Chandigarh, January 9
A 25-year-old member of an auto-rickshaw lifters’ gang was killed in a firing incident at Sector 31 last night.

The deceased, identified as Nakul Kumar, a resident of Muzaffarnagar, suffered a bullet injury when his accomplice tried to shoot at an auto driver. Nakul succumbed to injuries at the PGI today.

The police have booked two youths, who were accompanying him, in a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Section 304 of the IPC.

The two accused fled the spot and efforts were on to nab them, the police said.

The incident took place around 11.30 pm when three youths hired an auto-rickshaw (PB-65V-3090) belonging to Vijay Kumar, a resident of Burail, from the gurdwara chowk in Sector 20 to railway Station.

When they reached near the FCI building in Sector 31, one of the accused asked Vijay to stop the auto as he had to answer the nature’s call.

The trio alighted from the auto and stared beating up Vijay. They then bundled him in the rear seat and even tried to strangle him. Suddenly, one of the accused pulled out a country-made pistol and pointed it at Vijay.

The pistol went off and the bullet hit Nakul, who was sitting in the driver’s seat, in his head. Vijay also suffered an injury on his hand. The two other accused fled the spot after the incident.

Nakul was rushed to the PGI where he died.

Inspector Kirpal Singh, SHO, Sector 31 police station, said Nakul used to sell garments in Saharanpur.

Mohali, January 9
Punjabi actor and singer Harbhajan Mann has resigned as the chairman of the Mohali District Planning Committee.

Mann tendered his resignation on December 18, 2013, which was accepted by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today.

In his resignation letter, Mann said he was not able to focus on the work of the planning committee as he was preoccupied with his singing and acting assignments, said sources.

Mann had campaigned for Shiromani Akali Dal leader Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, who is also his relative, during the last Assembly elections.

Ramoowalia was in fray from the Mohali constituency. Though Ramoowalia lost elections, Mann was appointed chairman of the Mohali District Planning Committee on April 21, 2012.

When Mann joined the office, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal claimed he would be instrumental in developing Mohali as a world-class city.

However, Mann could not live up to the expectations of the authorities and residents of the area. After two months of his joining, Mann stopped visiting his office. Sources said Mann never visited his office after October 2012.

A project for the beautification of parks that got under way during Mann’s tenure came to a halt after he stopped taking interest in the working of the planning committee.

After Mann’s resignation, several local leaders have started lobbying for the coveted post. These include Ramoowalia’s daughter Amanjot Kaur, Ashwani Kumar Sambhalki, Harsukhinder Singh Babbi Badal and Narinder Singh Kang, said sources.

Chandigarh, January 9
It's not only the complaints of NRIs seeking vacation of their properties that are reaching the UT NRI Cell, cases of NRIs complaining about the illegal occupation of their properties either by their siblings or relatives are also trickling in.

A majority of the complaints being handled by the UT NRI Cell in the last four years pertain to illegal occupation of properties by tenants. The cell is also receiving complaints about NRI investors being duped by builders and property dealers.

"Ever since the UT NRI Cell was set up in 2009, it had received 580 complaints, mostly related to the vacation of property, cases of succession of property and cheating by unscrupulous elements on the pretext of selling their properties," said chairman of the cell Justice Amar Dutt (retd).

Amended Section 13-B of the Act NRIs who have property in Chandigarh will now have the right to recover immediate possession of residential building or scheduled buildings and non-residential buildings by applying to the relevant authority for immediate possession. An amendment 13-B under the East Punjab Urban Rent Restriction (Amendment) Act, 2001, enables NRIs to seek redressal of their property related cases within six months.

Primarily an advisory body, the UT NRI Cell functions from UT guesthouse here. It has been getting a number of property related complaints from Punjab and Haryana. The cases are referred to the officials concerned in the respective states.

The NRIs approaching the cell are advised to file cases in the local courts under the amended Section1 3B of the East Punjab Urban Rent Restriction (Amendment) Act, 2001. The amendment had been incorporated in the Act, as applicable to Chandigarh, on the advice of the cell. The amendment enables the NRI to seek disposal of their cases within six months.

Though advisory in nature, the NRI Cell refers complaints to different departments of the UT, including the Deputy Commissioner, Estate Officer and the SSP.

Though there is no system of monitoring, the departments concerned are advised to inform the complainant about the status of their cases. The cell has been getting on an average 100 cases annually.

Chandigarh, January 9
Decks have been cleared for the purchase of midi-buses. Three companies, Tata, Corona and Ashok Leyland, have cleared the financial bids that were opened today. Technical bids were opened a few days ago.

A senior UT official said the proposal pertaining to the purchase of 59 mini-buses would now be sent to the higher authorities for approval. The pre- fabricated buses will ply on the local routes.

After failing to procure AC and non-AC buses through the tendering process, the UT Administration a few months ago decided to go in for midi-buses, low-floor buses larger than the traditional mini-buses.

The CTU is in the process of appointing 144 conductors.

Mohali, January 9
The Mohali Municipal Corporation will issue a unique identity number to every property within its jurisdiction for paying taxes after collecting digital data through satellite imaging.

The civic body has hired a consultant, MapmyIndia, for the work. The company will start the project based on the geographic information system (GIS) from January 12.

The same company was engaged for similar work in Gurgaon, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Ludhiana.

Details of every property will be collected through satellite imaging. Later, the company will carry out a door-to-door survey to know how many persons live in a particular house, who is the owner of the property, the plot size, size of the constructed area , number of floors in the building and details regarding sewerage and the water supply.

The data collected will be linked to the unique identity card to be issued by the MC. The card will be used for paying property tax and making other payments to the civic body.

The digital data of properties within the municipal limits will be collected within two months and linked appropriately in another month’s time. Later, the data will be put in the public domain so that residents can carry out corrections, if required.

MC Commissioner Uma Shankar Gupta said after the survey, the civic body would be able to generate property details for tax purposes at the click of a mouse. The GIS would also help implement policies as the corporation would be equipped with the exact data of properties.

The Commissioner said from next year, the data would be linked to the payment of property tax, which would then be accepted only online by the MC. The system would accept the property tax of any resident only if the details entered by him/her matched those fed by the civic body. The web-based application of the data would be done during the third stage of the project, added Gupta.

He said the company would maintain and update the records for one year after commissioning the project. It would also train employees of the civic body.

Chandigarh, January 9
A 12-year-old speech and hearing impaired girl lost her second voice. Sonica’s whole world came crashing down around her when she lost her two brothers in a road accident near Karnal on Tuesday night. She was the only sister of her brothers.

Amit and Deepak were her voice. Neighbours of the grief-stricken family said Amit and Deepak were the only hope for Sonica.

Sonia was a student of Vatika Special School in Sector 19. Mahinder Ved, a resident of Sector 42 and neighbour of the grief-stricken family, said: “Both Amit and Deepak were caring and protective for their sister.

The two brothers, who were among the four youths who died in the accident, were soft spoken, said neighbours.

Deepak was the eldest of the three siblings and wanted to crack the UPSC. Amit was studying in a college at Hisar. “Deepak was planning to move to Delhi for coaching,” said Radha, another neighbour of the family.

The deceased’s family rushed to Karnal soon after they came to know about the accident. The family is presently at their native place in Indri, Haryana. The deceased’s father Satbir Singh Beniwal works at the Accountant General (AG), Haryana.

Chandigarh, January 9
Envisaging a 'Model Solar City', the UT's science and technology department has mooted solar photovoltaic (SPV) power plants for 32 government schools of the city.

The department has planned to install these in all government schools in the next two years. The move comes following the directions of Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Shivraj Patil to install the SPV power plants in educational institutions.

Only one government school in the UT has the plant on its rooftop. Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 46, has a 50 kWp grid interactive rooftop SPV power plant. Director, UT science and technology department, Santosh Kumar said the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) had already approved the project and they had prepared a detailed project report (DPR) for the installation of these atop rooftops.

He stated that plants with a capacity of 1,360 kWp would be installed in the schools. "The project will cost the UT Administration over Rs 14 crore. The proposed plants will be interactive with the grid system so as to transfer extra supply to the main grid system of the city. The electricity generated by these will be directly used for running electrical appliances in schools," he said.

The project 'Model Solar City' was launched by the Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy, Farooq Abdullah, in July this year.

Solar photovoltaic (SPV) power plants with a capacity of 1,360 kWp will be installed in schools. The project will cost the UT Administration over Rs 14 crore. The science and technology department has also planned to install the country's largest rooftop SPV power plant in a city school. The PEC University of Technology in Sector 12A will have a 1,000 kWp SPV power plant.

Chandigarh, January 9
A poor cancer patient has written to the PGI to look into the 'undue' delay in the release of funds from the hospital's private grant cell (that receives poor patient funds) and the supply of medicines to the dispensary.

Unable to get medicines on time, patients are left with no other option, but to purchase the same from a medical store.

The wait gets longer and the poor patients' misery worsens. Sources said the problem needed to be addressed at the earliest, but there was nobody to spearhead the cause.

Questioning the anonymity of the complainant, officials at the PGI downplayed the matter. The PGI's Public Grievances Committee forwarded the matter to the private grant cell and the dispensary.

"Since the complaint was anonymous, the level of authenticity is low. In any given case, as soon as the file is cleared from the private grant cell, a patient receives an SMS on his mobile. For providing medicines, sometimes the spot purchase committee has to see the availability of the prescribed medicines. The process takes a day or two in some cases," said PGI's spokesperson Manju Wadwalkar.

Consider this: A chronically ill patient comes to the PGI seeking relief and a doctor recommends medicines for immediate treatment. He then tells the doctor that he does not have money. Following this, the doctor tells him that he can seek a grant from his respective state government or the other funds. Now, till the time the patient gets the funds, he is made to bear the pain. The ordeal does not end here. Even as the money reaches the hospital, he is made to suffer. He keeps making rounds of the grant cell and the dispensary.

Chandigarh, January 9
A day after officials of the Municipal Corporation removed bricks bearing the name of the BJP leader from Sector 15, area councillor Saurabh Joshi demanded an inquiry from an independent agency, challenging the act.

BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s name was engraved on the bricks which were used during the foundation stone laying ceremony on January 7.

Joshi stated that rituals were performed while laying the bricks and the removal of the same meant hurting the religious sentiments of people. “The Congress should abstain from such communal gimmicks. It should realise that it is time to shun communal politics," the BJP councillor stated. — TNS

Chandigarh, January 9
The Federation of Sector Welfare Associations has written to the Union Law Minister asking him to tide over the shortage of staff in the district courts.

"The rising cases of rape and assault on police personnel signal the deteriorating condition of law and order. In such a situation, judiciary is the last resort for justice. The delay in the delivery of justice by the courts, especially the lower courts, due to a large number of cases has encouraged criminals to commit various offences," stated the representation.

It stated that the remedy was to fill vacant posts and sanction additional posts for the speedy delivery of justice. The sanction of 58 posts of ancillary staff instead of 78 posts for the new courts will affect the speedy delivery of justice as 20 courts are grappling with the staff shortage.

Chandigarh, January 9
Hallo Majra resident Om Prakash, who was not allowed to meet UT Administrator Shivraj V Patil during a public hearing session, met UT IG RP Upadhyaya today.

Om Prakash complained to the IG that the police officers 'manhandled' him and did not let him meet Patil and UT Adviser KK Sharma. He urged the IG to direct officers not to misbehave with the general public. He said he had now submitted an application to the UT Adviser to meet him.

"If the official does not meet me, I will hold a protest," he said. He said he had applied for an industrial loan in 1997, but no bank was ready to give him money. He had attended public hearing sessions many a time, but to no avail. 

Chandigarh, January 9
While the Rose Festival is approaching near, Zakir Hussain Rose Garden is yet to get ready for the extravaganza. The Rose Garden, which has been a major attraction for the tourists, is in the need of attention as empty flower-beds and dried-up flowers greet the tourists visiting the garden.

The withered roses, Opening Night and Marianne Powell, at the Rose Garden in Chandigarh. Tribune Photos: Pradeep Tewari

Many plants are without any flowers. They are even planted at large distance from each other, following which there are very less number of flowers in the flower-beds.

Some of the species that have dried up include Opening Night, Girija, Medusa, Kraprille, Amalia, Marianne Powell and Aswini.

Nikhil, a frequent visitor to the Rose Garden, said proper care should be given to the flowers so that they could bloom for longer period.

“Withered flowers and empty flower-beds at various places in the Rose Garden disappoint the visitors who visit the garden, especially to see a large variety of roses the garden is famous for,” he said.

Komal Deep, another visitor to the garden, said the MC should ensure that the flowers didn’t die down even before they were out of their buds.

The three-day Rose festival, an annual feature in the city during which hundreds of residents visit the garden, will be organised in February.

Krishan Pal Singh, executive engineer (horticulture), said drying-up of flowers was a seasonal phenomenon and these were the early variety of the roses, which had dried-up.

“The flowers will grow again in the next few weeks. The flower-beds, which presently don’t have flowers, will be planted with a new variety of flowers, which we have already ordered,” he said.

Singh said by the end of this month, flower-beds will be maintained and by February flowers will be in full bloom.

While the Mohali Municipal Corporation has decided to start paid parking system, Chandigarh Tribune spoke to residents and traders to know whether this system would be beneficial for them or not.

Paid parking is good. But before starting this system in the markets of Mohali, the authorities should make a provision for the relocation of small vendors, who are running their business for the past several years from market corridors.
— Sanuj Chopra, a resident of Phase VII, Mohali

The decision of the MC to start the paid parking system in Mohali will affect the business of shopkeepers. Before starting the system, the authorities should provide the basic infrastructure in the markets. If the authorities will not be able to provide trained staff to handle the system, then it will ultimately result in chaos.
— Sahil Juneja, A shopkeeper, Phase VII, Mohali

It is a good move by the MC as the paid parking system will solve problems like encroachments in the parking areas. This system will also ensure proper parking in the parking lots. Traders and shopkeepers who were losing out customers due to no parking space will be benefited. This will ensure safety, security and cleanliness in every market.
— Kulwant Singh Chaudhary, president, Beopar Mandal, Phase V, Mohali

Recently, a car of one of my friends was stolen from the Phase IIIB2 market. The paid parking system will now ensure the safety of vehicles in the parking lots. It will also be beneficial for the proper parking of vehicles in the parking lots. Presently, people park their vehicles wrongly, which results in chaos. The residents will not mind paying Rs 5 or Rs 10.
— Kanwar Singh Sodhi, a resident of Phase IX, Mohali

The paid parking system will directly affect small vendors like me who are presently operating from various parking lots in the markets of Mohali. I am selling kulcha-chana for the past 10 years. I don’t know how I will earn livelihood for my family after the implementation of this system.
— Bir Pal, kulcha-chana hawker & a resident of Jujhar Colony, Mohali

This system will stop miscreants from entering the parking lots, which will ultimately reduce the incidents of eve-teasing, especially in the evening hours. This system will provide proper space to the customers to park their vehicles. This decision will definitely help the traders as it will increase footfalls in the market area.
— Bhupinder Singh, a shopkeeper in Phase V market, Mohali

Chandigarh, January 9
Sixty-seven-year-old Jaswant Singh, a resident of Ludhiana, who started crumbling and was advised to undergo total knee replacement, has a hope to be able to again bend his knees and climb the stairs normally. He is the first in the country to have undergone knee transplant where, arguably, the longevity of implants is expected to be above 30 years.

Going a step ahead in revolutionising the knee replacement surgery scenario in India, where increasing number of people are falling victim to knee problems needing replacements, the Director and Head, Max Elite Institute of Orthopaedics and Joint Replacement, Max Hospital, Mohali, Dr Manuj Wadhwa, today launched Attune Knee System.

This system was implanted into the knees of Jaswant Singh. Attune is meant to serve as a natural human knee - increasing stability and comfort level and meeting the unaddressed needs of patients undergoing implant surgeries.

“Around 15 per cent to 20 per cent of the patients are not satisfied with the implants they have and complain of the feeling of implant giving way under pressure or uneasiness of climbing or descending stairs. Many patients also complained of debris developed due to wear and tear of implants. With this new system, we aim at doing away with these difficulties, said Dr Wadhwa.

Chandigarh, January 9
The PGI will be the first institution to have a sports medicine department in the country. It will take the hospital two years to offer MD course in the speciality.

Already running the sports injury clinic, where 20 patients are attended to, the PGI has sought land approval from the UT Administration near Sarangpur. “Sports injuries are common these days. A number of patients come to our clinic that runs once a week. While mostly these are corrected with physiotherapy, a few need surgery,” said Prof Mandeep Dhillon, department of orthopaedics, PGI. Dr Dhillon is also the president of the Indian Society of Sports Medicine.

"There has been an increase in the number of such cases," said Dr Dhillon. At present, Guru Nanak Dev University has started a course on the subject, however, no other institution in the country has specialised in the field.

The Indian Association of Sports Medicine will soon launch an awareness campaign. The association will invite prominent sports personalities to learn about their regular and most common sports injuries.

Panchkula, January 9
The nine-year-old girl, who was kidnapped and raped by a driver in an Innova car on Tuesday night, was rushed to the general hospital in Sector 6, Panchkula, this evening.

It was after the girl complained of severe pain and swelling on her entire body that the parents rushed her to the hospital.

On Tuesday, a youth in an Innova car approached the victim’s father, who owns an egg rehri at Madanpur in Chandimandir area, to help him locate liquor shop. The accused also offered him lift. As the father was closing for the day and was accompanied by his nine-year-old daughter, he sat in the car. While the father got down the car to get liquor from vend, the latter fled with the girl.

After 4 hours of kidnapping, he dumped the girl outside Ashiana flats. The victim alleged that she was threatened and raped. Though during the medical examination yesterday, the cops were unable to tell the exact situation, but today in the evening the doctors said the medical reports confirmed rape.

“Suddenly my daughter started crying and was complaining of pain. Then we saw that she has developed swelling in her entire body,” said the father.

It was after Principal Medical Officer Usha Gupta immediately ordered the staff to check the victim that she was rushed to the gynaecology ward.

“We have examined the girl. There is swelling on her private parts. I have also asked them to get an ultrasound done tomorrow,” said the gynaecologist.

The doctor further said, “As the accused slapped the girl on her face a number of times, she is unable to eat. We have recommended some liquids that will provide energy to her.”

The condition of the victim was stated to be stable till the filing of the report.

The accused, Gaurav, had given his number to the victim, after dumping her, saying that whenever she needs money, she can call him. It was his phone number that helped the police to nab him. The girl said the accused parked the car at an isolated place in Ramgarh and committed the crime.

He was arrested and produced in the court and has been sent to judicial custody.

Mohali, January 9
Hundreds of employees of Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) from across the state turned up to participate in the state-level protest by PUDA Employees Coordination Struggle Committee, held in front of their office in Phase VIII, here today.

The protest was held to press the long pending demands of the employees union, which included allocation of plots or flats to the employees, implementation of pension scheme, extension of one-year in service period and regularisation of the service of daily wagers.

Routine work in the office has been largely affected due to the continuous protest and pen down strike from past one month.

Today, the state-level protest was held on the call of union leaders, who asserted that the agitation would be intensified if their demands were not met soon.

Even the property business was being affected largely due to the ongoing protest.

Incidents of snatching gold chains, purses and cellphones have become a common feature on the Panchkula roads. Are there no security measures for the convenience of the public? Women have become conscious and they have almost stopped wearing gold chains. But in any case, they will have to carry purses or bags for their daily necessities. There should be some safety and security for everyone on the roads. People have lost faith in the police. The government should do something to restore the faith between the public and the police. The police will have to help the people sincerely. The residents should also help the police and praise them if they have really done something good. Worthy policemen should be duly rewarded by the government so that they may become an example for others.

Chandigarh, January 9
Uneasiness among the parents of tiny tots seeking admission to the entry-level classes for the next academic session is all set to escalate as all the major schools in the city will start holding their draw of lots, the last leg of the admission process, from January 10 onwards.

The admission process began on November 25 with display of information followed by submission of admission forms.

As expected, four missionary schools remained the most preferred schools in the city. Over 4,000 admission forms were received at St Anne’s Convent School, Sector 32; Carmel Convent School, Sector 9; St John’s High School, Sector 26; and Sacred Heart Convent School, Sector 26, last month.

These four schools will conduct their draw of lots on January 15 after 3 pm.

St John’s school principal Kavita Das, who is the spokesperson of the four missionary schools in the city, said the parents were advised not to bring their children to the venue where draw of lots would be held. “Only one person per application form will be allowed to attend the draw of lots,” she informed, adding that the list of eligible students for draw of lots would be displayed on the notice board of the school on January 14. It would also be uploaded on the school’s website. “The other three schools will follow the similar procedure,” Das said.

Other schools in the city are also set to hold draw of lots for their entry-level classes.

The draw of lots for Delhi Public School, Sector 40, will be held on January 16. The school has a total of 150 seats. DAV School, Sector 15, will hold its draw of lots on January 18 at 12 noon.

According to the common admission schedule, all the schools will have to hold their draw of lots between January 10 and 20.

Meanwhile, Vivek High School, Sector 38, which has followed the point system, will display its list of selected candidates.

Chandigarh, January 9
No long queues will be seen on the fee counters of the Panjab University (PU) as the varsity is coming up with a facility allowing usage of credit and debit card to deposit fee.

The PU examination controller, Parvinder Singh, mooted the proposal to start accepting fees through credit and debit cards for competitive exams from the next month. Vice-Chancellor Arun Kumar Grover constituted a committee to ponder over the proposal for its early implementation. Recently, the committee held a meeting for the purpose. The convener of the competitive exams was also invited to the meeting to give his approval.

Sources said the banks have also given a green signal to provide this facility to the university.

Chandigarh, January 9
The 71-member joint action committee of UT teachers held a meeting at Sector 16 here today to discuss their long-pending demands.

The issues discussed included regularisation of SSA teachers, guest faculty and contractual teachers.

Teachers said the Education Department must initiate the regularisation process for non-regular teachers and bring out a concrete policy for computer teachers, SSA teachers and guest faculty. They said the department should also ensure pay parity to the guest faculty and computer teachers.

The committee sought immediate promotion to all cadres of the UT, including JBT and TGT, besides promotion of UT lecturers to the posts of principal. The panel also demanded streamlining of school uniform for students for the academic session 2014-15. Members said the UT schools were facing acute shortage of teachers due to which students' studies were being affected. The issue needed an immediate attention of the authorities concerned.

Bhag Singh Kairon, Ranbir Singh Rana, Savinder Singh, Khushali Ram Sharma, Japinder Kaur, Shamsher Singh, Madhu Rama etc were among those present. — TNS

Chandigarh, January 9
AAGHAAZ, the dramatics club of DAV College, Sector 10, here has won the overall dramatics trophy at the Asia's biggest annual cultural festival held at Mumbai from December 20 to 23. The four-day event titled 'Mood Indigo' was organised by the IIT, Bombay. It saw over 1 lakh students from 700 colleges across the country showcasing their skills.

The AAGHAAZ team won the first prize for their one-act play "Maston Ka Tolla", which received a standing ovation by the jury members, including Deepak Qazir, Vishal Malhotra and Prikshit Sahni. The play is an adaptation of 'Gagan Damama Bajyo', written by Piyush Mishra, on the life events of Bhagat Singh.

The second and third positions were bagged by Mithibai College, Mumbai, and Ramjas College, Delhi, respectively.

The club's former president and current member, Sarthak Narula, won the first prize for the monologue competition. Being one of the five finalists, Sarthak has got a chance to be mentored by Himani Shivpuri, an NSD pass-out. The second and the third positions in the category were bagged by the IIT, Bombay and Mithibai College, Mumbai.

The team also won the third prize in the mime category.

The team is now geared up to perform their one-act play "Maston Ka Tolla" at the open nationals 2013-2014, which will be held at Ludhiana from January 12 to 16.

The team will also be participating in the National Youth Festival organised by Association of Indian Universities (AIU). The event will be held at Kurukshetra University.

Elated over the win, the team's president Armandeep Singh Sandhu expressed his gratitude towards college principal Dr BC Josan and professors Ravinder Chaudhary and Shruti Shourie for their support.

Chandigarh, January 9
The Panjab University today conducted its first webinar on the topic of 'Modelling and simulation using MATLab products'.

The webinar was attended by a few research scholars and faculty members doing research using the MATLab software.

The modelling and simulation technique is useful for various physical, chemical and biological research problems.

Addressing the webinar, Dr Sarah Zaranek explained three aspects of modelling, including parametric modelling, black box modelling and first principal modelling.

In the web-based seminar, Dr Zaranek discussed three problems for each modelling method, namely drug molecular interactions, strength of a bridge and minimising payload of swing.

Not many participants were expected at the seminar as its topic was for specialised fellows only, said Dr Tankeshwar Kumar, director, Computer Centre, PU. He added that the next webinar would be on IT infrastructure, which would be held on January 16. The university had already purchased the software for research and teaching purposes, Dr Kumar said.

Webinar is like an online seminar wherein a participant has a panel on computer screen to pose queries to the speaker.

Chandigarh, January 9
Five students from the University Business School (UBS), Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh, have been offered a salary of Rs 15 lakh per annum by the Trident Group. The five students have been hired by the group during its nationwide search for managers.

So far, 19 companies have visited the campus and as many as 72 students have bagged lucrative job offers.

UBS faculty placement coordinator Dr Tejinderpal Singh said as many as 72 UBS students benefitted from the campus placements conducted by various reputed companies. Further, 15 companies are going to hold their placement drives on the campus with an aim to select their future managers.

Chandigarh, January 9
A group of 17 students and teachers of the Saupin’s School, Gurukul Global School, Chitkara International School, Chitkara University and the Panjab University went on a week-long cultural and educational trip to Malaysia and Singapore today.

Organised by a city-based NGO, Yuvsatta, the programme would see members of the group interacting with the schools abroad, meeting NGO representatives, visiting libraries and going for sight-seeing to prominent places in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Pramod Sharma, coordinator, Yuvsatta, shared that for the last 10 years, they were promoting international exchange programme. “We will use the visit to promote our annual International Youth Peace Fest, wherein youths from over 50 countries will participate,” he said.

Ravneet, a student of Panjab University, said they had so much to learn from these countries, which gained independence almost at the same time as India, but were far ahead when it came to progress. — TNS

Chandigarh, January 9
The Bhai Jaita Foundation (BJF) today felicitated 24 toppers of its "2014 Fast Track Program" along with teachers and partner organisations for their accomplishments during the last year.

Those awarded were selected from 149 students of 20 Jawahar Navodaya Vidalayas (JNV) across Punjab. They will appear in entrance tests for IIT-JEE and AIPMT later this year. The BJF was started three years ago to find talented students from the poor strata of society and provide them with free coaching for higher studies. From 2011 to 2013, five BJF-sponsored students qualified for admission to IITs. Of these, two joined IIT while two preferred to enter the PEC, Chandigarh.

The students awarded were Sukhraj Singh, Pardeep Kaur, Jaspal Singh, Sukhwinder Singh, Sukhbir Singh, Jatinder, Satish Kumar, Priyanka Sharma, Charan Singh, Gobinder Singh, Gagandeep Singh, Kamla, Gurwinder Singh, Mamta Rani, Navdeep Kaur, Jaswinder, Rupinderpal Singh, Jagmeet Singh, Jagjit Singh, Inderpreet Singh, Sonu Kumar, Shaveen Kumar, Simranjit Kaur, Jobanpreet Kaur, Gagandeep Singh, Amandeep Singh and Meenakshi.

Dr BNS Walia, former director, PGI, Chandigarh and a BJF Trustee, said, "Quality coaching is indispensable for success in a competitive entrance exam. However, it is expensive and available only in major cities and hence, inaccessible to most rural students. The BJF's free coaching programme provides access and opportunity to under-privileged students."

Chandigarh, January 9
Nearly two-week-long workshop of the Tagore Theatre Society will conclude with staging of children's plays here tomorrow.

The concluding day would see staging of six short plays at the Tagore Theatre. Nearly 80 students, who participated in the workshop, will be performing on stage tomorrow. The workshop was organised by the Department of Cultural Affairs along with the Tagore Theatre Society.

Budding actors in the age group of 6 to 12 years were given training at community centres in Sector 37, Sector 47 and at the Tagore Theatre. During the workshops, children were given basic training in acting, voice modulation and other aspects of acting. They prepared small plays during the course of training, which will be staged at 6 in the evening tomorrow. — TNS