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Rodrigues’ charity trips govt schools
Chandigarh, March 29 Over 15 government schools that spent over Rs 20,000 to make arrangements last year for Rodrigues to ‘help’ poor children are now left wondering how to settle the payments. “The governor had come to my school to distribute sweaters to some children studying at nearby alternative innovative education (AIE) centres. All arrangements, right from getting the lawn ready, arranging a ‘shamiana’ (canopy) to organise ‘high tea cost us more than Rs 15,000. Now when I’ve to audit the school account books I’m unable to decide under which head I should adjust these payments so that I’m not later accused of embezzling funds,” said a principal of a well-known government school. During autumn and winter last year Rodrigues and his wife had visited many schools and AIE centres on on ‘charity trips’ to distribute sweaters and books. “They would usually be accompanied by up to 20 officials on whom money had to be spent on entertainment”, said a school principal on condition of anonymity. “The sweaters that they distributed on each occasion would not have been worth more than Rs 5,000. However, it cost our school about Rs 13,000 to make arrangements for the distribution function”, explained another principal. And just what were these “arrangements”? “Grilled sandwiches, rentals for expensive chairs and ‘shamianas’, redoing lawns along with placement of decorative pieces, lighting when organised at night….the list is long”, explained one principal. “Now I don’t know under which head I should adjust all these expenses so that I don’t run into any kind of trouble,” said another principal. When contacted district education officer Chanchal Singh responded with a word of advice for the school principals rather than a solution. “They (the principals) know their powers and limits. If they think they are in any sort of trouble they should come to officials and not go to the media,” he said, while declining to explain how the dilemma could be resolved. Both UT home secretary Ram Niwas and finance secretary Sanjay Kumar did not attend to their phone when called. “This is a major problem with many schools that spent lavishly to appease the former administrator. They had taken up this issue with the UT education department but we were unable to pay for each individual function. Such large amounts of money spent on a VIP function cannot be justified under any fund. The principals should have known their limits,” said a senior UT finance department official.
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Daughter of ex-IAS officer found hanging at home
Chandigarh, March 29 The deceased’s family members told the police she had gotten engaged to a Delhi-based boy and her ring ceremony, scheduled for yesterday, was called off as she was severely depressed. Shruti, who had completed a fashion designing course in the United States, was suffering from depression for the past five years and was undergoing psychiatric treatment at PGI. Family members told the cops she was taken to the hospital yesterday also. Soon after the news spread, relatives, bureaucrats and reporters thronged the deceased’s house. Shruti’s inconsolable maternal uncle requested the media not to disturb them. He said his niece was engaged to a boy belonging to a “good family” and he and his relatives had told the boy’s family to either postpone or cancel the ring ceremony on Sunday as she was not keeping well. “She was depressed and might have taken the extreme step after she found she was unable to cope with the circumstances”, he added. The death came to light in the morning when Shruti’s mother, Swati Kumar, a legal manager at the Haryana Warehouse Corp, went to her room on the first floor of the house after her daughter did not come down. Swati found the door locked from inside and there was no response to her repeated knocks. She then peeped inside through a window and found her daughter hanging from a ceiling fan with a ‘dupatta’. Hearing her cries her servant as well as neighbours soon arrived and broke open the door. They lowered the body and immediately called up a hospital. The victim was rushed to the Government Multipecialty Hospital, Sector 16 where she was declared dead on arrival. Meanwhile,
the police was also informed about the incident. The investigating officer of the case, Gurbachan Singh, told TNS the police received information about the incident at around 7 am and called in experts from the Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory (CFSL), Sector 36 to examine the scene. The latter also examined the deceased’s body at the hospital before the postmortem. After conducting the postmortem doctors at the hospital said the body bore no injury marks and death was caused due to asphyxia due to hanging. Shruti, whose father died ten years ago, was the eldest daughter in the family and her two sisters are studying. A landline phone installed in Shruti’s room was found to have been disconnected. The cops said they would examine her laptop and cellphone to get some possible clues to ascertain the reason behind her taking the extreme step. The police has initiated inquest proceedings into the death and will send the deceased’s viscera samples and clothes to CFSL for further examination.
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Cement Scam
Chandigarh, March 29 The MC sought the administration’s intervention, saying that in preliminary reports certain lower-level officials, including a chowkidar and a junior engineer, had been indicted. Chandermukhi, a Congress councillor, said: “Such a big scam was not possible without the collusion of seniors and the reports appeared more of a cover-up exercise to save certain heads. Don’t expect these poor chaps to speak. Let us have an independent inquiry.” Pointing out certain lapses, he said: “The agreement of the contractor under question had lapsed in February and there was no extension. Who gave the permission for reinforced cement at the government store? There is need for a consultant for all projects over Rs 2 crore, but we had none. A sum of Rs 28 lakh were paid to the contractor after the expiry of the contract.” Pradeep Chhabra, a former Mayor, said: “The
The MC, meanwhile, decided that water meters would be installed at 21,322 “un-metered” connections in slums. A councillor pointed out that the matter was never taken up during the tenure of the previous Mayor despite repeated messages from the Centre. The UT has to show regularised meter connections to seek any benefit under the JNURRM. Devinder Babla, a Congress councillor who is in judicial custody, was granted permission to abstain from the house meeting for a month. The MC also decided that instead of several fountains, as planned earlier, it should go in for alternative water features like Shanti Kunj. The issue of the garbage processing plant at Dadu Majra did not generate much heat in the house. The house was informed that the corporation had already taken action against the company by forfeiting the security amount of more Rs 1 crore.
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UT bites off more than it can chew
Chandigarh, March 29
With fingers being raised about the authenticity of the biometric survey conducted to identify beneficiaries, rehabilitating each slum dweller is likely to be a Herculean task. This will result in prime land still being occupied by slum dwellers even after rehabilitaiton of “eligible” slum dwellers, defeating the very purpose for which the policy was formulated. Even if eligible families are rehabilitated, the fate of several other families would still hang in balance. Thousands of families over and above eligible families have occupied government land. “How will the administration free the encroached land?” Angrej Singh, president of the Pind Bachao Committee, asked. Tempers ran high during recent camps organised to identify the beneficiaries as hundreds of colony residents alleged that their names were not included in the list despite the fulfilment of the eligibility criteria. Officials are facing a tough time to convince residents that only those figuring as residents prior to a cut-off date were eligible for rehabilitation.Under the rehabilitation project, the administration had earmarked about 356 acres (20 per cent) of the net available 2,811 acres. The slum dwellers are to be housed in 18 colonies at eight locations across the city. “The new settlements will be integrated mini townships with a provision for dispensaries, creches, anganwaris, schools, community centres and services shops. Each block of 64 flats will have a common open area, regular drinking water supply, overhead water storage tanks, streetlights, metalled roads and parks,” a senior official claimed. Each dwelling unit would cost Rs 4.7 lakh and would be allotted on a licence fee basis. “The licence fee worked out to more than Rs 3,300, which was steep for them. The administration has now decided to charge a token licence fee of just Rs 1,000 a month from each unit,” the official added. Though the administration may be thinking big on the rehabilitation front, the ground reality is different. The project is already well behind schedule as a major part of the project is to come from Rs 1,600 crore accruals from Parsvnath’s Prideasia. With the Prideasia project in a limbo, a resource crunch would hit the slum project. According to the findings of a survey, 23,841 slum families comprising over one lakh persons have been found eligible for flats; 90 per cent slum families are nuclear in size; monthly income of 85 per cent ranges between Rs 1,000 and Rs 3,000; 81 per cent have been living in the city for over 10 years and 35 per cent for over 20 years.
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PU leaders in haste to woo
Chandigarh, March 29 A fortnight before the examinations, Panjab University student leaders are wooing students on the campus as a last-minute effort and a pre-election gimmick. Even before the present Panjab University Campus Student Council (PUCSC), comprising Students Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU) and Indian National Students Organisation (INSO) dissolves, the rival student body, Panjab University Students Union (PUSU) has already begun to persuade voters. Poll activities usually intensify soon after the announcement of panels of prominent student parties. The protest staged by PUSU supporters outside the VC’s office today against the recent vehicle thefts on the campus is one such in a series of protest over the past two months. In what could only be comical, despite an assurance by the Dean on the issue of security, the protesters continued to pose for photojournalists for over 15 minutes. The effort to “flatter” students just before they get occupied with examinations and leave during summer break, is not restricted to any one party. The Akhil Bhatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and SOPU are not far behind in the race. In keeping with the last year’s election manifesto, the PUCSC has begun evaluating teachers with only a few weeks left for the annual examinations. In an effort to excuse them of the “charge”, party supporters said they had been waiting for the authorities to implement teacher’s evaluation, but since the procedure had taken long, they decided to implement it now. Not lagging behind and using its final strategy to help students, the ABVP is now set to organise a regional job fair on April 2, to which students from the university’s regional centres have also been invited.
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CAT setback for quota candidates
Chandigarh, March 29 “The reserved candidates are not entitled to occupy unreserved promotional posts even if they qualify departmental examination on the basis of concessions meant for reserved categories,” mentioned the order passed by a full Bench comprising Promilla Issar, Shyama Dogra and Justice VK Bali. Narinder Kumar Dhanda, working as office superintendent, office of ITO (CIB), Davinder Pal Singh, stenographer Grade-I, office of Additional commissioner of Income Tax, Range I, and Yoginder Pal, stenographer Grade-I, office of Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Hisar, had submitted before the tribunal that they belonged to the reserved SC category. They had joined service as stenographers in 1989. The next channel of promotion for them was to the post of inspector by way of qualifying the departmental examination, as per recruitment rules. They had qualified this examination with relaxed standards, as provided under rules, and percentage thereof was reduced from time to time. They contended that when eligibility list of holding DPC for unreserved posts was issued, their names were not included therein, though they were senior and had qualified the inspector grade while their juniors were promoted without considering them for promotion to the post of inspector. They pleaded that their right to consideration had been infringed upon. The representation made by one of the applicants had also been rejected. They said they had the right to be considered for promotion against general or unreserved posts and the instructions or office memorandum on which the respondents had placed reliance were not applicable in the present facts of the case as they were applicable for competitive examinations to be held for direct recruitment only. The counsel affirmed that the purpose of allowing relaxed-category candidates in these departmental examinations was to bring them on a par with general-category candidates and once they qualified the examination, irrespective of the fact that they had qualified with relaxed standards, they were to be treated on a par with general-category candidates and being senior to general-category candidates, they were entitled to be promoted on their own merit. Narinder Kumar Dhanda and Davinder Pal Singh had already been promoted to the post of IT officer. In view of this, the tribunal said the promotions made by the department should continue as such till the pendency of the final decision in a similar case pending before the Andhra Pradesh High Court or any other court of superior jurisdiction.
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Upkeep of golf course
Chandigarh, March 29 Jeev made these observations after having a feel of the fairways and tees, which have acquired a lush-green look barely five months after a professional golf agency from England signed a six-month trial contract on December 15 for the upkeep of the golf course. Accompanied by course captain IPS Mann, the Chandigarh golf icon had a note of caution: “There should be no interference in a long-term plan to give a new look to the course. The subsequent committees should be as committed as the present one to keep the five-year maintenance plan going.” The David Hemstock Associates are in India on a contract to do several greens for the Commonwealth Games in Delhi. They are also designers for the Aamby Valley Golf course, which has been adjudged second best golf course in Asia. The course captain apprised Jeev of the five-year roll-on plan, which they hope to implement after getting a nod from the annual general body meeting of the club. “There should be no going back,” said Jeev and added: “Continuity in the maintenance of the course is of utmost importance. I am sure the AGM will have no hesitation in passing this five-year roll-on plan.” Also accompanied by club president BS Gill and secretary-general Nippy Ghai, the golf star had a close look of the fairways and tees and was visibly satisfied at the upkeep of the course after the five-month trial period. Mann showed the pucca drainage outlets through which stagnant water from choked greens had been flushed out. Jeev was happy that his appeal for a permanent golf professional for the course had been heeded. “Now that you have got a good golf designer from England, keep him. Get the AGM’s nod before the club elections so that the new committee continues with the good work,” he added. The 65th ranked world golfer is in Chandigarh for a three-week rest. He had taken time out from his busy US Tour schedule to be with his wife Kudrat and two-month-old son Harjai.
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Haemophilia patients have reason to cheer
Chandigarh, March 29 Prof Neelam Marwaha, head of transfusion medicine department, PGI, while addressing the patients of haemophilia at a one-day open clinic organised by the Hemophilic Welfare Society of Chandigarh at the Community Centre, Sector 15, yesterday said there was an abundant quantity of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) in the blood bank at the PGI, which was being provided to the patients with haemophilia on demand. However, there was an acute shortage of cryoprecipitate due to non-availability of staff and equipment. She assured the patients that from June, they would be getting sufficient quantity of cryoprecipitate. She also informed the patients that national plasma fractionation facility was being set-up in Chennai in collaboration with Germany for manufacturing factors VIII and IX. Presently, factors VIII and IX was being imported from the UK, Austria and Italy, which was expensive and beyond the reach of the poor. One unit of factor VIII was priced at Rs 10 and factor IX at Rs 12. With the manufacturing facility at home, the same factor would be available at half of the existing price in the overseas market. Citing the need of government participation, Professor Marwaha also asked various hemophilic societies in the state to unite to put pressure on the Punjab government to extend the facility of giving free factor VIII and IX to the patients. She also advised the patients to get them medically checked regularly so as to maintain the baseline level of factors VIII and IX. She also urged the society to update the data of the PWHs for research and reference purposes. As many as 300 patients were clinically checked and AHF VIII was also infused to needy PWHs. Dr Pallavi Saini, physiotherapist, demonstrated a few exercises to the PWHs for improving the mobility of joints. Mayor Anu Chatrath asked the society to submit a detailed agenda so that she could take up the case for giving free factors VIII and IX to the patients with the Punjab Governor-cum- UT Administrator Shivraj V Patil.
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Registration of conveyance deed
Mohali, March 29 The sub-registrar at the tehsil office, who is supposed to register the CDs, turned up at 12 noon. By the time the sub-registrar, Raj Pal Singh Sekhon, turned up there were over 60 applications piled up on his table. Another 30 applications piled up later in the evening, taking the total of around 90 applications. Only 33 applications were dealt with and the remaining returned. More applications would pile up tomorrow. A number of irritated applicants lamented that on one hand the Punjab Government was giving the waiver and on the other hand the officials in the sub-registrar office were taking the issue casually. “There is no token system to number the applications. No one is bothered to help out the people,” said Amrik Singh, one of the applicants, who took full-day leave from his bank along with his wife. Due to the indifference of the employees in the sub-registrar’s office, the witnesses brought along by the applicants also had to wait. Many of the witnesses had to take a day off from their jobs to testify before the sub-registrar. There is no proper sitting arrangement at the office. SDM, Mohali, Ravinder Pal Walia, said due to technical snag in the computer system towards the evening, the work got delayed.
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Hostage Drama
Panchkula, March 29 Addressing the rallyists during the gate rally held at City Sub Station Unit in Industrial Area here today, Ashok Chhibber, chief adviser, Haryana State Electricity Board Union (H/O Bhiwani), said if the administration failed to register cases against two miscreants -- Balwinder Singh and Kuldeep Singh -- both residents of Saketri village, for manhandling the powermen who had gone to disconnect the illegal ‘kundi’ connections, they would be forced to hold a dharna tomorrow near the SP’s office, near the civil secretariat. On March 26, employees of the Haryana electricity department entered Saketri village to check electricity theft when a team, including two SDOs, junior engineers and several linemen, was held hostage by residents. More than 12 employees were let free only after 5 hours of their illegal confinement on the intervention of the local police and the administration. The villagers had alleged that the staff members were taking pictures of their womenfolk. However, SP Maneesh Chaudhary said cases were registered against the accused last evening and added that the powermen might not be aware of the same. The employees of the Sub Unit, Urban Sub Unit, SDOs, junior engineers and other Class IV employees of all the sub stations in the district were among those who participated in the gate rally.
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5-day Bharat Nirman campaign begins
Panchkula, March 29 DK Bansal, MLA, Panchkula, stated this while addressing the people on the inaugural day of the five-day Bharat Nirman Public Information Campaign being held at Barwala town about 16 km from here today. Bansal said Rs 5,000-crore budget had been allocated under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for the facelift of the urban area in the state. He said there was a proposal to construct over 50,000 houses for the people of the weaker sections. He said under the Indira Gandhi Drinking Water Schemes, 8 lakh families would be benefited out of which 80 per cent had already been covered. Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Ashish Goel, joint director, PIB, said their campaign would focus on the programmes such as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), National Rural Health Mission, Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), Right to Information Act, Women Empowerment, Integrated Child Development Services, PM’s New 15-point programme for the welfare of minorities, Aam Admi Bima Yojana, health insurance for poor, and Indira Gandhi Pension Schemes etc. He said campaign slogan contest, quiz contest on Bharat Nirman and health check-up camps would be held with the active participation of schoolchildren, aanganwari workers and local health authorities.
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Molestation Case
Chandigarh, March 29 Though the Director, Higher Education (DHE), Ajoy Sharma, declined to divulge details, sources said the decision to consult psychologists was dictated by the need to decipher the truth from the statements and body language of both the accused and the victim. They also motivated the girl to record her statement without fear or pressure. The sources said the student had a word with the college principal before meeting the DHE, before whom her statement was recorded. The DHE also summoned college principal JS Raghu, who stood by his earlier version that the student had approached him with the complaint, only to withdraw it soon after. The DHE began checking the teacher’s past record.
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4 students get scholarship worth Rs 36,000
Patiala, March 29 According to director, Youth Welfare, Dr Satish Kumar Verma, the awards constituted cash prizes worth Rs 1.25 lakh, medals and certificates in addition to scholarships to four students worth Rs 36,000. While the first position holders were given cash prizes of Rs 5,100, winners of the second and third positions were given cash prizes of Rs 3,100 and 2,100, respectively. The winners of over all trophies in the Punjabi University Inter-College Youth festivals were given cash prizes of Rs 11,000, while the second and third position holders were given Rs 7,500 and 5,100, respectively. Chief guest Dr MS Saini, dean, academic affairs encouraged students to fight it out with determination, while keeping the spirit of sportsmanship intact. The four students who were given scholarships of Rs 9,000 each included Vijay Yamla, Rajwinder Singh, Manmohanpreet Singh and Jaspreet Singh.
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PUTAS’s bulletin draws flak
Chandigarh, March 29 The non-teaching employees federation of the Panjab University today objected to the references made to the recent Rose Festival held on the campus. In a press note released by the non-teachers’ federation, the members said PUTA’s remarks had created a rift between the teachers and the non-teachers in the PU. “Since we did not support them on the issue of central status for PU, as it was a matter between the governments and the PU authorities, now PUTA is taking a revenge,” said Dharam Paul, president of the federation. The non-teachers also accused PUTA, in the press release, of disrupting harmony on the campus by pointing out at an event, which was organised by the administration. “We take pride in organising the Rose Festival on the campus, which encourages non-teachers to participate in such events. If some one does not like the festival it does not entitle them to use bulletin as a tool,” said the president. He also accused the PUTA president and the secretary of misusing the platform of the association to propagate petty politics.
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Theatre fest kicks off
Chandigarh, March 29 The fest featured two full-length plays directed by Sudesh Sharma, director and co-founder of TFT (Theatre for Theatre), and general secretary Manu Bajaj. The first play to be staged was “Court Marshal”- story of the Indian army portraying the honour, righteousness and the discrimination against cast, which is present in the armed forces.
— tns
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Goal to eradicate polio by year-end, says Rotary head
Kolkata’s Nitish Laharry had first occupied the position in 1961-62, followed by RK Saboo who held the position in 1991-92. Kalyan Banerjee has been chosen for 2011-12. Explaining the process of election, RK Saboo said the electorate consisted of 34 persons from different countries and continents. “By the end of this year, we are hoping to achieve the zero polio target,” said Kalyan Banerjee, also the director of United Phosphorus Limited, who was in the city on his way back from a special felicitation function organised by the Rotarians of District 3080 of Rotary Ambala Cantt, yesterday. Banerjee, who is all praise for the governments, both at Centre and State, said, “It’s really encouraging to see Indian leadership at global level, especially in Rotary. After all, it’s the good work that counts.” Not spilling the beans on what could be the next campaign for the Rotary after the success of polio eradication, as that could still hamper the last leg of this ongoing campaign, he hinted at bringing at par the literacy rate in our country compared to the global literacy rate. “At present, the global literacy rate is touching 75 per cent, whereas in our country we are still at mere 45 per cent,” he said.
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Career Advancement Scheme
Chandigarh, March 29 According to sources, among the key decisions taken by the syndicate members was the discussion on the Career Advancement Scheme (CAS) for teachers, in which a nod has been given to hundreds of cases of promotion under the scheme. The new regulations of the University Grants Commission were awaited, therefore, the matter was on hold. Now after the UGC’s nod, the promotions would be done as per the earlier regulations. After the subject was introduced by Syndicate member Ashok Goyal, Vice-Chancellor Prof RC Sobti intervened to continue promotions on top priority in April. The Vice-Chancellor has also called for an all faculty meeting on Tuesday for an important announcement. Apprehending declaration of arrears to be released for teachers, a Syndicate member also informed that the university had received Rs 42.68 crore on Monday, which was committed by the Central government for budget deficit of 2009. In what is being viewed as an entryway for more grants after the removal of fixed capping by the Central government, a visit of a special review team to visit campus from April 14-16 was also announced. The team would review the requirement of funds. “The Centre pays 60 per cent of the budget deficit, but the task force visiting the campus can propose a rise in the amount being paid by the Centre under different heads,” informed a syndicate member. Besides, Prof Sudhir Kumar of department of evening studies has been given the additional charge as director public relations, till further orders. Despite protests from certain quarters on the issue, the resolution of dividing the vacations into two parts because of the semester system from 28 May- 4 July, as summer vacation and 18 December to 14 January, as winter break was also passed. The matter was brought to the Syndicate today after receiving a nod from the chairpersons of all departments and the deans. An important decision was also taken regarding colleges, under which special committees would inspect colleges periodically to reduce discrepancies in recruitments, salaries and to deal with the issue of provident fund, informed Prof Karamjeet Singh, another syndicate member. JK Goswami has been appointed the head of Shri Saravanand Giri Institute, Hosiarpur, and Prof Deepak Kapoor, has been given the charge of director Ludhiana centre.
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Biological Sciences
Chandigarh, March 29 The department of zoology, Panjab University, hosted the event in which, Sobti stressed on generating integrative approaches to biological sciences to put latest advancements in the field to a meaningful use. More than 150 participants, including teachers and students attended the conference. The conference is sponsored by the PURSE grant received from DST, New Delhi. “Young researchers will showcase their scientific works via poster presentations during these two days,” informed the organisers. Prof Bhagyashree A Shanbhag from Karnatak University, Dharwad, delivered the keynote address on the evolutionary perspectives of the reproductive strategies in vertebrate animals and their implications in the survival of the species. In the scientific session, Prof G Marimuthu from Madurai Kamraj University, Madurai, apprised the audience of the behavioural aspects of mother-young relations in Indian false vampire bat, while Prof Neeraj Jain from National Brain Research Centre, Gurgaon, shared latest findings about the reorganisation of brain with respect to the information processing after spinal cord injury. Prof Giroti from Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory, Chandigarh, spoke on importance of DNA markers in criminology and population genetics.
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With this, Chandigarh’s dream of being slum free may not be realised with the otherwise much-publicised slum rehabilitation policy of the Chandigarh administration under which around 23,841 families are to be rehabilitated. 
Chandigarh, March 29