Showcase of the Chandigarh Nightlife

‘Don’t criticise, accept the change’

It is true that the lifestyle in the city has changed but it continues to be criticised unnecessarily by critics who are in no way linked with the changing global scenario that has had a definite impact on minds of the youth, particularly in Chandigarh.
In fact most of the seniors and critics, I know will have nothing to speak in favour of the growing nightlife culture in the city. The typical expression will be one of disdain for the youngsters. This is what has provoked me to respond. There will be letters by the critics and a newspaper reader might be forced to believe that a majority of the society members are against the dance bar culture.
The truth of the day is that that times have changed and Chandigarh is a flag bearer to the societal change in the entire country, more particularly in the region. Now, the youngsters have got an option of spending their evening in a free environment than that of our elders. The outlook of the youngsters has changed in context of the changed exposure they have today.
My dad talks about the fun he and his friends had in their hostels, which included drinking, dining and even spending good times with members of the opposite sex when they were in college and university. There was no objectionable activity in the exercise. The city had stag parties and many other avenues of private parties even during their times in the late 80s. He tells me that only the style of exhibiting the choice by youngsters has changed. Earlier, such parties were restricted to closed corners and now they have gone public. I feel our elders need to be friends to their children while they were growing up and accept the change with times. We don’t need counselling, we need sharing of our emotions.
— Pankaj Sharma, Sector 48, Chandigarh.

‘Issue needs to be deliberated upon’

Three Ws (wine, women, waltz) create the fourth W (wolf out of man) wine, women and waltz (dance ‘n’ music) make for a heady mixture. These three together, more often than not, bring out the wolf (bad elements) in a man. Notwithstanding the negatives, man thrives in doing the taboo!
Abroad, the trend started in the late 1970s in major US cities like San Francisco, Miami and New York City had thriving disco club scenes. The scene was centered on discotheques, nightclubs, and private loft parties. Some of the most prestigious clubs had elaborate lighting systems that throbbed to the beat of the music. In addition to the dance and fashion aspects of the disco-club scene, there was also a thriving drug sub-culture, particularly for drugs that would enhance the experience of dancing to the loud music and the flashing lights.
After the crackdown on hardcore drugs, these were replaced by alcoholic preparations. This led to the dance floor becoming the central arena of seduction, ending up in rampant promiscuity outside the arena. Indians, being faithful followers of the West, adopted the trend, beginning with the metros. Chandigarh, with its cosmopolitan culture, soon got caught up in the vortex. It is not wrongly argued that loud music has a seductive and destructive effect.
“Music makes me forget my real situation. It transports me into a state which is not my own. Under the influence of music I really seem to feel what I do not understand, to have powers which I cannot have”, Leo Tolstoy had said in 1890. Loud music is often experienced as “exciting” because loudness represents intense activity. The phrase “altered state of consciousness” is generally a negative concept that is associated with drugs, tobacco, and alcohol but music also serves as a means for changing our emotional state, be it relaxation, excitation or arousal.
Loud music can enhance neurological attentiveness, which psychologists call arousal. With female entry free and couple entries free upto a particular time, the majority of girls at a disc are from PGs and B-grade dance troupes. Boys team up with such girls to gain a legitimate entry as a “couple”. “committed couples” are seldom there, but “contract couples” are dime-a-dozen. The contract is that the boy pays for his partner’s (and her friends) food and drinks in return for a good time and his scoring “brownie” points!
In such a vitiated atmosphere, one spark is enough to start a fire!! The issue needs serious deliberation even if we ultimately flow with the times.
— Pankaj Chandgothia, Sector 7, Panchkula.

‘Parties are here to stay, just beef up security’

I have been visiting a dance bar in Sector 26, very frequently, for the past more than a year along with my friends. Till date, none of the girls who accompany our group have faced any unruly situation. In a couple of instances just snide remarks were passed but nothing major happened. Such incidents are rare.
There were times when we felt uncomfortable when certain group of boys who were drunk acted in a rowdy manner. This part can be handled well if dance bars employ more security personnel. When we pay such astronomical amounts for our entry inside, the dance bar owners should spend enough money on security of the bars. Even if the administration enforces closure of the dance bars, the youngsters will still organise parties, independently. In short, parties are here to stay.
— Shalini Lamba, Sector 21, Chandigarh

‘Outing till late at night, not right’

Accidents and incidence of violence are rising with the disco culture becoming a part and parcel of the city life. On weekend such incidents occur as discotheques and bars are open up to 2 am. Even if these places are allowed to operate, the administration needs to ensure that residents’ outing hours do not exceed 12 ‘o’ clock midnight.
The city, which is known for its education standards, is fast loosing its reputation because of the late closure hours. There is definitely a flaw in the policy of the Chandigarh Adminsitration, especially the tourism policy. On one side, the police is working hard against drunk driving but on the other, the late closure timings of the bars and discotheque are promoting drunk driving at late hours, thus giving rise to accidents and incidents of violence. If the timings are not changed, then the peaceful life and education set up will definitely be affected.
— Advocate Ajay Jagga, president, Janata Party

‘Late night lifestyle a sign of progressive society’

Chandigarh Tribune has done a very timely piece in "Where nightlife is lifeline of youth" on September 27. No one can deny the fact that Chandigarh is fast acquiring the status of a "centre of night clubs and bars". Till a few years ago, Chandigarh used to have empty roads and streets as soon as the night fell. But these days with the advent of mobiles, television and the Internet, the lifestyle of the people in the city has undergone a drastic change.Night clubs and late night parties in restaurants with bars is fast becoming the culture of the City Beautiful. The youth of the day is certainly becoming more advanced. Especially, the weekend parties and boozing out with friends, old and new, is fast becoming popular among the youth. Apart from providing enjoyment, the new late night culture is also showing the other side of the coin. Brawls and violence are often in the news due to such lifestyle. Only the other day the city witnessed murderous attack on people celebrating birthday at a discotheque in Sector 26 where swords and other weapons were used and many suffered grave injuries. The police should be more vigilant at nights. Night patrolling of the city streets by the Chandigarh Police is almost absent. On the whole, the new late night lifestyle of the city is an indication of the advancement of the youth culture. It is a welcome sign of a progressive society
— R K Kapoor, Chandigarh

Keep check on drunk driving!

Both, the police and dance bar owners should be vigilant and responsible. We need bouncers who understand that they are there to restrain the party poopers and not harass those enjoying the party. Anybody who is drunk shouldn’t drive and the police should keep a check in all seriousness.
— Ranjeet Gresham Street, London
Source:TNS

Consumer Courts

Car dealer fined Rs 25,000 for failing to hand over NOC

Chandigarh, October 2
Want to purchase a secondhand car from city’s car bazaar at Madhya Marg in Sector 7? Make sure that you get the NOC from the seller and the registration document before making the full payment for the vehicle, lest car dealers take you for a ride.
This is exactly what happened with Tejinder Singh Boparai, a resident of Sarawan village, Yamunanagar, who, after being made to run for three years for the documents of the vehicle bought from a car dealer, had to ultimately seek relief from the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum-II, Chandigarh.
The district forum, comprising its president Lakshman Sharma, and members Madhu Mutneja and Jaswinder Singh Sidhu, directed the opposite parties to refund Rs 2.68 lakh besides slapping a fine of Rs 25,000 along with Rs 7,000 as costs of litigation.
Tejinder had purchased a secondhand car owned by Sukhbir Singh, a resident of Morinda, through BEE EMM Carbazar for Rs 2.78 lakh.
He paid Rs 2.68 lakh at the time of the sale. The balance amount of Rs 10,000 was to be paid on receipt of the NOC of the vehicle.
The car agent had assured him of smooth documentation process, including NOC for the transfer of the vehicle to his name.
He further said when he revisited the office of the opposite party, he learned that the car originally belonged to Mohindera Engineering Works, Industrial Area, Phase-II, Ram Darbar, and Sukhbir Singh, who had purchased the vehicle from them, had not yet got the vehicle transferred to his name.
The respondent further told him that the car could be transferred to his name once it was transferred to Sukhbir Singh’s name.
He said an affidavit signed by the seller, holding him responsible for any challan, case, accident, theft and all other liabilities against this vehicle, had also become null and void.
The proprietor of the BEE EMM Carbazar, Jagdish Chand, said he had brought the NOC and was willing to hand over the same to the complainant on the payment of Rs 10,000, which was outstanding against the complainant.
He said as the complainant had not paid any consideration reply to him, the complainant was not a consumer under the Consumer Protection Act.
He further took the preliminary objection that the car was purchased by the complainant in 2007 while the case was filed on January 25, 2010, thus the complaint was time-barred.

Ration depots in Punjab come under govt scanner

Patiala, October 2
Numerous ration depots in the state could be under scanner following a scam coming to light where depot holders further gave their depots, meant for supply of subsidised ration, on contract. Those who took the depots on contract allegedly sold the ration to influential mills, thereby making a huge profit.
The Patiala police has unearthed a major scam in Nabha with the arrest of two persons who were pilfering subsidised wheat and oil meant to be distributed through the public distribution system.
The police has also arrested a government depot owner and the manager of a flour mill in this regard under Sections 420, 406 and 120 B of the IPC.
The police arrested Subhash Chand, who had been allotted a licenced ration depot, but had further given it on contract to those who used to supply subsidised wheat to flour mills.
“By this, the villagers were left with limited supply while the owners of the depot and the flour mills made easy money,” the police said.
Information gathered by The Tribune revealed that there were nearly 14,000 government depots in Punjab which had been already operating while 1,337 more were recently added to these, taking the total number of depots to 15,337. The depots had fixed customers who were given fixed quota of oil, flour, pulses and other commodities at subsidised rates.
Sanjeev Goyal, SHO Sadar, Nabha, said a nexus came to light when the owner of one of the depots was found selling flour and oil to a nearby flour mill. Questioning of the depot owner revealed that the depots were usually sub-contracted by the person who had the contract of the ration depot. This way the ration card holders failed to get full supply, as their share was sold to the private millers, Goyal said.
AP Singh, district food and supplies controller, Patiala, said they would conduct more raids in the future to nab such depot holders and ensure that the poor get their allotted share of ration.

Vienna-Amritsar direct flight started

Amritsar, October 2
Comtel Air's maiden chartered flight carrying 195 passengers (mostly on a pilgrimage package) from Vienna ,Austria, landed at Sri Guru Ram Das International Airport here today.
The all-economy flight will run twice a week (Sunday and Monday). Comtel Air’s CO Richard Fluke said a Boeing 757 aircraft was being used on the route which had a cargo capacity of 43 tonnes.
Jasbir Mann of Comtel Air said the aircraft, with a passenger capacity of 220, had make a successful flight with 195 passengers on board. He said passengers from across Europe were brought to Vienna on feeder aircraft who then boarded the direct flight to Amritsar.
A visibly pleased Member of Parliament Navjot Singh Sidhu said there was every liklihood of the flight being converted into a scheduled flight.
This non-stop flight would help the passengers (a majority of them NRIs from Punjab} reach Europe in about six hours, he said.
The Amritsar MP said the flight passengers enjoyed the special facility of being flown from here to Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, Nanded, free of cost.
He said talks were on with private airlines for connectivity between Amritsar and Takht Sri Hazur Sahib, he added. 

Alison Redford is next premier of Alberta

Alberta Progressive Conservative party leadership winner Alison Redford speaks to supporters following the results of the leadership race in Edmonton October 2, 2011.

EDMONTON - Alison Redford pulled off a staggering come-from-behind victory in the early hours of Sunday morning to become Alberta's first female premier, wresting the Tory leadership from the hands of the man who had been the front-runner since the race began.

In just 14 days, the 46-year-old former justice minister vaulted from a distant second to take the helm of the Alberta Progressive Conservative party, doubling, tripling and even quadrupling her voter turnout in some ridings.

The stunning victory will be bittersweet for Redford, as it come less than four days after her mother, Helen, suddenly died.

"As you probably already guessed we had to go to our second choice ballots," party president Bill Smith said at 1:40 a.m. Sunday. He then drew party member's attention to big screens, which showed 37,104 votes for Redford, and 35,491 for Mar.

Redford wept as the crowd cheered.

"With this leadership process, we have renewed the party today," she told Tory members gathered at the Edmonton Northlands Expo Centre and those watching at home on television. "Alberta voted for change."

Mar spoke first, calling for the party to unite behind the new leader.

"I'm very proud of the campaign we ran . . . and I am excited about the future of our party," Mar told the hundreds of assembled members. "I'm encouraging the candidates . . . to get behind our new leader . . . Let's unite tonight."

Pollster Janet Brown said the week will be remembered by Redford as "the best of times and the worst of times.

"She just had the most difficult week of her life, and handled it with dignity and grace and people obviously responded to that. To see somebody under the pressure she was under, but still performing to a very high standard."

She added that the coming days will see a lot of scrutiny of what went wrong with Mar's campaign.

"I think the private health care statements were the thing that ultimately sunk him," Brown said. "Health care is the number 1 issue for Albertans, and I think they felt Gary's message was threatening, and they felt comforted by Alison's message of preserving public health care."

In Edmonton, Redford captured six ridings, most of them held by opposition parties like Edmonton-Centre and Edmonton-Strathcona. In the first ballot, Mar swept Edmonton. The premier-elect also emerged victorious in a majority of ridings in Calgary and even managed to win a handful of rural constituencies, where she was not particularly competitive during the first ballot.

The story of Redford's victory is astounding, and has stunned even the most season political observers.

Redford captured a mere 11,129 votes cast in the first round of balloting Sept. 17, just 18.75 per cent of the of 59,000 total. Mar, meanwhile, captured a whopping 24,195 votes, or 40.76 per cent. Some political observers called the Oct. 1 vote a coronation; others pointed out the math made it nearly impossible for Redford or third place candidate Doug Horner to win.

From the very beginning the 46-year-old wife and mother had cast herself as a new kind of Progressive Conservative, standing proudly outside of the "old boys club" and open to transformational change in the Tory establishment.

It was a high-stakes political manoeuvre that political observers said could destroy the party, leave her blackballed — or make her the next premier.

First, she called on the government to suspend a controversial land rights bill that riled rural voters. Then she publicly criticized Stelmach for blaming teachers for education layoffs. She stopped repeating the Conservative party line and called for a judicial investigation into charges of queue-jumping in the health-care system.

She was the first to release the names of her campaign donors and pledged to run a more transparent government.

Campaign to save girl child at Peace Fest, Chandigarh

Chandigarh, October 1
On the second and last day of the Peace Fest, Dr Daizy Zarabi from the Regional Resource Centre, Panjab University, started the dialogue with talks on “promoting a girl child friendly society”.
The later part of the day was reserved for a campaign to save the girl child at Sector 17 plaza where young delegates distributed flyers and pasted stickers on vehicles with messages to curb female foeticide.
As part of the Peace Fest, international delegates led by American Gandhi Donald McAvinchey visited Paragon Senior Secondary School, Mohali, and a group of 20 councillors from Sri Lanka visited Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 46-D, and Shivalik Public School where they exchanged notes with students and administered a pledge to uphold the values of non-violence.
The second half of the day was reserved for Aids awareness activities, where the participants played a cricket match, enjoyed kite flying wearing badges bearing the message ‘play safe and live long’. A street play by artistes of Mask Theatre was also staged on the occasion.

United Colours of India

Guru Nanak Dev’s prayer held on Ramlila stage

Chandigarh, October 1Come to the Sector 28 Ramlila ground and you will witness a specimen of Indian secularism. Setting an example, the Sector 28-based Garhwal Ramlila Mandal Bijli Board today held a prayer of Guru Nanak Dev on the Ramlila stage.
This is probably for the first time that any Ramlila committee of the city has organised a prayer of Guru Nanak Dev on the Ramlila stage. The aarti was held along with members of the Nanaksar Gurudwara of the same sector.
Mukesh Sharma, director-cum-artiste of the Ramlila committee, said religions have no bar for their committee to present this most popular saga of all times. Through this Ramlila stage we want to strengthen the bond between people from various religions.
Vikram Bisht, executive member of the Ramlila committee, said the two raagis, Harjinder Singh and Sonu, were giving music in the Ramlila for the past many years. With their support, we have this time managed to hold the prayer of Guru Nanak Dev, he added.
He said normally we organise an aarti of a Hindu goddesses on the stage. But this time, we thought about an aarti on Guru Nanak Dev. It was raagi Harjinder Singh who sang an aarti today, he added.
Raagi Harjinder Singh said he feels blessed by god after holding the aarti. Regarding his experience with the committee, he said the committee is like his second family. I am part of this Ramlila committee for the past 12 years and would love to be associated in the coming years as well, he added.

Plaza staff illegally block link roads near Bhadson and Samana

Patiala, October 1
Transferred to the private sector in Punjab, toll tax barriers are proving to be a major cause of harassment for the commuters who are “forced to shell extra bucks”. Enquiries revealed that the toll tax staffers illegally blocked the connecting nearby link roads, thus leaving commuters with no option but to pay toll.
While the two toll plazas, near Samana and Bhadson, are using muscle power by putting up “illegal hurdles” to block the link roads to nearby villages, ensuring a strict compliance that everyone should pay toll, the authorities concerned turned a blind eye towards it. While the Samana toll plaza is managed by Rohan Rajdeep Tollways limited, TCIL manages the toll plaza near Bhadson in Chehel village. The toll plazas were handed over to private companies on build-operate-transfer basis by the state government.
A to-and-fro visit through a toll barrier costs Rs 100, while it could have been free if link roads were to be used.
“What is your purpose of going to the village?” henchmen of the toll plaza in Samana asked and forcibly tried to stop The Tribune team from using the nearby link road via Chuppki village and Asarpur. “No one is allowed, except the villagers. If you have to go, you will have to pay the tax,” they said. The scene is the same at the toll plaza in Bhadson. “This road is blocked,” said security personnel of the toll company. “A few days back, my relatives were allowed to go only after a toll slip was issued,” said a villager from Asarpur. However, the officials of the PWD, that oversees the entire working of the plazas, feigned ignorance.
“They (plazas) are authorised as per the contract to block all the link roads in the five-km area,” said XEN, PWD, Patiala. He said the department and the government framed the contract.
Meanwhile, the residents questioned the logic behind the toll roads and why there was no option for them to use an alternate route instead.
“I pay road and vehicle tax to the state government, so there should be an alternate route. The government cannot just allow these companies to loot people like this,” said Deepinder Singh Sekhon, a local resident. However, staff from the toll plaza companies refused to entertain any media query, claiming that the PWD is the appellate authority to answer.
Punjab PWD Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa said he was unaware of the issue. “I will look into the matter,” he said. Patiala DC Vikas Garg and SSP Gurpreet Singh Gill also feigned ignorance on the issue, promising stern action.
Courtesy: TNS

Paramdeep Singh Gill ex-DGP's Road Show

Secret no more, ex-DGP Gill holds his first poll road show in Moga today 

Moga, October 1After months of speculation over his joining active politics, former Director General of Police, Punjab, Paramdeep Singh Gill, is set to lift the curtain on his political plans in Moga on Sunday.
After his retirement and his subsequent elevation to the post of Advisor to the Home and Justice Department, Gill is reaching Moga tomorrow where he will meet people at a large gathering and take part in a ‘road show’.
And to ‘welcome’ him, over 5,000 people (nay voters) of the Moga assembly constituency are expected to gather in an open ground, situated behind a private hospital that is owned by Mickey Gill, a cousin of the former DGP.
With such a large gathering of supporters, the former DGP is scheduled to lead the road show.
On Saturday, a large number of Gill’s supporters in Moga were seen gearing up for Sunday’s show of strength. Many policemen were also on their toes in assisting Gill’s supporters in mobilizing more and more Akali workers from various villages of the Moga assembly constituency.
Sources revealed that Gill’s ‘welcome visit’ to Moga is a show of political strength but Mickey Gill, his cousin and confidant, denied that there was any programme or arrangements for a ‘road show’. Mickey Gill, however, said that as PS Gill is coming to his home town after retirement, so, no doubt, he would receive a grand welcome.
“Ours is a Moga-based big family and our family has a political history in Moga. So the gathering in the welcome visit would definitely be huge,” said Mickey.
Nachattar Singh Gill, the father of Paramjit Singh Gill was an MLA and was gunned down by the militants during turbulent times of terrorism in Punjab.
Sources revealed that as per the scheduled programme, the Akali workers and supporters would walk on foot behind the vehicles of the former DGP and would declare their support for him. The road show would begin from the hospital and would move to the bazaars of the city before finally concluding at the Gurudwara Sahib Akalsar Sahib.
The former DGP would pay obeisance at the Gurudwara Sahib and then all the supporters would reach an open ground behind the hospital for lunch and narrate their grievances to Gill.
“It is a brazen misuse of state power and the police force to horde more and more people for this road show,” alleged Joginder Pal Jain, Congress MLA from Moga.
Snehdeep Sharma, SSP Moga, denied that the police had anything to do with any political rally or road show. “The police would be on law and order duty, nothing else,” he claimed.
However, Jain alleged that it was the Moga police which was mainly making arrangements for this political function and a large number of police men were put on duty to bring and mobilize people for the show.
Source:TNS

India confident of winning Kishanganga dispute in International Court of Arbitration

New Delhi, October 1
Confident of winning the final award in its favour, India today termed as “favourable” the International Court of Arbitration (ICA) order last week which prevents the country from undertaking permanent works above the riverbed level at the Gurez site of the Kishanganga hydropower project. The final orders are expected either in 2012-end or in early 2013.
Asserting that the stay was merely an interim legal position and in no way signified any “loss of position” for India, as was being projected by Pakistan, Water Resources Minister Pawan Bansal told The Tribune that the neighbouring country had raised two issues-stopping the work and dismantling the construction already done -and the court did not agree to either of its two contentions.
“India can go ahead with construction of powerhouses, tunnelling works, coffer dams, temporary bypass tunnel and concretisation under the riverbed for the dam. The only thing we cannot do is go above the surface of the river bed, which is not a problem since we would only be able to complete these works by 2012-end and 2013 beginning, by when the court will give its final decision,” Bansal said.
Meanwhile, India is preparing a response to strengthen its position before the International Court of Justice. The Hague-based ICA has directed India to submit a report on environmental hazards to the ecosystem due to this project.
The ICA last week barred India from undertaking any permanent works at the 330-MW hydroelectric project, leading the neighbouring country to claim a big “victory” after a decade of unsuccessful negotiations with India. The court has also asked the two countries to submit by December 19 a “joint report setting forth the areas of agreement and any points of disagreement that may arise” regarding the implementation of its order”
Former Secretary, Water Resources, Ramaswamy R Iyer also maintained that the ruling was neither a win nor a loss for either country. “It is just a temporary stay. India can still continue with related works except constructing the dam,” he said.
But considering political and environmental ramifications of the project, there appears to be some amount of scepticism with an expert saying that investments could go waste if the final award goes against India, which in other words also means that the power problem in Kashmir will continue.“India will be taking a risk by carrying out with other works till the final ruling,” said the water resources expert, who did not wish to be quoted.
While India maintains it is within its rights, under Indus Waters Treaty of 1960, to divert Kishanganga waters to Bonar Madmati Nallah, Pakistan has been objecting saying India’s plan to divert waters would cause obstruction to the flow of the river. The project has been discussed in the Permanent Indus Commission. Pakistan approached the international court in May 2011 with its main objections being diversion and change of sub-basin of the Kishanganga river.