EDUCATION

Circulars to schools on night classes
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 12 — The Education Department of the Chandigarh Administration plans to issue circulars to the heads of all the UT government schools to furnish details and actions being taken in regard to starting night classes for the slum children of the city by the 20th of this month. This was disclosed by reliable sources here yesterday.

According to sources, the circular would also ask the heads to furnish a list of volunteers for this programme.

Punjab ITIs to have management panels
Tribune News Service

SAS NAGAR, Jan 12 — To keep the standards of technical education in pace with the technological advances in the related fields of the industry, the Department of Technical Education and Industrial Training, Punjab, has mooted a concept of institute management committee (IMC) for the Industrial Training Institutes in the state.

The IMCs will look after the admission process, examination, training to students, faculty development, placement of passed students, curricular revamping, equipment maintenance and capital expenditure. The committee will consist of industrialists, representatives from the District Industry Centre, the District Employment Officer and representatives of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The Department of Technical Education and Industrial Training is contemplating introduction of the concept in the ITIs at SAS Nagar, Patiala, Bathinda, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Ferozepore, Moga, Amritsar, Batala and Ropar.

Mr M.P. Singh, Principal of the Industrial Training Institute for Women, said the state government had notified rules to delegate powers to the institute management committees. It will allow partial autonomy to these committees to run their respective institutes and provide a chance of close interaction with the industry. A pilot project under the concept was introduced at the ITI, Ludhiana, in collaboration with the CII, Chandigarh. It helped the institute in achieving a 100 per cent placement target for its students.

He said that for the ITI at SAS Nagar a committee comprising the General Manager of the District Industry Centre (DIC), SAS Nagar, the District Employment Officer, the Director of the Northern Institute of Fashion Technology, and the Director of the CEDTI, SAS Nagar, had been constituted.

Re-evaluation results awaited
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 12 —Scores of cases are pending in Panjab University regarding the declaration of undergraduate re-evaluation results. Students of all three years of undergraduate classes figure on the list of affected candidates.

The number exceeds 300 in case of the first year of the Bachelor of Arts course and is nearly 400 in case of the second year in the same stream.The list has about 75 result later (RL) cases in the first year and about 275 in case of the second year.

The evaluation process appears to be under question going by the number of alterations in the character of results. The first year list saw about 300 amendments. Astonishingly, the number exceeded 1100 in case of the second year.

Sources in the examination branch while conceding a delay in a number of cases said that instead of pace factor alone, “the university needed to discuss the case of quicker and fairer evaluation in the first place to avoid harassment”. Doing away with the re-evaluation process with remedial measures in the existing system came up for discussion at the highest level recently. The system had seen a noticeable improvement. However, certain problems had never really been handled at any stage and seemed to have become part of the system.

A research fellow while reflecting on the re-evaluation system said that it was often projected that re-evaluation results were only for “additional benefit to students” so university should not be pressurised for early declaration .

In case students marks increased after re-evaluation, the candidate did not get any “special benefit marks as a gift”. These were the marks which he actually deserved. In a number of cases, the marks difference was big. Does it not mean that evaluators also needed a check ?” he added.

A student carrying an examination form for compartment at the campus said she was being forced to pay her fee for examination as her re-evaluation result was not yet declared.

Senior authorities said great care was taken about student welfare. Often, result got stuck because the teacher concerned did not see the checked bunch of papers or some personal problem delaying the despatch of copy-books.

COURTS

Suit over date of birth dismissed
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 12 — A PGI employee's civil suit for declaring illegal and unconstitutional an order debarring him from regularisation for five years was dismissed by the UT Civil Judge (Junior Division), Mr Baljinder Singh, today.

Pronouncing the orders on the suit filed by Bal Krishan, working as a helper in the office of the Superintending Hospital Engineer, the Civil Judge observed that the plaintiff had failed to prove his case.

He was earlier charge-sheeted after the Principal of his former school reportedly informed the department that the plaintiff's date of birth was October 12, 1952 and not October 12, 1959.

The plaintiff, it may be recalled, was asked by the institute to clarify his date of birth as there was a "discrepancy" between the date mentioned in the bio-data submitted for regularisation of service and the certificates submitted by him.

He later received a memorandum alleging that "while working as helper, he was guilty of misconduct for tampering with the records of his date of birth in his original academic certificate to gain seven years in service."

Meanwhile in his suit, Bal Krishan had stated that the penalty of debarring him from regularisation for five years was imposed upon him "while ignoring his request for regularisation."

Seeking directions for declaring the plaintiff as entitled to be regularised as technician grade I, his counsel had added that the defendants were approached "a number of times with a request to withdraw the orders" but it proved useless.

Jailbreak case stayed till Jan 20
By Our Legal Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Jan 12 — Mr Justice K.S. Kumaran of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed further proceedings before Mr R.K. Bishnoi, Additional Sessions Judge, Chandigarh, in what is known as the ‘Burail jailbreak case’ till January 20.

The order was passed on a criminal petition filed by Mr D.S. Rajput, advocate of the high court and human rights activist, who is also an accused in the jailbreak case. The other accused in the case are Jagtar Singh Hawara, Jaspal Singh Dhillon and Baljit Singh, among others. Who are also accused in the Beant Singh Murder case. According to the prosecution, a conspiracy was hatched to free the accused in the Beant Singh murder case by exploding a bomb in the jail. Another accused is Shitla Parshad Mistra, the then Superintendent of the jail, who is also alleged to be involved in the conspiracy.

Mr Rajput has challenged the proceedings on the ground that the sanction by government granted for the prosecution was illegal.

Mr Justice Kumaran observed in the order that despite the directions given on December 23, 1999, even today adjournment is sought on behalf of Mr Rai, standing counsel for the UT of Chandigarh, on the ground that he has gone out of station.

CULTURE

Bhatti’s film dubbed in Hindi
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 12 — Bollywood singers Sonu Nigam, Kavita Krishnamurthi, Jaspinder Narula, Udit Narayan, Sukhwinder, Dilraj Kaur, Balibrahm Bhatt, Vinod Sehgal and Brijesh Ahuja have sung for the Hindi version of Jaspal Bhatti’s Mahaul Theek Hai. H.M. Singh, the music director, has upgraded the music for the Hindi version.

Inspired by its success in Punjabi, Jaspal Bhatti has dubbed his film in Hindi. The Punjabi version of Mahaul Theek Hai has broken a 30-year record of Punjabi films by running for 13 consecutive weeks. It celebrated its silver jubilee in Amritsar.

The Hindi version of the film stars Raj Babbar, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Navin Nischol, Jaspal Bhatti, Vivek Shauq, Savita Bhatti, B.N. Sharma, Chandni Toor and Harsmmep Kang. The film will be released in February, 2000.

200 take part in painting contest
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 12 — Braving rain, as many as 200 children participated at a painting competition organised on the second day of the ongoing Traffic Safety Week held at the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10, here today.

Mr M. Ramshekhar, Deputy Commissioner, was the chief guest on the occasion. The results were declared by the judges in three categories. Mr Alok Kumar, ASP, Traffic, presided over the function.

The results: Below 10 years — Rajveer and Sukriti, Shivalik Public School, Sector 41, were declared first and second, while Neeral Dogra, St Kabir Public School, Sector 26, came third; 10 to 15 years — Anil Sofat, St Kabir (1), Sonika, GMSSS, Sector 16 (2) and Vinay Ahuja, Shivalik (3); 15 years and above — Sumant Vadhera, GMSSS, Sector 16 (1), Bharat Sindhwani, GSSS, Sector 20 (2) and Chetan, GMSSS, Sector 40 (3).

A brisk walk for senior citizens would be held at the Sukhna Lake at 6.30 a.m., besides a declamation contest for school and college students will be held at the auditorium in the Traffic Lines in Sector 29 at 10 a.m. tomorrow.