|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
VIP visit showers chaos on roads
Chandigarh, March 15 The timing of the President’s visit to the Raj Bhawan clashed with the school hours in the afternoon. School buses and vehicles ferrying children were stuck in a traffic jam for about an hour. The President’s convoy started from the Chandigarh airport and took a turn from The Tribune roundabout from where it took Madhya Marg at the transport light point. The convoy then headed towards the Raj Bhawan. The President’s cavalcade left for the PGI around 3.30 pm. The President’s cavalcade took Madhya Marg to reach the airport at 4.30 pm. Serpentine queues of vehicles were seen on Madhya Marg as the entire stretch from the Sector 7/8/18/19 roundabout to the PGI was made vehicle free for 15 minutes. The traffic police had a trying time clearing the snarl-up once the President’s cavalcade passed. “Policemen were deployed across the stretch, but residents were not informed about the drill or traffic diversion. I had gone to pick my daughter up from her school in Sector 26 and it was only after an hour that I could reach there,” said Ankur Tandon, a Panchkula resident. Traffic jams were witnessed at the airport light point, roundabout of Sector 29/31, transport light point, Sector 26, roundabout of Sector 7/19, press light point, Sector 8/17, and roundabout of Sector 16/10. Later in the evening, traffic jams were witnessed from the transport light point to the Kalagram light point when the President was on his way back to the airport after attending the convocation at the PGI around 4.30 pm. Commuters also faced a lot of inconvenience while tying to park their vehicles as front parking lots of Sector 8, 9 and some parts of Sector 17 were made vehicle free as a part of security measures. UT Inspector General of Police RP Upadhyaya said adequate security arrangements were made. “Traffic jams are unavoidable, but the police did its best to manage the traffic,” he said.
|
|
Patients, attendants stuck at PGI
Chandigarh, March 15 The security officials had blocked the exit point and there was no signboard to guide patients and their attendants. They were seen struggling to find an alternative exit route. Besides, there was no security guard to assist patient and their attendants. Over 300 security guards were deployed on the PGI premises for VIP guests. The story of commuters outside the PGI was no different. Iltaz Khan (40), who had come to the PGI for the first time, had no option but to wait outside the hospital’s entry gate for half-an-hour to meet his ailing brother. He said more than 80 attendants were waiting outside the PGI, but no police personnel guided them to take an alternative route. Those who came to attend the convocation had to face a harrowing time in the absence of parking space.
|
|
Admn shows promptness
Chandigarh, March 15 It was learnt that the authorities spent around Rs 70 lakh on re-carpeting of roads, patch work and painting of road berms and roundabouts. The Administration made all possible efforts to beautify the specific parts of the city by painting the road berms, fixing non-functional streetlights, cleaning the surroundings and roundabouts. The authorities swung into action and got the road connecting the airport with the light point on the Chandigarh road re-carpeted. The road was in dire need of repairs. The routes on which the President was expected to commute were spruced up. The work continued till the arrival of the President. The roundabouts on Madhya Marg were painted and roadsides were cleared of shrubs. "I feel that frequent visits of such VIPs will help the city get a facelift," said Jagtar Singh, a resident of Zirakpur. An official said whenever a VIP visited the city, a cleanliness drive was carried out. Residents said roads should be spruced up at regular intervals. The roads, where the President was not supposed to pass through, presented a picture of neglect.
|
|
Work suffers
Chandigarh, March 15 People visiting the government offices were at the receiving end as they could not find any official. Ram Singh, a resident of Colony No 5 had to wait for hours to get his affidavit attested as the sub-registrar was on a VIP duty. Different branches in the UT Secretariat, Estate Office, Chandigarh Housing Board and offices of the Sub-Divisional Magistrates registered thin attendance.
|
|
A Colour(ful), delightful presentation
Chandigarh, March 15 The ceremony kicked off with the parade comprising six squadrons marching in and forming up to the tune of Vijay Bharat. On his arrival at the venue, the President was accorded the Rashtriya Salute by the parade and a formation of three Dhruv helicopters from 117 Helicopter Unit, led by Wg Cdr Yadav, trooping the National and Air Force ensigns flew overhead. The President thereafter reviewed the parade commanded by Gp Capt Sanjeev Sinha, Chief of Aircraft at 3BRD, with Flt Lt Geeta Pal as the parade adjutant. The President then presented the Colours to the AFCME and 3BRD. These were received by the Air Officer Commanding AFCME, Air Cmde CK Ranjan and the ensign bearer, SS Behra, and Air Cmde Suresh Singh, Air Officer Commanding 3BRD and Ensign bearer Vineet Mahajan, respectively. As the parade presented a general salute to the newly conferred Colours and the IAF band played the Air Force Colours, a formation of three Mi-17 helicopters led by Sqn Ldr S Manchanda and three Jaguars led by Wg Cdr PJ Singh flew overhead in a vic formation as an aerial salute. This was followed by the release of first day covers and history brochures for both the units by the President. The AFCME was first established by the Royal Air Force as the Central Medical Board at Lahore in 1940. In 1958, it acquired its present name and moved to its current location in New Delhi in 1969. The primary role of the establishment is to provide comprehensive medical assessment of aircrew of the armed forces, paramilitary organisations and civilian aircrew. It is also actively engaged in contemporary medical research. Set up 50 years ago, Chandigarh-based 3BRD is responsible for the overhaul and repair of Russian transport aircraft, helicopters, their aero-engines and aggregates. The depot undertook extensive repair, overhaul and spares support to all the war waging machinery and ensured the highest serviceability to support the war during 1965 and 1971. Mi-8 helicopters were extensively used for Air Maintenance and Logistics roles during these wars. In 1991, the depot took up overhauling of Mi-17 helicopters. It also overhauls the AI-20D engines and propellers of AN-32 and IL-38 aircraft. The depot prepared Mi-8s for the Antarctica expedition and support to UN missions at Sierra leone, Sudan and Congo. At present, the depot has been entrusted with the responsibility of Mi-17 V5 helicopters induction. The Air Warriors Drill Team, led by Ravinder Sherawat and armed with the heavy .303 rifles with bayonets mounted, captivated the audience with its precision movements and synchronised manoeuvres. The final display was by the IAF's Air Devils skydiving team, led by Wg Cdr Vasant Raj. The 12-member team that included two women officers, made precision landings after bailing out from an An-32 aircraft flying at an altitude of 7,000 feet.
|
|
|
Electricity dept to adopt multi-year tariff framework
Chandigarh, March 15 The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) today directed the electricity department to propose a multi-year tariff framework effective for three years and then for five years. The National Tariff Policy notified by the Central Ministry of Power on January 6, 2006, had directed the Electricity Regulatory Commissions of all states to implement the multi-year tariff model from April 2006. States like Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and many others have already introduced the multi-year tariff model since April 2007. During a public hearing session on the power tariff hike proposed by the UT electricity department, JERC chairman VK Garg today said the multi-year tariff model would initially be for three years, which might be extended up to five years. The multi-year tariff model will be applicable in Chandigarh from next year and the electricity department would propose the power tariff hike in 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 after the consent of the UT Administration, he said. Under the new system, the electricity department will submit a three-year trajectory of the expected revenue, expenditure and losses on the basis of which the JERC will determine the power tariff tentatively for the next three years at one go.
Multi-year tariff model
The multi-year tariff model has been proposed under the Electricity Act, 2003, to give an element of certainty to all stakeholders. With this, tariffs will not fluctuate beyond a certain bandwidth unless there are unforeseeable conditions. The consumer will have a fair idea of what to expect in the next three to five years and the distribution company
(Discom) will also be able to plan its business having known the likely retail tariff for the control period.
How will it work?
Ideally, the multi-year tariff framework will divide all costs into two broad categories, controllable and non-controllable. Controllable is the cost which is endogenous to Discoms whereas non-controllable is external to the utilities over which they have no control. The Discom will be responsible for any increase in the controllable expenditure beyond the stipulated level and excess expenditure will not be allowed as a pass through for the determination of tariffs.
|
public hearing Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 15 Advocate Ajay Jagga said the department had not maintained its accounts for 2010-11 and 2011-12, and also failed to conduct an energy audit. Then on what basis the department claimed in the petition that the proposed power tariff hike was must to recover a loss of Rs 344 crore, he enquired. Dr Neeraj Nagpal raised the question as to why doctors running their office from their residence were charged the commercial tariff, while advocates had to pay the domestic tariff. The Aam Aadmi Party pointed out that the electricity contractors in slums and colonies were using more electricity than the sanctioned load. Giving an example, they said a contractor was using 1,756 kW against the sanctioned load of 672 kW. “Many contractors are regularly collecting money from people residing in colonies but not depositing it with the UT Administration,” said a representative. The Chandigarh Beopar Mandal demanded the implementation of the R-APDRP project, as already proposed by the administration, in order to reduce the transmission and distribution loss of electricity to 5-7 per cent. The trader’s body demanded that the burden of subsidised rates for certain categories should not be passed on to the general consumers, and should be borne by the electricity department or the Chandigarh Administration. The Joint Forum of Industries Association of Chandigarh and Chamber of Chandigarh Industries said there should be a separate category for the industrial consumers, in between the slabs of domestic and commercial categories. Roopi Singh, a resident of Sector 27, demanded compensation from the department for a four-day-long power cut in Sector 27 last year. The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission Chairman VK Garg told him to provide specific dates, which would then be incorporated in their order. Advocate DS Chahal objected that not only “kundi” but also “ghundi” (in Punjabi) connections were a cause of concern. Certain people with the connivance of officials tempered with the metres, leading to a faulty bill, he said. The Chandigarh Business Council suggested to the department to convene regular public awareness meetings and introduce usage of CFL and other economical electronic devices to save electricity. Indian Citizens Forum said the administration should not purchase power during peak demand hours, when the rates are high. Federation of Sector Welfare Associations Chandigarh (FOSWAC) members said as industrial units, commercial establishments and government offices were the major consumers of electricity, steps should be taken to reduce the timings of such establishments. JERC allows PGI to buy power from open market
The Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission today allowed the PGI to purchase power through the open access system. On the request of Jaidev of the PGI, who demanded that instead of bulk supply, domestic tariff should be charged from the hospital, the JERC noted as the PGI had 25 MVA transformer; therefore, it could purchase power from the open market. BJP-SAD councillors raise objections
For the first time, the MC councillors too, attended the public hearing session. BJP Councillors Arun Sood and Saurabh Joshi and SAD Councillor Malkiat Singh submitted their objections against the power tariff hike proposal. Sood and Joshi stated as per records of the electricity department, stock such as small cables was shown “NIL”. Sood said there was no third party audit of the department accounts. Even during power cuts in summers, the department did not attend to complaints of residents. The SAD councillor said the process of installation of metres in villages should be simplified.
Suggestions on generating extra revenue
The Aam Aadmi Party said the administration should generate revenue by carrying advertisements on the back page of electricity bills and on the electricity poles. With this, the department could earn crores of rupees, and there would be no need for a power tariff hike.
|
|
First pride walk in city sees enthusiastic response
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 15 Carrying six-coloured liberation flags and placards, wearing flashy masks and colourful clothes, the community members sang and danced to beats of dhol as they proceeded to Sector 17. Some of the community members were accompanied by their family members as well. A 20-year-old member of the society said it was a matter of pride to take part in the walk. “I am happy that we were allowed to hold such a walk in the city,” said the member, who studies in a local college. Members of the LGBT society said it was a free society and they had equal rights; however, they had to face a lot of discrimination from the society. Members also staged a play at Sector 17, which was well received by the public. Another PU postgraduate student, who is a member of the society, said a lot more had been planned for the coming days. “We don’t want anyone among the LGBT society to be forced to live in isolation,” the student said.
|
|
Dept yet to recover Rs 11-cr pending bills
Chandigarh, March 15 During the public hearing, the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) today issued directions to the department to submit a list of defaulters (Rs 1 lakh and above) on June 30. According to the department’s records, till January 2012, the Punjab Civil Secretariat has to pay Rs 1.73 crore. Similarly, the public health department owes Rs 10.02 lakh and the police department Rs 3.72 lakh to the department. The education department and the estate office owe Rs 54,000 and Rs 77,000, respectively. The Municipal Corporation, meanwhile, is reported to have an outstanding power bill of at least Rs 61 lakh. The block development and panchayat department of the UT also owes Rs 27,000.
|
|
Admn gives nod to pending evictions
Chandigarh, March 15 After resuming the properties, the UT Estate Office had referred the cases to area Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) concerned, who are empowered to initiate eviction proceedings against allottees under the Public Premises (PP) Act. But due to a stay in a particular case, the Finance Department in 1996 had directed SDMs to stay the eviction proceedings. The property owners will now have to go in for a fresh appeal against the resumption proceedings pending at different levels. “The present status of the property will be examined before giving any relief,” said a senior official. The move was necessitated after the UT Estate Office found that while the cases were pending before different quasi-judicial bodies or civil courts, violations continued unabated. Seeking to expedite the eviction proceedings, the office had written to the finance department of the Chandigarh Administration for clarification.
|
|
Six school buses challaned in P’kula for flouting norms
Panchkula, March 15 As many as six school buses were challaned and one was impounded by the Panchkula traffic police this afternoon. Not only this, the school students also went through a harrowing time, following which the police had to call for alternative buses from the school in order to drop the children back home. The drive was part of the safe streets drive which had been initiated by Commissioner of Police (CP) Rajbir Deswal. A naka to check the school buses was laid at the road separating Sector 14 and 15, Panchkula. "We checked around 15 buses and six of them, belonging to the private schools of the city, were challaned,” said Inspector Mukesh Kumar, Panchkula traffic incharge. “We were shocked to see so many students packed in a bus of 52 seats,” the inspector said. "Alternative buses from the schools were called and the children were sent on those. Though they must have got a little delayed but after all the safety of children is the foremost thing,” said Inspector Mukesh Kumar. Some of the violators were not wearing seat belts, some did have have the requisite documents, some were not in proper uniform, while some did not have a first aid box in their buses. "The bus, carrying my son, got delayed by about half an hour and later I came know from the school that the bus was challaned. But I believe, this was a nice initiative from the city police. We parents generally stay ignorant about these things but the children are the real sufferers,” said Vandana Kalra, a resident of Sector 12, Panchkula.
|
|
Reconstruction of Khanpur bridge demanded
Mohali, March 15 Panchayat representatives headed by Harminder Singh Mavi, president of the Panchayats Union, Punjab, met the Deputy Commissioner here today and submitted a memorandum addressed to the Punjab Chief Minister. Mavi said: "The bridge, which is about 100-year-old, has now become a traffic bottleneck. Politicians and bureaucrats travel daily on the bridge but nobody is bothered about its condition and problems it is creating for users". The bridge located near the tehsil complex is closed to general traffic whenever the Chief Minister or the Deputy Chief Minister had to pass that way. Traffic is diverted at such times leading to a lot of harassment and resentment among travellers. Mavi said if no decision on the widening of the bridge or the Kharar-Kurali road was taken by the authorities in the next 20 days, the organisation would be compelled to protest.
|
|
Collection of toll stopped at Kurali
Mohali, March 15 According to reports, the company concerned has approached the court with a contempt plea, which has been admitted. The next date of hearing has been fixed for March 21. It is reported that the term of the company for toll collection had expired. It had opted for arbitration after which it had got an extension. The authorities concerned had then sought a legal opinion from the Centre in this regard. — OC
|
Girls in no way behind, outnumber boys
Chandigarh, March 15 Of the total 112 MSc and BSc students honoured today, 70 per cent were girls. Girls have been outshining boys for the past couple of years. “In our institute also, the number of girls has gone up considerably. Even the accommodations for girls were lesser earlier. The number has gone up now,” said PGI Dean Dr Amod Gupta. The degrees in MSc (biochemistry), medical biotechnology, radiodiagnosis, radiotherapy, virology, haematology and anatomy were conferred on 12 students and 100 BSc (paramedical courses) students. A total of 393 students were awarded degrees by the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and four gold medals were given away by the President, Pranab Mukherjee, during the convocation. “Progress in the health sector is the key to India's future prominence in the world. A nation's productivity depends on the health and well-being of its citizens. Economic growth that does not go hand in hand with reduction in avoidable mortality and ill-health is neither sustainable nor desirable," said Pranab Mukherjee while congratulating the students. While addressing the students, Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “A series of reforms in medical education have been undertaken with a view to overcome the acute shortage of human resources in health at various levels. Particularly to increase PG seats, the ratio of professors to students has been revised from 1:1 to 1:3 for anaesthesiology, radiotherapy, forensic medicine, medical oncology and surgical oncology and 1:2 for other PG disciplines. Environment clearance to proposed 250-bed hospital at PGI
“I am told that the environment clearance for a proposed 250-bed hospital has just been obtained, which will add around 90 private rooms and 10 operation theatres to the institute and will house, among other facilities, the expanded oncology, ENT and endocrinology departments,” said the Health Minister.
Dr Killi Kuruparani, Union Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology, on Friday released a
Rs 5 postal stamp featuring PGI's Nehru Hospital during the convocation. The stamp was released to commemorate the golden jubilee celebrations of the PGI which started last year.
Dr Yogesh Tiwari, who works in the PGI's accounts department, was also conferred a degree in master of public health. He joined the PGIMER 10 years ago and had been pursuing his specialisation in psychology from Panjab University.
Four gold medallists
Dr Kanhaiya Lal Aggarwal, MD, nuclear medicine department,
PGI, was honoured with Kataria Memorial Gold Medal by Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi
Azad. Dr Raguram Ganesomoni, department of urology, Kanyakumari, was presented Major General Amir Chand Gold Medal by
Azad. R Nath Gold Medal was given to Dr Binu Kumar while Aikat Memorial Gold Medal was awarded to Saroj
Adhikari.
He fought all odds to receive good wishes of patients
"My son has proved that he is better than many other students in the country who would have been in the race to be here and attain the degree," said Dr Basavaraj's mother, who came especially from Karnataka to see her son being honoured by the Health Minister.
Wedding and degree come together
Marital responsibilities and education came hand in hand following child marriage
|
|||||
|
Ugly side of convocation venue
Chandigarh, March 15 The organisers put up tents around the area. After the selection of the venue, tents were set up in nearby parks and patients' attendants were told to stay away from the area. Before the arrival of the President, police personnel deployed at the venue requested patients waiting in one of the parks to leave and told them not to come near the venue till the VIP reached the place. Gurcharan Singh, who had come to the PGI with his wife Ranjeet Kaur, said for the past three days, the security personnel deployed near the Bhargava auditorium were not allowing them to sit in a nearby park. He said since noon, he had been waiting to have a glimpse of the President. He said he wanted to know the reason behind the ill-treatment. Other attendants narrated the same story. Rajesh Kumar from UP wanted to know as to why the authorities were hiding the plight of attendants from the VIP.
All for a Glimpse of the President
Commuters gathered near the convocation venue to have a glimpse of the President of India. An 18-year-old
Sakshi, along with her three colleagues, who wanted to meet the President, had been waiting at the venue since 3.30 pm.
Flights rescheduled at Chandigarh airport
The President's visit did not harrow passengers at the Chandigarh airport. Several airlines had rescheduled flights well in time to avoid chaos. The runway was closed from 9.30 am till noon on account of Indian Air Force officers' function. While Indigo's Chandigarh-Mumbai flight was advanced, Go-Air and Air India postponed their flights between 12 pm and 1 pm. Other flights were late by five to 10 minutes. Airport officials said air traffic remained normal throughout the day. The flights timings were changed on March 10 but from tomorrow the old timetable will be followed.
|
|||||
|
student-teacher ratio in colleges Amit Sharma Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 15 According to the PU officials, the university has received complaints of admitting students by the colleges especially in BA-I in excess of the approved intake, violating the the university norms. "The colleges do not have the teachers, in ratio prescribed by the University Grant Commission (UGC) or University, which adversely affects the quality of education", officials stated. The committee constituted by PU to suggest the ways to ensure that the colleges maintain the student-teacher ratio has recommended that the colleges should be sternly directed to adhere to the teacher-students ratio, as prescribed under the UGC and university regulations. The committee has further recommended that the student intake approved by the university for each class must be specified by the college in their prospectus. The principals of all the colleges will have to send a copy of the prospectus, mentioning the number of available seats, to PU. The university authorities will then ensure that the number of admissions is same as the number of seats as approved by university and mentioned in the prospectus. Other issues to be discussed
|
|||||
|
UIET annual cultural event begins
Chandigarh, March 15 The stage was set after the gatka show, a sikh martial art form, during the day. The fit as a fiddle sikh warriors, displayed their fighting prowess, leaving the onlookers awestruck with the level of risk involved in this popular form. Box- The main attraction of the day 'Talash' a talent hunt show was postponed at the last moment as the infrastructure required for setting up the stage could not reach the venue on time reportedly due to the President's visit to the city. Pulkit, one of the members of the organising team, said that the equipment reached late in the evening, following which the event would be held on March 16 and 17. Around 70 entries were already received for the event.
|
|||||
|
PEC festival kicks off
Chandigarh, March 15 After the rendition of the Saraswati Vandana, and the lighting of the ceremonial lamp, Director Prof Manoj Dutta declared the event open while emphasising the importance of celebrating technology and innovation, and employing these to combat all the problems, being faced by our country. The day started off with three workshops, hack infinity, a workshop on ethical hacking and information security Go-4-Tech, an introduction to popular hacking techniques and how to counter the secure systems, RC aircraft design, fabrication and flying workshop by Aerotrix that promises to fulfill all dreams of flying, from designing and innovating, to flying your own aircraft, and sixth-sense, a workshop for all robotics fanatics. Highlights of the day included the glider making competition, to design a catapult launch hand glider. The day also featured Gordian Knots, a Vyom initiative. A workshop on self-defence for women was held in the evening, which brought scores of girls together for the objective of “safety first”.
|
|||||
|
Meeting of librarians at Panjab University
Chandigarh, March 15 Librarians from research institutions like the PGI, IMTECH, IISER, CRRID, MG State Institution of Public Administration, PEC, NABI, etc, took part in the meeting. RK Kohli, Dean University Instructions, PU, presided over the meeting. While stressing the need for cooperation between research laboratories, including exchange of teachers, and resources, Kohli emphasised that this cooperation must percolate right up to the users. “The idea of one common I-card for all students of the tricity will also be introduced, which will facilitate the use of resources of other institutes,” he said. — TNS
|
|||||
|
|||||
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
PGI releases stamp featuring Nehru Hospital
PGI employee gets degree in public health
Dr
Basavaraj, who is suffering from cerebral palsy, battled to be among the 393 students who were honoured for successfully completing their
postgraduation. "I wish to acquire the blessings and good wishes of my patients the way the doctor who treated me did," said Dr Basavaraj whose ailment did not deter him from fulfilling his dreams. 
For Dr Anirudh Srinivasan and Dr Vineetha
Raghu, it was a double delight. After successfully completing their respective courses at the
PGIMER, they tied the knot in February this year and cheered their association at the convocation as well. While Dr Anirudh was conferred a degree in surgery, Dr Vineetha completed her radiodiagnosis and was honoured Friday. "Life becomes wonderful when somebody is there to support you in the profession and at home equally," they said.
For 30-year-old Om
Prakash, who got married at the age of 11, handling a nine-year-old wife and aspiring for a better career proved to be difficult initially since he belonged to a poor family. A native of Rajasthan, Om
Prakash, somehow managed to complete his schooling from the village. Trying his hand at a variety of jobs, he finally chose
MBBS. Today, he has become a specialist in general surgery and attained his degree from the
PGIMER. His wife Mamta though unable to read and write properly has always been the biggest supporting force for him. He now wishes to spend a considerable part of his income on her education.