Chandigarh, September 13
Nine years after a student from Burail drowned in a pond of a Sector 33 park, Justice Ritu Bahri of the Punjab and Haryana High Court has allowed compensation of Rs 8 lakh to his parents.

Victim Pawan Kumar, a tea vendor’s son, was a Class IX student. His father Rattan Chand had filed a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court for compensation, alleging that the UT had not properly maintained the park, resulting in the flooding of the low-lying area during rains.

Senior advocate Satya Pal Jain argued that the pond was a result of gross negligence on the part of UT officials as they did not maintain the low lying area in the park properly. The student, coming home from school, slipped into the pond and died there and then.

Taking up the matter, Justice Bahri observed, “The necessary conclusion is that after making a pond in the park, it was the duty of the Administration to post police officials for monitoring around the park, so as to prevent such kind of incident.”

Justice Bahri further observed: “Keeping in view the facts and circumstances of the case, a sum of Rs 8 lakh is assessed as compensation, which is to be given to the petitioner by the respondents. The respondents are directed to pay the amount to the petitioner within a period of four weeks from the date of receipt of certified copy of this order and send its compliance report to this court.” 

Chandigarh, September 13
The first case of dengue was reported at the GMCH, Sector 32, today. A resident of Sector 29 tested positive for the virus. During a post diagnosis inspection by the Health Department, larvae were found in the cooler of the patient’s house.

Doctors said the patient was found suffering from dengue. They said he was discharged after giving medication as he was out of danger.

Doctors at the hospital said that this was the first case of dengue in the city this season. Due to less rain this year, till date no case was reported this year. Last year, 10 dengue cases were reported by this time.

Chandigarh, September 13
In a price that could have got him an entry-level sedan, the proprietor of International Tractors Pvt Limited has bought the number ‘0001’ for whopping Rs 8.50 lakh at an open auction held at the Registering and Licensing Authority (RLA). Out of the first 100 numbers of the CH 01 AZ series, 88 were auctioned today that fetched Rs 53.69 lakh.

Rajesh Thakur, an employee of the company, made the bid for 0001 on behalf of the owners for a Mercedes S-class.

Chandigarh, September 13
In a major blow to industrialists, the UT Administration has decided against converting industrial plots from leasehold into freehold. The decision was taken at a recent meeting and the same was communicated to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)too, a senior UT official said.

Recently, the parliamentary panel had recommended that industrial plots be converted from leasehold into freehold. A senior official of the UT Administration said since there were demands from various quarters to convert leasehold plots into freehold, so they decided to look into the issue. But such demands are not feasible therefore, they have taken the decision to continue with the present practice where conversion from leasehold to freehold is not allowed in the UT.

In the recent meeting of the Administrator’s Advisory Council (AAC), UT Administrator Shivraj V Patil had also turned down the demand of industrialists and traders in this regard.

Chandigarh, September 13
In a rare case, doctors at the Western Command Hospital, Chandimandir, managed to save the life of a 16-year-old boy suffering from rabies.

There are only 12 reported cases of rabies survivors in the world till date, the last such case was reported from India in April this year.

Col FMH Ahmad, the neurologist who treated the boy, said, “Nearly 13 reported survivors, including this boy, among an estimated 60,000 odd fatalities resulting from rabies annually, underscored the uniqueness of this phenomenon.”

“There are four rabies survivors in the country which can be used for path-breaking research into this deadly disease and medical professionals are studying the various factors which contribute to this phenomenon,” said Col FMH Ahmad.

The boy was admitted to the hospital on May 8 in a critical comatose state.

He had been bitten by a stray dog on March 25 and was given four doses of anti-rabies vaccine. He later developed fever and slipped into a coma by April 29 and needed a ventilator and airway support when he was shifted from a private hospital to the Command Hospital after being diagnosed with rabies.

The patient was evaluated exhaustively and also underwent surgery for tracheostomy and gastrostomy. He has since been breathing on his own and is now awake, though still in a partially paralysed state.

The patient’s evaluation was carried out with the expertise of the Department of Virology at the Armed Forces Medical College (AFMC), Pune and the Department of Neurovirology at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurological Sciences, Bangalore, using cutting-edge molecular techniques. AFMC reported a positive test of the virus DNA.

The presence of high titters of neutralising antibodies in the patient’s samples and the skin biopsy from NIMHANS corroborated the diagnosis of rabies.

Dr Vivek Lal, Head of Neurology at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, evaluated the clinical management of the patient and after thoroughly reviewing the case, agreed that the neurological disease had abated and the patient was indeed a rabies survivor.

Chandigarh, September 13
The Northern Railway today approved the Jaipur-Chandigarh-Jaipur Daily Express, which will start plying from Chandigarh on September 15.

As per the budget announcement of 2014-15, the train no.— 19717/19718 (Jaipur-Chandigarh-Jaipur Daily Express) will comprise a total of 12 coaches. There will be a 2-tier AC (1 coach), 3-tier AC (1 coach), sleeper (4 coaches) and unreserved (4 coaches) and SLR’s (2 coaches).

During the outward journey, train no. 19718 will depart daily ex-Chandigarh at 12:45 pm and will reach Jaipur the following day at 12:50 pm. The train will have stoppages at Ambala Cantt, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Narwana, Jind, Rohtak, Jhajhar, Rewari, Khairthal, Alwar, Raigarh, Bandikuai, Dausa and Gandhi Nagar Jaipur.

On its return journey from Jaipur, train number 19717 will depart daily ex- Jaipur at 4:40 pm and will reach Chandigarh the following day at 4:55 pm, having stoppages at Gandhi Nagar Jaipur, Dausa, Bandikuai, Raigarh, Alwar, Khairthal, Rewari, Jhajhar, Rohtak, Jind, Narwana, Kaithal, Kurukshetra, Ambala Cantt.

Panchkula, September 13
Chander Mohan, former Haryana Deputy Chief Minister, is all set for a comeback and may contest the Haryana Assembly poll from Panchkula.

Talks are on to field Chander Mohan, brother of Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) chief Kuldeep Bishnoi, from Panchkula. Shashi Sharma, who was the party’s candidate in the previous elections, is also in the fray from the local Vidhan Sabha constituency.

Talking to Chandigarh Tribune, Sharma said: “We both are in the fray from Panchkula and the party’s decision is awaited. I have stayed here from the very beginning and my sole aim is development.”

Sources said the HJC was still working on which candidate to field from the Kalka Assembly constituency.

Meanwhile, the name of incumbent MLA DK Bansal has been shortlisted by the Congress. The party’s list is still awaited.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) have already announced the names of their candidates from Panchkula.

While former Chandigarh Mayor Gian Chand Gupta has been fielded by the BJP, the INLD has put its weight behind Kulbushan Goel. The two parties are already campaigning across the region.

Chandigarh, September 13
Close to 1,500 flood-affected persons were airlifted from Jammu and Kashmir to Chandigarh over the past 24 hours through a constant stream of aircraft that flew in from Srinagar.

AN-32 and IL-76 undertook sorties day and night to bring back stranded tourists and civilians. A total of 1,267 were ferried here by 11 AN-32 and three IL-76 till the wee hours of today. These included 31 foreign tourists from the UK, Germany, Canada, Russia, Nepal, Indonesia, Jakarta and Malaysia. Later by noon, four AN-32 aircraft brought in another 186 persons.

A large load of relief material in the form of biscuits, food packets and blankets are reaching the Air Force Station, Chandigarh, through the civil administration. The station received five trucks of relief material from the Punjab government, 155 packets of biscuits from the Bonn factory, 200 food packets and 60 blankets from an NGO and 4,800 water bottles from the Deputy Commissioner, Dera Bassi. The food packets are distributed to the flood victims on their arrival at Chandigarh.

Minister urges BJP workers to donate generously

HRD Minister Smriti Z Irani today appealed to the BJP workers to donate generously to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the flood-affected people in Jammu and Kashmir. While addressing party workers at the BJP office in Sector 33, Irani urged them to be a part of the national effort to support the J&K residents in this hour of crisis. She said she already gave her one-month salary to the relief fund.

Good Samaritans extend a helping hand

The Maha Mai Mansa Devi Charitable Bhandara Committee today donated eatables and other items to the flood victims. In all, 480 bottles of mineral water, 50 cases of mango juice, eight cases of sweet buns besides biscuits were handed over to the Station Commander, Chandimandir. The committee members who made donations included Amit Jain, Dinesh Gupta, Bhushan Garg and Pankaj Gupta.

Mohali, September 13
After tasting not much success in various anti-cheating drives during the examinations in the past, the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) has now come up with a 10-point formula in this direction.

In its recent meeting, in which several senior officials of the board and SCERT’s Deputy Director Shruti Shukla were present, the authorities emphasised on a 10-point formula to check the menace of using unfair means by students during the examinations.

“We have asked the schools to aware the students about the issue regularly during the morning assemblies. Another main point of the formula is to put lessons on anti-cheating in the syllabus books. We are also going to make it mandatory for every school to hold anti-cheating rallies on a regular basis,” said Gurinder Singh Batth, secretary of the board.

“We are also of the view that special tableaux on the issue should be displayed during the national functions. We should hold special debates, essay-writing and poem-writing competitions among students in this direction,” said Batth.

Chandigarh, September 13
Providing a major relief to the Market Committee Chairman Dinesh Mahajan, the UT Home Secretary-cum-Secretary Agriculture, Anil Kumar, has set aside an order passed by the UT Deputy Commissioner-cum-Secretary State Agriculture Marketing Board, Mohammad Shayin, wherein he had suspended the licence of Mahajan’s two firms.

Deputy Commissioner Shayin, in an order dated August 20, had suspended the licence of Mahajan Trading Company for six months on charges of evasion of market fee to the tune of Rs 25 lakh.

Mahajan and his partner had filed an appeal before the UT Home Secretary.

Besides setting aside the DC’s order, the Home Secretary has also asked the Agriculture Department to get a vigilance inquiry done as there was a huge difference in the assessment amount in the reports submitted by the two separate committees.

To detect the evasion of market fee, an inspection team was constituted by the Secretary State Agriculture Marketing Board. The team assessed an evasion of around Rs 25 lakh. 

Home Secretary sets aside DC’s order of suspending licence. Asks Agriculture Department to hold vigilance probe

Chandigarh, September 13
While hundreds rendered homeless after yesterday’s demolition drive at Madrasi Colony started scurrying to find a roof, 17-year-old Aashifa, on finding one that could barely accommodate her family, decided to share it with a friend, Ruby, in order to save her future.

Both Ruby and Aashifa’s shanties were razed to ground during the drive. While Ruby’s parents failed to find any shelter and decided to move back to their native village in Uttar Pradesh, Aashifa’s family found a two-room rented accommodation for their family of 15.

Despite knowing the fact that her house could barely accommodate her own family, Aashifa went on to persuade Ruby’s father to let his daughter stay back in the city and study.

Aashifa, a Class XI student, said: “I know how important studies are for there was a time when Ruby and I had dropped out of school. For almost three years, we sat ideal at our homes.”

With the help of an NGO, the two cleared the Class X exams from an open school. While Ruby, also a Class XI student, has joined the marketing salesman stream at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 19, Aashifa is pursuing fashion designing at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 8.

Ruby, with tears in her eyes, said: “Yesterday, when my house was being pulled down, I was appearing for my English paper. When my family decided to return to our native place, Aashifa told me, ‘If you study hard you will be able to make another house, but if you quit now, you will never get to study again’.”

With this noble gesture, Ashifa has ensured that she continues to celebrate Eid with her friend as they have been doing for the past eight years, and help her rebuild her life.

Chandigarh, September 13
In the ongoing 6th Chandigarh Arts and Heritage Festival, the key attraction on Saturday was a classical vocal recital by 106-year-old classical vocalist Padma Vibhushan-awardee Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan.

The event has been organised by the Department of Cultural Affairs, Chandigarh Administration.

It was a visual and audio treat for music lovers who had gathered in large numbers to hear the renowned legend at such a ripe age, who performed live before the audience. The gathering erupted in applause as the Ustad commenced his recital.

The cultural evening programme was inaugurated by Shivraj Patil, Governor of Punjab and Administrator of UT, who was the chief guest.

To mark the celebrations, the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi hosted an evening with noted Urdu poet, Waseem Barelvi, at the UT Guest House.

During today’s celebrations, a Heritage Walk was also organised at the Government Museum and Art Gallery, Sector 10. It was flagged off by Director Cultural Affairs Amandeep Kaur. As many as 250 youths and citizens participated in the walk to the Le Corbusier Centre, Sector 19, to spread the message to preserve the city's heritage buildings designed by Corbusier.

Chandigarh, September 13
The Student Organisation of India (SOI), Panjab University, today submitted a memorandum to Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani for giving Central university status to the PU.

In the memorandum, the student party stressed on giving Panjab University the Central university status, considering the 32nd rank given to it in Asia by Times Higher Education Ranking.

Vikramjeet Middukhera, senior leader of the SOI, said during the meeting with the Union Minister, the students said by giving the Central university status to the PU, it would not only benefit the institute financially but also help in framing better policies for students.

He said the minister assured them that she would look into their demand and decide after reviewing it.

The ABVP, the youth wing of the BJP, had promised the students in the recently held Panjab University Campus Student Council elections that they would take up the issue of the Central university status with the Central government. But they did not take any initiative to raise this issue with the Union Minister, who was in the city for the past two days to attend the retreat meet with the Vice-Chancellors of Central universities.

In fact, student council president Divyanshu Budhiraja, whose party (NSUI) raised this issue in the council elections in the last two years, did not bother to even meet the minister and take up this issue that is pending for the past more than eight years.

PUTA president Rajat Sandhir also met the officials of the Ministry of Human Resources to take up the issue of the Central university status with the higher authorities.

Chandigarh, September 13
A 21-member delegation of the Democratic Organisation of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Teachers (DOSSAT), Chandigarh, met Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Smriti Irani today to apprise her of the pending issue of the regularisation of SSA teachers.

The delegation that was led by Arvind Thakur, convener, DOSSAT, met the minister during her visit to the BJP Office, “Kamalam”, in Sector 33 here.

The delegation submitted its memorandum to speed up the process of sanctioning of 647 posts of Trained Graduate Teacher (TGT) and 728 posts of Junior Basic Teacher (JBT).

Arvind said the request for the creation of these posts had already been sent to the MHRD by the Education Department, UT Administration, in July.

He said sanctioning of these posts by the MHRD was mandatory to merge the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan teachers on a regular basis in the Education Department.

Sanjay Tandon, state president of the BJP, Chandigarh, who is also pursuing the case of regularisation of SSA teachers with the Education Department and the MHRD, was also present on the occasion. He briefed the case of regularisation of SSA teachers to the minister in detail.

Chandigarh, September 13
For the courses run under the community college schemes in the city, certificates will be issued to students by the colleges after authorisation from Panjab University.

The written communication from the UGC was tabled in the Syndicate meeting chaired by Vice-Chancellor AK Grover today for approval.

The Syndicate gave a nod to discontinue the Master of Finance and Control course at the USOL proposed by the authorities. On the lines of the PGIMER, the university has also approved the revised rates of private room of health centre from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500.

A majority of the Syndics objected at the meeting that there was a delay in the implementation of the issues approved in the Syndicate or the Senate by the authorities. Reacting to it, the Vice-Chancellor assured that timely implementation of decisions would be ensured in future.

In a meeting of two hours, as many as 14 issues were discussed and approved. For rest of the issues, another meeting would be convened on September 26. 

In the Senate meeting scheduled to be held on September 28, the appointment of new registrar will be tabled for approval.

Chandigarh, September 13
Central universities of the country will develop a common portal to share their expertise in research work and faculty. This was decided on the concluding day of the two-day retreat meet chaired by Union HRD Minister Smriti Irani here today.

It was decided that all Central universities will upload their researches and expertise, which they have in their institutes, along with the details of the faculty so that their services could be utilised by students all over the country.

About 35 Vice-Chancellors gave a presentation during the meet and shared their ideas for the betterment of the education system. During the presentation, the Vice-Chancellors focused on the “professionaling management of critical university”.

Stressing upon the role of alumni in the development of universities, UGC Chairman Professor Ved Parkash discussed how the universities could take assistance of their alumni in their improvement.

In the presentations given by the VCs, strategies were discussed for the next one year about research work, academic-industry linkages, filling of vacant posts, etc. — TNS

Chandigarh, September 13
Charms Education & Immigration Services (P) Limited is going to organise a mega Canadian education fair in Chandigarh on September 14.

Rahul Paitka, MD, Charms Education and Immigration Services, revealed this during media interaction today.

On September 15, the fair will be held in Ludhiana and on September 16 it will be held in Amritsar. It was revealed at the press conference that new rules related to foreign students studying in Canadian colleges and universities had come into force with effect from June 1, 2014. To make student aware about it, this event is organised in the region.

As many as 25 Canadian colleges and universities will converge at the fair. At the education fair, queries related to students’ admission will be answered and they will get the latest information on student visa processing for Canada.

Mohali, September 13
The Gian Jyoti Group of Institutions organised a workshop on automobile engine mechanics here.

Research engineers from Robosapiens India (Noida) participated and sponsored the workshop. The workshop was about the internal combustion engine and the working of its various parts with demonstration.

The workshop was attended by 80 students from various colleges. The final round of the competition will be held at the IIT-Delhi on March 15 next year. The selected students for the Robotryst Fest at the IIT-Delhi were Anshul Bagga, Raghav, Umar, Gopal, Ankit, Litesh, Faisal and Shabbir. — OC