Jungle party for tiny tots
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 17
It was a day of fun and frolic for tiny tots of Children’s Valley School, Pakhowal Road, who participated in a jungle party organised here today.

On the occasion, the school was decorated like a small jungle with cut-outs of trees, shrubs, twigs, creepers and straw lying here and there. The tiny tots came dressed like various wild animals. Raunaq Khurana and Sara Chaudhary wore the monkey masks. Mehak Awasthi was dressed like a cat, Bhavika Behl mimicked elephant and Alisha Sony acted like a peacock.

Besides, there were zebras, tigers, lions, bears and deer. While some of the children wore masks, faces of the rest of the children were painted. All children made noises like wild animals and jumped all around. Musical effects through an audio system further made the show impressive. Seerat wore a dress made of leaves and stood still like a tree. The major role was played by Soheb Dumra, who was dressed like a hunter and chased animals with a rifle in his hand.

Ms Bindiya Chaudhary, Principal, said the purpose of the show was to make the children learn the concept of a jungle.

Students visit phone exchange
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 17
On the occasion of World Telecom Day (WTD), the Mata Rani Telephone Exchange here was thrown open to public, especially students of schools and colleges, so that they could understand its functioning.

About 70 students, along with their teachers, visited the telephone exchange where they were explained the functioning of telephone exchange, power room-MDF and digital switching exchange by Mr S.K. Kapoor, Divisional Engineer (Phones).

Mr V.S. Srivastava, General Manager, Telecom, Ludhiana, told the visiting students and public about the development of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and its plans.

For making the day memorable for its subscribers, India Telephone Cards (ITCs) of Rs 200 each were distributed to the fresh applicants who applied for new telephone connections here today.

Mr Kanwaljeet Singh Shankar, president, Diploma Engineer Telecom Association (DETA), said, “The purpose of celebrating World Telecom Day will be served only when the subscribers get quality service. Whether it is BSNL or any other private telecom company, the subscribers should be provided services which are up to the mark.”

Employees’ federation to meet today
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 17
A meeting of the Universities and Education Board Employees Federation (UNEBEF) will be held tomorrow in the office of the PAU Employees Union here.

According to Mr D.P. Maur and Mr Amrit Pal, president and general secretary of the PAU Employees Union, who are also the general secretary and the finance secretary of the federation, respectively, the meeting will chalk out further line of action in order to get complete implementation of the decisions of the board of management, Syndicates and Senates of universities.

Union leaders demanded the regularisation of 63-day agitational period of university employees. They said representatives from Guru Nanak Dev University, Punjabi University, Panjab University, Punjab State Education Board and PAU would attend the meeting.

COURTS

PSEB fined for raising wrong demand 
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, May 17
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has directed the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) to pay Rs 4,000 as compensation to Mr Sukhdev Raj, a resident of Daulat Colony, for raising a wrong demand. Besides quashing the PSEB demand of Rs 10,996, the forum has also directed the respondent to pay Rs 500 as the cost of litigation. The forum has also directed the PSEB to restore the electricity connection of the consumer.

According to the complaint, the consumer had received a bill of Rs 14,821, including Rs 12,554 on account of overhauling of the account by the PSEB. The consumer alleged the PSEB had been negligent while raising the said demand.

The PSEB pleaded that there was no deficiency in services as the said demand was raised on the basis of energy consumption. The respondent said the meter installed on the premises of the consumer went out of order in June, 1997, and was changed in February, 1999.

The respondent said the meter remained dead from December, 1996, to February, 1999, as such the account of the consumer was overhauled for the said period. It clarified that the account was overhauled on the basis average consumption recorded during the period from February, 1999, to December, 2000.

The PSEB stated that the meter was checked on October 20, 2000, and it was found that the consumer was consuming a load of 1.06 KW against the sanctioned load of 0.7 KW, therefore a demand of Rs 1,550 was raised on account of ACD, security and load surcharge.

The forum observed that the account of the consumer was overhauled on the basis of average consumption during February, 1999, to December, 2000, while the meter remained dead from December, 1996, to February, 1999. The forum held that the demand of Rs 10,996 had been wrongly raised and was liable to be quashed. It, however, observed that the amount of load surcharge was rightly raised as sufficient evidence to prove this contention was there.