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Tomorrow’s rule makers, today’s
rule breakers
Chandigarh, December 10 A drive around the city and one can see flags, banners and posters plastered here and there. Banners and flags of the Congress and the BJP can be seen at various places in Sector 20. Flats in Sector 21 also present a similar scene. The Sector 19 booth market is dotted with BJP flags. The scene in Sectors 33 and 47 and Burail is the same. Candidates have not restricted their poster campaigns to their respective wards. One can see banners and posters of these candidates on autorickshaws and other vehicles that take their poll campaign to areas beyond their ward limits. Violations of the model code of conduct as regard permitting the use of two vehicles by each candidate are also rampant. According to rules, a candidate has to submit the registration numbers of two vehicles to the respective Returning Officer (RO). One vehicle is permitted for the candidate and the other for the election agent. The RO issues two passes for
the same that are required to be displayed on the vehicles. However, this provision is being openly flouted by the candidates. The Election Observer today spotted a vehicle of BJP candidate from ward No. 1 Bal Krishan Kapoor in Sector 9. It sported the party flag, but no pass. He was asked to remove the publicity material from the vehicle. Talking
to Chandigarh Tribune, Mr V.K. Harit, Joint State Election
Commissioner, said no body had the permission to do such a thing. “The
police should take action as it amounts to defacement of property,”
he added.
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Who will have the Muslim votes?
Chandigarh, December 10 Numbering
over 85,000 of Chandigarh’s potential voters, the heavy
concentration of Muslims in Mauli Jagran, Manimajra, Bapu Dham,
Palsora, Burail and Maloya means that in these wards, the Muslim vote
would be the edge. In approximately 10 seats, over 10 per cent of
the voter population is Muslim. In 4 constituencies, this rises to
over 20 per cent and in two key seats, the figures are unmistakeable.
— 38 per cent in Manimajra and 27 per cent in Mauli Jagran. The
Muslim voters here have been pro-Congress. In the last elections, Mr
Pawan Kumar Bansal of the Congress was elected from the Chandigarh Lok
Sabha seat, defeating BJP’s Satya Pal Jain by a margin of over 45,
248 votes. In that election, a conservative estimate suggested that 86
per cent of Muslim votes went to the Congress. This time, a large number of Muslims have become politically active. A few have formed apolitical fronts like the United Progressive Muslim which is an NGO. The elections will see a record number of 10 Muslim candidates contesting from various wards. They are Monovar (Ward No. 11, RJD), Mohd. Usman (Ward No. 13, Samajwadi Party), Mukkaram-uddin (Ward No. 13, Independent), Nazir Hussain (Ward No. 13, Independent), Firasat Ali (Ward No. 14, Samajwadi Party), Sagheer Ahmed (Ward No. 14, Independent), Zubaida Khatoon (Ward No. 19, Independent), Mehboob (Ward No. 24, Samajwadi Party), S.M. Khan (Ward No. 24, Independent) and Shehnaaz Begum (Ward No. 26, Lok Janshakti Party).
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Weather fails to deter campaigners
Chandigarh, December 10 BJP candidate from Ward No. 2, Prof Rajni Gupta, embarked upon a pad yatra in the PGI campus and campaigned door-to-door in Panjab University and Sector 15. She also received blessings at Sector 15 Gurdwara. Prof Gupta was accompanied by several other BJP leaders, including former Chandigarh BJP President, Jai Ram Joshi, and BJP Mandal President, Ratan Lal Goel. Mrs Shyama Negi, independent candidate from Ward No.10, campaigned from door-to-door in Sector 41, AG Colony. She stated that if she won she would sort out all problems of the ward. A rally was taken out in support of the joint candidate Manjit Kaur of the CPI (M) in Ward No.14 by the residents of Sector 45 and Burail. The Welfare Association of Sector 45 assured her its support. Nukkar meetings were also organised in Burail and Sector 45 as a part of the campaign. Addressing the meetings, she stated that she would try and solve the sewerage problem. Mr Jatinder Bhatia of the CVM and the sitting councillor of the MC from Ward No. 22 campaigned in the JBS Society, Sector 48-A, the DC Office Society and Industrial Area Phase II. He also conducted a door-to-door campaign in Sector 47 and in the Indian Express Society. Mr Surjit Choudhry, Congress candidate from Ward No. 22, also conducted a door-to-door campaign in Sector 47-A. Mr Satya Pal Jain, ex-MP, and Gurpartap Singh, senior leader of the BJP, Riar, President, SAD, Chandigarh, and Mr Yash Pal Mahajan, President, BJP Chandigarh, addressed public meetings in different wards in favour of BJP-SAD candidates. Speaking in the public meetings, Mr Satya Pal Jain said the Congress had put the people into burden of various taxes. MrBhimsen
Aggarwal, BJP candidate from Ward No. 13 organised a workers' meeting
in Sector 50, which was addressed by Satya Pal Jain. Jain also inaugurated the election office of Ms Surinder Kaur, BJP candidate from Ward No. 19 in Bapudham Colony near Sheetla Mata Mandir. Mr Mahesh Guta, Distt President, and Sh Nuashad Ali, President, Minority Morcha, were also present on the occasion. Mr Arun Aggarwal, BJP candidate from Ward No. 22, interacted with people in Mayur Vihar. Mr Ram Lal, BJP nominee from Ward No. 23, took out pad yatra in Ber Majra village, Faida and Deep Complex, Hallomajra, and interacted with people. Ram Lal is getting support from the people of the ward as the residents of Hallomajra are annoyed with the Congress rule. Mr Rajesh Gupta (Bittu), BJP-SAD candidate from Ward No. 16, took out pad yatras in Sector20-B and 20-C. Pardeep Chhabra, Congress candidate from ward No. 3 held a similar campaign in the government quarters of Sector 22 D . Mr Chhabra also held a public meeting. Indu Singla, Congress candidate from Ward no. 20, held a rally in the colony No. 4 accompanied by the sitting councillor, Lalit Joshi. Mukesh Bassi, Congress candidate from Ward No. 24, addressed gatherings at Mauli Jagran, Railway Colony, Madrasi Colony. Accompanied by Mr B.B. Bahal, he later took out a pad yatra in his ward. Mrs Raj Kumari, CVM candidate from Ward No. 20, took out a rally from the colony No. 4, Industrial Area Phase-I and Sanjay Labour Colony. Door to door campaigning was also conducted by Subhash Chander of Ward No. 25 and Indira Vati from Ward No. 26.
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Public debate gives way to blows
Chandigarh, December 10 It is alleged that the police had also objected to the function since the organiser had failed to furnish the permission for the use of loudspeakers. But on being persuaded by residents, the debate was allowed to be conducted. After an introduction round, a question-answer round was started. A question asked by a local resident to CVM candidate Balwinder Singh led to a confrontation. Congress candidate Ravinder Pal Singh and BJP candidate Davesh Moudgil were also present. The question was whether he was contesting to expand his business (Uttam Sweets) and how many times had a sample been collected from his shop by the Food and Civil Supplies Department. Agitated, CVM and BJP supporters confronted one another. The police rounded up the supporters of both parties and the light and sound equipment was impounded. A case under the noise and pollution Act was also registered.
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Ward No 4 (sectors 23, 24 and 36)
62 years old, he is contesting the MC elections for the first time. A class V passout, he retired as a high court employee. He says he now has the time to contest elections. Associated with the BSP for the past five years, he says he will work for the betterment of the ward.
52 years old, he is the councillor from this ward. This former Mayor is contesting for the second time. A matriculate, he has been associated with the Congress for 30 years. At present, he is the vice-president of the CTCC. If elected, he says he will try and complete all pending works of Sector 36, apart from bettering the ward. Surinder Kumar Jagota — BJP This 45 year old will be contesting the elections for the first time. Associated with the BJP for the past five years, he runs Jagota Caterers. A social worker, he also organises bhandaras in ashrams and mandirs. A matriculate, he says he will try to complete the remaining works. Ward No 5 (SC women reserved) — Sector 25, Kumhar Colony, Janta Colony, Sector 25 (West), LIG Colony Dhanas, Milkman Colony and Housing EWS.
33 years old, she is contesting the elections for the first time. A Class VII passout, she is a housewife and has been associated with the BJP for the past 12 years as an SC Morcha worker. She is the wife of the vice-president of the SC morcha, BJP, Chandigarh. She says her target is to solve the problems of water, electricity and sewerage.
42 years old, she has been associated with the Congress for the past 20 years. She is the wife of the Late Phul Singh of the CTCC. She is contesting the elections for the first time. A matriculate she says if she gets elected, she would get a permanent dispensary made and complete the pending works in the ward.
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Panchayat poll: 30
more papers filed
Chandigarh, December 10 The scrutiny of nominations will be
taken up by returning officers in their offices on Monday. Candidates
can withdraw their nominations by December 13. Symbols will be
allotted the same day.
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Avian visitors come calling
Take care
Chandigarh, December 10 Brahmni ducks, coots, pochards, sandpipers, kingfishers (Himalayan), stilts and several other species of birds can be seen in the area these days. Siberian cranes and certain other varieties from other far-off areas are also expected. The arrival of migratory birds begins around November 15 an goes on till around December 25. These birds stay here till the end of March before their flight back to their original homes. The area around 500 m stretch of the pathway (around 2.3 km) along the lake near the regulator end houses majority of the population of migratory birds. Mr
Ishwar Singh, Deputy Conservator of Forests, said, “Around 10,000
migratory birds come to this area every year. When availability of
food becomes difficult in the snowbound areas during winters, they fly
to the plains. It is too far fetched to compare the bird population
at Sukhna with the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary in Rajasthan, Harike or
Pong Dam, which are very big in size. At the same time, Sukhna has
been able to sustain the bird inflow over the past many years
indicating that it was a safe nesting ground for the visitors.” However,
human interference in soiling the regulator end is a matter of
concern, particularly for environmentalists. Mr Ram Sharan, a
retired teacher, said, “Look at the broken pitchers and earthen
lamps down below. It is a common sight to see the general public
coming here for various ceremonies.” While the Chandigarh Tribune
team was sitting there, a gentleman came there with an earthen pitcher
containing ashes of some departed relative. He immersed the ashes in
the water and broke the pitcher there before leaving the venue.
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National shame, say hockey stars
Chandigarh, December 10 Former captain of the national team Pargat Singh
said, “There is nothing left to talk on the subject. The fact is
that we are not listening to ourselves in assessing the ground
realities. The leaders are just completing their formality of
occupying the chairs of governance without any feel for the truth.” “This
is for the first time since 1958 that the Indian team has failed to
qualify for the semifinals,” he said. “Quantity and not quality
are the keywords for the current hockey team management and there is
no immediate scope of revival under the existing circumstances,” he
added. Harmeek Singh, a national selector, said, “The first game
that India lost to China was due to sheer carelessness. We could also
have won the game against Korea.” “We are planning something
very big and shortly we will tell you. And you will like it,” he
added. Former Olympian Sukhvir Grewal said, “I knew it right from
the beginning that the Indian team had no chance. You can’t afford
to send four 19-year-old players to a major tournament like the Asian
Games. The coach and the manager have failed miserably in their job.” “Hockey
is now a sheer display of physical fitness. Mental strength and proper
man management are the most important features that are being totally
ignored. The 11 players in the field should be working as a unit and
not trying individual heroics,” he added. Another former Olympian
Balbir Senior said, “It is shocking. Up to what level will the team
fall? It is worth pointing out that there is no dearth of talent. The
need of the hour is to polish the stones into gems. The most important
aspects are mental training, physical fitness and improvement on the
technical front.” “There is lack of commitment towards the game
as compared to what we used to have during our times,” he added.
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City opens its villages to private
builders
Riders
Chandigarh, December 10 Developers of commercial buildings have been allowed four stories with a maximum height of 59 feet and a ground coverage of 30 per cent. For residential buildings, six stories with a maximum height of 72 feet and ground coverage of 40 per cent has been allowed. At least, 60 dwelling units of the prescribed dimension would be allowed. By acquiring a minimum of half acre in any of the 10 villages falling under the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, the developers can raise six-storeyed buildings. Under the Chandigarh Administration (Erection and Re-erection of Buildings) Rules, 2006, for villages in the municipal area, the developers will be allowed parking in the basement in case a four kanal plot is used for residential purposes. For an acre plot, the developer will have to give double-level parking. To
encourage regulated development, the Administration has announced that
if residents of an entire street surrender 4’-6” strip of land in
front of their houses for widening the street, the owner would be
allowed an extra floor subject to a maximum of ground and three more
floors, provided the maximum height was 45 feet from the plinth. The
change of land use will be subject to conversion as levied by the
Municipal Corporation. However, the building rules have attracted criticism from villagers. Terming the rules as meaningless, Mr H.S. Billing, general secretary of the Original Oustess Association, said very few villagers had plot more than four kanals. Most of them had small plot-along the village pherni. “In
most cases, the villagers have plots measuring 5 or 10 marlas. Under
the proposed provision, only multinational or big players would buy
land from the villagers and undertake residential and commercial
activity. It would in no way benefit the villagers. The new policy
will allow the builders to buy land from villagers”, said Mr
Bhupinder Singh Badheri, general secretary of the Chandigarh
Territorial Congress Committee.
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City drenched
Fog hits air,
rail traffic
The fog today disrupted air and
rail traffic. While Air Deccan flights from Jammu and New Delhi
to the city were cancelled, Jet Airways and Indian Airlines
flights from New Delhi to the city were delayed. The Indian Airline flight was 35 minutes behind schedule. The Jet Airways flight was also half hour late. The
Sadbhavana Express from Lucknow arrived two hours late. The
morning Shatabdi was about 20 minutes late, officials stated.
Chandigarh, December 10 Although the department had recorded a trace of rainfall till around 5.30 pm, the measurement was up by several millimetres by late evening, as heavy rain thumped the city, interrupting the flow of traffic and leaving several two-wheeler riders stranded along the roads. Coupled with thundershowers, the heavy rain reduced visibility considerably, thereby leading to traffic jams at several rotaries around the city. Minor accidents were also reported at several locations. Meanwhile,
Met officials said rain and thundershowers were expected to continue
tomorrow as well. Mr Chattar Singh, Director, said the rainfall
witnessed in the city today was not un-seasonal. “Such occurrences
are fairly common at the onset of winters. And these serve to keep the
night temperature in balance,” he added.
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What fascinates you about Chandigarh? The warmth of art lovers, the panoramic beauty of the city, and above all the inquisitive media persons. It is only in Chandigarh that our artworks get proper evaluation which helps us to judge our aesthetic capabilities and improve upon them. How do you view the impact of television on the growth of theatre in the region? I think we- the theatre fraternity- must learn from the advanced technical and visual aspects employed in their production thereby imbibing and utilising these within the admissible limits to embellish our presentations. How have your 30 productions influenced the cause of social awakening? All theme-based productions have yielded positive results as theatre is the most powerful medium for communications. Even my latest play 'Raat Chanani', produced with artistes comprising of Punjabis in Canada, won wonderful response especially in Edmonton and Calgiri during my three-month tour. What should be the essential qualities of a script and play? It must be capable of sending a message on issues concerning life and society. — S.D. Sharma
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Literary attempt to improve girl
child's lot
Chandigarh, December 10 The two-day workshop, organised to commemorate the SAARC Day of the Girl Child (December 8) and the International Human Rights Day (December 10), concluded today with the authors interacting with children from slums and peri-urban areas on what they would like to be changed in the stories already written. The workshop had invited writers to read out their stories and critique them in the light of the rights of girls. Where yesterday's session saw the authors reading out stories (about 10 were read out), today's session was devoted to the changes required in those stories. After speaking to the children, who spoke without hesitation about how they wanted a particular story to sound, the writers agreed to modify their stories to rid them of unpleasant references to the girl child and children in general. After changes, the stories are to be compiled in a book, a trendsetter for those wishing to write children-sensitive stories. No wonder the workshop was called Bal Kahani Workshop. It was organised by the India Alliance for Girl Child, North Zone, and was attended by prominent Punjabi writers, including Dr Rama Rattan, whose story was well appreciated. Other participants included Sukhwant Kaur Mann, Jasbir Bhullar, Kanna Singh, Sharanjit Kaur, Surinder Ate Singh, Chararanjit Kaur, Harnam Baljit Kaur and Protima. At the outset of the workshop yesterday, Dr Rama Rattan focused the attention of the writers on writing stories for children from the perspective of children- a challenging task indeed, considering the special role of writers and their vital sensitivities. Dr Jyoti Seth, a sociologist, outlined the objectives of the workshop highlighting the need to look at the images about the girl child reflected in existing culture. She spoke about the need to engage people from literature to alter the climate of discrimination against girls, negate stereotypes and create an enabling environment for the girl child. "This is significant considering that the girl child is still faceless. Today, the writers concentrated on their styles and the ways to change them to suit the needs and sensibilities of children," said Dr Seth while concluding the workshop. Dr Dazy Zarabi commented on the real life situations which girls had to face.
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Moving from pillar to post for help
Chandigarh, December 10 Hailing from Sarabai near Kulu in Himachal Pradesh, Sanjiv Kumar, a B Com Part-II student of Government Degree College, Kulu, was admitted to the PGI in a critical condition after an Army vehicle trampled on his right leg on the Chandigarh-Manali National Highway-21 near Mohal village on July 15. The
agony of the victim is that Sanjiv Kumar’s right toe was amputated as
it caught infection at a religious place on the PGI premises where he
was putting up after undergoing a major surgery of his leg. He even lost
his belongings, including money. The family was virtually dragged under
debt due to huge expenditure on surgery and medicines. To meet the
expenses Mr Dalip Chand, father of the victim, had to dispose off his
grocery shop in the village. But that too failed to arrange enough money
for providing adequate medicare to Sanjiv. In the absence of regular ‘dressing’
and medicines, the skin-grafted on the wound also got perished. Narrating
his vows, Mr Dalip Chand said one of the vehicles of a convoy of the
Army ran over Sanjiv and his motorcycle near Bhutti Colony. The
residents of the area rushed him to Kulu Civil Hospital from where he
was referred to the PGI after giving preliminary medicare. A case was
also registered against the driver of the Army vehicle at Bhuntar police
post in this pretext. “Since I was unable to afford expenses for
Sanjiv’s surgery, I disposed off my business establishment. Sky
rocketing prices of commodities and medicines forced me to borrow money
from my relatives and friends but that too could not be of much help,”
lamented Mr Dalip Chand. “In hope for financial assistance from the
Himachal Pradesh Government, I visited the residence of Chief Minister
Virbhadra Singh and his office five times but faced disappointment as
the file from his residence failed to reach his office in the
Secretariat every time. A visit to Mrs Pratibha Singh, MP from the Mandi
Parliamentary constituency and wife of the CM, could not help either,”
recalled Mr Dalip. The tragedy and then bankruptcy forced Mr Dalip
Chand to postpone his daughter Anjana’s marriage while younger son
Ravi Attri, a student of B. Sc Part-I, had to quit his studies. While
talking to The Tribune, Mr Dalip Chand claimed that certain anti-social
elements stole a sum of Rs 14,000 (borrowed from relatives for Sanjiv’s
treatment) and belongings from a room in a gurdwara where he was putting
up with Sanjiv and other family members. A security guard of the PGI
even thrashed him and his wife, he alleged. “I lodged a complaint of
theft with the Chandigarh SSP on October 11, but the case was hushed up
by the police in connivance with certain members of the religious place.
I withdrew my complaint after they assured me of returning the money
soon but to no avail,” claimed Mr Dalip Chand. Since Sanjiv’s leg
is now short almost by six inches, the doctors have advised one more
surgery for it. The family has been facing a great hardship and rushing
from pillar to post for financial assistance to. Donors desiring of
helping may contact Mr Dalip Chand at 09915318743.
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No construction, only obstruction
Chandigarh, December 10 One side of the road is closed for the general public
because of the ongoing work. “We don’t know what work is going on
because we have seen no workers there for the past couple of days. The
traffic is diverted on to the adjoining road leading to travellers’
inconvenience,” a local resident said. There is no signboard at the spot nor any public information about the work underway, thereby causing inconvenience to the commuters. The situation turns bad during the night.
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Flower show winners
Chandigarh, December 10 As many as six teams participated in the quiz. Teams of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sector 47, and GMSSS, Sector 10, came second and third, respectively. Municipal
Commissioner P.S. Aujla was the chief guest and gave away prizes to
winners of the quiz and the Chrysanthemum show competition.
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Youth electrocuted
Chandigarh,
December 10 The police said the youth had been identified as Vinod Kumar. He was passing by the construction site where some digging work was undergoing. He slipped in the slush caused due to the rain and fell down. His arm came in contact with an electricity pole, which was erected to restore a temporary connection.
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Hotel theft: police clueless
Chandigarh, December 10 This was not the first incident of theft during a function held in a hotel. About two weeks ago, a similar incident took place in Hotel Mountview when some unidentified girls stole money and ornaments from a marriage party. Though the video recording of the event was with the police, it failed to establish the identity of the girls. The police said teams had been dispatched to labour colonies in Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula to trace the boy but nothing had come out of the search operation so far. A police team was also sent to Ambala. The
in charge of the Sector 22 police post, SI Charanjit Singh, said, “We
are trying to identify the boy who seems to be a migrant. So far the
investigations pointed at some gang that keeps track of affluent
people in parties and use minor children for stealing. The woman
targeted by the gang was wearing a lot of jewellery”. Police sources added that investigating officials were also looking into the possibility of involvement of some guest or relative of the complainant. The police and the complainant have announced a reward of Rs 10,000 to anyone providing information about the boy. Mr Manmohan Singh Kohli, owner of the hotel, said he was concerned about the incident and they were going to hold a meeting of hoteliers to curb such incidents. He pointed out that was difficult for the hotel staff to question someone in the guests about his identity or credentials as people feel offended. It became the duty of the host to check the guests. About the safety of belongings he said the hotel provided lockers to keep valuables. People should make use of such facilities, he said.
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Motorcyclists injured
Chandigarh, December 10 According to the police, Raj Kumar of Sector 5 suffered injuries after his motorcycle was hit by an unidentified vehicle in Daria village on Saturday. He was admitted to the (Sector 32), Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, where his condition was stated to be serious. In a separate mishap, another motorcyclist, Roop Lal of Sector 22-D, was hurt after being hit by a motorcycle at the Housing Board traffic lights point on December 7. He was admitted to the General Hospital, Sector 16. The police has arrested Naresh Kumar of Hallo Majra village on the charge of rash and negligent driving.
Car stolen
Mr Ajay Kumar of Dhanas reported to the police that his Indica car (CH-01-9858 (T)) had been stolen from his residence during the intervening night of December 8 and 9. A case of theft has been registered.
Mobile
phone snatched
Ms Kamna of Sector 11 lodged a complaint with the police alleging that three unidentified persons on a motorcycle snatched her mobile phone from near the Government College for Girls in Sector 11 on Friday evening. A case has been registered.
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Drug addict commits suicide
Chandigarh, December 10 According to the Government Railway Police, the incident took place at around 8.15 am when the youth, who was suffering from depression due to his addiction to drugs, came in front of the Kalka-Ambala train. Sonu
was the youngest of three brothers and was unemployed. His elder
brother got married on Friday and today was his reception. |
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