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| Monday, August 21, 2000, Chandigarh, India |
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Bogus voting, hooliganism mark Mohali civic
poll SAS NAGAR, Even as the SAD leaders carrying mobiles and leaders of the Congress and their supporters moved in out of the polling stations in violation of the guidelines of the State Election Commission, the police officials deputed there watched helplessly. Right under the nose of the local administration polling agents of some candidates could be seen talking frequently with their leaders outside informing them of the latest position. Since the polling started stray incidents of violence were reported from some of the wards where the stakes between the contestants were high. Two agents of an Independent candidate from the ward no. 11 — Harkrishan Singh and Ravinder Singh — were seriously injured when workers of the SAD allegedly led by Mr Karanbir Singh Kang, youth leader of the party, entered the polling station and assaulted the two. The incident of “booth capturing” took place after the polling had ended. Col Sukhwant Singh Sandhu, an independent candidate from the ward, said he had written to the State Election Commission in this regard. Though a large number of complaints of bogus voting were received from a number of wards no case were registered against the impostors as the Presiding Officers concerned at the polling stations claimed that no written complaint had been received. Throughout the eight-hour polling a number of bogus voters were caught from wards no. 4, 6, 11, 17, 19, 22, 23, 26 and 27, the impostors were left off as the Presiding Officers refused to take action in absence of written complaints. Though unconfirmed reports said the Presiding Officers in at least three cases had written to the police to take action against the impostors, Returning Officer Jaipal Singh feigned ignorance. An Independent candidate from the ward no. 6, Mr Avtar Singh Walia, who caught six bogus voters allegedly of the ruling party claimed that the role of the police was doubtful as it refused to take action against any supporter of the SAD. Mr Phool Raj, a former municipal councillor, who is contesting as an Independent, was allegedly assaulted by supporters of the SAD candidate from the ward. Deputy Superintendent of Police S.S. Gill intervened to save the situation from turning ugly. In the ward no. 23, a large number of supporters of two Punjab Ministers — Mr Natha Singh Dalam and his another colleague — who had come in two truckloads from other parts of the state, made several attempts to cast bogus votes and did succeeded in some cases. At around 3.30 p.m when the residents of the area and supporters of the Ms Harbans Kaur, an Independent candidate, opposed the hooliganism by the SAD supporters. The latter made an attempt to attack them with bricks and rods but were prevented by the DSP. In the ward no. 22 resident of SBI Colony raised slogans against the Subdivisional Magistrate (SDM) for deleting at least 300 names of the colony from the voter list. At the polling station no. 11 set up in Sant Isher Singh School in Phase 7, Mr Devinder Singh Pappu, a SAD leader from Sirhind, was seen leading the party workers. Similarly, a number of Congress leaders were also present on the occasion. The incidents of violence were mainly restricted to the wards no. 6, 11, 19, 22, 23, 26 and 27. Throughout the polling two armed escort vehicles led the car of SAD leader K.S. Kang and a Nihang leader. The guidelines of the Election Commission regarding the pitching of the tents by the candidates at a distance of 100 metres from the polling station were being openly flouted. Also the supporters of the candidates had free access to the polling booths without any objection by the police. On the other hand in some cases scribes were prevented from entering the polling booths. Mr Amardeep Sharma, a BJP candidate from the ward no. 26, blamed workers for working against the party interests. He alleged that a large number of bogus votes had been casted in connivance with the police.
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SAD-BJP combine
routed SAS NAGAR, Aug 20 — The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)—Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ruling combine in the Punjab fared badly in the elections to the 23 wards of the SAS Nagar Municipal Council as only two of its candidates could win their seats. Around 70 per cent polling was recorded. In the results of the 23 wards declared by the Returning Officer (RO) here late this evening, at least 12 former Municipal Councillors were successful in retaining their seats. Among the hotly contested seats, a former Vice-President of the council, Mr Amrik Singh Mohali, a candidate of the SAD, won by his nearest rival Mr Avtar Singh Walia by just 71 votes from ward no. 6. In the ward no. 11, Congress supported Manjit Singh defeated his nearest rival by 206 votes. In the ward no. 2, Mr Rajinder Parsad, an Independent candidate, won beating his nearest rival by 22 votes. In the ward no 3, Mr Ghan Shyam won by 567 votes. In the ward no 4, Ms Indu Sehgal, a former Municipal Councillor, won by 413 votes and in the ward no. 5 Bharat Bhusan Maini, also a former Municipal Councillor, won by 44 votes. Ms Manmohan Kaur, a former MC, won by 212 votes from the ward no. 7. In the ward no 8 Mr NK Marhawa won from his nearest rival by 549 votes. Mr Manjit won from the ward no 9 by 385 votes and in the ward no. 10, Ms Inderjit Kaur won by 346 votes. In the ward no 12, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 the successful candidates are Mr Surjit Singh, Ms Deep Kaur, Mr SS Patwari, Ms Prabhjot Kaur, Mr Phool Raj, Mr Raj Rani, Mr Kulwant Singh, Mr Amteshwar Kaur, Ms Harbans Kaur, Mr Amrik Singh Tehsildar, Mr Paramjit Kaur, Ms Najar Singh and Mr SS Barnala. The elections to the wards no 1, 14, 17 and 20 would be held on August 29. Mr Hardeep Singh, a member of the SGPC, said the results were a defeat of the Badal government which had tried to use unethical means to win the civic
elections The successful candidates ward wise is as follows Ward no
Number of candidates in the
fray 2
Mr Rajinder Parsad 3
Mr Sham Ghanshyam 4
Indu Sehgal 5
Bharat Bhushan Maini 6
Amrik Singh Mohali 7
Manmohan Kaur 8
NK
Marhawa 9
Manjit Singh 10
Inderjit Kaur 11
Manjit Singh 12
Surjit
Kaur 13
Deep Kaur 15
SS Patwari 16
Prabhjot Singh 18
Phool Raj
Singh 19
Raj Rani 21
Kulwant Singh 22
Amrik Singh 23
Harbans
Kaur 24
Amrik Singh Tehsildar 25
Paramjit Kaur 26
Najar Singh 27
SS Barnala.
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PU to increase seats for various
courses CHANDIGARH,
The seats for the B.Com. 2nd and 3rd years would be increased to 80 from 70, while for the BBA and the BCA courses from 30 to 40. A meeting in this regard is scheduled to be held shortly. Earlier, a meeting on this issue was postponed due to the lack of quorum, senior sources said. Members of the committee include Prof S.C.Vaidya, Dean of Faculty of Commerce and business management, Dr Deepak Manmohan, Prof Charanjit Chawla, Ms Sneh Mahajan, Dr Dinesh Gupta and Dr Satish Kapoor. The principal of a private college said that this was not a proper time to increase the seats. Students had already completed about a month’s classes. Moreover the increase in seats for the first year automatically meant that, seat, had been increased for the subsequent years. Senior sources, however, maintained that increase in number of seats for the first year in the commerce stream would be a positive sign as there was an immense rush for the course. It was pointed out that the biggest beneficiaries of the increase in numbers of seats from the current session are likely to be the students of the correspondence department. Those who could not manage a seat as regulars in colleges in the first year for the current academic session, now, stand a better chance for a regular seat in the coming session. According to an estimate, there are likely to be 1400 additional seats in the university. The increase will reflected on the face along entire length of the university covering Abohar, Ludhiana, Fazilka, Tanda, Hoshiarpur and Talwara, besides other places. This does not include the seats that will be created in the BCA courses. While there are no correspondence courses available for the BBA and BCA courses, how would then students come to fill the second and third year classes, he said. Interestingly, several colleges were already on a look out for the students to fill the existing 30 seats in the computer application and business administration courses. Ms Vijay Lakshmi, Principal of the Government College for Women, Sector 11, said that increase in number of seats was not a big issue. “Additional seats were often created in colleges after communication from the higher authorities. Increase of 10 seats was not a very big number under the existing system”, she added. A senior fellow said that the issue of BBA and BCA did not suit the academic calender. Under this arrangement, the university could only adjust candidates looking for seat from other institutions who missed the chance in the first year in an institution of their choice. It was pointed out that university should have fixed number of seats for the correspondence courses. At the moment, the seats were unlimited. This only burdened the regular courses, particularly in commerce. A principal said that restriction on numbers of seats in correspondence courses would be a positive move to help ‘quality education’. |
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Colleges flout
university
rules CHANDIGARH, Aug 20 — Most of the colleges affiliated to Panjab University, including many colleges in Chandigarh, are not following a large number of basic rules laid down by the university. These colleges are not just underpaying their temporary staff members but also flouting many service condition rules the university has laid down for itself and the colleges. The colleges have been employing lecturers on an ad hoc basis but they are not being paid according to the norms laid down by the university. As per the grant-in-aid scheme of the Panjab and UT Government, even the unaided teaching posts are to get full salary plus allowances as per the UGC norms. But most of the UT colleges are not paying according to these norms even though many of their teachers have cleared the national-level competitive test conducted by the UGC and recognised by the Government of India as the essential qualification for lecturership in a college or university. Also, the appointment of every teacher in a non-government college affiliated to PU is supposed be on the basis of a written contract on a form prescribed by the university. But this is rarely done. It is also laid down in the rules that the vacancies against permanent posts have to be ordinarily filled within three months and also after an institution has been in existence for three years not more that 20% staff should be on a temporary basis. The former rule is flouted on a routine basis and there are positions in colleges which have not been filled for years by permanent staff. Another rule says if teachers — permanent, temporary or on probation — are removed from service, the college should send an intimation to the university giving reasons etc. within two weeks. This, too, is not done. Any college which is to be affiliated to PU has to fulfil the condition that it will pay all its teachers in accordance with the UGC pay scales or those laid down by the university. In reality, these teachers are being paid much less and are not paid any available allowances. The pay scale of a full-time regular teacher in a college is Rs 8000 plus allowances which comes to about 11000 for a beginner without a PhD and over Rs 12000 for someone with a PhD. What the temporary and part-timers get in reality is something which is abysmally low than what they are entitled to. The pay they get ranges from Rs 3500 to Rs 4500. The basis for this kind of pay is that these teachers are paid in accordance with the number of lectures they take in the college. The part-time and other temporary appointments are made for a period of only six to seven months and are relieved in the month of March. In the next session, they are reappointed and paid accordingly. The rules clearly say that a teacher appointed temporarily or on probation is also entitled to summer vacation salary proportionately. What is surprising is that although such a large variety of rules are being flouted openly, nothing is being done to regularise matters. The reasons given are many. The first and foremost being that the university which has laid down these rules does not follow these itself. Most of the rules which have been laid for colleges are applicable to the teaching departments of the university but the situation in reality is not very different. As far as colleges are concerned, both private and government, most of the principals are of the view that a majority of their permanent staff members do not work. Those who do work are the ones kept on a temporary basis simply because they are not permanent. Moreover, they are to be paid much less compared to the permanent staff and once the contract with them is over, they leave. It’s a convenient arrangement for the institution, state the principals. Also, most of the colleges, especially government colleges, are facing a shortage of grants and the reason that they do not pay their temporary staff according to the scales laid down is simply that they do not have the required funds. On the other hand, private colleges are able to save a large amount of money by not paying adequate sum to their temporary staff. There is also the basic problem of unemployment. A large number of people in spite of being underpaid and overworked are vying for these jobs and are ready to play into the hands of college management. The teaching staff, which is working temporarily, is also facing a large number of problems other than pay. They are not entitled to any maternity leave even if they have been serving the colleges for 6-7 sessions. No vacation salary is being given to them nor do they have a provision of provident fund from the college.
The Rules Rule 4.3, Chapter 8, PU Calendar Vol. 1: A teacher appointed temporarily or on probation shall be entitled to summer vacation salary as under: (i) those who complete 9 months service get full salary. (II) those who complete 3 months or more of service but less than 9 months get proportionate salary on the basis of full salary for 9 months. Rule 2.1, Chapter 8, PU Calendar Vol. 1: Appointment of every teacher in a non-government college affiliated to Panjab University shall be on a written contract as per form prescribed by the university. Vacancies against permanent posts shall ordinarily be filled within three months. After an institution has been in existence for three years, not more than 20 per cent of its staff should be on a temporary basis. Rule 2.2 Chapter 8, PU Calendar Vol. 1: Every teacher shall be paid at least the minimum pay scale as laid down by the university. Rule 3.1 Chapter 8, PU Calendar Vol. 1: No teacher shall be required to teach more periods than the number laid down by the university. Rule 3.2 Chapter 8, PU Calendar Vol. 1: If a teacher is given some extra teaching work temporarily he shall be paid an allowance for the additional work. Rule 10 Chapter 8 PU Calendar Vol. 1: If a teacher, including either temporary, permanent or on probation, is removed from service the college shall send an intimation to the university giving reasons etc. within two weeks. Rule 11.2 Chapter 8 PU Calendar Vol. 1: During period of probation and when a teacher is holding a temporary appointment the notice period (for removal from service) shall be one month. Rule 12.1 Chapter 8 PU Calendar Vol. 1: For the benefit of the employees every college shall establish a provident fund. Rule12.2 Chapter 8 PU Calendar Vol. 1: The above rule is applicable only to those who are whole time permanent employees against substantive posts. Rule 24.1Chapter 8 PU Calendar Vol. 1: Every teacher shall at all times serve efficiently, act in a disciplined manner and maintain absolute integrity and devotion to duty. Rule 24.2 Chapter 8 PU Calendar Vol. 1: Unless in any case, it is expressly provided for, the whole time of the teacher shall be at the disposal of the college...(as) directed by the Principal. Rule 24.5 Chapter 8 PU Calendar Vol. 1: No teacher shall take part in any activity which in the judgement of the Principal is calculated to lead to indiscipline of the college. |
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Wedded to
ghazals, courting
pop CHANDIGARH,
The Shehzadi-e-ghazal, who is now treading the popular path was in town yesterday for promoting her latest album, Lakiren, recently released by Archies Music. The singer is as vibrant and as high on life as ever. Except for the new hair-do which she sports on the cover of her album, Penaz has not changed much; at least not in her so-stylish looks, which lent her a distinct identity way back in the 1980s when the Parsi girl first put her foot into the world of ghazal gayaki, essentially a male bastion then. But her voice soon made a clear impact, so much so that she even managed to impress doyen of the music world Ustaad Amjad Ali Khan, who then went on to compose three songs for her first album. There was always a note of maturity in Penaz’s voice which made her dear to the public. Her association with the Agra gharana, to which her father belonged, also helped. From her first performance in Bhopal as a 14-year-old girl to her 21st album which has just been released, Penaz credits her success to her guru, Madhurani ji, of the Uttar Pradesh gharana. “It was with her blessings that I could do justice to the classical form of music. I did about 12 albums exclusively on ghazals. My urge to change is very recent,” she smiles. And this urge is very well founded, as Penaz says. “I want to be known as a versatile singer. So, when I sing Salsa on the one hand, and a Shakeel Badayuni ghazal on the other, I want my listeners to feel intoxicated. Pop culture is just another extension of music. And I have chosen to do two pop albums because I think they bring out the vibrancy, the freshness in you.” Penaz has, however, been very particular about the kind of music she wanted in her album. She says, “Shantanu has given me the stuff I wanted. The lyrics by Sam Panchmukhi are also very close and true to life. I am happy that I identify with all the eight songs which are contained in Lakiren.” The songs are actually full of life. Right from the title song Lakiren which has gone on to make Penaz the artist of the month on MTV, to the soft ghazal like number Haule haule behte behte, all the songs are powerful in content and music. There are three songs wrapped in folk colours: one among them is a Punjabi number, another is a Rajasthani-Punjabi mix, and yet another is based on Rabindra Sangeet. The singer has also experimented with Latin American beats in Lakiren. “There is a feel of American blues, there is Salsa, and also Rock and Roll. We have tried to make the album complete by filling it with good lyrics, complimented by melodious tunes,” she says. About her first love, this graduate from the Sydnom College of Commerce, Mumbai, is very clear. “Ghazals are still the closet to my heart. Just now I am also courting the popular form of music. But my shows at ghazals will continue. After all it is ghazal gayaki which gave popularity to my name.” Later during the day, Penaz performed to a lively gathering at a local discotheque. Apart from concentrating on songs from her new album, she also sang off-beat numbers which kept the audience in their dancing shoes. |
Gurdial Singh
honoured CHANDIGARH,
He was present on the occasion with his wife whom he rated as the inspirational force that drove him towards his literary pursuits and supported him throughout his career. The lauterate was honoured and a shawl was presented to him in the presence of distinguished guests which included Mr Harbhajan Singh Halwarvi, Dilip Kaur Tiwana and Kesar Singh Kesar. Secretary-general of the Council H.S. Bhatti was also present on the occasion. Speaking on the occasion the writer said he had seen a lot of unrest in the country throughout the vast span of his life. “The only difference is that earlier there was little unrest. Now it is unmanageable.” The writer, who is credited with writing many stories attacking social evils still rampant, also came down heavily upon the state government’s decision to teach Punjabi to village students right from Class I instead of VI. “This move is not serving the purpose. No one is taking the language seriously now. The earlier arrangement was better,” he said. Gurdial has been in the field of Punjabi literature since over 40 years now. He had written a story on Chandigarh even before the town was put into shape. He has also authored innumerable stories. |
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Shooting begins for TV quiz on Sikhism CHANDIGARH,
Mrs Kapoor, who has produced TV serials, besides short documentary films on social causes, for Zee TV and ATN says that she had been planning to work on this topic for quite some time. “I belong to this region and I wanted to spread the knowledge about its culture and traditions. I also did extensive research on it. However, keeping in mind the sensitivity of the topic, I did not want to go wrong with the facts, which is why, when Mr Shagufa, secretary of the Gurmat Parsad Seva Society, came up with the idea of a collaboration on the project, I decided to go ahead with it.” Mr Rajinder Singh, general secretary of the society, has drafted the questions based on Sikh history, religion and culture and is also compering the programme. According to him, the basic aim of the serial is to spread knowledge about the religion and its philosophy. “Ours is a missionary institute where we teach about our religion and philosophy,” says Mr Rajinder Singh. “However, for the past few years, I have realised that children are drifting away from the Punjabi culture. The Sikh religion has one of the richest philosophies. Through this serial we aim to spread it amongst the school and college students,” The quiz programme is being shot in three phases. The channel on which it will be aired is not yet known to its producer, V.K. Films. However, according to Mrs Kapoor, negotiations are on with Zee Alpha and Lashkara . “It will be either of the two,” she adds. During the first phase, 13 episodes are being shot in which 27 schools from all over Punjab are participating. During these, nine basic contests will be held. Winners of these will participate in three semi-finals. In the next phase, students of colleges from Punjab will participate. The third phase will have participants from the general public. Today, four episodes, in which various schools from chandigarh, S.A.S. Nagar and Patiala participated, were shot. Guru Nanak Senior Secondary School, Sector 30 emerged as the winner of the first episode. |
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Ria crowned Miss Catwalk PANCHKULA,
Among the 10 participants in the men’s category, Sudhanshu Gover won the title of “Best Personality’’ and Jatin Singh, a student of Government College, Sector 11, won the title of “Best Walk’’. Held in three rounds, the western wear round of the girls saw them strutting down the floor in minis and denims while the formal dress round was dominated by sarees and lehngas. Earlier, an introductory round was also held. For the contestants in the boys’ category, a traditional wear round saw the participants emerging from backstage in dhotis and kurtas while some chose to wear the kurtas with churidars. More comfortable in the formal wear round and wearing suits, the boys were a complete contrast in comparison to the previous round. Besides, a fancy dress round was included for them during which they introduced themselves to the guests, mostly parents of the participants. The judges of the contest included Prof Jagjit Singh, Mr Jai Bhagwan and Mr S.S Bedi. Between rounds, the Eagle Dance troupe provided fillers as they danced to popular remix numbers. The final round is scheduled to be held at Funcity on September 3, where two common rounds of formal dress and fancy and funky attire have been specified for both boys and girls. However, a “Figure round’’ for girls and a “Physique round’’ for boys will also be held. The contestants will compete for ‘Best figure’ and ‘Best physique’, respectively, besides the titles of Ms and Mr Panchkula. The organisers said that the winners of the contest will go on to participate in the beauty contest to judge Mr and Miss Haryana to be held later. |
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Residents throw garbage outside
bins CHANDIGARH,
But the bins do not seem to attract many residents if litter at various places in the city is any indication. One such example is of a dustbin located in Sector 20A. This dustbin is on the V-3 road. In the morning, sweepers of many houses throw dirt outside it and never care to put garbage inside the dustbin. By mid-day, the whole area, about 10-12 m, is covered with garbage. By evening, the dump attracts cows and other animals. One of the residents, Mrs Anju Sharma, says, “We are really troubled by the dustbin here. The whole day we have to bear the smell and it is virtually a hell for passersby. The MC must do something to clean the whole area.” They should fence the whole area so that people do not throw dirt around the place and animals also do not reach the bin. |
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Tributes paid to Rajiv Gandhi CHANDIGARH,
The local MP, Mr Pawan Bansal performed “bhoomi pujan” amid the chanting of religious hymns. The CTCC, president, Mr BB Bahl, laid the foundation stone of the bhavan which would be completed by December this year. Speaking at a seminar organised by the Rajiv Gandhi Memorial Society at Ambedkar Bhavan in Sector 37, Mr Bansal highlighted the projects undertaken by the former Prime Minister for preparing the country to the 21st century. Mr Bahl urged the Congressmen for follow ideals of the late leader. Earlier, Mr Bansal and Mr Bahl donated wheelchairs and walkers to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32. Mr Bansal also inaugurated a veterinary clinic set up by the panchayat in Daria village. Mr Bansal and Mr Bahl also visited Kust Ashram, near Industrial Area and distributed fruits among the inmates. PATIALA: The Patiala District Urban and Rural Youth Congress Parties celebrated the Youth Congress Day at its Gur Mandi office here on Sunday. Mr Sanjeev Sharma, president of the urban unit of the District Youth Congress, presided over the function. Prominent among those present were the district Congress President, Mr Ved Parkash Gupta, and other senior leaders of the party. Rich tributes were paid to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. |
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Saplings planted PANCHKULA, Aug 20 — Over 100 saplings were planted at a vanamahotsav function in the Parishad Bhavan in Sector 12-A, here today. Organised by the local unit of the Bharat Vikas Parishad, the saplings were planted on the building premises and in the adjoining open space. The Additional Deputy Commissioner, Mr MP Bansal, was the chief guest, while Mr Sultan Singh, Managing Director of the Haryana Forest Corporation, presided over the function. The duo stressed the need of tree plantation in the context of preservation and protection of environment. Highlighting the role of tree plantation, they said that trees were valuable not only for fruit and fuel but for the purification of the environment and supply of oxygen. |
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Vikas Parv 2000
celebrated CHANDIGARH, As many as 15 speakers from different schools participated in the declamation contest at the function which was inaugurated by Ms Kamla Sharma, Chairperson of the board. Gurmeet Kaur of Sarvhitkari School, Sector 27, was declared the first. Harpreet Kaur of Guru Nanak Khalsa School, Sector 30, and Mandeep Kaur of Sarvhitkari School, Sector 27, bagged the second and third prizes, respectively. Swami Patambra Nand of the Ramakrishna Mission, who was the chief guest, said that religion and secularism had their own importance. Mr J.V. Gupta, former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, who was the main speaker, said that devotion to one’s motherland was the most-important thing. Mr M.R. Mittal, president of the Seva Bharati, highlighted the new projects undertaken by the organisation, including neuro-therapy treatment without medicines, starting of a computer training centre and van services from Chandigarh, SAS Nagar and Panchkula to the PGI. |
Minor raped,
stabbed CHANDIGARH, According to sources, Anand, an acquaintance of the family of the girl, was sleeping at her house last night, when he allegedly raped her in the wee hours of the morning. As the girl raised the alarm, the accused stabbed her with a knife. Later, the accused stabbed himself when the family bolted him inside the bathroom. Both have been admitted to the PGI. Chain snatching cases: In the first case, Ms Ajit Kaur, a resident of Sector 38, reported that two unidentified persons came on a scooter and snatched her gold chain outside her house. In the second incident, Ms Asha Rani, a resident of Sector 23, reported that two unidentified scooterists fled away after snatching her gold chain from near the maintenance booth, Sector 23. The police has registered cases. Poppy husk seized: A case under the NDPS Act has been registered. Liquor seized: A case under the Excise Act has been registered. Car stolen: A case has been registered. Sanitary items stolen: A case has been registered.
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Classrooms no longer deserted WHAT principals of government and private schools and colleges jointly failed to achieve since the inception of the Union Territory — ensure presence of Class XI and Class XII students in classrooms — the Director of Public Instructions of Chandigarh, Mr D.S. Saroya, has achieved within weeks, thanks to his determination and novel method of admissions and teaching that he evolved and implemented. Principals of government and private schools and colleges used to lament that students, after taking admission to Class XI and Class XII, went for coaching imparted by certain teachers. The result was that classrooms remained deserted throughout the year. While rich parents could pay for the coaching of their children, poor parents could not afford the fat fee demanded by coaching “shops”. No wonder students of poor parents developed an inferiority complex as they thought that they would not be able to compete in CET and PMT examinations with those students who got private coaching. To mitigate this inferiority complex among poor students, Mr Saroya constituted what he described a core group of 40 outstanding teachers who taught science subjects in their respective schools. This core group has been assigned the task of collecting material of their subjects, teach in different schools every week and conduct tests. Another malaise was that until last year, most of the VIPs pressurised the Administration and succeeded in getting their children admitted to schools which were known for showing better results in
CBSE examinations. Their choice invariably fell on the Sector 16 and Sector 35 Government Model Senior Secondary Schools. The ordinary mortals had no option but to get their children admitted to “ordinary” government schools. What Mr Saroya did this year was that he prepared a common merit list of all students of the Union Territory. The merit list was displayed outside the office of the DPI and on
notice-boards of all schools. Students who passed out matric examination were given admission strictly on the basis of their merit in schools where their turn came. The Administration withstood all pressure brought on it by mighty bureaucrats and powerful politicians. The result was that no deviation was made in the matter of admission. This method of teaching and admissions has earned accolades and praise for Mr Saroya from principals of schools, colleges and parents. The Principal of DAV College, Mr
R.C. Jeewan, for example, wrote to Mr Saroya: “You deserve all praise and appreciation for this kind of academic bravery. The deserted classrooms of class XI and XII would give you silent blessings and the dignity of teachers and educational institution will be restored by the step you have taken.” Similarly, heads of other educational institutions have appreciated the efforts that Mr Saroya made. Down STD drain:
Callers have been persistently trying the programme’s Delhi number since August 14, when the show’s lines opened, but have been unable to get through. Though the disruption of STD services for the past week has affected a large number of residents, this section of the people is feeling the worst affected. Many people are feeling disappointed since the show’s telephone lines open after long gaps and this time they have reopened almost after a month. Complained one resident: “As it is, the number is difficult to get and now with the STd problem hardly anyone from Chandigarh will be able to make it to the show this time”. National award:
Wet affair:
The contingents presented a well appreciated marchpast and the salute was taken by the UT Administrator. But the show was stolen by tinytots who not only braved the downpour but got soaked to the skin in the process. But to give them all credit, they were lively while presenting the chief guest with bouquets and balloons. Cheaper Internet:
The rates were decreased by anything between 25 per cent and 45 per cent. Besides this 10 per cent discount has been offered on renewals. And to top it all the DoT has introduced 50 per cent discount for off peak usage, that is between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m. on all weekdays and for the entire day on Sunday. The new rates are like this: For 25 hours — Rs 450 ( old rate Rs 490), 50 hours — Rs 800 (Rs 1500), 100 hours — Rs 1200 ( Rs 2150), 250 hours — Rs 2800 ( Rs 4700), 500 hours — Rs 5000 ( Rs 7250) and 1000 hours — Rs 7500. Validity of the first three tariffs is one year while for the last three it is two years. The new rates were enforced from Independence Day. Subscribers and users are already asking why the DoT does not open a swank office like the private ISPs to attract more and more people in a comfortable working environment. Space is not a problem but the attitude is, say users, who have been fed up with the bureaucratic setup of the
DoT. Workers in the value added services wing of the DoT privately admit that they want to see a change. School for papers:
A reputed national English daily came out with an innovative scheme where a seven months’ subscription cost just Rs 370. A good luggage bag was thrown in as a bait to allure the customer. A Hindi daily conducted a door-to-door sale campaign for several months before it hit the stands. Another reputed English daily gave its Hindi daily free for some time with the newspaper. The same paper has now targeted the young readers in a few schools. It has involved the school authorities in boosting the circulation of the newspaper. Senior students of a private girls school in Sector 21 were recently asked by the Principal to fill in forms under which the supply of the newspaper was assured for six months on depositing just Rs 90. Should the schools do this? Golden jubilee:
The spirit of festivity filled the air that day, with the excited students managing the tree plantation drive in the college to mark its 50th birthday. About 40 saplings were planted, out of which 20 were planted by highly placed Administration officials, including the UT Adviser, Mrs Vineeta Rai, who planted the first sapling of the day. The Director, Public Relations, UT, Mr Vivek Atray had also been roped in for the purpose. Another highlight of the celebration was the revival of the college magazine — Chitrankan — after a gap of seven years! Anchor hunt:
Interestingly, the various channels are getting tremendous response to the anchor hunts they are launching. When the MTV had launched its anchor hunt about seven months back, about a lakh entries had been received. Something similar, although on a smaller level, happened in case of a Punjabi channel which held its anchor hunt in North this month. The hunt culminated in a grand finale on August 17 at Tagore Theatre. The channel had received 900 entries, out of which it shortlisted 11 youngsters for the final selection. An insight into the profile of applicants revealed how much importance they accorded to the job of an anchor. In the fray that day was a full time lecturer, an income tax consultant and also a chartered accountant. Tailpiece:
– Sentinel |
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