EDUCATION

Senate decision remains unimplemented
By Chitleen K. Sethi
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 — Most of the students of Panjab University and its affiliated professional and other colleges are not aware of the fact that the total fee for the next session will be reimbursed in the form of a scholarship in case he or she tops in the annual university examinations. The students are not to be blamed. Other than a chosen few who attended the Senate meeting on December 26, 1999, or those who read subsequent newspaper reports, none seems to be aware of this fact.

Even those who are to implement this resolution of the senate and inform the departments concerned and colleges to send in their demand and list of toppers are unaware the resolution passed by the Senate almost a year back.

Expressing ignorance about the resolution, University FDO, Mr M.G. Sharma, talked about the chances of the said resolution being stuck because of a pending amendment to a regulation that governs the payment of fee and scholarships. The Deputy Registrar (Accounts), Mr S.C. Gupta, dug up the said resolution after he was asked about the same. He did find it and replied that not a single department or college had sent in the names of the toppers who were to be reimbursed. When told that the departments had no knowledge of the decision, he said his office would be “sending a circular as soon as possible for the same to all those concerned.”

As far as the departments and the colleges are concerned, they have no knowledge of this fact. Says Prof Vashist, HOD, Department of Anthropology, “Had we been informed we would have immediately sent the names of toppers to the university. After all this is a pro-student resolution and will encourage the students to do better.”

The person who moved the said resolution in the Syndicate and got it approved in the Senate, Prof R.D. Anand, too, did not know why the resolution had not been implemented. “Once the Senate has passed a resolution it has to be put into practice with immediate effect. This resolution is applicable to those who topped in the 1999-2000 session and onwards. It’s sad that already a set of toppers have been bereft of this scholarship.” he said.

The following is the text of the resolution when it was passed in the Syndicate on December 26, 1999 along with its explanation:

“Resolved that a student who tops the list of successful candidates in the university examination in the 1st year (two semesters) of a course be granted full fee concession, if he is not already granted.

Further resolved that a student who tops the list of successful candidates in the university examination in the 2nd year be granted full fee concession in the 3rd year and so on (if the course is of three years or more) provided he has not been already granted full fee concession.

Further resolved that this concession will be granted to 2nd year, 3rd year or final year students, as the case may be, from the admission of 1999-2000 on the basis of the examination held in April/May 1999.

This concession is to be granted irrespective of the family income or the category of admission. This be implemented in anticipation of the approval of the Senate.”

Schoolboy missing
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 — Prabhjot Singh, a class X student of Shri Guru Harkishan High School, Sector 40, is reportedly missing for the past five days. It was reported that the boy did not return home on October 23 after his school and has been missing since then.

Mr Gursewak, father of the boy, alleges that his son was beaten up by his teacher as he had scored poor marks. According to his father, the beating created a sort of fear in his son’s mind and he did not return home. The family tried to trace the boy at all their relatives’ and friends’ houses, but till the filing of this report there was no clue of the boy.

Reportedly, on that day, the principal and the teacher had made a call to boy’s house to see his parents. But they were away for their offices. Prabhjot’s sisters attended the phone call and reached the school. The boy’s parents allege that when the girls reached school, they noticed that their brother’s turban was not on his head and he had fallen ill. Later the boy did not return home. Mr Gursewak Singh alleges that his son had disappeared because of the fear of the teacher. He has demanded the dismissal of the teacher concerned.

While talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Ms Karamjit Kaur, Principal of the school, said that the boy did not disappear because of any problem at school. “I am equally concerned about the boy as his parents are” said the Principal and added, “we are doing our level-best to know the whereabouts of the boy”. The complaint about the boy’s disappearance was lodged with the police on October 24 and it is investigating into the matter.

Re-evaluation case referred to PU VC
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 — On the eve of the Panjab University Syndicate meeting in which the case of Dr. B.B. Goyal of University Business School relating to the fraudulent enhancing of marks of a candidate in re-evaluation comes up for discussion, the Panjab University Vice-Chancellor has received a letter from his counterpart of Jammu University, to inquire into a similar case.

A Political Science student of Jammu University was awarded 39 marks by an examiner from Panjab University during a re-evaluation. This student had been given zero on evaluation and zero again during a re-evaluation.

Reliable sources say that the student has “written in a beautiful handwriting about his visit to the market and has referred to all those writers and books mentioned in the “further reading” section of the syllabus. The student has highlighted and underlined these names to mislead the examiner. The rest of the text is full of meaningless stuff.”

The anomaly in the re-evaluation of the paper was noticed by one of the clerks in the examination branch of Jammu University and brought to the notice of his seniors who then sent the case to the Vice- Chancellor. This inquiry has now been marked to the Vice-Chancellor Panjab University.

COURTS

Allot land to police society: HC
From Our Correspondent

CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 — A Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court comprising Mr Justice Jawahar Lal Gupta and Mr Justice K.S. Garewal, has directed the UT Administration to allot five acres of land to the Chandigarh Police Cooperative House Building Society.

The Bench handed down this order on a petition filed by the society seeking quashing of an order of the Estate Office passed on November 29,1998, rejecting claim of the petitioner for allotment of land for construction flats. It has also advised the petitioner society to “apply for refund of money” deposited by it in the year 1990.

In 1979, Chandigarh Administration floated a scheme called “ Chandigarh Allotment of Land to Cooperative House Building Societies Scheme, 1979”. The petitioner society submitted an application for the allotment of the land measuring five acres vide a letter dated December 23, 1988.

The Finance Secretary informed the Estate Officer that it has “now been decided to allot land measuring five acres in Sector 39-B to the above society for construction of flats for 200 members of the society at a rate of Rs 175 per square yard on lease basis for 99 years.”

On December 12, 1989, the petitioner society was asked to “make payment of Rs 4,23,554 representing 10 per cent of the tentative price of the site. The petitioner society forwarded a draft to the Estate Office on April 4, 1990.

On January 23,1992, the administration informed the society regarding payment and submission of certificate. However, on July 28, 1995, the legal remembrancer informed that scheme of 1979 “has been repealed” and consequently the order of the Estate Office.

The Bench while allowing the petition of the society observed “We allow the writ petition and quash the communication of the Estate Office dated November 29, 1996. The respondents are directed to give possession to the petitioner of the land allotted to it”

“Petitioner made the deposit in 1990. The respondents had kept the money for almost 10 years. During this period, the petitioners had reasonable expectations of getting a roof over their heads. They did not apply for land or house anywhere else. It shall be too harsh to shatter their hopes and to deny them the land which the respondents had decided to give them in the year 1989”.

“A perusal of the provisions shows that 1979 scheme had been repealed. However, allotments already made were to continue to be governed by the old scheme. The provision lays down no conditions for eligibility. It imposes no disqualifications. There is nothing in the provision which may bar the petitioner from claiming the allotment. It is not understandable as to how the respondent claim that petitioner is not eligible. Counsel has pointed out nothing. Inevitably, the second question is also answered against respondents and in favour of the petitioner”, the Bench observed. 

HUDA fears repeat of Gurgaon
Tribune News Service

PANCHKULA, Oct 27 — The Haryana Urban Development Authority in Gurgaon was not able to recover the enhanced compensation, that had been paid to farmers, after it was rolled back by the High Court. HUDA suffered a loss of Rs 137 crore because of this. This has forced HUDA to be careful in a similar case of payment of enhanced compensation to farmers in Panchkula. The land of these farmers had been acquired about eight years ago to develop Sectors 25, 26, 27 and 28 here.

Like in the Gurgaon case, the Additional District Judge of Ambala had asked HUDA to pay the enhanced compensation, while the matter was pending in the High Court. Recently, the court of the ADJ had served a spot notice for auction of three HUDA buildings to raise the compensation amount.

Several hundred acres in Ramgarh, Bana Madanpur, Jhuriwala and Naggal Moginand were acquired by HUDA in 1989. The award for it was announced in 1992. However, land-owners moved court for the enhancement of the market value of land.

The matter was decided in favour of the farmers who again moved court for the implementation of the order. Only a few of them had received the enhanced compensation.

A similar thing had happened in Gurgaon. The ADJ of Gurgaon had awarded enhanced compensation to farmers and had even issued notices for the arrest and detention of some HUDA officials. This was done to force them to pay the enhanced amount. The High Court had not given a verdict in this case at that time.

The ADJ of Gurgaon had released the payment to the land-owners after obtaining security in the shape of land. Thus, the ADJ had rejected HUDA’s request for release of payment against bank guarantee. Later, the High Court decided in favour of HUDA by reducing the rates of compensation. The recovery of the excess payments against land security was difficult due to lengthy official procedures. Only Rs 8 crore has been recovered so far.

In the Panchkula case as well, the ADJ of Ambala has ordered that farmers should be paid enhanced compensation and HUDA buildings should be autioned if the body fails to do so. Officials of HUDA are worried over the problem of recovery in case the High Court gives a verdict in favour of the body. They are stressing the need for bank guarantee against the payments because they do not want a repeat of Gurgaon.

A stay against the order of the ADJ of Ambala was disposed of on September 14. This was done with the directions that the amount of compensation should be paid subject to the security within three months of the order. The payment was to be made by December 13.

Sources said this had not been brought to the notice of the ADJ of Ambala, which had made the court issue orders to auction HUDA offices.

CULTURE

Folk singers regale audience
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Oct 27 — The Baba Vishvakarma Cultural Committee, Dadu Majra, today organised a cultural fair featuring a number of Punjabi folk singers who regaled the audience with their performance in the village stadium.

The function started around 12 noon and continued till late in the night. The first song of the day came from Jitender Kamal with Sindhi favourite Lal meri pat rakhiyo bala. Then came Paramjit Nabha who sang the folk number Lohri wali raat loki balde ne lohriaan. Kulbir Saini regaled the audience with his rendering of Maiya...kida sona din chadaya. Usha Kiran presented a song Lambi tand mein charkhe de pondiyaan.

Comedy by Jaggi and Sukhi kept the audience laughing. Although the sound system was not good, yet all the dissatisfaction was undone with Buta Mohammad setting the pace and singing about five folk songs, including Nachdi da lak minna, hasdi de dand ginna. His performance was so good that Sunita Bhatti could not prevent herself from climbing up the stage and honouring him.

Amar Virdi sang Ni tu patda vair nahi. Then came Gurbaksh Shaunki who sang Lal parande wali. Among other singers who attended the show were Ashok Datarpuri who sang Put mavan de bichde rande. Sunita Bhatti and Fakir Chand Patanga rendered a duet Gaon waleyan de tabbar bukhe marde.

The programme was inaugurated by Gurdial Singh Saini, managing director, Cooperative Bank, (retd).