Chandigarh, September 20
A CBI team today questioned eight foreign students of PEC University of Technology who had still not submitted their passports to college officials as required. The students, who are from Canada and Nepal, secured admission in the college under the DASA (Direct Admission of Students Abroad) scheme.

The scrutiny, which lasted for nearly three hours, was conducted at the college’s administrative block and the students, who are enrolled in the second, third and fourth years of the PEC course, were later told to produce their passports in original at the earliest.

The students, who were visibly upset after the questioning was over, said it was a “nightmarish experience” for their credentials to be doubted. Some of them claimed they were not able to produce their passports due to the recently ended session examinations.

“We’ve given time to the students to submit their ID documents. If they have any genuine reasons for being unable to do so till now they will be heard. All cases will be examined individually and on merit,” said CBI DIG Mahesh Agarwal.

“We’ve been dreading the prospect of coming under scrutiny ever since we got to know about some first-year students being booked by the CBI,” said a student on condition of anonymity. Another student, who is from Canada, remarked: “I’ve nothing to worry about since ID documents have not been forged.

Due to time constraints I wasn’t able to submit them to college officials”.

In addition to the students, the CBI also called certain college faculty members including Ashwini Prashar and Shiv Narayan for their inputs on the matter.

When questioned the PEC teachers refused to comment on the issue. It was during the tenure of Narayan as dean (academics) that PEC introduced the DASA scheme. Inputs of the PEC director’s office and the present dean (academics), Sanjeev Sofat, were also sought today.

Reacting to the panic among students, especially those enrolled under the DASA scheme, a senior administrative functionary of the institute today said, “The maximum support that we can give to students is to give them ample time. We are giving them sufficient time so that they have no excuse.” PEC officials also admitted to having been asked by the CBI team not to share details of the case with any one,” said an official.

Chandigarh, September 20
The green belt in Sector 48, which was inaugurated just five months ago, has now become a bane of residents with stagnant water in the park making for a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.

The park remains engulfed by stench and thousands of plants planted after spending lakhs of rupees have been damaged due to a faulty sewerage.

Also, the 3.5-acre park was not properly levelled before plantation of grass, causing inconvenience to joggers.

Even 3,500-ft-long paved track for walking has been damaged. To add to the disarray, a majority of flowerbeds are full of congress grass or dead plants.

Besides garbage, one can find cow dung on the track and even on green patches.

Even the work on high-mast lights allotted to a contractor at the cost of Rs 35 lakh has not yet been completed.

Due to the non-availability of lights, very few people visit the park in the evening hours. Consequently, herders use the park to graze their cattle.

Gardeners show their helplessness in maintaining the park, as they have not been provided with proper equipment.

In the absence of a regular gardener, four gardeners perform their duties on rotation and as and when required.

Claiming that the park was inaugurated by Adviser to UT Administrator Pradip Mehra even when the work on it had not been completed, residents said the authorities were keen on inaugurating projects without monitoring their upkeep.

Chandigarh, September 20
Adding a new twist to the ongoing controversy surrounding the suspension of BC Josan from the post of DAV College principal, the UT administration has quashed the orders of DAV management.

DAV students protest against the management on Monday. Tribune photo: Pradeep Tewari

In a letter shot to the management, Education Secretary Ram Niwas has termed the decision, taken by the governing body, unjustified and invalid, as it was taken in the absence of a UT representative. According to sources, the management has been asked to hold a meeting in the presence of a representative and put forth an “evidence” against Josan.

“Such a decision, which affects normal functioning of the college, cannot be taken by the body alone. As per norm, the Education Secretary has written to them and their reaction is expected by tomorrow. They had invited me for the meeting, but the invitation came in the afternoon, thus it was impossible for me to attend the meeting. They should have given a mandatory notice of at least 10 days before scheduling the meeting. The urgency and haste involved in the decision is unjustified,” said Director Higher Education Ajoy Sharma. The management officials though denied having received a letter so far.

An official said, “As per PU calendar, a UT representative is not required at the governing body meeting. We will still consider all aspects, but there is no chance of taking a U turn.”

Meanwhile, a handful of students continued their “symbolic” protest against Josan’s suspension. While the principal claimed that they were college students, the management alleged that they were outsiders. New principal Shashi Gupta has so far maintained a low profile.

Chandigarh, September 20
DAV-10 principal Dr BC Josan’s petition against the orders, placing his services under suspension, could not make any headway today.

The petition was placed before Justice Surya Kant of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

But Justice Kant referred back the petition to be placed before the appropriate Bench. The petition will now come up for hearing before “appropriate” Bench tomorrow.

In the petition against the UT administration and the DAV management, Josan alleged that the orders placing his services under suspension were illegal. The allegations against him were baseless and cannot be sustained in the eyes of the law.

Dr Josan had earlier refused to accept the suspension order and had announced his decision to approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court against his suspension.

The management, too, had filed a caveat in the High Court.

He had claimed that the suspension decision by the DAV Management Committee was totally unjustified. Since his transfer case was already pending in the High Court, the matter was subjudice and the committee could not place his services under suspension. Josan was suspended by the management after a meeting in New Delhi on September 15.

Chandigarh, September 20
Checking ground realities in the Chandigarh Police, the new SSP Naunihal Singh found several SHOs missing from duty last night.

Making a late-night check on his staff in the wake of the Australian team landing in the city, Bhartiya Kisan Union rally today and the shoot-out in Delhi, the SSP went out for a routine check in the city. He called SHOs and chowki heads to a particular spot near Panjab University.

It is reliably learnt that the missing force was attending the marriage party of son of a senior official at a place beyond Panchkula. When the SSP made a call, a majority of the offenders lied that they were busy in the field.

The SSP is learnt to have asked them to come to a particular spot near Panjab University immediately.

The missing squad is learnt to have rushed to the spot. However, they came from the expected route and were stopped on the way.

The entire group was asked to see the SSP in his office today. Sitting in the SSP office since early morning, the SHOs were made to cool their heels by the SSP till 7 p.m.

When contacted, the SSP confirmed the incident and said he would be able to comment on the matter only after going through the details.

Chandigarh, September 20
Pawan Bansal, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources, has expressed his displeasure at the attitude of the Chandigarh administration regarding the resumption of transfer policy for general power of attorney (GPA) holders in cooperative group housing societies.

“The delay in issuance of a fresh order on the GPA transfer is unfortunate and its is adversely affecting the interest of thousands of flat purchasers in group housing societies,” the minister told Chandigarh Tribune on the sidelines of a party function here yesterday.

Around two months ago, the legal remembrancer (LR) had clarified on a faux pas committed by the finance department, which had put the March 2, 2009 GPA transfer policy on hold following misinterpretation of an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The finance department’s “misinterpretation” of the word “administrator” used by the High Court in a case relating to the Indian Express Society UT Administrator had led to the suspension of the GPA transfer policy, putting thousands of persons to harassment.

Sources close to Bansal claimed that the minister had taken a serious view of the “anti-people” attitude of the administration.

“It was with a lot of efforts by the Congress, particularly Bansal, that the administration had come out with the transfer policy. The Congress will take up the matter at the highest level so that the GPA transfer policy was resumed and people were provide relief,” Pardeep Chabbra, media coordinator for Bansal, said.

Meanwhile, Finance Secretary Sanjay Kumar claimed that his department issued the “necessary clarification” and it was for the cooperative department to issue an order.

Home-cum-Cooperation Secretary Ram Niwas promised to check the finance department’s order on September 21 and issue the necessary order.

Following repeated representations from social organisations, the administration had come out with the GPA transfer policy on March 2, 2009, ahead of the May-13 Lok Sabha elections in the backdrop of pressure mounted by various parties.

In fact, Bansal had showcased it as a major achievement of the Congress in the run-up to the campaign for the Lok Sabha poll.

Chandigarh, September 20
The Chandigarh Municipal Corporation Horticulture Worker Union staged a protest against Chief Auditor RS Kang’s attitude towards employees here today.

Complaining that Kang had been holding the post for the past 14 years, whereas as per the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) guidelines no official could stay on same post for over three years.

The employees demanded his reversion to his parent state.

Besides, the members demanded release of work chart of regular employees with eight, 16 and 32 years of experience, filling of vacant posts and ban on appointment on daily wage employees. 

Chandigarh, September 20
After dilly-dallying for months over holding the draw of lots for the special housing scheme for UT employees in Sector 52, the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) officials are now hinting at pre-Diwali bonanza for thousands of employees who have applied for a house.

Talking to the TNS, board chairman Mohanjit Singh said: “ We will hold the draw of lots before this Diwali for sure.”

This is a much-needed breather for thousands of employees belonging to various departments of the administration who have been waiting for the draw of lots.

The board had drawn flak over giving a raw deal to public in its recent housing schemes, including the Sector-63 scheme, which is yet to take off, and the Sector-49 scheme, wherein allottees have been given possession of houses after a delay of around one and half years. The board did not even spare the employees of the UT administration after it failed to hold the draw of lots even after two and half years of announcing the scheme.

The scheme that was announced in 2008 for UT employees was to come up in Sectors 56 and 52. Over 7,000 employees had applied for around 2,200 houses. However, the scheme ran into rough weather after certain employees moved the HC over eligibility. The court pronounced its orders earlier this year.

While the draw of lots is awaited, thousands of employees are getting the interest amount deducted from their salaries every month towards the loans taken for the scheme.

Many senior IAS, HCS and PCS, judicial officers and other employees from various departments of the administration have applied for the scheme, which is a bargain-of-sorts to prospective allottees for its reasonable prices and ample covered area as against other general housing schemes.

Mohali, September 20
The Defence Accounts Pensioners Welfare Association has urged the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) to improve the state of sanitation in Sectors 66 to 69.

SK Manchanda and Bachitar Singh, residents of Sector 66, said that when the sanitation work was allotted in April this year to a Jaipur-based NGO, Centre for Development Communication, the company was asked to clean these sectors twice a week. According to the earlier contract given in 2007, the sweeping was done seven days a week.

They said that the practice adopted now by GMADA was contrary to the provisions of the “Operational Manual for Solid Waste Management and Handling”. And as such sweeping of roads and streets should be done daily.

They urged the Mohali Deputy Commissioner and CA, GMADA, to look into the matter and get the needful done. 

Chandigarh, September 20
With a view to tackling the parking problem, the Chandigarh administration has mooted a proposal for the construction of a Rs 16-crore underground parking at the Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT) at Sector 43 here.

This was informed by the Chief Engineer to Home Secretary Ram Niwas during an inspection at the ISBT-43 today.

The estimates for the underground parking had been prepared by the engineering department and now required Government of India’s approval, the Chief Engineer said.

The Home Secretary asked the transport director to submit the proposal for seeking government’s approval.

The construction of the parking was required as around 500 cars and 2,000 two-wheelers remained parked at the bus station on any given day, leaving little space for more vehicles, especially during weekends.

Meanwhile, Ram Niwas reviewed the work on the laying of cement concrete flooring at the bus station at a cost of Rs 4.8 crore.

The Chief Engineer said the first part of the concrete flooring would be completed by January-end, while the remaining part of the work would be completed by September, 2011 and tender for the work had already been allotted to the contractor.

The Home Secretary also inspected the ticket counters and found that tiles had peeled off at many places. He directed the Chief Engineer to remove the defects at the counters and also in the flooring within a month.

The Home Secretary also inspected the toilets and directed the Chief Engineer to rectify the leakage and repair electrical installations.

He later inspected eateries, canteen and cafeteria and ordered the destruction of certain food items that were lying exposed.

Chandigarh, September 20
The war of words between the Congress and the BJP over the induction of councillor of the municipal corporation of Chandigarh Jatinder into Congress hot up today, with former Mayor and Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal’s media coordinator Pardeep Chhabra demanding the resignation of the two councillors of the BSP who had joined the BJP along with Dhawan recently.

This comes a day after senior BJP leader Harmohan Dhawan demanded Bhatia’s resignation, as he had won on ticket of the Chandigarh Vikas Manch (CVM).

Since two BJP councillors had also won on the CVM ticket, Dhawan had no locus standi in asking for the resignation of Bhatia.

“If the two BJP councillors resign and re-contest the election, we will also ask Bhatia to resign and fight the elections again,” Chabbra added. — TNS

Chandigarh, September 20
Prof Sayed Abdul Rehman Geelani from the University of Delhi spoke firmly against the attitude of the Government of India in dealing with the issues of all states, including Jammu and Kashmir.

He was speaking at a convention held at Deshmesh Hall in Sector 49 here today.

The convention was organised by the Panjab Students’ Union on the theme “Democratic and Human Rights Violation in Kashmir and tribal regions”.

Giving examples from Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chattisgarh and Punjab, he said the government had not addressed issues of the public at large.

He stated that ruling parties and those who had visited the region have not given any categorical statement on the condition of Kashmir.

He added that the Union government treated Jammu and Kashmir like a colony.

He went on to say that the Jammu and Kashmir issue must be recognised and then the government should take action.

He said the government had been keeping things under wraps from the citizens of the country.

He also commented on the budget of the Indian Army and about a majority of it being spent in the valley.

Chandigarh, September 20
Aiming for free and common education and equal opportunities for all, delegates of socialist fronts from 13 states from across the country have announced to revive the Socialist Party of Jai Prakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia.

The delegates, after attending a three-day conference at Parshuram Bhawan in Sector 37, here, have called an ad hoc meeting of their members in Mumbai and after that thhhey will constitute the party in Hydrabad in April next year.

The representatives from these states, including Rajinder Sachar, former Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Panna Lal Surana, convener, All-India Socialist Party, Balwant Khera, National president of the Socialist Party, and Shyam Sundar Pasrija, general secretary of the Socialist Front of the northern region, said they would start a “Satyagrah” from November 28 to December 6 in the country.

Terming the Commonwealth Games as a sheer wastage of money and resources, Panna Lal Surana said they would oppose the Games and stage a protest at Jantar Mantar at Delhi on September 30.

“The games are nothing but the ghost of the British imperialism. A huge amount is being spent on these games while depriving many sportsmen in the country from poor backgrounds their right to excel in life in the wake of poor sports infrastructure. With the judicious use of such a huge amount, crores of sportsmen could be created in the country ” Surana asserted.

Explaining the need of a socialist movement in India, Sachar said the country was entangled in various problems, including unemployment, privatisation and internal colonialism. He said the government should chalk out ways to tackle unrest in J&K instead of firing at the mobs.

They also demanded that the government should make changes in land acquisition policy.

Chandigarh, September 20
Patients and their attendants in the emergency ward of Government Medical College & Hospital, Sector 32, had to go through a nightmare today morning with doctors in the surgery wing nowhere in sight for well over an hour from about 1 am.

A patient who was drenched in blood lay unattended in a corner when this reporter reached the spot. The paramedical staff refused to answer any queries and did not even bother to use his cellphone to talk to the hospital’s director principal, Dr Raj Bahadur.

Patients injured in road accidents could be seen lying unattended on trolleys with not even a single doctor around. A paramedical staffer was taking a nap in his chair while two of his colleagues were busy gossiping. The entire staff appeared oblivious of a patient from Sector 46 lying unattended near them for more than half an hour. Another accident victim with his clothes bloodstained could be seen attached to a drip.

When this reporter asked the paramedical staffers where the doctors were, they replied: “We don’t know”. However, they were considerate enough to guide him to the office of the emergency medical officer, who had also left his room.

Attendants accompanying Gopal Singh Bisht, a Sector 45 resident, were grumbling over the “careless attitude” of the doctors. “We’ve been running around the hospital for the past minutes but there’s no doctor in sight and no one to offer guidance. I’m regretting we came here - we should have gone to a privately run hospital”, one of the attendants said.

Unable to trace the doctors, the reporter called up Dr Bahadur at about 1:45 am and told him about the situation in the emergency ward. After about 15 minutes as many as four doctors appeared on scene, with one of them saying, “We’re sorry - we had taken a short break to have our dinner”.

Panchkula, September 20
The youth wing of Indian National Lok Dal and Indian National Student Organisation (INSO) today burnt the effigy of Haryana Home Minister Gopal Kanda near Majri Chowk in Sector 2 here today.

The agitators, who had earlier gathered near the mini secretariat at 10 am, raised slogans against the state government and the Home Minister. They said Kanda’s name had figured in the sex scandal. They said Kanda should resign till he comes out clean.

State president of INSO Vikas Rathi alleged that all proofs were against the Home Minister, but the state government continued to shield him. He said that their party would not tolerate this and would be forced to launch an agitation throughout the state, if Kanda was not removed from the post.

District president of INSO Bhag Singh Damdama, youth president (rural) Hardeep Mehta, Rajat Panjeta, Davender Sharma, Ramesh Madhna, Gurvinder Singh, Youth president (urban) Vinita Gupta, general secretary Raju Mouli, Ravinder Bittu and Raju Wajidpur were also present.

Mohali, September 20
The Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) has sent a proposal to the Municipal Council asking the civic body to make Mohali a solar city under a scheme of the Central government.

The proposal will be discussed at the general house meeting of the civic body scheduled to be held here on September 23.

The funds under the scheme will be provided by the Central government. Cities like Ludhiana and Amritsar had already been selected under the scheme and a sum of Rs 50 lakh will be spent on making each city solar. PEDA has proposed to make Mohali a solar city along with Chandigarh and Panchkula.

A solar city cell will be set up under the scheme comprising officials of the civic body, senior administrative officers and engineers. The cell will take care of the planning and implementation aspects. A solar city stakeholder committee will also be constituted to help the solar cell. The committee will have municipal councillors, local research and academic institutes, resident welfare associations, industries and cooperative organisations, NGOs and state nodal agency as stakeholders. The committee will prepare a sector-wise master plan in accordance with the guidelines of the Central government to work out the energy demand and supply for 10 years. The committee will also look into the availability of funds from private and public organisations.

Workshops, training programmes, business meets and camps will be organised to create awareness about the solar scheme among the public. The master plan will be sent to the Central government for clearance after which approval will be given along with funds. 

Zirakpur, September 20
In violation of the direction issued by the District Magistrate, Mohali, vehicles continue to be parked outside marriage palaces on the highways causing traffic chaos.

Talking to The Tribune District Magistrate Parveen Kumar said he would talk to the Mohali SSP regarding the violation and action would be taken against the violators soon. Meanwhile, Mohali SSP GS Bhullar stated that he would ask the local police in charge to register more cases against the violators.

On August 21, Kumar had issued directions to all marriage palace owners and organisers to park vehicles in the parking areas. There should be parking lots for visitors and it should be seen that the vehicles are not parked on the footpath along the highway.

More than 15 marriage palaces are located on the highway and in the residential areas of the town. A survey of the area revealed that most of the marriage palaces situated on the highways in Zirkapur violated parking norms.

However, the local police has just registered one case against a valet parking services. Pawan Kumar, a resident of Lohgarh village, said the local administration should declare the areas outside the marriage palaces as tow-away zone where parking the vehicles was prohibited.

A police official stated that the marriage-palace owners were least bothered while booking for any function. The owners should organise functions according to their parking facilities and also arrange proper parking facility during the heavy marriage season, the police official added.

A marriage palace owner on the condition of anonymity said most of the palaces were having good parking spaces, but the situation got worse when it was a VIP’s wedding. “We have asked the security guards and valet parking service owners not to allow any visitors to park their vehicle on the road”, he added.

Chandigarh, September 20
The Panjab University Teachers’ Association (PUTA) today held their general body meeting at the English Auditorium, Panjab University.

Speaking about career advancement scheme (CAS), PUTA president Jaspal Kaur Kaang informed the house that forms guidelines related to CAS will be released soon. She assured the teachers, whose CAS interviews have already been conducted, that their cases would be cleared shortly.

The remaining arrears of pay revision will hopefully be released before Diwali. She further assured that faculty shortage in various departments would be overcome by new recruitment to be made from the teaching positions advertised recently by the university. She added that the issue would be pursued further. The CAS interviews in various departments should be conducted, along with open advertised positions.

PUTA requested the faculty members to send their suggestions related to the UGC regulations for appointment to PUTA general secretary, Dr MC Sidhu up to September 23, so that the same can be sent through proper channel to the “Anomaly Committee” constituted by the UGC for consideration.

Kaang thanked the Vice-Chancellor for his positive response on the teachers’ grievance cell, upgradation of crèche, tie-up with different private hospitals to provide more and immediate medical facilities, proper parking in dental college, etc.

At the end, Dr Sidhu thanked faculty members for their active participation at the meeting.

Chandigarh, September 20
Enthusiasm marked the second day of the four-day Panjab University Zone-A Youth and Heritage Festival at Postgraduate Government College, Sector 11.

While Prahlad Aggarwal, former principal of the college, was the chief guest for mime, mimicry, skit, drama and histrionics, Manjit Hans, director, Divya Channel, was the chief guest for percussion and non-percussion items. He expressed his happiness over the efforts made by the university and the participating colleges for the preservation of music and art.

Participants from various teams played folk and Hindustani instruments in solo and orchestra performances. Principal Dr Shyam Sunder welcomed guests and encouraged the participants.

Chandigarh, September 20
Sanskrit Day was celebrated at the Sanskrit department of Panjab University here today.

Department chairperson Shankarji Jha urged people to make use of Sanskrit in everyday life to enrich oneself with the beauty and finer diction of the ancient language.

Welcoming the gathering, Shankarji reminded that the position of Sanskrit holds important place even in foreign countries right from the origin of the language in 1802 AD. Bhim Singh of the Sanskrit department of Kurukshetra University, who was the chief guest on the occasion, presented a detailed account of the Indian culture and civilisation interwoven in Sanskrit.

RD Sharma, director Haryana Sanskrit Academy, Panchkula, presented various Sanskrit promoting programmes to be replicated by the public further.

Prof Sudhir Kumar of the department of English, evening studies, presented the position of Sanskrit manuscript looked after by the National Management Mission, New Delhi.

Vikram Kumar and VK Alankar of the Sanskrit department presented their views on the problems being faced by Sanskrit scholars and researchers.

In shloka recitation, Ram Mehar was declared first, while Pratibha, Rakesh and Gita won the second, third and consolation prizes, respectively. In Sanskrit singing category, Sushama Rani was declared first, Vivekanand was second and Yogesh Sharma and Govind Lal won the third and consolation prizes, respectively.

In the Sanskrit speaking category, Pratibha, Karan Sharma, Amrita and Neeraj Kumar were declared the prize winners.

Onkar Haridas, executive member, Gita Pracharni Samiti, Panchkula, acted as the judge for the selection of the winners in the competitions.

Chandigarh, September 20
Critique, a students’ discussion forum, today held a unique discussion in the sociology department, Panjab University, on the theme “Inclusive development, displacement and alterative politics”.

The main speaker of the discussion was Sunil, a social activist, who has been working with the Samajwadi Janparishad.

While addressing audience, he stressed upon three important issues related to consumerism, globalisation and aspirations of middle class. He said it was because of the above that poverty, inequality and global injustice had arisen in India.

He said the whole system of development was a “loot of natural resources” and as a matter of consequence, the poor was getting poorer and rich was getting richer.

An important implication of this, he said, was that the tribal area would be displaced and hence there was an urgent need to question Manmohan Singh’s model of development. He added that it was not possible to review the model until there are social and political movements. He then gave a call to people to expand the movement and contribute towards this movement.

Sunil, who has done his PhD from JNU and has been a social activist since 1984, said the civil society must also think of alterative modes of political democracy, where the common mass of India might avail the basic minimum conditions of life development.

He used a phrase “roti, kapda aur makaan” to explain the implications of this discussion and the discussion was followed by rebuttal session and rejoinders.

More than 80 students, activists, teachers, advocates and other people from various sections of society participated in the event.