Thursday, May 20, 1999
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C O M P E N D I U M Thursday, May 20, 1999 |
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PANCHKULA, May 19 — Two persons were injured in two separate road accidents in the district during the past 48 hours. A scooterist, Paramjeet Singh, a resident of Sector 12 here, was injured after being hit by another scooter driven by Shivaji near the road dividing Sectors 11 and 12. The police has registered a case against the erring scooterist on a complaint lodged by the wife of Paramjeet Singh, Ms Dayawati, who was riding pillion. In another case, Gambhir Singh was seriously injured in a collision between two trucks at Singhpura village, near here, on Tuesday. The police has registered a case under Sections 279, 337 and 427 of the IPC against the driver, Kamlesh Chand, on the basis of a statement given by Harish Singh, a passerby. In yet another case, Amarjit Singh complained to the police that Sandeep, who was driving a Maruti van hit a Maruti car near the Kalka bazaar. The driver of the Maruti van has been booked for negligent driving. Duped The victim in her statement given to the police said the couple asked the way to Radha Soami Satsang Bhavan and in the process took away the jewellery which she was wearing. The police has registered a case under Section 420 of the IPC. Chandigarh Cars stolen Liquor seized Assault |
CHANDIGARH, May 19 — Keeping in mind the innumerable requests for condoning lectures of students, a chronic problem surfacing at the fag end of every academic session, the sub-committee constituted by the Syndicate to consider the matter thought it fit frame guidelines and grounds on which lectures can be condoned. A comprehensive five-page document, it will be put before the Syndicate at its meeting scheduled for May 25 for consideration. The procedure for condoning and the minimum requirement for each discipline is laid down in the university calendar and the guidelines have been framed keeping these in mind. While the requirement of lectures varies from 66 per cent to 75 per cent lectures, the chairpersons of various departments, it specifies, can condone between 15 and 30 lectures, depending on the subject, and not 30 lectures, as is the convention followed by the university irrespective of the subject concerned. Further, the rule states that the students are required to attend 33 per cent lectures in each paper while 40 per cent lectures are a must in the aggregate to be considered for condoning, failing which the case will be rejected outrightly. If a student seeks condoning of lectures on medical grounds, the request must be backed by a medical certificate along with documents of the same which should be deposited with the chairperson within 15 days of recovering from the illness. Otherwise, the case will be rejected outrightly. In case of those wanting to be condoned on the ground of death of a close relation, the application must be backed by the death certificate after one month of rejoining the department and, in any case, the total period of absence shall not extended beyond 13 days. The guidelines clearly specify that no student who is preparing for a re-appear examination, competitive examination or has a prior engagement on account of professional engagements shall be condoned lectures. However, those appearing in competitive examinations for seeking public employment will be given exemption only for the actual needs of the examination and interview. Then the committee had decided that nobody will be condoned for participation in cultural activities other than those specified under Rule 4.1, Chapter XV of PU Calender, Volume III. An equal number of lectures delivered can be condoned if the student is away to participate in "inter-university, university inter-college tournaments, youth festivals or national and international tournaments or similar activities or NSS or university educational expression or NCC etc''. This would also apply when prior permission of the chairperson is granted and if the application is submitted without the permission, the case would be rejected without being considered. The permission has to be accompanied by a certificate issued by the Dean Student Welfare which should be based upon verification from records and mere countersigning would not do in such cases.The same conditions would apply for participation in sports activities and only games stated in the "Handbook of Information'' would be recognised and lecture condonation could be considered. The guidelines further state that the Head of Department concerned must not mechanically condone lectures, but should recommend cases on the aforesaid criterion to help save time and energy. The Head must also state reasons for accepting or rejecting the request while forwarding cases as also state whether, for the period of condoning of lectures sought, the student has attended any lectures. If he has, the benefit of those will not be granted to the student concerned. The committee which has framed these recommendations comprise Dr V.K. Bansal, Mr Ashok Goyal, Mr Rajinder Deepa and Mr Randeep Surjewala. Reacting to the large number of cases, the committee was required to deal with, Mr Surjewala says, "The guidelines have been tailor-made to conform to all situations that can arise and will help decide cases judiciously. They will further bring out uniformity of treatment and consideration of genuine cases only.'' Terming the reasons assigned in most cases as "cases of perverted intelligence'', he adds that if the same energy had been diverted to attending lectures, the problem would not have risen at all. Stormy PU Syndicate meeting
likely CHANDIGARH, May 19 — The monthly meeting of the Syndicate of Panjab University scheduled for May 25, is likely to spark a heated debate. The items figuring in the agenda include maintaining status quo of the National Eligibility Test of the UGC with regard to the PhDs for one year after which these would be considered again. Clearing the NET test, compulsory for lecturership, would not be mandatory for those who have done their Doctorate of Philosophy, according to the new guidelines received from the UGC in the pay-revision notification issued on Dec 24 last year. The university is keen to continue with the present system for another year. The system requires candidates wanting to apply for lecturership to clear the NET even if the candidate has a PhD to his credit. Besides, those having done their PhDs before 1992 are exempt from clearing NET to apply for lecturership. Another major item will be that of the recommended fee hike under various heads which has come back after re-consideration of members of the committee. The initial hike recommended by the committee had to be referred back for re-consideration after the students launched an intensive agitation to protest against the unprecedented hike. While fee for some items has been slashed considerably, in other cases it has been reduced a little. The other important item is that of approval to ineligible students for appearing in examinations. These students were wrongly admitted to the various courses of the university unknowingly for one reason or another. They have already been allowed to sit in the examination with the prior permission of the Vice-Chancellor. Also provisional affiliation to Saheed Kartar Singh Ayurvedic College, Raikot, and affiliation to the postgraduate course of environmental studies of Punjab Engineering College will be considered. The decision to revert to the semester system in various science departments will also be deliberated by the members of the Syndicate. The M.Com course started by SD College, Sector 32, is also likely to get provisional extension. Further, the doubling of honorarium for out-station duty might be extended to those who do not stay out of station continuously for 10 days during annual examination and for five days continuously for the supplementary exams. The Syndicate will consider the case of confirmation of three lecturers and two readers. The agenda contains an item advocating the increase of financial assistance to students of correspondence studies and refund of fee deposited by students applying against the seats of non-resident Indians in case the seat is filled if the candidate does not join for any reason. However, items that are likely to rock the Syndicate meeting are those of the superannuated officers continuing in their respective posts and that of appointment of three deans. The officers have been allowed to continue despite the decision of the Syndicate to terminate their services with immediate effect. The committee constituted to appoint the three deans has not been able to meet to decide the Dean Student Welfare, Dean Alumni Relations and Dean Foreign Student. The term of the three Deans expired on March 31 and the Dean University Instruction has been assigned the addition task of carrying out their work. PU students’ fast
enters second day CHANDIGARH, May 19 — The indefinite fast by students of Panjab University against the Syndicate’s decision of not condoning the lectures of certain students entered its second day today. Mr Akhil Goyal, Secretary of the Panjab University Campus Students Council, and Ms Meenakshi Rana, General Secretary of SOPU, today observed a token fast. Mr Neeraj Sharma, Mr Divesh Moudgill and Mr Tejpal Singh are on an indefinite fast to press for the demand of the students, which had twice been rejected by a subcommittee formed by the Syndicate. Mr Goyal threatened to intensify the agitation if the university authorities did not accede to their demands in a day or two. Meanwhile, a team of PUSU met certain syndics today and urged them to favourably consider their demand again. The syndics assured them that the demand of the students would be considered favourably. A press note issued by
the ABVP alleged that the subcommittee, instead of
watching the interests of the students, was interested in
exploiting these circumstances to achieve its political
ends. |
CHANDIGARH, May 19—Even as the prices of peach and melon have crashed, mangoes have become slightly costlier in the local market during the past two days. During a survey of the market today it was found that both peach and melon had recorded the maximum fluctuation in their prices. If a kg of peach was available for Rs 20 to Rs 24 during the past one week, its price plummeted and today the fruit was priced at Rs 5 to Rs 10 per kg. The wholesale price of the fruit has come down from Rs 150 to Rs 60 to Rs 75 per pack of 15 kg. The fall was attributed to flooding of the local market by the fruit from nearby areas. "The crop is good this year and I fear that peach will have to face a flood-like situation this year," said a Sector 22 trader. Similarly, if a kg of melon was priced at Rs 15 two days back, it could be purchased today between Rs 5 and Rs 10 today due to the onset of arrivals from Punjab during this period. The fruit had been coming from different parts of Rajasthan till now. In the wholesale market, the fruit was available for Rs 100 per 20 kg bags. There was, however, no change in the price of watermelon, as it was available in the market for Rs 8 a kg in different parts of the city. Likewise, litchi has started witnessing a downward trend as far as its price was concerned. A kg of the fruit, the price of which had been stable at Rs 50 during the past one week, was available in certain parts of the city for Rs 40 today. A 15 kg pack of the fruit could be fetched today after paying Rs 200 to Rs 250. The case of bananas, too, was no different. A dozen bananas priced between Rs 20 and Rs 25 two days back, was available today for Rs 18. The wholesale price of the fruit was Rs 120 per 100 bananas. According to trade sources, the price has come down owing to the arrival of new crop from Bhusawal and other parts of Maharashtra. On the other hand, prices of 'safeda' and 'sandhuri' varieties of mango and that of 'mausambi' have gone up during this period. A kg of 'safeda' priced at Rs 15 two days back, was available in different markets between Rs 20 and Rs 25 today. The same was the case with 'sandhuri' variety as its price has gone up from Rs 30 to Rs 35-40 per kg, due to a slight fall in arrivals in the local market during the past two days. 'Totapari' variety of the fruit has become cheaper as its price has come down from Rs 15 to Rs 13 a kg. The wholesale price of the fruit was Rs 130 per 15 kg pack. A dozen 'mausambi'
priced at Rs 40 two days back, could be had today after
paying Rs 60. According to traders, there were no takers
of the fruit owing to the high price of the fruit. |
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