The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

Environment studies yet to find permanence in PU
Sanjeev Singh Bariana
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 4
The subject of environment studies continues to flounder and struggle to make its presence felt in Panjab University despite more than five years of its introduction.

The university happens to be the only one which heeded to a Supreme Court recommendation under Justice Kuldip Singh which said environment studies should be introduced in universities at the college level. The first examination was conducted in April, 1997.

The university Senate had witnessed notes of dissent and Justice Kuldip Singh had threatened to sit on ‘dharna’. The course began on a sour note as the university did not declare the results of the first examination. The reason for non-declaration of the result was that not even 10 per cent of the students could clear the examination.

The next year the university resorted to a decision that students should have attended a minimum of 14 lectures each to get a certificate for having qualified in the subject. Later, the minimum lecture requirement was reduced to seven lectures.

Meanwhile, it was discovered that the syllabi outline for the environment science paper was too tough for the students, particularly those from the arts background. Even students from sciences complained of the syllabi contents being “ too high in standards for an average student”. This syllabi had been prepared by university teachers.

The university subsequently decided to change the syllabi content which was duly done. Last year the university successfully conducted the annual examination. Meanwhile the university this year has decided to introduce a M.Sc. in environment studies.

It is argued on the one hand that the paper should be introduced as an option in the undergraduate classes instead as a compulsory subject, and on the other hand it is argued that university should honour the commitment it had shown to the court recommendation.

This year hundreds of students were put to inconvenience in the paper of environment studies. When they went to the examination centres they found their roll numbers missing on the lists and eventually a numbers of them did not appear in the examination as they did not receive the question papers.

The university Syndicate finally approved that the certificate of having attended seven lectures in environment studies up to session 1999-2000 be submitted by the colleges and private students to the university by May 31, 2002. The results of students who had appeared in the subject of environment studies without paying the prescribed fee and filling the examination form be declared along with regular students provided they deposit their fee by May 31, 2002.

A special examination in the subject of environment studies will be held for those students of BA, B.Sc. and B.Com-III who could not appear in the said examination in April, 2002, for one reason or the other.

It is felt that students should be repeatedly informed about the paper after commencement of a session and particularly around the time when they fill their examination forms. The process for final number of students then needs to be carefully completed by the examination branch of the university to avoid any confusion in the last.

Jacob’s call to harness indigenous talent
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 4
As many as 262 engineering graduates, including 35 girls, were awarded degrees at the 31st annual convocation of Punjab Engineering College here today.

The chief guest, Punjab Governor and Administrator, Union Territory, Lt-Gen J.F.R. Jacob, PVSM (retd), in his convocation address, underlined the need to harness indigenous talent and technologies.

He lamented that in our country, talented students either move to other areas or leave the country under the impression that professional opportunities are restricted here, and they would be better off working abroad.

The result is that industries, to a large extent, depend on imported technologies. Critical of borrowing outdated technology from abroad, he said it would make us trail behind the rest of the world, which was a matter of great concern. It was, therefore, imperative to create an ethos wherein our talented engineers remained in India.

He emphasised the need for forging strong linkages between research and development, and education and employment.

Industry, on its part, has to come forward to partly finance technical education and research. Stressing the need for introducing flexibility in the Indian education system to meet the changing requirements of industry, the Governor said that our system suffered from a great degree of rigidity.

In order to provide an atmosphere conducive to achieving excellence in teaching and research, the AICTE and the Ministry of Human Resource Development had developed a scheme for granting autonomous status to selected institutions. Punjab Engineering College, being a leading institution of the northern region, found a place in the select list, and the process for giving such a status to the college, was on.

General Jacob said that during the past decade, India’s fiscal policy had undergone radical changes. The process of globalisation has thrown up new challenges and the engineering profession needs to absorb these developments to survive in this new environment.

The Governor said our society had spent a lot in shaping the career of young graduates in spite of economic constraints. “The challenges you have to face are great. The hopes of our country lie in our youth. I exhort you to go and serve the cause of our motherland with all dedication, devotion and discipline of your profession at your command”, General Jacob said.

Later, the Governor gave away Administrator’s Gold Medal to Madhur Grover of Production Engineering for overall outstanding performance during 1997-2001.

The Advisor’s Gold Medal went to Tarun Akku for overall performance in sports during 1997-2001. Nitin Kashyap in Computer Science & Engineering won Miglani Memorial Gold Medal. Amit Kumar Khatri of Aeronautical Engineering, Gaurav Khokhar of Civil Engineering, Nitin Kashyap of Computer Science & Engineering, Kalra Pameljit Kaur of Electrical Engineering, Abhinav K. Kalra of Electronics & Electrical Comm. Engineering, Atul Toky of Mechanical Engineering, Amit Singla of Metallurgical Engineering and Madhur Grover of Production Engineering won the Panjab University Gold Medals for standing first in Bachelor of Engineering examination in their respective trades.

Amit Kumar of Aeronautical Engineering, Gaurav Khokhar of Civil Engineering, Manbinder Pal Singh of Computer Science & Engineering, Nimish Aggarwal of Computer Science & Engineering, Amit Dhawan of Electrical Engineering, Gautam Verma of Electrical Engineering, Manoj Kumar Singh of Electrical Engineering, Ramanjit S. Ahuja of Electronics & Electrical Comm. Engineering, Narinder Singh Khattra of Mechanical Engineering, Mannu Thareja of Metallurgical Engineering and Aman Sapra of Production Engineering won the Panjab University Silver Medals for standing first in major projects.

‘Srijana’ workshop inaugurated
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, May 4
A 10-day workshop ‘Srijana’ was inaugurated at the Dev Samaj College of Education in Sector-36 B here today.

Children from different institutes, including the Institute for the Blind, Savera, Aasha, Mother Teresa, Missionaries of Charity and Nari Niketan joined the workshop to learn various art and craft items.

The main purpose of the workshop is to build self-confidence among these children. During the workshop, children will perform various activities, including music, dance, book-binding, file-making, screen-printing, clay-modelling, poster and painting items from card board. Teachers guiding the students will be Dr Jyoti Khanna and Seema Sareen, in charge of the Social Welfare Club in the college.

The items made during the workshop will be displayed at an exhibition at Kala Gram, and money raised will be given to respective institutions.

The Director, Social Welfare Department, Ms Madhavi Kataria, was the chief guest on the occasion. A charkha club was also inaugurated by Ms Kataria.

COURTS

HIGH COURT
Higher pay benefit can’t be recovered
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 4
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has ruled that the state authorities cannot recover the amount already received by the employees if there was no intentional error or misrepresentation by them.

The orders were passed on a petition filed by Bharat Singh and other clerks working in Haryana. In their petition, they had contended that the state of Haryana had issued a letter on August 25, 1999, informing them that their ad hoc service period was not to be counted for granting higher standard pay scale. Their counsel had submitted that a circular was, subsequently, issued to the general managers of Haryana Roadways asking them to withdraw the higher standard pay scale granted after counting ad hoc service as part of regular service, besides ensuring the recovery of the excess amount.

Delivering the verdict, a Division Bench of the High Court, comprising Mr Justice Swatanter Kumar and Mr Justice Mehtab Singh Gill, ruled: “The ancillary question that requires consideration by the court is whether the amount already paid to the petitioners should be permitted to be recovered from their salary or not. No doubt in law the petitioners were not entitled to receive the benefit of higher standard pay scale, but equally true is the fact that the petitioners made no misrepresentation to the respondents, neither did they induce them to make the payment in a wrongful manner”.

In their detailed order, the Judges added: “If the respondents committed a error, may be bona fide, they cannot be permitted to make the petitioners suffer for such a consequence.... In the absence of any intentional error or misrepresentation on the part of the petitioners, as well as no positive act intending to induce the respondents to make wrongful payment, the principle of equity would come to the rescue of the petitioners. They cannot be made to suffer and the respondent’s orders cannot be permitted to take retrospective effect.... The respondents cannot be permitted to recover the amount already received by the petitioners”.

The Judges concluded: “The state shall not recover from the petitioners the amount already paid to them on account of higher standard, or upgraded, pay scale while counting service rendered by such employees as part of their regular service for the grant of such a benefit”.

Take steps against fleecers, DGP told

Taking a serious view of the menace created by unscrupulous travel agents and immigration consultants engaged in extracting money from unemployed youths on the pretext of sending them abroad, Mr Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel has asked Punjab’s Director-General of Police to consider the matter and get an affidavit filed in court regarding the steps taken or proposed to be taken.

In a ruling, Mr Justice Goel directed that the affidavit should be filed by July 15. The directions assume significance as, according to a report published in these columns on May 2, the endless quest for bright future and greener pastures in the West, coupled with the monstrous lust of travel agents for easy money, had landed 116 Punjabi youths in custody of the Turkish police.

Meanwhile, Mr Justice Goel, in his detailed order, observed: “Undoubtedly, the menace of extracting money by exploiting the unemployed youngsters has assumed serious dimensions.

It is necessary that the authorities should take appropriate action to save innocent persons from being cheated. They should take such steps as may be necessary. Let the Punjab DGP consider the matter....”

Show-cause notice to Director, DEO

Issuing notice to Haryana’s Director of Secondary Education and District Education Officer for May 20, Mr Justice Jawahar Lal Gupta and Mr Justice N.K. Sud of the High Court have asked them to show cause why proceedings should not be initiated against them for making false averments in their written statement.

Pronouncing the orders on a petition filed by MD Senior Secondary School in Gurgaon district seeking directions to the respondents for granting recognition, the Judges ruled: “It is clear that no shortcoming existed in the institute.

The defects were in the action of the District Education Officer while forwarding the papers to the Director of Secondary Education. Despite this, recognition was not granted. It is also apparent that the averments made in the written statement are totally false”.

In its petition, the school had earlier contended that the Director of Secondary Education had withheld recognition at the behest of an MLA who was a political rival of their chairman.

CULTURE

Dolly’s new album released
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, May 4
After her successful debut album “Udeekan”, Punjabi pop singer Dolly Singh is back with another peppy romantic album “Nachungi Tere Naal” which was released by Catrack music company in Sector 35 here today.

Dolly who hails from Amritsar, started her singing career as a playback singer for teleserials like “Insaf”, “Pachyatap” and “Wapsi” before she cut her first album “Udeekan” with Catrack. “Though both the albums are unique in their own way I have improved myself in terms of voice and style of presentation since my first album,” said Dolly while addressing the mediapersons which was held on this occasion.

The album contains eight songs, a mixture of dance numbers , romantic and sad songs written by Babu Singh Maan, Kesar Ghuman and Harjit Har. The folk-based music which is the hallmark of the album has been given by Surinder Bachan.