 |
|
|
|
|
||||
|
Illegal structures razed near Daria village
Chaos on road Though there was a strong posse of policemen to provide cover to the demolition squad, there was no traffic police to divert the traffic moving from the Railway light points towards Daria and Makhan Majra villages. As a result, there was a blockade on the road. The movement of the vehicular traffic from the railway station was also affected.
Chandigarh, August 2 Barring preventive arrests of a few persons who tried to scuttle the drive, no untoward incident was reported. The drive began at around 9 a.m. A strong posse of policemen provided cover to the demolition squad. Though workers of the godowns tried to raise slogans, lathi-wielding policemen kept the protesters at bay. The demolished structures, mainly housing godowns being used to store cement, coal, steel and other type of consumer durables, were located along the road leading from Daria village to Mauli Jagran and Makhan Majra villages. Of the total structures razed, around 80 were godowns, said the Land Acquisition Officer (LAO), Mr S.K.Setia, who supervised the drive. Two residential houses, which had come up on the acquired forest land, were also demolished. Officials in the administration said that 200 feet of land on both sides of the roads leading to Mauli Jagran and Makhan Majra had been freed of encroachments to allow for the widening of the road. While the road leading to Mauli Jagran would ultimately touch the Zirakpur-Kalka National Highway near Sector 21 of Panchkula, the road leading to Makhan Majra would provide a direct link between the IT Park at Kishangarh and Chandigarh Airport. While officials of the administration claimed that ample time had been given to the owners of the godowns, the owners lamented they were caught unawares. “We had been reading in the newspapers that a drive would be carried out to rehabilitate us. But we were not informed,” said Mr Sarabjit Singh, owner of a godown. They said the demolition would adversely affect the movement of freight from the Chandigarh railway station to different cities in the north. It will also render around 5000 labourers jobless. Due to their location adjacent to the railway station, the godowns are being used to store tonnes of freight being ferried by goods trains. From the godowns, the freight, primarily consisting of cement, coal, steel and other types of consumer durables, is moved by trucks to the traders in different cities of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Mr Shingara Singh, a member of the Panchayat Samiti, said the cost of unloading freight at the station would become costlier as the godowns were demolished or relocated. Relocating the godowns in other parts of the city would mean movement of the freight through the city, which was restricted during the morning and evening hours. The owners said the existing location of the godowns suited the concept of locating the transport areas on the outskirts of the city. Another owner of a godown said as they were paying around Rs 1.5 crore as sales tax per month to the Chandigarh Administration, the demolition would mean revenue loss to the state. Quoting figures, the traders said the raw material from the godowns was feeding around 4000 industrial units in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh. The sales tax being paid to the administration on steel per month was around Rs 60 lakh , on cement it was around Rs 40 lakh, on coal the tax being paid was around Rs 40 lakh.
|
|
Plea to regularise houses outside ‘lal dora’
Chandigarh, August 2 Even letters written by the local MP to the Central Government to extend the “lal
dora” had fallen on deaf ears. The Punjab and Haryana governments had already violated the Periphery Control Act, 1952, through the development of Mohali and Panchkula. The committee urged the Chandigarh Administration to conduct a survey of houses outside the “lal
dora” again.
|
|
|
Rains flood hospitals with gastro cases
Chandigarh, August 2 “The infection is a seasonal problem”, says Dr V.S. Sachdev. However, he advises one should never neglect vomiting accompanied by diarrhoea. Repeated
vomiting during this season is a likely case of gastroenteritis. “Rush the patient to a doctor because he needs fluids. The kidneys are the organs most likely to be affected in case of a delay”, he said. Dr R.S. Bedi, a child specialist in Sector 33, said,” the first reaction to vomiting in this season should be to administer ‘Electral’, an oral rehydration solution. In an emergency, a patient can also be given water which has sugar and salt contents. The infection can have two reasons. It can either be bacterial or because of viral infection. Doctors have to first verify the exact cause of the discomfort to the child and after certain tests suggest a suitable medicine.” Dr Bedi said, “It is difficult to give a correct figure regarding the magnitude of the problem. However, the increase in the number of cases is certainly 10-fold. Dr Bedi said, “This weather is conducive to gastroenteritis. The infection, besides water, can also spread through milk, which is not properly sterilised. Milkmen add chemicals to prevent it from going sour since they do not have refrigerators. The government ensure quality of milk supplied by vendors. Dr S.K. Chawla, a medical practitioner in Sector 15, said,” Water, in a majority of the cases, is not properly treated to ensure that is germ-free during the monsoons. Water is a strong carrier of germs, which a person can get by touching anything that is wet, be it handle bars, taps, wet clothes or utencils.” A doctor at a government polyclinic in Sector 22, said, “Residents in the city should avoid eating items sold in the open. Even if they are eating outside, they should ensure that the food is cooked properly.
|
|
Passing Thru
Chandigarh is emerging as a main destination for big banks? How do
you see it?
Chandigarh has a lot of potential and is ranked among the important cities. Since the residents have surplus money, the deposit ratio is high and next only to Bangalore. We will be opening branches in the satellite towns of Mohali and Panchkula two in the second phase of expansion in the North. What really pushes the growth? Technology indeed. But it is imperative to put new technologies in place not only to retain customers, but also broadbase them. Our focus is to provide coste effective services by harnessing the latest banking technology. Which areas are you looking at to pass off the credits? Retail and small and medium entrepreneurs ( SMEs) would be the main focus areas after understanding their needs. For instance, in Ludhiana, we will concentrate on the bicycles, textile and steel units, besides providing finances for general trading activities. — Poonam Batth
|
|
Territorial Army to raise ecological task force
Chandigarh, August 2 Stating this here today, the Commander, Western Command TA Group, Brig G S Dhillon, said the Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary, Mr S.S. Parmar, has written to the Defence Secretary expressing the state government’s willingness to raise and finance the ETF. This will be the first TA unit of any kind to be established in Himachal Pradesh and the second ecological unit in the entire TA to be financed by a state government. It will initially be raised for five years and further extension will depend upon the task at hand. The raising of the task force was initiated just about three months ago and a presentation in this regard was made to the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, and top officers in Shimla. This was followed by meetings and discussions. Brigadier Dhillon said it would take about two months to raise the force from the date the ministry accords its approval. The force will comprise ex-servicemen belonging to Himachal. The areas for re-afforestation will be identified by the state’s forest department. About Rs 3 crore will be spent in the first year to raise the ETF as it will involve procurement of equipment, weapons and ammunition, vehicles and ordnance stores. Thereafter it will cost about Rs 1.5 crore annually. The Western Command already has an ecological task force deployed in Bhatti mines on the outskirts of Delhi, where it has done commendable work to rejuvenate the barren land. Another task force is being raised for forestation projects along National Highway-8 near the capital. Besides this, there are several ETFs deployed in other states. A proposal to raise an ETF for preserving the ecological fragile wetlands at Harike in Punjab has been pending for long before the state government.
|
|
All-women police station for Mohali
Mohali, August 2 According to sources, the all-women police station would be set up in about a month’s time and would be housed near the building accommodating the women cell. It would be headed by an officer of the rank of inspector. The nod in this regard was given by the DIG, Ludhiana Range, Mr Parag Jain. Source said the proposal to set up the special police station was put up by the local SP, Mr Rakesh Agrawal. It was discussed at a meeting with the DIG and the Ropar SSP on July 23. The DIG had then visited the location where the proposed police station was to be set up. A request was also made to the DIG to provide all women staff for the police station. It is learnt that the police station will have an Inspector, three ASIs, five Head Constables and 15 constables. It would run on the same lines as other police stations in the town, but would be better equipped. The local SP confirmed that there was a move to set up another police station in the town. Mr Agrawal said the need to set up an all-women police station was felt in view of the rising number of cases relating to women in the town. Even though a women cell had been established, it was not able to tackle all types of cases relating to women. It mainly dealt with cases relating to dowry. He said an additional police post was also being set up in the Phase VIII industrial area here in the near future. As the industry in the area was developing, more security was needed.
|
|
Electric crematorium fails to find acceptance
Chandigarh, August 2 A look at the number of cremations since 1996 is revealing. From May 1996 to March 2000, the crematorium functioned only for 365 days with a total of 227 bodies being cremated.And from March 2000 to February 2002, the crematorium remained out of order. The situation after the repair was no different with only 262 bodies being cremated from February 2002 to February 2005. The crematorium worked for only 563 days during this period. Sources said a majority of the cremated bodies were “unclaimed” and few city residents used this facility. This compares poorly to an average of six cremations daily in the traditional crematorium. Set up in 1975, the electric crematorium has been functioning only in fits and starts. Even after its major repair in 2002 by the Engineering Department of the Chandigarh Administration, its functioning had been erratic. The non-reliability of the crematorium is a major factor for its being unpopular, says Mr Subhash Chawla, a former city Mayor. In fact, the provision for a new furnace at a cost of Rs 50 lakh in the vicinity of the existing crematorium raised a lot of dust at a recent meeting of the municipal corporation. Members, particularly those belonging to the Congress, reacted sharply to the proposal arguing that the municipal corporation could not spent Rs 50 lakh from its budget on the provision for the new furnace. The proposal could be considered if the administration sanctioned grant for the project, they contended. The members were of the view that the existing furnace could be
repaired. However, nobody gave it a thought that since the existing furnace had virtually outlived its utility, it was better to install a new one for the convenience of the
public. Ultimately, the issue was deferred till the next meeting of the civic body. Nominated members, including Mr
B.R. Verma, Mr P.C. Sanghi and Mr K.S. Raju, were in favour of a new furnace. The cremation through the electric crematorium was “environment-friendly” and “cost-effective”, the members felt. However, cutting
across party affiliations, the members wanted the corporation to launch an intensive awareness campaign to popularise the use of the electric crematorium.
|
|
|
Varinderpal Singh joins as SP, Mohali
Mohali, August 2 A 1999 batch officer, Mr Agarwal is known for his uprightness and positive approach. He became popular among Mohali residents when he paid surprise visits to various police nakas on a scooter posing as a common man. Three successful interactive “Suvidha” camps were organised by Mr Agarwal during his short tenure in Mohali.
|
|
|
It’s Kanwarias’ day today
Chandigarh, August 2 It may be recalled that in Sharavan devotees of Shiva visit Hardwar and Gangotri to bring Ganga water and offer it in Shiva temples located in their city. Though the onward journey can be undertaken by any mode of transport after Kanwarias procure holy water from the Ganges, it is mandatory to carry the pot on foot till they reach their destination. Talking to a some Kanwarias from Maloya village reached the city. They began their return journey on July 28 night from Hardwar. Sonu, a
Kanwaria, said it was for the first time when they undertook this spiritual journey to bring water from the Ganges. Though a few among them had been to Hardwar earlier for this kind of journey, others had a maiden attempt.
Rambir, another Kanwaria, said at Hardwar it was the presence of more than 50 lakh devotees. Sushil and Rajinder were in high spirits after under taking this long journey. They said till August 3, they would stay on the temple premises only. On that day, they would first offer water to Shivlingam and only then would leave the temple. In Chandigarh and nearby areas, Saketri temple and Mansa Devi Temple have been the resting places for
Kanwarias.
|
|
|
Ex-servicemen demand polyclinic
Chandigarh, August 2 The first phase of the ECHS implementation, which required polyclinic at the district level, is now over and under the second phase, polyclinics are to be established in towns with a large population of ex-servicemen. According to Lieut-Col S.S. Sohi (retd), president of the Ex-servicemen’s Grievances Cell, there were 10,000 ex-servicemen and widows settled in and around Mohali. Since travelling to Ropar for medical treatment was not practical, they were dependent on the polyclinic in Sector 11, Chandigarh, or at the Command Hospital, Chandi Mandir. He said though Mohali had good hospitals empanelled for major treatment under the
ECHS, ex-servicemen had to travel to Chandigarh for routine medicare or for being referred to major hospitals, which was inconvenient, time-consuming and expensive. He said he had written to Army Headquarters in this regard. According to the data available, polyclinics in Ropar and Fatehgarh Sahib on an average received five-seven patients daily, whereas veterans’ clinic in Mohali got about 55 patients everyday, with almost 14,000 ex-servicemen registering themselves there in the past three years.
|
|
|
Fisher: need for greater ethics, self-examination
Chandigarh, August 2 In an interactive discussion and workshop with the journalist fraternity of the city, organised by the public affairs section of the US Embassy along with the Chandigarh Press Club, Fisher stressed on the need for greater ethics, self-examination and higher standards in reporting principles as the medium expands. “I hate to think we are getting to the point where we have to check the stories of our reporters.” Fielding a plethora of questions on the issue of the Iraq war and the US media’s portrayal of it, Fisher stated unequivocally that it was not the job of a journalist to decide whether the Iraq invasion was right or wrong. Their job was simply to report facts, but having said that, “Some American newspapers and networks did go overboard with the whole patriotism thing and that has been duly noted in the fraternity and there are efforts to curb that over-enthusiasm in reporting.” She stated that the American media “did work on the fact that not enough questions had been asked” and there was a need for greater scrutiny of reportage being done. “Was there an American bias to the reporting from Afghanistan, Iraq? That is too general a question to ask, but a large portion of the media did make an attempt to be fair. Was it absolute? No, but the effort was there.” On the definition of the term ‘terrorism’, Fisher said the term was not to be bandied about lightly. “It is a difficult word and it should not be used casually. The 9/11 turn of events were dramatic, there was a direct attack on civilian sites and, therefore, the act was deemed as terrorism.” She further said: “I think the word is not used only for attacks on American interests, but there is the need to look for that mega event before calling it terrorism.” However, on direct questions dealing with politics between India and America and the issue of India’s permanent seat on the UN Security Council, her reply was succinct; “Ask the US Ambassador!” In a rather disarming way, she also admitted to the insularity of the American public vis-à-vis their limited worldview and perceptions of events outside their country. “The fact that America is a superpower and does not need to look outside itself for its basic needs means that you do not know much about what happens outside of your life.” Although journalism and teaching both appeal to her, she says teaching has given her more time for herself. Detailing books that she has been reading of late, she mentions Amitav Ghosh’s “The Glass Palace”, which appealed immensely to her! For this feisty woman, life just happened and never for a moment did she feel she was not equipped to handle the pressures of dangerous situations, wars, strife and conflicts. “What I find amazing is that human spirit continues in a vein of normalcy, even in the midst of severe crisis.” She quotes a story that she would like to have believed but could never prove. “While covering the Indian elections in 1984, we heard of how an elephant had come sweeping out of the jungle and picked up a ballot box and run off. We found several people swearing to this, but we could not prove this one instance of booth-capture”. This is journalism at its best!
|
|
|
Plea for drive against female
infanticide
Chandigarh, August 2 The bank had also sanctioned funds for 190 rural entrepreneurship development programmes in which over 5,000 rural youths were imparted training. Earlier in his welcome remarks, Mr Chaman Lal, Deputy Principal Information Officer of the Press information Bureau, expressed concern at the availability of imported “home DNA gender testing kit”. The availability of the kit at Rs 10,000 would be a setback to the campaign against female foeticide, he warned. Ms
J.K. Bawa, Mass Media Officer of the Director, Health Services, Punjab, wanted a mass movement against female foeticide so that the people did not buy such kits. Mr Renuka Salwan, Deputy Director (Public Relations), Bureau of Indian Standards, said the issuing of ISI marks by the bureau provided security to the common consumer. The programmes of the Chandigarh FM would now be available to a wider audience through the 10kw transmitter set up at Kasauli, Dr
K.C. Dubey, Station Director, Chandigarh station of All-India Radio, informed.
|
|
|
Chief Conservator meets union leaders
Mohali, August 2 According to a press note issued by Mr Rajinder Singh, president of the Union, it was decided that daily wage drivers would be paid in accordance with CSR rates and the drivers be given a month’s salary on being present. It was also decided that the office of the Chief Conservator of Forests would prepare a seniority list of drivers within a week. Government cars and tractors would be insured.
|
|
Train takes 70 hrs to reach city
Chandigarh, August 2 The train took over 70 hours to reach the city. The train takes 52 hours to cover the distance of around 3,400 km between the city and Kochuveli (Kerala). The train which was scheduled to arrive at 4 p.m. yesterday, reached today at around 3 p.m. This delay was due to water-logging on the Konkan rail line, sources said. The weekly train, comprising 18 coaches, leaves the station every Wednesday at 8.45 a.m. and returns every Monday. When the train arrived at the station, there were around 100 passengers on board. Most of them alighted at the New Delhi station.
|
|
|
Munshi Prem Chand remembered
The Haryana Urdu Akademi, Panchkula, paid tributes to the legendary litterateur, Munshi Prem Chand, on his 125th birth anniversary at a seminar held at the academy hall today.
Hailing the prolific author as a pioneer in modern Urdu and Hindi literature, eminent scholar and academy secretary K.L. Zakir said all literary creations of Munshi Prem Chand were expressions of the people’s hopes and struggles for a fuller life and also of their joys and sorrows. The chief guest, Dr S.L. Sharma, said the writings of Munshiji were a sociological document of his era. Earlier, noted scholars R.D. Sharma ‘Taseer’, Sultan Anjum, Renu Bahl, Rajinder Verma and Kedar Sharma presented their short stories while from the academy K.L. Zakir and Farzana Nasseem read out ‘Chinar Chinar Chehre’ and ‘Kafan’, respectively. Shams Tabrezi conducted the proceedings.
|
|
Plea to lift work ban in Iraq
Chandigarh, August 2 The proposal had been forwarded to the Protector General of Emigrants, Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, he added.
|
|
Chandigarh, August 2 Mr Dhingra joined the UT Administration as a junior engineer in 1970. He has served as an XEN and SDO. Mr Dhingra graduated from the Institution of Engineers, Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1976. Mr Dhingra is a diploma-holder from JR Government Polytechnic, Hoshiarpur.
TNS
|
|
Mobile phone snatched from youth
Chandigarh, August 2 A sector 45 resident Amit Dogra was on his way back home after calling his day off at a call centre in Sector 34 at around 12:30 am. On the dividing road of sectors 33 and 34, two motor cycle-borne clean shaven youths stopped their bike near him and the pillion rider got off the motor cycle and pulled out Amit’s mobile phone from his pocket and sped away. Amit raised an alarm and some passers-by gathered at the spot. The police also reached the spot, but failed to trace the miscreants. A case has been registered in the Sector 34 police station in this regard. Held for stealing:
Gambling:
Motor cycle stolen:
Held for rash driving:
Injured:
In another incident, a motorcyclist, Mr Anil Kumar of Subhash Nagar in Pinjore, was hit by a Maruti car (CH-03-D-5103) between the Sukhna light point and the Modella light point. He sustained injuries and was admitted to the GMCH, Sector 32. A case of rash and negligent driving has been registered in the Industrial area police station.
|
|
One dead in car mishap
Dera Bassi, August 2 The canter driver is said to have fled.
|
Air Deccan plans another Delhi-UT flight
Chandigarh, August 2 Answering queries of mediapersons through videoconferencing from Bangalore, Managing Director of Air Deccan Capt G.R. Gopinath said. “Even though the occupancy rate on this circuit is about 60 per cent as of now, we are hopeful that it would pick up once the evening flight is introduced in the next few months.’’ Capt Gopinath talked about extending the existing morning flight of Air-Deccan to Jammu from Chandigarh in the next two weeks or so and subsequently to Pathankot. He ruled out any change in the timings of the morning flight on the grounds that no other slot was available at the Delhi airport. The airline has ordered 62 new aircraft ( 32 Airbus A 320’s and 30 ATR -72-500’s) to be delivered over the next five years. Meanwhile, flights will also be started to prominent tourist places like Agra and Varanasi in the next two months.
|
| 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 | |
.jpg)
.jpg)