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City to have revised master plan
Chandigarh, June 10 With Chandigarh growing by leaps and bounds, particularly Phase III (from Sector 48 onwards), the new master plan is slated to go a long way in giving broad guidelines on the land use and the urban planning norms, sources told The Tribune. The lack of a clear-cut master plan for the city recently led to controversies on land allotment to the big realtors for mega projects, which are under the central investigating agencies’ scanner. The preparation of the master plan is aimed at defining land use and zoning plans, a senior official said. Benninger, who has prepared the urban plans of Thane and Kalyan in Maharastra, will be assisted by a team of local town planners and architects who had worked at the grassroots level since the preparation of master plan requires knowledge of local environmental conditions, sources said. The first attempt to have a master plan for Chandigarh was made with the appointment of American town planner Albert Mayer and Polish architect Mathew Nowicki in the late 1940s. The master plan prepared by the duo, which was reportedly approved by the then Punjab government, is mysteriously not traceable now. However, after Nowicki’s death, Chandigarh’s creator Le Corbusier prepared the city’s master plan which was never documented. It is only available in books and maps prepared by the French architect. Corbusier's master plan was similar to the one prepared by Albert Mayer and Mathew Novicki except that the shape of the city plan was modified from one with a curving road network to rectangular shape with a grid iron pattern for the fast traffic roads. The city plan was conceived as post-war “Garden City” wherein vertical and high-rise buildings were ruled out, keeping in view the socio economic-conditions and living habits of the people. Due to economic constraints, the master plan was to be realised in two phases, catering to a total population of half a million. The Phase-I consisting of 30 low-density sector spread over 9,000 acres (Sector 1 to 30) for 1.5 lakh people whereas Phase-II consisting of 17 considerably high-density sectors (Sectors 31 to 47) spread over 6,000 acres for a population of 3.5 lakh. Meanwhile, welcoming the initiative of the process for the new master plan, Surinder Bahga, chairman of the Punjab-Chandigarh chapter of the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA), said it would be better idea if local experts were involved in the process to evolve a foolproof master plan.
Who is Benninger?
Born in the US in 1942, Benninger has lived and worked in India for the past 40 years. He studied city planning at Massachusets Institute of Technology and Architecture at Harvard University. He founded the School of Urban Planning at Ahmedabad in 1971 along with Balkrishna Doshi and Centre for Development Studies in Pune (1976) involving him in rural development, preparation of city and urban plans for many cities. He has won the Designer of the Year Award (1999) and the American Institute of Architects/Architectural Record Award 2000 for his design of the Mahindra United World College of India. He was awarded the Golden Architect of the year Award instituted by A+D magazine in 2007. He was also conferred the Great Master Architect Award in 2008.
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The beauty-full Game
Chandigarh, June 10 “Ronaldo plus soccer world cup is the most sought after combo for the happy hours to continue for a month,” said Parinaa, Harleen Randhawa, Devika Pathak and Saachi Shante. All these teenagers, who are also budding soccer players, are diehard fans of Ronaldo and want his team Portugal to lift the top honours in the biggest sporting event of the world. When asked about their plans of enjoying the soccer matches, the foursome said in unison: “We are a gang of 10 girls. During every match of Portugal, we will assemble at one of the friend’s place and watch the matches while enjoying snacks and energy drinks,” they said. Being soccer players, the other agenda of these youngsters is to learn the fine nuances of the game while watching the top players in action. “Watching world cup matches would be a learning experience for the budding players like us as it enables us to study the playing styles and skills of the world’s top players,” said Harleen Randhwa, who has represented Chandigarh state twice in football school national games. Another group of teenagers comprising Suman, Pooja and Sonam have other plans. “Whenever the favourite team of any of us will play, we will go to a hotel. If that team wins, the payment will be made by the team’s fan. This is the way we plan to enjoy our outings to watch the much-awaited sporting action,” they said.
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Soccer fans make beeline for sports stores
Chandigarh, June 10 “Our sale has increased by over 70 per cent these days”, said
Jain. This was not the case during the recently held T-20 Cricket World Cup at West Indies and the Indian Premier League
(IPL) tournament in the country, he added. Rajinder Kumar Bajaj, owner of Prime Sports in Sector 7, endorsed this by saying that the demand for FIFA World Cup teams’ T-shirts was more than that of T-shirts of the IPL tourney held recently.” “Against the sale of just one or two replicas of the official T-shirts of the IPL teams in a day, the average sale of soccer teams’ T-shirt has crossed over half dozen every day. Besides, we are selling around 10 footballs in addition to other accessories related to the sport daily”, said Bajaj and added that there had been 50 per cent increase in the sales so far. While rich and brand conscious enthusiasts are purchasing T-shirts (ranging between Rs 2,300 and Rs 3,000) and other items from Adidas and Nike outlets, fans with low budget are going in for replica T-shirts available at prices ranging between Rs 200 and Rs 350. Soccer fans are also demanding for the official world cup football-‘Adidas
Jabulani’, which is pegged at Rs 4,999. “We have placed the order for these balls with the company and my customers are waiting for it”, said
Bajaj. In cricket, the fans only buy T-shirts and caps, whereas in soccer, a number of items including shorts, socks, trek-uppers, studs (football shoes), caps and even perfume and deodorants (all related to the world cup) are being sold like hot cakes, the storeowners said. A young soccer fan,
Parteek, who came with his friend to buy Brazil team’s T-shirt at Sector 17, said, “I am also a big fan of cricket but I have never spent a single penny on its accessories, related to Indian team. Lekin football ki baat hi kuch aur hai (but football is a game with a difference),”.
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Coming up, 2,000 plots in Mullanpur
Mohali, June 10 The proposed estate is the first urban settlement being developed by the authority to the north of Chandigarh. Located along the road to Baddi and nestled in the Shivalik foothills, it will offer plots ranging between 125 square yards (5 marlas) and 500 square yards (1
kanal).
“Once we’re through with the draw of lots for Aerocity, we will launch the Mullanpur urban estate”, said GMADA chief administrator VP Singh. Aerocity is basically an extension of Mohali town. However, the Mullanpur urban estate is based on a totally different concept. Since it is being developed from scratch, state-of-the-art health and knowledge villages as well as and eco tourism related activities have been planned for the area. Jurong Ltd, the consultant for the project, has proposed recreational facilities like an amusement park, spa village, open-air theatres, theme parks and a lifestyle hub, including a golf course and sports facilities, around the seasonal rivulets passing through the area. The housing scheme will have residential, commercial and institutional components. The urban estate will form part of the local planning area in which a health village spread over in 144.6 hectares has been proposed. The intensity of development will be as low as 1.0 floor area ratio (FAR) and the height of buildings will not exceed 20 metres. According to the norms, about 100 people per acre will be allowed. In the Mullanpur master plan, the overall height has been fixed at 20, 30 and 40 metres as the development slope moves away from the base of the ecologically sensitive Shivalik Hills. The aim is to develop the area in a manner that would ensure the view from atop the hills could be maintained. To acquire about 500 acres of land (two sectors) the district land fixation committee has, at a recent meeting, recommended land acquisition rates varying between Rs 80 lakh and Rs 86 lakh an acre for the land in five villages - Devinagar, Bharaujian, Mullanpur, Ratwara Sahib and Ferozepore - being acquired for the estate. The recommended rates have been forwarded to the cabinet subcommittee on land compensation for final approval. After adding 42 per cent solatium and 10 per cent more for not filing a case for enhanced compensation, the total compensation is expected to amount to anything between Rs 1 crore and Rs 1.3 crore an acre. However, landowners in Mullanpur area have been demanding much higher compensation. “The work to widen the Chandigarh-Baddi road is expected to begin soon”, said a GMADA engineering official.
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200 Aerocity plots set aside for riot victims
Mohali, June 10 An increase in the number of plots allocated to members of various categories will obviously reduce those left for the general category. Confirming the development, GMADA chief
administrator VP Singh said following the authority’s request the state government had clarified the position on plots in Aerocity. “ We will offer more plots for members of other categories. However, effort would be made not to reduce the number of plots in the general category”, he said. Plots have been reserved for ‘schedule castes/tribes’ (15 per cent), physically handicapped/blind (3 per cent), freedom fighters (2 per cent), serving and retired defence personnel (4 per cent), 100 per cent disabled soldiers (1 per cent), gallantry award winners belonging to defence and paramilitary forces (2 per cent), legal heirs of army, paramilitary and Punjab police personnel killed in action (2 per cent) and sportspersons (2 per cent). Sources close to GMADA said stringent eligibility conditions would be incorporated in the sale brochure. The authority will also issue a separate public notice or a sale brochure. GMADA estate officer Balbir Singh said the entire process to publicise the benefits extended to riot victims for the housing scheme would be completed within the stipulated time of one month. Meanwhile, the sale of application forms of Aerocity on day four touched around 40,000. The sale figures have been collected from different branches of various banks in the Tricity and other cities. Reports of shortage of applications forms were pouring in from different cities.
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PU lacks transparency, accountability: Task force
Chandigarh, June 10 The task force visited the university to scrutinise its monetary needs vis a vis its current infrastructure. The task force has recommended constitution of suitable governance and monitoring structure to ensure accountability and transparency. The recommendation report, submitted last week to the ministry, a copy of which was procured by TNS, states, “In order to ensure more transparency and accountability, it is desirable that government may place a suitable monitoring and governance structure to ensure proper accountability. A provision may be made in the Panjab University Act for the submission of annual accounts together with the audited report to the government, which shall be laid before both the Houses of Parliament. The government needs to be suitably represented in the Senate and other bodies.” When contacted, Vice-Chancellor RC Sobti refused to comment, saying that recommendations had not been forwarded to him so far. The committee has recommended that funds of Rs 90 crore for repair and renovations and Rs 200 crore for the developmental activities, promised by the University Grants Commission (UGC), may immediately be provided to the varsity but only after getting detailed justification for each project along with priorities. On the financial front, the task force has observed that while pay arrear liability was based on 60:40 ratio, the Punjab government restricted their contribution to Rs 16 crore against the Central government contribution of Rs 32.87 crore. It has suggested that the Central government might consider paying total amount of arrears. It has also raised concern over the budget deficit of the university and recommended the Central government to meet it after adjusting the fixed contribution by the Punjab government from 2010-11. Talking about the pension fund, which stands at Rs 175 crore, the committee observed that it was not viable with the current structure. The committee has offered two alternatives for it. The first is to make pension a part of the budget or to enhance the size of corpus from the present 175 crore to Rs 500 crore.
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N-choe clean-up drive begins in Mohali
Mohali, June 10 The work that should have been allocated much ahead of rains was allotted yesterday after getting clearance from the technical adviser to the Punjab Chief Minister. Starting from the Leisure Valley, embankments on both sides of the choe up to NIPER would be cleaned. However, the scope of the contractor job was not to clean the garbage and filth settled at the bottom of the choe bed. Initially, Rs 1.8 crore had been estimated to clear the wild growth in the choe. However, now the estimate has been brought down to a few lakhs. The choe has been blocked with bushes, dry leaves and other waste material. The contractor has been given a month to remove the wild growth on the embankments of the choe.
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Conjunctivitis cases on the rise in city
Chandigarh, June 10 According to eye specialists, conjunctivitis can be caused due to allergy or bacteria/ virus. The symptoms of conjunctivitis, caused by allergy, include intense itching of the eyes, excessive watering, swelling, sneezing and running nose. “Though it typically lasts for a week, occasionally it may continue up to 14 days,” says Dr Jagat Ram, eye specialist at the PGI. He said there was no need for systemic antibiotics. But one should visit the ophthalmologist for examination, as occasionally there could be sight-threatening complications. “The secretions are contagious, therefore a patient needs to be careful and use separate towels, bedsheets, etc,” he added. “Conjunctivitis spreads due to the transfer of secretions from one infected person to the other, so one must maintain hygiene and avoid touching the eyes. The frequent use of hand wash, especially alcohol-based, is one of the best methods to prevent transmission of conjunctivitis,” said another eye specialist of the PGI.
Tips to protect eyes
Wear sunglasses with a UV protection screen to shield eyes from the harmful ultra-violet (UV) rays. It is not necessary for the glasses to be completely black, all colours offer equally good protection. Wear goggles while swimming, as chlorine water is harmful for eyes. Avoid home remedies, as they can damage eyes; instead consult an eye doctor
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Preparing people to perform on life’s stage
Chandigarh, June 10 For Manjul, theatre is not a medium of entertainment but an expression of human thought, feeling, experience, and, it has a purpose. “I see theatre as being relevant to the context of society and it owes a social responsibility. It’s not just art for art’s sake but caters to human needs and provides itself as a platform for expression,” says Manjul, who has learnt something from every experience on his “fulfilling” journey from Rohtak to Mumbai.
He has written and directed more than 25 plays and conducted more than 100 theatre workshops in and outside the country. Manjul, who has also conducted more than 150 street theatre workshops in 25 states of the country, does not see theatre confined to auditorium and actors and feels theatre can be created anywhere, anytime. To give wings to his dream of taking theatre from the auditorium to the stage of life, Manjul founded the Experimental Theatre Foundation (ETF) in 1992 and asked like-minded people to practice the philosophy of ‘Theatre of Relevance’ (see box). “The ETF, which according to me is a laboratory of social change through theatre, is a people’s organisation that helps them take on the challenges of day-to-day life through theatrical performances,” he says. Elaborating on Theatre of Relevance, Manjul says: “This genre is about issues related with the people, by the people and for the well-being of people. And, I visualise it as a medium of making people more humane and, thereby, becoming an instrument of change and development.” Communal riots, child labour, female foeticide, domestic violence, natural calamities and unemployment are some of the many issues Manjul has brought to the centrestage in the country and abroad. Some of the plays staged by the Experimental Theatre Foundation are ‘Door Se Kisine Awaaz Di’ written after the 1992-93 Bombay riots, ‘Dekha-Dekhi’, a satire on consumerism, ‘Mera Bachpan’ which explores the issue of child labour, ‘Napunsak’, a socio-political satire through the eyes of a eunuch, ‘Redlight’ unfolding the sufferings, pain and exploitation of victims of human trafficking and ‘Laadli’, the voice of countless unborn girl children highlighting the issue of female foeticide. And the change is coming. “‘Mera Bachpan’ motivated thousands of children to give up work and get back to schools and through ‘Laadli’ I have been successful in inculcating a sense of gender equality among the masses,” Manjul says proudly. Not only this, Manjul is taking theatre to the corporate sector, too. He conducted a series of workshops for Indian Oil Corporation on ‘Attitudinal change and personality development through theatre’. At ONGC, he talked of gender sensitivity and motivation for social action. And here, too, the list is long. Manjul, who is at present conducting a summer workshop for children at Sarang Lok, Mohali, wraps up saying: “Theatre is a movement, ever-widening, stirring the soul of every participant, creating more and more quality actors, who not only perform the time-bound drama on the makeshift stage of theatre, but also on the real stage of life for all times to come.”
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UT’s health programme benefits 57,000 students
Chandigarh, June 10 According to the report, the percentage of mal-nourished students, which stood at 46.6 per cent last year, dropped to 37.03 per cent. The programme is also credited for dental ailment awareness, wherein a series of intensive dental counselling workshops apprised students of various dental problems. Under another segment of the programme, around 1,739 spectacles have been provided to schoolchildren till now and various eye surgeries have also been done free of cost. Dr Paramjyoti, in charge, School Health Programme, said, “Earlier, the number of teams employed for the programme was six but now the number has increased to10. These teams visit at least one school a day to ensure that the programme benefits maximum children. What makes it different is the fact that all children who may not be attending school are also covered under the programme.” According to Paramjyoti, a team consists of four members, including one doctor, one dental officer, one refractionist and one data entry operator. Dieticians also accompany the teams to schools. Information, education and communication (IEC) material models, along with charts, are used to teach students, parents and teachers about the balanced diets.
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Report on electronic parking lots to be tabled
As per the contents of the report, the corporation will have two options — fully automatic or semi-automatic system — for the parking lots of the city. According to the report, the fully automatic system will cost around Rs 10 lakh in which no manpower will be needed and the entire system will be handled by machines. In the semi-automatic system, a sum of Rs 3 lakh will have to be invested and will be on the lines of toll plazas on national highways across the country. The report suggests that after having such a system in place in parking lots, the vehicle count and space available will be automatically be provided at the entrance to individual parking lots. Vehicles entering and leaving the parking area will be sensed automatically and the available space will be shown at the main entrance and each exit point for parking zone. In January, the members of the F&CC had asked the corporation officials to prepare a report on the viability of electronic parking system in parking lots and table the report to the committee after three months. The electronically managed parking lots were also proposed in 2003 but when its report was tabled in the house, it was rejected on the ground that the installation and maintenance cost of the system was quite high. Another agenda of the meeting is to disallow NGOs from taking up technical courses in the community centres of colonies. All NGOs would be asked to vacate the centres. NGOs have opened their offices in a number of community centres to give guidance on employment to students, due to which residents of colonies are unable to use these centers when required.
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11 children working in shops rescued
Mohali, June 10 A 10-member team comprising officials of the labour department, municipal council and the health department raided various markets and rescued underage children who worked in various kinds of shops. A medical examination of the children was carried out after which they were handed over to their parents. Labour inspector Jatinder Pal Singh said checking was carried out on the directions of the government as part of the Child Labour Week which was being observed from June 6 to June 12. As per the directions of the government, children below the age of 14 should not be made to work. He said other members of the team included district social security officer Sohan Singh, Dr Navneet Kaur from the Civil Hospital and Avneet Kaur, SDO, working with the municipal council. He said two children working at dhabas were rescued from Phase I, two from confectioners’ shops in Phase II, three from the Phase IV rehri market, one from a sweets shop in Phase V and one from a gift shop in Phase III-B2. Two children were rescued yesterday from the Phase XI market. He said residential areas of the town would be inspected tomorrow to ensure that children below the age of 14 were not employed as servants in houses.
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MoU signed for UID Project
Chandigarh , June 10 A meeting was held today in this regard, where the Director-General, UIDAI, Planning Commission, New Delhi, made a presentation to the officers and apprised them of the project. The authority has envisioned the UID as a number that will make it possible for Indian residents to easily verify their identity to public and private agencies across the country. The Director-General said there would be no ID cards and the project would be implemented through partners like state governments, Registrars etc. Biometric attributes will be used to ensure uniqueness as each person’s biometrics is unique in nature and thus, there will be no chance of duplicity. Finance Secretary Sanjay Kumar assured to provide complete cooperation and assistance for effective execution of the UID project in Chandigarh. The UIDAI will start issuing the UID numbers from August 2010.
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BSNL phones on the blink
Chandigarh, June 10 Though the BSNL officials denied this, sources said faults had erupted when the old telephone exchange of E10B was being replaced with the new 5Ess system by the authorities last week. “My phone no. 2775575 has been lying defunct for over a week now. I had lodged a complaint and it started ringing. The problem persists as the caller cannot hear me,” said MM Malik, a resident of Sector 18, adding that all efforts to repair the fault have gone futile.
— TNS
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House, disco sealed
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, June 10 The enforcement wing sealed a house in Sector 18 for misusing the premises. It was reported that two clinics were being run from the premises. The sealing orders would be lifted only after the violations were removed. Also, Arabia, a discotheque in Sector 9, was sealed for misuse of premises here today.
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A clarification
Chandigarh, June 10 Reacting to the news report, Kamal Jain, proprietor of the Sector 22-based Nikka Mal Babu Ram and Sons, and Jawahar Jain, proprietor of the Sector 22-based Nikka Mal Babu Ram JJ Group, today clarified that their respective shops were not in any way involved in the issue.
— TNS
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Chandigarh, June 10