The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

‘Develop flower villages’
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 3
For the promotion of flower culture in the state the people should start the tradition of presenting natural flowers at religious places and also during social functions and festivals. This will ultimately help in developing aesthetic sense among our people thereby developing moral and ethical values which have been dominated by the materialistic culture of modern times.

These views were expressed by Dr K.S. Aulakh after inaugurating the chrysanthemum exhibition-cum-sale organised by the Department of Floriculture and Landscaping, in the open air theatre of PAU here today. He also suggested the selection of some villages around the cities as “Flower Villages” where all the required technical expertise and inputs should be provided to the farmers for flower cultivation. He appreciated the efforts of the department in disseminating the latest knowhow about the flower cultivation.

Dr Ramesh Kumar, Professor and Head of the department, said they have a collection of more than 50 varieties of chrysanthemum, out of which three varieties namely Baggi, Ratlam and Birbal Sahni have been recommended and released for cultivation in the state. Research work is in progress and varieties white sand, regal time, Punjab Sundrop and Punjab Anuradha of chrysanthemum are in the pipeline.

More than 3,000 pots of the chrysanthemum flowers of different colours and shades were on display during the exhibition. He further said that the flower lovers can purchase the chrysanthemum plants also during the exhibition which will remain open tomorrow also.

EDUCATION

Harassment only a case of mishandling: college
Naveen S.Garewal
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, December 3
After an enquiry the authorities at the local Government College for Boys have described the allegations of ‘sexual harassment’ by a college lecturer “as mishandling of a classroom situation” wherein unidentified persons, possibly students, drew caricatures on the blackboard, hurting the sensitivity of the said lady lecturer.

The college Principal, Mr V.P. Gaur, said that the incident pertains to around mid November when some obscene caricatures were reportedly drawn on class board. Taking a serious note, the concerned college lecturer shunted out 16 boys from B.A (I) class for an extended period of time.

This resulted in unsavoury conditions leading to great resentment on part of students who wanted to go on strike. Prof. P.S Sohi, seeing the assembled students asked them what the matter was. The students said that the said lecturer, Ms Anurag Gill, had kept them out of the classroom for a number of days on end and they wanted to go on strike against this injustice. Prof. Sohi advised them to go to the Principal and have the matter sorted out.

The Principal, Mr V.P. Gaur, asked the students whether they could identify the miscreant but the students pleaded ignorance. None the less, Mr Gaur asked the students to apologise. The students wrote an apology letter and promised to find the defaulter. Soon after Ms Gill came to the Principal and reported the drawing of obscene caricatures with her name on the class board and lecture stand. The Principal marked the complaint to convener, discipline committee, Prof D.S. Gill. She, however never went to him.

On the other hand, Ms Anurag Gill says that the caricature drawn the board was extremely obscene and she asked the students to bring their parents to see their work. Since she has been teaching B.A. I Sec-F (Compulsory English) for last one year; she identified 16 boys and asked them to meet her only after bringing their parents.

She said, “I went with a complaint to the principal on November 20 but he returned it without putting any number on the letter and it had the impression that he wanted to hush up the matter and did not want to take it seriously.”

“Next day, Prof Sohi along with those students complained against me for turning the students out, to the Principal. I was summoned to Principal’s office where four members of faculty were present. I was questioned as if I was the culprit and never even asked to sit down. The Principal asked me to ignore such problems and said that they could not take a chance of a strike in the college. I was flabbergasted at such an attitude of indifference. On November 25, a new committee on Vishakha Guidelines was formed but at the same time a fake strike was organised and slogans were shouted against me.”

Ms Gill, however wanted a committee based on guidelines of the Supreme Court, Vishakha versus State of Rajasthan, to look into the matter. The Principal says, he immediately referred the case to such a committee headed by Mrs Sukhbir Kaur Bhatia and other four senior most lady teachers of the college. After going into details of the complaint and holding several meetings with the said English lecturer and the students concerned, the students who had been accused of drawing the caricature apologised to the lecturer in writing, despite the fact that the guilty could not be identified.

This was done purely to assuage her feelings. The matter, he said, had been satisfactorily sorted out to the satisfaction of the lecturer and her mother and she gave it in writing that she was satisfied with the decision of the enquiry committee. The sections of the students were also reshuffled as desired by the lecturer.

She says that she felt since she was a teacher on ad hoc basic, she had no sympathy from anyone and was in vulnerable position. In the Vishakha committee, one of the members, asked her angrily how could she use the word ‘sexual harassment’ again and again while all her life she had never use this word.

Her mother, who is a lecturer in Government College, Karamsar, spoke about this matter to DPI, Ms Nisha Sharad, but she said that it is a local issue and the Principal appoints all the ad-hoc teachers. So he is only entitled to settle the case.

Girls college awaits inauguration
Our Correspondent

Amloh, December 3
The new building of the Government College for Women, Mandi Gobindgarh, stretched over 25 acres, at Tooran village awaits inauguration.

Following the visit of the Deputy Commissioner, Fatehgarh Sahib, Mr Vikas Partap, on November 14, minor works like the repair of the boundary wall and installation of the main gate had been completed.

Talking to mediapersons after visiting the new building on Tuesday, Mr Amarjeet Singh Shahi, said the building was complete in all respects except the furniture which would be purchased at Rs 10 lakh by Municipal Council, Mandi Gobindgarh. After inauguration, which is expected to be by the end of this month, classes would be shifted from the old congested building at Mandi Gobindgarh.

The infrastructure would cost about Rs 1 crore out of which about Rs 65 lakh had been sanctioned by Municipal Council, Mandi Gobindgarh, and the rest would be borne by the government. The council had completed the administrative block and seven classrooms while four lecture theatres and boundary wall had been completed by the PWD.

As many as 25 acres, costing about Rs 2 crore, was donated by the gram panchayat of Tooran village for the college, which is the only women's college in the district.

The foundation stone of the college complex which was laid by late Finance Minister Balwant Singh and a former MLA, Amloh, Mr Dalip Singh Pandhi, 16 years ago, had been missing from the site.

The council had established Shri Jawaharlal Memorial Municipal Degree College for Women in 1968 which was taken over by the state government on March 11, 1976.The college is now affiliated with the Punjabi University, Patiala.

IGNOU launches programme
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 3
As part of new initiatives in the area of disability programme for sensitising and training parents and care-givers of persons with disabilities, the IGNOU today launched a programme “Awareness-cum-training packages for parents and family members of persons with disabilities.”

The programme was formally launched by Vice-Chancellor of the IGNOU, Prof H.P. Dikshit, on a nationwide video-teleconferencing session, conducted by the IGNOU today between 1.00 p.m. to 2.00 p.m.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr U.C. Pandey, Regional Director, IGNOU Regional Centre, Khanna, said the IGNOU has made a good progress by bringing disabled into the mainstream by providing reading material in Braille, converting some course materials into audio medium and establishing special centres for this group of people. Four such centres have been established exclusively for the benefit of visually impaired persons.

Rally on disabled day
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 3
Students of Nirdosh, Ek Prayas and Aashirwad took out a car rally for the first time in the city on World Disabled Day. The aim was to draw the attention of the people to the existence of such children and their special needs. They also wanted the parents not to feel guilty if such children are born to them but bring them out so that they can be helped.

The children carried posters like ‘Humehe bhi kuch kar ki dikhana hai’ and ‘Humhe daya nahin avsar chayhya’.

The rally started from Ek Prayas which is located on the Ferozepore road. It came to the Satpaul Mittal road and moved on to the Pakhowal road. The North India Cerebral Palsy Association provided water and refreshments to the participants.

Bank robbery accused denied bail
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 3
The bail plea of Daljit Singh, alias Bittu, facing charges under the TADA and prime accused in the bank robbery in which Rs 5.7 crore was looted, was dismissed by the Additional Judge, designated court, Mr G.R. Banyal.

The robbery was committed on February 12, 1987, in the industrial area branch of Punjab National Bank, in broad daylight.

According to the prosecution, four persons, dressed in police uniform, entered the bank, on the plea that they had come to check the guards. Thereafter, some other miscreant entered the hall with arms and ammunition and overpowered the police personnel posted there in. The building of the bank was gheraoed by their gang in which there were nearly 25 persons. They looted the bank and ran away.

The counsel for Bittu argued that in this case no identification parade had been held by the CBI the police at any stage during investigation to establish his identity. Moreover, the accused was not even named in the FIR. Bittu has been in custody since April, 1996.

CULTURE

‘Daaire’ pleads for girl child’s right to live
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, December 3
Daaire — a Punjabi musical play by the National Theatre Arts Society is a social satire on female foeticide in consonance with the importance of the year of ‘Women Empowerment’.

Written by Dr Satish Kumar Verma and directed by Mr Pran Sabharwal and Ms Sunita Sabharwal, the play staged at the Government College for Women, in association with the district Health Department, was inaugurated by the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Anurag Aggarwal, here today.

The play challenges the social norms and customs that deprive a girl child of her right to live. The play seeks a change in attitude and demand the right to live life with dignity. It projects the relationship between a husband and a wife with reference to woman’s silent anguish for society’s indifference and discrimination.

The play opens with the husband suspecting his wife’s character after she conceives despite using contraceptives. He coerces her to disclose the name of the person he suspects was responsible for her pregnancy. However, a family doctor tells that contraceptives, at times, fail and cannot prevent pregnancy. The husband apologises. Further scenes deal with the husband’s efforts to convince his wife to abort her pregnancy and their visit to a woman doctor who gives tablets to the wife for the same.

Next part of the play shows the hypocritic behaviour of the husband who apparently pleads for woman’s rights and independence.

Mr Gian Singh, Deputy Zonal Manager, Punjab National Bank, said there were only 793 women in Punjab against 1,000 men as per the census of 2001. Further, there were only 750 women as against 1,000 men in Ludhiana.

Dr S.N. Tiwari, Civil Surgeon, while talking to this correspondent, said, “We have chosen this college so that women are made aware of this social evil. Punjab’s lowest sex-ratio in the country is a matter of concern. We want to involve women to fight for the eradication of female foeticide”.