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Guns out, battle lines drawn
However, as far the issues are concerned, none of the alliances had anything fresh to offer this year, with the same old issue of Central status to the university, improvements at the student centre, insurance scheme for students being repeated by most student outfits in their campaigns. Following the pattern of last few years, not only did the manifestoes lack uniqueness, even the election fervour was far less this year. Deserted tents of parties, even till date, were a common site. Still, what continued to remain a feature similar to the last year’s election was the sacrifice of classes made for the campaigning even this year by students. “The student outfits have nothing planned systematically this year. At the last minute, major outfits had been changing their candidates,” Sunil Thakur of the ABVP said. Even the combinations of the alliances have changed this year with the SOPU-INSO, PUSU and the SOI- ABVP forming the three main panels in these elections. In contrast, the major alliances of last year were SOPU-ABVP, PUSU-HSA- NSUI and SOI-INSO. Meanwhile, the Dean, Students Welfare (DSW), has released the names of the final candidates today. Among those contesting the elections five candidates are contesting for the post of president, including Amit Bhatia, Arshbir Singh Johal, Aswathy Rajan, Atin Sharma and Varun Malik. Neha Chanana, Meenu Gupta, Atin Sharma, Shelly Khurana and Virender are contesting for the vice-president’s post. Kunal Kumar, Balwinder Singh Negi, Deepika Thakur, Atin Sharma, Mrigakshi, Tenzin Negi and Vineet K Kalara, are contesting for the post of general secretary. For the final names in the panel, the Panjab University Students Union (PUSU) remained indecisive of its vice-presidential candidate till the last moment and finally Neha Chanana’s name was declared.
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Bid to marry off minor girl, seven held
Chandigarh, September 2 Residents of Dadu Majra Colony informed the police, which foiled a bid to marry off a minor girl at around 3 pm. It was also alleged that the girl was sold off for money. However, the police is yet to verify the allegations. Both the parties gathered at Maa Durga Temple in Dadu Majra Colony at around 3 pm. The bridegroom, Ganesh (25), his mother Naresh Devi, sister Seema and mother of victim Seeta, victim’s aunts Amrita, Nirmala and pandit Mohan Lal were arrested from the temple. The complainant, Ujaggar Singh, said: “More than 50 persons gathered at the temple and they were about to marry off the minor. When, we tried to stop them, they tried to assault us.” In charge of the Maloya police post said: “The girl and her mother came here to meet her uncle, Anil Sharma, yesterday as the girl was ready to marry Ganesh.” He said the father of the girl had not come to the city and was still in Bihar. The SHO of Sector 39 police station said: “We have lodged a complaint against seven persons under Section 10 and 11 of the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act.”
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PGI doc hangs himself to death
Chandigarh, September 2 A security guard of the hostel said the death came to light at around 6 pm when other inmates of the hostel noticed foul smell emanating from the room, which was locked from inside. The police opened the room and found the body hanging with the ceiling fan. The body was shifted to the mortuary. Pardeep’s parents, residents of Sector 10, Panchkula, reached the PGI after hearing the news. Rattan Chand, father of the deceased, said: “I called Pardeep yesterday evening and there was no negative sign from his voice. I am shocked and can’t even read the suicide note.” Meanwhile, the police has initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
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UT to have police establishment boards
New Delhi, September 2 This is in light of the directives on police reforms by the Supreme Court in Prakash Singh and others vs the Union of India. There will be a State Security Commission and two separate Police Establishment Boards will also be set up. One will be for the ranks of inspectors and above and the other for sub-inspectors and below. The boards will decide all transfers, postings, promotions and all service related matters. Chandigarh will also have a police complaints authority. To accord two-year tenure to key police functionaries will be mandatory. Any transfer done before completion of tenure will be done under exceptional circumstances/administrative exigencies, which will be recorded in writing. The MHA has told the Chandigarh Police to separate cops into two streams. One to maintain law and order and the other to investigate crimes. These directives will apply to all Union Territories, Union Home Minister told reporters here last night. These were largely part of the police reforms suggested by the Supreme Court.
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Chargesheet committed to sessions court
Next hearing on September 16 Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 2 A local court had recently handed over the copy of the chargesheet to all the three accused in the case. The police had submitted the chargesheet in this case on August 13 against all the four accused, including Bhupinder Singh, Jamuna Kumar, Kamla and Maya. The police has slapped Section 376 (g) (gangrape) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC against the accused. Charges of rape were framed against Bhupinder Singh and Jammna Dass and for abetting rape against Maya and Kamla. The case came to light after the victim tested positive for pregnancy on May 16. Subsequently, an FIR was lodged by the staff of Ashreya, following which the main accused, Bhupinder Singh, was arrested. Investigations later got embroiled in rigmarole between the authorities of Nari Niketan and Ashreya on the issue of where the alleged crime had taken place. The girl was shifted from Nari Niketan to Ashreya on March 13, the back count of days from the detection of pregnancy had created the confusion. The matter subsequently reached the High Court after the UT authorities decided to seek approval for the medical termination pregnancy of the victim. A special investigation team was formed with directions to keep the court informed about the developments in the case, that led to the arrest of three more accused, Jamuna Kumar, Maya and Kamla.
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Bonanza for UT pensioners
Chandigarh, September 2 In pursuance of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notification, the UT administration, while adopting the Punjab pattern, has declared that the maximum limit of retirement-cum-death gratuity has now be raised from Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. This benefit would be extended to those UT pensioners who had retired on or after January 1, 1986.
A UT official confirmed that these revised provisions for pension and family pension are being implemented as per the recommendations of the Fifth Punjab Pay Commission regarding pension and other retirement benefits. “It would also apply to those UT employees who retire or die on or after January 1, 2006, the retrospective date for the implementation of the Sixth Central Pay Commission. In cases where the pensions, family pensions or gratuity has already been sanctioned, the same will be revised in terms of these orders,” he said. The official also specified that in cases where pension has already been sanctioned on the pre-revised orders and if it happens to be more beneficial than the pension becoming due under these orders, the already sanctioned pension would not be disturbed to the disadvantage of the pensioner. The pension will continue to be 50 per cent of the basic pay in addition to non-performing assets and continue to be calculated on the basis of the last pay drawn or 10 months average, whichever is beneficial to the employees, but subject to a minimum of Rs 3,500 per month from January 1, 2006. The pension benefit will be given only to those employees who have put in at least 10 years of service, but he or she will continue to be entitled to service gratuity in terms of Rule 6.16 of the Punjab Civil Services Rules. Decision on the payment of arrears of pension from January 1, 2006, to July 31, 2009, will be taken in due course and enhanced pension in cash will be paid from August 1, 2009.
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Online shopping: Fraud and security concerns
Anil Maheshwari The e-commerce, particularly the online shopping, is registering phenomenal growth world over, but given the lack of ability to inspect merchandise before purchase, online consumers seem to be at higher risk of fraud than a consumer in a physical store. Merchants also risk fraudulent purchases using stolen credit cards or fraudulent repudiation of the online purchase. With a warehouse instead of a retail storefront, merchants face less risk from physical theft. Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption has generally solved the problem of credit card numbers being intercepted in transit between the consumer and the merchant. Identity theft is still a concern for consumers when hackers break into a merchant's web site and steal names, addresses and credit card numbers. Computer security has thus become a major concern for merchants and e-commerce service providers, who deploy countermeasures such as firewells and anti-virus software to protect their networks. Phishing is another danger, where consumers are fooled into thinking they are dealing with a reputable retailer, while they have actually been manipulated into feeding private information to a system operated by a malicious party. Denial of service attacks are a minor risk for merchants, as are server and network outages. Quality seals can be placed on the Shop web page if it has undergone an independent assessment and meets all requirements of the company issuing the seal. The purpose of these seals is to increase the confidence of the online shoppers; the existence of many different seals, or seals unfamiliar to consumers, may foil this effort to a certain extent. A number of resources offer advice on how consumers can protect themselves when using online retailer services. These include: l Sticking with known stores, or attempting to find independent consumer reviews of their experiences; also ensuring that there is comprehensive contact information on the website before using the service, and noting if the retailer has enrolled in industry oversight programs such as trust mark or trust seal. l Before buying from a new company, evaluate the website by considering issues such as: the professionalism and user-friendliness of the site; whether or not the company lists a telephone number and/or street address along with e-contact information; whether a fair and reasonable refund and return policy is clearly stated; and whether there are hidden price inflators, such as excessive shipping and handling charges. l Ensuring that the retailer has an acceptable privacy policy posted. For example note if the retailer does not explicitly state that it will not share private information with others without consent. l Ensuring that the vendor address is protected with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) when entering credit card information. If it does the address on the credit card information entry screen will start with "HTTPS". l Using strong passwords, without personal information. Another option is a "pass phrase," which might be something along the lines: "I shop 4 good a buy!!" These are difficult to hack, and provides a variety of upper, lower, and special characters and could be site specific and easy to remember. Another difficult area to deal with in online shopping is the delivery of the products. Most companies offer shipping insurance in case the product is lost or damaged; however, if the buyer opts not to purchase insurance on their products, they are generally out of luck. Some shipping companies will offer refunds or compensation for the damage, but it is up to their discretion if this will happen. It is important to realise that once the product leaves the hands of the seller, they have no responsibility (provided the product is what the buyer ordered and is in the specified condition). Privacy of personal information is also a significant issue for some consumers. Different legal jurisdictions have different laws concerning consumer privacy, and different levels of enforcement. Many consumers wish to avoid spam and telemarketing which could result from supplying contact information to an online merchant. In response, many merchants promise not to use consumer information for these purposes, or provide a mechanism to opt-out of such contacts. Brick-and-mortar stores also collect consumer information. Some ask for address and phone number at checkout, though consumers may refuse to provide it. Many larger stores use the address information encoded on consumers' credit cards (often without their knowledge) to add them to a catalog mailing list. This information is obviously not accessible to the merchant when paying in cash. The writer is an editor with Instablogs.com (anilm@instablogs.com)
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Connections matter in plum postings
Chandigarh, September 2 The UT's last-ditch effort to retain Dr Bains could also have an effect on the “overstaying” 82 doctors from Punjab on deputation in Chandigarh. “If Dr Bains is retained, why should we be repatriated to our parent state?” questioned a doctor on deputation with the UT administration. The UT's efforts to retain Dr Bains could snowball into a major controversy between the Chandigarh administration and the Punjab government, with Punjab Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla taking up the matter with UT Administrator SF Rodrigues on July 16. However, one-and-a-half months after the Chawla-Rodrigues one-to-one meeting, nothing seems to have happened to repatriate Dr Bains. This was despite the Punjab government having already sent a panel of three doctors for the post of the DHS. UT sources claimed that the decision to give one-year extension to Dr Bains had been communicated to the Punjab government and the no-objection certificate in this regard was awaited. However, that hardly makes sense in the backdrop of the government sending a panel for the post. While certain “blue-eyed” officials enjoy extended tenures in the city, other deserving officials hardly get a chance to serve the UT leading to heartburning among the officials. Earlier, the administrator had “strongly recommended” the extension of the Deputy Commissioner, RK Rao, which was turned down by the Central government. However, later Rao was given three months extension till October 29. Last year, the UT had desperately tried to retain the then Home Secretary Krishna Mohan, with the administration repeatedly taking up the matter with the Central government. This was in sharp contrast to the “unceremonious” exit of former CITCO managing director JS Bir from the city. The alleged lobbying for the plum posting by various aspirants and UT top functionaries tacit support to them raised many eyebrows at that time. Being the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, posting in the city is considered to be a privilege by several officials. Bureaucrats in the city call the shots with political class, “virtually” powerless in the city. By virtue of their posting in the city, the bureaucrats can “oblige” their political masters and seniors of their home states and pave the way for their prospects in their parent states.
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Parents not to file complaint against KV
A Correspondent
Chandigarh, September 2 After the boys went missing, the school staff concerned narrated the events to media and the police as having allegedly caught one of the boys with a girl classmate in a toilet of the school. The other, they alleged, was standing guard outside the toilet, which is usually used by teachers. However, speaking to The Tribune, the boys today had a different story to tell. According to them, the security guard called upon by the class IV employees had locked them from outside, following some suspicion. “He (the other boy) was standing outside styling his hair. By chance, he missed the girl entering the bathroom. I hadn’t locked it from inside because I thought no one would enter with the entire floor being empty after school hours. The moment she entered I asked her to go out. Meanwhile, the sweepers came and called the guard who locked the door from outside,” said one of the boys, narrating the incident. “The guard threatened us saying, ‘ab dekho, kal kya hota hai tumhare saath’ (wait and watch what happens with you now). All of them said we were characterless and would be given TCs the very next day. They said our parents would be ashamed of us and we would end up selling “chai” at stalls,” said the other boy. On the other hand, school principal Samarjeet Kaur maintains that no one from the staff said anything to the boys and that there was no question of any action. She said, “Facts will be dealt with. We will be speaking to both the boys and the girl separately. The class IV employees who ‘caught’ the boys and the teachers who were informed will also be questioned.” She added that, “The boys were not scared. But it was the feeling of guilt that made them run away.” However, even today, when The Tribune team visited the school premises, the class IV employees stuck to their side of the story. Last night, when the boys were secured from Sector 29 market, even the police officials had stated that the recorded statements did not spill out the truth. “Something did happen. They (the boys) are not admitting to everything honestly,” said SHO Yashpal yesterday. The parents on the other hand, who now just want things to come back to normal, said the boys would start attending school from tomorrow. They, however, are disappointed with the shoddy investigations by the police. “Children were right here in Sector 29. We traced them. They (the police) projected an image in front of everyone as if they secured them. But in the end, what matters is our children are back,” says the mother of one the children.
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Parking contractors violate MC terms
Chandigarh, September 2 Sources in the corporation conceded that several complaints had been registered against the contractors, but the corporation failed to take any action. The corporation did not want the contractors to quit the contract and leave the parking lot unmanaged. Officials said they held a meeting with the contractors in this concern. During the meeting the contractors were asked to follow the terms and conditions of the parking contract. Due to inappropriate parking facilities, vehicle owners are facing the wrath of the traffic police, who has started booking them for wrong parking. There were a number of instances where vehicle owners had been booked by the traffic police for parking their vehicles at a place where the contractors had asked them to park, said a vehicle owner. This is happening despite the fact that the parking of two and four wheelers has been segregated. The contractor feels that they own the space alloted to them by the corporation and it does not matter if scooters are parked in the area earmarked for cars. As per the parking norms there should be at least one parking staff member available at a distance of 50 feet, but a visit to various parking areas depicted that there were no employees deployed at such a distance in the parking area. Meanwhile, underground parking still remained unpopular among the vehicle owners, sources in the corporation said. According to the norms of the corporation, the contractors can be imposed fine for violating the terms and conditions, including over charging from vehicle owners, less manpower, under age staff, excess vehicles, staff without uniform and haphazard parking. Joint commissioner TPS Phoolka said they were taking stringent action against the violators and formulating a policy to make routine checking of the main parking areas in the city. A parking contractor of Sector 8 said when the corporation awarded them contracts, desired areas were alloted to private parties. Marking in the parking lot should be according to the wishes of the contractor not the corporation, he added. The corporation’s move of charging extra money at the exit point in parking lot is being opposed by the contractors. The contractors said in case if a vehicle was stolen from parking lot, owner without a parking ticket would not be able to demand any claim for the loss of the vehicle. Meanwhile, Sector 24 market association president Rakesh criticised the corporation for earmarking land in the market to develop parking area. The plan was approved of two years ago and the work had yet to be started on the land. “As educational institutes are mushrooming in the area, parking has become a major problem during the evening hours. We have appealed to Mayor Kamlesh and area councillors Surinder S Jagota, but our efforts have failed to fructified,” Rakesh added.
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Rodrigues inspects work on prefab structures
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 2 The Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) was assigned the task of setting up of 326 prefab structures to rehabilitate rag pickers. Till date, physical possession of 60 prefabricated structures has already being given on a nominal rent of Rs 600 per month each for prefab shelter. Accompanied by Jean Rodrigues and senior officers of the Chandigarh administration and the CHB, the administrator inspected the work on prefabricated structures to rehabilitate the rag pickers in an area of around 4 acres. Chairman of the CHB Mohanjeet Singh said the estimated cost of this prefab shelter was Rs 1.2 lakh with a size of 16 feet by 10 feet. The cost is inclusive of infrastructural services cost on account of water supply, sewerage, street lighting and horticulture development works. After listening to the problems of the rehabilitated families of rag pickers, Rodrigues asked the CHB chairman, the Deputy Commissioner and the Director, Social Welfare, to set up a cell manned by responsible staff to monitor the facilities on regular basis and coordinate with the department concerned to find appropriate solution.
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Employees union holds rally
Mohali, September 2
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Councillors withdraw support to Babla
Chandigarh, September 2 Several nominated
councillors, including those of the BSP, issued press statements withdrawing their support on the ground that as the matter of Babla regarding the fraud in allotment of sheds in market committee is
sub-judice, they would not like to comment upon it. Even the nominated councillors issued a statement in which all of them had withdrawn their support on the Babla issue claiming that the matter was subjudiced and it should not be discussed in the House. When contacted nominated councillor MPS
Chawla, he stated that he stood up in the House due to pressure from nominated councillors who wanted to support Babla on this issue. He said as the issue was not related to the House or corporation all nominated councillors had decided to back out. While nominated councillor Dr AP Sanwaria on query about why he had supported on the issue on Monday, accepted his mistake in supporting Babla in the House.
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‘Dillogical Day’ celebrated
Mohali, September 2 Navjeet Bansal of MBA was declared as Mr Dillogical and Manreet Kaur of BTech was declared as Ms Dillogical by a panel of judges.
— TNS
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Chidambaram assesses facilities at CFSL
Chandigarh, September 2 The minister interacted with the scientists and sought suggestions for the improvement of functioning of the institute. Terming the visit as “internal”, official sources said the minister was informed about the CFSL functioning and its future plans by its director Dr SK Shukla and others. It was Chidambaram’s first visit to the CFSL after taking over as the Home Minister. Earlier, the minister was received by senior officials of the Chandigarh administration, including adviser to the UT administrator Pradip Mehra, home secretary Ram Niwas and finance secretary Sanjay Kumar at the airport.
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Hindi version of ‘Joy of Mental Health’ released
Chandigarh, September 2 Dr Wig, former adviser, Mental Health, World Health Organisation, and founder-head, Department of Psychiatry, PGI, Chandigarh, said mental health was an invaluable asset and the book dealt with how to have and save this asset for meaningful and joyful living. The book was released by Dr Virender Mehndiratta, former head, Department of Hindi, Panjab University. Dr Maithali Bhardwaj, who has translated the book into Hindi from English, said the book informed as well as inspired living life with a zest. Dr Vinay, a psychiatrist from Patna, said Dr Wig’s book stressed on the significance of love and non-violence for the sake of mental health. Dr Mehndiratta said by 2020 depression would be the second biggest killer after heart ailments.
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EPF body member felicitated
Chandigarh, September 2 Members of the Employees’ Provident Fund Staff Union, Regional Office, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar and HP region gathered outside the office of the Regional Provident Fund Commissioner to congratulate him. Addressing the rally, Sharma said the win was the result of the unstinted support of the local unions as Chandigarh was one of the smallest regions in country. Councillors Devinder Babla and Anu Chatrath were
also present.
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Another tests positive for H1N1
Chandigarh, September 2 The 30-year-old patient who reported positive today is a resident of Sector 32. “His samples were collected at the PGI and after receiving the report, he has been quarantined at his residence along with his family members,” said HC
Gera, UT nodal officer for swine flu. Also, the H1N1 virus may now be circulating locally as all new confirmed cases did not have any history of visiting any of the affected cities or coming in contact with people returning from those places. Five patients who have been reported positive in the past one week did not have any travel history. Meanwhile, three more suspected cases of swine flu were reported at the PGI today. All samples have been sent to the PGI lab for swine flu, said
Gera.
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Welfare society takes charge of petrol station
Chandigarh, September 2 The Indian Oil Corporation, Chandigarh, offered the retail outlet to the Chandigarh Police Welfare Fund Society. The outlet will be run by the society, which will arrange the staff and workers through outsourcing. During the inaugural function, UT IGP SK Jain, DIG (Headquarters) Mahabir Singh and SSP SS Srivastva were present. The police said the profit earned from the petrol pump would be utilised to give loans for education of children and marriage of the wards of the police personnel.
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Gram Nyayalay Act to be effective from Oct 2
Chandigarh, September 2 Available information suggests the Government of India examined the issue as to whether the Act may be brought into force in all the states to which it extends on a common date. The 2008 Act was passed by the Parliament on January 7 and paves way for the appointment of nyayadhikaris. Special care has been taken to give adequate representation to women and members of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe, while making the appointments. The decision to implement the Act was communicated to the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s Division Bench of Chief Justice Tirath Singh Thakur and Justice Kanwaljit Singh Ahluwalia during the hearing of a public interest litigation.
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Tully underlines role of radio
Chandigarh, September 2 Currently working as a radio broadcaster, he initiated the session by educating students about radio. “Good radio makes listening attractive, draws better pictures in the mind of listeners and develops intimacy with listeners.” he said. “India has a democratic constitution but not a constitution that functions in a balanced way and thus comes the role of media as a watchdog ,” he added. — TNS
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Workshop for info commissioners
Chandigarh, September 2
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Stolen jewellery recovered
Mohali, September 2 According to the police, Chotte Lal, worked in an industrial unit in the Phase IX industrial area, whose owner, Rajiv Arora, had complained of theft of gold and diamond jewellery worth Rs 4 lakh yesterday. The police had laid a naka near Anand Lamps and saw a person coming from the side of Kambali village. After seeing the police, Chotte Lal tried to panic but was soon overpowered. The stolen jewellery was recovered from him.
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Lyngdoh guidelines flouted
Throwing the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines, which limit expenditure per party to Rs 20,000 (Rs 5,000 per candidate), to the winds, the collective expenditure from all parties reaches a whopping Rs 30 to 40 lakh during the Student Council elections. If one assumes no alliances, then five leading outfits contest elections with four candidates each for the post of president, vice-president, general secretary and joint secretary. The collective expenditure per outfit should not exceed Rs 1 lakh under the Lyngdoh guidelines. Currently, with pockets full, major student bodies spend as much as Rs 6 to 7 lakh on campaigning. It means, with around five to six leading outfits in the university, an estimated Rs 30 to 40 lakh goes down the drain contesting elections.
“With petrol Rs 45 per litre, just even 100 litres of fuel pushes the budget out of the limit set by the Lyngdoh committee guidelines. It’s not feasible to contest in Rs 5,000 and secure visibility on the campus,” comments a SOPU members when asked about the practicality of the set limit. Even though printed material is banned during elections, one can spot stickers, posters and flags all around the campus these days. On an average, miscellaneous expenses per candidate in one party include those for around 200 handwritten posters, 10,000 pamphlets and painted banners. All of this translates to at least Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 per candidate, depending upon the power to spend. So, for four candidates, the sum reaches close to Rs 1 lakh. Add to this other expenses like petrol for at least 15 to 20 cars per day, exorbitant cell phone charges, food charges (three times a day), refreshments, election camp tent and chairs rent and the figure touches a sum of Rs 3 to 4 lakh. Favours, including arranging trips, rallies in expensive cars, organising dinners, parties in hostels, booze and cigarettes also add up to the amount further. However, there are other outfits that claim that Rs 5,000 per candidate is an ideal amount. ABVP coordinators said: “Car rallies and printed material are not allowed under the guidelines. These two, along with other favours, contribute to huge budgets. But yes, the expenditure jumps the limit in most cases.” Another INSO leader added: “It’s ridiculous that when we are formally asked to file expenses, everyone files an exact sum of Rs 5,000. Everyone knows that the expenses jump four to five times even with smaller outfits.”
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Candidates! Look does matter
Chandigarh, September 2 Couple the “ethnic” look with confidence, charming persona and “election power”, you have an ideal candidate for ogling. “Bulging biceps with rolled-up kurta sleeves, aviators, expensive cars and bikes set a ‘classy style statement’. I think what’s more attracting is the feel of power with these candidates,” says Rimmi, a former student, elaborating on what is it that some girls just go mad about. Roopika, a PU student, said: “Just imagine the perks that girlfriends of these candidates and members of the council will enjoy.” Preeti from girls’ hostel says: “Barinder Singh Dhillon has a leader-like persona. He has a charming aura and SOPU candidate stands nowhere near him. During rallies, it was Barinder that girls turned up to see outside hostels.” A group of girls from pharmacy department at the Student Centre had varied views about INSO’s Deepika Thakur. “She doesn’t look like someone who can be a leader. And really, she doesn’t have the best dressing sense around. She spoke oodles about women front the other day and now following an alliance, she has agreed to contest for general secretary,” said a girl. Akshdeep, another PU student, on the other hand, said: “I think she is a good-looking girl with brains. She looks like an ideal candidate to me.” However there are others, who have a different explanation for such attitudes among students. “The entire package matters. It’s not that we do not look into what the manifesto is. Of course it matters. But everyone wants a leader who looks like one as well. It’s important to have that quality in the candidate. After all, the president will be the face of students at the university,” adds Alok, an ABVP supporter.
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Unions out to Net voters
Chandigarh, September 2 To impress upon voters, student unions are switching gears and turning net-savvy. Blogs, social networking sites like Orkut, Facebook, electronic mails, besides SMSes are the in-thing now. “We are the first ones to start a blog on our party activities (www.insoindia.blogspot.com <http://www.insoindia.blogspot.com/>) and it has attracted huge response from students. Students from various departments have been responding to our manifesto and sharing their day-to-day problems on the blog,” avers Deepika Thakur, INSO campus president contesting for the post of general secretary. “Moreover we continuously update our party profile on other social networking sites like Facebook and Orkut, which has helped us stay connected with students,” adds Deepika. “We have started sending e-mails to students urging them to come forward and be a part of the change our party stands for. We have our party profile on Orkut and Facebook, too, which our press managers regularly update. We also send out thousands of SMSes to students,” says Amit Bhatia presidential candidate SOPU. “Our party community’s membership has risen to 700 in the past few days. In these elections, we are actively using Internet options to increase our base amongst students by keeping in touch with them via emails and SMSes. During the elections, the membership of our party profile on Orkut has increased from 180 to 700,” shares Arshbir Singh Johal, presidential candidate, PUSU. “Just before the elections were announced, we initiated to contact students through the Internet. Our web portal has offered us a platform to make our achievements public. Students have been continuously interacting with us via this medium,” says Kunal Kumar General Secretary, ABVP. The university has around 10,000 registered voters.
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Campaigning lacked steam this year
Chandigarh, September 2 Lack of fervour clearly marred the campaigning for the Panjab University Campus Students’ Council (PUCSC) this year. With just one day left for the election day now, the unions were busy touring departments in the university today to impress students, though the strength of “campaigning groups” appeared much smaller as compared to last year. “We covered almost all departments in the university today. Though the elections lacked steam this year, we have put in our best efforts,” said PUSU presidential candidate Arshbir Singh Johal. “We have been canvassing right from 8 am. Door-to-door campaign is in swing,” said an ABVP leader. Even the difference in the strength of car rallies was clearly visible this year. While some blame it on Lyngdoh committee’s guidelines, others just shirk it off as lack of planning by unions. Also, going beyond what is visible on the surface, students who have spent more than eight years in the university, speak their mind on how the “real issues” have been neglected over the years. “Having witnessed nine such elections in past years, I have realised that the lack of fervour is also because student leaders do not fulfil their promises and consequently students lose faith in them,” said Ruchi, a PhD student, who has done LLB and LLM from PU.
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Same issues yet no consensus
Neha Miglani Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 2 “Contesting election even when agendas and manifestoes are same seems pointless. We are putting in our best effort to make different factions agree to a common name so that it benefits the college, students and academia,” said dean (student welfare) SPS Sidhu. “The only issue being highlighted by various outfits is the extension of library timings for students. We are ready to cooperate with the council and are open to agreement on issues raised by them,” said Dr Vermani, a senior lecturer. The Student Organisation of India (SOI) entered into an alliance with INSO and fielded a common candidate, Vikas Raathee, for the post of president, while both sides agreed that chairman Shatanu shall enjoy a share in decision-making process along with the president. However, ABVP members canvassed along with the SOI in the college, which was a clear result of the alliance of the two parties in Panjab University, today. “We entered into an alliance with INSO and SAP today and are confident of winning the elections,” said Buland Singh, spokesperson for the SOI in DAV College. Meanwhile, the fate of an earlier alliance of the ABVP, the HSA and HIMSU is still hanging in the balance. Sources claimed that the Haryana Student’s Association (HSA) could forge an alliance with SOPU in the future.
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From Schools & Colleges
Chandigarh, September 2 The Daniels’ organised the event under the aegis of Punjab Engineering College. Averal along with a co-student, Ashwini, also won first prize in quiz competition. Two other students of the school, Pretisha and Anjali Sarkar of class IX, bagged second prize in dance competition. Lecture Zila Sainik Welfare Office, UT administration, in association with a local NGO, Yuvsatta, organised a lecture on career options in Indian Army at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 33D. Lieut-Col RK Singh, Zila Sainik Welfare Officer, was the main speaker who apprised students of the opportunities offered by the profession in addition to the lifestyle offered by the defence services. Trophy awarded Sacred Heart School, Sector 26, was awarded the Overall Performance Trophy on National Sports Day here. DPI (schools) Samvartak Singh presented the trophy to principal Sister Sebastina. Six schoolchildren who excelled in fencing, handball and shooting at national level were also felicitated. Group song contest MRA Senior Secondary School, Sector 27 A, bagged first prize in the state-level National Group Song Competition Punjab (east). In all, 24 teams from various schools participated in the competition, wherein Megha, Sakshi, Disha, Pratibha, Anchal, Manpreet, Vasundra and Twinkle were the members of winning team. Fresher’s party The department of commerce, Government College for Girls, Sec-42, organised a fresher’s party today. Principal Dr Nindru Bal inaugurated the function and exhorted students to work hard to achieve their goals. Nistha was declared Miss Fresher, while Tarunaas finished first runner-up and Mahima second runner-up. Camp Swami Vivekanand Group of Institutes organised the 6th blood donation camp on its campus today. Over 250 units of blood was donated during the camp by staff and students of BTech, BPharmacy and Management studies. A team of doctors headed by Col (Dr) Shah from the Rotary Club of Chandigarh and Rotary Blood Resource Centre, Sector 36, monitored the camp.
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Education board to print text books
Mohali, September 2 Addressing a press conference here today, chairman of the board, Dr Dalbir Singh Dhillon said the significant decision had been taken by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at a meeting of the high-powered committee. He assured that all care would be taken to publish good-quality textbooks for the 2010-11 academic session, which would be distributed well before the admission time. Dhillon discussed measures that could be taken to streamline the printing and distribution of textbooks with senior officials of the board. Depot managers had been directed to take certificates in connection with the number of books received and the quality of books. Efforts would be made that no sub-standard books were supplied by the board, but in case any student came across a book of poor quality, he could approach the board to get that replaced. He said the printing of textbooks had got delayed earlier because the approval to purchase paper for printing work was given later. Senior board officials were questioned and later suspended for non-performance of duty to monitor publication of good quality textbooks. Dhillon said by getting books printed, the board could earn a revenue of about Rs 20 crore, with which it could run its affairs as it was not getting any financial aid from the government.
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St Soldier’s
students bring laurels
Mohali, September 2 ‘Eating Outside Day’
Tiny-tots of Gian Jyoti Global School, Phase II, Mohali, visited KFC in Chandigarh to mark the celebrations of “Eating Outside Day”. The students of the kindergarten enjoyed various snacks there and were amused to see the chick in colourful costumes, who gave them gifts.
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PU second counselling for BEd
Chandigarh, September 2 While the counselling for the general pool will be held on the first day, that for the UT pool will be held on
September 8. Further details can be checked on www.puchd.ac.in
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Chandigarh, September 2
