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At airport, no escape from fog
Chandigarh, December 27 According to airlines officials here, while the airport authorities successfully positioned the instrument landing system (ILS) in 2010, which enables flights to land at the airport within a visibility range of 1.2 km as compared 2.8 km earlier, the said system has yet not been further upgraded to the advanced CAT-II or CAT-III levels. The ILS is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway and ensures safe landing during reduced visibility due to fog, rain or snow. “Fog continues to affect the Delhi airport, but the advanced ILS there allows flights to land and take off even within a visibility range of 300 to 500 metres. The advanced ILS is missing at the local airport," said an official of an airline.
During the past three days, the visibility at the airport remained between 500 to 800 metres. It crossed the 1 km mark today. “Had the local airport got an advanced system, it could have easily guided aircraft to land and take off amid the prevailing weather conditions," said officials. HS Toor, Director of the Chandigarh Domestic Airport, said, “Our ILS system is capable of handling even the CAT-II and CAT-III levels and if it is made fully functional, it can considerably reduce the visibility criterion. I can’t say much about its upgrade since the runway is under the jurisdiction of the Air Force authorities.” Sources at the airport said to upgrade the ILS, the ground lighting system had to be made compatible. This came under the preview of the Indian Air Force since the runway was under its control. The local Air Force authorities were not available for comments.
Passengers stranded
The day again remained full of hardships for passengers. Eighteen flights were grounded on Thursday, leaving passengers stranded at the airport. "There was a chance for the air traffic to resume at about 3 pm as the weather had cleared up, but by that time, all airlines had called off their flights," An official of an airline said.
Air traffic may resume today
A senior official of the Met Department at the air traffic control office here said there was hope for the air traffic to resume on Friday morning. “The visibility remained low throughout the day on Thursday, but it is expected to touch the permissible limit on Friday that may the air operations to resume,” he said.
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Mayor's post: Chawla is Cong choice, Arun BJP-SAD's
Chandigarh, December 27 The Congress announced the name of former Mayor Subhash Chawla for the Mayor's post, Rana Kashmiri Devi for the Senior Deputy Mayor's post and Satish Kainth for the Deputy Mayor's post. Apart from Subhash Chawla, three other aspirants, Pardeep Chhabra, Mukesh Bassi and Sat Prakash Aggarwal, were in the race for the Mayor’s post from the Congress. Sources said BB Bahl, president of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (CTCC), had rooted for Bassi's name, but ultimately Bahl today announced Chawla's name, whose candidature was finalised by national general secretary of the All-India Congress Committee and party in charge of Chandigarh affairs GS Charak and Union Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal. The BJP-SAD alliance announced Arun Sood’s name for Mayor's post, Rajesh Gupta Bittu's name for the Senior Deputy Mayor's post and SAD councillor Malkiat Singh's name for the Deputy Mayor's post. In the mayoral elections held last year, nominated councillors, who hold the key, had largely voted for the Congress. Therefore, there are strong chances of a Congress candidate becoming the Mayor this year. The candidates of both parties will file their nomination papers tomorrow. The BSP, which has two councillors in the House, has decided not to field any candidate for the mayoral elections.
Fear of cross-voting is already on the minds of senior leaders of both the Congress and the BJP. In the BJP, the situation is a little complex as there are different camps within the party and recently councillor Davesh Moudgil was issued a notice by the BJP. Congress leaders are trying to ensure that the 2011 poll incident is not repeated. In 2011, due to cross-voting, Congress candidate Ravinder Pal Singh Pali had defeated Independent candidate Jagjit Singh Kang by only one vote.
House has 36 members
The corporation has a strength of 36 members, including 26 elected councillors, nine nominated and one MP. The Congress has 12 councillors, the BJP-SAD alliance has 11, the BSP has two and one is an Independent. The local MP, who is an ex officio member of the House, also has a vote.
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Mayor lays stone for additional floors in MC building
Chandigarh, December 27 This morning as MC officials and councillors were congratulating each other after the function, MC sweepers were busy dumping garbage near the original foundation stone. Sweepers have even parked their garbage rehris behind the foundation stone. The importance of the original foundation stone in the eyes of MC officials can be gauged from the fact that neither MC Commissioner Vivek Pratap Singh nor Chief Engineer SS Bida were aware about the location of the original foundation stone. Later in the day, the Mayor asked Chief Engineer SS Bida and Superintending Engineer (B&R) Mukesh Anand to install the original foundation stone alongside the new foundation stone. However, till late in the evening, MC officials had done nothing in this regard. Giving details about the additional floors, an MC official said the third and fourth floors would house offices, the fifth floor would have an assembly hall, Mayor's room, Senior Deputy Mayor's room, Deputy Mayor's room, secretary's room, Commissioner's room, councillors' lounge and a canteen. The sixth floor would house a conference hall, a library and a visitors' gallery. Addressing a gathering on the occasion, Raj Bala Malik said it was her dream project and all offices of the municipal corporation would be under one roof once it was completed. She suggested that there should be one cabin for each coucillor in the MC building where they could meet people of their respective wards.
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Lack of insurance cover to keep 126 buses off road
Chandigarh, December 27 The UT Administration has failed to get any insurance company for insuring a fleet of 517 buses. All buses whose permission has expired are lying dumped in the four workshops of the CTU.Records of the CTU revealed that for the past 20 days, a fleet of 80 buses was stationed in the workshops of the CTU and by tomorrow 46 more will be parked in these workshops as the permission of all these buses has expired. UT Adviser KK Sharma said the authorities were struggling to get the CTU buses insured as no company had come forward so far to insure these. An insurance company was contacted today by CTU officials and provided with the data about the fleet and it was expected that the company would provide its services to the Administration. He said a communication had been sent to the Union Finance Ministry about the problem being faced by the department. A senior official said the practice of getting the buses insured before applying for the "passing permission" had been adopted by the Administration only a year ago. Officials said in the past, the authorities under Clause 146 (A) of the Motor Vehicles Act could get the "passing permission" from the STA for government vehicles without insurance. Records revealed that the CTU authorities had allocated a separate "claim fund" of Rs 1.50 crore for accidents caused during this period. The UT Adviser said the Administration did not want to follow the past practice of getting the "passing permission" without the insurance of the buses.
CTU fleet
On road: 392 In workshop due to technical fault: 25 Condemned buses: 100 Dumped for want of passing permission: 126
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2012 CHANDIGARH LOOKING BACK
Municipal Corporation Highs The online grievance redress system launched. Six water-booster stations approved for Sector 29 C, 31 D, 39 B, 46 C, 47 A and 48 A. The proposed multi-storey parking in Sector 17 got a nod. However, the MC is yet to obtain environmental clearance for the project. Lows City Mayor Raj Bala Malik was on a self-glorification spree by inaugurating projects and installing plaques in green belts, community centres, etc. The Mayor courted a controversy over the distribution of 406 free parking passes under various categories. Ultimately, the MC House cancelled all the free passes. The pilot project of door-to-door garbage collection in Sector 22 was scrapped after a protest by private safai karamcharis. Diarrhoea outbreak reported at Vikas Nagar, Mauli Jagran. MC officials staged a walkout from the House meeting in September. Residents faced an acute shortage of water in the summer. Non-functional streetlights, poor sanitation, encroachments, potholed roads continued to inconvenience residents.
Police INITIATIVES Highs
A drive against eve-teasing got a major boost with the SSP urging girl students to make use of technology to check such cases. Traffic police launched a facebook page and put over 300 violators on the facebook. Traffic police launched its website again and uploads accident pictures on the facebook. Proposal to connect all the police stations through a common network called crime and criminal tracking system mooted. The police procured a light armoured troops carrier named ‘Kavach’. Lows Proposal for an underground control room remained on paper. The UT police’s much-publicised proposal to get a ‘golden hawk’ for CCTV surveillance during rallies and other crime incidents was rejected. A proposal to set up 11 more police stations still on paper. Constables and head constables moved Tribunal after their repatriation orders. The Police Complaint Authority passed more than 70 orders against the UT police. CRIME SCENE Highs
The police solves the blind murder of Pooja with the arrest of her husband and his girlfriend. Kidnapping of a Bangalore-based Hotelier solved within hours. The blind murder near Sector 43 ISBT carcked. The murder of a shopkeeper after a shootout in Sector 22 solved. Lows SP (City) Deshraj’s arrest by the CBI in a bribe case. Sub-Inspector Naveen Kumar (Economic Offences Wing) held in a Rs 5-lakh bribe case. Crime against women rose: A girl teased and assaulted in Sector 42 market by youths. The police received flak for registering a case against Henna Bakshi for her remarks on the facebook. Constables create a ruckus outside the SSP’s residence. The murder of a balloon seller in Sector 3 remained unsolved. An Inspector resigns accusing the SSP and SP Deshraj of targeting and humiliating him. Takes back resignation after inquiry against him was dropped. Health Highs The PGI formed its own alumni cell and held its alumni meet for the first time. The PGI comes up with an Advanced Trauma Center. The institute set a precedent by expelling a doctor who was found guilty under charges of sexual harassment. A special mobile mammography clinic- Ashajyoti-was introduced for free of cost examination of patients of breast cancer across the city. The number of persons testing positive for HIV came down. An OPD block comes up at the GMSH-16 with eight of its key departments functioning more effectively from the new building. Lows A cheating scam unearthed during the MD/MS entrance exam of the PGI, which forced the institution to reschedule the exam and introduce multi-tier security at exam centres. Allegations of negligence levelled against the PGI following the death of 15-year-old Anupama. Surgery of two patients admitted to the Urology Department, PGI, got delayed following a heated argument between two doctors inside the operation theatre. The UT Health Department failed to control the spread of dengue in the city, with the number of cases touching a five-year high at 400. The CT Scan centre closed at the GMCH-32. The computerisation plans failed to materialise despite the grant of Rs 25 crore released a decade ago. The PGI grants “compulsory” voluntary retirement to one of its officers in the administration wing on charges of corruption. EDUCATION
Highs After the cancellation of the appointment of SSA teachers by the High Court in July this year, the department successfully appointed 224 TGTs The second government smart school built in Sector 50. Additional rooms added to about 8-9 government schools on the periphery. The students of government schools won medals in open national championships as well as national school games.
After a gap of over four years, the university appointed Parminder Singh as the Controller of Examination. The PU got Arun Kumar Grover as its new Vice-Chancellor who succeeded RC Sobti. The Panjab University Campus Student Council (PUCSC) elections concluded peacefully. Golden chances to complete the degrees which the students had left midway. A large number of teachers were elected and nominated to the PU senate. Lows Several key issues relating to the implementation of the the RTE Act had bitten dust. No major steps were taken to improve the infrastructure bottlenecks and overcome a shortage of staff and teachers in government schools on the periphery. Despite the beginning of the process, there was no concrete decision on promotion of master/mistress cadre. Reguarlisation of SSA teachers remained pending. Students injured in GMSSS- 11 and GMSSS-37 due to poor maintenance of infrastructure. Schoolchildren were not provided with uniforms. While 25 buses were plied exclusively for the students of government schools after the death of a student of government school in Sector 18, there is a lot to be done to arrange timely transportation service for over 1.5 lakh students of government schools. The PU witnessed 10-day student protest over an increase in food rates in the mess and canteens. It was announced that proposed Science City would not come up on the PU campus. The PU failed to install around 75 new CCTV cameras even one and half years after the proposal was approved. The Senate meeting, which usually takes place after every three months, was held in December after a gap of around nine months.
UT Admn Highs After a gap of three years, the UT’s Draft Master Plan was submitted to the authorities. The MHA sanctioned four posts: two at the secretary level and two at the additional secretary level. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) submitted a detailed project report (DPR) for the city Metro to the Administration. Chandigarh got rid of the Disturbed Area tag after a PIL was filed in the High Court. The UT got its first energy-efficient building, Paryavaran Bhawan, in Sector 19. Lows Uncertainty loomed over public hearing sessions of UT Administrator Shivraj V Patil. The number of applicants dwindled. Patil’s security staff allegedly manhandled an applicant. A cadre war broke out among officials. The Supreme Court quashed the land acquisition for the IT Park-III. The administration failed to finalise an industrial policy. A pool party was organised at the Lake Club against the norms. City residents faced long power cuts almost every day in the summer. RAILWAYS
A lucky year for the city railway station after the local Member of Parliament, Pawan Kumar Bansal, was allocated the portfolio of Union Railway Minister. Work on all the pending projects was speeded up on the directions of the Railway Minister. Highs The setting up of the IT-related industry of the Railways in the city. A combo menu for Shatabdi trains launched. Work on a under rail bridge between Hallomajra and Mauli Jagran started and a survey for a similar project at the Modern Complex, Mani Majra, conducted. The third Shatabdi and second Chandigarh-Amritsar express approved by the Railway Minister. Lows No solution to a shortage of parking space at railway station. Authorities did not take much interest in giving a facelift to the Panchkula side of the station. Sports
Highs Five players of the Chandigarh Football Academy represented the nation in various championships. The local soccer team won the 58th edition of junior national football in Mumbai. Lows The PU players not provided with new kits. No new Astroturf laid at the Sports complex-42. No action on the officials of the UT Sports Department, who provided local grounds on special rates to a private firm under the patronage of the Chandigarh Olympic Association. No affiliation to the local cricket body. Hockey team failed to participate in the Nehru Cup. ctu Highs The CTU launched its website. Metro routes and night service started. Lows Despite a budget of Rs 42 cr, the CTU failed to purchase 98 buses. Design of low-floor buses came under focus after Anupama’s death in an accident.
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Hotels told to beef up security
Chandigarh, December 27 The meeting was attended by managers of prominent hotel, clubs, restaurants, and malls. The managers were given strict guidelines on sale of liquor. They were instructed not to sell liquor to a person below the age of 25 years. The meeting was apprised that timing of functions should be strictly maintained as permitted by the Office of District Magistrate, UT, Chandigarh. The owners of the establishments were advised to make arrangements for the safe passage and dispersal of guests, especially women, apart from the arrangement made by the police. They were also instructed that CCTV cameras should be installed at entry/ exit points.
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256 structures pulled down
Chandigarh, December 27 During the drive, a team of the Estate Office also demolished 56 illegal commercial sheds of the Marble Market located on the roadside in the area. Records of the department revealed that around eight acres of government land encroached by slum dwellers and 20 acres by shopkeepers was vacated under this drive. About 256 illegal constructions were razed to ground during the drive, which lasted over eight hours under tight security. Four JCB machines, an earth mover, around 50 labourers and officials of the Estate Office were involved in the drive. It was conducted under the supervision of land acquisition officer Tilak Raj, along with enforcement inspectors Anil Sharma and Parveen Mittal. A minor protest was registered by the slum dwellers during the demolition of jhuggis. Later, the police arrested three persons who were instigating the crowd to make hurdles in the drive. As per official records, there were around 2,000 illegal jhuggis in the colony, out of which 65 had got stay orders from the court. On the directions of Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Shayin, two days were given to the rest of the slum dwellers to vacate the land or else these would be demolished. Even the shopkeepers of the Marble Market agitated. The shopkeepers alleged that they were not informed about this drive due to which they failed to vacate the land on time. However, the official records revealed that there were 195 illegal sheds in the market for which several notices had been issued to the owners. Officials said 56 sheds were demolished and the rest of them were given two days' time to vacate the land. During a visit to the market in the late evening, it was found that a few of the shopkeepers had started vacating their shops and loading their materials in trucks. An official, who was present at the site, said they don’t want to destroy the belongings of the occupants. We had given them enough time to remove their belongings. Today also, we allowed them to take their things away.
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Mock drill held at Infosys
Chandigarh, December 27 The aim of the mock drill was to check the functioning and response time of various departments involved in disaster management. Besides, the authorities want to check the reaction of occupants and the employees of the building. They also want to check the efficiency of fire-fighting system installed in the building. A fire alarm was sounded at around 2.30 pm and the buildings were vacated in less than 6 minutes. Meanwhile, a brief session was conducted on fire safety, followed by a detailed session on earthquake preparedness and rescue techniques conducted by government teams. — TNS
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Testing times ahead for PU teachers
Chandigarh, December 27 The teacher evaluation which was supposed to get an approval from the senate during the meeting held on December 22 will now be tabled before the house at its next meeting. It will further delay the implementation of the teacher evaluation. Panjab University Campus Student Council (PUCSC) president Satinder Singh said they had planned to implement the teacher evaluation system at the end of semester which ended in December; however, the delay in final approval would postpone it till the end of next semester in April, 2013. "Even if PU fails to give a nod, we will implement it on our own by distributing feedback forms in all the departments at the end of next semester," said the PUCSC president. The demand for teacher evaluation was first proposed by students in 2009. After opposition from the teachers and sessions of debate, the university finally agreed to introduce the evaluation system in the university. However, the uphill task for students to evaluate the teachers didn't end here; the Panjab University Teachers Association (PUTA) demanded that modalities for the teacher's evaluation should be worked-out and minimum eligibility conditions should be fixed. It took over one and a half year to finalise it and get an approval from the PU syndicate. PU has finalised that the evaluation will be deemed only as a feedback mechanism for the self-improvement of the teachers. The evaluation The students will be evaluating the teachers on fixed parameters, including regularity and punctuality, response to queries, informal behaviour and response to queries A student, evaluating a teacher, needs to have minimum 75 per cent attendance and no re-appears
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The continuous disruption of the air traffic has put a question mark over the preparedness of the authorities to deal with fog at the airport. 
Parties fear cross-voting
The NRI kidnapping case reported in April solved within 24 hours.
