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MC fails to tame bureaucrats
Panchkula, December 17 The toilet and two tents are still there in the middle of a road outside the residence of Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) BK Garg (House NO. 1205, Sector 7), Panchkula. Similarly, an illegal tent outside the residence of former Punjab Chief Secretary Jai Singh Gill also stands tall. Even today, the authorities came with the standard reply. Executive officer of the Panchkula MC OP Sihag said: “Just give me another day and I will get everything removed.” Estate officer of HUDA Aswhini Sharma said: “I will go again tomorrow and will get everything removed. We have sent them notices and after four notices, disciplinary action will be taken.” On November 29, a joint team of the Panchkula MC and HUDA had removed the encroachments outside the residences of bureaucrats in the township after it was highlighted in these columns. However, the encroachments were back after two days.
encroachments
The toilet and two tents are still there in the middle of the road outside the residence of Punjab IGP BK Garg in Panchkula. Similarly, an illegal tent outside the residence of former Punjab Chief Secretary Jai Singh Gill also stands tall.
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general house meeting
Chandigarh, December 17 As a standard practice, the National Anthem is played before and after the House meeting. The opposition councillors termed the incident as a ‘black day’ in the history of the MC. The SAD-BJP councillors also boycotted the official lunch. Congress councillor Subhash Chawla said as it was the last meeting, all agendas should be passed in one go, but the SAD-BJP councillors opposed it and said the discussion should take place before passing any agenda. When the opposition councillors were submitting their points, the National Anthem was started and all councillors and officials stood up. After the National Anthem, Mayor Raj Bala Malik called off the meeting. The SAD-BJP councillors opposed it and also held a press conference after the meeting. BJP councillor Arun Sood, who is also the in charge of the party affairs in the MC, said the ruling party used the National Anthem for its benefit. SAD councillor Harjinder Kaur said the Congress Mayor used the National
Anthem as a tool to suppress the voice of the opposition. The Mayor has failed to deliver, she added. BJP councillor Saurabh Joshi said the MC spends lakhs on the House meetings to discuss important issues. But today the ruling party passed the agendas which were not even discussed, he added. SAD councillor Malkiat Singh said: “Mayor Raj Bala Malik only wants to inaugurate projects and install plaques of her name, but does not want to work for the common citizens. Today’s step is totally undemocratic.”
Blame game begins
MC Commissioner Vivek Pratap Singh said he did not direct anybody to play the National Anthem and it was the Mayor who chaired the House meeting. Mayor Raj Bala Malik, however, said she had no idea who ordered the operator to play it. Joint Commissioner Rajiv Gupta also feigned ignorance. Main operator Anil Kumar said he was not in the room when the National Anthem was played. He gave another operator Gurmit Singh’s number. When contacted, Gurmit said he followed the directions. He preferred to remain silent when asked on whose directions he plated the National Anthem.
What the Act says?
Under the Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act, whosoever insults the National Flag and the Constitution of India shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years or with fine or with both.
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Councillors for imposing heavy fine on violators
Chandigarh, December 17 Encroachments on MC land, markets, and green belts have been
highlighted in these columns. Moudgil suggested that the MC should impose heavy fine on encroachers and there should be a provision to cancel the licence of the violator after challans. Moudgil also showed photographs and newspaper cuttings to highlight the encroachments in the city. Echoing similar views, nominated councillor DS Sandhu said he had called the enforcement wing of the MC to remove encroachments from Sector 35 on several occasions, but to no avail. He said that strict action should be taken against encroachers. BJP councillor Arun Sood said the MC should formulate a policy to remove encroachments and should not adopt a pick-and-choose policy. Replying to the issues raised by councillors, MC Commissioner Vivek Pratap Singh said the MC was trying its level best to remove encroachments. He said: “As per rules, the MC cannot increase the fine, but we are trying to increase the manpower in the enforcement wing.”
The enforcement wing of the Municipal Corporation carried out an anti-encroachment drive in various parts of Sector 35, Attawa village, Sectors 42, 40 and 41. A total of 105 challans were issued. The enforcement team removed and seized readymade garments, counters, stands and cylinders from Krishna Market, Sector 41. Seven sub-inspectors of the enforcement wing carried out the drive.
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PGI doc gets the boot over sexual harassment
Chandigarh, December 17 PGI’s official spokesperson Manju Wadwalkar said: “As per the rules, he has been issued termination orders for sexual harassment.” The decision assumes significance as no such termination has been ordered in the institution. The case dates back to May 16 this year when the junior lab technician alleged that an undeserving name was added in an article published by Dr Bansal which resulted into a heated argument between her and Dr Bansal. She filed a complaint which was forwarded to head of the department Dr KD Gill who further sent it to the sexual harassment committee. The sexual harassment committee was constituted two days after the complaint. The committee was headed by Dr Savita Malhotra, head of department of psychiatry. The committee submitted its report on Monday holding Dr Bansal guilty. The PGI has set a precedent for all the 500 faculty members and 8,000 paramedical staff members by taking a strict action against the doctor.
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Cancer Awareness Campaign
Mohali, December 17 According to figures available with health officials, 867 persons died of cancer in the district in the past five years. Assistant Civil Surgeon Meena Hardeep Singh said here today that the population covered under the campaign till December 15 was 7,72,206, which was 79.77 per cent of the total population of the district. The teams had covered 63,806 houses during that period. Nearly 10 lakh people will be covered in the district under the state-level programme for the early detection and registration of cancer patients. The aim of the survey was also to give a fair assessment of the number of persons suffering from cancer and facilitate them to get relief from the Chief Minister’s Rahat Kosh Fund. All those diagnosed as suffering from cancer were eligible for financial relief of Rs 1.5 lakh. Medical personnel at different levels, including paramedical, Asha workers and nursing students, are asking 12 questions linked to various types of cancer from residents during the door-to-door survey being carried out. The campaign may continue beyond the scheduled three-week period, said officials. Asha workers have been asked to cover the rural population, while nursing students are taking care of the urban areas. As many as 1,500 students from eight nursing colleges are taking part in the survey. Asha workers and Asha facilitators numbering 516 have also been put on the job. Though initially Asha workers did not participate in the project on grounds of inadequate remuneration, later they started doing the survey work. Meanwhile, Rs 66 lakh has been given to 44 cancer patients in Mohali district out of the Chief Minister’s relief fund for treatment, said Civil Surgeon Neelam Bharadwaj.
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violations by chandigarh club
The report was submitted by a special committee constituted under the UT Chief Engineer as a part of the exercise to access the lease money of the club. The violations have been marked on the survey plan of the club submitted to the UT Joint Secretary (Estates). Mukesh Bassi, former president of Chandigarh Club, said no notice regarding the misuse or violation had been served on the club. "Regarding the unauthorised construction, the approval of the revised building plans are pending with the Estate Office," said Bassi. The committee comprising officials of the engineering department, finance department and Estate Office verified the nature of construction on the club premises. Sources said while assessing the lease money of the club, only the approved constructed area of the club had been made a part of the calculations which had worked out to be Rs 12 lakh and an annual increase of 7 per cent would be added to the rent. "The unapproved area and the area being misused have not been included in the calculations. It is up to the Estate Office to see the violations or misuse," said a UT official. "Though initially the lease money as per the formulae worked out to be Rs 5 lakh per month, an increased rent has been recommended by the special committee," added the official. On the similar lines, the committee has recommended a monthly rent of around Rs 3.25 lakh. "The recommendations are being reviewed by the Chandigarh Administration," said another official. The issue of payment of the lease money has to be settled before touching the violations or the misuse. The Chandigarh Administration has put on hold the approval of the revised building plans of Chandigarh Club and Golf Club till the clubs do not pay the revised lease money, running into crores.
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re-carpeting of roads
Chandigarh, December 17 Joshi said the MC should take action against the contractor concerned who used poor-quality material. He added that regular inspection was a must for the re-carpeting of roads. BSP councillor Jannat Jahan Ul Haq said she had received complaints from the residents of Sectors 18 and 19 in this regard. She suggested that the MC should pull up the contractors. MC Commissioner Vivek Pratap Singh said the MC officials would inspect the area and submit a report.
Highlights of MC General House
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Ultimate test of your nerves, endurance
caught in a crawl For commuters living in Zirakpur, who visit the city to reach their offices and education institutions everyday, spending a major part of their time on roads has become a compulsion. A commuter, who starts afresh from home every morning, has to cover a distance of 6.7 km in 45 minutes, driving in a crawl applying brakes every two minutes and find the correct lane. While cross-lane driving is a big problem in the absence of sync between the three directions of signals at the Airport and Hallo Majra lights t, the barricades put up at the entry point to Chandigarh from Zirakpur which block two of the three lanes on the road add to the woes of the commuters. Tribune reporter Ritika Jha Palial and photographer S. Chandan travelled on the 6.7 km stretch of Zirakpur to the Tribune Chowk road, during normal as well as peak rush hours to find out the plight of the commuters who bear with the traffic mismanagement twice everyday.
Choke points
Hallo Majra light point, Airport light point and exit point of Chandigarh and entry point of Zirakpur (about 1 km ahead of Zirakpur main lights) are the main choke points of the area. No sync between the
three directions of the traffic signals The signals for going straight, left and right do not work together at the Airport light point and the Hallo Majra light point. At both the light points, while the signals for going straight and left work together, there is a time lapse between the two and the right signal. This leads to confusion among the commuters everyday as cars lined up at the right lane, start moving leftwards blocking the traffic movement. Barricades at entry point to Chandigarh-Zirakpur border point Barricades placed on both sides of the road, block a major part of the road. This causes a slowdown in the movement of the traffic leading to a huge traffic jam. It usually takes about 10 minutes to cover the point from Zirakpur main light point.
Separate lane for two-wheelers A separate lane for two wheelers runs parallel to the stretch between entry point to Chandigarh and Hallo Majra light point on both sides. While the purpose of the separate lane was to ensure smooth plying of cars and two-wheelers on separate lanes, only a few two-wheelers can be seen moving on the separate lanes. Others continue to ply on the main road. Also, a number of cars can be seen moving on the separate two-wheeler lane, leading to further mismanagement and cross lane driving. Problems you have to grapple with Kind of traffic: The commuters on this road include working class population, students and shop-owners. Kind of vehicles: Majority of the vehicles include cars, followed by two-wheelers, buses and auto-rickshaws. Presence of policemen managing traffic
Solutions only on paper Proposed underpass The UT administration has proposed an underpass at the locations with heavy traffic, including one of the worst bottlenecks, Tribune Chowk. Flyovers There was a proposal for a flyover on the road to ease traffic. The flyovers plan continues as a mere talking point Gathering dust: What the RITES Survey said A study conducted by RITES during 2008-2009 has found that most locations in and around the city exhibit predominance of fast-moving vehicles. About 81 per cent consist of light fast-moving vehicles (cars, two-wheelers and auto- rickshaws). Of all the vehicles moving of the road, the share of two -wheelers was found to be 36.4 per cent that of cars and jeeps was 31.1 per cent, that of autos was 0.2 per cent and trucks was 2.6 per cent. It is seen that the share of two-wheelers and autos in total traffic is maximum at most of the locations. Share of buses is high at Dakshin Marg (National Highway-21) during peak hours. In the survey it was mentioned that the traffic on the road indicated that the traffic is highest between 6 am and 6.15 am and between 6 pm and 6.15 pm. 250 cars cross Tribune Chowk between 6 am and 6.15 am everyday The RITES study (2008-2009) has found that about 250 car units cross Tribune Chowk between 6 am and 6.15 am everyday and the number goes up to 2000 between 8.15pm and 8.30 pm and it furthers increases to 3,500 between 9.45 pm and 10 pm. The density of vehicles has only increased manifold as 300 new vehicles are added to the city everyday, as per the official figures. COMMUTERS SPEAK Travelling a nightmare
RS Kanwar
Vishal
Darshan Sachdeva
Harshdev Singh Gill
Bharti Madaan official speak
Not enough land available We have a number of suggestions. We are currently deliberating upon the modalities of these suggestions. The proposal of setting up of flyovers have also been mooted in the past but given the fact that Chandigarh is a heritage city, the concept of flyover is still being debated upon. Moreover, we can not widen the roads as we do not have adequate land available. SK Chadha, UT Chief Engineer
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Good Samaritans: Indian doctors perform 780 polio surgeries in Nigeria
Chandigarh, December 17 Around 600 patients were identified for the surgery from the polio-endemic areas of Nigeria with the help of the Federal Minister of Health, Nigeria. These areas included Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa, Bauchi, Nainja, Yobe, Nasarawa, Borno, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara, from where the patients were brought to Kubwa for screening. Many walk-in patients were also received at both the camps. The team, including 12 orthopaedic surgeons, five anaesthesiologists, one pathologist, one general surgeon, and six volunteers, reached Abuja on December 2, and immediately engaged itself in screening the patients at the holding bay at National Youth Service Corps camp in Kubwa. The efforts of the Indian doctors were well
acknowledged by the Nigerian Government, who assured that they would step up the efforts to eradicate polio from Nigeria,
one of the three polio-endemic countries. The doctors had taken along medical equipment, supplies and consumables, weighing around 1,150 kg. Nigeria's Federal Minister of Health Dr Onyebuchi Chukwu, an orthopaedic surgeon and a Rotarian as well, joined the Indian doctors in conducting a polio corrective surgery on a six-year-old girl from Zamfara.
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pond’s femina miss india chandigarh 2013
Chandigarh, December 17 The jury members at the event included former Femina Miss India Universe 2008 Simran Kaur Mundi, actor Arya Babbar, entrepreneur and socialite Pooja Talwar, writer Khushwant Singh and PFMI World 2012 Vanya Mishra. Eleven contestants, who were shortlisted from over a hundred aspirants during the auditions, presented a fine display of charm, poise and determination, making it a tough decision for the judges. Various sub contests such as “Femina Miss Glowing Skin” and “Femina Miss Adventurous” were also held. Poorvi Kautish, who finished among the top five in the reality singing show Indian Idol 2012, performed during the event.
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Musical evening
The audience at Bhargwa Auditorium, PGI, went nostalgic during the musical evening -- THREE LEGENDS. Vibrations, a city-based musical group led by N Jacob performed on the occasion. Renowned singer Suresh Wadekar was the chief guest. The programme began with a soulful devotional rendition by Dipesh Rahi. Jacob captivated everyone with Kishore Kumar’s hit tracks. A duet from Prashant and Pritika was also appreciated. Suresh Wadekar too sang a couple of songs.
Elected
The Board of Directors of the Chandigarh State Cooperative Bank Limited unanimously elected Kamal Sharma as the president of the bank. Jujhar Singh was elected as the
vice-president. PANCHKULA SCAN
Executive body reconstituted
Sri Gita Prachar Samiti reconstituted its executive body on Monday. Ravi Gulati was elected as the president of the samiti. The president nominated Sandeep Gupta as the secretary and Ashok Gupta as treasurer. SD Sharma, Balwant Rai, H R Sharma, SN Jha, Shankar Mohan
and Rajiv Mahajan were nominated as the executive members. MOHALI SCAN
Blood donation camp
The Allengers Group of Companies organised its eighth blood donation camp on its Dera Bassi campus. As many as 101 persons donated blood during the camp organised in association with the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh.
Job fair
Around 50 companies have confirmed participation in a job fair being organised by Aryan College, Chandigarh-Patiala highway, on Tuesday. Thousands of students have got registered for the fair. Multinationals and small enterprises from various sectors will be holding their recruitment process along with non-governmental organisations and consultancies. The job opportunities will be available for BTech, MBA, BBA, BCA, MCA, MTech, diploma and ITI students.
— TNS
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No winter break for postgraduate students, staff, courtesy PU exams
Chandigarh, December 17 Dalip Kumar, a Senate member, said that the university did not realise that the invigilators, college staff and PG students will end up missing their winter break. “Soon after the exams get over, the teachers and students will be back for the next semester,” he said. Dr BR Bansal, a faculty member at the Post Graduate Government College, Sector 11, who is the examination co-ordinator, said the university should develop a mechanism for preparing the date sheets. “I feel that the college teachers should be consulted before finalising a date sheet, so that such a situation doesn’t arise again,” he said. Narinder Anchal, a faculty member at PGGCG-42, who is performing the duty of superintendent for examination at PGGCG-11, said the stretched schedule of PG exams has deprived teachers and students of enjoying their winter break. “Schools are also closed during the year-end and it’s the best time to go on a vacation; however, the examination duty has led to the cancellation of all such plans,” he said. He further added that the university should ensure that the examination schedule is not stretched to the extent that the vacations get spoiled. “If for some unavoidable reason the exams are scheduled during the vacations, then the university should pay double remuneration to the teachers on the line of other universities,” Anchal said.
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transfer of teachers
Chandigarh, December 17 Swarn Singh Kamboj, president of the UT cadre educational employees’ union, said that these transfers were not required during the middle of the session, as exams were going on in the schools. “The whole process, it seems, is being done to adjust some favourite teachers,” he said. Khusali Ram, president of government teachers’ union, said the transfer policy of the UT Administration, wherein transfers can only be made after a teacher has served for 10 years at a place, had been violated. The Department officials, however, said the transfers were made on administrative grounds.
— TNS
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Children display skills
Chandigarh: Students of the pre-primary section of Shivalik Public School displayed their talent and skills during the annual prize distribution function. They presented dance forms of different states and also danced on movie songs. Prize distribution
Mohali: Sentinel Public school, Sohana, organised its 12th annual prize distribution function. The function started with Shabad recital by Ramanpreet, followed by Ganesh Vandana by Mandalsa and Jaspreet. Students of nursery and kindergarten classes participated enthusiastically in the show. Display of
recyclable material
The kindergarten students of Yadavindra Public School exhibited their annual display event ‘Busy Hands’ on the theme — ‘Recycle to Save the Earth’. Recyclable material like tissue rolls, ice-cream sticks, spoons, egg cartons, paper plates and cereal boxes were used to depict the sea, jungle and village life. Dental check-up
A health and dental check-up was conducted on the school premises of Green Field Public School. Dr Malwinder Kaur conducted the check-up.
Students were told to avoid sticky food that can harm their teeth. Inter-school competition
Ashmah International School organised an inter-school competition. Students participated in different activities including drawing, painting, rhyme competition and speech contest.
— TNS
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Chandigarh, December 17
I commute on this road everyday. I have to start from home an hour before my reporting time at office. The travel on this stretch from Zirakpur to Tribune Chowk consumes the maximum time. 
I am going back home. Commuting on this road during the peak hours is a nightmare sometimes. There is no escape route for commuters moving between Chandigarh and Zirakpur. They are bound to take this road and hence the traffic is maximum on this road. 
The traffic here is unpredictable. Sometimes the travel time on the road goes even beyond 45 minutes due to traffic jams. The barricades put up at the entry point of Chandigarh block the way and waste 15 minutes of our time. 
The traffic lights do not function in sync with directions and it leads to cross lane driving. People often overtake each other from the left side, leading to further chaos and mismanagement. 
If I start after 10 am, it takes me only 30 minutes to reach my office in Sector 32, Chandigarh. There is total chaos before 10 am. Even if I will start before 10 am, I end up being caught in a traffic jam and reach office after 10.30am, so prefer leaving a little late. 