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ringing in 2005
Development charges directive has city residents fuming
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Of stymied hopes, stars and star-talk…
From the Schools
Market Buzz
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ringing in 2005 Deepkamal Kaur Tribune News Service
AS the year 2004 draws to its close, it’s time to welcome the New Year. Anticipating prosperity and happy moments in the New Year, city residents are all set to welcome the dawn of the year 2005 in style, though for many, it would be a subdued celebration, keeping in view the destruction heaped by Tsunami.
As a respite from the busy routine, the crème de la crème plans to celebrate the occasion in solitude and cosy togetherness. Says Mr S.K. Asthana, SSP, “I have not thought of any specific plan for the day, as I would be busy the whole evening supervising the deployment of police force at various places in the city. All efforts would be made to check any hooliganism or eve-teasing likely during such occasion.” “I am personally not really fond of any dance parties. But on December 31 evening, I would definitely take my wife and my six-year-old daughter for a candle-light dinner in some good restaurant”, the SSP disclosed. Mr Ashok Mittal, Director of Lovely Institutes, said that he was planning to celebrate the New Year with his family in Dubai. “My wife, son and daughter have been insisting that we celebrate the occasion in a special way. I have thought of taking them abroad so that they can see how people celebrate the dawn of the New Year there,” he said. Mr Sanjay Handa, a businessman, would be celebrating the occasion amidst a small gathering of 40 close friends in a restaurant. His wife, Ms Seema Handa, Director of Eklavya School, said that a hall and a DJ had already been booked for the occasion and only couples had been invited for the party. There would be special games for the little ones and lots of surprises around the midnight so that everyone remained engrossed, she added. Chairman of CT Institutes, Mr Charanjit Channi, said that he was planning to take his family out for a dinner at the Gymkhana Club, of which he was a member. But he had heard that the club had cancelled all celebrations and he had now decided to take his family out to a resort. Mr Gautam Kapoor, a hotelier, said that he would bring his family to his own hotel where they would all enjoy dancing and dining together. “It is basically an occasion when I like to party with my family and friends and there can be no better place than my own hotel,” he added. Deputy Commissioner, Mr Ashok Gupta, said that on December 31 night, he would be at home with his family. “There would be no merry-making this time at our home because of the tragedy that took the toll of thousands of people. Instead of enjoying a peg or two in the evening with my friends, I would be motivating the city residents to send relief for the Tsunami-affected families,” he said. Similar was the view of Mr Avtar Henry, Minister of Public Health, Food and Civil Supplies, who said he would not be celebrating the occasion. “I have even told my children to avoid any parties and celebrations. There would be no freaking out and we would all be at home together.”
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FOR ushering in the New Year in a unique and entertaining style, the management of the Radisson Windsor Hotel has invited Russian artistes for the mega show.
Ballet dancer Olga Patina and singer Oksana would entertain a gathering of nearly 250 couples and singles on the new year’s eve at the Windsor Hall. “There would be a separate dance party in the Jack and Daniel Discotheque”, said Mr Gautam Kapoor, Managing Director of the hotel. Against the background of scintillating and leg-shaking music being provided by Muziktrax DJ, the President Hotel has invited elite couples of all ages to welcome the New Year on the “Hungama Night”. Said Mr Sunil Khera, General Manager, there would be a gala dinner with elaborate counters of mouth-watering dishes for nearly 125 couples, most of them hotel members. “There would also be over 100 innovative games with on-the-spot prizes so that almost all couples have a chance to win at least one prize. Besides, three best-dancing couples would also win mega prizes,” he added. The large hall of the Maya Hotel has been adorned and festooned for the grand gala evening, during which 200 to 225 guests would enjoy live singing. General Manager, Mr Srirup Choudhary, said that there would be a lavishly-spread salad bar and buffet in the multi-cuisine restaurant that would offer Indian, Chinese, Continental food with added varieties of Tawa and Pasta counters. There would be a DJ, a lighted dance floor, a lucky draw and games with attractive prizes and gifts. At the Prithvi’s Planet, dance, music and games have been planned for the New Year bonanza. The entry there is paid and all food items, including snacks, cocktails and dinner, would be served there. But Gymkhana Club that usually hosts one of the best New Year parties in the city has decided to cancel it this year in view of the Tsunami tragedy. |
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Development charges directive has city
THE latest directive from the state Local Bodies Department has left residents fuming. The department has issued a fresh directive that the local municipal corporation would charge Rs 8000 per marla as development cost for the approval of building plan of residential property in unauthorised colonies.
There are more than 300 unauthorised colonies in the city, including 230 colonies, which have been duly identified by the local municipal corporation authorities. These colonies came into existence after 1995. The Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) has failed to curb mushrooming of such unauthorised colonies. Earlier, the department had ordered the civic bodies not to approve the building plans of residential properties. But later, acceding to the demands of the people, the department asked the applicants to deposit Rs 8000 per marla as development cost for the approval of the plans. The then-government of Mr Beant Singh had incorporated more than 200 such colonies in its approved list of colonies. The colonies were divided into four categories — A, B, C and D. While the residents of “D” category were not be charged any development charges, the residents of “A” category were supposed to deposit Rs 1000 per marla. The residents of “B” and “C” categories were asked to deposit Rs 500 and Rs 250 per marla, respectively, for the approval of the plans. In the majority of the cases, the developers of such unauthorised colonies usually mint money by selling the plots to gullible customers, while leaving them at the mercy of the corporation authorities for development. “I have been waiting to construct my house for the past one year. First, there was a ban on the approval of the building plans in unauthorised colonies. Now, it is beyond my capacity to deposit Rs 50,000 for the approval of the building plan of a six-marla plot,” says Mr Harbhajan Singh, a local resident. Meanwhile, the leader of the Opposition in the corporation house, Mr Kishan Dev Bhandari, dubbed the move of the state government to charge a whopping sum for the approval of the plans as “anti-people”. “In some colonies, the cost of land is less than Rs 8000 per marla and charging development cost more than the cost of the land is not justified. The state government should reconsider its decision and the rate of the development cost should be brought down to ensure the speedy development of the residential colonies,” Mr Bhandari adds.
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Of stymied hopes, stars and star-talk…
IT'S cold. Biting cold. Wind is lashing out at the makeshift tent. Rain drops are plopping noisily on the tent roof. Hardly a star is visible in the sky. But inside the tent, all are starry-eyed. Some, saddled with problems and uncertainties, are trying to look for solutions; others desirous of 'star-future' want to go in for 'upayas'. It's an interesting
play of 'malevolent' and 'beneficial' stars and planets, with a liberal bit of
astro-talk thrown in.
Hope, amidst chaos and despair, just needs a flicker to sustain itself, says a middle-aged woman, who has queued up to make her hand 'seen' by a palmist. There's jostling and pushing - some are falling over themselves to get their horoscopes an 'expert-read'. It's astro-industry at its starry best at the recently-held annual meet of the Akhil Bhartiya Saraswati Jyotish Manch.
Pandit Rajiv Sharma, Founder-President of the manch is caution personified. "We have passed a resolution that political predictions would not be made from the stage," he says. After some prodding, he adds something about India getting stronger by 2010. A bit of discussion about the probability of correct predictions and you have the astrologers coming vociferously to the rescue of their "beleaguered science". Soon, it's a fusillade of predictions. Balwant Das Sharma from Jagraon predicts the possibility of assassination of prominent Indian leaders. Akshay Kumar from Moga talks about upheaval at Centre in the next nine months. Kashmir figures in Ludhiana astrologer Radhe Shyam's predictions - the year 2005 would see Kashmir moving towards its solution. Devinder Kaushal, Panchkula, foresees a win for Congress in Haryana, though by a wafer-thin margin. Accidents and natural calamities in northern and western parts of India are predicted by Shimla-based astrologer Amar Gautam. His predictions are corroborated by Subhash H. Kotak from Mumbai. Nepal-based astrologer Anand Ekant has an interesting suggestion to offer - the Nepali prime minister should change his office or at least modify it! He says that the new office of the Nepali prime minister has "serious vaastu defects", which, if not remedied, could prove disastrous. The night is getting deeper but the future-snooping, at its varied best, continues. After all, the pull of future is irresistible!
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From the Schools
THE 43rd annual day of Sainik School, Kapurthala, was celebrated on Friday.
The function was presided over by Maj Gen B.J. Gupta, Chief of Staff, Vajra Corps and Chairman of the local board of administration of the school. The programme started with a spectacular Guard of Honour put up by cadets. Science and arts exhibits were prepared by the cadets. Colourful cultural show presented by the cadets in the school auditorium kept the spectators spellbound. Principal, Col Sandeep Kumar, presented the school report highlighting the impressive achievements of the students. The chief guest gave prizes to the meritorious cadets, who had excelled in various fields. Sqn Ldr A.K. Srivastava, Headmaster, Major R.K. Goyat, Registrar, and a large number of dignitaries of district administration were present on the occasion. Christmas
celebrations "Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Jingle all the way". This was actually the essence of the Christmas celebrations held at Eklavya School on Friday. Christmas carols were sung. The school was decorated for the occasion with bells, streamers, caps, stars and also a huge X-mas tree that was illuminated beautifully. Four students were dressed up as Santa Claus. A school teacher narrated the story of the birth of Lord Jesus Christ. Ms Seema Handa, Director, cut the cake amidst the cheers of "Merry Christmas". Gifts like Christmas caps, bracelets and Christmas bells were given to the students. Tiny
tots visit church As a part of the Christmas celebrations, tiny tots of Mama's Pride Nursery School were taken to St Mary's Church at Jalandhar Cantonment on Friday. Students and teachers, all dressed in red, offered their prayers in the church. Back in the school, they all danced to the tunes of various English numbers. The school was beautifully decorated with bells, socks, hangings, and flowers. The Christmas cake was cut and the tiny tots were served cake and cookies. A teacher, dressed like Santa Claus, distributed sweets among the tiny tots. Ms Rajiv Ahuja and Ms Neena Bajaj, both trustees, were also present on the occasion. 'Punjabi Week' The Punjabi Week "Pyari Punjabi" concluded at Eklavya School on Friday. During the week, everyone spoke in Punjabi. A Punjabi drama "Ekta wich bal" was enacted by teachers. Later, students were taught poems in Punjabi like "kikli kaleer di", "makhan khavo", "savera". The students also played the game "kokla chhapaki" and had great fun. They were also taught courtesy words like "dhanwaad" for thank you, "Sat Sri Akal" for greeting and "jee aayaan nu" for welcome. Ms Seema Handa, Director, said that it was sad that Punjabi language was being neglected by the younger generation. Blood donation camp As many as 30 NCC cadets taking part in a camp at Government Senior Secondary School, Ladowali Road, organised a blood donation camp on Wednesday. The camp was held in association with Pahal, an NGO. Nearly 21 units of blood were collected during the camp. Lt Col M.L. Savant and Major S.S. Parmar, who were present during the camp, motivated the donors. All 400 NCC cadets of the junior wing pledged that they would donate blood when they became eligible donors. |
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Market Buzz Tribune News Service
INDUSIND Bank has launched a new savings scheme "IndusInd Young Saver" for children.
Under the new scheme that would be linked with the Flexi Recurring Deposit Scheme, the children would be able to open their new accounts with a minimum opening balance of just Rs 11. Mr N. Suresh Pai, Executive Vice-President, said that the scheme would have lots of benefits like education loans at concession for professional courses of children. He said that the scheme had the option to purchase cash certificates as a one-time payment. In such cases, regular "young saver" account would be activated with zero balance, which might be operated any time before the maturity of the deposit, he added. The bank also proposes to introduce many fun-filled activities for the "young saver" throughout the life-cycle of the scheme, including birthday celebrations and holiday packages. It would also give an additional option to "young savers" to interact with other "young savers" throughout the country. McDonald opens new outlet McDonald, a leading chain of restaurants, has opened its new outlet at 9 km from Jalandhar on the GT Road. Even though it started just a few days back, the restaurant is already drawing a good response, with crowds coming from Jalandhar as well as Hoshiarpur, says company spokesperson. In its new outlet, McDonald is offering the usual range of foodstuff, including vegetarian and non-vegetarian burgers and pizzas and French fries. There is a special package for children with small burger, small coke, French fries and a toy. The restaurant also has a drive-in from where the passersby can simply order and collect their meals quickly. Bank invokes
ordinance against defaulters The authorised officer and the branch manager of Andhra Bank, Basti Adda, Jalandhar, have taken over the possession of various properties mortgaged to the bank. The properties have been locked since the last week. A lot of pressure has been created on the defaulters and they have been told that their properties would ultimately be auctioned for the adjustment of their dues, says a bank official. Mr B.L. Gupta, authorised officer, and Mr H.S. Batra, Branch Manager, said that the warning had evoked a positive response and many defaulters had come forward for immediate adjustment of their dues and requested the authorities not to continue the seizure of their properties and also not to initiate action for the auction of their properties. |
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Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan
Music is perhaps the most eloquent of all arts. And surprisingly, it is also a great leveller. The 129th Shree Baba Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan organised recently in the city was a pointer towards this. In fact, the sammelan, that has been an annual feature since the past 128 years, is not just about music, it is also about the composite culture of the city.
People from all walks of life, irrespective of their religious and ideological orientations, attend this musical festival. The performers, too, are from various parts of the country. "The sammelan has a hallowed tradition. Unlike the music fests that pass off raucous noise as music, this festival preserves the sanctity of music," says Ms Gagan, a young professional who has been attending the sammelan for the past 10 years. A peep into the history of the sammelan is itself very interesting. In the year 1875, Baba Harballabh, whose bhajans in dhrupad style were mesmersing, decided that the most apt homage to his guru Baba Tuljagiri would be through music. He invited sadhus to sing devotional songs at his guru's samadhi. Soon, this became a regular annual feature. Later, Pandit Tolo Ram, Baba Harballabh's disciple, carried forth the legacy of his guru. Apart from sadhus, he also started inviting noted singers from the region. Again, it was the catholicity of artistes that was clearly evident. Pandit Dwarka Dass, Mohammed Hussain, Mian Ahmed Khan, Shri Puran Chand, Mian Udo Khan were among those who attended the sammelan at that time. However, the year 1908 proved fateful for the sammelan. Pandit Vishnu Digambar, on his visit to a religious place, halted at Jalandhar. When he came to know that a music sammelan was in progress, he requested Pandit Tolo Ram to give him an opportunity to sing. And when he sang his composition in Raag Jaunpuri, it was enthralling. Undoubtedly, Pandit Digambar gave a new musical identity to this sammelan. Today, after more than a century, the legacy remains intact. Renowned musicians, including Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Kumar Gandharv, Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, Begum Akhtar, Girija Devi, Shobha Gurtu, Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vishav Mohan Bhatt, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, Ustad Bismallah Khan, have attended the sammelan in the last many years. "It's an integral part of the culture here. Though over the years, a few changes have taken place, yet its essential characteristic remains unchanged. The sammelan has a certain timelessness to it and therein lies its charm," says Mr S.S. Ajimal, who has been associated with the sammelan for quite some time.
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