& V I C I N I T Y
Monday, December 21, 1998
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C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
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Monday, December 21, 1998 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Appointment issue rocks
Senate Show-cause
notice to Satya Pal Jain |
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 Plan to revamp UT rural schools CHANDIGARH, Dec 20 — Government schools in rural areas and colonies in and around Chandigarh will finally be revamped. |
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Power
cuts 'due to maintenance work' |
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Appointment
issue rocks Senate CHANDIGARH, Dec 20 — The issue of appointment of Mr Davinder Kumar Marwaha as Special Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor and that of Dr Ajaib Singh as Director, Centre for Adult, Continuing Education generated a lot of heat in the meeting of the Panjab University Senate here today. Vice-Chancellor, M.M Puri, hard pressed by certain senators, agreed to re-examine the appointment of Mr Marwaha. He also assured to refer Dr Ajaib Singh's case for legal opinion. Mr Puri repeatedly argued that as the Punjab and Haryana High Court had upheld the appointment of Dr Ajaib Singh, the issue should not be discussed in the House. The issue of appointment of Mr Marwaha was first raised by Mr Randip Surjewala, which was supported by another member, Mr Ashok Goyal. While objecting to the grant of a higher pay scale of 7220-11660 to Mr Marwaha, a Senior Assistant, the members contended that as per the PU calendar, the VC had unfettered powers to appoint any person from his staff or outside as his Special Assistant. But it was not the prerogative of the VC to grant such person a higher pay scale than the one in which he was already working. Mr Surjewala said even the Senate and the Syndicate did not have the power to give new pay scale to the appointee. However, the VC was entitled to grant a special allowance, which had been given to Mr Marwaha, in the shape of a secretarial allowance of Rs 400 per month. Amid heated debate, the contention of Mr Surjewala, was also supported by other members, including Dr R D Anand, Dr I M Govil, Mr Kehar Singh and Mr Anirudh Joshi. On this, the VC asserted that it was his prerogative to make an appointment and to grant a pay scale to the appointee to facilitate the working of the VC's Secretariat. The Vice-Chancellor said it was up to him regarding measures that were needed to ensure smooth working of his office. While Dr Ramparkash demanded that the appointment of the Special Assistant should be co-terminus with the Vice-Chancellor's tenure, Principal M L Sikri said the issue should be referred to the Syndicate after getting it re-examined. Subsequently, the VC, who was also the Chairman of the House ruled that the issue of the pay scale of Mr Marwaha will be re-examined before putting it before the syndicate. As regards Dr Ajaib Singh, the House was divided whether the issue of his appointment could be discussed in the House or not, particularly in the wake of the decision of the Punjab and Haryana High Court upholding the appointment of Dr Ajaib Singh as the Director, Centre for Adult, Continuing Education and Extension of the PU. Mr Ashok Goyal and Ms Sneh Mahajan wanted the VC to clarify whether the House, which was the appointing authority, had the right to discuss the issue or not. Mr Sat Pal Jain said it was within the competence of the House to discuss the issue since the court had not passed an order to transgress the power of the Senate as an appointing authority. Mr Surjewala supported him on the issue. While the debate was on, Dr Naresh moved that the matter be got legally examined, which was conceded by the chairman Dr M M Puri, who said the item was to be deferred and the appointment issue would be tabled in the house after seeking a legal opinion on the matter. Another item which invited debate was regarding the change of name of Guru Gobind Singh College, Giddarbaha, the control of which has recently been taken over by the Punjab Government to Guru Gobind Singh Government College. Following a detailed discussion on the issue of enhancement of age of superannuation from 60 to 62, a four-member committee was constituted to look into the issue of implementation of an order of the Human Resources Development Ministry in this regard. The issue was raised by some members following an item for re-employment of 14 persons after their retirement at 60 was placed before the House. Dr S P Gautam, said Delhi University was already following the order of the Ministry of Human Resources Development enhancing the age of retirement from 60 years to 62 years. Mr G K Chatrath citing Section 72 of the PU calendar said the HRD order was binding on the university. The House also granted affiliation to 21 colleges in Punjab for starting different vocational courses in these colleges. Mr Joginder Singh Yadav and Prof Raghbir Singh were elected members of the Board of Finance for a period of one year. Mr Kuljit Nagra alleged that under a conspiracy hatched by Mr Chatrath and Mr Ajaib Singh, he was attacked by certain assailants in the campus on August 21. This led to an uproar in the House. The allegations were,
however, denied by Mr Chatrath, who dubbed the
allegations as baseless and wild. The VC, however, ruled
out the formation of any committee to probe the
allegations levelled by Mr Nagra, since the matter was
sub-judice. |
Plan to
revamp UT rural schools CHANDIGARH, Dec 20 — Government schools in rural areas and colonies in and around Chandigarh will finally be revamped. After upgrading a library in a city school and opening an ideal nursery wing in another, the focus has shifted to these schools with dilapidated buildings. The DPI Schools and Colleges, Mr D.S.Mangat, disclosed that 22 schools in the area needed development of infrastructure. While repair work in the 18 buildings would be completed by March end, some more time would be required for the new school building at Kajheri village. Additional classrooms have been planned for schools at Mauli Jagran, Dadu Majra and Daria. "A request for land to open a school has been made to the panchayat of Palsora village. In Halo Majra, a school will be opened as and when land is available", Mr Mangat said. The DPI has plans to motivate and inspire school teachers. He says,``Since it is at the primary level that the children develop their faculties and their teachers are instrumental for their development, we are organising orientation courses for the teachers of these classes in collaboration with the State Institute of Education. The aim of the courses is to push the teachers into the learning process once again to inspire them to be innovative in the classroom." Further, the cause of low inspiration in teachers from rural areas is that there are many drop-outs by the end of the term. Since their efforts don't pay dividends, they have no incentive to work. The children, too, have developed a casual attitude towards studies in these areas. Then, the security of a government job and complacency all around makes them inane and indifferent to their profession over a period of time, he says. The introduction of the grading system in place of the annual examination system is expected to improve the government schools. The session has been divided into three terms. At the end of each term, a series of tests are conducted and the score of the tests is added to the result of the final examination. This ensures the students are regular in their studies. Another thing the DPI wants to do away within these schools is the annual functions which lead to wastage of the scarce financial resources at the disposal of the school . Instead, he suggests, these funds can be utilised to add to the assets of the school and develop it further for long term benefits to the students as well as the school. Though the Central Board of Secondary Education has simplified mathematics for the students by making a section optional, depending on the stream pursued, yet Mr Mangat says, a proposal of further simplification cannot be ruled out. At a later stage, it could further be divided into `soft maths' and `hard maths'. The government schools could do with more staff as well, he adds. A total of 25 teachers had been selected out of the 600 applications received after following a tedious process to ensure that only the best ones are taken. This involved classroom teaching by the applicants who were later graded by the students and then had to qualify a written test. These appointments are stuck because some people chose to go to court for the reason that the posts were not advertised in the newspapers but applications received at the Employment Exchange were considered. The decision is awaited. With a total of 104
government schools under him, over a lakh students in
them, 1:60 being the teacher-student ratio and
practically no funds, Mr D.S. Mangat is contributing his
mite in ``trying to put back on rails the educational
system which derailed long back.'' |
From
the schools CHANDIGARH, Dec 20 — The theme "Save the Earth" found expression in the models and charts prepared by students of Tender Heart School, Sector 33, here today. The exhibition was organised as part of the silver jubilee celebrations of the school. It emphasised how man was continually moving towards an ecological imbalance in an attempt to fulfil his own selfish needs. Beginning with how earth was formed, the models made by students of Class V onwards, guided the visitors to the evolution of the human race and then gradually to the coming up of villages and development of society. The next section dealt with scientists and their discoveries that led to industrial and technological sophistication on one hand and callous disregard for nature on the other which resulted in imbalance. Through the models on water, air, soil, flora and fauna pollution, the students explained how each one of those present was contributing towads the deterioration of the earth. The junior students displayed art and craft items. These included paper baskets, woollen dolls, decorative tiles and envelops of khadi paper among other items. * * * The Founder's week celebrations at Vivek High School concluded with a 'Rock Show' put up by the students and teachers, here today. Beginning after the sun went down, the students and the faculty, under dancing lights, presented one catchy number after another. Soon, all those present joined in and the ground turned to one big dance floor. While "Sexy
Eyes" by Whigfield, presented by Sonia, Savika and
Bani tempted everyone to the ‘dance floor’,
popular numbers of Daler Mehndi were a huge hit. Celine
Dion's "My Heart Will Go On'' also struck the right
note with the crowd. Manpreet Sarkaria on the keyboard
and Angad Marwah on the tabla were the "little
ones" who stood out among the seniors. |
Show-cause
notice to Satya Pal Jain CHANDIGARH, Dec 20 — With the BJP president, Mr Dharam Pal Gupta, issuing a show-cause notice to the local MP, Mr Satya Pal Jain, for his "anti-party" activities, the split in the party seems imminent. In his letter, Mr Gupta has reportedly accused Mr Jain of failing to attend a meeting convened by the party for deciding the party's nominee for the post of Mayor in the elections to be held on December 23. It may be recalled that the two factions of the BJP fielded their own candidates for the post of Mayor. While Mr Rajinder Kumar has filed his papers as the official candidate, Mr Kewal Krishan is the candidate of the group owing allegiance to Mr Jain. According to sources, Mr
Jain, who has left for Delhi to attend Parliament
session, is yet to reply to the notice. |
Sunshine
brings relief CHANDIGARH, Dec 20 — The city and surrounding areas, reeling under intense cold and foggy conditions for the past three days, had some respite today with the sun shining brightly. Parts of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh were partially cloudy since last night, resulting in rise in the minimum temperature. As the day advanced, people ventured into open to bask under the sun. The lowest temperature in Chandigarh, which plumetted to 3.6°C yesterday — about 4 degrees below normal — today went up to 5.8°C. The city had bright sunshine for major part of the day, much to the relief of the residents. However, according to
reports Kargil and other forward areas in Jammu and
Kashmir had season's first snowfall. |
Power cuts
'due to maintenance work' PANCHKULA, Dec 20 — The Haryana Vidyut Prasaran Nigam (HVPN) today said that the recent power cuts in the township were necessitated due to emergency maintenance works. A spokesman of the nigam
denied that the power cuts had any connection with the
visits of the Chief Minister to the township. He said a
technical snag on the 132 kv Ropar-Pinjore transmission
line had resulted in a sudden power shutdown for two and
a half hours on December 18.
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CHANDIGARH: It was a different evening, full of arty seriousness and glamour of the creamy circle. The occasion was the inauguration of a new art gallery in the city. It is called Art Folio — the Centre for Arts. The first of private art galleries to come up in Chandigarh, it has been sponsored by the Winsome Foundation for the Arts and is the brainchild of Dr Alka Pande. Located in Sector 9, it has been designed by Namita Singh. It provides the right ambience for discussions and activities related to arts. Along with the exhibiting space, it also gives access to books on art. It also has a cafe and an open air theatre. The main idea is to lend it an informal air where any art lover feels free to come and express himself. The centre aims to encourage multi-disciplinary activities, workshops, poetry reading, film appreciation, music and dance, painting, sculpture, photography, prints and graphics etc. The centre for its inaugural show had invited works of eminent artists from all over the country. There are in all 58 paintings put up in the gallery. And the chief guest was the painter, sculptor and architect who has put India on the international map in the arena of art. Yes, it was none other than the legendary Satish Gujral. In his opinion, "the present art scene in the country is very lively. It is growing and artists are interested in finding a national identity. They are trying to do it in a very original and individual way". According to Gujral, the reason for Indian artists not making it big in the international market is an undue interest about making it big in the international scene. Any art which has not got national roots cannot get international acceptance. If any artist tries to do it the other way round, he knows what is going to happen. "His advice for the budding artists is "try to be yourself as this is going to help you find your national roots". The inauguration was followed by a dance presentation by Raja Reddy, Radha Reddy, Kaushalya Reddy, Sharon Lowen, and Shovana Narayan. It was choreographed by Naresh Kapuria. —
Priti Verma |
CHANDIGARH, Dec 20 — The police today booked Rakesh Kumar, a resident of Ram Darbar, for allegedly trying to burn his wife, Sanju. According to the police, Sanju has been hospitalised. Arrested: Subba Rao, a resident of Bapu Dham, has been arrested with 50 pouches of liquor. A case under the Excise Act has been registered. Held: Shiv Kumar, a
resident of Sector 23, was arrested on Sunday by the
police on the charge of eve-teasing at Sector 11 here. |
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BHU — truly our heritage THE Banaras Hindu University is one of our shining academic outposts. It is truly our heritage. Pt Madan Mohan Malaviya gifted it to us. His farsightedness bore fruit over the years and now it is one of the biggest teaching universities in Asia in arts, science and commerce. A large number of former faculty members and alumni of the BHU stay in Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. They have an illustrious past and they are a source of knowledge and inspiration to the younger generation. They formed their alumni association in the city about three decades ago. Their main objective is to work for the upgradation of knowledge in various fields and the propagation of human values cherished by Malaviyaji. The association organises lectures, seminars and cultural programmes at the all-India level. This year, it will celebrate the birth anniversary of Pt Malaviya on December 25 with a special Malaviya Memorial Lecture at the ICSSR complex of Panjab University at 11 a.m. Engineers S.K. Jain and Satish Bagrodia, along with Dr H.H. Lal and Dr D.V. Rai, say that the event will be significant for our troubled times. After suspension The suspension of three Chandigarh Police personnel, including a DSP, besides the transfer of an SHO, sent shivers down the spine of many policemen, while the ambitious ones eyed the posts that had fallen vacant. Naturally, the rumour mill worked overtime. Once the three cops were suspended on Thursday evening senior police officials declined to give their versions. It was the Chandigarh Administration that clarified matters. The next day the news had been displayed in all newspapers. The police headquarters (PHQ) in Sector 9 was humming with the “hot news”. As middle-level officials discussed matters, their juniors hung around trying to grasp as much as they could. Several middle-level cops called up crime reporters to know the juicy details about the two incidents that had led to three suspensions and one transfer. Soon, everyone in the PHQ seemed to be making “guesstimates” and had a mental list of the aspirants ready. Names of people who were likely to join as SHO, Sector 3, or DSP, Central Division, were being floated by all and sundry. Though Mr Daya Nand, DSP, Crime , has been given additional charge of Central Division, speculation is on as to who will ultimately hold the post. Mr Daya Nand is being tipped for the same as he has been handed over the investigations of some cases in Central Division. The real race is to become SHO , Sector 3, and in charge Police Post, Sector 22. Both posts have fallen vacant. Left in the lurch The two-week-long problem of cracks on the rail tracks between Delhi and Ambala turned The Tribune office into a virtual enquiry counter for the railways as several commuters from far and wide preferred to call up The Tribune to know the routes and timings of various trains. A Karnal resident called up to ask: “I have to receive my daughter. So will the Jhelum Express that has been diverted via Jind-Narwana-Jakhal stop at any place enroute.” Well, the railways never planned for such an exigency and no one seemed to know. Even the newspapers did not carry any such information about the stoppages of trains enroute the diverted sections. The most common query was: “Sir, Shatabdi kitne baje aa rahee hai.” The reporter attending the calls said “around 4 to 5 hours behind schedule.” The next question used to be shot back immediately: “Return journey pe Chandigarh se kitne late chalegi.” Well, call up the railway enquiry, was the refrain of the reporter to cut short the talk. Some of the callers used to be furious also. A middle aged woman arrived at Chandigarh around midnight as the Shatabdi that was to reach here at 8.15 p.m. was late. She called up saying “What will a woman do who is arriving alone at a city in the middle of the night. Does it not become the duty of the railways to offer her a cab or some official car to reach her destination,” she asked. She may have a point as no information was available and no courtesy offered about new stops or tentative timings of the trains. Imagine, someone is coming from a far-off place and is to get off at Karnal or Ambala. He does not know which station is the nearest for him and no one advises him. And what about women, old people and the handicapped travelling alone? Phone problems While the task of receiving telephone complaints has been computerised, the work of attending the complaints has, perhaps, become slower than ever. It is futile to hope for restoration of normal service after simply lodging complaints. The subscribers ought to establish reasonable contact with the Principal General Manager, Telecommunications, the SDO (Telephones) or the JEs attending the particular area of the consumer for redressal of grievances. A subscriber (No. 780666) lodged complaint for a dead telephone a number of times and every time the computer confirmed that the complaint was recorded. Unfortunately, it could not remove the complaint. The same subscriber had earlier complained to the authorities concerned that telephone wires had fallen in his premises which severed the connections of his neighbour due to cutting of tree by another neighbour. This too has remained unattended. The department has its own methods of delaying the redressal of grievances. Another subscriber (No. 544035), Dr Shivnarain Sharma of Panjab University, applied for shifting of his telephone connection from Sector 14 to Sector 37-D on September 15. While the telephone has not been shifted, a department official called Dr Sharma one day to verify his signatures on the application for shifting. X-mas greetings Christmas is here and the celebration spirit is in the air. The closure of schools makes boys and girls buoyant. Quite a few can be seen picking up greeting cards. One advantage with Christmas is that it comes close to New Year and one can combine two greetings. As usual, Yasmin Dutta from Panchkula has sent Sentinel a beautiful home-made Christmas tree (actually it is made of cardboard). Her nimble fingers have coloured and beautified it admirably. What we cherish more is the small poem sent by her along with it: Although it is not in the "otherwise powerful" hands of the Press The present newspapers bring sad reports more, but good ones less However,let's hope that in the anxiously awaited next year It spreads only laughter and no one sheds even a small tear Amen!
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"Kundis" galore "Kundi" connections, a common sight on the electric poles in and around the labour colonies of the city, are increasing with each passing day allegedly on account of the indifferent attitude of the authorities concerned. Now "kundi connections" can be seen even on transformers such as the one installed in Sector 52, which feeds Sector 61. Over 10 "kundi connections", with underground wires, are there on the transformer board. The connections apart from being illegal are a potential death traps for the residents. According to Mr B.K. Gupta, general secretary of the 504 MIG Residents Welfare Association, Sector 61, the matter has been taken up with the UT electricity department many a time but to no avail. Will the department wake up from deep slumber before something untoward happens? No ball It was a rude shock to see a formidable watchman take away a small child's plastic ball before he allowed him inside the Fragrance Garden. The reason for his cruel act was to save the grass in the garden which would be spoilt if children were allowed to play inside. The restriction is followed in many other gardens also in the city. This rule overlooks the fact that the same grass is trampled under the feet of hundreds of walkers who throng the gardens every evening. The point, however, is where will the children play if not in the parks? On the roadside or on vacant patches which are littered with garbage? Why not create space within these parks where small kids can play for some time while their parents enjoy their evening walk? Chemist-less If you are a resident of Panchkula be sure that you keep a stock of basic medicines at your home for if you suddenly fall ill or require some medication late at night you will have to go all the way to Chandigarh to buy the medicine. It sounds strange but the fast developing township with a population almost touching the two-lakh mark does not have a 24-hour chemist shop — not even at the 50-bed General Hospital in Sector 6. The residents have been highlighting the problem from time to time. Recently, the Chemists Association of Panchkula raised the issue at a meeting with the Chief Medical Officer(CMO). The association said the chemists near the general hospital had given in writing to the SMO of the hospital about six months ago that as and when required medicines would be made available to the patients admitted at the hospital. The CMO, Mr H.C.Nagpal, says that though there is a booth earmarked for chemists' shop in the hospital complex, it cannot go to a private contractor as the Health Directorate had imposed a ban on renting shops located within the hospital complexes in the state. He says some other arrangement is being worked out. Picture of neglect Lt-Gen B.K.N. Chhibber (retd), Governor of Punjab and Administrator, Chandigarh, called a meeting of Non Governmental Ogranisations (NGOs) working in Chandigarh recently to know what the NGOs are doing and how best to involve these organisations in social and development sphere. Most of the NGOs are based in Karuna Sadan, Sector 11-B. At this meeting Mr P.H. Vaishnav, Director, Society for Service to Voluntary Agencies (SOSVA), pointed out the unsanitary conditions in the Karuna Sadan building. A visit to this place reveals that water pipes are leaking and scooters are parked inside the building. The kitchen wall has been dismantled. As a result smoke creates irritation to the eyes and skin of the people working in the adjoining offices. Most of the Red Cross vehicles are not in use. There is no proper parking for vehicles belonging to the senior functionaries of NGOs and the visitors. But the campus around the Karuna Sadan building beautifies the complex. It is maintained by the Environment Society of India (ESI). Even the electric lighting was arranged by the ESI. Sleeping youth At a function at the Western Command, a senior officer recalled an interesting anecdote about his recent visit to Bangalore. He came across a youth who was asked about the advertisement campaign launched by the Army where one of the ads states that for the next three years you would get up at 5 a.m. and do you have it in you. The reply was: "No, sleep is dearer to me". Beware of makers At a gettogether hosted by
a politician the other night for local scribes a reporter
from the vernacular press irritated by the repeated
references of the host to the "help" rendered
by the guests in his career burst forth: "if they
made you, they are sure to unmake you".
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