The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

Panjab varsity students go on strike
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 2
Panjab University Students’ Union (PUSU) and students of the University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET), went on a strike to protest against non-fulfilment of their demands by the authorities.

The students are demanding another chance to clear their papers as they “have not been given reasonable marks in internal assessment”. They say they are suffering because of the faulty internal assessment system and other impractical rules and regulations followed by the department.

The PUSU president, Mr Amandeep Singh, said: “We have discussed this matter with the authorities many a times and have even staged a protest in front of the Vice-Chancellor’s office.

However, nobody is ready to listen to us and solve the problem of students. Now we are left with no other option but to go on hunger strike till our demands are met”.

He said the U.I.E.T students faced a similar problem every year. The authorities had not done anything substantial to solve the problem, the president said.

Counselling: Panjab University will hold interviews for the Chinese course on August 4 from 9 am to 12:30 pm and 3 pm to 4:40pm in room no 112 of the Arts Block-V. Candidates who have applied for the course must present themselves for interview on August 4 with original certificates.

Authored: Dr. GS Gupta, former Professor and Chairman of the Department of Biophysics, Panjab University, has authored a book titled “Proteomics of Spermatogenesis” comprising 34 chapters and covering about 875 pages with 210 illustrations. It is published by Springer (New York, USA) in May 2005.

As a visiting researcher, he worked at Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill (USA), Center of Immunopathology and Experimental Immunology, INSERM, Paris, and Center of Cytogenetics and Immunogenetics, INSERM, Villejuif, (France). He has been honoured by various Indian agencies such as the CSIR, the UGC, the ICMR, and the Department of Science and Technology with emeritus-ship programmes under various capacities.

Professor Gupta has made significant research contribution in the field of reproductive molecular biology and molecular radiation biology and published 120 original research articles and reviews in international journals.

Students plant saplings
Our Correspondent

Dera Bassi, August 2
Students of Sarvhitkari Vidya Mandir School, Dera Bassi, planted saplings of various varieties, including neem, mango, amla and gulmohar, as part of vanmahotsav celebrations here today. Besides this, the students presented various programmes on vegetation.

Mr Amarjit Singh Ghuman, Station House Officer, Dera Bassi, inaugurated the function by planting a sapling in the school premises. Mr Bhupinder Saini, chairman of Rotract Clubs, Dera Bassi, appealed to students to plant a sapling each. He also announced that students would be honoured for growing healthy plants at the end of the year.

Ms Geeta Gupta, an NRI from England, who is training the students on various projects also planted a neem sapling. Mrs Anita Bali, school principal, talked on the importance of trees in human life.

Saplings planted in Manimajra school
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, August 2
As many as 250 saplings of various medicinal and ornamental trees were planted by the Bharat Vikas Parishad, Modern Housing Complex, Manimajra, on the premises of Government Model Senior Secondary School, MHC Manimajra, here on Monday.

Mr K.L. Chauhan, general secretary of the Punjab unit of the parishad, educated students about the benefits of tree plantation. Mr S.K. Sharma, president of the Environment Society of India, emphasised the importance of trees in human life. He also stressed the need of planting more trees.

Besides members of the parishad, Mrs Indu Bala, school Principal, and her staff members were also present on the occasion, a press note issued by the parishad said.

COURTS

Contempt notice to MC Commissioner
Our High Court Correspondent

Chandigarh, August 2
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued notice of contempt to Mr P.S. Aujla, Commissioner, Chandigarh Municipal Corporation (MCC). Mr Aujla has been asked to explain why contempt proceedings may not be initiated against him.

The notice was issued on a petition filed by the Housing Welfare Association, Sector 40-B, Chandigarh, through its Chairman, Mr K.S. Dhaliwal.

In the contempt petition filed through advocates Gopal Mahajan and R.S. Bajaj, the society has alleged that in spite of the claim of the MCC that work on re-carpeting of roads in Sector 40-B had been started, basic amenities were still missing.

During hearing of a petition filed by the society, seeking directions to the UT Administration and the MCC to ensure proper civic infrastructure for the area, the MCC had informed the court that necessary grant for re-carpeting of roads had already been sanctioned and work started. Following the statement of the MCC, the High Court had disposed of the writ.

However, on the plea of initiation of contempt proceedings against Mr Aujla, the petitioner (society) has claimed that despite legal notices being sent to the MCC, basic civic amenities have still not been provided to the society.

After hearing the counsel, Mr Justice M.M. Kumar, issued notice for September 5.

LEISURE

Derek selects four more students from city
Geetanjali Gayatri

Those selected to be featured on Bournvita Confidence Champions are:

Sonali Bhansal from Carmel Convent for being a tennis champ. She’s the youngest of the lot and a Class IV student.

Neyhal Salwan from Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School for captaining the state-level roller hockey team

Aita Ram from St Stephen’s, who is a football champ

Devanshi Mishra from DAV Public School for being a Kathak dancer.

Full of beans and raring to go, effervescent Derek O’Brien today charmed teachers and students on his visit to the city to “shoot” four “more than academically inclined students” who have made it to Bournvita Confidence Champions.

And, yes, this was a visit by different Derek O’Brien — he has shed the “extra” kilos with a rigourous exercising schedule and his beard is gone. He explains the change which is a departure from his trademark appearance on Bournvita Quiz on television. “On TV, one just can’t afford to be stodgy. It’s all about being presentable,” he quips.

In the next breath, he’s talking of his first love, actually, two first loves — quizzing and children. That’s something he just can’t resist. “We have come for shooting students who have more to them than pure academics for the ‘champion’ bit in our programme. It was a visually impaired girl yesterday in a Delhi school, today its a peon’s son. It’s all so exciting to the country ,” Derek maintains.

As many as 52 students have been chosen from among 3,800 schools of the country. “We invited two students from every schools, brought them down to 300 and then picked the best 52 in the country. They are the real champions,” he stated.

It keeps him on the move for at least 22 days a month and that’s not something his family relishes. “It’s difficult to make a marriage work when you are out for the better part of the month. I try to make up for my absence by picking my 10-year-old daughter up from school whenever I am in Kolkata,” he says.

Derek O’Brien on-screen is as “talkative” off-screen as well. From travelling to his experiences in the field to his new enterprise, he can speak on anything and everything. “I love travelling and trying different foods which vary from state to state. Most of all, I love being in the city. Its schools, people, food joints are just too good. My love for Chandigarh is directly proportionate to my hatred for Mumbai. The two years we tried living in Mumbai were the worst of my life,” he maintains.

While he has a number of things up his sleeve right from updating a year book to working with spastic children, Derek is basking in the glory of being the largest selling author of reference books for children being published by Penguin. “I am just enjoying all the accolades it is earning me,” he remarks.

Looking forward to his lunch at Tehal Singh in Sector 22 which will “happen” only after his four shoots in different schools of the city are over, Derek O’ Brian gets down to work at DAV Public School, Sector 8.

A Kathak dancer, Devanshi Mishra, selected from hundreds of application received by the quizzing team, awaits her moment of glory in the quiz show that’s watched by children every Sunday.

Derek dons his perky quiz master mantle as the cameras begin to roll and quizzes Devanshi Mishra on how her interest in Kathak began. Soon there are classmates cheering the champion, a chat with her friends and a short take from the school principal, Ms Sarita Manuja. It’s all done in a matter of a few minutes and the quiz master and his team hit the road once again.