Chandigarh, October 8
Over 700 patients admitted to the region's premier institute, the PGI, had to go without breakfast. Reason: The PGI did not get the supply of LPG cylinders as the authorities failed to clear the bills of the gas agency.

The patients were not even served chapattis in dinner yesterday. The workers in the main kitchen of Nehru Hospital had informed the accounts department on Saturday morning that the dealer had refused to supply LPG cylinders due to non-payment of bills worth Rs 60,000.

However, officials at accounts department did not bother to release the payment and left the office in the afternoon as it was half day on Saturday. On Sunday, the gas agency was closed which forced the kitchen staff to delete chapattis from the menu in dinner and patients had to go without breakfast today.

"The breakfast served by the hospital is prepared under the supervision of dieticians according to the particular need of a patient. However, today I had to get the breakfast for my patient from an eatery in the market," said Udaivir, an attendant of a patient from Bijnaur.

The situation is grim, said an attendant of a patient at the female surgical ward. "We have been asked to protect the patient from infection, but this is not possible if the patient is given food from eateries outside the hospital," said Rajinder form Kullu.

The kitchen staff said: "Five cylinders are required every day to cook the meal for patients. Yesterday, we were left with three cylinders. Today, the morning tea was also served, but there was no gas to prepare the breakfast. The LPG cylinders were supplied at 11 am and food was served to patients."

Sources said the storekeeper of department of dietetics Gopal informed his seniors on Saturday that there were not enough cylinders. The staff at contacted the LPG dealer who in reply refused to supply the cylinders till the bills were not cleared.

Following this, officials contacted the accounts department which assured of sorting out the issue.

However, the staff at accounts department left home without doing anything leaving the staff at kitchen in the lurch. When contacted, gas agency dealer Preetinder Pal Singh Patheja said he was supplying LPG cylinders to the PGI even as his bills were not cleared since September 15. "My repeated requests to the officials concerned evoked no response and now I had no option but to refuse the supply," said Patheja.

Central Club to open in 2 days 
High Court directs club authorities to pay arrears of rent
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 8
Handling the case of four drunken teenagers in a local school has raised a question over the police action.

Was rounding up the four school students the only solution is the biggest question. Schools officials said the school wanted the issue to be resolved with a strong warning and a complaint to the parents so the students not face embarrassment of being handled by the police. But the police rounded them up, gave the fodder to the media to make headlines, conducted their medical test like hardcore criminals and later released them with a formal report submitted to the DPI (Schools).

Sociologists and school authorities feel that even if the police officials reached the school, they could have left after taking a stock of the situation and let the school and parents handle the situation. "After all, they are not criminals," said a sociologist.

Principal of the school S Deswal said: "I thought the police would resolve the matter quietly when they arrived in the school after getting a tip-off. But I was surprised when they took them away."

She said: "These four students belong to poor families and two of them have lot their fathers. While their conduct was wrong and invites punishment, the police should not have taken such action and should have let them off."

She said: "We would have called their parents. It was an issue of conduct and not any law and order. The police has to make a distinction between hardcore criminals and schoolchildren. There was no need to spill in the beans in such sensitive case."

Panchkula, October 8
A young couple's love story had a tragic ending. The girl, 15-year-old Anju, a resident of Karnal, was killed for honour. She was hung on a tree in Morni after being strangulated.

She was taken to Morni in an auto-rickshaw and was eliminated for falling in love and breaking 'social norms'. Anju's skeleton was found hanging on a tree in Morni. Her clothes were also found from near the spot.

Anju's love story with her neighbour, Vijay, started in Karnal. But her family moved to Chandigarh early this year to avoid the embarrassment that the family was facing at the hands of the society.

"The village was aware of the two seeing each other. Anju and Vijay were seen together at many places. Once there were talks that the girl had stayed with Vijay at the latter's house too when the family of the former were away to some place," Ram Paal, sarpanch of Doda Karsa village in Karnal, told The Tribune over phone.

The duo also tried to go in for court marriage by faking Vijay's paternal aunt as his mother, but the family of the girl raised an objection.

"As the news of her affair spread, the family of the girl decided to leave the place. They said they were going to Chandigarh. We felt suspicious because when they returned to the village after two months in September, Anju was not with them," he added. When the villagers asked the family about Anju was, they replied that she was putting up with her aunt in Chandigarh.

"We have heard that Vijay has now agreed to marry another girl. The family of the girl was against Anju and Vijay's marriage as they had the same gotra," said another villager.

The police had registered a case of murder. Though the case has been registered against the paternal uncle of the girl, Jasmer Singh, the police is also suspecting the involvement of other family members in the case.

Chandigarh, October 8
The UT police today rounded up four Class XI students of Gyan Deep Model High School, Sector 20, after they were found in an inebriated state in the classroom.

The Police Control Room (PCR) received a call of some students drinking in the school and raided the school premises. The classes were on when the police reached the school.

The four students, who are 18 years of age, were taken to the Sector 19 police station from where they were rushed to the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital in Sector 16 for medical examination. The medical tests confirmed presence of alcohol in their blood.

The police has sent a report to the DPI (Schools) about the incident and a daily diary report has been lodged. Besides, the police also recovered four disposable glasses from the classroom.

The incident took place at around 10 am when someone from the school informed the Police Control Room. The PCR vehicle was not allowed to enter the school. The police from the Sector 19 police station managed to enter the school after asserting that they had received information and thus they need to enter the classroom.

While the students were not drinking at the time of police raid, investigations established that they had consumed alcohol in the school.

Chandigarh, October 8
Finally, after the gap of more than two months, the UT Administration has finalised the name of one PCS officer, Amandeep Kaur, from the panel of 12 PCS officials.

Kaur had already worked with the UT Administration and had held different postings as the Director, Social Welfare Department, the Director, Tourism, and Chief General Manager, Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation Limited, (CITCO). She was repatriated to her parent state in 2011.

A senior official of the UT Administration said that they had finalised the name of Amandeep Kaur in place of DPI (Schools) Sandeep Hans, who had gone back to parent cadre Punjab in June.

Regarding the selection of other officials from the panel of 12 PCS officials, the official added that they would finalise the names very soon.

The panel of 12 PCS officials includes the names of Ritu Aggarwal, APS Virk, HK Nagpal, Bakhtawar Singh, Vimal Kumar Setia, Gurmeet Singh, Devinder Singh, Harbir Singh, Amandeep Kaur, Poonam Deep Kaur, Neeru Katyal Gupta and Anupam Kaler.

Recently, the Haryana government had also sent a panel of six HCS officials, out of whom the UT Administration had selected SK Setia and Mandeep Kaur.

Chandigarh, October 8
If all goes well as per the planning of the Municipal Corporation, their will be no problem of low-water pressure in the city next summer. The Chandigarh Administration today approved six under ground reservoirs (UGR) for different parts of the city, which will help in boosting the water pressure in those areas.

Chandigarh, October 8
The Sukhna Lake suffered a loss of 300-hectare metre water (approximately) due to evaporation from October 1, last year, to June 28, this year.

This was stated in a study conducted by the National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Roorkee, which has recently submitted the study to the UT Administration.

The average decline in water level during October 1, 2011 to June 28, 2012 is 5.99 mm per day.

Besides evaporation loss, NIH in its report has also stated that water scarcity problem of the Sukhna Lake is mainly due to deficit in rainfall. In case the UT Administration desires to ensure the availability of water during the rainfall-deficit years, then it can do so through an alternate source of water.

As per the study, the main problems of lake are: Availability of water, weed infestation and siltation. The study also highlights the importance of check dams in the Sukhna catchment area. As per study, the silt detention dams in the hilly catchment have exhibited their utility in checking the siltation of the Lake. Without them, the Lake would have been filled up completely by now. The silt-detention dams still have significant importance and the Lake needs their presence.

The study also suggests that desilting should be undertaken in such a manner that the surface area of the Lake does not increase significantly as that would lead more water loss due to evaporation, which is already very high for the Lake.

Zirakpur, October 8
A truck, which was involved in an accident yesterday, is yet to be removed from the highway. The truck, which is loaded with iron rods, is parked partially on the highway, which hinders the smooth flow of traffic.

It was on Sunday, when a jeep rammed into the truck on Chandigarh-Ambala highway at Zirakpur. Two persons of a family were killed and four were seriously injured in the accident. Neither the police nor the NHAI authority has taken an initiative to remove the truck from the highway. Chances of accidents are more during night due low visibility.

“I was not aware that the truck was not removed. I will shortly get it removed,” said SHO Trilochan Singh.

Chandigarh, October 8
Encroachment upon public parks of Municipal Corporation continues unabated in the city.

An example of which is a park in Sector 21 where raw materials are lying for the past two weeks. The corporation has not yet taken any action against the offender.

This is not the only park which is being used by contractors to dump construction materials. During a visit to Sector 22 it was found that raw materials for construction of a house were kept in a nearby park. Residents revealed that they have complained to the authority concern a number of times, however, no action was taken against the violators.

Residents of Sector 21 said a few months ago the corporation had challaned a resident for keeping raw materials along the roadside. However, the corporation is not even reacting when another resident has virtually damaged the entire park of the corporation.

Passing the buck on, the encroachment department said the area falls under road wing so they have no authority to take action. However, the officials of the road wing stated that it is the duty of the horticulture department to keep a check on encroachments in parks.

Adding to this, a senior official also remarked that the person, whose materials are kept in the parks, might have taken prior permission from the corporation to do so. He also said if no permission had been sought then the authorities could take stringent action against the offenders.

Chandigarh, October 8
The Regiment of Artillery celebrated its 185th Raising Day at Chandimandir Military Station here today. The day commemorates the birth of the first Indian artillery unit, the Bombay Battery, in 1827.

Serving as well as retired officers paid homage to the martyrs at the Veer Smriti War Memorial. A function and a special Ssainik Sammelan was held at an artillery unit located in the station. The celebrations also included a social get-together for the Gunners’ Fraternity of Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali.

The gunners have repeatedly proved their mettle during battle. The gunners have also performed well in counter insurgency operations and won numerous awards and unit citations.

Chandigarh, October 8
A two-day theatre festival on satirical plays opened with the play “Lottery” at Tagore Theatre, Sector 18, here today. Based on a story written by Munshi Prem Chand, the comic satire showcased how the attitude of the relatives towards each other changed when suddenly the family got a large amount or money.

The second play staged in the evening was “Dr Palta”. This play was written by Balwant Gargi and directed by Gaurav Sharma.

The play was a sharp satire depicting the early struggle of professionals striving to settle down in their professional business. It told the story of Dr Palta who after losing all his money while completing his bachelor’s of dental surgery struggle to 
get a job.

Finally, he sets up his own clinic where he is confronted with a lot of problems in the absence of resources.

Tomorrow, “Maza Ban Jaye na Saja” written by Dr Anand Parkash Mishra and directed by Irfan Ahmed will be staged.

The play is a comic satire on the burning problem of AIDS. It also depicts the plight of bar dancer in India.

Chandigarh, October 8
Demanding the refunding of the late fee charges to the newly admitted students, around 50 students of the Department of Laws, Panjab University, staged a protest in front of the department building here today.

The protestors said the students on the waiting list who were recently given admission to the department were charged late fee expenses of Rs 1,800 that must be refunded to them. Students said that last year too, the fee was charged, but later refunded after a protest was staged.

The students also highlighted the sanitation problem in the department. They said half of the 1,200 students at the department were girls; however, it had only one toilet for girls. Providing better sanitation facilities must be taken on a priority basis, they said.

Chandigarh, October 8
With the advent of technology, the schools are trying their best to keep the students abreast by exposing them to computers and other technologies. However, the misuse of new technologies, of which mobile phones have emerged as the most contentious, is also raising many problems.

Last month, during a special raid on the examination day at a school in Sector 8, the school authorities confiscated 45 mobile phones from the students. Schoolteachers informed that most of these phones were expensive, and many parents were not even aware of it or chose to ignore the issue.

Anshu Chugh, a senior teacher at DAV School, Sector 15, says that the use of mobile phones on the school campus is a serious problem.

“Although we keep a constant check, at times students are caught surfing social networking sites or texting each other in the class room,” Chugh says.

According to Manju Bhardwaj, principal of SD Public School, Sector 32, technology has an important role to play in transforming the society, but children need to be told about the right use of technology too. For instance, websites such as Google can be used for searching for vital information, she says.

However, recently there was a case involving some students watching objectionable videos on a mobile phone at a popular school of the city. Many feel that there are several such incidents that often go unreported.

Sister Maria Swati, principal of Carmel Convent School, Sector 9, says mobile phones are making children take a “wrong route” at times. The personal numbers of students are also found in our school records, she says.

Anujit Kaur, principal of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 16, shares a recent incident where students were found taking photographs of a teacher with their mobile phones and making fun of her.

The issue needs to be tackled by a collaborative effort of parents and teachers, she feels. It is important to talk about the problem at length, she says.

Sister Maria Swati also feels that the role of the parents is very crucial in this whole issue. They must keep a proper check on the activities of their children while they are using mobile phones. They must also try to find alternative means, she says.

Parents, however, have their own reasons for giving mobile phones to the children. Shikha Mehrotra, a homemaker, says that as her son goes for tuitions after the school, it is important to keep a track, for which mobile phone comes handy.

Agreeing with such genuine concerns of the parents, a teacher, however, suggests that the same purpose can be achieved with a simple handset.

Dr Adarsh Kohli, a child psychologist at the PGI, says possessing a mobile phone has become a self-esteem issue due to the peer pressure. In case parents fail to provide them with mobile phones, extreme reactions from the children have also been noticed, he says.

In such a scenario, the society is moving away from social relationships and one-to-one interactions, and natural learning of the child is also being affected, as they become addicted to mobile phones.

The core issue is of imbalance in our lives these days, which is occurring at every level, says Dr Kohli. 

Despite a proper check, at times students are caught carrying mobile phones. Parents must cooperate with the school authorities to find a solution

— Amita Khurana, Principal, Shishu Niketan School, Sector 22

We can’t deny the fact that misuse of technology is raising many issues these days. Therefore, precautionary measures that keep both the school and parents alert are a must

— Kavita Das, Principal, St John’s High School, Sector 26 

Chandigarh, October 8
After his visit to the University of Kashmir in Srinagar, the Congress general general secretary, Rahul Gandhi, will be visiting Panjab University on October 11 to interact with students of PU and students from various parts of Punjab.

During the interaction, main focus will be on the state of education in Punjab. A team of Special protection Group (SPG) has already arrived in the city to check the security arrangements and plan the event.

The preparation for his visit has already begun on the ground opposite to Student’s Centre. The venue will accommodate around 5, 000 students who are expected to participate in the event organsied by the NSUI unit of Punjab and Panjab University Campus Student Council (PUCSC).

Brinder Dhillon, NSUI leader of Punjab, who is also a leader of the Student Organsiation of Panjab University (SOPU) at PU, said that the NSG team arrived on Sunday and was busy planning the arrangements for Rahul’s visit. “The design, height and seating of students apart from parking is being planned by the SPG officials who are monitoring everything”, Dhillon said.

Dhillon further said that the students would be free to interact with the leader who would be arriving at around 2 pm for a brief visit of about 45 minutes.

PU student leader, Manoj Lubana, said that the road leading to the Student Centre and departments, including UBS and law, would be blocked on the day of his visit and special arrangement for parking will be made for the students and faculty visiting departments for classes.

Sources said that the PU Vice-Chancellor Arun Grover has also shown willingness to meet the Congress general Secretary for a few minutes.