EDUCATION

PU courses get modern look
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 5 — Panjab University deliberated on structural changes sought in various courses to suit the changed times at its Academic Council meeting here today.

Revised outlines for test and syllabi of Gandhian Studies were cleared. One recommendation pertained to renaming the course in Defence Studies as Defence and Strategic Studies. The proposal received a nod of the House, sources said.

The council cleared the proposal for introduction of Electronics Commerce as one of the options in the Bachelor of Commerce. The nomenclature of one-year course in Russian has been mooted to be renamed as a one-year Intensive Advanced Russian course.

The university also decided to introduce three-year course in “Shastri”, a degree equivalent to graduation. The ‘Acharya’ course will be treated as a post-graduate course and it being treated as a diploma will be ignored.

The council proposes to introduce the semester system of examination for the M.Sc courses in zoology. The number of students in B.Sc (mathematics) is also mooted to be reduced to 15 from the current 40.

The university proposes a degree course in Water Management and Resources from the coming session. Another proposal allows one per cent grant of extra marks to MSc students, if needed, for their benefit to qualify for the UGC examination.

Elections for members of the Library Committee featured prominently. The names cleared today include those of Dr Paramjit Kaur Tiwana, Mata Ganga Girls College, Kottan, Principal S.S.Sooch, Government College, Ludhiana, and Principal Kuldip Singh, GGN Khalsa College, Ludhiana.

Admission date extended
Tribune News Service

SAS NAGAR, July 5 — The Punjab School Education Board has extended the last date for admission till July 14 with a late fee of Rs 200 to Classes VIII to XI. No extension will be given thereafter.

Result improved
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 5 — The Punjab School Education Board has placed Madhu Verma (Roll No 712415) of Durga Bal Vidya Mandar High School, Rajpura, second on the merit list with 603 out of 650 marks in the matriculation examination held in March, 1999. She was earlier seventh on the list with 594 marks but got the second position after getting the rechecking done.

COURTS

Stay on allotment of industrial plots
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 5 — The Punjab and Haryana High Court, while issuing notice of motion for July 13 to the UT Administration and other respondents, has directed that “no allotment shall be made” of industrial plots in pursuant to a notification issued on April 28.

Pronouncing the orders in the open court, Mr Justice V.K. Bali and Mr Justice K.S. Garewal observed that counsel for the petitioner “contends that there is no justification whatsoever for the Chandigarh Administration to give a complete go-bye to the industrial policy, pursuant of which, the plots were allotted to the petitioners and substantial money was got deposited as well, two decades ago”.

The Bench also observed that counsel further contended “that a decision has now been taken on April 28 despite the fact that the matter with regard to the allotment of plots to the petitioners is already sub judice and a writ petition for that matter is pending in the court”.

The Bench added: “Finding prima facie merit in the petitioners’ case, we issue notice of motion to the respondents returnable for July 13. Meanwhile, no allotment pursuant to the notification shall be made”.

Notice of motion on church land
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, July 5 — Issuing notice of motion for August 11, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the maintenance of status quo regarding the possession of church land at Palsora village.

In its writ petition, the Chandigarh Diocese Trust Association, managing the churches of Northern India, had earlier challenged the notification for acquiring the land.

Terming the notification as “vague”, counsel for the petitioner had contended on the association’s behalf that the public purpose for which the land was to be acquired had not been mentioned.

He had added that the Administration could not acquire the land simply by saying that the same was wanted for the development of third-phase sectors.