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| Thursday,
April 24, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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Fire in paper mill causes Rs 2 lakh loss SAS Nagar, April 23 Four fire engines from the SAS Nagar fire brigade were sent to the factory which took about an hour to douse the smouldering fire. Between 10 tonnes and 45 tonnes of paper meant for recycling at the mill had caught fire, according to the management. The fire was noticed by a worker in a yard where big heaps of paper has been stored. He informed the management which immediately summoned the fire brigade. When this correspondent reached the scene, fire personnel and mill workers were making frantic efforts to check the spread of the fire. The workers carried water in cans to the site and some even climbed on to the paper heaps to spread these out so that the water reached the bottom. Members of the management were seen directing the workers. The Managing Director, Mr Maninder Bolaria, said it was not clear how the fire started, but it seemed that heat could have caused it. Smoking, he said, was banned on the mill premises. So this possibility could be ruled out. There was a boiler for producing steam near the site of the fire and there was a chance that a spark could also have caused the fire. Mr Bolaria estimated that the loss was about Rs 2 lakh. He said the mill had water storage tanks and fire-fighting equipment. When asked why workers were carrying water in cans if the mill had fire-fighting arrangements, he said the cans were brought to douse the fire at “specific spots.” Mr Bhupinder Singh Sandhu, Station Fire Officer, said the fire call had been received at 11.45 a.m. and immediately two fire engines were sent. As the factory did not have any fire hydrants the engines were sent back to the fire station for filling water. He alleged that the paper mill did not have any proper fire fighting arrangements. |
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PAC for action against Chief Election Officer SAS Nagar, April 23 According to the report, the standing committee formed by the government to get photo identity cards prepared gave the contract to an SAS Nagar-based PSU, Electronics System Punjab Limited (ESPL), choosing it over a private Chandigarh-based company, Deep Advertising Limited, which had quoted lower rates. Having bagged the contract, however, the ESPL went ahead and got the work done from Deep Advertising at rates even lower than what either had quoted for the job. The PAC stated in its report submitted to the Vidhan Sabha on March 27 this year that the government should fix responsibility and take action against the Chief Election Officer who was the overall in charge of the project. While the PAC has in its report hinted that had the due process been followed, the work could have been done by Deep Advertising at the rates it did the work for the ESPL, sources in Deep advertising confirm that they were never contacted by the standing committee to negotiate and reduce their rates further. Deep Advertising had quoted a rate of Rs 12.43 per card, while the ESPL had quoted Rs 12.50 per card (later increased to Rs 12.90 per card for some additional work). The ESPL bagged the contract and got the work done from Deep Advertising for Rs 9.50 per card. According to the minutes of the standing committee's various meetings, it was decided to give the contract to the ESPL and not to Deep Advertising as the ESPL had experience in doing that kind of work, while Deep Advertising did not. However, a source in Deep Advertising, said their firm had the requisite experience as they were doing work for the state of Delhi. Out of the total 27 firms that had initially offered to do the work, many were rejected by the standing
committee on grounds that they were asking for advance payment. However, once the ESPL had the contract under its belt, it was given an advance payment of Rs 10 crore, justifying that they had invested
a large amount of money in carrying out the job of photography. Meanwhile, the ESPL, a subsidiary of the Punjab State Industrial Development Corporation (PSIDC), set up in 1980 under the Companies Act, 1956, is now up for liquidation as part of the disinvestment process. Interestingly, the disinvestment commission report in its business analysis of the company states: ‘‘In post-liberalisation era, the ESPL failed to meet both the technological competition of multi-national companies in computer/electronics industry and the lower end marketing activities of unorganized sector in this field. Consequently, the company started losing its market share and got itself declared a sick industry. In 1996-97, the ESPL was in operating losses but earned operating profit in the next three years due to assignment of the job of preparation of voters’ identity cards in a time-bound stipulation.... The company went sick because of the handling of business by the then Managing Director. " Over the years, however, the ESPL also lost its various photo identity card contracts in Bihar and in collaboration with Hartron in Haryana. Bihar's work, according to sources, could not be completed by the ESPL, while Hartron took over the Haryana and the Punjab work. |
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17-yr-old boy found dead in garden Chandigarh, April 23 A morning walker in the garden called up the police and whereafter the boy was rushed to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, where he was declared brought dead. The post-mortem examination will be performed tomorrow. Preliminary investigation has ruled out any foul play. "It appears that he died of cardiac arrest but the exact cause will be known after the autopsy", a senior police official said. The body bears minor injury marks on the nose and the knees. However, the police suspects that the injuries were caused after Amandeep fell on the ground. Meanwhile, when Amandeep did not return home, his family started searching for him and at around 10 a.m. his parents approached the Sector 34 police station. Here they were told that body of a boy had been found at the Terrace Garden. The family members identified the body at the hospital. Amandeep Singh was a student of class X of Government Model School, Sector 44. He was also a member of his school hockey team. He had just finished with his class X board examinations and only a couple of days ago had started morning walk. It was his father, Subedar Ranjit Singh (retd.) who had encouraged him for exercises in mornings. "I asked him to come for the walk at around 5 am today but he asked me to go alone and promised to follow me", informed Subedar Ranjit Singh, currently employed as security officer with Fujitsu, SAS Nagar. "Amandeep was a very healthy child. He wanted to become a doctor", said Mr M.S Toor, an uncle of the deceased. |
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40 students caught cheating Panchkula, April 23 As per the details available, 13 students in Government School, Sector 15, 15 students in Jainendra Gurukul School, Old Panchkula, three students in Government School, Sector-7, two students in Government School, Ramgarh and seven students in Government School, Barwala, were caught cheating. Cases under the UMC have been framed against all of them and reports forwarded to the board for further action. |
Campaign against cattle menace from today Chandigarh, April 23 The campaign, which will be carried out in phases across the city, will start from Burail, the largest rural area in the municipal limits, sources in the Health Department told the Chandigarh Tribune here yesterday. The decision of the corporation follows directions of the Administrator, Lieut-Gen J. F. R.Jacob (retd) a week ago to implement the rules in this regard. The rules of the Chandigarh Administration and the municipal corporation do not permit dairy activity in crowded places. General Jacob issued directions after the Punjab and Haryana High Court refused to grant relief to dairymen who had been issued notices by the municipal corporation to close down their activity. The corporation has decided to impound the cattle instead of releasing these animals. The MC sources said the animals would be released on an affidavit asking for a promise that these animals would not be sold in the city. The corporation would ensure that they were auctioned outside the city. The decision is contrary to the practice followed earlier when animals were released after charging a penalty. The city is estimated to have around 1,500 to 2,000 animals despite a ban on the activity. There have been reports of accidents caused due to the presence of cattle on roads. The corporation had been capturing animals but had to discontinue the practice as cattle pounds had been filled to capacity. Notices of the corporation have attracted criticism from dairymen and political parties which have been demanding an alternative to this section. The corporation has, however, been saying that it did not have authority to allot land and it could only be done by the Chandigarh Administration. The Municipal Commissioner, Mr M.P. Singh said the experience of the Chandigarh Administration in Dhanas Milk Colony had not been encouraging as the allotted plots were allegedly sold off by the allottee. The proposal has been causing verbal duels between councillors and dairy owners as the corporation has virtually stipulated that it can take up development works like roads, sanitation, laying sewage and drainage lines only after the cattle is removed. The notices were kept in abeyance for nearly two months after the dairymen appealed to the Mayor to give them time for removing their of animals. However, during the intervening period they approached the high court.  |
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Sweepers go on indefinite strike Chandigarh, April 23 Union office secretary Ramesh and senior vice-president Mahendra Birla began the strike after Municipal Commissioner M. P. Singh expressed his inability to accept the demands of the union to stop privatisation and employ around 2000 more employees on a regular basis. A delegation of the union met the Commissioner during the two and a half hours long protest, staged outside the Municipal Corporation office in Sector 17. Union president Shamlal Ghavri announced that the strike would not be withdrawn till the municipal corporation decided to stop privatisation aimed at depriving the youth of the community of jobs. The protesters shouted slogans against Mayor Subhash Chawla and Congress councillor Kamlesh for seeking to hurt the interests of the community. They were joined by those collecting garbage from house-to-house. After experiments of keeping one of the colonies, Ram Darbar, clean through regular sweepers, Ms Kamlesh has tried to replicate a successful Ludhiana model of sanitation under the supervision of a mohalla sudhar committee through private sweepers who will draw salary from the committee. Mr Ghavri alleged that they had been deceived during the last House meeting when it was promised to withdraw the privatisation proposal. He said why Chandigarh could not withdraw the privatisation measure when Delhi and Rajasthan had already done so. Mr Ghavri also lashed out at the former union leader Zile Singh saying that he was hob nobbing with Mr Chawla. Mr Ghavri said the Mayor had told them to get an approval from the Chandigarh Administration to recruit sweepers against vacancies recommended by the National Safai Karmchari Ayog. The Mayor had been stressing that he was for the recruitment of sweepers if the Central Government and the Chandigarh Administration gave permission in this regard along with necessary funds. The sweepers had been told by the Chandigarh Administration that around Rs 8 crore would be needed to fill up these vacancies. The Administration also informed them that it had given the MC Rs 2.5 crore for the sanitation of the city and if the corporation had funds it could go ahead with the recruitment. Sweepers have been demanding, among other things, an increase in the number of sweepers from around 1,600 to 3,700 as per the requirement of population, abolition of contract system and treating them on deemed deputation. |
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Remembering the flamboyant Gargi Chandigarh, April 23 The meeting of Gargi’s friends at Pracheen Kala Kendra this evening was no condolence meeting, as was clarified from the dais by Mr Kamaleshwar Sinha. It was a gathering of friends who could not help coming together in remembrance of the flamboyant writer whose literary escapades were wild and engaging. Mr Gursharan Singh began the process of sharing Gargi’s memories by taking the audience to Lahore, the place where Gargi’s talent bore fruit. “I know Gargi from his Lahore days. They were a group of friends living in an apartment on Nirpat Road. They named the apartment Flatees, after the most famous hotel in Lahore those days. Gargi often drew from his friends’ experiences, wording their progressive thoughts. He was himself never conditioned by ideas and never carried his approach into the future. His literary genius has no parallel.” It was difficult for Dr Mahendra, Director-Head of the Department of Indian Theatre, to keep the affair of sharing Gargi’s memories going. He had just returned from Gargi’s funeral in New Delhi and his eyes were still wet. Overwhelmed, he said, “I had a working relationship with Gargi. It was so beautiful that Gargi would often call me using work as an alibi. There was love growing somewhere. Today I realise where.” Writer Gulzar Singh Sandhu talked of his strong affiliation with Gargi whom he knew as a reader and friend. “His honesty was lovable. He never carried debts nor did he ever lose touch with his roots,” he said. Playwright Dr Harcharan Singh had many words of praise for Gargi. “Gargi could always easily say what he had to. I remember once I had called him over for a meeting. After sharing a cup of tea, he expressed his intention to leave. All he said to me was: ‘My themes are sex and violence and you are given to none. I will not encourage meetings with you.’ His wit was mordant, very stingy. He was a master craftsman of words.” As a colleague and friend of Balwant Gargi, Dr Deepak Manmohan Singh preferred to talk of Gargi as a writer who kept Malwa alive in his works. “Malwa pulsates in his writings. I also remember when he returned from the USA, he brought a car along and also a blonde wife. The campus was abuzz with excitement over both things. Everyone wanted to see Gargi with his new blonde wife.” Theatre person G.S. Chani is in awe of Gargi’s royalty. “He was a royal saint, also the soul behind the Theatre Department at PU. He used to go out of the way to guide students from small townships. With him as mentor, we were blessed as students. He could needle us the way he wanted. He bound us together. Today we have among us the wife of his younger brother Ram, to whom he was very close.” Another emotional outburst of affection came from eminent Punjabi writer Santokh Singh Dhir, who had chapters to say about his long-time association with Gargi. From his occasionally strained relationship with Gargi to his unending love for him, Dhir unfolded one memory after another. “Gargi was an established writer when I was still struggling. I had always admired Gargi who could write about his feelings with admirable ease. When we met, he greeted me with humility, praising me for my writing and my rural leaning. He was in love with my ingenuous ways. The friendship grew with every passing day, with both of us helping each other on many a literary front. Gargi was not so good looking, but there something addictive about him. Everyone longed for his company. So did I.” Prof Kumara Verma of Theatre Department, PU, worded his feelings beautifully. “Those who knew Gargi know why he wrote that his death should not be mourned. There is no place for melodrama in life. Gargi was a great visionary. His view of life encompassed everything from sublime to ridiculous.” |
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Acting his way into Limca Book of Records Chandigarh, April 23 Mr Bagga, playing the role of Lord Rama in Sector 17 Parade Ground since 1981, has seen a lot of changes. Remembering the old times, he says: “In early 60s, when my father Sohan Lal Sohan used to enact Lord Rama’s role, residents used to invite him, along with the entire family, to their houses for lunch”. Giving details, he asserts: “At the time of Sita’s ‘kanyadaan’, they used to offer money and other stuff to our father according to their financial status and devotion. The trust was mutual so much so that even the actors would avoid smoking and drinking during the month”. Now the things have changed, Bagga says. “The devotion is still there but the dedication and the desire to do something for the actors playing the roles of gods has greatly decreased,” he says. “The residents still come to watch Ramlila, but they do not reach the venue before 9.30 pm. Most of the times, they watch their favourite serials on the television before leaving their houses. The show now gets over by 11.30 pm while earlier it used to continue till 3.30 am, sometimes till 4.00 am”. He adds: “The administration does not permit us to continue till late. But I am sure no one would sit on the ground after midnight even if we were allowed to continue till late”. He hopes his name in the Limca Book would make some difference. |
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MP releases list of 29 works Chandigarh, April 23 The list of the funded projects, mostly in southern sectors and villages, seems to have apparently been released to counter allegations of the BJP that southern sectors, villages and colonies have been ignored by the municipal corporation during the Congress rule. These allegations have been levelled by the BJP in its state executive committee meeting held recently. The list is also aimed at indicating that the areas represented by non-Congress councillors have also received a share of grants from the MPLAD fund. The list of works released by the municipal corporation shows works have been undertaken and funded in Sectors 8, 11, 15, 20, 22, 28, 34, 35, 36, 38, 40, 45, 46, 52, Mauli Jagran, 18, 19 and Daddu Majra. As much as Rs 10 lakh each has been given for a stadium in Mauli Jagran, a cancer centre in Sector 18 and Guru Teg Bahadur Niwas in Sector 15. An amount of Rs 2 lakh has been granted for the upgradation of a dharamshala in Bhagwanpura village. Mr Bansal has contributed Rs 4 lakh for Moonlight Park in Sector 22 C and D while Rs 2 lakh has been extended for the development of a park in the Sector 52 rehabilitation colony. |
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Jacob aghast at state of gym hall Chandigarh, April 23 He expressed his displeasure with the poor condition of the wooden flooring of the hall. The supervisor of the Sector 7 sports complex informed the administrator that termites had infected the wooden flooring and gymnastics mats. Infrastructure of the gymnasium was also found to be poor. He asked the Deputy Commissioner, Mr M. Ramshekhar, to immediately replace the wooden flooring and provide new infrastructure for the hall. Rejecting the plea to convert the gymnasium into a multipurpose hall, General Jacob said the hall would continue to be used only for gymnastics. He asked the Deputy Commissioner to utilise the space lying vacant behind the gymnasium hall for the construction of an indoor basketball stadium. He also visited the athletics stadium adjacent to the gymnasium hall. The supervisor of the stadium complained about the lack of staff for the maintenance of the stadium. General Jacob was, however, pleased with the performance of athletes, gymnasts and basketball players practicing in the sports complex. |
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EATING OUT
Chandigarh, April 23 The most striking feature of the joint that makes the visit memorable is its revolving dining and dance floors. So, as you sit facing the huge Ganesha portrait on the wall and place your order, it is likely that by the time the goodies arrive, you have your back to the portrait and you now have the WTC twin towers twinkling at you from the other wall. And, the waiters have been trained to serve more by remembering your table number than your face, so that there are no mix-ups. And if you happen to finish your meal in 35 minutes, it is likely that you’ll get off at the same spot that you boarded because that’s the time the electricity-driven floor takes to make one revolution. The other, smaller one, moves slower at 52 minutes per revolution while the dance floor at the basement bar-cum-party area is faster. It’s speed can be controlled at 2 minutes and 12 minutes. This revolution, as it were, in the hospitality field has been brought to City Beautiful by Mr A.S. Mann, who was impressed by this style prevalent at rooftop restaurants abroad. He is aided by the GM, Mr Rakesh Sharma, and cooks from Delhi and the South who rustle up ingredients to produce just the right dish. To make your meals more memorable, Memorable Moments brings the clay tandoor and metallic barbecue right on your table. The softly burning embers of coal in the oven keep your chicken tandoori or paneer tikka embedded in the roasting spits warm without burning them as you carry on your business of talking, discussing or enjoying leisurely. The soup is also served in a unique metallic bowl with a lid. Try their murgh tangdi (Rs 150 for 4 pieces) which is a delightfully tangy seasoned chicken drumstick filled with keema spiced with cashewnuts. In fact, the study of the menu card is made interesting with its tidbits like sub lazakedaar, the colourful pan fried assortment of veggies and paneer was the favourite of Birbal. Or, that bharwan dum aloo was a weakness of Chanakya and this dish hails from the era of Chandragupta Maurya. Go through it to know more about the tastes of other nawabs and sultans. However, there are no points for guessing Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s specialty. Yes, it’s murgh makhni. Also on offer are Chinese and Continental cuisines. They also undertake outdoor catering and home service (call 374109, 374110). Seeing that kids are delighted by the moving floor, “just like a jhoola”, the restaurant at times brings in a magician or a jumper or a clown, to keep their little clients happy and entertained. Now, in response to the feedback, they will shortly introduce chairs for toddlers that can be pinched on to the table. They also organise theme parties (like jungle theme, cartoons etc) for kiddies’ birthdays and moms’ kitties while the dance floor and DJ are there for youngsters and elders. To keep the people waiting outside for a table, specially during dinner hours at weekends, occupied, they have stalls of the burf ka gola chuski (Rs 15) and faluda kulfi (Rs 25) in the corridor. All this is business. Mr Mann, also a social worker, occasionally shares his good fortune with handicapped children of the city — from the Institute of Blind or Sadhana — by bringing them to the restaurant for a lunch treat.
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SAVE SUKHNA THE Shivaliks have a weak geology and there is an inflow of sediments along with the water from the hills. The catchment area of the Sukhna Lake needs concerted, continuous and intensive afforestation, soil and water conservation measures. The solution lies in regulating the runoff, debris and sediments. Biotic interference from human and cattle must be eliminated by acquiring the adjoining area and rehabilitating the residents elsewhere. Mechanical measures are necessary like contour trenches and check dams — via loose stone, crate wire, earthen and masonry type of check dams. Crate wire spurs and grade stabilisers check the silt inflow. These engineering structures must be supplemented with vegetative measures like wattling (brush wood check dams), vegetable plugging of gullies, filters and vegetative single-line and double-line spurs along the choe banks. Other vegetative measures by way of sowing and planting on contour trenches with tree species, bushes, shrubs, grasses and legume are also essential. Cultivated lands need spillways for safe water disposal. Construction of micro-silt detention dams at the mouth of all tributaries shall also arrest silt. S.K. Kapur, IFS
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READERS WRITER APROPOS the news in Chandigarh Tribune on April 16 under the heading “More students will munch matthis”. It has been asserted that ‘‘matthis are nutritious as they contain proteins, carbohydrates and minerals — ingredients essential as per the apex court’s directions. This is not all. Matthis do not rot like other food items. They can be taken home by the students or munched later on in case they do not feel like having them right there in schools. Every morning the school authorities collect matthis from different nodal centres. In an attempt to check the quality of the product, senior education officers keep on visiting the schools”. The Supreme Court is reported to have asked all government and aided schools to introduce the scheme upto the primary level all over the country. The underlying purpose seems to be to provide a balanced diet to the nation, making a beginning at the primary school level through cooked food containing 300 calories and eight to 10 grams protein for 200 days in a year. The intention is indeed laudable. India is a land of bewildering diversities and stunning complexities. A single uniform model for the whole country, therefore, is not possible. However, Indians are predominantly vegetarian, and consumption of meat, fish, eggs, etc is negligible. Proportion of vegetables, fruits and milk in Indian diet is also low. It is these deficiencies that need to be addressed in any nutritional programme in this country. More important consideration in the selection of a food supplement is that nutrients should be included in it, which may vary from region to region and state to state, depending upon the food habits of the people. In Chandigarh and its neighbouring states the diet dominated my carbohydrates is deficient in calcium, riboflavin and proteins of high biological value. Milk is an excellent source of calcium and phosphorus, both of which together with vitamin D are essential for bone formation and teeth, especially for school children. Long back, Dr M.S.
Randhawa, Chief Commissioner, Chandigarh, introduced a similar feeding programme for primary school children based on milk powder donated by an American organisation, “CARE”, for its reconstitution and free distribution as fluid milk. I was specially invited to attend a meeting in his office, where he pointed out that schools have earned the dubious distinction of being more of ‘‘halwai shops’’ with astoundingly unhygienic conditions. My offer for the implementation of this project through the Punjab Dairy Development Corporation would require additional funds for the purchase of a homogeniser for proper mixing of the powder, 1/4 litre glass bottles for the packing of the reconstituted milk after
pasteurisation, insulated milk van for its transport to schools and additional staff for its effective and efficient implementation. I would urge the Chandigarh Administration to reconsider its decision in the above context. It would be more appropriate to replace “matthis” by 1/4 litre pasteurised milk. Also, the Punjab government should introduce it in primary schools located in Punjab as well in place cooked food. Dr
G.B.S. Kahlon
Cycling in City
Beautiful This is with reference to the report ‘Cycle city campaign to be launched’ in Chandigarh Tribune, April 18, 2003. This is indeed a welcome step in the interest of the City Beautiful, but I think the most important deciding factor for the success of such a plan is the cooperation of city residents. There is an example where about 300 cities of European countries celebrate September 22 as car-free day. This has been going on for more than 10 years in so many cities and towns in France,
Italy, Germany and UK, and on this day, the people use cycles for commuting and there is a total ban on use of cars. Since Chandigarh is a small city (area-wise), the Chandigarh Administration can easily encourage a car-free day and a scooter-free day, at least once in every month to start with. We can easily estimate that nearly 50 per cent of all car routes, 70 per cent of all scooter routes and about 40 per cent of all local bus routes in Chandigarh would be less than 4 or 5 km range, which can easily be covered using cycles. This is not only an environment-friendly step but another main advantage of such a strategy will be that cycles occupy far less space than cars and, hence, we can see a lot of open spaces in markets, parking places and open parks. Obviously it needs support from administration in terms of proper roads and safe parking places for cycles and for the same purpose, a long list of coordinators, as mentioned in the news item, has been prepared to promote cycling in educational institutions, governance and private organisations and residents’ welfare associations. But I think that only a positive and responsible response from city residents holds the key to the success of such a plan. Vinish Garg |
602 fake CDs seized, 1 held SAS Nagar, April 23 According to the information the SHO, Nayagaon police station raided a shop and arrested Pavan Kumar who was allegedly trading in fake CDs. The SP, SAS Nagar, Mr Harcharan Singh Bhullar, stated that the complete operation was carried out in the presence of a representative of the T-Series company, Noida. Pavan Kumar has been booked under section of the IPC and the Copyrights Act. Burglary: Thieves reportedly broke into H.No 363, Milk Colony, Dhanas, here on Tuesday and decamped with gold and silver jewellery, a camera and Rs 4,000 cash. The occupant of the house, Ms Asha Sachdeva, told the police that the theft took place during day time, while she was away. A case had been registered. Car stolen: Mr Hari Mohan of Sector 43 on Tuesday reported to the police that his Maruti car (CH 01X 7271) was stolen from Sector 35 on April 12. A case has been registered. CHANDIGARH Stolen: Mr M.R. Masan, Controller( Administration) at the CSIO, reported that computer parts were stolen from the workshop of the institute on April 21. Meanwhile, Sunil Kumar, a resident of Sector 26, reported that a TV, a camera and Rs 2,000 in cash were stolen from his house between April 11 and April 16, while he was away. In another case, Anshul Garg, a resident of Sector 11 complained that her two mobile phone sets were stolen from her car parked outside Lajpat Rai Bhavan in Sector 15. Cheating case: The Chandigarh Police has booked Gagan Deep Lamba, a resident of Sector 39, for allegedly taking Rs 2.91 lakh from Kusum Khosla, to send her son abroad. Neither was the boy sent abroad nor was the money returned. Smack seized: The police has arrested Deepak Mahajan, a resident of Sector 38, for possessing 5 gm of smack, near Sector 38. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered at the Sector 39 police station. |
MARKET SPOTLIGHT — 19-C ONE of the oldest markets of the city is struggling with a complex situation. A stream of visitors crowds the market but business is not picking up. Contrary to the plight of shopkeepers, the roadside vendors, whose number has been surging, are told to be doing brisk business. The roadside vending business culture is so pervasive and acceptable in the market that there are allegations that certain shopkeepers are charging a monthly rent from vendors for allowing them to run their vends on the municipal land in front of their shops. The authorities seem to have turned a blind eye forcing the shopkeepers to join a rat race for an illegal activity of displaying their material on sale outside shops on the municipal land. The market seems vertically divided on the issue as to whether the practice of outside display should be allowed or not. A section of shopkeepers considers the vending business harmful to their business prospects as it creates chaos and turns away serious buyers. Another section feels the crowd pulled by vendors will result in the volume of sale going up. One of the biggest shoe markets in the city with all big names like Chief, Bata, Liberty, Thapar and Mahajan, among others, present in it, the market is considered to be the cheapest shoe market. Shoes are displayed in the public verandah. Being the main market amongst a cluster of six others like Sadar, Palika and tent house, the swooping down of roadside vendors in the market seems natural. During the festival period, the market seems to be a favourite of women who come here for having their hands painted with mehndi. The mehndi business has led to the mushrooming of chaat and bhel puri business and increasing the crowd pulling capacity of the market. But a section of shopkeepers rues that freakout crowd has been turning away big buyers despite the market having the strength of being the cheapest. A shopkeeper says the market seems to have become a perfect place for a family head to bring his wife and children for window-shopping and eating apparently to check their bigger urge to buy costly things. They say when a serious customer comes here, he does not have space to park his vehicle forcing him to go to some other market. Anti-crowd and roadside vending lobby feels the crowd of women brings anti-social youths who are there in the market only for “bird (women) watching.” They cite instances when women curse their husbands for having brought them to the market in which it is difficult to move without colliding with somebody. The encroachment on the public space and the heavy crowd leads to congestion. The mirage of making up for the business losses has captivated shopkeepers so much that 70 to 80 per cent of shops are open on Sunday, a holiday. Auctioned as a mixed activity market in 1952, it started coming up in 1955. One of the first shopkeepers in the market is Sharma Book Depot which has been doing business since 1955. The confidence of the market to offer competitive prices is borne out of the fact that 95 per cent of the shops are those of owners who do not have to pay rent to escalate the operational cost. An attractive market of crockery, shoes, appliances, cloth and provisions, it has the presence of popular names like Manchanda Book Shop, Kailash Electricals, Anand Medical Store, Krishna and Delhi Jewellers, Bakshi Store, Bhatia Confectionary, Jain Glass House, Patiala and Singla Provision Stores, Fancy, Navyug, Gulati and Bombay cloth house. Jain Glass House, set up in 1963 claims to be the oldest crockery shop of the city. With business eluding the established names, shopkeepers remember days of early 1990s when they did brisk business. The market has been going downhill after 1996.
Problems
Office-bearers: President: Vinod Talwar, General Secretary: Raman. |
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Shopkeepers here, whose number is not more than 36, claim they are confident of offering cheapest prices in the city.