Citizens get together to plan I-Day

Panchkula, August 11: Following an appeal made by DC Panchkula to come together to celebrate the Independence Day on August 15, a meeting was convened today by the Citizens Welfare Association at Old Age Home, Sector 15. The office-bearers of various resident welfare associations attended the meeting.

It was decided that the day will be celebrated by organising a tree plantation ceremony, prabhat pheries and corner meetings to enthuse the spirit of Independence Day in the youth.

The welfare associations have urged the residents to participate fully in the celebration of the day as it has been a momentous event for the country.

President of the Citizens Welfare Association S K Nayar said it was a great moment in world history when India gained independence and became the largest democracy in the world.

‘‘It was felt that a big and vast country like India will not be able to survive for more than a few years. However, we have managed to not only survive but also do very well in all these years that we have been independent and this surely calls for celebration. We should all be proud of our collective achievement,’’ he said.

Those who participated in the meeting included S K Nayar, S K Sharma, Sunil Jain, M S Cheema, T R Tuli, M R Arora, U S Sharma, O P Sharma, R C Sahni, Y K Moong, P K Bansal, I J Ahluwalia and Kamlesh Bani. All those who attended represented the associations of various sectors in addition to various house owners associations.

The district administration will organise the 58th Independence Day at the cricket ground, Sector 5 at 9am. On the occasion, Haryana Education Minister Bahadur Singh will unfurl the flag. Deputy Commissioner Neelam P Kasani said schoolchildren will present a marchpast, a PT show and different cultural programmes.

She appealed to people to celebrate the national festival with gusto and fervour.

Panchkula SP takes charge

Panchkula, July 2: PANCHKULA’S new Superintendent of Police (SP) Mamta Singh took charge of the office today. At an impromptu press conference, she said her priority would be to meet people and know their problems. ‘‘Public dealing has to be an essential ingredient for policing. People can meet me any time,’’ she said.

She observed that crime against women gets highlighted whenever the SP is a woman. ‘‘Women are more confident sharing their problems with a woman official. Double standards in dealing does not work,’’ she said.

Mamta Singh is a 1996 batch IPS officer and has served as SP Panipat and Sirsa. A post graduate in Botany from Agra University, Mamta Singh has also done her Masters in Police Management. Before joining as SP Panchkula, Mamta Singh was the SP at Sirsa. Her husband Desh Raj is the SP Ambala.

‘‘My thrust will be on checking burglaries. The police naka system has to be effective,’’ she said. She also maintained that her priority would be to curb traffic violations. ‘‘A traffic policeman on the road is the first impression of the police to the public. His dealing and response has to be up to the mark,’’ she said.

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