PU undecided over poll dates
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 27
The university is still undecided over the possible date of conduct of elections to the Panjab University Campus Students Council.

A meeting of the authorities with student bodies was held today. One group wanted poll elections in the beginning of October after the autumn break while others were in favour of the poll in the third week of October.

The university asked the students to give their choice of election dates. Students had a choice of October 11 in first place. A section wanted the university to have the elections soon after the autumn break because the university was already late for the usual schedule for elections.

1,200 participate in talent search competition
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, September 27
About 1,200 students participated in 25 different competitions in the Open Talent Search Competition-2002 organised at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 19-C, today.

The competitions included kite making, decorate your vehicle, general quiz, on-the-spot painting and mehndi competition. The Director Public Instructions (Schools), UT, Mr D.S. Mangat, was the chief guest on the occasion.

The results of different competitions are as follows:

kite making (group 1): Lavneet Kaur and Raman (1); Anil and Sunny (2); and Priyanshu, Manuk and Kanika (consolation prizes); kite making (group 2) Harsh Bansal (1) and Sahil Bhandari (1).

Clay modelling (group1): Inder Kumar (1) and Shubham (2); (group2) — Sahil (1) and Natasha (2).

Face painting competition: Vipin (1) and Pritush (2); cycle decoration competition: Akhilesh (1) and Naveen (2); T shirt painting competition: Parul (1) and Purnima (2); salad making (group A): Hema (1) and Salil (2); group B — Harleen (1) and Soma Roy (2); consolation prize — Varinder Pal; flower arrangement (group A) Pooja (1) and Sunita (2); group B — Kanika (1) and Monika (2).

Mehndi competition (group A): Nimarta (1) and Pooja (2); group B:- Kamya (1) and Pinki (2); Rangoli:- Sheena (1) and Renu (2); hand embroidery (group 1):-Neha (1) and Smridhi (2); group II — Meena (1) and Manya (2); consolation prize:- Sumit Sehatia; fabric painting:- Rishu (1) and Amandeep (2); and consolation prize: Poornima Bhandari.

‘Library life-long educational institution’
Our Correspondent

SAS Nagar, September 27
Lectures were organised on “Know your library” and importance of sociology in today’s world at Government College here today.

Dr H.R. Chopra, Professor of Library and Information Institution, Panjab University, Chandigarh, said library was a life-long educational institution and by visiting libraries and increasing library hours, students could equip themselves with accurate and latest knowledge which could prove helpful while preparing for competitive exams.

Dr Chopra also inaugurated an exhibition of books. Mr J.P. Garg, Principal of the college, said students became aware of the kind of books which were available in the college library.

Dr S.L. Sharma, Director, Institute of Correctional Administration, Chandigarh, made students aware of the utility of the discipline of sociology for self and society at large.

Students also took part in a workshop for painting and sculpture organised on the college premises. Prof. Jagdish Ahuja, head of the Department for Sculpture, Government College of Art, Chandigarh, helped the students to come out with different creations.

Cultural bonanza by students
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, September 27
Students presented a cultural bonanza on the two-day annual function of the Government Polytechnic for Women in Sector 10. The programme started with Saraswati vandana followed by a Rajasthani dance, a western dance and a tribal dance.

The Principal, DAV College, Sector 10, Mr Subhash Marriya presided over the function and gave away prizes to the students in extra curicullar activities.

The UT Home Secretary, Mr R. S. Gujral, was the chief guest. The Director, Technical Education, UT, Mr Vivek Attray, presided over the function. Principal of the institute Balbir Singh presented the annual report, highlighting the different activities and achievements of the institute during the last academic year.

‘India, Nigeria working for global peace’
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 27
India and Nigeria have been playing a collective role to promote global peace, says Mr G. D. Akpan, Minister Counsellor (Information) of the Nigerian High Commission in India.

Addressing students of the Sector 45 St Stephen’s School here this morning, Mr Akpan said India and Nigeria had been enjoying a long cordial relationship. There was scope for furthering cooperation in the areas of trade, commerce, agriculture, technology, education and other fields.

Mr Akpan is here on a three-day visit. He also paid a courtesy call on the SSP of Chandigarh, Mr Parag Jain, and of Panchkula, Ms Charu Bali.

Appreciating the soccer team of the school, Mr Akpan said soccer was the most popular sport in his country. Nigeria beat Brazil to win the 1996 Olympic Gold in the sport. He hoped that bilateral relations between India and Nigeria would strengthen in coming years as both had been playing their leadership roles in their respective continents.

COURTS

DISTRICT COURTS
Notice on Ram Lal’s bail plea
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, September 27
Acting on an anticipatory bail plea moved by Ram Lal in a case of cheating registered against him, a local court today issued a notice to the state to file a reply in the case. Ram Lal is presently in judicial custody along with other suspects, Surinder Sharma, Baldev, Narveer, for his alleged involvement in a separate rape case of a Shimla-based girl. A bail plea moved by a suspect came up for hearing before the UT Additional and Sessions Judge, Mr Balbir Singh.

Ram Lal was again booked by the UT police on September 24 under Sections 420, 120-B of the IPC in another case in t he Sector 31 police station. He had filed the plea on the ground that the UT police wanted to make him approver in another case pending against him but he refused. Therefore, the police had threatened him to implicate in other cases.

On September 25, the Additional and Sessions Judge, Mr Balbir Singh, had issued a notice to the state to file a reply on a plea moved by Ram Lal.

Bail plea rejected: An anticipatory bail plea moved by a Haryana IAS officer, Sanjiv Kumar, was today rejected by a local court in a case of embezzlement of funds and forgery registered against him along with other persons. The bail plea moved by the applicant was dismissed by the Additional and Sessions Judge, Mr Balbir Singh. It was alleged that the applicant had ordered for the printing of books from private printing press on higher rates instead of printing press of the Haryana government.

Claiming that the applicant was implicated, his counsel argued that by getting books printing from the private press he had saved the amount sanctioned by the World bank for the purpose. He also claimed that the Haryana printing press had been charging more than the applicant had paid to the private printing press to get work done.

Judicial remand: A suspect, Vinod, arrested by the police yesterday in a case of burglary, was remanded in police custody till October 3. As per the prosecution, the suspect had entered into two houses in Sector 23 on Thursday morning and had stolen cash, jewellery and CD system. Later he was arrested by the police from Sector 23. The police has registered a case under Sections 454 and 380 of the IPC in Sector 17 police station.

In another case, Surinder Singh and Gurmeet Singh arrested by the UT police in a case of trespassing and criminal intimidation were today remanded in judicial custody by a local court. The case against the two was registered in Sector 39.

Granted bail: Five persons, Gaurab Sharma and Anita Sharma, were granted bail by a local court in a case of assault and criminal intimidation registered against them. They were granted bail on furnishing a bond for Rs 20,000 each. The police has registered a case against him under Sections 147, 148, 149, 323, 325, 456 and 506 of the IPC.

HC directs SSP to intervene
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 27
Taking serious view of a petition filed by a 76-year-old landlady alleging that she, along with her widow daughter-in-law and two children, were being harassed by the Chandigarh police at the behest of a tenant, Mr Justice S.S. Nijjar of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed Chandigarh’s Senior Superintendent of Police to personally look into the matter.

Issuing the directions on a petition filed by Parkash Kaur of Sector 8, Mr Justice Nijjar also directed the Station House Officer of Sector 3 police station to be personally present in the court on the next date of hearing. The Judge further directed: “If it is found that the FIR has been registered merely to harass the petitioner at the instance of the tenant, appropriate proceedings against the SHO of Sector 3 police station should be carried out.”

The Judge added: “The SSP should also ensure that no police official visited the premises of the petitioner’s house”. In his detailed order, the Judge observed: “The petitioner is present in the court. She has submitted that the first informer has been deliberately causing harassment to her family. He has neither paid the rent for the last more than six months nor has he been paying water charges. Instead of making the payment, he has made false complaints to the police. She further states that the police is harassing her and her family at the instance of the tenant”.

The Judge further observed: “From the allegations, prima facie it would appear that the police officers are abusing their statutory powers. Undoubtedly, the police force is there to maintain law and order and especially to protect the legal rights of the weak section of the society. It seems inconceivable that the tenant would be harassed at the instance of a 76-year-old widow who happens to be living with her widow daughter-in-law and minor children. It appears that the story put forward in the FIR is concocted merely to harass the petitioner and her famiy”.

In her petition against the UT Administration and tenant Rakesh Mohunta, Ms Parkash Kaur had earlier sought directions for quashing an FIR registered under Sections 147, 149, 452, 506 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code.

HC notice to Admn, MC on shifting dharna site
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 27
Acting on a public interest litigation filed by a city advocate seeking directions for shifting the venue of rallies and dharnas from road dividing Sector 16 and 17 to some alternative site, besides maintaining the cleanliness of Rose Garden and Shanti Kunj in Sector 16, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice of motion to the Chandigarh Administration, besides the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh.

Issuing the directions, the Bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Mr G.S. Singhvi and Ms Justice Kiran Anand Lall, also asked the authorities to inform the Court about the steps being taken for providing basic amenities to the farmers on one hand and preventing further damage to the gardens on the other.

In his petition, the advocate had added that the authorities should be directed to provide amenities like water and mobile toilets to the agitating farmers. 

CULTURE

Play depicts language of pain, anguish
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, September 27
D. R. Ankur’s play “Uska Bachpan” speaks the universal language — the language of pain and anguish of those children whose emotions and psychological growth are being rapped over and over again by the insensitivity of their own family members. The plot that revolves around a boy from a lower middle class family also speaks his desperate bid to get away from this situation but ultimately surrenders — not by doing something drastic but merely surrendering himself to face his destiny.

The play came second in line of the National School of Drama festival staged at Tagore Theatre yesterday. Based on a novel written by Krishna Baldev Vaid, the play hits the audience with a directness, making them part of the script. As the script flows, it portrays the innocence of a child who is being forced to grow up beyond his age by the poverty of his household, the constant bickering of his mother and insensitivity of his father and his sister.

The strength of the script lies in the simplicity of its presentation as the life of the child passes from one unpleasant situation to another, the verbal representation of feelings, the psychological trauma he experiences takes one to some intense scenes and then some light-hearted satirical ones, striking a balance between the two.

The play “Chukainge Nahi”, staged today portrays people’s rebellion towards the economic system which is not doing much for the common mass except for widening the gulf between the rich and the poor. The plot unfolds with two women shoplifting who get into a messy situation. Lakshmi, the brain behind the facade lashes out at her husband and the administration in order to save her own skin along with her accomplice, Mala, who disguises herself as a pregnant woman, are the binding thread which connects you with the plot and the theme.

Based on Dario Fo’s original script “Cann’t Pay? Won’t Pay”, Bhanu Bharati directed Chukainge Nahi touches the subject of inflation and people disability to meet with the rising prices of the essential commodity. However, the adapted version failed to impress the audience as the subject was treated only at a peripheral level failing to penetrate into the depth of the problem. Though Lakshmi’s frenzied monologue was amusing at the starting, it failed to bind the audiences.

Baljinder Kaur played the role of Laksmi, Jhilmil Nissar was Lakshmi’s friend Mala, while Govind, who was Lakshmi’s husband, was played by Srivardhan Trivedi.