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Appeal raises 20 points
Panchkula, November 12 The appeal was filed two months after Doon MLA Ram Kumar Chaudhary and 11 others were acquitted by a fast track court in Panchkula. The appeal is yet to be admitted by the High Court. Apart from the point raised in the appeal that the trial court did not rely on the evidence provided by the prosecution which had "proved" the motive behind Jyoti's murder, it was stated that undue importance was given to certain issues. Small contradictions that surfaced in the statements of police officials, which often happens during the long trial, were given undue credence. Jyoti's father Buti Ram and her sister Ishu, in their statements, said Jyoti had relations with Ram Kumar, but this aspect was not even considered, according to the appeal. Similarly, it was stated that the disclosure statements made by the MLA and other key accused -- Gurmeet, Dharmpal, Parmajit and Tilak Raj -- during interrogation by the police "tallied with the facts" but were not given importance. Of the 20 points, the most important was that defence witness Majid Khan had stated that he was handling the mobile phone which, the police claimed, was of the MLA. However, the prosecution proved that he was giving a false statement, but even this aspect was not considered. The appeal also pointed out that ASI Mange Ram had identified Paramjit while flagging down his vehicle near Amartex Chowk before the murder, indictaing that he was in the area. Pointing out contradictions in the MLA’s statement, the appeal stated that Ram Kumar, in his 313-page statement before the trial court, said that he did not know Jyoti, but in his bail application filed in the HC earlier, he had said that he knew her and she was also known to his driver because of whom he went to attend Ishu’s wedding. It was also stated that the trial court judgment was "not good on merit and not sustainable in the eyes of law". Police shielding staff?
Over 45 days have passed and no action has been taken by the Haryana Police against the erring policemen -- three DSPs and two ASIs -- who were indicted by the Panchkula police for shoddy investigations into the case, raising doubts that the police are shielding them. On no action having been taken against ASI Jai Singh and ASI Surinder Singh, Panchkula Deputy Commissioner of Police Rahul Sharma said, “They have submitted their explanation, but I am yet to go through it as I was out of station. I will look into it soon." Asked about the explanation given by the erring DSPs, Haryana DGP SN Vashisht said he was out of town and would speak about it tomorrow.
The case
Jyoti, who hailed from Hoshiarpur, was found dead on a road in Sector 21 on the night of November 21, 2012. According to the police, the Doon MLA and four other key accused strangled her to death and then a truck was made to pass over the victim's head. Grounds on which the appeal has been filed
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City banks suffer Rs 100 cr loss, courtesy strike
Chandigarh, November 12 While ATMs were functional, cash transactions of bigger amounts and through cheques could not be made, putting scores of residents to inconvenience. Despite advance notification in the media, a number of individuals preferred to visit nearby branches in view of the urgency of transactions. Those preparing for wedding celebrations were among the worst affected. Satish Kumar, a resident of Sector 9 who tried to withdraw cash from his bank in Sector 17, said, “I needed money for clearing the pending payments of jewellers and service providers. I will now have to wait till tomorrow. I also had to urgently transfer some amount to my daughter’s account, who is settled abroad.” “We may again go on strike on December 3. We are demanding a wage revision. Despite working hard, we have been awaiting a wage revision for the past many years,” said Rajinder Wali, vice-president, All-India Bank Officers Confederation.
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SI, wife, son held guilty of graft
Chandigarh, November 12 The quantum of punishment will be pronounced on November 19. The CBI had arrested Sub-Inspector Sakattar Singh, posted at the Mani Majra police station, his wife Baljinder Kaur and son Baldeep Singh for taking a bribe of Rs 15,000 from Ranjeet Singh, an accused in a case of illegal confinement and rape registered against him three years ago. The bribe was for extending the accused favours, including the release of his car. Ranjeet complained to the CBI about the SI following which the case was registered. CBI officials had stated that the SI handed over the bribe money to his son, who subsequently delivered the amount to his mother, resulting in the arrest of all three. The CBI officials said Sakattar Singh told them that he was demanding the bribe at the behest of another Inspector. The CBI court had framed charges of corruption against the SI, his wife and son. The three were arrested on May 29, 2011, for allegedly demanding and taking a bribe of Rs 15,000 from Ranjeet Singh, who was booked in a case of illegal confinement and rape at the Mani Majra police station.
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Summon estranged husband from Oz: Mother
Mohali, November 12 “Arrest my baby's killer immediately; we want justice,” said Harinder Kaur, carrying a portrait of her son in her hands while returning home from the gurdwara. “If he is innocent, why didn’t he come here after the news of our son's murder spread?” she said, adding that he had threatened her on the phone a few hours before Mehram was kidnapped. “We have made all things clear to the police,” said Harinder Kaur during a brief talk with mediapersons. The victim’s maternal grandmother, Jaswinder Kaur, questioned the police "failure". “Why has the killer not been nabbed so far,” she said. On a complaint of Balwinder Singh, maternal grandfather of the victim, the police had booked Varinderpal Singh, who lives in Australia, his father Nirmal Singh, his sister Parminder Kaur and brother-in-law Prabhjeet Singh on charges of murder, kidnapping, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy at the Phase VII police station on October 29, a day after Mehram was kidnapped. The bhog ceremony was attended by around 300 persons, including local leaders, Congress MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu, in charge of the SAD women wing Amanjot Kaur Ramoowalia and BJP local unit president Goldy. The ceremony passed off peacefully. The family did not allow any leader to speak on the occasion. “We did not want to politicise the issue,” said a relative of the victim.
Cops may question family’s acquaintances
The police have hinted at questioning acquaintances of the victim's family to verify some "untouched aspects" in the case. “There are some facts, which need to be verified from acquaintances of the victim’s family,” said a senior police official. Apparently the police were waiting for the bhog ceremony to be over before they could question them. Sources said the police had already rounded up some persons, including two or three women, who were in touch with the victim’s family.
2,200 calls being verified
“Over 2,200 mobile phone calls are being verified to get clues in the case,” said a senior police official. Various teams are on job to handle the technical aspects, he said.
Search by police irks residents
Repeated search being conducted by the police in houses in the Phase IX locality, where the victim’s family resides, has irked several residents. “We are fed up with the repeated search. They (the police) come and ask us the same set of questions and the outcome is zero,” said a resident.
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mobile toilets for traffic cops Amit Sharma Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 12 Coming to the rescue of policemen who remain stationed at different points in the city, the traffic wing observed that they faced a problem in answering the call of nature. So, the police had decided to introduce mobile toilet vans for them, particularly women constables deployed at different intersections to manage the traffic. Explaining the rationale, SSP (Traffic) Maneesh Chaudhary said the mobile toilets would be sent to a particular place on receiving a call. “The policemen on duty will have to give a call for the services and the mobile toilet will be sent to the place of duty,” the SSP said. There are over 250 traffic policemen on field duty, of whom around 80 are women. The department will purchase two mobile toilets. However, questions are being raised whether the move will serve the purpose or not. Traffic policemen feel that giving a call and waiting for the mobile toilets to arrive is not a viable option. "Who will wait for the mobile toilets to arrive" said a policewoman. Another policemen said rushing to a nearby market in search of a public toilet would be a better option than desperately waiting for the services of a mobile toilet van. Water facility
Earlier, a facility for supplying water to traffic policemen on duty during the peak summer was introduced. However, it drew a tepid response.
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Attacked by stray cattle, woman dies
Mohali, November 12 According to sources, in an effort to save the animals, she lost balance and her scooter hit a streetlight pole. “One of the animals attacked her and she died on the spot,” the police said. The police went to the spot and took the body to the Mohali Civil Hospital in Phase VI. The deceased was a divorcee. She is survived by a daughter.
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Paid parking lots Chandigarh Municipal Corporation fails to auction 17 parking lots in various parts of the city Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 12 The contractors are now demanding that the municipal corporation should reduce the reserve price of the parking lots in view of the service tax. The contractors refused to participate stating that they would not pay the service tax that had been imposed. The contractors have demanded that the parking charges be increased so that the recovery of tax could be made from the commuters. The Central Excise and Taxation Department had recently served notices to the municipal corporation and Estate Office for the recovery of service tax. Additional Commissioner Sarita Malik said they would soon decide the next date of auction and the announacement would be duly made. The city’s parking lots earn the municipal corporation nearly Rs 4 crore revenue every year. This year, Sahib Singh parking lot in Sector 35 has the highest reserve price of Rs. 47.93 lakh, followed by Himalaya Marg, Chandigarh, of Rs. 45.26 lakh. The lowest reserve price is of Rs. 1.79 lakh, for the parking lot adjoining Neelam Cinema in Sector 17.
Businessman also participated in the auction
Upset over the inconvenience faced by customers in Sector 17 market due to the parking lot contractors, this time, a Sector 17 businessman, Darpan Kapoor, owner of Kapsons Store, also participated in the auction. He said his only aim was to provide hassle-free parking to the customers, who came to Sector 17 for shopping but faced inconvenience due to the contractors. But sources said his participation had not gone down well with other parking lot contractors as Kapoor was not from the contractors ‘syndicate’, who usually participate in the auction as a ‘group’.
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No takers for parking lots at rly station
Chandigarh, November 12 As per records of the Ambala Division, on an average 35 trains ply daily from the Chandigarh railway station and more than 20,000 commuters depart to various destination and arrive at the Chandigarh railway station, whereas two years ago, the number of trains plying from here were 12 to 15 in a day. Keeping in view the increased number of commuters, the present parking lots which have the capacity of 400 vehicles, 100 slots are reserved for VIP vehicles and rest 300 are for private vehicles, auto-rickshaws and taxis.Ambala divisional railway manager Anil Kumar Kathpal said that the authorities had floated another tender for the parking lot which would be opened on November 22. He said that if like last time there were no takers for the parking lot then the department would themselves take over the parking lots and manage it to avoid any traffic chaos at the station. He further said that after the number of trains plying from the station had increased, the authorities expanded the space for parking lots. Referring to the morning shatabdi he said that those who came to drop their near and dear ones parked their cars alongside the road, which led to congestion at the entry point of the station and to avoid this problem, the parking space had been increased at the station. During a visit to the railway station today it was found that as there was little time gap between the arrival of morning Kalka Shatabdi which was 11:05 am and departure of the afternoon Shatabdi was 12 noon, the pick and drop vehicles had a tough time looking for parking space at the station. With the passengers being dropped at the station to board the train and those arriving for being picked up around the same time the chaos at the station and parking lots have increased immensely.
Illegal parking on Panchkula side
Ignoring the instructions of the Railway authorities and the signboard installed at the parking lot clearly stating that no parking was allowed on no parking zone and hefty fine would be charged in case of violation, the parking contractor on the Panchkula side of the station allows commuters to park their vehicles in that area and charges parking fees from them.
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Reduction in penalty charges for building violation Rajinder Nagarkoti Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 12 The UT Administrator, Shivraj V Patil, told UT officials to forward the file to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) regarding reduction in misuse charges but more than two months have passed, the UT officials are yet to forward the file to the MHA. When contacted, UT Finance Secretary Saravjit Singh said the matter was under consideration and in a day or two they would forward the case to the MHA. Earlier, the UT had proposed to reduce the penalty charges from Rs 500 per sq feet per month to Rs 7 per sq feet per day, making it Rs 210 per sq feet per month. Recently, the Law Department of the UT Administration had termed the retrospective application of the Chandigarh Estate Rules — 2007 (with amendments in 2009), that allowing the sealing of a building or imposing a heavy penalty of Rs 500 per sq yard per month for misuse and building violations, as illegal and an arbitrary decision. In its legal opinion to the UT Administration, the department had stated that the rules could not be applied with retrospective effect. This means that the provisions of the Estate Rules — 2007 do not govern buildings allotted or auctioned prior to 2007. In 2007, the Administration had enhanced the misuse charges from Rs 10 per sq yard to Rs 500 per sq yard with the enforcement of the Estate Rules — 2007.
Penalty worth crores imposed
In the past five years, the UT Estate Office has issued hundreds of notices for misuse or building violations to owners or occupants of buildings allotted prior to 2007. The penalty imposed for building violations runs into crores of rupees.
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Fee for serving liquor at community centres Rajmeet Singh Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 12 Under the new excise policy, the Excise Department has asked operators of private banquets and government undertakings to register themselves by depositing Rs 30,000 annually as liquor permit fee ( L-5D). While all the private undertakings have complied with, the MC did not bother to deposit the fee. Every year around 1,000 applications for liquor permit approach the Excise Department. “The Excise Department has been pressing upon the MC to pay Rs 30,000 annually for each of the 40 community centres, but the MC has failed to pay the total amount running in over Rs 12 lakh to the Excise Department”, said an excise official.As a result, the Excise Department has put on hold all the applications from individuals who are seeking one-day permit (L-42) to serve liquor at their function planned at any of the MC community centre. UT’s Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner, RC Bhalla, said the permits could not be issued till the MC registered itself with the Excise Department. MC officials on their part said they charged fixed amount, varying between RS 5,600 and Rs 12,000 from those booking their community centres and it would have to pass the charges to the consumers.
Cannot tax common man: MC Commissioner
UT MC Commissioner VP Singh said: “The corporation is a government body. It cannot tax the common man. We will not pay the fee because the government body cannot be pushed for charging the users to serve liquor. We will take up the issue with the Chandigarh Administration.
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Heritage panel approves restoration work
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 11 The structural audit of the centre found that the building had immense seepage throughout as well as cracks on the walls. It was also recommended that asbestos roof be installed in Block ‘A’. The Centre’s premises has two blocks out of which Block ‘B’ is used as Le Corbusier Centre. A Research Centre will come up in Block ‘A’ which was vacated by the UT Forest and Wildlife Department few months ago. The CHCC had also discussed a proposal for the renovation and restoration of Block ‘A’ of Le Corbusier Centre (also known as Old Architect Office Sector 19). The panel wants the block to be used as the Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee (CHCC) office as well as a Research Centre on various facets of Chandigarh’s city planning and architecture.
Other decisions
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Kathak dancer enthrals audience
Chandigarh, November 12 The young and dynamic Germany-based kathak danseur Deodutt regaled the city art lovers with his kathak dance. His style reflected that of his mentor Pt. Rajindra Gangani, kathak wizard of the “Jaipur Gharana”.The programme commenced as danseur Deodutt paid obeisance to LordKrishna through a presentation titled “Ashtkam” a composition of Shri Vallabhacharya in “raga yaman”. His dance created an aura of devotion before Deodutt demonstrated his skill and virtuosity while presenting thaat, upaj, aamad, tihai, tode, tukre paran, chakradar paran and gats, amid thunderous applause. Intricate movements
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Chandigarh, November 12 The CBI has seized some documents from the office to verify information provided to them. CBI SP Tarun Gauba said that the surprise check was conducted following a complaint of irregularities going on in the department. “We have seized some files which will be scrutinised in the coming days”, Gauba added. He said after the scrutiny of documents, If any irregularity is found then action will be taken against the guilty as per the law.— TNS
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Staff shortage at CHC adds to residents’ woes
Zirakpur, November 12 Against a sanctioned strength of seven doctors apart from a senior medical officer, the CHC is functioning with just five doctors. To add to the misery out of the five doctors recruited, one is on leave thus reducing the number to four. Apart from Class IV employees, a radiologist and two land technicians are assisting the doctors. Sources in the department revealed that the only post of a dental doctor in the health centre was also lying vacant for some time. The health centre however, has a homeopathic doctor. The government has set up the health care institute with equipment, including X-ray, ECG, dental X-ray, dental chair, well-equipped laboratories and some other machines, but no ultra sound machine has been installed. A patient in the health centre, preferring anonymity, revealed that expecting mothers and other patients had to go to private scanning centres in absence of any ultra sound machine here. Senior medical officer (SMO) Dr Sunita Sharma, however, claimed that the OPD had a daily registration of 250 to 300 patients at the health centre. Reportedly on an average basis 75 to 80 ultras sound scans are being prescribed by the doctors every month and for which the government is paying almost Rs 15,000 to Rs 16,000 monthly. “The Gynaecology Department is doing excellent as we have 44 to 45 deliveries (normal) every month. Expecting mothers are being provided neonatal nursing along with all the facilities and benefits as per the government policies,” the SMO claimed. When asked about the ultra sound machine, Dr Sharma admitted that the centre lacks the ultra sound machine. She, however, claimed that the government had been paying Rs 200 per scan per patient for the examination as per the government rates.
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4 cars damaged in Mohali locality
Mohali, November 12 Several residents complained that they saw at least four youngsters creating ruckus in an inebriated state and damaging the four cars, which were parked on a pavement along the road, with sharp-edged weapons. “Before anyone could intervene, they fled from the spot,” said a resident, adding that the youngsters came in a Thar jeep. On the other hand, the police claimed that it was an accident case. “The vehicle in which the youngsters came seems to have gone out of control. As a result, it hit the vehicles parked along the road,” said Sub-Inspector Navin Pal Singh Lehal, station house officer of the Phase XI Police Station. The damaged cars include a Swift Dzire belonging to Kulwinder Singh, a Maruti Zen of Jasvir Singh and two Maruti 800 cars belonging to Gurdip Singh and Pandhi. The Swift Dzire has been damaged badly on both the front and the rear side, indicating that it was damaged deliberately with some sharp-edged weapons like an axe. Notably, the police station is not more than 200 metres away from the spot. “The law and order situation has been deteriorating in the town and miscreants have no fear of the police,” said a resident. The SHO said legal proceedings had been initiated in the case.
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Kirron’s tweet on cut in VAT on diesel evokes mixed reaction
Chandigarh, November 12 Immediately after her post, some Twitter followers started targeting her for “self praising”, whereas others defended her stating that she worked hard for the reduction in VAT rates, which ultimately resulted in the reduction in diesel prices. One of the posts read: “Anupam Kher ne comedy karna chhod diya hai kya? Poori comedy ka jimma aapne sambhaal liya hai?” Another post read: “Mazak ki had hoti hai... but good one… Keep it up.” “Instead of ‘I’, Kirron Kher should use ‘We’,” posted another Twitter follower. Another person stated: “The BJP has pressurised the UT to reduce VAT by Rs 2, which can’t be a ground for anyone to take credit.” But there were a number of other followers who defended the MP. A supporter tweeted: “She decreased VAT on diesel”. Another follower posted: “Kirron Kher rallied behind authorities to reduce VAT in Chandigarh.” Informing others about the intricacies, a follower said: “She has reduced VAT Component Boss! Learn and then comment.” The Chandigarh Administration on November 11 issued a notification reduced the value added tax (VAT) on diesel from 12.5 per cent to 9.68 per cent, bringing fuel prices almost on a par with those in Punjab. Under the revised VAT, the price of diesel in Chandigarh is Rs 52.94 per litre compared to Rs 54.30 earlier.
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MC receives 53 objections
Tribune News Service
Mohali, November 12 Municipal Commissioner Uma Shankar Gupta said most objections related to deletion and addition of blocks have come from Phases III-B2, IV, V, VII, IX and X. “These are densely populated pockets of the town. Some objections have also come from villages such as Kumbhra and Matuar,” said Gupta. In villages, the objections have been raised in connection with reservation issues. “We will send all objections to the state government in a day or two. The final decision on these objections will be taken at that level, following which the notification in this regard will be issued,” said the MC chief.
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Panchkula police issue notice, direct absconding councillor to surrender
Tribune News Service
Panchkula, November 12 The SHO of Sector 14 police station, Inspector Suresh Kumar, said: “We have issued a notice asking the councillor to surrender immediately.” Swami has been absconding for over a week, after passing alleged casteist remarks at the Panchkula Municipal corporation executive officer. The police has been conducting raids to trace him. Meanwhile, protests triggered again after Swami was not arrested despite the Deputy Commissioner’s assurance. After the incident, over 1,500 persons had protested outside the MC office and suspended the work. They even threw garbage outside the residence of Panchkula Deputy Commissioner SS Phulia, MLA Gian Chand Gupta and BJP office. However after the DC’s assurance, the protest had been called off.
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PUTA launches portal
Chandigarh, November 12 Dean (Research), PU, Prof Lalit Bansal launched the website in presence of the PUTA executive and senators. The association will be uploading all updates on the new portal: The web address of the new portal is www.putachd.org. PUTA, this year, has also started a Facebook page to allow its members to freely express their opinions and share their thoughts in a more interactive manner.
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146 units of blood donated
Chandigarh, November 12 The annual camp of the association was organised in collaboration with the transfusion department of the PGI. A total of 146 units of blood were collected. Each donor was felicitated with a certificate and a memento.
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Japanese delegation visits PGI
Chandigarh, November 12 Eminent scientists from Japan arrived here recently to discuss the project titled “The role of TLRs in patients with severe complicated malaria due to plasmodium vivax and the development of diagnostic method for predicting the severity”. Prof Fumie Kobayashi and Dr Mamoru Niikura from the department of infectious diseases, Kyorin University School of Medicine, Japan, visited various laboratories at the medical parasitology department on the PGI campus during the visit.
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Punjab pensioners to protest
Mohali, November 12 Mohan Singh, general secretary of the association, said the main demands of the pensioners include non-payment of the 7% installment of dearness allowance with effect from July 1, 2014, increase of 25 per cent in allowances, constitution of the 6th Pay Commission among others. He appealed to all the pensioners to participate in the protest.
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Book on Indo-Pak brotherhood released
Chandigarh, November 12 The book was released at an event organised by NGO Yuvsatta and Peace Club of DAV Senior Secondary School (Lahore), Sector 8-C, here. The book, which is a collection of poems on Sufism and Indo-Pak brotherhood, was released by Madhvi Kataria, additional director, Department of Local Bodies, Punjab. Dr Khalid enthralled the audience by reciting verses from his book, “Ishaq Salamat”. — TNS
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Jawaharlal Nehru National
Science, Mathematics and Science Exhibition for Children Students come up with models offering solutions to day-to-day problems Mehakdeep Grewal Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 12 The students exhibited their models at the 41st Jawaharlal Nehru National Science, Mathematics and Science Exhibition for Children-2014 being held at the Leisure Valley, Sector 10, here. Some of the models displayed by students are: Self-sufficient school Driven by the need to have uninterrupted power supply, Mohammad Azeem, a Class VIII student of Government High School (GHS), Maloya Colony, has designed a ‘Self-Sufficient School’. The model is based on electromagnetic induction theory where electricity could be generated from the swings, including see-saw, slide and treadmill, along with rollers placed at the entrance gate of the school and also windmill on the roof of the school. Azeem, son of a tailor, said: “It is very difficult for us to study when there is no electricity at the school and at home. So I thought if I could design a model where energy to produce electricity could be generated from the resources available at my school, all my friends and I would be able to study uninterrupted.” The young scientist in making had also put on display a model of an eco-friendly school bus with a garden on the top of the bus, which was watered by wastewater from air-conditioner of the bus. He said: “There are more than two lakh buses across the country being used by schools. If we have a garden on the top of the buses, we can have a cleaner environment.” Water purifier out of waste material Braving umpteen odds, city girl Kajal, a Class IX student from GHS, Maloya Colony, had put on display a model of water purifier made out from waste materials. Kajal lost her father a few years ago and is being supported by her grandfather, who is a rickshaw puller. On what motivated her to make the water purifier, the girl said: “Every year, many deaths are caused due to water contamination. Even where I live, we do not get pure water. We don’t have enough money to install an RO system. So, I thought of making a water purifier.” Her model was made out of plastic bottles where she had used filter paper, cotton and charcoal to purify water at the first stage. For purification, she had used pieces of glasses painted in black along with reflectors in order to ensure that there is no loss of minerals at the final level of purification. Ill-effects of drugs Rahul and Akash, students of Government High School, Dadu Majra, did a study for over a year on the ill-effects of drugs by keeping bones of hens and leaves in the solutions of tobacco, alcohol and others. The students claimed that the reason for studying the ill-effects of drugs was that they had seen many children and elders suffering from drug addiction and dying painful deaths in their surroundings. Helmet for labourers Gurlal, another student of Government High School, Dadu Majra, made a helmet for labourers, who carry heavy load on their heads. The Class X student designed a helmet with shoulder rest that would ease of the burden from the neck of the load carriers. Life-saving jacket With an aim to make sure that lives are not lost due to nature’s fury, floods, Adil Azaz from Government Higher Secondary School (Boys), Resai, Jammu, designed life-saving jackets. He said: “Since life-saving jackets are expensive in the market, I designed jackets out of plastic bottles that can save lives. A large number of people lost their lives in the J&K floods. In order to save lives, I made this jacket which everybody can afford.”
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‘The Boy Who Stopped Smiling’ delights audience at Tagore
Chandigarh, November 12 “The Boy Who Stopped Smiling” combines a serious theme with a satirical twist. At every step, it connects with its audience, humouring and making them pensive at the same time. The play was first staged in the late 80s when there was increasing talk about children being overburdened with parental expectations and rote learning at school and students turning rebellious in some cases but mostly allowing their personalities to get subjugated and distorted. The media had supported this wave of consciousness where increasing support was sought to reduce the burden on children and to “let them be”. Staged by the Working Title group, written by Ramu Ramanathan, with a stellar cast of Jaimini Pathak, Anshuman Jha, Manjiri Pupala, Scherazade Kaikobad, Padma Damodar and Manadar Gokhale, the production from Mumbai brought with it an infectious energy and activism, enlivening the audience and giving them enough food for thought. Atul Khanna, director of the school, said: “Students must be exposed to the performing arts, especially through creative themes. Expression is a powerful tool. It is universal and timeless. Studies are important and so are percentages and performance. But equally important is the creative and artistic side that must be given equal weightage, for each child is different and his/her talents unique.”
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Contests mark IT Tech Mania
Mohali, November 12 GJIMT chairman JS Bedi, while welcoming the students, said such fun and knowledge-based competitions were important for students. Himanshu Sharma of Kendriya Vidhyalya-47 was declared the winner of debate and Sushmeet of Gian Jyoti Global School won the second prize. Krishna Yadav and Pawan Kumar of Government Model Senior Secondary School got first and second positions, respectively, in web page development. In LAN gaming counter strike, the winners were Chander Mehla of Sri Guru Gobind Singh Collegiate Public School, Sector 26, and Harsh Bagri of DAV Public School, Phase X.
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School, NGO spread smiles
Chandigarh, November 12 While speaking on the behalf of Nanhi Jaan, Dr Sandeep Chhatwal said: “It is immensely motivating how students contributed towards these beautiful gifts to bring smiles on the faces of these children.” While elaborating about the project, he said: “It is a project under the Veeranwali Foundation and is engaged in providing assistance to underprivileged children for education and health. All proceeds collected through the initiatives will be utilised by Nanhi Jaan towards providing medical facilities in various government medical organisations of the region”. A story-telling session by the principal was also organised on the occasion.
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Panjab varsity to intensify cleanliness campaign
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 12 PU NCC and NSS units, social workers and the horticulture wing would carry out a cleanliness drive from November 14. The drive would be conducted from 7 am to 9 am in the morning for 20 days. The NCC and NSS would also launch an extensive outreach programme to create awareness about the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’. It was also in the meeting that the PU would make bulk procurement of dustbins, which would be placed at all appropriate places. There would be regular upkeep of toilets in the campus. Three different colour-coded dustbins would be placed at the Student Centre, markets and hostels. One dustbin would be placed in each department at an easily accessible place to put the garbage. The Environment Studies Department and the Energy Resource Centre would launch projects on various aspects of segregation and recycling of waste material on the campus. The PU authorities have asked all departments to undertake a cleanliness drive within and outside their premises. They would remove all unwanted articles and maintain general cleanliness. The students of various departments would undertake a cleanliness drive in and around their departments. The security wing will make efforts to educate street vendors and all commercial establishments on garbage disposal and segregation. Ban on the use of plastic bags within the PU campus would be promoted. Purchase of e-rickshaws is also being considered for garbage disposal. The key points
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Wellness programme
The medical committee of MCM DAV College for Women organised a wellness programme in collaboration with dietician Shreya’s Family diet clinic to foster among students a better understanding of food and health in daily lives. The programme included group counselling and talk on healthy lifestyle and nutrition. One-day workshop
The Department of Computer Science and Engineering organised research scholars’ congregation, a one-day workshop under the Chandigarh Region Innovation and Knowledge Cluster (CRIKC) on Wednesday. Prof Manoj K Arora, Director, PEC University of Technology, and Professor Arun Kumar Grover, Vice-Chancellor, Panjab University, inaugurated the workshop and enlightened the participants with their valuable keynote addresses. Honour for PU Prof
Panjab University Assistant Professor Dr Neelima Dhingra has been selected for the prestigious International Best Paper Award at the 2nd International Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences Conference in Singapore. Dr Dhingra is teaching pharmaceutical chemistry at the University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at PU. Workshop concludes
A four-day workshop on soft skills development, organised by the Department of Economics, GGDSD College, Sector 32, concluded on Wednesday. Over 100 students from various courses such as Masters in Business Economics, MA (Economics), Masters in Entrepreneurship and Family Business and Masters in Commerce took part in the workshop. — TNS
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House show
Boys of Br Morrissey House, St John’s High School, Chandigarh, presented a house show on “Divinity in God’s creation” on Wednesday. Reverend brothers and parents were present on the occasion. The show began with the vandana recitation, followed by an English play, “The Emperor’s New Clothes” in which the value of honesty was exhibited. The show was made interesting with the humorous Hindi play, “Free Style Gawahi”. The show ended with a message of being united and living in peace and harmony through a Kashmiri dance. Vigilance Awareness Week
Government Model Senior Secondary School, Modern Housing Complex, Mani Majra, observed Vigilance Awareness Week. The theme of this year was “Combating Corruption-Technology as an enabler”. Commerce students took out a rally. Activities such as speech and a poster-making competition were organised. A special pledge was taken by students. Bal Diwas celebrated
Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sector 31, hosted various activities to mark the Bal Diwas celebrations. The activities included English poem recitation, Hindi poem recitation, quiz and Hindi extempore. Eight schools – KV-31, KV-3BRD, KV-29, KV-47 (Ist and IInd ) shift, KV-Mullanpur, KV-Mohali and KV-Fatehgarh Sahib - participated in the event. The students left no stone unturned to bag positions for their schools. National Education Day
Government High School (Smart School), Sector 50, Chandigarh, celebrated National Education Day. To highlight the importance of the day, teachers and students delivered speeches and sang poems in the morning assembly. Rangoli competition
Adarsh Public School, Sector 20, Chandigarh, organised a rangoli competition on the school premises. Students of the senior wing took part in the competition. The winners of group I were Anchal, Niharika, Inderjet, Arshdeep and Aman Verma, while from group II the winners were Arun, Komal Bhatt, Balwinder, Sneha and Hafsha. Visit to holy places
The primary wing of MDAV-22 visited different places of worship. The school authorities said the visit was organised for developing respect and oneness feeling towards all religions. The students also became familiar with worship places such as temple, church, gurdwara and mosque. — TNS
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UIET students told about opportunities in IT, telecom
Chandigarh, November 12 The chief information security officer and IT adviser, Government of Haryana, Sastry Tumuluri, inaugurated the symposium. In his keynote address, Tumuluri explained the three principle model of consumption, production and engagement. He also gave an insight into various emerging areas, such Around 70 faculty and research scholars interacted with experts and eminent speakers from both academia and industry, including UIET assistant professor Dr Monika Randhawa, PU Central Placement Cell director Dr SK Chadha and the CEO of Arcadian Technocrats, Navdeep Singh Gill. UIET director Prof Renu Vig motivated the students to pursue research and encouraged them to explore technologies and use them for the welfare of society.
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Experts to dwell on quality education
Chandigarh, November 12 Nearly 1,000 delegates from across India are participating in the conference. The Punjab Chief Minister, Parkash Singh Badal, will be the chief guest at the inaugural session. Briefing the press, federation general secretary Prof Asok Barman said the past decade has witnessed noticeable quantitative expansion in the field of higher education. “The higher education system instead of attracting the talent into teaching is doing the opposite,” he said.
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