EDUCATION

Confusion over exam date
By Sanjeev Singh Bariana
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 5 — A number of examinees in the compartment category of Bachelor of Arts ( all three-year students) in Panjab University failed to turn up for the English (compulsory) examination scheduled for April 3.

A number of them turned up for the examination the following day as regular candidates, only to be refused entry in the examination halls.

Students from the local centres in Sectors 11 and 15 and others turned up at the Administration Block in university. Following requests to the officials, they were allowed to appear in the examination. Similar cases have been reported from centres outside the city.

“We started more than one-and-a-half hours behind schedule. The initial refusal, subsequent requests and running around only added to the examination tension,” a student said.

Mr Ashok Bhandari, Joint Controller of Examination, while agreeing that the students faced problems, said that it was due to “their own fault”. The compartment cases were sent individual date sheets with roll numbers.

The university has shown leniency by allowing an additional chance to the candidates of BA (II) and BA (III) who failed to appear on the first day. The examinations of both the classes will be conducted along with the regular class examination scheduled for the coming weeks.

A student said very few compartment cases knew that their examination was being conducted before the regular one. Students with compartment cases were confused when they received their roll numbers. The date sheet said the examination was a day earlier to the regular examination. Since candidates in this category were very less, they made out that the actual date would be April 4.

A student said that officials said the new pattern of having a separate examination for the regular and compartment candidates was introduced last year.There was practically negligible information made available in the context. Such notices could have been pasted on the notice boards or the college teachers could have spoken in the classes.

Officials showed the separate date sheets. Most affected in this category were the ‘private’ candidates. Officially, they were given different information about the dates and the buildings in their centres.

Candidates appearing in the second or the current provision of third chance of compartment stood at the door of losing two academic years. The university, however, has allowed a special chance by allowing them to appear with the regular candidates.

Agitating PU staff seek pay
By A Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, April 5 — Nearly, 3000 members of the Panjab University Non-Teaching Employees Federation organised a rally, here today, to protest against the “financial crisis” in the university due to which none of them had received their salaries for March so far. The employees usually receive their salaries by the second of every month.This is for the first time in the history of Panjab University that the employees have not got their salary on time.

The President of the association, Mr Dharampal Sharma, said, “We have organised the agitation to ensure that salary is given to us. If we don’t get our salaries we will not return to work”.

He added that the office-bearers had tried to contact the Vice Chancellor and the Registrar previously but to no avail. They were told that their salaries would be released only after the grant of the Punjab government was received by the university.

Mr Sharma said that officials at senior positions could cut down on the unnecessary expenditure like misuse of telephones and official cars. He further added that expenditure-oriented programmes should be completely done away with while mismanagement of finances ought to be controlled.

The rally began from outside the office of the Finance and Development Officer and marched till the Vice-Chancellor’s office.

On the other, hand the FDO, Mr M.G. Sharma, stated that the salaries had been delayed on account of the end of the financial year. He said, “We make payments through the bank and as soon as we get the draft, salaries would be distributed. Also, the university is pursuing the UT Administration for the release of the draft soon”.

According to sources, the administration today released Rs 9.8 crore for the salary of the employees.

Barred from taking B.Sc. II exam
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 5 — Mr Anand Mohan, a BSc IInd year student of Ganesh Dutt Sanatan Dharam College was today quite disheartened after his suit seeking the court to direct the college authorities to issue him a roll number so that he could take today’s BSc II year exam, was dismissed by a city court.

Anand had filed the said plaint today and had sought a direction to the college to allow him to sit in the examination, which was scheduled to be held at 2 p.m. today itself.

Although the court took prompt action on the suit filed by Mohan and issued notice to the college authorities for 12 noon today, the plaint was later dismissed after the college people gave a written statement to the effect that Mohan had not fulfilled the condition of attaining 20 per cent minimum marks in the qualifying exam.

Dr Sanjeev Soni, a lecturer in Chemistry, appeared in the court on behalf of the college and also stated that Mohan could not fulfil the said condition even after he was given a special chance. Mohan, meanwhile, maintained that he was on leave from the college on account of his accident. He said his lectures had been shown to be lesser than required.

COURTS

HC lawyers to continue stir
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 5 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association, at a general body meeting this morning decided to continue their ongoing strike till April 17.

During the two-and-a-half hour meeting as many as 29 lawyers addressed the association.A section of the lawyers were of the opinion that until now the Bar Association had not achieved any purpose by its strike.

It suggested that the strike should continue until the government accepted their demands, including suspension of police officers who resorted to lathi charge on lawyers on February 24, during their “peaceful” procession.Those who opposed the strike included Mr S.D. Sharma, and Mr O.P. Grewal.

A lawyer suggested that action should be taken against those lawyers who were appearing in lower courts or before commissioners.Before the meeting concluded, Mrs Daya Chaudhary, President of the Bar Association, clarified that the news item saying that Delhi lawyers had called off their strike was incorrect.

SBI staff body members in the dock
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 5 — A city court has directed the Station House Officer of the Central police station to conduct a discreet enquiry into a local resident’s allegations against three members of the State Bank of India Staff Association that they connived to mislead a civil court by attaching fake postal receipts of 657 articles. The court has directed the SHO to submit his report on May 20.

The application requesting the court to direct the police for registration of a forgery case against the accused was filed by Makan Singh who, at the time of commission of the alleged offence, was acting as unit secretary of the Treasury Branch of the SBI Staff Association.

The applicant had earlier filed a civil suit against Mr Narinder Paliwal, a Kanpur resident and also Secretary of the association, Mr K.K. Bandlish, general secretary, and Mr Raju Dhar, ordinary member. Makan Singh sought the court to restrain the said defendants from holding the triennial meeting of the General Council of the SBI Staff Association on account that a proper notice under the required rules was not issued to him for the said meeting.

The defendants, however, in their written reply, stated that they had sent the said notice under postal certificates to all units of the circle through the general secretary. The postal receipts were also attached along with the written reply.

The applicant, however, alleged that he wrote to the Chief Post Master General requesting him to determine the authenticity of the said receipts, and from the communication it was found that the articles in question had not been tendered at the proper authorised counters.

Chain hunger strike continues
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 5 — Continuing their protest against the amendments proposed to be effected in the Code of Civil Procedure, lawyers in the city courts continued their hunger strike for the second day today. The District Bar Association has resolved to continue the chain hunger strike till the time their demands are heeded to.

Among the lawyers who sat on a dharna today were Mr Digamber Singh, Mrs Anita Ahuja, Mrs Lalit Joshi Bhardwaj, Mr Ashok Chauhan, Mr Sunil Hans, Mr Ashok Sharma, Mr Mukesh Ahluwalia, Mr Karam Singh, Ms Krishna Sharma and Mrs Lalit Joshi Bhardwaj.

The strike is being observed as a mark of solidarity to the cause of advocates who were manhandled by the police at Delhi.

CULTURE

Mouse Trap on April 8
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 5 —World famed play ‘Mouse Trap’ will be staged by the Chandigarh Amateur Dramatic Society on April 8, a press release said here today.

The talked about murder mystery by Agatha Christie is planned to be staged at Tagore theatre .

The group came up with particular reference to promotion of English Theatre.Some of the founder members included Justice G.D.Khosla, Mrs Eulie Chaudhary, Mrs Sneh Pandit, Mr Prem Jatpalaya and Mr Manmohan Sarin among others.

The CADS was revived last year by enthusiasts from all walks of life with the staging of “Birthday Honours”.

‘Lashkara’ chooses city for shooting
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 5 — The upcoming Punjabi channel, ‘Lashkara’, has chosen city and surrounding areas as major locations for its current and coming tele-serials.

“Teenagers”, is currently being shot at different city locations like the Sukhna Lake and GGDSD College in Sector 32. Anushaka Deol and Arshad Khan are in the lead roles, according to its director,Narinder Grewal.

During the coming days the shooting of the serial “Rano” will commence a Kurdi village, 15 km from here. The serial stars Daminder Daman, Surinder Sharma and Gurkirtan, among others, according to a spokesman of the channel.