Advani: 20 illegal colonies in UT

Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Feb 24 — There are 23 authorised and 20 unauthorised labour colonies in the Union Territory of Chandigarh, the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, informed the Lok Sabha today. He was replying to a question put by Mr Satya Pal Jain, local MP.

Mr Advani informed Mr Jain that out of the 20 unauthorised colonies, 11 were on the government land while the remaining nine were on private land, established by land owners, who by providing small plots, were charging rents. The Chandigarh Administration had no proposal to provide any facility to these unauthorised colonies established by the private land owners.

Mr Advani said at present, there was no policy of the administration to rehabilitate and resettle the remaining 11 labour colonies on government land. However, it had been decided to provide basic services like electricity, drinking water, street lights, mobile toilets and educational facilities in these colonies.

The Home Minister further said that Shaheed Bhagat Singh Colony, Karsan, had been rehabilitated in 1998 in Sector 52 by allotting sites to 17,00 persons. The process of resettlement of Labour Colony, Sector 31, and a Karsan colony was in progress and was likely to be completed by March 31. For this more than 2,560 sites were being allotted, he added.

Funds for Model Park in Sec 35 sought

EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

CHANDIGARH, Feb 21: The Sector 35 Defence Colony Welfare Association, at its general body meeting held here today, criticised the Municipal Corporation for its failure to accept its long pending demands of a Model Park.

In his key note address, Association president Air Marshal (retd) Randhir Singh said that a blue print to develop Model Park between Sectors 35-C and D had been developed during the tenure of V.K. Duggal as city Adviser. He urged MP Satya Pal Jain to release Rs 25 lakh from the discretionary fund for the time-bound completion of the project. The meeting was inaugurated by the city Mayor Kewal Krishan Adiwal.

Association general secretary Maj D.S. Sandhu, while presenting the annual report, appealed to Satya Pal Jain to have requisite order from the Centre for the early implementation of original report of 5th Pay Commission proposal of one rank and one pension from January 1,1996.

Flaying the MC for treating the community centre as a commercial venture, the association demanded the implementation of modified Rent Control Act, which gives adequate safeguard to both tenants and landlords.

The Mayor was later apprised of the problems being faced by the residents and demanded their early redressal. These include levelling and recarpeting of roads, enforcement of bye-laws, casual garbage disposal, mushrooming of road workers, encroachment and shortage of water supply.

Industrial funding of education urged

Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, February 20 — Industry’s involvement in the decision making process at all stages of educational development should be increased with a view to obtaining feedback for improvement in education and training programmes.

This was said by Mr M.M. Ansari, Director of the Society for Excellence in Education, at a seminar on “Challenges before technical education” organised the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad at Panjab University here today.

Extension:

Construction on phase II of the Students Centre of Panjab University will begin in March following assurance by the local member of Parliament, Mr Satya Pal Jain, to allocate Rs 9.37 lakh for the purpose.

This information was given to mediapersons by Dr R.S. Grewal, Dean, Student Welfare. There is a proposal to enlarge the cemented area and construct at least four more shops in the vicinity of the area.

Dr Grewal said the university was also considering construction of a 16-room students Guest House near the Students Centre.

Excitement over PM’s Pak visit

Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH February 17 — There is lot of excitement in Pakistan over the proposed visit of the Indian Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, on February 20, says Mr Satya Pal Jain, MP, who returned yesterday after a five-day visit to Pakistan.

Mr Jain was a member of an Indian Parliamentary delegation which was led by a former Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr Balram Jakhar, and comprised MPs from almost all political parties.

He said that the 27-member delegation called on Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Mr Nawaz Sharif, a former Prime Minister, Mrs Benazir Bhutto, and leaders of other political parties. The delegation visited the historic temples at Kattasraj and gurdwaras at Lahore.

Mr Jain said that people in Pakistan wanted cordial and friendly relations with India. “They are keen on better economic cooperation to solve each other’s problems than to continue spending on war preparedness. Wherever we had interaction with political leaders and others, everyone expressed the wish for cordial relations between the two neighbouring countries. Though some of the problems cannot be solved overnight, yet people want negotiated settlement of all pending issues.”

He disclosed that there was heavy demand of Indian film songs. People watched proceedings of the Indian Parliament on TV sets and identified almost all political leaders. In Lahore, many enthusiasts asked for autographs of Mrs Sushma Swaraj.

Political differences apart, members of the delegation were unanimous in conveying the message of brotherhood and goodwill towards their Pakistani counterparts. At many places people were surprised when some members of the delegation made speeches in chaste Urdu.

GOVERNMENT COMMITTED TO INSTIL SENSE OF SECURITY IN EVERY CITIZEN: HM

PARLIAMENTARY CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE OF THE MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS MEETS

Press Information Bureau

Union Home Minister, Shri L.K. Advani reiterated the commitment of his Government to instill in every citizen a sense of security. He was addressing the Members of the Consultative Committee attached to the Ministry of Home Affairs here today. ...

...Besides senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs S/Shri Satya Pal Jain, Mohan S. Delkar, Devjibhai J. Tandel, Nakli Singh, Sqn. Ldr. Kamal Chaudhry, Mufti Mohd. Sayed, Prithviraj D. Chavan, Somnath Chatterjee, S.K. Bwismuthay, G.M. Banatwalla, Dr. Jayanta Rongpi, T.R. Baalu and Promothese Mukherjee from Lok Sabha and S/Shri Narendra Mohan, Debabrata Biswas, Kuldip Nayyar, V.N. Gadgil, Prof. Ram Gopal yadav, B.P. Singhal Arun Shourie from Rajya Sabha attended the meeting.

Friends from across -- 25 MPs on plane to Pakistan

Indian Express

NEW DELHI, FEB 9: Indo-Pak goodwill is in the air. Cricket diplomacy seems to have worked, the shuttle-bus diplomacy seems to be in the right gear and now 25 Members of Parliament, cutting across party lines, are all set to leave on Thursday for a journey to Pakistan.

This journey had its hitches, too. Because the hosts, the Jang Group of Newspapers, are locked in a running feud with the Nawaz Sharif Government. But Jang and the Pakistan Government reached an understanding earlier this week clearing the decks for the visit.

Among those on board will be former Union minister Sushma Swaraj, T N Chaturvedi, Satya Pal Jain, Vijay Goel, Kamal Choudhary and Chaman Lal Gupta from the BJP,former Union ministers Madhavsinh Solanki and Mukul Wasnik and Murli Deora, Kapil Sibal and Meira Kumar from the Congress. Arif Mohammad Khan will represent the Bahujan Samaj Party while the Left parties have also decided to send a representative. ...

... Meetings with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and thePakistani President have also been arranged. The delegation will spend a couple of days in Islamabad, rounding off the trip with a visit to Lahore to witness the `Basant' celebrations.

Jang to host talks with Indian MPs

The Tribune
NEW DELHI, Feb 6 — In a significant development, more than 24 parliamentarians, including those from the BJP and the Shiv Sena are proceeding to Islamabad next week to take part in a two-day first-ever non-official Indo-Pakistan dialogue.
The dialogue, being hosted by The News — a leading Pakistani English newspaper of the largest Jang Group of Newspapers — will discuss issues of peace, security and cooperation between the two countries. The Jang Group is bearing all expenditures for the two-day meeting. The dialogue will commence on February 14.
From the BJP, a former Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Mrs Sushma Swaraj, a former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr Shanta Kumar, Chandigarh Lok Sabha MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain, the party Treasurer, Mr Vedprakash Goyal, the party Vice-President, Mr K.L. Sharma, Rajya Sabha MPs Arun Shourie, Mr T.N. Chaturvedi, Mr K.R. Malkani and Dr Mahesh Chandra Sharma are going to take part in the dialogue. A Shiv Sena MP, Mr Adhik Shirodkar, is also in the Indian delegation. ...