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| Saturday,
April 19, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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City to get less power from Centre Chandigarh, April 18 Last year, the ministry allocated additional 59 MW of power to Chandigarh from the Central pool. This year the allocation is 39 MW. This power from the Central pool is available at fixed rates and each year the demand from states for additional allocation rises. With Chandigarh having almost no political stake in Delhi, the city usually gets the worst treatment. In the past the personal equation of the UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd), with the previous Union Power Minister, Mr Suresh Prabhu, had resulted in the allocation of 59 MW for summer months. This summer, the allocation for power has been reduced. The Administration has asked for more power and also projected to the Minister , Mr Ananth G. Geethe, that the Chandigarh Electricity Department was not a loss making body. Even as the demand for power in Chandigarh does not peak till July. In the past, the Administration was forced to overdraw power from the Northern Power Grid after paying fines. The power demand in Chandigarh peaks between 11 a.m and 8 p.m. In July and August peak hours extend from 10 a.m to 11 p.m Meanwhile, the Administration is also closely monitoring the breakdowns occurring in power supply. Each transformer has an electronic meter which records the peak demand. |
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woman commits suicide Chandigarh, April 18 According to the police, the woman and her mother-in-law were alone at home when the former hanged herself. The body has been sent to the Sector 16 General Hospital. A police official said the woman was not keeping good health and was suffering from depression. No suicide note has been found from the spot. Yesterday, a married woman of the same colony had committed suicide by hanging herself. |
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Supply of fruits comes to a virtual standstill Chandigarh, April 18 The wholesale price of mango today increased by Rs 75 per box to reach around Rs 400 per box. The stocks of stored oranges, bananas and grapes also reportedly depleted thus posing a danger of prices shooting up from tomorrow. Market Committee Member Ramvir Bhatti said there had been around 30 per cent rise in the prices of fruits in the city since the truckers’ strike was launched. Showing helplessness, the Chandigarh Administration has sent a report on the position of supplies of fruits and vegetables to the Central Government. Except for lemon and onion, supplies of vegetables remained comfortable as farmers have been bringing supplies on tractor-trailers from nearby areas and Himachal Pradesh. Another Market Committee member said prices of vegetables might even drop in the near future. The supply of lady’s finger and bitter gourd has started from Kolkata through trains. Though the Director, Food Supplies, M. Ramsekhar, said stocks of essential commodities, apart from fruits, were comfortable to sustain supply for few more days, complaints were received from customers that traders had started demanding higher prices for various items like cigarettes. The Chandigarh Administration has set up a cell to monitor prices of commodities. The Chandigarh mandi witnessed a curfew-like scene with traders being without any business. A trader said the government had left the nation hostage to the profiteering by traders by delaying a decision on the truckers’ demands and failing to make alternative arrangements for ensuring supplies. |
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Keep surroundings clean
or get penalised
Chandigarh, April 18 They could now, be held responsible for stagnation of water and penalised with a fine of Rs 500. Businessmen dealing in the business of sale and purchase of tyres could also face the penalty, if the pile-up of tyres, leads to accumulation of water. The Health Department of the UT Administration has kicked-off a move to identify such violations and penalise those responsible for stagnation of water under the health bylaws on malaria, dengue and Japanese encephalitis. Talking to
TNS, Dr J.K. Kalra, Assistant Director (Malaria), Department of Health, said the department had served at least 25 notices in the past 48 hours on residential and commercial buildings for violation of such bylaws. The department has given a 15-day notice to them to clear insanitary conditions in accordance with the health byelaws. Otherwise, they would be penalised with a fine of Rs 500, he added. “The health authorities have
also identified a few ‘choes’ in Mani Majra, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Colony, Palsora and other areas for regular spray of anti-larval insecticides to prevent the growth of mosquitoes”, he said. The department has set up a team of 14 health inspectors to check stagnation of water regularly. They have been provided with the powers to issue notices and further penalise the violators with a fine of Rs 500 in the form of challans. It may be mentioned that the Administration, on April 3, declared the whole city as a threatened zone for the outbreak of malaria, dengue and Japanese encephalitis. On the other hand, MOH wing of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, has also geared up to fight the possible threat of the outbreak of any epidemic. “We have plugged all leakage points in the water supply system to avoid accumulation of water and contamination”, said Mr Subash Chawla, Mayor. He has appealed to the residents of the city to be more vigilant and keep their surroundings clean. “It is a coordinated effort of the people and the authorities concerned to keep the city clean as a preventive measure”, he added. |
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SUMEDH SAINI CASE Chandigarh, April 18 Three of Mr Saini’s guards were killed in the blast that took place on August 29, 1991, in Sector 17. Those who have been chargesheeted under TADA for murder and attempt to murder include — Partap Singh, Gurcharan Singh, Devinder Singh Bhullar, Balwant Singh, Manmohan Singh and Manjit Singh. The case today came up for hearing before the UT District and Sessions Judge, Mr H.S Bhalla, who after hearing the public prosecutor’s plea that he needed some time to go through the charge-sheet adjourned the case till April 30. As per the prosecution, the nine accused had hatched conspiracy to kill Mr Saini. On August 29, 1991, Mr Saini barely escaped an attempt on his life. But the three police personnel accompanying Mr Saini were killed in the blast. The police had alleged that Devinder Singh Bhullar, along with others, had hatched the conspiracy at the residence of Partap Singh and Gursharan Singh in SAS Nagar. |
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40,000 cr for energising power sector Chandigarh, April 18 Half of this Rs 40,000 crore was earmarked for technical upgradation and the rest was for state electricity boards by way of incentives and schemes. The Union Cabinet had approved this, Mr Geethe added. When asked how the government would go about increasing hydro power generation, Mr Geethe said “There will be no shortage of funds as a sum of Rs 14,000 crore has been earmarked for this year.” This investment was required as hydel power was the cheapest. The aim of the government was to increase the share of hydro power generation from the present 24 per cent of the total generation in the country to 40 per cent. Mr Geethe sidestepped the issue of reviewing the share of power for Himachal Pradesh in Bhakra projects, saying the matter was pending before the Supreme Court. Talking about the recently passed Power Reforms Bill, the Union Minister said this was aimed at inviting Indian as well as foreign companies for investment in India. “We have made it clear that the government will sign no guarantees or counter guarantees to avoid situations like the Dabhol power project which created a huge controversy. The investment of any company will be on purely commercial basis,” Mr Geethe said. He clarified that there was no move to take the power sector off the concurrent list and include it in the Union List. When mediapersons pointed out to him that the states had no money, the Minister admitted that states had been wanting the centre to run a few more projects but the power sector would remain with the states. Reforms in the power sector had been slow, Mr Geethe admitted, but claimed “we are on the right track now”. Due to the slow pace of reforms the State Electricity Boards had transmission and distribution losses at a high 40 per cent. The government had offered incentives to states which reduced their losses and at present claims to the tune of Rs 1,600 crore from four states including Punjab and Haryana, were pending. The other two were Gujarat and Maharashtra. Earlier, while addressing engineers and their families at the function of the foundation for the new block, the Minister said the idea was keep the cost of power static. In the same function the Union Minister of State for Power, Ms Jayawanti Mehta said by 2012 India would need an additional one lakh megawatt of power. At present 1.05 lakh megawatt of power was being generated daily. The BBMB was a model of inter-state cooperation, Ms Mehta said while adding that power generation had to grow at 10 per cent each year to ensure a GDP growth of 8 per cent as envisaged by the Prime Minister. The Chairman of BBMB, Mr Rakesh Nath, highlighted how the BBMB had renovated and uprated its existing power houses to generate an additional 318 MW of power. This had extended the life span of the power houses by 25 years. Besides this, the BBMB had brought down the cost of generation from nine paise per unit to 3.25 paise per unit. Among others who attended the function included the Chairman of the Punjab State Electricity Board, Mr Sudhir Mittal and Additional Secretary Power, Government of India, Mr Anil Razdan. |
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R.K. Sharma
comes home, refuses to talk to media Panchkula, April 18 Mr Sharma was brought here in a Toyota Qualis by an eight-member team of the Delhi police. The cops were in plain clothes. Two armed Delhi police cops are supposed to be with Mr Sharma at all times. Dressed in a pale yellow T- shirt and black trousers, Mr Sharma apparently not wanting to waste any time after his release at 12 midnight, arrived here at 4 am. He has been allowed to visit three stations during the bail period, including Panchkula. He has also been granted permission to visit his native village of Deeg and Allahabad, the home town of his prospective son-in-law. Upon his arrival, he was greeted by his wife, Madhu, and younger daughter, Komal. He reportedly drived down to his sister, Sudha Sharma's, house during the day and brought his mother, Mrs Kamal Sharma, home. He, however, refused to talk to the media. Repeated pleas by mediapersons gathered outside his house in Sector 6 here failed to yield any results. His family told mediapersons that they would like to have his complete involvement in the wedding arrangements. Thus it was not possible for him to speak to the Press. |
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TRIBUNE
IMPACT SAS Nagar, April 18 While the SDO (buildings), Mr Ranjit Kumar, refused to give any weightage to the Estate Officer’s verbal permission being claimed by the organisers, the Estate Officer reportedly maintained that the event organisers had the requisite permission to hold the event and the demolition was being carried out on orders of the SDO (Buildings) alone. On the other hand the event organisers said they would sue the SDO for causing them material damage and harassment. ‘‘It is not our fault if the money had not reached the office or the file did not reach the SDO. We gave the draft to the Estate Officer at his residence and he marked the permission on our application. On the next working day, a junior engineer visited the site to calculate the area occupied by us. And the next day we are told to pack up. Why should the SDO go beyond the orders of the Estate Officer? We have incurred losses due to lack of coordination within PUDA,” said Mr Surjit Singh of the Innovative Group. When contacted Mr Ranjit Kumar, he said till date he had no intimation to allow the use of this land for an exhibition. The Estate Officer could not be contacted but the Additional Chief Administrator, PUDA, Mr Yashvir Mahajan, said he would get the complete matter probed. ‘‘Verbal permissions suffice and so do the verbal orders. In case it is found that Estate Officer had given the requisite permission even verbally, the SDO cannot over look it. In case it is revealed that the SDO knew that verbal permission had been given by the EO, then it will amount to insubordination and indiscipline,’’ he said.
SDO shifted, inquiry ordered Even as the Additional Chief Administrator (ACA), PUDA, has decided to conduct an inquiry into the whole matter, sources said orders
relieving the SDO (buildings), of his charge as the head of the anti-encroachment wing had been passed, shifting him to the periphery regulatory wing within SAS Nagar. Confirming this Mr Yashvir Mahajan, ACA, said the SDO’s shift was simply an administrative order and was passed yesterday evening and had nothing to do with these events. Mr Ranjit Kumar, however, said he was not aware of the orders and had not received any official intimation yet. |
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J.F.R Jacob completes five-year term Chandigarh, April 18 Sources at Punjab Raj Bhavan told TNS here that there was no word from the Centre so far about the future of Gen Jacob. Under the rules, he can continue in his present position till he hears from the Centre. |
Sophisticated radars for highway Dera Bassi, April 18 This is the first time that the police has decided to curb accidents on different highways in Patiala district by challaning motorists for rash driving. The district police has purchased two sophisticated radars along with printers and other accessories. The offenders would be challaned under Section 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act for dangerous driving, police sources said. It may be recalled that The Tribune has repeatedly been highlighting the gross violation of traffic rules on the busy Chandigarh-Ambala highway since long. Owing to inadequate police staff and absence of police patrolling, offenders have been throwing all norms to the winds. The sources said the radars had been given to the Dera Bassi police and the Patiala police. The radars can sensor speed of a vehicle from 50 metres. With an inbuilt digital meter, the radars will show the speed of a targeted vehicle and subsequently the printers will release two printouts listing the speed of the particular vehicle. Highly placed sources in the police revealed that the highway had been selected to curb an alarming rise in the number of accidents since it connected Delhi with Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Chandigarh and numerous VVIPs, VIPs, political leaders and other prominent personalities passed through the highway everyday. According to the police records, 80 per cent of the accidents occur due to rash driving and overtaking by the motorists while rest of the 20 per cent are because of wrong entry by the motorists. Apart from the radars, the police has also got two vans from some social organisations for using these as ambulances. One of the ambulance has been deployed for the Zirakpur-Banur stretch of the Chandigarh-Patiala highway and the Zirakpur-Dera Bassi section of the Ambala-Kalka highway. The other will be used in transporting accident victims on the Dera Bassi-Lalru stretch of the Kalka-Ambala highway to hospitals. |
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A day of fasting and prayers Chandigarh, April 18 The Stations of The Cross were also enacted by the devotees. This is not all. Prayers in Malayalam were conducted in at least three city churches. Heavy rush was witnessed at Chandigarh Marthoma Church near the airport, at the Cathedral of Christ the King in Sector 19, CNI Church in Sector 18, Baptist Church in Sector 44 and St Mary’s Orthodox Syrian Church in Sector 46. In some of the churches, the prayers were held in the morning, in others the service was conducted in the afternoon. Good Friday is the Friday before Easter Sunday observed in memory of the Crucifixion of Jesus on the Cross. Good Friday is usually observed as a day of mourning. Christians observe Good Friday with a long series of readings and prayers that focus on the crucifixion of Jesus on the Cross. In some churches, Good Friday also marks the beginning of the Paschal
Triduum, the three days of Easter. Today, processions were held in several parts of the city re-enacting the journey of Jesus to the place of Crucifixion. Some churches also organised a seven to eight-hour worship service of Scripture reading and prayer. In other churches, three-hour worship service was held. The devotees stood in rapt attention as the difficulties faced by Jesus before Crucifixion were highlighted through chorus during the prayer session. According to a press release issued by St Mary’s Orthodox Syrian Church in Sector 46, today was the day of fasting for the Orthodox Syrian Christians. At the church, a seven-hour long prayer was conducted. It was attended by a large number of devotees from the city and its vicinity. The service concluded with cross veneration. A special assembly was also organised at Satluj Public School in Panchkula’s Sector 4. Speeches on the life of Jesus and his teachings were delivered by the students. A play “Victory of Humanity over Cruelty” was also staged by the students to show the humanitarian aspect of love and affection of Jesus for the masses. Addressing the students, school Principal Krit Serai said: “There is only one religion, though there are 100 versions of it, and that is to practice goodness”. |
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Long queues annoy residents Chandigarh, April 18 This is not all. The office was inaugurated on April 9, but computers have not been installed forcing the staff to work manually. Another thing. You do not get the registration certificate the same day. Though officials confirm that Subdivisional, Magistrate (South) Madhvi Kataria, in charge of the office, personally inspects the functioning of the branch by making periodic rounds, “poor infrastructure was resulting in the delay”. Describing the problem as “initial hiccup”, the SDM says, “Today was just the fourth day and the problem was caused because an employee proceeded on leave as he had to take his examination. It would be permanently solved once the additional staff moves in”. As far as the computers are concerned, Ms Kataria asserts, “Requisition has been sent and the orders have been placed. We will be receiving the computers soon”. The residents had initially thought the problem of waiting in the long queues would come to an end with the new vehicles being registered at the offices of the SDMs South, East and Central parts of the city. They were unaware of the problems ahead. Everyday about 60 to 70 residents, armed with documents, reach the office for getting their vehicles registered after getting these inspected. Though the inspection time begins at 10.30 am, they reach the office at least an hour in advance. As soon as an inspector arrives, they rush forward with their files for “entry in the register”. The inspector takes all the files before clearing them one by one. By the time the process is over, it is already 11.30 am. After getting the vehicle inspected and completing all the formalities, the owners descend the stairs for making the payment, but are surprised to see so many people already standing in the queue, waiting for their turn. “A strong feeling of apprehension grips you as you stand there at the entrance looking at the long queue,” says a Sector 35 resident, Neeraj Goel. “Wiping sweat, you wonder if you will ever be able reach the counter”. As so many documents have to be carefully checked and rechecked, the queue refuses to move. “There is another reason,” explains an official on the condition of anonymity. “There are just three people sitting behind the counter going through the documents, collecting the money and issuing the receipts. It is almost impossible for them to cope up with the work load.” And when someone or the other goes on leave, it becomes “extremely difficult” for the remaining employees to function efficiently. Meanwhile, taking note of the inconvenience caused to the residents, visiting her office yesterday for getting their new vehicles registered, Subdivisional, Magistrate (South) Madhvi Kataria extended the time for payment of fee beyond 1 pm. |
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Bitta seeks jobs for kin of terrorist victims Chandigarh, April 18 The Front has also demanded allotment of petrol and kerosene stations and gas agencies to families of victims. A memorandum containing these demands was handed over to General Jacob by a delegation led by AIATF Chairman Maninderjeet Singh Bitta. The memorandum has rejected the notification issued by the Chandigarh Administration in February, 2003, which, according to victims, did not honour the promise of following the Punjab pattern that provided all these facilities. Rejecting the notification, the Front said: “The policy has failed to heal the wounds of affected families as it leaves many aspects uncovered rendering it short of expectations of the people who have waited for decades for compensation.” The Front in its statement has quoted General Jacob as having assured them to look into the matter. The Front said as per data available, around 60 persons were killed and around 135 injured in terrorist attacks in Chandigarh. The killed included police personnel, government officials and civilians from Chandigarh, Punjab and other states. Out of them, 15 of the dead and around 60 injured hailed from the city. The memorandum said if scrutiny was done, only members of a few families of the victims would be required to be given jobs. Terrorism victims Rakesh Dhiman, Ram Raj Verma, widow and son of the late Vijay Gupta, mother of the late Naveen Kapoor, the brother of the late Mohinder Singh Sethi, Mr Sanjeev Sharma, widow of the late Gurdev Singh Bahia and son and father of the Gurnam Singh Sidhu joined the
delegation. |
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Footpath
workers to hold ‘halla march’ Chandigarh, April 18 A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the executive body of the FWRBS here today. The meeting was held under the leadership of Mr Devi Dayal Sharma, president of the FWRBS. Representatives of 12 unions attended the meeting. They decided to hold the march from Labour Chowk, Sector 20, to Punjab Raj Bhavan. According to Mr Arjun Dass, general secretary of the FWRBS, their demands included issuance of identity cards, allotment of ‘pucca’ booths and end to harassment of workers at the hands of officials of the enforcement wing of the MC, MOH and the police beat staff. Meanwhile, Mr Devi Dayal Sharma claimed that the demands of footpath workers had already been accepted by the Administrator’s Advisory Council in its meetings held in 1999 and 2000. He expressed resentment against the Administration’s alleged callous attitude towards footpath workers. He said, “The Administration has already provided booths to influential sections of society and motor mechanics in various sectors. But the demands of poor footpath workers are being ignored despite their continuous struggle.” |
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Bonsai
show opens today Chandigarh, April 18 Founded in 1999 by famous Bansai expert Anil Kaushik, who is currently working on a book titled, Bonsai...the living art, the club has managed over 200 entries for the fifth bonsai show which will open in the city tomorrow. While the show is largely being structured by Mr Kaushik, the expert advice of Dr J.S. Sarkaria, the renowned curator of National Cactus and Succulent Botanical Garden and Research Centre, Panchkula, is also being sought. As for the art, it originated in China, but was perfected and refined in Japan. Mr Kaushik, in his forthcoming book, talks at length about the development of the art which was brought to Japan by Buddhist monks, court officials and merchants. For long, this art remained confined to the upper echelons of Japanese society, but gradually it became a way of life even for commoners. As more and more people joined the chain of art, refinement prevailed. Better techniques were developed and the practice of evolving dwarf trees finally took the form of a wonderful living art. Over a period of time, the art spread to the USA, and after the second World War to the entire West. The book, however, highlights that real fillip to the art form came from the large-scale bonsai show organised under the Expo-70 held at Osaka. After storming the West, it came to the Third World countries, including India, where it is growing with every passing day. Some of the techniques of training can be witnessed at the two-day bonsai show opening tomorrow in Sector 17-A. The show will be open between 11 am and 7 pm.
How to make a bonsai Training a plant into a bonsai is like creating a representation of an old, mature tree in a shallow container. Both tree and the container should give an illusion of a mature tree in nature. Not all bonsai have to be old. Even young plants can become authentic and aesthetic bonsai, if trained and maintained carefully. Anyone can make a bonsai. For training a plant into a bonsai, one needs a tree or a shrub with a woody trunk. Plants which have soft trunks (as creepers) cannot be trained into good bonsai. Plants should preferably have small leaves, because when you are creating miniature model of an old tree, you are supposed to reduce everything in proportion to what the actual tree has. Plants like palms and other trees with large leaves cannot be trained into bonsai. |
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City accidents: human error major cause Faulty traffic engineering, especially on the stretch from the Railway traffic junction to the transport area junction, is the second major cause of accidents. Police record says that 121 persons have been injured in 137 accidents since January this year. Concerned at the increasing toll in accidents, the traffic police has conducted a preliminary survey to identify the accident-prone stretches. The killer stretches are from the Dhillon Complex, Manimajra, to Transport Area junction, sections of Madhya Marg and Dakshin Marg, and some roads in the southern sectors. Sources in the police said that a major cause of accidents between the railway traffic junctions and the Transport Area junction was the over six feet tall mild-steel railing. Due to the railing the motorists cannot see the traffic coming from the opposite side. Another major trouble spot has been identified as the road stretch in front of colony no 5. The traffic police has sought erecting of mild steel railing on the side of the colony. Several incidents have been reported when residents of the colony suddenly rush toward the road. There is maximum movement of highway traffic on the road during the night hours. A police official said that there have been incidents when the colony residents gherao a motorist involved in an accident and seek compensation. Incidents of persons injured in accidents with stray cattle in the southern sectors have also been highlighted by the police. Sources in the police said that the engineering wing had been asked to put up boards reading ‘accident prone-spots’ along the killer stretches in the city. |
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Chandigarh
most livable city Chandigarh, April 18 Chandigarh is the most beautiful and livable city in India, according to a survey carried out by a personal finance magazine. Delhi, which is the Capital, has earned the dubious distinction of not making it to the top 10 cities of the country. Chandigarh has earned the distinction of being the “best city to live in” status, because the three-in-one city (Capital of two states and a Union Territory in its own right). It has been ranked the highest on three counts on the living conditions in 55 Indian cities. This is the country’s largest survey done on urban living conditions. It involved 12 parameters, 50 set of indices, 50 variables, 3,600 direct responses and 9,974 priceless nuggets, derived from piles of raw data collected from several quarters in the country. The parameters include income generation potential, access to financial services, basic and higher education facilities, cost of living and consumption levels, housing standards and affordability, transport infrastructure and healthcare facilities, levels of crime, pollution and climatic conditions. |
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1 killed as car rams into tree Panchkula, April 18 The incident took place around 8 p.m. tonight near Saket Hospital at Chandimandir while the family was on its way to Ghaziabad from Kalka. The police said the accident
occurred when Rahul, who was driving the Wagon R, lost control of the vehicle and rammed into the tree before running into the barbed fencing of the Army cantonment area. While Rahul and Mr. S.S. Bhatia sustained serious injuries, Mrs Bhatia died on the spot. Rahul and his father have been referred to the PGI, Chandigarh. They are stated to be in a serious condition. |
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SAVE SUKHNA Every summer efforts are made to de-silt the lake. Such attempts indicate that the problem of inflow of silt into the lake continues unabated. During the course of teaching in Central Polytechnic, Sector 26, for more than 25 years, I attended a lecture on “Engineering failures — their causes and remedies”. The same was informative. O.P. Chhabra, SAS Nagar
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READERS
WRITE THIS has reference to ‘Sahir’s logic was his magic’ by M.S. Cheema, Chandigarh Tribune, April 6, 2003. Sahir Ludhianvi (1922-80) was essentially a poet of love and beauty. As one of the inheritors of the romantic-patriotic tradition, on which was superimposed the Marxian thought, this young, energetic and talented poet did not, however, trust any revolution where love — sincere, pious, generous and faithful — was barred, because like Boethus, the Roman philosopher, Sahir, too, believed that ‘love is a greater law to itself’. While still a student at Government College, Ludhiana, Sahir gave ample evidence of his non-conformist thinking, outlook and mental process, as well as his abiding and tenacious poetic competence and craft, for which he was extruded from the college. Nevertheless, Sahir shot into fame in 1943 with the publication of his poetic collection, ‘Talkhian’. This poetic collection proved to be true to its title, which in simple English means ‘Utterances of unpalatable truths’, as is evident from ‘Taj Mahal’, a nazm that instantly immortalised him. In this nazm, his anger, wrath and ire against the monarchism is not only boiling, it also infuses meaning into what Sahir says, especially, when the poet compares the love of a poor man with that of an emperor. The poem emphasises that the love of a poor artisan and labourer is as important and valuable as that of an emperor, because without their skill and industry such a love-dream in marble could not be concretised. ‘Chakley’ (brothel or bawdy houses) is another worth quoting nazm included in this collection. The poem is a call to the dormant consciousness of all ‘Sanakhan-e-taqdis-e-mashriq’ (those who eulogise the culture and civilisation of the East). The poet peeps behind the veil of eastern piety, and shows us the stinking brothels and their unfortunate inmates. The poem, in fact, is a call for the freedom and liberation of all such ill-fated, depraved and hapless women. In fact an enlightened and radical vision apart, Sahir wrote against all social impediments that block the path of fearless love and devotion. His ‘Parchhaiyan’ is a forceful protest and a powerful punch against the very concept of war. The poem is as true today as it was when it was composed. Sahir says: ‘Chalo ke chal kar siyasi muqamaron se kahen/ Ke ham ko jang-o-jadal ke chalan se nafrat hai’ (Let’s go to tell political war-desperadoes/that we loathe war-praxis). Indeed, the poem is a powerful anti-war document. Its appeal is all the more signal in the context of the present-day international scenario. DEEPAK TANDON Why no holiday on Ram Navami With due regards, I bring to your notice that the UT Administration has done a disservice to the Hindu employees of banks and insurance companies by not declaring Ram Navami as holiday under NI Act. I could not understand as to what has prevented it from doing so. The authorities have the guts to deny rights to Hindus but not to other sections of society. Lord Rama is a symbol of idealism, morality, love, righteousness truth, beauty and character, and has influenced, since ages, not only Hindus but all the people of the world. It is a pity that under the garb of justice to minorities, the administrators are doing injustice to Hindus. Lord Rama is the fountainhead of Indian culture and role model for all. In, this age only Rama’s life can inspire morality and righteousness, but our pseudo-secularists are causing great damage to Indian culture. Giving rights to others is understandable, but denying the same rights to the majority community is beyond reason. These people are forcing the majority community to take to fundamentalism. To some extent the VHP appears to be doing the right thing as in its absence probably the so-called secularists may damage the foundation of Indian culture. These people clamour about Indian culture but when time for its defence comes, they preach something else. Through this letter I request the UT Administration not to commit such mistakes in future. PAWAN K. BANSAL Top positions for professors Punjabi University, Patiala, has given top positions to professors, readers and thus each administrative department now shall be under a professor/reader. The ministerial staff shall be losing their rights to promotions and there could be agitation on this point. Punjabi University ultimately met the demand and desire of the teaching staff that they should also get higher administrative positions. We have noticed that people in government administration working in the teaching department and medical and engineering departments had also been struggling for administrative positions and ultimately they got this right. If Punjabi University has given this right to the teaching staff, it is just following the policy of the state of Punjab, and there is nothing surprising in this decision. When teachers are in the administrative set-up, there shall be fewer agitations from this group of people DALIP SINGH WASAN Our hypocrisy on Sony TV As Indians, we are proud of our moral values and our culture. We claim that deep inside all of us is respect and love for our elders. However, our hypocrisy came forth on Sony TV on March 12 during the sixth Annual Sansui Viewer’s Choice Movie Awards. What we saw was a portrayal of who and what we really are. It was a shame to see a look-alike of the legendry artist, Stewie Wonder, being beaten up on the stage and then thrown down the stairs. His image, portrayed as a beggar being offered alms, was absolutely shocking. How can such a nuisance be tolerated, let alone being found funny? In spite of his blindness, Stewie Wonder has reached an epitome of success and his singing captivates the hearts of millions even today. Showing disrespect to an old man, who has gained such prestige all over the world, is absolutely shameful. What was Sajid Khan trying to portray? Is insulting others a way of proving yourself better? What we saw on TV was a slap on the face of millions of Indians who take pride in their culture and claim that we know how to respect our fellow human-beings. I hope a voice is raised against such an action and these people are taught a lesson and reminded of what, we claim, our culture upholds. RUBY
JASPREET ‘Ajitgarh’ should be the right name It is generally observed that most of the times the names do not stick when places are renamed. The reasons may be many but the main being length of the name and earlier name having sunk too deep in public vocabulary. The lengthy names, in particular, are inconvenient to pronounce and write in today’s age when time is always at a premium. One such glaring example is the name of my place of residence. Whereas there was no reason to popularise it as Mohali at the very time of its inception, as Mohali is one of the many villages this town has usurped, renaming it Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar has not served the fair spirit with which this name was chosen. The reasons of new name being hardly popular are the same as mentioned above, more probably, its length. The popularity and acceptance of the old name could be judged from the fact that government sponsored builders of the famous PCA Stadium popularised it as PCA Stadium, Mohali, and it known so the world over today. A matter of greater concern is the distortion and abbreviation of the new (and real) name to the extent of ridicule/joke. Official version has become SAS Nagar, pseudo-stylists call it ‘Sas Nagar;’ while the younger lot, much devoid of knowledge of heritage, casually call it ‘Saas’ or ‘Sus’ (mother-in-law) Nagar, with a cynical grin on their faces. To say the least all these three versions are a great insult to the name of the great warrior-son-of the great Guru, after which the town has been named. The remedy lies in naming it afresh as ‘Ajitnagar’ or ‘Ajitgarh’ to make it more convenient and thus acceptable. Any abbreviation or distortion should be officially prohibited, and so should be the use of old name, by giving it due publicity. As regards naming of roads, the ones extending from Chandigarh should carry the same names and those perpendicular to those may be given suitable neutral names like those of martyrs, rivers, functions etc. The landmarking will be even better if major roundabouts and crossings are also named based on their respective vicinity to a popular landmark. Lieut-Col BHAGWANT SINGH |
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Girl found unconscious Chandigarh, April 18 The girl was admitted to General Hospital by the police. According to information, the girl in her statement said she had come to Chandigarh three days ago to meet her friend, Raju, who lived in Sector 25. She was putting up with her friend, Parvati in Daria, and was to meet Raju today. She said Palavi gave her tea laced with an intoxicant and as a result, she fell unconscious. The girl, hailing from Kolkata, said she was working at a factory in Delhi. A police official said the girl who was discharged from the hospital was later produced before the SDM (Central) who sent her to the Nari Niketan for the night and allowed her to leave for Delhi tomorrow. Liquor smuggling:
Rohit Kumar, a resident of Karnal, and Varinder Kumar, a resident of Hallo Majra, were arrested by the police for carrying 62 pouches of liquor from near Plot No. 212, Industrial area. Theft:
Raj Pal Kaushik, a resident of Mauli Jagran, complained that his TV, a gas cylinder, some clothes and Rs 2150 in cash was stolen from his residence. A case under Sections 380 and 454 of the IPC has been registered at Manimajra police station.
Dera Bassi Woman held: The police arrested a woman and seized 140 pouches of countrymade liquor from her possession in Bhankharpur, about 2 km from here last night. According to the police, Nirmala Rani alias Usha Rani was nabbed at a naka on the Bhankharpur-Mubarikpur road. |
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Cash, jewellery looted Chandigarh, April 18 The exact loss was ascertained when the owner of the house, Mr Sushant, returned late in the evening. The police has registered a case. |
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Chandigarh, April 18
The constant inflow of silt into the lake amply establishes it as an engineering failure because of a lack of comprehensive planning and defective maintenance. The malady needs immediate remedy. Competent technical experts possessing relevant knowhow in tackling the problem of silt inflow can usefully help in saving this water feature.