& V I C I N I T Y
Tuesday, March 2, 1999
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C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
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Tuesday, March 2, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Curbs on power connections
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 Would sops really help ? CHANDIGARH, March 1 — There are indeed grand ideas for the agriculture sector which Mr Yashwant Sinha, Finance Minister, propounded while presenting the Union Budget. Mr Sinha would like the year to be remembered as "Year of the gram sabha". Holi
hai !... cops hain
English
greeted with caution |
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‘Kiran
will wipe out eve-teasers, corrupt cops’ Computer
education or extra burden for kids? City to have
“herbarium”
1st
batch of rice millers courts arrest Making
women aware of their role Call
to wage war on social evils Recitation
reflects simple emotions |
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Curbs on power connections in
periphery area CHANDIGARH, March, 1 — In a significant decision the Punjab Government has directed the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) not to release any new power connections for domestic and industrial purposes within the periphery area of 16 km of the city without fulfilling certain conditions. In a notification the government has directed the board not to release any type of electric connection without obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA). From this decision, as many as 336 villages falling in the periphery area will be affected. The decision will come in force with immediate effect. Sources said the decision had been taken to implement the provisions of the Punjab New Capital (Periphery ) Control Act, 1952. Of late it has been observed that various provisions of the Act had been violated by large-scale unauthorised constructions. The blatant violation of the Act had resulted in haphazard growth without any basic amenities like sanitation, water supply, roads, sewerage, drainage, street light, parks, schools and hospitals. The government has reportedly taken serious view of the violation of the Act and directed the PSEB not to provide any electric connections without obtaining an NOC from PUDA. The sources said officials found lacking in the implementation of these instructions would be held personally responsible. Moreover, the SDO of Dera Bassi, Mr Rajinder Pal Singh, has urged the people wanting new connections to obtain NOCs from PUDA before submitting their applications to the department. Meanwhile, residents
reacted sharply to the decision of the government. Mr
Kewal Garg, President of the Dera Bassi Industries
Association, alleged that the decision would lead to
harassment of the general public. |
A legacy of
holes, wrappers CHANDIGARH, March 1 —The ‘Festival of Gardens, organised by the Engineering Department of the UT Administration may have proved to be a hit, with thousands of visitors, but it certainly has resulted in a considerable damage to the Sector 16 Rose Garden, the venue of the festival. The three-day festival, which concluded on Sunday, left the beauty of lawns, flower beds and the water feature damaged, mainly due to holes created by pitching of tents, plucking of flowers and trampling of grass. During a visit to the garden, this correspondent found that the worst victims were the lawns, particularly near the entrance to the garden from the Sector 10 side, where huge tents were put up by the organisers to facilitate the holding of several competitions. Even as most of tents had been removed from the site, one could see a large number of holes created by poles and wooden planks used to create artificial walls and for erecting tents in the area. Another thing, which resulted in some damage to the place was laying of pipes for makeshift toilets placed in different parts of the garden. It was found that at places, the holes were about one and a half feet wide and yet to be filled up. The lawns were also found to have suffered damage around the water feature in the middle of the garden. According to officials of the department, these lawns were damaged with deep footmarks as a large number of people trampled the green spots which had been drenched owing to mist created by constant flow of water from the fountain during the festival days. Though the department had put up mesh around most of flower beds in the garden, flowers in the ones without mesh had been victims of vandalism by some anti-social elements during the festival. A number of flower beds could even be seen without a single flower. What posed a threat to the beauty of the place was the presence of a large number of plastic bags and wrappers of food items in different parts of the garden. The maximum concentration of the plastic trash was found to be in flower bed and in the water channel passing through the garden. While conceding that ‘some’ damage had occurred to the place during the festival, Mr Hardev Singh, Xen, Horticulture Department, said he had deputed officials to restore the beauty of the garden. He said a
‘special’ fertiliser would be used for speedy
recovery of loss to grass in lawns. “Within one
month, grass will regain its glory,” he added. He
said as far as the loss of flowers was concerned, he had
identified some problem spots, where maximum number of
flowers had been plucked by people. “We will take
preventive steps the next time”, he assured. |
PU targets
‘fake’ school boards CHANDIGARH, March 1 —Panjab University is considering drafting of a clear-cut policy on fate of students who seek admission in undergraduate classes on the basis of plus two certificates from “dubious school boards”. Highly placed sources in the examination branch said the practice of allowing these students to be promoted from one class to the other was allowed on “humanitarian” grounds. It was however, subject to verification of their certificates from the boards concerned .To save the academic year of students, the university allowed the colleges to grant promotion of students to the next class in scores of cases where the eligibility could not be ascertained. A large number of these students join the undergraduate classes with certificates from “dubious boards”, particularly from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. The university writes to these boards for verification of the result of candidates. As expected there is no reply. In a number of cases the university deputes its personnel to go to the address on the certificates and return without verification reports, sources said. In the past there has been a practice of giving extra time to students to prove the merit of their case. Sources said the University Grants Commission released the names and addresses of “dubious” universities. This made the job of universities easy while confirming the eligibility of the candidate for the postgraduate courses. This was, however, not the case with the school boards as there was no information released by a central monitoring agency. However, action on this ground is on the anvil as the university would not like to harm the interests of the students if they were to be disqualified an year or two after they had joined PU,sources confirmed. One of the letters released by the UGC to universities in 1996. said: You are aware that some institutions are suffixing the word university, vishwavidayala, vishwavidyapith and “vidyapith” to their names and are advertising that they are empowered to award degrees to the students enrolled with these institutions”. As per the UGC Act “universities” can be established through central or state legislation and no other organisation can use the word “university”. The commission said that anyone dealing with such unrecognised institutions for pursuing academic studies for degrees and diplomas would be doing so at his or her own risk and responsibility. The list of fake
universities included Maithili University, Darbhanga
(Bihar), Mahila Gram Vishwavidayala, Prayag (Allahabad),
Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidayala, Delhi, Commercial
University, Darya Ganj, Delhi, Indian Education Council
of Uttar Pradesh, Allahabad, Netaji Subash Chandra Bose
University (open university), Aligarh, Arya University,
Srinagar and United Nations University, besides several
others. |
Poetic
expressions on Indo-Pak amity CHANDIGARH, March 1 — The conducive atmosphere created by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's bus diplomacy to improve the relations between India and Pakistan found an echo at a mushaira organised at the Sector 18 Tagore Theatre last evening by Indradhanush in collaboration with the Department of Cultural Affairs, Haryana. Some of the poet-invitees dwelt upon the subject in a very appealing manner. They came from both sides of the border, with a Pakistani poet literally bringing tears into the eyes of many, mostly women. He was Zahid Fakhri, who demonstrated the capacity to compose in both Urdu and Punjabi. In his Punjabi ghazal he depicted the role of mother, who had the same sensibilities whether in India or Pakistan. He perhaps meant to say that if we really cared for our mothers' feelings we must do everything we could to narrow down the gulf of distrust between the two neighbours. He declared that if we ignored this factor, we are bound to face doom. Just two lines from that great piece of poetry: Jina gharan vich maan
nahin hondi In continuance of the appeal made by Fakhri, his compatriot, Shahid Zaman, recited a ghazal with passion, declaring that this could be taken as a message from the people of Pakistan. His following lines say what cannot be said in a thousand words by an ordinary person: Sarhaden beshak alag
hain India was beautifully represented by a young and highly talented poet, Afzal Mangalori. The ghazal that he recited contained a forceful message that could be taken as coming from the people of India. He said: Waqt ka hai taqaza
yehi Basheer Badr, perhaps the most celebrated among the living Urdu poets of India, dealt with the changing values of life in one of his compositions which he said was new. He wanted to convey to the audience that every activity of today's city-dwellers had some hidden self-interest. No activity was without a personal motive: Yunhi roz milne ki
aarzoo One of the well-known names in Pakistan, Hasan Rizvi, was also present. He got an opportunity to visit India after nearly 10 years. He is the one who conducted the function organised at Lahore to honour Mr Vajpayee during his recent bus ride to Pakistan. Mushaira enthusiasts would remember that he never loses an opportunity to present a composition in Haryanvi whenever he is on this side of the border. The reason: his ancestors came from the area now called Haryana. His few lines: Dekhin hain jabse
hamnen nazran utarian hain There were a number of poetesses most of whom received appreciation from the audience for their literary standard and the expertise in presenting their compositions. They were from both India and Paksitan, but the majority of the female representation was from the other side of the border. The poetess who dominated over all others belonging to her sex was Farrukh Geelani from Pakistan. A sample from her presentations: Nazar men koi jacha hi
nahin hai teray baad Among the other poetesses who recited their compositions were Tejinder Ada, Mehak Bharati and Gulrez Zeba. Mr Ramendra Sahil Jakhu, the main brain behind Indradhanush, the organisation which held the Indo-Pak mushaira, proved by reciting his compositions that his interest in Urdu was not only because he liked the language but also because he knew how to play with words like a seasoned poet. He could bring a galaxy of poetic geniuses to Chandigarh. And people stayed much beyond 2 a.m. to listen to them. But Dr Jagannath Azad, Krishan Bihari Noor and Makhmoor Sayeedi could not get the treatment they deserved because of some confusion over the presentation of "doshala" to the invitees. The chief guest, Haryana's
Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Minister Jaswant
Singh, who gave a donation of Rs 51,000 to Indradhanush,
stayed till the end of the mushaira, which has begun
around 9 p.m.
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Would sops
to farm sector really help ? CHANDIGARH, March 1 — There are indeed grand ideas for the agriculture sector which Mr Yashwant Sinha, Finance Minister, propounded while presenting the Union Budget. Mr Sinha would like the year to be remembered as "Year of the gram sabha". But would these sops for agriculture really help farmers? A look at what Mr Sinha unfolded: critical importance of the agriculture sector would mean, first, to provide adequate irrigation, the lifeline of the farm sector. So a national movement for watershed development is called for. As many as 100 priority districts will be covered within three years by NABARD, the apex cooperative lending institution. The idea is to create local help and work at the micro level. Second is to accelerate the irrigation benefit programme for ongoing projects. The states are meanwhile asked to increase water rates at least to cover the costs. Centre has promised "liberal matching grants" to complete the projects. There is also some promise of a one-time subsidy for three years to registered water-user associations. There are no two opinions about the need for irrigation and tap each source, big or small, and also to involve the people. But what has been the history of irrigation projects. Closer home, there is the Ranjit Singh project which is incomplete even after 20 years. Its cost overrun has been from a bare Rs 200 crore to over Rs 2,000 crore. The successive Chief Ministers have been going with virtual begging bowls to the Centre for help. Even the public promises made by PrimeMinisters have not been honoured. Also, NABARD's role has been a mixed one. It is a tiresome process. Money is inadequate and then it flows in trickle and the cost of managing it at times is more than the benefit. The story of Ranjit Singh project is repeated by several other projects, including the Hathni Kund dam in Haryana and many other projects in Himachal. Then, there is the rural infrastructure fund, an important instrument to develop rural infrastructure. Its annual corpus has been raised from Rs 3,000 crore to Rs 3,500 crore . But this is too small an amount if one looks at six lakh gram panchayats. Some funding would be available directly to panchayats. And, what is the situation at the ground? The nexus of the sarpanch, panchayat secretary and the BDPO eats away the funds. Punjab had a minister who allegedly released cheques after obtaining cash from panchayats. While he faces a probe and may suffer punishment, the government is yet to devise some healthy check. A healthy panchayat movement in needed. Then there is a small mercy and 20 lakh farmers would benefit from the kisan credit card scheme, the much touted welfare measure. But this is a negligible section of 60 to 70 crore farmers. There is also talk about helping post-harvest storage. The minister has promised to provide additional cold storage for 12 lakh tonnes and help modernise 8 lakh tonnes of existing storage. Why does the minister not draw a lesson from the American model where farmers build silos, store foodgrains and take credit against these. They sell when they find the going a bit good. This could save the government huge investments, make farmers earn a little more and also save thousands of crore of rupees that go waste as the FCI fails to lift the stocks. Rodents eat away what is not eaten away by the corrupt bureaucracy engaged in the huge food business of procuring, storing and transferring stocks from one place to another. There would be no need to cut subsidy on PDS items. The panchayats and farmers
cooperatives should be encouraged to build silos and
storage for the perishable commodities. Look what has
been happening to vegetables and fruit year after year.
This mocks at the government's oft-repeated advice to
diversify agriculture. Marketing only offers adverse
terms making the farmer suffer the most. |
Holi hai
!... cops hain CHANDIGARH, March 1 — More than 500 police personnel, including DSP and Inspector-level officials have been put on duty to prevent any untoward incident of hooliganism on the occasion of Holi tomorrow. Police parties will be posted at strategic points in the city, including sensitive points like hostel for girls, market places. Besides this, all traffic violations like overspeeding and helmet-less driving will be challaned. Though no special drive against drunken driving has been initiated, the police will take appropriate action against those who create law and order problems after consuming liquor, officials said. The Superintendent of Police, Mr Baldev Singh, said each sector and important road stretch has been handed over to an inspector rank official. Some sensitive spots like Panjab University, Bapu Dham Colony and Mani Majra will be under the direct supervision of a DSP rank official. The ASP, Central Division, and the DSPs of South and East divisions will move around with a platoon each to supervise the arrangements in their respective areas. A police party headed by an inspector rank official has been posted in each of the markets in Sectors 8, 9, 10 and 11. All other markets and roads will be covered by a party led by an SI rank official or above. The SSP, Mr C.S.R. Reddy and two SPs, Mr Baldev Singh and Mr Balbir Singh, will be in touch all through the day. Police officials said that
hooliganism and dangerous driving will not be tolerated.
Anybody trying to forcibly apply colour on passing women
will be dealt with strictly and all steps are being taken
to prevent eve-teasing. However, peaceful Holi revellers
will not be disturbed by the cops on duty. |
Play Holi,
but save your eyes CHANDIGARH, March 1 — Doctors at the PGI have warned that colours — both dry and wet — have to be kept out of the eyes while playing Holi. Besides, the colours that are mixed with some unknown wild herbs should not be used as they can cause irritation on the skin. To top it all doctors say exposure can occur if a person is wearing wet clothes as the day temperature is still not all that high to play a wet Holi. Prof Amod Gupta of the Eye Department, PGI, said that the only cure in case colour goes into the eye was to wash the eye with cold water and rush the person to the nearest eye specialist. Rubbing the affected eye must be avoided as this could cause irreversible damage to the eye, he added. Scores of patients came each year with severely damaged eyes due to chemical reaction from acids used in colouring agents, he added. Prof Gupta advocated that there must be some kind of standardisation of colours. Sometimes dry colours also had small particles of mica that could cause burning sensation in the eyes. One of the most dangerous things could be if people consume both “bhang” and alcohol at the same time and then fall unconscious. The two intoxicants mixed together would lead to vomiting. The vomit could enter the lungs and lead to pneumonia, said Dr Sanjay Jain , from the Department of Internal Medicine. Persons , who consumed “bhang” should not drive, go on heights or work near a fire, he added. Excess of “bhang” could lead to seizures, he said. Similarly, one must not drive a two-wheeler in wet clothes as this could lead to exposure, especially in the early morning and late afternoon hours. Both doctors were unanimous in saying that the maximum damage was reported in cases when people drink and drive. Prof Bhushan Kumar from
the Skin Department said that there was no preventive
cream or oil that could be applied like a film before
playing Holi. Good quality colours did not harm the skin,
he said. However, colours that were mixed with some wild
herbs stayed on the skin for longer periods thus causing
irritation. Similarly, if some chemical was mixed to get
a stronger colour it could cause problems.
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Teachers to
court arrest on March 12 CHANDIGARH, March 1 — Cutting across differences, teachers from three universities and all colleges of Punjab and Chandigarh, will court arrest on March 12 in the city to protest against the alleged anti-teacher policies of the Government. The teachers will also boycott the board examination duties and observe a complete strike in all educational institutions on March 24. This was decided at a meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee, comprising members of the Punjab and Chandigarh Teachers Union, Government College Teachers Union, Panjab University Teachers Association, Punjabi University Teachers Association of Patiala, Guru Nanak Dev University of Amritsar and the Retired Teachers Forum of Punjab, held here today. A dharna by members of various unions was held before the meeting near the Housing Board roundabout here this afternoon. The agitators raised slogans against the Government for denying them their rights. Various speakers decried the negative attitude of certain bureaucrats who they alleged were misleading the Government, besides not implementing the notification released by the Human Resource Development Ministry and the University Grants Commission. They condemned the Government for not releasing the pay-scales for the teaching staff of 150 non-government aided colleges. They said the fixing of an amount for non-government aided colleges and ordering colleges and universities to generate resources by raising fees, were not in the interest of the students. Those who addressed the rally included Dr N.S. Attri, Dr S.S. Khera, Dr V.K. Tiwari, Prof R.S. Brar, Prof S.S. Hundal, Dr S.P. Gautam, Dr P.P. Arya, Prof P.S. Bhatti, Prof Bhag Singh and Dr Devinder Singh. The protesters demanded
release of UGC pay scales, 95 per cent grant-in-aid for
non-government aided colleges, full grant for the state
universities, no dilution of HRD/UGC notifications on pay
scales and payment of arrears in one instalment. |
PU — a
storehouse of broken furniture CHANDIGARH, March 1 — It has been there for some time but the officials of the department are “deny” it. It has a thick blanket of dust and cobwebs that have turned black. Broken and discarded furniture dots the corridors of most departments of Panjab University, while in others it lies locked in classrooms meant to be used by students. The Punjabi Department has furniture stashed away in the last room down the corridor. According to second year students, the room has been lying locked ever since they joined the department. A peek through the keyhole reveals cupboards full of books and two cycles. The Chairman, Prof O.P. Vashisht, says, “I don’t even know what lies behind the locked door but whatever lies inside has been there for the past five years. We have got the furniture written off from the office though we are yet to send it to the store. We will do so very shortly. Beyond this, it is the responsibility of the office.” A student of the Department of English informs, “We burnt some of the discarded furniture lining the corridor on Christmas and Lohri. At least this way, the furniture was put to good use.” On the third floor of the Physics Department, wooden boards, metal racks and thermocol boards are dumped near the stairway. The corridor leading to the auditorium of the department is full of long tables dotted with bird droppings. According to the official version, the pile has not been there for more than two weeks but what meets the eye speaks a different story. The cobweb-ridden stack has been there for many years now, according to students. The Chairman, Prof I.M. Govil, says, “We keep collecting broken furniture, get it written off and then make chairs for our rooms out of it. We have dismantled a lab and that is why there are so many tables. As soon as our new building comes up, we will shift all this to the new rooms.” The first room of the Sanskrit department has been locked by the office and the classes of the students are being held in the rooms of teachers, Prof Shankarji Jha rues. “We have tried to break open the door once, but staff from the administrative block put a bigger lock on the door. It has been this way ever since the conference of architects took place on the campus,’’ he says. Another department facing a problem due to piled up furniture is the Education Department. The students contend that because the furniture is right in front of the blackboard, no classes can be held in the room. They are, instead, being held in the library of the department. The Chairperson, Dr I.P. Sharma, justifies, “We dispose of furniture frequently and keep it in constant repair. As far as the classroom is concerned, the number of students attending classes has gone down considerably. Instead of holding them in big rooms, it was more convenient to hold them in a smaller room. The Department of Psychology has a worn out table, broken chairs and lots more. Dr Minhas, the Head, explains,``Since this is the end of the financial year, we are collecting all that needs to be discarded or repaired, at one place to help us assess the total cost. The formalities will be completed very soon.” There is lots of furniture lying neglected in the law, history and economics departments among many more in the university. “The Vice-Chancellor constitutes a condemnation committee which decides the fate of the furniture discarded by the departments. In case they decide to write it off, the departments are given funds for new furniture from the depreciation fund. The furniture can be auctioned by the departments as per the procedure given in the Panjab University calendar, Volume III,” informs Mr K.D. Chauhan, the in charge of the store. Prof S.L. Kansra, Chairman of the Department of Economics, wails, “These people at the main office refuse to accept anything we send to them and that is why we have put it in a classroom. A handle of a bucket has been lying in the department for a very long time. It cannot be auctioned and it cannot be thrown away. The teachers are not meant to be organising auctions year after year.” This condemned furniture
will continue to occupy rooms in departments and space in
corridors till the next auction takes place. Mr Sethi,
Assistant Registrar dealing with the matter informs,
“The last auction took place after a gap of 18
years. When the next auction will take place is
anybody’s guess since broken furniture, cycles and
typewriters accumulate only with passage of time.”
The officials also admits of lack of space to store the
furniture. |
‘Kiran
will wipe out eve-teasers, corrupt cops’ CHANDIGARH, March 1 — Kiran Bedi (Crane Bedi) spells doom for some and fortune for many others when she takes over as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) next month. But for the city girls’, Kiran is not only an ideal but also a symbol of peaceful lives. The arrival of the first woman IPS officer at such a senior post in the city is the topic of discussion among school and college students. Chandigarh Tribune interviewed a few girls to elicit their views on the officer and what difference she will make to the city policing. Suparna Puri, a young lecturer in GCG-42, finds Kiran Bedi extremely dynamic and highly admirable for she is a woman who fights. “I have always aspired to have that commitment, but it’s hard as she is the ultimate when it comes to dedication and duty,’’ she says. She expects Kiran to renovate the entire police structure by weeding out corrupt officers. The city which is now in need of some strict and stringent traffic laws will also stand to benefit from her drastic traffic measures. She is sure to ruffle a few feathers. Similar views were echoed by Gurpreet Brar , a postgraduate student of history, as she is convinced that her arrival is going to make a big difference to the general law and order problems, particularly eve-teasing. “She is strict and has an attitude and that’s what I really like about her.” She feels that girls who till now hesitated to go out on Valentine’s Day or Holi or even cinema halls can look forward to more peaceful times. Gurpreet feels that she should strive to make the campus atmosphere better. Shivani describes Kiran as a `terror’. She is a woman who had the courage to toe away the car of the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi when she was the Deputy Commissioner, Traffic, in Delhi during the Asian Games. The city is bound to benefit from her revolutionary ideas in traffic management, even if means making helmet compulsory for girls. She hopes for harsher penalties on eve-teasers and a check in the rising crime rate in the city. The lethargic and corrupt officers will now be taking for a run once she joins. Her effectiveness, however, depends on her level of penetration and the cooperation of the people. Kanchan, a B.Sc student of GCG-11, is also excited about her coming as she has made a mark for herself as a one-woman army, both in her career and as a person. The city is bound to change during her tenure and it may even mean the end of eve-teasing. She should also take steps to check the harassment of girls at the hands of traffic cops. A B.Com student, Neha, is of the view that Kiran being a woman will be able to handle the problems of women in a much better way. The very fact that a woman is coming at the highest police rank in UT for the first time is something to be proud of. Her greatest contribution may be in terms of checking teenage vulgarity and eve-teasing, which has been on the rise. She is hopeful that the general public will have an easy access to Kiran for an early redress of grievances. “I not only look up to her but would like to support her in all her ventures,” she exudes. Tarun, a postgraduate
student of psychology, feels that Kiran has the guts to
take cudgels with VIP brats, who are responsible for many
a law and order problems. The honest officer will also
spell terror to her colleagues who will now be forced to
mend their ways. Tarun is of the view that special cells
should be set up to check harassment of the public by
particularly the traffic cops. The prison reforms
initiated by her as Inspector-General (Prisons) in Tihar
Jail may also be followed in the prisons here. |
Making
women aware of their role CHANDIGARH, March 1 — The Chairperson of the Central Social Welfare Board, Mrs Mridula Sinha today said that keeping in view an increase in the number of divorce cases, the board proposed to set up marriage counselling centres in all the universities of the country. She emphasised on the need to strengthen family as the primary unit of society. She was speaking at a function organised jointly by the Chandigarh, Haryana and Punjab State Social Welfare Advisory Boards at Tagore Theatre to mark Chetna Parv-99 as part of the International Women’s Week. Over 600 delegates including representatives of various non-government organisations, sarpanches and officials from all the three states attended the function. Expressing concern over the issue of rising family break-ups, she said that counselling was required not only for women but also men, especially if the women are working. Highlighting the objective of the Chetna Parv, Mrs Sinha said that it was being celebrated to make the women more aware of their role in the family. She might secure any post or enter any field but she would still have to play the role of a wife and a mother. With the break-up of the joint family system the need for old-age homes was arising. She also revealed that 100 more family counselling centres would be set up this year as 400 centres were already working. She said that a national conference of 20,000 non-governmental organisations would be convened at Delhi from August 11 to 13 to devise their role in the present scenario. Mr Satya Pal Jain, MP, talked about the work done by the BJP government at the Centre with regard to the 33 per cent reservation for women in the legislature, free educational facilities and proposal of life imprisonment in cases of rape. The Chairperson of the Haryana State Social Welfare Advisory Board, Mrs Lajwanti Srivastava lamented the discrimination between boys and girls from the very beginning. She called upon the women to wake up so as to empower themselves and create circumstances where society accepted them at par with the menfolk. The chief guest, Dr Kamla Verma, Social Welfare Minister, Haryana, stressed the need to maintain the age-old respect which women enjoyed in the past. The aim of celebrating the Chetna Parv was to make the women more aware about their rights. Bibi Jagir Kaur, Women and Child Development Minister, Punjab, announced the new schemes being launched by the government for the welfare of the women. “Mahila jagriti”, a new scheme to strengthen women would be launched on March 8, International Women’s Day. With a view to giving respect to women, travel in buses would be made free for women above 60 years. Later, addressing a press conference, Mrs Sinha said that the board proposed to give special packages to the terrorist and politics affected families. A survey would soon be conducted to know their number and provision would be made to train them in groups of 25 in a vocation of their choice. She said that women should also be trained to handle modern agricultural implements with the advancement in science and technology. Among others, who spoke, were the Mayor, Mr Kewal Krishan Adiwal, Mrs Kamla Sharma, Chairperson, Chandigarh Social Welfare Advisory Board, Mrs Meenakshi Anand Chaudhary, Commissioner and Secretary Women and Child Development. Earlier, a cultural
programme was also presented on the occasion. |
English
greeted with caution ZIRAKPUR, March 1 — The introduction of English language at the primary level in Punjab may be a step towards modernising education but much remains to be done at the implementation level. The response from a cross section of teachers, parents and students from villages near the city is varied. While the introduction of English is welcomed by the majority, they are sceptic about its success in the absence of necessary steps for its initiation. A section of teachers interviewed by The Tribune had two separate sets of opinions — one called it a step in the right direction while the other felt groundwork should have been done before the introduction. A number of teachers opined that the schools in Punjab need English as a compulsory subject. “It was a matter of immediate concern as the standard of education was falling at a great rate. The step has brought favourable results”, said Mrs Nirmla. (Names of teachers have been changed on request of annonimity). A school principal added that the introduction of English had got good response from parents. She said parents who earlier sent their wards to private schools in villages were now inquiring about the quality of English lessons their wards should expect. Good English education will go a long way in checking mushrooming of such unrecognised schools. Another section of teachers consider introduction of English as a progressive step but dislike the method in which it was introduced. Mrs Kiran Bala, a teacher, said, “Such a measure should be implemented with the consent of teachers”. “It is with great difficulty that we impart instructions in English. We have never taught it before and are likely to teach improperly”, she said. Teachers say that certain parents take it only as an additional burden as students will have to buy four-lined copies. Their poor economic condition does not allow them to buy the study material. Mr Rupesh Kumar, a primary school teacher also said that the results of schools were already low and the introduction of English would further deteriorate these. A majority of primary
teachers said that more seminars should be held to
suggest modern methods of teaching English. They said
that only one such seminar had been held for one day
only.
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‘Identify’
needs of students CHANDIGARH, March 1 — “Due to the changed values and social system, the students have taken the shape of an ‘automatic missile’ which, if properly guided, can bring a drastic change for the betterment of society,” Mr H.C. Sharma, Director of the SIE, said at the workshop arranged at the Nepali forest rest house, here today. Mr Sharma emphasised that the teachers needed to identify the actual needs of the students and enhance and update their knowledge for better results. Conducted by Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 33, the workshop was organised to discuss problems faced by teachers taking plus one and plus two classes. The District Education
Officer, Mr Brahmjit Kalia, said that teachers should put
in more efforts and carry out their duty with
responsibility. |
1st batch
of rice millers courts arrest CHANDIGARH, March 1 — The first batch of 51 rice millers from Punjab courted arrest to protest against the indifference of the State Government towards their demands here today. The arrests are a sequel to the decision of the Punjab Millers Association to en masse submit applications for the disconnection of the power connections of their units before March 15 in case their demands are not met by then. According to Mr Tarsem Saini and Mr Roshan Lal Amloh, president and spokesperson of the association, the millers have expressed their resentment at the way they were being treated. Despite their willingness to come to the negotiating table, not even a feeler has been received by them from the government side. They said as many as 470 millers were taken into custody last month when they had come to the city to hand over a memorandum of their demands to the Chief Minister. Despite being tax payers and employment providers, they had been completely ignored. Commenting on the decision to start the present round of courting arrests, Mr Saini said they had been forced to take this extreme step because of the indifferent attitude of the Government towards their demands. Batches of 51 members from various districts will court arrest everyday till their demands were not met. While members from Jalandhar and Kapurthala will court arrest tomorrow, those from Patiala will follow suit the next day, he added. The major demands of the agitators are raising the rate of milling, more value for used jute bags, need to introduce new and better varieties of paddy, relaxing the yield rate per quintal, refixing the length of broken rice, withdrawal of cases filed against their members in 1994-95, besides exempting the industry from market fees and purchase tax. A memorandum was later
submitted to the authorities to urge the government to
save their industry from ruin. |
Computer
education or extra burden for kids? CHANDIGARH, March 1 — Computer education in most private city schools, all of which seem to be competing with each other in terms of syllabi is ironically much more advanced than what college computer education has to offer to the students. Most of schools start with computer courses for children who are as young as three years old. But most schools are still unclear about the latest and still seem to carry on with the computer languages that are considered obsolete today. A private school in Sector 19 has developed computer courses even for the pre-nursery class, at an extra fee of Rs 25 per month. “We have developed LOGO for the kids, that has the alphabet and pictures on the screen and proves to be fun while learning. Our plan now is to introduce multi-media and Internet facilities for the children as well”, said Ms Sudesh Chaudhary, Principal. This school has six computers, with each class having one period per week for the various computer courses. Most schools have a “proper syllabi” along with examinations for the computer courses, that have been included as one of the subjects under the Socially Useful Productive Work (SUPW) scheme. “Computer is an electronic device that processes data”, rambled Vinay, a seven-year old student. Ask him if he has heard of Internet or computer games, and he looks at his mother for help, who prompts him to talk about video games. “We teach computers to all students, from Class I to Class X. My daughter stays abroad and sends us the latest computer CDs, especially for small children”, said Mrs Patricia Khanna, Principal of a private school in Sector 19. Her school charges Rs 65 per month for the course and even boasts of two Pentiums, out of the total 10 computers in school. Interestingly, the schools may be investing loads in computer education and providing qualified teachers, with most insisting on following the “CBSE pattern”, there is no pattern set by the CBSE for the schools. The guidelines from the CBSE for computer education have been laid down only for Classes XI and XII. “It is just another added burden on the children. We don’t have a computer at home, so what’s the use? Also my daughter has no interest in the subject, for which no marks are added to the aggregate. Why work so hard for grades only”, complained Mrs Seema Jindal, whose 10-year-old daughter studies in a prestigious school of Chandigarh. “It is good to have extra knowledge, especially if everyone in the world is talking about it. But why give only grades when the children work so hard for the subject? Also, what is taught in schools is not taught in institutes outside. So what’s the use?” added Mrs Mukta Gera, whose two children, one in Class IX and another in Class V, are both interested in the “world of computers”. An all-boys school in Sector 26, boasts of state-of-the-art technology, complete with multimedia computers, a computer library with CDs, a projector room, three computer laboratories and even extra courses in summer holidays. With a monthly charge of Rs 100 per month, “the school tries to stay ahead with whatever is latest in the computer technology. We are also planning to start Internet soon, so that any student is able to make his own website”, said Mr Sunny Bhatia, who heads computer education in the school. “It might sound sexist, but boys do have greater interest in computers than girls. We teach BASIC language to higher classes to develop their logic, and LOGO to junior classes. And there are very less queries from the students regarding anything latest”, said Ms Suman, computer teacher at an all-girls school in Sector 26. The school has two labs, with 15 computers in each, and two consecutive periods in a week for each class, which translates into two students per computer every week for 45 minutes. Though most schools feel proud about the fact that computer sections have been developed in their schools, they are not equipped with proper maintenance facilities, whether in the form of flooring or air-conditioning. “We started computer
education only with the aim of ‘learning without
books”, especially for junior classes. With two labs
and 37 computers, it is not only our school children who
study and enjoy computers, but also 70 per cent of our
teachers have now started learning computers’, said
Mr D.S. Bedi, Principal of a school in Sector 41, one of
the few that has air-conditioned rooms for computer labs. |
‘Budget
reflects coalition politics’ CHANDIGARH, March 1— The Rotary Club, Chandigarh, organised a discussion on the Union Budget here today. Mr Ashok Khanna, President, PHD Chamber of Commerce, Northern Region, described the Budget as “so so”. He said this was only to be expected considering the limitations of a coalition government. The excise duty had not been taken care of in the Budget. He welcomed the introduction of small credit schemes for small and medium enterprises and amalgamation of sick companies. He said the Finance Minister had taken good steps on indirect taxes. Mr Anil Kohli, Managing Director of Alpha Drugs, welcomed the steps taken for the housing sector. This would help the people, especially the poor. He said imports will become expensive and companies in monopolistic situation would gain advantage through this. Mr Kohli welcomed the 74 per cent equity for pharmaceutical companies. Mr Anil Khanna, a chartered accountant, dwelt on the corporate and personal taxation in the Budget. He said dividends from UTI and mutual funds would provide relief. The levy of 10 per cent surcharge would be damaging. Mr I.S Paul, from the CII,
said the Budget had been an exercise in fudging of
figures without changing the ground realities. He said
1999 was not going to be any better than 1998. The Budget
was silent on poverty alleviation. The exports would
flounder as there was no statement from the Finance
Minister. A correction in rupee was needed. |
APS
celebrates 27th anniversary CHANDIGARH, March 1 — The Army Postal Service Corps (APS) celebrated its 27th anniversary at Chandimandir today. Lt Gen H B Kala, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Command, was the chief guest at a function held on the occasion. Brig T S Thakur, head of the APS presented an album of first day covers to the General. With the motto Mail Milap, the most important contribution of the APS in the life of the soldier is that it forges a sentimental link between him and his family, whether he is in the dense forests of the North-East, the snow capped Himalayas or the deserts of Western India. The corps covers all the three arms of the armed forces, the Border Roads Organisation, Rashtriya Rifles, Assam Rifles and paramilitary forces like the BSF and the CRPF. The postal facility moves with the soldier wherever he moves with his unit. Brig Thakur pointed out that during this year, the corps is all geared up to provide better and more efficient services to the troops. An ESMO station has been set up at Jalandhar to transmit money orders through satellite sent by men in the command zone. The savings bank facility started by them is also very popular. During the previous year, 1347 accounts were opened in the Western Command zone alone by army personnel. As many as 3311 postal life insurance policies amounting to Rs 24 crore have been taken out by the troops in this area. The APS is an extension of the Department of Posts in the defence environment. Though young, the corps history dates back to 1856 when the first field post office accompanied the Indian Expeditionary Force to Bushaire in Persia. Raised as a war time postal organisation till World War II, the Jammu and Kashmir operation in 1947 saw the need for raising a full fledged permanent organisation. The personnel of the corps
are mainly volunteers from the Departments of Posts and
are trained at the Army Postal Service Centre, Kamptee,
Maharashtra. |
City to
have “herbarium” CHANDIGARH, March 1 — The Chandigarh Administration has decided to develop a “herbarium” adjoining Rajendra Park in Sector 1 here. The horticulture wing of the Engineering Department has been asked to start work on this second major new landscaping project after the Gardens of Five Senses in the Sector 42 Leisure Valley. The “herbarium” and the Gardens of Five Senses will be partially ready for the the next millennium’s first Festival of Gardens. The decision appears to be in consonance with the Administration’s concept of taking the Festival of Gardens to each and every part of the union territory by developing new gardens and introducing new activities there to make the city’s own festival a representative of the entire populace rather than confining it to the Dr Zakir Hussain Rose Garden alone. Three years ago, when the Rose Festival entered its silver jubilee , the Administration decided to enlarge the scope of the 25th edition of the annual show by encompassing other gardens in it besides giving it the name of Festival of Gardens. This year also, the festivities were extended to both Sector 10 Leisure Valley and the adjoining Shanti Kunj in Sector 16. Alive to criticism, the Administration decided to ban only commercial activity inside Rose Garden or Shanti Kunj during the festival this year. All stalls were put up outside the garden. In the new “herbarium” to be developed in Sector 1, the horticulture wing has already identified medicinal and other plants to be grown there. The actual plantation work will start immediately after next monsoon. Medicinal plants and trees will be grown in groups. Besides, there will be two variable heights of shrubbery in the “herbarium”. To meet the irrigation requirements, the Engineering Department has already sanctioned a tubewell. Before undertaking plantation, the horticulture wing plans to start work on fencing of the new garden. Besides, work on the construction of footpaths inside the “herbarium” will also be taken up immediately. A spokesman of the Administration claimed that the new “herbarium” would start taking shape by July. It would be around that time that the plantation in the Gardens of Five Senses adjoining the Beant Singh Memorial and Centre for Performing Arts would also commence. At present, work on the maintenance of Rajendra Park has been given to a private contractor on a two-year lease. The lease money is Rs 6 lakh. With the additional of two
more gardens, including a “herbarium”, the
city’s ring of gardens will be complete. The other
gardens include Bougainvillaea Garden, Fragrance Garden,
Terrace Garden, Topiary Park, Hibiscus Garden, Shanti
Kunj, Rose Garden, besides recently developed green belts
in several parts of the city, including Sector 20. |
Lawyers
suspend stir PANCHKULA, March 1 — The three-month-old strike by the District Bar Association over the issue of provision of chambers to lawyers in the judicial complex in Sector 1 here was today suspended till further notice. A decision in this regard was taken after a general house meeting of the Bar Association at the district courts. A spokesman of the association said the decision had been taken in the public interest. On February 21 the Bar Association had extended its strike till today claiming that no favourable response had been received from the district administration after a meeting in this regard was held about four weeks ago. The strike was suspended after the administration asked the members of the association to reconsider their decision. At today’s meeting it was decided that a fresh effort would be made to initiate a dialogue with the administration to reach a consensus over the issue which had led to the stand-off between the administration and the lawyers. Earlier the administration had asked the association to sign an agreement in which the terms and conditions for providing the land for chambers had been mentioned. The lawyers had objected to the charging of rent at Rs 50 per month from each lawyer and to the total number of floors to be provided. He said the agreement with certain amendments had been returned to the association for reconsideration. He said if the talks with the administration failed, the work would be suspended again. It was also decided that
the fourth annual election to the Bar Association would
be held on April 2. At least 700 lawyers registered with
the association would participate in the election. |
SP’s
evidence recorded CHANDIGARH, March 1 — The Sessions Judge, Mr B.S. Bedi, who held court at the high security Burail Jail, today recorded the evidence of Mr Gurdip Singh, S.P. in charge of the Punjab Chief Minister’s security, in the ongoing Beant singh assassination case. During his examination-in-chief Mr Gurdip Singh revealed that on August 31, 1995, anti-sabotage staff checked the vehicles attached with the Chief Minister. At about 11-30 a.m. an advance party of the police was sent to the Punjab secretariat. Mr Beant Singh left his house around 1-20 p.m. for the secretariat. He, too, left the house of the Chief Minister for the secretariat. He told the court that around 5 p.m. he was told that the Chief Minister had left for his house. He was about to leave his office when he heard the blast. When he came down, he saw that a large number of bodies were littered near the porch. Mr Jagdish Singh, driver of the Chief Minister, hung in the door of the car. Later Mr D.K. Tripathi, another S.P. Security, also fell unconscious. He revealed to the court that Mr Tripathi, Mr Jagdish Singh and one more P.S.O. were sent to hospital. After a short while, he also went to the Chief Minister house. He denied knowledge that
Mr Beant Singh was involved in the Payal murder case. He
also disclaimed knowledge that hundreds of people were
killed by the Punjab police. He also disagreed with the
suggestion of the defence that there was a security lapse
in the security of the Chief Minister. |
Call to
wage war on social evils CHANDIGARH, March 1 — The Central Social Welfare Board will honour such voluntary organisations which are engaged in the welfare of women and children in the country. Mrs Mridula Sinha, chairperson of the board, while inaugurating the International Year for Women and Chetna Parv here today, suggested that marriage counselling centres should be set up in each university with a view to solving the problems of disintegration of the joint family system. Such centres had already been set up at Jamia Milia University, Delhi. Frequent workshops should be organised in the universities and suitable training imparted to the youth to solve this problem. The chairperson called upon the voluntary organisations to work with devotion and wage a relentless war against the social evils so that an egalitarian society could be formed. She said advisory boards should chalk out their programmes according to the needs of society. Dr Kamla Verma, Social Welfare Minister, Haryana, presiding over the function said although women had made spectacular progress in every field, there was lack of awareness in the rural areas. She said mother was the main inspiration behind the great personalities. She opined lack of tolerance was the main factor in society which was responsible for disintegration of the joint family system in the country. The minister suggested that a register should be maintained to register the name of divorced women so that exact figures could be known. The government had launched many ambitious schemes for the welfare of women, including "Apni Beti Apna Dhan" and providing nutrition to expectant mothers. Training was being imparted to women under the Integrated Child Development Scheme. Bibi Jagir Kaur, Minister for Development of Women and Children, Punjab, said the Punjab Government had launched two insurance schemes for the girl child. She said a new scheme would be launched on March 8 on International Women Day so that women could be made self-reliant. Mr Kewal Krishan Adiwal, Mayor of Chandigarh, said without women the country could not prosper. Mrs Lajwanti Srivastava,
chairperson of the Haryana State Social Welfare Advisory
Board, said discrimination on the basis of gender should
be removed and emphasis given on girls’ education. |
Recitation
reflects simple emotions CHANDIGARH, March 1 —Transcending shackles of rhetoric, Amarjit Chandan, a renowned Punjabi poet, transformed simple experiences of life into forceful expressions at a poetry recitation function in the Department of Indian Theatre, Panjab University, here this evening. Majority of the recitations were from his latest work “Gudti” (a local custom for the newborns). Chandan is in the city en route to Lahore where a collection of his 101 poems is being brought out under the title “Guthli” (a pouch). His poetry excelled in varied imagery. Simple expressions about a country village riverside like “Pathar noo paani, paani noo sooraj dhonda hai” show an aesthetic calm while others like “Chhup shabadan de arthan vich” impress by their sheer depth. Chandan is a postgraduate in English from Panjab University. He came under the influence of the Naxalite movement. His recent compositions show a clear departure from his earlier works. He is currently based in London. Major works of Chandan include “Kaun Nahin Chahega”, “Kavitavan”, “Jadan”, “Beejak” and “Chhanna”. Chandan’s magical capturing of everyday emotions shone in phrases like “Tu sab kuch bhul ja, ej yaad kar le ki bhulna”. (“Forget everything but first remind yourself what you want to forget”); “Koi kisse noo bhulda nahin, rang hi phikke pe jaande han” (you can’t forget anyone, only the intensity of colour fades). He expressed his global
concern about instruments of destruction in his poem
titled “Eh Sadi” when he said: “Eh sadi da
din chhota, raat si vaddi”. (This century had a
short day but a longer night). |
CHANDIGARH, March 1 — Contrary to the promise by the Mayor, Mr Kewal Krishan Addiwal, that various committees of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) would be formed by the end of February, the committees are yet to be formed. Corporation sources said though a draft of the list of committees had been prepared, yet the finalisation of the committees was likely to take some more days as Mr Addiwal wanted to avoid any controversy over the inclusion of names. The sources said every councillor was likely to be nominated on at least two committees so that representation could be given to all councillors. In the earlier nine committees, there were allegations that while certain councillors were made members of over three committees, others were included only in one committee. Now the Mayor, who is the ex-officio Chairman of the Finance and Contract Committee, was not likely to be member of any other committee. This is seen as a clever move by the ruling group that the maximum number of councillors belonging it and nominated councillors, who had bailed out the ruling group at many a meeting of the civic body, could be adjusted. This would prove to be beneficial for the ruling group in the elections of the chairmen and deputy chairmen of the committees, the sources added. The committees were
dissolved at a meeting of the corporation on February 1
amid protests by the BJP-SAD alliance councillors who had
alleged that the ruling group wanted to
“adjust” its own councillors and the nominated
councillors. |
CHANDIGARH, March 1 — Three persons who tried to trick a Sector 44 resident by forging his signatures on a sale deed have been booked by the police for cheating. The three — Kulwant Singh, Baljinder Singh and Devinder Singh — allegedly forged the signatures of Mr Tarsem Lal of Sector 44 on a sale deed that said that Mr Lal had agreed to sell his house to the trio. The three used a trick by filing a suit in a court alleging that Mr Tarsem Lal was refusing to sell the house after signing the sale deed. A legal notice was served on Mr Tarsem Lal. He denied that he had ever signed any deed to sell his house. The court asked the police to investigate and it was established that the signatures had been forged. The police has registered a case of forgery under Sections 420 and 120-B of the IPC. Kidnappers held: A father and son duo, who were part of a six- member gang that kidnapped and then raped a minor girl residing in Colony No. 4 in November last year, have been arrested by the police from their native place in Uttar Pradesh. The duo, Rudal Ali and Raja Hussain of Kashi Nagar in Uttar Pradesh were among the six persons who committed the act of kidnapping. Three of the culprits had been arrested earlier. Their woman accomplice is absconding. A case under Sections 363, 366, 376, 342 and 120—B of the IPC, has been registered. Car stolen: A Maruti car ( CHK —2225), owned by Mr Kaushik Balgorain of Sector 22, has been stolen from Sector 17. Vehicle damaged: A brand new car ( CH-01-8490-T) owned by Mr Raman Lakha was damaged when the vehicle was hit by a CTU bus (CH-01-G-5531) driven by Mohinder Singh near Cricket Stadium. A case has been registered. DERA BASSI Driver arrested: The police arrested Ram Prakash , a driver of Haryana Roadways, on Monday who was involved in an accident with a motorcycle here on Sunday. According to police sources the bus (HR-03-8158) was on its way from Kalka to Ambala when it collided with a Yamaha motorcycle (PB-39-9483). The motorcyclist, Gurinder Singh, got serious injuries. A case under Sections 279 and 338 IPC has been registered against the bus driver. PANCHKULA Gambling: Two persons of Kalka have been arrested by the police for allegedly gambling at a public place in the district. Tilak Raj Malhotra and
Jeetinder Kumar, both residents of Kalka, were booked
under the Gambling Act. A sum of Rs 430 was recovered
from them. |
CHANDIGARH, March 1— Holi revellers, intending to arm themselves with an array of ‘colourful gadgets, can do it with a bit of ease as there has been no change in the prices of most of these gadgets available on stalls which have come up overnight in different parts of the city. A survey of different city markets revealed that stalls of all holi related items, such as ‘gulal’, ‘gubaras’, ‘rang’ , ‘pichkaris’ etc have come up outside regular markets and people, particularly youngsters have started buying these articles, which were selling at almost the same prices as last year. The range of items, however, has increased this year. If a kg of good quality ‘arrowroot gulal’ was available for Rs 70 last year, it is still available at the same price, but with a difference that this time the market is flooded with ‘inferior’ quality ‘gulal’.It can be bought between Rs 10 and Rs 40 a kg. Similarly, all of five to six varieties of water soluble colours are priced between Rs 5 and Rs 10 per 10 grams. According to Mr Sham Lal, a ‘gulal’ vendor in Sector 20, the prices are stable as the ‘stockists’ already had plenty of old stocks lying with them.”They could not clear the stocks last year as the festival was marred due to rain on the Holi day,” he added. He, however, said that as compared to last year the sales were good this year largely due to clear sky. “ Though, the actual sales will start during the evening, schoolchildren have started buying dry colours in a big way, thus, resulting in some boost to the sales,” he said. There is no fluctuation in the prices of ‘pichkaris’(waterjets) during the past one year. A good quality big plastic ‘pichkari’ is available at the old price of Rs 30. Similarly, a medium-sized ‘pichkari’ and a ‘steel pichkari’ are priced at Rs 20 and Rs 15, respectively. The small ‘pistol pichkaris’, meant for kids, are available between Rs 5 and Rs 15. Similarly, a packet of 30 small bubbles, used for filling coloured water inside them, is priced between Rs 2 and Rs 3. In addition to regular
‘items’, the market has witnessed an arrival of
some new products. One of these is the ‘scented
paste’ tube, which is priced at Rs 12 per 20 gram.
Similarly, a 10 gram pilfer-proof ‘ water
colour’ pack, which has been introduced this year,
is priced at Rs 10. |
CHANDIGARH, March 1 — A Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today stayed the election of the president and vice-president of the Municipal Council, Pinjore, till further orders and adjourned the case for March 8. The election was slated to be held today. Mr Justice R.S. Mongia and Mr Justice V.M. Jain issued the above direction on a writ petition filed by Mr Kanwarjit Singh, a candidate for election to the Municipal Council. The petitioner had alleged in the application that the Returning Officer had connived with the respondent to deprive him from contesting the election to the council and even misled the High Court. The RO had also rejected the nomination papers of Mrs Krishna Devi on similar grounds which is under challenge. The petitioner challenging the election of Mr Jit Singh was earlier admitted and was to be heard within three months. Mr Jit Singh was declared elected on December 23, 1998. The Bench was of the view that in case the writ petition was to be allowed, there would be a contest between the petitioner and Mr Jit Singh (Respondent No. 4) and in that case either of them could become a Municipal Councillor and in that eventuality either of them could be a contestant for the posts as well as a voter. In other words, much would depend upon the result of the writ petition. Under these circumstances, the Bench stayed the election of president and vice-president of the council. Students allowed to appear for matric A Division Bench comprising Mr Justice G.C. Garg and Mr Justice N.C. Khichi today allowed 23 students of Shiva High School, Tohlu (Hoshiarpur), to appear for the Class X examination, provisionally subject to their filing forms as private candidates and completion of all other formalities within seven days. The students would be required to deposit Rs 120 each with the Punjab School Education Board and in case all the formalities are not completed within a week, the students would not be allowed to sit for the examination. The Bench was apparently of the view that affiliation has not been granted to the petitioner-school since it applied for affiliation after the due date that is August 31, 1998. The petitioner-school had sought direction to the school education board to issue roll numbers for the class X examination and to grant recognition to the school on the basis of inspection, dated February 15, 1999. In another matter, the Bench directed that students of Daya Nand Chaman Lal High School, Fazilka, who were issued roll numbers from 620131 to 620237, be permitted to appear for the Class X examination at Fazilka centre in the morning session, even in absence of roll numbers provisionally, subject to the decision on the writ petition. Summons to SP on kidnapping Mr Justice Swatantar Kumar directed SP (Headquarters), Amritsar, to be present in the court on March 15, on a petition filed by Dr Hardeep Singh seeking a CBI investigation into the kidnapping of his five-year-old son. The petitioner stated that his son, Gagan Deep Singh, was kidnapped by miscreants on August 19, 1996, while he was returning from school in a rickshaw. He submitted that an FIR was lodged with the Civil Lines police station on the same day but the police has not investigated the matter in the right manner. In spite of the court order, the police did not care to investigate the incident after May 27, 1998. The Judge observed that the need for calling the officer was apparent from the record of the file. He also expressed the hope that the officer should have been able to show result, at least during the three-year-long investigation, which had proved futile. Dhami’s plea for security TNS adds: Bhai Kanwar Pal Dhami, vice-president of the Amritsar SAD unit and chairman of its human rights wing, preferred a petition in the High Court praying that the Punjab Government be directed to provide him security. Mr Justice M.L. Shingal, before whom the petition came up for hearing, issued notice to the respondents for March 18. He alleged that he was illegally detained by the Punjab Police for 11 months from May 15, 1993, to March 29, 1994. He was kept in torture cells in different police stations. He claimed that he was a witness to extra-judicial killings and tortures. The petitioner stated that a murderous assault was made on him on January 23, 1999, but he had a providential escape. Plea rejected Mr Justice R.L. Anand, turned down the plea of Mr Harinder Singh Mather for anticipatory bail. He was booked by the Chandigarh Police under Sections 420, 406, 468, 471 and 120-B, IPC. The complaint against him was lodged by Mr Iqbal Singh Gill, who alleged that a demand draft for Rs 2.50 crore issued to him as the price of a sword given to his forefather by Emperor Akbar was returned by his bankers with the remark that the demand draft had been rejected as it was not issued by the issuing branch. Mr Justice Anand held:
"After hearing the learned counsel I am of the
considered view that the petitioner does not deserve the
concession of anticipatory bail. A copy of this order be
sent to the SSP of Chandigarh to consider the
desirability of handing over the investigation to the
CBI". |
Katia case
adjourned CHANDIGARH, March 1 — The Katia molestation case was today adjourned to March 18 for final arguments. The adjournment was
granted because of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Mr Sant
Parkash, who is trying the case, was on leave in the
afternoon. |
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