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CAT candidates dismayed at paper leakage Chandigarh, November 23 Admissions to Panjab University Business School are also based on the CAT entrance test. Ranjodh Singh, who appeared in the CAT exam at the local DAV College, said: “I had performed well in the entrance test. When I came to know that the paper had been cancelled, it came like a bolt from the blue. My months of hard work have gone waste. I had spent so much of time and money as well. I hope that the matter is addressed at the earliest”. Another candidate, Hardeep Singh, said: “The examination system in the country has lost credibility. There have been reports of several other paper leakages earlier, even at the level of the civil services examination. The government needs to set an example by punishing the guilty.” Prof Meenakshi Malhotra of Panjab University Business School said: “It was shocking to hear about the CAT paper being leaked. The exercise involves a hell lot of money. Students are disheartened when the credibility of a system is questioned.” |
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UT to recruit 240 teachers on
contract FACTFILE
Chandigarh, November 23 Official sources said the idea was to appoint these teachers on contract basis and ultimately absorb them as regular teachers after some years. The target of the scheme is to impart quality education to the economically weaker section of the society thus new schools will be located as such keeping in mind the economic and demographic profile of the city. The Administration will construct six schools with 20 rooms each. Originally the Government of India, as part of its countrywide scheme had mooted an idea to open two-room schools. And the money to be paid was Rs 90,000 per room. The Administration had argued that constructing two-room schools was not viable in the city. Besides this, the cost of constructing a room in the city school was Rs 5 lakh whereas centre was offering Rs 90,000 for it. The Administration, in a communique had even turned down the offer to start the project with external funds saying that it will manage on its own. The sources said only a tin roof room could be constructed for Rs 90,000 and this would not have been enough for the city like Chandigarh where even children living in slums go to schools which have concrete roofs. Officials in the Centre after going through the arguments put forth by the administration agreed to pay Rs 3.50 lakh per room for the school project. The rest of the money will be met by the Administration through its own expenses.
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Parents of tiny tots leave
nothing to chance While two top schools — Manav Mangal School, Sector 11, and Delhi Public School, Pinjore — have already started registration for admissions, the others will begin it by the next month. These schools are drawing hordes of parents, not only from the town, but also from the neighbouring areas of Pinjore, Kalka and Barwala. It is learnt that most of the parents are getting their child registered for admission in at least three or four schools to ensure a seat in at least one of them. The expense on the registration alone varies from Rs. 100 to Rs. 500 at each school. Mr Ashish Gupta, a local businessman, who is trying for admission for his son and niece, says, "Money is the least of the concerns. It is important to spend a few hundreds extra than to cry later on. You can never be too sure if your ward will get admission in a particular school. So one has to apply in at least three or four schools". The situation is so bad that in schools like Hansraj Public School, Bhawan Vidyalya and Little Flower Convent, the registration is open only for a few hours on a single day. From buying the latest volumes of children's encyclopaedias and CDs for the toddlers and making them mug up everything and anything (science, geography, mathematics and the nuances of English phonetics), the parents are leaving nothing to chance. Special sessions on etiquettes are also given to the tiny tots by their parents, while their preparatory schools have already begun conducting mock interviews. While most of the schools take interviews of children to assess their mental development, there are others like Hansraj, DAV,8 and The Gurukul, have introduced an "informal interaction with students." From checking their cognitive and motor skills to check their reactions after receiving instructions is now being assessed to give admission. "We prefer children with a uniform IQ level and this helps us in dealing with them in upper classes," says Ms Rajni Thareja, Principal of Hansraj Public School. Ms S. Kaul, Coordinator at DAV, 8 says. " Parents are interviewed while the child is observed for his general awareness and motor development". However, Mr Sandeep Sadana, Principal of Manav Mangal School, says the children should not be subjected to such pressure. " This is the reason that we admit children on a first —cum-first -serve basis", he added. Interestingly, the schools in the township, undoubtedly have an infrastructure unheard of in this part of the region. From Air Conditioned buses with wireless connectivity to state-of-the-art multi-media theatres and from electric joy rides to lessons being taught on CD-ROM's, schools in the township have indeed come a long way.
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Fee panel only if stir withdrawn: Admn Chandigarh, November 23 An official press note said: “It is once again clarified that the administration is open to examining the issue relating to the tuition fee and different funds levied in the colleges of the city. However, the constitution of such a committee will depend on reciprocal withdrawal of the agitation by the students”. Meanwhile, the fast of Annpurna, the president of the students’ union of Government College for Girls, Sector 11, entered its third day. Madhumeet, the president of Guru Gobind Singh College for Women, Sector 26, and Harpreet Kaur from Dev Samaj College for Women, Sector 45, are also on fast along with her. The university Vice-Chancellor yesterday informed the Syndicate about the administration’s decision to constitute a committee to look into the matter. The committee will comprise of fellows, college principals, government officials and students. The official press note said a group of students had met the UT Administrator and submitted a memorandum against the hike in fees and funds by the administration for the current academic year. It has been decided that a committee would be constituted to examine different issues related to fee hike. |
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Restraint in PR job stressed Chandigarh, November 23 Referring to the episode of British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s top aide Alastair Campbell, Mr Dua said the spin doctors selling the image of a Prime Minister or a President need to observe restraint. At times, reporters are a victim of the public relation exercise. “A public relation man operates in a subtle manner and it is a challenging job”, said the Editor-in-Chief adding that often the credit for the success of a PR exercise is taken by the chief executive of a company. Coming to the subject of the evening, Mr Dua described Mr Vijay Sehgal as a prolific writer. He said a writer looks into the soul of society. Though the role of a journalist as an opinion maker could not be ruled out, the impact of his writing was
shortlived. “Very few journalists can aspire to become writers. A writer’s contribution lasts long”, said the Editor-in-Chief. Earlier, Mr Sehgal said he was thankful to Mr H.S.
Dilgir, patron of the Public Relations Society of India, for refining his work. He also praised the Department of Mass Communication of Panjab University for churning out three generations of journalists. The former Editor expressed concern at the depleting moral values among scribes. “The PR agencies and the media have a joint role to guide society”, said Mr
sehgal. Mrs Adity Dua, said the profession of public relations was being projected in a wrong manner. The role of a PR man was not to just hand over a press handout. “Public relations is more of a strategy, proper action and proper feedback. There is need to educate the chief executives”, said Mrs Dua, adding that public relations was an exercise of sign and art. She felt that a code of conduct and ethics should be followed by the media and the PR agencies. Earlier, Mr
Dilgir, Mr Charanjit Singh and Mr Ashutosh Kapila, Patron and Chairman, respectively, of the Public Relations Society of India, spoke on the occasion. Mr
H.K. Dua, Mrs Adity Dua and Mr Vijay Sehgal were honoured with a shawl and a token of appreciation. |
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PU to host seminar on Central Asia Chandigarh, November 23 Experts from five Central Asian republics, Iran and Afghanistan are being invited to participate in the seminar, besides representatives from their diplomatic missions here and local security and foreign-affairs experts. Up to 40 delegates are expected to attend the seminar, scheduled to be held from January 21 to 23. It is being sponsored jointly by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Shimla. The Central Asian republics include Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. According to a note prepared by the university, a holistic, interdisciplinary and integrated understanding of Central Asian countries as a society, polity and economy is central to the success of India's foreign policy. |
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Courts martial reveal financial irregularities Chandigarh, November 23 The two officers have been charged with several counts of intent to cause wrongful gain, making false statements and acts prejudicial to good order and military discipline under various sections of the Army Act. The GCMs were ordered by the General Officer Commanding, 7 Infantry Division, Maj Gen N.S. Brar, a few weeks ago following the recommendations by the Commander of an infantry brigade, Brig D.S.C. Varma, who had recorded the summary of evidence in the case. The officers had been attached to the brigade for disciplinary proceedings. The charges pertained to alleged irregularities committed by the duo during 1997-98, when they were posted at Ferozepore. According to sources, the Colonel had been charged for acts prejudicial to good order and military discipline under Section 63 of the Act, for ‘improperly omitting’ to get five proposed civil works, amounting to about Rs 55 lakh, publicly advertised through the press and trade journals, as was required by Military Engineer Service regulations. The Major, on the other hand, had been charged under Section 27 for making false statements and several instances of appending back-dated signatures on official documents pertaining to the award of contracts. Sources said that both officers also faced charges of intent to cause unlawful gain under Section 52(F) of the Army Act, wherein they had allegedly tried to favour various private contractors by accepting higher rates and inflating the scale of works. For construction purposes, the accused officers had accepted tender from a private contactor where, according to the findings of a court of inquiry, the rates of bricks was higher by 63 per cent, tiles by 54 per cent, coarse sand by 142 per cent and that of fine sand by 221 per cent as compared to rates quoted for similar works undertaken earlier. In another instance, the scope of re-wiring work, which was assessed to be about Rs 4 lakh, was increased to Rs 10 lakh without resorting to re-tendering of the project as was required under provisions. The officers also faced charges of accepting unduly higher rates of certain electrical items. The unit price of an item which was Rs 150, was quoted as Rs 225. |
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Not there, but still there!
The other day Punjab Finance and Cooperation Minister Lal Singh was present to address a gathering at the Regional Institute of Cooperative Management on Cooperation Day. He left after some time, as he had to participate in an important meeting, but students of the institute were surprised and could not stop giggling, when one of the speakers on the dais, said, “I welcome Lal Singhji, a great man, a role model for us, who may have left the meeting but I am still feeling his presence because he has played such a great role in the cooperation movement.” Interestingly, all speakers after him started addressing the minister, who had already left the meeting. Power of fourth estate Believe it or not, the power of fourth estate still exists! It became pertinent recently, when the officials of the Punjab State Cooperative Bank expressed helplessness to initiate action against a section of defaulters numbering about 40 in the city, since they belonged to the “esteemed” institution of the fourth estate. Though just Class IV employees, they dared the officials initiate action against them threatening them of dire consequences since they belonged to the “media”. Some of these defaulters have, interestingly, again taken loans from other banks as well.
People’s Administrator It has been six months since the new Administrator of the city took over, but it seems that people of the city still miss Lt. Gen J.F.R. Jacob (retd) as its Administrator. Scribbled on a roadside direction board near the PGI is: ‘Garib ka koi nahin Jacob sahib’. Known for his inimitable style and surprise visits, Jacob was truly a people’s Administrator! Quiz time An inauguration ceremony of a wrestling centre at Mohali turned into a smalltime quiz when the chief guest started asking the young players attending the function questions on traditional wrestlers diets. What is teor, the chief guest asked. And what is adh rirkia? Surprisingly not many knew the answer. Crow sanctuary Not many people know that there is a crow sanctuary on the campus of the Government Museum, Sector 10, Chandigarh. At 5 p.m. when the babus start leaving the office, flocks of crows from various places around the city perch on about 90 tall eucalyptus trees. They leave this place at about 6 in the morning. Any person who passes through this area may face their wrath. Either the crows may peck or the person may get a drop of their faeces on his body. A visitor to the museum complained to the Environment Society of India president S.K. Sharma and asked for the dispersal of the crows. Prompt came the reply: “The museum is a treasure trove of arts and culture. Crows too are mentioned in our folklore and poetry”.
In the line of police duty After a series of accidents involving stray cows or bulls, residents of the city are demanding that traffic cops positioned at traffic junctions should ensure that the “helpless” creatures do not squat on road dividers. Most of the accidents with stray cattle have been reported when either a motorist was waiting for traffic signal or was approaching a traffic junction. There have also been instances when motorists have panicked on seeing stray cattle in front of their vehicle. Ensuring safety of the public property and life was also the duty of the police and the civic authorities, said a reader.
Dr H.C. Modi After serving as the president of the UT Consumer Courts for about five years until recently, Dr H.C. Modi has taken over as Legal Adviser in Punjab Raj Bhavan at Chandigarh. Having more than 37 years of judicial experience to his credit, Dr Modi was always known for his integrity. Before joining the Consumer Courts, Dr Modi was Sessions Judge (Vigilance) and also remained Registrar (Judicial) in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He joined judicial service in May, 1965, after completing LLB and Proficiency in Law from Delhi University, besides doing MA, M.Lit and Ph.D. His wife, Ms Sudarshan Modi, also remained District and Sessions Judge. — Sentinel |
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Another green belt for city Chandigarh, November 23 The undulating piece of land was once full of wild growth. After levelling the ground, grass has been planted. Around Rs 4 lakh has been spent on laying concrete jogging tracks and providing benches for the visitors. Mr Raghbir Singh, Executive Engineer (Horticulture), told the Chandigarh Tribune that the Sector 46 green belt was being developed on the pattern of the green belts developed in Sectors 19, 20, 21, 27, 32,33, 38 and 40. A green belt has also been developed in Ram Darbar. In the newly developed green belt in Sector 46 around 100 saplings of ornamental trees were being planted, Mr Raghbir Singh said. Hundreds of acres of land, which divides the sectors in the city, had been developed as green belts, said Mr Raghbir Singh, adding that the green belts had become a favourite spot for the morning and evening walkers. Green shrubs had been planted and beds for planting seasonal flowers were being prepared So far the city had seven major gardens and each year a new garden was added to the list, said an officer of the Horticulture Wing. |
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Residents get
‘X-rated’ shock Mohali, November 23 Investigations revealed that the City cable network’s wires had been cut and during the joining of these wires, the cable had caught ‘reverse transmission’. “Once the wires are reconnected after a break or damage and till the time the system is put back again, the wires catch all signals floating in the area at that time. Chances are that the movies was being watched by someone nearby and the cable caught that signal. The moment the cable network was switched on, the images vanished,” explained a City cable employee. The local City cable operator in Mohali, Mr Bittu, was questioned by the police. The police said he only manned a switch and could not show or relay any programme. |
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READERS WRITE This has reference to the news item on Capt Amarinder Singh’s election speech in Madhya Pradesh where he declared that Madhya Pradesh is far ahead of Punjab in terms of developmental activities. It is a shame that he could speak of lack of development in his own state of which he is the Chief Minister. It is an insult to the crores of people living in Punjab. By uttering these words in another state, that too in public, Capt Amarinder Singh has lost his moral authority to rule the state of Punjab. From the day one of ascending the throne of chief ministership, Capt Amarinder Singh has been announcing from every available public or private forum that Mr Parkash Singh Badal would be arrested. For this, he has engaged all his might i.e. intelligence and police force, to prove criminal cases against Mr Badal and his family members. Having failed to find any concrete proof against the Badals, he resorted to mass transfers of police officials in the absence of DGP A.A. Siddiqui. Ironically, the present DGP was hand-picked by the Chief Minister himself thinking that he would help him nab former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. But kudos to Mr Siddiqui, he has till now not gone against the established norms of law which ultimately invited the wrath of Capt Amarinder Singh. He is devoid of any clear vision of seeing Punjab’s prosperity. The flight of industry from Punjab to Himachal Pradesh should be a source of worry for the Chief Minister. But, strangely, he is interested in seeing his political foe behind bars at the cost of state’s development and his own political future. Capt Amarinder Singh should devote his remaining period of the five-year term to the development of the state and its people, so that he does not fade into oblivion soon after the expiry of his five-year term. In the words of Oscar Wilde — No man is rich enough to buy his past. So, one must not do something today for which he/she is rendered friendless tomorrow. R.Bhattacharya,
Property dealers’ say in PUDA office Apropos of the news item “Pen down protest by PUDA staff” published in The Tribune on November 19, it is stated that a visit to the PUDA office will reveal that only property dealers have their say in the office. They have developed such relations with the staff that they (property dealers) are seen moving frequently from one table to another with files in their hands. VIP treatment is given to them by the PUDA staff as they get their work done on priority and papers are delivered to them by hand. On the contrary, the general public is not even attended to, what to talk of redressal of grievances, because only property dealers can oblige the staff. There is no authority in PUDA to take action against erring officials. Nirmal Singh,
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Taxi driver returns lost mobile phone Chandigarh, November 23 ‘‘I saw the mobile phone falling from the girl’s pocket. I picked up the phone and went after the motor cycle but soon lost sight of the bike,’’ Mr Rajesh said. He made calls on the last number dialled from the phone but he got no response. Then he waited for about an hour for the owner to call back. It was only after reaching the Panjab University campus, Ms Bhullar realised that she had lost her phone. ‘‘I went back to Sector 9 to search for the phone but failed to trace it. Then I called up my number and the person (Rajesh) on the other side assured me that my phone was safe,’’ Ms Bhullar said. Mr Rajesh of Sector 37 parks his taxi (HP01 0655) at the taxi-stand near the General Hospital, Sector 16.
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Community Centre to be named after martyr Panchkula, November 23 Major Vats belonged to Panchkula and had done his schooling and college from Chandigarh. The House Owners Association of Sector 4, where the martyrs’ parents are staying, had asked the CM to name the community centre after him. Mr Chautala went to the cremation ground where the family members of Major Vats had assembled to collect his ashes. His kirya ceremony will be held on November 30 at the Sector 6 Luxmi Narain Mandir. |
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65-year-old missing Mohali, November 23 His nephew, Mr Rajesh told Chandigarh Tribune that Mr Gangar had returned about a fortnight ago from Canada after visiting his daughter there and was not in a proper state of mind. ‘‘He had lost his mental balance and was also behaving strangely since he returned,’’ Mr Rajesh said.
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Child killed after being hit by cart Chandigarh, November 23 The police said Amit was seriously injured in the accident and was rushed to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, where he
succumbed to his injuries. The body was handed over to the family after postmortem. |
Nose ring of goddess
idol stolen Panchkula, November 23 He grew suspicious and called for them to stop, but they picked up their pace and continued to walk towards the exit. The priest ran after them, but they escaped under the cover of darkness. The priest said they were carrying a mobile phone and appeared to be about 20 years of age and from well-to-do families.
Theft:
A resident of the Punjab MLA Flats, Mr Kiran Pal Singh, reported to the police that his servant, Sumith had on Saturday stolen few jewellery, a mobile phone and Rs 3,000 from an almirah of Flat No. 41. Sumith allegedly committed the theft by breaking the lock of the
almirah. A case under Section 381 of the IPC has been registered against the servant. Meanwhile, Mr Sukhpal Singh of Sector 37 reported that his TVS Victor motor cycle (PB 27 B 1642) was stolen from Sector 37C on Thursday. A case has been registered. Body found:
The police on Sunday found the body of a person along N-Choe in Sector 16. The victim in his early forties looked like a beggar, the police said and added that there were no mark of external injuries.
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Man found
dead Panchkula, November 23 |
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Trader forgoes profit on
hospital beds Chandigarh: He is a businessman with a difference. Though he runs his business guided by the profit motive, but not when it comes to supplying beds to hospitals. Mohali-based Amardeep Sharma, a manufacturer of metal furniture, has supplied 315 beds to Government Medical College and Hospital at half the price, leading to a saving of Rs 15 lakh. “We saved an additional Rs 15 lakh expenditure, as the beds supplied by Mr Sharma are not only cheaper, but also of a better quality,” said Dr Raj Bahadur, Medical Superintendent,
GMCH. While most of the firms had quoted prices between Rs 9,500 and Rs 10,000 for each hospital bed, Mr Sharma supplied these at Rs 4,500 each. Besides, the beds supplied by him were almost 15 to 20 kg heavier than the ones to be supplied by other firms.
TNS
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Panchkula, November 23
