EDUCATION

PU releases list of holidays
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 7
Panjab University has released its list of holidays for 2002 — a total of 26 for those in PU who have a five-day working week. Six of these holidays fall on either Saturday or Sunday.

Those in colleges who have a six-day working week will have have four Saturdays as holidays. Extended weekend opportunity comes in January, March, June, August, October, November and December with holidays falling on a Friday or Monday.

Releasing this list here today, PU has also notified the office timings for half-day holidays for administrative officers, university teaching/non-teaching departments and colleges affiliated to PU.

The notice states that PU will have all Saturdays as holidays, except during the summer break when the office timings are 7.30 am to 1.30 pm. During this period, all Saturdays will be working days.

On Raksha bandhan and Bhai Dooj, the university will open at 11 am rather than 9 am. The women employees are to arrive by 2pm on these days. The employees who want to participate in religious processions/nagar kirtans may join these processions after obtaining half-day restricted holiday for the purpose.

January will have two holidays — on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Guru Gobind Singh, which falls on January 21, and the Republic Day. February will also have two holidays on the occasion of Id-ul-Zuha on February 23 and the birth anniversary of Guru Ram Dass on February 27. March will have five holidays starting with Maha Shivratri on March 12, Shaheedi Divas of Bhagat Singh on March 23, Muharram on March 25, Holi on March 28 and Good Friday on March 29.

April has three days as holidays — Birth anniversary of Dr B.R. Ambedkar on April 14, Ram navami on April 21 and Mahavir Jayanti on April 25. June 14 will be a holiday on the occasion of the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev. The Independence Day and Janam Ashtami on August 30 will be the two holidays in August. October 2, 14, 15 and 21 will be holidays on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Dasehra and Maharishi Valmik Jayanti.

November 4 and 5 will be holidays on the occasion of Divali and November 19 on Gurpurab, December 6 is Id-ul-fitr, December 8 Martyrdom Day of Guru Teg Bahadur and December 25, Christmas.

It’s music, melody at youth fest
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 7
Music, melody and grace marked the beginning of the two-day cultural extravaganza at the State Youth Festival organised by the UT Sports Department at Tagore Theatre, here today.

On day one, students participated in a solo classical vocal singing contest as well as solo performances in classical dance. The contest was open to school as well as college students and amateur artistes.

While Jai Dev Singh of Government College, Sector 11, bagged first position, the second place went to Baljinder Singh of Lok Sur Kala Manch in the boys’ category and Kanwal Roop of the Government College for Girls, Sector 11, stood first in the girls’ category.

Kathak performance by Neha Tayal of GGDSD College, Sector 32, won her the first place in the individual dance performance while Pooja Rani of GCG-42 came second. Two consolation prizes were awarded to Shilpa (Shivalik Public School) and Chetna (Vivek High School).

Earlier, the programme was inaugurated by Ms K Atma Ram, Councillor of Municipal Corporation, and president of the Chandigarh Women Hockey Association.

The students of GCG-42 presented a song “Sada chidion da chamba ve” while members of the Rising Star Club sang ``Vakhra nazara sahar nalon pind da’’ at the inaugural function.

The two-day programme will conclude with a contest of folk dances for boys and girls. scheduled for tomorrow.

PUSU warns of agitation
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, January 7
The Panjab University Students Union (PUSU) today warned the Panjab University authorities of agitation if the university failed to arrange finances to meet the handball team’s participation in the Commonwealth Games to held at Malaysia later in the year.

The PUSU activists under the leadership of its president, Mr Malwinder Singh Kang, met the Registrar (Vice-Chancellor is said to out of station) on the demand. The activists reportedly resorted to sloganeering to pressurise the Registrar to allow them an audience.

Mr Kang said the Registrar ordered the officials concerned to look into the matter and work out the cost to be incurred on the participation. The PUSU activists had earlier submitted a memorandum regarding the matter to the authorities.

NCC staff holds gate rally
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 7
The NCC Employees Welfare Association held a gate rally in front of the NCC office, here today, to press for acceptance of their demand for the grant of bonus.

They also demanded that the NCC department should come under the control of the DPI, Colleges, instead of the Group Commander, to take work according to the post, promotional scales after four, nine and 14 years of service and filling of vacant posts.

The protesting staff was addressed by the president of the association, Mr Sarwan Singh, the general secretary, Mr Madan Lal, among others.

COURTS

Shelter for the displaced: court gives time to UT
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 7
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today granted counsel for UT Administration time till tomorrow for seeking instructions regarding the issue of providing shelter to 200-odd jhuggi dwellers of Gurusagar Colony near Sukhna Lake. Sub Divisional Magistrate (South and East) Gyanesh Bharti was present in the court during the proceedings.

The petitioners had earlier claimed that their dwellings had been illegally demolished by the Chandigarh Administration on December 22 last year. Seeking compensation, they had also asked for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation. They had added that a payment of Rs 100 per month was being made to a senior politician as payment for the jhuggis.

Today, after hearing the arguments, the Bench, comprising Mr Justice G.S. Singhvi and Ms Justice Bakhshish Kaur, observed in the open court that the dwellers should be provided with shelter from the weather immediately on humanitarian grounds.

Bail plea dismissed
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, January 7
A local court today dismissed a bail plea moved by Madan Lal, an accused in an NDPS case.

It had been alleged that the city police had recovered 150 kg of charas from his possession at the ISBT.

Five-day notice

Acting on the anticipatory bail plea moved by Kuldeep Gupta, a local court directed the city police to give a five-day notice before arresting him in a rape case.

The city police had filed an untraced report before a local court in the case.

The city police had arrested four persons — Sweetie Bajaj, Sangeeta Gupta, Kuldeep Dhaia and Avtar Singh Tari — on the basis of the complaint of the victim’s mother.

Akademi to award Brijmohan
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, January 7
Ms Shakuntala Brijmohan, a well-known Hindi story writer, will be awarded Woman Empowerment Year Award instituted by the Haryana Sahitya Akademi at a special function being organised on January 8.

She is one of the three women who will be conferred this award by the Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala. The other two recipients of the award are Dr Sudha Jain and Dr Meera Gautam.

Ms Brijmohan has already been awarded by the Akademi for her story “Ujda Ateet” in 1992- 93 and a book of short stories titled “Pavittar Jhooth” in 1994- 95. The Punjab Government, too, had awarded her in 1991-92 and 1993- 94. She has to her credit nine story books. Her stories and essays have been published by several prominent newspapers and journals. 

Gaurav, Vandana adjudged best dancers
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 7
Results of “Dancer of the Year” contest organised by the Chandigarh Institute of Performing Arts at Bal Bhawan, Sector 23, yesterday are as follows: Gaurav Sharma, best male dancer; Thakur Vandana Singh, best female dancer; Raman and Rahul group, best group dance.

In Category A (5 to 10 years), awards in the order of merit went to Simran Lishu, Jassimrat Kaur, Chetna. Special prizes were given to Agarm Gulati, Devanshi Mishra, Govind Arora, Aneesh Kumar. In category B (11 to 15 years) the prizes went to Manasi, Harmanjit Singh Mani, Sikhil Vyas. Special prizes were given to Samar Gulati, Lakhvinder. In category C (16 to 25 years), the prizes in order of merit went to Harpreet Kaur Devgun, Manisha Arora, Priya.