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City in line for world heritage status
Chandigarh, September 17 “The issue has cropped up following a nod from the Ministry of Tourism and Culture saying that Chandigarh be placed on the tentative list of cities in the country that will be forwarded to the WHC. Other cities on this list include Mumbai, Pondicherry and Goa, a senior official of the Chandigarh Administration said. A committee under the chairmanship of Mr Lalit Sharma, Adviser to the UT Administrator, is working out the details of “Chandigarh perspective”. The city will shortly submit an application to the WHC. It has been pointed out that the city will have to incorporate certain legislative provisions to contend that certain architectural designs and original creations will be conserved in the times to come. Certain institutions and artistic creations on the list of conservation are likely to include original ordinary buildings, the Secretariat, the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Panjab University, the current office of the Forest Conservator where the team of Le Corbusier, the city architect, worked. The city will be required to draft a conservation plan showing long-term programmes for preservation and promotion of the city architecture. The Administration is in possession of a letter from the president of the Le Corbusier Society. It was pointed out by the senior official that the city might be adopted as a pilot project for carrying out a study on management of “Modern heritage”. The WHC offered financial and technical assistance for preparing a conservation management plan following the Asian Regional Meeting on Modern Heritage. Under the project, the administration will seek inputs from educational and technical institutions, the local government, public relation officers and cultural organisations. The official said, “first we need to prepare a draft plan of action. Landmarks of the city architecture need to be identified and legislative amendments need to carried out for their preservation. Public lectures, seminars, advertisements and repeated messages can help instil a sense of pride among citizens about their city”.
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INTACH attempt to record region’s history
The 23 historical sites
Chandigarh, September 17 Mr Kapoor hopes to make a “startling” difference in the way heritage is perceived. After researching the region, INTACH has come up with a comprehensive list of 23 sites in and around the city that has been earmarked as historically important. These sites are being compiled into a comprehensive book complete with pictures, information and stories. “I wonder how many people are aware that the ground under us is part of the Indus Valley Civilization?” ruminates Brigadier S.S. Ahluwalia, one of the oldest members of INTACH and the person in-charge of putting this project together. Covering 40 to 50 km around Chandigarh, the team discovered that the residents are sitting on 5,000 years of history. A member of INTACH since 1989, Brigadier Ahluwalia is determined to make the most of this opportunity. “Most of the research work is complete but the book will not be a historical document or a travelogue, it will be a narrative, full of live, personal experiences in a style that can be read by children as well as by adults. After all why can our books not be like Harry Potter?” The project being assessed by Neena Singh, Regional Head for HDFC Bank, for sponsorship, is her way of contributing to the society as a responsible member. Another project that is being worked on a priority basis by Mr Kapoor is the Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS) set up in 1997 to help young people understand India’s heritage that includes historical building, arts and crafts, living traditions, lifestyles, flora, fauna and landscapes. The project, which has been initiated successfully in various cities across 14 states, is being extended to 10 more cities, including Chandigarh this year. The Department of Secondary and Higher Education, Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD) and Ministry of Culture are funding the project. The objectives, according to Mr Kapoor, are: “To inculcate in the younger generation a sense of pride for our heritage and to bring heritage education in the forefront thus ensuring a long-term concern to preserve it.” Towards this, Teacher Training Workshops on heritage awareness and details for the setting up of heritage clubs in schools was started as the first step to involve children. According to Mr Kapoor, “Chandigarh’s teaching community will undergo this workshop sometime in October this year. We are working on the project and the invitations will soon be issued to 35-40 schools with each being asked to send two teachers. The HECS teams will conduct the workshop and will provide the resource material to each school to carry on year-long heritage club activities in schools.” Mr Kapoor believes heritage education is aimed at developing an understanding of our history, culture, traditions, lifestyles, environment and communities. “By doing this we learn to care for our past. Only by valuing our past can we appreciate the present.” The crux of the project is to generate awareness to sustain heritage, conscious attitudes and the willingness for action. The workshops do not plan conservation projects per se, but creating the willingness to initiate and sustain them at the student and community level.
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Minor enters wedlock to escape incest
Panchkula, September 17 The girl is underage and a student of Class IX at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Mani Majra. The “marriage” was solemnised on the night of September 14, in front of about 20 neighbours. The girl and her “husband”, Awanish Kumar, alias Dabloo, say that they know that their “marriage” does not have the legal sanction, so they have decided to stay separately till the time the girl reaches 18 years of age. “I got married to her only to provide her financial and emotional support after her own family had turned her out,” he says. Her father, Rampreet, however, denies any incestuous relations with his daughter. “She was involved with the boy. I wanted her to complete her education, and was against her marriage. But she was adamant, so I allowed her to marry Dabloo,” he says. The girl, however, alleges that since the age of five, her father had been making advances towards her. “I was always scared of him. I had informed my mother and also my maternal aunt, but they could not do anything. He would threaten my mother that he would leave her. He would say that I was his offspring and he could do anything with me,” she says, as she breaks down. “I would never stay at home alone, and if my mother was away, I would stay at my aunt’s house. I did not know Dabloo earlier, except that he was my aunt’s neighbour. Dabloo took pity on me, and said he would marry me,” she says.
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Rain brings down mercury to 25.6ºC
Chandigarh, September 17 While the city’s roads bore the brunt of the weather, the road dividing Sectors 31 and 32, right up to Sectors 46 and 47, remained a nightmare for commuters since the start of the day. Stalled cars caused traffic blockades and this area witnessed general mayhem. According to the local Meteorological Department, the city is witnessing the downpour due to a depression over western Uttar Pradesh and adjoining Uttaranchal and Haryana. An upper air cyclonic circulation over North Pakistan and neighbouring regions is also contributing to the prevailing weather conditions. The Director, Meteorological Department, says September 15 is considered to the normal date for the end of the monsoon in the city. “As of this morning, we were already 47 mm over the average rainfall that the city receives, which is on an average 242 mm in a season.” From last night till 8.30 am today, the city had recorded 59.4 mm of rainfall. Another 29 mm was added to this figure till 5.30 pm. Roads wore a deserted look as a majority of the people stayed indoors, enjoying hot cups of tea while sweet shops did brisk business in “pakoras and hot jalebis”. The forecast for the next 24 hours remains more or less the same for the city. Rain is predicted and the sky will remain overcast.
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Jharkhand girl rescued
Panchkula, September 17 The girl, Phoolmati, along with two others, was brought to Chandigarh by an alleged human trafficker, to be sold off as domestic help. But as the fate would have it, the alleged trafficker, Daod Topu, somehow left her in a bus and vanished from the scene. Being alone in a new city, the girl stayed outside temples here for two days and survived on alms. About a month ago, as she was roaming aimlessly near Sector 16 here, she met a couple and asked them for food. The couple, who run a tea stall at a road side, took her in on humanitarian grounds. Sister Namrata of the Domestic Workers Movement informs TNS that this is not the first case of trafficking that has come to light. “We had been on the trail of Daod Topu for some time now. He operates on a large scale. He gets poor girls from Orissa, Bihar and Jharkhand, on the pretext of getting them jobs in Punjab, Chandigarh and Panchkula. Parents send their girls thinking that their meagre earnings back home will be supplemented. But we have learnt that Daod first pushes these girls into prostitution, and later on, the girls are sold off as domestic help,” she alleges. Luckily, for Phoolmati, the tea stall vendor, Rajinder Yadav and his wife, Kunti, gave her shelter. Talking to TNS, Kunti says that she took pity on the girl as she did not even know the language. “I was scared that someone might exploit the girl, so we sought
the advice of the village sarpanch, and after informing the police, brought the
girl to stay with us. She would only say that her Nana (grandfather) brought her here. We were not aware that she had been brought here to be sold off, as we do not understand her language,” says Kunti. It was only when the watchman at the office of Domestic Workers Movement, located in the Sector 19 church at Chandigarh, Mahinder Baraik, got to know of a girl from his native village in Jharkhand being found here, that he approached the girl. As they began conversing in their native language, the girl revealed how Daod Topu brought her here. He then informed the Domestic Workers Movement office, and Sister Namrata came to her rescue. The police was called in, who later picked up the brother of Daod, Jokim, for questioning. Daod, who stays in Kishangarh village in Chandigarh,
is missing.
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Passing Thru
What do you think about the city as an IT destination?
The city is going to be the IT hub, north of Delhi. The city offers an alternative to the metros which are congested and have a lot of burden on the basic amenities. A lot of IT players have shown their presence in the city. What is your area of specialisation? I deal with the business of removable storage media devices. The smart devices allow the end-users to store and protect their data. The devices which come in the form of CD and DVD manager give protection against weather and breakage to small and big users. Since there are going to be a number of IT companies, there will be demand for such devices. What are the basic amenities in the city which need further improvement? The traffic on the city roads is disciplined and the basic infrastructure is in place. To provide better connectivity, the airport needs to be upgraded and better uplinking facilities should be there. What is the demand for professionals dealing with hardware in the IT industry? Since big IT players are setting up their shop in the city, the need for professionals dealing with data storage devices would automatically surge. — Rajmeet Singh
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MC sleeps on water bills for 4 yrs
Housing societies to be issued water bills are:
Chandigarh, September 17 After conducting a survey of all such societies in 2003, it took two years for the corporation to issue water bills to only seven of these out of 25 where residents have not paid a single penny so far. The corporation will issue water bills to the 250 households of the High Court’s Advocate Society, Sector 49, within two days wherein each would be expected to pay Rs 550 per month for the past four years. At the society, not a single water meter has been installed for nearly four years now and the residents, all of whom happen to be lawyers and their families, have not paid a single penny as water bill. Interestingly, residents and the president of the society allege that time and again they have reminded the authorities about the situation but in vain. Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, the president of the society, Mr Surinder Lamba, said an amount of Rs 5,10,000 had already been deposited by them as security and repeated letters had been sent to install meters. He added that a copy of the court orders along with other documents were also given to the authorities nearly three years ago but of late they have been told that the documents have been misplaced. Meanwhile, the Superintendent Engineer, Public Health, Mr S.R. Aggarwal, expressed ignorance about the existing irregularity. “I have recently taken over as SE and will look into the matter. The accountability will be fixed and we will issue the bills as soon as possible,” he said. The Executive Engineer, Public Health, Division No. 2, Mr R.C. Diwan, also had a similar plea. “I have joined in April and since then I have been working on this gigantic task,” he said. He added that the occupancy of the society had been shown from 2001-2002 and accordingly the water bills are being issued to the residents. Mr Diwan claimed that no court order or documents had been sent by the society members so far.
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Theft of 2-wheelers on the rise
Chandigarh, September 17 Though senior officers of the Chandigarh Police are maintaining a strict silence over the issue, sources in the police headquarters admit that there has been a spurt in the cases of two-wheeler thefts in the city during the past few days. Contrary to the general impression about the southern sectors being comparatively unsafe, the sources add that in so many cases the theft of two-wheelers were reported to the police from the northern sectors. Analysing the trend, the sources add that the auto-lifters, including car thieves, are currently active in the area around Sector 22. Quoting examples, the sources say that as many as two vehicles were stolen from the sector in a span of three nights. The scooter belonged to Anil Chauhan of Panchkula, while the car belonged to Ludhiana district resident Jaskaran. Both vehicles were parked outside the houses when they were picked up by the thieves. Besides this, the area around the Grain Market and Mani Majra is considered unsafe from “vehicle theft point of view”. The sources add that otherwise as many as 627 motor vehicles were stolen from different parts of the city last year. A substantial number of them were two-wheelers. Only 235 vehicles were recovered. The number of stolen vehicles is slightly less in 2003. The theft of as many as 515 vehicles were reported to the police. Out of the total, only 175 vehicles could be found. Admitting that only about 35 per cent vehicles are recovered by the police, the sources say that in case of two-wheelers a majority of vehicles are sold to scrap dealers. As such the chances of recovery are “very less”. Elaborating upon their statement, the sources say: “A lot of people are under the impression that only fresh-out-of-the-showroom vehicles are picked up by the auto-thieves for the purpose of reselling. They cannot be more divorced from reality. For, the thieves pick up old vehicles and sell these to unscrupulous junk dealers. They, in turn, dismantle the vehicles and sell them part by part”. The sources add: “In case you want a second-hand shock-absorber, a tyre or even a spark plug, some of the junk dealers offer you the removed parts. This way the chances of getting caught are reduced to the minimum. Besides this, the thieves do not have to undergo the process of forging documents for the purpose of re-registration”. Furthermore, the thieves and the dealers tend to earn more out of the transactions. This is one reason why more and more auto-lifters prefer to steal two-wheelers over cars.
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Nek Chand is back to work
Chandigarh, September 17 Recently, though, his long ailing heart has been giving trouble. Back from hospital, first at Fortis in Chandigarh, and then a full check-up from the Escorts Heart Institute in Delhi, Nek Chand is raring to go - as usual. “I went to Talwara on some work for five days and left my medicines behind. The situation probably got aggravated because of that and I had to go to hospital.” He seems happiest when he is sitting in his little cranny, at the Rock Garden. Despite the fame, the adulation and the awards, it is the artistic use he has put waste material to that gives him greatest joy. “People now come here, pay money and feel happy at how the waste that they have thrown away is worthy of being seen. For me, this is my biggest satisfaction.” For Nek Chand, his work is about contentment. “Patience is the key. You need to be happy with what you have. I did not hanker for all this but God has given so much to me and continues to do so. I am grateful.” However, Nek Chand is not yet over with his initiatives. “There is a lot of expansion going on at the Rock Garden. We have added huge figures of animals like the large models of white horses, where children can play. I do not want children to be told that they are not allowed to touch anything.” Just as his work goes on with full zest, so do the accolades. Nek Chand is off to Switzerland on September 28 where UNESCO is holding exhibitions of his work in Belgium, Germany, France and Switzerland and where he is to be honoured. A book written on his life and times will also be released on this occasion. “I have told the writers I want the book published in Hindi too and they have promised to get it done.” The trip will also be a family holiday of sorts. His son, wife and he are off to England to visit the daughter and her family first. Everyone will then go to Switzerland for the honours. Despite all the travelling, his own home, his own country remain his favourite destination. Are there any unfulfilled dreams? “None whatsoever. I had no wish, no desire to achieve what I have. God has given me a duty and I am doing it according to his wishes.” As he sips his tea relishing the warmth is today’s rain soaked day, he gently declares this the finest beverage! For him life is going on as usual, “There is nothing special about me and everything goes on as it did when I was young. I work, meet people and come and go.” For everything is the grace of god and “without him no work is possible.”
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Get-together an essential function, says Army
Chandigarh, September 17 Stating this in response to a news report, “Despite tragedy, Army officers hold get-together”, published in these columns today, Brig S P Singh, BGS (Intelligence) at Headquarters Western Command added that the ceremonial function was held as per military protocol and decorum. The functions had been cancelled in the wake of the bridge collapse over the Sutlej in Kinnaur in which 34 army personnel were killed. Terming aspects mentioned in the report to be incorrect, he added that the Army was fully aware of its commitment and had full sympathies with the victims and their next of kin. Tribune Correspondent replies : Two functions were organised yesterday. A wreath-laying ceremony to pay homage to martyrs and a social get-together for cocktails at the Shivalik Officers Institute n the evening. The evening function, which has not been denied by the Army, was against military protocol, because a formal function cannot be held till the funerals of those killed are over and the last post has been sounded, or they are declared officially as missing and presumed dead. This has been reiterated by officers familiar with the provisions of the Defence Services Regulations and military ceremonies. The cremation of an officer was held today itself, while there are reports of another body being recovered today. Many more bodies are still to be recovered. Moreover, it also shows double standards on the part of the Army in first canceling social events and then quietly holding a get-together for its own officers. Brigadier Singh was contacted through the proper channel well in time and the statement he gave at that time has been prominently included in the news report.
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Mansa Devi Complex residents air grievances at open darbar
Panchkula, September 17 These were some of the problems highlighted by residents of Sectors 4 and 5, MDC, during an open darbar organised by Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) here today. The Estate Officer, Mr SP Arora, presided over the darbar. Officers from Horticulture, Civil and Electrical wing of HUDA, were also present. Ms Renuka Rai Walia, councillor and her husband, Mr Deepak Rai Walia, said though HUDA had approved the alignment and beautification of a seasonal rivulet flowing near the Bhainsa Tibba, the work had not started. They demanded that the work be expedited at the earliest. They also demanded that grills be installed on the central verges of roads, instead of having bushes, as these bushes were eaten up by stray cattle. A demand regarding the widening of internal roads in Sector 5, MDC, and installation of traffic lights at important intersections were also made. Mr R.C. Garg, president of the Residents Welfare Association of Sector 4, MDC, said congress grass was growing everywhere. He also demanded better civic amenities in terms of street lights, controlling stray cattle and repair and recarpeting of roads. The Estate Officer promised to look into their complaints and issue directions to expedite development works. He said the construction of the Railway overbrigde was being looked after by the state PWD and things were moving in the right direction.
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‘Sticky’ dosa lands girl in PGI
Chandigarh, September 17 Harpreet, along with her friends, ordered a paneer dosa at the coffee house. However, midway through a meal she choked and could not eat. Repeated efforts of her friends to revive her failed and she was rushed to the PGI, where doctors found an inch-long piece of stick stuck in her throat. According to Harpreet, the process was painful and as she could not cough the piece out. It had to be manually taken out with an instrument. Having fever today, Harpreet is now scared to eat out and wants that the authorities should take serious remedial actions. A hosteller at Savitri Bai Phule Hostel in PU she, however, has no complaints with the hostel food. “If it can happen to me, it can happen to others too. A stick in a dosa is serious. The PU authorities should check the hygiene standards and take action, so that such an incident is not repeated,” she said. Terming the incident as first of its kind and serious, the Panjab University Vice-Chancellor, Prof K.N. Pathak, has constituted an inquiry headed by the Dean of Students Welfare (Women), Dr Meenakshi Malhotra. Ms Ekta Bajaj, dietician, will also look into the matter. “The contractor will be asked to give his explanation. We will also check the girl’s medical reports and according to the inquiry report a decision will be taken,” stated
the VC.
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Move to rehabilitate 20,000 families of city slums
Chandigarh, September 17 The entire project is planned to be completed within a period of 18 months. As a part of the project, 20,000 one-room tenements will be constructed and provided to the people living in the slums on rent basis. The rent shall be fixed in such a way that the poor people living in the slums can afford it. The process of identifying the people to be shifted has been started by the Estate Office. The first set of 608 houses shall be made available in Sector 56, near the rehabilitation colony, by the end of December, 2005. The second set of 2,272 houses is coming up in Sector 38 West and Sector 49. The Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) has been declared the nodal agency for implementing the project and it has completed most of the requisite formalities. The work of construction is likely to commence by the middle of December 2005. To explore the rapid construction technologies so as to complete this project within 15 months or less, instead of the usual 36 months or so, the CHB had invited the Expression of Interest from construction companies.
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HP moots Noida-type authority
Chandigarh, September 17 Addressing a press conference at the Chandigarh Press Club, the minister claimed that the setting up of the Noida-type authority would give a boost to the housing projects in the area.Since these areas had taken a lead in the industrial development, the state government had categorised the state into three parts.Tribals areas were being provided all incentives for industrial development. Claiming that there had been no flight of industry from the neighbouring Punjab and Haryana to Himachal, the minister pleaded for incentives for all states for industrial growth.However, the other states should not be compensated at the cost of the hilly states, he added. Following the announcement of the new state industrial policy and the special Central package, the state had registered an industrial investment of over Rs 14,000 crore having an employment potential of about two lakh. The minister said the state government had established an Export Promotion Industrial Park at Baddi at a cost of Rs 20
crore. Similarly, a Rs 4.32-crore project had been initiated at Gwalthai in Bilaspur district, he added.
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Bhuria was not pushed off the train: Railways
Chandigarh, September 17 During the course of investigation by the state GRP authorities, it was found that she fell off while trying to alight from the moving train. The victim, in her statement to the police in the presence of a doctor, had admitted that she had fallen off and was not pushed by any railway employee, he said. Soon after the incident on September 6 last, the victim was found lying injured along the track at Gandhinagar crossing. A native of Bilaspur village in Madhya Pradesh, the woman had boarded a train from Chandigarh to Ambala, before boarding the Chhattisgarh Express for Madhya Pradesh.
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Birth centenary of Shastri celebrated
Panchkula, September 17 The NCC team of the college raised slogans of ‘Jai Jawan Jai Kisan’. A sketch making competition was also organised on this occasion. ELECTED: Mr R C Sawhney has been elected president of the Geeta Mandir Sabha, during the elections held here today. The other office-bearers of the sabha are: senior vice-president — Ms Raj Sood; Mr Manohar Lal Mehta; vice-president, general secretary Mr Gian Chand; treasurer — Mr T.R. Agnihotri. UGC COACHING: AAA Bright Academy, Sector 15, Chandigarh, is providing free coaching and study material to UGC- NET, JRF aspirants. Mr R K Mahajan, Director of the academy, said they would also provide application forms to candidates free of cost.
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Seminar on cyber securities
Chandigarh, September 17 At GCG, Dr S.C. Dhawan, Additional Director IT, Chandigarh Administration, shared his thoughts on cyber securities and career in mobile technologies. Other speakers included Ms Preeti Desai, president, Internet and Mobile Association of India, and Mr Nand Kumar
Saravade, Director, Cyber Securities and Compliance Nasscom. At PEC, Mr Vivek Atray, Director, IT, Chandigarh Administration, spoke on the importance of Internet and cyber securities in our daily life. Also present was the Director, PEC, Mr Vijay Gupta.
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e-Sampark centres to accept grievances
Chandigarh, September 17 An official press note here today said Jan Sampark Kiosks, which were to be set up in every sector and village of the UT, would also accept grievances from the public.
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CTU bus rams into motor cycle; 1 hurt
Chandigarh, September 17 A spokesman of the Chandigarh Police said Rahul of Daria village near here was rushed to the PGI after being hit by the bus near the traffic lights point in the Industrial Area. A case of endangering human life due to rash and negligent driving and other offences under Sections 279 and 337 of the IPC was subsequently registered. The doctors on duty said Rahul’s condition was stable. Panchkula resident Gurdev Singh has reported to the police that his scooter (CH-03-D-8437) was stolen from the Grain Market. Another Panchkula resident, Anil Chauhan, has said that his scooter (HR-03-C-0420) was stolen from Sector 22-B. The police has registered separate cases. A case of power theft was registered on the complaint of Sub-Divisional Officer (Electricity) Varinder Kumar. He had alleged that the owner of plot number 157, Industrial Area, was stealing power. Krishan Lal of Ram Darbar and Surinder Jindal were arrested by the police on the allegations of gambling in two separate cases. They have been booked under various provisions of the Gambling Act.
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