The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Confusion over Class XI admissions
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 20
Even as private and government colleges in the state were admitting students to Classes XI and XII, a news item on the front page of an English daily today has caused confusion.

The news item says that Capt Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister, has stated that Classes XI and XII will be held in schools and not in colleges from this academic session. The plus two classes, however, can continue in colleges this year.

Mr Jiwan Ahuja, Principal of the Arya College for Boys, says he has not received any notification in this regard. He said the school was selling forms, but had a few days at its disposal as admissions would start from July 1.

Ms Anup Kaur Bansal, Principal, Guru Nanak Khalsa College for Women, says they have been caught unawares. She said, "Yesterday, more than 50 principals of private- aided colleges met Mr Harnam Dass Johar, Minister for Higher Education, but there was no talk about shifting these classes from colleges to schools.”

“We were prepared for this transition of plus one classes from colleges to schools,” says Ms Inderjit Kaur Vashist Gill, Principal, Government College for Women.

Extend fee date, say PTU students
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 20
The students seeking admission to various engineering courses of Punjab Technical University (PTU) from the reserved category have demanded that the last date of payment of fee be extended.

Stating this in a press note, Mr Jasbir Singh Pal, general secretary of the All-India SC/ST Confederation, said that while the university had earlier advertised that the candidates could deposit the fee up to July 21, a recent notice released by the university was shocking for them. The candidates said that in yesterday’s notice that appeared in various newspapers, it was mentioned that all those seeking admission from the reserved categories should deposit the fee within five days of the publication of the notice.

The students have appealed to the university authorities as well as Mr Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Minister for Technical Education, Punjab, to review the decision as many of them were yet to arrange the amount of fee through loans and other schemes. They said that this was sheer discrimination as there was no such restriction on the students seeking admission in the general quota.

10 student unions form front, to hold dharna today
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 20
Ten student organisations have come together to form a Joint Students Front with the common aim of putting up resistance against the government's anti-students policies.

Raminder Singh, state president of the Punjab Students Association, while talking to Ludhiana Tribune, said the Punjab Students Union ( PSU), the Students Federation of India (SFI), the Punjab Students Federation (PSF), the All India Students Federation (AISF), the Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the Punjab Radical Students Union (PRSU), the Sikh Students Federation (SSF), the All India Students Association (AISA), the Punjabi University Students Confederation (PSUF) and the All India Democratic Students Union (AIDSU) had together formed the front as issues facing all students were same.

The front would hold a dharna in support of their demands tomorrow. It would also hold a meeting with Syndicate members, Punjabi University, Patiala,. Members of teaching, non-teaching staff, trade unions, farmers, mazdoor unions to participate in the dharna. They were mainly protesting against the exorbitant fee hike from this session and wanted its withdrawal. Raminder Singh said the government was commercialising education and making it expensive for students from middle class and poor families.

They also demanded the restoration of free education for girls, restoration of bus pass facility for students. The leaders also criticised the government decision to do away with 51 trades taught in ITI's.

Raminder Singh said they had already submitted a memorandum of demands to Mr K.N.Pathak, Vice-Chancellor, Panjab University. They had given a call for a statewide convention on July 9 to be held in Patiala or Ludhiana. to decide further strategy.

NCC cadets visit War Museum
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 20
The cadets attending the National Integration Camp at Koom Kalan visited the War Memorial Museum here late last evening. They had earlier visited various industrial units in the city and were accorded a warm welcome by representatives from Ralson, Hero and other industries. They were taken around the premises.

Later, they were taken to the War Museum where they saw the exhibits which depicted the rich history of the state and the equipment used in various wars. They were served dinner at Amaltas. Mr Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, MLA and Mr D S Chawla were also present there along with other NCC officers.

Cadet Thozza Shri from Maharashtra was happy to be here. She said that she had made many friends at the camp and was trying to learn the language and culture of other states from them. “Such camps allow us to mix with other people and we get to know about the rich cultural tapestry of India”, she added.

Sangeetha, a cadet from Tamil Naidu, said she never seen wool and how it was manufactured and dyed. Rashmi from Bihar and Phovya P. from Kerala also appreciated the War Museum and visit to the industries. But Phovya felt that it was very warm in Punjab during summer but then she was enjoying the camp.

Cadets Bawan of Rajasthan, Debdeep of Madhya Pradesh and Suryavanshi from Maharashtra, were very happy on their visit to different industries, and the War Museum.

A recruitment rally was organised for the rural youth. Of the 150 who turned up for the physical, 57 persons were selected for recruitment.

	Summer camps conclude in schools Our Correspondent Ludhiana, June 20 Exhibition, dance and pool party marked the concluding day of the summer camps organised at Small Wonders Nursery School and Everest Public Senior Secondary School here today. At Small Wonders, the kids arranged an exhibition of various handicrafts. Different kinds of decorated pots, wall hangings made out of waste material, pen stands with sticks, sparkling paintings of Lord Krishna and small rabbits were displayed by children of higher age group. Younger children exhibited their Sonpari sticks, pencil holders covered with mirrors and flowers. They displayed their sheets and drawings on which they pasted butterflies. Huts made of sticks and colourful frills were very attractive. A pool party was arranged and small children had fun in the water pool. They played with balls and toys. Parents of all children were invited to rejoice with their kids. Ms Neeti Dewan, Principal, said that parents were satisfied to their utmost. The 20-day summer camp organised at Everest Public Senior Secondary School, Moti Nagar, also came to close today. Over 200 students of the school had been participating in the camp taking training in yoga, painting, dance, arts, craft and communication skills. Mr Rajinder Sharma, Principal, felicitated them for their enthusiastic performance and taking deep interest in every sphere. Mr Hakim Singh Giaspura, president of the PTA, gave them a lecture on leadership and discipline. At Boost Study Circle, a summer camp was held in which as many as 20 students learnt painting, music and communication skills. The camp started on June 1 and since then the students had been taking keen interest. Mr Bhupinder Singh, coordinator of the circle, said that lots of efforts were being involved in overall development of the children.
	7 new postings in PAU Our Correspondent Ludhiana, June 20 Seven fresh postings of the faculty were finalised for Punjab Agricultural University at a meeting of the Board of Management held in Chandigarh today. Dr M.S. Oberoi has been appointed Dean of the College of Veterinary Sciences. He will replace Dr R.P. Saigal, who retired on May 31. Dr S.S. Sodhi, Professor in the college, had been officiating the post since then. The appointment of Dr Dulcha Singh Brar, Professor of Entomology on the main campus, as Director of Regional Station at Bathinda, was also finalised. He, however, will take charge on August 1. Similarly, Dr B.S. Boparai, who was earlier posted as Assistant Director of Training at Gurdaspur, will take over as Director of Regional Station at Faridkot. Appointments on other posts where only one candidate had applied were also finalised. Dr Gulzar Singh Chahal will head the Department of Plant Breeding. He will replace Dr G.S. Saxena, who retired on May 31. Dr K.S. Harchand has been appointed Head of the Department of Mathematics, Statistics and Physics. Dr B.K. Aggarwal will take over as the Head of the Department of Human Development and Sociology. The appointment of Dr Dhaliwal as the Head of the Department of Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstretics was also finalised, but he will take over on October 11. Giving these details, Dr V.K. Sharma, Registrar, said the sports scholarship for students had been increased from Rs 300 to Rs 350 per month. He said the board had also agreed to fulfil the long-pending demands of the non-teaching staff. Grant for secretarial allowance to senior assistants and enhancement of special pay for junior and senior stenographers would be done as per the pattern of Guru Nanak Dev University, said Dr Sharma.
	Palki 2nd in city with 78 pc Our Correspondent Ludhiana, June 20 Several students of BCA, commerce and arts streams of Master Tara Singh Memorial College for Women have excelled in annual examinations conducted by Panjab University, Chandigarh. Palki, a student of BCA II, secured second position in Ludhiana district and sixth position in Panjab University. Principal Dr Madanjit Kaur Sahota expressed her happiness and said the main motto of the college was to provide quality education. It was providing free education to students securing above 80 per cent marks, orphans, wards of Kargil martyrs and handicapped parents. Students who excelled are Palki 78 per cent (BCA II), Neha Mittal 76.2 per cent (class XII Commerce), Tajvinder Sandhu 75.62 per cent (BCA II), Davinder Kaur 74.37 per cent (BCA III), Chandan Taneja 73.75 per cent (BCA III), Neeru 73.5 per cent (class XII Commerce), Rajinder Kaur 73.45 per cent (BCA III), Kirandeep Kaur 73.10 per cent (class XII Commerce), Narinder Kaur 73 per cent (class XII arts), Surpreet Kaur 71.68 per cent (BCA II), Sukhdeep Kaur 71.56 per cent, Gurinder Kaur 71.55 per cent (class XII arts), Maninder Kaur 70.62 per cent (BCA I).
	261 appear for MBA entrance test Our Correspondent Ludhiana, June 20 As many as 261 candidates appeared for the entrance test for admission to the MBA courses in Punjab Agricultural University here today. While 297 students had sent their applications for admission, 36 of them failed to appear today. Of the total students, nearly 63 per cent were girls. The two-hour test was divided into four parts which included English, mathematics, general knowledge and management aptitude. Dr G.S. Chahal, controller of examination, said that all those scoring even 30 per cent marks would qualify the written test and its results would be displayed outside Thapar Hall tomorrow evening. A group discussion of the students would be held on June 22 and the final results would appear on the same day by the evening.

Warm farewell to consumer forum president
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, June 20
A warm farewell was given to the president of the District Consumers Disputes Redressal Forum, Mr Hardial Singh (a former Sessions Judge), on his retirement here today. He joined as president of the forum in February, 1999. During his tenure, the forum disposed of more than 5,000 cases.

Mr Hardial Singh shared his memorable moments during his tenure. He said, ‘’I got full cooperation from the lawyers as well as the staff which resulted in the maximum disposal of the cases. Even during the strikes, the lawyers never abstained themselves from appearing in the forum.’’

A shortage of stamps, envelopes and adequate funds proved hindrances in imparting speedy justice to the litigants. This shortcoming delayed the process of issuing notices to the opposite parties and sending the copies of judgments to the parties concerned. This issue always remained “painful for me but I was helpless’’, he commented frankly.

Mr T.R. Arora, Ms Puja Diwan, the members of the forum, Mr Santokh Singh, Mr Harish Kumar, Mr Avtar Singh, Mr Om Parkash, Ms Inderjit Kaur, Ms Baljeet Kaur, Mr Gurmeet Singh, and others garlanded him and presented a memento as a token of gratitude.

Commenting on the ills plaguing the judiciary, he said judiciary needed introspection because the allegations of corruption and malpractice had caused immense loss to it. Such serious allegations which had been reported by the media can’t be brushed lightly. There cannot be smoke without fire, he said.

He also stressed that corrupt officers must be shown the door in the larger interests of the judiciary.

“If people will lose faith in the institution of judiciary, then the democracy will collapse and the masses would take law into their hands. So the judicial officers should introspect their conduct”, he added.