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Medicos blast quota policy
They joined the rally at 1 pm and were back on duty at 4.30 pm. Said an intern, “Every ward has on duty a senior resident, a junior resident and an intern. The service would thus have been affected to that extent only. We, however, ensured that patients don’t suffer much due to our absence. So we absented only for about three hours.”
Chandigarh, April 27 Fiercely deriding the government’s proposed policy, the protesters rallied after their friends in Delhi who were manhandled by the police yesterday. They raised anti-Arjun Singh slogans and burnt his effigy to underline their distress towards the flawed reservation plan which, they said, was doing more harm than good. Accusing the government of playing vote politics in the name of welfare of underprivileged classes, the students called for protests by medical students in Punjab and Haryana. The protests would be held tomorrow at Amritsar and most likely at Ambala, Rohtak, Shimla and Patiala as well. In a memorandum which they later submitted to the Punjab Governor and UT Administrator, Gen S.F. Rodrigues, and the Adviser, UT, they said, “What was introduced as a temporary measure to give the much needed impetus to the backward classes, SCs and STs at the time of Independence has been twisted and warped by people with vested interests to suit their political agendas. And all this at the cost of merit which should be the sole criterion for selection and promotion of an individual in any sphere of life, especially medical.” At the heart of the protest was the feeling of betrayal which all agitating students equally felt. While staging a dharna, they said they felt like aliens in their own country. Among the protesters were several merit holders of medical entrance tests who now find themselves consigned to a corner in the name of uplift of backward sections. They argued their case on merit, stating how government policies were perpetuating brain drain and further deepening the divide between students from general category and those from reserved ones. Manik, a rank holder in the Common Entrance Test (CET) and now a final year student at the GMCH-32, said, “We understand the social and economic conditions of our underprivileged friends and we are not against reasonable reservation. But what good is that reservation policy which compromises the very standard of medical services in the country. That we have had to get a doctor from London to treat Mr Pramod Mahajan is indicative of the trust we repose in our doctors.” Dr Adarsh Sai Jindal, student representative, GMCH-32, said, “We are in touch with student representatives at AIIMS and are closely watching the government response to our demands. If the government does not take a just view on the matter, we will stage nationwide protest. At our level, we have asked students of all medical and dental colleges in the region to stage rallies tomorrow. In fact, we had also requested Panjab University and PEC students to support us, but their response was very weak.” Patiala (OC): Over 400 students from Government Medical College, Government Dental College, Government Ayurvedic College and various nursing institutes here took out a rally from Government Medical College to the Sheranwala Gate this evening. They were protesting against the “atrocities” committed on agitating doctors in Delhi yesterday. They were also opposed to the reservation policy of the government. The students formed a
According to the student leaders who addressed the rally, the government was killing the institution of merit by playing vote bank politics, which would lead to collapse of the education system. “The proposed reservation of 49.5 per cent was totally unfair and would not serve any purpose except for producing low quality doctors and other professionals”, the leaders said. They warned that the Mandal Commission agitation of the nineties could be repeated if the government did not amend its policies.
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Power cuts throw life out of gear in Baltana
Zirakpur, April 27 However, what has irked the residents most is the unannounced and long power cuts, which have virtually thrown their lives out of gear. Be it day or night, the power cuts are a routine affair. In fact, the unofficial power cuts from 11 am to 6 pm and in nights also at Baltana have compounded the problems of the residents, The Tribune Friends Cooperative House Building Society, Baltana, in a representation to the Executive Engineer, alleged. Since the water supply was connected to the power supply, there is an acute shortage of water in the wake of the power cuts, alleged Mr Mangal Sain Saini and Mr Kamal Dev Sharma, president and general secretary of the society. A random survey of the township today revealed that the situation was no better in other parts."It is the annual nightmare the residents have to go through in summers with the authorities looking the other way," alleged Mr AK Sharma, a resident of Sunny Enclave. Students, particularly those appearing for annual examinations of the professional courses, are the worse-affected.
Private colonisers, who have built flats or are in the process of building flats, claimed that the provision of the adequate power supply was the duty of the PSEB since it was government function. We can only make supplementary arrangements such as installing inverters for emergency use, a builder stated. Sources said with Zirakpur bursting at seams, the supply had failed to keep with the growing
demand. With the colonisers and builders and other commercial establishments setting up offices here, the demand had gone up putting strain on the existing power supply. In fact, with the mushrooming of the new colonies and apartments, power trippings are
common. This, coupled with the alleged unauthorised constructions doting the township, overload the system resulting in repeated power cuts, the sources added.
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Don’t water lawns from May 1
Chandigarh, April 27 Superintending Engineer of the Municipal Corporation said that first time violators would be issued a show cause notice, but if caught for the second time, the consumer will invite a fine of Rs 500 along with a final warning. But the third time the water connection would be summarily disconnected without any further notice or warning. The ban will apply to several other conditions where water is seen being wasted. These include overflowing of water from water tanks, leakage from water meter, installation of a booster on the supply line. Besides, leakage of water from any source such as water coolers, etc will also invoke a penalty or disconnection. Admitting that some areas in the city were already facing problem of low water pressure, another official of the water wing of the M.C said that the matter was being looked into and the situation will not be allowed to deteriorate further. The M.C has set up a control room in Sector 15-D to receive complaints about the misuse of water. The complaint can be made over phone number 2781156.The MC official said that those making the complaint must insist on the complaint booking number. All complaints received here will be forwarded to the central coordinating officer, Mr. V.S Dagar. Complaints can also be made directly to him on phone number 9872511245. The M.C has divided the entire city into 12 zones headed by 6 executive engineers to oversee smooth supply of water during the summer months. These executive engineers are R.S Ahluwalia (9872511227), R.C Diwan (9872511246), S.K Chadha ((9872511125), N.K Sharma (9872511137), A.K Singla (9872511147) and Mahender Singh (9872511159).
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PEC to abolish admissions thru state nominations
Chandigarh April 27 PEC provides for reservation of supernumerary seats in the college for states and union territories which do not have engineering colleges or lack facilities for education in specific fields of technical education. The reservation of seats under this scheme is made by the nominating agencies such as state/UT governments, Ministry of External Affairs, Ministry of Human Resource Development etc. Each year at one or two students were admitted to the college based on such recommendations. It has been now proposed that since the college is admitting students on the basis of the all-India entrance test, AIEEE, and also the college offers an all-India quota of 50 per cent reservation in seats there is no justification for keeping such a provision. The proposal statement points out that such a provision “is likely to interfere with the merit as the sole criteria of admission to the college.” The college also proposes to do away with the category “other award winners (it does not include service medals) “for admission to candidates who are dependents of military persons. Wholly dependent sons/daughters/spouses of military personnel who are awardees of specified gallantry decorations are to be considered in order of preference. These include Paramvir Chakra, Ashok Chakra, Sarvottam Yudh Seva medal etc the last preference being “other award winners”. It was felt that this category is not well defined and therefore gives rise to controversies at the time of admission and there have been court cases on this account. The Board would also consider some other changes to the admission procedure. In cases of admission of students in the sports category, PEC has proposed to simplify the procedure. Admission under this category is made on the basis of sports gradation (grades A, B, C and D) issued by the Chandigarh Administration on the basis of sports achievements of the
The college proposes to do away with this set of criteria on the rationale that after the sports achievements of the candidates are uniformly graded by the same designated authority there is no justification in considering further details of their sports achievements to determine their inter se merit. It has also been noted by PEC authorities that the existing procedure of determining the inter se merit has invited a number of court cases almost every year at the time of admission. Instead the inter se merit would be determined based in the AIEEE rank. In case of tie in the academic merit in AIEEE the same would be resolved by considering the seniority of age.
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Passing thru
Tell us about the free hair treatment camp.
This is not just a hair care workshop but a treatment camp providing free counselling and special analysis of the hair using the latest equipment under the guidance of experts. Free diet and hair styling counselling is also being provided at the week-long camp. What is the most common hair problem faced by the city residents? In Chandigarh, 80 per cent of the people who visit us complain of premature graying. Among men, the problem of baldness is also common. At the camp, we also counsel people on having healthy lifestyle to combat busy schedules and long stressful working hours. How can one maintain healthy hair in summers? During summers, the intake of liquids in the form of water, diluted lassi, lime water or juices should be high. Proteins are good for hair, while the consumption of green vegetables and fruits should be always welcomed. One should use shampoo and conditioner of the same brand. Besides, the conditioner must not be applied on the scalp as it clogs the pores. — Payal Pruthi
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27 structures demolished
Mohali, April 27 Even though the PUDA authorities were accompanied by a large number of police personnel, the affected persons made efforts to obstruct the drive. They, however, could not succeed as the police did not allow them to get together. They then showed their resentment by raising slogans against PUDA officials. The affected persons said that notices should have been issued before carrying out the drive. The drive, which was carried out under the supervision of Ms Isher Roop Kaur Estate Officer (Regulatory ), started around 10 a.m. and went on till the evening. Two major structures were demolished while in other cases the residents had just begun construction with walls only about six feet above the plinth level. Mr Surinder Singh, Subdivisional Engineer, said that all structures that were demolished had been constructed after the cut off date of January 11, 2005. Demolitions were also carried out at Jagatpura and Kandala villages. Eighteen dwelling units were demolished which were constructed by a retired The PUDA team was accompanied by about 100 police personnel and a duty magistrate, apart from PUDA’s own security staff.
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Civic body employee, resident trade charges
Mohali, April 27 Mr Tilak Raj Sharma , a resident of Phase X , alleged that he was threatened by the council employee , Mr Kesar Singh , last night and he had to inform the police in this regard . He said when he came to the council office in connection with some work today he was again allegedly threatened by Mr Kesar Singh. However , Mr Kesar Singh denied the allegations saying that Mr Sharma wanted to involve him in a police case so that the former could not present himself as a witness in a case to be heard tomorrow at Ropar . He said he was instrumental in getting a vigilance official caught red handed while taking a bribe and he had to appear as a witness.
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Cops given tips on gender sensitivity, efficiency
Chandigarh, April 27 The first batch of the WACSU attended the two days of workshop on April 25 and 26. Mr Dinesh Bhatt, SSP (Operational Cell and supervisory officer of the WACSU, inaugurated the workshop. He explained the need for organising such workshops. The workshop aimed at sensitising the police as to how to deal with victims of cruelty, torture and dowry demands. It also stressed on prompt and speedy delivery of justice without discrimination. Among those invited for interaction with participants included Dr Upneet Lali, Deputy Director, Regional Institute of Correctional Administration, Sector 26, Dr Nandita Shukla, Lecturer in Education Department, Panjab University, Dr Amir Sultana and Dr Manvinder Kaur, both from the Centre for Women Studies, Panjab University, besides police officers from the Recruits' Training Centre.
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Bijli Vitran Nigam clerk suspended
Panchkula, April 27 Acting on a complaint filed by Mr Shiv Narain Verma, a consumer, against the LDC Tarun Kumar, the nigam conducted an indepth inquiry and found him guilty. In his complaint to the Managing Director (MD) of the UHBVN, Tarun Verma said he paid electricity bill of Rs 3,395 on November 22, 2004 to Mr Verma, who was on official duty at suburban subdivision, Panipat. Despite making payment of his electricity bill at the official counter, the nigam subsequently added the amount (already paid) in the next month’s bill. Taking a serious view of the complaint, the MD directed the Superintending Engineer, (Operation Circle), Karnal, to investigate the matter. During investigation, it was found that there were no entries of the said bill on official records. The MD has also directed the Commercial Assistant to check the records for the period during which Tarun Verma was posted at the subdivision and worked as a cashier to find out such more cases of embezzlement.
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Council staff reel under heat
Mohali, April 27 Employees said it was very difficult to work in the building now as the temperature was rising by each day and there was no provision of even fans which led to a lot of suffocation . Only a few officials like the Administrator , the Executive Officer and the Municipal Engineer had fans in their rooms . The building has only got a temporary power connection so far though a permanent connection had also been applied for. Mr Avtar Singh Kalsia, president of the Municipal Karamchari Union, said the problem had been brought to the notice of the administrator of the civic body, Mr Darshan Singh Sandhu who had assured that the problem would be sorted out at the earliest. It is learnt that there is no plan to instal fans in the building as it is ultimately going to be centrally air conditioned. The work is in progress and it is expected that air conditioners would start functioning in about a fortnight's time. The new office building of the council, constructed in Sector 68 at a cost of over Rs 8 crore, was inaugurated in November last year by the then president of the civic body, Mr Kulwant Singh. Even though completion work was still going on in the new building, the staff shifted in it in February.
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Probe ordered against PGI librarian
Chandigarh, April 27 The inquiry has been marked in response to two complaints that the PGI Employees Union made against the aforesaid officer. The president of the union, Mr Sat Pal Bhardwaj, said in a press note today that the union had earlier filed complaints of corruption against Mr Raj Kumar, alleging that he had indulged in unconstitutional activities, and misused his power for arbitrary personal gains. While the union has demanded the suspension of the officer in question under rule 10 (1) of the Central Civil Services Rules, the CVO, Dr Amod Gupta, said the authorities would look into the matter before arriving at any conclusion. His office today asked the union to authenticate the complaints by extending relevant proofs. The complaints against the officer centre on the favours he allegedly extended to some doctors and other staff member by waiving off late fee on books/journals, and by asking his subordinates to put stamp of receipt of books in back date. The union also alleged that he had been obliging staff members who did not return expensive books at the time of their superannuation/resignation while getting no dues from the library. On occasions, the union alleged, he transferred books issued to some faculty members on to his library card and asked his subordinates to issue no dues to the faculty member in question. It has also been alleged that though the PGI orders annual stock verification of the library, the senior librarian managed to prevent effective stock verification for about five years, besides being responsible for damage to 500 to 1000 rare medical journals that were destroyed during rains due to his alleged carelessness.
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Brar takes over as IT Director
Chandigarh, April 27 Mr Brar was working as the Excise and Taxation Commissioner in Ludhiana before his new assignment. “I have just taken over the office. I must give credit to Mr Atray for his role in providing the momentum to the work on the IT Park project. I will make an attempt to carry forward the good work.” Mr Atray has been given the temporary charge of the Joint Secretary (Finance) which is in addition to the charge of the Director (Tourism).
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B.S. Randhawa’s death mourned
Chandigarh, April 27 Mr Randhawa, who died on April 18, retired from the IAS in 1969. He held several important positions. “It was as the DC of Ludhiana that he made his contribution to the implementation of policies that resulted in the Green Revolution,” said Mr Jaspal Singh Sekhon, an office-bearer of AYOSA. Born January 11, 1910, Mr Randhawa was the oldest Aitchisonian in India. He was nominated to the Punjabi Civil Service in 1937 as an officer. He had two sons, the late Jasjit Singh Randhawa, IFS, and Lt-Col. Rajbir Singh Randhawa (retired). The Bhog ceremony for Mr Randhawa will be held at the Sector 8 Gurudwara in Chandigarh on June 30 at 1 p.m.
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Press sticker on taxi!
Chandigarh, April 27 A staffer with a television channel saw the sticker on a taxi near the Rose Garden, Sector 16. On questioning, the driver said a political leader had given him the same. The matter was reported to police where the driver changed the name of his source more than three times, reliable sources said.
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Sidhu is DIG, Chandigarh Range
He was also instrumental in building up the Recruit Training Centre at Jahan Khelan near Hoshiarpur. He is a recipient of Police Medal for Meritorious Services, three Director- General’s Commendation Discs and a Director- General’s Golden Disc.
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SSP Yadav gets selection grade
Chandigarh, April 27 Mr Yadav has been promoted to the selection grade with effect from January 1, 2005. Mr Krishna Mohan, Home Secretary, and Mr Satish Chander, IGP, were also present.
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A clarification
Chandigarh, April 27
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Bid to sodomise 4-year-old
Chandigarh, April 27 Sources in the Sector 36 police station said Ram Darshan, the accused, a resident of Nehru Colony, here, was nabbed when his neighbours heard the cries of the child. Following which, the victims' father, along with other neighbours, rushed to Ram Darshan's house and recovered the child from under the bed. The incident occurred at around 10 am. According to the SHO of the police station, Inspector Ishwar Singh Mann, the accused during the preliminary interrogation told the police he found a child playing outside his home and took him in his room after luring him. When he tried to sodomise the child, he began crying. Fearing that he would be caught, he tried to gag the child and also made a bid on his life by strangulating him. Meanwhile, hearing the cries of his missing child, the victim's father entered the house and recovered the child. The police was informed about the incident and they took the accused in its custody. The police said the child was taken to Sector 16 General Hospital and his condition was stated to be stable. A case of kidnapping, unnatural sex and attempt to murder and attempting to commit an offence punishable with life imprisonment under Sections 363, 377, 307 and 511 of the IPC has been registered.
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Manager booked for outraging modesty of woman
Chandigarh, April 27 Sources in the Sector 3 police station said a case had been registered against S.S.
Bhist, manager of Saparn Group in Sector 8-C, on the basis of a complaint filed by the victim, who is a paying guest in Sector 7. The victim, in her complaint to the police, has said her friend applied for a job in the company on Wednesday afternoon. But, the manager, instead of giving her a clear reply, asked her to come back in the evening. When she went to the company on behalf of her friend in the evening, the manager tried to make advances towards her, she alleged. He put his hands on her shoulders, to which she resisted. He threatened her that he would kill her in case she reported the matter to the police. A case under Section 348, 354 and 506 of the Indian Penal code has been registered. No arrest has been made so far.
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Man falls from third floor, dies
Chandigarh, April 27 Giving details of the fatal fall, sources in the Sector 39 police station said a watchman, Harka Bhadur of
Badheri, accidentally fell from the third floor of his house at around 9 am. He went to the roof top for smoking
biri. His wife was also accompanying him. She told the police that her husband complained of giddiness and all of a sudden he lost his balance and fell. He sustained multiple injuries and was admitted to Sector 16 General Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Meanwhile, the body of an unidentified man was found from near the Sector 15 and 16 roundabout this morning. The police could not get any document which could help in establishing his identity. The police said his palms were smeared with herbs indicating that he was an addict. The body was taken to the General Hospital. The police has initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC in both these incidents.
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Decomposed body found in Sec-34 house
Chandigarh, April 27 According to Mr Turka, the tenants living on the first floor informed him in the evening that a foul smell was emanating from the annexe and its door was also left ajar. He went into the room and saw Jasbir’s body lying in a pool of blood. The body was so much decomposed that the hands had turned blue. The room was packed with electronic gadgets like televisions, radios etc which had come for repair. Mr Sarabjit Singh, brother of the deceased, said Jasbir was married to a Jalandhar-based girl three months ago and was living away from his Mohali-based family. He said the police shifted the body before informing the family. The body was hurriedly shifted to the Sector 16 hospital by the police without even waiting for the forensic experts and the family members. Meanwhile, DSP K.I.P. Singh said the exact cause of the death could only be ascertained after a post-mortem examination. He said the possibility of death due to electrocution could not be ruled out.
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3 of family hurt in clash
Chandigarh, April 27 According to information, Prem Chand visited Karam Chand’s house and asked him to settle the dispute over ancestral property. Prem Chand reportedly attacked Karam Chand with a dagger when he denied him his share in the property. Shankutla and Roshan were injured when they came to Karam Chand’s defence. The police has booked Prem Chand on attempt to murder charge.
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5 injured as trucks collide
Panchkula, April 27 Vehicular traffic on the highway was also disrupted for over two hours following the accident. According to information, a Chandigarh-bound truck (HR 39-3939) with four passengers collided with another truck coming from the opposite direction. Mr Malkiat Singh, the truck driver, and four others — Dil Raj Singh,
Chhinder, Sucha Singh and Satbir Singh — sustained injuries. The driver of the other truck, however, escaped unhurt. The injured were rushed to the General Hospital where they were discharged after preliminary medicare. Vehicular traffic was restored after the police removed the trucks from the site with the help of cranes.
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Baba’s kin beat up his “wife”
Mohali, April 27 She alleged that she was raped by the Baba on April 4. He threatened her with dire consequences if she talked to anyone about the incident. He promised her that he would later marry her. The woman said on April 14 the baba had accorded her the status of his wife in the presence of members of his family at Mansadevi temple. The baba left her in Hallomajra village after the members of his family had objected to the new relation between the baba and her. When she went back to the baba, she was allegedly beaten up by the members of his family. The woman has not given a statement to the police so far. The police is investigating the matter.
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Gold chain snatched
Chandigarh, April 27 Vehicles stolen:
Mr Ved Prakash of Sector 35 has reported to the police that his Maruti car (DAV-6414) was stolen from his residence on Monday night. Similarly, Mr Abdul Jabbar of Indira Colony, Mani Majra, filed a complaint with the police alleging that his Bajaj Calibre motor cycle (CH-01-Y-7432) was stolen from his residence during the intervening night of April 22. Mr Anil of Sector 56 lodged a complaint with the police that his motor cycle (CH-01-W-4793) was stolen from the market place in Sector 47. Three separate cases of theft have been registered at various police stations in the city. Liquor seized:
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Cash, electronic goods stolen
Panchkula, April 27 Mr Neeraj Bansal, owner of the centre, claimed that his father came to know about the theft this morning when he opened the showroom at about 10 am. The thieves had entered the showroom after breaking the grill on the backside door. In his complaint to the police, Mr Bansal complained that the thieves took away a cash collection of Rs 1.50 lakh and a laptop.
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Chandigarh, April 27