Chandigarh, July 7
The UT education department has issued a show-cause notice to around 15 government school principals for “lack of interest”, resulting in a poor show in the class X/XII board examinations.

Taking cognizance of the steep decline in pass percentage of some renowned Model Schools, the department has demanded explanation why disciplinary proceedings should not be initiated against the principals.

“From the perusal of your result it has been found that the pass percentage of your school has declined compared to the previous year. It appears that you as well as the teaching staff of your institution did not take interest in studies,” read the notice issued on June 26.

“This is unjustified. They are using our pass percentage as a parameter to judge our interest and dedication towards the welfare of students. If you see the overall board result of the region, the pass percentage has dipped and so there is a decline in our percentage also. The entire year, I kept asking for a science teacher, but the department paid no heed and now they blame me?” a principal remarked.

While DPI (S) Sunil Bhatia could not be contacted, District Education Officer Chanchal Singh said: “A principal is accountable for the school’s performance. It’s not about merit having gone down, but the decrease in the number of candidates who have passed, which has perturbed us. This year, many non-model schools have done very well and that is due to dedicated principals and teaching staff. Students’ performance is our priority and we will not tolerate any callous attitude in this regard. We have given them 10 days to explain the reason and if they fail to justify themselves, we will take necessary measures.”

Chandigarh, July 7
Despite approval by the Senate regarding 5 per cent freeships for poor students from the new academic session, a majority of the departments are ignorant of any such order.

At the peak of admission season in the university, office staff in various departments is clueless about the freeships and does not know how to guide students to apply for these.

The Senate had passed the resolution at a meeting on April 4, but department chairpersons either claim to have simply “heard” about it or have read about it in newspapers. Department staff and chairpersons of most departments, including philosophy and political science, said no official notification had been received yet.

The PU has already extended the deadline for submission of admission forms in various departments offering MA courses for reserved categories like visually disabled till July 12. But it is uncertain, how poor students can seek admission under the “special” privileged category. During a debate at the last Senate meeting, it was announced that additional seats would be created in all departments for the deserving, economically weak students and 5 per cent freeships would be awarded.

“The chairpersons of various departments would be duly informed through a circular about the decision of the Senate on freeships for poor students,” Sudhir Kumar, Director Public Relations, stated.

Chandigarh, July 7
Hundreds of stranded passengers at the Chandigarh railway station got some relief as train services from city to Delhi and Kochivilli in Kerala were restored today.

Waterlogged tracks had affected the running of trains on the Ambala-Delhi, Ambala-Chandigarh and Ambala-Rajpura sections.

Station superintendent of Chandigarh railway station DK Meena said Kalka-Chandigarh-Delhi Shatabdi Express (2006) departed from here at 8.40 am instead of 6.53 am while Jan Shatabdi (2058), which was to depart at 7.33 am, left at 9.15 am.

Chandigarh-Kerala Sampark Kranti (2654) left at 2.45 pm instead of 9 am as rainwater was being pumped out at the Ambala Cantt station.

Dibrugarh-Chandigarh train (5903) arrived over 12 hours late. Railway sources said Chandigarh-Lucknow Sadbhavna Express, Chandigarh-Allahabad Unchahar, Chandigarh- Jodhpur and Paschim Express trains had been cancelled for today.

GM Singh, senior divisional railway manager, Ambala division, talking to The Tribune on phone, said he had instructed the railway’s technical staff and other senior officials to be present in the field to supervise the dewatering operations along the tracks in Ambala.

Himgiri Express, Sealdah Express, Hemkunt-Howrah Express and Jan Seva-Katihar Express (on the Ambala-Saharanpur route) had been restored this afternoon, he said. At least 20 trains had been cancelled and 34 trains were “short-terminated” and returned to the nearest railway station.

Chandigarh, July 7
The police today lathicharged members of the Chandigarh Industrial Area Joint Action Committee who were protesting on the Chandigarh-Ambala highway here today. Several protesters were injured.

While protesters claim that over 30 persons sustained injuries, DSP (South) Vijay Kumar claimed that five of them were injured and taken to hospital, from where they were later discharged. “We have arrested seven protesters under Sections 107 and 151 of the Criminal Procedure Code,” he stated.

Trouble began when the industrialists tried to block the highway and disrupted traffic. Police officials led by the SHO of the Industrial Area police station, Inspector Dilsher Singh Chandel, tried to restrain them, but they did not relent. At this, the police used force.

However, a committee leader, Sanjeev Sagar, claimed that the agitators were lathicharged with any provocation. The committee is protesting against the “discriminatory policies” of the Chandigarh Administration and seeking rehabilitation for “uprooted” industrialist tenants from the Industrial Area.

Later, the police rounded up some protesters and took them to the Sector 31 police station. The others then went to the police station and protested there. A delegation of traders also went to the police headquarters in Sector 9 to lodge a complaint against police action with the UT SP (Traffic/Security), HS Doon.

Doon said he had marked an inquiry into the matter.

Chandigarh, July 7
Poor and hapless women from Punjab are reportedly being pushed into prostitution by a well-organised gang of pimps in the city. These women are supplied to men’s bashes under the garb of bar girls and also to tourists in hotels.

The police said the pimps brought these girls on contract basis for a week or a month from their Punjab-based counterparts. The girls are kept at various places in Zirakpur.

A police officer said three women hailing from Ludhiana and Moga, who were arrested here last night under the Immoral Trafficking Act along with two Mansa-based pimps, told investigators that around 150 pimps, including women, were operating from Chandigarh, Mohali and Zirakpur.

One of the arrested women is a 27-year-old divorcee from Ludhiana.

Mahima (name changed) told investigators that they were offered more money than what they were getting in Punjab. They chose to come to Chandigarh and other adjoining areas to evade detection in their cities.

The SHO of the Sector 26 police station, Inspector Shri Parkash, said the women were given Rs 5,000 each for a week by their pimps identified as Ajay Kumar Aggarwal and Ramesh Aggarwal, both residents of Mansa, who supplied them in kitty parties in the city and adjoining areas.

Mahima told the police that she was taken to Shimla twice and was supplied to hotels. The pimps in their districts initially hired them for dance in orchestras at marriage parties. “Since it’s off- season, they are being supplied for prostitution in kitty parties and hotels to tourists,” a police officer stated.

Both the other women were married and had children. They said they joined the profession to support their poor families. They had initially claimed that they were forced into the profession.

“We will verify their antecedents from their area police station to find out if they were involved in any criminal case. A local court has sent them to judicial custody till July 21,” the SHO said.

Ajay Kumar Aggarwal said he worked as a driver in Zirakpur before coming in contact with pimps. He claimed that they gave Rs 2,000 to each women on a daily basis even if they did not get any “work”.

DSP (East) Jaswant Singh Khaira said the racket was busted last night following a tip-off. A decoy customer struck a deal for Rs 18,000 for three girls with Ramesh Aggarwal and Ajay Aggarwal, who promised to supply the girls in Sector 7. The duo was caught on the spot with the girls and a case was registered.

Chandigarh, July 7
With the onset of the monsoon, cases of snakebite have begun to surface at government hospitals, including the PGI and the GMCH.

According to doctors handling snakebite cases at government hospitals, at least two or three cases are coming every day.

They said 10 cases had been reported at the GMCH in the past one week, taking the total number of such cases this year to 33. Five or six cases were reported at the PGI in the past two days.

Doctors at the PGI said over 50 severe cases of snakebite were being reported at the PGI annually, with a majority of those from lower Shivalik hills, Himachal Pradesh and neighbouring areas of Haryana and Punjab.

Talking to the Chandigarh Tribune, Dr Ram Singh, Deputy Medical Superintendent and professor with the medicine department, said most of the victims were poor.

He said during the monsoon, people who walked barefoot in the fields and farms were prone to snakebite as the reptiles came out of their flooded pits.

Expressing concern at the lack of awareness among such victims, he said instead of seeking proper medical attention, they relied on quacks among snake charmers, leading to chances of complications.

“Tourniquets and cutting or sucking of the wound are ineffective and dangerous. Tourniquets carry a significant medical risk and have been shown to be ineffective. Tying limbs cannot stop the flow of venom in blood vessels, but rather, causes more damage. The best way is to rush the victim to hospital,” he stated.

“Do not kill the snake. If killed, take it to the hospital carefully and show it to the doctor. It can be important in research and treatment,” he added.

Chandigarh, July 7
It is a classic example of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing, and vice versa. For a single agenda item of making the city woman-friendly, the municipal corporation (MC) convened two parallel meetings.

One was chaired by Mayor Anu Chatrath and other was organised by members of the women empowerment committee of the MC with officials of the Chandigarh Administration and the police department.

Surprisingly, both panellists were clueless about the agenda and schedule of the meeting with officials. Of the 10 councillors, no woman was present at the meeting which the Mayor called at her office.

On the other hand, nine members of the women empowerment committee went to meet UT Inspector-General of Police (IGP) PK Srivastava to discuss problems being faced by women in city.

Sabotaging this move, Chatrath convened a special meeting with HS Doon, Superintendent of Police (Traffic), Samwartak Singh, Director, Social Welfare, Chandigarh Administration, and representatives of various NGOs on issues concerning women and girls.

The agenda of both meeting was on the need to strengthen and revamp woman desks at all police stations, to create an all-women police station in Chandigarh, to ensure greater involvement of senior citizens in the community policing scheme and to increase the visibility of the crimes against women cell.

Clueless about the meeting conducted by the Mayor, Dr Pam Rajput said members of the women empowerment committee decided last week to meet the IGP to discuss the problems girls and women were facing in the city and suggest action to be taken to make the city woman-friendly.

Expressing surprise, Chatrath said she was not aware about any such meeting between woman councillors and the IGP. She said the committee members might have different issues to discuss with the police.

A few woman councillors, on the condition of anonymity, said this showed how serious woman councillors were on solving problems related to girls.

Chandigarh, July 7
The Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) continues to sit over the housing schemes floated by it in the recent years. Announced with much fanfare, most of these schemes have hardly moved any further after that.

The Sector-63 housing scheme was marred by controversy at the time of its launch in 2008, when the Punjab government staked claim over a chunk of land adjoining Mohali. Then there were problems with the UT architecture department, that reportedly objected to the layout plan and faulty design of flats under various categories.

The faults included giving more coverage of the floor area ratio for constructing more flats than required, leaving less space between different blocks and the absence of a greenbelt. Several openings on the V-3 road were another irritant as only one opening was allowed under rules.

Due to the objections raised by the department, the CHB was forced to revise the layout plan. In the backdrop of the land dispute with Punjab, the CHB was apparently forced to increase the number of floors to six (ground floor plus five) instead of four, as advertised.

The Sector-52 special housing scheme for UT employees was challenged in the Punjab and Haryana High Court by a certain section of employees of institutions, including the Panjab University and the PGI, followed by many other employees’ associations.

The orders were pronounced recently, but the draw of lots for 2,200 flats was yet to take place. The special housing scheme, which was announced in 2008 for UT employees, was to come up at Sectors 56 and 52. More than 7,000 employees had applied for 2200 houses under the scheme.

The Sector-49 housing scheme was completed after a delay of almost two years and the possession of flats was handed over only recently.

Chandigarh, July 7
The municipal corporation is set to install at least four musical fountains in the city on the pattern of the one installed at the Terrace Garden in Sector 33 decades ago.

While one of these were inaugurated by the Mayor, Anu Chatrath, on Saturday, the others will come up at Sectors 15, 21 and 17. It is also being planned that at least one fountain is installed at each park in a sector.

Chief engineer SS Bida said work on the musical fountain at Floral Garden was already going on and the fountain would be double the size of the one at Sector 30.

Tenders for the fountain at Sector 17 worth Rs 3 crore had already been received. The estimate of Rs 34 lakh for the fountain at Nehru Park had been approved, he added.

Chandigarh, July 7
Contrary to apprehensions that a section of Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) faculty will stay away from the 47th Foundation Day celebrations today, despite the association withdrawing its boycott call, attendance of the members was near absolute and the function passed off without any disruption.

The PGI authorities, which were left red faced during the visit of Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad last year when some senior doctors stopped him outside the director's office and insisted on airing their grievances, were apprehensive of a repeat show by a section of the faculty members who were ostensibly unhappy with the association's climb down on the issue.

The association had withdrawn its boycott call after PGI director KK Talwar assured that their demands would be met by the first week of August.

Union Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur, who was the chief guest at the function, lauded the PGI for providing quality healthcare to the people of the region.

“Quality healthcare is what is required today," she said, adding that though a lot had been done in the field of healthcare in the country, much more was needed.

In his keynote address, Dr T Ramasami, secretary to the government of India, Department of Science and Technology, said, “There has to be manifold increase in quantity and quality of research in the country. With the gap increasing between metros and rural areas, the emphasis has to be on easy access to healthcare and increase in the number of doctors, where they are required the most”.

Prof KK Talwar, director, appraised the gathering on the recent achievements of the institute. New Stem Cell research facilities and clinical pharmacology unit for phase-1 trial had been established.

Chandigarh, July 7
The Chandigarh Administration is bent upon prolonging the agony of GPA holders in cooperative group housing societies. Over two months after the Administration seeking legal opinion on the alleged faux pas in interpreting an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the transfer of flats, GPA holders continue to await the authorities’ decision.

Despite repeated representations to senior functionaries of the Administration, the fate of the legal opinion from the Legal Remembrancer is unknown, bringing the ‘pro-people image of the Administration under a cloud.

As a last-ditch effort to seek the authorities’ attention towards GPA holders’ plight, the Chandigarh Social Welfare Council today shot off representations to Union Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources Minister Pawan Bansal and Adviser to the UT Administrator Pradip Mehra.

The Administration had put the GPA transfer policy of March 2, 2009, on hold, citing a high court judgement. The court had stated, “The Administrator will not take any policy decision which, inter alia, includes the transfer of membership in favour of another person or to extend the area of operation of the society”.

Several organisations had contended that the word Administrator referred to the administrator appointed for the plaintiff, the Indian Express Cooperative Group Housing. On the other hand, the word was misinterpreted as the UT Administrator by UT officials, banning all GPA transfers.

In the representation, the council claimed that the error in the interpretation of the word ‘Administrator’ occurred at the level of the UT finance department, which directed the Joint Registrar, Cooperative Societies, to direct all democratically elected managements of cooperative societies engaged in the transfer of flats or portions to the names on GPA holders to keep the policy on hold.

Urging the minister and the Adviser to intervene in the matter to seek legal opinion immediately, the representation hoped that an early decision on the issue would make the transfer policy hassle-free.

Chandigarh, July 7
As many as 700 saplings of ornamental and medicinal species were planted during a special drive at 12 Wing here in which a large number of officers, air warrior and their family members participated.

The saplings are non-fruit bearing plants, which will make the environment green and pleasant without inviting birds that pose safety hazard in and around airfields.

Air Cmdr Rajeev Sachdeva, Air Officer Commanding, 12 Wing, and Neeta Sachdeva, president, Air Force Wives Welfare Association (local), inaugurated the drive by planting saplings in the station’s domestic area.

Air Cmde Sachdeva said 2,000 saplings would be planted during the drive, in which children would also participate on weekends.

He added that the IAF’s focus was flight safety and plant species were selected accordingly.

Among the saplings planted today were of bougainvillaea, gulmohar, morpankhi, bottle brush in the ornamental category and bel, neem and amla in the medicinal category.

Panchkula, July 7
A major fire broke out in the Sector 8 branch of the State Bank of Patiala during the wee hours of this morning.

The security guard of the bank, Kuldeep Singh, said the fire broke out at 4.30 am and he immediately informed the fire brigade and the senior officers of the bank. He said three fire tenders from Sector 5 fire station were pressed into service, which reached the spot within fifteen minutes. The firemen were able to douse the fire in about one-and-a-half hour, he added.

The management of the bank, including officiating AGM Kala Singh and DGM PC Setia, also arrived on the scene and supervised the operations.

According to senior officials, this is the main branch (Scale 5) of the bank and looked after the treasury transactions of the Haryana government. The bank also has the currency chest of the Reserve Bank of India.

Kala Singh said the server room was completely damaged in the fire. He said the fire started due to short-circuit in the server room in the basement where the records, furniture and computers were completely damaged in the fire. He added that the UPS systems, including batteries, were also damaged in the fire. He further said the fire also spread on the ground floor and damaged the furniture and important documents.

DGM Setia said that he had visited the site in the morning and added that they were yet to assess the loss suffered by the bank.

Kala Singh said the steel gates at the entrance of the strong room had blocked the fire spreading further into the main locker room. He said even though the manual record was completely damaged in the fire, they had been able to save the main hard disc containing the whole record of the bank.

He said the day-to-day business of the branch was shifted to the Sectors 4, 6, 12 and other branches in the city and the staff of this branch operated from there only. He said it would take a day or two to resume the normal business and were guiding their customers to operate from other branches.

Panchkula, July 7
Landslides at various places on the trekking route from Tikkar Tal to Morni were reported in view of the heavy rains that lashed the region for the last three days.

The debris was yet to be removed by the authorities concerned on the 7-km route. The trees were also uprooted at various places as earth caved in. The residents in the area also had to face problems as they could not use this route, which shortens the total distance by about 2 km from Morni to Tikkar Tal. The forest officials also use this route to douse the fire in the forest areas. Many rivulets passing in the areas were also overflowing, creating problems for the people to reach their destinations.

Zirakpur, July 7
Even after 24 hours since the rain has stopped, many colonies of Zirakpur, Baltana and surrounding areas were submerged with rainwater and were facing major problem of waterlogging.

The residential colonies, including Harkrishna Enclave, Saini Vihar, Phase III, Vikas Nagar, Baltana furniture market, Choice Link Road, Bharat Enclave, Wadhawa Nagar, Swastik Vihar, Ravindra Enclave and others were the worst hit.

A visit to the area revealed that the link road from Baltana to Choice Resort was still flooded with rainwater. The condition of internal roads is also bad and the roads have developed potholes.

Sanjeev Sharma, a resident of Harkrishna Enclave, stated that the rainwater had entered his house and damaged the flooring. He said the local administration should be prepared to deal with such situations.

The MC president stated that the council has decided to lay down the drainage system on priority basis.

Meanwhile, SDM, Dera Bassi, Puneet Goyal had asked the Zirakpur Municipal Council to remove the illegal encroachments over the rivulet in Baltana, Zirakpur to control the water flow.

Mohali, July 7
The level of a footpath is being raised by the department of public health to stop rainwater from entering houses in a pocket of Phase III-B2 here.

The work started on Monday after water had entered a number of houses in the area when heavy rain had lashed the town on Sunday.

Ravinder Bansal, a resident, said the level of a footpath was being raised to stop rainwater coming from the side of Matour village from entering a pocket of Phase III-B2. He said he was not very hopeful that such an effort would give any relief to residents during heavy rains. He added that the department had laid a new line on the intervention of the Punjab and Haryana High Court at a cost of Rs 2.63 crore, which had failed to give much relief to the residents of the adversely affected pocket.

He said water entered houses every year whenever there was a heavy rain, but this year residents were expecting some relief after a line was laid by the department concerned. However, to their disappointment, they again had to flush out rainwater from their houses even this year.

Executive engineer HS Dhami, however, said the new line did function and rainwater got drained away after some time. He said a siphon was being made now which was a part of the earlier project. As a 36 inches pipeline came in the way of a 48 inches line, a siphon had to be made again.

Chandigarh, July 7
Motorists at a Sector-26 petrol station were in for a rude shock yesterday morning when their vehicles stalled soon after refuelling. It was later found that rainwater had seeped into the underground tanks, stalling the engines of vehicles.

Harried motorists alleged that they had barely moved out of Capital Motor Stores, Sector 26, after a refuel when their vehicles came to a grinding halt. On examination, they found water instead of petrol in the water tanks.

The staff at the filling station offered to refund the payment and clean the tanks and filters of the vehicles free of cost. Ninderjit Singh, owner of the filling station, said all motorists were compensated for the loss.

“We also cleaned the fuel tanks of vehicles of those motorists who agreed to get it done from us. The matter has been amicably resolved,” he said.

Gurbant Singh, a resident of Phase II, Mohali, said he refuelled his Hyundai Santro car (PB65D-9064) with 10 litres of petrol but later found out that eight out of 10 litres was water.

Darua resident Tirath Singh had a similar tale, as his Maruti Zen car (CH01Y-0750) failed to move after he had refuelled his car with petrol worth Rs 400 at the station.

Sohan Singh, a resident of Sector 15, Panchkula, and Amit Rana, a motorcyclist from Dhanas, alleged that they faced similar trouble after the refuel. Some consumers rang up the police, which reached the scene.

Chandigarh, July 7
The second week of July will be the peak interview and counselling season on the Panjab University campus and students have already started thronging various departments to enquire about the dates of counselling.

In the department of physics, the counselling and interview for admission to MTech-I Nanoscience and Nanotechnology will be held on July 10 at 10.30 am in the committee room of the department.

The department officials have notified that all those who have applied and qualified the OCET are required to appear at the designated time and venue.

The counselling and interview for admission to MSc-1 Medical Physics will be held on July 13 at 11 am in the office of the coordinator, MSc (medical physics), department of physics.

The officials have notified that those who have applied and obtained first class in BSc and have studied physics as an elective subject during all three years of BSc programme are required to appear at the venue.

Students are required to carry all certificates in original for verification, said the coordinator, MSc (medical physics), department of physics.

At the newly opened centre for stem cell and tissue engineering, the test and counselling schedule for the candidates seeking admission to MSc-I Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering will be held in the biotechnology branch, University Institute of Engineering and Technology (UIET), Sector 25, as per the following schedule: The admission test will be conducted on July 13 at 9.30 am at the UIET and the merit list will be displayed on July 13 at 3 pm at biotechnology, UIET. The counselling will be held on July 14 at 12 noon.

For University Institute of Applied Management Sciences (UIAMS), PU, has created 5 per cent additional seats for Backward Class candidates at the UIAMS. Department co-ordinator PK Sharma said candidates who had applied for admission to MBA (sectoral) management programmes at the UIAMS and belong to Backward Class category could submit their Backward Class certificate by July 12 to claim admission under Backward Class category.

In the department of anthropology, the interviews for admission to MSc-I (Hons. School) Anthropology will be held on July 12 at 10 am in the department of anthropology.

In the department of pubic administration, the interviews for admission to MA-Ist semester (Public Administration) for 2010-11 will be held on July 9 at 10 am on the department premises in Arts Block No. III, PU campus.

In the department of biotechnology, the interviews for admission to MSc-I (Hons. School) Biotechnology for candidates who have qualified the OCET-2010 in biotechnology conducted by the PU and have submitted admission forms will be held on July 14 at 10 am on the department premises.

The interviews for admission to MSc-I Microbial Biotechnology for candidates who have qualified the OCET-2010 in microbial biotechnology and have submitted admission forms will be held on July 14 at 2.30 pm on the department premises.

The department officials have advised candidates to bring all certificates and testimonials in original at the time of the interview.

In the department of mathematics, the interviews for admission to MSc-I (Hons. School) Mathematics for candidates who have qualified the OCET-2010 in mathematics conducted by Panjab University and have submitted admission forms for 2010-11 (all categories except NRI) will be held on July 13 at 10 am in mathematics auditorium.

Chandigarh, July 7
All commerce students who scored below 60 per cent marks in class XII examination returned disappointed on the third and final day of centralised counselling on Panjab University campus today.

The university was conducting the counselling for admission to BCom course offered by various city colleges affiliated with the university.

The cut-off (including different weightages) in the last college of preference was 79.2 per cent in the UT general pool.

“Students with only first division managed to grab seats in city colleges and the cut-off was high this year,” said Karamjeet Singh, coordinator of centralised counselling.

On the third day of counselling, all seats under the general as well as the reserved categories were filled. The order of filling of seats in city colleges, including the last ranks accepted in these colleges was also released.

Chandigarh, July 7
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, Postgraduate Government College for Girls, Sector 11, has introduced a new undergraduate add-on course on disaster management.

Keeping in view the increased demand for the subject at international level, the college has started the course, which is open to students of all courses and will serve as a value addition to their respective qualifications.

“If you analyse the current scenario, many NGOs and UN-funded organisations have been set up to deal with disasters. These organisations offer a wide variety of job profiles and good salaries. The main requisite for the job is certification in disaster management. This course will open these avenues to students and also be a value addition to courses like social work,” claimed Shyam Sunder, officiating principal, GCG, Sector 11.

According to authorities, the college will incorporate internships as an essential part of curriculum and the examination will be held along with the annual examination.

According to Ajoy Sharma, director, higher education, the course has been started on pilot basis and may develop as a full-fledged Bachelor’s course if the response is encouraging.

“We are trying to strengthen and update the concept of add-on courses in colleges just to make existing education more vocational. Disaster management is one of the popular avenues these days. We will analyse the response and if all goes well, it will be instituted as a full-fledged course in all government colleges,” he said.

Chandigarh, July 7
The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has directed the Home Secretary, the director, public instructions, and principal, Government College for Girls, Sector 42, to consider the applicants who were lecturers on contract for regular appointment instead of fresh applicants.

Providing applicants, Meeta Kaushik and Parveen Kumar, interim relief, the tribunal held: “If the applicants apply in pursuance of advertisement that appeared for the post of lecturer, the respondents are directed to allow them to undergo selection process to be made on contract basis.”

The applicants had sought for permission to be granted to continue till regular selections were made.

The applicants stated in the petition that they were already working as lecturers on contract in Government College for Girls, Sector 42, and were eligible for being appointed as lectures under UGC norms and they were appointed by the respondents keeping in view their qualifications.

The applicants alleged that the respondents had devised a novel way to exploit applicants by naming them as contract lecturers to work till the end of session 2009-2010.

The effort is to deprive them of the salary for holidays. The appointment was required to be made time and again.

The applicants sought for directions to be issued to the respondent allowing them to continue as contract lecturers in their subject till any regular appointments were made.

It was also mentioned that the Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary had issued letters to all principals of Government Colleges in Haryana wherein it was mentioned that guest teachers working in colleges were allowed to continue till they were relieved on receipt of recommendations from the Haryana Public Service Commission for regular appointment.

Mohali, July 7
There is a need to bridge the gap between students of Asian and western countries and this can primarily be done through mutual collaborations between educational institutes, said Robert Mc Clellond of Plymouth University, New Hampshire, UK, who visited Sahibzada Ajit Singh Institute of IT & Research (SASIIT&R), here today.

He said his university was looking forward to collaborate with the SASIIT&R according to which the students of the SASIIT&R would be trained by the faculty of Plymouth University on the institute campus to make them well versed in the international standards and methods of learning.

He inspected the various facilities being provided by the institute here.

Dr JS Dhaliwal, chairman, SAS Group, said the collaboration would especially be beneficial to students of IT and the business management.

The SASIIT&R had already signed an memorandum of understanding with Waiariki Institute of Technology, New Zealand, and Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, New Zealand, for higher education.

Chandigarh, July 7
Dr T Ramasami, secretary, department of science and technology, Government of India, laid the foundation stone of “Institute of Emerging Areas in Science and Technology, Block I, Bio-Technological Sciences” on PU south campus, Sector 25, here today.

Addressing faculty members and administrative officials, Ramasami underlined the fact that the PU was among the three top universities in India in terms of excellence of scientific research.

Ramasami characterised PU Vice-Chancellor RC Sobti as a gifted scholar-administrator.

“Going by the rapid development and excellence achieved in higher research at Panjab University, its credit goes to its V-C for this infrastructure and academic transformation. Professor Sobti would succeed further in getting more funds, grants and laurels to this university,” he added.

Sobti, in his welcome address, announced that four new blocks, equipped with student-friendly facilities, would soon come up on the south campus to house the departments of biophysics, biotechnology, nano-technology, and other allied areas. A new boys’ hostel and an international students’ hostel was in the pipeline. The present Block I, which is still under construction, would house the University Institute of Applied Management Sciences to begin with (UIAMS). — TNS