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Kalagram Spat
Chandigarh, October 29 NZCC director DS Saroya, who had shot off a strongly-worded letter on the topic to UT home secretary Ram Niwas, today said the questions raised by him in his letter regarding setting up the ‘shilpgram’ was a nonissue. “The UT administration has given an assurance that all laid down procedures for setting up of such a shilpgram would be followed according to NZCC and central government guidelines and that there is no intention on the part of the administration to take over the land of the Kalagram for this purpose”, he added. The home secretary also clarified there was no move to outsource the project to the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) as the entire project and its planning was at a conceptual stage and the agency for constructing the permanent structure of the ‘shilpgram’ would be decided by the competent authority. Meanwhile, the crafts mela organised by the UT administration and NZCC has drawn unprecedented crowds during the first five days. So far over 250,000 visitors have visited the mela and various handloom and handicraft items at the stalls set up by around 200 crafts persons from different regions were reporting brisk sales. The cultural extravaganza displayed by over 300 folk artists have added rich colour and variety to this mega event.
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UT gives fire safety norms the go-by
Chandigarh, October 29 While visiting the fair it was found none of the fire safety regulations prescribed by the UT fire & emergency services department for such events are being followed by the stall owners and organizers. According to the official release, the administration claims over two lakh visitors have so far visited the mela during the last four days. However, the fire safety arrangements that have been made at the mela clearly depict how serious the administration and the municipal corporation’s fire department is about the safety of the public. Strangely, the electricity connections, which are supposed to be given on the wooden poles as per the fire and safety norms, were given at iron poles at the site. Most of the electricity wires hanging at the poles could lead to a major fire incident. Sources said several complaints had been made to the administration, pointing out such electricity connections cannot be given for events like these, but the authorities have failed to take any action so far. The sources added a joint meeting was held between administration and MC officials to draw up a map for parking fire tenders at various locations at the mela. As per the plan, a fire tender should have been stationed near eating joints as they were running their business in temporary huts made up of dry grass and were using LPG cylinders in their kitchens. Considering it a sensitive area, fire officers had recommended that a fire tender be parked near the joints so that if any mishap happens the firemen could take immediate action to save it. During a visit to the mela it was found the tender was parked outside the block of the joint. When asked about the change in its location, a security guard at the site revealed on the inaugural day one of the senior officials issued instructions not to allow the fire tender to park in front of the eating joints as it “affected the beauty of the site”. An official said on the condition of anonymity that if any mishap occurs it would take a fire tender over five minutes to reach the scene. This would defeat the purpose of parking special fire tenders at the site, he added. Another fire tenders was supposed to be parked near the stage, according to the plan, as the performers used a number of electronic gadgets during their programmes and if any incident occurred due to short circuit it could be controlled in time. During the visit to the mela it was found this fire tender was parked at the parking lot of Kalagram. Fire department officials had also requested the administration no vehicle should be allowed to park at the road near the entrance to the Kalagram parking lot so that fire tenders could move freely if there was any fire incident. Surprisingly the VIP vehicles and big vans of caterers, who have their eating joints at the mela, block most of the area.
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5 more down with swine flu
Chandigarh, October 29 "The test results of five suspected swine flu cases tested positive today. Of the total positive cases one is admitted at PGI with the rest undergoing treatment at their homes where they have been quarantined,” UT nodal officer for swine flu HC Gera said. A total of 362 suspected cases have been reported so far in all the government hospitals. A 19-year-old youth residing in Sector 22 who had recently developed fever and cough reported at the PGI yesterday. “He was showing symptoms of the virus and the PGI later confirmed it,” said Gera. His condition is said to be stable now and his symptoms are also subsiding. The UT health department has ‘quarantined’ the victim’s family members. Meanwhile, four other cases of swine flu were detected after tests conducted at the PGI on two sisters and their children tested positive. “Both sisters and their kids came in contact with a positive swine flu patient,” said Gera. A 26-year-old woman and her nine month-old baby from Mandi Gobindgarh and a 24-year-old woman and her two year-old daughter from Yamunanagar, who had complained of sore throat, sneezing and running nose, were found to have swine flu like symptoms during a checkup at PGI. “The test results of samples all four were positive. As they are the residents of Mandi Gobindgarh and Yamunanagar we have informed the health authorities in those towns, added Gera. Meanwhile, two-suspected cases of H1N1 influenza were reported at PGI today. “Throat swab samples have been sent to the PGI for lab tests. The reports will come in a day," said Gera.
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Bungling
Chandigarh, October 29 “The report not only found them guilty of extorting money from the children but also subjecting them to physical punishment to manipulate the school records. The inquiry report, which brought out grave financial irregularities, said school authorities failed to provide proper bills to justify the expenditure of funds, thereby bringing their motives under the scanner,” said home secretary Ram Niwas. It may be noted that the inquiry was marked following a protest by parents accusing the principal and staff members of demanding huge amounts of money from the students. The probe brought to the fore the callous and insensitive attitude of the school authorities. As per its findings, while UT education rules have no provision for charging any money for diaries, ID cards or report cards from students below class XI, the school authorities had collected Rs 45 from each student. Not only this the authorities were also found guilty of appending the signatures on a circular mentioning a collection of Rs 20, the record of which was not up to the mark. The statements of students revealed that one of the teachers, Narender Shastri, resorted to corporal punishment to get these signatures. Two other teachers - Surinder Kaur and Neelam Thakur - were held responsible for gross financial irregularities in the school records. The committee also recommended action against another teacher, Sheo Ram, for not dealing with electricity wire problems, thereby endangering students’ lives.
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Mohali set to expand limit
Mohali, October 29 Due to hardship faced by residents of 28 villages in travelling to Patiala, their current district headquarters, the village panchayats have sought their inclusion in Mohali district. In response to their demand Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has directed revenue officials to conduct a feasibility study before putting up the case before the state financial commissioner (revenue). The Banur civic body has also sought inclusion in Mohali district. After the issue was raised before the CM during a recent ‘sangat darshan’ meet at Dera Bassi, directions were issued to work out the details after carrying out the necessary exercise. Mohali deputy commissioner Prabhjot Singh Mand said the panchayats have been asked to pass a resolution. “The details of the villages have been forwarded to the Patiala deputy commissioner to ascertain the feasibility of shifting the villages”, he added. The logic given by the villagers was that they would have to travel a shorter distance from Banur to Mohali than that between Banur and Patiala. NK Sharma, chairman of the district planning committee, said the entire process
of including the villages would be completed soon. Presently, Mohali district comprises 1,200 square kilometres and includes Mohali townships, Kurali, Kharar, Banur and Dera Bassi. A revenue official said inclusion of the villages would be more of a political decision. “Though the district headquarters at Mohali would be nearer to Banur, the distance from the tehsil office in Dera Bassi would be bigger than that from the present tehsil office in Rajpura. Most of the works are often related to the tehsil level”, pointed out sources. Another problem could be that villages are part of the Rajpura constituency that falls in the Patiala parliamentary seat. “It would technically difficult to shift the villages”, said a senior Rajpura official. Since the area of Mohali district falls within the jurisdiction of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), inclusion of the villages would mean more development.
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Fiza to enter national politics
Mohali, October 29 Addressing a press conference at her residence here, Fiza, who married former Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan in December, which led to several controversies, said though she had had offers to join parties since the very beginning, she had been looking for an appropriate time. With elections in Haryana already over and the political future of Bhajan Lal and his family in the doldrums, she had decided to step into the political arena, she added. She said she would prefer to start her political career from Uttar Pradesh, as she had adopted Islam and people there would sympathise with her. She was looking to enter politics early next year, she added. Sitting with four earthen lamps in her hands, she said she was celebrating the defeat of the HJC, the party floated by Bhajan Lal, as the family was responsible for her miseries. Each of the four lamps symbolised the defeat of Jasma Devi, setback to Bhajan Lal, Kuldeep Bishnoi and Chander Mohan, who had been dreaming of regaining power in the state, she added. On the case filed against Chander Mohan of alleged rape and hurting religious sentiments in a Mohali court, she said the hearing was slated for November 28.
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BKU (Ekta) chief, gen secy turn in
Chandigarh, October 29 The police said president and general secretary of the BKU Joginder Ugrahan and Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan today surrendered at the police station this afternoon. The SHO of the police station said the leaders would be produced before a local court for a police remand. The police wanted to arrested the remaining representatives of the union involved in the rioting and looting and also wanted to recover the articles looted by them during the rampage at Hotel Shivalikview. Three leaders of the union had surrendered earlier this week. Among others, senior leader of the union Shangara Singh Mann is wanted by the police in four cases registered on September 8. The police had arrested 42 farmers the same day. Meanwhile, the union, in a press note, alleged that the police had registered false cases against the farmers and their leaders to oppress their voices. The farmers had organised a massive rally on September 8 against the privatisation of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB). The state press secretary of the union, Hardip Singh Talewal, stated that they would not let the authorities go-ahead with their plans of disintegrating the PSEB and would further intensify their stir.
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Epilepsy syndromes among kids highlighted
Chandigarh, October 29 During the workshop, experts highlighted different epilepsy syndromes of early infancy and childhood and their management was also discussed. Several recent techniques in management like use of special diets and vagal nerve stimulation for the treatment of poorly controlled epilepsy were also cited. The other faculties for this workshop were Dr N Desai, Mumbai, and Dr. V Murugan, the UK. The second workshop was conducted on neurodevelopmental issues by Dr. Prahbhjot Malhi. This workshop highlighted the issues on normal and abnormal childhood developmental topics like autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. The rehabilitation of motor problems in such children was also demonstrated by the Physiotherapy department, PGI Chandigarh. Several psychometric tests and evaluations were demonstrated to the participants, who could use these tests in day-to-day practice. Prof P Singhi, Prof. M Juneja, Dr P Suman and Dr B Bharati were the other faculty members. The third workshop dealt with issues of neurometabolic and neurogenetic disorders and was conducted by Dr C Prasad, Canada, Dr S Zuberi, the UK and Dr M Kabra, Delhi. This session highlighted the topics of how genes and metabolic pathways influence the development of several neurological disorders in children. The importance of recognition of such disorders in regular clinical practice was stressed upon the participants as they not only have treatment implications on the children but also influence the chance of recurrence in future pregnancies. Detection of these diseases go a long way in prevention of these often lethal diseases by appropriate genetic counselling.
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1 lakh kids given polio drops
Chandigarh, October 29 In the city, mop-up round of the campaign held on October 27, 28 and 29 for effective coverage of 0-5 year-old children against this dreaded disease. The campaign completed successfully under the guidance of Ram Niwas, Health Secretary, UT, the mission director, NRHM-cum-Director, Health and Family Welfare, and the Joint Director, Health and Family Welfare-cum-Medical Superintendent, GMSH-16, along
with their teams in various slums, colonies, villages and other areas of the city. Various Non-Government Organisations, religious leaders, Municipal Councillors of Chandigarh contributed by motivating parents to participate in this campaign. Vaccinations were provided by the PGIMER, nursing colleges and the NSS. Volunteers from various colleges and schools also participated. Independent monitors deputed by the World Health Organisation inspected various areas of Chandigarh and appreciated the efforts made by the Chandigarh Administration for maintaining the quality of services and management of the
campaign in such a short notice.
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Satellite imaging for rail navigation soon
Chandigarh, October 29 The Director-General HS Pannu, who was in the city to participate in the 2-day international conference on “Optics and Photonics” to be held from October 30 to mark the golden jubilee of the CSIO, Chandigarh, stated this to the media here today. Pannu said the RDSO had earlier installed lazer-guided systems in the trains but these did not help train drivers during foggy conditions and were also harming their eyesight. He said the new system would help the drivers simulate the one-km dense fog. Commenting on the GPS system installed by the Railways at level crossings in the country, Pannu said though these were effective in warning the people about the approaching train, as miscreants stole the solar cells, these became ineffective. He said efforts were also on to develop a system, which would help in dispersing the fog. About the derailing of trains, Pannu said they were also trying to develop the electronic brakes with the help of IIT Kanpur, which would help in detecting heating of bearings of the wheels. He said this would also help in minimising the breaking disasters, as the drivers would be able to stop the train within few seconds. He further announced that they were also trying to invent a device, which would help in minimising the vibrations on the railway tracks. He said this would also help in increasing the speed of the trains and help the Railways to introduce more trains to target the double rush as proposed in the 11th Plan.
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Dog bites five Punjab sectt staffers
Chandigarh, October 29 The employees said this black dog had been roaming around the building since yesterday and they had informed the security personnel to complain about it to the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation. When the employees were coming out from driver’s room of the building, the dog bit two of them. The stray dog also bit Singh, who was standing at the parking lot waiting for
his vehicle. When other employees, standing there, started throwing stones at the dog, it went towards cycle stand and bit an employee posted there. The employees alleged that they had made the complaint to the MC, the medical health officer department, but till evening, no action had been taken by their team. They said earlier also such an incident had occurred, when a bitch bit a number of employees. The employees lamented that the stray dog menace was increasing with every passing day and the local MC was doing nothing to curb it. There had been a gradual increase in the incidents of dog bites as the population of stray dogs had been increasing alarmingly.
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Khadya Nigam staff hold protest
Chandigarh, October 29 The protesters condemned the management’s offer of 25 per cent fitment benefits and 50 per cent increase in fringed benefits to the union at a meeting at the FCI head office in New Delhi on October 27-28. “We had, on the other hand, demanded 40 per cent plus two increments as fitment benefits and 100 per cent raise in fringe benefits”, said Yogesh Jairath, BKNKS working state secretary, Punjab. The protesters said if their demands were not accepted the BKNKS along with allied unions would launch a ‘work-to-rule’ joint agitation from November 10. Besides BKNKS state chairman Sutanter Kumar, others who addressed the protest gathering were Ramesh Rana, working president, SS Chatha, national president and Sukhdev Kumar, state president of the FCI Class IV Employees Union.
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DM orders on engaging labour
Chandigarh, October 29 The decision has been taken in the wake of cases of criminals and anti-social elements, seeking refuge in the unorganised sectors by engaging themselves in trades and services such as plying of rickshaws, rehris, auto-rickshaws or running business like phari/dhobi/cobblers, etc. The district magistrate emphasised that by engaging themselves in the economic life of the city, they managed to hide their identity and pose a threat to peace of the city. Any breach of this order would invite action under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The order will come into effect from zero hours on October 30 and remain effective for 60 days up to December 28.
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Implementation of policy for elderly reviewed
Chandigarh, October 29 In his keynote address, Help Age national director, Dr Harvinder Singh Bakshi, said there was a need for accelerating the pace of the implementation of the national policy announced for the senior citizens in 1999, as not much headway had been made in this regard. He urged the Central and the state governments, besides the civil society organisations to work in cooperation for achieving the objectives of the policy and emphasised on the need of a state policy so that the work for elderly could be done in a systematic way. Harjit Singh, commissioner disability, Punjab, informed about the state government’s initiatives on the senior citizens needs and requirements. He also highlighted the role of social security department in providing services to
the elderly. The recommendations of the seminar would be considered and appropriate measures would be taken for augmenting the well being of the elderly, he added.
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Nominations invited for women award
Chandigarh, October 29 The award can be given to women, who have done work in various fields, including support and rehabilitation of women and children, especially in difficult circumstances like destitute women and children, widows, victims of atrocities and conflicts, disabled women and children, aged women or promoting self-help groups or support to women in the agriculture and rural industry, including promotion of technology to reduce drudgery or environment protection or empowerment of women for community and political participation or health or creating awareness and consciousness on women’s issues through the arts, media, community-based programmes etc. These awards are on the names of the eminent women personalities, including Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar, Kanngi, Mata Jijabai, Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang, Rani Lakshmi Bai and Rani Rudramme Devi. The objective of the awards is to recognize publicly women who achieved success in the face of adversity and difficulties with strength of courage and determination so that they could become the role models for the future generations of women. The awards will carry a cash prize and a citation. The nominations of suitable persons along with bio-data should be sent to the office of Director, Social Welfare, Sector 17, by October 31, 2009.
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Mayor dumps plan to buy trucks
Chandigarh, October 29 Sources revealed that Kamlesh rejected the agenda of purchasing of trucks for the enforcement department with a plea that the staff indulged in corruption and there was no transparency in their working. She advised the commissioner to focus on making the employees sincere to their work only then plans be passed to strengthen the infrastructure of the department. Even the agenda of the widening of V-4 roads in Sector 21 and 22 was deferred when members raised the objection that only last year the department had laid paver blocks on the pedestrian path and now they were asking to remove it for the widening of road, which was a sheer wastage of MC money. They asked the department to prepare common agenda for development of this area so that the lack of coordination among different departments may not result in the wastage of funds. Meanwhile, the committee approved agendas which included estimate of Rs 24.71 lakh for providing active simmering volcano water feature in green belt in Sctor 35 C and D, estimate of Rs. 21.97 lakh for the work of construction of pump chamber and boundary wall at various tubewells and boosters in Mauli Jagran and Manimajra, disposal of condemned vehicles in mechanical section of road division No 2, issuance of rain coat and gum shoes to the eligible group C and D employees of the MoH on field duty. Besides this, estimates for boring tubewells in Industrial Area, Ph-I, Sector 21-D , purchasing of four dumper placers for the medical officer, health wing, free solar rickshaws to rickshaw pullers, registered with the corporation through draw of lot and development of dumping ground as theme garden up to the limit of 35 lakh were also
placed.
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Science conference from today
Chandigarh, October 29 CSIO director Pawan Kapur said the conference would provide an ideal forum to discuss key areas of science and technology on optics and photonics, which was growing rapidly enabling researchers and academics for multi-disciplinary areas.
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Half-working day in schools
Chandigarh, October 29 Notice served
A division branch of Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) issued notice to Education Secretary DPOI and DEO of UT administration in the matter of termination of services of Karam Jit Singh, DPE GMSSS, Sector 47. Karma Jit was terminated by the department for resorting to corporal punishment. The bench, however, questioned the administration for not serving any show-cause notice before taking such a step.
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