Chandigarh, November 14
Two months after he jumped parole from Central Jail in Faridkot, the UT police today arrested Sompal, a convict in the German gangrape case. The convict was sentenced to life imprisonment in January 2009 by a Chandigarh court.

Sompal was released on a 28-day parole on August 28 this year from the Faridkot jail. He failed to return to the jail on due date, which was September 25. The UT police on October 4 announced an award of Rs 50,000 for anyone helping it in arresting Sompal.

Sompal, alias Soma, was arrested from the Sector 17 ISBT following a tip-off.

Sources said the convict kept hiding in Barnala, Mansa, Moga and Ferozepur for two months. Sompal was presented before the court of Duty Magistrate and was sent to a 14-day judicial custody.

The German gangrape case made headlines in 2008 when a German woman had come to India to attend a friend’s wedding.

On September 26, 2008, the woman was kidnapped from the parking area of Hotel Taj in Sector 17 by five persons. The accused were identified as Harpreet Singh, Manvir Singh, Sukhvinder Singh, Pankaj Kumar and Sompal.

The woman was kidnapped in a black Scorpio. After travelling for three hours, the accused reached a deserted place and raped the woman. The next day, she was dropped near her friend’s husband’s house in Sector 20.

The court had taken the case on a speedy trial and sentenced the five accused to life imprisonment in January 2009. The convicts moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court against the lower court order and their appeal was dismissed on July 22.

During the hearing of the appeal, it came to light that accused Harpreet had jumped parole while he was lodged in the Patiala jail and was absconding. Similarly, Sukhwinder and Sompal also jumped parole. The High Court had given directions to the police to arrest the accused.

Harpreet was arrested by the police last month while Sukhwinder is still on the run. 

Chandigarh, November 14
An art historian, BN Goswami, the Director of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) and the Vice-Chancellor of Panjab University (PU) have been included in the Administrator’s Advisory Council.

The council has been reconstituted after a gap of eight months. The term of previous team ended in April 2013. In the orders issued on November 11, a total of 15 members from the previous team have been included in the council. Besides, six new members have been added. The council has 38 members.

As BJP leader Satya Pal Jain has been named in the list, BSP leaders cried foul over not being included in the council.

BSP leader Anwar-ul-Haq said despite being a national party and having two councillors in the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, the party had not been given representation in the council.

After getting approval from UT Administrator Shivraj Patil, UT Home Department reconstituted the council. The previous body had 41 members.

The council is responsible for advising the Administration on development and policy matters. The last meeting of the council was convened on November 30, 2012, and only six such meetings were conducted in the past three years.

Sources said the council has so far failed to serve the purpose for which it was constituted. The members of the advisory council have been demanding follow-ups on suggestions and recommendations made during meetings.

PC Sanghi, one of the members of the council, said action taken report of the previous meetings should be placed on record.

Art historian BN Goswami, PGI Director and PU VC included in the list 

Chandigarh, November 14
The Chandigarh domestic airport will remain closed on November 23 and 24 on account of repair of the runway.

However, the early morning flights scheduled before 10 am on November 23 will take off on the scheduled time.

It includes Jet Airline’s outbound Chandigarh-Delhi flight at 8.10 am and Spice Jet’s Chandigarh-Delhi flight at 8.30 am.

Air India has also advanced the departure of its Chandigarh-Delhi flight from 11.15 am to 9.15 am on November 23.

Director of Chandigarh Domestic Airport HS Toor said the flight operation had been suspended for two days on account of re-carpeting on the runway.

“There is no confusion as the airlines were informed earlier this month and accordingly they stopped booking tickets for November 23 and 24,” he said.

Manager of Go Air Vinod Raina said the airlines stopped the booking in the first week of November after a notice from the airport authorities and the Indian Air Force.

“Passengers who have advance bookings for Novembers 23 and 24 have either been refunded or the amount has been adjusted to other flights,” he said. 

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Chandigarh, November 14
Infighting between MC councillors came to the fore at the Children’s Day function today.

Last year, the function was held at Nehru Park in Sector 22, but this year, the day was celebrated at Dadu Majra. The change of venue did not go down well with a group of councillors, who organised a function at Nehru Park.

Leader of opposition Arun Sood said the councillors had violated rules by organising a function in a green belt. “Only official functions are to be held in green belts, as per rules. When I asked the MC officials as to who had given them the permission, they said they had okayed a drawing competition in the park. But the councillors organised the Children's Day function there," he said. Sources said the Art and Culture Committee of the MC had decided to hold a function at a place where underprivileged children could get a chance to showcase their talent.

Chandigarh, November 14
There is a mad scramble for the Chandigarh-Amritsar Express tickets. With the inaugural run scheduled for Friday (tomorrow), 50 per cent of the tickets have already been sold out.

It is learnt that 14 passengers are on the waiting list for the chair car coach while for the second class coach, of the total 848 seats, 350 have been booked.

Railway officials said the train would run jam-packed. Spokesperson for the Railways' said the train would be flagged off from Chandigarh at 7.50 by Governor of Punjab Shivraj V Patil and MP Pawan Kumar Bansal.

The train will reach SAS Nagar, Mohali, at 8.02 am from where MP Ravneet Singh will board the train.

As per schedule, the train (12411) will depart daily from Chandigarh at 6.55 am and will reach Amritsar at 11.25 am. It will halt at SAS Nagar Mohali, New Morinda, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Beas. On its return journey from Amritsar, the train (12412) will depart daily from Amritsar at 5.30 pm and will reach Chandigarh at 9.55 pm. The train has 10 coaches which include one AC chair car coach, eight second class coaches and one SLR coach.

Four trains announced in the last rail budget are on track. Two trains, Indore-Chandigarh Express and Kalka-Jammu train are yet to be started. Besides, the extension from Chandigarh-Lucknow Express, Yesvantpur-Hazrat Nizamuddin Sampark Kranti Express and Madgaon-Hazrat Nizamuddin Express is yet to be implemented by the authorities. 

Chandigarh, November 14
The Rs 20-crore robot that the PGI purchased for robotic surgeries is lying unused. The institute had bought it three months ago.

Officials said the arrangements were to be made inside the operation theatre to put the robot to use, conceding that robotic surgeries might take three to four months more to start. Head of the department, Dr AK Mandal, today stated that there were some technical arrangements that needed to be made to ensure the utility of the robot and it might take three to four months. — TNS

Chandigarh, November 14
Come next year and the city will have its first state-of-the-art working women hostel at the IT Park.

Solar power panels will be installed in the building that will accommodate 90 girls. After surveying the city, the UT social welfare department approved the fourth working women hostel. As per the survey, every year, more than 800 women come to the city for jobs, but the three hostels in the city can accommodate only 136 girls. Taking advantage of this, illegal paying guest accommodations are mushrooming in the city.

Director of the UT social welfare department Rajesh Jogpal said the site for the project had been approved by the authorities. He said by next month, the Chief Architect would send the design of the hostel.

He said the department had also decided to renovate the working women hostel at Bal Bhawan in Sector 23. 

Chandigarh, November 14
Affecting marital ties, infertility is emerging as a major concern in the region, say experts at the PGI.

Finding an increase in the number of couples visiting the infertility clinic in the institution, with men holding women responsible for infertility, the doctors today clarified that in 50 per cent of the cases, it was the male infertility leading to childlessness. For better treatment of male infertility and related problems, the PGI is organising a three-day conference starting tomorrow (Friday).

Chandigarh, November 14
On the occasion of World Diabetes Day, the PGIMER organised an educational programme for young diabetic patients in Endocrinology OPD on Thursday.

With an aim to sensitise masses about the preventive measures of the disease, the department of endocrinology, PGIMER, Chandigarh, and Chandigarh Chapter of RSSDI, will be jointly organising a marathon on November 17 at 8 am from Sukhna Lake to Rock Garden.

The theme of this marathon is ‘Bhaag India Bhaag’. This marathon will be flagged by Raj Pal Singh, ex-captain, Indian Hockey Team. Individuals with best control power will be given prizes on November 17. The winners will be felicitaed at Sukhna Lake.

According to a recent survey carried out with the help of the department, the prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in city was found to be 13.4 per cent, which is the maximum in the country.

Contributing more towards the cause, the department is also doing a research in stem cell therapy in Type 2 diabetes and running a programme related to bariatric surgery.

On the occasion, Nek Chand, creator of Rock Garden and Shiv Raman Gaur Secretary Health, Haryana, released a book by Ravul Jindal titled ‘Diabetic Foot’. Dr Ravul is and expert from Fortis Hospital in Mohali.

Mohali, November 14
Popular television actress and national vice-president of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) Smriti Irani held an interactive session with students of the Chandigarh Group of Colleges (CGC), Landran.

The actor-turned-politician, who evidently impressed the young brigade at the event with her impressive oration and mannerism, made most of the event on youth empowerment and campaigned for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Examples of well-governance in Gujarat and its progress were brought in very smartly in reply to every question, be it on women empowerment, corruption, women safety or education.

“If you want a change in the system, be a part of solution system,” said Irani.

Exhorting the youth to vote during elections, Smriti said, “Vote for Modi for good governance and a pleasant change.”

BJP organises conference of intellectuals

Chandigarh: A conference of intellectual was organised by the Economic and CA Cell of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Subramanian Swami, said the BJP is considering replacing all taxes in the country with 1 per cent tax on bank transactions and is striving to ensure that access to all relevant natural resources will be done by auction rather than by allocation.

Smriti Irani, MP and national vice-president of the BJP, while presiding over the conference, alleged that the UPA had failed to feel the plight of the countrymen reeling under increasing price rise.

Chandigarh, November 14
With people taking to buying books online, publishers, too, are changing their marketing policies. Many publishers, who have set up their stalls at the Chandigarh Book Fair, say the online sale of books has taken a heavy toll on their retail sales.

To compensate the fall in retail sales, publishers have opened their own websites, selling books online besides supplying these to web-based firms such as Flipkart and Amazon.

Madhuri Jain of the Munshi Ram Manohar Lal publication, New Delhi, says their retail sales have gone down by over 30 per cent.

She says this trend will pick up as people are finding it more convenient to buy books online, that too with handsome discounts. She, however, says readers must not give up on the pleasure of buying books physically. That is the reason, book fairs have a great following all over the world, she says.

Rohit Gupta of Pustak Mahal, Delhi, says connecting with your audience online has become a necessity in the digital age. Without this, survival will be difficult, he says.

“We are selling our books online besides following the traditional mode of supplying these to bookstores across the country,” she said.

Many, however, feel that though the buying habits might change in the digital age, the reading habits will sustain.

“Although people are taking to e-reading, the number of such people reading books online is still very low,” says Shaukat Aziz from a Delhi-based publishing house.

Vernacular publishers, on the other hand, are also not feeling the pinch, since most of their buyers are from small cities and towns, where the internet penetration remains limited.

Chandigarh, November 14
Members of the Tricity LPG Auto Union burnt the effigy of Shiv Raj Patil, Governor, Punjab, and administrator, Chandigarh, at Tribune Chownk, here today.

The protesters protested against his non-committal attitude towards the long-pending demands of the union.

According to Surinder Bhardwaj, president of the association, as many as 6,000 LPG auto owners in the city are facing the flacks due to the illegal plying of the diesel autos.

The president of the association also alleged that vested interests of officials of the STA and traffic police is helping the illegal business of diesel auto to flourish in the city. “We are facing the wrath as a result of the actions of other,” said the president.

Bhardwaj demanded a high-level probe against the diesel auto mafia works.

Chandigarh, November 14
The second day of the Chandigarh Book Fair reverberated with a plethora of activities. The footfall too increased today. The organisers celebrated Children's Day with studentsfrom various city schools.

The students participated in a cultural programme, staging comical skits and reciting meaningful poems.

Students of Classes VI to VIII took part in a creative writing competition in the morning besides a calligraphy workshop organised by the College of Art.It was a treat to see children leafing through books, making up their mind on which one to buy. 

‘Poetry is about internalising experiences’

A talk with the eminent poet and author Keki N Daruwalla was a highlight of the day. Daruwala, an English poet, has published 11 books of poems, including two for children, three short story collections and one novel. Daruwalla belongs to the generation of poets who paved the way for contemporary Indian English poetry. Interacting with the audience, Daruwalla said for a poet, observing is not enough.

"The real poetry comes out when a poet internalises his experiences and gives them a human touch," he said.

Chandigarh, November 14
It was a bitter experience for the resource persons trying to inculcate storytelling skills in teachers on the second day of the Chandigarh Book Fair.

Not only most of the teachers faltered when asked about the book they read recently, many left in the middle of the workshop.

“The teachers’ response was very dull. It seemed most became teachers by chance, not by choice,” said one of the resource persons of the workshop, Suman Bajpai, who is the editor at Children Book Trust, New Delhi.

Another resource person, Manas Ranjan Mahapatra, head of National Centre for Children’s Literature (National Book Trust), said children should not be blamed if they have poor reading habits these days.

“Parents and teachers are equally to be blamed,” he said.

Mahapatra said teachers are not trained to promote reading habits beyond textbooks. Moreover, teachers are not avid readers themselves, he said.

On the other hand, our oral and cultural tradition of storytelling has not been revived in the modern setting, and the children’s literature is not interactive, said the resource person.

Mahapatra recalled how, as a child, he and his siblings vied with each other to get their hands on “Chandamama”, which was published in 14 languages.

“I used to waylay the deliveryman when he was on his way to our home, because I wanted to read the children’s magazine before my elder sister could lay her hand on it,” he said.

With few teachers left by the end of the session, both the resource persons asked them to engage students with activities like dramatisation of short stories, book quiz, reading competition and word-making exercises in order to develop their reading skills.

Every school must have a reading club and must feed the students with children’s literature covering fantasy, suspense and adventure, said the resource persons.

“The Harry Potter series was a rage among students because it had all these ingredients. We have our own interesting children literature in the form of Jataka Tales, which can be taught in an interesting manner in classrooms,” said Mahapatra.

Suman Bajpai said the story reading and writing activity should not be moral preaching, as students should be engaged creatively to let them enjoy the process.

“The sensitivity and will among teachers and parents is also a key to developing reading habit,” she said.

Bajpai said parents should take there children to bookstores instead of buying toys for them.

“I have seen homes with no books at all. How do you expect kids to take up reading in such a setting?” she said.

Chandigarh, November 14
The 93 posts of assistant professor recently advertised by Panjab University (PU), for which several thousands of aspirants are expected to apply, may never be filled as the varsity has not sought any clarification on the eligibility of candidates from the University Grants Commission (UGC).

The Syndicate, in its meeting on December 15 last year, had decided that the university can make any further appointments only after seeking a clarification from the UGC. However, bypassing this decision, the university advertised the posts.

The UGC guidelines state that candidates who have qualified NET and those who have completed the PhD as per the 2009 regulation are eligible for the post of assistant professor. The Senate, however, relaxed the eligibility by deciding that all the Phd candidates would be eligible for the selection. Later, the Syndicate decided that a clarification should be sought from the UGC.

In fact, the Syndicate, in its meeting on October 8 this year, rejected the appointments of four assistant professors in the public administration department because the interviews were held without seeking any clarification from the UGC. The interviews for the four posts were held in December 2012, a few days after the Syndicate meeting.

A senior Syndic said the decision of the university to advertise the posts is defiance of the decision of the Syndicate will lead to a delay in the filling of the posts.

“The candidates applying for the posts will suffer, as the university cannot select them without seeking the clarification,” said the Syndic.

A total of 69 posts for general category, 18 for Scheduled Caste and six for physically challenged candidates have been advertised in different departments.