Vox Populi: MC must revise rates of community centres,parks

Col KD Pathak (Retd)

Chandigarh

Three cheers for CTU

This refers to the October 23 news report,‘CTU: 5,000 women apply for 72 posts of conductors’. It is good to know that the Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) is hiring women conductors for its fleet of buses. It is also good to note that a large number of women have applied for the same. With 5,000 women with qualifications as high as graduates and post graduates having applied for the same,it just shows the number of unemployed people in the city. After selection and training process,the women conductors should be put on day-duty only and also not on long-routes. Also a vigilance cell should be set up to monitor their movement so that they are not subjected to any kind of sexual harassment. The move comes in line with Parliament’s decision to induct 33 per cent women as MPs under the Empowerment of Women’s Bill. While Parliament has failed to implement the Bill in practice,the CTU deserves kudos for doing so.

RK Kapoor

Chandigarh

Rent law: Why this delay in enactment

More than three-and-a-half years have passed since the Haryana Urban (Regulation of Tenancy,Rent and Eviction) Bill,2010 was approved by the State Cabinet and introduced in the Budget Session of the State Assembly in March,2010 so as to replace the prevalent Haryana Urban (Control of Rent and Eviction) Act,1973. The new legislation tends to balance the interest and rights of landlords and tenants. It looks into the determination of rent,eviction of tenants and to establish harmonious relationship between the landlords and tenants. Among other important provisions in the new Bill,expiry of tenancy period as a ground for eviction of tenant should be included. The Bill when enacted into law would have extended to all urban areas in the state including HUDA,HSIIDC,HSAMB,Housing Board and licenced colonies and other controlled areas notified by the Town and Country Planning Department. A provision of 5 per cent increase in basic rent per annum was provided in the legislation and after every five years,the annual increase shall be merged into the basic rent. Succession of tenancy was supposed to be limited to five years in case of parents,widow,minor,unmarried daughter,widow daughter or divorced daughter and disabled children of the tenant. In other cases the succession was limited to two years. In case a tenant,without the concurrence of the landlord,continues to occupy the premises beyond the mutually agreed period of tenancy or after orders of eviction passed by the authorities,he shall have to pay double the amount of original rent for the period of unauthorised occupation. Any mutual written agreement or contract between the landlord and tenant shall prevail over the rights of the parties under this legislation. It is difficult to understand why the aforesaid Bill has not been enacted into a law till date. Although it takes minutes if not seconds during brief stint of Assembly Sessions to pass the introduced legislations mostly in absence of opposition members who are often on walk-out. One wonders what is coming in the path of its enactment specially when in the recent years,the Haryana Government has set up Municipal Corporations in seven towns and re-introduced Property Tax primarily eyeing on the grants of Central Government for Urban Areas.

Hemant Kumar

Ambala City

Youth must learn the right values

It is sad that the whistleblowers amongst IAS cadre are being targeted by the government in power,be it Uttar Pradesh,Haryana,Maharashtra or any state. Truth is always bitter,and there are very few takers of truth. I have experienced it in life. In 1987,while doing staff college at Wellington,one day I spoke against corruption to the visiting Chief Engineer from the army HQ. Thereafter,MES got after me,and charged me heavy barrack damages for no reason. When I checked sub-standard work by the MES contractors,during command of Jammu Transit Camp,they threatened me. Undeterred,we ensured high standard,and won ISO 9001 certification. Again when as a staff officer,I stopped a senior from taking an army cook to his house,without even informing his seniors,my ACR was ruined. But,that does not deter officers with dedication from standing up for the truth. We must keep following the right path irrespective of obstacles. Youth must learn the right values and not get carried away by the power play.

Colonel RD Singh ( retd)

Ambala Cantonment

Proper waste disposal system needed

City needs major improvement in its garbage disposal system. Though there is a structured system of domestic garbage collection and disposal,the same is virtually non existent in commercial areas. The MC cannot lift as much as 40 per cent of the garbage generated in the city on a daily bases. The MC spends sufficient amount on the purchase of garbage lifting vehicles and garbage bins but there is no mechanism for segregation of garbage at household level nor at the MC level. Another area of concern remains the lack of proper mechanism for segregation of bio-medical waste from solid waste at the household level. Waste management system cannot be improved till waste is properly segregated at the household level. Also,public should be made aware of the proper segregation of bio-medical waste from other garbage and it should be done only at household level. MC should ensure that garbage collector don’t dump all these in a single container.

Puran Kant

Chandigarh

Royal neglect by local councillor

One wonder how some of our councillors go on excursion trips in the garb of study tours on tax payers money and fail to do proper work for their wards. The councillors fail to see the jobs needed to be done in their areas but they go to exotic places on study tours. One such case is an open urinal in Sector 44-A opposite Gurdwara Bagh Shaheedan. It is used by Colony No 5 residents and paserbys. Theft of 10 bicycles were also reported in this area. Also the road behind which was 20 feet wide has now been reduced to just 6 feet. The road is also full of stinking garbage. The administration has made no effort to clean the area. Residents are fed up of this royal ignore by the ward councillor.

Gurjusjit Singh

Chandigarh

Sorry state of Le Corbusier’s city

Le Corbusier had designed Chandigarh as a human body. Sector 17,the city’s commercial hub,was placed in the upper part of the body as an ever throbbing heart. Sadly,an unstable administration,run by babus with zero accountability,has let this organ deteriorate to the extent that of late it has lost its glorious past sheen. With garbage strewn,unhygienic eateries,zero maintained and chaotically handled parking areas,today’s Sector 17,once called Connaught Place of Chandigarh,has apparently lost its attraction. No wonder one finds this place deserted even during the festive season. And lo! look at the Administration’s wisdom that it has started constructing a multi-level parking area there,while innumerable existing underground ones are in pathetic condition. The Administration has also constructed an expansive over-bridge when there is hardly any traffic congestion in this area. The day Mr Patil (Governor Shivraj V Patil) laid the foundation stone of the multi-story parking,I wish someone had taken him for a brief walk around the nearby GPO.

Balvinder

Chandigarh

Sweet shops should be raided often

Raids are being conducted by the Health Department during the festive season to keep a tab on adulteration and to check unhygienic condition for the preparation of sweets,However,these types of raids should be conducted by the health department throughout the year. Sweets should be stored in certain temperature to keep it fresh otherwise with the passage of time or due to bad storage arrangement,sweets might taste sour. This change of taste is not an adulteration rather the same is due to its highly perishable nature. Sweets properly prepared in large quantity on festival seasons can also have a sour taste whenever not timely stored. Till date no synthetic food item has been recovered but if the same is found then strict action should be taken against the food business operator in accordance with law.

Sukhpal Singh

Chandigarh