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| Tuesday,
September 18, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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PU teachers defy UGC norms Chandigarh, September 17 The PUTA, at its general body meeting held recently, opposed the recommendation of a university committee that faculty members fill in appraisal reports at the end of each session and report to the DUI's office about the classes they had taken each fortnight. ‘‘There has to be a difference between university teachers and babus of a government organisation,’’ was the main point of argument the teachers give. ‘‘We will send neither these fortnightly attendance reports, nor the annual self-appraisal forms,’’ the PU faculty decided. The university had been asked by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to ensure that its various regulations and directions were enforced in the university, which included directions to the university regarding autonomy, accreditation, code of professional ethics, teaching and research, performance appraisal system, punctuality accountability etc. For this purpose, the Vice-Chancellor of the university had constituted a committee of peers from among the university faculty. The committee reported that although the university had to follow a number of UGC regulations to some extent, it was recommended that the faculty members fill in and send a performance appraisal form at the end of each session and through the department forward a fortnightly student attendance report. This the teachers did not want to do, and they had their reasons. ‘‘The reason that the university teachers are exempt from daily attendance and annual confidential reports is that the academic environment has to be generated and maintained and the spirit of learning has to bekept alive,’’ said Mr Rajeshwar Sharma of the Department of Biochemistry. ‘‘If we have to send the fortnightly attendance reports, it will in reality amount to sending out attendance report not just of the the students,’’ he added. ‘‘Moreover, the head of the department is a person who changes after
every three years. We have this hierarchy in the department, which can be misused for these reports,’’ Mr Sharma explained. ‘‘The fortnightly reports are to be submitted to the DUIs office, where babus are going to assess the performance of university teachers. This is certainly not acceptable,’’ said Mr J.K. Chauhan of the Department of Laws. The various committee members who were behind this idea said it was a duty which had to be done. The said form asked teachers to list, other than the courses taught and the number of classes taken, the amount of research taken up and papers published during the year. This exercise was not done even when the university’s annual report was being brought out, they added. A comparison of the faculty strength and amount of research the PU faculty has carried out in the past one year, according to the 1999-2000 PU annual report, shows that in the arts and humanities group, the number of research papers the faculty members came up with is less than its total strength. Among the professional courses, every faculty member has written half a research paper per head.
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324 posts of teacher in
UT Chandigarh, September 17 The application forms will be available at Sector 23 Government Model Senior Secondary School and can be obtained by the candidates interested on any working day after September 25 by making a payment of Rs 2. The counter will remain open from 9 am to 1 pm. The posts of master and mistress will be in the pay scale of Rs 5480-8925. The posts of JBT teacher and nursery teacher will be in the pay scale of 4550-7220. Attested copies of certificates, along with a bank draft for Rs 200 drawn from any scheduled bank in favour of Director, Public Instructions (Schools), should be enclosed along with the application form. The fee is Rs 50 in case of schedule caste candidates. The applications will have to be submitted through registered post or in person at the Sector 23 Government Model Senior Secondary School or the Sector 18 Government Model Senior Secondary School. The age limit for certain posts is 30 years as on the closing date. The age for JBT and nursery teachers should be between 18 and 27 years as on the closing date. It is relaxable by five years for SC candidates, government servants and women, by three years for OBCs and by 10 years for widows and deserted women. In case of ex-servicemen, physically handicapped and departmental candidates, age relaxation will be given as per instructions of the government issued from time to time. Candidates for various categories may be asked to appear in the written test to be conducted in Chandigarh. If held, it will consist of general ability, aptitude for teaching and knowledge of the subject concerned. Candidates will be informed through a notice about the date, time and venue, which will be published in newspapers by the second week of November. The number of vacancies being advertised can vary as per the requirement. Teaching experience of institutions recognised by the State or the UT Government will be considered. Experience certificate should be countersigned by the District Education Officer or by the competent authority of the respective state school education board. Essential qualifications for teachers is graduate, with at least 45 per cent marks, from a recognised university in the specified subject. The candidate should also have a B.Ed. degree or its equivalent recognised by the
NCTE, with the specified subjects. |
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Artiste murdered in
Panchkula
Panchkula, September 17 His body with multiple injuries on the chest, abdomen and neck was found in shrubs along the railway line in the Industrial Area Phase-I this morning .
According to sources in the Police Department, the artiste was stabbed to death by some unidentified assailants when he was returning to his residence at Haripur village in Sector 4 after performing at the Art and Craft Mela in Sector 17 in Chandigarh late last night. Giving details, the sources added that some of the passersby noticed the body lying in the bushes and passed on the information to Sector 19 police station. As the body was lying in the area which comes under the Railways Department, the Railway Police was also informed. Sources haven’t ruled out the possibility of Jyoti being murdered somewere else and his body being thrown in the shrubs in an attempt to destroy the evidence. The sources said Jyoti’s relations with his wife, Nirmal Sharma alias Nimmi, also an artiste, had turned sour after she returned from a trip to Dubai. They added that Nimmi had gone to Dubai twice with a cultural troupe and had refused to live with Jyoti after that. She had also filed a divorce case against him. The two, sources claimed, were living separately. Mr Manoj Yadav, SP, however, clarified that sour relations with the wife could have been a “mere coincidence” and “had nothing to do with the murder”. He added: “As of now, the police was also exploring the possibility of the murder being committed with a view to robbing the artiste or because of personal enmity”. The motive, he asserted, would become clear only after thorough investigations were carried out. Friends of the deceased, when contacted, revealed that Jyoti had been receiving threatening calls, following which he had reportedly approached the police for security. Upon receiving the information, ASP Vikash Arora, the DSP, Mr J.P. Dahiya, and other officers reached the spot. A team of forensic experts, along with a dog squad, were also pressed into service. Today’s incident was the third unsolved murder case in the
township.
House burgled in Sec 38 (W) Chandigarh, September 17 According to the information available, the accused broke into the first floor house of Mr Anil Mahajan in West of Sector 38 this morning. At the time of the incident, all family members were out for work. Nobody was present in the ground floor house or in the other houses in the vicinity. While Mr Mahajan has an electronics goods shop in Sector 23, his wife is a teacher in a school at Mullanpur. The miscreant(s) reportedly broke into the house by breaking the lock. They then broke the lock of the steel almirah in the house and took out the cash and jewellery. It was only later that the burglary was discovered and the police was summoned. A case has been registered at the Maloya police post. |
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Sikh council condemns
attacks Chandigarh, September 17 In a press note issued by Prof B.S.Bullana, president of the council, the council members expressed their condolences to the people of USA in general and to the bereaved families in particular, on behalf of the Sikh community. It said the council viewed the terrorist attacks as a heinous crime against the humanity and urged all peace loving countries of the world to help USA in identifying the suspects and bringing them to book so that the ugly face of terrorism could be smashed. The press note said the council also viewed the attacks on Sikhs and other religious minorities in some of the cities of the U.S.A with serious concern.‘‘Such backlash on Sikhs and other religious minorities is uncalled for and is likely to spoil USA’s case in its fight against international terrorism’’. USA is a home to people of all nationalities and such intolerance and hatred are not part of USA’s culture. The council urged the Indian Government and the President of USA to ensure the safety of the Sikhs living in the USA against such a backlash. The council appealed to the USA to save the honour and dignity of the Sikhs living in that country.
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Govt against market panel
head? Chandigarh, September 17 According to sources, the Central Government had reportedly asked the top administration functionaries to instruct the government nominee in the committee and SDM (South and East), Mr Gyanesh Bharati, to throw in his lot with the BJP Directors and the Directors opposed to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Chairman, Mr Kesar Singh, during voting on a no-confidence motion to remove the Chairman. Four of the elected nine Directors of the committee — Mr Ram Bir Bhatti, Mr Des Raj Gupta, Mr Rattan Chand and Mr Gurdeep Singh — belong to the BJP. Two others — Mr Om Parkash Chawla and Mr Gurdev Singh—also reportedly support the BJP. While the Chairman belongs to the SAD, the Vice-Chairman, Mr Kuldip Singh Kajheri, and the spokesman, Mr Bhupinder Singh Badheri, owe allegiance to the Congress. It is here that the lone vote of Mr Bharati assumes importance. To carry the motion against the Chairman, the support of at least seven Directors is required which would not be possible without the support of the administration nominee. The sources said the BJP Directors and Directors opposed to Mr Kesar Singh were reportedly angry with the Chairman and Congress Directors for their stand on making the six barriers functional at the Grain Market with a view to check the evasion of market fee and sales tax by certain unscrupulous traders. Meanwhile, the reported move of the Central Government has come in for severe criticism at the hands of the local, Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal. Speaking to The Tribune, Mr Bansal urged the administration not to be a part of the Central Government’s move aimed at undoing the mandate of the people and undermining the democratic institutions. Mr Bansal is likely to take up this issue with the UT Administrator, Lieut-Gen JFR
Jacob (retd) shortly, the sources informed. On the other had, the president of the local unit of the BJP, Mr Dharam Paul Gupta, feigned ignorance about the Centre’s move. In fact, the BJP was seized of complaints regarding harassment of traders by the Chairman and at the moment there was no proposal to bring a no-confidence motion against Mr Kesar Singh, he pointed out. It may be recalled that the elections to the committee were held in November 2000 only after 15 of the 17 Sarpanchs had given a written representation to General Jacob, who had, in turn, had forwarded it to the Union Home Ministry. The Union Home Ministry had also been reportedly toying with the idea of nominating the Chairman. After its formation, the committee had passed the resolution for setting up of the barriers to check the evasion of market fee and the sales tax. This decision of the committee seemed to have offended the powerful traders’s lobby and the recent move of the Central Government is seen to stall the functioning of the barriers. |
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Hollowness of ban on child labour
exposed Chandigarh, September 17 Narrating his tale of woes, a 14- year-old child, Naresh (not his real name) said, “I have worked for four months in the District Court canteen and the canteen owner had promised to pay me Rs 1,000 per month. “Now the contractor is asking me to leave the job without paying my dues.” He added that his father was living separate from them and his mother could not earn enough to eek out a living forcing him to contribute to family income. His is not an
isolated case as there are several other children like him aged less than 14 years who had been working as labour in various canteens in the court. A number of children below 14 years of age are working at various canteens of Arts and Science Blocks in the university canteens. A 12-year-old child, Rajesh (not his real name), who has been working in one of the canteens in Arts block, said, “I am helpless as my parents left me here because of financial problem.” “I have to clean the canteen, utensils and serve tea and snacks since morning to evening,’’ he told this correspondent. Another boy who has been working in one of the canteens in Panjab University for the past six years revealed that he had been treated badly as the owner of the canteen had employed a new 12-year-old boy. Another 12-year-old working in one of the hotels in Sector 17 near Consumer Court said he had worked day and night as his parents had left him there. He added that the owner of the hotel paid some amount to his parents for his services but he had no idea how much It is learnt that the children who were engaged as labour had been living in various colonies — Colony Number 4, Kumhar Colony, Sector 25, Bapu Dham, Mauli Jagran, Dhanas, Ram Darbar, Indira Colony, Hallo Majra, Palsora. The Supreme Court verdict in the M.C. Mehta vs State of Tamil Nadu had stated that employment of children in dangerous work should not be permitted. Article 39(F) and Article 45 of the Constitution state that children should be protected from exploitation and they should be given free and compulsory education till 14 years. The order also states that special facilities for improving the quality of life of the children should be provided, like education, recreation and
socialisation. |
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Ban on polythene,
a tough task ahead SAS Nagar, September 17 Over 90 per cent of the market is flooded with polythene bags, new and recycled having thickness less than 20 microns which have been banned by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. A major volume of prohibited quality of the bags being sold to the domestic and commercial consumers has thickness, varying between nine to 10 microns. Problem of checking the use and disposal of the banned quality of the polythene bags manufactured from new and recycled plastic waste was another problem as rag pickers were least interested in collecting these. As a result these bags could be seen littered around at various dumping places and open spaces. People associated with the plastic industry say the polythene bags manufactured from high molecular and high density polyethylene, (HMHDP), having thickness less than 20 microns, were available for Rs 5 a kg whereas polythene bags manufactured from low density polyethylene, having thickness more than 20 microns, were available between Rs 15 a kg and Rs 30 a kg. Mr Kuldeep Singh, president of the Plastic Manufacturers Association of Ropar, says the plastic bags manufactured from high density polyethylene were available around 16 paise a bag whereas the bags manufactured from the low density polyethylene were being sold for around 50 paise a bag. High density polyethylene was being mainly used for manufacturing bags by units at Delhi, Vadodra, Mumbai and other cities in India. Most of the plastic manufacturing units in Punjab and Chandigarh, around 1000, has comparatively less market share. In the region the production of plastic touched around 20,000 tonnes a day. At least 90 per cent of the plastic bags and containers manufactured from the high density polyethylene were being sold to the commercial sector due to the availability of a large number of end users and the costs benefiting the manufacturer, retailer and the consumer. However, due to the packaging parameters of the industrial sector, the acceptability of thick plastic bags and related products was more. The association said the government should create awareness among the consumers by strictly enforcing the guidelines. They lament the Pollution Board has not been able to check the manufacturing of the banned quality of the plastic bags at certain units at Ludhiana. The Pollution Board officials says the board had initiated a drive to check environment degradation due to plastic waste. All the Regional Environment Engineers had been asked to implement the Recycled Plastic Manufacturers and Usage Rules, 1999. |
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Japanese envoy calls on Jacob Chandigarh, September 17 General Jacob informed the Ambassador that India and Japan had common economic and strategic interests. He said Japanese companies were welcome to invest in Punjab and Chandigarh in hi-tech areas. He sought cooperation of the Ambassador for exploring the possibility of economic development assistance from the Japan Bank for international cooperation for setting up the Rs 115-crore project of electric trolley bus being set up by BHEL here. He also told the Ambassador that Chandigarh was a must-see place for Japanese tourists as it had the largest collections of Gandhara and Kushan sculptures. The Ambassador thanked the Governor for inaugurating the Japanese film festival. |
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Hearts and flowers from
Japan Chandigarh, September 17 Speaking on the occasion, Lt Gen JFR Jacob (retd), the chief guest for the evening, urged Mr Hiroshi Hirabayashi, Ambassador of Japan, to work for making Chandigarh a tourist destination as the museum here has a rare collection of Gandhara sculptures. He also expressed keenness to acquire woodcuts and pottery and scroll paintings from Japan for the museum. Mr Hirabayashi said to commemorate the 50th year of the diplomatic relations between Japan and India next year, a number of cultural events were in the pipeline. Though the festival had been scheduled to be held in four metros, some performances would also be held in other cities. Earlier, the Governor was welcomed by the secretary, Chandigarh Film Society, Mr Tapesh Sharma. The Adviser to UT Administrator, Ms Neeru Nanda, was also present on the occasion. Mr Hirabayashi won a rousing applause from the audience when he greeted them with a warm namaste and made his opening remarks in
Hindi and continued with the same for sometime till he switched over to English. The applause was repeated when he concluded in Hindi again. |
Sector
Scan Chandigarh The misuse of residential houses for commercial purposes, including the running of guest houses, is rampant in this sector, which houses some eminent persons from different walks of life. Besides, this sector continues to be plagued by several problems. The most important problem of the sector is the auto market, the shifting of which has been hanging fire for several years. Encroachments by auto dealers and mechanics are common, making it difficult for people to move in the corridors. Smoke from vehicles adds to the woes of the residents. However, there is a ray of hope in this regard since the Punjab and Haryana High Court has set a deadline of October 10 for the auto market to be shifted from this sector. The meat market is another eyesore. The slaughtering of the chickens in unhygienic conditions has created such insanitary conditions that many people now avoid going to this market, alleges Mr Radhe Lal, general secretary of the Sector 21 Traders’ Association. Repeated representations to the health authorities to shift the meat market, or at least to stop the slaughter of chickens, have fallen on deaf ears, he complains. Similarly, parking continues to be a major problem. A majority of the streetlights do not function. The maintenance of parks leaves much to be desired. A major park near the Dev Samaj Senior Secondary School cries for attention. The grass had not been mown for long and a leaking pipe is a perennial problem, said Mr Rajeev Gupta, a resident of the sector. The problem of muddy water persists, he alleges, adding that several complaints to the Municipal Corporation have gone unheeded. However, power supply is normal, occasional cuts notwithstanding. Garbage disposal is better than what it is in several other sectors. The systems of door-to-door garbage collection has been working well. The road divider near the government school has become an accident prone area. With no indication of its existence and the streetlights not functioning, several accidents have occurred at this point, alleges Mr Gupta. He has brought this to the notice of the authorities concerned many a time but nothing has been done. |
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Panchkula
Diary Panchkula The route of the dignitary to the function of the ex-servicemen’s reunion was given a face-lift. The Chief Minister of Haryana, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, presided over the function. The Defence Minister honoured 1215 war widows and presented gallantry awards to 26 servicemen. Orphaned children of ex-servicemen were honoured with gift cheques. While the Minister left the city after the function, the work done before his visit will stay and it has sorted out a few problems of the residents. * * * The on-the-spot painting contest to select entries for the National Painting Contest generated a lot of enthusiasm among the participants at Bal Bhavan. With as many as 260 students from 21 schools participating in the contest, the atmosphere was charged with excitement and more so with the chief of the district police, Mr Manoj Yadav, presenting another aspect of his personality. Shedding his authoritarian mask, Mr Yadav let the softer elements take charge for a change. Addressing the students, he said that painting was an expression of the soul and heart. The reflection and expression of an artist’s thinking could be found in his works and those with interest in art had developed thinking.
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Governor visits memorial site Chandigarh, September 17 Accompanied by the Adviser, Ms Neeru Nanda, the Home Secretary, Mr R.S. Gujral, the Finance Secretary, Mr Karan A. Singh, and the Chief Architect, Mr Sarabjeet Singh Sandhu, the Governor saw the plan of the project. He also reviewed the progress of various facilities of the first phase. The General went into technical details of the project. |
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BJYM men burn
Laden’s effigy Chandigarh, September 17 The BJYM activists gathered near Colony No 4 and took out a protest march till the roundabout near Hallo Majra. Raising anti-terrorism slogans, the activists flogged the effigy of Laden before burning it. The BJYM chief, Mr Satinder Singh, said the Islamic terrorism was a threat to the world peace and it should be uprooted. |
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Clarification The name of the prize winner of the French Nightingale Competition organised by Alliance Francaise of Chandigarh at Tagore Theatre on August 31, 2001, is Kajal and not Kanchan as was erroneously published in these columns earlier. |
Contractor
hurt in clash Zirakpur, September 17 According to information, Mr Harinder Singh, alias Ghukki, who is providing shuttering material on rent, was allegedly attacked by six armed persons led by Nirmal Singh, a cement dealer, at about 10 am. Mr Ram Prasad, an employee of the victim, said some of the persons came from the back door and some from the front door and attacked him. They were carrying sticks and daggers. The victim was admitted to the Civil Hospital. It is learnt that assailants have come from Mani Majra and are students of DAV College, Sector 10, Chandigarh, and Government College, Panchkula. The police is investigating into the matter, though no case has been registered so far. |
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Dowry case
registered Chandigarh, September 17 According to an FIR registered under Section 406 and 498-A of the IP, she alleged that her husband, Vikas Dhawan, her father-in-law, S.P. Dhawan and mother-in-law, Sudarshan Dhawan were harassing her. Man assaulted Thefts reported Dharam Pal was caught red-handed while stealing a bicycle from the CMC parking in Sector 17 on September 15. He has been booked under Sections 379 and 411 of the IPC. A scooter (HR-35-1653) was stolen from the Sector 7 residence of Mr J.S. Virk, while another scooter ( CH-01E- 8446) was stolen from in front of the Sector 41-A residence of Mr Sunil Kumar Thakur. One arrested Held for gambling Hit-and-run case Scooter recovered Three held AMBALA House burgled |
Biz Clips Chandigarh Special offer:
Samsung, in participation with Connect , has come up with a special offer on the purchase of its CDMA hand set, SCH 620, along with WLL mobile connection from Connect. As part of the package, the buyer will get Connect phone cards worth Rs 1,000 free of cost. The scheme will run till September 30 or till the stocks last, said a press note. |
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