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Be A Part Of 6th Century History & 121-Year Old Legacy

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
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It has unmatched settings of a 6th century fort and its 121-year old legacy, steeped in Indian culture and ethos and blended harmoniously with modernity, makes it one of the leading boys’ boarding schools of the country. The Scindia School, Fort, Gwalior is in Chandigarh for the first time scouting for boys with talent and aptitude, “who can be taken on a journey of self discovery and finding a leadership role for the betterment of society.”

The principal, and other members from the top management of the school, will hold an Open House with prospective students and their parents from Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh at Hotel Taj from 5-7 p.m. on Saturday.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

Interacting with media persons regarding the school, founded by then Maharaja Madhav Rao Scindia I in 1897, the Principal, Dr. Madhav Deo Saraswat, an eminent educationist, said what sets the school apart from branded schools is the focus not only on equipping the boys to excel in academics, and use of technology, but equally using knowledge as a liberating experience for them to discover their interests, their talents and aptitudes, and learn to form their opinions and role in society.

“With an intake of just 550 students from Class VI to XII, and a teacher-student ratio of 1:9, the school, spread over 160 acres, provides a nurturing environment, where the mentor and the mentee live a shared life, as if in a ‘gurukul’, yet adapted to this millennium,” the school  principal explained.

“An important feature of this process is the school’s provision of rich choices, be they in courses of academics, in the range of House societies, in artistic, creative and intellectual activities, and in sports and adventure. Engagements with ecology and heritage become like breathing in and breathing out, as indeed engagements with the community, within the school, in rural areas, or through NGOs. The boys graduate from the school as leaders with understanding, intelligence, sensitivity and an inclusive attitude. For a Scindian, society comes before self,” Dr. Saraswat emphasised.

The school, which is being run by an educational society still steered by the erstwhile Scindia Royal family, with Jyotiraditya Scindia as Chairman of the Board of Governors, boasts of a host of illustrious alumni, including former External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh, former Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Samer Pal Singh Dhillon (Retd.), legendry radio anchor Ameen Sayani of Radio Ceylon fame, actor Salman Khan, film director Anurag Kashyap and ex-Proctor & Gamble CMD Bharat V. Patel.

With cutting edge accreditations like Round Square International Conference, IBSC, BBC School Project and Trinity College London, The Scindia School, affiliated to CBSE, has a highly  advanced Science Centre, F.G. Pearce Library with a collection of 10,000+ books and an expansive Open Air Theatre, besides 14 full-fledged playing fields with facilities for indulging in an entire spectrum of sports activities, including hockey, football, cricket, athletics, basketball, tennis, squash, table tennis, horse riding, skating, archery, shooting and swimming.

Mitul Dikshit, chairman of Dikshant International and Dikshant Global schools, Zirakpur, and an alumnus of the school, was present at the media interaction alongwith Vice Principal (Pastoral Care) of the school Ms. Smita Chaturvedi and Dean Of Studies Dhirendra Sharma.  

The Scindia School (Boys’ Boarding)

Open House : 5-7 p.m., Saturday, May 12, The Taj, Chandigarh

Admission Offer : For Classes VI-IX (School Up to Class XII, CBSE Affiliated)

Approximate Fee : Rs 7 lakh annually (all inclusive payable in three instalments)

Scholarships On Merit-cum-Need Basis Available

Dikshant Students Make Own Telescopes To View Lunar Eclipse

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
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The students of Dikshant International and Dikshant Global School in Zirakpur are excited about witnessing the next celestial event, a Lunar eclipse on July 27, with telescopes developed by their own school mates. More than a score of students drawn from both schools have developed six Newtonian type telescopes, which are very popular among amateur telescope makers because of their simple design, during a seven-day workshop conducted by telescope expert Tushar Purohit from the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, an autonomous institution set up by the University Grants Commission (UGC) on the campus of Pune University.

First invented by the English scientist Sir Isaac Newton, after whom this type of telescope is named, the telescope uses a concave primary mirror and a flat diagonal secondary mirror.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

Presenting their work before media persons on Thursday the elated students proudly announced that the telescopes put together by them were capable of viewing Jupiter and Saturn and its rings. “We can see the Moon with its craters, too,” they added.

Tushar explained that initially the students were very unsure whether they will be able to make a telescope. But as they started liking the subject, and immersed themselves in the workshop, it was smooth sailing. The students, including five girls, worked in five teams in making the telescopes.

“Barring an external finder scope, focus tube and a tripod, the students have made every other part of the telescopes themselves, right from grinding a concave mirror, calculating curvature and focal length of mirrors, smoothening of the glass and polishing it using a pitch tool, to testing it, and then calculating the length of the PVC tube required, drilling it for the fittings and colouring its outer and inner surfaces,” Tushar asserted.

Mitul Dikshit, Chairman, Dikshant Schools, added that by organising such hands on activities under the supervision of experts, the school was providing opportunities for its students to explore their potential, and prepare themselves to excel in a highly competitive work environment which awaits them.

Longest Total Lunar Eclipse Of The Century

In the lunar eclipse on July 27, the Moon will pass through the centre of the Earth’s shadow. This will be the first central lunar eclipse since June 15, 2011 and will be the longest total lunar eclipse in the 21st century (approximately 103 minutes in total). After January, this will be the second total lunar eclipse in 2018.

Haryana Seeks Agri Water Solutions From Israel, Investment From UK

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
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A day after his 64th birth anniversary, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal on Sunday embarked on a two-nation foreign tour aimed at exploring more areas of cooperation with Israel, encouraged by a continuing ten-year partnership in the field of horticulture, and attracting investment and expertise from the United Kingdom for various ongoing and new industrial and logistical projects in the state, including the economic corridor planned along the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) expressway and the Hisar International Aviation Hub.

Addressing a press conference just before embarking on his journey, the Chief Minister shared a few other new developments, one of them being writing a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh requesting him to expeditiously identify and plan a hydel project on the river Ravi in conjunction with other stakeholder states to harness the water which was flowing waste into Pakistan. He also announced a no enhancement policy for future buyers of residential plots in sectors to be floated by Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP).

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

Describing his trip, at the head of a high level delegation, as being packed with official engagements, Manohar Lal said during his Israel visit from May 6 to 8 he will get an opportunity to participate in the world famous Agritech Israel-2018 (The theme for this year’s conference and exhibition is “Agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions”). 

He informed that considering the success of the 10-year Indo-Israel action plan for mutual cooperation in various fields (started in 2008), it had been extended by three years till 2020. Under the plan, out of 20 Centres of Excellence established across the country, five were set up in Haryana. Among other areas of focus during the Israel visit will be technology for converting waste or brackish water into usable water for irrigation, internal security and aerospace, in which Israel has proven expertise, he added.

With a host of UK based multinational corporations already operating out of Haryana, the May 9 to 13 UK visit will focus on attracting further investment in major ongoing global city and new projects like economic corridor along the KMP Expressway nearing completion, Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) between Gurugram-Manesar-Bawal, logistic hub at Narnaul, Hisar International Aviation Hub and IMT Kharkhoda. Besides this, the CM’s delegation is also scheduled to study the driverless pod car facility at Heathrow Airport.

File Photo Of Driverless Pod Car At Heathrow

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari had recently announced that the driverless pod car facility would be started from Dhaula Kuan in New Delhi to Rajiv Chowk in Gurugram to ease traffic congestion on the stretch.

Meetings have also been planned with leading UK industrialists to create an enabling environment for start-ups in Haryana so that more and more employment opportunities could be created for the youth from the state.

Letter To Punjab CM On Harnessing Of Ravi Water

In his letter to Capt. Amarinder Singh, the Haryana Chief Minister while pointing out that both states were facing a severely depleting water table, has said “time has come when we must join hands in checking the wasteful flow of Ravi waters to Pakistan.”

Quoting a viability report prepared by a Central Government appointed committee in this regard, which had in its 6th meeting in 2012 suggested follow up action by Punjab, Manohar Lal said it was unfortunate that no visible progress has been made in this direction so far, despite it having been declared a National Project by the Central Government.

Pointing out that the Central Government, based on the committee’s findings, had also asked all the partner states to build a consensus on engaging the Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) to undertake feasibility studies and to construct the above project, the Haryana Chief Minister requested Capt. Amarinder Singh to direct his concerned officers to take up the proposal “in right earnest.”

On his part, Manohar Lal said, he had directed state Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary Irrigation and Water Resources to accord “top priority” to this. They would make themselves available to attend any meeting that the concerned Punjab officers consider necessary on the subject, he added.

Relief For Existing HSVP Plot Owners

The Chief Minister reiterated the state government’s decision that all existing plot owners in HSVP sectors, who were burdened with astronomical outstanding amounts as enhancement fee and interest on it, will be given 40 percent rebate on the entire outstanding amount if they apply under this scheme within two months (i.e. till midnight of July 4, 2017) and pay their remaining balance in full. He also announced a ‘no enhancement policy’ for plot buyers in all new sectors to be floated by HSVP, on the lines of the policy adopted by Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC).

He said, in future, all vacant plots in existing HSVP sectors will only be auctioned at the prevailing market rates.

Haryana CM Goes Shairana Tells Doctors: Don”t Act Sarkari

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
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Turning the ‘no go’ government district hospitals and smaller healthcare facilities into modern centres, matching up to the exacting standards for National quality assurance certification or accreditation, has been no mean achievement. With National Quality Assurance Certification (NQAC) for 18 health facilities, and additionally National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers (NABH) accreditation for four district hospitals and NABL accreditation for a district laboratory, already in its bag, it was time for Haryana to celebrate and honour all those who made this possible.

Living up to the spirit of the occasion at the state level Felicitation Ceremony for Quality Improvement in Health Services, held in the NITTTR Auditorium in Sector 26, on Friday, the chief guest, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal went ‘shairana’. “Maana Andhera Gehra Hai, Par Shama Jalane Ko Kahan Mana Hai. Chalo Jalain Deep Vahan Par Jahan Abhi Bhi Andhera Hai,” he said, apparently quoting from a couplet.

Photo By : Life In Chandigarh

Exhorting government sector health providers to shed their contractual obligation approach towards their job and serve the patients with compassion and sensitivity, he said the strides being made by Haryana in providing quality assurance certified health services to the citizens is appreciable, but public confidence in the state health system will be won only if quality services reach each and every individual in the state. For this the successful “pilot projects” need to be replicated across the state on a mission mode, he added.

Earlier, Health Minister Anil Vij vowed to strive for all government hospitals, labs and healthcare centres in the state to receive either NABH/NABL accreditation or NQAC for exacting standards of facilities and services. In the short term, a target has been fixed to get quality certification/accreditation for another 44 healthcare facilities this year, and 84 by the time the tenure of the present government ends in October 2019.

Pointing out that the present government was continuing to make sincere and concerted efforts to improve quality standards in the earlier neglected and poorly managed district hospitals by adding facilities and services, he claimed that their efforts had resulted in a 20 percent increase in OPD and IPD footfalls.

Haryana became the first state to have cath lab facilities in its district hospitals – four of them in Panchkula, Ambala, Gurgaon and Faridabad – where all kinds of heart related procedures, including angiography and angioplasty can be performed. In 21 of the 22 districts of the state the facility of dialysis had been provided (newly formed Charkhi Dadri district does not have a district hospital so far), he said, adding that “we want to provide the critical facilities like dialysis, CT Scan and MRI in all civil hospitals so that people from all strata of society are encouraged to visit without any inhibitions. Only the highest quality USFDA approved equipments and medicines which fulfil WHO grading are being procured.”

Referring to stray incidents of negligence at various levels, which are bringing a bad name to the entire government health sector, he cautioned that such irresponsible actions would not be tolerated because they negate all the good work being done. Strict action will be taken against such wrong doers, he warned.

Blundering Media Needs A Rap Over The Knuckles

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
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How often are we, as readers and viewers, served inaccurate or wrong facts, mistakes in simple language and grammar on our daily newspapers, channels and online media. The media wouldn’t care less. But, it goes berserk the moment it notice a mistake anywhere outside of its own domain. One such incidence, for which the media deserves a rap over the knuckles, was during a press conference called by three cabinet ministers of Punjab on Thursday to clarify the state government’s stand on allegations of dropping chapters on Sikh history from new history textbooks being published by the Punjab State Education Board (PSEB).

Not being able to nail the group of ministers – Education Minister O.P. Soni, Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Singh – on the allegation of dropping of chapters on Sikh history in the history books, which the ministers, with the help of a university level subject expert, were able to explain fairly convincingly that it was untrue, a section of the adamant media then directed its ire on the issue of wrong use of a handful of words and an odd fact in the text book. Despite the ministers taking note and promising to get the mistakes, if any, which might have cropped in the text, rectified, the journalists bayed for the blood of those responsible for the “glaring errors”, orchestrating the allegation that there was an RSS hand in this.

Photo By : Life In Chandigarh

The media persons mentioned the use of the word ‘Niyukti’ (Hindi for appointment) for accession of the ‘Gurus’ instead of ‘Gurgaddi’ as in Gurmukhi in the text book and ‘faahh lagaya’ (hanged) instead of ‘shahadat payee’ as used in Sikh faith. 

As if their sustained barrage, which forced Sukhjinder Singh to tender an apology for the “mistakes” on behalf of the state government, was not enough, there was a determined attempt by some journalists to pressurise the ministers into announcing an inquiry on the issue, which mercifully proved unsuccessful.

(As a decades old journalist, sitting through the press conference became torturous for me. My head hung in shame at this height of journalistic overreach. All professional journalists, who stand by some sort of ethics, need to condemn such journalistic overreach, which is spreading like a virus and eating into the core of this noble profession.)

Earlier, the ministers explained that this was the first time in the 50 years of existence of the education board that history textbooks were being published by it. Manpreet Badal even went to the extent of saying that it was a shame for Punjab that prior to this there was no text book at all on history and the students were forced to depend on history ‘guides’ being brought out by various private publishers.

The ministers informed that in 2014, PSEB, which is an autonomous body, decided to revise various curricula, and these text books on history are a result of that revision. A panel of subject experts, including from Panjab University Chandigarh, Punjabi University Patiala and Delhi University, deliberated on the issue. An expert, Dr. Paramvir Singh, suggested by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), on a request from the PSEB, also participated in 20 meetings of this panel, before a new history curriculum was finalised, they maintained, and added that no aspect of Sikh history had been left out. In fact, chapters on the four sahibzaadas and Saragarhi had been added to the previous curriculum, they asserted.

Calling the entire campaign to spread misgivings about the new history books as misleading and malicious, and a figment of imagination of the Akali Dal and Aam Aadmi Party, the ministers made an impassioned appeal to keep politics out of this vital issue concerning the future of students in the state. Suspecting a hand of the private publishers also in whipping up this hysteria over the new history books, they revealed that the state government was considering banning all private ‘guides’ circulating in the state to discourage rote learning.

Doctors Advice : Inhalers Are Safe, Need To Use Them Properly

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
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An ongoing study covering 6,000 school children and their parents in Chandigarh has shown 6-7 percent incidence of asthma among them. It has also been noticed that incidence of asthma is higher in certain specific locations, like among those living in a clutch of houses adjoining the Sector 22-Sector 35 dividing road, indicating that higher level of pollution lead to higher incidence of asthma. The study has been undertaken by Post Graduate Institute for Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh under 4th phase of an International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC).

Sharing this information with media persons on the occasion of World Asthma Day, Dr. Meenu Singh, Professor, Pediatric Medicine, PGIMER, and Dr. Kranti Garg, Assistant Professor, Chest, Government Medical College & Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, Chandigarh said though the incidence of asthma in Chandigarh may not be alarming, an issue of conce is that because of improper use of inhalers, control of the problem is poor among patients in India, according to the Asia-Pacific Asthma Insights Management (AP-AIM) Survey.

Photo By : Life In Chandigarh

The doctors claimed that despite this, removal of the social stigma attached to asthma and acceptance of inhalers as the safest and most effective form of treatment have allowed many sufferers to lead normal and active lives. The best a doctor can do for asthma patients is to share with them and their families the diagnosis in its totality and urge them to follow the treatment protocol properly and consistently, Dr. Meenu Singh said.

Dr. Meenu Singh and Dr. Kranti Garg shared that “The key challenges in the management of asthma include improving compliance and developing effective and easy-to-use inhalers. Many patients frequently underutilise their medications or use their inhalers incorrectly, which can be detrimental to maintaining disease control.”

They maintained that “Today inhalation therapy is the mainstay of treatment for asthma. Inhaled medicines are integral to the management of respiratory diseases like asthma. They deliver drugs directly to the lungs and hence act faster and at a lower dose, thereby reducing the risk of side effects. Inhaled medications have been shown to improve disease status, control symptoms, reduce the number and severity of exacerbations and improve quality of life.”

While detailing the various inhaler devices available in the market, including the pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs), dry powder inhalers (DPIs) and nebulisers, the doctors informed that many patients find pMDIs difficult to use correctly. Poor hand-breath co-ordination is one of the most commonly reported errors with pMDIs. DPIs are
breath-actuated and hence overcome the problem of hand-breath coordination. However, a significant proportion of patients fail to use their DPI correctly as well. One of the common errors made by patients with a DPI is the failure to inhale forcefully and deeply through the device, leading to insufficient drug delivery, they added.

Dr Meenu Singh and Dr Kranti Garg said among various other contributing factors to asthma, Vitamin D deficiency, which is quite widespread among people, is one of the significant factors. Vitamin D, the biological structure of which is similar to steroids, helps tremendously in boosting our immune system. Therefore, there is a need to supplement it in our body with adequate direct exposure of the skin to the sun, which is a natural source of the Vitamin. Button mushrooms, after their prolonged exposure to the sun, are also known to be a rich source of Vitamin D, they added.

Disapproving the increasing trend among girls to cover their faces with scarves, the doctors said by doing so they were further reducing direct exposure of skin to the sun, leading to Vitamin D deficiency. Strongly advocating fortifying food stuffs with Vitamin D supplements, Dr Meenu Singh and Dr Kranti Garg said the Indian government must realise that Vitamin D deficiency is a widespread problem in the country and take proactive remedial action just as was being done in the European Union countries and in the US.

The Raj Prevails 2 Challengers Avert Clean Sweep

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
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Eventually the ‘Raj’ carried the day, but two gutsy men hung on to thwart a clean sweep in the Chandigarh Golf Club polls, the keenly awaited results of which were fully declared by late Monday evening. After the initial euphoria, when four time former President and hot favourite Birinder Singh Gill (Gilly), representing the ruling group, was declared elected fifth time President of the club with a thumping margin over challenger Lt. Col. JS Panag (retd.) within an hour of counting of votes commencing at 9 a.m., a semblance of balance was restored by late evening when two of the three men on Panag’s panel – Col. BS Rangi (retd.) and Col. Iqbal Singh (retd.) – for the 11-member managing committee were declared elected.

Panag, who sounded dejected when the results for the presidential elections were announced in the morning, appeared to be recharged on receiving news of two of his panellists being successful in the race for the managing committee. Congratulating Gill on his victory, Panag promised to provide constructive support to Gill and his team in all activities undertaken in the interests of the club, while at the same time urged him to administer the club in a manner which is transparent and above board.

Photo By : Life In Chandigarh

With Monday’s victory, Gill, who polled 663 votes against Panag’s 250 in the elections marked by a very low voter turnout, becomes the second longest serving President of the club since the early 1990s when it strictly enforced the rule of not more than two consecutive terms for President or managing committee member. Gill served the club as President for two consecutive terms in 2009-2011 and two terms again in 2014-16. He has also remained Vice President, Honorary Secretary and Captain of the club, besides serving as referee and voluntary observer for tournaments.

The highest serving President of the club in recent times has been then serving IAS officer of Punjab cadre Gurinderjit Singh Sandhu who did six terms – three two-consecutive-year terms in 1999-2001, 2005-2007 and 2012-2014.

Lt. Col. JS Panag had jumped into the fray at the eleventh hour when it became apparent that none was ready to challenge the ruling group. He could manage to field only three men for the 11-member managing committee. Left with little time and human resources for campaigning, he relied heavily on the anti-incumbency factor. But then the voters were clearly not able to convince themselves to support him, considering the small team he was commanding. The issues he raised, and the promises he made, were thus rendered irrelevant.

Only two ex-Army officers have remained presidents of the club ever since its inception in the early 1960s. Lt. Col. AP Singh (retd.) was president for three terms in 1988-89 and 2003-05 while Lt. Gen. Depinder Singh (retd.) held the post in 1995-96.   

Votes polled by successful managing committee members :

1. Brar Kulbir Singh (Sweety) – 600

2. Amarbir Singh Lehal (Sandy) – 577

3. Lt. Col. HS Chahal (retd.) (Bobby) – 548

4. Amarinder Singh Aulakh (Gags) – 539

5. Balbir Singh Mangat (Bob) – 505

6. Dr. GS Kochhar – 499

7. Jaspal Singh Sidhu – 468

8. Col. AD Singh (retd.) (AD) – 461

9. Col. Iqbal Singh (retd.) – 458

10. Sanjit Singh Bala – 453

11. Col. BS Rangi (retd.) – 377

900 Brave The Heat, An Equal No. Stay Away

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
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It was probably one of the hottest days of the season, but large coolers placed at short distances helped keep the temperature in the sprawling canopy-covered lawns of the Chandigarh Golf Club at a comfortable level. And, beer, flowing like water, kept the spirits high on a leisurely Sunday. The grand old graying population, from across the spectrum of society, voted for a new President and 11 members of the managing committee.

It was probably one of the hottest days of the season, but large coolers placed at short distances helped keep the temperature in the sprawling canopy-covered laws of the Chandigarh Golf Club at a comfortable level. And, beer, flowing like water, kept the spirits high on a leisurely Sunday. The grand old greying population, from across the spectrum of society, voted for a new President and 11 members of the managing committee.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

Till around 1:30 p.m. voting was not so cool. “Just 550 votes polled, not good at all,” exclaimed a candidate for the managing committee while continuing to aggressively woo the odd voter proceeding to the polling booth. But, apparently as a result of the intensified prodding by the contestants, more voters grudgingly left the cool confines of their homes to exercise their right of franchise in favour of their friends as the evening approached. And, by the time the last bell was sounded for the voting, half of the 1800-odd eligible voters had polled their ballot.

The atmosphere in the club lawns, as usual, was akin to a carnival. With immaculately dressed women, stylish leather bags adorning their arms, enhancing the fashion quotient of the occasion, and men in their airy cool cotton casuals and formals sharing hearty laughs with close buddies, some of them over beer, fun was unlimited.

With supporters initiating the wooing of voters right from the entrance to the club, members of the two panels lined up on both sides of the path leading to the poll booth in an effort to clinch the votes in their favour. The ruling group, with Birinder Singh Gill as its presidential candidate seeking a fifth term, fielded a complete 11-member panel for the managing committee, and Gill’s challenger Lt.Col. JS Panag (retd.) put up three candidates for the managing committee.

Among those who voted on Sunday were former and serving senior bureaucrats, businessmen, doctors, lawyers, engineers, other professionals and some politicians.

The contenders for 11 posts on the managing committee of the club are : Col. AD Singh (retd.), Amarbir Singh Lehal, Amarinder Singh Aulakh, Balbir Singh Mangat, Kulbir Singh Brar, Col. BS Rangi (retd.), Dr. GS Kochhar, Lt.Col. HS Chahal (retd.), Col. Iqbal Singh (retd.), Jagdeep Singh, Jaspal Singh Sidhu, Mahavir Singh Jagdev (contesting independently), Manjit Singh Sarang, Col. Prabhjot Singh Mangat (retd.) and Sanjit Singh Bala.

Counting is expected to begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, with winner of presidential contest hopefully to be out in just over an hour. The results of governing committee members are likely to be declared only by late evening.

Battle of Legal Moochh Vs Fauji Moochh On April 29

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
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In his mid 70s, Lt. Col. (retd.) JS Panag’s shoulders may be sagging somewhat, but his razor sharp and erect ‘fauji’ mustachios say a lot about the “man of action”, as he would like to describe himself. Much younger, Birinder Singh Gill alias Gilly (58), whom the battle veteran is challenging for the post of president of the most sought after club of the City, on the other hand, is a legal eagle and a cool customer, who has already done four previous terms. His ‘moochh’ equally erect.

Gill represents the ruling group which is seeking to perpetuate its dominance over the club politics. If he wins a fifth term he will become the second longest serving president of the club, ever since the club strictly enforced the rule of maximum two consecutive terms as either president or managing committee member sometime in the early 1990s, after then serving IAS officer Gurinderjit Singh Sandhu, who did six terms.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

The Colonel, for whom this is the third attempt to the top post, claims to represent the voice of a “majority” of the club members, who, he asserts, want change. Continuation of a clique for eternity is not a healthy sign for steady growth of the club as it breeds callousness and disdain for popular voice, he maintains.

Gilly, who has also remained vice president, honorary secretary and captain of the club, besides being a referee and a voluntary observer for tournaments, on his part, feels that the members of the club have been reposing faith in his leadership, and continue to do so, hence his bid for a fifth term.

Maintaining that all his previous terms as President of the club have been without controversy and without a murmur of impropriety, financial or otherwise, Gill promises that if elected, he will devote all his energies to further improving the golf course.

Birinder Singh Gill

Lt. Col. JS Panag (retd.)

Panag sees a problem in this very claim by Gill. “That is the problem. He is a status quoist and did nothing tangible for the club. Controversies arise only when somebody works, if someone doesn’t work, where is the scope for a controversy,” he says.

“I am a man of resolute action. In one of the three terms as managing committee member, I served as Chairman of the Bar & Catering (B&C) committee when Raja Malvinder Singh was the president. A discrepancy of Rs 60,000-70,000 was detected. Not only was the entire money recovered from the bartenders, but they were also dismissed from service,” Panag shares.

The battle veteran of 1962 Sino-India war and 1971 Bangladesh Liberation further charges Gill of losing opportunities of striking good deals for the club during his previous tenures as president. “He lost a golden chance to strike a reasonable Rs 10 lakh per annum lease deed for the club with the UT Administration, while the adjoining Chandigarh Golf Association (CGA) Range at the same time accepted it with both hands. Now we are saddled with a nearly Rs. one crore per annum burden, that too not for a lease deed, but a license deed,” he alleges.

Panag also points to another alleged lost opportunity when Gill, for reasons best known to him, declined to accept an offer by a world renowned company to install a simulator/sling analyser in the club free of cost.

Gill dismisses both charges as being without any merit.

Panag, who has remained Vice Chairman of Defence Services Officers’ Institute (DSOI) in Sector 36 Chandigarh, member of the Services golf team (playing to a single digit) and vice-captain of the Indian Military Academy (IMA) hockey team, is confident of victory in his third shot at the post of President of the club.

The veteran, who is President of the Ex-servicemen’s League in Fatehgarh Sahib district and Vice-president of Zila Sainik Board, promises to exercise full control over expenses of the club and cut out wasteful expenditure, thereby effecting 10-15 percent savings in expenditure. He also assures transparency in new membership by  displaying seniority list of prospective members at the club counter and strictly following the seniority roster.

Binging Greens and Fairways up to the highest possible standards, resolution of the perpetual problem of non-availability or delay in getting caddies, working for better working conditions for them and his daily availability in the club for interacting with members are some of his other assurances.

UT Admn Continues To Spoon-feed Media

By
Sanjeev Kochhar
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One fails to understand why the Chandigarh Administration wants to maintain a veil of secrecy and continue to spoon-feed the Media on such simple issues as proceedings of the Advisory Council of the UT Administrator? On the one hand it talks of progressive, participative and transparent governance and on the other it is shying away from allowing the Media to cover such meetings held with the motive of improving the administration of the Union Territory.

 A question was put to UT Home Secretary Anurag Aggarwal on Wednesday in a media briefing organised at UT Guest House, after the third meeting of the Administrator’s Advisory Council held in Hotel Mountview, as to why the media was not invited to cover the proceedings, when all assembly sessions, court proceedings and even meetings of the Panjab University Senate are open to media glare. Though agreeing to consider the issue, and promising to take it up with the UT Administrator, he explained that the assembly and MC House proceedings were purely political in nature, whereas the advisory council meeting was more of an administrative consultative process.

Photos By : Life In Chandigarh

Aggarwal gave out sketchy details of the proceedings, and promised to share with the Media all the power point presentations of reports presented in the meeting by the nine subject wise committees formed by the Administrator, which were later duly emailed. The Media had to make do with his version of the tone and tenor of the meeting, which he described as highly interactive, held in a most cordial atmosphere and appreciated by one and all.

While 10 minute presentations were made personally by chairpersons of respective committees, and another 10 minutes were taken up by discussion on each subject, it was agreed that another committee should be formed on Social Welfare, an important subject which did not find place in any of the other committees. The Administrator directed the official concerned to start implementing all recommendations which could be taken up immediately and work expeditiously on matters which required further deliberations, the Home Secretary added.

The subject wise committees covered Education, Health, Environment, Law and Order, Transport, Traffic Management, Existing Urban Infrastructure and Reformative Needs of Next Two Decades, Urban Planning and Heritage Preservation and Sports.

A quick run through the various PPTs gave one the impression that despite the committees given adequate time to study issues in their respective subjects, the interim recommendations of most of the committees appeared to be too general and sketchy and lacked a clear vision for the future. No out of box thinking as one would expect at the level of an advisory council.

The lengthy presentation on Education, for example, concentrated more on reeling out government figures than on its observations and recommendations. The committee on education raised the issue of direct recruitment of school heads, fee regulation in private unaided schools and self defence training for girl students. It recommended review of no detention system in schools, providing seat reservation for single girl child at secondary and senior secondary level and categorisation of private unaided schools.

The one on Urban Infrastructure suggested that the authorities prescribe a standard design of kiosks for licensed street vendors.

The panel on Environment pushed for early implementation of the segregation of waste at source, which had got stuck, greater focus on disposal of electronic waste, improvement in treatment of tertiary water to remove the bad odour which emanates from it, mentioning permissible decibel level in permission for use of loud speakers and DJ systems and time bound switchover of public transport to more environment friendly CNG.

The Health committee advocated reintroduction of the morning and afternoon OPD timings in government dispensaries. It also wanted the possibility to be explored of outsourcing the running of dispensaries to NGOs to provide round the clock health services.

The panel on Urban Planning opposed the floor wise sale of houses (apartments) while the Law and Order committee sought improvement in the ground level policing, verification of new people coming and setting up base in the Union Territory and installation  of more CCTV cameras at vulnerable points.  

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