Home Blog Page 79

It Can Weaken Our Body, But Don’t Allow it to Conquer Our Mind & Spirit

Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0
It Can Weaken Our Body, But Don’t Allow it to Conquer Our Mind & Spirit

It was an afternoon of candid talk. Cancer survivors, all of whom admitted they were in a self denial mode when they were first suspected, or diagnosed, with the disease and tried to hide their malignant status from others, were frankly baring their thought process during the period of their treatment and the positive takeaways from their experiences. The occasion was “Saluting The Champion Spirit” programme organised by Max Superspeciality Hospital, Mohali for cancer survivors as part of the National Cancer Survivors Day celebrations, at IMA Complex in Sector 35 on Sunday.

After a heart-talk session involving half a dozen recent survivors and attendants, most of the 100-odd cancer survivor men, women and children individually and collectively walked the ramp with their doctors and danced their hearts out with a team of bhangra performers.

Photos By: Life in Chandigarh

The team of doctors included Dr Sachin Gupta, senior consultant, medical & hemato oncology, Dr Sunandan Sharma, senior consultant, surgical oncology, Dr Shaveta Gupta, Dr Gautam Goyal, senior consultant, medical oncology, Dr Ritesh Pruthi, senior consultant, surgical oncology, Dr Pankaj Kumar and Dr Sajal Kakkar.

The chemistry was to be seen to be believed as the survivors gleefully walked the ramp hand in hand and arm in arm with their doctors. Dr Sachin Gupta appeared to the star of the day as patient after patient poured their heart out to describe him as a wonderful medical professional who went beyond the call of duty to help patients bear their trauma and pain with a spirit of love, compassion and faith.

All the cancer survivors who shared their thoughts were unanimous that when the body is in distress it is the mind which sees you though the difficult time. One needs to have faith in oneself, in God and the doctors and support staff to be able to overcome the anxiety, pain and stress. Support of the family and friends is equally crucial for survival, they said.

The atmosphere in the auditorium was so charged up that Dr Gaurav Goyal, tasked with proposing a vote of thanks to the guests (the guests of honour – Chandigarh Mayor Asha Kumari Jaswal and motivational speaker Vivek Atray – had left by then) was overcome with emotions and could not continue with his thanks-giving.

Positive takeaways for the survivors

  • Don’t remain in denial when suspicion of cancer arises, accept the fact as a reality of life and be positive about the outcome of the treatment. As one of the survivors shared, he had booked holidays to Manali months in advance, confident of surviving the disease.
  • Believe in yourself and in God, and give time to yourself also while showering your attention and time on other members of your family.
  • While in treatment, go about your daily chores as best as you can, as if nothing adverse has happened. Keep yourself happy and enjoy life to the fullest. Cancer can weaken your body, but don’t allow it to conquer your mind and spirit. As another female patient said “I did not hesitate having my favourite pizza for dinner a day before my chemotherapy session.”  
  • Having passed the most difficult exam of your life, every problem henceforth in your life gets trivialised. As one of the survivors said : “Now whenever I am faced with a very difficult and challenging problem, I simply ask myself, is it bigger than cancer?”
  • “Kyun Na Chemotherapy Nu Apni Mehbooba Bana Lavan”
  • To chemotherapy : “Amrit Ban Ke Mere Sharir Mein Samaa Ja”
  • “From A God-fearing Person, I have Became A God-believing Person”

Finally, Doctors Find Courage To Unite

Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0
Finally, Doctors Find Courage To Unite

Doctors traditionally have never been able to raise their voice in unison. Perhaps earlier they were too engrossed in serving the patients, and now most of those working in the private sector are too busy minting money. So it came as a surprise when the Indian Medical Association (IMA) announced a nationwide agitation in support of their long standing demands, including framing of stringent laws against increasing cases of doctors being manhandled by angry patients or their attendants and relatives for no fault of their own.

The doctors are resorting to a nationwide pen down strike on June 6, during which medical services both in the government and private sector, excluding emergency services, will come to a grinding halt for half a day (till 2 p.m.). On a call by IMA for ‘Dilli Chalo’ more than 5,000 doctors from across the country are expected to congregate at Rajghat in New Delhi for a rally that day and subsequently a memorandum of demands of medical professionals will be submitted to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Addressing a media conference at the Chandigarh Press Club on Saturday Chandigarh chapter of the IMA informed that 100-plus doctors from the tricity will join their brethren in Delhi for the protest. The media persons were addressed by Dr Ajay Aggarwal, President, IMA Chandigarh, Dr Neeraj Kumar, President elect, Dr RS Bedi, past President, Dr TD Yadav, President, Faculty Association, PGI.

(From left to right) Dr Neeraj Kumar, President elect, IMA, Chandigarh, Dr TD Yadav, President, Faculty Association, PGI, Dr Ajay Aggarwal, President, IMA, Chandigarh and Dr RS Bedi, past President, addressing media persons.

Listing out the various demands, they said incidents of violence against doctors on duty are on the increase and very few offenders have been brought to book. Under the circumstances, a central law under PIC, which is more stringent than the currently applicable Prevention of Violence Against Medical Personnel and Establishment Act, 2009, needs to be enacted as a deterrence.

They said despite Supreme Court rulings that doctors should be criminally prosecuted in rarest of rare cases where gross negligence has been proved by a competent medical board, criminal prosecution and arrest of doctors under sections 304 and 304A on patients’ complaints of medical negligence is increasingly becoming common even for minor procedural issues like not signing on forms, not wearing name plate or apron, etc. More than 70 doctors in Punjab alone have been prosecuted on this count during the last four years, they added.

Cap on amount of compensation in cases of medical negligence, as in other cases like road accidents, rail accidents and complications during tubectomy operations, and discontinuation of permission granted to ayurvedic doctors to practice and prescribe allopathic medicine in some BJP ruled states like Maharashtra, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh are among the other demands raised by the IMA.

Regarding mandatory prescription of only generic drugs, the doctors felt that it will only benefit the chemists who will give brands from whom they get the biggest margins. The best solution is for the government to discontinue grant of licences to pharmaceutical companies to formulate and market 2-3 different packages of the same medicine at different prices. Adopting a “One drug, one company, one price” policy will help resolve this problem, they added.

The IMA has also advocated increase in government’s budgetary allocation for health from the current measly 1.3 percent to 5 percent of the GDP to improve infrastructure for providing primary and emergency services to the common man.

The other side of the coin

While the government is insistent on mandatory prescription of generic medicines, many doctors have been guilty of prescribing expensive brands on their promise of expensive junkets and other freebies. To this observation the IMA, Chandigarh leaders replied that strongly worded circulars have been despatched to all IMA members warning of strict action if they are found to be indulging in such malpractices. Such misdemeanours can even lead to their membership of IMA being cancelled. Patients are welcome to send their specific complaints in this regard to IMA, Chandigarh, they added.

The doctors also admitted that due to lack of unity and cohesiveness within the medical fraternity, their advocacy of various issues with the government in their own interests and in the interests of patients at large has been an area of concern. They were hopeful that with the strength provided by success of the June 6 action, IMA will be catapulted into a more aggressive action mode in the future.

Multiple Sclerosis Decoded

Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0
Multiple Sclerosis Decoded

If you are facing problems with your vision, overwhelming fatigue, difficulty with balance and coordination, various levels of impaired mobility, muscle weakness and stiffness, or numbness in the limbs, don't take it lightly. These may be early symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), a chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. And summer months are the period when these symptoms typically present themselves.

Says Dr Dheeraj Khurana, professor in the Department of Neurology at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGI for short), for a long time it was believed that the problem is predominantly seen in the West, but due to increasing awareness and advances in diagnostic modalities, it is increasingly being identified in the Indian sub-continent. The incidence is much higher (50-100 per 1,00,000 patients) in North America and Europe as compared to India (9-10 per 1,00,000 patients), he adds.
 
The symptoms of MS, which affects at least twice as many women (typically in 25-35 years age group) as men, can be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe enough to cause blindness or paralysis. The disease in its most common form has a tendency to recur in the form of attacks characterized by sudden loss of vision or double vision, weakness of one side of the body or weakness of legs.


Photo By: Life in Chandigarh

Dr Khurana says, MRI is the main test for diagnosis of MS, and a variety of treatment options are available, including oral and injectable medicines, numerous rehabilitative measures and vocational training. Very recently, a new drug – Ocrelizumab – has been approved for treatment of MS by the FDA in USA. This medicine also works in the severest form of MS called Primary Progressive MS. Stem cell transplant is another promising area of treatment of MS, he added.

These treatments are very expensive, Dr Khurana says, adding that an aggressive case of MS, requiring stronger medicines, can cost a patient Rs. 20,000-25,000 per month and the treatment is long, continuing up to 4-5 years. “Therefore we are thinking of launching an advocacy with the central government for providing such treatments free of cost,” he shares.

Dr Khurana informs that PGI holds a Multidisciplinary Special Clinic for MS and allied diseases twice a month on every 2nd and 4th Thursday in which 140 patients were seen last year. “Every month we get 3-4 new patients in the clinic. The multidisciplinary team comprises neurophysician, neurology resident, MS counsellor, psychologist, occupational therapist and physiotherapist providing a holistic management paradigm to the MS patients,” he adds.

Continuing with its activities related to World MS Day, which is officially marked on the last Wednesday of May, PGI as part of its Move Strong campaign to provide motivation and strength to its MS patients, is organising   continuing medical education programme for neurophysicians on June 3 to update them on latest MS treatments. On June 4, patients will get to see life in a positive light, beyond the disease and disability. Besides getting their queries answered, they will indulge in support group activities. A performance by a well known singer has also been arranged for them at Chandigarh Spinal Rehab Centre in Sector 28-A.

I Am Optimistic, We Will Prevail, We Are Big

Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0
I Am Optimistic, We Will Prevail, We Are Big

Gyan Setu, a think tank for providing a platform for opinion leaders of all hues on defence and strategy issues, was launched on Friday at a round table panel discussion on the theme “J&K-The Way Forward”

The seminar hall was packed to capacity with retired military top brass, university professors, cadets training for joining the Indian armed forces and others. The J&K issue was dissected threadbare but at the end of it one was left wondering whether the platform really provided a way forward, as the topic for the day’s deliberations suggested.

The line-up of panellists was impressive with former Army Chief Gen. (retd) VP Malik, sharing the stage with former Northe Army Commander Lt. Gen (retd) DS Hooda, former Weste Army Commander Lt. Gen. (retd) KJ Singh, who initiated the discussion and also moderated the proceedings, former secretary rank officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its official spokesman Ambassador KC Singh and PU Vice Chancellor Arun Kumar Grover.

Photos By: Life in Chandigarh

There appeared to be near unanimity on the issue that the jingoism being resorted to by the Narendra Modi led NDA government over the Kashmir issue must stop and that a well thought out long term strategy must be put in place in consultation with all stake holders and executed quietly and firmly without making a fuss over it.

Barring a few voices of optimism, the picture by and large painted over the security scenario in J&K was grim. It was felt that Indian diplomacy had failed to isolate Pakistan internationally. The option of a limited war with the neighbour was ruled out because of its limited scope and the imminent danger of China joining the conflict in favour of Pakistan. A big question mark was also raised over US, especially under an “erratic” Donald Trump, and Russia supporting India in such an eventuality.

While some security experts felt that a process of direct dialogue with various sections of the people in Kashmir, including students, teachers, etc, not the separatists, should be undertaken alongside urgent steps to control the current law and order situation, others felt that a dialogue should only commence from a position of strength. Under the present scenario offer of dialogue will be taken as a sign of weakness, they argued.

Gen. Malik was the most optimistic about India coming to grips with the situation. In his remarks, to mark the conclusion of the discussion, he said the country had weathered even worse situations in Kashmir earlier. India was too big a country, with a commanding strength of armed and security forces, to not succeed. We may be faltering here and there, but we have enough inherent strength to see us through, he added.

Wondering how long the PDP-BJP alliance will last in the state, Gen. Malik suggested that the unified command of various forces and agencies in Jammu and Kashmir, which had done wonderfully well in the past, and which appears to have gone into hibernation, should be revived at the earliest to bring the situation under control. “Though situations demand tough decisions to be taken, but we need not announce them, just implement them quietly and firmly,” he opined.

Ambassador KC Singh decried the repeated flip flops by the NDA government over its stand towards Pakistan and cautioned against the country’s domestic policies and rhetoric overriding its foreign policy. We need to devise a new approach towards Pakistan, and continuing a process of dialogue should be an integral part of it, he remarked.

Lt Gen Hooda, while discounting the chances of early resolution of the Kashmir issue, felt that government policies towards Kashmir and Pakistan should be well thought out and coherent, and not guided by the rhetoric orchestrated on the social media, which was being used as a handle by the separatists and militants to whip up anti-India sentiments. He asserted that lack of good governance and some atrocities by corrupt elements in the state police had a big role in fanning the unrest and these issues need to be addressed urgently alongside ongoing security measures.

Vice Chancellor Prof. Arun Kumar Grover wanted the common heritage of India and Pakistan, the Panjab University, which took shape in Lahore, to be leveraged to bring the academia of both countries together, not through physical meetings, which invariably create difficulties, but through various means of long distant contact. This will help revive the bonding between them and though them between the people at large in both countries.

Among others who participated were Lt. Gen. (retd.) Bhoopinder Singh, Lt. Gen.(retd.) Harwant Singh Bawa, Lt. Gen (retd.) J. P. Singh, Retd. Justice J.S.Narang, Lt. Gen.(retd.) R. S. Sujlana, Lt. Gen. (retd.) Vijay Oberoi. Lt. Gen (retd.) A. S. Sihota, Lt. Gen (retd.) K. S. Mann., Lt. Gen (retd.) I. S. Singha and Maj Gen (retd.) Amarjit Singh.

Faculty members, scholars and students from various departments of Panjab University, students from IAS and Law preparatory institutes and Maharaja Ranjit Singh and Mai Bhago Armed Forces Preparatory Institutes were all ears to the discussions.

Gurugram to Get Metropolitan Development Authority

Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0
Gurugram to Get Metropolitan Development Authority

Tinsel town Gurugram (formerly Gurgaon), the basic infrastructure of which has failed to keep pace with its massive growth leading to widespread public unrest, is finally going to have its own Metropolitan Development Authority GMDA.

Haryana Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal on Thursday, approved the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) Ordinance, 2017.

An official press release issued after the cabinet meeting said the ordinance aims at developing vision for the continued, sustained and balanced growth of Gurugram Metropolitan Area by providing for integrated and coordinated planning, infrastructure development and provision of urban amenities, mobility management, sustainable management of urban environment, and social, economic and industrial development.


 
Photo By: Life in Chandigarh

Under the ordinance, the state government may, by notification, declare any area falling within the limits of controlled areas in Gurugram district and the area under any or all of the local authorities like Municipal Corporation, Gurugram; the Municipal Council, Sohna; the Municipal Committees of Pataudi, Farukh Nagar, and Hailey Mandi and any panchayat in Gurugram district insofar as the Abadi Deh of such panchayats is concerned, to be notified area, having the potential for urban expansion.

The Chief Minister will be Chairperson of the Authority. There will also be a Residents Advisory Council to advise the Authority and provide guidance on the exercise of its powers and performance of its functions. The Residents Advisory Council will be presided over by the Chief Executive Officer of the Authority.
 
The Council will monitor implementation of the annual plan of action and make suitable recommendations, which along with an explanatory memorandum of the action taken or proposed to be taken, will be placed by the Chief Executive Officer before the Authority.

The state government will, within a period of three months of commencement of this Ordinance, on the recommendations of the Chief Administrator of the Haryana Urban Development Authority and the Chief Executive Officer, by notification, publish a transfer scheme providing for the transfer of property, interest in property, rights and liabilities to the Authority.

The cabinet also approved the extension of Metro Rail from Narela in Delhi to Kundli in district Sonepat. The project will be financed by way of grant by the state government and the Central Government in the ratio of 80:20 and implemented on the funding pattern adopted in the case of Gurugram, Faridabad and Bahadurgarh Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Metro extension.

The state government will contribute Rs 968.20 crore as its share in the project. The length of this extension is 4.86 kms with three stations namely, Narela Sector 5, Kundli and Nathupur. All the three stations will be elevated. The Metro extension from Narela to Kundli is proposed to be constructed from April 2018 to March 2022.

In another decision, the cabinet approved the proposal to change the rate of municipal tax in relation to electricity bill in Municipal Corporations, Municipal Councils and Municipal Committees from 5 paisa per unit of electricity consumed to 2 per cent of the consumed electricity bill amount.

Left Out? Enroll As Voters In Spl Drive

Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0
Left Out? Enroll As Voters In Spl Drive

The Election Commission of India (ECI), it appears, doesn't want even a single eligible young voter to be left without a voter identity card. So when it came to the commission's notice that as per collected data in Chandigarh, out of the 1,847 forms received from young people in the age group 18-19 years during 2017 so far only 1,623 could be enrolled, it directed the Election Department Chandigarh to launch a special drive to enroll left out electors, focusing on first time electors (young Indian citizens in the age group of 18-21 years).

Additional Chief Electoral Officer and Returning Officer for UT Chandigarh Ajit Balaji Joshi told media persons here on Thursday that on the directions of ECI the special drive to educate and enroll first time electors will be undertaken in Chandigarh throughout July this year. Besides a door to door campaign to enroll residents who are above 18 years as on January 1, 2017, the BLOs will sit at their designated location of polling stations on two Sundays (9th July and 23rd July) to receive claims and objections from the public.

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh

The main focus during the campaign will be on enrollment of young electors in the age group 18 to 21 years extending up to 30 years. All admission centres will also be targeted during the drive, Joshi added.

He appealed to political parties and residents of Chandigarh to extend their whole-hearted co-operation in the special drive.

All relevant forms are available on the website of the election department www.ceochandigarh.nic.in and people can also call helpline No. 1950 for more information.

The Thok in the Thoko Sounds Mellower; Declares Crackdown on Illegal Constructions

Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0
The Thok in the Thoko Sounds Mellower; Declares Crackdown on Illegal Constructions

Hugely popular politician, cricket commentator, television personality and former dashing India batsman Navjot Singh Sidhu of “Thoko, thoko !!” fame has distinctly lost a fraction of the flair in his witty remarks, verses and couplets ever since he has become a cabinet minister in the Capt Amarinder Singh led Congress government in the frontier state of Punjab.

The Minister holding portfolios of Local Government, Tourism and Culture and Archives and Museums also appears to have mellowed down from his fiercely independent demeanour when he was a member of Parliament from Amritsar for his previous party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, to become a more conventional  and conformist minister. In all his public and media interactions he is taking pains to ensure that he gives full credit for all the “good” initiatives being taken by the new government, even in his own ministries, to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

Photo By: Life In Chandigarh
On Thursday, while announcing a crackdown on rampant building violations and illegal constructions, especially in bigger towns like Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala and Bathinda, he said he was taking a cabinet note to the Chief Minister recommending a one-time settlement on “as is where is” basis for not so blatant violations and will let the cabinet take a collective decision, so that it becomes a government decision and not his individual one.
Disclosing that besides the complaints received at the local municipal bodies, the vigilance cell at the state headquarters level had received 300-odd complaints, primarily of commercial buildings. The highest number of 83 complaints are from Ludhiana, he added.
The government will offer a one-time settlement in cases “which are not big and blatant in nature.” In future, however, such violations will not be permitted under any circumstances and individual officials in whose areas such violations are detected will be held accountable and they will face strict action – suspension, and even dismissal from service – he warned.
Replying to a query, he said the law was equal for all. “Politicians, I myself and the Chief Minister included, will all be treated equally. Law will take its own course irrespective of what position one holds.”
On the issue of reining in the corrupt municipal officials, Sidhu said a comprehensive e-governance network is going to be rolled out in the state within the next three months and the interface between officials and the general public will be reduced to the minimum, cutting down on opportunities for corrupt practices.

Garbage Collection Rates Deferred

Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0
Garbage Collection Rates Deferred

The general house of the Municipal Corporation Chandigarh deferred a decision on fixing charges for segregated door to door garbage collection, which is going to be made mandatory in the near future.

When the agenda, the last on the list for the day, came up for discussion the house display unanimity in describing the charges suggested as on the higher side. It was decided that Mayor Asha Jaswal will form an empowered committee comprising councillors and senior officers of the municipal corporation to get a feedback from the public regarding the existing rates being charged in various sectors by individual garbage collectors and suggest suitable charges for different categories of residential and commercial buildings.

The committee will be given just a week to come back with its recommendations.

Photo By: Life in Chandigarh

The charges proposed in the agenda were Rs 50 per month for Type 12 & 13 government houses, Rs 100 per month for Type 9 to 11 government houses and less than seven marla private houses (for each household), Rs 125 per household per month for 7 to less than 10 marla houses, Rs 150 for 10 marla houses and Rs 200 per month for above 10 marla houses.

For commercial establishments, the proposed rates were Rs 50 per month for booths (for juice shops, pan shops, chatt shops and sweet shops, etc it was Rs 100). Big hotels and cinemas were proposed to be charged Rs 2,000 per establishment per month.

During discussion on another agenda, the house was informed that an agency (Gurugram-based GIS Consortium (India) Pvt. Ltd.) had already been hired to conduct a comprehensive survey of all residential, commercial and industrial buildings and develop a user friendly app which will provide all kind of information about individual properties, the amount of property tax applicable, pendency of the tax, etc. It will also give facility of online payment to owners of properties. Details of properties once compiled will be shared with property owners for reconciliation and complaints, if any, will be resolved. The app is likely to be operational within six months.

GIS Consortium (India) Pvt. Ltd., according to its website, is an emerging geographic information systems (GIS) services and spatial data provider for creative solutions in the areas of natural resources management, land information systems, urban development & planning and GIS applications.

Chandigarh member of Parliament Kirron Kher, who attended the first half meeting of the house, while replying to concerns expressed by some councillors over the Dadumajra garbage dumping site making life miserable for 50,000 odd population in its vicinity, assured that she will forcefully take up with the UT administration allotment of an alternative site at a distant place so that the dump could be shifted there.

Councillor Davesh Moudgil called for urgently deploying a file tracking system to fix responsibility on officials for delays in clearances. To this Commissioner B. Purushartha replied that the process had already been initiated in this regard.

Intervening during another discussion, one of the nominated councillors, Maj Gen (retd) MS Kandal suggested that the engineering department of the municipal corporation adopt standard operating systems to mitigate the hardships faced by residents because of unsatisfactory services. He also exhorted councillors not to waste the time of the house by raising individual issues, which they could take up directly with officials or the Mayor. The time of the house should be devoted to raising and discussing issues related to large sections of the people, he added.

The BJP Juggernaut Rolls On

Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0
The BJP Juggernaut Rolls On

After the thumping victory in the Municipal Elections, the march of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) brigade continued in rural Chandigarh as well.

In elections results announced on Tuesday to the 15-member Panchayat Samiti and 10-member Zila Parishad, the BJP announced it had won 11 and 8 seats respectively, leaving the Congress again licking its wounds. The elections were held on Sunday.

The winning panchayat samiti and zila parishad candidates from Behlana, Sushil Kaur & Santosh
 
The results resounded in the general house meeting of the municipal corporation as well, with former Mayor Sood, asserting that the people had once again given a stamp of approval to the pro common man agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, under whose leadership the BJP is capturing power in one state after the other.
 
In December, last year, the BJP had pulled off a coup of sorts by decimating the Congress in the general elections to the municipal corporation, claiming 20 of the 26 elected seats with its ally Shiromani Akali Dal taking the alliance tally to 21.

Breaking Free, And Freaking Out !!

Sanjeev Kochhar
-
0
Breaking Free, And Freaking Out !!

Women are breaking free. And, one of the areas where many of them are no longer depending on their male partners or family for company is travel. Women-only travel, both domestic and international, is going places and travel planners are putting this segment on the top of their priority list for 2017.

“Women – young, middle-aged and ageing – are increasingly travelling in larger groups, because this way they feel more secure, and it also leads to economising on costs. We make sure that women tour managers accompany them,” Cox & Kings Branch Manager for Punjab, Haryana and Jammu Rishab Sahni shared at the inauguration of their company franchisee in Mohali (Phase 5) on Sunday evening. This is the company’s sixth franchisee in Punjab market, the others being in Chandigarh, Patiala, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar and more are on the way.

 

PHOTOS BY: LIFE IN CHANDIGARH

 

“Women are increasingly resorting to such tours since they can shed their mundane responsibilities of being wives, mothers, etc and freak out. They can set their own agenda and not be constrained by the availability of their husbands, partners or children. On an average we are sending one women-only tour to international destinations per week from this region. We seek a minimum is 25 women for each tour within Asia and 35 for distant destinations,” Rishab told lifeinchandigarh.com.

“Another new area we are currently focussing on is physically challenged people for whom the company has specially designed packages to cater to their special needs of travel and stay,” Rishab said. “Punjab is our biggest market in India and we are in the process of opening more and more franchisees here. Our target is to have an office after every 50 to 70 kms in the state.  We believe in providing doorstep service to our customers for a personalised and satisfying experience,” he added.

“We sent out more than 13,000 passengers to international destinations from the region last year and business is increasing at a fast clip, 30-35 annually. For greater convenience we are also arranging Punjabi-only tours as per demand,” Rishab said.

“Mohali has been chosen because being a commercial hub and an emerging IT destination, its potential cannot be understated. It’s a crucial market for us,” franchisee owners Shalu Garg and her nephew Shivam Gupta told media persons. “As of now we will be the only international travel planner to have a presence in Mohali, and we are very optimistic about the response from people here,” they added.

 

 

Rishab said among the international short haul destinations, Singapore, Thailand, Dubai and Mauritius continued to be the most popular. Packages to these destinations would start from anything between Rs 25,000-Rs 30,000 per head for economy tours and going up to a high of Rs 5 lakh-Rs 6 lakh for an luxurious experience. Among long haul international destinations, Europe and USA are in great demand, but India tourists are increasingly looking to travel to other established destinations and newer ones to increase the adventure quotient.

1...787980...101Page 79 of 101

LIfe in chandigarh

About us

Anchored by a senior journalist, LifeInChandigarh.com is a digital endeavour, a news portal with a positive and progressive outlook, to keep you up to date with the latest developments as they happen in the Chandigarh tricity area.

Latest Articles

With Ortech Textiles Unit, India’s Ortho Aids Leader Tynor Goes Completely Indigenous

Industry 0
To compete globally, Mohali, Punjab based Tynor sheds dependence...

Clouds Of Doubt Wither, New Age Indian Batting Stars Shine Bright

Cricket 0
Shubman Gill (127*) becomes fifth Indian batsman to score...

People Developing Type 2 Diabetes At 30 Or Below Highly Concerning: Diabetologist Dr Deepti Arora

Lifestyle 0
Alarming situation needs to be addressed urgently through coordinated...

Most Popular

With Ortech Textiles Unit, India’s Ortho Aids Leader Tynor Goes Completely Indigenous

Industry 0
To compete globally, Mohali, Punjab based Tynor sheds dependence...

Clouds Of Doubt Wither, New Age Indian Batting Stars Shine Bright

Cricket 0
Shubman Gill (127*) becomes fifth Indian batsman to score...

People Developing Type 2 Diabetes At 30 Or Below Highly Concerning: Diabetologist Dr Deepti Arora

Lifestyle 0
Alarming situation needs to be addressed urgently through coordinated...

Subscribe

Copyright 2023 Life In Chandigarh All Right Reserved.