EDUCATION

College students complain to DC
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 29
Students of SGGS College, Sector 26, in a letter to the Deputy Commissioner, today complained of ‘unfair judgement’ in the bhangra contest of the Panjab University Zone B Youth Festival which concluded here yesterday.

The judgement has attracted strong reaction from the students of SGGS and DAV colleges who alleged that declaration of Government College, Sector-11, as the winners of the contest was ‘unfair and biased”.

The Principal, Mr P.S. Sangha, confirmed the students had approached him with a complaint about the judgement. He had forwarded it to the Deputy Commissioner, he said.

The students alleged that the judges had already made up their minds in favour of Government College, Sector 11, who were declared winners despite better performances by the SGGS-26 and the DAV College, teams.

Meanwhile, the Principal of Government College, Sector 11, Dr S.N. Singla, was not available for comments.

Paper-reading contest

A paper-reading contest to create awareness on AIDS and to observe, World AIDS Day was held at the Government College of Education, Sector 20, here on Thursday.

About 31 papers were read out at the contest jointly organised by the NSS unit of the college and the UT AIDS Control Society where the need for a localised campaign in the local language was stressed.

The Director, NSS, Panjab University, Dr C.L. Narang, said there was a need to identify the groups most prone to the disease.

Earlier, welcoming the chief guest, the college Principal, Ms Surinder Kaur Tangri, said AIDS was a monster and the only safe way was to educate people. Former Principal, Ms Surinder Kaur Duggal, Ms Nijhawan, Principal of GMHS-34, and Ms Usha Khullar, Principal of GMHS-30, were the judges for the contest.

The results: English: Shruti (1), Palwinder (2), Rakhi (3); Hindi: Ashima (1), Anupma (2), Kriti (3); Punjabi: Prabhjot Kaur (1), Navdeep (2), Sandeep (3).

Students donate blood

As many as 100 students donated blood at a special camp held to commemorate the memory of Pandit Mohan Lal, former Minister of Education and president of GGDSD College Society, at GGDSD College, Sector 32, here on Thursday.

The camp was inaugurated by Joint Secretary Finance-cum-DPI Colleges, Mr K.A.P. Sinha. Members of the college staff and the Principal also donated blood on the occasion.

FROM THE SCHOOLS
2500 appear for 24 posts of teacher
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 29
About 2,500 candidates appeared for the test conducted for 24 posts of master and mistress held at various schools of the city, here today. Almost 70 per cent of the applicants who had applied for the posts appeared for the test.

About 1,150 candidates appeared fpr 11 posts of Hindi teachers’ while 901 candidates appeared for the post of science teachers. In Home Science category, 135 candidates appeared for five posts.

According to the criterion approved by the UT Administration only 15 per cent marks have been assigned to the interview.

The centres for today’s tests were GMSSS-18, GGMSSS-18, GGSSS-20 B, GGMSSS-21, GSSS-27. The examination for candidates who had applied for the post of Sanskrit, Maths, Fine Arts and Music teachers is scheduled for December 1.

Processions

The students and staff of Government Model High School, Sector 26, along with Government Model High School, Sector 44-B, took out separate processions in the city, here on Thursday as a part of the “Polio-eradication Week” activities.

Holding placards and posters in their hands with catchy slogans on the polio- theme, like “Polio- mukt Bharat banayein, bachhon ko do boond pilayein” and “Ghar-ghar mein kranti lana hai, polio ko door bhagana hai.”

While students from Sector 26 interacted with the residents of Bapu Dham colony, educating them on the issue of immunisation of children against polio, those of the Sector 44 school conducted a door-to-door anti-polio campaign to make people aware about the ill-effects of the polio menace.

The Sector 44 procession was flagged off by the school Principal, Ms Surinder Kaur. While addressing hundreds of participating students, she exhorted the youth, to contribute their mite in the great humanitarian cause of polio eradication.

The Sector 26 rally, organised by the Police Hospital, had Dr P. Mangat and Dr Rajinsh Sood accompanying the students from the school to Bapu Dham colony.

Cultural week

On the second day of the cultural week, Sneh and Hardev of Army School, Chandi Mandir, won the trophy in the Sir Bakshi Tek Chand Memorial Hindi Declamation Contest held at DAV School, Sector 8, here on Thursday.

The other results are: Vivek, GMSSS-16 (1); Sneh, Army School-Chandi Mandir (2); Ittishri, DAV School, Una (3). Consolation prizes: Haridev of Army School, Chandi Mandir; Kulbir of Dev Samaj-21, Ajay and CL Aggarwal of DAV-7.

Donated

Expressing concern and affection towards physically and mentally challenged children, the students of Ajit Karam Singh International Public School contributed Rs 7,000 to Prayas, an institution looking after the physically challenged of the city.

They raised the funds by contributing their pocket money and the amount saved by not bursting crackers this Divali.

The Principal, Ms Jagjit Sekhon, said the school was involving students in a big way to inculcate the spirit of sharing and caring. “For the purpose, we have come up with the concept of an interact club” and have pledged to improve the quality of life of the disabled.

A former Director of the PGI, Dr B.N.S. Walia, was the chief guest.

PU results
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 29
Panjab University today declared results of the first and the second year of the MFC supplementary examinations conducted earlier this year.

A press note stated that copies of the result gazettes would be available at the enquiry counter on all working days.

PU also declared results of the supplementary examination of MSc (nursing).

COURTS

HIGH COURT
PMET minimum marks withdrawal quashed
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 29
Coming down heavily on the state of Punjab for exceeding its jurisdiction in issuing a notification withdrawing the minimum qualifying marks for PMET-2001 candidates belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Categories, besides other backward classes, along with sportsmen and handicapped persons, a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today quashed the same.

In a ruling on a bunch of five petitions, the Bench, comprising Mr Justice Swatanter Kumar and Mr Justice J.S. Narang, also directed the authorities to admit students on basis of a previous notification and to commence the course without further delay.

The Judges observed: “The decision of the state government suffers from the infirmity of patent arbitraruness as it offends the principles of fairness, rectitude and stability in the administrative or executive action... The extreme emergency shown by the state in issuing the notification is beyond any reasonable comprehension.

“The state ought not to have issued the notification on August 21 which destroyed the prescribed condition of eligibility and minimum qualifying marks specified under the previous notification. An inevitable consequence of the impugned notification is that the principle of merit will have to be brought to its nadir. There would be violation of the prescribed standards of education of Medical Council of India. The regulations framed by it cannot be ignored but are expected to be followed by all concerned”.

In a 70 page order, the Judges ruled: “We are unable to appreciate the sudden action on part of the state to waive off the minimum qualification marks after declaration of the result and especially when a substantial part of the counselling stood concluded. During the course of admissions, it is normally not appropriate to hamper admission process by altering the eligibility conditions. It not only disturbs admissions and causes disadvantage to the students at large but also adversely affects the commencement of the course”.

Joint Director’s promotion stayed

Issuing notice for December 6, a Division Bench of the High Court today stayed the operation of orders promoting Mr Gurbachan Singh Raju as Additional Director of Industries from the post of Joint Director.

In his petition taken up by the Bench, comprising Mr Justice Jawahar Lal Gupta and Mr Justice Ashutosh Mohunta, Mr Nand Kishore Saluja had alleged that the respondent was caught red handed while accepting a bribe by the flying squad of the Punjab Vigilance Bureau. He had said that staying the orders of promotion would be in the interest of justice”.

30 days’ jail, fine for contempt

Holding a Panipat district resident guilty of committing contempt of court, Ms Justice Bakshish Kaur of the High Court on Thursday sentenced him to simple imprisonment for a month, besides imposing a fine of Rs 2,000. The order would become operational after the expiry of three months.

Ruling on a petition filed by Mr Bhagat Singh of Sonepat district, the Judge observed: “There cannot be any doubt that the respondent, against whom an expart decree of injunction had already been passed, made a deliberate attempt to impede the administration of justice by interfering in the property in question... I am of the considered view that Dilawar Singh has committed contempt of court and is liable to be punished”.

One convicted for contempt of court
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 29
Holding a Sector 21 resident guilty of committing contempt of court, Ms Justice Bakshish Kaur of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today sentenced him to simple imprisonment for three months, besides imposing a fine of Rs 2,000.

Pronouncing the orders, the Judge held that in default of payment, the resident, Amarjit Singh, would have to undergo further imprisonment for another month.

The order would become operational after the expiry of three months, the Judge further held.

Seeking the initiation of contempt of court proceedings, the petitioner, Krishan Kumar Verma of Sector 20, had earlier alleged that Amarjit Singh was guilty of the same as he had not vacated the premises in question.

After going through the record and hearing the arguments in the case, the Judge observed: “Respondent is guilty of committing contempt of court. He has attempted to obstruct the administration of justice and is, therefore, punished to undergo simple imprisonment for three months and pay a fine of Rs 2,000”.

Lok Adalat to hold court soon
Our Correspondent

Chandigarh, November 29
The Central Government Industrial Tribunal-cum-labour court, Chandigarh, having jurisdiction over Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Chandigarh, will hold the first Lok Adalat in the city shortly.

Stating this, Mr S.M Goel, presiding officer of the tribunal, said that the objective of the Lok Adalat is to settle labour disputes between parties and hence reduce pendancy of litigations.

CULTURE

Unbridled strokes of creation
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 29
Art, like signature, is exclusive to every artist. But the purpose of all art is essentially universal. Strokes of the brush attain significance only when they rise above the artist’s personality and reach out to the world at large.

Some such strokes are in evidence at the Kala Gram gallery. Administered by Raja Jaikrishan, the strokes add life to the already vibrant colours. The power of his works lies in their visual appeal and further in their ability to make a social statement of sorts.

Glimpses of the ethereal Kashmir are witnessed in his canvases. The artist uses pastels to paint the beautiful valley. While some works are laced with soothing greens and golden yellows to give the effect of sun and thus of hope, other works spell gloom, executed as they are in hues of fire — rust and orange being the predominant ones.

Jaikrishan continues his work on printed sheets. His attractive collages are suggestive in many ways and it is difficult to arrive at a singular conclusion about the message they mean to convey. The environmental concern is evident in his works. There is also a reflection of turmoil, both personal and social. In totality, the versatility of Jaikrishan’s ensemble keeps the viewer’s attention arrested.