Chandigarh, February 2
The struggle of teaching and non-teaching employees of Panjab University, under the leadership of joint action committee (JAC) for the implementation of pension scheme, intensified, after employees began a chain of protests on the campus, here today.

The rally was followed by a dharna in front of the Vice-Chancellor’s office by the executive members of nine unions and association of Panjab University.

While addressing the rally, convener, Ronki Ram, JAC, said, “It has been resolved that a torch light procession and massive protest will be held before the meeting of the Board of Finance, which is scheduled for February 21.We would come to know whether the pension proposal will be implemented from the April 1, 2005 or not after the meeting only.”.

As a part of the intensification of the agitation, all the teaching and non-teaching staff of Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Geography, Zoology and Anthropology blocks will sit on a dharna on February 4 also.

The chain of dharnas would continue for half day on every Wednesday and Friday.

He also said the employees were demanding implementation of the pension scheme, which had already been approved by the Union Ministry in 1991, and the scheme didn’t involve any burden on the government. Now it was the duty of the Panjab University to implement the scheme.

The co-convener, joint action committee, Dharampal Sharma, claimed that the association did not have any intention to create problem for the students of the university.”

But if our demands are not met then we would certainly take some serious steps,” he said. 

Chandigarh, February 2
Students of Class XII, Bhavan Vidyalaya, Sector 27, were given a warm farewell by their juniors on the school campus here today. Fun-filled games, interesting titles to the out-going students, peppy songs and dances marked the party.

Ms Kirat Brar was chosen Ms Bhavan while Chaitanya Anand was declared Mr Bhavan. The titles of Ms Elegant and Mr Dashing went to Namrata Joshi and Vinayak Gupta, respectively, while Nupur Singh was adjudged Ms Intellect. The Principal, Ms Meenakshi Mohindra, exhorted the students to put their best foot forward and meet the challenges of life with confidence.

FANTASY TRIP: The playway students of Ajit Karam Singh International Public School (AKSIPS), Sector 41, organised a visit to the doll museum in Sector 23 here today.

Children found fairy-tale characters like Cinderella, Rupanzel, Snowwhite and Barbie fascinating. The children visited the aquarium also and the model of a railway station.

DONATED: Bhawan Vidyalaya, Sector 27, celebrated the anti-leprosy week by contributing Rs 1.18 lakh to the Indian Leprosy Foundation, Mr Narayan B. Iyer, national coordinator of the Indian Leprosy Foundation, addressed the school assembly to create awareness about the disease.

Mr Iyer congratulated the students of the Interact Club for sensitising students on social causes. He also lauded Sidhant Sharma, the highest collector in the school for the second consecutive year.

Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sector 31- D, Chandigarh came into being in 1974 and since then it is growing from strength to strength.

Presently, there are about 2000 students, most of whom are from the defence sector.

A team of trained and well-qualified staff headed by a dynamic Principal Dr (Mrs) S.P. Shergill nurtures the school. It has three streams viz Science, Commerce and Humanities at +2 level. The admission is no longer restricted to the Central Govt employees but is open to civilians also from class I onwards subject to the availability of seats.

Students with more than 80 % in class 10 (board exam) are granted admission over and above the sanctioned strength.

Over the years the school has shown excellent results which were always above 90% and a large number of students are placed in merit.

The school is located in an ideal environment and spread over an area of 28191sq yards.

In the chequered history of school the achievements have been multidimensional and varied. Tremendous strides have been made in both academics and co-curricular activities.

During the past quarter century the students have won laurels and entered in various professional colleges including IIT's and Medical colleges.

They have even made their mark in in the fashion industry, modelling, aviation, hotel management and other off-beat professions also.

Top priority has been accorded to the strengthening of primary education through MLL based teaching.

In order to keep the teachers abreast with the latest methodology of teaching, they are sent to undergo various In-service courses.

KV-31 has always had the motto 'sky is the limit'. It is an endeavour to develop the potential of each and every child to the maximum.

Chandigarh, February 2
Mobiles might be a hip and happening for the younger generation but city schools think otherwise and have effected a ban on their premises long before the infamous MMS-episode in a Delhi school set the government thinking. The college students, however, are “incorrigible” and authorities say they can do little.

While the ban is complete in government schools after orders were passed by the Director Public Instruction (Schools), Mr D.S. Mangat, a year back, most of the elite private schools of the city have successfully effected the ban on mobiles.

Says principal of Manav Mangal High School, Sector 21, Mr Sanjay Sardana, “Neither the students nor the staff are allowed to bring mobiles to school. They can make any emergency calls from the office but carrying their own phone is unacceptable”. Also, while the violation of the ban invites penalty and confiscation of the mobile, it is applicable to students though teachers are exempted in some schools like KB DAV-7, DAV-15. However, they are required to switch these off as soon as they enter the school gates.

However, there are other schools which feel their students can’t do without being in touch with the outside world even for the few hours that they are in school. To cater to the fancies of this “pampered lot”, the schools concerned have found a via medium. In these schools, the students “deposit” their phones with the gate-keeper and use them during recess.

Teachers in these schools claim that the mobiles more often than not find their way into classes but the authorities let them off the hook after a reprimand, given the fact that they pay a fat fee packet to the school. City colleges, however, are in a different league altogether since the mobile menace seems all-pervasive and the ban is confined to office files alone. Possessing a mobile phone is hip and happening for these teenagers. They carry them to classes without fear, the canteens and college grounds are forever “ringing in new tunes” and corridors are abuzz with constant chatter. 

Chandigarh/Mohali, February 2
Staff of the Punjab School Education Board have contributed their one-day salary amounting to Rs 8.75 lakh to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.

Mohali, February 2
The Punjab Government's proposal to construct a "Vidya Bhavan" in Government College, Mohali, has been shelved.

According to the MLA, Kharar, Mr Bir Devinder Singh, the bhavan would now be built at another place in Mohali.

Mr Bir Devinder pointed out that he had written to the Chief Minister to reconsider the decision of the Punjab Government to use the Government College premises to house the bhavan.

He added that following his protest, a team, including the Secretary, Higher Education, and the DPI, Colleges, had visited the college premises 10 days ago and had recommended that the bhavan be not built here.

He added that the bhavan had been designed as an administrative complex that would house the various offices of the Education Department and its presence within the college campus would have spoilt the academic environment for the students.

"The administrative office would have been used as a place for dharnas and agitation by employees and even students. Such activities would have disturbed the students," said Mr Bir Devinder Singh.

He added that he had, over a month ago, when the proposal had been finalised, written to the CM along with the Secretary, Higher Education, against the construction of this building here.

The proposed bhavan was to be built over 4 acres of land within the college campus.

According to the designers, the building would have been a separate entity and only the drive-in to the bhavan was planned to go through the college campus.

Chandigarh, February 2
The seven-Judge Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today adjourned till tomorrow the case regarding the legality of the order of the Chief Justice to constitute a larger Bench to hear review petition against the judgement of a Division Bench.

The matter concerns the controversy that started following the decision of Chief Justice Mr Justice B.K. Roy to order filing of a review application against the order of Division Bench comprising Mr Justice H.S. Bedi and Mr Justice Nirmal Singh.

Mr Justice Bedi and Mr Justice Nirmal Singh had on August 12, 2004, withdrawn from a Full Bench headed by the Chief Justice after questioning his authority to constitute such a Bench to hear the review application.

The review pertained to the May 13 order of the Division Bench, by which it had dismissed a writ filed by Punjab Police Constable Ramesh Singh challenging his transfer from Rajpura to Faridkot. The Bench had also put an end to all inquiry proceedings against Judicial Officer Jatinder Walia, initiated on the complaints of the constable.

Following their withdrawal, Mr Justice Roy also reused himself from the case.

The Seven-Judge Bench will determine if the Chief Justice was within his right to constitute a bigger Bench to hear the review application with/without including the two Judges who gave the judgement.

Chandigarh, February 2
With the District Courts library devoid of important copies of judgements and books, advocates are getting a raw deal.

A majority of young advocates, who do not have personal libraries, are being inconvenienced due to the absence of important books. And with the Chandigarh Administration allegedly failing to release grants for the purchase of books and for infrastructure on “technical ground”, the woes of the lawyers seem unending.

Housed in a building earmarked for canteen, the library seems to be nobody’s baby. The grants by successive MPs for the library have allegedly not been released as there is no provision for the setting up of a library, alleges advocate Arvind Thakur.

He alleges that important books like “Judgements Today” and “Supreme Court Cases” have not been made available in the library for the past many months. In their absence, the drafting of applications and various petitions suffers, he laments.

In fact, “Judgements Today”, detailing latest judgements of the Supreme Court, is available online. But due to the absence of online facility in the library, advocates have to look for other means to access it.

Setting up a personal library is a costly affair, point out lawyers. And with only around 3,000 books available in the library, the professional requirements of the advocates are not met, feels another practising advocate, Tejinder Singh Sudan.

Human rights is fast emerging as a major concern among the legal fraternity the world over, but hardly any books are available on the subject here, feels Mr Thakur.

Harish Chabbra, another advocate, complains of inadequate seating capacity and the rarely functional photostat machine.

Newly-elected president of the District Bar Association Ashok Chauhan says efforts are afoot to expand the library. It will be modelled on the library of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, he adds.