LATEST CHANDIGARH NEWS

LATEST CHANDIGARH NEWS Akal Takht: Boycott Dera Even as Sikh protests continue in various parts of Punjab against the Dera Sacha Sauda sect, senior leaders of the Sikh community at a crucial meeting today (May 17), called for a total social boycott of the Dera, and said it would give the government 10 days to register a police complaint against the sect. High level Sikh priests held a crucial meeting in Takht Damdama Sahib at Talwandi Sabo near Bathinda today to sort out the row triggered by the Dera Sacha Sauda community leader's controversial attire. The meeting of the Sikh community was summoned by Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, head priest (Jathedar) of the Akal Takht which is the highest temporal seat of Sikhs inside the Golden Temple complex in the holy city of Amritsar. On Wednesday (May 16), pro and anti-Dera followers had clashed in Patiala and New Delhi over an advertisement featuring the controversial religious order allegedly distributing ‘amrit’ dressed like Sikh Guru Gobind Singh. The Dera leader has since denied the allegations on record. Vedanti had said on Tuesday that the Sikh clergy and community leaders would decide their next course of action at Thursday's meeting. The meeting in Talwandi Sabo was attended by representatives from various Sikh bodies including senior leaders of the Sikh community’s top body, the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandak Committee as well as Akal Takht. Sikh rift deepens:- Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti, head priest (Jathedar) of the Akal Takht reads out the decision on Dera Sacha Sauda during his sermon However, the demands made by Akal Takht at the meeting have not gone down well with the hardliners who have demanded a harsher punishment for the Dera’s leader, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. Even as Vedanti announced the decision for a social boycott and the demand for stricter government action, militant outfits like the Damdami Taksals and Nigangs stood up, interrupted his sermon and started shouting slogans against their supreme religious leader, saying the action was too light. Drama then ensued for nearly 45 minutes afterwards, wherein the hardline elements mainly comprised of youth, brandished their swords, and sang inflammatory songs in praise of Khalistan and Bhindrawale – something unheard of till a decade earlier. The protestors hinted broadly that they were willing even to march till Sirsa and attack the Dera Sacha Sauda there, if their supreme religious leader refused to take action. Elderly members of the Jathedar community eventually calmed down the protestors, following which they boycotted the meeting. Chandigarh to have own song Chandigarh, May 9 (IANS) Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, will soon have its own official song. A spokesman of the Chandigarh administration said Wednesday that the city's song will be selected through an open competition to be held soon. The song would highlight Chandigarh as a city of universal value and would encourage residents to take pride in their city. Entries have been invited by the city's tourism department for the song from public and professional people. The competition is open for all and will be part of the ongoing "My Chandigarh" campaign. The selected song will be adopted as the official song of the city. The song selected will have to reflect on the multi-lingual and multi-cultural character of the city along with its modernity and planning, the spokesman added. City crime graph nose dived last week chandigarh: City criminals were apparently also carried away by the spirit of Indo-Pak bonhomie. In the week that was, the chandigarh Police registered only 30 cases compared to 50 in the first week of March. No fatal or major road accident was reported. A senior official confirmed the low crime rate to TOC. What happened? "Criminals are also human. A cricket match between the arch rivals is ... Vegetarians vulnerable to brain stroke? chandigarh: Veggies beware! You could have a higher chance of brain stroke than non-vegetarians. As a higher number of brain stroke patients are being wheeled into PGI, studies indicate that a vegetarian diet makes people vulnerable to brain strokes.The reasons are not hard to find. Those sustaining on a vegetarian diet suffer from deficiency of Vitamin B 12 and Folic Acid. "A drop in the le... Only model schools in '06 ...chandigarh: Studying in government schools will never be the same again. The UT administration will spend Rs 3.5 crore to bring non-model schools at par with model schools by 2006. Once achieved, all 104 government schools in the city would become model schools. Currently, there are only 47 model schools. The very concept of model schools was to provide public school quality of education, in... Dal Lake shikaras to adorn Chandigarh lake Chandigarh, Jan 1 - Those who love a joyride aboard shikaras - decorated boats associated with Srinagar's famous Dal Lake - will no longer have to go to the Kashmir Valley as two shikaras were launched at Chandigarh's Sukhna Lake Monday. Part of the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation's campaign to promote tourism in the city, the shikaras were inaugurated by Punjab Governor S.F. Rodrigues and his wife Jean. They also had a ride on one of the shikaras. Each of the two shikaras, specially made in Srinagar with Deodhar wood and decorated in the Kashmiri tradition, cost Rs.125,000. A 30-minute ride for two people, with a boatman, will cost Rs.80. Boating at the Sukhna Lake, a top tourist destination, has been popular for over 15 years now. More than 100 boats are available at the lake and yet visitors often have to wait for their turn. Pakistani artists to get hotel discounts in Indian city Chandigarh, July 7 - Pakistani artists visiting Chandigarh for performances will get concessions in leading government hotels, the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation (Citco) announced Friday. Citco managing director Jasbir Singh Bir said the Pakistan Tourism Corporation was also expected to extend the same concessions to Indian artists visiting that country. Citco recently accorded a warm welcome to a troupe of Pakistani artists led by Madeeha Gohar of Lahore-based theatre group Ajoka. The group is expected to visit the city again in October to enact a play, 'Dukh Dariya'. City-based theatre artist Neelam Mansingh Chaudhary lauded Citco's move saying it would strengthen the ties between the two countries. Chandigarh to have boats, horse carts to boost tourism Chandigarh, June 28 - Known as the City Beautiful, this common capital of Punjab and Haryana is to get two new attractions to boost tourism: horse carts and 'shikaras', the gondola-like boats that ply on Srinagar's Dal Lake. The Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation (CITCO) took the decision Wednesday, officials said. The shikaras will be introduced in the Sukhna Lake while horse carts will ply between the lake and the Rock Garden, another tourist hotspot, said a CICCO statement. Shikaras, which are made of wood, boats can seat up to six people and are paddle-driven. The city that was founded in the early 1950s as a showpiece of a resurgent, independent India has its own emblem - the Open Hand. It was designed and initially built by French architect Le Corbusier and his team. Initially built for a population of 500,000 people, the city now has a population of over 1 million residents. Demotion in priority hurts hockey lovers Chandigarh, May 10: The decision of the Union Ministry of Sports to demote hockey from the priority to the general category has invited the wrath of former hockey players and experts alike. The decision will mean that the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) will now receive less grants from the Centre and that would have an adverse impact on a number of things — be it sending players abroad for competitions or conducting coaching camps. According to three-time Olympian Balbir Singh Sr, the step announced by Sports Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar yesterday, will further deteriorate the condition of India’s national sport. “Hockey is the one sport in which we have a chance to return to the top. But the step-motherly treatment being meted out to it will not help at all,” he said. The Sports Minister reasoned that the continued dismal showing of the Indian hockey team in the recent past had necessitated the step. But according to Balbir Singh Sr, India is still performing better in hockey than in many other sports. “We are number six in the world in hockey, a sport which is played in around 150 countries. There are some other sports which are played in just nine or ten countries and we are at a similar rank.” He further added that if things continued to be the way they were, hockey would soon be dead in India. Echoing the sentiment, Chandigarh Hockey Association secretary Y P Vohra said, “Instead of going forward, we have just taken a step backward. At one time, hockey used to be played in every school, every street, every village. Now that’s no longer the case. All the kids want to play cricket,” he rued. He added that unlike sports like cricket, there was no money in hockey as it was not a high priority sport. “This decision by the government will further reduce the popularity of hockey. Already, it has become the poor man’s game,” he stated. Agreeing with this, former international umpire, Rajinder Gandhi said while youngsters were still enthusiastic about hockey, steps like this would discourage them and make them turn to other sports. “Unfortunately, often the people who decide these things are not sportspersons ,” he said. Meanwhile, former Indian hockey coach Narinder Singh Sodhi said that it was especially sad that the government had taken such a decision just when India had reached the semi-final of the Azlan Shah tournament being played in Ipoh. Fauja Singh - The young face of adidas Fauja Singh is a stud. The man is 94 and he just finished yet another marathon, this time in Edinburgh. There he led a team (named “Sikhs in the City”) of five Sikh runners with a combined age of 397 years between them. Said Fauja Singh "I hope we will inspire young people to keep going and older people never to give up" If this is the first time you’re hearing about Fauja Singh: * He rediscovered running at age 81 (because he was bored sitting around his son’s house) and ran his first marathon at 89. * The next year he set a world record for 90 year-olds * He has been getting faster as he has gotten older! * He’s a poster boy for Adidas (like David Beckham) and he gave a large chunk of the money to charity * He’s a vegetarian, and has been in a PETA ad As a creed, Sikhism emphasises devotion and discipline. It also values physical prowess, understandable given that it started as a small sect in a turbulent part of the world. Embodying many of those virtues is the remarkable Fauja Singh, the 95-year-old marathon man whose feats have earned him a spot on adidas' roster alongside David Beckham and Jonny Wilkinson. Fauja took up running at age 81, when he moved to England after the death of his wife. Eight years later he ran his first marathon, and his times have been coming down since — he holds the world record in the 90-94 age group of fi ve hours, 40 minutes. This year he led the Sikhs in the City relay team, which had a combined age of 400, to a time of 4:43.33 in the Edinburgh marathon. Of the demands of running a marathon, Fauja says: "The first 20 miles are not diffi cult. As for last six miles, I run while talking to God." Chandigarh village gets e-governance Chandigarh, May 7 Khuda Jassu village in the union territory of Chandigarh Monday had its first brush with modern technology after the administration opened its first rural e-governance facilitation centre there. The centre called the e-Gram Sampark promises to change the way residents of this village go about their everyday lives - from depositing bills to collecting pensions and getting stamp papers. Inaugurating the centre, Chandigarh administrator S.F. Rodrigues said all villages in the union territory would be provided the facility by the year-end. 'We want to improve the quality of life of our rural people also,' Rodrigues said. Chandigarh city already has 11 e-Sampark centres. People do not have to queue up outside government offices and public offices to deposit bills, obtain certificates, bus passes, pensions and avail other utility services. All this can now be done under one roof. Residents of Khuda Jassu village thanked the administration for the new utility service even as they wondered about the way it would work. 'This is something new for us. We will have to figure out how to use this facility,' said Jaswinder Singh, a villager. Rodrigues asked Information Technology (IT) officials to monitor the rural e-Sampark centre for the next few months and see if there were any shortcomings that could be overcome while setting up similar centres in other villages. Rediscovering Chandigarh The author teaches at the Chandigarh College of Architecture and is the author of the book Documenting Chandigarh published by Mapin, Ahmedabad. Some fifty years ago, amid the hopes associated with Independence, the State of Punjab was crippled by the tragedy and chaos of Partition and the loss of its historic capital. A new city was needed to house innumerable refugees and simultaneously provide an administrative seat for the government. It is said that capital cities are chosen for convenience, strategy or simply for prestige. It was Prime Minister Nehru's vision of ". . . a new town, symbolic of the freedom of India, unfettered by the traditions of the past . . .", that translated the emergency situation in Punjab into an unprecedented opportunity to create a city of progress, a city of prestige. It was a vision that was concretised by French architect Le Corbusier, who, while trying to locate the new capital within the complex matrix of Indian history, created a new architectural and cultural model for a society that was moving from a predominantly rural mode to an urban-technological one. Chandigarh, the new capital for Punjab, soon became the focus of attention for a variety of reasons - for the peculiar circumstances of its birth; for being a conscious departure from existing patterns of traditional and colonial settlements; the first realisation of some of Le Corbusier's urban precepts and, especially, for being an unusual experiment in comprehensive civic design One of the many works of sculpture from the Rock Garden, Chandigarh, by Nek Chand, built out of discarded and waste material The city today is valued universally as a landmark of modernism and a pace-setter for subsequent post-Independence development. In contrast to the undifferentiated sprawl of contemporary Indian towns, Chandigarh is endowed with a specific identity by its picturesque setting, large open spaces, profuse greenery, as well as its well-ordered, orthogonal matrix. Above all, what places the city in a different class is its distinctive architectural vocabulary of low-rise, low-density cubic forms and experimental constructions in raw concrete and local brick. The city is equally famous for Le Corbusier's Capitol. The massive, plastic forms of his Secretariat, Legislative Assembly and High Court complement the Martyrs' Memorial, the Open Hand and other monuments which symbolise the basis of Le Corbusier's philosophy of Urbanism. Besides the historic and prestige aspect of its design, Chandigarh also had its rationale as a city of convenience, a city planned to provide the basic social amenities and a dignified existence to all, not merely a select handful of its inhabitants. The entire mood of those times was to construct a better future. To the many Indians who had been long confined to the extremely cramped and obsolete structures of the old cities, Chandigarh's theme of open space, greenery and light (sun, space, and verdure), touched many a chord. The discussion on the pros and cons of Chandigarh's Master Plan (conveniently, and somewhat erroneously, attributed solely to Le Corbusier) has been going on for almost four decades. To most outsiders, especially the academics, perceptions of the city's intrinsic worth generally veer between two conflicting attitudes. The first - an adulatory one - is an idealised picture of a somewhat mythical Utopia of "Le Corbusier's Master Plan", with all its distinctive elements seen as immutable components of the greatest, and therefore, sacrosanct episode of urbanism of all times. The opposite and hostile alternative is equally vehement, projecting Chandigarh as alien, irrelevant, wasteful and parasitic, with the vitality of crowded Indian towns (even though insalubrious) infinitely preferably to the city's vacuous and monotonous spaces. Views of Chandigarh Both opinions are inappropriate and misconceived - not just because they are simplistic but essentially as they are static and fail to take into account the dynamics of growth and change which Chandigarh - like any other city - is undergoing. Interestingly, nor do such perceptions acknowledge the fact that Chandigarh's general "garden city" ambience and generous social infrastructure make the city popular with the majority of its inhabitants, not excluding its poorer, homeless ones (who would meet a worse fate in other Indian towns). Thus, the issues which the city has to address are not the issues raised by its critics but those that have surfaced under the compulsions of its own evolution. The most pressing compulsion, under which all others are subsumed, is simply the growth of population. Though designed for an ultimate population of just 5,00,000, Chandigarh, at present, accommodates some 7,50,000 persons within its bound area with another 3,50,000 inhabiting various pockets immediately surrounding it. With the present growth trends, it is estimated that by the year 2020, the population of the urban complex will be more than 20,00,000! The 1000 acres of urban land available for development just about meets the current shortages of housing - notwithstanding the need to rehabilitate the city's proliferating squatter colonies. With Chandigarh having now acquired the status of a high-class regional locus of commerce and education, the demands for more office and commercial space, hotels, convention centres and the like is escalating, just as are pressures for going vertical and densifying the existing areas. As Chandigarh grows and expands both inwards and outwards and faces the all too familiar problems associated with the march of urbanisation, it may have to reinvent itself. No doubt circumstances have changed and the brief would be rather different from that 150 years ago. Nevertheless, it would be the same basic state of mind - social optimism, visionary design and a think-big attitude - that produced Chandigarh which would carry the city successfully into the 21st century. Four Chandigarh boys selected for national u-16 soccer camp Gurpreet Sandhu, Arshpreet, Bikramjit and Harpreet Bedi will attend a month-long camp at Muragao in Goa Four Chandigarh boys are among the 33 probables selected by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) for a national coaching camp in the under-16 age group to be held at Muragao (Goa) from May 15 to June 15. This information has been received by the Chandigarh Sports Department which manages the Chandigarh Football Academy in Sector 42, from the AIFF through Chandigarh Football Association secretary Rakesh Bakshi. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (goalkeeper), Arshpreet Singh (defender), Bikramjit Singh (midfielder) and Harpreet Bedi (midfielder) are the four Chandigarh players invited to attend the camp. Nine campers hail from Bengal, six from Mizoram, two each from Maharashtra, Sikkim, Jharkhand, and Karnataka and one each from Delhi, Uttranchal, Manipur, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. According to Joint Director Sports JPS Sidhu, the selected players have been directed to report at the coaching camp alongwith their original birth certificates, original passport and playing kit. The AIFF will pay the TA/DA to the players. Those invited to the camp are: Goalkeepers: Harshad Meher (Maharashtra), Shayan Roy (Bengal), R Lalthuamawia (Mizoram) and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (Chandigarh). Defenders: Raman Ray (Sikkim), Jagdish S Kasnayal (Uttranchal), Ajith Bhoir (Mah), Deepak Devrani (Delhi), F Lalrozama (Mizoram), Arashpreet Singh (Chandigarh), Asis Chhetri (Sikkim), Arshad Shah, Arijit Basak, Tonmoy Ghosh (all Bengal) and Vishal Kumar (Karnataka), Midfielders: Subhojit Majumdar (Jharkhand), Sanju Kumar (Karnataka), Bijen Rai (Sikkim), David Lal Rimuana (Mizoram), Bikramjit Singh (Chandigarh), Tirthankar Sarkar (Bengal), Milan Singh (Jharkhand), Harpreet Bedi (Chandigarh), Akshay Mall (Gujarat), NG Beirona (Bengal), R Lalrin Dika (Bengal) and R Malsamtulunga (Mirozram). Forwards: Malaswamfela (Mizoram), A Tomba Singh (Mizoram), Mithun Saha (Bengal), L Prem Kumar (Bengal), Rabi Chandra Singh (Manipur) and A Raegan (Tamil Nadu). Strict rules to check sports violence in Chandigarh Faced with the problem of growing incidence of on-field violence in various sporting events, the Chandigarh sports department Monday announced strict rules for games held in the city. The new rules will make it mandatory for sports associations and organisers of sporting events to ensure that the games are held in proper decorum and no rowdiness or on-field violence by players is allowed. New clauses included by the department to allow the city's sporting facilities to be used clearly spell out that the organisers will have to contain unruly and disgraceful sporting behaviour by players and sports officials during games. During the Premier Hockey League (PHL) final match in March at the Sector 42 hockey stadium, international hockey players, including some of the Indian hockey team, argued and chased an umpire, Satinder Sharma, and even got physical with him. This is said to be the reason behind the new rules being framed. Chandigarh sports director Inderjit Singh Sandhu said: 'The basic objective is that the organisers must take responsibility of keeping the players or teams under their total control to avert any ugly incident.' Under the new rules, in case of repeated occurrence of violence, the organisers would be barred for five years from holding any tournament in the city. And in case on-field violence continues in a particular game or tournament, the sports authorities here will suspend that game or tournament. During the PHL, violence erupted in a match being played between Sher-e-Jalandhar and Orissa Steelers - both teams comprising several Indian hockey team players. Nearly half a dozen Sher-e-Jalandhar players attacked the umpire after he gave a decision against them. The umpire then refused to take the field. The unsavoury incident was shown live on a sports channel. The Indian Hockey Federation, whose chief K.P.S. Gill was watching the match when the incident happened, slapped a penalty of 50 percent match fee (Rs.1.5 million) on the Sher-e-Jalandhar team. Later, three international players, Kamaldeep Singh, Maninder Singh and Tejbir Singh - all from Sher-e-Jalandhar - were suspended from national and international hockey matches for three years. They were also banned for life from the PHL tournament held every year. Best samosas in town in sector 17 There is a small shop on the street(almost next to Hot Millions restaurant in sector 17), where this short indian guy makes the best fresh made and instantly cooked for you, samosas. Absolutely safe to eat (for europeans who worry a lot ;-)) and .. Delicious !!! Free computer education in Chandigarh schools Chandigarh is all set to impart free computer and information technology (IT) education in all government schools from the coming academic year, a senior official said. Students from Class 1 to 10 in all government schools of the city would have free computer education to prepare them for various competitions, said Home and Education Secretary Krishna Mohan. The programme would commence from the 2007-08 academic session beginning in April. While it would be a compulsory subject for all classes till Class 10, it will be optional for Classes 11 and 12. There are over 100 government schools in the city with 100,000 students. The administration has already invited tenders from private computer service organisations to provide education. Officials said the compulsory computer education would prepare students, especially those keen on joining the IT sector. Several companies like Infosys have set up campuses in the IT park here. Economy of Chandigarh Though the original plans for Chandigarh did not include an industrial area, it was later realised that industries would boost the economy of the city and help it grow. Today, there are some 580 factories in the city, including 15 large or medium scale units and 2100 small-scale units. The major industries are food products, metal products, machine tools, electrical goods, transport equipment, pharmaceuticals, leather goods and plastic goods. Many of the small-scale units are ancillary units supplying the large industries around Chandigarh. Corbusier's Tower of Shadows, Chandigarh, India, with textures: This is a model of Le Corbusiers Tower of Shadows, Chandigarh, India. 'Just beyond the solar monument is the tower of shadows a demonstration of Corbusier's theories of sun control, consisting of a series of platforms oriented to the Cardinal points and containing sun breakers on three sides (except north). This concrete structure is a culmination of the in depth studies of Corbusier on the path of the sun and ways to control its penetration in to the built up space.' City ranks 4th in women literacy Women are taking their studies seriously in Chandigarh as the city ranks fourth in India on female literacy. The figure in Chandigarh is 76.65 per cent, and the city is only preceded by Kerala, Mizoram and Lakshwadeep. This has been found in a study by the Centre for Women's Studies of the Panjab University. The Centre has published its findings in a book called Gender Realities. Authors Dr Manvinder Kaur and Dr Ameer Sultana said the city ranks sixth in the country if overall literacy rate is taken into account. The overall literacy rate is 81.76 per cent, while men are ranked 11th with a rate of 85.65 per cent. The study says the gap seen in the male and female literacy rates is due to the discrimination faced by women in education. It also reveals how women have less access to educational opportunities and infrastructure. If both were given the same scope, this gap wouldn't have existed, the study said. However, the authors say Chandigarh has done well because the gender gap on literacy is among the lowest - at 9 per cent. Only Kerala, Mizoram and Meghalaya have lower gender gaps. Other statistics show that literacy rates in the urban slum population is pulling down the overall progress of education in the city. There is an 82 per cent literacy rate among the whole urban population, while that in slum areas is much lower at 55 per cent. The gender gap too is high - 25 per cent. It was noted that girls drop out of school to supplement the family's income or help look after siblings. In India, the male literacy rate is 75.85 per cent, and for women it is 54.16 per cent. The gap in the literacy rate has been more than 20 per cent for almost five census periods. Semiconductor complex in Chandigarh to be upgraded New Delhi March 16 In a move that is likely to benefit the Semiconductor Complex Ltd and Semi-Conductor Laboratory (SCL) at Chandigarh, the Union Cabinet has given its approval for upgradation of Very Large Scale Integrated Circuit Facilities (VLSI). The Cabinet approval envisages an outlay of Rs 486 crore with a foreign exchange component of Rs 322 crore. The planned upgradation will enable acquiring the capabilities needed to manufacture a number of high complexity semiconductors and imaging devices commensurate with the quality and reliability requirements of the strategic sector. The proposed upgradation would reduce the dependence on foreign manufacturers in the micro-electronic devices. H-P unveils line of products for Punjab, Chandigarh Hewlett Packard (HP), the leader in the imaging and printing space, further consolidated its market leadership in the consumer printing market in Punjab with the unveiling of 12 personal printing solutions. The new line-up features the world's fastest photo printer, HP's first touch screen printer, and the consumer friendly photosmart express interface that makes printing easier and faster. The new range is priced between Rs 2,999 and Rs 15,999. HP has a market share of 73per cent in the single function Inkjet printer and 85per cent market share in the Inkjet All-in-One segment. HP plans to increase itsmarket reach from 300 cities to 450 cities in the up-country markets through channel expansion. The new personal printing solutions will be available across 400 exclusive HP Experience Zones and 1,500 multi-brand retail outlets. HP will be conducting channel road shows and trainings across 100 cities in 2007 to educate channel partners on the new product portfolio and technologies. Vibhor Bansal, country category manager (Personal Printing Products) Imaging and Printing Group, Hewlett Packard India Sales Pvt Ltd says, “ Punjab forms an important market for HP in its overall expansion plans. With today's introductions, HP is further reinforcing its commitment to deliver the best printing experience for consumers.” Now, HP will be targeting key vertical segments such as jewellers, exporters, design agencies, photographers and self employed professionals through focused market development programs by offering customised solutions for these segments. The company will also be targeting school children to position HP All-in-one's as the perfect study partner for a Child's education. The HP All-in-One can be used by school children to print their school projects, scan encyclopaedia and copy class notes. Chandigarh is cleanest city, Chennai second: Survey Bangalore April 8 It could surprise many but what came out from a survey could give some reassurance to Bangaloreans that their city is not all that bad in terms of cleanliness. The city slotted fourth among 18 State capitals surveyed by independent agencies has logged a score of 108 as against the all-city average of 100. The areas where the IT capital had fared well are with regard to clean roads, efficient garbage disposal system and greenery, and plantations. Chandigarh emerged the clear winner with a score of 144 followed by Chennai and Kolkata with 118 and 108, respectively. Kolkata has scored high on greenery and plantation, clean roads and garbage disposal system. The only other cities to log above 100 points are Thirivananthapuram, Bhuvaneshwar and Lucknow. The rest of the cities, including the national capital (Delhi) and Mumbai apart from Hyderabad, Dehradun, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Guwahati, Bhopal, Patna, Raipur and Ranchi had below par cleanliness scoring 99 to 76. Commissioned by Lifebuoy, the survey was conducted by A.C. Nielsen ORG MARG taking into account the opinion of citizens on cleanliness in their cities. In its endeavour to enhance awareness about health, hygiene and cleanliness in India, Lifebuoy initiated the `Lifebuoy Swasthya Chetna City Meter'. The survey is based on 4,900 respondents nationally, at an average of almost 300 per city. According to A.C. Nielsen, the survey was based on 11 cleanliness parameters — roads, involvement of municipal bodies, and garbage disposal systems, to name some of the top five. Then the Cleanliness Index was derived, where the all-city-average was set at 100. Chandigarh Tourism to set up India's first multimedia-cum-film city project:- Chandigarh Tourism has tied-up with Parsvnath Developers to develop India's first state-of-the-art multimedia-cum-film city centre at Sarangpur, Chandigarh. The project that was bid by Parsvnath in the first week of March 2007 is valued at approximately Rs 800 crore. Parsvnath Film City, a subsidiary of PDL formed as a special purpose vehicle for implementing this project, signed the agreement with Tourism Department, Chandigarh Administration. Film producer Satish Kaushik is the technical advisor for the project. Parsvnath will pay a premium of Rs 191 crore for the land with a lease period of 99 years. Speaking about the new initiative, Vivek Atray, director (Tourism & PR), Chandigarh Administration, Chandigarh Tourism, said, "This project would not only boost the economy and employment opportunities in Chandigarh but also serve as an excellent tourism focal point. It was initially a project with Unitech to build a theme park and gaming centre on the lines of Sentosa Island and Disney World." The project, with a total Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 13,00,000 sq ft will be spread over 30 acres and will be completed within 36 months, which includes six months for getting the necessary clearances. It will have four components: a film studio, a multimedia park, multimedia entertainment centre and a multimedia college and research centre. The film city is scheduled to have digital studios, post-production facilities, high-tech animation and gaming facilities, etc. It will have a total FAR of 32,300 sq mtrs (3,47,000 sq ft). The multimedia park will provide ready-built space for technology companies in the multimedia industry, to facilitate setting up of own software/multimedia development centers. The park will be built with a total FAR of 3,47,000 sq ft. The multimedia entertainment centre will consist of a minimum four-screen multiplex with a seating capacity of 900 persons, a hotel with a provision of at least 200 rooms, commercial space for food parlours, games centre, internet café, exhibition centre, etc. A twin-level basement parking for the multiplex is also being considered. This would be developed on a total FAR of 2,61,360 sq ft. The multimedia college and research centre will have facilities for multimedia studies, modern equipments for animations, various international standard devices and software for gaming, research centre, etc. The college will provide education along with hostel facility to at least 750 students. This will be constructed on a total FAR of 3,47,000 sq ft. Meanwhile, the Chandigarh Carnival scheduled to be held in the last week of November 2007 will have Germany as its partner country this year. Fifty New Low Floor Buses For Chandigarh City:- The Chandigarh Administration is all set to introduce 50 new low-floor buses on the city roads soon. These would be in addition to the 120 such buses already on the roads. Taking the number of the low-floor buses to 170, the senior officials in the administration feel that it would a step in improving and popularizing the public transport system in the city, which finds few takers. Having introduced the grid route system for the buses in January this year, the administration is already upbeat about the increase in revenue resulting from the changed system. The department claims that under the new system, the schedules and bus timing would be updated in real as per the buses’ current location. Chandigarh to become automated city by 2010 The IT Vision 2010 of the Chandigarh administration is to promote the application of IT for society, so that every resident in the union territory benefits from the various applications of IT. Chandigarh would be an automated city by 2010, when residents are able to reap the benefits of technology in its various applications on a comprehensive basis. In pursuance of the aim of making available information to the common man to facilitate his various requirements, a project called the Jan Sampark Project, besides other IT enabled projects, would be soon implemented. The project would involve the setting up of at least 50 Jan Sampark kiosks in Chandigarh. These kiosks would be linked to the Central Data Hub and information relating to the various departments of the administration. Two-way payment transactions and information transactions would be made possible and e-governance projects would also be rolled out. A multi service smart card, which includes driving license, registration certificate, birth certificate, voter identification card, PAN card and identity card, would be given to everyone that would enable him or her to carry out transactions with any department of the UT administration and of the Indian government. Chandigarh would become a city with many large and small technology habitats by 2010, where companies would provide employment to the residents of Chandigarh and would carry out state-of-the-art businesses, thereby putting Chandigarh on the global map and significantly boosting its economy. The catchments area of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh would be tapped, to provide sufficient manpower for the visiting companies in Chandigarh in the years to come. The C-TOSS Programme would rapidly be extended within Chandigarh and would be suitably upgraded, in consultation with the industry and the experts. Each commercial and residential facility in Chandigarh would be connected, including the last mile, by optic fibre and residents would be able to access the internet, the intranet, etc. from anywhere in the city. All prominent locations in the city would be WiFi-ed. E-mail, data storage devices and total automation would replace the use of paper documents in both government and private establishments, wherever possible. The periphery villages of Chandigarh will be equipped with e-centers, providing education, information and primary healthcare related services. Sex education creates storm in AIDS-stricken India:- Chandigarh - Moves to bring sex out of the closet in largely conservative India have kicked up a morality debate between educators who say sex education will reduce HIV rates, and critics who fear it will corrupt young minds. It's an emotive issue pitting modernists against conservatives in a country with the world's highest number of HIV cases at about 5.7 million, a figure that experts say may balloon to over 20 million by 2010. Biology teacher Thelma Seqeira infuriates conservatives in India every time she tells her students about masturbation, condoms and homosexuality. Seqeira is doing exactly what the central government wants the country's 29 states and seven centrally-administered regions to do -- fight the exponential spread of HIV/AIDS with information on safe sex. "Sex education is the best way to prepare my students for adolescence and protect them from HIV/AIDS," said Seqeira, who teaches at a private school in Maharashtra. But the governments of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh don't agree. They have banned sex education at public schools because they say the learning modules are too explicit, and some pictures are too graphic. Private schools are able to continue the lessons, but many have watered them down to avoid controversy. Kerala and Karnataka -- considered among India's progressive states with high literacy rates -- are also considering bans. The government has been unable to stop these bans even as it seeks to curb the spread of HIV. In India, about 86 percent of HIV infections occur through sexual intercourse, one key reason being that migrant workers in cities visit prostitutes and infect their wives when they return home. KAMA SUTRA:- Ignorance about sex is widespread in the land of the Kama Sutra, where explicit sex acts are celebrated in ancient temple architecture. But at home, mothers hesitate to talk to daughters about something as simple as menstruation, and even the basics of the human reproductive system are taught with much embarrassment in schools. Experts are calling for a change in prudish attitudes to help counter the spread of HIV/AIDS. They say the winds of change must first blow through the country's schools. "Sex education does not mean you are encouraging sex which is how it's interpreted," Renuka Chowdhury, minister for women and child development, told Reuters last month. "Sex education is an insurance for your child. It will protect your child." Among the course elements that have generated much heat are discussions on homosexuality and descriptions of sex acts, including masturbation. Proponents of the ban say the sex education course -- modelled on those taught in many Western countries, will make students imbibe "decadent western morality". They point to polls showing that an increasing number of young people -- mostly India's moneyed youngsters that live in cities -- have postponed marriage, but not sex. An India Today poll revealed one in four women between 18 and 30 in 11 cities had sex before marriage. One in three said she was open to having a sexual relationship even if she was not in love. "AIDS is spreading because of cultural decadence and sexual anarchy," said Shajar Khan, a prominent student leader who opposes sex education at schools. Analysts say conservative political parties, such as the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, India's main opposition group, are panning sex education courses at least partly to make political capital out of opposing the West. But for parents bringing up children in rapidly modernising India, sex education may be a matter of life and death. "The argument that if you teach about sex the children are going to run out and have sex is very unfounded," said Roshni Behuria, a mother of two girls. "Killing the education bit won't reduce the propensity towards sex. But it just might end up killing safe-sex ignorant young people." A Chandigarh teacher's crusade to promote sex education:- Chandigarh, May 16 : Madhu Behl, a schoolteacher in Chandigarh is a woman on a mission to promote sex education. She hasn't given up her efforts. despite facing raised-eyebrows of many offended parents. Her routine lectures on sex-related topics like masturbation, condoms or homosexuality, have often left several parents complaining about her efforts to educate students about sex at an impressionable age. Behl says she is doing a social duty and trying to augment the government's efforts to spread sex-education and awareness on HIV/AIDS. Unmindful of parental hesitation, Behl continues to do her duty, educating students and adolescents about HIV/AIDS. Lately, things have improved. "Initially, we faced a lot of reservations from parents, but now they are reconciling to this. Now, they realize it should start from their homes. Parents are the best teachers of their children. But they hesitate. We are formally bringing in the parents into our mould (education system)," said Madhu Behl, the headmistress of D.A.V School. Behl has now been joined by a social organization associated with propagating sex-education. "Yuv Satta" (Power of Youth), a social organization, is making attempts to propagate education on "healthy and safe sexual life" through dance drama and songs. It wants the society to open up on discussions related to sex. Behl and Yuv Satta activists visit slums, especially to educate women who are at a higher risk of becoming the victims of HIV/AIDS due to lack of awareness and living in poverty. "We listen to them and tell others also about epidemics like HIV/AIDS. Only precautions can give protection," said Kamla Devi, a slum-dweller. Various social activists and experts have stressed upon the need to change prudish attitudes so that it could help in fighting HIV/AIDS. Many children find the classes interesting and quite beneficial. "It is very beneficial because children normally don't know about these things. It creates awareness among children which is really important," said Ritika, a student. Many State governments ike Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have raised concern over sex-education classes in public schools. They find the teaching modules to be too explicit, and some pictures as too graphic for secondary students. States like Kerala and Karnataka too are contemplating a ban on sex-education. According to the World Health Organisation, about 86 per cent of the HIV (Human immunodeficiency syndromes) infection in India occur due to sexual intercourse, one key reason being the migrant workers visiting prostitutes at various places, and then infecting their wives at home. Proponents of the ban on sex-education have objected to sex-education being imparted to students. Many parents feel sex-education should not become pornographic-education. A 'baba' with a penchant for luxury - and controversy:- He lives in a cave, drives around in a fleet of luxury cars and has a posse of bodyguards around him all the time. He wears colourful and sometimes funny clothes depending on what image he likes to project - of a king, an ascetic or simply the guru of the controversial Dera Sacha Sauda. Baba Gurmit Ram Rahim, of the heretical Dera Sacha Sauda sect, may be preaching peace, love and harmony to his millions of followers, but his very name has sparked unrest across towns and cities of Punjab. The latest controversy around the guru of the radical sect is regarding his wearing the traditional attire of the 10th guru of the Sikhs - Guru Gobind Singh - and giving nectar to his disciples - similar to what the guru did April 13, 1699, when he founded the Khalsa Panth. It has the Sikh community up in arms. 'I have not done anything wrong. I wear dresses that are designed and given to me by my followers. I have worn similar dresses before but no one raised the issue. This seems to be deliberately instigated and could be politically motivated,' he told reporters at his heavily-fortified sprawling 700-acre dera on outskirts of this town, 300 km from Chandigarh. He has not shown any inclination for apologising over the attire issue - as demanded by the Sikh community along with his arrest His 'dera' (sect) has over 15 million followers - mostly in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and some other states. The followers belong to all religions. Irrespective of the unrest he has sparked outside, he has been continuing with his daily rounds of teaching from his 'gufa' (cave) inside the sprawling campus of his sect in Sirsa, Haryana. He is surrounded by armed security drawn from Punjab and Haryana police and private guards all the time. Controversy has never been far from this sect chief, now 40 (born Aug 15, 1967). His role and that of his dera is under the scanner of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after a local journalist, Ram Chandra Chhatrapati, was shot dead allegedly by dera followers for exposing the 'sexual exploitation' of women inside the dera complex in November 2002. The CBI has never been able to get anywhere close to the godman, leave alone question him. When two of his close associates were called for questioning to Chandigarh by the CBI four months ago, nearly 100,000 dera followers descended on Chandigarh and lay siege to the city roads. The chaos in the city - joint capital of Punjab and Haryana - lasted over six hours. The godman, and his sect courted controversy by openly coming out in support of the Congress in the February assembly elections in Punjab. His son-in-law, Harminder Singh Jassi, contested on a Congress ticket from the Bathinda assembly seat and won. This political move by the spiritual sect upset the ruling Akali Dal in Punjab. Senior Akali leaders, including Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, have gone on record to say that the dera's support to the Congress cost the Akalis over 20 seats. Microsoft opens service hub in Chandigarh:- Microsoft Corporation (India) Pvt Ltd has entered Chandigarh with the opening of its service hub here,its first to the north of Delhi. The proliferation of the manufacturing and service industry in the area lured Microsoft to open its marketing and servicing hub in the Union territory. The company was present in 13 locations (6 major cities and 7 smaller towns) and would set up offices in another 17 towns in the next two years, having a network of 30 hubs to service more than 100 towns across India, said Rajeev Mittal, group director, small and medium enterprise, Microsoft (India). The company was contemplating expanding into Ludhiana and Jaipur in the near future, he added. Mittal said the personal computers (PC) market was growing at 50 per cent and the server market at 40 per cent in the non-metros, which meant a tremendous potential in tier-II towns. According to Mittal, there were 25,000 small and medium business enterprises in the region under different verticals. He said the presence of the company in Chandigarh would help their channel partners to grow, improve their partner network and serve their customers more efficiently. The company invites its channel partners through on-line exams and certifies them as partners. The company had customised packages for localised clusters like the hosiery and automobile parts cluster in Ludhiana, the handtools cluster and sports cluster in Jalandhar and the textiles cluster in Amritsar, said Rajesh Kumar, head-small business, Microsoft Corporation (India). An entrepreneur could avail the services of Microsoft at an investment as low as Rs 35,000 but the ideal plan would be to invest 1 per cent of its turnover into software business solutions, he said. He added that the entrepreneurs in smaller towns might not be technology savvy, in which case 'merabusiness.com' is a portal to give them elementary knowledge on the benefits of technology on getting cutting edge in the market in the competitive world. IT News INFOSYS Development Centre at CTP:- Information Technology giant Infosys will set up a 2400 persons software development centre at the upcoming Chandigarh Technology Park. Infosys, which will set up a campus spread across 20 acres, handed over the first instalment towards the cost of land on 24th May, 2004. A Cheque of Rs 3 crore was handed over to the UT Administrator , Justice O.P. Verma ( retd), by the vice-presidentof Infosys, Mr. H. R. Binod. The Infosys team also met the Adviser to the Administrator, Mr Lalit Sharma, the Finance Secretary-cum-Secretary IT, Mr. Karan Avtar Singh, and the Director, Information Technology, Mr. Vivek Atray. Construction at the 20-acre site is to start by July this year. During the first phase, Infosys will employ 600 professionals. The first phase is to be completed by April, next year. Infosys is the anchor company for Chandigarh Technology Park which is spread over an area of 111 acres. An MOU was earlier signed by Infosys with Chandigarh Administration in this regard. Meanwhile, DLF Limited is constructing the ready-built space, which will be on offer to companies. About 6 lakh square feet of space will be on offer from July 31, this year. Conference on Business and Challenges in ITES-IT/BPO and IT mantras for Success.:- Chandigarh’s biggest event of its kind, a “Conference on Business and challenges in ITES-IT/BPO and IT mantras for success” was held on 24th April, 2004 at Hotel Shivalik View. The Conference was inaugurated by Adviser U.T Sh. Lalit Sharma. Mr. Kiran Karnik, President of Nasscom, was the keynote speaker at the inaugural session. The conference was organized by Chandigarh IT Club, in association with NASSCOM , SPIC and TiE – Chandigarh, with Quark Media as the major sponsors. Mr. Kirna Karnik expressed the view that Chandigarh has all elements to be the next IT/ITES destination in the country. After Bangalore, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi, it was the turn of Chandigarh to become the most attractive destination for IT/ITES industry in the country because of its salubrious environment, availability of trained and skilled human resources, reasonably good weather, proximity to hills, and more importantly, a very good quality of life. Infosys to set up large Software Development Centre at Chandigarh Technology Park:- Chandigarh Administration signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Infosys Technologies Limited for allotting 20 acres of land to the IT major which would be the Anchor Company of the Chandigarh Technology Park. As per the Agreement, Infosys would set up a Rs. 100 crore Software Development Centre at the Chandigarh Technology Park in the next 5 years and would employ upto 2400 professionals at the Campus. During the first phase, Infosys would invest Rs. 30 Crores and would employ 600 professionals. This would be the first large Software Development Campus to be set up by Infosys, in North India. The Agreement was signed at the Punjab Raj Bhavan, Chandigarh, on November 15, in the presence of Lt. Gen. J.F.R. Jacob, PVSM (Retd.), Governor Punjab, and Administrator, Union Territory Chandigarh, by Mr. Karan Avtar Singh, Secretary I.T., Chandigarh Administration, and Mr. H.R. Binod, Associate Vice President - Commercial and Facilities, Infosys Technologies Limited. On November 15, 2002. Speaking on the occasion, Lt. Gen. Jacob said that the Union Territory of Chandigarh was fast emerging as the Technology hub of North India, and it was a matter of pride for the residents of Chandigarh that Infosys had decided to set up a large campus here. The advent of Infosys would provide high quality employment to the young professionals of Chandigarh and the region. He said that the Chandigarh Technology Park would provide state of the art infrastructure to I.T. and I.T. Enabled Services Companies to set up their facilities. He said that the Software Technology Parks of India (S.T.P.I.) was helping the Chandigarh Administration in promoting software exports from the Union Territory of Chandigarh, which were expected to touch Rs. 100 crores this year, and would increase significantly with the entry of Infosys here. STPI would also set up High Speed Data Connectivity facilities at the Technology Park. Chandigarh slums record better sex ratio CHANDIGARH: There is a marked improvement in the sex ratio in slum areas of Chandigarh, according to a survey conducted by the Union Territory's Health Department. An official spokesman said the survey, conducted in Colony No. 5, revealed that the sex ratio had improved as there were more females than males among children in the age group of 0 to 1. He said the survey was conducted in 5,100 houses having a total population of 20,542. There were 4,004 children in the age group of 0 to 6 years. In the 0 to 1 year group, there were 1,044 females per 1,000 males. In 2001, the sex ratio for 0-6 years was 845 in Chandigarh. On the basis of the survey, the sex ratio for 1-3 years was found to be 957 females per 1,000 males, and for 3-6 years 855 females per 1,000 males. The survey also revealed that 898 beneficiaries delivered in hospitals, while 2,486 deliveries were at home. Only 841 children received BCG vaccine, 841 vaccine for DPT/polio, 632 vaccine for measles, 641 DPT/polio booster, 175 DT/polio booster, 578 Vitamin A, five MMR and 536 hepatitis vaccine. Over 70 children were found to be anaemic clinically; 441 malnourished. Free Computer Education in Chandigarh:- Chandigarh is all set to impart free computer and information technology (IT) education in all government schools from the coming academic year, a senior official said Monday. Students from Class 1 to 10 in all government schools of the city would have free computer education to prepare them for various competitions, said Home and Education Secretary Krishna Mohan. The program would commence from the 2007-08 academic session beginning in April. While it would be a compulsory subject for all classes till Class 10, it will be optional for Classes 11 and 12. There are over 100 government schools in the city with 100,000 students. The administration has already invited tenders from private computer service organizations to provide education. Officials said the compulsory computer education would prepare students, especially those keen on joining the IT sector. Several companies like Infosys have set up campuses in the IT park here. Toshiba unveils 5 laptop models:- Fastrack computing , Chandigarh, May 18 .... "We are not a niche brand," is the protestation of Toshiba Computer Systems, a division of the Singapore-based laptop maker. With the entry of assembled laptops, Toshiba has had to make quick changes to remain in the battlefield. "Over the past six months, we dropped prices and now have laptops costing under Rs 40,000," said a Toshiba spokesperson. New laptop models are also being launched every three months to keep up with latest technical innovations. The firm, in association with reseller HCL Infosystems, launched five laptops for the Indian market on Tuesday. The entry-level range by Toshiba, the Satellite A100 and M100 sport TFT (thin film transistor) displays, are priced from Rs 71,000 onwards. "But the sale price is much lower," the spokesperson added. Positioning the Qosmio G30 as a TV-n-PC, Toshiba expects the laptop to attract tech-savvy customers. The G30 sports a HD-DVD drive (HD-DVDs have up to three times the storage capacity of a DVD, which is 4.7 GB) and a one-bit digital amplifier for better sound projection. It is priced at an MRP of Rs 1.75 lakh. The other notebook lines are the Portege with EasyGuard enhancement and the business notebook line, Tecra M5. Microsoft expands to Chandigarh CHANDIGARH: Software major Microsoft today opened a facility here, as part of its strategy to boost its presence in the non-metros in the country. The company plans to service Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and J&K markets. The move to set up a facility in this emerging IT hub, and also a strong market for small business segment, is a significant one. With its direct presence, Microsoft will enable the SMEs in the region to easily access a complete portfolio of its products and services and enhanced support from both the company as well as its partners. Announcing the company’s foray into Chandigarh, Neelam Dhawan, managing director of Microsoft, said that the entrepreneurial spirit of the region makes it one of the most dynamic business centers in northern India. "The region is home to nearly 25,000 Small and Medium Businesses, a majority of which are engaged in the automotive, textile, engineering and agro-processing industries,” she said. Dhawan said that the expansion is in keeping with Microsoft's vision to empower a broad section of businesses in the region to better understand the role that technology can play in driving growth and competitiveness of the local industry in the local and global arena. The city-based operations will strengthen the direct sales infrastructure of the company in the region. It also plans to bolster its partner network to increase reach and assist in scaling up business through the 'Microsoft Hub and Spoke model'. With this expansion, the company is well positioned to offer deeper functional expertise under the Microsoft Partner Program (MSPP) framework to provide localized solutions for the market. Elaborating on the geographical expansion plans Rajeev Mittal, group director, Small and Mid-Market Solutions and Partner, said, "We believe that our direct presence will help our partners provide enhanced solutions and services and support with faster turnaround time." ‘City may be on World Heritage list soon’ The tourism scene in Chandigarh is certainly looking up. While the city is already being marketed as the hub of North India, it is also inching closer towards a permanent place among UnescO’s World Heritage sites. Neelam Sharma speaks to Vivek Atray, Director, Tourism, UT Administration, about his plans to promote tourism in the city. Excerpts How is the tourism scene in Chandigarh? How many domestic and foreign tourists visit the city each year? Success of tourism in a city is certainly gauged by the visitor arrival figure, and the scenario in Chandigarh has improved over the past two years. Last year, around 7.30 lakh Indian visitors and 27,000 foreign tourists spent at least one night in the city. The tourist inflow, both foreign and Indian, is registering an annual growth rate of approximately 15 per cent. Most hotels in the city, in fact, are fully occupied this season. <b> What are the plans More on ITChandigarh.Com © 2007, Fastrack Computing, S J Edutech P Limited