Thursday,
April 26, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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Confusion over environment paper Chandigarh, April 25 Panjab University last year had decided that students who have attended seven lectures in the subject will be given certificates which will exempt them from appearing in the subject of environment studies. A decision in this regard was taken in a special committee on February 24, 2000. Principals were expected to send the attendance reports by March 31, 2000. Informed sources said that information had not reached the university in several cases. “This was expected to be submitted by the colleges concerned. Now, as a result of a communication gap between the college authorities and the university, “we are being punished, rather harassed,” a student said. Students are busy contacting all possible avenues for “justice”. Dr R.P.S. Josh, a Fellow of the university, while talking to The Tribune confirmed the facts. He said the principals concerned should send immediate information confirming eligibility of the students to the university. The university should also take suo motu notice of the facts and exempt the “harassed” students. The university authorities were mentioning lack of relevant information material to cancel the examination for “these students who claimed to have attended lectures”. The college authorities said that at the university had been contacted. “Whoever is to blame, why should the students be penalised for no fault of theirs,” Dr Josh asked. Dr A.C. Vaid, Principal of the local GGDSD College, said: “Regular records had been forwarded to the university. The papers seem to have been lost somewhere. Why should students suffer for no fault of theirs?” Dr Vaid said: “Only BA I and outsiders (fresh in the university) were expected to take the examination. The current situation was confusing. Students have come to me also. I am sending a fresh office copy of the students’ attendance to save them from an uncomfortable situation.” Principal P.S.Sangha, Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College, Sector 26, said, “The college put the copies of the required documents on the college notice board. Copies were also sent to the university. Colleges were now asked to submit the certificates. How would it be possible at this junction?” Principal Sangha further stated that many colleges had not sent certificates. When the college authorities were certifying the candidates to have met the required conditions, the university authorities should help the students.” A final year student said: “We were absolutely ignorant about a written examination. The condition now, which was not being corrected despite repeated efforts, showed absolute lack of interest of the university in initiating any correctional move.” PU is perhaps the only university in the entire country to have introduced the subject of environmental studies. Justice Kuldip Singh always remained at the helm of affairs. The examination first time had to be cancelled as it showed negligent results. Thereafter, usually a minimum number of lectures were being conducted each year to certify eligibility of the students. |
Police updating list of militants Chandigarh, April 25 The local police authorities had approached the Punjab Police intelligence agencies, and with their assistance have compiled a list of ‘sleepers’ (members of militant outfits, who remain inactive for years together as common people) in and around the city. These ‘sleepers’ have earlier also been used by the various militant outfits against each other during the days of terrorism. With a large number of militants now sending feelers to the Punjab Police and expressing their desire to return to the mainstream after facing trial here, the police is now worried about the proactive role that these ‘sleepers’ could play. Sources inform that though Operation Cell of the city police had been regularly tipped off by the intelligence agencies about these ‘sleepers’ in the city, no records were being maintained. A list of all surviving Punjab terrorists and their present whereabouts ,who have the potential to strike in the city, their sympathisers in the city, the places in and around the city where they could strike, those involved in terrorist-related activities in the city during the past and now settled abroad, and the terrorist related offences committed in the city has been prepared by Operation Cell, the Intelligence Wing and the Crime Branch within the department. This exercise is being carried out after the Crime Branch, now rechristened as Operation Cell, drew flak from the top brass of the police for its inability at keeping track of various militant organisations and their members for the past couple of years. In fact, the UT Inspector General of Police, Mr. B.S. Bassi, had reportedly lambasted the Operation Cell staff during the monthly crime meeting last week, following the local police being caught unawares during the visits of certain dreaded militants in the city recently. Amidst reports of some retaliatory action by militants following the surrender of Zaffarwal a few days ago, top police officials in the city decided to carry out the exercise of updating its database on terrorists. The police has a list of militants owing allegiance to eight militant outfits in Punjab — the Babbar Khalsa International, the Khalistan Commando Force, the Khalistan Liberation Force, the Bhinderanwala Tigers Force, the All India Sikh Students Federation and the Sikh Students Federation, the Akal Federation and the Dal Khalsa. Other than this, the police has also begun updating its data on the Kashmiri militants, belonging to the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Force and the Lashkar-e-Toiba, who were either caught in the city or had committed some terrorist related offence here. Their whereabouts, local aides here and the ‘sleepers’ in the city are also being included in the new data. Perturbed over the rising crime graph in the city, the police has also decided to upgrade its data on the history-sheeters. |
Move on house tax rejected SAS Nagar, April 25 An agenda item on this issue, that was expected to raise protests from the business community here, was to be placed before the House after the government’s approval. However, there was no move to impose house tax on residential premises
after the state government granted an exemption in this regard. The move to impose a 10 per cent house tax on the rental value of commercial property here was initiated past month by the MC after the Local Government told it to take a decision on the issue on its own. Sources in the council said, the exemption on the levying of house tax on commercial property had expired on March 31, 2000, and the Executive Officer had sought a clarification from the Local Government Department on this issue. The Executive Officer wanted to know whether there was any move by the government to exempt owners of commercial property from paying house tax. The Local Government said the MC should take a decision on its own. Officials of the MC said a survey would be conducted to find the number of commercial properties in the town and the rental value of these. Even if the civic body reduces house tax, income from it will be huge because commercial activity is picking up in all sectors here. |
Chance meeting with
Parikshat Chandigarh, April 25 Parikshat was on his way to Uzbekistan for the shooting of a movie titled “Yeh Mohabbat Hai” being directed by Umesh Mehra. Last evening he had come here from Kulu district (Banjar tehsil) after shooting for a children’s film by Varinder Saini titled “Akaash Ko Chhu Leinge” for the Children’s Film Society of India. During the brief interaction Parikshat described as most memorable his role in the famous serial “Gul Gulshan Gulfam”, which was aired for many years and is now on the verge of being revived. He said when he began doing roles in films, people started looking for reflections of his father. He said his father was a serious actor but acting was thrust upon him. His father was best in tragedy roles whereas he felt more at home with comic roles. He was of the view that he was more inspired by his mother than his father in acting. Parikshat, who has done commendable roles in films like ‘Pavittar Papi’, “Duniayadari” and “Tapasya” in the 1970s is now more busy with TV serials. At present he is working in serials like Tanha, Alpviram, Heena and Noorjahan, where he was acting as Mirza Ghias. The star cast in Noorjahan includes Milind Soman as Salim, Gauri Pradhan as Noorjahan, Krutika Desai as Man Bai, Punit Issar as Sher Afghan, Ranjeeta as Asmat Begum, as also Vijendra Ghatge and cricketer Salil Ankola in different roles. Another new serial in the pipeline was Bahu Rania, where he was again playing the role of the head of a family. Parikshat, a student of Lawrence school, Sanawar, said he had to encounter a lot of difficulties in life. He graduated from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, before going to Russia for attending an advanced course in cinematography. Parikshat said his original name was ‘Parikshat’ only, but for just one film it was changed to Ajay Sahni which he never liked. He said he was given diverse roles due to his being proficient in many languages — Urdu, Sanskrit, Russian, besides English, Punjabi and Hindi. He said he would try to have a little base in Chandigarh since his eldest daughter, Aditi, was married to Nalin, employed in the merchant navy and at present staying in Sector 27. Aditi never wanted to live in Mumbai due to pollution so only a few months ago settled down in Chandigarh. Parikshat said he wanted to become a good script writer and director. He hoped to accomplish this with his new venture titled Balraj Sahni International. Asked why his children were not joining movies or series, Parikshat said it was their own decision. His second daughter, Tania, and son Varn, the youngest in the family, were still studying and were least interested in joining Bollywood. |
Punjabi gets its due in
UT Chandigarh, April 25 According to the Ms Harjinder Kaur and Mr Tarlochan Singh, chairman and president, respectively, of the Punjabi and Punjab Vikas Manch, these decisions have been conveyed to the manch by a letter of the UT Home Secretary yesterday. The letter said the matter regarding the official language in the UT was decided at the level of the Central Government. At present, the official language of Chandigarh is English. All administrative secretaries, heads of the departments, offices and institutions of the Chandigarh Administration have been directed to ensure that no correspondence should be refused to be accepted/entertained by any department of administration on the ground that it is written in Punjabi, the letter added. It may be recalled that the manch has been urging the administration to give Punjabi its due status in the UT, which also happens to be the capital of Punjab. The manch had also submitted to memorandum to the Prime Minister and the present directions seem to be the offshoot of that memorandum. Terming the decisions as a “small victory” for the Punjabis, Mr Tarlochan Singh added that the fight to secure the official language status for Punjabi would continue. |
Disadvantaged
citizens Chandigarh, April 25 Capt Attam Singh Kohli (retd), a heart patient who lives in Sector 33, received a letter from the BSNL on February 26 that said he should pay a 1996 bill for Rs 1,853. In June 1996, the BNSL (the Department of Telecommunications then) had sent a bill for telephone number 611983 to Capt Kohli. The shocked Armyman wrote back to the department, saying that he had no telephone at his home. He said, “On checking the facts, officials of the DoT requested me not to pursue the matter as some persons might lose their jobs because of this. They assured me the matter will be sorted out,” he said. The department installed a telephone in Capt Kohli’s house on July 18, 1996, as he had applied for a telephone connection. The number that was allotted him was 611983. Four months later, the telephone was disconnected. After a lot of “running around”, the Armyman found out that the telephone had been shifted to the Industrial Area. Later, the telephone connection was restored and the number changed to 615587. It was suspected that some BSNL employee was trying to cover up his misdeeds by first sending a bill for a telephone that did not exist and then installing a telephone having the same number. The ordeal of Capt Kohli did not end here. In July 1999, he received a bill from the department, according to which, he had to deposit the rent for using the services from February 1997 to June 1997 for the telephone 611983. Capt Kohli said, “Though the telephone 611983 had not been installed at my residence in that period, I paid the bill anyway to avoid harassment.” However, he received a letter from the BSNL in February, that said action would be taken against him if he did not pay the bill. Capt Kohli sent a reply to the BSNL on March 14, 2001, requesting an early action. The BNSL has not sent him a reply even a month after this. |
Dhawan assails ‘obstructionists’ Chandigarh, April 25 Addressing the first dharna organised by the manch outside the office of the MCC in Sector 17 here, Mr Dhawan alleged that the developmental activity in the city had come to a standstill as the House was not allowed to function by the councillors. Several important decisions were pending; they needed the approval of the House.
The infighting between the BJP-SAD and Congress councillors on the one hand and among the Congress councillors on the other hand had brought misery to the common man. Developmental work was either at the planning stage or at the point of implementation.
Various speakers, while coming down heavily on the behaviour of the elected councillors, reminded them of their duty to the residents. People had elected them to work for growth and development but councillors, by stalling the proceedings of the House, were creating hindrances.
Prominent among those who spoke were Mr Devinder Singh Babla, Dr O.P. Verma, Mr Sandeep Singh, Mr Balwinder Cheema, Mr Raj Nagpal, Mr D.S. Aulakh, Mr Shyam Lal, Ms Sudesh Rani Chauhan, Mr Sripal Verma, Mr Ram Lal and Mr Gurcharan S. Channi. |
CTU employees stage dharna Chandigarh, April 25 The employees were protesting against the decision of the UT Administration for plying of private AC buses as well as mini buses in the city. The leaders of the various CTU unions, Mr Pisora Singh, Mr Narain Singh, Mr Vijay Singh, Mr Kanhaya Lal, Mr Jit Singh, Mr Sat Pal, Trsain Lal, declared that the ACT would call for general strike if administration had not withdrawn it decision soon. Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, the President of CTU Union, Mr Narain Singh, said the employees were protesting against the privatisation as it is not in the interest of the employees as well as for the public. Mr Balbir Singh, Vice-President of the CTU union, added that in various parts of the India, where the private buses were introduced, lead to the exploitation of the public. |
Villagers support removal of earth SAS Nagar, April 25 They were victims of a seasonal rivulet which had been eroding a considerable portion of land each year during the rainy season. Mr Narata Singh, a farmer of Dharamgarh village, said they had allowed the contractors to remove the land from their fields so that the uneven land could be levelled and can be used for cropping. He said they had asked the contractors to take permission from the Mining Department. When the seasonal rivulet was playing havoc with their lands over the years no government department came forward to held them and now when they were “levelling” their land the mining department was objecting to it, they added. They said the quarrying was taking place on panchayat land of Kambali village, located adjacent to the nullah, since January and nobody had objected to it. |
Man withdraws suicide note Chandigarh, April 25 |
Power failure SAS Nagar, April 25 |
FENG SHUI TIPS The most attractive phase of Feng Shui is its simplicity and the philosophy behind it. The origin of Feng Shui dates back to four thousand years. Its priniciples on arranging living places to attract balanced and pure energies are very simple once you understand them. The phases of good and bad luck can be reversed if one studies the secrets of the earth’s energies and knows how to manipulate them. When one is going through a period of good fortune according to one’s fate or destiny, beneficial Feng Shui enhances it. When one sees and realises the vast possibilities Feng Shui can achieve, it seems to be very easy to learn. And when one sees that the promise is fulfilled, Feng Shui does not only become fun in practice but also makes itself easy to know. Feng Shui denotes earth luck and, when viewed within this context, it takes on a significant prospective. Earth luck is within one’s control. If we can actively create good Feng Shui in our home and offices, doing something to improve our personal environment must significantly illuminate our life’s luck. Feng Shui is a vital component of the circumstances of one’s being for it addresses that part of our destiny over which we can exercise control. The simple guidelines associated with its practice are about attracting money, fame and success. Harshna Address your Feng Shui queries to: E-mail:
fengshui@tribuneindia.com Postal address:
C/o F.S. TIPS The Tribune, Sector-29, Chandigarh-160020. |
Police fails to trace car owner Chandigarh, April 25 According to an FIR registered under Sections 279, 323 and 336, IPC, it is learnt that the occupants of the car (CH-03D-8117) picked up a quarrel with Raman Jamwal and Munish Nanda, while they were going in a car and later fired one shot in the air. The police has traced the address of the car owner to a house in Sector 33, but later found that the present residents of this house had just bought the house from the persons on whose name the car was registered. The new occupants of the house also said that the previous owners had shifted to SAS Nagar, but their SAS Nagar address could not be found. Meanwhile, the police also received reliable information that the said car was often seen at a Sector 38 house. Upon reaching there, the police found that a group of three to four college going youths were staying there as tenants. However, none of them were available at the house. The landlady reportedly told the police that the youth belonged to Ferozepore district in Punjab. |
2 teenagers held in theft
cases Chandigarh, April 25 Vicky (13) and Subhash (14), residents of Mauli Jagran and Indira Colony, respectively, had been responsible for a series of burglaries in the area along with another accomplice,
Sheeru. While the two were arrested by the police, Sheeru has absconded. The arrested persons have confessed to the burglary in Mani Majra where they had decamped with cash and jewellery worth Rs 1 lakh after entering the house through a hole in the wall. They have also confessed to other thefts in Motor Market, Mani
Majra, Subhash Nagar and Dera Sahib.
The police maintains that most of the stolen goods are in the possession of the third accused. Car stolen It may be recalled that on April 20 a Kinetic Honda was stolen from the parking lot of the college. Booked for defacement |
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