ICAR offers help for Krishi Kendras
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 19
The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has offered help to Punjab Agricultural University in establishing seven Krishi Vigyan Kendras in the state, provided land is made available for the same.

Dr K.S. Aulakh, Vice-Chancellor, Punjab Agricultural University, said here today that already there were 10 Krishi Vigyan Kendras functioning in 10 districts. Seven districts — Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Mansa, Muktsar, Moga, Amritsar and Fatehgarh Sahib — did not have such the kendras. The Vice-Chancellor said university proposed to set up one such kendra at Goniana in Muktsar district and one at Samrala in Ludhiana. At least 30 acres was needed for each Krishi Vigyan Kendra. Dr Aulakh said he had requested the Deputy Commissioner, Amritsar to allocate land for the kendra in Amritsar district.

The ICAR would provide financial assistance for the establishment of such kendras. It would give about Rs 50 lakh for each kendra which would be used for raising infrastructure, including the building, laboratories and residential accommodation for the staff.

Seminar on English teaching 
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 19
A seminar on English phonetics, pronunciation, grammar and teaching techniques was held at Government In-service Teachers’ Training Centre (GITTC), Ludhiana. The seminar was attended by 32 teachers of elementary and secondary schools of Ludhiana district. It was inaugurated by Ms Sarabjit Kaur, Principal, GITTC, and was coordinated by Ms Savita Chadha, Lecturer in English.

Prof Baldev Singh, Lecturer in English, District Institute of Education and Training (DIET), Jagraon, apprised the teachers of the unique features of English pronunciation. He said unlike Hindi or Punjabi, pronunciation in English could not be generalised as it has taken a number of words from Arabic, German, French, Latin and Asian languages. He laid stress on the learning and teaching of listening and speaking skills through reliable imitation sources. Illustrating the pronunciation of ‘kennel’ and ‘canal’, he said even qualified people pronounced these wrongly because they unmindfully took electronic media, newspapers and unreliable teachers as models. He made the teachers practise pronunciation using audio cassettes. He pinpointed the pronunciation of a few commonly mispronounced words, including AIDS, biology, botany, xerox, women, lecturer, suggestion, zoology, mass, breakfast, platform etc.

In the second part of his lecture, he explained the techniques of teaching analysis of clauses and other topics of grammar. He said translation method should be avoided for effective teaching. He also stressed the use of Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary of current English by A.S. Hornby.

Academician stresses on value education
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 19
The Department of Economics of Kamla Lohtia Sanatan Dharam College organised an extension lecture for its students here today. The lecture was delivered by Dr D.R. Vij, former Dean, Punjabi University. Elaborating his views on the topic, ‘Value education and excellence in education’, he advised the students to emerge stronger without making others weak and jealous of yourself. He talked about soul searching as he said three Ws of wealth, wine and women be changed as wish, will and work. He said a person becomes wealthy not because of money and riches but with his brain.

Dr Vij involved the students throughout his oration with various activities. The style was so effective that the response of everyone surfaced. Principal B.D. Budhiraja and Prof Mohammad Saleem, head of the department, thanked Dr Vij for his lecture.

An artist in the making
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 19
Miss Gurasis, an outstanding student of the Guru Nanak Khalsa College for Women, Model Town, Gujjarkhan Campus, has brought laurels to her institution with her excellent performance as an artist at various competitions. Recently, she has been awarded ‘University Insignia’ for standing first in landscape painting in 44th Panjab University Zonal Youth Festival held at A.S. College, Khanna.

Earlier, she has bagged innumerable prizes in inter-college painting competitions as well as youth festival painting competitions. She won a cash prize of Rs 3,100 in national- level painting competition organised by the Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle at Punjab Agricultural University.

She had also won the first prize in painting contest in Panjab University Zonal Youth Festival held at Ramgarhia Girls College, first prize in inter-college painting competition held at A.S. College, Khanna, first prize in state-level poster making inter-college painting competition organised at Punjabi Sahit Academy, second prize in inter-college painting competition titled ‘Sur-Saanjh’ organised by the Punjab Government held at Ramgarhia Girls College.

COURTS

PSEB directed to pay compensation
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, August 19
The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has ordered the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) to pay Rs 5,000 as compensation to a consumer for not providing him an electricity connection even after a lapse of one year. Apart from it, the forum also directed the PSEB to release the connection to the aggrieved consumer and pay Rs 1,000 as costs.

The orders were passed in connection with a complaint filed by Mr Davinder Singh of Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. The complainant had submitted that he had purchased a plot in Green Avenue in May, 2002. Thereafter, he applied for an electricity connection and deposited Rs 3,100 in June, 2002. Instead of releasing the connection, the opposite party demanded Rs 34,306 on account of arrears due towards earlier owner of the plot.

On the other hand, the PSEB officials pleaded that the connection could not be released as there were outstanding dues of Rs 34,306. Earlier, an electricity meter was installed there, but the previous owner did not pay the dues and the connection was disconnected on account of non-payment of dues. The complainant was entitled to a connection only if he paid the arrears to the PSEB. Even a notice was served on the complainant for clearing the outstanding dues, but he did not responded, added counsel of the PSEB.

The forum observed that the only controversy was that whether the arrears were proved. The forum held that the opposite party had failed to produce copies of the ledger, which would have been the best evidence to prove that an amount was outstanding.

“It was for the opposite party to prove that the connection was installed on the disputed premises, but it failed to prove the same. No address was mentioned on the statements produced before the forum. So, the demand of the PSEB was not justified,” observed the forum.