Panchkula, November 23
Two hookah bars, Head Hose in Sector 9 and Arabian Lounge in Sector 5, in Mansa Devi Complex have been banned from running their business here today. The food and drugs authority department served them with notices under Section 22(1)(d) of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act for selling and serving “qehwa tobacco molasses cordinal punch”, a nicotine mix tobacco. The restaurants, however, can continue to run.

Drug Control Officer Pooja Chaudhary said the molasses cordinal punch had been banned. A written undertaking was taken from the owner of these bars and in case of non-compliance, stringent action would be taken against them.

Samples of material being used in hookahs at 11 such bars were taken by the authorities recently. The samples from Arabian Lounge contained 0.46 per cent of nicotine while 0.47 per cent of nicotine was an ingredient in the contents of samples taken from Hose Head, she said.

A team of officials reached the two bars in the afternoon to seal them. However, the management of the bars pleaded with the officials that they had been running eating joints along with “sheesha” bars and if their premises were sealed, their other business would also get affected. After taking a written commitment from them that they would not serve hookah, the authorities allowed them to run the food services.

No records of sale and purchase of “cakes” put in the hookah containing nicotine were maintained, for which notices were issued to them under Section 15-B of the drugs Act.

During inspection, it was also observed that there was no segregation between smoking and non-smoking zones at these places. Also, no exhaust fan facility for fresh air and other requirements were available.

Chandigarh, November 23
The recruitment scam tainted UT Administration seems to be leaving nothing to chance. After recently recommending the recruitment of ministerial staff to the Union Staff Selection Commission, it is all set to refer the appointment of the new Director-Principal (DP) of the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

The move to involve the UPSC in the selection process is seen as a departure from the Administration’s bold act of unilaterally appointing the incumbent DP, Dr Raj Bahadur, in December 2007. Not only had the Administration appointed Dr Bahadur without involving the UPSC, it had also ignored the objections raised by the commission.

Dr Bahadur, whose term ends on November 30, was appointed DP for two years on deputation from the PGI and his file was sent for a post facto approval to the UPSC. In February 2008, the UPSC objected to Dr Bahadur’s appointment and wrote to the Administration that rules clearly state that “Chandigarh Administration cannot select and appoint a candidate and then ask for ex-post facto concurrence of the commission”.

With various recruitment scams tainting the Administration in the recent past, those at the helm are not willing to take any more chances and are following rules in “letter and spirit”, say insiders. However, the process for the selection of Dr Bahadur’s successor is far from complete as the file of the applicants is yet to be sent to the UPSC.

With only a week left for Dr Bahadur’s tenure to end, it is unlikely that his successor would be finalised by then. According to sources in the health department, the file of the nine applicants for the post, which includes five members of the GMCH-32 faculty, is at present lying in the Adviser’s office for forward transmission to the UPSC.

Once the file reaches the UPSC, the process of scrutiny of the papers would begin and this would be followed by interviews of the candidates. Health Secretary DK Tewari confirmed that the file was being sent to the UPSC, but refused to divulge further details.

Meanwhile, officials in the Administration have no answers as to why the selection process has been delayed. “When it was known that Dr Bahadur’s tenure would end soon enough, why didn’t the Administration involve the UPSC earlier and finished the process?” asked an officer, alleging that these dilly-dallying tactics were purposely resorted to.

Sources said besides the five GMCH faulty members, Dr AK Janmeja (head of pulmonary medicine), Dr Arjun Dass (head of ENT), Dr Jagdish Chander (head of microbiology), Dr BS Chavan (head of psychiatry) and Dr Suman Kochhar (head of radiodiagnosis), the others in the fray are Dr VK Grover (professor in department of anaesthesia) and Dr SK Singh (professor in department of urology), both from the PGI, and Dr Piyush Gupta, professor in the department of paediatrics at the University College of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, and another doctor from Shimla.

Chandigarh, November 23
In a classic case of lack of coordination at PU, the university has advertised 200 teaching posts, but the Dean University Instructions, the technical in charge of recruitment, is not even clear about the qualification.

Hours after the advertisement was uploaded on the PU website, DUI BS Brar shot a letter to the VC demanding a written clarification about the qualifications in the absence of which the screening will not be conducted. When contacted, Prof RC Sobti, VC, refused to comment.

“I have got to know from media reports that the Senate had passed a resolution saying certain PhD holders, who have not cleared NET, were declared eligible for the posts of assistant professor. Since this office has received no instruction so far, definite orders are sought to start the screening process,” read the letter. Several senators in the last meeting had demanded that candidates who had done their PhD before 2009, when NET became compulsory qualification for assistant professors, should also be considered despite not having cleared NET.

Following a heated discussion, some members proposed and passed a resolution while others refused to accept it. The VC had abstained from making his stand official and even to date, the minutes have not been approved causing confusion.

Panchkula, November 23
The education department authorities have issued a show-cause notice to de-recognise 102 private schools in the district for not complying with the Right to Education Act (RTE). The action followed the admonition by the court of the Civil Judge during the last hearing in a case filed by a local resident Pankaj Chandgothia on November 17.

It was contended that all schools were required to seek fresh recognition under the RTE Act by filing self-declaration forms regarding compliance of the RTE provisions. The time-limit for filing such declarations had expired in September 2011, but the district education office was taking a lenient view by not de-recognising such schools. After hearing the arguments, the court granted a week’s time and directed the District Education Officer (DEO), Panchkula, to file the compliance and final action-taken report on or before November 23. Today, the District Elementary Education Officer (DEEO) filed a written statement before the court, saying that 102 schools of Panchkula district had been issued a 21-day show-cause notice under Section 13 of the Haryana RTE Rules for de-recognition.

Jagat Singh, headmaster appearing for the DEO’s office, told the court that only 11 schools out of 113 schools had filed the self-declaration form under the RTE Act.

Chandigarh, November 23
In a yet another jolt to the UT Administration’s efforts to preserve the heritage of the city, a Paris-based auction house, Artcurial, auctioned city heritage items yesterday. The auction house sold a cane and teakwood dining table and a pair of easy armchairs designed by Le Corbusier’s second cousin, Pierre Jeanneret, for Rs 22 lakh.

This is the second time in November that prized heritage items of the city have gone under the hammer.

Artcurial’s website revealed that the dining table was sold for 12,113 Euros (Rs 8,49,860) while the armchairs were auctioned for 19,126 Euros (Rs 13,41,821).

Pierre Jeanneret designed the table in 1958 in Chandigarh and the armchairs were designed in 1955-56. Various auction houses all over the world had bought furniture from Panjab University, PGI, government offices, and Chandigarh College of Architecture, among others, for a paltry sum.

In 2007, the London-based auction house Christies, had made 8 million dollars by selling furniture designed by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. It is believed that furniture had been bought from Panjab University, PGI, assembly, government offices, Chandigarh College of Architecture, etc, for a paltry sum.

Chandigarh, November 23
After the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (CTCC) formally announced the candidates’ list for the municipal corporation (MC) elections today, a few party members revolted and decided to contest as Independents.

Addressing mediapersons, CTCC president BB Behl said the Anna Hazare factor would not affect the election prospects of the Congress. He claimed that the Congress would be in a majority by winning 22 of the 26 seats.

Mohali, November 23
Failure of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) to reconstruct a damaged boundary wall separating the HIG complex and Madanpura village in Phase II has created resentment among residents of the area because of security reasons.

GS Saraya, president of the Resident Welfare Association, HIG complex, said the vacant area adjoining HIG houses was being unauthorisedly used by residents of the village after the boundary wall got damaged.

This had led to security problems for HIG residents as a large number of migrants lived in the village.

Heated exchanges between residents and villagers were witnessed twice during the past about 10 days after the latter tried to encroach upon the vacant area. The police had to be called to control the situation.

The matter was brought to the notice of GMADA authorities, but no action had been taken so far.

Chandigarh, November 23
The late running of major trains in the region due to the intense fog and speed restriction has caused inconvenience to passengers, stranded for hours at the railway station here.

Trains like 12311 Howrah-Kalka Mail, scheduled to arrive at 3.05 am, was delayed. Shatabdi also arrived late by about one hour.

Similarly, the Himalayan Queen was also late by about 30 minutes. The 12231 Lucknow-Chandigarh Express, scheduled to arrive at 9.55 am, arrived at 4.25 pm.

Station superintendent Parveen Kumar said the 14217 Unchahar Express, that was scheduled to arrive at 10.15 am on Tuesday, was late by 18 hours and arrived at 3.45 am this morning.

He said the train was running late by about two hours today and was likely to be further delayed due to dense fog on its way to the city.

He said the 15903 Dibrugarh-Chandigarh train, scheduled to arrive at 1.15 pm, arrived late by seven hours and-a-half. He added that the 15904 Chandigarh-Dibrugarh train would leave at 1.10 am.

Children and women, huddled together inside a waiting room, could be seen awaiting the arrival of their respective trains. Men could be seen roaming in front of the enquiry office to get the latest update on train timings.

Ravinder Vasudeva, a marketing head with an IT company, said, “This is my first visit to the city. It has given me a chance to observe the multi-ethnic culture of the city, evident from the people waiting on the platform.”

Chandigarh, November 23
With the onset of winter, common cold and flu, skin cracks, joint pains and respiratory ailments may take a toll on the physical health of many. “The dip in the mercury brings in many ailments. However, taking a few precautionary measures can make a big difference,” say physicians.

Cold and viral infections spread like wildfire during this season. “Most viral infections start with a sore throat, followed by cough, sneezing and finally, ending in nasal discharge. This leads to breathing problems and allergies,” says Dr Rajesh Dheer, ENT specialist.

Dr SK Bhandari, physician, says the food we eat can play a preventive role during winter. “Human beings are warm-blooded. They require maintaining a higher metabolism rate during winter to maintain body temperature. Diet during winter is rich in fats and carbohydrates. But the body’s metabolic rates go down during this season. Indigestion, constipation, acidity etc are common problems. To avoid this, one needs to exercise regularly, avoid oily food. One should eat a lot of fruits and vegetables as they give resistance against infection,” he says.

Paediatricians warn against winter diarrhoea and winter dermatitis (skin problems) among infants and toddlers. “Besides skin dryness and other skin-related problems, winter diarrhoea is one common problem seen among children. Children should not be exposed to cold temperature. They should be given food, which has ample amount of vitamin A. Eating carrots and drumsticks can help. Children suffering from winter diarrhoea need to be given plenty of fluids,” says a paediatrician at the PGI.

The cold and dry winter air is very damaging to the skin as it removes all moisture. “Skin problems like excessive dry skin, ichthyosis, cracked heels, dandruff, eczema and psoriasis are known to aggravate in winter. All these ailments may bring discomfort,” says Dr GP Thami, head of the dermatology department at GMCH-32.

The worst affected are asthmatics. Pollution in air triggers release of inflammatory proteins in the body and asthmatics, who are predisposed to breathing problems, suffer from inflammation of the airway.

“Asthmatics should always carry preventive inhalers with them. They should always avoid sudden change in temperature as it can constrict the airway. Pneumonia and other lower respiratory tract infections are common. Old people should avoid morning walks and it will be best if they can exercise in a warm environment,” says Dr SK Jindal, head of the pulmonary department at the PGI.

Mohali, November 23
Residents of Phase VI are a harried lot as the municipal corporation and Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) have failed to provide proper civic amenities in the area.

Even after highlighting the problem in these columns more than two months ago, nothing has been done to improve the situation.

Roads in several parts of the phase are broken. Even the road leading to the Civil Hospital and Government College has not been repaired since long. Sanitation is in a state of neglect as heaps of garbage can be seen lying at various places, especially near the market area. Parks are being maintained on a pick-and-choose policy. Vacant plots are also a nuisance as malba is dumped along these by residents.

A major source of annoyance for residents of Phase VI is an illegal fish and meat market that springs up in the afternoon along the main road. Residents complain that not only does a stink emanate from this temporary evening market, but the area also attracts birds and stray dogs on the lookout for leftovers.

Rajinder Sharma, former municipal councillor, lamented that the number of illegal fish and meat sellers had gone up over the past two months. He had met the Additional Commissioner regarding the problem, but nothing had been done despite assurances. Nothing by the name of corporation existed in the town as hardly any development was taking place, he added.

He lamented that GMADA was taking “extra care” in developing certain parks while others were being totally ignored. Such an attitude was creating resentment among residents.

Mohali, November 23
Multi-purpose health workers and health supervisors were allegedly lathicharged by the Chandigarh police this evening when the protesting employees made an attempt to enter Chandigarh.

As per reports, tear gas shells were also thrown at the protesters. Some workers sustained injuries, while turbans of two fell down.

Multi-purpose health workers and supervisors from all over the state had gathered under the banner of ANM and LHV Union. They took out a rally in support of their demands. The protesters raised slogans against the Punjab government.

The protesters had also blocked the national highway near Balongi putting commuters to inconvenience. Later, when they failed to get any response from the authorities concerned, they marched towards Chandigarh, but were stopped by the Chandigarh police near Phase VI. They staged a dharna on the Chandigarh-Mohali boundary. Later, they made an attempt to enter Chandigarh by damaging the barricades, but the attempt was foiled by the UT police by resorting to lathicharge.

Mohali (Kharar), November 23
Chairman of the Punjab Pollution Control Board KS Pannu has issued directions for the closure of two meat plants at Chanalon village in Kharar tehsil and Behra village in Dera Bassi tehsil.

Notice will be issued to Thermocraft Industry at Sarsini village for flouting norms set by the Pollution Control Board under Air Act, 1981.

Joginder Singh, environmental engineer, Regional Office, Punjab Pollution Control Board, Mohali, stated that on receiving information that the norms were being flouted by a meat processing plant M/s Sagri Foods (P) Ltd, Focal Point, Chanalon, Kharar, a surprise check was conducted and it was found that the meat processing plant was discharging industrial effluent into sewer. The industry is engaged in slaughtering and processing of broilers. The industry had been granted consent to operate under the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, for discharging its treated effluent into sewer. However, the industry was found violating the provisions of Water Act, 1974. Directions were issued for the closure of the unit under Section 33-A of the Water Act, 1974. The chairman also asked the PSPCL authorities to disconnect the electricity supply to the industry.

At a meat processing plant, M/s Punjab Meat Ltd, Behra village, Dera Bassi tehsil, it was found that an effluent treatment plant installed by the industry was not functioning. Effluent samples were collected and sent for analysis.

Joginder Singh said the board received a complaint from a resident of Lalru that air pollution was being caused by the industry located at the rear of Royal Cinema, Lalru.

It was learnt that M/s Monarch Thermocraft, Sarsini village, Dera Bassi tehsil, which manufactured thermocoal, was using unauthorised fuel.

Chandigarh, November 23
A 27-year-old youth committed suicide after hanging with the ceiling at his home. The deceased has been identified as Sandeep, a resident of Sector 41.

The police said Sandeep’s father, Kirpal Singh, had passed-away a few days ago and Sandeep was disturbed since then. Sandeep is survived by his wife.

Chandigarh, November 23
In what may act as yet another twist to controversial EWS reservation mandated by the UT administration in several private schools as per their allotment letters, the schools have accused the UT education department of misquoting them in the high court during a hearing on the same issue.

The schools had clarified that they would follow the quota system only if it was mentioned in the allotment letter, the UT had reportedly informed the court that a majority was in favour of the implementation.

Schools in different letters shot to the department have claimed that they had been misquoted in the minutes of meeting held on November14, 2011, which were eventually submitted before the court.

“We have received the minutes of the meeting and I will like to bring to your kind notice that my remarks noted down as minutes of the meeting are not clear. I will like to explain my stand and clarify if there is any ambiguity. On the remark that the schools will follow the directions of the DPI from time to time, which is a part of the allotment letter of all the schools, I had said the schools were already following the directions of the DPI for e.g. age criteria etc. Any direction which has a financial impact attached to it and is not a part of the allotment letter will be difficult to follow”, read the letter sent by the St Kabir authorities.

Chandigarh, November 23
While Panjab University has decided to hold a senate meeting on December 20, the syndicate members and PUTA have demanded scheduling the Syndicate before it to deal with over 10 issues deferred in last Syndicate because of the MC code of conduct.

Amongst others, the recommendations of the regulation committee to propose enhancement of retirement age to 65 years is the most important one as it is bound to affect 600 teachers.

“There were promotion cases of many teachers which have been pending for months now and if the Syndicate is not held then they cannot be tabled in the forthcoming Senate delaying the matters till march,” said Akshay Kumar, PUTA president.

“Not just promotions all major agenda items were withdrawn last time in lieu of the code. They need to be discussed and then taken in the Senate. We cannot forgo them like this,” said a Senate member.

Chandigarh, November 23
The DAV College, Chandigarh, and the West Virginia Northern Community College (WVNCC), USA, today entered into a collaborative project, “The Student Enrichment through Global Collaboration Project”.

The project is designed to engage students and faculty in the two countries to gain a firsthand perspective on current topics related to social, economic, judicial, and cultural issues. A series of asynchronous (online) discussions among peers and experts in two countries will be conducted using blackboard learning management system (LMS) to accomplish the project goal. Asynchronous discussions are independent of the space and time and allow students to engage in meaningful discourse at their own convenience.

Dr Purnima Sharma, the designer of this project, has designed and delivered several courses online and as instructional designer trained faculty and students to utilize e-learning environment. To begin the project implementation process, Sharma today conducted a demonstration of the communication and participation tools used in the project for the DAV College faculty. About 50 students have shown their eagerness to enrol in the project.

Officials said that the students’ interactions will be provided using two discussion forums; a “virtual online café` and “intellectual discussion forum. Topics of discussion in online café will be selected by the students in two countries based on the students’ interests. “Participation directions and guidelines will be provided to ensure all discussions are appropriate and conducive to the educational and cultural values of the two countries”, the officials said.

At the completion of the project, discussion messages from the two forums will be analysed for the quantity and quality of interaction, quality of learning, and added value of collaboration and critical thinking skills. A survey will be conducted to evaluate students’ perspective on global collaboration project. Findings of the project will be used to extend collaboration projects in the future.