The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

PU may hike charges of holiday home in Shimla

Chandigarh, March 9
Panjab University has proposed to hike the rent of its holiday home in Shimla.

Under the existing rates, the university charges Rs 50 per suite for one day which would be hiked to Rs 100 per day if the proposal in okayed in the meeting of Syndicate scheduled for Saturday. While the charges are applicable to the serving and the retired faculty and other staff of the campus, the university has also proposed to charge Rs 200 per day for each suite from the occupants who are not from the university.

Though the Syndicate would have the final word on the decision to increase the rates, many on the campus are favouring the “timely hike” which they feel would contribute to the better up keep of the home.

“The maintenance of the guest houses and holiday home of the university have been unsatisfactory over the years. The university had to fight a long legal battle to retain possession of its holiday home in Shimla. At Dalhousie also the condition of the guesthouse is not satisfactory. The university should maintain them,” says a syndic. TNS

CBSE steps up secrecy
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 9
In an unprecedented move, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has deputed a retired Deputy Secretary (Examination) as an observer for the Chandigarh region of the board.

The officer, Mr Mahabir, who reached the Chandigarh office yesterday, has reportedly been asked to supervise the post-examination work, including the secrecy. Mr Mahabir has been Regional Officer at Allahabad and Delhi, before his retirement in August last year.

Sources in the board said the senior board officers at Delhi were apprehensive about the smooth conduct of secrecy which related to the coding and decoding of the answer books at the secrecy centre. After an answer book scam which was detected two years ago, the board has decided to change the secrecy centre each year. This year the secrecy centre has been set up in a local school, located in the southern part of the city.

The Regional Officer, Chandigarh, Mr D.R. Yadav, who is a Joint Secretary level officer in the board had assumed the charge last month.

IT books in Punjabi
Our Correspondent

Mohali, March 9
The Chairman of the Punjab School Education Board, Prof Harbans Singh Sidhu, released five books related to computers, information technology and mobile phones here today.

The books were written by Prof C.P. Kamboj. The Chairman said Prof Kamboj was the first writer who present books related to information technology, communications, computer science in Punjabi language.

He said the writer had also translated books on computer science prescribed by the board. Prof Kamboj had been writing about modern technology for the past eight years. More than 900 papers written by him were published in various newspapers, added Prof Sidhu.

Prof Kamboj said he had written books keeping in mind students studying the Punjabi medium and also the syllabus of industrial training centres. Polytechnics and the education board.

Nursing students take oath
Tribune News Service

Mohali, March 9
The lamp lighting ceremony of the fourth batch of General Nursing and Midwifery Course (GNM) of the Fortis School of Nursing was held at Fortis Hospital, here today. Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Deputy Chief Minister, was the chief guest.

Mr Bir Devinder Singh, MLA, Kharar, and Mr M L Sharma, SDM, Mohali, were present among others. At the function more than 50 nursing students took the oath of Florence Nightingale by lighting candles.

COURTS

HC accepts Munjal’s apology in contempt case
Our High Court Correspondent

Chandigarh, March 9
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today accepted the apology of former Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana Chairman Chander Mohan Munjal and let him off in a contempt case against him.

The Bench of acting Chief Justice Mr Justice H.S. Bedi and Mr Justice Viney Mittal, however, directed Munjal to contribute Rs 50,000 to the advocate's benevolent fund of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association.

On February 9, the Bench of the then Chief Justice Mr Justice B.K. Roy and Mr Justice Rajive Bhalla had found Munjal prima facie responsible for scandalising the administration of justice.

Ordering framing of charges against him, the Bench had also issued show-cause notice to him.

The Bench had asked Munjal to explain whether he had "scandalised and attempted to interfere in the administration of justice" as envisaged under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.

The Bench noted out that Munjal owed a duty to the State of Punjab as Additional Advocate-General to place facts correctly, impartially and fairly to its police authorities.

"Scandalising the court in a such manner was really polluting the very fountain of justice and has prima facie brought to disrepute the entire administration of justice. He has obviously misunderstood his functions as a lawyer representing the interest of his client...By indulging in making a note in the police papers he has prima facie abused his position both as a lawyer and an officer of the court and has done distinct disservice to the state of Punjab in general and to the noble profession of law and the administration of justice in particular," the order said.

On November 2 last year, Munjal had written to the Abohar police informing it that Mr Justice M.M. Kumar had "orally stayed" the arrest of Anil Midha, accused in a criminal case. It later transpired that no such order had been passed by the Judge.

In fact, the court had not even heard the petition for interim pre-arrest bail to Midha.

After coming to know about the development, one Archit Goyal, who was the complainant in the case in which Midha is the main accused, wrote to the Chief Justice, Mr Justice Kumar, High Court Registrar, Punjab Advocate- General and, ironically, the Chairman of the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana. Munjal had later put in his papers from the post.

Mr Justice Kumar had clarified that he had passed no such order.

During hearing, Senior Advocate Suraj Prakash Gupta, who had been appointed amicus curiae by the Bench, had said that in view of the evidence against Munjal, coupled with the fact that he admitted to the wrongdoing, the Bench should grant exemplary punishment to him.

Mr Gupta had said that apart from punishing Munjal under the contempt laws, the Bench should also order registration of a case against him for the criminal offence and also direct the Bar Council or Punjab and Haryana or the Bar Council of India to take action against him for professional misconduct. Mr Gupta had also submitted many documents in the court to buttress his prayer for exemplary punishment to Munjal.

Legal literacy mission launched
Our High Court Correspondent

Chandigarh, March 9
The acting Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Mr Justice H.S. Bedi, today formally launched the National Legal Literacy Mission in Punjab and Haryana as well as in Chandigarh.

In his address, Mr Justice Bedi said the mission endeavoured to empower the economically and socially-disadvantaged citizens by making them legally literate.

“The five-year mission will include door-to-door campaign across Punjab and Haryana and educate people about their rights and duties under the Constitution,” he added.

He also disclosed that the awareness campaign had been christened “Chalo Haat haat”.

Mr Justice Amar Dutt, Executive Chairman, UT State Legal Services Authority, also addressed the gathering and hoped that the lawyers would go all out in making the programme a huge success.

Mr Justice Bedi also flagged off a mobile rural communication unit.

Later, interacting with mediapersons, the acting Chief Justice remarked that he was sure the advocates would do everything to make the programme a success.

“When the concept of lok adalats was introduced, we came across some resistance from lawyers. But, now, I see advocates going all out to make lok adalats a success. Similarly, for the National Legal Literacy Mission to succeed, we need full support of the advocates,” he said.

Providing statistics, Mr Justice Bedi, who is also the Chairman of Punjab State Legal Services Authority, said many new initiatives introduced as part of the Lok Adalats had also received huge response from the public.

LEISURE

Hrithik now understands ‘predicament’ of women
Swarleen Kaur

HRITHIK Roshan now looks at women with a newfound respect. And, it has a lot to do with hair — his and theirs.

Running his fingers through his luxuriant mane, Hrithik confessed candily, “My new hairstyle has made me respect women. I can now understand how difficult it is to manage long hair”.

His new hairstyle looks vibrant and full of energy. But the superstar denies that the ‘look’ has been inspired from Hollywood charmer Tom Cruise. “I had to go for a lot of haircuts to maintain my old style. So, I decided to grow my hair.”

Speaking to Chandigarh Tribune at the airport here while en route to Kulu for a shoot, Hrithik seems back in form after a gap of one year. “I continuously worked like hell for five years and then I realised I was carrying a lot of baggage on my shoulders. I took one year off. This break helped.”

He is working on his next movie ‘Krish’. This movie is the second part of ‘Koi mil gaya’ and will be completely different. Preity Zinta has been replaced by Priyanka Chopra. There is romance and action element in it. This movie will be about what exactly happened to Rohit afterwards.

This fair guy will miss his wife Suzane during this shoot but she will be joining him soon in Kulu. Although, it has been five years to their marriage, he still feels that special spark. His eyes were shining while talking about how he proposed to her for the first time. “Before marriage I knew her for six years. I proposed her in the same restaurant while sitting on the same chair where we met for the first time. I presented her ring of Rs 3,000 which I had bought from my pocket money.” He was just 21.

Any planning for kids? “It is very difficult to comment on it right now. But I will surely do the planning for this planning,” the superstar signed off with these comments.

Raising voice against female foeticide

THE Mai Bhago Brigade, a well known social organisation and the National Theatre Arts Society (NTAS), Patiala, organised a Punjabi musical play “Daairey”, written by Dr Satish Kumar Verma and directed by Mr Pran Sabharwal and Sunita Sabharwal, to mark the launch of a crusade against female foeticide on International Women’s Day here yesterday.

Welcoming the guests, brigade’s president Kulwant Kaur, a noted Punjabi writer and former Principal of Gurmat College, Patiala, said the Sikh Gurus and saints were all against this menace which should be fought out tooth and nail by one and all.

A 20-member team exhibited their histrionic talent in “Daairey” which was ably presented in modern technique at the auditorium of the Academy of Sikh Religion and Culture. Even the youngest of all artists, nine-year-old baby Charu Singla in the role of a foetus, did not falter and moved the audience to won a spontaneous cash prize of Rs 500 from the Mai Bhago Brigade.

Mr Niranjan Singh Mann, an educationist-litterateur, was the chief guest, while Mr Jagjit Singh Dardi, Chairman, Chardikala Group of Newspapers and Guru Harkrishan Educational Institutions, presided over the function. He honoured the dignitaries and gave away the prizes to the artistes.

Earlier, the chief speaker, Dr Rajwant Kaur Mann, a well known educationist-dramatist, lauded efforts of the brigade and the NTAS for launching a campaign against female foeticide. In her inaugural speech, she condemned doctors role for the alarming decrease of sex ratio in the state and demanded drastic measures against the erring parents and doctors. TNS

A comment on society’s deep-rooted evils

Octogenarian thespian Gursharan Singh communicated his intense feelings against deep-rooted evils in society through two plays staged at Plaza, Sector 17, on Wednesday.

As part of celebration of Indo-Pak friendship, the plays were staged under the aegis of Pracheen Kala Kendra by students of the Chandigarh School of Drama. Reiterating his passionate commitments to humanitarian pursuits, Gursharan Singh juxtaposed the subjugation of womanhood in his first offering “Begmo di Dhi”.

The theme of the play brings alive the parents priority for a male child who they perceive a legal heir to run the dynasty, obviously ignoring the female. The play depicts the abduction of a village school teacher Begmo by a scoundrel (Sukhwinder). Two decades later, Begmo’s daughter (Amanpreet) joins the same school as a teacher after having confirmed the authenticity of the old incident of rape and abduction of her mother from the chowkidar (Harish Verma). Soon she was made to realise that the characters only changed but not the mentality as the son of the same landlord attempts to molest her who displaying exemplary courage and conviction killed him.

Dedicated to woman empowerment, the play written and directed by Gursharan Singh was well appreciated by the crowd.

The second presentation “Pagla”, written by Sadat Hasan Manto, was a powerful satire on the societal set up widening a gap between the poor and the rich.

Gursharan feels that “we should fight against poverty and other evils rather than indulging in warfare with neighboring countries”.

Amanpreet, Harish Verma, Bikram and Ikkatar Sahota formed the cast. Earlier, they presented three patriotic songs on the life of Shaheed Bhagat Singh.

Pracheen Kala Kendra Director M.L. Koser and Gursharan Singh lauded the keen interest evinced by the visiting guests as many of them complimented the thespian for his presentations. OC

Spring Fest begins at PGI

THE annual musical and fun fare bonanza “Spring Fest — 2005” opened at the Bhargava auditorium of the PGI on Wednesday. The event, organised by the Association of Resident Doctors and the PGI Cultural Society, was inaugurated by Dr K.K. Talwar, Director, PGI.

Mr Sridhar Raman, Resident Editor, The Times of India, and Mr Virender Nagpal were the chief guest and the guest of honour, respectively.

The week-long celebrations promise a galore of entertainment. Today’s programme commenced with a singing competition in the film, folk and sugam sangeet category. However, the day belonged to musical duo of Sufi singers Nanak Shah and Manak Ali of Patiala gharana. They presented the mystic utterances of Baba Bulle Shah, Shah Hussain and Amir Khusro. OC

Exhibition of designer clothes and jewellery

A two-day exhibition of designer clothes and jewellery opened today at Aroma hotel in Sector 22. It is being put up by Delhi-based fashion designer Sonia Chug and city-based designer Hariti Singh. Suits, kurtis and stoles were on display and a lot of georgettes, crepes, cottons could also be seen. Available in vibrant hues outfits embellished with sequines, hand painting, block printing and khadi print work were the main attraction. The range starts from Rs 1,000.

In jewellery one can get a wide variety of earings, necklaces and rings. There are attractive desgines in polki, kundan and diamonds. The range starts from Rs 4,000. OC