|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
PGI nurse ends life
Chandigarh, December 8 The police said Gyan was studying with her friend in the lawn. She left for her room to sleep in the afternoon. “At 6 pm, when her friend tried to wake her up, nobody responded to the knocks at the door. When the door was broken, Gyan was found hanging
from the ceiling fan, the police said. The police said the deceased’s parents died when she was in Class XII. She was the eldest among the siblings. Her younger sister is married and resides in Sector 33, Chandigarh. A case has been registered and investigations are on. Past incidents at PGI July 2013: Thirty-seven-year-old Vatsala, a senior resident with the department of urology at the PGIMER, died under mysterious circumstances September 2011: A senior dermatologist at the PGI committed suicide by setting herself ablaze at her government residence April, 2010: A junior resident doctor of the blood transfusion department committed suicide by jumping off from the fourth floor of the Kairon Block at the PGI September 2009: A 26-year-old junior resident doctor at the PGI committed suicide. His body was found hanging in his room in the Kairon Block hostel
|
|
22% children deprived of treatment: Study
Chandigarh, December 8 Though the treatment gap is lower as compared to other cities in the country, it still reflects that every fourth child with epilepsy does not get adequate treatment. The study, published in the Journal of Tropical Paediatrics last month, also highlighted the inability of parents in identifying seizures in children. “In a number of cases, people perceive seizures only as major convulsive attacks and tend to overlook certain types of seizures in a child. Besides, the types of epilepsies are often different in children as compared to adults. This is particularly so in newborns, infants and young children where identification of some types of seizures remains a challenge,” said Dr Pratibha Singhi, professor and chief of paediatric neurology and neurodevelopment, Advanced Paediatric Centre, PGIMER, who was the lead researcher. The incidence of epilepsy in children was 6.24 per 1,000 children which is somewhat similar to some of the studies from India, but more than that in developed countries. During the one-year study conducted in 2008, as many as 3,684 children were screened. Among these 1,825 were from from urban areas and 1,859 were from the rural areas of Chandigarh. Abnormal movement of limbs was recognised as the most common feature of epilepsy (77.8%) followed closely by abnormal eye movements (73.3%) and loss of consciousness (66.7%). The reasons for treatment gap in children, mostly seen in the OPDs also, are non-compliance of parents and children once the
seizures are controlled. Though Chandigarh has a high education level, only 66.4 per cent parents had awareness about epilepsy. Positive attitudes towards epilepsy are increasing over the years, but some parents still perceive epilepsy as a stigma and are particularly hesitant in revealing the diagnosis of epilepsy in young girls because of the fear of adverse effects on their marriage prospects.
Identifying epilepsy/seizures in children
Treatment
In most cases, particularly in developmentally normal children, a single anti-epileptic drug is enough to control epilepsy.
Risks of delayed treatment
Unexpected and severe prolonged seizures can prove fatal. Though a patient can survive after prolonged seizures, it can lead to permanent damage to the brain.
Reasons
In most of the cases, epilepsy is genetic or acquired. There are a number of reasons for acquired epilepsy in children. Some common causes are problems during pregnancy or delivery leading to lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain, problems during the neo-natal period, including low blood sugar levels and infections in the newborn. In later stage, infections of the brain including, neurocysticercosis, meningitis and encephalitis, are some of the other reasons.
|
|
Video recording of PU Syndicate to continue
Chandigarh, December 8 The House witnessed the longest discussion over the agenda with a majority of the senators stating that the RTI Act provided for the access to all records of the university. “Public has the right to know about the decisions being taken in the PU Syndicate. To ensure transparency, we must make it public,” said, Dalip Kumar, a senator.
Opposing the observation of the Syndicate that making the recordings public will lay undue pressure on the syndics and they will not be able to express themselves freely, DPS Randhawa said it becomes the responsibility of the individual who speaks and it does not malign the reputation of the Syndicate or the institute. “These decisions are not confidential and hence cannot be exempted from the purview of the RTI Act. In fact, the CDs should be provided under the RTI Act for Rs 20 to Rs 25 per unit. Even the proceedings of parliamentary committees are accessible for that matter,” said Randhawa. On that, Satpal Jain pointed out that like members of parliamentary committees, senators do not find protection and security. He suggested that only decisions should be recorded and supplied and names should be withheld. On this, professor Shelley Walia suggested that when the decisions were being made public, why not the reasons that lead to those decisions. “Syndics must be bold enough to approve of their statements and opinions,” he said. While over 50 agenda items under different categories were taken up during the Senate meeting on Sunday, there was not a single item related to academics.
Registrar to issue press statements
The Senate decided that the director, public relations, should not be allowed to sit in the Syndicate meeting since there was no provision for it in the PU rulebook. The registrar will take the responsibility of taking notes to issue press statements.
VC proposes iPads for senators
“Senators should have quick access to older recordings in the House. For that we might propose to provide iPads to all. But I don’t know where to arrange the budget for it,” the VC said.
|
|
Pinki’s father wants to fulfil her dream
Chandigarh, December 8 Shattered after her murders, Pinki’s father now has expectations from her younger sisters. “Pinki was good in studies and always said that she wanted to become a successful woman,” said Kirpal in a choked voice. Kirpal has three daughters — eight-year-old Pushpa, six-year-old Princy and
two-year-old Anshika. Pinki, a Class VI student and a resident of Palsora, had gone missing on November 27. Her body was found in a jute sack in the jungle area in Sector 52. Residents of Palsora said Pinki often helped Kirpal, a vegetable vendor, at his stall after she returned from the school. Pinki’s mother, Gudda Rani, wanted the immediate arrest of the killers of her daughter. Residents of Palsora, who came in support of the family after the incident, said they would fight for justice. An assistance of Rs 26,000 was also given to Pinki’s father by a gurdwara at Palsora. The money was collected through donations. Except for the area councillor, Darshan Garg, nobody from the police department or the Administration attended the ‘bhog’ that was organised at the gurdwara.
|
|
Ruchika case hero’s another crusade
Chandigarh, December 8 The police had booked deputy director of the PEC University of Technology and former director Dr Manoj Dutta under Sections 354-A, 500 and 509 (outraging modesty of a woman) of the IPC. Former director Dutta is in the dock for not taking swift action on the assistant professor’s complaint. The victim, who had met Anand Parkash, a PEC alumnus, at a function of the Punjab Engineering College Old Student Association (PECOSA), was aware and impressed by Anand Parkash’s crusade against Rathore. “As I already knew him, I decided to take
his assistance in pursuing my case,” the victim said. The assistant professor approached Anand Parkash in 2011 urging him to be her defence assistant. “After going through my case, he agreed to act as my defence assistant. He cross-examined the witnesses produced by the prosecution during the inquiry, she said. “The inquiry officer had allowed me to be the defence assistant for the complainant as he didn’t knew me,” said Anand Parkash. He said during cross-examination, witnesses were asked a few tricky questions after which they came to know about me. “Fearing that my assisting the victim can lead to trouble for the accused, the then director of the institute, Manoj Dutta, wrote a letter to the inquiry officer and quoted a wrong rule asking him to disallow me to act as the defence assistant of the victim,” Anand said, showing the documents substantiating his claims. Surprised over the move, Anand fought another battle to get his right to be the defence assistant. Anand says that by getting a case registered against the former director, they have achieved a milestone.
Ruchika case
Ruchika Girhotra committed suicide on December 29, 1993, three years after she was molested by former Haryana DGP SPS Rathore. Anand Parkash fought the legal battle to bring Rathore to justice.
PEC communiqué
In a communiqué to the media on Sunday, the PEC authorities stated that the complaint received from the associate professor regarding allegations against the deputy director and also against the former director was appropriately dealt with by the institute.
|
|
With blessings of MC, encroachers continue to flout norms
The UT Administration has asked the Union Government to hike the fine against the encroachers from the existing Rs 500 to Rs10,000. The presence of these encroachments are felt the most in booth markets of Sectors 19, 22, 15 and 46. The booth owners in these market areas have allotted the outer space to the unauthorised vendors with due blessings from the Municipal Corporation (MC) employees. The Enforcement Committee needs to be apprised of the orders passed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, as per which the civic body is supposed to put an end to the illegal encroachments in Sector 22 and Grain Market of Sector 26, at the earliest. It appears that the police have submitted a false affidavit to the court, stating that the police is not involved in the current trend of ‘hafta wasooli’ from the Sector 26 Grain Market. The challan theory is also completely an eyewash, a way to deceive the residents. Sahil Garg, Chandigarh Monitor the enforcement staff efficiently
The anti-encroachment drive by the Municipal Corporation has completely gone off-track and has failed to keep encroachers off the market places in tricity. This is due to the certain loopholes in the functioning of the civic body that is yet to be plugged. Also, the enforcement staff functions at its own discretion and adopts a pick and choose policy, which causes inconvenience. Hiking the fine imposed on defaulters is a welcome step, but the need of the hour is to monitor the enforcement staff. In the absence of the enforcement staff, the responsibility to keep a check on these illegal activities should be handed over to the police. Regular offenders should be tried separately and punished. No leniency should be tolerated in this regard. Also, certain areas outside the markets should be earmarked for a stipulated period of time and some amount of money should be given to the roadside vendors to enable them to earn their livelihood, provided that they do not obstruct the public passage and ensure a hassle-free movement for the public. JPS
Kalra, Chandigarh Government must adopt practical approach
Imposing a hiked fine on the encroachers is not the only way out of the problem in question. The Municipal Corporation should come up with permanent work sites for the hawkers across the city, so that the livelihood of the poor rehriwalas does not get affected in any way. The government should adopt a practical approach within the provisions of the law and order to handle the situation efficiently and effectively. The trend of ‘hafta wasooli’ by the enforcement staff needs to be checked as well. KS
Panchhi, Chandigarh With heavy fine comes a heavier pocket
We often witness representatives of police and civic authorities seeking bribe from encroachers in exchange of allowing them to operate in the market area freely. The heavier penalties imposed will not serve the purpose, but will offer meatier bribes to these corrupt officials. A heavy penalty should rather be imposed on such incompetent officials of the department concerned, who are letting the malpractice happen right under their nose. Parminder
Walia, Chandigarh Permanent MC staff must be deployed
The hike in fine on encroachers from Rs 500 to Rs 10,000 can act as a deterrent only if implemented along with other necessary measures by the Administration. The pre-requisites for successful implementation of the amendment include deploying a permanent MC staff to keep a check on the encroachments. The staff must ensure that the encroachments removed are not put up again. Due to a large number of items displayed in the corridors of the market areas in the tricity, there is hardly any space left for consumers to pass through, hence causing inconvenience to them. The Administration must take preventive measures to get rid of the menace at the earliest. Dr Shruti K
Chawla, Chandigarh A strategy needs to be adopted
In the recent time, encroachments in the city markets have grown wildly. The proposal of the UT to increase fine from Rs 500 to Rs 10,000 will undoubtedly do the needful. But a fine strategy needs to be adopted to impose the penalty as well, because with due course of time, defaulters will go wary after seeing the enforcement staff and will either shift places or flee after winding up the items. Ideally, the staff should collect the items displayed and release them after not less than 10 hours, with the fine extending up to 10 per cent of the total value of merchandise. Besides an adequate police force, it will also be better to take along the MC councillor of the respective ward. Participation of the political parties should be discussed before hand. Tarsem
Bhardwaj, Chandigarh Hiking the fine not a solution
In the City Beautiful, encroachments in market areas are not a cause of concern now, but looking into the gravity of encroachments, especially in Sadar Bazar, Sector 19, Shastri Market, Sector 22, and Patel Market, Sector 15, on finds it has become an endemic problem. Over the years, neither the Administration nor the Municipal Corporation has achieved success in removing the encroachments. Because of the menace, it is impossible to pass through the markets. Increasing the penalty is not the solution to the problem. The authorities concerned need to dig deeper into the roots of the problem to hit the bulls eye and find a suitable solution to the ever-growing menace. SK
Khosla, Chandigarh With the fine imposed, the menace will stop
The increase in the amount of penalty will certainly have a deterrent effect on violators encroaching upon the pavements and roads. It is a necessary step that will not only put an end to the encroachments, but will also break the spirit of the violators, hence putting a full stop to the malpractice. A penalty of Rs 10,000 is quite a big amount and an effective tool to combat the encroachments in the city. The impact of this initiative can bear a strong economic effect on the violators. It will not only lighten their pockets, but also make it difficult for them to sustain their illegal activity and
subsequently, the malpractice will end. Ajit Singh, Canada Strict action should be initiated
When we go to the market, we find that a majority of the shopkeepers in the area have encroached upon the roads and lanes, causing inconvenience to cyclists and pedestrians. Vehicles find it difficult to move, while cyclists and pedestrians fear for their life, as they are under the fear of getting hit by the vehicles moving around in the area. The shopkeepers do not fear the officials of the Municipal Corporation (MC) and continue to establish their control over the area. These defaulters do not possess any civic sense at all and are not at all concerned about the chaos created as a result of their greed. Their main motive is to sell their products and make more money, with little or negligible regard for the commuters. The other day, a VIP’s car got stuck in the market. That is when he realised the magnitude of the problem and ordered an immediate removal of encroachments in the area. But then, like a disease, the problem resurfaces after a couple of days, thanks to the politicians who shelter the corrupt and greedy. The solution lies in initiating strict action against the defaulters. The Deputy Commissioner (DC), the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), and the officials of the Municial Corporation (MC) have to be tough and should show no leniency towards the law-breakers, come what may. Madhu RD Singh,
Ambala Cantt UT must formulate regulatory policies
Residents of the City Beautiful are not much concerned about the encroachments in the markets, where people enjoy buying articles, but the encroachments outside the shops are the basic problem for both shopkeepers and visiting public. The government has planned to control the illegal activity by imposing heavy fines to violators. But before considering a hike in fines, the UT should formulate policies to regulate the use of front verandahs and rear courtyard of the SCOs. A separate policy should be implemented for booths, furniture market and specially allotted small trade markets. The Administration has put restrictions by imposing building bylaws for not covering the rear portion of the shops. There is a further need to frame rules and regulations to utilise the maximum area, within the area of the shop, while considering the proper use and interest of shopkeepers/traders. The authorities must go ahead with the increase in penalty after considering the stated points. Sukhpal Singh,
Chandigarh Strict legal measures should be taken
A couple of steps or preventive measures should be undertaken to tackle this stubborn problem of encroachments in the market areas of the tricity. The officials of the
civic body should lodge a complaint against the encroachers with the police to stop them from repeating the same in the near future. Besides, some social activists also strongly feel that the anti-encroachment drives
can only be successful when effective legal measures are taken against the encroachers without any leniency. Priya Darsh
Growar, Mohali Hike in penalty will breed corruption
The proposal to raise the fine will give the enforcement ground staff a freehand to follow a pick and choose policy. The chances are that the proposal, if implemented, will breed more corruption. Residents have learnt to deal with the stalls and rehriwalas dotting the markets and catering to various essential requirements, such as daily need items and offering tea, coffee and ice creams on the roadside. SC Luthra,
MHC, Mani Majra Cancel allotment of shops/booths
The UT's proposal to the Centre for increasing penalty on encroachers from the existing Rs 500 to Rs 10,000 is a welcome step, if implemented in its true sense. This way, small traders as well as big ones will think twice before encroaching upon corridors and pavements in the market areas. But, there is a loophole in the system. The traders will pay Rs 500 or Rs 1,000 to the Estate Office staff as bribe and continue with the malpractice. This way, they will save Rs 9,000. The only way to ensure that there are no encroachments in front of shops in main markets and booth markets is to cancel the allotment of the shop/booth altogether. This action will deter encroachments to an extent. This step will do more wonders if the action is initiated without issuing any prior notice to the shopkeepers. RK
Kapoor, Chandigarh Keep a check on the role of the MC staff
The hike in penalty will definitely deter the growth of the illegal encroachments in the market areas. Besides the goods confiscated during the anti-encroachment drives by the civic body in the tricity should not be returned to the defaulters. A more intensive checking on the menace of encroachments in the market areas should be carried out in order to put the malpractice to a standstill. The involvement of any Municipal Corporation (MC) staff in allowing the habitual offenders to freely carry on with the illegal business around the market areas in the tricity should also be thoroughly investigated. IPS
Anand, Mani Majra
Empathise with hapless vendors
Taking harsh measures to prevent encroachments by poor vendors in the tricity is neither justified nor a deterrence. The think tanks of the Chandigarh Administration seem to have gone completely off track if they believe that encroachments in the market places can be contained by imposing a heavy fine. It must be understood that the poor vendors are living on the edge and they ought to return to their mode of earning their livelihood, irrespective of the magnitude of the fine imposed on them. While they may always be working under the fear of being caught and fined by the inspectors of the Estate Office, they will, nevertheless, return to their work, as they have to feed their families. The Chandigarh Administration needs to devise an innovative idea to clear all the encroachments in the market places of the tricity with a sympathetic approach towards the hapless vendors. Empathising with those who will get affected is the key. Ravinder Nath, Chandigarh open house question The recent incident of brutal murder and physical assault of 10-year-old Pinki from Palsora village has once again raised concern over the safety of girls. Despite the Chandigarh police launching campaigns to sensitise people over the issue, such incident continue to happen in the city. What needs to be done to prevent such incidents? Send your comments along with passport size picture to openhouse@tribunemail.com
|
|
Delhi poll results to impact general election
Chandigarh, December 8 Like in the case of Delhi, the Chandigarh parliamentary seat with sizeable educated electorate and a large working population could upset the calculations of the two major parties, the Congress and the BJP. Besides the national issue of corruption and price rise apart, there is resentment among local traders and industrialists against the Chandigarh Administration doing little to redress their grievances. As local unit of the Arvind Kejriwa’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) celebrated the historic win by distributing sweets at the Terraced Garden in Sector 33 and leaders of other parties (though in denial mode) took note of the development. Sanjay Tandon, president of the Chandigarh unit of the BJP, said, “I do not think the AAP will make any impact in the Chandigarh parliamentary elections. The party does not have any base in Chandigarh.” The BJP leader opined that it would be a bipolar election in Chandigarh. Regarding the choice of the candidate, Tandon, said the decision was being taken by the party high command. The party held celebrations in different parts of the city. Incidentally, the BJP in-charge of Chandigarh, Aarti Mehra, lost her seat to a candidate of the Aam Aadmi party from Malwia nagar in Delhi. In the Congress camp, BB Behl, president of the Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee (CTCC), said the result of Delhi would not cast its shadow on Chandigarh. “There is a lot of difference in the parliamentary and Assembly elections. The Chandigarh voters are sensible. The AAP has no base here”, he added. Unmoved by the remarks, Gurjusjit Singh, local leader of the AAP, said the local unit was in an upbeat mood over the historic win. “Haryana and Chandigarh are next on the target”, he said.
|
|
Chrysanthemum show
Chandigarh, December 8 Interestingly, area councillor Rajesh Gupta of the BJP, whose name was also printed on the invitation cards, was also missing from the function. The closing ceremony of the Chrysanthemum Show that has saw participation of councillors in the last several years witnessed thin attendance this time. Only, nominated Councillor Major (retd) DS Sandhu, BJP councillors Arun Sood and Rajinder Kaur attended the ceremony. Chawal stated that some councillors had got information that the programme orgainsed during the day had been cancelled, following which he asked the Public Relation Department to clarify to everyone that all programmes would be held as per schedule. “I got calls from several councillors who had got this information that the cultural programme had being cancelled”, the Mayor stated. Area Councillor Rajesh Gupta when contacted stated that he was away for some important
work following which he could not attend the closing ceremony.
|
|
53,000 take railway exam
Chandigarh, December 8 The three-hour examination was conducted at centres in Chandigarh, Panchkula, Mohali, Zirakpur, Derabassi and Rajpura. A team of officials from New Delhi were in the tricity to conduct the exam and ensure that the security arrangements were in place during the examination. For accommodating the rush, a special train was introduced from Saharanpur via Ambala that reached Chandigarh at 7am. The train departed after the exam at 3 pm towards Ambala.
|
|
Make traffic rules for rickshaw-pullers, say FOSWAC members
Chandigarh, December 8 Members flayed the recent decision of the municipal corporation (MC) to allow rickshaw -pullers to operate in the city without permission. The members stated that the unregulated growth and plying of rickshaws in the city would cause a lot of traffic hazard on the roads. In the absence of rickshaws bylaws, neither the rickshaws nor the rickshaw-pullers can be challaned for violating the traffic rules. The members discussed that the MC should review its decision and bring the rickshaws and rickshaw-pullers under the ambit of traffic bylaws and rules. The members opposed the proposed increase in the house tax of residential buildings by a special committee of the MC House Tax Committee on the basis of ratable value of the residential properties. The members expressed their concern on the growing problem of traffic congestion and parking of vehicles leading to frequent traffic jams and accidents at roundabouts and on road.
|
|
Cyber war intensifies between Congress, BJP
Even as Parliament elections are still some months away, cyber war among workers of political parties have intensified in the city. If the workers of BJP-SAD combine are posting messages of booth scam and railway scam with pictures of Local Congress MP Pawan Kumar Bansal on social networking sites, the local Congress workers are posting messages of differences among three BJP leaders of the city - Harmohan Dhawan, Satya Pal Jain and Sanjay Tandon. The Congress workers are also highlighting Bansal’s developmental works on social media. MC officials pulled up
Senior officials of the Municipal Corporation (MC), Chandigarh, who were part of the organising team of the Chrysanthemum Show -2013, were pulled up by the MC Commissioner over the unappealing design of the flex boards that was put up across the city. On the directions of the Commissioner, new boards were prepared a day before the inauguration function and displayed at various roundabouts.
Jitters for city police
The Chandigarh Police had a tough time interpreting the medical language used in the postmortem report of a 10- year-old girl, last week. The 50-word report turned out to be a nightmare for the police when the forensic expert who prepared the report proceeded on three-day-leave and the questionnaire sent by the police to the Director Health Services (DHS) was held up due the unavailability of the forensic expert. The delay in investigations not only gave jitters to the police team investigating the case, but also the DHS, as he forgot to attach the annexures with the covering of questionnaire file while forwarding it to the head of the Forensic Department.
Classify heritage in Chandigarh
Residents are confused as to what the heritage of the city is which was conceived by Le Corbusier. The administrators of the city need to classify the structures that had been raised by Le Corbusier and his associates, the workplace where they worked or certain specific areas associated with the city's initial days. With the city growing by leaps and bounds, there is pressure of the population on the city's infrastructure.
Car for bank accounts
With the bank accounts of the Police Department being shifted to another private bank, police officials are busy filling bank forms these days. Rumours are rife that a top official has been gifted a luxury car by the private bank for shifting the salary accounts of the entire Police Department to this bank which are around 7,500 in number.
Special treatment to SHO?
Even as senior police officials wasted no time in issuing transfer orders of the SHO of the Sector 39 police station and Pulsora police post in-charge after the Pinki murder case came to light and residents protested, here also, bias was evident. While the police officers found to be negligent are normally shifted to the police lines, Inspector Narinder Patial was transferred to the Operations Cell, which has raised many
eyebrows. Contributed by: Rajinder Nagarkoti, Amit Sharma, Rajmeet Singh, Ritika
Jha Palial and
Aneesha Sareen
|
|
Mohali gets facelift for summit
Tribune News Service
Mohali, December 8 Mohali Deputy Commissioner Tejinder Pal Singh Sidhu said all the arrangements had been put in place. “We have made world-class arrangements for the prestigious guests. The administration has been on the job since the venue was selected for the purpose,” said Sidhu. According to the sources, about half a crore have been spent on the beautification of the town. Hundreds of decorative plants have been planted along the roads, which would be used to bring the bigwigs of the business world across the country and abroad. Special lighting arrangements have been made at the ISB. Several roads in the town have been re-carpetted while the rest have been repaired. Special cleanliness drive in the town was also on for the past few days. The administration has earmarked two special routes for the guests- the YPS road and the Phase XI road leading to Chandigarh Industrial Area. Mohali SSP Inder Mohan Singh Bhatti claimed that a strategy had been chalked out to avoid any traffic problem to the public and the guests as well.
Final Inspection
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and Information and Public Relations Minister Bikram Singh Majithia were present at ISB on Sunday to see the final touches being given to the arrangements being made there.
|
|
Air Marshal appointed to AFT’s Chandigarh Bench
Chandigarh, December 8 Verma, who was commissioned in the Administrative Branch of the IAF on
December 30, 1972, had been appointed as the first ever Director-General (Administration) at the Air Headquarters, in March 2009. An alumnus of the National Defence College, New Delhi, he has specialised in aerial imagery interpretation at Air Force Intelligence School, Pune, and was selected for training in the subject at the Royal Air Force Wyton, United Kingdom. He was appointed as the Chief Administrative Officer of Air Force stations at Bhuj, Jamnagar, Yelahanka and New Delhi, the Principal Director, Air Force Works at the Air Headquarters and the Senior Officer-in-Charge (Administration) at the Central Air Command as well as the Western Air Command. He has also been the president of the Delhi Gymkhana Club.
|
|
Akali-BJP supporters elated over win in Delhi
Mohali, December 8 BJP’s Mohali district president Sukwinder Singh Goldy said the remarkable win of the BJP was a clear signal
that the party would make the next government in Centre. Local SAD leader Amrik Singh Mohali said winning three out of four seats in Delhi by Akali candidates brought cheer to the party workers all around. “We are very happy with the win of BJP in other states as well,” said the leader.
|
Now, AIPMT for MBBS admissions in GMCH-32
Chandigarh, December 8 The students, who primarily aimed at targeting Chandigarh PMT next year, will now have to keep some crucial points in mind while preparing for the AIPMT since the pattern of the central exam is different from the state PMT exam. The Chandigarh PMT had separate papers for physics, chemistry and biology, each comprising 60 questions. The exam was a long-drawn affair of about five hours. The AIPMT, on the other hand, is much more compact. As per the exam pattern issued by the CBSE, the students appearing in the AIPMT will take a single paper comprising 90 questions from biology and 45 questions each from physics and chemistry in one sitting of three hours. During the exam, the time saved while answering questions pertaining to one subject can be utilised to solve the questions from another subject. A local academician, Dr Arvind Goyal, said the Chandigarh PMT test was not an NCERT-based examination while the AIPMT was primarily based on NCERT books. Thus, local students should now focus more on NCERT textbooks for getting admission to the local medical college. He added that the students should also focus more on biology since it carries 50 per cent weightage in the AIPMT as compared to the 33 per cent it had in the Chandigarh PMT. The pattern of the AIPMT was more close to the National Eligibility Entrance Test held last year, which was scrapped by the Supreme Court later, Dr Goyal said. The AIPMT also has 1/4th negative marking wherein one mark will be deducted for every wrong answer. Negative marking is not the major issue for students of Chandigarh as the Chandigarh PMT always had a negative-marking pattern though it was not the case with the Punjab PMT. Local experts said since Punjab had also decided to go with the AIPMT like Chandigarh, candidates from the state would now have to adapt to the negative-marking pattern in the coming AIPMT. The CBSE notification has confirmed that apart from Chandigarh and Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pardesh, Delhi and other Indian states have also decided to take the central exam merit for admission to MBBS courses in the institutions in their respective states. Reputed institutes like the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune, and the Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, were also going with the AIPMT for admissions, stated the CBSE notification. Meanwhile, local students have welcomed the timely announcement of the GMCH-32 going with the AIPMT. Sector-19 resident Dhruv Sarwal, a medical aspirant, said it was good for students of these regions, as now they need not fill up multiple forms. "It is good that the decision has been announced well in advance as aspirants will not get ample time to plan their preparations. A single-exam format definitely helps students to focus better and channelise their energy to give their best on that single day," he said. Local experts said many students and parents had a misconception that with several states going with the AIPMT, their state quota of 85 per cent seats would now be open to all the candidates. But that was not the case, they said. The CBSE would make a separate list of successful candidates of each state for their respective 85 per cent quota in addition to the all-India merit list for 15 per cent central quota seats. Fact file
Misconception Many students and parents had a misconception that with several states going with the AIPMT, their state quota of 85 per cent seats would now be open to all the candidates. But that was not the case, they said. The CBSE would make a separate list of successful candidates of each state for their respective 85 per cent quota in addition to the all-India merit list for 15 per cent central quota seats.
|
||
|
Prof Bambah accepts honorary degree
Tribune News Service
The Senate announced and approved the honorary degree of doctor of science for Prof RP Bambah, a Padma Bhushan awardee, who accepted the decision. When for one of the agenda items, involving the VC's wife, Prof Bhambah was invited to chair the House, he said, "I feel good sitting on this chair after such a long time." From the ringside
Major Decisions
|
||
|
Senate proposes renaming of PG colleges in city
Chandigarh, December 8 The nomenclature of the four government colleges in the city that was changed a few years ago proved to be a hurdle as the NAAC had records of these colleges under the old names. The proposals of all the colleges seeking NAAC accreditation, which was made manadatory last year, were rejected following lack of clarity over the names of the colleges. As the matter was taken up today, the senators recommended that all colleges, including private, should be renamed in a format to have uniformity; for example, Government Post-Graduate College for Girls or DAV Post-Graduate College. While some of the senators, including Dinesh Talwar, faculty in the DAV College, emphasised that the decision be taken immediately, the Vice-chancellor said the college managements should send formal proposals for the same. "I request the colleges to send in their proposals and I take the responsibility of sending the proposal for ratifcation in the Syndicate," said Vice-chancellor Arun Grover. The nomenclature of Government College, Sector 11, was changed to Post-Graduate Government College in 2009. Similarly, words Post Graduate (PG) were added to the names of GCG-11, GCG-42 and GC-46 in 2010. At its Senate meeting in April 2010, the PU had recommended different nomenclature of the colleges - Government Post Graduate College as against Post Graduate Government College. However, both the UT Administration and the PU failed to reach any consensus.
|
||
|
VC’s wife’s case referred back to PU Syndicate
Chandigarh, December 8 As soon as the item came up for discussion at the Senate, all members in the House took an immense interest in it. While the VC left the hall inviting Prof RP Bambah to chair the Senate and take up the agenda item, each senator was seen paying an unusual attention. While none in the House was seen opposing the extension, the members appeared keen on putting forth their suggestions. As Prof Bambah initially said the matter be approved, the majority of members suggested that it should be referred back to the Syndicate for "urgent" approval. As Ashok Goyal put forth his opinion that the matter be taken up in the Syndicate to "help" the professor, another senator objected to the word "help" and said "she (Prof Neera Grover) is a deserving candidate and her credibility is being unnecessarily doubted." Ashok Goyal then clarified. While Prof Raunaki Ram said the agenda item be simply placed in the Syndicate without any urgent scheduling of the Syndicate meeting, another senator said in a lighter vein, "Why not call a meeting of the Syndicate today evening to grant extension to the VC's wife". As discussion went on for over 20 minutes with everyone speaking and nobody listening, Prof Bambah rose from his seat and express disappointment over the conduct of the senators. Then, the House resolved that the Syndicate meeting be called as per the normal schedule and the agenda item be placed before it. The next meeting of the Syndicate is likely to be scheduled for January 4, 2014, while Prof Neera Grover will have to return to Mumbai to report at her present institution where she is employed.
|
||
|
Fee hike for USOL courses acquires political colour
Chandigarh, December 8 While the new fee structure with an increase of about 10 per cent has already been implemented and even paid by the students, who enrolled in various distance learning courses this year, BJP's Satpal Jain took a strong exception to the matter and reiterated that "please consider my dissent from the decision". As the Vice-chancellor, Arun Grover, attempted to justify the "minimal" fee hike citing inflation, Jain said the plight of the poor should be taken into account while increasing the fee. Grover said, "Almost 87 per cent of the salaries of teachers come from fees paid by students. We are only increasing the fee to contain the running costs. For assisting the students from economically weaker sections (EWS) of society, we have provisions for scholarships and concessions." Jain said, "We should go and look into the hardships that a middle-class family faces to pay for the education of its children. If we keep on raising the fee in this manner, we will only have children of corporate honchos like Ambanis or other big shots studying with us." As Jain rose from his seat for the third time saying "sir please note my dissent", the Vice-chancellor decided to set up a committee to look into the economic condition of students enrolled in the USOL to determine fee-hike possibilities in the future. He also proposed that the family-income slabs for availing of scholarships for the EWS students could be raised from Rs 2 lakh per annum to Rs 5 lakh to benefit more students.
|
||
|
Local writers present their works at literary event
Chandigarh, December 8 Renowned editor, critic and poet Brajendra Tripathi presided over the morning session. while Nirupama Dutt, a renowned writer from the city, chaired the afternoon session wherein Rajbir Deswal, IPS, read his poems. Manju Jaidka, chairperson of the Akademi, announced that the Akademi would hold its next event on January 11 and later, on February 8-9.
|
||
|
Amit Kumar mesmerises city
Chandigarh, December 8 Organised by a city-based musical group, Vibration, several other local artistes also performed at the event. Sanjeev Kalra, a senior IPS officer, regaled the audience with songs like “Nafrat Karne Walon Ke Seene Mein Pyaar Bhar Doon”. Naresh Jacob sang “Sab Kuchh Seekha Humne Na Seekhi Hoshiyaari” from Raj Kapoor-starrer “Anari. Dr Gulshan Sharma from the IIFT/NIMA was the guest of honour. Music direction was given by a Chandigarh-based artiste Veval Kumar, and Rajinder Singh.
— TNS
|
||
|
Mini-sports day
Chandigarh: The pre-primary wing of Saupin's-32 celebrated its annual cultural and mini-sports day on the school premises with great pomp and show. DPI (Schools) Kamlesh Kumar, who was the chief guest on the occasion, declared the event open. The DPI appreciated the hard work and efforts put in by the students and the teachers. Students of the pre-primary presented an enthralling display of drills and dances. Annual day
Students of Bal Niketan Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 37, presented a fabulous cultural programme during the annual day celebrations organised on the school campus here on Saturday. A mesmerising show of songs, skits, regional dances and variety of programmes held the audience spellbound. Rhythm and zest were the hallmarks of the programme, which started with 'Ganesh vandana'. Table soccer tourney
Mohali: Students of Sant Waryam Singh Memorial Public School, Ratwara Sahib, proved their mettle at the North Zone Table Soccer Championship-2013. The tournament was organised by the Table Soccer Federation of India in association with the School Games Federation of India at Government High School, Sector-19, Chandigarh. While Barinder Singh and Harmeet Singh won gold, Jasvir Singh and Jagvir Singh bagged silver and Mohit Sharma, Jasvir Singh and Jagvir Singh bagged bronze medals. The chairperson of Vishav Gurmat Roohani Mission Trust, Ratwara Sahib, blessed the students and gave away cash prizes to the winners. Annual day
The tiny tots of Bachpan, a play school at Mohali, celebrated their annual day 'Bachpan Express' at Shivalik Public School, Mohali, with a fun-filled music and dance programme. The programme began on a religious note with a prayer song "This little guiding light of mine, I'm going to let it shine". In his address, DC Roy, national head of the Bachpan chain of schools, who was the guest of honour, mentioned that it was indeed a Herculean task to get kids in the age group of 2 to 5 years to perform on stage and appreciated the hard work put in by teachers under the guidance of school chairperson Glenda Nunes.
|
||
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
Chandigarh, December 8