Chandigarh, January 7
Keeping in view the intensifying cold wave conditions, the UT Education Department today ordered the closure of all the government as well as private schools in Chandigarh till January 13.

While the department extended the winter vacations for the primary classes about two days ago, it was under fire for not extending the vacations for the rest of the classes.

District Education Officer RK Sharma said the department had been reviewing the weather conditions for the last several days. Observing that the weather conditions are not going to be easing soon, it finally ordered the closure of all the schools in the city.

According to him, the teaching staff would also remain off except those who have been put on duties for the national school games starting from January 10.

Soon after the decision of the Education Department, several private schools, which opened today, extended their vacations.

Vinod Sharma, president of the Government Teachers’ Union, said the department took the right decision by ordering the closure of the schools. “Since the weather remains inclement in the first half of the January, the department must make it an annual affair now,” he said.

Swaran Singh Kamboj, president of the UT Cadre Educational Employees Union, said the decision would bring a major relief to thousands of students.

Chandigarh, January 7
In a fast-track trial, a 20-year-old man was sentenced to life imprisonment for raping his niece who was below 12 years of age at the time of the incident.

Delivering the judgment within three hearings, the sessions court today held: "The accused, in order to fulfil his lust, acted as a beast and has not spared even his niece, who happened to be below 12 years of age at the time of the incident."

While the incident dates back to January, 2012, it came to light seven months later, when the victim complained of severe pain in abdomen and had an abortion on her way to the hospital in August 2012.

A student of class VIII and resident of a colony near Sector 56, the girl was rushed to the Civil Hospital, Mohali, where the doctors found that she was four-month pregnant. After operating on the girl, the doctors recovered a four-month-old male foetus.

A case was later registered with the Chandigarh police in August and charges were framed in the court on November 16. The evidence process was completed today and the judgment delivered by District and Sessions Judge SK Aggarwal. The mother, a domestic servant, had alleged that Rahul would visit their house after she and her husband, a gardener, had left for work.

After the incident came to light, the mother told the police that her daughter had disclosed that her uncle, Rahul, had repeatedly raped her for over seven months (from January to August). A case of rape was registered against Rahul under Section 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Rahul, a resident of Balongi in UP, is the first cousin of the victim’s father. The case has also been referred to the State Legal Services Authority (SLSA) for deciding the quantum under the Victim Compensation Scheme. The court has also slapped a fine of Rs 21,000 on the accused.

Chandigarh, January 7
Providing a major relief to the Chandigarh Administration, the Standing Committee on Power System Planning in Northern Region has approved the setting up of a 220-KV power sub-station in the City Beautiful.

The UT Administration can now properly distribute power purchased through various power generators. The sub-station will also help the administration to channelise power, the demand for which is going to increase in the coming years, in a better way.

The standing committee, which comes under purview of the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), at a recent meeting, allowed the administration to set up a 220-KV power sub-station in Sector 47.

At presently, there is only one 220-KV sub-station (Mani Majra) in Chandigarh.

A senior official of the UT Administration said the electricity demand had been increasing every year and the existing infrastructure would not be able to handle the power load in the coming years. To meet the power demand, the administration has to purchase more power and to properly supply it to parts of the city, one more 220-KV sub-station was required, he added.

Recently, the UT Administration had conducted a study on load flow for the present as well as for the future scenarios. It has been observed, under the normal and contingency conditions, some of the system elements get critically loaded. Therefore, the strengthening of the transmission system is required at various points in Chandigarh.

Panchkula, January 7
Having failed to nab Doon MLA Ram Kumar Chaudhary, main accused in the Jyoti murder case, in the past over 50 days, the Haryana Police today announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh on his arrest.

For the remaining three accused in the case, Gurmeet, Dharampal and Paramjeet, the reward amount is Rs 50,000 each.

The development was confirmed by the Panchkula Assistant Commissioner of Police, Varinder Sangwan. He said the announcement of the reward would surely help in getting some vital clues about the absconders in the case.

Meanwhile, the Panchkula Police and Baddi Police would also keep a close vigil in Dharamsala where the first Assembly session of the newly elected House would begin tomorrow.

As the newly elected MLAs would be administered the oath during the session, the police is looking forward to arresting Chaudhary there.

According to highly placed sources, all the routes to Dharamsala would be sealed by the teams of the Panchkula Police and the Baddi Police.

A senior official of the Panchkula Police, on the condition of anonymity, said the police was ready with its strategy.

“We have faxed Chaudhary’s arrest warrants to all the officials concerned in Himachal Pradesh. He (Chaudhary) could not evade arrest, if he comes to the town,” said the official while talking to Chandigarh Tribune here.

Notably, fresh arrest warrants against Chaudhary and his accomplices, Gurmeet, Dharampal and Paramjeet, were renewed by the court recently.

Chandigarh, January 7
For the past six years, former employees of the erstwhile Modern Bakeries have been waiting for those "four months" when their petition for allotment of houses would come up for "final disposal" before the Punjab and Haryana High Court. But those "four months" are yet to come.

Taking up their petition filed some 13 years ago, a Single Judge on May 11, 2007, had ruled: "The main civil writ petition (7,267 of 2000) be listed for final disposal within four months".

Since then, the case has moved from one court to another; and passed through the hands of several judges, some of whom have retired since long. The legal battle, significantly, has been going on for alleged delay of three days in depositing certain amount by the petitioner society to the Chandigarh Administration. The delay was due to holidays, Modern Bakeries Employees Co-operative House Society Ltd, through its president HC Joshi, is claiming.

The petition could very well be just one of the two lakh cases pending adjudication before the High Court due to the shortage of judges, filing of frivolous pleas, states' failure to cut down on unnecessary litigation and many other factors. But the case is also a reflection on how these factors come into play for preventing the High Court from sticking to its own directions.

The case was registered in December 1979. The society was to be allotted a plot at the rate of Rs 175 per square yard. But vide notice dated December 24, 1991, the society was asked to make payment of premium at the rate of Rs 750 per square yard.

A petition filed by the society challenging the move, however, did not find favour with the High Court and it was asked by the administration on December 15, 1997, to make certain payments within two months.

Their case is that on February 13, 1998, instructions were issued to Chandigarh State Cooperative Bank Ltd to transfer Rs 1,33,103 to the Chandigarh Housing Board account. The amount was credited on February 17, 1998. But the Housing Board intimated the rejection of the deposit on ground of delay.

A letter was sent to the Board explaining the three-day delay. February 14, 1998, was a Saturday, the next day being a Sunday was also a holiday. February 16, 1998, too was declared a holiday due to municipal elections. But vide impugned order dated February 7, 2000, the Finance Secretary conveyed the delay could not be condoned.

The Administration is now claiming that the group housing scheme for allotment to cooperative societies has been scraped and "properties reserved for allotment do not exist any longer". In April 2010, the Administration was asked to file an affidavit whether properties were still available for distribution.

the case The Modern Bakeries Employees Co-operative House Society, which was registered in December 1979, was to be allotted a plot at the rate of Rs 175 per square yard It was asked by the administration on December 15, 1997, to make certain payments within two months On February 13, 1998, instructions were issued to Chandigarh State Cooperative Bank Limited to transfer Rs 1,33,103 to the Chandigarh Housing Board account The amount was credited on February 17, 1998. But the Housing Board intimated the rejection of the deposit on ground of delay A letter was sent to the Board explaining the three-day delay February 14, 1998, was a Saturday, the next day being a Sunday was also a holiday. February 16, 1998, too was declared a holiday due to municipal elections. But vide impugned order dated February 7, 2000, the Finance Secretary conveyed the delay could not be condoned

Chandigarh, January 7
In the absence of specific guidelines by the Central Government for regulating the costs of various medical tests in the private sector, the variation in the costs of these services at private labs and blood banks against the amount charged at government institutions goes unchecked.

For instance, a patient, who can avail the facility of Endoscopy at Rs 100 at the PGIMER or at a similar cost at any of the other two government hospitals of the city, would have to shell out Rs 2,000 or higher at most private clinics in the city for the purpose.

Similarly, a blood test, which can be done at the cost of Rs 150 at the PGI, costs over Rs 700 at any privately-owned blood bank across the tricity.

A patient undergoes a CT scan at the Government Multi Specailty Hospital, Sector 16, Chandigarh. Tribune Photos: Pradeep Tiwari

The facility for an MRI scan, similarly, which is available at Rs 2,500 at the PGI, does not cost below Rs 5,000 at any private clinic in the city. Meanwhile, a patient, who pays over Rs 1,000 for a CT scan in a private setting, can avail the same facility at Rs 300 at the PGI and at a similar cost at the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16.

Experts, however, said high standard of services in a private clinics play a vital role in determining the cost of the services and the variation up to some extent is justifiable.

Indian Medical Association (IMA) state president Dr RS Bedi said “There is no denying the fact that the costs set by the private labs for various tests should be reasonable. However, the financial liabilities of a private clinic that include maintenance of high quality equipment, employing the staff and other similar expenses need to be considered before determining a cap on these costs. Also, the cost of medical equipment is very high. The government should cut taxes to bring down the costs.”

“The involvement of various medical associations by the Central Government in regulating not only the costs but also in ensuring high medical standards seems to be a best solution for the issue. An online facility by the government for lodging complaints against unethical practices in the private and the government sector can also be an effective tool,” Dr Bedi said.

Medical Council of India (MCI) chairman Dr KK Talwar said “The costs of services vary with the quality. There are many medical institutions across the country, which cater to patients from different economic statuses. An institution, which invests more in its equipment, thus specifies its charges for medical tests accordingly. But it is also true that there has to be some mechanism for regulating the costs and also the standards. For this purpose, the forthcoming Clinical Establishment Act will prove to be effective.” 

Chandigarh, January 7
With three swine flu cases being reported in the city last week, hospitals have geared up with preparations to check the spread of the diseasein the city.

The UT Health Department has procured testing kits from New Delhi for ensuring screening of the H1N1 virus effectively at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32 and Government Multi-Specialty Hospital, Sector 16.

The facility of screening the patients for swine flu, until now, was available only in the PGIMER.

Nodal Officer for National Vector Borne diseases Control Programme, UT, Dr Anil Garg said “Testing kits and other equipments have been supplied at both hospitals, while the facility is already available at the PGI.

The samples are collected using the kit and they are sent to the virology laboratory at the PGI for the final testing.”

Besides, all the three hospitals have also made provisions for setting up isolated clinics for the infected patients.

“We have also provided the guidelines to the doctors in all three hospitals. These guidelines clearly mention the techniques to be used in identifying the symptoms of swine flu and setting up isolated clinics,” Dr Garg said.

Experts advised that in case of flu, self-medication should be avoided and one must visit a doctor.

According to the experts and doctors, use of antibiotics should be avoided during flu as the antibiotics do more harm than good when consumed during flu.

Antibiotics do not cure viral infection and instead make the body more susceptible to other infections if taken when not required.

Common symptoms
In children

Fast breathing or trouble in breathing
Bluish skin colour
Reduced fluid intake
Lack of interaction with others
Flu-like symptoms
Severe cough
Continous fever with rashes

In adults

Chandigarh, january 7
In the name of changing the profile of the Industrial Area by introducing the conversion policy, the Chandigarh Administration seems to have rather ended up creating chaos and problems for the entrepreneurs here.

Barring the high-rise buildings, housing, hotels, malls, multiplexes that have come up along the busy Chandigarh-Ambala Marg nothing much has changed on the ground. The movement one touches Hallo Majra while coming from the Ambala side, chaos and traffic snarls leave a poor impression about the City Beautiful.

Apart from unkempt green belts, wild growth on both sides of the roads, the state of affairs speaks about the poor infrastructure in the Industrial area Phase I and II.

Despite earning more than 1,000 crore rupees from the conversion of Industrial Plots, little seems to have been spent on sprucing up the Industrial area, which was christened to be named Chandigarh Industrial and Business park.

As the number of vehicles is increasing day-by-day, narrow roads have already resulted in traffic jams at the Industrial Area. Besides, the authorities have not developed parking lots in both the phases and there is limited space of parking in these hotels and malls, people are parking their vehicles on roads, which is further creating traffic chaos.

Industrialists, hoteliers and businessmen have complained that the condition of internal roads, parking lots, streetlights, parks and power and water supply is very bad in Industrial area but to no avail.

Chander Verma, Chairman of Converted Plot Owners Association, said around 125 plot owners had opted for conversion of their plots from industrial to commercial activity after a payment of over Rs 1,000 crore to the administration. But the administration had failed to provide basis infrastructure in the Industrial Area. At the time of conversion, the administration had promised to make as many as 10 parking lots in both the phases. But it only made one or two lots in Phase I and failed to make the remaining lots resulting in traffic chaos.

Verma requested the administration to make the remaining parking lots to ease out the traffic congestion in Industrial area.

Industrialist Manmohan Chadha said after the conversion the administration had made a special committee in which first five convertee plot owners were also made members. The main objective of the committee was to spend the money, collected by the administration after conversion policy, on the development of infrastructure in Industrial area. But this committee only met once in 2006 and thereafter, no meeting takes place resulting in poor infrastructure in Industrial area.

Areas of concern Parking: The existing malls and hotels in the area show inadequate arrangements, leading to vehicles parked on roads and pavements. Authorities have failed to make arrangements of parking lots in Industrial area. Roads: Existing roads are narrow and inadequate to handle the expected rush in the wake of new hotels and shopping malls. As more than 40 malls and multiplexes are coming up in future, then it is matter of concern that how these roads will take the load of increasing traffic in Industrial area. Water: The existing water pipelines are far below the capacity required in the wake of big construction. Moreover, water supply is also not very good in Industrial area. Electricity: The UT Administration will have to make adequate arrangements for power supply to hotels and malls. But in the near future the UT Administration has not planned anything for electricity supply in Industrial area for these ever-rising business units.

Chandigarh, January 7
Under the conversion policy, the Chandigarh Administration might have been successful in attracting realtors and several big names in the service industry to the Industrial Area, Phases 1 and I, owning to its strategic location along the Ambala-Chandigarh highway. But it has failed to boost the manufacturing industry that has been the backbone of the industrial sector here.

As a result, a number of entrepreneurs now prefer to sell off their plots here and set up their units in neighbouring towns of Mohali, Dera Bassi and Baddi. Figures provided by the Chandigarh industries department reveal that the Industrial Area in Chandigarh spanned over 1,450 acres has around 2950 units, out of which 15 were large and medium scale units.

Figures compiled by the UT Estate Office to ascertain the ground situation in the Phases I and II in the Industrial Areas here has revealed that of total 1,781 plots around 150 plots were lying vacant.

Due to indifferent attitude of the top UT officials, who come on deputation for a limited period, the Industrial Area has always been a picture of neglect. The growth of the industry has been sluggish due to poor infrastructure development.

A lot needs to be done to upgrade the services like laying of high capacity storm and sewer, street lighting and adequate parking, said MPS Chawla, president of the Chandigarh Industrial Association.

As indicated in the draft industrial policy 2009, the Chandigarh Administration had talked about facelift on both the phases of Industrial Area. Barring widening one of two of the roads, no major development work has been carried out.

Out of a total of about 2,1950 small-scale industries in Chandigarh about 40 per cent are ancillary units producing components for the major tractor industry around Chandigarh.

Light engineering industry is heavily represented other industrial units produce mainly industrial fasteners, electrical/electronic items, machine tools, pharmaceuticals, plastic goods, sanitary fittings, steel/wooden furniture and food products etc. Figures of the industry department reveal that the value of export of main items in 2010-2011 has fallen to Rs 18,816 lakhs from Rs 20,451 lakh during 2009-2010.

As the paucity of space for expansion of industries is always cited as the main reason for industrialists fleeing the city, the apathy of the Chandigarh Administration was also responsible for the exit of industries. It has not been able to give much to the service industry or the industrial units, said Chawla.

Chandigarh, January 7
The PGIMER's new academic session began today. Addressing the new entrants, PGI director Prof Yogesh Chawla said “A new year and a new session give us an opportunity to remind ourselves of our aims and ideals at the PGI, as exemplified by our founder medical icons, including Dr Tulsi Dass, Dr SS Anand, Dr PN Chhuttani and many other distinguished former faculty members.”

Highlighting about the morning discipline of the PGI, he said “Morning sessions of the institute remind us of the age old tradition going on for the past 50 years. Yes, this is the golden jubilee year of the institute and we are celebrating this in a golden way with all the academic fervour added to it.”

He advised the resident doctors to serve the society with empathy, compassion and in the true spirit of Hippocratic Oath.

Praising about PGI faculty, he said “The PGI faculty has attracted around Rs 27 crore as extra mural grants for various research projects and has published more than 700 research articles during the last year."

The PGI had selected 194 students for MD/MS courses in the July 2012 session and 146 in January 2013. Similarly in the two sessions, 67 DM and 53 M.Ch students were selected.

“The institute till date has produced almost 4450 and 1550 super-specialists besides a large number of postgraduate in allied and basic sciences,” Dr Chawla said.

Dr MSValiathan, National Research Professor, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal (Karnataka) delivered a lecture on “biomedical engineering and health care in India” on this occasion. 

Mohali, January 7
Unscheduled power cuts in the town irk the local residents here. Though officials of the Punjab State Electricity Board claimed that there were maximum two hours of unscheduled cuts here, residents said the area witnessed over four hours of power cuts daily.

“Mostly, power cuts take place during the morning and evening hours, which really upset us. During the morning hours, we have to do all household chores, besides sending our children to schools. When you find no power at that time, one can easily guess our problems,” said Sunita, a resident of Phase 5.

Expressing similar sentiments, Gurpreet Singh, a resident of Phase 3B2, said why they (the officials) create trouble during the morning or evening hours by shutting down power.

“Power cuts can be imposed in afternoon. Due to cuts in the morning hours, the entire schedule of my household gets upset,” said Gurpreet Singh.

Raj Kumar, another local resident, said: “Our government used to claim that the state was going to be power surplus soon, but power cuts are even slapped during winters.

“I am unable to understand why the situation is worst here if we compare it with Chandigarh and Panchkula,” said Raj Kumar.

On the issue, local officials of the PSEB said unscheduled power cuts were not in their hands. “We get orders of tripping and resuming the power from our Patiala office. Even we don’t know when the power will resume after the cuts,” said an official.

Mohali, January 7
An awareness camp on traffic rules was organised at the Kumbra Chowk here today. The camp was organised as part of the 24th Road Safety Week being observed by the Punjab Government.

District Transport Officer Karan Singh, while addressing the gathering, said the number of vehicles was going up, which led to traffic problems and road accidents. As such, it was necessary to follow the traffic rules.

He said road users should ensure that their vehicles had reflectors on them, which proved to be of great help in avoiding accidents during foggy winters. Licence was a must for driving vehicles and only that vehicle could be driven for which a licence had been issued. Licences were issued on the basis of the type of vehicle to be driven.

Ranpreet Singh, motor vehicle inspector, said accidents could be reduced by 80 per cent if dipper lights and reflectors were used by drivers. He appealed to the residents not to allow any person below 16 years of age to drive a vehicle as inexperience resulted in road accidents. Mobile phones should also not be used while driving, he added.

Literature on the traffic rules was circulated at the camp and reflectors were installed on auto-rickshaws. 

Mohali, January 7
After being reportedly rejected by a girl, a 19-year-old youth from Bathinda committed suicide by taking celphos tablets in his hostel room at the Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Landran, here yesterday night.

The deceased, Abhishek Garg, who was pursuing B.Tech (third semester) from the college, was immediately rushed to Sohana Hospital by the college authorities, where he died.

According to sources, Abhishek had stated in his suicide note that he was madly in love with a girl who did not reciprocate his feelings, due to which he was taking this extreme step.

The sources said Abhishek also stated in the suicide note that he had procured the tablets from a local shop, telling the shopkeeper that he needed those for conducting some experiment and nobody was responsible for his action.

Terming the incident unfortunate, Satnam Singh Sandhu, chairman of the college, said Abhishek was immediately given the first aid at the college when he disclosed to the warden of his hostel that he had consumed the poison.

“We immediately rushed him to Sohana Hospital where he breathed his last,” said Sandhu.

A postmortem was conducted today at the Civil Hospital, Phase 6, following which the body was handed over to the kin of the deceased.

Mohali, January 7
Officials of the Mohali District Legal Service Authority today held a meeting of patwaris of the Kharar block to apprise them of their schemes, legal rights and the importance of permanent adalats.

About 40 patwaris of the area participated in the meeting, which was headed by Gopal Arora, civil judge (senior division)/CJM-cum-secretary, Mohali District Legal Service Authority.

“This was our first meeting with the patwaris of the area. Our motive is to rope in patwaris to spread awareness of our schemes, legal rights and the importance of the permanent adalats in dealing with the day-to-day problems being faced by the rural folk,” said Gopal Arora.

Kharar SDM Sukhjeet Singh, tehsildar Hari Ram and members of the local Bar were also present in the meeting.

The meeting of patwaris of the Dera Bassi and Mohali blocks would take place on January 9 and January 11, respectively.

Chandigarh, January 7
The 8th TGT Theatre Festival began today at Tagore Theatre with the play “Aare Sharif Log”. Written by Jayvant Dalvi and directed by Sharad Sharma, the play was performed by Abhinav Rang Mandal, Ujjain and MP. The play displayed the narrow thinking and shrunken inner-self of the so-called honest and common people living within our society. The play was laughter packed performance with taking very serious note of important key issues of the society in the end.

With his true dedication and love for theatre, the director Sharad Sharma is continuously contributing in the field of theatre as he successfully organised approximately 150 National and state-level cultural and theatre festivals.

In 1982, Sharad established a group Abinav Rangmandal, who had performed 1,200 plus shows of 75 plays in different parts of the country.

Tomorrow, the second play of the festival “8 Ghante” by Aakar Kala Sangam will be staged.

Chandigarh, January 7
The education department has found itself on sticky wicket in yet another litigation concerning the pending salary arrears of contract teachers of the DEO panel.

Punjab & Haryana High Court on Monday dismissed the petition of the education department filed against orders of the Chandigarh Administrative Tribunal pertaining to this matter.

While today’s development would bring financial relief to about 10 contractual teachers, many believed that the decision might have wide ramifications.

The department has more than 150 contractual teachers recruited under the DEO panel and all of them are entitled for the salary arrears, as in case of those 10 teachers, who managed to get favourable judgement in this issue, last year in April.

The currently financial liability for 10 teachers is not expected to go beyond Rs 6 to 7 lakh. But many feared that the financial burden of the department might go up to Rs 10 to 11 crore, if all the contractual employees could manage to get similar legal relief against their pending dues, which seemed likely in this case after High Court’s dismissal.

Sources in the department said that the department had already started the process of paying the arrears to these 10 teachers after the CAT’s order. Now, it would be easier for the teachers to claim the pending entitlements.

The issue, it is learnt, dated back to the year 2007 when the Chandigarh Administration issued various policy circulars dated 13.3.2007, 10.1.2008, 5.3.2009 and 30.7.2009, enhancing the consolidated salary of the contractual employees of the UT corresponding with the regular pay scales of the concerned posts.

While the department revised the salary of the contractual teachers as per the circular dated 30.7.2009, it did not grant them earlier revision of salaries from circulars dated 13.3.2007 till 5.3.2009.

Talking the cognizance of the matter, one contract teacher Rupinderjit Kaur, TGT science (non-medical), moved to the Chandigarh Administrative tribunal for release of her due benefits.

The petition filed by the applicant was disposed of on October 28, 2010, with liberty to the applicant to file representation to the authorities, which was to be decided within a fixed time frame.

Finding no response from the department, the applicant filed the contempt petition which was finally disposed in April 2012 with the CAT’s order directing the education department to grant the applicant the benefit of revised fixed amount from due date for the period in question.

Simultaneously, nine more contract teachers moved to the tribunal and managed to secure similar orders as in Rupinderjit Kaur’s case.

As per the information, the pending salary arrear of the JBT teachers is about Rs 60,000 approximately, Rs 70,000 in case of trained graduate teachers and Rs 80,000 for postgraduate teachers.

Chandigarh, January 7
Despite having withdrawn two toll free inquiry numbers for the students the Panjab University, the authorities have not updated their website flashing the obsolete numbers causing immense harassment to the students as the students end-up repeatedly trying on those numbers.

Meanwhile, the students are finding it tough to reach the third toll-free number, which remains busy or unanswered.

The toll free numbers were launched in November 2010 to benefit the students studying in PU and its affiliated colleges in Punjab, so that the students could get the required information sitting back at their home.

There are over three lakh students studying in PU-affiliated colleges, while several thousands of students take admission to the University School of Open Learning (USOL) every year.

Manpreet Singh, a college student hailing from Ludhiana, said as the numbers still flash on the PU website he ended-up repeatedly, trying on the numbers that does not exist. “The university should have removed the numbers from website that are not functional,” Singh said.

Sahil, a correspondence student said that there are very less chances that the toll free number gets answered on first attempt. “If one is lucky he can get through the toll free number after repeated attempts as the calls are not answered,” he said.

According to the PU officials, the two numbers were temporarily disconnected during early 2012 when the university’s audit branch raised an objection over the high amount of bills. It was later decided that two numbers would be permanently disconnected.

Superintendent of the inquiry branch, Dharampal Sharma said that the two numbers 18001802064 and 2041 have been disconnected, following which only one toll free number is functional.

Meanwhile, Dharampal said that there are four other telephones that are operated by two people following which the students might sometimes have to wait or their calls are answered after repeated attempts.

Chandigarh, January 7
On the 6th day of an NSS camp of Panjab University Campus unit, three lectures on traffic, moral values and oral hygiene were organised.

In the first lecture on traffic rules, CS Grewal, chief traffic marshal, interacted with the NSS volunteers and advised them to be patient and alert while driving, wear helmet and avoid multitasking while driving.

In the second lecture on Moral Values by Vivekananda, Dr Sudhir Baweja from University School of Open Learning (USOL) elaborated the teachings of Swami Vivekanand and deliberated on the issues of self-confidence, self-reliance and self-sacrifice. Students were prompted to participate in the conversation. It concluded at the end that if the values are deteriorating among youth of today, then it is the responsibility of the elders to help them in crisis and need.

For moral education, continuous dialogue-discussion should be there among the parents-wards, teacher-students and such national service camps should be organised regularly with a commitment to serve the society and nation, Baweja said. In the afternoon session, Dr Priyanka one of the NSS participants deliberated on the various issues of oral hygiene.

In the evening session, the NSS volunteers organised the cultural function and about 33 NSS volunteers performed in the cultural evening function. — TNS