Mohali , May 21
Kartikeya Rajdev of DAV Public Senior Secondary School has topped in Mohali by securing 93 per cent marks in the Class XII examination of the CBSE, results of which were declared today.

However, Rajdev, who was pursuing the medical stream, said he was not very pleased to know the result as he was expecting about 95 per cent. His percentage was brought down due to unsatisfactory score in physical education. But when he got to know that he stood first in Mohali he felt satisfied with his result. He has got the highest marks in biology in the town by scoring 98 marks.

He said hard work had paid him off. He used to study for 12 hours daily and even now he was putting in a lot of labour as his PMT entrance examinations were going on. He aspires to join AIIMS and finally become a cardiologist.

Shaina Brar, also from medical stream, of St Soldier International Convent School bagged the second position by getting 91 per cent marks while Geetanshu Goel of Gian Jyoti Public School stood third and had secured 90.4 per cent marks.

In the non-medical group, Shefali of Shivalik Public School stood first by securing 91.8 per cent marks. Two other students also from Shivalik have bagged the second and third positions in non-medical. They are Gurleen Kaur (91.4) and Prerna Menon (89.2).

Kumar from Lawerance Public Senior Secondary School stood first in commerce stream by getting 90.6 per cent marks. The second and third positions went to Manhita (89.2) and Baljinder Kaur (88.4), respectively, both from Gian Jyoti Public School.

Neha Singla of Lawerance Public School had got highest marks in English (95), while Jaskirat Singh of the same school got the highest in physics (95). A student of Shivalik also got 95 marks in physics. The highest marks in mathematics (96) went to Narinderpal Singh of Sant Isher Singh Public School and highest in chemistry (98) were secured by Gurveen Kaur Chahal of Gian Jyoti Public School.

Panchkula, May 21
While Vidushi Yadav of Satluj Public School, Sector 4, stood first in tricity in humanities stream securing 457 (91.4 pc) marks, Divya Goel, another student from the same school, in commerce topped in the school with 92.2 per cent marks.

However, Jagriti, also from commerce, of D.C. Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 7, topped in the town with 94.8 per cent marks. In the same stream Bhavan Vidyalaya bagged three positions with Lovika Jain (94.4 pc), Radhika Todi (92.6 pc) and Garima Singh (91.4 pc).

Aruj Garg a student of Mahatma Hans Raj Public School, Sector 6 topped in the school with 90.6 per cent marks.

In science, Ishika of D.C. Model Senior Secondary School was first in the town with 91.2 per cent followed by Maxim G. Saini of Mahatma Hans Raj Public School and Tazeen of Bhavan Vidyalaya, who got 88.4 per cent and 84.2 per cent marks, respectively.

Chandigarh, May 21
The Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 16, clinched the top honours among government schools in all the four streams in the CBSE Class XII examination this year. Otherwise, this time too, it is private schools’ students that have outshined those of government schools.

Like last year, this year too, it is girls who have surpassed boys in the region with a great margin. The subject wise pass percentage for girls was 85.98 per cent as against boys, who stood at 77 per cent. The overall percentage was 80.80 per cent.

Boys comparatively fared well last year in the region, by scoring 80.14 per cent. However, girls scored 88.11 per cent last year.

The pass percentage in the city government schools dipped down from 82.7 per cent last year to 81.14 per cent. While 406 students failed to clear the examination this year, students placed under compartment are 901.

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya is the only government school in the city to have scored 100 per cent marks in the fourth consecutive year. In Carmel Convent School, Sector 9, as many as 10 students scored above 90 per cent marks in commerce stream. In SD Public School, Sector 32, 17 students scored above 90 per cent marks. In science stream, 11 students got above 90 per cent marks.

Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, Sector 26, saw 100 per cent result. Out of a total of 134 students, there were 112 students who were placed under distinction.

Shivalik Public School, Sector 41, also saw 100 per cent result and around 138 students scored first division.

Chandigarh, May 21
The controversy surrounding the alleged racial abuse charges by two foreign dark-skinned cheergirls does not seem to die down.

Now, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is considering of initiating a probe if the complaint come to them officially.

Talking to TNS on the issue, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s joint secretary and IPL committee member M.P. Pandove said, “The IPL will look into the matter, if the matter is brought to the notice of the IPL commissioner by the alleged victims officially”.

This week two London-based dark-skinned cheerleaders - Ellesha Newton and Sherinee Anderson - who were hired by Mohali team franchisee through event management company Wizcraft International Entertainment, kicked up a storm by alleging that they were not allowed to perform on the stage as they were not white. The incident happened on April 19 during the inaugural match between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Stars at the PCA stadium here.

Stating from London, the girls also alleged that they were asked to leave the stadium by event management company officials.

“I am not aware of the incident but to put any blame on IPL for allowing/disallowing or discriminating on the basis of colour or skin is absolutely wrong. In IPL, it is the prerogative of team owners whom to pick or not as cheerleaders”, Pandove said.

Pandove said it was surprising that the girls raised the issue after one month of the incident and that too after going back to their country.

Surprisingly, no one from Wizcraft Company was ready to talk on the issue. “No comments”, was the answer from the officials of the company.

The delay in the appointment of the home secretary is affecting development in the city. It is unfortunate that the administration and the ministry of home affairs (MHA) seem to be passing the buck on the appointment.

A mechanism should be worked out under which the new incumbent should assume office as soon as the officer holding the home secretary's post is repatriated to the parent cadre.The ego clash between UT functionaries and MHA officials should be avoided in the interest of the development.

— B K Sanghi, president, Haryana Group Housing Federation

Chandigarh, May 21
Grants issued for the welfare of poor women have been utilised for funding foreign tours of officials of Consumer Electronics Punjab Limited (CEPL). The Mohali-based company was started by the state government under the NORAD scheme for uplifting women.

The firm was set up in 2000 to impart training to poor women in electrical goods so that they were able to earn a living for themselves.

According to the information sought under the Right to Information Act by advocate H.C. Arora, the government had provided a grant of Rs 2,74,09,834 to the company when it was started.

However, the government has issued no grants to the firm for the past four to five years. One of the reasons for non-issuance of grants is a large amount of unutilised grants, which has to be refunded to the central government before seeking further grants. The money unspent from the grants-in-aid, amounting to Rs 52.26 lakh, has been invested by the company in a fixed deposit.

A 1,000 square yards plot was allotted to this company in Phase VIII, Industrial Area, Mohali, by Punjab Infotech in 2000. The plot has been surrendered because the company has not been able to implement any project on it for various reasons.

A meeting of the board of directors of Infotech held on December 26, 2006, only approved the proposal that the company be directed to surrender the plot allotted to it by Infotech.

Regarding the functions of the company, the Disinvestment Commission had also recommended that the company was only meant to impart training in electronic assembly and electronic repairs.

It was further mentioned in the recommendations that the company was not a profit-making company. The recommendations further stated that the training function could be taken over by the technical training institutes in the state and there was no need to have a separate entity for this purpose. Therefore, this subsidiary should be closed down. At its 151st board meeting held on September 20, 2007, it was noticed in the agenda that there was almost no activity in the company since 2002 in spite of the efforts made to get the grants-in-aid through follow-up at various levels in the central government.

But the state of affairs of the company, it being on the verge of closure, does not dampen the spirits of the members of the board, who are utilising the grants-in-aid for proceeding on foreign tours.

Besides expenditure of Rs141834 (2002-2003), expenditure of Rs 93526 (2003-2004), Rs 492009 (2004-2005), Rs 290607 (2005-2006), Rs 296920 (2006-2007) and Rs 63316 (2007-2008) has been incurred by the company on domestic tours of these members. A major share of the expenditure on local tours i.e. Rs 870,908 is accounted for the tours of N.S. Kalsi, IAS.

Coming to the expenditure on mobile connections, a whopping amount of Rs 8.45 lakh has been spent by the company on giving mobile connections to Pirzada, IAS, S.S. Sandhu, IAS, and N.S. Kalsi, IAS, during 2001-2002 to 2007-2008. 

Chandigarh, May 21
Amidst protest and boycott by the mayor and Congress councillors, UT Administrator SF Rodrigues today inaugurated the Rs 30 crore municipal solid waste garbage processing plant in Dadu Majra here today.

With the commissioning of the project, the city has become the first in the region to make fuel from solid waste.

Besides this is also for the first time in the history of the municipal corporation that the ruling party and its mayor boycotted an official function. Taking exception to sitting of former mayor Harjinder Kaur on the dais, senior deputy mayor Anju Beniwala said the matter would be taken up in the general house meeting, slated to be held on May 23.

The environment-friendly plant spans 10 acres and has beem installed jointly by the municipal corporation, Chandigarh administration with Jai Parkash Associates on built-own-operate-and- transfer basis.

After inaugurating the plant, the Administrator said public-private partnership was needed to improve and upgrade the basic amenities and quality of life.

Dr Roshan Sunkaria, commissioner, MC, said the garbage of the city would be processed as per Municipal Solid Waste (management and handling) Rules 2000 in totality.

Mayor Pardeep Chhabra said the administration was bent upon destroying the democratic institutions in the city. The matter would be taken up with the party high command in Delhi and with the UPA government. Commissioner Sunkaria sidetracked the queries of mediapersons regarding the boycott by the mayor and refused to comment on the issue. Former mayor Harjinder Kaur stated all should rise above party lines on development issues.

Chandigarh, May 21
The ambitious proposal of the Chandigarh administration to ban plastic bags has earned the ire of the plastic manufacturers on the ground of "non-feasibility".

In fact, batting in favour of proper disposal of plastic bags, the Chandigarh Plastic Manufacturers and Traders Association has advocated that plastic bag littering should be declared a punishable act to realise the dream of "clean and pollution-free environment for the city."

To muster support for their demands, a delegation of the association comprising Satya Pal Jain, a former MP, Charanjiv Singh, president of the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal, and Naresh Mittal, president of the association, met the UT administrator SF Rodrigues yesterday.

It was brought to the notice of the administrator that the law governing plastic bags was already stricter in Chandigarh than in other cities. The law allows manufacturing of virgin plastic bags measuring over 8”X12” and above 30 micron thicknesses in the city which takes care of the environment concerns of the administration.

It was highlighted that pollution in the city was largely on account of substandard plastic bags, coming to the city from other parts. Besides, the harm to the environment from plastic industrial packing of one-time usage commodities like pan masala, shampoo, namkeen and small-sized plastic carry bags used by petty dealers, was much more than the standardised plastic bags, the association asserted.

Instead of putting a blanket ban on the use of plastic bags, the administration should effectively check the incoming of surplus and substandard plastic carry bags from outside Chandigarh., Mittal stated.

Patterned on the "smoke-free" city concept, the administration had recently mooted a proposal for a "plastic-free" city. Subsequently, a meeting was called by the DC, who held additional charge of municipal commissioner R.K. Rao. At the meeting, the proposed ban on the plastic bags came in for severe criticism.

Chandigarh, May 21
The police today claimed to have procured “strong evidence” confirming the involvement of Baljinder Singh Sandhu, alias Talla, into the sensational murder of his wife, Anuradha and his servant Sunil Kumar.

According to SS Srivastava, SSP, “Through the evidences that have been seized, it is clear that the trio was involved in the murder, which was planned and executed by Baljinder Singh”.

The police seized a number of evidences, including photographs of Baljinder with a couple of girls, driving licence of Noor Kataria and weapons from the premises of the accused, which have proved Baljinder’s involvement in the killing of his wife. The police also got hold of certain documents pertaining to the property that was owned by the accused Baljinder.

According to the sources, the police today summoned Saru, a local model, who is allegedly said to be involved in an extra martial affair along with Noor. Saru today joined the investigation and claimed that she was not involved in the conspiracy. “I have no links with Baljinder or with Noor.”

The relatives of Anuradha, including her brother Harish and sister Rekha, met senior police officials today and requested them to punish whosoever was involved in the murder.

Noor, a well-known city based model, whose driving licence has been seized from the other flat, which is in the name of Hummat Singh, is said to be one of the factors that made Baljinder kill his wife.

Baljinder was regularly in touch with Noor and her sister Bulbul, even after the murder. The call details of the accused have highlighted the involvement of Baljinder Singh in the killing of Anuradha and Sunil.