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Chandigarh Seat Advani skips local issues Pradeep Sharma Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 16 Though the BJP is yet to formally announce its candidate for the Chandigarh seat, the party roped in its star campaigner for “Vijay Sankalp rally” in a bid to project a united front and throw the ball into the court of Congress candidate and minister of state for finance, Pawan Kumar Bansal and BSP’s Harmohan Dhawan. While Advani skipped local issues, the ball was set in motion by Jain, the arch-rival of both Bansal and Dhawan. Launching a scathing attack on the Congress-led UPA government, Jain alleged that the Central government was to blame for various problems afflicting the city and Bansal was trying to shift the blame on the officials of the Chandigarh Administration. “The UT administrator, the adviser to the administrator and Bansal were part of the same establishment and Bansal was behaving as the lame duck MP by blaming the administration for Central government's various acts of omission and commission,” Jain alleged. Sources said though Advani preferred to skip the local issues, including the party candidate from Chandigarh, Jain despite losing to Bansal twice was considered a strong contender from here. In fact, today's rally was considered to be a show of strength by Jain though a few veteran leaders, such as former president Jai Ram Joshi also shared dais with Advani. Observers said the political scene was likely to hot up in days to come in the wake of the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. The Congress yesterday invited union home minister to address and party meeting where he praised Bansal for his contribution to the welfare of the city, including the recent hike in the budget for Chandigarh. During a rally here a few months back, BSP supremo Mayawati had already announced its local convener Harmohan Dhawan as the party candidate from Chandigarh. Dhawan yesterday inducted scores of youth, reportedly owing allegiance to Congress and the BJP, into the BSP fold. Bansal, Jain and Dhawan wield considerable influence in the city and in a triangular contest it could be anybody's win depending upon various permutations and combinations in the run-up to the elections.
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Congress raking Hindu terror for votes, says Advani
Chandigarh, November 16 “Terrorists have no religion and are outright criminals who commit crimes against
humanity. They should be punished irrespective of their religion,” Advani said, while addressing a “Vijay Sankalp” rally organised by the local unit of the BJP here today. Advocating a firm stand against terrorists, he asserted that the security of the nation could not be sacrificed just to promote vote bank politics and rued that the conviction of those responsible for the attack on Parliament, an obvious reference to convict Afzal Guru, had not been carried out till date. While, during the NDA's six-year rule, the terrorists were dealt with an iron hand, the UPA government had gone soft on the terrorists with the result that there had been a sharp decline in the number of conviction, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha alleged. Alleging that there had been an unprecendented increase in the influx of illegal Bangladeshis in the country, he claimed that during the tenure of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the then Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf was forced to give an undertaking that he would check terrorism firmly in his country. Promising a “strong, enlighted and propserous” India, if the NDA was voted to power, he said rising prices, infrastructure network and health and education would be the priority areas for the next government. The record of BJP-ruled states, including Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand had shown that the party had performed “miracles” in these which would be replicated in the entire country. Making a fervent appeal to the voters to “punish” the non-performing UPA government, the veteran leader claimed that even the much-touted nuclear deal had taken a back seat. Talking a dig at the UPA government, he alleged that the government could easily claim to establish a world record as far as the number of farmers' suicides were concerned. The much talked about loan waiver scheme had left a majority of the farmers out of its ambit, he rued. Coming down heavily on the Communists, which had never been “trustworty”, Advani said since the UPA had failed on every front, the people should give a chance to the NDA to provide “good governance”. Earlier, former Chandigarh MP Satya Pal Jain came down heavily on the UPA government for giving a raw deal to the city.
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CAT takes aspirants by surprise
Chandigarh, November 16 According to Hirdesh Madan, head north Bulls’ eye, "The trend towards a greater emphasis on the verbal section indicates a tilt towards the GMAT pattern of testing and may well be the precursor of an online CAT in 2009. At a strategic level, the initial reaction of most of the students was that the paper is easier than the previous CAT. While that in part is true, the change in the relative weightage of the verbal section demanded a prudent upscaling of one’s efforts in that section. Those who were unable to make the adjustment may well miss the bus to the IIMs. We expect the overall cut-off for IIMs to be in the region of 120 marks while a score of 85-90 should fetch an interview call from UBS Chandigarh". The changed pattern might have disappointed engineers for sure but came as a relief to non-engineers. “I was delighted to see the new pattern as I was not too confident of maths. Moreover last year the verbal part was too tough but this year it was a mix bag of questions." Said Aarti Kapur who appeared at SD College. “It was easy in quant and verbal sections, however, immense application was required in the DI section" said Navdeep Jain. According to various city experts, the toughest section this year was data interpretation as questions required lengthy and repetitive calculations. The results of the exam will be declared in the first week of January. The final admission will depend on the score along with the group discussion (GD) and interview to be conducted by IIMs and other management institutes from February onwards. "With the CAT now out of the way, students need to focus on the next step of the selection process," adds Hirdesh Madan. "There is very little time available to prepare for the GD/PI stage so students are advised to start at the earliest."
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Assistant pilot’s body cremated
Patiala, November 16 His son, who is studying in Class VI, performed the cremation after his body was brought to the city by air this afternoon. This incident has taken the entire city by surprise. Though the helicopter had been missing since August 3, the family had never given up hope. Rajesh Gaur, who was currently staying in Delhi, is survived by two kids who study in Class X and VI, respectively. The entire family is shattered with the news. Earlier, the news spread that the wreckage of Bell 430 helicopter has been found in the forest of Pamunaur Hills. The aircraft had four people on board, including assistant pilot Rajesh Gaur, who belongs to Patiala. Gaur’s younger brother blamed the Ranbaxy group for negligence. He said the entire area should have been searched earlier. A number of relatives, friends, political leaders and city residents attended the cremation. Prominent among those attended the cremation were Surjit Singh Rakhra, president of the NRI wing, SAD, Surjit Singh Kohli, vice-president of SAD, Tejinder Singh Dhaliwal, SDM, Samana, Anil Bajaj, senior deputy mayor, Patiala, BJP leader Anil Aggarwal, Inder Mohan Singh Bajaj, DSP Manjit Singh Brar and DPRO Ishwinder Singh Grewal.
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Six from Haryana killed in accident
Sirhind, November 16 None of the deceased, except the driver of the car, has been identified as yet. The car's driver, Ajay Pahwa, has been identified through his driving licence. The ill-fated car bore the registration number of Haryana and even the driver’s driving licence was from Haryana. The other five deceased include three girls, aged 6, 7 and 10 years, a man and a woman. The seventh occupant of the car, a woman, sustained serious injuries and was rushed to the PGI, Chandigarh. The incident took place at 8.45 pm when the car got sandwiched between two trucks. "They were returning after attending a wedding party from Ludhiana," said Kaustubh Sharma, a resident of Fatehgarh Sahib. A truck was in front of the car. Suddenly, the driver applied brakes to save a vehicle that was ahead of it. The driver of the car, too, applied brakes, but another truck following it failed to do so. As a result of this, the car was sandwiched between the two trucks. All three children, a woman and a man were killed on the spot. The police has detained the truck driver and is investigating the case. No case had been registered till the filing of this report. The Fategharh Sahib police is trying to identify the family and is in constant touch with the Haryana Police for the purpose.
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Helpline of women support unit “does not exist”
Chandigarh, November 16 It may be noted that the helpline cites providing assistance to women and children in distress to ensure protection of their legal rights. “The ever-increasing number of cases of crime against women and children in city brings out the need of providing immediate police help. The attitude of the department is evident. This is the height of callousness. We receive many cases in which the victim would have failed to contact the police despite trying this number, extracted from the official website, numerous times,” said a local woman activist. When this correspondent called on the number, it replied that it did not exist. DSP, women and child support unit, Kulwant Singh Pannu said: “I am not aware about it and will check the reason behind it. The problem may be caused due to the error of telecom authority.”
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Natural products crucial to modern medicines: Expert
Mohali, November 16 While speaking at the inaugural address of a five-day international conference on “New development in drug discovery from natural products and traditional medicines” at National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education
(NIPER) here, he said the natural product chemistry is opening pathways where molecules are crucial in tackling some disease like cancer. Credited with research on natural product chemistry, the scientist said though the modern science had helped the research in traditional medicines, there is no way of standarsing the medicines made from natural products. There is control on the quality of raw material used in such medicines. In the pharma industry, already 130 such molecules are being used in drugs and they are no longer natural but made from synthesis. Examples of hypertension drugs and cancer drugs were cited to prove the point. Dr David G I Kingston, a professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Virginia, USA, while speaking on the occasion said the contribution of natural products was immense. Already 25 per cent of all drugs had a grain of natural products in it. In anti cancer drugs, the natural products contribution was over 40 per cent. He said pursuing career in research on natural products was itself a challenge. Isolating natural product from source invites tremendous intellectual challenge. DR William Henry
Gerwick, a known natural product chemist and a authority on marine natural products, said the conference would provide opportunity for exchange of ideas. Prof K.K. Bhutani, head of department of Natural Products, NIPER and convener of the conference, said there was need to rationalise traditional medicines. Safety of traditional medicine was a challenge. Prof R Rama Rao, Director,
NIPER, and Prof Harkrishan Singh, a professor Emeritus, University of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Panjab University, also spoke on the occasion.
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Ex-IAS officer authors books on historical
fiction
Chandigarh, November 16 Two of the books — “Samudragupta Mahan” in Punjabi and “Chandragupta Vikramditya” in Hindi — are stories built around the two kings of the Gupta empire who ruled India in the third century AD. “The empire rose to great heights during the period of these great warrior kings. The aim was to weave a story around their lives and come up with an inspiring tale which is readable and in the language of the people,” said Bhatnagar, while talking to mediapersons during the book release ceremony. “The third books, which is my personal favourite, is called Akash Ganga. This was the name of the top-secret maps of the country’s defence organisation which were given out by an employee of the organisation to two women tourists from Maldives. The story had hit the headlines and it led to this novel,” said Bhatnagar. A BTech from IIT, Delhi, Bhatnagar retired as financial commissioner revenue from Punjab in 2007 and is also the recipient of the ‘Hindi Gaurav’ award. Bhatnagar has authored four more books starting in 2000 with a collection of poems called ‘Utsav’. He went on to write about Banda Bahadur and later another novel ‘Bajira’ which was set in the dark days of militancy in Punjab.
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Why not a fast-track court now!
The report of the Central Forensic Scientific Laboratory (CFSL), received last week by the Chandigarh Police, has confirmed the rape of the German tourist, who was kidnapped from the city's only five star Hotel, Taj, on September 28, ironically hours after the administration had celebrated the World Tourism Day.
On the basis of the statement of the 20-year-old girl the police had registered a case of molestation and kidnapping and had got her statement recorded before a magistrate under Section 164 CrPC. The case has now been converted to rape and the police, armed with both scientific and circumstantial evidence, are confident of getting the five accused convicted. One cannot be sure as to why the girl hid this important piece of information from the police but there could be several reasons for it including the fact that she was drugged or intoxicated to the extent that she did not exactly remember what had happened to her. Chances of her being afraid of the suspects and even embarrassed to admit rape cannot be ruled out. While one would know the exact reasons for this once the police officials talk to her, officers with whom I spoke on the fateful day were more or less sure that the she had been raped. The injury marks on her body, including bite marks on her private parts, were enough to indicate the brutality with which she was treated besides the extent of perversion of the suspects. Under the circumstances it was improbable that they would have let her go without raping her. Anyway, the way things have gone so far in the case - the timely arrest of the suspects, the investigations in which the police claim to have collected sufficient evidence and the receipt of a positive CFSL report within 45 days (though it could have been sooner) - speaks well for the case and one can hope to see the six accused convicted. However, what lies ahead scares me. While one can keep on claiming of having "full faith in our judicial system", the truth is that criminal justice system in India is in shambles. ``Hamlet's lament about the law's delays still haunts us in India and the horrendous arrears of cases in courts is a disgraceful blot on our legal system, especially the criminal justice delivery system". This was stated by none other than Soli J Sorabjee while delivering a talk on "Fundamental Rights in the Indian Constitution: Rhetoric or Reality?" in London a couple of years back. The huge pendency of cases in various courts, the high incidence of witnesses turning hostile in sensational cases, the never ending adjournments that stretch cases for ever, frustrating the litigants and witnesses, and the declining conviction rate, on which even However, in this depressing scenario certain verdicts have come as a breath of fresh air. The fast track courts in Rajasthan have set a rare example of how quick justice can be dispensed even in this country. In July 2006 a Jaipur court convicted a guest house owner on charges of rape of a Japanese tourist within three months of the alleged incident. What's worth noting is that the woman had faxed her complaint from Agra, three days after the alleged rape took place in Jaipur, and the judgement came within 60 days of the police filing the charge sheet. In April 2006, B H Mohanty, son of a senior police officer, was convicted 22 days after he allegedly raped a German tourist in Alwar. The fastest conviction was in 2005 when the Jaipur court awarded life terms to an auto rickshaw driver and his colleague for raping a German tourist at Jodhpur, within
20 days of the incident. So the question is if Jaipur and Jodhpur can do
it, why not Chandigarh. The issue is that we don't have a fast track court out here. While I can't say whether the administration has ever tried to earnestly push for a fast track court in the city or not, this issue has been voiced by many. When allegations of rape were levelled against Akali leader, Gaganjit Singh Barnala, by his masseuses the issue of having a fast track court was raised. Though the victim has now turned hostile
and Barnala is seemingly off the hook, the case still carries on, even after two years. The ideal situation for litigants would be to have a system of speedy trial for all cases, but till that happens fast track courts in every city to decide high profile cases can go
a long way in restoring and strengthening the fast eroding faith of the people in our criminal
justice system. Investigations are over and the CFSL report is in but the question whether the German girl will get speedy justice still remains. One can only hope that the case doesn't get entangled in the maze of adjournments (tariq pe tariq pe tariq…), so unique to our judicial system, and reaches its logical conclusion, not ending up like 78 percent of other rape cases where the accused go scot-free. Write to cityeditor@tribunemail.com
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Kids administered anti-polio drops
Bassi Pathana, November 16 Various religious and social organisations like Lions Club, Rotary Club and Bharat Vikas Parishad joined hands with the administration in the campaign. The traffic police stopped the vehicles and administer polio drops to the children travelling in buses and cars. Talking to The Tribune, Dr Kang said the health department had organised 17 polio sewa camps for 3,000 children. Mobile teams would also administer the polio drops in remote rural and slum areas. He said in the next two days, the teams would go from door to door. Kharar:
Pulse polio campaign was held at Kharar wherein 2,942 children were administered polio drops at various booths. Doctors at the Kharar civil hospital said 6,000 children would be vaccinated in the next two days in the door-to-door campaign. In
Ropar, a total of 49,106 children were vaccinated today. The government doctors said 78,931 children would be administered the polio vaccine in the campaign. As many as 313 booths were held in Ropar district wherein the children were given the polio drops. Civil surgeon Arjan Singh Gill inaugurated the drive at Sadavart village in Ropar wherein the children from slum area were given the drops. Kalka:
As many as 1,6372 children were immunised the polio drops today in Kalka, Pinjore and their vicinity. Dr Surinder Nain, SMO, Kalka civil hospital, said in Kalka, 3,716 in urban and 7,015 in rural areas, and 3,033 children in Pinjore were administered polio drops. Dr M. L. Garg, district health
officer (DHO), was also present during the polio campaign. Panchkula:
A total of 56,944 children up to the age of five years were administered pulse polio drops on the first day of the second mop-up round of Pulse Polio Immunization Campaign here today. A number of non-governmental organisations, religions leaders and municipal councillors participated in the campaign which will continue till November 18. Panchkula Deputy Commissioner Rajinder Kataria inaugurated the campaign. District health officer Dr M.L. Garg said that 72.6 per cent of the target had already been achieved on the first day of the campaign. A total of 78,366 children would be given anti-polio drops during the three-day campaign for which 395 booths have been set up, he added.
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Bollywood carnival at ITFT ends
Mohali, November 16 Addressing a valedictory function, MP Naveen Jindal, who was the chief guest on the occasion, exhorted students to develop positive outlook, self-confidence and overall personality. He also released a book on cinematic tourism prepared and researched by the ITFT, Chandigarh. The main attractions were film shooting, re-enactment of scenes
from popular Bollywood movies by ITFT media students and also picturisation of animation films. A large number of students from schools and colleges participated in various competitions in acting, dancing, singing, mask making, set designing, fancy dress, photography, mimicry, costume designing, street theatre, lyrics and script writing, video and radio jockey and in anchoring. Those who won the competition would be given special prizes. A web portal of the talent bank has been created by CMES - Centre for Media and Entertainment Studies, giving details of various artistes who are keen to join the film industry, which will be available to films and television serial producers who are always on the lookout for fresh and vibrant faces. The winners for different contest are : Dance solo — John 1 and Himanshu 2, Group dance — Ishan Christ group 1, Ravi ‘n’ Group 2; Costume designing — Jyoti 1 and Bhanupriya 2; Mask making — Dhruv 1 and Bhanupriya 2; Fancy dress — Bhavya Bhardwaj 1 and Pallvi 2; Lyrics — Richa Bhateja 1 and Rohit Kumar 1; Photography — Sawan 1; Script — Vandana 1 and Rohit Kumar 2; Make-up — Eshan 1 and Riti Gupta 2; Singing — Sandeep Mishra 1 and Kiran 2; Mimicry — Munish 1 and Jyoti 2; RJ/VJ — Manoj Kumar 1 and Ankush Khurana 2; Acting — Vandna 1 and Preeti Chawla 2.
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Red Ribbon Express arrives in city
Chandigarh, November 16 Taking a round of the train, which arrived in the city today, he said it was an impressive endeavour of the National AIDS Control Organisation to make public aware about HIV/AIDS. The train consists of seven coaches and will be open for visitors from 9 am to 6 pm till November 17. Addressing the gathering, Niwas expressed concern over the increasing HIV prevalence. He said that the situation was alarming and would require commitment and dedication at all levels. The coach-I - the exhibition coach of the Red Ribbon Express - displayed educational material, primarily on HIV/AIDS, interactive touch screens and 3-D models, whereas the coach-II showcased educational material with focus on HIV/AIDS linked to the National Rural Health Mission Programme. The coach III exhibited educational material with focus on HIV within the socio-developmental context (inter-sectoral/mainstreaming approach), while coach IV - auditorium-cum-conference coach had arrangements for orientation/sensitisation of selected groups such as panchayati raj institutions, self-help groups, youth and women. The coach-V - counselling-cum-medical services coach - has six cabins, including four counselling cabins and two doctors' cabins for providing counselling and syndromic treatment for sexually transmitted infections. Outreach activities associated with the Red Ribbon Express include a cycle caravan and a bus caravan. Niwas also flagged off a vehicle which will cover different parts of the state with the aim of generating understanding on HIV/AIDS related issues.
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Remembering Road Accident Victims
Chandigarh, November 16 Like him, many parents and family members of the accident victims gathered at the Sukhna Lake today on the occasion of the United World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Umesh Kapur of Sector 11 came with a pair of shoes belonging to his son, Sanjog, a BA-I student and a tennis player, who was just 17 when lost his life in a road mishap. He put shoes on stands at the lake among the other 300 pairs to spread the message of road safety. “I just wanted to give a piece of advice to the youngsters that their irresponsible behaviour could ruin their families,” said the visibly disturbed father, who fails to come to the terms with the tragedy that stuck him over three years back. Similarly, Ramneek Sekhon, mother of 25-year-old Karam Singh Sekhon, who died in a road accident in February 2007, said the administration had still not done anything to remove the roundabout where the car driven by her son rammed, claming his life. Arrivesafe, a city-based NGO, in collaboration with AIESEC, an international student organisation, and CITCO organised an exhibition on the occasion. Students from Yadvindra Public School, Mohali, and Guru Nanak Public School, Sector 36, participated in the exhibition. Posters with road safety messages, designed by children and WHO, were displayed at the exhibition and a signature campaign was also held on the occasion. Surprisingly, no one from the administration, including the managing director of the CITCO, Niharika Rai, turned up for the exhibition. Noortje Donders, a Dutch national gave a saxophone recital on the occasion. Harman Sidhu, a road safety activist said they got good response from authorities, which extended their cooperation for the event.
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No place reserved for them
Chandigarh, November 16 For, they have been forced to spend their duty hours in the parking lot behind the Chandigarh Police headquarters in Sector 9 in the absence of any shelter for them. Sources at the police headquarters say there are four units of the reserve police force. One unit comprising 38 personnel is under the IGP, while three units come directly under the SSP. The SSP has two battalions of the reserve force consisting of over 75 personnel, while the third unit is deployed during the night. Besides Chandigarh Police personnel, Punjab Police commandos and home guard volunteers are part of the force. However, official apathy has forced these personnel to sit under the sun or take the cover of trees during rain during work hours. In the absence of any place to sit in spare time, these personnel have no other place to go other than sit in the open ground, police vehicles or on roadside berms, besides headquarters building. The women staff is the worst hit, as they have to sit in the police van or riot control vehicles. A woman police officer told the TNS: “We have no place to sit, except police vans. During summer, is it difficult to sit in buses due to suffocation.” The personnel have no facilities like canteens or toilets even as they are on guard round the clock. The have to walk a long distance to ease themselves, as toilets are located in the police headquarters. These personnel while away their time playing cards and make desperate attempts to keep away from the prying eyes of their seniors. A police officer said the force is meant to tackle emergency situations or untoward incidents, but these personnel are a battered lot. “It’ll be harsh to expect anything from such a fatigued force to react in a spirited manner in emergency situations,” said an officer. The force was created in 1994 and the IGP’s unit has a bus. The SSP’s force has a Swaraj Mazda, a truck, two water cannons and two riot-control vehicles. A police officer said two rooms, including one for women staff, had been allotted in the basement of the police headquarters. However, the deplorable condition of rooms allotted to the staff with no furniture speak volumes of the official apathy. Sources said senior police officers in the past had toyed with the idea of giving accommodation to these personnel at the home guard complex in Sector 17. The concept failed to yield results due to lack of co-ordination and communication in case of emergencies.
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Revolver goes off accidentally at hospital
Chandigarh, November 16 Though no one was injured in the incident, the police booked a man under the provision of the Arms Act and carrying a weapon without permission in Chandigarh. According to the police, the incident took place at around 6 pm when a revolver belonging to 52-year-old Sukhdev Singh of Phase X, Mohali, accidentally went off. Though the hospital staff noticed a sound, they mistook it to be cracker burst. Taking advantage, Sukhdev Singh, who was admitted to the hospital for backache, checked out of the hospital. The SHO of the Sector 17 police station, Ramesh Chand Sharma, said the incident came to light when a sweeper noticed a shattered windowpane and a shell of a bullet. The police checked the record and called Sukhdev Singh to the hospital. The SHO said Sukhdev Singh admitted that the shot was fired from his revolver when he was collecting his articles after being discharged from the hospital. He had kept the revolver under his pillow. The police initially booked him under the provision of the Arms Act, but later found the accused also did not have permission to carry the firearm in Chandigarh. The police also booked him for violating prohibitory orders and endangering life. He was later released on bail.
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Dadu Majra sits on garbage
Chandigarh, November 16 The dumping ground, created by the Chandigarh administration, caters to the needs of the entire city as heaps of garbage are dumped here every day. Though a disposal plant is located adjacent to it for regular and timely disposal of garbage, heaps of garbage and stench put a question mark on its
efficiency. “It is impossible to live here. The constant stink and mosquitoes have made our lives a living hell. We have approached the authorities numerous times but to no avail. One can’t stand here even for a minute,” said Ramvir Singh, a resident of Dadu Majra. “The issue is not dumping but proper disposal. The administration has been unable to maintain the area. Neither has the garbage been covered with soil nor have chemicals been sprayed for its decomposition,” said another resident. According to residents, their repeated requests to shift the dumping ground from here was answered by fencing the area. “Does fence bar smell and air and infection?” said a resident. While a visit to the area is enough to corroborate the resident’s claims, mayor Pardeep Chabra sees solution in raising the height of the boundary wall. “We can’t shift the plant but can increase the height of the boundary wall. I don’t think the disposal is improper but I will verify it myself. I will speak to officials of the garbage disposal plant,” he said.
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Supdt’s
Transfer
Chandigarh, November 16 Iqbal Singh Sidhu (47), the applicant, who works as a senior station superintendent, Northern Railway, Jagraon station, stated that he had challenged his transfer from the Ferozpur division to Lucknow division before the CAT. Pronouncing the judgment on his previous application filed on January 3, the tribunal directed the Railways to allow the applicant to perform his duties at Jagraon till the case was being scrutinized. Thereafter, the Railways transferred the applicant from the Ferozpur division to Ambala division. He moved another application in which he had challenged the claim that he was transferred at his own behest. He contested that in the absence of any such consent the applicant could not be transferred from one division to another under the rules. Sidhu maintained that he had made a representation against the impugned transfer orders on April 7. He stated that he could not be transferred during the pendency of departmental proceedings. He averred that the normal tenure of the stay at a particular station is of four years as per the rules and the transfer is thus violating the guidelines. The respondents argued that there was no bar on transferring the applicant during the pendency of departmental action if circumstances warrant
so. The tribunal held, “If the respondents give due consideration to the representation and assess the feasibility of postponing the applicant’s transfer order till the end of this financial year, without any adverse administrative repercussions and pass an
order.”
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Matrimonial
Dispute
Chandigarh, November 16 Giving details of the development in the case, Kulwant Singh Pannu, DSP (women cell) said, “The police is making an all-out effort to reunite the couple. For the purpose, two reconciliation sessions were held separately, one with Rishi and his family and the other with Nupur and her family”. He also added that the police was hopeful of a positive outcome. “It seems that both the parties are interested in settling the dispute (matrimonial) amicably”, said Pannu while maintaining that such sessions would be continued in the coming days. It is to be noted that Nupur had made charges of harassment, torture and illegal confinement against her in-laws in her complaint to the Woman and Child Support Unit, Chandigarh Police here on Friday night. The complainant, Nupur Aggarwal is wife of Rishi Aggarwal, who owns Globe Toyota Agency and JCDL factory, manufacturing bodies of trucks and buses at Lalru.
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Residents find proposed draft amendment unjustified
Panchkula, November 16 The association in its objections filed with S. C. Chaudhary, IAS, financial commissioner, and principal secretary to the government of Haryana, the urban local bodies department, and to look into the matter before taking any action for protecting the incapable personalities in many of the councils in the state. A notification regarding the draft amendment for the provision under the Haryana municipal election rules, 1978, for the existing provision of the no confidence motion to one year, instead of six months at present, against the president and vice-president of the municipal council, from the notified date of election, had been issued by the Haryana government recently. The association even suggested that the tenure should be reduced by three months instead of six months to bring the no confidence motion against the incapable person so as to avoid loss to the government as well as to the public effected at large as in many cases the people have to bear the people on these posts despite no development in the respective towns.
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Wolf scare still haunts villagers
Panchkula, November 16 However, it has remained a mystery till now that what animal attacked the villagers. Deputy wildlife warden Malkiat Singh said though the nature of attacks suggested that it could be a wolf, but till now wolf was never spotted in the region. There is presence of the panthers in the forests, he said. However, the injuries and the nature of attack are not found in, the way the panthers attack on their prey. The panthers attack the child and take it away, but in the present case, it kept on mauling three persons including two children and one woman the same time, he added. The wildlife personnel remained in the area yesterday night, but nothing was spotted by them. Even the pug marks shown by the villagers were also found to be of stray dogs, said Malkiat. However, a trap has been laid in the area and a team of four persons from the department armed with fire arms and a pick van has also been deputed, which would remain there today night, said the warden.
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Senior citizen pays for contractor’s carelessness
Mohali, November 16 A contractor has been entrusted the work of repairing the parking lot of the Phase X market. The victim’s son told The Tribune that the contractor had neither put up barricading nor used a warning sign to caution road users. As per the practice, the contractor is supposed to seal the area of development work. The victim had gone to the market to operate his ATM card when he fell from the scooter. There have been instances in the past when negligence on the part of contractors has proved life-threatening for residents. Few months ago, students had a miraculous escape when a school bus in which they were travelling fell in to a dug-up portion of road near Madanpura village here.
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Techno symposium ends
Mohali, November 16 The singer belted out his famous number “Kainthewala” and foot tapping Punjabi folk boliyaan. Earlier on the first day of the techno-cultural symposium, there were many attractions for the visitors. More than 5,000 students from various schools and colleges in and around Chandigarh participated during the two-day mega event. The winners of the various competitions held during the two-day mega event were: Poster making competition- Simarjeet Singh of Shishu Niketan, Chandigarh, 1 and Aditi Sharma of St. Xavier’s Paper presentation contest: Team of Ashish and Utsav of Rayat Engineering 1; Saloni and Swati of CEC, Landran, 2 Parteek and Rahul, CEC, Landran, won the on-the-spot-programming contest. Brushless painting: Mitika of 35 Model School got the first prize, while in the event Volta face Vikas Kumar of CEC, Landran, stood first, in Collage making Sakhi and Dimple of CCP, Landran, won the first prize. Mithali of St. Stephen School, Chandigarh, won the first prize in solo dance category, while Mukul of CCH, Landran, was adjudged second. Anshul and Babita of CGC won the couple dance contest. In college-level group dance competition CGC Rockers were adjudged first, while Mania and group of Rayat Engineering College won the second prize. Another main attraction of “Parivartan” was the fashion show in which Gurdayal Singh and Parminder Kaur was given the title of Mr and Miss Parivartan, respectively.
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Bajaj ties up with Disney
Chandigarh, November 16 The company will also foray into new high potential sectors, including building management systems, electronic security systems, fire alarm systems and gas appliances, said BEL chairman and managing director, Shekhar Bajaj, while addressing mediapersons. The company, which had a total sale of Rs 1,404 crore in 2007-08, is anticipating a turnover of over Rs 1,700 crore by the end of the current fiscal. “We are targeting sales of over Rs 1,700 crore by 2008-09,” BEL executive director Anant Bajaj said, adding that they were now looking to explore solar products. The CMD also stated that they had tied up with Disney and attained the licencing rights to use Disney characters on
ceiling fans.
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‘Gopurm’ inaugurated
Chandigarh, November 16 According to P.A. Shaji, president of the Sree Ayyappa Samajam, the gate was constructed according to traditional Kerala temple architecture. A cultural programme was organised on the occasion. Dr John V. George, DGP (Prisons) Haryana, who was to release the souvenir, did not turn up for the function.
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Dental conference to begin today
Panchkula, November 16 While the pre-conference course has already been started at Swami Devi Dayal Dental College, Barwala, today, 16 speakers from USA and Europe have confirmed their participation at the conference, said Dr Ashish Jain, organising secretary of the conference. In addition to Dr Bhagwant Singh, vice-president of the Asia Pacific Dental Federation Prof Ray Williams, Dr Serge Dibart and Dr Van Dyae would be prominent among the participants, he said.
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Annual day celebrated
Chandigarh, November 16 Highlighting the activities of the association Satyavan Bhatnagar, president, said it had been providing scholarships to 55 schoolgoing children, two polytechnic students and rendering financial help to four destitute widows, spending Rs 85,000 every year. The association honoured six leading doctors of the city, Dr Rajinder Singh and Dr Meenu Singh, Dr S.K. Sharma, Dr S. Varma, Dr Jagmohan S. Varma and Dr Ashok Attri.
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Customer meet held
Chandigarh, November 16 A.C. Verma, managing director, informed the business turnover of the bank, which had a network of 829 branches and 42 extension counters, had crossed Rs 1,00,000 crore. The bank has earned a profit of Rs 193.85 crore for the half-year ended September 2008. With the net NPA at 0.54 per cent and capital adequacy ratio of 12.15 per cent, the bank continues to be among the strongest banks in the country.
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No check on vehicle theft in city
Chandigarh, November 16 Gurnam Singh, a resident of Sector 10, complained to the police that someone has stolen his Maruti car, bearing number CH 03-C 3126, from his residence on the night intervening November 14 and 15. In another case, a motor cycle was stolen from the parking of Piccadilly theatre. Avtar Chand of Anandpur Sahib, Ropar, reported that someone has stolen his Discover motor cycle (PB-16-C-6001) from the parking on November 6 during office hours. Cases under Section 379 of the IPC have been registered.
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Book on aviation released
Chandigarh, November 16 “Each letter of the alphabet from A to X have been devoted to a particular theme of subject, with the last two letters, Y and Z, being reserved for the developments in the years to come, the author, Wg Cdr D.P. Sabharwal said. The book contains hundreds of photographs, monographs, illustrations and diagrams and deals with diverse aviation topics . The book was released at AeroTech-2008, a seminar on advances in aerospace technologies held here by the DRDO and a copy of the book was also presented to former President, Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam.
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PGI staff to go on mass leave today
Chandigarh, November 16 The association, alleging that the management did not take any step towards considering their demands, had served a notice in this regard yesterday. The technicians are demanding for implementing the pay scales at par with AIIMS, New Delhi.
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Raipur Khurd cries for water
Chandigarh, November 16 The residents rue that not only the water supply is erratic, but whatever water they get is also contaminated and is not fit for human consumption. They also alleged that their repeated pleas with the authorities to rectify the error had fallen on deaf ears.
— TNS
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20 given artificial limbs
Chandigarh, November 16 President of the Rotary Chandigarh Midtown President Saroj Jhawar, past president of the Rotary Wollaton Park Mohan Khera and other rotarians were also present on the occasion. Artificial limbs were fitted by past president of Chandigarh Midtown and Prosthetic Consultant Dr. V.J.S. Vohra of Nevedac Prosthetic Clinic.
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North-south divide needs to be bridged
This is with reference to the article “Reshaping the City Beautiful” by Raveen Thukral (Chandigarh Tribune, November 10). I am amused to know that a city which is known as the “City Beautiful” is without any “Master Plan”. Although since the introduction of economic reforms in 1991, there has been a rapid transformation with new projects like Film and Education City, IT Park, Amusement Park, golf courses and malls, etc. It is still a compact and a livable city with excellent health and social infrastructures and a pollution-free environment. Planners without “Master Plan” have done well in greening the city and providing adequate parking facilities. However, a disturbing feature of the planning is the ever-widening north-south divide. With a population of over one million plus (9, 00,000 is mentioned by the writer) and with heavy influx of migrants daily, its demographic composition is undergoing a rapid change and this affects the southern part of the city in respect of various public utilities. At the same time, it is an established fact that southern sectors have always been discriminated against in matters of development. The major thrust of the administration is confined to the northern part of the city. On the flip side, there is a deterioration of roads with big potholes wanting recarpeting for years together, naked electricity wires vulnerable to fatal accidents with erratic streetlights, deplorable condition of parks, including green-belts, poor sanitation where garbage remains piled up for days together in various corners, supply of contaminated water etc are the major concerns of the administration. Actually, the administration is Sector 17-centric. Parallels between Chandigarh and some of its foreign counterparts are always drawn. Practically, whenever any foreigner visits, he is shown around only the northern part of the city. It is pity that a small city with a top-heavy administration and no dearth of resources has become causalty on account of poor micro-planning. This may be because of the insensitivity on the part of the administration. Why the citizens being highly literate are so mute and helpless is anybody’s guess. It will be fair enough on the part of the administration to have a “Master Plan” for the city and let the tourists also visit and enjoy the southern belt of the city beautiful. S.K. Khosla, Chandigarh II
The city was planned for just 5 lakh people and it has already accommodated almost double that number. One-third of its population lives in slums. This is something that was never anticipated by any planner. Chandigarh will never be able to bear the extra load of population, which will play havoc with the planning of the region. The UT has gone for group housing societies and flats in various sectors. Unplanned growth of flats on the periphery of the city has affected the city’s master plan. The administration is also not serious about putting the city back on the rails by removing encroachments and illegal colonies. The Capitol Complex and City Centre designed by Le Corbusier have also not been maintained. Sahil Garg,
Chandigarh
III
Everyone knows that Chandigarh is a modern and beautiful city. It is famous in the world for its good planning. Then Le Corbusier conceived the master plan of Chandigarh as analogous of human body with clearly defined head. Now the time has changed. The population of the city is increasing day by day due to many reasons. While change is inevitable, one should plan for it in such a manner that the basic character of the city is not altered in an arbitrary manner. It is true that the administration gets its act together and formulates a comprehensive and a visionary master plan for this city after due consultations and then goes about developing it while retaining its unique character. So, the area should be developed by the governments in their areas surrounding Chandigarh according to the master plan of Le Corbusier. Sumesh Kumar Badhwar,
S.A.S. Nagar
IV
The periphery controlled area was created with two objectives of ensuring a planned future expansion of the new capital and to prevent mushrooming of unplanned construction around it. The Punjab Capital Control Act,1952, accordingly aimed at regulating the use of land and preventing unathourised and unplanned urbanisation on a 16-km periphery. Since then, planned townships of SAS Nagar and Panchkula have come up on the periphery over time. Chandigarh is not only the capital of the two state governments and UT is also important commercial and institution hub which houses the offices of several states. The city is under pressure on housing and social
infrastructure. Yes, with time we need to expand the city but we must preserve the basic character of the Chandigarh master plan. We must not touch the architecture of the city as well as the green belt be
preserved. We must not forget the preamble laid down by Le Corbusier. The city was meant to house not more than 5 lakh people. Chandigarh is the first planned modern city of India and let it carry forward the same pattern to expand with time but we should not play havoc with the master plan. Opinder Kaur Sekhon,
Chandigarh
V
A city like Chandigarh which was conceived from scratch with a definite master plan requires to evolve with the emerging needs which is putting pressure on the infrastructure, especially with the rising population and increasing vehicular density, which is the highest in the country for any city. The Administration must have a permanent think tank to discuss the various aspects of the city's future requirements and suggest policy measures. To make it world class, there has to be more streamlining of the city's transportation system, where rickety rickshaws, polluting three-wheelers need to be replaced by more green alternatives like solar or electric buses. Greening of the vacant patches, clearing congress grass and bushes, paving the unpaved areas to prevent dust, and adding a little more colour to the city is an essential requirement. C.J. Singh,
Chandigarh
VI
The UT Administration has made a number of schemes after 1965 for people by providing them with modern housing facilities. Now, the population of the city has been increased manifold. More than 30 per cent people are migrants from the other states residing in the colonies. The Periphery Control Act was also passed in 1952 to ensure that there was no unauthorised development in the vicinity that would put pressure on the infrastructure and civic amenities of Chandigarh. But periphery areas has been constructed and the governments has regularised these.This has reduced pressure on Chandigarh but beauty of the city has been reduced. It is high time that the administration to prepare a modern master plan without altering the character of the city. The encroachments are blatant which are against the spirit of the Le Corbusier’s edict . M L Garg,
Chandigarh
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All PU gates go electronic
Chandigarh, November 16 A few months ago, the university authorities had constituted a committee to review security arrangements on the campus and it was then decided to install drop gates. These drop gates will check the entry of outsiders on the campus. Any outsider entering the campus will be required to deposit the documents of the vehicle with security men in the office. Only one entry point has been opened after 6 pm for commuters. Officials claimed that every vehicle, which would enter the campus, would be checked. “There was no security in the campus earlier, but now it seems some changes have been made and even cars are properly checked at the entry points,” said Varun Madan, a student of Panjab University. Earlier, there was private security on the campus, which was costing the varsity Rs 4 lakh and actually that too didn’t work. That’s why permanent security has been deployed once again for the same purpose. Vijaypal, chief of university security, said, “There will be two lanes at all entry points, one for the sticker holders and other for the outsiders, and they have to submit their identity proof while entering on the campus.”
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Trophy goes to SGGS College for Women
Our Correspondent
Chandigarh, November 16 As many as seven teams comprising 100 artistes from colleges participated in the competition. The commemorative is held in the memory of acclaimed young thespian Prabhat Gupta who sacrificed his life while saving a child. The chief guest Sumit Kumar, chief manager SBI (PU), awarded the Prabhat Memorial Running trophy Guru Gobing Singh College for Women for play “Jis pind da koi naa nahi” which also won the Mata Partap Kaur running trophy being the best “Mahila” team. The second prize was bagged by Dev Samaj College for Women, Sec-45, for play “Kajri” while the third prize went to S.G.G.S. College for play “Bhavikh di awaz”. Other winners include best actress Shantnu Arora, SGGS-26 (I), and Raj Kalia, GC Education- 20 (II). Girls performing male characters, best actor Charu of Guru Gobing Singh College of Women, Sec-26, and Anupam of Dev Samaj College of Women, Sec-45 (II) Histrionics- Pritika GCG-42 (I) prize. Anupam of Dev Smaj College(II).
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Razzmatazz at St Joseph’s
Chandigarh, November 16 Roopkiran Randhawa, a student, was awarded for her outstanding academic performance for being among the top .1 percent of successful candidates in English communicative while Harleen Kaur was given the same honour for being the successful candidate in Social sciences of the all India secondary school examination, 2008. The school organized a cultural event “Razzmatazz” to kick-start the celebratory note on Friday at the school’s premises. D.S. Bedi, president of the independent school’s association, Chandigarh and chairman of the Shivalik group of the institutions presided over the function. The students presented Manipuri and Haryana dances during the occasion. The neglect of girl child in India was portrayed in the form of a dance display “Taare Zameen par”. The Hindi play “Badlaav” with a message of simplicity and of thought and action and the ideals of father of nation Gandhiji was staged.
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Ashmah kids celebrate
Children’s Day
Mohali, November 16 The campus was decorated with flowers, balloons, along with the beautiful display of Chacha Nehru's photographs, on the entire campus. The teachers taught the kids about the relevance of the day. Principal of the school Roopinder Ghuman guided the children to follow in the footsteps of Chacha Nehru and hence bring good name to their families and the school.
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