 |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
PGI crisis: Meeta relieved of major duties
Chandigarh, September 27 In a circular signed by Prof Talwar on Saturday, the DDA’s work has been reduced only to the Hindi section and computer cell of the Institute. Her other administrative duties have been given to Financial Adviser Dr Harmeet Singh. While the DDA had been earlier holding
the charge of all administrative wings the Director through this latest circular forwarded to the officials
of the administrative departments has asked Meeta Rajivlochan to route the work related to the Hindi section and computer cell to him. The work related to the legal cell, establishment branch, estate branch has been allocated to Dr Harmeet Singh. Meanwhile, Meeta who had been sent on official leave since August 27 for issuing a controversial circular, challenging the authority of the Director, met acting director Prof S.B.S. Mann in the afternoon today. She is learnt to have submitted her joining report to Prof Mann.
|
|
Bypass inaccuracies in history books: NCERT
Chandigarh, September 27 A set of guidelines on methodology to be adopted by the teachers in using the textbooks has been issued by the NCERT. Use of the pre-2000 textbooks for reference has also been recommended. After a panel of historians, constituted by the Human Resource Development Ministry recommended that the history textbooks brought out after 2000 were full of errors and sub-standard, the executive committee of NCERT decided not In a book titled “Learning History with Burden”, issued in light of the “saffronisation” controversy, the chapter-wise errors and the common strand of bias that was visible in post-2000 text books has been spelled out. For the help of the teachers, the NCERT has provided a set of pre-2000 history books, from Classes VI to VIII and XI-XII, to all CBSE-affiliated schools. The books have to be used for reference. For Classes IX and X, the pre-2000 books have not been reprinted, as the syllabus then was different from the present integrated social studies syllabus. In a communication to the heads of schools and the CBSE, NCERT has pointed out that the reprinted textbooks were also available in the market. To ensure that there was no confusion among the students at the time of the annual examination, CBSE has been asked to conduct the examination for Class X and XII in such a manner that the students were not penalised for using
the current book or the ‘old’ books. While using the textbooks, the teachers have been asked to present the issues in a balanced way, explaining that these
were matters of debate, without necessarily taking sides or requiring the
students to do so. For each class, NCERT has pointed out the inaccuracies and has advised the manner in which the issue could be taught to the students.
|
|
Tributes paid to Tibetan martyrs
Chandigarh, September 27 It was on this day 17 years ago that hundreds of Tibetans, monks and their supporters went out of their houses for a peaceful demonstration in the capital city of Lhasa but only a few returned. According to a press note issued by RTYC, this demonstration was taken out as a protest against the execution of two Tibetan dissidents and inhuman punishment meted out to nine other Tibetan dissidents in front of a crowd of about 1,500 persons. This exhibition of cruelty by the Chinese was an effort to silence the Tibetans who had continually approached mediapersons and tourists and expressed pro-independence sentiments. But the strategy backfired and precipitated the first demonstration on September 27, 1987. The procession took three circuits of the Bharkor(the main market) with Tibetan flags and slogans were raised for independence. Many protesters were immediately arrested and tortured. These demonstrations triggered a series of other demonstrations, which were brutally crushed by the Chinese, resulting in death of hundreds of people and thousands being imprisoned and tortured. Such deliberate actions by the courageous Tibetan brothers and sisters in Tibet showcase the undying spirit of freedom.” the press note said. The Tibetan Youth Congress and Tibetan Freedom Movement, Chandigarh, saluted the people carried on the struggle for freedom often at the cost of their own lives. “The candles symbolise the undying hope, courage and steadfast commitment of the Tibetans to their struggle for freedom. We light these candles to illuminate the undying spirit of freedom that is in all of us. Freedom from oppression, injustice, tyranny and terrorism. We would also like to pray for the innocent lives that were killed in the brutal terrorist attacks in World Trade Centre, USA”, the press note said.
|
|
PU students bodies over spend on poll
Chandigarh, September 27 The election also marked the beginning of a new trend in Panjab University’s students’ politics—-that of doling out money to pander to the “increasing” demands of the voters. Two of the three students’ organisations, agree that these “demanding” voters were essentially confined to the sciences, which, incidentally, played a major role in PUSU-candidate, Rajwinder Singh Lucky’s win. The Students Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU) alliance was the richest of the three parties contesting the elections. Their election expenditure is pegged at just over Rs 2.5 lakh. Five huge banners, propped up at strategic locations right from the girls’ hostel to the entry of the university and the Students Centre, alone cost the candidate, Ranjit Singh Raju, Rs 45,000. Besides these, SOPU had painted the entire campus and its vehicles in fluorescent green with nearly 5,000 big stickers and 10,000 small ones. The freshers were taken to Morni and Kasauli for outings, liquor parties and five movies while campaigning was in progress. Funding the petrol of supporters and other allies also cost the organisation dearly. The ABVP candidate, Gurparvez Singh Sandhu ‘Shellay’, spent nearly Rs 2.5 lakh during the week-long campaigning on the campus. Most of it went towards taking students of the University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Pharmacy Department and Chemical Engineering Department for partying and movies to Fun Republic. Five cases of liquor were bought to “appease” activists, 600 stickers priced Rs 9 each, 5,000 posters printed for Rs 3 each, five movies for groups of 80 to100 students at one time cost a total of Rs 37,000. In addition to this, there were posters, petrol, impromptu parties in which money was “extracted” from candidates
by “supporters”, taking the total to Rs 2.5 lakh. PUSU, which claimed to be a cash-strapped party with a budget of Rs 50,000 ended up with spending Rs 1.5 lakh which included Rs 45,000 mess charges of the candidate himself, incurred in providing food for outsiders. Three taxis and three cases of liquor were also used during election time. Then, the printing of posters, panel cards, banners and expenditure on fuel totalled to another Rs 50,000, the 1,000 big fluorescent red stickers costing Rs 9 each though their is no record of the total number of small stickers printed and their cost. The organisation bought five cases of liquor for self-consumption and there are no known instances of voters being lured.
|
|
Government College Principal suspended
Mohali, September 27 Following a checking at the college on September 16, the MLA had, in a letter to the Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Higher Education, Punjab, Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, stated that punitive action be taken against the Principal and other erring officials, who had messed up the affairs at the college. During the checking at the college, the MLA, accompanied by the SDM, Mohali, Mr M.L. Sharma, had found the Principal missing and no one to monitor the staff’s attendance. “I was told by a lecturer that the Principal had left a message that he would reach the college after dropping his wife at her school. The superintendent of the Principal’s office and her junior office clerks were also not to be seen. Two persons were caught filling false absence messages. They were Jagmohan Singh and Jaswinder Kaur. When questioned, they admitted having submitted a wrong application on behalf of others. They admitted this fact in writing too. The Librarian Ms Balwinder Kaur, did not turn up in the college at all and remained absent,” wrote the MLA to the minister. The MLA noted that despite its strategic location, the college had not made any impact on the educational map of the region. He pointed out to the minister that he had been struggling to improve conditions at the college by arranging the visit of ministers, secretaries and officials for the development of the college. He added that many projects were envisaged, such as construction of a student’s center, digging of a new tube well, completion of the boys’ hostel, establishment of a computer lab oratory, and setting up of a sports centre and a nursery by the forest department to improve the landscape of the college. He said in the absence of an active initiative and commitment on the part of the Principal, these projects had not been proceeded further. “I feel ashamed to mention that I had to intervene and pool resources to get a sofa set repaired in the office of the Principal. In one of the meetings, we were made to sit on a sofa that had no cushions. It speaks volumes of his apathy and lack of interest for the overall image and performance of the college. Whenever I talked to him over the phone, he never responded positively. He once told me that it was difficult to improve conditions in this college because some of the lecturers came from the families of highly placed bureaucrats of the Punjab Government. He told me that he was helpless and could not ask many of the ‘VIP’ lecturers to be disciplined and dutiful as they were in a position to dislocate him from his position,” noted the MLA in the letter. The suspension orders of the Principal did not specify anything about who would be heading the college in his absence.
|
|
Inside information about cops just a click away
Chandigarh, September 27 Giving details of the ambitious project set in motion by the administrative wing of the Punjab Police, Inspector-General of Police (Headquarters), Sanjiv Gupta says that the intention behind the project is "to bring about transparency and promptness in the decision-making process". The development, IG Gupta says, is significant because the project — once in place in two months' time — will help in doing away with myriads reports containing manpower details. Before the launch of the system, such reports would shuttle between offices causing delay. Assistant Inspector-General (Personnel) Kuldeep Singh, involved in the launching of project, asserts, "The basic objective of the project is to make available 'on line' computerised central data base having relevant particulars about all officials starting from the rank of Constables. Currently, most of the details were being manually maintained unit-wise". Bringing to fore the benefits of the project, he adds, "Earlier, data was requested from all units before being compiled at the level of headquarters whenever a policy decision was to be taken. This used to cause delay. It also limited the way in which meaningful information could be generated from the available data". He adds, "Now important particulars regarding ACRs, rewards, punishments, promotions, training, departmental and vigilance inquiries, besides criminal cases being faced by the official, will be included in the centrailised data base. Specialised software has been developed to ensure that subsequent changes are dynamically incorporated into the data base". The problem regarding connectivity of different police units to a central server has been solved by using internet as a channel of communication. Adequate security features have been incorporated to ward off any attempt of unauthorised access. Once implemented, the project will contribute tremendously in cutting down effort and time required in generation and compilation of data at all levels. "This will be of considerable assistance in policy planning. For instance, the department will be in a position to project the retirement pattern over the next few years and, thus, work out its manpower plan. Transfers will also be rationalised," he says. The project will also have an impact on promotions being governed in a majority of cases by a Central Seniority Roster. "It will be possible to take instantaneous decisions regarding the size and composition of batches to be deputed for promotional courses. Most of all, it will result in productive utilization of manpower as one of the important features in the software is to record the present deployment of the official." The department has already carried out an orientation programme for the officials from all 23 districts.
|
|
New rules for listing of cases before judges
Chandigarh, September 27 While the present position in this regard is that no Judge can hear cases in which his relative is appearing as counsel for one of the parties, the new guideline says that none of the 12 Judges whose relatives are practising in the High Court can hear cases handled by relatives of each other also. The unprecedented order, issued a couple of days back, directs the Registrar (Judicial) of the Punjab and Haryana High Court not to place cases in which relatives of sitting Judges are appearing before Judges whose relatives are practising in this High Court. It could not be known what prompted the Chief Justice, Mr Justice B.K. Roy, to issue the latest order. In his directive to the Registrar (Judicial), Mr Justice Roy has also named the 12 Judges along with their relatives who fall in this category. Saying that these Judges have in the past also intimated that cases of their relatives should not be listed before them, the Chief Justice has said that in order to remove any embarrassment to any one and in the larger interest of administration of justice, he was exercising his inherent power as Master of the Roster. The judges that he has named in his order are Mr Justice V.K. Bali, Mr Justice H.S. Bedi, Mr Justice Amar Dutt, Mr Justice J.S. Narang, Mr Justice Nirmal Singh, Mr Justice AK Goel, Mr Justice Ashutosh Mohunta, Mr Justice M.M. Kumar, Mr Justice Viney Mittal, Mr Justice S.K. Mittal, Mr Justice Hemant Gupta and Ms Justice Kiran Anand Lall. Among the lawyers who are related to these Judges are Mr Vipin K. Bali, Mr Puneet Bali, Mr D.S. Bali, Mr Jasjeet S. Bedi, Mr Yogesh Dutt, Ms Harsh Rekha, Mr Rohit Kapoor, Mr Ripjit Singh Narang, Mr Amarjit Singh Narang, Mr Ajaib Singh, Mr Sudershan Goel, Mr Gobind Goel, Mr Virender Goel, Mr Saurav Mohunta, Mr Pawan Kumar and Mr Avinash Mittal. The other relatives are Mr Sanjay Mittal, Mr Dinesh Kumar Mittal, Mr Rajesh Garg, Mr Manohar Lall and Mr P.M. Anand. According to sources, the cases that will not be listed before these Judges also include all pending cases in which their relatives are appearing.
|
|
Chandigarh Calling
Wards of policemen suddenly started queuing up before senior police officers to get a certificate that they were children of serving men in khaki. The increasing number of wards of policemen was noticed a few days after the physical test for the Chandigarh police started in the Sector 26 Police Lines.
As soon as an impression gained ground that examiners at the physical test were putting candidates through a very tough test apparently to weed out a large number of 1.34 lakh candidates for 230 posts of constable, the wards of policemen started hedging for a possible rejection by the selection team. The mood was exemplified by a candidate who went to the test without showing his certificate. The wards of policemen have been given a relaxation of 2 inches either in chest measurement or in height. When a ward of a policeman was rejected, he immediately produced a certificate. When the examiners asked him why he did not produce the certificate before his measurements were taken, he said he had feared that the examiners would reduce his chest size even below the relaxed limit if he had been shown his certificate in advance. “Now you do not have that option,” he told the examiners. Healthy wards of policemen earlier refused to take certificates as they thought that they would not need them, but when the impression of the examiners being very strict about measurements gathered ground, they ran for cover.
Quilt season
Come winter and a sort of marathon starts to take on the bone-rattling winds by devising different ways and means. It is time to look for the woollens, ‘lois’, shawls, scarves and other winter wear to equip ourselves to withstand the winter blues. With the nip in the morning air having already made its presence felt in the city and elsewhere, quilt manufactures and those who stitch quilts have been working overtime to meet the bulk orders that they have already received from city, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh (see picture). “We are expecting a marginal rise in the demand this year in view of the rumblings of a more harsher winter”, claimed a rajai-manufacturer of Sector 38 market. Rajbir, his wife Angrezo and his nephew who have been stitching quilts for more than two decades now said, “At times we have to work for more than 12 hours at a stretch keeping in view the urgency of the orders placed. Normally we reach at our place of work at 9 am and work till 8 pm.”
Residents demand
The PGI’s Campus Resident Welfare Society has submitted a memorandum to the Union Health Minister, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss, demanding a number of facilities for the resident staff on the campus. These include a demand of having a full-fledged community centre on the pattern of the community centres constructed by the Municipal Council, Chandigarh, in various centres, setting up of a recreation centre with a multipurpose hall and facilities for indoor games. The society has further demanded that more houses be constructed on the campus and the transport allowance be extended to the PGI staff residing on the campus.
UFO in Mohali
An unidentified flying object (UFO) was recently claimed to have been sighted in Mohali. A person who had allegedly seen the UFO called up newspaper offices, but she could not give any proof. The woman, who probably had seen a number of science fiction movies, said she had seen a bright flying object in the east of the skies from her terrace. She also claimed that the object was a metre-and-a-half in diameter and appeared a little duller in the dusky sky. She wanted the newspaper to report this rare event without mentioning her name. But within 15 minutes, her imagination was shattered by reality when a kite landed on her terrace.
Membership open
With a view to give representation to a wider section of the media, the Chandigarh Chapter of the Public Relations Society of India (PRSI) has thrown open its membership to the media professionals. The PRSI has chalked out an elaborate programme of events, including workshops, seminars, orientation programmes and guest lectures to sharpen the skills of media professionals, its chairman, Mr Chaman Lal, informed. The PRSI will shortly bring out a quarterly magazine carrying development stories and society’s activities, he said, adding that the society would act as a watchdog to protect societal values.
Improving PGI
The former head of the hospital engineering department at the PGI, Dr J. C. Mehta, has given a number of suggestions to improve the financial health of the PGI. He says while the decreasing budget allocations are a cause of concern for the institute, the in-house inefficiency and outdated practices of the institute will get highlighted if some professional performance audit of the administrative and engineering services is undertaken. Forwarding his set of recommendations to improve the situation, the former HoD says the estate committees should be restructured and subject experts should lay down performance standards which should be evaluated every three months on a continuous basis. He also suggested the reintroduction of engineering programmes and elimination of unqualified contractors and consultants in hospital projects who learn at the cost of the PGI. He also added that instead of going in for deputationists, the insitute should go in for better talent in managing its accounts and audits. —
Sentinel
|
|
Tourist Information centre opened
Chandigarh, September 27 “Shopping is always high on the list of the tourists. Therefore, Sector 17 is an ideal place for setting up a tourist information centre. This centre shall disseminate tourist information about Chandigarh and tourist places in neighbouring states of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab”, Mr Gujral added. Earlier the World Tourism Day celebrations were given a start by Indian classical recital — Surnandan by Subhash Ghosh at the Sukhna Lake Promenade at 6.00 am today. In order to create awareness about tourism amongst students and masses, a "run for tourism" event was also organised from Sukhna Lake to Rock Garden and back. More than 1,000 students from Mohali and Chandigarh, including students of the Institute of Tourism and Future Management Trends (ITFT), the Institute of Hotel Management and the Food Craft Institute, participated. Ms Irina Brar, young golfer, Mr Ramakant, title holder of Mr India also participated in the ‘run for tourism.’ The Chandigarh Tourism, CITCO, Tourism Promotion Society of Chandigarh along with the students of the Institute of Hotel Management, Sector 42, Chandigarh, welcomed tourists with flowers on their arrival by Shatabdi Express at the Railway Station in the morning. Visitors were given a warm welcome with flowers at the airport also. A special discount on food and beverages was extended to the visiters in private and public sector hotels and restaurants. Complimentary sight seeing tours on Hop on the Hop off — Roof Open Double Decker Tourist Coach was also organised for physically challenged and slum children in the morning. Children enjoyed free rides on the coach through out the day. In addition, a tourism quiz was organised at the Food Craft Institute. The team of the Institute of Hotel Management, Delhi, won the first prize while teams of Panjab University and Hotel Mountview won second and third position, respectively. Cash prizes and certificates were distributed by Mr S.P. Singh, Special Secretary, Tourism, among participants.
|
|
Conclave on tourism industry
Chandigarh, September 27 The Director, ITFT, Mr Gulshan Sharma, said, “There is a symbolic relationship between entertainment and tourism industries. The entertainment industry, especially films, has become a powerful vehicle in promoting a particular destination or historical and cultural events. Today, India makes 800 feature films and over 14 million people see films everyday”. He also gave a demonstration of present scenario of tourism and entertainment industries. There is now a growing trend among the tourism boards in some foreign countries to turn to Bollywood to showcase their destinations. This in turn will enhance the outbound market. Mr Atwal said, “Films should depict the cultural heritage of Punjab. There is a need to make more and more such movies, which an entire family can watch together. Films should also show pilgrimages”. Mr Atwal also released the CD of songs on tourism. Writer and Director Manmohan Singh, who has made Punjabi movies like “Jee Aaya Nu” and “Assan Nu Maan Vatna Da” said, “The tourism industry is a big industry today. We have everything in India, including beautiful landscapes and attractive locations, but there is a need to set up a separate tourism organisation or department which can help create the different identity. He said that the government should give 100 per cent rebate on entertainment tax. Music and video piracy should also be stopped, which would help in increasing the revenue. The northern Indian states should come forward in a big way to tap the rich financial, scientific and entrepreneurial resources of non-residents Indians. They could be actively involved in the production of films and TV serials, especially based on cultural heritage and legends. Former Tourism Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Major Vijay Singh Malkotia, said, "Today, we all are facing economic depression. There is a need to improve infrastructure. Both public and private sectors should help promote tourism and entertainment industries". He also gave an overview of cultural and scenic attractions of Himachal Pradesh. Lifetime achievement awards were given to Mr Atwal, Mr Malkotia, Mr Ajit Singh Butel from Shimla, and Manmohan Singh. TV and film artistes, including Kanwaljit Singh, Harbhajan Mann, Kirandeep Kinmmi, Arshveer Bajwa and Gurpreet Guggi were also present on the occasion. They were also given awards. Hrabhajan Maan sang songs, including “Gallan Goriyan Te Vich Toye” and “Mann Vatana Da” for the students. Around 300 students of the institute participated in the conclave.
Run for tourism organised at
Panchkula
Chandigarh, September 27 As many as 800 students from various schools participated in it. It was flagged off by Ms Navraj Sandhu. The participants were provided light refreshment and certificates of participation. |
|
Quality assurance unit observes Raising Day
Chandigarh, September 27 Felicitating all members of the DGQA fraternity on the occasion, Brigadier J.S. Brar (retd), who was the chief guest on the occasion, highlighted core issues which needed to be addressed in order to achieve higher standards of quality and total product improvement. Colonel Susheel Kumar, Senior Quality Assurance Officer, highlighted various measures which the establishment had taken to keep pace with the latest technological developments in the field of defence equipment. Eight employees were honoured for their contribution in the field of quality assurance and prizes were also given to winners of various competitions held during the recently concluded Hindi Week. The establishment is responsible for quality assurance of electrical and electronics equipment manufactured by Bharat Electronics Limited, Panchkula, and Ordnance Cable Factory, Chandigarh, as well as components supplied by various public and private sector enterprises in the region.
|
|
PNB to help villagers form self-help groups
Chandigarh, September 27 The UT Administrator, Justice O.P. Verma (retd), who was on a visit to the village today, wanted individual dairies to be shifted out of the village so as to maintain hygiene and cleanliness in the village. The Administrator asked the Zonal Manager of Punjab National Bank, Mr B.P. Chopra, to start work in the village. The bank will also run a library-cum-reading room equipped with a computer having Internet connection for the villagers. It will also chalk out programmes to involve women folks in the self-help groups. Today’s visit of the Administrator was aimed at reviewing the work done by various departments to convert Kaimbwala into a model village and motivating the villagers to form self-help groups.
|
|
Gunners attend anniversary celebrations
Chandigarh, September 27 The General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, Lieut-Gen J.J. Singh, was the chief guest on the occasion, a statement issued here said. The Western Command artillery band was also in attendance. Meanwhile, the GOC, Vajra Corps in Jalandhar, Lieut-Gen P.K. Singh, who is also the Colonel Commandant of the Regiment of Artillery, will inaugurate an Integrated Heath Centre for the Vajra Corps Artillery Brigade tomorrow to mark the anniversary. Earlier, a Gunners Cup Golf Tournament was organised at Jalandhar, which saw participation by serving and retired officers as well as civilians.
|
|
Better deal sought for physically challenged
Mohali, September 27 Mr Ajit Salani, national secretary of the council and Mr Avtar Singh Gharuan, president of the Punjab unit, said at a press conference here today that neither the Central Government nor the state governments had taken any steps to get the Act implemented. That was why the physically challenged persons were facing hardship. Mr Salani said adequate facilities were not provided to the physically challenged to enable them to lead a normal life. He said the governments kept chalking out various programmes for the physically challenged but these were not implemented. He said even the schools being run for the physically challenged students were in a state of neglect. He said a printing press installed in Ludhiana to print books for the visually impaired persons was being closed down as it had failed to earn profits. Mr Gharuan said handicapped persons were not being given any pensions. Even the seats reserved for this category in government offices were not being filled. He said he had received complaints that in certain cases employment was given to persons who posed as deaf and dumb. He demanded an inquiry into the matter. He said on October 14 a two-day state level conference was being organised in Chandigarh in connection with the World White Cane Day. Representatives from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh would be attending the conference and focusing on the problems of the handicapped section. Mr Rahul Gandhi, a young Congress leader, had been invited to address the conference.
|
|
Will killings in Kashmir ever stop?
THE answer is no because we are trying to find a military solution to a political problem. Those who are pinning hopes on the current official level talks are living on false hopes. We have fought four wars with Pakistan, besides having many rounds of talks with it. If no solution has been found by fighting and talking for more than 50 years what miracles are we expecting from the present talks? Every problem has a solution provided there is a will to find it. But no solution can be found if talks do not flow into negotiations. Ever since 1947, when the Kashmir problem cropped up, our stand has been that it is an integral part of India and is not negotiable. For Pakistan, it is a core issue without settling which no solution can be found. If we think we can settle other issues such as Siachen, Wular Barrage and Sir Creek without settling Kashmir, we are betraying ourselves. There has to be a package deal on Kashmir by giving and taking some concessions. Until this is done, soldiers will continue to get killed with every passing day. Sadly, this does not bother our politicians. They felt the heat only when Parliament came under attack, which resulted in mobilising the Army for a war. If a rule is framed that no one will fight an election unless he/she sends one child or grandchild to the armed forces, a solution to Kashmir will be found. Politicians shouldn’t meddle in Army
Instances continue to come to notice for the past few years where politicians have tried to instigate the Army personnel by playing on their religious sentiments. Their intention has always been to derive political mileage out of this shoddy game. They must understand that this trick would neither augur well for the country nor for the Army’s stability and least of all for their future. Do they want that the Army should shed its secular image? Perhaps they want this. But the Army Generals should guard against it by digging in their heels. An Indian politician knows very little, if anything, about the Army. His scanty knowledge about the armed forces fed on misinformation proves to be detrimental to the Army’s interest. Recently, the Vice-Chief of the Army Staff, Lieut-Gen Shantu Choudry, had written to all units and formations that the displaying of pictures and figurines of gods in staff cars and other vehicles was a wrong practice. So was, he said, the wearing of wrist threads and marking a tikka on forehead in uniform. These practices, which were against the rules and regulations of the Army must stop, said General Choudry. Mr Advani has criticised the Army for stopping these practices. Does Mr Advani know that these practices were never allowed in the Army? He should know that if wrong practices are not curbed, the Army ceases to be a disciplined force.
Chandigarh DSOI
Ever since Headquarters Western Command has taken over the management of the Defence Services Officers’ Institute (DSOI), Chandigarh, it has been on an upswing in improving the facilities for the members. A good library with a sizeable number of books has come up. Besides, the library gets daily newspapers and important magazines. A good banquet hall and a terrace for sitting outside have also come up. The lawns are being developed and readjusted with proper landscaping. Since the children accompanying their parents are not permitted inside the building, a children’s park has been made for them. A clay tennis is also likely to come up shortly. There is a requirement of having a swimming pool but this project cannot be undertaken due to the paucity of funds. The club is becoming very popular now. The social functions are well attended by the members and their spouses. The number of members has gone up to 2,800. Croquet tournament is held regularly. A badminton court has also been laid out. Pritam Bhullar
|
|
Power
shutdown
Chandigarh PANCHKULA : Power supply will remain suspended to village Saketri and Mahadevpur from 10 am to 3pm due to urgent maintenance work.
Water supply
Mohali: Water supply in the township would be rationed at low pressure in phase 9, 10, 11, Sector 48-C and Sector 70 on September 28 and 29 due to urgent repair of Kajauli main pipe line. The public is advised to use water judiciously.
|
|
Tribune staffer bereaved
Chandigarh, September 27 She was cremated today at Patiala. She is survived by a son, a daughter and grand children. Her funeral was largely attended.
|
Loan company official held on fraud charge
Chandigarh, September 27 Anoop Aggarwal was today arrested from his office on the complaint of Surinder Singh, the owner of Shri Krishna Bakery and Dairy, Sector 9, Panchkula. The police also seized several computers and documents from the office of Mr Aggarwal, whose company’s head office is said to be in Jaipur Surinder Singh had responded to an advertisement in a local newspaper offering loan for house, project and personal purposes at 4.5 per cent interest per annum. He approached the company on August 9, and was told to pay Rs 4,000 as processing fee, four advance monthly installments and arrange for two government servant guarantors. After these formalities were over on August 18, he was given a cheque for Rs 5 lakh by Anoop Aggarwal for an ICICI bank Jaipur branch. The cheque, however, bounced. Mr Surinder Singh said Mr Aggarwal asked for a payment of Rs 48,000 in cash towards the installments and processing fee, but he issued a crossed cheque instead. When the loan cheque was delivered to Surinder Singh he was urged to sign a cash receipt. Following this, Surinder Singh kept asking Aggarwal to return his crossed cheques, which he never did. Surinder got the payment stopped from his bank. The conman was nailed on the basis of the cash receipt.
|
|
Domestic help of Punjab ex-officer commits suicide
Chandigarh, September 27 Michael Thapa was found hanging from a ceiling fan of a room which he had bolted from inside at house 73 in Sector 18, where he was living on the first floor. Thapa was with the family of his employer for the past many years and had been given a three-room accommodation on the first floor of the house. No suicide note was recovered. Enquiries from the occupants of the house revealed that there was no immediate provocation for suicide. Thapa was staying on the first floor of the house of Mr Rajinder Singh. The owner of the house came to know about the incident when Thapa’s wife came running downstairs in the evening, saying that her husband had bolted one of the three rooms they were occupying and not responding to her calls. The police reached late on the spot due to confusion. The police vehicle initially reached in Sector 8, but had to return no such incident had taken place at the house mentioned. Meanwhile, a washerman close to the house of the former Deputy Director saw Thapa hanging from a ceiling fan through a window looking outwards. Mr Rajinder Singh, when asked, could not throw much light on as to what might have caused Thapa to take an extreme step.The police suspected that the incident might have taken place between 2 pm and 4 pm as Thapa had entered the room at this time.
Two accidents
A scooterist Parminder Singh of Phase 7, Mohali, was injured when his scooter collided with a motor cycle on which three youths were travelling at the outer road near the police post in Sector 61, on Sunday. Parminder and the youths riding the motor cycle, driven by Harwinder Singh were injured. They were admitted to the GMCH, Sector-32. A case was registered against Harwinder Singh of Sector 71, Mohali, under Sections 279 and 337 of the Indian Penal Code. In another accident, a rickshaw-puller, Dil Bahadur, was injured when a scooter hit him near the Sukhna light point, Monday. He was admitted to the GMCH. The scooterist sped away from the spot. A case was registered at Industrial Area police station.
One arrested
Jasbir Singh of Khuda Ali Sher village was arrested from Main Market, Ram Darbar, on Sunday for possessing compact discs of x-rated films. The police recovered 74 compact discs including 15 x-rated films from his possession. A case under Section 292 of the IPC was registered at the Sector 31, police station.
Liquor seized
The police arrested Salinder Singh of Hallomajra village from the same locality for carrying liquor illegally on Sunday. The police seized 20 quarters of whisky from his possession. A case under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act was registered at the Sector 31, police station.
Motor cycle stolen
Mr P.K. Verma, a resident of Sector 20 reported that his motor cycle was stolen from the Sector 34, market, on Sunday. A case under Section 379 of the IPC was registered.
|
|
Cash, gold stolen from Sector 71 house
Mohali, September 27 Mr Chopra left home around 11.30 am and when he returned at 1.30 pm, he found his rooms and his tenant’s rooms ransacked. Mr Chopra told the police that thieves decamped with Rs 10,000 and 60 gram of gold from his house. The tenant, Mr Gurpreet Singh, was out of station.
Police inaction
Residents of Balmiki Colony, Phase VI, alleged that a gang had abducted two girls from the colony in the past three months. The police, according to these residents, had initiated no action. In a written complaint to the Mohali SP, a resident of the colony, Ms Kamlesh, alleged on Monday that her daughter had been abducted over a month ago from the colony by four residents of the colony. She added that despite their having told the police the identity of these persons, the police had taken no action. She also told the police that some other men of the colony tried to abduct another daughter of hers on September 21, but the bid was foiled by her neighbours. Two persons of the gang were caught by colony residents, but the police let them go, claimed the residents. Other colony residents alleged that another girl, daughter of Mr Naubat Ram of the colony, had been missing for the past three-and-a-half months. They claimed that despite complaints to the police, there was no news about her.
|
|
Biz Clips INAUGURATED: Orra, a diamond manufacturing company, has opened its store in Chandigarh. Inaugurating the showroom, Mr Vijay Jain, CEO, said keeping in view the preference of Indian women, Orra has introduced a new range of designs which is a synthesis of Indian tradition and Western style. OC OPENED: Blue Oranze, the classic men’s wear collection, opened its showroom in Chandigarh on Saturday. Mr Sanjay Vohra, Marketing Manager of the company, said: “All clothes are designed keeping in mind the youngsters and their requirements”. OC STOCK EXCHANGE: Mr Kapil Dhamija, Mr Dalip Singh and Mr K.K. Kansal have been elected Directors of the Northern India Stock Exchange Limited, Chandigarh. Besides, Mr Ravinder Sharma (president), Mr M.L. Dhingra (vice-president), Mr G.S. Saini (Director finance) and Mr Arun Goel (Director accounts) were office-bearers elected on Saturday, according to a statement issued here. TNS
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
