NEIGHBOURHOOD

PSEB faces power crisis as rain hits coalfields
Attar Singh
Tribune News Service

Patiala, July 12
Power cuts have become an usual phenomenon in almost all parts of the city. The residents suffer a power cut of around six hours everyday. In some cases, the cuts get stretched to nine hours as well. The city residents experienced around nine hours of unscheduled power cuts here on Thursday. The worst hit areas were New Mehar Singh Colony, Tripuri, Harinder Nagar, Cycle Market, Model Town, New Officer’s Colony, Baran area etc.

The city residents are upset over power cuts during the working hours in this scorching heat. “Power cuts have become a regular feature this summer. It seems the government and PSEB are not taking enough measures to bring the deteriorating power situation under control,” said Dr Charat Vohra, who runs a clinic near the Cycle Market. He said it is impossible to work without electricity and is causing financial losses. Moreover, it is causing a lot of harassment to the patients also, he added.

Teachers of government schools complained that the power supply had been negligible during school hours. “Every day we experience at least six hours of load shedding. As a result, the studies are suffering as the students are disoriented because of the heat,” said Rajinder Kaur, a teacher of Government School, Baran.

Overloading has been cited as the main reason for these cuts. An official of the PSEB said the demand of electricity has increased due to summer, which has made it impossible for to provide 24-hour electricity. “The difference between the electricity demand and availability is around 200 lakh and we are trying our level best to handle the situation,” he added.

Board officials said the power cuts were for six hours in both rural and urban areas. “In case the cut gets stretched due to some technical problem, we try to handle it as early as possible,” they said.

Patiala, July 12
In an attempt to pre-empt incidences of increasing cyber crime, the state police 
is now on the lookout for computer savvy persons who can work for 
the department.

Sources in the Police Department reveal that at present officers working 
in the cyber wing of the police themselves are not well versed with the 
working of computers, leave alone busting cyber crimes.

For the past several years, a lot of cyber crimes have surfaced forcing the department to scout for talent outside the department. The most common crimes relate to password hacking and transfer of money from one account to another through the Internet by dubious means. However, the police has not done much to bust these cyber crimes due to lack of proper training and in some cases even lack of knowledge of software.

It has surfaced that complainants of cyber crimes can just lodge their complaint with the local police after which they really can not do much. They just have rely on the rather ineffective cyber cell of the Police Department to get their complaint addressed.

Bikram Singh, a local resident, claimed that somebody hacked his password and credit card numbers due to which he lost Rs 20,000. He claimed that till now he was running for pillar to post to get his grievance addressed but to no avail.

Sources in the department reveal that these days criminals were using the Internet more and more and less importance was being given to phone calls to get in touch with each other. The sources added that even in terrorism cases, criminals were using Internet.

Apart from scouting for talent from outside, senior officers are also on the lookout for people working in the department itself who have good command over the computer software. The police has drawn up concrete plans to impart training to these employees from computer experts so that they become proficient in busting cyber crimes.

A senior police officer disclosed today that right now a DSP-level officer was entrusted with the investigations relating to cyber crime. He added that these officers used the services of Internet experts in an attempt to get to the bottom of cyber crimes.

Zirakpur/Dera Bassi, July 12
Monsoons, it seems, bring only woes for those residing in Zirakpur and Dera Bassi. With just a few hours of rain today these two towns on two sides of Ghaggar river were flooded with water entering houses and shops. Water was flowing on the roads and traffic came to a virtual standstill for hours at Zirakpur.

Dera Bassi was worst affected and residents had to manually take out water from their houses. Shopkeepers also spent the day doing the same thing, reporting damages worth thousands of rupees due to the rain. “Since we still have open drain sanitation system, the rain water mixes with sewerage and the same filth enters our houses and shops,” said Mahender Singh a resident of Dera Bassi.

In Zirakpur, too, the Choice Road area was flooded and the area behind the Choice resort was inundated. The area opposite the municipal council office was also flooded. Due to the construction of the overbridge, traffic jams were the order of the day. Cars going to and coming from Ambala were stuck for over hours at the bottleneck on the highway where construction is going on.

A similar scene was witnessed in Nayagaon where houses were flooded once again in less than a fortnight. “We are used to water entering the houses, but what really bothers us is that the water is actually coming from sewage, which leaves the house stinking,” said Gurmail Kaur, a resident.

Fathegarh Sahib, July 12
The police has booked the in-laws and husband of a woman who succumbed to burns in the PGI this morning.

Balwinder Kaur, in her dying declaration, accused her husband and in-laws of beating her up and harassing her for the past two years.

She alleged that her husband was not giving money for her treatment for the past few months and she was getting herself treated by borrowing money from others.

She had married Pargat Singh 16 years ago. She said she was harassed for more dowry and they set her afire yesterday morning. She was admitted to the PGI with serious burns.

A case has been registered against her in-laws and husband. The police is conducting raids to nab the accused.

Patiala, July 12
In yet another incident of negligence on the part of a company, a dead mosquito was found in a sealed five-litre bottle of Bisleri water.

Gagandeep Singh Sandhu, a city resident, purchased the bottle from Mauji stores, 22 Number phatak, for his mother-in-law who is suffering from Hepatitis C. He regularly purchases water bottles from here.

The doctor had advised her to drink mineral water to ensure there was no risk to her health, but the safety of mineral water was now doubtful, he added.

Sandhu said he complained to the company representative of the city, Malik, but was unheard. Instead of apologising, Malik said no action could be taken as the water was expired, he added.

Sandhu alleged that when he asked why expired water bottles were kept in stores, there was no satisfactory answer. Malik said he did not care about what was found in the bottle, said Sandhu.

“I want to bring this thing to the notice of other residents to ensure that no one falls ill because of negligence of the company,” he added.

Chandigarh, July 12
An all-time high prize money of one-million US dollars will be there for the taking in the Indian golf's flagship event, the Hero Honda Indian Open, to be held at the Delhi Golf Club from October 9 to 12.

The tournament, that was started in 1964, is today one of the most prestigious events on the Asian Tour.

The purse, which has been doubled from the previous year's prize fund, comes at a time when the golf in the country is fast gaining strength with the success of Indian golfers in the international circuit contributing to the growing popularity of the game here.

Pawan Munjal, MD & CEO, Hero Honda Motors Ltd, said: “Hero Honda has enjoyed a long and rewarding association with the Indian Open. We have been increasing the prize money by $100,000 each year from 2005 onwards and now, the Hero Honda Indian Open has become a million-dollar tournament.”

Jeev Milkha Singh, who is doing well on the European and Asian Circuits, will get a chance to have a go at this prestigious title. Last year, India's Jyoti Randhawa won the tournament and became only the second player to lift the trophy three times. The other player to achieve the 'threepeat' is Australian legend Peter Thomson, who also claimed the inaugural Indian Open in 1964.

"This will be an exceptional year for the tournament as the prize money has been increased to $1 million. This is a huge boost to the tournament which over the past few years has really made great strides forward," said T.T. Jagannathan, president, Indian Golf Union.

Asian Tour executive chairman Kyi Hla Han lauded the increase in the tournament's prize fund. "It is a wonderful reflection of the growth of professional golf in India and across Asia. On behalf of our talented players, I would like to extend our fullest appreciation to Hero Honda for their steadfast support towards the Asian Tour every year.”

The Asian Tour's 2008 season is poised for a record year with our schedule offering an all-time high of 29 tournaments and over $38 million in prize money.

Chandigarh, July 12
Davaksh Dawar and Mayank Kapoor emerged winners in the cadet boys’ and sub-junior boys’ singles, respectively, in the Bhavan Hawk's 14th Bhavan Vidyalaya Chandigarh State Ranking Table Tennis Tournament at Table Tennis Hall, Sector 23, here today.

In the final of the sub-junior boys’ singles, Mayank Kapoor beat Aditya Pandey by 11-9, 11-9, 11-6, 11-1 with ease while Davaksh Dawar lifted the cadet boys’ singles title at the expense of Akul Mahajan of Ajit Karam Singh International Public School by 11-9, 11-8, 11-8, 11-2, 11-3 in a well-contested final.

Dev Saini along with Karamjot, Sumit Choudhary and Aditya moved into junior boys’ singles semifinals.

Dev Saini beat Mayank Kapoor 11-6, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-9 and Aditya ousted Sahil Singla 11-6, 11-7, 11-9, 11-9.

Results

Sub-junior boys (final): Mayank Kapoor bt Aditya Pandey 11-9, 11-9, 11-6, 11-1.

Semifinals: Mayank Kapoor bt Tushar Gupta 11-8, 11-7, 11-5, 11-6, Aditya Pandey bt Mayank Sharma 11-3, 11-6, 4-11, 11-5, 11-6.

Quarterfinals: Tushar Gupta bt Tushar Dhiman 11-9, 13-11, 11-8, 7-11, 13-11, Mayank Kapoor bt Shubham Bansal 13-11, 11-9, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, Aditya Pandey bt Dinkar Goel 6-11, 11-7, 11-4, 13-11, 11-5, Mayank bt Mayank Rawat 11-3, 6-11, 11-7, 10-12, 8-11, 11-4, 13-11. 2nd round: Gurjeet bt Mayank Rawat 9-11, 12-14, 11-9, 8-11, Dinkar bt Harshit Sethi 6-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-8, Mayank Sharma bt Harnoor Veer 11-4, 13-11, 11-8, Tushar Dhiman bt Sohrab 11-9, 11-8, 12-10, Akul Mahajan bt Shubham Bansal 11-7, 3-11, 9-11, 11-3, 11-3.

Cadet boys’ singles (final): Davaksh Dawar bt Akul Mahajan 11-9, 11-8, 11-8, 11-2, 11-3.

Semifinals: Davaksh bt Parath Bansal 11-8, 12-10, 11-5, 11-5.

Junior girls (quarterfinals): Kalyani bt Kaveri 13-11, 11-7, 13-11, 5-10, 11-3, Naina Suri bt Rajeshwari 11-9, 11-9, 11-8, 11-3, Shakshi bt Aakriti Sharma 11-7, 11-8, 11-7, 9-11, 11-3, Barbie Nagpal bt Garima 11-6, 8-11, 11-9, 11-6, 7-11, 13-11.

2nd round: Naina Suri bt Deepika 11-9, 11-8, 11-5, Shakshi Jain bt Suhalika 11-8, 11-7, 13-15, 16-14, Vibhiti bt Garima Goyal 11-6, 11-4, 6-11, 6-11, 9-11, Rajeshwari bt Richa 11-3, 19-11, 11-7, Barbie Nagpal bt Ramandeep 12-10, 12-10, 11-8, Kaviri bt Ria Gupta 11-4, 11-3, 11-3, Kalyani bt Barbie 11-4, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7.

Chandigarh, July 12
Local tennis player Kinshuk Sharma, who shifted to the US in December last year to pursue higher studies as well as the game, has started bringing laurels to the city.

Studying at the University of North Carolina in Wilmington (UNCW), Kinshuk not only bagged an in-house “Sportsmanship Award” for his dynamic conduct on and off the court, but also made it to ‘Dean’s List’ of the institute on account of his outstanding academic achievements.

“Within six months, I have made it to the number one team of the university in doubles while in singles, I am in the top-three bracket,” said elated Kinshuk.

Elaborating his academics achievements, he said: “I got ‘A’ and ‘B’ grades in all subjects and my overall great point average was over 3.5, which catapulted me in the dean’s list of the university after the culmination of ‘Spring-2008’ semester,” Kinshuk said.

Kinshuk, who joined the university on full sponsorship, is in the city to spend holidays with his parents. He was delighted to show the congratulatory letter, highlighting his academic achievements, that he received from the dean of Cameron School of Business, UNCW.

He became the number one player in the country both in the under-14 and under-16 categories. He also represented the country in the Junior Davis Cup Tournament held in Phillipines in 2005. The same year, he was selected for the Asian (U-16) team to tour Europe for six weeks. His best world ranking was 162 in the ITF.

“Undoubtedly, I was doing well here but only after reaching the States, I realised what the sportspersons like me miss in our country. It is the approach of the players, coaches and sports authorities here, which makes the difference,” feels the 19-year-old player.

Kinshuk is highly impressed by the way the UNCW head coach of tennis, Mait Dubois, organised and motivated the team members to give their best.

Lauding the quality coaching as well as the availability of top-class paraphernalia at America, Kinshuk said: “They are thoroughly professional, who never tolerate any kind of compromise in the game or fitness regime. What I feel that they make the player strong from within. Discipline and dedication are foremost for them.”

“The standard of inter-college tournaments in the country is much higher than our professional tourneys,” he added.

About his aim, Kinshuk said: “I want to be a top-class professional. After graduating from the UNCW, I will enter the professional arena.”

Chandigarh, July 12
Decision of the Central Government to put on hold the Sports Scholarship Scheme for budding sportspersons has left the players high and dry not only in the city but throughout the country.

Under the scheme, which had been in continuation since 1970-71 till this year, the ministry of youth affairs and sports used to disburse cash scholarships to the position holders at the state and national-level competitions every year through the NIS, Patiala.

But this year, the government suddenly decided to put the scheme on hold and instructed officials of the NIS not to distribute the application forms to the seekers till further orders. However, the reason for its discontinuation was not mentioned in the order.

Under the scheme, the position holders (school sportspersons) at the state-level got Rs 6,600 whereas those who secured positions at the national-level competitions were awarded with Rs 8,400. In the colleges, only the position holders at the national-level competitions got Rs 10,200 while the women national champions used to get Rs 18,000.

The scheme, which had started with mere few lakhs, was fetching around Rs 8 crore under the Budget provisions these days.

Terming it a very encouraging as well as popular scheme among the sportspersons, an NIS official said Punjab was the most beneficiary state of the scheme.

According to NIS sources, around 10,000 players were beneficiaries of the scheme across the country.

Lamenting over the discontinuation of the scheme, a city-based budding swimmer said: “It was the most popular scheme among the upcoming players as the amount of assistance in the form of scholarship reached directly to the sportspersons in the shape of account payee draft. Besides, the amount was also good. It was basically recognition of the achievement of the sportspersons.”

Geeta Arora, mother of another budding swimmer, said, “The step of the government will have an adverse effect on the overall sports scenario in the country. They (the sportspersons) need to be rewarded instead of being deprived of such benefits.”