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April 20, 2002, Chandigarh, India
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PGI’s College of Nursing flouts UGC norms Chandigarh, April 19 The shocking fact came to light when a team of the Panjab University, carrying out academic and administrative audit of its affiliated colleges, visited the college yesterday and met the faculty members who complained about low salaries. Affiliated to PU, the college faculty members have been paid according to the basic pay scales of Rs 8,000 per month, a scale which has never been revised with any Pay Commission revision. A lecturer, who comes to serve in this college gets a fixed monthly pay, and continues to get that amount till the day he retires, which could be anything like 25 years. No increments are given on the basis of research and no promotions are awarded. There are lecturers who are PhDs in their subjects, but do not get any extra increment for a research degree as laid down by the UGC. The college has eight lecturers and no cadre divisions. All of them came as lecturers and will retire as lecturers. Promotions as readers or professors have never taken place. What came as a surprise to the team visiting the college was the fact that the college has managed to remain affiliated to the University despite such glaring variations from the UGC norms. Sources however state that the college was derecognised by the Nursing Council two years back for want of proper pay scales to the teaching faculty and an acute shortage of trained staff. The college Principal, Ms Inderjit Walia states that the Nursing Council had derecognised it on the basis of certain changed norms about the staff strength but since the norms had been revised again, with the filling of some more posts, the college will be having sufficient number of lecturers. Sources also state that the college lecturers have been, for years, trying to bring these facts to the notice of the concerned authorities but nothing seems to have been done. The principal however informs that since the Nursing Council wrote to the PU and the PGI, some action is likely to be taken soon. ‘‘Moreover the PGI Director is himself taking interest in the whole matter and we are hopeful that things will change very soon’’,
she says. The College of Nursing which is situated in the PGI is in for a major upgradation to National Institute of Nursing
Education, (NINE) this year. The college offers three courses to more than 250 students and other than the eight lecturers, there are 14 clinical inspectors to teach these students. Sources also informed that the team members met the PGI Registrar and asked him about the status of things. The team, has in its
preliminary report to the PU, recommended that there is a need to improve the service conditions of these lecturers immediately in compliance with the UGC regulations. The matter will come up for discussion at the PU syndicate meeting scheduled to be held on April 27, 2002. |
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No money to cover all
roads Chandigarh, April 19 The decision to resume recarpeting was taken by the Road Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh at its meeting here today. The panel decided that all pavements be repaired on urgent basis to prevent pedestrians from injuries and approved a multicolour tile pattern for the city. It also approved a Rs 70 lakh allocation for the recarpeting of 10 parking lots in Sector 17 this year. Sector-22, represented by the committee chairman Mr Pradeep Chhabra got an allocation of Rs 26 lakh for the improvement of parking lots and roads. Sectors 17 and 22 fall in the ward of Mr Chhabra. The committee approved an expenditure of Rs 1.29 lakh for the recarpeting of the V-5 and V-6 roads around the Punjab Chief Minister's official residence, as these have not been recarpeted for the past five years. Rs 4.17 lakh was kept for recarpeting a road near the Athletics club of Sector 7, Rs 3.89 lakh for a road between Sector 7A and 7B, Rs 9.94 lakh for a road from the railway corssing in Pipliwala town and Rs 6.15 lakh for laying the Industrial Area Phase-II road from plot 778 to plot 831. The committee kept Rs 31 lakh for expenditure on Number 2 V-5 road in the Industrial Area Phase-II and Rs 12.13 lakh for another road in the area. It also demanded more funds for improving the condition of roads and parking lots. It also asked the Road Wing of the MCC conduct a survey to identify roads that need urgent maintenance. The Engineering Department has assured the committee to come up with the survey result at its next meeting. |
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UT Administrator, Home Secretary get notice
Chandigarh, April 19 The three petitioners (advocates), Mr Manjit Kumar, Mr Hukam Singh, and Mr Rajesh, had filed a petition against the UT Administrator, UT Home Secretary, UT Legal Remembrancer and nine ADAs for quashing the selection and appointments of ADAs. The petitioners had alleged that the ADAs were appointed against the settled principle of law and reservation policy as applicable to the UT Administration. And the UT Home Secretary and UT Legal Remembrancer had made appointments without announcing the same in the advertisement for the purpose of conducting the interview and selection. Claiming that the administration had adopted wrong procedure for the appointments, the petitioners further alleged that the UT Home Secretary and UT Legal Remembrancer had made appointments from the general category in excess and beyond the number of posts advertised. Therefore, the appointments also be declared as null and void. And the UT Home Secretary and UT Legal Remembrancer had not given proper representation to the persons belonging to other Backward Class category, despite the posts advertised for them. The subsequent conversion of the posts into general category be also declared illegal, null and void. The petitioners pleaded for the issuance of direction to the UT Home Secretary and Legal Remembrancer to reconsider and declare the results of the candidates of OBC category against the posts meant for them as per the advertisement and to appoint the applicants with effect from the date, as other ADA had been appointed illegally. The petitioners had claimed that the UT Administration had not framed the recruitment rules for the posts of ADA. The administration has made it clear that where the administration had not framed its own recruitment rules for any group C and D posts, the Punjab recruitment rules shall straightway be made applicable to the Union Territory 
SAS Nagar, April 19 |
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SUMMER WOES Panchkula, April 19 Sources in HUDA informed that 10 new tubewells will be installed in the township at an estimated cost of over Rs 1.5 crore. Last year 15 new tubewells had been installed in the township in order to meet the requirement of 17 MGD of water for a population of 1.75 lakh. This year HUDA authorities hope to provide 21 MGD of water to the population of 1.90 lakh. The town has three main water works in Sector 1, Sector 8 and Industrial Area. Two others in Sector 20 and the partly developed water works in Panchkula Extension are also catering to the needs of Panchkula residents. Besides 85 tubewells pump water in these waterworks for onward distribution in various sectors. Well-placed sources informed TNS that the present daily water requirement of Panchkula district (including Panchkula Extension and Mansa Devi Complex, Kalka, Pinjore, Barwala, Raipur Rani, Morni) is of the order of 78. 27 MGD and the present availability of water is 27. 48 MGD (including the water supply by HUDA). Thus there is an additional daily requirement of 50. 74 MGD. The authorities agree that alternate sources of water need to be tapped . At the present rate of ground water consumption, water is estimated to last only for the next 20 years. It is not possible to augment this shortfall by installing more tubewells, which could further deplete the underground water, lead to overdraws and lack of charging. The township has been facing the problem of low water pressure for quite some time. The problem was more severe in two and three storey houses, where storage tanks are constructed on the top floor. Because of low pressure of water, the storage tanks cannot be filled on a regular basis and thus the inconvenience to people. Thus HUDA has embarked upon a plan of zoning of water works in order to tackle with the problem of low water pressure in the old sectors of the town. This year the district administration has also decided to act sternly with those residents who do not use water sparingly. Already, the Deputy Commissioner has imposed a ban on watering of lawns and washing of cars between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. |
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Dwarfs are kings in
circus Panchkula, April 19 Mohammad Kesar and Sanjay Dutt
Bharti, the two dwarf clowns at Bharat Circus, presently showing at Circus Grounds here, are indeed the prized possession for the management. When one of them had reported sick late night, the entire top brass of the circus had been running from pillar to post to get medical help. “It feels good to get so much attention. We feel special here and have finally got a feeling of belongingness here in the circus. We are detested for our physical disability. But this very disability becomes our biggest asset. Life has come a full circle for us,” says Mohammad
Kesar. They say that they lead perfectly normal lives here and are now looking for their prospective brides. In fact the bonhomie
between these two ‘jokers’ is so strong that they say that they plan to get married on the same day. The two jokers are amongst the eight other jokers employed in the circus. But it is the antics exhibited by them that has the audience in splits. Say the young promoters of the circus, Mr Ajay Dutt Sharma and Mr Vijay Dutt Sharma: “We are always on the lookout for the dwarfs. It is difficult to find them and then make them agree to join the circus. They are the most quintessential part of any circus and as a result are the most well paid and well taken care of.” In fact the dwarf clowns in the circus also get the maximum bonus and perks are the highest. A special person is employed to train them and the morning hours from 7 to 11 are meant for rigorous training,
wherein new ideas are developed, which would go well with the audience. “It is not easy to laugh always. Happiness is certainly not everlasting. Everyone has the highs and lows in life and it is not always easy to make others laugh, but we are trained to spread happiness here,” says Mr Sanjay Dutt
Bharti, the other dwarf clown in Bharat Circus. Meanwhile, the manager of circus, Mr Paul Subhash, today said that Bharat Circus was offering special discounts to the underprivileged children, especially children from orphanages and disabled children. “They would be allowed to visit the circus free of cost. The school children, if sponsored by their respective school managements, would be allowed to visit the circus at a concessional rate of Rs 15 per child as against a ticket of Rs 60/ Rs 40 / Rs 25 per person,” he said. He also said that defence personnel and employees of Haryana Roadways were also being offered attractive discounts. |
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Seminar stresses on flood management
Chandigarh, April 19 He said flood management was part of water management. Efficient water management of river basin could be achieved by treating a river as a single hydraulic unit for which an independent organisation was necessary. This would help in sustainable and optimal use of water for maximum benefit in terms of drinking water, irrigation, hydro-power, flood management and environment management. Mr Chandra said 26 per cent of the total Plan Budget was earmarked for water management in the beginning. Now this percentage had been reduced to barely 6 per cent. No wonder, at times, there were no funds for combating the problem of floods. Mr
S.B. Srivastava, Chief Engineer with the Central Water Commission, said since 1954, a number of committees had reviewed flood control measures. He said the involvement of elected representatives of people like MPs, MLAs, voluntary agencies and local people was the key to the success of such plans. Prominent among those who spoke at the seminar were Mr S.D.
Puri, Chairman of the Punjab and Chandigarh State Centre of the Institution of Engineers, and Mr Jagman Singh, former President of the centre. |
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Improve body language Chandigarh, April 19 The body language plays an important role not only in your every day life but also while interacting with people and appearing for interviews for important jobs. Ask Mr Curtis
Panke, a Canadian expert in Human Resource Development, and Director, Global Placement Services (GPS), a subsidiary of WWICS Canada Inc., a Canadian immigration company based in Toronto. “If you are nervous, fidgety, wringing your hands, do’nt look the interviewer in the eye...all this indicates that you are not confident of yourself and are trying to cover up your shortcomings. Such a performance can decide whether or not you are going to be accepted by the Canadian Immigration authorities for settlement in that country,” he says. That is why teaching of body language and dress code according to Canadian standards is among the skills GPS tries to impart to its clients before they prepare for interviews for immigration to Canada. It also keeps on organising orientation sessions in resume writing, social skills, interview skills etc. as per Canadian standards. Mr
Panke, along with Ms Arda Tcherkeizen, a Canadian immigration lawyer, working with the WWICS Canada, Inc, is currently touring India. Accompanied by Col B.S. Sandhu (retd), Chairman-cum-Managing,
WWICS, they are on a tour of India till May 4 to conduct free seminars for professionals and business persons in all major cities of the country on US and Canadian immigration. The WWICS has regularly been providing this service for the past decade, but what is new this year is the country’s entry into US immigration. The high-powered team has come fully prepared to address all concerns on the economy, job market and other related issues. “We have been educating the general public about the ongoing changes to immigration laws being implemented and the impact of the newly passed bill on Canadian immigration known as Bill C-11”, said Col Sandhu. Ms Arda speaks on H-1 work visas, L-1 business visas and family class immigration to the USA. Also the WWICS has tie up with a leading US legal firm and will be recruiting people for jobs in professions wherever there is a demand in the USA. Currently, maths and science teachers and healthcare support professionals are needed, she says. The team began its tour of Punjab and Chandigarh from today and will be addressing a series of seminars till April 24. |
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Track problem disrupts rail traffic Chandigarh, April 19 The Shatabdi Express was delayed by over 20 minutes, sources said while adding that such problems occurred when there was low voltage. Track alignments are operated electrically. It is in the evening when tourists from the hills converges on Kalka to board trains for Delhi, thus
compounding the problem. |
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Villagers hail
reservation in allotment Chandigarh, April 19 The Chairman of the Committee, Mr Angrez Singh Badheri, said the move was long overdue. He also said the system of giving only the EWS or the LIG flats to persons who had smaller than 200 sq yd should be done away with. The Administration said it would give reservation to villagers whose houses had been acquired as part of planned development of Chandigarh. Mr Angrez Singh said the Administration should levy a fine of Rs 50,000 on anyone who got the flat and then sold it at a premium. Such a person should also be put behind bars, he said. |
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Tipnis to head Air Force body Chandigarh, April 19 The Secretary of the association, Wg Cdr Satish Bhatia (retd), said here today that Air Chief Marshal Tipnis took over as President at a brief ceremony held at the AFA head office at the Air Force Station, New Delhi. The founder President of the AFA, Marshal of the Air Force Arjan Singh, and several retired air chiefs were also present on the occasion. |
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Plea on parking of
vehicles SAS Nagar, April 19 The issue was raised at a meeting of the associations called by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Mr
H.S. Bhullar. The market associations were also asked to employ chowkidars. At a separate meeting, the owners of the hotels and dhabas were strictly told not to indulge in illegal practices like flesh trade and serving of liquor. They were asked to procure licence from the government under the Excise Act. Meanwhile, the police has stepped up its drive against the misuse of black films and unauthorised use of red lights on vehicles.
No parking fee for govt employees Chandigarh, April 19 At its first meeting the group, comprising Mayor Lalit Joshi, Municipal Commissioner M.P. Singh, leader of the Congress in the corporation Subhash Chawla, Chief Engineer V. K. Bhardwaj and P C Sanghi, today approved designs of parking slips, sticker for employees and paid passes. The committee has decided to do away with lamination charges and will charge only Rs 7 for the first time pass issuance.
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Experts dwell on
fire safety aspects Chandigarh, April 19 Mr Manjeet
Paintal, Director, Regional Resource Centre, explained the methods of spreading awareness on prevention and precautions of fire safety and other benefits being offered through vocational training. Mr Anuradha Sharma highlighted the activities to be implemented in future for the beneficiaries of the programme. Principal of the college, Dr Baljit S. Kapoor, also spoke. |
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Devotees throng Gaudiya Math function Chandigarh, April 19 Thousands of devotees from all over the region and various countries participated in the celebrations that were held under the guidance of president Acharya Shreemad Bhakti Ballabh Tirath Goswami
Maharaj. In his spiritual discourse, the Swamiji talked about the life of Shree Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu, the Father of the Sankirtan cult. Quoting verses of Shree Ved Vyas
Muni, Shrila Vrindavan Das Thakur, Maharaj gave evidence from various scriptures to substantiate his statements. Chandigarh, April 19 The levels are: 210-216, 220, 224, 247, 249, 253, 254, 260, 269, 433-433, 550, 560, 569, 590-599, 600-616, 620-629, 638-639, 640-644, 645-649, 700-709, 720-723, 730-737, 770-779 and 790-794. |
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Bid to outrage modesty Chandigarh, April 19 Held for gambling One caught Purse stolen Cash taken away Booth burgled PANCHKULA Dowry case Theft cases Mr Ram Prakash’s Sector 10 house was burgled between April 15 to 18 while he was out of station with his family. A scooter (CH-01B- 8433) was stolen from near Vatika Park on April 17 evening. In another case, a truck ( HR- 37- 7045) was stolen from Kalka. Woman arrested |
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