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Rains pour shame on MC
Chandigarh, August 6 The Chandigarh-Delhi highway, near the Tribune chowk, and the road connecting the city to Panchkula were the worst affected. Traffic snarls there were reported until the filing of this report at 10.30 pm. Vehicles broke down at several places. A commuter said it took more than two hours from Sector 24 to the Tribune chowk due to traffic jam. He said it was shameful on the part of the authorities that they were unable to deal with the rains this time. In the absence of a proper drainage system, residential localities, including Sectors 11, 15, 22, 24 and 30, were the worse hit. Basements in some markets were submerged and articles were damaged as water entered houses. The fire department received more than 20 complaints in the evening regarding water entering houses. Most calls were received from Sectors 27, 28, 23 and 15. A shopkeeper said business had been affected due to heavy rain in the last three days. Parking areas in markets were also overflowing with water. The flow of rainwater gets blocked due to medians on roads. Power supply was also disrupted in many parts of the city. The met department has recorded 4 mm rainfall until 8.30 pm. In Panchkula, the downpour again put life out of gear. The rain flooded roads around Sectors 17, 8, 16, 9, 15 and 10. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the roads. Many vehicles could not be started even after the water receded as these had already developed snag.
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Rs 14,700-cr bid for Mohali bus terminal project
Mohali, August 6 The company will pay the state government the money over the next 90 years, the lease period of the deal. The company, Aakruti City Limited, listed both with the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange, will pay the government Rs 200 crore upfront and another Rs 10 crore every year with a 5 per cent increase each year for the next 90 years. After the end of the lease period, the company will return the land and building to the state government. The bus terminal area will, however, be transferred back to the state government in another 20 years. A first-of-its-kind in India, the bus terminal-cum-commercial mall project is coming up on 6.6 acres of land in Phase 1 here. The land is owned by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) and will be given to the company, which will plan, design, finance, construct, market and operate it in the public-private partnership (PPP) mode. “The air-conditioned bus terminal will be on the ground floor, while the rest of the commercial mall complex will be housed in a tower atop the bus terminal,” said Dr Sukhbir Singh Sandhu, PIDB managing director. Sandhu added that there had been a good response to financial bids from among those who had issued the RFP document of the project. “The bids were opened today and Aakruti had the highest offer,” he said. The company, a pioneer in slum rehabilitation, will operate the bus terminal for the concession period during which it will also collect revenue like “adda” fee from buses, rentals from commercial leases, advertisement and parking of vehicles. “Quality environment to passengers is just one of the facilities that the bus terminal will offer. Part of the vision for the bus terminal includes a shopping mall, a multiplex, food plazas, hotels and an entertainment office complex. The logic is that a bus terminal already has a basic minimum footfalls each day and that makes it attractive for the company turn a commercial complex in the same building,” said Sandhu. The expression of interest advertisement for the project attracted a tremendous response from across the country. Around 30 top-notch companies showed interest in the project. “The project is unique. The bus terminal is not just a bus stand. The feel will be of an international airport complete with a bus traffic control room. The passengers will board from an air-conditioned enclosed building,” said Amandeep of Feed Back Ventures, the consultant for the PIDB for this project.
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Action against 10 Zirakpur builders
Mohali, August 6 The GMADA chief, Vivek Pratap Singh, said the authority had written to the SSP, SAS Nagar, for lodging FIRs against promoters of nine colonies in Zirakpur. “Two of these colonisers have constructed authorised colonies, but have violated rules. Their licences would be cancelled. The other builders have undertaken the construction of unauthorised colonies,” he said. The colonies whose promoters are in the dock include HemKunt Housing development Pvt Ltd, Shalimar Land Projects Ltd, Lakhsmi Enclave, Green City, Ganesh Vihaar, Shakti Enclave, Krishna Enclave-part I, Krishna Enclave-part II, Krishna Enclave-part III and Mamta Enclave. The SSP, Jatinder Aulakh, said he had received the complaints and FIRs would be lodged against the colonisers tomorrow.
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Offices of builder raided
Mohali, August 6 Among other ventures, the company has constructed overbridges in Punjab housing colonies in Zirakpur and has another upcoming project on the Landran-Kharar road, near here. Rajesh Jindal, joint commissioner (preventive), central excise department, said he was aware that his team had gone for a survey but did not have the details of what had been found. He said in case an evasion was detected, the details would be given to the media. Sources said the raid was on till the filing of the report.
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Residents oppose demolition, block traffic for 3 hrs
Zirkapur, August 6 Officials of the MC, railways and drainage department led the day-long drive that was opposed by residents of Ambedkar Colony this afternoon. They blocked the Zirakpur-Panchkula highway for three hours. The colony has more than 2,000 residents living in over 350 pucca structures built on 26 acres owned by the northern railway abutting the Singhnullah choe. Officials from the local administration backed by at least 200 policemen and armed with six JCBs arrived at Zirakpur around 11.30 am. The drive began with the demolition of a wall of Krishna Enclave after which the team went to demolish a part of the New Generation apartments. However, the promoter of the apartments told the team that he had got a stay from the High Court and he had filed an affidavit to this effect with the SAS Nagar DC. The team met with resistance when it reached Ambedkar Colony. Railway officials with at least 25 members of the railway protection force began the drive with the demolition of the temple wall which triggered a major protest. Residents asked the team how it could remove the wall of the temple when it was not on the nullah. The residents, including women and children, lay in front of the JCBs and started raising slogans against the central government and the local administration. They said the colony was set up almost five decades ago and they had ration cards and voter-IDs. The residents led by the councillor of the area blocked traffic on the Zirakpur-Kalka highway for more than three hours. “We got a notice two days back about the demolition,” said councillor Sham Lal. He said the administration should first demolish showrooms which were being constructed along the nullah. The matter was temporarily resolved when MC chief N.K. Sharma held talks with the residents and it was decided that only toilets lining the nullah would be demolished. Heavy deployment of policemen prevented the protesters from turning violent. The team razed over two dozen illegal structures. The SDM, Dera Bassi, Sohan Lal Bhumbak, said encroachments from other areas identified in the survey would be removed after August 8. He said the drainage department has already issued notices to the encroachers. “We have identified some other structures, including some showrooms that have encroached on the nullah land. Since the MC has passed building plans of showrooms, we would have to see how to go about the demolition,” the SDM said. As the land from where the encroachment was being removed belonged to the railways, a team of railway officials from Ambala, headed by assistant security commissioner (RPF) Basant Kumar was also present there. Meanwhile, a bull attached to a cart went on the rampage, causing panic among bystanders who were watching the demolition.
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Bomb hoax at district courts
Chandigarh, August 6 Visitors to the courts were visibly shaken after rumours spread about the presence of a bomb in
the complex. However, the work of courts was not affected. The police control room received the call at 10.30 am. The caller told the police that a bomb of high intensity had been planted in the complex. In the evening, the police reportedly traced the origin of the call to a mobile number and was conducting raids to arrest the suspect. No arrest had been made till the filing of the report. Soon after receiving the information, around 100 policemen, including police station-17 SHO, descended on the scene. Litigants were prevented from entering the courts complex, as policemen searched the complex for nearly an hour. The search operation was called off around 12 pm. A bomb disposal squad and a sniffer dog were also engaged to search the courts premises. There are 18 courts in the complex, which witnesses a huge rush of litigants every day. There are just two metal detectors at the gates to the complex and another at the court of the district and sessions judge. District Bar Association president N.K. Nanda said there was a need to enhance the security at the district courts.
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Benefits of breast feeding highlighted
Chandigarh, August 6 Dr Surya Kant Sharma, SMO, civil dispensary, Sector 38, Dr Madhu Gupta, assistant professor of community medicine, and Dr Chanderika Singhal, senior resident of community medicine department, held an interactive session on breast feeding with 50 antenatal and 20 postnatal women in attendance. They stressed the need for exclusive breast feeding for first six months, importance of first milk of mother, i.e. colostrum, advantages of breast milk in terms of prevention of diseases like pneumonia, diarrhoea in children, duration of breast feeding especially during night, significance of fore and hind milk. Correct technique of breast feeding, including positioning, were demonstrated to mothers. Health workers Rupinder and Sarla did a roleplay on the uses of breast milk and cleared misconceptions about breast feeding like prelacteal (honey licking) feeds. Various difficulties associated with breast feeding were also dealt with and resolved by doctors. Six anganwadi workers working in Sector 38 were trained in counselling mothers on correct breast-feeding practices. A health talk regarding initiation and benefits of breast feeding was also given to adolescent girls (13 to 16 years) studying in Shri Guru Harkrishan Senior Secondary School, Sector 38, by Dr Suraj, junior resident of community medicine, and Arvinder Kaur, medical social worker. Meanwhile, to mark the “World Breast Feeding Week”, doctors of Chaitanya Hospital highlighted various benefits of breast feeding at Press Club here yesterday. Dr Poonam Kumar, head of obstetrics and gynaecology department, highlighted the importance of breast-feeding soon after birth. She said: “It was nature’s wonder to see ‘breast crawl’, wherein a baby located mother’s breast on being kept on her stomach soon after birth and crawled there to start feeding. Early breast feeding has been found to greatly improve the flow of breast milk and enhances mother-child bondage.” Anil Narang, head of neonatology department, urged mothers not to offer water to the baby for the first six months after birth as the milk already contained 95 per cent water. After six months, baby should be introduced to food. Highlighting other benefits of breast feeding, Dr Poonam Kumar said it helped prevent another pregnancy, resulted in less blood loss after delivery, prevented anaemia, reduced the risk of breast cancer by half and helped mother get back in shape.
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e-Revolution 2008
Chandigarh, August 6 Nasscom president Som Mittal and Nasscom chairman Ganesh Natrajan would kick off the deliberations with their keynote presentations. Punjab Governor and UT administrator S.F. Rodrigues would inaugurate the conclave focusing on "The changing landscape: creating new trends and opportunities". The first day would be devoted to Nasscom's agenda for companies in the region to congregate and discuss performance management issues, share the best practices and build strategies for ensuring excellent performance . Mohit Rana, principal consultant, A.T. Kearney, would present the findings of Nasscom-A.T. Kearney's recent study of the IT-BPO industry in the country which had classified Chandigarh region, including Mohali and Panchkula, as one of the challenger locations in India paving way for an attractive location for the IT industry. On Chandigarh as an IT destination, Sangeeta Gupta, vice-president of NASSCOM, said it was heartening to see Chandigarh as one of the locations within the challenger category. A panel discussion on next generation Internet services will also be held.
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Talent dearth can halt city’s IT progress
Chandigarh, August 6 Much to the dismay of the Chandigarh Administration and the governments of Punjab and Haryana, which is going all out to promote Chandigarh Capital Region, including Panchkula and Mohali, as the next big IT destination, the industry is not really enthused. Many SMEs who have set shop here in the past couple of months, are finding it difficult to find the workforce for their ventures. Even the established IT companies have slowed down their recruitment process in the region. Though the Chandigarh Administration is projecting that the software exports from the city will go up to Rs 4,500 crore and the IT companies coming here will create employment for 65,000 persons, the IT companies say that they have no option but to import the talent from established IT hubs like Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai and Delhi. With the IT sector in the city slowly moving up the value chain (from the BPO industry to software research and development), they find it difficult to find trained IT professionals suited to the needs of the industry. Since majority of these IT companies are small and medium enterprises, they say that they cannot spend time and resources on first training the local youth.
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From brink of losing leg
Chandigarh, August 6 With some other medical complications, gangrene had developed on his feet and the only treatment recommended by some doctors was amputation of his infected leg. The word “amputation” shook Yogesh’s life. “Thoughts of what would happen to my family, my business and my life without a leg hounded me,” he said, terming those days tormenting. Yogesh’s surgery had been fixed at Ambala. But his physician suggested that he should take one more opinion from a Mohali-based hospital. Yogesh now thanks his stars for adhering to his physician’s advice. Though the doctors at the Mohali hospital had to amputate his toes, his leg was saved, thanks to the advances made in vascular surgery. However, awareness about such surgeries is low and as a result many, unlike Yogesh, have to undergo the trauma of losing their limbs. “The awareness is low and of every 10 amputations, eight are done because of vascular disease,” points out Dr Rahul Jindal, who operated upon Yogesh in February. Vascular disease is unlike appendicitis, where the problem ends when the appendix is removed. Here another problem begins when one is solved i.e. disability. Earlier, heart surgeons dealt with these problems. But given the emergencies in heart disease, the problems with blockages elsewhere in the body got sidelined. Explaining the disease, Dr Jindal says: “This is a disease of the blood vessels. Most common among them are blockages of arteries and veins. If the disease is left undetected, it can lead to gangrene, as the limbs involved do not get enough
blood supply.” The causes for these blockages are many. Foremost among them are diabetes, smoking and a diet that lead to cholesterol buildup. Generally, it is the legs that get affected by arterial blockages. According to Dr Jindal, the most common symptom is cramps in the legs while exercising or walking, a wound in toe that does not heal, pain in foot, a numb sensation in the legs. The damage to arteries can be verified through doppler test. Also, another test — ankle brachial pressure — can help compare arms pressure with legs. If it is less than arms, it indicates the abnormality. Unlike in the past where amputation was the only solution, now a surgery, which either removes the blockage from blood vessels or bypasses, is available. Saving limbs is now easier than what it used to be a few years ago. As Yogesh says: “With just my toes missing, I can at least go to work. I won’t have to be a dependent.”
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Postal dept fails to penalise erring officials
Chandigarh, August 6 The postal department had spent the money to get a notice published wherein grief was expressed for not seeking permission of the High Court before pasting stickers promoting private academy on government letters. The notice was published on October 5, 2007. The postal department had affixed the stickers of Krishna Academy of Sector 24 under the Direct Post Scheme of the postal department on important and confidential mail posted by Punjab and Haryana High Court in August, September and October 2007. According to information sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act by Rupinder Garg, a resident of Sector 48, the postal department was given Rs 1,500 by Krishna Academy as direct post charges for September. The postal department spent Rs 85,646 to publish a notice issued by the chief postmaster general in two English dailies regretting the error. Interestingly, no fine was imposed on the erring officials of the department. The names of the officials concerned for the error were supplied by the department under the RTI Act. It was stated that two officials involved in the case - sub postmaster, high court, post office manager, national speed post centre - have been transferred. While the third erring official - senior superintendent of post offices - was advised to be cautious in such cases. Interestingly, the money spent on getting the advertisement published was not recovered from these
officials.
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Inquiry officer fails to meet deadline
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 6 Though the inquiry, ordered on Monday, was “time-bound” and the report had to be submitted today, the failure of the DSP to do so has put the UT police in an awkward position. This was evident from the statement of SP (traffic) H.S. Doon, who said Cheema would have to give a “reasonable justification” regarding the delay. Cheema, however, claimed that the delay was due to the fact that Satbir’s statement was “yet to be recorded”. Cheema said: “I am investigating the case. The statement of Satbir is yet to be recorded. It will take another week to submit the inquiry report.” However, sources said Cheema had met Satbir at the office around 1.45 pm and was closeted with him for “quite sometime”. While Satbir refused to comment on the issue, sources said he had verbally conveyed his side of the story to Cheema and had promised to submit a written reply by tomorrow. The report is likely to be submitted once the reply is received, sources revealed, adding that it was still unknown under what compulsion Cheema agreed to give more time to Satbir even when the inquiry was “time-bound”. Meanwhile, scrutiny of the call details of Dilawari’s mobile has confirmed that Satbir had called her up, as claimed by the former. However, the veracity of her statement on what transpired between them was yet to be ascertained. In her complaint, Dilawari had alleged that Satbir had used “objectionable” language with her.
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GHS flats give marla houses a run for money
Chandigarh, August 6 With phase-III sectors (Sector 48 onwards) being inhabited by flat owners and tenants, their strategic location between Chandigarh and Mohali is making the flats a much sought-after option for the middle and lower middle classes. “GHS apartments offer an affordable option in the wake of rising costs due to inflationary conditions,” says Gian Singh, an IT employee. In fact, GHS flats have certain inherent advantages, including ample parking space, less pollution and coming of the apartment culture in the city, besides reasonable rentals. Though there has been a slight increase in city rentals, a category “A” flat (four bedrooms) is available for around Rs 12,000-Rs15,000 per month in a majority of cooperative housing societies. During a random survey, the rental value of category “B” flat (three bedrooms) was quoted between Rs 8,000 and Rs 11,000, depending upon the location. A two-bedroom flat (category “C”) was available between Rs 4,500 and Rs 6,000 per month. According to Tarlochan Singh Bittu, a property consultant, the rentals here were in sharp contrast to kanal and marla houses in the first two phases (up to Sector 47). A floor of a kanal house was available between Rs 30,000 and 45,000 per month. On the other hand, the rental for 10 marla to 14 marla houses was quoted between Rs 18,000 and 25,000; and seven marla and 10 marla houses between Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000 per month. Similarly, two-kanal and above houses were available at anything above Rs 45,000 per month. Sources said in the wake of the entry of big corporates and retail sector boom, rents had shot up in northern sectors as top executives preferred to put up in palatial costly houses. The middle and lower-rung professional preferred southern sectors and GHS apartments due to economic reasons. A property consultant said southern parts of the city from Sector 30 and beyond were a favourite with middle and lower classes as thousands of Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) flats were also available.
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Sewerage pipes pose threat to motorists
Chandigarh, August 6 Owing to the lackadaisical attitude of the authorities concerned, sand and debris continue to spill over roads, posing danger to the lives of motorists. Also, building material like cement pipes meant for sewerage have been left on the road. Residents rue that the civic authorities take no time in proceeding against them for leaving debris outside residential areas, however, when it comes to their own department, the rules are conveniently ignored. A number of trenches have been left unfilled on the internal road of Sector 42. Residents told the TNS that the trenches were dug around a fortnight ago and were yet to be filled. To make the matters worse, the authorities have not bothered to cover the area or install illuminating signboards around it to warn motorists. Once the debris on the road dried up after rain, the sand made the surface slippery for vehicles. Things get tricky at night, when motorists fail to notice building material lying in the middle of the road. “It is virtually impossible to see cement pipes lying on the road, especially at night,” said a resident.
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Export ban fails to lower maize price
Chandigarh, August 6 Sources in the poultry trade inform that after the ban was imposed, the prices have come down by Rs 200 per quintal. But the prices remained down to Rs 800 per quintal for a fortnight, thus providing succour to the poultry farmers. However, as the maize exporters resumed the purchase of this grain in a big way in anticipation of the ban being lifted in October, the prices have again shot up. It is learnt that the price of maize has again shot up to over Rs 1,000 per quintal in north India, and to Rs 1,300 a quintal in the central and southern parts of the country. At the same time, the price of soya meal - another crucial ingredient of poultry feed - has also gone up from Rs 7,000-8,000 per tonne last year to Rs 24,500 per tonne now. The escalating prices of the feed and large scale hoarding by the traders and exporters have now created a fear of feed shortage, says an official of the National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC). As a result of this hike, the break-even level for egg production has gone up from Rs 0.90-100 last year, to Rs 2.25 per egg now; and the break-even level for broiler production has gone up from Rs 27-28 last year to Rs 47-48 per kg now.
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HAL to make engine blades for IAF
Chandigarh, August 6 The blades would be manufactured at HAL’s Koratpur plant and supplied to No.3 Base Repair Depot here, which is the country’s largest helicopter repair and overhaul establishment. A meeting to review the project’s progress was held here, which was chaired by the Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Maintenance Command, Air Marshal Gautam Nayyar. The General Manager of the Koratpur plant,
Mahapatra, represented HAL. Officials from the DRDO were also present. Indigenous manufacture of engine blades would not only ensure instant availability of this critical component, but also result in significant foreign exchange savings. The IAF has been facing some difficulty in getting spares from foreign sources. During the meeting various critical issues in the development of indigenous technology were also discussed.
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Former envoy discusses situation in Iraq
Chandigarh, August 6 Giving a presentation on his recently authored book, ‘The Ultimate Prize: Oil and Saddam’s Iraq’, which details events from 1992 to 1994, Kalha said that political and social uncertainity prevailed in Iraq even after the execution of Saddam. Pointing out that almost every US national security directive issued by presidents, since the World War II, had referred to the importance of Persian Gulf to US economy, the author opined that western powers had not been about to give up on Iraq and its enormous oil wealth.
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Mystery shrouds youth’s death
Panchkula, August 6 Chandan (21), son of H.D. Bansal, died under mysterious circumstances in Dehradun yesterday. He was working at a call centre in Delhi. He had gone to Dehradun to appear for law exams of semester VIII. “His friends said that after reaching his hostel he slept at 9 am and when they tried to wake him up he was found dead,” said his relatives. The post-mortem of the body was conducted today at Doon Hospital at Dehradun and the report was still awaited, said the relatives. Chandan is the youngest of the three sons of the family and would be cremated tomorrow.
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Ply school buses only on main roads, drivers told
Mohali, August 6 He said buses would not be allowed to ply on the “B” and “C” type roads as it was against the norms. Parents had been advised to drop and pick up their children from from the main roads. Managements of various schools have also been urged to identify points on the main roads where students could be picked up and dropped. Balbir Singh said if any driver was found violating the rules, action would be taken against him under the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 and parents and school managements would be held responsible for the harassment of students in this regard.
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Office-bearers elected
Chandigarh, August 6
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CM’s help sought for minority status
Chandigarh, August 6
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Hiroshima Day observed
Chandigarh, August 6 Teachers and students paid homage to the victims of the tragedy. Besides the screening of a short film on World War II, a function was organised at Khuda Ali Sher.
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Scramble for hostel accommodation at PU
Chandigarh, August 6 Learning lessons from the past, wherein the students would get hostel accommodation without any hassle and genuine students wouldn’t get it, PU authorities this time allotted hostel rooms on merit basis. But that hardly served any purpose. According to sources, the authorities allocated specific number seats for each course and the students could get hostel accommodation according to department-wise availability of seats. But the biggest loophole in the criteria was that the authorities failed to mention any stipulated time period within which a student could lay his/her claim on a hostel seat. As a result, many students who figured in merit list of their respective departments still didn’t get hostel accommodation. Apparently some of the meritorious students joined in their course later and they were told that their hostel seats had been given to the next student in the list. PU had introduced about 48 new courses in last two years. Though the authorities tried to accommodate as many students by getting guest rooms and other such unused rooms vacated, that hardly seems to be helping. Tejpal Cheema, PUSU leader, said, “ There is a severe problem for students trying to get hostel rooms. More than 200 students, especially from UIET, have come to us for helping them get hostel rooms.” The vice-chancellor maintained that there was no crunch regarding hostel accommodation. “We are trying to accommodate as many students as we can. I am going to review the situation after August 15 to see what needs to be done,” he said. Apprising about expansion plans for hostels, he said, “We have kept aside a budget of Rs 2.35 crore for adding new floors to the existing hostels. The engineers will examine if the foundations are strong enough to have more floors, else we will add annexes.”
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PGs charge heavy amounts
Chandigarh, August 6 Here PGs too have hiked their charges in the wake of non-availability of hostel seats and rising food prices. Most of the PGs have hiked their charges by Rs 500. “Last year, charges were 3000 for a student and this year we have hiked it by 500 and some of the PGs have hiked it to 3900 as well,” says an owner of Sector 15 PG accommodation. In most of the PGs, about four students share a single room and each one pays the equal amount. What a government college hostel charges for the whole year is approximately equal to PG charges for one or two months. One can imagine how handsomely these PGs are earning! “I couldn’t get seat in the hostel and now I am forced to stay here as a PG and my family find it difficult to afford the PG charges,” says a student. “I prefer to stay in PG. Besides freedom, here I can have better quality of food as well,” says Ankita, who is staying in a PG at Sector 15.
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Squatters create scarcity of rooms
Chandigarh, August 6 It is learnt that as a practice, many students occupy rooms in hostels illegally for years together. These squatters take admission in one course and enjoy the hospitality for a whole year without appearing in exams only to take admission in another course next year. According to official sources, till last year in each hostel there were approximately 5 to 10 squatters occupying a room each. Acting tough this time, the authorities claim to have got rid of them and have got their rooms vacated this year. What facilitates these squatters is the fact that so far the Panjab University authorities have not dealt strictly with these squatters. It is learnt that there are some self-styled student leaders as well who are occupying the rooms for more than 10 years now and owe lakh of rupees to university. But neither the defaulters pay the university nor they have a fear of being thrown out. The university officials also turn a Nelson’s eye towards the squatters fearing strict oppositions from the student bodies. Prof Naval Kishore said, “This year, we have tried to regulate the hostel occupants and have even stopped giving them extensions for courses like MPhil and PhD.”
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Outsider assaults hostel resident
Chandigarh, August 6 The incident brought to fore insufficient means of checking free movement of outsiders in PU hostels. In a late night fight on the hostel premises on Tuesday, Kapil, a resident of Kaithal was staying in the hostel and injured a 2nd year student of UIET, Kuldeep.Taking corrective measures the university authorities handed him over to the police. According to sources, Kapil had claimed to be a guest of a student of university but the student, whom he named, denied that Kapil was his guest. During a surprise check late at night after the brawl, PU authorities nabbed few students drinking liquor in hostel number 4.
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Mansa Devi Board to open public school
Panchkula, August 6 The school, up to Class X, would impart education of international standard at reasonable fee. A substantial number of seats would be reserved for outstanding students from poor families, said shrine board administrator Rajinder Kataria, who is also Panchkula DC. It would be a girls’ school and students from the poor families would not be charged any fee, he said. In addition to it, the board has decided to beautify the pathway to Mansa Devi by installing fountains on it from the railway crossing to the stairs of the temple. While a row of fountains would be laid in the centre, two pathways would be laid with flower beds on the sides, making it a memorable pilgrimage for the devotees, said Kataria. The barricades would also be erected at appropriate places so that the devotees could proceed in queues without any hindrance during rush hours at the temple, he added.
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From Schools and Colleges
Chandigarh, August 6 The program started with a lecture delivered by researcher in psychiatry from PGI, Chandigarh. A human chain was formed and flagged off by principal Promila Kaushal. The students displayed posters and slogans depicting the ill effects of tobacco smoke. Principal emphasised on passive smoking apart from highlighting the various health hazards associated with it. Students and the faculty took a pledge to keep the college smoke free and environment friendly. Hiroshima Day Hiroshima Day was observed on campus of Buddha Vihar Temple, Khuda Ali Sher, to pay homage to the innocent people who died in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. The function was organised by the Environment Society of India in collaboration with the Buddhist Association of Chandigarh. Pradip Chhabra, mayor, Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh, was the chief guest. A two-minute mourn was observed and a prayer for world peace was held. Competitions Today, as part of a Harmony Week, Yuvsatta, Peace Club of KB DAV Senior Secondary School, Sector 7, and New India Assurance Co Ltd organised Hiroshima Day observance here today at KB DAV-7. Around 500 Students from 22 different Schools of the city participated. Justice Permod Kohli, Punjab and Haryana High Court judge, was the chief guest, who honoured winners of an Inter-School Essay/Poetry Writing Contest on the theme of forgiveness. In the Junior Category Poetry Writing Competition, Sachleen Singh of St Kabir Public School bagged the first prize, while Poornima Bansal of Manav Mangal Public School and Mudit Singh Vats of KB DAV Sr Sec Public School got the second and third prizes, respectively. In the Junior Category Essay Writing Competition, Harsnit of Chandigarh Baptist School bagged the first prize while Renu of Sikhya School got the second prize. In the Senior Category Essay Writing Competition, Jasmeet Kaur of GMSSS-37 was awarded with first prize and Shaifali Gautam of Shivalik Public School was adjudged second winner while Pragya Raheja of Moti Ram School and Shivika Goel of St Kabir Public School bagged the third prize. In Senior Category Poetry Writing Competition, Pritish Babbar of Mount Carmel School got the first prize while his counterparts Varun Syal of St John High School and Helly of Sri Aurobindo School of Integral Education bagged the second and third prize, respectively. Peace Club members of KB DAV-7 also organised a painting workshop. Seminar A seminar was organized by Government Home Science College on ‘Emergency Response and Care and Disaster Preparedness’ in collaboration with Safety Circle, an extension arm of National Safety Council working on international training. Dr Tanvir Singh delivered a talk on various disasters such as floods, fire, earthquakes, lightening etc. This was followed by a blood donation camp in association with Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh. As many as 40 students, along with 10 staff members donated blood.
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From School & Colleges
Mohali, August 6 Jaipreet Bedi emerged winner in rangoli competition. Anuradha, Jeeti Rani and Babita were adjudged winner in mehandi competition. Chairman Sukhdev Kumar Singla highlighted the need to remain attached to our cultural roots. Girls enthralled the audiences with giddha. Hiroshima Day Management, staff and students of GJ-IMT commemorated Hiroshima Day. J.S. Bedi, chairman of GJ-IMT, was the chief guest. Bedi appealed to the people to work for a nuclear disarmed world. A newsletter was also released depicting the history of Hiroshima and its destruction in 1945. Prof. Paper reading and power point presentation were also organised. The power point presentation was made by Baninderjit Singh, Iqbal Singh and Kulwinder Singh. The Paper reading was presented by Pankaj Chawla and Manjeet Singh.
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Prizes distributed at Saint Soldier
Mohali, August 6 The function commenced with a welcome song followed by saraswati vandana. Besides academics, awards for all-rounder performance and with cent per cent attendance were also given. Chief guest Navjot Kaur, assistant commissioner (grievances), Mohali, appreciated the students and teachers.
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Quiz on August 10
Chandigarh, August 6
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Finally, PU to admit NRIs
Chandigarh, August 6 The admissions under the NRI quota were stalled as the university could not decide who should be treated as NRI in the wake of the Supreme Court’s judgment. After months of deliberations, the university departments would finally be making admissions under the NRI category as per the definition provided in the Supreme Court judgment. All the departments have been directed to make admission strictly as per the definition of the NRI decided by the committee after legal opinion. Professor R. C. Sobti, vice-chancellor, PU, said, “I have sent directions to all the departments to initiate the admission of the NRI students according to the definition provided by the committee.” To provide more transparency, the PU authorities have decided to admit students under three categories. As per the definition, the nationals or citizens of countries other than India would be considered as NRIs. These would not include persons of Indian origin. The persons of Indian origin, who are citizens of countries other than India, would also be considered NRIs and the sons and daughters of persons of Indian origin (may or may not be citizens of countries other than India), provided they have resided in a country other than India for a continuous period of three years, also fall under the ambit of NRI definition.
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J&K students visit Chandimandir
Chandigarh, August 6 General Sapru encouraged the young boys to grow with open minds and actively participate in the process of nation building. He felicitated each of them with a souvenir.
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High Court Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 6 The bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice Rakesh Kumar Garg also issued notice to the respondent corporation and others for October 22. The petitioner, Vipin Sharma, had earlier sought directions to the municipal corporation authorities to fill the post of accounts officer in accordance with the rules. The petitioner had added that he had been working as section officer in the state subordinate service for the past eight years and had become eligible for promotion to the vacant post of accounts officer. He had claimed that candidate-cum-respondent in the case Surinder Kumar Sharma was not eligible and had alleged that rules were being amended to suit latter’s qualifications. He had added that appointment had already been rejected by the municipal corporation on July 31, 2006, but he continued to occupy the post. Though he was the only eligible candidate, his name was not being considered and the post was being given to Surinder Kumar Sharma, the petitioner had submitted further.
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Prosecution closes
evidence
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 6 The court had asked zonal director of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) to depose before the court on the last hearing, as no prosecution witness was being produced before the court. Instead of the zonal director, an other employee deposed before the court today. Taking exception to the failure to produce prosecution witness in the court yesterday, additional district and sessions judge R.S. Attri had asked the NCB zonal director to depose before the court. The NCB had arrested Lior on February 9, 2005. The NCB stated that Lior was arrested with 155.5 kg charas, along with his accomplice Jiri Andrew and Kullu resident Narender Kumar.
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