Five-year-old Sanjay enjoys a ride on Prashant’s shoulders on his way to the campus dispensary. Prashant, a student of the Centre for Social Work, along with other students, pledged to get the less-privileged children immunised on Saturday. Tribune photos: Manoj Mahajan

While some students assisted the two doctors in vaccinating these children, others were busy organising them in queues inside the dispensary. The more “tolerant” of the students were seen trying to calm down some of the bawling children.

In contrast to many other students on the campus who preferred studying or simply having a good time, these MSW students had pledged to ensure vaccination of all these underprivileged children and create awareness among the parents.

“In a preliminary survey conducted by our centre on the PU campus, it was found that the first major problem was vaccination of these children followed by lack of education. Our next step will be to educate their family members about garbage disposal and ensuring personal hygiene,” said Bankim Singh, a teacher in the Centre for Social Work.

But going by today’s experience that might prove to be challenge, the real task was convincing the parents who seem to have lost faith in such efforts. Several NGOs which started such initiatives in the past never returned,” said Prashant Sharma, an MSW student. “Not surprisingly, many parents doubted our motives, asking why were we doing it for their children,” said Sarina, another MSW student.

Panchkula, April 10
Surinder (30), a watchman of the Bhudd Mandlai, died at the Army range in Raipur Rani when a bullet pierced his heart late last evening. The victim was picking up fired shell covers for extra cash while personnel from the Army and paramilitary forces were carrying out their firing exercise.

The incident occurred when Surinder was returning to his house along with his cattle. Surinder was father of a six-month-old baby. Finishing with the daily exercise of grazing his cattle, he entered the firing zone for collecting shells of fired ammunition for making a little money at the shop of scrap dealers.

The postmortem was conducted at the General Hospital, Sector 6, here today. The SHO, Raipur Rani, said some residents were hiding in the wilderness along the firing range and each time an Army unit fired a mortar, villagers would run to get the shells. The public announcements made by the Army authorities asking people to stay away from the firing range seemed to have no effect on them, he added.

He said the officials of the district administration, the police and the Army had been holding regular meet

ings with the villagers cautioning them not to venture out near the firing range. A sizeable number of households in Bhudd, Bhurewala and Kodu villages have either lost a family member while trying to extract scrap from the unexploded shells or have a member who has suffered a physical injury in such accidents.

One of the villagers, requesting anonymity, said they were experts and would pick only those shells which did not have explosive material. Certain innocent people who had less knowledge often picked a live shell and paid the price, often with their lives, he added.

Shells are sold to certain local dealers, who in turn, sell it to scrap dealers in Naraingarh and Ambala, he added.

In fact, once the authorities concerned had toyed with the idea of either shifting the firing range or the population around it. However, that proposal is yet to translate into a concrete form.

Chandigarh, April 10
A 26-year-old unemployed local youth, who was allegedly beaten up by Punjab police personnel, committed suicide by hanging himself at a park behind a temple in Sector 20 here last night.

Family members of the deceased, identified as Tajinder Singh, claimed that he took the extreme step after being beaten up.

Tajinder was unmarried and resided with his parents and a younger brother in Sector 20-C. His mother Balwinder Kaur said he was short-tempered.

With misty eyes, she said her son was upset ever since he had been ‘mercilessly’ bashed up. He left his house around 5 pm yesterday.

Tajinder’s body was found hanging with a swing at the park. A suicide note was found from his pocket, in which he mentioned that nobody was responsible for his suicide.

“He seemed fine when he had tea last evening. He asked me for Rs 400, which I gave him. He started playing with children at a park nearby, but disappeared soon after. As he did not return the entire night, we thought that he might be at the temple, where he often used to spend

time. The Chandigarh police gave us the worst news of our lives,” said Balbir Singh, lineman with the UT electricity department and father of the deceased. Giving details regarding the Punjab police case, Balbir alleged that he had a dispute over a house at Sector 66 in Mohali. While he owned the first floor, the ground floor was owned by Bhupinder Singh, a police constable.

“Three years ago, a case was registered against Tajinder following a complaint registered by Bhupinder’s wife Manjit Kaur. Last month, we reached a compromise with them, following which Tajinder was acquitted by court,” Balbir said.

Last week, when Tajinder made a round of the house, Bhupinder and Manjit complained to the police again, following which he was bashed up by the police at the Phase XI police post, alleged Balbir.

Chandigarh, April 10
In a blatant violation of the Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) admission bylaws and guidelines of the newly introduced grading system, several city schools have begun making provisional admission to Class XI and that too on the basis of the pre-Board scores.

As per a complaint filed with the CBSE by three parents, a city-based school has begun what is being alleged to be a “biased admission process”, where only those who have secured “good” marks in the school’s internal pre-Board examinations are being promoted to Class XI.

“The Board talks about grades and they are making admissions on the basis of pre-Board results. My child did not fare too well in the pre-Board examinations. So when I went to them to obtain provisional admission for my son, they refused saying he did not have the optimum percentage. What if he gets the requisite grade? Will they make students vacate the seats which are filled by the time the Board results are declared?”a complainant.

While parents might be crying foul, HS Mamik, president of the Independent Schools Association, dismissed the allegations, saying schools were just trying to gain an extra academic month.

“What is wrong in it? It does not violate any law. In fact a recent CBSE circular has appreciated our move. They have only imposed one condition - that schools will not ask any child to change his stream once the boards result are declared,” he said.

This circular, however, was initially issued in 2007 when a hue and cry was raised by the students who had taken provisional admission in a specific stream in Class XI but were asked to switch once the Boards results were declared.

The practice is being followed in many other city-based schools, which are finding it hard to wait for the Board results. In addition to being a violation of the

admission bylaws, what also makes it a grave issue are the speculated consequences on the proposed education reforms. With the introduction of grades in Class X, the CBSE is trying to eradicate the number system which classifies students as either toppers or below average with no in-between grade.

With schools making provisional admissions, the battle seems to have already been lost by the CBSE and many parents.

“No circular legalises provisional admissions. We have made grading a mandatory system but they have violated our directive by starting these admissions on the basis of marks scored in the pre-board examinations. As per rules, these students are still not eligible for Class XI.

So such admission is illegal. If they really have the intention of gaining an extra academic month, why not enroll all the students of their school to the next class? Most of the city schools have started with this as they want to block the fee of the students and retain what they call the creme-de-la-creme of Class X,” said the CBSE’s Regional Director DR Yadav, who promised to take strict action against all erring schools.

Chandigarh, April 10
As the sweltering heat continues, more cases of diarrhoea and gastroenteritis are being reported at various hospitals across the city.At least 50 fresh cases were reported from resettlement and slum colonies at Mauli Jagran, Ram Darbar, Bapu Dham and Saketri, taking the total number of cases since Thursday to 100.

The number of patients could be much higher, with several patients seeking treatment at private hospitals and clinics.

About half-a-dozen cases were reported today at the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16 , 10 at the PGI’s paediatric OPD, and between 20 and 30 at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32. The day temperature crossed the 39 degree Celsius mark today and the humidity level rose to 50 per cent.

Dr G Verma, deputy medical superintendent at the GMSH, said the number of patients had increased due to the changing weather. “The turnout of patients suffering from diarrhoea and gastroenteritis at the paediatric emergency has almost doubled in the past two or three days,” he said.

The cases of water-borne diseases like diarrhoea, dehydration and vomitting were a major cause of concern, doctors said. “One should see a doctor in case headache, vomitting or high fever persists for more than 24 hours. Extra precaution should be taken in case of children, the elderly and expecting women,” said Dr Verma.

Doctors advised people to drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration, but avoid water and beverages being sold on the roadside. “One must be careful about food and water during summer. The number of patients with symptoms of water-borne diseases rises this time of the year,” they said.

“Freshly cooked food must be preferred over uncooked options since gastro-intestinal problems become common. We see a lot of cases of food poisoning, dysentery and gastric problems during summer,” said Dr Deepak Bhasin of the PGI’s gastroenterology department. People should not ignore dehydration or diarrhoea and they should consult a physician immediately if their condition worsened, he said.

Chandigarh, April 10
The Pearls Institute of Hospitality and Management has hired Australian speedster Brett Lee as its brand ambassador.CEO of the institute Captain Sandeep Singh Sandhu said they had shortlisted a few cricketers for the job, but the final choice fell on Brett Lee. “He represents Kings’ XI, Punjab, that is our team (representing Punjab) and he is also an icon among the cricket lovers,” Sandhu remarked.

Brett Lee was presented as the brand ambassador at an impressive function of the institute at a hotel here. The function was attended among others by director Sikander Singh, CEO Captain Sandhu, Principal Matthew Sorensen and administrator Satbir Singh Khatra.

Lee also unveiled the web portal of the institute on the occasion. He said, “As a brand ambassador, I want to be associated with the best and this association has not happened overnight.” Fielding questions about his personal life the cricketer said, “I hadn’t decided on being a cricketer. It just happened. Before cricket, I was keen on music, fashion line and acting…”

He said he was keen on acting in Bollywood movies. “I have acted in Hindi movie “Victory” …. and look forward to do more films after the cricket season is over,” 
he said.

He also answered questions about dismal performance of the King XI Punjab in the IPL. “Punjabis have a “never say die” attitude. That’s what the Punjabi immunity is all about. Though we haven’t fared well this season, it’s a matter of gathering inner pride and playing in the remaining matches,” he said.

Chandigarh, April 10
While night-vision devices have become indispensable in military aviation due to operational requirements in today’s security environment, a study by medical experts has revealed that such devices adversely affect pilots’ judgement of distance and height.

The study revealed that underestimation of distances from the subject to an object, while using night-vision goggles (NVGs), was “highly significant”, while there was significant overestimation in distance between two defined objects.

Distance judgement and depth perception are fundamental skills required in aviation.

Accurate distance estimation is an important task for most aircraft pilots and is extremely critical for helicopter pilots.

The study, which has been published in the latest issue of the Journal of Aerospace Medicine, was conducted by specialists from the Institute of Naval Medicine, Mumbai, and the Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Bangalore. It involved 30 healthy volunteers, including a woman, in the age group of 20-35 years.

Use of night-vision devices, night-vision goggles and forward-looking infrared devices are gaining predominance because offensive air support to ground forces or special and covert operations involving airlift of troops have to be undertaken in the dark or low-light conditions. Besides this, search and rescue operations have also to be carried out.

According to the study, these devices do not provide normal photopic vision and thus compromise human performance in certain important areas. The prime shortcoming of these devices includes reduced acuity of vision, smaller field of view and a spectral sensitivity that is different from the human visual system.

These differences have been cited as potential factors leading to problems with their use during flights.

Distance judgement and depth perception are fundamental skills required in aviation, but the study observed that this is not taught in pilot training. Rather, rules of thumb are typically passed on from instructor to student in an informal and invalidated manner.

Accurate distance estimation is critical for helicopter pilots as they have to manoeuvre among trees and other obstacles, fly at low altitudes, land in very low clearance areas and maintain a hover at a fixed altitude above a certain point. All these piloting tasks require accurate distance estimation to implement the manoeuvre properly and safely.

Inaccurate distance estimation has been determined by the US Army to be a factor in some night crew-error accidents.

Chandigarh, April 10
Holding United India Insurance Company Limited deficient in service, the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has directed it to pay Rs 1,20,525 along with 7 per cent as interest till realisation to Lakhwinder Singh.

Aggrieved by the order passed by the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, Mohali-based Lakhwinder, along with his mother Gurbachan Kaur, had appealed to the commission. Lakhwinder, deputy manager, HFCL, Infotel Limited, Mohali, had secured a group mediclaim insurance policy, under which employees and their dependants were covered for various medical expenses.

A patient of hypertension, Gurbachan was dependent on Lakhwinder. She was taken to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, Chandigarh, when she felt chest pain. She was referred to the PGI, where they incurred Rs 1,20,525 as expenses on her treatment. The original bills were submitted to the insurance company for claim.

The company had stated its inability to accept the liability. Lakhwinder made a representation to the company for illegal and wrongful rejection of the claim. The company, in its reply, had submitted that that Gurbachan was a hypertension patient for the last six years and having chest pain for the last four or five years.

As per her medical records, she was having stable angina for the last four or five years, which was confirmed in angiography. The HFCL had submitted that it was the duty of the insurance company to make the payment.

The forum had dismissed the complaint, stating that complainant was suffering from the disease prior to taking the policy and she had suppressed the information.

“After the perusal of reports issued by the cardiologist at the PGI, we have come to the conclusion that there was no history of previous treatment of angina,” the commission said.

“There are various medical conditions causing chest pain and chest pain is not the only signal for heart-related diseases. The forum has wrongly observed a pre-existing disease and the respondents have failed to prove that the complainant had taken treatment for chest pain,” it added.

Mohali, April 10
Deputy Commissioner Prabhjot Singh Mand has directed officials of various departments to coordinate with panchayats concerned to ensure that thikri pehras were organised in the rural areas from April 15 to prevent damage to power grids and transmission lines.

Employees of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) will be holding protests on April 15 against the unbundling of the power board, which were likely to disrupt essential services. It was necessary to make arrangements so that the protests did not adversely affect the life of the residents.

Mand, who was addressing senior officials of the district, said it should be ensured that a lax attitude was not adopted by officials during the protest period and a proper coordination was maintained among employees of various departments to ensure that no inconvenience was caused to the residents.

He said at the district level, control rooms had been set up at his office and that of the superintending engineer of the power board. At the sub-division level, control rooms had been set up at the office of the SDM and the executive engineer concerned.

SSP Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said activities of suspected elements would be kept under watch. He said, “Government property belonged to the people and it is our duty to protect it from persons who want to damage it.” Coordination would be maintained with officials of different departments during the strike by PSEB employees so that no untoward incident took place.

Chandigarh, April 10
It was yet another day of harassment for litigants at the district courts here today. Though the indefinite fast by members of the Bar association was called off later in the day following intervention of the Mohali Superintendent of Police, litigants had to return disappointed after taking fresh dates. Almost all cases scheduled for today were adjourned.

The disappointment was more pronounced on the litigants who had come from as far as Saharanpur, Fazilka, Rohtak, Kaithal and even Mumbai. Michael Gonsalves had specially flown in from Mumbai to be present for a hearing at the district courts. Hoping that the hearing would be over within an hour, he had booked his return flight for the afternoon.

“When I reached here, I was bugged to see lawyers on strike. As a result, my matter was not taken up,” he told the Chandigarh Tribune. “I will now have to come again for my case. This means wasting one more day, which will affect my work,” he added. He said his six-month case was expected to be decided on today. His case was adjourned for next month.

It was a similar story for Rama Devi, a housewife residing in Mani Majra. She had been fighting her case for the last two years. “Why do we have to suffer if there is some problem between lawyers and the police,” she asked. “We are going through a bad phase and lawyers should think about us,” she said.

“It becomes all the more problematic for those who are working as one has to take leave from work in advance,” said another litigant, who did not wish to be identified. “I started my journey from Saharanpur early this morning, hoping that I would be free by afternoon. But after reaching here, I found the scene to be different. My lawyer refused to take up the case, saying he would be forced to pay fine if he represented me today. I personally appeared in court to get a date,” he said.

Chandigarh, April 10
An impressive cultural evening was held as a part of the installation ceremony of the new governing council of the Chandigarh Press Club here tonight. 

Chandigarh, April 10
A bal panchayat was launched at Bapu Dham. The 15-member body has been formed to look after the problems and offer solutions to elders and the administration.

The decision was taken in a meeting organised by Yuvsatta, an NGO. Over 300, including children, attended the meeting. Pramod Sharma of Yuvsatta said the formation of such panchayat aimed at teaching children a lesson of participation and self-expression.

They would come to know about their democratic rights at an early stage of life, he added. On finding shortcomings in the democratic set up, children would raise questions, he added.

He said their questions would help bring a change in the set up as well as society.

Suman, a student of Class X, was elected president of the panchayat. Abhishek and Manoj of Class IV were the youngest among all.

Elected members: Chairman: Akash; vice-chairman: Shailender; president: Suman; vice-president: Priya; secretaries: Nagma, Raj Karan, Kanchan and other members are Abhishek, Manoj, Akshya, Ashu, Shivani, Preeti, Surajbhan and Kajal. 

Chandigarh, April 10
Raids were conducted at three canteens on the Panjab University campus at 1 pm today.

A number of complaints poured in from students and teachers that the canteen owners had employed some minors as waiters and dishwashers.

So an inspection team was constituted by the Vice-Chancellor to check the same.

The team comprising Muneeshwar Joshi, officer on special duty, and Jitender Mohan, professor emeritus, department of psychology, conducted the raids at three canteens located in the arts block.

“We did not find any child employed in the canteens here. After conducting raids at other canteens, a report will shortly be submitted to the VC,” said Mohan.

However, after today’s raids, canteen owners will be on alert defeating the very purpose of checking this malpractice.

Out of the 15 student hostels located on the campus, seven are for male students and eight are for female students. About 20 to 25 employees are employed for catering, cooking and serving at these hostels.

“Some mess contractors own canteens at various departments as well as hostels on the campus. Although it is selectively practiced, some contractors do employ children below 14 years of age, who mostly belong to poor families and are in dire need of food and shelter,” said a canteen owner on condition of anonymity.

“A notice has been issued to all contractors, warning them against any such practice. If they still continue to employ minors, their contract will be cancelled,” said PU Vice-Chancellor RC Sobti.

Chandigarh, April 10
Worried about low grades? An extra effort put in sports or in any other extra-curricular activity might do wonders to your scorecard from this session.In its latest declaration, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has said that Class IX and X students, who fare well in extra-curricular activities, will be entitled to an increase in their grade in one or even two academic subjects.

As per this rule to be implemented as part of the continuous comprehensive evaluation (CCE), a student might gain up to 42 grade points out of a total of 100 marks while being assessed in the non-academic performance, which would be over and above what the student scores academically.

The student will be evaluated on his performance in areas such as physical education, participation in school clubs, other cultural activities and even his attitude towards his peers and teachers.

If he is able to secure a score between 34 and 42 out of 50 marks in the extra-curricular activities, he stands a chance to raise his grade by one level in two different subjects. Similarly, those who score between 19 and 33 points out of 50 marks would get this benefit in one subject.

“The main aim of the CCE is to promote the extra-curricular activities among the students to make them outstanding individuals in the fields of their interest. Initially, we were taking these activities into account. But their recognition on a child’s scorecard was minimalist. This new policy would, however, help provide a certain amount of dignity to a student’s extra-curricular achievements,” claimed a principal of a Delhi-based school, who is also a member of the CCE committee.

Though the directive is to be implemented from this session, the CBSE is yet to elaborate upon the details of the evaluation of various activities.

“The idea is good but they are yet to tell us about the detailed criteria and evaluation procedure. Every school has its own way of dealing with the extra-curricular activities, which differ not only in their nature but also the frequency with which they are organised. How will the evaluation be uniform?” asked a school principal.