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PU move raises Eyebrows
Chandigarh, December 11 Being pushed in as part of the agenda of the emergent Syndicate meeting, “colliding” with the Senate meeting, the same day, the issue is being seen as part of campaign promises by a candidate associated with a national party during the ongoing poll campaign. The candidate happens to be part of
the university functioning. It is worth mentioning that a relative of the candidate was part of
the university resolution committee that has recommended the enhancement of retirement age from
60 to 65. Conceding to pressure from faculty, a senior PU official said, "The issues, under consideration, have been smartly placed on the agenda. The Syndicate meeting is not scheduled during the campaigning period or on the date of polling(December 17). However, it affects a section of voters in the MC elections. The agenda is not officially declared. However, promises during the campaigning activity and local newspapers are flooded with the issues of enhancement in retirement age and promotions under CAS.” Tarsem singh, an election observer said, “We have no complaint with regard to any election malpractice from the ward connected with Panjab University. We have issued clear instructions that no results or decisions by different bodies, including Panjab University, should be announced before or during the elections even for different interviews, in case, held." A top university official, requesting anonymity, said, “There is nothing wrong with the issues of the Career Advancement Scheme in the urgent Syndicate meeting. The university will not like to comment on the issue of age enhancement till it came up for discussion. The PUTA hurried us into the special meeting because they don’t want the career advancements to linger long.” It is worth mentioning that in routine, the issue of age enhancement or the promotions would have gone, first for a Syndicate clearance, next year and then likely in the Senate agenda of March. The CAS needs, only, a clearance by the university Senate while the increase of age enhancement needs a notification, to this regard, from the Centre.
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Candidates shy away from public debate
Not a single one turns up on time Amit Sharma Tribune News Service
Fed up with the usual scene at the previous open house sessions, during the poll activity, not more than 20 residents attended the session. Interestingly, most of the public present on the spot was only party supporters of the candidates concerned from different organisations. The candidates were scheduled to reach the venue at 12 noon. However, till 12.30 p.m. none of the candidates turned up at the venue. The negligible few present on the scene were engaged in a personal talk when Dinesh Kumar, an independent candidate, arrived on the scene. The BJP candidate, from the ward, Arun Sood, arrived at 12.45 pm. Another independent candidate, Ramesh, arrived a few minutes after Sood. The Bahujan Samaj Party(BSP) candidate, Sanjeev Babbar, was the last one to arrive at around 1.30 pm. The session had nearly ended. The candidates who didn’t attend the interaction included Chandigarh Jan Manch candidate Naginder Kumar and Rajesh Sharma of the Congress. The Youth Innovative Society (YIS) president Sachin Sharma said all candidates were informed about the open house a day earlier and were even personally called “today morning”. “The Congress candidate Rajesh Sharma had informed that he will not be able to come. However, the rest of the candidates had shown their willingness to attend the meeting,” he said.The non-participation of the candidates irked the residents who had reached for the interaction organised to evaluate the contesting candidates.JP Yadav, president, Residents Welfare Society (RWS), Sector 37 (A), who was the first one from the residents to arrive for the meeting, said it’s mockery of an open house. “The candidates who are not punctual or willing to discuss the issues with their electorate can’ be trusted. This is before the polls. I wonder what will happen after they win the elections,” Yadav said. RD Aggarwal, a Sector 37 resident who attended the “open house”, said the candidates don’t seem to have any major developmental agenda or vision.
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Maloya murder case solved
Chandigarh, December 11 The victim died in the PGI today and the police arrested the accused, Avtar Singh, the victim’s brother-in-law, for the murder on the complaint of the victim’s sister. The deceased has been identified as 30-year-old Rubby, a resident of Badhal village in Ropar. The police said his sister Kulwinder Kaur, alias Noni, had illicit relations with Avtar Singh. Kulwinder left Avtar’s residence in Nagal village five days ago following a dispute with him. The police said Avtar was compelling Palwinder to return and threatened her that he would kill her brother if she refused to return. Kulwinder noticed her brother missing and informed the police. Meanwhile, the UT police had discovered the victim in a bludgeoned state with his hands and legs tied in Maloya on Friday morning and shifted him to the PGI. Inspector Charanjeet Singh, SHO, Sector 39 police station, said they had informed their counterparts in Mohali about the victim in their efforts to find out the identity of the victim. The woman then said that she suspected her husband Avtar to be behind the murder of her brother Rubby. She later identified her brother, who died in the PGI today. After Rubby’s death, the police swung into action and arrested Avtar from Nagal who confessed to his crime. He has been arrested under Section 302 of the IPC in a case registered at the Sector 39 police station. The woman told the police that she started living with Avtar three years ago while she had not divorced her previous husband. She left his home five days back, following which he started compelling her to return and told her he would kill her brother. Confessing to his crime, Avtar told the police that he had kidnapped Rubby from his residence and took him to a deserted area near Gawala Colony in Maloya. He then tied his hands and legs and smashed his head with stones and fled. The accused will be produced in court tomorrow.
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Seeking better response, GMADA relaxes eligibility criteria
Mohali, December 11 The decision is in withdrawal to the previous decision of GMADA in Mullanpur Eco City to harden the eligibility criteria by only allowing Punjab and Chandigarh residents to apply. Officials believe that the high-rise towers would not only generate more revenue but also tackle the problem of land bank in wake of high land acquisition costs and give a fillip to the upcoming projects of private realtors. Sources said apart from being apprehensive about the response to the end flats being floated for the first
Additional Chief Administrator Parveen Thind said to ensure that there was no speculation, a lock-in period of five years had been fixed before any allottee could sell the flat. The entire cost of the flat has to be paid within three years of the allotment. The scheme has been floated within two months of being conceived, as the officials wanted to float the scheme before the election model code of conduct comes into force. On the pattern of Mullanpur Eco City, GMADA has decided to notify the date of draw and date of refund to the unsuccessful applicants. Sources said the talks were on with the banks so that the banks could offer housing loans to the successful applicants.
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‘Free delivery’ scheme a success in city
Chandigarh, December 11 Other hospitals, including GMSH-16, Community Health Centre 22 and CHC, Manimajra, where free deliveries were started only two months ago, have, however, shown only a marginal increase in this regard. According to sources, the GMCH-32, has registered an almost 50 per cent increase in deliveries since June with the launch of the JSY. Under the scheme the UT administration not only provides free-of-cost deliveries, the pregnant mothers are given to and fro transportation from their residence and free diet to patient and her attendant. The increasing deliveries have, however, added to the problems of the hospital, which are already suffering from congestion and staff shortage, including those of doctors. As per information provided by the obstetrics department of the GMCH-32, as against 4,000 deliveries last year, 6,000 births are expected in the current year. Confirming this, Dr Anju Huria, head of the gynaecology department of the GMCH-32, said as the number of deliveries had increased considerably, they had written to the hospital authorities to provide more beds and staff. She said as of now, there were only 60 beds in the gynaecology ward and they had asked for another 40 for the comfort of the patients. She also pointed out that additional manpower would be required, as presently they had only two sisters per shift of eight hours to handle about 20 deliveries in a day. Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Medical Superintendent of the GMCH-32, Dr Vipin Kaushal, said a committee had been formed for strengthening various services in the hospital, including the gynaecology ward. “After getting recommendations from the committee, we will forward it either to the Director or the UT administration. If the decision relates to policy matters, like increasing staff and beds, the UT administration will have to take a call on it,” he added. In the GMSH-16 and community centres in Sector 22 and Manimajra, where the increase has been marginal, there is no dire need to increase the infrastructure. Dr G Dewan, Deputy Medical Superintendent and also the spokesperson of the GMSH-16, said, as this scheme was introduced just two months ago, we will have to wait for
some more time to assess the situation.
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approved underpasses Rajinder Nagarkoti Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 11 The delay in both projects has been causing problems to residents of Chandigarh and Panchkula who use these routes. Whenever a train passes, a long queue of vehicles can be seen on both crossings. The cost of construction of the underpass to come up at Mauli Jagran is estimated at Rs 15 crore. It will connect the road from Hallo Majra to Phase II of Industrial Area at Panchkula. The proposed underpass at Mani Majra will connect Mani Majra to the IT Park. Once functional, both will take a substantial traffic load off the main road from Chandigarh to Panchkula. When contacted, UT Finance Secretary VK Singh said the Administration had written a number of letters to the Railways, but to no avail. He added that he would meet senior officials of the Railways shortly to resolve the issue. Requesting anonymity, a senior official with the Railways said they did not receive any letter and the Administration had been delaying the work. In 2009, the then UT Administrator, Gen SF Rodrigues (retd), had written to the Union Railway Minister, seeking approval for the construction of underpasses for both crossings. In March, both projects were passed at a meeting between officials of the Railway and the Administration.
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Chandigarh, December 11 In its manifesto released here today, the party showcased the new international airport, improved rail facilities, better road transport and a three-fold jump in Chandigarh’s budget as its achievements of the past five years in the MC. Interestingly, all these projects have been allocated by the Centre for the city and there is no role of the MC in approving and implementing these. In fact, the party has made promises which do not fall in the MC’s ambit. Surprisingly, the Congress has made promises of those projects in the manifesto which are under the preview of the UT Administration, like e-waste management, senior citizens, problems concerning women, opening of more creches, installation of rainwater harvesting, construction of working women hostels, preserving Chandigarh’s heritage and disaster management force. Strangely, the Congress has not proposed any new project for the development of the city. However, it is cashing in on ongoing projects of the MC. The Congress has promised that a new multi-level parking will be constructed. Inn the past two terms of the Congress, the first multi-level parking project has been scrapped and the second one approved, but yet to see the light of the day. Similarly, in the past three years, the problem of foul smell emanating from the garbage-processing plant has not been resolved. The Mayor has depended on the Administration’s decision to find a solution. Now the party claims that it will come up with a lasting solution. Another issue which finds place in the manifesto is improvement of basic facilities in graveyards and crematoria in the city. The interesting fact is that all four Congress Mayors in the past five years have visited the cremation grounds and promised that infrastructure and basic civic amenities will be upgraded. Till date, no action has been taken. Other issues promised in the manifesto are introduction of e-governance, proper maintenance of roads, upkeep of streetlights, better primary health facilities, strengthening of primary education, uplift of rural areas, action plan for Industrial Area and permanent allocation of sites to hawkers and ‘rehriwalas’. During a media briefing, Union Minister and local Member of Parliament Pawan Kumar Bansal said many issues were held up in the past due to objections from the UT Administration. This time, they would try to sort these out and execute these, he added. He said he was hopeful that after the Congress won in Punjab, the Kajauli waterworks issue would be resolved. BJP leader and former Union minister Harmohan Dhawan said it was strange that the Congress had beens ruling the MC for the past decade, but was looking towards the Centre and the UT Administration for highlighting achievements in that period.
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No rest this Sunday
Chandigarh, December 11 Sunday turned out to be a busy day for senior leaders of the Congress and the BJP. Local MP Pawan Kumar Bansal attended a rally organised at Labour Chowk in ward 13 to support party candidate Harpool Chander Kalyan. Madhu Bansal flagged off a cycle rally of Congress activists from Sector 50, that passed through various sectors of the ward and concluded at Colony Number 5. BJP’s local president Sanjay Tandon and Kirron Kher visited ward 20, where it fielded Satyawan Shera, for a ‘jansabha’. They also addressed a gathering at ward 6, from where Rajesh Sharma was the party candidate. The BJP candidate from ward 8, Arun Sood, held a public meeting with residents of Sector 38-A. It was attended by Satpal Singh Satti, Chief Parliamentary Secretary and BJP MLA from Una, Himachal Pradesh. Kirron Kher also went from door to door in Sood’s ward, seeking people’s support. Congress candidate from ward 9, Gurbax Rawat, organised a meeting with the resident welfare association of Sector 40-A. Chandigarh Congress president BB Behl and and MP Vijay Lakshmi were the chief guests on the occasion. The main objective of the meeting was to tell current issues and problems to political leaders. The Congress candidate from ward 17, Mukesh Bassi, held a round of door-to-door campaigning in Sector 21.
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Cong expels two more
Chandigarh, December 11
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Chandigarh, December 11 The UT SSP gave instructions to police officials to arrest proclaimed offenders and violators in connection with poll campaign and political rivalry at the time of elections. The police has arrested 79 persons under preventive measures in the past two or three days. The police is also checking the status of arms dealers and their stock for any irregularity. It is checking licensed arms details. A total of 150 licensed arms have been deposited this week. — TNS
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Team Anna will not affect MC polls
I feel that Team Anna will not have any impact in any party’s defeat in the municipal corporation elections in Chandigarh. No party feels pleasure in losing elections. They lose because of poor performance during the previous five years. We must ensure that unless the ruling party has given a commendable performance, new councillors should be given a chance. It needs to be remembered that Anna has not pleaded for the victory of any party. He has only asked the public to defeat the party in power. Slapping Sharad Pawar does not have any immediate effect. No magic wand can usher in any change. The real test in democracy is through vote and not through protest. Doubts are being raised about the credentials of Team Anna. Kiran Bedi has got into a controversy for making money on fake bills. Leaders of the movement for change need to ensure a team with an impeccable record. Corruption is so deep-rooted in the system that it needs to be tackled with full force. Anna is doing the right thing in making an attempt for change. Team Anna is bound to face resistance from politicians and so, the group needs to hold on firmly to resist any strategy of politicians to weaken them. Providing Anna with ‘Z’ security is a smart move to distance and isolate him from the people and restrict his movement. Leaders should realise that people want them to change. The mood is building up and politicians need to respect the changed mood of the public, seeking greater accountability. Sachin Sharma, Chandigarh. Cong his target
Anna Hazare has started a movement against corruption and wants a mechanism for the constitution of an effective Lokpal Bill to curb this menace in the country. Chandigarh is not an exception. The thrust of canvassing of all candidates here is on development and the welfare of residents. In the past three elections, the agenda of elected councillors of the municipal corporation has been development. If we go through the report cards of different areas, especially those covered in this newspaper, people are still crying for the development. It is not an exaggeration to say that development has become another name of corruption in India. To substantiate this, we should recollect that Rajiv Gandhi had said hardly 15 paise of Re 1 kept for development in the country reaches its destination. The municipal corporation is not lagging behind in this respect and has remained in the news for corrupt practices. Not going into much detail, this is evident from the latest incident of a vigilance inquiry report indicting the executive engineer, subdivisional engineer and junior engineer in a case of unauthorised laying of optical fibre cable. The report has also brought the role of the Chief Engineer of the corporation under the scanner. No candidate is talking about curtailing corruption in the corporation. All national parties are making hollow slogans for a strong and effective Lokpal Bill in the country to curb corruption, which is yet to see the light of the day. There is rampant corruption and India has slipped to a low rank of 95 among 183 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perspective Index. If Anna Hazare or his team visit Chandigarh before the elections, the ruling party will get a setback. This has been proved in the election to the Hisar parliamentary constituency. A member of Team Anna started canvassing against the Congress and its candidate was defeated. It is the confirmed view that the target of Anna Hazare and his team is the Congress, which is the main party contesting elections here. Price rise and unemployment are not on the agenda of Anna Hazare, but corruption is the root cause of these ills. This will certainly have an effect. Since the corporation is a den of corruption, the movement will have an impact in the corporation elections. SK
Khosla,
Chandigarh.
Just the start
‘Impact Anna’ is now a national phenomenon, influencing and sensitising mindsets in every sphere of public life in the country. The country has been initiated into a brooding mood towards a possible renaissance. Public servants and public figures are under more scrutiny for better delivery in the public domain. It will not be an overstatement to say it is just the beginning and there is still a long way to go. Anna’s impact has made a definite impact in the recent byelections in Haryana. It will be very difficult to keep the city away from the reaction. The recognition of youth power by political parties in elections is an effect of the Anna movement. NGOs getting signatures of candidates as a promise of delivering a clean corporation to citizens is an important development. ‘Impact Anna’ may not be complete or straight in elections this time. Having shown the way for a possible change, politics will definitely change in the future, with the element of greater accountability slowly but surely becoming an important tool to impress voters. Rakesh Chopra,
Chandigarh.
Do not vote
I do not think that there is going to be an Anna effect on the municipal corporation elections this month. This is because no political party has so far promised to bring in reforms in society. No party or candidate has promised to eradicate corruption from society if elected to power. They are flouting all electoral norms by disobeying traffic rules while taking out election processions on city roads. What sort of corruption will these candidates remove from society when they themselves are offering cash and liquor to voters? Politicians will be politicians and they cannot be expected to win elections by simple means. To bribe and win elections is their only agenda. They do not care a bit what Anna Hazare, or for that matter, any social activist says. Cleaning up society is not in their hands. They have their own priorities and that is to win elections by hook or by crook! Their aim is to contest elections for their own sake and benefit and not for the masses. Nothing concrete can be expected from them. It is better not to cast the vote instead of wasting it. RK
Kapoor,
Chandigarh.
Electors swayed
A corruption-free India is a dream nurtured by every Indian. This is now amply evident from the support that Anna Hazare has got from the people. There has been a surge of people wanting to be a part of the movement launched to end corruption. Anna aims to attack the corrupt and corruption through his proposed redrafting of the Lokpal Bill. When you take a overview of election fervour in the city, one clearly finds that the electorate is simply swayed by slogans of candidates. People seem to forget the issue of corruption as none of us is free from the stigma and have indulged in this practice at one point of time or another. Corporation elections do not matter much to a large section of the population. In Chandigarh, besides the two national parties, regional ones and a horde of Independents are in the fray. None seems to be vocal on the issue of corruption. The issue has seemingly been overshadowed by slogans of development, which catch the fancy of the electorate. Though cadres may toe the party line, Anna’s impact will silently work on the minds of the electors. It will not be a surprise if results speak differently altogether. Satish Sharma,
Chandigarh.
Too frustrating
Voting in elections will definitely be influenced by Anna Hazare’s fight against corruption. India must fully embrace his plan to root out the cancer of corruption. There is a lot of pent-up anger, especially among the youth, springing from the manner in which politicians of all hues are taking the country for a ride through office misuse and corruption. There is a sense of frustration among the diminishing tribe of honest Indians which is ready to explode. It is time to exercise zero tolerance against this evil. People need to act logically while casting their vote and not be fooled by candidates who can only make promises and not keep those. Misuse of public money should not be tolerated. Those who work for the welfare and development of the city need to be chosen. Vineet
Kapoor, Panchkula.
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Enjoying life to the fullest, young children freaked out at Aanchal International School, Sector 41-D, on Sunday. The highlight of the function was that grandparents were the chief guests on the occasion. A colorful “baby show” for children in the age group of 1 to 1.5 years was another highlight of the day. An athletics meet was also organised by teachers to test the coordination between mind and body of tiny tots. A song and dance programme showcased the charm of kids. Students were awarded for bringing laurels in the fields of sports, dance and creative skills. Medals were also given to winners in the athletics meet. Principal Manju Sood thanked students and their families for making the function a huge success
Prizes given
AKSIPS Smart School organised its annual prize distribution-cum-cultural event “Jai Ho” on the school premises on Sunday. Kamal Arora, president awardee and renowned actor-director, presided over the function..
SBI carnival ends
Medical camp
Corporation Bank, Sector 35-C branch, in association with Fortis City Centre, Sector 9-D, organised a free medical check-up camp for senior citizens on Sunday. Dr Vijay Harjai and his team examined senior citizens, especially keeping in mind age-related problems like hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, cancer and other chronic metabolic problems. The health camp was inaugurated by Wg Cdr JM Kaushal. VS Karthikeyan, deputy general manager and zonal head, Chandigarh zone, and other senior officials of the bank and its branches in the tricity were present on the occasion.
Fast observed
On the call of Anna Hazare, the nationwide one-day fast was observed. The Chandigarh Anna team also organised an event at the Sectors 17 and 21 bus stand chowk. The response was huge. Hundreds of people participated. Anna Team core committee member, Devender Sharma also joined the fast.
Students of The Millennium School made visitors aware about ill effects of global warming, told them the methods to conserve energy, technique of rainwater harvesting and showed them futuristic designs of buildings through various models in the science fair held on the school premises in Sector 67 here on Sunday. About 30 models, both working and non-working, presenting various innovative ideas based on the principles of science, technology, engineering and mathematics were presented by the students. While “Lifecycle of a star” presentation was the highlight of the fair, other models on wastewater management, induction chimney, Energy Bridge, solar village, magnetic crane and display of “green city” using robotics amused the visitors. “The fair, which witnessed participation of about 300 students from classes V to X, gave them an opportunity to come out with innovative ideas. It was a learning experience for both teachers and students,” said school principal Komal Singh. The projects were judged by Satinder Kaur, a professor, State Institute of Science, Punjab; Anurag Aggarwal, president, Punjab Engineering College Old Boys’ Association; and Satish Asthana, Inspector General (Vigilance), Punjab Police. “The school has planted seeds of innovation in the students and it’s the job of the students to help the seeds grow into huge trees, which may revolutionise society and surroundings,” said school director Robin Aggarwal.
Human Rights Day
Students of the Gian Jyoti Institute of Management and Technology, Phase II, Mohali, organised a seminar on the Human Rights Day. The theme of the seminar was human rights awareness. Gian Jyoti Group of Institutions chairman JS Bedi was the chief guest on the occasion. During a panel discussion, students and teachers deliberated on the topics, “human rights protection”, “women empowerment”, “child labour” and “state of human rights”.
The annual cultural extravaganza, “Razzmatazz-2011”, unfolded at Manav Mangal Smart School, Mohali. The event aimed at 100 per cent participation of the students of primary classes. The children played obeisance to God by performing a Krishna Leela, portraying wit and playfulness of Lord Krishna.
Open Day
Lawarence Public School organised “Open Day”, in which 1,400 students participated and exhibited their talents. The Open Day was a conglomeration of performing arts, dramatics, science and information and technology. Students posed as doctors, imparted valuable information about prevalent lifestyle diseases like diabetes, arthritis and osteoporosis. Creative art and performance was exhibited through pottery, art and craft. SDM Mohali, Amit Talwar inaugurated the function.
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To boost tourism, Railways to set up executive lounges
Chandigarh, December 11
Talking to The Tribune here, Sanjay Kumar Jain, Group General Manager (Northern Zone), IRCTC, said that the Railway Board had recently approved the setting up of these lounges. He said Kalka, Amritsar and Jammu would be among the 50 tourist destinations in the country where such executive lounges would be set up in the first phase. Jain said these lounges, being set up on the lines of lounges at the international airports, would be under the direct control of the Station Authority of India (SAI). He said separate funds would be allotted to the SAI for running its operations in the country. "All our lounges would be unique in their own way, which would ensure that the guests are pampered and the time spent at the railway station would be in sheer comfort and luxury", said Jain. He said that these lounges would cater exclusively to departing domestic and international tourists, ensuring them a smooth and hassle free railway station experience from their arrival at the platform right up to the train boarding. These lounges would be equipped with comfortable seating, Wi-Fi facility, televisions and other facilities like bookshops, he added. He said that Divisional Railway Managers (DRM) of Ambala and Ferozepur Divisions had been directed to identify the sites at these three railway stations for these lounges.
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Harish, Tanushri spell magic
Chandigarh, December 11 The accomplished artiste duo opened their recital with an invocatory Shiv stuti “Mahesham Suresham” in raga bhatiyar, paying obeisance to Lord Shiva and presented it in an exemplary abhinaya format with stylish punctuation with jaties typical of kathak in the kirtana part and delicate footwork. Then followed pure kathak set to teen tal of 16 beats. Harish Gangani demonstrated his skill and virtuosity while presenting thaat, upaj, aamad, tihai, tode, tukre paran, chakradar paran, parmelu and gats amid thunderous applause. Intricate movements were executed with remarkable ease and confidence. Gangani’s sense and ganit (arithmetic) was indeed perfect. Then followed a solo number, a thumri in raga khamaj, displaying playful teasing between Radha and Lord Krishna. Tanushri beautifully danced to the lyrics “Chhaila roke dagariya tharo” displaying her command over abhinaya aspect of kathak. The programme concluded with sargam and jugalbandi between dance, ghungroo and tabla in drut laya. Tanushri was a picture of confidence throughout the recital. Kendra registrar Shobha Koser honoured the artistes.
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Chandigarh, December 11 She was speaking at a musical evening organised by the “Vibrations”, a musical group, who paid rich tributes to the legends of Mohammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar and Mukesh at a programme organised by Naresh Jacob at the Tagore Theatre here today. The accomplished singers doled out songs immortalised by three legends. Besides Naresh Jacob, singers like Shivam, Prashant, Kamal, Veenu Kautish, Divya, Abhishek and Poorvi, distinguished in their songs. The pick of the day was reining flautist-composer, Vevel Sharma, who sang “Ikk pradesi” to perfection, as also Naresh Jacob, who attempted to emulate Mukesh with “Jeena yahan marna yahan”. — OC
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Newly appointed home secretary Akash Ghai Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 11 While he has refused to comment on the plea that it is too early, various recruitment scams that have hit the headlines during the tenure of his predecessor, Ram Niwas, have generated controversies, with the CBI being involved in the investigations of a majority of cases. Some of the scams include the teacher, police constable, CTU bus driver and conductor, fireman and CITCO staff recruitment scams, that have taken place in 2009-10. The biggest fallout of these scams is that the UT Administration, after Ram Niwas relinquishing charge, has started referring all appointments to the Centre. On October 25, the Administration sent a letter to the Staff Selection Commission, asking it to conduct the recruitment of some non-gazetted personnel. The Administration also referred the appointment of new Director-Principal of the GMCH-32 to the UPSC. According to senior officials, the main challenge before Anil would be to get the recruitment process back to the UT. “It will be interesting to see how the new Home Secretary brings credibility back to the Administration,” said an officer on the condition of anonymity. He would have to deal with some other major issues, including the implementation of the Draft Industrial Policy, 2009, which had been hanging fire for the past two years. Similarly, uncertainty continued to prevail over the fate of the much-publicised Education City project, which failed to take off.
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Heirs will fight case, says forum
Tells PGI to pay Rs 6.6 lakh for death of heart patient Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 11 The UT State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, comprising its president Justice Sham Sunder and member Jagroop Singh Mahal, while making this observation, has directed the PGI to pay Rs 6.6 lakh for not admitting a patient suffering from a serious heart ailment. The commission has further directed the PGI to pay Rs 10,000 to the complainant as costs of litigation. The PGI will be free to recover the whole or any part of the above-mentioned amount from the doctors at fault for not treating the patient properly, after serving them a show-cause notice. Harbans Singh of Sector 15 had submitted that three teenaged schoolgirls had lost their mother. After the death of his wife, the complainant did not survive long, leaving the three girls orphaned. After these girls moved an application, they were brought on record in his place on November 18. The complainant had submitted that his wife, Pritpal Kaur, was previously suffering from restrictive cardiomyopathy. On January 23, 2008, she was admitted to the emergency of the advanced eye centre at the PGI for some eye problem. Though her condition had not improved, she was discharged on January 24 and advised to take antibiotics as she had diastolic heart failure. She was taken to the medical OPD on January 24. After examination, she was referred to the cardio OPD. Ignoring her condition and without consulting the consultant cardiologist, PGI doctors advised some medicines. Harbans Singh again took her to the advanced eye centre the next day for further check-up. Doctors advised ENT consultation, but did not admit her to the medical emergency, though she was suffering from a serious heart ailment. She was again brought to the PGI on January 30 and treated by junior doctors on emergency duty. Her condition deteriorated, but she was not shifted to the ICU or the CCU despite many requests by the complainant. She died on February 3 due to gross negligence of the PGI, the complainant had claimed. The counsel for the PGI denied that the patient had been discharged in a critical condition. The counsel said hers was an old case of cardiomyopathy and she was under treatment since 1999. She was admitted to the hospital on January 30, 2008, and diagnosed as severe sepsis. She was shifted to the medical emergency ward on January 31, where she was put on mechanical ventilator. On February 1, a cardiology review was conducted, ENT consultation was sought and her condition improved. On February 2, she developed a shock and her inotropic support regimen had to be augmented. On February 3, the cardiology department again reviewed the case, with the advice to continue treatment. She developed acute renal failure, for which a peritoneal dialysis was initiated, but she succumbed to her illness on February 3. It was claimed that despite intensive therapy, severe sepsis and septic shock had a mortality rate of about 60 per cent.
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Woman falls off roof, dies
Chandigarh, December 11 The victim fell at 2 am and was declared brought dead at the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital in Sector 16. The police was waiting for the arrival of her parents from Assam to record their statement, after which further action would be taken. Neelu was survived by her husband Harish, whom she married five years back, and a four-year old son. While Harish resided in Sector 30, they were staying at the house of Neelu’s cousin. Harish was sleeping when the incident occurred. The police did not rule out foul play in the incident. It suspected the death to be a case of suicide or accident. A team of forensic experts inspected the spot. The exact picture would be clear only after the recording of statements of Neelu’s family.
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Cattle menace still dots P’kula roads
Panchkula, December 11 Any given day the cattle can be seen roaming on the busy roads. Even the increase of penalty and registering of FIRs against offenders did not prove a deterrent for many milkmen in the town. A Panchkula-based couple, Pankaj and Sangeeta Chandgothia, had filed an application in the local court submitting that stray cattle are often found sitting or moving in the middle of the busy roads, leading to accidents and the authorities should be asked to take remedial steps in this regard. On November 25, Panchkula Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Gurvinder Kaur directed the district authorities to submit the action-taken report on the court orders issued to officials concerned to take steps against the cattle menace. The PIL will now come up for hearing on December 17. In fact, the milkmen in and around the city release cattle after milking them in the evening, leading to road accidents. A cow hit a scooterist on the night of December 7, said Devinder Mahajan, a resident of Sector 4. While the scooterist lost the balance and fell down suffering injuries, the cow ran away towards the Mansa Devi Temple, he said. Despite the fact that the local police has warned the milkmen against leaving their cattle free in the town, things failed to change for the betterment, he added. Municipal Corporation executive official KK Jain when contacted said the MC had already caught over 350 stray cattle and shifted them to a gaushala in Pinjore. In addition to it, a notification for acquiring the land to set up dairies at a nearby village has been sent to the state government, he said. The problem would be solved completely after the dairies are shifted to the new site, he said.
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Work to erect footbridges begins
Mohali, December 11 Already the steel structures to support footbridges have been erected in Phases 3BII and VII. A total of four footbridges are being erected at a cost of Rs 2 crore. Once erected, the footbridges would enable pedestrians to cross the busy roads without obstructing the traffic. Each of the footbridges, costing around Rs 50 lakh each, would be a 100-ft long steel structure. An official of GMADA said locations of the footbridges were adjoining the Rose Garden in Phase 3BII, near Phase VII market, near Chalwa nursing home in Phase VII and another one near traffic lights of Phases III and V. “The work of construction of the roads was delaying the completion of the footbridges. Some essential services like telephone cables and electricity wires were being relocated,” said the official. As widening of the roads would reduce parking space in the markets along the shopping street, GMADA has started work on increasing the parking space in the markets. The unutilised space in the rear of the commercial area would be converted into parking. The situation is worst in the markets of Phases 3BII, V and VII. Benches, billboards and mailboxes will also be provided on both sides of the road and landscaping will be done on the entire stretch.
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PU all set to introduce road safety as compulsory subject
Chandigarh, December 11 Both examinations would be clubbed together, which a student needs to clear to complete the graduation. PU is all set to educate over 3 lakh college students about road safety. The university has decided that the nomenclature of the subject “Environment Education” be changed to “Environment Education and Road Safety” as the compulsory qualifying subject of 70 marks. While 50 marks would be for environment education, the remaining marks would be for road safety. As per the plan, the question paper for the road safety would have 20 multiple questions. “The syllabus for road safety would be prepared on 10 topics by the committee, which is a part of the board of studies of the department of police administration at PU,” said a PU official. A Senate member said the rationale behind introducing road safety as a subject was to make the youth aware about the traffic rules to prevent road accidents. The students will also have to attend 10 lectures of the subject, failing which they won’t be allowed to appear in the examination. The proposal would be tabled before the Senate on December 20 for the final node, following which it would be introduced in all affiliated colleges. The students will have to pass the examination once while pursuing the graduation. Meanwhile, the students can appear in any of the three years of the graduation.
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Chandigarh, December 11
The SBI carnival concluded after two days of festivity on Sunday. SBI marketing teams created awareness about various products and services of the SBI with Supriyo K Chaudhary, general manager (network-II), handing over the keys of a car, financed during the carnival, to its proud owner. The carnival was earlier inaugurated by NK Chari, chief general manager, State Bank of India (Chandigarh Circle).
Cultural fiesta
This would be the first of its kind in the country, which would cater to the needs of various groups of travellers, including foreign tourists.