The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

Rain dampens charm of first day in college
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh July 16
Thin attendance marked the first day of the freshers in Panjab University and city colleges today. While the college and university department authorities blamed the rain for the thin attendance, many freshers, who managed to reach their classes, complained that there were no teachers available to take classes.

Many freshers who reached the colleges early in the morning, having decided to begin the session on serious note, spent the first few hours getting to know their time table for the session according to their subjects. Then started the hunt for classrooms. ‘‘It is like trying to find your way through a maze. In the last hour all I realised that I had one class on the second floor and another on the ground floor. Then the next class was on the second floor again. It was a run all through the day.’’ said Vinod, a fresh student to DAV College, Sector 10.

Also the freshers stood out like the proverbial sore thumb. With confusion written all over their faces, these students moved around the colleges trying to locate their classrooms, their new class-fellows. And in spite of the strictness being followed in all colleges prohibiting ragging, most of the freshers were rather apprehensive about being ‘‘caught’’ as newcomers and ragged by seniors.

But then there are many freshers who would want to be ragged. ‘‘Its just a form of introduction and a proof of having entered college life. So why not. And its something which one remembers for a long time.’’ said Natasha who has joined the GGDSD College, Sector 32.

At the university the scene was somewhat different. The students who reached the departments were less confused and more confident. Most of them were, however, excited about having reached the university level and studying here. But many of the university teachers played truant instead of students. Many students of the Hindi Department reported that there were no teachers to take their classes. In some other departments teachers took introductory classes.

4,946 students get admission
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, July 16
As many as 4,946 students have been admitted in different government schools during the ongoing admission at the GMSSS, Sector 23, till date.

The general category seats have been filled in the science and commerce streams in all the government schools. The maximum students were admitted to vocational courses today.

The general category seats in humanities have been filled in the GMSSS in Sectors 16, 19, 35 and 46 with cut-off percentage as 52.4, 45.6, 53.1 and 45 marks.

In all, 809 students were admitted — 48 in science, 19 in commerce, 536 in humanities and 206 in vocational courses — today.

About 760 students with 40 per cent marks and above will appear for admissions tomorrow.

Clear and present danger in school
Nishikant Dwivedi

Kansal (Kharar), July 16
Over 200 students of the local Government School are exposed to danger because they play in a dilapidated, abandoned and unsafe building in the school compound in the recess and after the school is over. The school is behind the Punjab Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh.

Over the past eight years, a major part of the walls and the roof of the building has collapsed. A heavy downpour could bring down the rest of the building anytime and if it happens when the children are playing there, anyone can well imagine the consequences.

Besides students, many village children also play here and villagers use the abandoned building as a place for playing cards.

A thick growth of grass can be seen on the roof of the building. Mr Ashwani Sharma, advocate and resident of the village, said the building should be immediately pulled down.

A part of the building also belongs to the village panchayat. The District Education Officer (secondary schools) of Ropar had recently ordered to fence out the building from the school premises. “This will not ensure the safety of children,” said a teacher of the school. Teachers said they had to keep a strict vigil on students to prevent them from going near the unsafe building. They said the work on fencing the building had already begun.

Earlier, this building belonged to the school and an Anganwadi creche managed by the Child Welfare Council of Punjab. When the building was declared unsafe, the creche was shifted to some other place.

The Sarpanch of the village, Mr Ratan Chand, said he had made the authorities concerned aware of the impending danger and pressed for the demolition of the building.

The Secretary of the Child Welfare Council of Punjab, Lieut-Col (retd) Ms Uma Ratra, said the ownership of the building had been transferred to some other organisation in 1998, but nothing had been done to repair it. “I recently wrote to the Punjab Governor and President of the Council, Lieut-Gen (retd) J.F.R. Jacob, urging him to transfer the land to the Punjab Education Department, so that the school authorities could demolish the building and build a new one in its place,” she said. According to her, there will be some progress on this issue by the next week.

Sacred Heart gets new principal
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, July 16
After serving as principal of the Sector 26 Sacred Heart Convent School for nearly five years, Sister Gloria, today handed over the charge to former principal of Patiala’s Our Lady of Fatima Convent School.

Sister Gloria, who had joined the school in July, 1996, will now work against an administrative post in a school in Dehra Dun.

Describing her role as principal of the school, Sister Gloria said, “I feel the school has achieved good results during my tenure. I have put in my best to upgrade the school. When I joined the school in 1996 it was a secondary level school. Within two years it has been upgraded to the senior secondary level”

Sister Elsy, the new principal, has served Our Lady Fatima Convent School in Patiala for nine years. “I am glad to join as principal of Sacred Heart Convent,” she told Chandigarh Tribune.

COURTS

HIGH COURT
Admission to PEC from UT seats stayed
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 16
In less than 24 hours before the admission process was to start in the Punjab Engineering College, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today stayed counselling for 85 per cent of the seats in the UT pool.

Pronouncing the orders on a petition filed by Ludhiana resident Harsimran Singh, the Bench, comprising Mr Justice Amar Bir Singh and Mr Justice Swatanter Kumar, however, directed that counselling for 15 per cent of the seats in the all India pool would be held as per schedule.

In his petition, Harsimran Singh had earlier sought directions for quashing the admission criterion adopted by the Chandigarh Administration for admission to first year Bachelor of Engineering course.

Claiming the criterion to be “less favourable” for students belonging to the state of Punjab, the petitioner had stated that as per the prospectus issued by the college, 320 seats out of total 385 had been reserved for candidates who had passed the qualifying examination and had completed 10 + 1 and 2 from schools and colleges in the city.

This policy of reserving the seats under the UT pool was liable to be quashed as it arbitrary, discriminatory and without jurisdiction, besides being against the Punjab Reorganisation Act of 1966, the petitioner had claimed.

Giving details, his counsel Mr Mohan Lal Saggar had added on the petitioner’s behalf that the Chandigarh Administration, under the Act, had no jurisdiction or authority to frame the admission criteria less favourable to students residing in Punjab.

He had further added that admission to engineering courses being run by Panjab University was open to students of all states, while admission to the course being conducted by the Punjab Engineering College had been limited to students passing the 10+1 and two from Chandigarh.

Assistants’ plea allowed

Allowing a writ petition filed by 10 assistants in Punjab Directorate of Employment challenging the final seniority list prepared by the department, the High Court today directed the state of Punjab and other respondents to fix seniority of the “members of the service” from the date of continuous appointment on the posts.

Issuing the directions on a petition filed by Mr Ram Gopal and others, Mr Justice S.S. Nijjar observed: “As the respondents are acting on the seniority list, the same is hereby quashed”. Seeking the quashing of the list, counsel for the petitioners had earlier stated that Mr Ram Gopal and others had been shown junior to certain respondents.

Major seeks copy of GCM

In an application filed before the High Court, dismissed Kargil Major, Maneesh Bhatnagar, today sought a copy of the general court martial proceedings. The application is likely to come up for hearing tomorrow.

The court martial had concluded on July 9. The petitioner has contended that a copy of proceedings, which he was entitled to, was required to move the court for seeking relief against the sentence.

The court martial had tried him on two charges under the Army Act, the first being disobedience of lawful command and the second being an act prejudicial to good order and military discipline.

While the court acquitted him of the first charge, he was convicted on the second charge. In a petition filed earlier, to which this application has been attached, the petitioner has, while alleging several irregularities and illegalities in the conduct of the trial, sought the quashing of the court martial proceedings.

Judicial remand in shootout case
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, July 16
An accused in the cyber cafe shootout case, Sanjay Rahi, was today remanded in judicial custody for 10 days by the Judicial Magistrate. Rahi, arrested on July 11, had initially been remanded in police custody for two days. The remand was extended by another two days as he was reportedly required by the police for further investigation in the case.

According to sources in the Police Department, Rahi was remanded in judicial custody after he was brought to the local courts this afternoon.

A net surfer had sustained minor injuries after being grazed by a stray bullet fired by one of the accused in the case following a tiff with another group over a pool game. The prime accused in the case is still absconding.

Complainant gets compensation
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, July 16
The UT Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has allowed an appeal filed by a city resident against the order of Consumer Forum-II, for the poor services being provided by the respondents, M/s Rattan Enterprises, Madhya Marg, M/s Lohia Machine Limited, Kanpur, and M/s LML Regional Office, Sector 17.

The commission has also directed the respondents to pay a compensation of Rs 10,000 for the financial losses and physical and mental agonies suffered by the complainant.

A city resident, Mr Amarjit Singh, had filed an appeal against the Consumer Forum-II that he had purchased a scooter under the brand name “LML Vespa” and the scooter gave various kinds of troubles. He also apprehended that it was not a brand new scooter but a second hand scooter which was after some alteration and painting made to appear as a new scooter.

He alleged that he had sent a number of complaints to the respondents but have not got satisfactory services.

The Bench comprising of the President, Justice K.K Srivastava, and the member, Mr P.K. Vasudeva, observed that the District Forum-II was not justified in dismissing the complaint outrightly as there was deficiency in services on the part of the respondents.

CULTURE

Sahibzada’s painting to be unveiled today
Tribune News Service

SAS Nagar, July 16
An oil painting capturing a historic moment — Sahibzada Ajit Singh, eldest son of Guru Gobind Singh taking on the Mugal army outside the citadel of Chamkaur Sahib (Chamkaur-di-Garhi) — will adorn the reception of the Estate Office of the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) here. The painting would be unveiled by the Housing and Urban Development Minister, Punjab, Dr Upinderjit Kaur tomorrow.

The painting by Mrs Phoolan Rani, an Amritsar-based painter known for paintings of Sikh gurus, would also give a visual association to the town with the Sahibzada after whom the place had been named. A PUDA spokesman said earlier there was no feature or painting embodying the spirit of valour of the Sahibzada. He said after the head office complex of the PUDA was completed in Sector 62 ( Phase VIII), the painting would be shifted to main reception area of the new complex.