 75,000 to the government as tax, why should it not bear an annual loss of Rs 5000 on the account of redressing the grievances of the customers? He said in case of complaints, even the companies were not ready to take back a piece against which there was a complaint but the shopkeeper must side with the customer. Surprisingly, the crockery dealers have been doing business without sourcing products from Delhi and Mumbai. They say Ferozabad, Ballabhgarh and Gurgaon have been able to supply them the quality required for the market at much cheaper prices. The crockery business has, however, been going through pangs of fast changes requiring these shopkeepers to organise sales on the pattern of cloth business. They say patterns and designs have been changing fast to demand such a market tactic. The market is very fond of products from Jagadhari in Haryana with the shopkeepers saying all big brands of the country, especially in aluminum, are being sourced from here by major companies of Delhi and Mumbai. However, the brass work of Muradabad has still been of superior quality apparently because the cost of living of the craftsmen is less in the city of Uttar Pradesh than anywhere else providing an artisan an opportunity to spend more time on a piece. Most of the shopkeepers here, on the strength of their business, have been able to set up their same ventures in other areas of the city. Problems: - There is a lack of parking space and mismanagement in the market. The problem is the severest in front of shop number 25 to 32. - Tiling of footpaths of the market has not been done for several years resulting in spaces being created between them rendering the surface uneven. - The carpeting of parking lots has not been done for at least 12 years. - The removal of rehri market in the green belt was promised within five months but 7 months have already passed. Booths were promised for them. - Meat is sold openly in the rehri market creating unhygienic conditions. - The condition of public toilet is pathetic in the absence of water supply. - The authorities have not covered the uneven parts of the back lane after it was dug up for laying telephone lines.
Office bearers: President: B. D Garg; General Secretary: Rajeev Goel; Advisors: Mohan Lal Goel and Ram Dayal Gupta. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 123 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
