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Cong cyber war gets ugly
Chandigarh, January 30
Congress leaders, including Bhupinder Singh Badheri and HS Lucky, had yesterday targeted Bansal and his nephew for posting the comment on social networking sites. They had stated that they were lions, not rats. Vikram replied to Handa's comment today and posted, "Let me say there are no rats. But a rat! Kindly ask the Pied Piper behind people like you, not you, to come out and have the guts to stand up. Kindly stop being fooled by this Pied Piper. Learn a lesson. But it is your wish." He also posted, "I was working on a script for a movie and developing a character similar to the Pied Piper. Again some will not agree. It is not my fault." In the end, he posted, "All those who have applied for the party ticket have a right to do so. I'm nobody to call them rats or give them names. KINDLY DO NOT RAKE UP THE ISSUE TO CREATE A MISUNDERSTANDING. But people like you, but not you, shall not listen. And I don't care. But remember rats were fooled by the Pied Piper, prove yourself otherwise." Meanwhile, friends of former Deputy Mayor HS Lucky, who filed his application for the Congress ticket for the Chandigarh Lok Sabha seat, encouraged him by posting comments in his favour. They posted comments such as "Best of luck. We are with you" and "Chandigarh needs a fresh face". There were some who were more cautious in their approach. One of Lucky's friends posted, "Agar Bansal ji ka ashirwad ho to hum sab openly aa sakte hain aapke sath." Replying to such comments, one of Lucky's supporters posted, "Mere bhai, jhund mein shikaar hamesha kaayar kiya karte hain, hum un mein se hain jo shikaar akele mein kiya karte hain."
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City LS seat Rajmeet Singh Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 30 In a bid to overcome the differences among the ticket aspirants, the think tank of the party is in favour of a fresh face. Sources said the Chandigarh seat was among 150 seats where the RSS had recommended introducing a new face. Among the names doing the rounds for the party ticket are Kirron Kher and Kiran Bedi, a former police officer and social activist (in case she joins the party). The BJP leadership is reportedly keen on offering her the Chandigarh seat or a seat in Delhi. At present, there are three contenders, Sanjay Tandon, local BJP president, Satya Pal Jain, former MP, and Harmohan Dhawan, former Union Minister. Seeing logic in fielding a "parachute candidate", political analysts point out that faced with infighting in 1999, the party had fielded a parachute candidate, KL Sharma, when Narendra Modi was in charge of the party affairs in Chandigarh. Modi, the prime ministerial candidate of the party, is aware about the internal politics and power centres in the local unit. Blame game begins
The clash that took place between two factions of the BJP yesterday has left the party leadership red-faced. The factions are now indulging in a blame game. "Since some leaders were apprehensive about losing the secret ballot, they disrupted the process," said a leader.
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AAP shortlists 31 for city LS seat
Chandigarh, January 30 The list does not include the names of late comedian Jaspal Bhatti’s wife Savita Bhatti, industrialist MPS Chawla, legendary athlete Milkha Singh’s wife Nirmal Kaur, Panjab University Professor Manjit Singh. The shortlisted candidates include a former DSP, an NRI, a scientist and former PGI doctors. A majority of these candidates live in other cities. The observer of the AAP Chandigarh unit Rajeev Godara said the list was updated by the high command on the website. Naresh Garg ‘Bobby’, whose is on the list of the shortlisted candidates, said the city residents were fed up with the dirty politics of the mainstream parties.
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Two Jan Aushadhi centres set to reopen tomorrow
Chandigarh, January 30 In an attempt to revive these centres, the UT Red Cross Society, which runs these, has outsourced the management work of these centres, including the supply of medicines, to contractors. According to an agreement, managers will be responsible for buying generic medicines from multiple suppliers instead of public sector undertakings, a practice that led to the failure of the centres in the past three years. “The managers will share a part of their profit with the UT Red Cross Society while procuring medicines from different companies, whichever offers a particular salt at the lowest price,” said Balbir Singh Dhol, Secretary, UT Red Cross Society. The fate of the third Jan Aushadhi centre in the city, located at the PGI, is yet to be decided. These centres lost the faith of patients due to unavailability of medicines. The PGI administration had written to the ministry concerned to allow the closure of the centre since a number of patients had complained about unavailability of drugs. During a surprise check a few months ago, the estate committee of the PGI had found some expired medicines lying in the stock of medicines at the Jan Aushadhi centre. The revival of these centres in two hospitals is likely to give new hope to patients for getting cheaper drugs. What the scheme stipulates
The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare scheme stipulates that 319 medicines are to be made available at the Jan Aushadhi centres. At present, there are more than 200 such centres in the country, including three in the city. The centres were opened with much fanfare, one each at the PGI in 2009, and at the GMCH and the GMSH in 2011. However, the supply of medicines could never be restored after the stores sold off the first stock.
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Sarvjit takes over as UT Finance Secy
Chandigarh, January 30 Asked about his priorities, he said though he knew the city well, he needed some time to set his priorities. On the Metro project, he said he was attached with the Metro project when he was posted in Mohali. He said he would try his best to complete the project for the benefit of tricity
residents. Singh was earlier posted as Secretary (Revenue), Punjab. The Punjab Government had sent three names for the post. Though the Administration had recommended the name of Anurag Aggarwal, a 1990-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre, to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for the post, the ministry approved Sarvjit Singh’s name.
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Polio-hit woman donates kidney to granddaughter
Mohali, January 30 The patient, Rupinder Kaur, who was preparing for the PMT, had got a jolt when she lost her eyesight due to a sudden attack of high blood pressure two years ago. “When I regained my eyesight, I was diagnosed with kidney failure,” said the girl. She said her parents were suffering from hypertension and hence could not donate their kidney to her. “My grandmother, who is polio-afflicted and confined to a wheelchair, came to my rescue and donated her organ,” said Rupinder Kaur, a resident of Janal village in Sunam tehsil of Sangrur. According to Dr Priyadarshi Ranjan, Head of Kidney Transplant Surgery and Advanced Urological Laparoscopy, at the hospital, the victim was suffering from end-stage kidney failure. “The only hope for Rupinder was kidney donation. Her polio-afflicted grandmother stepped in to donate her kidney. Tests found her suitable for kidney donation,” said Dr Ranjan, adding that the surgery was technically challenging due to Jarnail Kaur's abnormal body structure caused by polio. “It is probably the first-of-its-kind case in which a polio-afflicted person has donated a kidney,” said Dr Ranjan.
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Mayor, MC officials plan budget
Chandigarh, January 30 During the meeting, held at Mayor HC Kalyan’s office, estimates for various developmental works planned this year by the engineering wing were discussed, said sources. The Mayor said the annual budget would be finalised after taking suggestions from all the councillors. The budget draft will then be tabled before the Finance and Contract Committee in its meeting scheduled in February, before placing it at the General House meeting. Mayor in his letter sent to all the councillors earlier this month had asked them to give their suggestions regarding the budget by January 25, prior to the preparation of the draft. Only few councillors, however, sent their suggestions.
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Rose Fest to have park contest for residents’ associations
Chandigarh, January 30 Officials in the MC stated the RWAs would for the first time compete in the festival. "We want to increase the participation of the residents in maintaining parks of the city," the officials stated. The RWAs will be asked to give their entries for the competition. The teams of experts will visit the parks. "The parks will be rated on the basis of upkeep and variety of flowers in the park," the MC officials said. The MC plans to make the competition an annual feature so that more neighbourhood parks are adopted by the RWAs. There are more than 1,500 parks in the city which the MC plans to handover to the RWAs. The MC had increased the park maintenance charges from Rs 1.5 to Rs 2.48 per sq mt per month in 2013.
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Public toilets Our Correspondent
Mohali, January 30 After its irksome experience with Sulabh International, GMADA has now decided to involve the Municipal Corporation for the job and asked the latter to renovate the toilets before transferring these to the civic body. Many public toilets in the town do not have basic facilities. Residents had complained about foul smell, poor ventilation and water arrangements, damaged urinals, WC seats, sinks, wet floors and bad lighting. Besides, such toilets lack facilities for those with disabilities or medical conditions and elderly persons. The work of operating and maintaining nine public toilets and renovating and operating another 24 toilets in various parts of the town had earlier been allotted to Sulabh International Social Service Organisation in March last year. The work was allotted for a period of 10 years and the toilets were to be operated on “a pay-and-use basis”. However, the NGO, according to GMADA, allegedly failed to maintain and renovate the public toilets in accordance with terms of the agreement. Sources said material from a public toilet in Phase VI was stolen after it was handed over to the NGO. The public toilet in Phase III-B1 was not being maintained properly. Sulabh was also asked by GMADA to submit work estimates along with drawings within one month from the date of the allotment letter. But no drawings were submitted by Sulabh even after six months. Sources further stated that GMADA had issued notices to Sulabh on May 31, 2013, July 16, 2013, August 26, 2013, and September 16, 2013, to take up the work allotted to it, but to no avail. The development authority then cancelled the agreement with Sulabh International and asked the NGO to hand over the work of public toilets to the Sub-divisional Engineer concerned. The corporation has now been asked by GMADA to renovate the toilets before surrendering them to the civic body. The civic body had been asked to prepare expenditure estimates for the renovation work. The corporation has prepared a work estimate of over Rs 88 lakh for renovating 25 public toilets, including those in Sectors 54, 56, 59, 60 and 61 and industrial area. The estimates had been submitted to GMADA for approval.
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GMADA allots land to Infosys
Mohali, January 30 It is the first company to be given land here. There are many other companies which are being allotted land by the development authority in the IT sector. Welcoming the step of the Punjab government, Shalinder Anand, chairman of the Mohali Property Consultants Association, said this would help create more employment opportunities. Young persons who had to go to far-off places to get jobs would be able to get employment here itself, he added. — OC
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PGI study hints at flaws in anti-leprosy programmes
Chandigarh, January 30 There is an alarming number of childhood leprosy cases in India. This suggests possible flaws in the national programmes aimed at leprosy elimination, said Dr Sunil Dogra, Associate Professor, Dermatology, PGI. The cases seen at the PGI leprosy clinic are mostly migrants from the adjoining states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh and other states. We have won the battle but the war is still on. With all the remarkable achievements in the fight against leprosy, it is hoped that the disease will be eradicated in the near future with continuous efforts of the health authorities, strong political will and community participation, Dr Dogra added. The Department of Dermatology Venereology and Leprology will organise the 29th Biennial Conference of Indian Association of Leprologists (LEPCON) 2014 on March 28 and 30. Around 400 national and international delegates are expected to participate in it.
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Chd-Indore train to run from Feb 4
Chandigarh, January 30 The special train (number 09307), on its inaugural run, will depart from Indore at 10:30 pm and reach Chandigarh at 2:15 am on February 6. The regular Chandigarh-Indore weekly express train (number 19308) will depart from Chandigarh on February 7 at 7:10 pm (every Friday) and reach Indore at 5:35 pm on Saturday the next day. On return journey, train no. 19307 will depart from Indore every Thursday at 5:35 am and reach Chandigarh on Friday at 6:45 am. — TNS
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Three hurt as motorcycle hits car
Chandigarh, January 30 The two youths, identified as Rajan and Shubham, first jumped over a speed hump and then hit a car on the side. They fell on the road, and later, in an attempt to flee hit a pedestrian. The pedestrian and the youths were rushed to the PGI. Eyewitnesses said the motorcycle was speeding and the two youths were not wearing helmets. Rajan was riding the bike. The identity of the pedestrian is still not known.
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Brace for a chilly weekend
Chandigarh, January 30 Today, seven trains were delayed due to dense fog on the periphery. These included the Chandigarh-Dibrugarh train (delayed by more than 10 hours), Howrah-Kalka train (10 hours) and Unchahar Express (6 hours 10 minutes).
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land grabbing Tribune News Service
Mohali, January 30 Village sarpanch Avtar Singh said so far, the panchayat had submitted around 10 complaints against Gill to the police. “The latest complaint against Gill was made on January 10 at the Kurali police station and to the in charge of Majri police post. They only receive the complaints but never act on them,” said Avtar Singh. The sarpanch said the land was occupied by Gill came with the help of some armed men. He said recently Gill's men were seen working on the occupied land. Mohali Senior Superintendent of Police Inder Mohan Singh Bhatti said as he had joined only recently, he was yet to go through the existing complaint. He said he will look into the matter. The girdawari (record of land cultivation) of the 150-acre land in question was entered in Gill’s name in 2012 by the then naib tehsildar of Majri block, who was later suspended. The girdawari was annulled by the Dera Bassi SDM on July 26, 2013, and the case was remanded to naib tehsildar. Gill had also approached court in this regard, which passed stay orders. “Now the stay has been vacated by the court,” said Avtar Singh.
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One-way traffic on PGI roads
Chandigarh, January 30 All staff vehicles parked behind Research Block-A will enter and exit from Gate No.4 (material gate) and the existing entry/exit adjacent to Zakir Hall for this parking will be closed. The staff as well as public vehicles parked behind Research Block-B will also exit from Gate No.4 (material gate). Only one-way traffic will be allowed on the road in front of Bhargava Auditorium from 9am to 5pm.
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BUSINESS NEWS A two-day training programme on energy efficient system and environmental sustainability was inaugurated here today. Energy auditors, certified by Bureau of Energy Efficiency, Ministry of Power, Government of India, who conducted the training programme said cutting down on costs is the easiest and the fastest way to multiply earnings. Also, with the on-going economic downturn, an enterprise can better position itself by reducing costs and maximising margins. Participants from companies like Cadbury India Limited, Godrej, Hindustan Unilever Limited, Jindal Stainless Steel, John Deere, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, Max India Ltd, P & G Gillette India Limited, Punjab State Council for Science & Technology, TVS Motor company Limited, USV Limited attended the programme. Advanced air piping systems were deliberated upon during the workshop. Industrial practice demands that the wastage of compressed air should be minimised. eBay India collaborates with Payback
eBay India announced its collaboration with Payback, a multi-brand loyalty program, which will enable consumers to redeem their payback points with eBay India. eBay India and Payback consumers will benefit by using accumulated points to make purchases from a wide variety of products available on eBay India. Consumers may also club an eBay India offer with payback points to enjoy better deals for purchases made on eBay India.
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women PhD students Wants Rs 5 crore to start construction, will table proposal before board Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 30 A special committee constituted for this project, under the chairmanship of Vice-Chancellor Professor Arun Kumar Grover, has approved the proposal, which will now be sent to the Board of Finance for approval. During a meeting, Dean Students’ Welfare (DSW) said for constructing the hostel, an amount of around Rs 23 crore was required. Sources said as the university finance department had shown helplessness in sparing such a hefty amount in the current year’s budget, the DSW was asked by the VC to get an amount allocated in the current year’s budget for starting the project, with the remaining amount being met by other resources. DSW Navdeep Goyal confirmed that the proposal recommended by the special committee was sent to the finance department, which will be taken up during the board meeting. Members also suggested that the authorities should look for other resources to get funds for constructing the hostel. Sources said the authorities are planning to demand funds under the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) for the project. The experts also suggested that the authorities should ask for funds from other departments whose construction fund would lapse this financial year. The university is planning to set up a hostel, especially for women research scholars. Of 1,000 research scholars at the university, 600 are women. The authorities have proposed that of the two hostels (number 11 and 12) that are in the pipeline, one hostel be earmarked for women research scholars. The hostel is planned to be constructed over around 80,000 square-feet land on the southern campus of the university. It will have 300 rooms of two categories for the scholars. For senior scholars, the rooms will be cubical with attached washrooms. For juniors, there will be shared accommodation on the premises.
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Parties help students apply for voter ID cards
Chandigarh, January 30 Holding placards outside various colleges, the Aam Aadmi Party volunteers urged students to get their voter ID cards prepared before the poll. Around 300 application forms for the voter ID card were distributed among students of the government postgraduate colleges at Sector 11 besides Home Science College and DAV College in Sector 10. In a similar drive, ABVP activists helped 39 students at Panjab University besides 21 students at Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College, Sector 26, fill application forms.
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Roald Dahl’s tale comes alive on stage
Chandigarh, January 30 Students in the age group of seven to 13 took part in a month-long theatre workshop that introduced them to different elements of improvisation, speech, dialogue, delivery, story and character construction besides the development of a narrative that can be engaging and fun. The storyline followed Charlie who wins a golden ticket to the weird but wonderful “Wonka Chocolate Factory”, getting the chance of a lifetime to feast on the sweets he has always dreamt of. Beyond the gates, astonishment awaits, as down the sugary corridors and amongst the incredible edible delights, the five lucky winners discover not everything is as sweet as it seems. Featuring imaginative stagecraft, the wonder of the original story that has captivated the world for almost 50 years was once again brought to life with musical scores performed live by young artistes of the school. The energy and brilliance of 25 of the youngest drama enthusiasts added an infectious energy to the production from its very first act. Special light effects added a dramatic touch to the set. Particularly impressive was Sufi Pasricha as Willy Wonka who adeptly sang and emoted on stage. He was ably supported by Siddharth Khosla as the amiable Charlie Bucket. Our performers included Faagun Kang as Veruca Salt, Aryaman Singha as Mike Teavee and Amisha Kapoor as Mrs Bucket. Mr Atul Khanna, director of the school, said: "I am happy to see the democratic way in which the production was staged. Right from choosing the story and playwright to the treatment that it had to be given and how it was to be staged and presented has been an outcome of discussions among students and their trainers.”
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City residents pay homage to nation’s martyrs
Chandigarh, January 30
Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Shivraj V Patil and the Chief of Staff, Western Command, Lieutenant General TS Gill, laid wreaths at the memorial. A two-minute silence was observed in the memory of the martyrs. A candle-lighting ceremony was also held in the evening. Around 200 Army personnel along with their families participated in the event and renewed their commitment towards the nation. The Chandigarh War Memorial consists of a central obelisk with names of around 11,000 martyrs since the Independence etched on granite plaques. The memorial was dedicated to the nation by former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam on August 17, 2006. Mahatma Gandhi remembered
A function to pay tributes to Mahatma Gandhi was held at the Gandhi Smarak Bhawan in Sector 16. It was presided over by KK Sharda of the Freedom Fighter Association. Former Mayor Pardeep Chhabra was the chief guest. The programme included a discussion on the contributions made by the Father of the Nation to the freedom struggle. Members of Khadi Ashram, Bhartiya Khadi Gram Udyog Sangh and Kasturba Sewa Mandir Trust took part in it. Chhabra said we should follow not just talk about Mahatma Gandhi’s principles but follow them. Stress laid on unity
On Martyrs’ Day, the Department of Gandhian and Peace Studies, Panjab University, organised sarva dharma (all faiths) prayers. Observed every year at the national level to mark the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, the event saw people from different communities and religious backgrounds sharing their views on the importance of unity. PU Vice-Chancellor Professor Arun K Grover, teachers, students and researchers paid tributes to the Father of the Nation and other martyrs who laid down their lives for the country. Prof Grover recalled the contributions made by various martyrs and highlighted the importance of the day. A blood donation camp was also organised on the occasion by the Rotary Blood Bank Society Resource Centre.
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NSUI holds hunger strike
Chandigarh, January 30 The NSUI representatives are demanding passing of all the six anti-corruption bills pending in the Parliament in the coming session. The bills include Whistle Blowers Protection Bill, 2011; Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2010; Right of Citizens for Time Bound Delivery of Goods and Services and Redressal of Their Grievances Bill, 2011; Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013; Public Procurement Bill, 2012; and Prevention of Bribery of Foreign Public Officials and Officials of Public International Organisations Bill, 2011. Earlier, a memorandum was handed over by PU students’ council president Chandan Rana and NSUI president Manoj Lubana to local MP Pawan Kumar Bansal. The MP extended his support to their movement against corruption.
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colleges Chandigarh: As part of its social welfare initiatives, the NGO Hara Punjab Khara Samaj under the Desh Bhagat Group of institutes distributed shoes and socks to the students of Government Primary School, Gurah, Mohali. The group has been providing assistance to needy students under this scheme for the past six years. Tajinder Kaur, CEO of the NGO and Pro-Chancellor, Desh Bhagat University, said he scheme aimed at helping individuals face hardships in life and protect them from the chilly weather. Chancellor Dr Zora Singh urged the students to study hard and respect their teachers. 140 offered jobs
Mohali: As many as 140 candidates were selected at a job fair organised by the Indo Global Colleges. Twenty-five companies reached the campus to select students of BTech (mechanical, electronics, civil, computer science and IT) and MBA courses. More than 1,200 students from various colleges of the region attended the drive. — Tribune Reporters
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Farewell function
Students of Class XI bid adieu to the Class XII students at Bhavan Vidyalaya. Students were given best wishes for their forthcoming board exams. The event was loaded with fun and entertaining performances. The juniors presented their seniors with suitable titles. Visit to railway station
Saupin’s School organised a visit to railway station and bus stand for the tiny tots. The children were told how trains used special tracks while buses plied on roads. Cultural diversity
Students of Firstep Montessori School got introduced to various aspects of the Greek culture. Engaging the students with storytelling sessions related to mythology, architecture, wars and Olympic Games, parent volunteers from Greece helped tiny tots learn about the cultural diversity. — TNS
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Sandeep Handa, a Facebook friend of various Congress men, today posted a comment on Vikam's Facebook account, saying, "Being a national leader, one should not stoop so low as to call close associates RATS. If he has failed to see the rats and has worked keeping them on his side, it is the fault of the Pied Piper, not the rats. Rather the Pied Piper is important because of the rats only. Even in the land allotment controversy pertaining to Delhi Public School, the booth scam and Railgate, these RATS stood by the Pied Piper rather than deserting him. Any Congress worker who chooses to speak on ethics, will he/she be termed a RAT."
Leprosy is caused by bacteria called mycobacterium leprae
Chandigarh: Brother Crease House put up a spectacular house show at St John’s High School on Thursday. The show began with a Celtic hymn, followed by a humorous Hindi skit. The English play Masha and The Bear based on a Russian folktale remained the highlight of the show. Colourful Rajasthani dance that accompanied the folk song “Rangelo Mharo Dholna” was well applauded.