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PU students question hike in
fee
Chandigarh, March 22 The students have now chosen to question the rationale behind the hike in fee and maintain that while the student fraternity is being “burdened” with a hike year after year, it is not getting value for money. Says Amandeep Singh, president, Panjab University Students Organisation, “It is all very well to increase the fee by 10 per cent provided the university is also spending on its students. Falling standards of education on the campus due to lack of adequate teaching staff, ill-maintained departments and poor infrastructure — all spell out the state of education in the university.” He maintains that the university must ensure the availability of basic amenities to its students if there has to be a hike in fee. “The NRI seats have increased in all departments resulting in more money, most teachers are employed as guest faculty and there has been complete commercialisation of education. We are demanding that the university should justify the hike in terms of student-welfare measures,” Amandeep Singh explained. The campus unit of the National Students Union of India (NSUI) is not at loggerheads with the authorities as far as the hike in fee goes. “However, we want that the facilities offered to students should be in consonance with whatever is being charged from them. The Senate can hike the fee but the Senators should also question the authorities about student-friendly measures initiated by them with the funds collected. A hike in fee should give proportionate returns to the students,” says the president of the NSUI, Harpreet Singh Harry. Claiming that the late results, out of syllabus question papers, lack of transparency in internal assessment take a toll on the academic environment, NSUI activists said their long-pending demands for computers and Internet facilities in departments, lifts in hostels and buses for girl students in hostels, are still hanging fire. The Students’ Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU) is actively involved in “educating” students to boycott fee hike since “it only means giving more charges without getting anything in return. “ “The academic environment on the campus is in a shambles. Students’ grievances go unheard and the agenda at meetings revolves around the faculty and its problem. There is hardly anything for us in it and students’ issues — non-functional canteens, delayed stipend to research scholars and poorly maintained hostels — are relegated to the backburner,” he stated. With students neck-deep in studies, student organisations on the campus maintain that the fee hike is timed to take the sting out of all protests. Aware of the strategy of the university authorities, they are in a different mode. The idea is to make the authorities realise that the students’ bodies mean “serious business” and can’t be taken for a ride. Answers are all they are looking for.
Dharna at VC’s office
Today, SOPU activists went to the various Science departments, persuading students to boycott classes to protest against the fee hike. PUSU activists, on the other hand, sat on a dharna outside the VC’s office to express their anguish and raised slogans against the authorities.
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200 graduates get
degrees
Chandigarh, March 22 Vandana, Kanika Batra, and Shewta Mahajan were awarded academic roll of honour for securing top positions in the annual examinations of 2004. Eighteen students were awarded the golden certificate of merit for securing distinctions in Panjab University. Jasmeet, a student of BCA final year, received the best Punjabi folk dancer prize, Isha Sharma of B.Com final year got best ghazal singer prize, Ruby of BA third year got best folk singer and Navneet of B.Com second year was declared as the best NSS volunteer. Around 120 students received academic prizes. While congratulating the students for excelling in various fields, Mr Krishna Mohan said the students of today were much more confident, smart, forthright and knowledgeable than the students of yester years. He advised students to work hard early in their lives to enjoy its fruit in the future.
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New twist to school buses case
Chandigarh, March 22 According to Mr Agnihotri, he had resigned because the administration, at the ‘behest’ of certain residents, had forcibly allowed the school buses inside the complex. The plying of buses may lead to accidents inside the complex and no society allowed buses inside the complex, a resident added. Meanwhile, acting on an application filed by a resident, Dr Naveen Kalra, the ADC, Mr IS Sandhu, had summoned Mr Agnihotri tomorrow to show-cause why buses should not be allowed inside the complex.
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Keep school surroundings clean: Mayor
Chandigarh, March 22 The commendation certificates will be issued separately in the categories for the government and private schools. A special reference has been made to the cleanliness of the parking lots in the schools. The Mayor, Mrs Anu Chatrath, today went to Government High School, Sector 20. The commendation certificates will be handed over either on Republic Day or Independence Day, the press note added.
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Charges to be framed on March 29 in jailbreak case
Chandigarh, March 22 Those being tried are D S Rana, P S Rana, VM Gill, and D S Sandhu, all former jail officials, Sher Singh, Subeg Singh, Nand Singh, Lakhwinder Singh, Baljit Kaur,Narain Singh Chaura and Gurvinder Singh Goldy, all undertrials, and Nishan Singh and Tarsem Singh, both CRPF personnel.
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Only change is permanent
Raman Kumar, director of the forthcoming serial “Miilee”, Mona Wasu, main character of the serial and other artists like Ajay Gehi and Imran Mashkoor Khan were in the city to talk about the serial and to share some personal experiences. The serial is scheduled to be aired on Star Plus soon. It is a story of an orphan girl who lives a cocooned life until her greatest fears comes true. Lets us find out what they have to say… “Change” is the only thing which is permanent in the film industry, says Raman Kumar, director and writer. Many trends come and go. The latest is emergence of popcorn and multiplex culture. This will also not stay. One finds in him an imperceptible influence of thinker and philosopher Osho. His forthcoming movie “Maya Mirage…in search of Nirvana” will be based on the philosophy of Osho. “Around 50 episodes of “Miillee” are ready”, he says with a conviction difficult to ignore. “Saath Saath”, “Rakhee”, “Parbat ke us Paar”, “Raja Bhaiya” are some of the movies directed by him. He has also penned down the script for “Teraa Naam”, “Merra Naam”, “Sheen” and many other serials. He has also served as assistant director in ‘Deewar’, ‘Basera’, ‘Duniya’, ‘Noorie’. Chatter box
When she smiles, you find her resembling Priety Zinta. “A lot of people say that I look like her and I take it in a positive way. But I must say that everyone has his or her own identity”, says Mona Wasu, who is playing the role of a chubby girl, Millee. Interestingly she was born in the city but her family moved to Delhi when she was just six years old. She says want to be an actress. Bollywood is her final destination and she will not sign any other serial except “Millee”. She has done BA honours in sociology but was hardly interested in studies. She has secured many awards and prizes in dramas and plays. She has also done modelling. Being a member of the Antara, Khilona Theatre groups she has staged various plays in Delhi. On television she has hosted travel show on Star Gold and has also worked with BBC. Acting is passion
If you remember “Guddu” of the movie “Maqbool” then you can easily recall Ajay Gehi. It was his most prestigious assignment as he got a chance to work with professional actors like Pankaj Kapur, Naseerudeen Shah, Tabu and Irfaan Khan. He has secured a place of his own in the film industry with his impressive performance. No wonder he received a lot of alluring offers after “Maqbool”. He has done various advertisements and anchored a few shows on the television channels. He is playing Rahul Rastogi, who is a flamboyant man. Is he a flirt in real life too? “I like playing the character but otherwise I am a happily married man,” he says smilingly.
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