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Muscle power dominates Mohali polling booths
Mohali, September 18 At polling booths in rural areas (particularly in Chappar Chidi, Kumbhra and Landran villages) youngsters flexing their muscles were positioned outside the polling booths, apparently for the benefit of fake voters. The youths could be seen frequenting the polling stations without being stopped by the cops or the polling staff. In Landhran when a photographer of a vernacular daily tried to click a photo of three young men escorting ineligible voters inside the polling station, the latter threatened him. The unexpected move of allowing “lapsed” Sikhs to cast their vote, especially in the rural areas, apparently worked to the benefit of the SAD (B) with a number of such ineligible voters seen being pushed into the polling booths. The police and polling officials remained mute spectators when some clean-shaven youths also managed to cast their ballot. On seeing mediapersons the polling staff stopped the ineligible voters for some time, only to allow them into the booths later after the reporters had left. On being questioned polling officials denied there were any instructions not to allow allowing ‘lapsed’ Sikhs to cast their votes.
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Both rivals take out victory march
Mohali, September 18 Though the counting of the votes was on, supporters of JP Singh, an SAD candidate, and Hardeep Singh, who contested as an independent candidate, carried out the victory procession. Supporters of both sides started dancing on the beats of drums followed by a car rally. Meanwhile, sources revealed that Hardeep Singh had won the poll from Mohali by a very thin margin. However, the official announcement of the winning candidate will be made on September 22.
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Bullet after ballot, 6 hurt
Mohali, September 18 Bhajan Singh Shergill’s office, a candidate from the Panthik Morcha, was attacked during which six of his supporters were injured, two of whom were refereed to the PGI, Chandigarh. According to the police, at around 9 pm, three vehicles arrived outside Shergill’s office in Kurali and the assailants started firing at his office, which is on the first floor of the HDFC bank. The firing led to panic in the area, forcing nearby residents to shut themselves in their houses Police officials said the supporters of Shergill were also attacked with sticks and rods. Although those who had planned the attack were yet to be identified,
police sources said it might be Shergill’s political rivals who had attacked his office. Police officials said those who got injured in the firing had been identified as Gopal, Mani, Guriqbal, Jagdev and Satnam. Two of the injured were referred to the PGI. Sources said Bhajan Singh Shergill lost the elections from the Kharar seat. Although the police was yet to register a case, investigations were initiated and raids were being conducted to nab the accused.
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Admn under CAG fire on advance project payments
Chandigarh, September 18 The report stated the UT administration had made the “undue” payment to the state-owned power transmission utility with which it had signed agreements on the projects in October 2008. “The advance payments in question were made with a view to prevent lapse of the budget grants, without obtaining details of the utilization of Rs 4.24 crore, which the engineering department had already paid as advance payment only six months before in July 2008 for the tendering process, design, ground logistic operations and miscellaneous expenditures during the tender and award of work”, the report said. Responding to the chare of “irregularities’ committed in June 2009, the superintending engineer of the Chandigarh electricity operation circle had stated “instructions to the executive engineer for further release of funds in question were in accordance with the instructions of the “higher office” that no surrender or savings should be effected during fiscal 2008-09”. The CAG report stated Power Grid was entrusted with four projects -providing an additional transformer at the 66/11 kV electricity substation at the city’s Information Technology Park, providing automatic capacitor banks at various substations, upgrading the existing 33 kV substation in Sector 34 to 66 kV and ramping up transmission capacity at the 66 kV grid substation at the IT Park-at a total estimated cost of Rs 24.66 crore, excluding the consultancy fee (13 per cent of the actual cost of the project payable to the firm) and applicable taxes and duties. According to the terms and conditions of the pacts, the engineering department had released 15 per cent of the project cost (Rs 4.24 crore) as advance payment in July 2008. However, in November 2008 and February 2009 Power Grid again requested the department to make another advance payment of Rs 10 crore, saying it
wanted to “avoid any financial problems” during execution of the work. “Without seeking details of utilization of the Rs 4.24 crore already released, the executive engineer made another payment of Rs 5 crore in January 2009 and Rs 6 crore in March 2009 on the instructions of the superintending engineer, whereas the project tender documents were issued in October 2009 - several months after the advance payment was made” the report stated. “Since the agreement with Power Grid did not provide for payment of interest on the advance payment made (required as per the Central Vigilance Commission’s guidelines), the UT administration incurred a loss of Rs 1.09 crore on account of interest. Calling the engineering department’s the action to release funds to Power Grid in advance of requirements in disregard of the terms and conditions of the agreements as “irregular”, the report also rejected the reply of the superintending engineer of the Chandigarh electricity operation circle, saying it was not acceptable as “financial regulations did not permit withdrawal of treasury funds with a view to prevent lapse of the budget”. “Though the matter was reported to the UT administration two years ago its reply was awaited as of March this year”, the report concluded.
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Police yet to file report
Chandigarh, September 18 The special investigation team (SIT) formed was supposed to submit its report on September 15. However, the police is still groping in the dark. Of the 12 children who went missing from the UT administration’s shelter, the police has managed to locate just three of them. Those found have already reached their home, while the police is yet to locate the remaining nine. Police station-39 SHO Charanjit Singh said they now planned to send teams to the addresses of children provided by Snehalya with photographs of the missing children. These would be pasted in the respective areas to elicit information from public about the children. “We will past the photographs of the missing children in a bid to get information about their whereabouts,” the SHO said. The police said as they had incomplete addresses of the missing children, they had decided to paste their pictures in various parts of their respective home states.
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Tricity records less rainfall this monsoon
Chandigarh, September 18 Admitting there had been a slight deviation from the normal rainfall pattern, the meteorological department said the tricity had received over 761.9 mm of rainfall since June 1 this year. Officials say the monsoon is supposed to last in the city till September-end. Met officials said the tricity was likely to receive less rainfall during this monsoon season compared to that in the previous year, when 936.98 mm of rainfall was recorded in June-September. An analysis of precipitation during the past four years reveals that in 2007, the area received about 645 mm of rainfall against the national average of 846.6 mm. However, the figure rose to 1,112.8 mm the next year, but in 2009 rainfall decreased sharply by about 350 mm to 758.4 mm. Indian Meteorological Department Director Surender Paul said the rainfall this season had been normal and it was likely to touch the national average 846.6 mm. He said the sky would become clear within the next few days. “Rainfall has also been normal in the neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana,” he added. Meanwhile, there was no increase in the day temperature, which remained static at 31.2° C on Sunday. However, the minimum temperature saw an increase of 1.2 degrees, as it touched 23°C on Saturday night. The maximum humidity was recorded at 95 per cent and the minimum 62 per cent. “The sky will be partly cloudy on Monday. Light to moderate rain or thundershowers may occur at isolated places in Haryana and Punjab during the next 24 hours. The maximum temperature is likely to hover around 31° C while the minimum is expected to be about 24°,” the met said.
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2 accused surrender to police
Chandigarh, September 18 Investigations revealed that the accused, Raju Singh Yadav and Budh Ram, after consuming liquor with the victim, Priyag Raj Singh, at Bhindar Farm had an altercation over the theft of a gas cylinder, following which Yadav murdered Priyag Raj after hitting him on the head with a rod. Addressing mediapersons today, DSP (East) JS Khera said Yadav, a resident of Saigarh village, and Budh Ram, a resident of Laleka Purba village, Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, surrendered at the Dariya police post after the police mounted
pressure on Nand Kumar Yadav, who was known to the accused. The police had suspected the involvement of someone known to the victim in the murder. During investigation, the police zeroed in on the main accused, Yadav, who was also employed at the godown, as he went missing after the murder. The DSP said the victim had stolen Yadav’s gas cylinder and had refused to return it or pay the cost. This triggered an altercation between the two and Yadav later murdered him after hitting him with a rod. According to the police, the accused left the victim in a pool of blood. The following morning, another security guard, Hriday Nath, found Priyag’s body. A case under Sections 302 and 34, IPC, has already been registered against the two at the Industrial Area police station.
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Sanitation, public utility services lacking
Ward number 21 of the Chandigarh municipal corporation, comprising two central sectors - 32 and 46 - lacks basic public utility services, particularly uniform transportation facilities. Adding to the woes of residents is the absence of civic amenities, including garbage on vacant plots, bad condition of internal parks, parking space crunch in residential areas and stray animals. Public utility services
e-sampark centre Civil dispensary
Four years ago, the UT administration had earmarked a piece of land in Sector 46 to construct a civil dispensary but nothing has been done so far. The southern sectors, already deprived of health services, have been waiting endlessly for the authorities to set up projects approved by them long time ago.
Community centre
Over the past three years, residents of Sector 32 have been demanding a community centre in their area. In the absence of one, residents have to hold social functions in other sectors.
Community parking
It may be easy to get a flat on rent in Sector 46 but not parking space for a four-wheeler. Consequently, residents have been forced to park vehicles in parks. At night, it becomes quite difficult for residents to park cars due to congestion on roads in residential areas of these sectors.
Internal parks
The state of plants, bushes and shrubs in internal parks of this ward has gone from bad to worse with most having being turning into garbage dumps. Littered garbage and stray dogs welcome walkers coming to parks in morning and evening hours. Mowing of grass, trimming of bushes and removal of wild weeds are seldom done.
Sanitation
Garbage collection Stray animals
Stray animals are a big problem for both sectors, but the corporation has failed to curb the menace. Littered garbage around dumps acts as an open invitation for stray animals. In spite of repeated requests by residents, the civic body has failed to initiate steps. Stray animals have also led to a number of fatal accidents. tns
Councillor: Ravinder Pal Singh (Mayor) Party: Congress
Ward development fund?
Out of Rs 130 lakh allotted in past five years, Rs 121.52 lakh have been spent till March 2011
How tech-savvy is councillor?
As a mayor, he responds to complaints on Facebook with a one-liner: “Complaint has been forward to the department concerned”. Number of questions asked by councillor during question hour in past one year? None
Health services in these areas have never been on the priority list of the UT administration. It is strange that the authorities are ignorant about the needs of their residents and just propose agendas while sitting in air-conditioned
rooms. Every year, the authorities assure of solving the water shortage problem in summer. Yet, it’s the same old story year after year. Why the authorities fail to make adequate arrangements before the summer arrives is something beyond
comprehension? Internal parks, developed in the ward to lend a greener look, are a shambles. Why can’t the authorities involve residents in maintaining parks. It will not only lessen their burden but also make neighborhood parks
usable.
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Open House India being one of the top economies in the world needs to show professionalism, especially when aspects like security-cum-safety of the public is concerned. The government needs to ensure that personnel deputed to carry out security checks should be immaculately prepared with an element of detachment. There Iist need for an effective mechanism, in place, for immediate co-ordination between different departments, in case of an emergency. Statements like ‘‘the driver managed to flee, or the offenders fled the scene’’ show not only un-professionalism but is an insult of the concerned department. There is an immediate for cameras to be installed on the periphery and inside all major establishments. More than cameras there is a need to ensure that the cameras stayed in working order. Sniffer dog should be used, if need be (Investment in this field will be more rewarding than in any other). Regular announcement by the staff at the establishment should be made as is done at the airports with regard to the unattended baggage etc. Measures inadequate
The UT Administrator, Shivraj Patil, in the 43 membered Advisory Committee meeting held on September 9 took a serious look at the security arrangement followed by the bomb blast at Delhi High Court. I must congratulate The Tribune for drawing attention of the Administrator to enable Chandigarh Administration to make adequate arrangement for disaster management and not to dig well when the fire is on. Chandigarh Administration does not have an adequate preventive and curative measures and planning in regards to hospital disaster management and plans, resource management, organizational responsibility and its accountability, high alert, casualties and triage management, public relations, transportation, rehabilitation, emergencies and mortuary management. Chandigarh can be affected by earthquake as natural disasters because it is situated on the himalyan foothills and comes under Zone 4 and too close to Zone 5. The vulnerability Atlas, prepared by the Building Materials Technology Promotion Council has already indicated that 229 districts and 21 states/union territories falls in the Seismic Zones IV and V. Thank God, the tricity don’t have skyscrapers and best part of it that tricity have sufficient open space in the shape of parks, gardens and lot of open space, but still risk is there. Similarly, the disaster can come in the shape of floods, fire, terrorist attacks and accidents. No doubt, the Chandigarh administration has sanctioned Rs.17 lakh for the purchase of disaster management vehicles would work as a crane, cutter, flood lights, electric power inverter, generation set with extension board, air compressor, wireless public address system with loud speakers to guide the public in such situations which will be helpful to minimize the loss of property and fast track for rescue/rehabilitation process. I don’t agree with the Chandigarh Administration who has kept lot of funds as fixed deposit as un-spend (grant-in-aid given to the states by the centre) on the pretext that no natural disaster has taken place in Chandigarh in the past. How one can assure that whatever has not happened till now will not happen in future. Rather they should purchase necessary equipment and use it in routine as drill so that equipment may not go out of order lying idle. Involve fire services, civil defence, home guard, N.G.Os, resident’s welfare associations, senior citizens and other voluntary organizations which are capable to play a great role at ground zero level by participating in the proposed drills. No security check
It is good that the Chief Administrator of Chandigarh has given instructions to the intelligence agencies and the police to increase vigilance at all vital places of public interests to ward off any terrorist threats in the city. The Delhi High Court bomb blast has certainly brought the lapses of the security forces which need to be plugged with an iron hand. It is very easy for anyone to go in and come out of the courts, the railway station and other public places as there is no security check or even the presence of policemen at such vulnurable places. The security forces and the intelligence agencies are found in complacent mode or the "sab theek thak hai" attitude till some horrific act of terrorism takes place. These agencies are caught in deep slumbers. This is the reason the devisive forces take advantage of and strike at will. Not manned well
It has generally been seen that security in all the vital establishments is poorly manned by the few personnel deployed. Most of the times, they remain in close vicinit of each other at their posts and do not bother to check even in their neighbourhood. It is like earmakring a particular area and then it is pointless to even imagine a security guard going beyond the area earmarked for him for the specific duty. Blast an eye opener
The Delhi High Court blast on September 7 is an eye opener for all claiming high security mechanism in place for any terrorist attack. This time a peculiar situation has happened. Our Union Home Minister P Chidambaram has himself admitted in Parliament that the Delhi police had got intelligence inputs on terror threats in July this year and in turn the government has informed the security agencies across the country. It is most unfortunate that despite the directions of the High Court; CCTVs to monitor visitors were not reportedly installed. How one can see the laclascidcal approach that has taken precious lives and lost the bread earners. As usual, our political leaders including prime minister expressed grief, visited the injured, condemned attack unequivocally, blaming foreign hand, not to succumb to terrorist threats, announced relief, and waiting for another similar tragedy to happen to take innocent lives. It is not only that Delhi security agencies have failed to take any effective action even in Chandigarh it is a routine affair when something had happened across the country, the security is stated to be beefed up. They just show for a few days that Chandigarh security agencies are very active to thwart any untoward incident. During this brief period, they check up vital establishments, markets, etc to show that they care for the citizens very actively and carefully but actually they are not neither they are concerned with the lives of the citizens. This is evident from the fact that the security of Punjab and Haryana High Court is in peril as the premises are without installation of modern electronic gadgets on the pattern of security systems installed at the Supreme Court. When such an important place is seriously exposed to danger of terrorism then the plight of common man can well be imagined. There is a need to have regular check of vital establishments like railway stations, city hospitals, bus terminus, Government buildings, market places etc. Since it is the duty of the state to provide necessary security, the beat staff of the concerned police station should frequently visit these places. On occasions the security agencies need to have plan out the programmes with the neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to have an effective information and check. The concerned officials should be updated the procedures and security related modern equipment in view of the changing threat perceptions. The concerned personnel are also needed to have frequent training regarding modern methods of security. They should also have an inter-action with the senior citizens as also the residents’ welfare associations to have a feed back and build trust which is losing day by day in our policing system. It is not only that the security agencies are needed to be vigilant when there is a terrorist attack, but in view of the deteriorating law and order position in the city, there is a greater need to revamp our security agencies so as to make the residents of this city beautiful to live a peaceful life. Our security agencies which failed badly as became clear from the Deli High Court attack need to have extra vigil. Unless all those responsible for maintaining peace and security and treating these attacks as a threat to the national integration join hands, the perpetrators of terror will continue to wreak havoc not only in Delhi but any part of India.
Arrangements poor, says survey In the last advisory council meeting of the Chandigarh administration on September 9, UT Administrator Shivraj Patil expressed concern over the ground realties in security checks manning vital establishments. Chandigarh Tribune carried a detailed on-the-spot check at the railway station, ISBTs at Sectors 43 and 17, the UT Secretariat and certain other important establishments in the tricity following the bomb blast outside the Delhi High Court. The survey found poor arrangements in preventing or even handling the massive patient care needed, in the wake of any major exigency. Write your opinion to openhouse@tribunemail.com or Chandigarh Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh.
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68 pc polling in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, September 18 At some places, including villages and certain sectors, the voter turnout was high, belying expectations of candidates. Elaborate security arrangements were made for the elections. Former Mayor Harjinder Kaur of the SAD, Gurnam Singh Sidhu of the Akali Dal (UT) and Rajinder Singh Badheri of the Panthic Morcha were the contestants. The elections assumed significance in view of elections to the municipal corporation in December. The SAD had an electoral understanding with the BJP. The performance of candidates would go a long way in determining their standing among a section of Sikh voters. The elections saw various combinations and permutations in local Sikh politics. Gurpartap Singh Riar, former SAD and current SGPC member from Chandigarh, who had withdrawn from the contest earlier, later rejoined the SAD at the eleventh hour.
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Once UT’s asset, now MC’s liability
Chandigarh, September 18 The proposal will be tabled in the forthcoming General House by the department concerned. Records of the corporation reveal that the arrears amounting to Rs 5.63 crore of 106 government departments have been pending for the past two years. Out of the list of defaulters, 11 departments have pending bills of over Rs 1 lakh each. Topping the list is the UT horticulture department, which has not cleared its water dues amounting to Rs 4 crore since 2002. For the past over four years, all divisions of the UT’s horticulture department have failed to deposit their water tariff with the corporation and the outstanding amount has now gone up to over Rs 64 lakh for each division. MC Superintendent Engineer RC Diwan said the amount would have to be waived, as the horticulture department was now with the MC. He said they would put up a proposal in the House for waiver. Last year, former MC Commissioner Roshan Sunkaria had suggested during a General House that all water tariff dues for green belts and gardens be waived by the House as the corporation was to maintain these now. However, former Mayor Anu Chatrath had opined that the MC authorities should not waive the huge amount pending with the administration and make efforts to recover them. Objections have been raised by councillors, who feel that the dues cannot not be waived as the horticulture wing has recently been transferred to the corporation. The councillors have expressed surprise at the wing’s ability to irrigate green belts and gardens during the past four years when their water connections had been disconnected.
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Residents’ body seeks UT Adviser’s intervention
Chandigarh, September 18 In their letter, the representatives of FOSWAC have stated that as per the terms and conditions of the agreement, the company was required to set up a plant to process the entire garbage and waste collected from the city and convert the same into pellets or briquette. These were further to be used as fuel in a cement factory at Solan. However, the problem of stench started right from the beginning due to unsatisfactory use and implementation of machineries, equipment and know-how by the company. Chairman of FOSWAC PC Sanghi claimed that the company had made no arrangements for processing the garbage and converting it into pellet. Rather, 50 per cent of the garbage collected was burnt in the plant after partial processing, while the rest was disposed of at the dumping ground. The letter further states that the resident welfare associations of Sectors 37, 38, 38 (West) and 39 had been continuously complaining of the serious problem of stench. Even those of Sectors 15, 35, 36, 40, 41 and 42 had been complaining about the stench occasionally. Sanghi stated that FOSWAC had taken up the issue with the civic as well as administrative authorities from time to time but no appropriate action had been initiated in this regard. “There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the way the plant runs and several committees have been constituted from time to time to look into its improper functioning and suggest remedial measures.” They have urged the authorities to take urgent measures, failing which residents would have no other option but to stage protests.
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Drainage bane of Phase-XI residents
Mohali, September 18 Every time it rains heavily, water enters houses in a pocket of the area. The problem has been brought to the notice of the authorities concerned time and again over the years, but to no avail. Harbhajan Singh, a local resident, said water again entered houses after heavy rain here on Thursday. A fire brigade had to be called to pump out water. He said that no proper outlet had been provided for rain water and road gullies were blocked as these were rarely cleaned. Former municipal councillor Sukhminder Singh Barnala said pipelines laid by PUDA years ago were undersized. He added that rain water used to flow out in the open area earlier, but after a lot of construction in the vicinity, the flow of rain water got blocked and pipeline could not take the load. He further said the sewerage system of the area was faulty, leading to seepage in a large number of houses. Roads in the area were in a bad shape and lot of wild growth was seen in vacant spaces. Green belts were not being maintained. Items to play with installed in these were lying broken. These areas were being used by residents for parking vehicles and drying clothes. Residents complained that a large number of ‘rehris’ were illegally parked on the main road in the evening, leading to traffic congestion. The road leading from Sector 48 to Mohali remained in darkness as streetlights were not functional.
Residents Speak
Development activity has come to a standstill ever since the civic body was given the status of a corporation. The area is in a state of neglect. Only those works cleared by the former elected body are being implemented, but at a slow pace. The corporation was formed more than eight months ago, but residents had failed to see any positive development so
far. The problem of stray cattle is acute in the area. A large number of these sit on roads, especially at night, blocking the entire stretch, leading to accidents. The number of stray dogs is also high and the civic body is doing nothing to check Roads in the area, including the main road passing through the phase, are broken. About three-fourth of the road passing from near the Mohali Club has not been repaired for years. Residents fill potholes with ‘malba’ so that they can pass through which is otherwise very
difficult. Sanitation is in a poor state. ‘Safai karamcharis’ come only once or twice a week. Whenever they are questioned in this regard, they come up with various types of excuses. Nobody supervises whether the work is being done properly or
not.
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‘Bhikshu aur Ganika’ gives insight into human, spiritual values
Chandigarh, September 18 Based on Bodhyan’s Sanskrit classic “ Bahgwad-Ajjuke” and transcribed in Hindi as “ Bhikshu aur Ganika” by thespian Nemi Chandra Jain, the play after a mundane beginning gained some momentum after Vasantsena urf Ganika (Neelam Rathore) made her presence on the stage. Earlier, the inquisitive disciple Shandliya (Parveer Aggarwal ) and guru Privirajak ( Amit Kumar Chandpuri) were engaged in a long drawn sequences of arguments on the inner soul (Antaratma) and the physical being (Karamatama). Shandliya ‘s passion for love and zest for worldly life was as strong as his quest for ultimate realty. A play was a departure from the contemporary theatre and dealt with the significance of human and spiritual values, the sacred and the profane. The play had all the elements of a classic drama rich in live classical music, chants, rituals, incantations and dramatic delineation that celebrates rich heritage of Classical Indian Drama. The play eminently recovered explosive truths about the karma theory and role of religion in one's life. The musical compositions by Rani Balbir with the assistance of Mehmood Khan and Dr Ashu and the melodious renditions by Gargi Halder and Kanchan Verma were the redeeming factors. The light and sound quality deserves special mention. However, the directorial invention is necessary to make the production more concise and audience friendly especially in the wake of its participation in a festival with ticketed shows. Chander Shekhar, Prateek Sharma, Ishmit Kaur Meenu Palta played other roles. Anwer Zaidi conducted the programme.
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Ill-maintained gymnasium
Members of the Lake Club in a letter to the Director, Sports, have alleged that despite repeated requests to the officials concerned many machines in the gymnasium, particularly treadmills, were lying non-functional. “We have submitted written requests, but unfortunately, all our requests have fallen on deaf ears”, they said. The letter was signed by at least 20 members. “It is not only a loss for the members, but also a big loss to the credibility of the administration”, the letter said and demanded that responsibility for fixing the machines should be given to officials concerned, immediately.
Elected
Bhupinder Singh Rathore was elected as a member of the Bar Council of India in the election held here on Sunday. He was elected unopposed as there was no other nomination for the post. Rathore has served as a member of the bar council, earlier too, ie. from 1996 to 2002, a press note issued here said.
General body meeting
The general body meeting of the AWHO Co-operative and Maintenance Society, Sector 47, will be held on September 22, a press note issued here said.
Books donated to Ladhaki girls
A voluntary organization, Prakash Foundation, opened a library at Mahabodhi Girls Hostel, here on Sunday for the benefit of needy Ladakhi girls, who belong to remote villages of Ladakh. The organisation intends to open more such libraries for the villagers and farmers in different parts of the country. Explaining the concept of rural libraries, Narvijay Yadav, founder president, Prakash Foundation said, “The rural libraries will be maintained by villagers themselves. We want to empower the farmers and villagers by providing them necessary literature and knowledge. Thus they can take care of most of their requirements”.
Protesting against the UPA government for the hike in petrol prices, the Lions Welfare Society, Chandigarh, on Sunday burnt an effigy of Union minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, near his residence in Sector 28, on Sunday. The protesters assembled near Shiv Shakti Mandir in Sector 30 before proceeding to the site of protest. LK Khurana, president, Surender Dhull, general secretary and Sachin Singla, secretary of the society spoke on the occasion.
Teenage talent test
The First Friday Forum has invited entries from teenagers for 500-words essay in English on geography, architecture and planning showing how these three disciplines should work in unison for designing development projects to save the planet earth from increasing deterioration caused by disjointed built environment. The entries can be mailed to sbfff748@gmail.com <<mailto:sbfff748@gmail.com>> on or before October 25, 2011.Winners will be honoured at the forum’s oration-cum-awards-giving function to be held on November 11 this year in Chandigarh.
Unreported illegal activity
Ajay Jagga, advocate and president of the local unit of Janata Party has said that the disputes in the city, due to demolitions and reconstruction of old houses, were multiplying manifold as the activity was on full swing in the city. Apart from the reason of absence of safety code, one of the reasons for this nuisance was to make fast money by quickly completing the construction by working till late evening/night and then selling it and then starting another one. The disputes normally goes un-reported because there are no FIRs in this regard and only complaints and this is the reason that the peaceful neighbourers are a harassed lot and have no idea what to do to stop this nuisance. The problem is that there is no Safe Construction Code existing in the city. The National Building Code-2005 talks about safe structure of the building under construction but not regarding peace/ safety for the neighbours.
Violations by housing societies
At a meeting of the Trinamool Congress Committee, under the chairmanship of District President Manoj Yadav, party workers criticised the housing societies which were not giving reservation of 15 per cent to the economically backward sections as laid out in their allotment letters. The state president, Shambhu Banerjee, said that the housing companies and other housing societies who were allotted land on subsidised rates in Chandigarh for construction of residential accommodation were not giving 15 per cent reservation to the economically weaker section as was clearly laid down in the allotment letters. In a way they were allegedlyminting money and the administration was ignoring the violation by not interfering despite repeated messages. These societies violated the conditions and ignored the people belonging to the economically weaker section.
INTACH walk
The Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Chandigarh, Prerna Puri, flagged off the INTACH “Clean and Green Walk” on the lake promenade. Around 100 persons from different walks of life assembled at Sukhna Lake on early Sunday morning to participate in a heritage walk that witnessed participation of eminent citizens, students and members of the INTACH Chapter. The heritage walk was held to highlight the present condition of nearly 100 heritage trees, including those near the lake. Participants included old bureaucrats, environment lovers and school students who walked approximately four kilometres at the Sukhna Lake to express their concern for the cause. A former principal of Chandigarh College of Architecture, Prof Rajnish Wattas, delivered a lecture on the old trees of Sukhna Lake and highlighted the importance green coverage in the city.
Eye camp
At least 600 patients were examined at a camp organised by the Lions Club, Chandigarh Harmony, in association with Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, at Sant Nirankari Bhawan, Mani Majara, on Sunday. The Camp was inaugurated by Bhaiya Gobind Singh, chairman ,central planning and advisory board of the Sant Nirankari Mandal, New Delhi.
Moot court
Hard work and toil of students was evident, on Sunday, in the final round of the Surana and Surana National Trial Advocacy Moot Court Competition- 2011(India North) at Panjab University Institute of Legal Studies. Participants from NLU, Jodhpur and GNLU, Gandhinagar, gave a class performance with level of arguments and clarity of style in their presentations. — Tribune Reporters
Tree plantation
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Doing yeoman’s job for needy students
Chandigarh, September 18 The society hands out scholarships, covering vocational course at recognised educational institutions. To qualify for the scholarship, the student must attain at least 60 per cent marks in the eligibility examination and his household income should not exceed Rs 10,000 per month. Society’s honorary secretary AS Rawel says they have also set up a separate special assistance fund for students from extremely poor families, orphans, wards of widowers/widows or deserted/divorced parents, and those suffering from physical disabilities.
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Protest
Kalpana Gupta, circle head and deputy general manager of Punjab National Bank inaugurated the tree plantation drive at Sri Radha Dharma Mandir, Sector 18, on Sunday. More than 100 saplings of different plant species were planted on the occasion. The PNB, during the current year, has carried out the plantation drives at Government Model Senior Secondary Schools, Sectors 35 and 18, Government Middle School, Kishangarh, and Bank Square, Sector 17.