Confusion rules at counselling session
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 14
Students who had come from Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana to seek admission to the two-year D- Pharmacy Course run by the State Board for Technical Education & Industrial Training, Chandigarh were a discontented lot as they waited outside the hall of GGN Khalsa College, Ludhiana, where the counselling was going on this morning. Ms Vimal said they were told that the fee would be Rs 14,000 and now the management was asking for Rs 22,000. Another candidate Sunil Arya also had a similar complaint.

Om Prakash who had come all the way from Hanumangarh, Rajasthan said in the advertisements there was no mention that a merit list had been made. “I have only 50 per cent marks and while talking to other candidates, I have found that they have got more than 75 per cent marks. So I do not stand a chance. When I went inside for counselling, they told me to contact them over the phone on August 16. We have travelled so much and now I am going back disappointed for I know for sure that I will not get admission here. There are only nine seats and I have found out that there are about 97 candidates.”

Surinder Pal of Ludhiana says that according to the merit list he was second in Ludhiana. He thinks he has a good chance of getting admission but he was told the fee would be Rs 14,000 and now they were demanding Rs 22,000. His aunt Santosh said, “We cannot afford that much fees. Why don’t they clearly explain the fee structure?”

This correspondent spoke to three members of the counselling committee — Mr Prithi Pal Singh Kapoor, Mr Harminder Singh and Mr Kuljit Singh. They said the fee amount had not been fixed by them but by the government. The admission process is open till August 19. So they have told the candidates to get in touch with them . There are only nine seats in the course. When asked how many applicants were there they refused to give the number of candidates. They said many of the candidates had already appeared for interviews in Chandigarh and were rejected candidates. They were waiting for clear cut instructions from Chandigarh.

When asked if they would admit candidates from other states or from Punjab only , they said they would wait for instructions. They said they were members of the Khalsa Education Council that was running six educational institutions, hence they would admit candidates according to the guidelines given them.

The students, disappointment writ large on their faces, were not very sure whether there would be any transparency about the whole admission process.

PAU NOTES
2 scientists to be felicitated today
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 14
Dr O.S. Parmar, Head of the Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, PAU, and Dr Sadhu Singh Malhi, Associate Director (Training), Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Patiala, will be awarded the Punjab Sarkar Parman Pattara at a state-level Independence Day function to be held at Kapurthala tomorrow.

Dr Parmar has been associated with dairy animal improvement programmes and has been able to raise an outstanding herd of crossbred cows. By monitoring the nutrient requirements of the cross-bred cows, he found that adequate incorporation of proteins, fats and minerals was necessary for the optimum production of milk.

He also introduced the mechanisation of milk operation with instant cooling at the university dairy farm which was the first of its kind in North India.

He has been deputed member of the agricultural advisory team constituted by the Union Ministry of External Affairs to advise the government of Iraq in the field of animal husbandry.

Dr Malhi is a plant breeder and has contributed to the development of 16 crop varieties. He has been the principal investigator of a five-year research project on crop improvement in collaboration with the University of Wales, UK.

Kisan melas: The Director of Extension Education, PAU, Dr J.S. Kolar, has said a series of kisan melas will start from September 4 here. The melas will be held at Ballowal Saunkhri(September 10), Rauni-Patiala(September 12), Bathinda

(September19) and Gurdaspur (September 25) .

The booking of stalls for the two-day agro-industrial exhibition here on September 4 and 5 has started and the allotment will be done on the first- come first-served basis, he added.

Fish farming course: A five-day specialised training course on fish farming has concluded at the PAU. The departments of Extension Education, Zoology and Fisheries, PAU, organised the course. Twentysix trainees were admitted to the course during which specialised lectures, practical demonstrations on modern methods of fish farming, and a visit to the farm of a progressive fish farmer was organised.

Presenting certificates to the trainees, Dr S.K. Battish, Head of the Department of Zoology and Fisheries, expressed satisfaction over the utility of the course.

Fun, frolick on the swing
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 14
The Arya College for Women and the Khalsa College for Women organised Teej celebrations here today. The Mai Bhago College for Women, Ramgarh, also celebrated Teej this morning. The idea was to bring out the Punjabi culture to the forefront. Stages were set with charkha, “jhajj,” string cots, traditional fans, and phulkaris.

The aim was also to make urban girls aware of their heritage. Numerous swings were also put up.

The Khalsa College for Women, Civil Lines, celebrated Teej as a token of the rich Punjabi heritage. Mrs Gurkanwal Kaur, MLA, presided over the function.

Various competitions, including giddha, mono-acting, folk singing, chullha-making and saag-cutting, were organised on the occasion. An exhibition of traditional handicrafts was also held.

Mrs Renuka and Mrs Rajwant Kaur Sandhu from Malwa Central College were the judges for giddha and histrionics while Mrs Charanjeet K. Heera and Dr Subhasini Verma were the judges for other competitions.

Dr Varinder Kaur Thind, Principal of the college, addressing the students, said the youth was shunning Indian culture and aping the western way of life.

The cultural programme at Arya College was presided over by Mr Jeevan Ahuja, Principal of the college. Students wearing traditional Punjabi costumes and jewellery presented various cultural items. The campus reverberated with folk songs and dances.

A mehndi competition was also organised. The results of the competitions are:

Miss Punjaban: Vandana

Action song:Vasuda (I) and Indu (2)

Folk song: Samna

Sawani song: Madhushri (I), aarti (2) and Neha (3)

Giddha: Nimrata (I) and Harman (2)

Students of Mai Bhago College presented cultural items with a rural flavour.

Some results of the competitions are: Rangoli: Mandeep

Mehndi: Divya

Peengh:Jasbir

Flower arrangement: Pankaj

Miss Teej: Sandeep 

Axed school board employees hold dharna
Our Correspondent

SAS Nagar, August 14
Employees working as daily wage workers, on ad hoc basis and on contract with the Punjab School Education Board, who had been removed from service some time ago, sat in dharna in protest against the move of the board here yesterday.

The protesters said they had been working for the education board for the past 10 years and instead of regularising their services the board authorities had removed them from their jobs. It is reported that 107 such employees had been removed from service on June 20 by the board authorities without giving any notice.

The protesters said the Punjab Government had issued a notification in 2001 in which it was said that the services of employees, who had worked for three years, be regularised. Later, a circular was also issued by the government which asked all boards and corporations in the state to implement the notification and later report back to the government in this regard.

Man, woman get life term for murder 
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 14
Mr S.M.S Mahal, Additional Sessions Judge, has convicted Shiv Chand, father of five children, of Kot Mangal Singh and his other woman Maya of Dhandari Khurd for murdering Shiv Chand’s wife, Indrawati.

Mr Mahal held that the prosecution had proved that the duo had killed Indrawati. The judge awarded rigorous life imprisonment to Shiv and life imprisonment to Maya and imposed a fine of Rs 5000 each upon the two.

They were booked under Section 302 of the IPC on December 24, 2001 at Shimlapuri police station on the statement of Mohinder Kumar, brother of Indrawati. He had stated to the police that his sister was married about 15 years back.

He had stated that Maya had been having illicit relationship with his brother-in-law Shiv Chand for the past one year.

On December 22, 2001 Shiv Chand left Indrawati in unconscious condition at Mohinder’s house. Mohinder learnt later that Shiv Chand and Maya had pushed off his sister from the roof on December 20. She died of injuries and the two were booked.