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Grim tragedy strikes Panchkula family twice
Panchkula, April 12 The deceased have been identified as Shubhlakshan Kanwar Singh (50) and Kanwar Vijayant Singh (17), residents of GH-37 of Sector 20. According to neighbours, Shubhlakshan Kanwar Singh, head of the commerce department at Government College, Sector 46, Chandigarh, died when he suffered a heart attack. It happened near the Housing Board chowk last evening when Vijayant was returning from Chandigarh with his father by car after attending his tuition class. Vijayant, who was a brilliant student and always used to score more than 90 per cent marks, was preparing to join one of the IITs while studying at S D Public School, Sector 32, Chandigarh. As soon as Shubhlkashan suffered a heart attack, Vijayant sitting on his father’s side stopped the car, using the hand break, and informed his mother, Anubha Singh, a scientist at NIPER, Mohali. However, Shubhlakshan, who was rushed to the nearby Manimajra civil hospital, was declared brought dead by the doctors. Vijayant, shocked by the death of his father, did not talk to anybody after that and kept sitting near the body of his father at home throughout the night, said Dr Pramod Joshi, a neighbour and family friend of the Kanwars. “However around 8 am, Vijayant got a phone call and he went towards the balcony of his flat No. 8 on the second floor of the housing society when he started weeping inconsolably and suddenly lost his balance before he fell down on the railing of the balcony, resulting in his fall on the ground”, said Joshi. Though the police said it was an accidental death, the possibility of suicide could not be ruled out as Vijayant was very much emotionally attached to his father. The relatives and neighbours present there took him to the civil hospital, Panchkula, where he was declared brought dead. The police has registered a case under Section 174, IPC.
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Dream come true for cricket buffs
Mohali, April 12 Instead of surly bank employees or those of the stadium, the celebrities welcomed the ticket buyers on the launch of sale of tickets for their Kings XI Punjab team’s matches here today. The icing on the cake was that the stars were treating every ticket buyer as an honoured guest. Preity and Lee not only autographed all the tickets, but also shook hands with each and every person, who purchased tickets. As around 350 people showed up at the stadium to get tickets, the response could not be termed as encouraging. It was obviously the pull of the stars, which got people to the stadium. Many among the crowd, comprising youngsters, came to meet their favourite star, Preity Zinta. For Imran Malik and Amir Malik, who came from Delhi to meet the Bollywood heroine, it was just like a dream come true. “It is not that we don’t like cricket. We are ardent cricket fans, but this time, seeing our favourite star from close quarters was the main attraction,” said the Delhi boys. Echoing the sentiments, local lads Ravi and Sandeep said, “We never thought that one day we would get a chance to shake hands with Preity Zinta and Brett Lee. When we learnt that both celebrities would personally sell tickets, we decided to be here; otherwise we have no interest in the inter-state twenty20 matches”. Meanwhile, the organisers made elaborate arrangements to give the launch ceremony, which kicked off today at 3.15 pm, a carnival look. For the entertainment of the ticket buyers, a DJ, a puppet show, a magic show, tattoo painting and on-the-spot prize competitions were held at the stadium. According to official figures, a total of 1,500 (1,200 at the counter and 300 online) tickets were sold on the first day of the sale of tickets.
Pennyworth It was a major surprise for the onlookers as well as the media when they found Preity Zinta counting the money charged from the ticket buyers. “It does not suit a big star to count such a petty amount herself. The job should have done by someone else”, said Raman, a fan of the star.
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UT demands more power from Centre
Chandigarh, April 12 UT chief engineer, SK Jaitley, said a response to their request was expected in the next 15 days. Over the years, the UT has been asking for more power due to increased demand. The city has no power-generation source of its own and it only draws from the Central grid on payment. This year UT is buying 35 MW from Power Trading Corporation at a cost of Rs 7.50 per unit during May, June and July. Sources said the union power ministry had assured allocation of 235 MW from the central grid. This allocation includes 4 per cent unallocated quota from the Central generating stations. “Since the projected demand was of 325 MW, the gap can only be met by additional power purchase. Otherwise rotational power cuts will have to be imposed”, said an official. However, the chief engineer said due to power purchase agreements with different power- generating units, there would no power cuts this summer. The city has no power-generation source of its own and it only draws from the grid on payment. In the summer, the administration has been buying power at a high rate during the peak hours. When any state overdraws more than its allocation, it has to pay fines; thus the allocation in itself is critical. To purchase power this year, the administration will be spending around Rs 331 crore. A senior official said the administration had signed more than 15 power-purchase agreements with different power-generating avenues all over the country. As the UT has no avenues for power generation, it is left with no other option but to depend on agreements with generation centres all over the country for its power supply. Under the agreements, till 2012, power has already flowing. The Chandigarh administration is inviting expression of interest for setting up a solar power plant in the city. The administration has no power-generation stations of its own and is depending entirely upon the BBMB and central- generating stations like the NTPC, NHPC and NPCIL for meeting the power requirements of the city. In order to make Chandigarh self- sufficient to meet its power requirements, the administration plans to set up a power plant of its own. Sources said last year a team from MST, an Israel-based company dealing in renewable energy, made a presentation before the Chandigarh administration for setting up a 250 MW solar power plant. The possible sites include Patiala-ki-Rao and Sukhna Choe.
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UT barks up the wrong tree
Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 12 The Administration was to seek the approval of ministry of urban development for the purpose, but approached the union ministry of law and justice. The fact came to the fore during the resumed hearing of a case pertaining to the setting up of a court complex in Sector 43 here. As a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, comprising Chief Justice Vijender Jain and Justice Jaswant Singh, took up the case, Assistant Solicitor-General of India Nirmaljit Kaur told the court that the ministry of law and justice was not to accord the approval. After taking on record her statement, the Judges observed: on December 21 last year, we passed an order directing the Assistant Solicitor-General of India that appropriate instructions be taken from the union home ministry so that the sanction of funds amounting to Rs 18 crore can be utilised. However, that was not so, as it was not sanctioned, and only a sum of Rs 80 lakh and then Rs 1.20 crore was sanctioned. It is found that the amount cannot be utilised as approval is required from the department concerned. Before parting with the orders, the Judges directed: To resolve the whole controversy, we direct Assistant Solicitor-General of India to impress upon the Union Secretary for Justice to take up the matter with the Secretary, Urban Development, so that the necessary approval is accorded within two weeks. The District Courts Judicial Complex in Sector 43 was earlier expected to be ready by October at an estimated cost of Rs 18.56 crore. This was stated by counsel for Chandigarh Administration before a Division Bench. Taking up the matter, the Bench made it clear that the work of setting up the judicial complex should not suffer due to administrative approval from any authority. The Judges also fixed February 28 as the next date of hearing in the matter. In its petition against the Chandigarh Administration, the Union of India and other respondents; the District Bar Association had earlier sought directions for releasing the funds required for the construction of the complex.
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15 challaned for employing underage children
Chandigarh, April 12 Fifteen challans were issued to proprietors of various factories, dhabas and shops where underage children were employed. The maximum number of child labour cases were traced from Industrial Area phase I and II, including Mount Shivalik Bravery, Batra Brewage, Gupta Shop, Tea stalls, High Class Stainless Steel Industry and daily food and sweet shops in the area. However, during the campaign some of the children ran away after seeing the crew of the department. According to the DPI (S) SK Setia, who is also the state project director, SSA, the challans will be submitted with the chief judicial magistrate for further action. “Under provision of the law, there could be imprisonment of up to three months to two years for the guilty employer,” he said. After the proposal was approved by the labour commissioner, Chandigarh administration, the heads of government schools of city has been assigned with the powers of labour inspectors under Section 17 of Child Labour (Protection and Regulation) Act 1986 to restrain the child labour. According to a recent survey conducted by the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) wing of the education department, till date around 947 children between the age group of 6-14 years have been identified who were engaged in different commercial activities in Chandigarh. SSA officials said these children were not attending schools due to financial constraints and their employers were also exploiting them. The administration, under the Child Protection programme, has offered incentives of Rs 250 per month per child besides preventing them free books and stationery, uniform and mid-day meals etc. To combat child abuse, the SSA wing will function as the catalyst and provide support and networking opportunities to agencies like NGOs and other interest groups active in this area. Residents can seek help at the Chandigarh Police Women & Child number 1091, and Chandigarh’s Child Protection Programme at the number 9915023456.
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Shopkeepers bear the brunt of unmetalled road
Chandigarh, April 12 Not only this, a nearby park sans a public toilet is another nuisance for shopkeepers as people urinate on the boundary wall of a government school facing their shops, while labourers from nearby areas defecate here during the wee hours. Absence of streetlights has also resulted in a rise in the number of incidents of thefts in the area. Due to lack of a proper road, during rainy season the stretch is inundated with water and the potholes make it difficult for the vehicles to pass. Therefore, the only link to these shops is disconnected. Despite several representations to the MC and the UT administration nothing has been done so far. No action has been taken except giving assurance on their recent representation lodged with the UT chief engineer on March 28. Shopkeepers have further stated that it is difficult for basement occupants to run business in these shops as provision of rainwater disposal is not there. Sanjeev Chander Jain, president of the Market Welfare Association (basement), Sector 38-C, said on March 26 a generator of Syndicate Bank in their locality was stolen while batteries, wires and other articles from vehicles and water taps were being stolen on regular intervals in the absence of streetlights. Anil Bhardwaj, secretary of the association, said the UT administration and the MC are passing on the buck to each other. It is only recently that the UT engineering wing agreed that construction of road was their job while its maintenance was with the MC, he said.
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Congress kidnapped councillor: INLD
Panchkula, April 12 On the complaint of Kunti Devi, wife of the ‘kidnapped’ councillor, the superintendent of police Sandip Khirwar has marked an inquiry. In a press conference Amardeep Singh, Panchkula secretary general of INLD, alleged that Naresh Rawal, a municipal councillor from ward No. 13, along with another local Congress leader and president of Ration Depot Holders’
Association, Panchkula, has kidnapped Gautam Parsad a municipal councillor of the INLD. The Congress leaders were pressurising him to support Congress when the decision of MC president was taken, alleged the INLD leaders. A complaint was also lodged with the police in this regard, said Amardeep.
According to a complaint lodged by Gautam’s wife, Naresh Rawal and Om Parash, along with some others, kidnapped Gautam from his house on April 9. Since then the where abouts of Gautam, who is a councillor from Azad colony, were not known to the family. Naresh Rawal, when contacted, terming the allegations as politically motivated said the police inquiry would bring out the truth.
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Patients’ kin fear the worst
Anuja Jaiswal Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 12 Jaswinder Kaur, whose son Ravi, is admitted to the emergency ward at the PGI, said: “I have left my three daughters at Phagwara and am staying at the PGI for treatment since I can't afford a private hospital. I am dreading the day of the strike for I am all alone and in case some tests are needed, I won't know what to do.” Attendant of Rinku (admitted in male medical ward, Nehru hospital) said inconveniencing patients would not serve any purpose as far as the association is concerned. “How will they benefit by giving us a hard time. We are already weighed down by expenses involved in organising treatment at the PGI,” said Rinku’s relative. One of the patients from Moga said, “If doctors suggest some tests during the strike period we would have to come back again to get them done.” With the exception of emergency laboratory no tests will be conducted, he added. However, many patients who visited the OPD on Saturday were not aware of the strike. Most of them were taken by surprise. Patients who come from far off places will face more difficulty, said one such visitor.
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Nagar kirtan marks birth of Khalsa Panth
Chandigarh, April 12 The ‘Panj Piaras’ accompanied by other members of the Chandigarh Gurdwara Prabhandhak Sangathan led the nagar kirtan, which was accorded a warm reception by Sikh Sangat along the way. The entire route was decorated with gates and several religious, social, cultural bodies as well as market associations had put up ‘langars’ and ‘chabeels’ at different places. The procession included ‘kirtani jathas’, ‘thadi jathas’ and ‘gatka’ performers. A band of bagpipers also accompanied the jatha and played ‘ruhani’ music. Devotees kept on waiting for hours on the roadside to pay obeisance to the vehicle carrying the Guru Granth Sahib. They washed the roads ahead of the ‘palki’ sprinkling flower petals all the way. Residents had made elaborate arrangements for ‘langar’ on the route of the nagar kirtan. The procession began from the Gurdwara Singh Sahib of Sector 29 at around 1 pm and went through sectors 27, 19, 20, 21, 22, 35, 34 and 45, and ended at Sector 45 Gurdwara Singh Sabha. Meanwhile, elaborate arrangements were made to divert traffic before the procession.
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RBI holds currency exhibition
Chandigarh, April 12 The main attraction for the visitors was to make themselves aware about the identity of the fake currency notes and the procedures to obtain foreign exchange from RBI. Besides this paper currency, coins were also displayed which attracted students who were eager to know about the types of coins and currency used by their ancestors. The paper currency collection included currency right from the first paper note to that printed till date. Interestingly, the collection also displayed a currency note of Rs two-and-a-half used during the period of the First World War. In the paper currency section there is a display of French, Portuguese and even the currency issued by the states of Gujarat, Hyderabad and Rajasthan during the British period. Similarly in the section of the coins collection, two of the coin collectors of Chandigarh displayed their coins right from the period of seventh century till date. The day-long exhibition was inaugurated by the minister of state for finance Pawan Bansal.
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Soon, special paid parking slots for senior citizens
Chandigarh, April 12 The team of MC councillors and traffic police officials led by the chairman of the committee M.P.S Chawla took a round of the parking lot and mulled over the feasibility of providing special slots to senior citizens. He said the paid parking contractor would be asked to provide manpower to assist senior citizens in parking their vehicles. The contractor would have to provide a man at an interval of every 50 metres for assistance. Chawla added that senior citizens would be given special stickers and the facility would only be given to those who drive their vehicles themselves. Sources said the feasibility of the scheme would depend on various aspects, as the contractor would not like to keep the space vacant waiting for senior citizens. Moreover, it would be difficult to check other motorists. Chawla maintained that efforts were being made create special slots for senior citizens soon.
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80 donate blood
Chandigarh, April 12 A team of doctors from Government Hospital, Sector 32, conducted the camp. Each donor was given a special souvenir sponsored by
HSBC. In addition, there were gifts for the youngest (above 18 years), the oldest (below 60 years), and for the member who introduced the maximum number of donors. There was also a special trophy for the member who brought the maximum number of donors of his immediate family.
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Senior citizens celebrate 13th Raising Day
Chandigarh, April 12 Speaking on the occasion, the president and former chief secretary of Punjab P.H. Vaishnav recounted briefly the progress made by the association since its inception in April 1996 and the difference it had made in the lives of senior citizens of the tricity. He especially mentioned projects like ‘Shravanika’ and ‘Vanita’. The day also coincided with Baisakhi celebrations and a cultural programme was presented on the occasion.
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Tribune journalist bereaved
Chandigarh, April 12 Besides her husband and daughter, she leaves behind a grandson. Punjab Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal and SAD president and MP Sukhbir Singh Badal have expressed deep sorrow at the sad demise of Ms Hans. Punjab information and public relations minister Bikram Singh Majithia and media adviser Harcharan Bains have also sent condolence messages to the Hans family in their hour of grief.
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Zoo loses inmates
Mohali, April 12
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Banning plastic bags inconvenient
The Chandigarh administration has taken a step to ban plastic carry bags only to make the city beautiful. Now a day, plastic is an integral part of life. It is used to store and carry almost everything, groceries, cosmetics, bakery, items, vegetables, garments, milk, juices, water etc. It is irrational to ban all plastic bags. There are no alternatives to plastic for most of the above said articles. Any alternatives available are very expensive and availability for them is very poor. This ban will lead to a lot of inconvenience to the public and business collectively. Instead of banning the plastic, measures should be taken to find good solution to dispose of organic and inorganic waste properly. Plastic is a recyclable substance and if disposed off properly, it does not cause any environment hazard. Sukhpal Singh, Chandigarh Readers are invited to write to us. Send your mail, in not more than 200 words, at news@tribuneindia.com or, write in, at: Letters, Chandigarh Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh – 160 030
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More quality varsities required: Expert
Mohali, April 12 This was stated by Prof C.N.R. Rao, FRS, Linus Pauling research professor, founder president, JNCASR, Bangaluru and chairman, Scientific Advisory Committee to Prime Minister (SAC-PM) at the fourth convocation of the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) held here today. Rao was the chief guest at the function. He said most of the Indian universities had dried up whereas on the other hand China was progressing at a much faster pace. The number of students going in for Ph.D in China was about 16,000 as compared to about 4,000 in India. He said quality of work had to be improved and it could not be done by merely issuing circulars. “We had started accepting mediocrity as a way of life and did not differentiate between excellence and mediocrity. But there was a need to recognise talent and make the young feel that quality was very important. A teacher had to expand the horizons of students by imparting a spirit of learning, and a way of life and not only teaching what was given in textbooks,” he said. Prof Rao motivated the students to excel not only in their area of specialisation but also in other interdisciplinary areas to bring pride to the country. He urged them to launch a crusade for better research opportunities in the country. He said the NIPER was a small and young institute but the best research was always done in small institutes. He said if India had to become large and big, many more quality universities had to be set up. About 240 students were conferred upon degrees at the convocation for the session batch 2004-06 and 2005-07. The degrees included 21 Ph.D, 123 M.S. (Pharm.), 23 M. Pharm., 26 M. Tech. (Pharm.) and 47 students in the M.B.A. (Pharm.) stream. Five students were awarded gold medals in recognition of their merit during the course of their studies at the institute, which includes Shalini Verma, Tripat Kaur Oberoi, Shruti Sharma, Kamalpreet and Patel Neha Hiren, from M.S. (Pharm.) and M.B.A. (Pharm.) streams.
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PU library just a click away
Chandigarh, April 12 Students need not necessarily come to the library to read, as everything is now accessible on their desktop in their departments itself and one can easily log on to the library website for the same. The main catalogue of the library with approximately 7 lakh records of books, periodicals and thesis is web-based and can be accessed through OPAC (Online Public Access Catalogue) from anywhere on 24x7 basis. Under the UGC-INFONET Consortium Programme, university teachers, research scholars and students have free access to around 4,500 online full text journals with the facility to take print outs. In addition, other important links like forthcoming conferences, electronic reference sources, theses and dissertations, subject gateways, Indian reference sources and much more have been provided on this website. Also, a new site ‘online portals’ devised by Neeraj Kumar Singh of A.C. Joshi Library was launched yesterday at the chemistry department. Under the first leg of this programme, versatility of ‘PU Chemistry Portal’ was presented by him. This portal provides a single window access for essential books, periodicals, conference proceedings, dictionaries and encyclopaedias. Necessary links for the repository of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and the IIT, Delhi, MIT, Oxford University and the CSIR have been provided. Thirty-two important online databases related to chemical sciences have also been provided in this portal. Neeraj Kumar Singh during his presentation pointed out that this was a pilot project. “We have already started working on the portals of other departments and on the basis of feed back from this pilot project we will soon be coming out with many such ventures,” he added.
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PU syndicate meeting on April 20
Chandigarh, April 12 A decision in this regard will be taken in the ensuing meeting of the Panjab University’s syndicate meeting to be held on April 20. Till now, the department is one of the departments under the faculty of arts. Already, the department has introduced postgraduate diploma in Hindi and Punjabi journalism from the current academic session. A postgraduate diploma in advertising and public relations is also in the pipeline.
If the department gets a green signal, it will give the department more autonomy, said a PU fellow. The syndics will also consider the issue pertaining to the deletion of diploma in office organisation and procedure and inclusion of postgraduate diploma in computer applications. The members will also consider the recommendation of the faculty meeting of the department of bio-chemistry regarding allotting one seat for armed forces sponsored candidates in MSc (home science) first year. The members will also consider the recommendation of the faculty meeting of the department of bio-chemistry regarding allotting one seat for armed forces sponsored candidates in MSc (home science) first year. Among issues to be considered includes seeking legal opinion regarding continuation of the service for teachers of PU beyond the age of 60 years, provisional extension of affiliation to Guru Gobind Singh College for Women, Sector 26, for diploma add on- courses and to finalise the academic calendar for the teaching departments and its affiliated colleges.
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160 students awarded degrees
Tribune News Service
Mohali, April 12 He added that in each drive more than 1000 students from different institutes participated. Singla further said such recruitment drives were significant as they provided a common recruitment platform to the companies and the students of not just Indo Global College but also those of other institutes. Director of Indo Global College, Dr S.K. Goyal, principal Dr A.K. Goyal and Inderjeet Singh Randhawa were other dignified personalities among the audience. ‘Spardha-08’ Dr
I.T. Business School, Banur, organised Management Fest Spardha-08 The Battle of Minds, today. The fest was inaugurated by Dr V.K. Arora, dean, academic, Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar. Addressing the students Dr V.K. Arora, dean, academics, PTU, said the 21st century is a knowledge century and only those will survive and grow who are imbibed with crystal clear knowledge. In the era of global competition he emphasised that the industry should create an environment to enhance creativity and innovative facilities. Blood donation On eve of Baisakhi celebrations, Health Aid Medicare, an NGO, organised a blood donation camp in St. Soldier International Convent School, Phase VII, Mohali, in association with Rotary Blood Bank Society, Chandigarh, today. The camp was inaugurated by Harsukhwinder Singh Bubby Badal, general secretary, Akali Dal, also visited the camp to motivate and encourage the donors. About 72 Units of blood were collected in the camp. Donors were awarded appreciation certificates.
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Jaspreet, Riddhi given best artiste award
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 12 The function got off to a serene start with Saraswati Vandana. Various dances and plays were staged. As many as 40 students were given prizes who excelled in their respective fields. Eight students were awarded for securing first position in the zonal-level youth parliament. Various awards were also given to the students who emerged as winners in the national-level KVS sports meet. Best artiste awards were given to Jaspreet and Riddhi. The principal C.P. Chaudhary presented the annual report. Visit: A team of the education department, Chandigarh, paid a visit to Kundan International School, Sector 46, here today. The team consisting of teachers and coordinators of various government schools of the city studied the facilities, infrastructure and latest educational techniques available at the school. Orientation: To welcome the new students of Class XI of AKSIPS-41, an orientation programme was conducted in the auditorium at the school premises. A kaleidoscope depicting the major activities, glorious achievement and growth of the students was also presented on the occasion. The teachers explained the stream options with perspective career options.
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Teachers, students to take out candlelight march
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 12 The teachers and students will assemble in the lawns in front of Arts Block I at 6 pm. Meanwhile, fresh representations have been faxed to the office of the Prime Minister as also to Pawan Kumar Bansal, minister of state for finance, New Delhi, to take an early action in this regard. The representation, while thanking the office of the Prime Minister and ministry of human resource development for their offer to take over 100 per cent financial responsibility of the university, stated there should not be any objection either from the UT Chandigarh or Punjab government to the offer of the union government.
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Admn launches action plan for students
Chandigarh, April 12 The Punjab Governor and the Administrator, Chandigarh, Gen S.F. Rodrigues (retd), advocated to all principals and heads of education institutions to join in this major effort and make school children caring and concerned citizens to contribute to new resurgent India. The action plan envisages a multi-prolonged approach, to sensitise the teaching community and transmit the message to the students through various learning processes. “We should be focusing on the core values of being an effective member of the community, teaching through story-telling, screening of movies, visits students to various institutions like old-age homes, hospitals, slum areas, orphanage, homes for destitute and mentally retarded and learning about our heritage and culture”, said the Administrator.
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