Chandigarh, July 25
The secretary to vice-chancellor (SVC), Panjab University, H.C. Malhotra has resigned from the post, which is generally co terminus with the PU vice chancellor.

Sources said the SVC stopped attending office on July 17 and wrote to the VC stating that he was no longer available to him as SVC. While sources said the SVC resigned due to a difference of opinion with the VC over the Rajiv Gandhi Chairmanship issue, the VC Professor R.C. Sobti however said there was no problem between him and the SVC.

Stating that Malhotra had resigned for personal reasons on July 23 Professor Sobti said, “Malhotra told me that he has some problem due to which he could not continue.”

Malhotra was the Deputy Registrar (general) before being picked up by Sobti to be his SVC. Accosding to sources Malhotra and Professor Sobti had not been getting along for a while now. Matters came to a head when the entire controversy on the Rajiv Gandhi Chair erupted with the High Court staying the appointment of Dr Mohsin Ullah Khan as Rajiv Gandhi chair-professor which was said to be in violation of the norms laid down for selection by the UGC, specially since the chair is funded completely by the UGC.

The SVC’s post is generally held by an official who enjoys the confidence of whosoever takes on the charge of the VC. Normally the two posts are co-terminus with new vice chancellors posting their confidantes to the post.

When contacted Malhotra confirmed that he had resigned on July 17 but refused to comment on the reasons as to why he had resigned. Malhotra had retired from the University this January but remained on-board when appointed as SVC.

Colours: An educative activity ‘colour bonanza’, was organised for the tiny tots of play class and pre KG classes held for kindergarten at St. Joseph’s Senior Secondary School , Sector 44 - D, here today. The motive behind the whole show was to teach them the concept and importance of colours in our lives and encourage the children to open up and participate eagerly.

Around 200 children participated in it. Dressed in diffrent colours of bright yellow, pastel blue and green and perky pimk they were indeed a visual feast.

The tiny tots gave a lively presentation dressed up in their fineries in different colours.

Environment day: Shivani Gill, Ajit Kumar and Neha won first position in essay writing, slogan writing and painting competitions, respectively, during the environment day celebration held at Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 47 on Saturday. The occasion was celebrated in the school premises by the Gulmohar Eco Club of the school in association with Yuvsatta. A mass rally was organised by the students of school to aware the people about environment which was flagged off jointly by Ishwar Chand director of Forest Department and Khushinder Sharma, DEO Chandigarh.

The students carrying banners of different slogans of environment went through streets of Sector 47-C and D, by raising the slogan “save environment”. — TNS

The term of the following Deans has been extended for one year with effect from the dates mentioned below:

Professor Shelly Walia, dean foreign students, department of english, August 1, 2007.

Chandigarh, July 25
Taking serious note of traffic violations by students, the Chandigarh education department has issued instructions to all government and private schools, asking them to educate children on the same.

“We have asked teachers to educate schoolchildren about the traffic rules. Strict action will be taken against those who do not obey,” said DPI (S) S.K. Setia. It has been observed that students below 18 years of age drive vehicles without valid driving licences.They also drive gear vehicles, breaking the norms.

“The date of birth of students will be noted,” said a principal. 

Chandigarh, July 25
UT SSP Dinesh Bhatt has blamed the lack of response from the states concerned and inadequate manpower for the slow pace of arrest of proclaimed offenders (POs) belonging to other states.

In an affidavit to be taken up by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on September 24, a copy of which is in The Tribune’s possession, Bhatt stated that the number of POs, who were resident of other states, was almost double the number of those who were residents of Chandigarh.

There were 936 POs as on July 7, 2007, out which 621 were outsiders and 315 were local showing that the number was higher than the figure of 742 POs as on July 31, 2006. Incidentally, the number of local POs arrested after July 31, 2006, exceeded the number of outsiders arrested after the said period. During that period, 89 local POs were arrested while the outsider POs arrested were 53.

During the month of June 2007, the UT police arrested 12 local POs and seven outsider POs while the number of the POs declared were 18.

Bhatt asserted that the disproportionately high number of POs belonging to other states accounted for the “practical difficulty” in apprehending them, especially in view of the limited manpower of police force available.

The “lack of response” from other states concerned, to which these POs belong, was also a significant reason for the slow pace of apprehension of outsider category of POs.

Importantly, the affidavit came in the wake of the high court order, dated February 21, wherein the court, on a petition by advocate H.C Arora, had asked the SSP to file a reply as to what the police was doing to nab local POs. Prior to the February order, the SSP had pleaded that most of the POs were from outside. Punjab and Haryana too were told to file their replies.

The SSP further emphasised that keen efforts were being made to arrest the POs and the situation was being regularly reviewed. 

Chandigarh, July 25
Advocate Ishwar Pal Attri has left no stone unturned to ensure that justice is done in the case of his daughter, Manisha, killed in an accident on February 25, 1996. He maintains that this was a murder and not a mere accident.

It was at 2 pm on that day that Manisha, who was accompanied by her mother, was hit by a speeding Esteem car (D2-1-CD-2858) carrying six youths. The car was driven by Jatinder Mohan Singh.

Advocate for the accused A.S. Sukhija, however, maintains that all seven accused cannot be blamed for the death.

It was probably for the first time in the District Courts that a video conference was held to elicit the opinion of experts from London. The cost for arranging the conference was more than Rs 1 lakh.This was done to establish that it was a case of murder as the accident was an intentional act. The next hearing of the case 
is July 27.

Advocate Attri had approached surface transport experts in London to prove that his daughter, who was an advocate, had been done to death. Manisha died 10 years ago while on her way back home from the District Courts near the Sector 23-24 roundabout.

A report was prepared under the guidance of Dr K.R. Dharam of the department of physics, Panjab University, who was one of the witnesses, to prove the death was not an accident.

It was argued that the accused trailed the victim, who was on a scooter, and crossed her to identify her. Then they drove towards the Batra roundabout and hit the two-wheeler of the victim “diagonally at high speed.”

The car driver allegedly mounted his vehicle on the two-wheeler and drove over the victim.

The victim was taken to hospital by a senior IAS officer, who appeared as a witness. At least 61 witnesses have been examined in the case.

Manisha died on March 12, 1996, at the PGI. Initially, a case of accident was registered by the police.