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MC staff to go on fast today
Chandigarh, November 7 Expressing solidarity with their cause, the Chandigarh Subordinate Services Federation (INTUC), UT, a federation of various employees’ association, has urged the MC authorities to intervene and resolve the issue before the employees begin their fast. Addressing a press conference at Shanti Kunj, here today, the president of the federation, Mr Harjinder Singh, said that their federation had urged the MC authorities to revert senior assistant of the UT Secretariat Staff, Mr Tarsem Lal, who had come to the Municipal Corporation on deputation in 1996. The general secretary of the federation, Mr Jangsher Singh, added that Mr Tarsem Lal’s absorption had been ordered on a permanent basis despite a number of senior MC employees being due for promotion as Superintendent Grade-II. He said that the federation had submitted a number of representations to the Mayor, the Commissioner, MC, the Home Secretary, the Adviser to the Administrator and the UT Administrator in this regard. “While the Mayor has recommended the cancellation of the absorption orders, the Commissioner is holding these back. Despite repeated attempts to urge the authorities to revert Mr Lal, nothing has been done so far,” he stated. The office-bearers of the federation claimed that the retention and absorption of Mr Tarsem Lal had been carried out in violation of the provisions of the Notified Recruitment Rules, instruction regarding absorption issued by the Personnel Department of the UT Administration as well as instructions of the Central Vigilance commission regarding transfer of employees on sensitive seats. Mr Harjinder Singh said that the reluctance on the part of the Municipal Commissioner to revoke the absorption orders had forced the employees to resort to a fast under protest.
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Lucky is Cong candidate for MC byelection
Chandigarh, November 7 Meanwhile, the candidate of the Chandigarh Vikas Manch, Dr O.P. Verma, today began his election campaign. He started his day by offering prayers at Math Mandir in Sector 20 and Kheriwala Gurdwara in the same sector. Dr Verma began with a door-to-door campaign during which residents assured him of their support in the election slated for November 28. Dr Verma was accompanied by senior residents and youngsters. Office-bearers of the Residents Welfare Association, Sector 20, assured Dr Verma of their support. He filed his nomination papers yesterday. The post of councillor had fallen vacant after the BJP councillor, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, resigned following his appointment as an office-bearer in the BJP unit of Haryana. According to the schedule, the last date for withdrawal of nomination paper is November 13. The election will be held on November 28 and the counting of votes on November 30.
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On a trot, like his father
Chandigarh, November 7 Anant not only bagged the best rider award of the show in the sub-junior category, but also won two golds in show jumping and a trophy in hacks. “For me, riding is a thrilling experience,” Anant said. “It was a proud moment when I won the events I was participating in,” he added. The victory did not come easy, but was a result of hard work and diligence. Residing in Ambala, where his father is presently posted, he used to commute by bus to Chandimandir every day over the past month to train for the show at the Shivalik Riding and Pony Club. “For me, riding came naturally as my father was an international-level rider. Watching him play polo encouraged me to take up riding,” he said. Presently studying in Class VIII at Army School, Ambala, he took up the sport when he was in Class III. He spends about two hours every day riding. Anant took to competitive sports at the Chandigarh Horse Show last year, where he won a silver. He, thereafter, got a bronze at the Junior National Equestrian Championship in Pune and then bagged eight medals in show jumping and tent-pegging. He was also selected to go to Israel as part of the Indian tent-pegging team. Anant’s father, Colonel Rajpurohit too won his first medal at the Chandigarh Horse Show, way back in 1989 when he was a Captain. After bagging a silver in the nationals in Hyderabad in the same year, he won gold consecutively for three years at tent-pegging championships in the United States. Last year, he was declared as the best horseman among Services riders at the Chandigarh show.
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You may have to pay for that ‘free’ credit card
Chandigarh, November 7 The bank has asked Mr Kalra to pay up Rs 3,344 for merely possessing a credit card. And Mr Kalra is not alone in his plight as several others who opted for the “free” credit card have also been asked to pay similarly. A reluctant Mr Kalra was prevailed upon by a staff member of a franchisee of the bank to take a credit card. It was offered free of cost with free accident insurance, interest-free credit facility up to one month, no charges for non-use and various other freebies. Though he never used the card, within a few months he received a “bill” from the bank. Initial polite behaviour on the part of the bank turned into a threatening posture as it warned that he would be proceeded against under the law. A harassed Mr Kalra contacted local and Delhi offices of the bank. However, the bank seemed to be firm on making him pay. In another case, Mr W.R. Sethi, another Standard Chartered credit card holder, is still getting letters asking him to pay even after he has surrendered the card and obtained no-dues slips. On the other hand, bank sources said the customer had to pay “enrolment charges” as they had consented to become members of the scheme. Mr Kalra, demanding that the “unethical” business-promotion tactics of the private banks needed to be regulated by the RBI, said it amounted to cheating the customers after luring them with attractive schemes. Moreover, employees of the franchisees and direct-marketing agencies of banks harass people by calling them at odd hours on their phones. Meanwhile, Mr R.P. Malhotra, president of Samadhaan, an NGO, has urged the RBI to frame guidelines for the proper functioning of the banking sector.
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Trehan dwells on new techniques to repair heart
Chandigarh, November 7 Talking about his pioneering research with The Tribune today, Dr Trehan said that it had taken two years to successfully develop the technique which was already accepted by the medical association in the USA. The mitral valve, through which the blood is supplied in the heart loosens up after the heart dilates during attack. This results in creating a passage around the valve and the blood once entered in the heart begins going backwards. Under Coapsys, two pads are fixed at two opposite ends of the heart and are attached through the cord. How to keep heart healthy Nearly 10-12 per cent of the Indian urban population and 6 per cent of the rural population is at the risk of heart failure. Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat are the endemic states. ''To keep heart healthy, just have half a kg of oil in a month. Say complete no to smoking and consume alcohol not more than 240 ml in a week,'' said Dr
Trehan. This tightens the valve area and stops the passage through which the blood goes back from the heart'' explained Dr Trehan, who is also the Executive Director of the Diplomate, American Board of Surgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery. Given that the number of heart transplants are the on decline the worldover, another procedure `Acorn' is developed by Dr Trehan where the dilated heart is controlled by putting a jacket all across it to cease any further dilation. `The results of the research experimentation are being currently verified in the US,'' he said. `The non-availability of hearts for replacement is making every surgeon look for avenues for non-transplant surgical procedures with minimum invasion and adding least trauma to a patient,'' said the cardiologist. Revealing that the scarcity of replaceable hearts is the main factor for a fewer heart transplants, Dr Trehan said, ``In western countries the number of heart transplants are coming down rapidly as very few hearts are available for replacement. The main donors of the heart are the brain-dead accident victims with healthy hearts. But due to seat belts and helmets, the number of such victims has come down and the heart donors have become very less,'' he said. Another successful `minimum invasive surgery' from Dr Trehan's Operation Theatre is the `Port Access surgery'', under which 2000 patients have so far been operated upon. Instead of opening the chest for accessing the heart, a hole is made under the patient's breast and surgery is performed. “To our amazement, the mortality rate in this procedure has just been 0.15 per cent, which is the least when compared to the data all across the world,” he said. He also informed about the `medical city' -- institute of Integrated Medical Sciences and Holistic Therapies that is coming up in Gurgaon with super specialities and research facilities. We expect the construction to begin in another two months,'' he added.
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CBSE to change evaluation process
Chandigarh, November 7 A proposal in this regard is already being studied by the subject experts, said the Chairman. In the city to attend a meeting of the Council of Boards of School Education in India (COBSE), Mr Ganguly, who is also the Chairman of the body, told the Tribune that certain questions based on the practical subject would be added in the theory paper. This would check whether a candidate had thoroughly done his practicals in school, he said, adding that it had been seen that certain schools were not conducting regular practicals. Without being committal about the timeframe in which the scheme would take practical shape, Mr Ganguly said practical questions of 20 numbers would be asked along with the theory questions. The remaining 20 marks would for internal assessment. On being asked about the introduction of grading system, he said effort was being made to take along all the state boards and universities so that there was acceptability of the grading certificate of the board. He said the issue was raised at yesterday’s COBSE meeting. The board was making efforts to introduce skill based programe for students of Classes X and XII. The Chairman specifically pointed out that all the affiliated schools were being asked to set up maths laboratory. It would help in giving internal assesment to the students. Mr Ganguly stressed that the schools had to stick to the minimum 75 per cent attendance norms. The board would not be liberal with the schools which violated the norm, he said. The Regional Officer of the board was authorised to conduct regular checking, he added.
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We did our best during Gujarat riots: ex-DGP Chandigarh, November 7 In Chandigarh for attending a seminar on “How secured is India from within? The destabilising factors and the ways to combat them”, Mr Chakravarty asserted that “everything possible was done during the riots.” He added that under the changing circumstances even the power to transfer an officer was not with the DGP. In fact, it was with the “political executives”. Often, an officer investigating several cases was transferred on complaints forwarded by politicians, without even carrying out necessary inquiry into the allegations. As a result, investigations into cases were jeopardised. Quoting an example, he added that even though the DGP was competent to appoint an Inspector, the power to post him was not with him. The Inspector, he claimed, was often appointed as Police Station Officer in metros. He was “an important officer in the police force as he was responsible for registration of first information reports”, he added. Offering a solution, he said in case transfer of a police officer was ordered by political authorities, the pending cases should be looked into. The transfer should be carried out only with the court’s approval. He said there was no dispute that police performed in a better manner wherever there was umbrella of judiciary. Regarding poor coordination between the investigating and the prosecuting agency, he said that as a result hardly any legal assistance was provided to the policemen in Gujarat. He said the investigating and the prosecuting agencies should work in close coordination. He said in several cases the witnesses could not be contacted because of change in addresses. Referring to the cases pertaining to Gujarat riots, he claimed that he was pulled up by the apex court as to why the witnesses were turning hostile. He added that the public prosecutor, in consultation with the Legal Department, should take care of such things. Mr Chakravarty also claimed that the prosecuting and the investigating agency worked in close coordination in Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. The CBI was also following the same practice. Talking about the destabilising factors and country’s security, President of host “Forum on Integrated National Security” P.C. Dogra, said it was not possible to resort to conventional wars in the age of nuclear blackmailing. Mr Dogra, also Punjab’s former DGP, said attention to nation’s internal security, ensuring inviolability and sanctity of borders, had become imperative.
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Man sets wife on fire for refusing money
Chandigarh, November 7 Meena (35) was admitted to General Hospital with 45 per cent burns. Sector 26 police station today registered a case of attempt to murder against the man, Mewalal, after Meena gave her statement to a magistrate. She stated that he had asked for money from her on that night. She told him that she did not have any, but he did not believe her. A scuffle followed and Mewalal poured kerosene on her and set her clothes on fire.
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Labourer found dead
Chandigarh, November 7 He was identified as Radhey Shyam, who was living in a jhuggi in the IT park along with his wife, a daughter and son-in-law. While no marks were seen on the body, it has been sent for post-mortem in the General Hospital, Sector 16. The man had not returned home since last night. The police suspects that he might have fallen in an elevator well in the building. He was working in a different building. The police is also trying to verify if a slipper found on the third floor of the building was his.
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Sec 44 residents for regularisation of alterations in CHB flats
Chandigarh, November 7 Addressing the rally, various speakers claimed that the proposals of the Chandigarh Administration regarding the regularisation of various alterations and additions in the CHB flats fell short of the expectations of people. The administration must heed to the suggestions of the residents to evolve a practical approach in solving their long-pending demands. The CHB should not harass the allottees by holding out threats of demolitions, they added. Among other things, the residents are demanding the regularisation of the need-based changes already done by the residents and the transfer of ownership to the power of attorney holders by dropping the affidavit clause. Prominent among those, who spoke were Mr Jatinder Bhatia, Mr Vijay Rana, Mr Subhash Chawla, Ms Kamla Sharma, Ms Harjinder Kaur, Mr Balraj Singh, Ms Shyama Negi, Ms Geeta Chaudhary and Mr Sohan Lal Vaid, all councillors of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh.
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Governor stresses egalitarian values of Sikhism
Chandigarh, November 7 He was speaking at the concluding function of a two-day national seminar on the 400th Parkash Utsav of Guru Granth Sahib at Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Sector 26, here. The Governor called that the message of the holy scripture should be spread beyond the national boundaries. Dr K.N. Pathak, Vice-Chancellor of Panjab University, who presided over the seminar, spoke on the cardinal teachings of Guru Granth Sahib. Mr Bharpur Singh and Mr Gurdev Singh, members of the Sikh Educational Society, were also present on the occasion. Dr Kharak Singh, an agricultural economist, spoke on the goal of the religion, which taught a human being to be a guru-oriented person. Dr B.S. Dhillon and Dr Harpal Singh spoke on “the Sikh experience of spiritual truth” and the significance of Guru Granth Sahib in the context of Indian culture, respectively. Yesterday, historians and scholars highlighted various aspects of Sikhism and the teachings of Guru Granth Sahib. Mr Arvinder Singh, Minister of Education, Delhi; Dr S.P. Singh, Vice-Chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar; Dr J.S. Grewal, an eminent historian; Mr Paramjit Sarna, a former president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee; and Prof D.A. Gangadhar of Banaras Hindu University also spoke on the occasion.
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Rotary launches projects in Mohali village
Mohali, November 7 All three projects were introduced by the club members to the villagers. The turkey farming project involves backyard bird rearing to supplement the income of the villagers and has been encouraged by the Department of Animal Husbandry, Punjab. The smokeless chullah project has been launched with the technical support from the Department of Energy Conservation while the vermiculture project is supported by Panjab University to manufacture good quality vermin – compost and sold by the villagers. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Kang announced a grant of Rs 25,000 to the club for these projects and another grant of Rs 20,000 for the village. He lauded the efforts of the Rotarians to uplift the remote village and promised to give a grant to the village panchayat towards construction of a culvert. He was all praise for the Rotarians for addressing the needs of the villagers and the spirit of service . Col Harsharan Singh Sandhu (retd) reiterated the Rotary’s commitment to serve the community and elaborated on the various activities undertaken by the Rotary in the fields of health, education, economic uplift and environmental protection. Others who spoke on the occasion include Mrs Saroj Khosla and Mr Himesh Sabhlok, president and secretary of the club, respectively. The minister was shown the working of the various projects in the village. Turkey farming and vermiculture projects were running in the house of Subedar Qabal Singh in the village. Talking to The Tribune, Mr Kang said that since this area came under the ghat belt, the requirements of the villagers differed. ‘‘There is a need to upgrade the infrastructure in villages, roads, buildings, bridges, etc. We are doing our best but a lot needs to be done. Our most remarkable achievement has been the construction of five low dams in the area on Perch, Jayanti Ki Rao, Patiala Ki Rao, Siswan and Mirzapur. These dams have brought a revolution in the economy of this area,’’said Mr Kang. Mr Kang announced that a food craft institute would be established in Ropar soon.
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Sampat blames UPA for inflation
Panchkula, November 7 Prof Sampat Singh was addressing mediapersons here this evening. He said that the recent hike in prices of all petroleum products would lead to the rationing and black marketing of these products, especially liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). The Congress government had failed to fulfill the promises made to the voters during the Parliamentary elections and was rather making a volte face on all poll promises, he added. He said that the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) was all geared up for the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state. “Our government has done a lot of development work during our tenure. The main issue during the elections will be development, and we are sure to win at the hustings because of the socio-economic development
in all parts of the state,” he said. Prof Sampat Singh added that power generation in the state had gone up by almost 1,100 mega watts during the past five years; roads had been laid all over the state; and over 70,000 persons had been given government jobs. “Over one lakh people will be given jobs by next year, and we have also started paying unemployment allowance to youth in the state,” he said. In answer to a question about the sops announced by the Chief Minister in the Fatehabad rally on September 25, and Kaithal rally on November 1, the state Finance Minister said that the idea behind announcing sops for unemployed, senior citizens and unemployed blind persons, was the uplift of the poor. He also said that as many as 3,500 new buses by the state Transport Department would
begin plying by the next year.
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Divali mela to promote Haryana handicrafts
Panchkula, November 7 The idea behind organising this mela was to promote the traditional handicrafts of the state and at the same time raise funds for the District Child Welfare Council, Panchkula. The proceeds from the mela would be given to the Bal Bhavan — an orphanage-cum- home for destitute children. Mrs Khurana, accompanied by the Deputy Commissioner, Ms Neelam P. Kasni, and the Managing Director of the Haryana Khadi and Gramudyog Board, Ms Sumita Mishra Singh, took a round of various stalls and appreciated the efforts of the artisans. A cultural programme was also presented on the occasion. Of the 70- odd stalls that have been set up in the mela, only 10 stalls are occupied. As at least six other Divali melas are being organised in Chandigarh and Baddi, the mela organisers here have failed to draw a good response. However, about 10 stalls, which have been earmarked for displaying handicarfts from different parts of Haryana, are a must see. The ‘juttis’ from Kurukshetra and Fatehabad, the artificial jewellery from Gurgaon and Hisar, ‘durries’ from Panchkula, and the traditional sweets from Rohtak are on display. Meanwhile, the Municipal Council president, Ms Seema Chaudhary, today asked the vendors of candles and ‘diyas’ to come and display their wares in the mela grounds. She said that no fee would be charged from them.
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BVP plans to develop 1,000 model villages
Chandigarh, November 7 Addressing a press conference, Mr Sharma said efforts were on to seek help from other NGOs and government agencies for the ambitious project aimed at improving the lot of the underprevileged sections of society. Answering a specific question, Mr Sharma said the BVP, having 1,100 branches comprising 30,000 members, had enough voluntary contributions to finance the project. Meanwhile, 45 teams from all over the country participated in the two-day national group song competition which concluded at MCM DAV College, Sector 36. Organised as part of the Sanskar Project of the BVP, the competition, held at the branch level, state level and the national level annually, is intended to instill nationalistic feelings among the student community. The songs for the contests are selected from the book “Chetna ke Swar”,compiled by the parishad during 2003-04. As many as 543 branches conducted the competitions in which 22,000 schools and over four lakh students took part.
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Grievances panel solves 6 complaints
Panchkula, November 7 On a complaint by, Mr Narender Sharma, of Raipur Rani, against the
SDO, Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) and a foreman, alleging that the latter had taken Rs 6,000 from him for allowing a kundi connection, the Finance Minister said an inquiry be conducted and the guilty employees brought to book. In another complaint, Mahendra Singh of Dal village,
Morni, complained that he had worked on the construction of a culvert under the Kandi project, but he was not paid salary. Prof Sampat Singh, ordered the
DFO, Kandi, to clear all his dues. Prof Sampat Singh, later directed the officers of the district administration to ensure that the complaints of residents, especially those in the rural areas, were dealt with quickly. The Deputy Commissioner, Ms Neelam P.
Kasni, and other officers of the district administration, and the MC president, Ms Seema
Chaudhary, were also present in the meeting.
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Nagar kirtan on Nov 22
Chandigarh, November 7 The procession will start from the Sector 22 gurdwara at 11.30 am and pass by gurdwaras of Sectors 17, 8, 7, 19, 20, 21, 22, Kisan Bhavan and Sector 35. The procession will conclude at the Sector 34 gurdwara around 7 pm. This was stated by Major N.S. Rangi (retd), convener of the committee.
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Price hike flayed
Mohali, November 7
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1 killed, six hurt in mishaps
Dera Bassi, November 7 A teenager, Ravinder Singh, was killed on the spot, his companion Jaswinder Singh sustained serious injuries when their motorcycle rammed into a stray cattle. Residents of Jawaharpur village, the youths were on their way back home from Dera Bassi town around 1 am when they met with the accident. Jaswinder Singh was taken to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, in Chandigarh. The body of Ravinder Singh was handed over to his family members this evening. In another accident five car occupants of a car sustained injuries after their vehicle rammed into a tractor trailer on the highway near Devi Nagar village last night. According to the police, the driver of the car (PB-70-0077) lost control over the vehicle while overtaking other vehicle. In the accident, Sanjeev Kumar, Avtar Singh, Ramesh Lal, Sanjiv Kumar and Roshan Lal sustained injuries.
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