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September 18, 2003, Chandigarh, India
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Power consumers made to cough up more * 140 connections of 80 KW released. * Bills sent on an ‘average’ basis despite installation of electricity meters * Live wires dangle from power meters.. * No action taken against contractor despite repeated complaints Chandigarh, September 17 Residents allege that despite charging them heavily, the contractors have not provided proper infrastructure. They claim that an accident is waiting to happen in these highly populated colonies. Residents of Hallo Majra village near airport have alleged that the Rakesh Mishra and Co. which has been given contract to supply electricity to over 140 houses about five months ago, is overcharging by illegally imposing line loss charges to the tune of 15 per
A visit to the colony today revealed that the contractor has simply installed poor quality wires on wooden poles to supply electricity. The voltage is so low that most of the tubelights were not working. Mr B.S. Rawat, one of the residents of the area, alleged that though the Electricity Department had given him a bulk supply connection of 80 kw to supply electricity to about 80 houses, but he was supplying electricity to over 140 houses, resulting in low voltage and damage to their electrical appliances. Ms Indira Kumari, another resident
said, "Earlier, we used to pay Rs 300 to Rs 400 per month, now we have to pay up to Rs 1000 to Rs 2000 on an average due to over billing.” Mr Rajinder Singh, who is running a provisional store, alleged that the contractor is illegally imposing 10 to 15 per cent line loss charges on total electricity consumed. He
said, "We have to pay Rs 2.74 per unit besides cable charges, though residents of other sectors have to pay just Rs 1.69 per unit up to first 100 units consumed. He said though they had paid Rs 700 per connection at the time of taking connection from him, which included Rs 200 as security and Rs 500 non-refundable charges in the name of cable wires. But the contractor is supplying power through crude wires that could put their lives in danger. Some residents alleged that when they protested against the inflated bills, the bills were reduced to the tune of Rs 1000 per connection in some cases. Despite repeated attempts, Mr Rakesh Mishra declined to speak. However, one of his employees said,” We are losing revenue since some of the residents are indulging in power
pilferage. "A senior official in the Electricity Department admitted that the contractor was wrongly charging the line losses. He said the contractor could not give bills on ‘average’ basis, but should issue bills by noting down the meter reading.”
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PUDA directed to pay compensation to applicants Chandigarh, September 17 While disposing 11 different complaints filed against PUDA, the court said in its order that " It was undisputed that the amount remained in the coffers of PUDA so they must have earned interest on the same whereas the complainants have been deprived of the use of their money. Therefore, we direct PUDA to pay to the complainants at the rate of 9 per cent on the amount of Rs 2.75 lakh from the date of deposit of the money from February 13, 2002 till its refund’’. Giving details, the consumer court observed in its order that ‘‘as no exact date of refund was made after August 28, 2002 when the scheme was withdrawn. The complainants are also awarded Rs 1000 as token compensation for losses suffered, including costs of complaint. Similar relief is granted in all other connected cases mentioned above". The complainants had grievances of similar nature in all cases filed against the PUDA. They said PUDA had got an advertisement published in the newspaper inviting applications for the allotment of 380 residential plots of different sizes in development sectors of 68 to 71 in SAS Nagar under a scheme which started from January 16, 2002 and ended on February 15, 2002. After reading the advertisement that the plots in the developed sectors of Mohali were ready for possession as most of the internal development and construction of houses had already taken place there, the complainants had applied for the allotment of residential plots of 500 yards at Urban Estate, Mohali. The complainants had deposited Rs 2.75 lakh each along with the application as 10 per cent amount of the plot as earnest money, out of which Rs 24, 7000 were advanced by the banker HDFC at the interest rate of 10.25 per annum. The draw for the plots was deferred by the PUDA authorities due to administrative reasons. The investors were informed that the draw of plots would be held after giving the actual physical possession to the previous allottees. PUDA also informed that all applicants would get their money back as it would like to hand over the plots first to the 1997 allottees who had already made the full payment. The complainants had alleged that due to deficiency in service on the part of the PUDA they had been deprived of an opportunity to avail the chance of getting a plot in the draw and also had to pay interest at the rate of 10. 25 per annum on the amount raised as loan. Another grievance of the complainants was that after the draw of lots was held for other categories, when they approached the HDFC bank they were told that PUDA authorities had instructed the bank not to forward any application for refund till the applicant had sign a
Performa.
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PUDA to hand over parks to MC SAS Nagar, September 17 The Additional Chief Administrator, PUDA, met the MC
president, Mr Kulwant Singh, and the Executive Officer, Mr H.B. Garg,
in his office here today to discuss the matter. It is learnt that
though the PUDA authorities want to hand over the parks in most phases
of the town to the civic body, the latter stuck to its stand of taking
over the entire phase for maintenance work instead of taking over the
area in bits and parts. Sources said to begin with, Sector 53, 54,
55 and 56 would be handed over to the council for maintenance work as
no further development work had to be done in these Sectors. It is
learnt that PUDA officials will be preparing a detailed report on the
parks which were to be handed over to the council. They will also
prepare a list of plants and fixtures in the parks which will be sent
to the civic body, after which a joint inspection will be carried out.
The handing over of the parks may be carried out in about 15 days
time. The sources said the PUDA authorities also wanted to hand over
the staff engaged for maintaining parks to the civic body, but the
latter had refused to take over the staff on the ground that the
council gets the maintenance work done on contract. The issue of
handing over the parks to the MC for maintenance has been going on for
a long time and many meetings have also been held in this regard, but
the plan has not materialised for one reason or the other. |
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Using
theatre to voice feelings of sufferers Chandigarh, September 17 No wonder among the finest works of Bhanu Bharati, a passout from the National School of Drama (NSD) and founder head of the Department of Theatre, Jaipur University, is the vast repertoire of theatre, which he created by roping in the tribals of Rajasthan. For over a decade, Bhanu has been using theatre to talk about individual and universal problems. Supporting him in his realistic creations is his team of Bheels, settled in the Gogunda belt near Udaipur in Rajasthan. In Chandigarh to present his production, “Nachni”, which traces the life of a folk dancer, Bhanu talked about theatre as a mission. Known for experimenting with various genres, he also has knowledge of the Japanese forms of Noh and Kabuki. “I learnt these during my fellowship to Japan,” says the director, who found peace on returning to his native city of Udaipur where he started working with the Bheels of Gogunda. “I was fascinated with their eye for detail and precision. They are gifted performers and I wanted to work with them. It took long to convince
them. The first production we did was “Pashu Gayatri”, a Hindi translation of Malayalam play by K.M. Pannikar. It was staged over 100 times.” A contemporary of Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Bansi Kaul, and a younger brother of a celebrated director Mohan Maharishi, Bhanu says that inspiration to excel flowed in plenty. “I was in the same class as Naseer and Om at the NSD. We were a very potent batch, among the very best at the NSD. I later also had the fortune of directing a play titled, “Ras Gandharva”, in which all these classmates of mine participated. This play, my first production after passing out from the NSD in 1974, was based on the work of Mani Madhukar.” Another theatre production titled, “The Lesson”, which Bhanu did at the NSD, later became a part of the NSD Repertoire and was staged across the country. As he looks back on life, he recalls the days when elder brother Mohan Maharishi brought home the first inspiration. Says Bhanu: “He was a class apart. However, he neither dissuaded me nor persuaded me into to join the theatre. I chose to go his way because I had acted in some of his earliest productions like Bhoomi Jaal.” After the NSD, Bhanu went on to introduce professional theatre in Rajasthan. To initiate the youth into theatre, he introduced the Department of Theatre at Jaipur University in Rajasthan. As an instructor in theatre, he gave a strong foundation to the department and later went on to become the chairman of Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Akademi and also the Rajasthan Sahitya Akademi. Also a gifted writer, Bhanu has written many plays, which have been nationally and internationally acclaimed. Nachni, which was presented in Chandigarh today, has been written and directed by Bhanu, who wrote this play after reading a report reflecting travails of a folk artiste. Recently, he directed another play, titled “Maha Mai”, based on the original work of Kannada writer Chandrashekhar
Kamban. |
‘Nachni’ — a virtual journey through life Chandigarh, September 17 Set in times when royalties were collapsing under the pressure of socialism, “Nachni” is a virtual journey through the life of folk artiste Kasuki Bai (played by Sindhu Mishra), who is condemned to a life of derision by heartless
feudals. The script bares the wounds of an abducted child, forced out of innocence into filth and
squalor, sex and sleaze. As a folk artiste she is reduced to an objection of entertainment for feudal lords, who take pride in devouring a woman's dignity. Thoroughly expressed, the story takes you closer to the lives of women who take up arts under compulsions of life, learn to use them as medium for their redemption, but end up sacrificing everything at its altar. They are divested of all past bondings, all present affections, all future hopes. “Nachni” is about Kesuki Bai who grows in stature to become a state dancer. Regarded for her art, made better by her ability to seduce, Kesuki goes on to inherit material pleasures, but only for a while. As feudalism breathes its last her pleasures die a silent death. She is back on the rutted road. The entire drama is a narration by the protagonist who talks to an imagined child on stage. The narrative touches you with its poignancy. It bares the ways of the world which is out to cause pain. The protagonist moves from one disaster to another, praying for redemption, which eludes her till the dusk of life. The writer also reflects the phase of transition in which Kesuki Bai finds herself misplaced. Left to fend for herself, she returns to the fairs where she began her life as a dancer. To her surprise, everything has changed, from people to presentations. The audience are now more attracted towards the "sleek" bioscope than the old- overweight Nachni's gyrations. Alternating between hopes and fears, Nachni moves on, learning to wade through the turbulent waters of life and mastering another art — that of staring cataclysm in the face. The play was choreographed by famous odissi dancer Kiran Sehgal. Music was given was
S.N. Mahrana. |
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Hippo gives birth to female calf Chhat Bir, September 17 Interestingly, the birth took place the day the zoo authorities were making preparations to celebrate the first birthday of Seema, a baby elephant. It is the hippopotamus, who was born four and a half year ago, who delivered the baby today. September 17 seems to be an auspicious day for the Chhat Bir zoo as two of its inmates belonging to the endangered species were born on this day. With this, the number of elephants had increased to six while that of the hippopotamus to four. The species have one male animal each. It was the zoo keeper who noticed the baby hippo first of all with her mother in a water pond at the back of the enclosure made for the hippopotamus. They were spotted first at about 7.30 am. The keeper subsequently informed the authorities about the good news of the new “arrival”. While taking to this reporter, Dr Nirmaljit Singh, a veterinary doctor with the zoo, said the female hippopotamus was segregated from the other animals about 25 days before her due date of delivery. The veterinary compounders were put on round-the-clock vigil since Sunday, claimed Mr Singh. He said that the baby was healthy and taking normal feed. The newborn had been spending the maximum time with her mother in the water and enjoying the cool water splash. The zoo authorities have not been able to weigh the newborn since the protective mother pounced upon the veterinarians when they tried to get close to her. Meanwhile, the baby elephant Seema who turned one today was treated for
deworming.
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Rain disrupts traffic movement Chandigarh, September 17 The police control room vehicles were parked along the Raipur “nullah” which swelled after the rain to prevent drowning incident. Scores of vehicles got stuck in a big traffic jam between the railway light and the housing board lights on Chandigarh-Panchkula road. With the downpour coming at a time when there is a heavy traffic on the busiest road joining the two cities, it led to confusion on the road. A large part of Mani Majra plunged into darkness after the rains. Inquiries from the police revealed the Mani Majra police station remained without power. The traffic lights at the spot were reportedly not working on the busy road. Panchkula: Traffic on the Chandigarh-Panchkula road came to a standstill for over half-an-hour following a heavy downpour, this evening. Rain water accumulated on the road dividing Sectors 7, 17, 8,18,9,16, and 10, 15 at about 7.45 pm. Worst affected was the area starting from the Mani Majra traffic-light point till Sectors 7,8,16 and 17 roundabout where motorists were stranded for a long time. Vehicular traffic on the roads was normal after the water receded by 8.30 pm. |
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Move to have unreserved ticketing system for city
Chandigarh, September 17 The only hindrance in introducing the UTS at Chandigarh railway station was the passenger traffic in the unreserved compartment of the trains touching the station. Around 3000 unreserved passengers book their ticket daily from the station. The officers were hopeful of generating more passenger traffic once the Chandigarh-Ludhiana rail link was commissioned. A senior railway official of the Ambala Division said since Chandigarh railway station was generating around Rs 17 lakh per day from ticket booking, a proposal to start the UTS at the station was being mooted. Upgradation and integration of the facilities at the station was high on the priority list of the railway authorities. Inquiries reveal that the UTS would provide the facility to purchase unreserved ticket three days in advance from the date of journey. A passenger can buy a ticket for any destination from the UTS counter for all such destinations which were served by that station. Passengers can cancel their tickets one day in advance of the journey from any station provided with a UTS counter. On the day of journey, the ticket can be cancelled from station from which the journey was to commence. According to the information, around 1.2 crore passengers travel in unreserved coaches and trains. On an average one lakh tickets were being booked per day on the system catering to 2.25 lakh passengers. In phases, the UTS system would replace the self printing ticket machines (SPTM). However, officials have clarified that unreserved tickets would continue to be made available through the manual system and the self printing ticketing machines, wherever such facilities were existing.
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Resident
demands cop’s suspension SAS Nagar, September 17 In a letter to the Chairman of the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) yesterday, Mr Nirmal Singh demanded that the munshi, Jarnail Singh, be given due punishment after the probe as he eloped with his wife, Jaswinder Kaur. In the letter, Mr Nirmal Singh denied that he had reached a compromise with the munshi at the SP’s office. He said that he had approached Mr Bir Devinder Singh, Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, on September 15 and told him that the munshi had run away with his wife. The Deputy Speaker had then asked the local SP to immediately suspend the munshi and shift him to the Police Lines. Mr Nirmal Singh said his wife had given a statement in favour of the munshi at the SP’s office, but his children had stated the factual position. The police also recorded the statement of Mr Nirmal Singh. A member of the human rights commission, Mr N.K. Arora, said the complainant had alleged that the munshi had been known to him for about a year as he used to live near his house. He allegedly developed illicit relations with Nirmal Singh’s wife and started frequent visits to his house. Eyewitnesses’ accounts, including those of the complainants ‘children and neighbours, supported the allegations. When Mr Nirmal Singh objected to his visit the latter allegedly started beating him up. Mr Arora said the charges made in the complaint were grave and serious; more so when they related to a member of the police force which was expected to safeguard and protect the basic rights and liberties of the common man. Accordingly, he said the DGP of the commission would look into the allegations of the complainant and get an inquiry conducted by a senior police officer. The report in this regard will be submitted to the commission before the next date of hearing. The case will come up again on December 15. |
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Car mishap: drivers trade blows Panchkula, September 17 According to sources in the police department, Taranjit, driving a Santro car bearing (CH-03-C-4463) was coming from Sector 10 towards Sector 9 when a Honda City (CH-01-1661) banged into it head on. Heated arguments followed before the alleged exchange of blows. As the crowd returning from the restaurants gathered, the unidentified driver of the Honda City car escaped after grabbing the documents of Taranjit’s vehicle. Within 10 minutes, two PCR jeeps and officials from Sector 10 police post reached the spot. A senior police official, when contacted, said they were looking into the matter. He added that they were also considering the possibility of registering a case in this regard. |
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2 killed in mishap SAS Nagar, September 17 In another case, an employee of Punjab Tractors Limited died after he met with an accident while painting some metal railings in the factory. He was taken to a private hospital and later referred to the Civil Hospital, where he was declared brought dead. |
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Bus rams into octroi post Dera Bassi, September 17 According to eyewitnesses, the bus (HR-37-7033), while on its route from Ambala to Chandigarh, rammed into the octroi post leaving an employee of the Dera Bassi Municipal Council seriously injured. Besides the bus driver, the conductor of the bus and a passenger also sustained injuries in the mishap. The bus also ran over a motor cycle before ramming into the post. The motorcyclist was absent from the spot.
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DSP to probe sexual harassment case Chandigarh, September 16 In a complaint to the SP, the wife of the sepoy had alleged that on September 12, the doctor had molested her and had also assaulted her husband. She had reportedly gone to the doctor for consultation.
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Programme
on saving energy SAS Nagar, September 17 The programme was aimed at creating awareness among employees of the milk plant on how to efficiently run their equipment and save energy in running boilers, compressors, chiller plant, DG sets etc. The programme, attended by 30 participants, was presided over by Mr T.P.S. Walia, Manager (Training) and Development, P&HRD). |
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Man murdered Kharar, September 17 Dial Singh, father of the deceased and resident of Daon village, has lodged an FIR with the police, saying that Dharminder Singh got married to Harpreet Kaur last year. In the meantime, he fell in love with Sabjinder Kaur, a mother of three children and living in the village for the past three to four years. He said Dharminder Singh, who was working as a taxi driver, used to give his entire salary and income to Sabjinder Kaur. He used to stay with her and did not visit his house. Dial Singh alleged that Sabjinder Kaur had threatened Dharminder Singh with dire consequences if he did not follow her advice. He told the police that last night, Sabjinder Kaur called up Jagtar Singh Driver and informed him that Dharminder Singh was lying on a road, leading to Raipur, in an inebriated condition. When they reached there, they found Dharminder Singh lying on the road and Sabjinder Kaur standing next to him. He was taken to a private hospital in Kharar and then to GMCH, Sector 32, Chandigarh, but he died on the way. Dial Singh alleged that Sabjinder Kaur had given Dharminder Singh some poisonous substance and told mediapersons that he had informed the Kharar police that his son was staying with Sabjinder Kaur for the past 10 days. Meanwhile, Dr S.S. Dhanoa, SMO, Civil Hospital, Kharar, has constituted a three-member medical board to conduct a post-mortem examination. Dr Dhanoa said visra of the deceased had been sent to Patiala for chemical examination. |
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House burgled Panchkula, September 17 Ms Nirmal, wife of Mr Krishan Kumar, and her children noticed the main door broken after they returned home from school at about 2.30 pm and subsequently, the police was informed. Ms Nirmal is a teacher in Government Girls Senior Secondary School Sector 15. A team of police personnel reached the spot and a dog squad was pressed to service. The police has also called forensic experts to take finger prints. The police has registered a case with Sector 15 police station in this regard. |
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Online pool tournament Chandigarh, September 17 The iWay Pool Blast is endorsed by seven times world billiards champion Geet Sethi, who will be at select iWays where participants can meet him and get a chance to challenge him online! He will also give away the prizes to the winners of the tournament. |
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Tide sachet to cost less Chandigarh, September 17 Reducing the price of the Tide sachet by half and Ariel sachet by one-third will benefit consumers according to a press note. |
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