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PCCTU Meet
Chandigarh, October 5 The members were told of the meeting of the PCCTU office-bearers with education minister Dr Upinderjit Kaur, finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, education secretary, the DPI (colleges) Punjab, and senior officers of the education and finance department. Prof Hundal said the talks were held to discuss the demands of the teachers as per the PCCTU memorandum. According to him, the Punjab government had agreed to restore the grants for aided colleges under 95 per cent grant-in-aid scheme and also to make the advance payments in the beginning of the relevant quarter of salary grants under the scheme. He said the government had also agreed to release an amount of Rs 26 crore, the arrears of last year. Besides this, it was also agreed to send the case of payment of HRA to rural college teachers to the cabinet for clearance. Prof Anil Sarwal, vice-president of the union, said the state government had agreed to lift the ban on recruitment, endorse the letter regarding parity and career advancement scheme already issued in the case of librarians and directors of physical education (DPEs) of government colleges to their counterparts in non government affiliated college as well. Prof Manjit Singh Komal, area secretary, Panjab University, said apart from the above, those teachers who had attended refresher courses till June 2007, would be considered for the next grade. The government had also consented to remove the anomalies that had crept in at the time of the implementation of the UGC grades and had also agreed that there shall be no retrenchment of teachers due to shifting of 10 +2 classes from the colleges. The teachers who were teaching these classes shall be adjusted in “add on” and other similar courses. Also, the first instalment of arrears of 50 per cent DA merger will be released. Earlier, a delegation of the union, led by Prof Hundal and general secretary Dr Kuldip Singh, had met Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal where the ways and means to meet the demand of pension and gratuity to non-government affiliated colleges was discussed. The Chief Minister constituted a committee comprising Harish Rai Dhanda, chief parliamentary secretary, chief secretary and education secretary, Punjab, who said the committee has already started working on the various models for fulfilment of this demand. In view of these assurances, the PCCTU executive unanimously decided to give some time to the government to fulfil its promises and deferred its agitation programme for two months.
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World Teachers’ Day
Chandigarh, October 5 He said it was unfortunate that no system was in place where anyone wanting an education of their choice could go and get it. “Intense competition results in even the best and brightest students being forced out sometimes,” he rued. He added that while the government had increased allocation to 32 per cent (Rs 23,000 crore) towards higher education, the sheer numbers and size of the Indian economy meant that even private players needed to come into the fray and help to provide quality education. Stressing on the need to achieve “universal education” at the primary and secondary levels, he said illiteracy, poverty and increasing population have a direct link so there is need for a holistic approach which can come only through education. Congratulating the 59 school and 12 college principals from Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula, who received commendation awards today, he said these heads of institutions were being awarded for bringing in results of 90 per cent proving that the region was committed towards education. The awards ceremony organised by Hindi daily Amar Ujala in association with Indo-Global Colleges, Mohali, short-listed the schools on the basis of their results. Interestingly, UNESCO has been celebrating October 5 as World Teachers’ Day since 1994. The college principals who were honoured included Dr A.C. Vaid, Promila Kaushal, Subash Marriya, Dr A.L. Gauba, Dr Shashi Jain, Dr H. Kaur, R.C. Goyal, Dr A.S. Sethi, Shashi Malik and Harsh Batra. The school principals included Meenakshi Mohindra, Madhu Behl, Rakesh Sachdeva, Jaya Bharadwaj, Sanjay Sardana, Shashi Banerjee, Ranjeet Bedi, Karan Singh, Manju Bharadwaj, Indu Bala, Sham Lal, Indira Beniwal, Raviraj Kaur, Anil Sharma, J.S. Basota, Krit Serai, Mervin West, Veena Malhotra and Sr. Sebastina, among others.
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Mock UN General Assembly
Chandigarh, October 5 Students representing the Asian block (India, Pakistan, China and Malaysia) moved a resolution in the mock UN Assembly for diverting 50 per cent of the funds from defence-related budgets to strengthening and promoting education around the world. After two hours of gruelling discussions, all representatives from the 25 countries unanimously accepted this resolution to make poverty history. Education and disarmament were listed as the top-priority problems that needed to be addressed. Other problems discussed were illiteracy, unemployment, corruption, unequal distribution of wealth and resources, discrimination of caste and class, financial exclusion and attitude as the main causes of poverty around the world. Karel Nijman from Netherlands was the special guest at this session. Meanwhile, to mark Wildlife Week, the Department of Environment, Chandigarh administration, and NGO Yuvsatta organised an excursion to Nepli in Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary, here, yesterday for the participants of the peace camp. Chief guest on the occasion was noted environmentalist Sunder Lal Bahuguna who spoke of his formula of the 3 Hs - head, heart and hands. He said in order to make the world a better to place to live in, these three things were essential. Students can use their head for creative thinking, heart for compassion and hands for constructive work he added. Dr Satinder Dhillon, convenor of the campaign for Peace-City Chandiagrh, in her vote of thanks, said seven years ago it was with Bahuguna’s help that they and volunteers Yuvsatta had made a humble beginning of propagating cycles which has today paved the way for the construction
of cycle-tracks all over the city. Bahuguna also honoured Ishwar Singh, deputy conservator of forests and director, environment department, Chandigarh administration, for his exemplary work for conservation of environment in Chandigarh and strengthening of eco-clubs in local schools and colleges.
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Chandigarh is a great architectural experience: Expert
Chandigarh, October 5 Proving this, practicing architect and professor of a design course at Polytechnic at Milan (Italy), Aressio Schivo, came back here after 15 years to be a part of the Chandigarh Heritage Festival. Kicking off his involvement with a lecture today at the Chandigarh College of Architecture, Sector 12, he spoke of the difference of “living in heritage architecture” instead of simply reading about it in books. “Practicing architecture in the city has to be considered in context of the body of work done by Corbusier. You get to live within it but we study and read about it in books. We do not live it, so there is a difference,” he smiles calling the city a “great architectural experience.” While the lecture dealt with new architecture in the Milan of 2007, both he and principal of the college, Rajnish Wattas, spoke at length about the importance of blending new designs and forms in conjunction and sensitivity with the old. “Our challenge is focused on reuse, that is, ways of finding different uses of space occupied formerly by industrial areas in Milan,” he said, during the lecture. This aspect, coupled with his research on the role of water in architecture in Milan, is something, he feels, applies significantly to this city. “I came to Chandigarh first from Mumbai and Ahmedabad and felt the change immediately. Corbusier’s city needs to be appreciated in a different way because the urban spaces here are treated distinctively from the rest of the country. In fact, this city is special not just in India but in the rest of the world too,” he added. Interestingly, his research assignment to reuse traditional water channels in his city is also something that has brought him to India. He has just come back from seeing how step-wells are constructed in Gujarat. “The relationship between urban spaces and water is important. India has such a rich tradition of architecture around water and that really needs to be revived.” According to Schivo, water adds another dimension along with greenery and buildings because it is directly related to “human experience.” However, he says the architectural challenge before India is very different from that of the West. “You have to look into your enormous heritage and tradition and have to find a way to create new architectural ideas. In fact, it is important for every country to find reasons to fit modern architecture in its traditional forms,” he insists.
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From Colleges
Chandigarh, October 5 GC-46: A national integration camp, organised by the NSS units of Government College, Sector 46, in which 100 volunteers from the states of Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, J & K, Rajasthan, Bihar and Chandigarh participated, concluded today. The function was presided over by Raji P. Srivastava, special secretary finance and director, higher education. Govt College of Education-20: NSS volunteers of Government College of Education, Sector 20, flagged off an awareness rally on social issues in their adopted village Kajheri. Volunteers also undertook a cleanliness drive and interacted with the youngsters of the village, discussing issues like the prevention of HIV/AIDS and ill effects of drug addiction and alcoholism. MCM DAV: The NSS unit of MCM DAV College organised a cultural extravaganza on the penultimate day of the 10-day NSS camp. Rabinder Nath Sharma, program coordinator, NSS, Panjab University, was the chief guest. The volunteers presented a skit and recited poems on various topics concerning women and also put up a cultural show. GCG-11: Atleast 100 volunteers participated in a special camp held at GCG, Sector 11, which included discussions with the Cancer Sahara Society, a poster-making and slogan-writing competition. An AIDS awareness lecture was delivered by the Red Ribbon Club members and a seminar was conducted on Gandhian ideology. Volunteers organised awareness campaigns, dicussed women’s rights, health and self-employment programmes with the people of Khudda Jassu village. They also participated in cleanliness drives and visited the old age home in Sector 15. SGGS-26: The NSS unit of SGGS College launched an eye donation campaign in collaboration with the PGI eye bank. More than 50 volunteers, including programme officers Amandeep Kaur and Surjit Singh pledged their eyes. The unit also visited the Institute of the Blind, Sector 26, and interacted with the inmates.
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Kids visit British Library
Chandigarh, October 5 Library staff informed the students about the various facets of the library. Director of Small Wonder School Sandeep Singh said the visit to the library was aimed to instil love for books in kids. Principal of the school Anu Mahajan said the library with its excellent ambience and most modern spatial and logistical set-up offered students with an idea of what a library in modern day context actually looked like.
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Notice issued to union law ministry
Chandigarh, October 5 The petitioner has claimed that such powers interfere in the independence of judiciary, which is part of the basic structures of the Constitution of India. His contention is, such powers cannot be conferred on information commissioners under the RTI Act, without bringing an amendment in the Constitution of India. The petitioner also challenged the criteria and procedure for the appointment of information commissioners, including chief information commissioners at the state and Central level. He has relied on a judgment of
Constitution Bench in N. Sampath Kumar's case wherein it was categorically held that appointment to the post of the chairman and administrative members of the Central administrative tribunal could not be permitted to be made by the
Central or state governments alone.
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Documents sought as evidence in GCM ‘lost’
Chandigarh, October 5 The defence had wanted the records of the officer’s mess of a brigade headquarters, pertaining to the period when Major Singla was on temporary duty at Dehra Dun to conduct a trial, be admitted as evidence to counter the statements of some witnesses. The records, according to the defence, established her presence in Dehra Dun during the period it was alleged that she had left the station and had collected a bribe to influence an ongoing military trial. The prosecution today submitted before the court that it had been intimated by the authorities that all documents of the brigade mess pertaining to guest room occupancy, and daily messing for the period before January, 2006, had been misplaced during the brigade’s move in March-April, 2006. Consequently, such records could not be produced in court. The defence contended that the original documents in question were available during the recording of the summary of evidence, from which photocopies were made. Stating that the sudden disappearance of the documents was significant, the defence contended that these documents were case property and it was have a direct bearing on dispensation of justice. Stating that under law the disappearance of trial documents by way of misplacement is required to be proved by evidence, the defence has sought that the matter be brought to the notice of the convening authority so that proper efforts can be made to trace the documents.
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Consumer Courts
Chandigarh, October 5 On September 3, 2001, the MD, D.S. Sahi, had been directed to pay a compensation of Rs 28,000 with interest of 12 per cent per annum. But the amount was not paid by the company. Gajinder had booked a cottage with the company on December 10, 1990 after paying Rs 25,000. He bought the cottage after seeing an advertisement in an English daily. The company had advertised the construction of cottages at Barog in Himachal Pradesh. The rest of sum of Rs 2.52 lakh was to be paid in installments. After making the first payment, Gajinder stated that he did not get any response from the company. Even though he showed willingness to make the payment, the company did not contact him. Gajinder requested the forum to direct the company to refund the amount if the cottage was not available. The MD, however, claimed that he left the company in 1993 and was not liable to pay the amount. The forum said: “There is nothing on file to suggest if D.S. Sahi has left the company and if so, when. We are of the opinion that the contention of Sahi that he has left the company and was no longer liable to pay the amount in question cannot be accepted. A notice under Section 27 of the Consumer Protection Act has been served on the MD. Now, non-bailable warrants be issued for the arrest of the managing director of Asiana High Seas for October 19.”
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Lawyer gets boot for frivolous plaint
Chandigarh, October 5 The lawyer had bought a pair of sports shoes for Rs 5,900 in 2005 from Nike showroom in Sector 17. He stated that the shoes had some defect and wore out within eight months. Arora went to the shop, which replaced the old pair with a new one without adding any charges. But the second pair also wore out within a few months. When Arora again contacted the shop owner, the latter refused to replace the shoes again. In reply, Nike store manager Supreet Singh stated that the first pair of shoes was replaced because it was within the warranty period. But when the complainant came to get the pair replaced the second time, the warranty period was over. It was further averred that the pair of shoes was torn and worn out due to heavy usage. The store manager denied that the shoes had any defect and they lasted eight weeks more than the guarantee period of 10 weeks. He further added that Arora had intentionally not produced the original bill receipt as the overleaf carried terms of sales. Arora had sought a compensation for Rs 35,500 from the store. The forum said: “The complainant is misusing his legal acumen to harass the respondent. He has filed a frivolous case against them knowing that his request for replacement of shoes was beyond the guarantee period.”
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Man gets 2-yr jail for abduction
Chandigarh, October 5 The court handed down two-year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2,000 under Section 363 of the IPC to the
convict. An FIR was lodged against Rajiv for abducting complainant Ram Kishore’s daughter on July 11, 2004. Kishore, a welder, had alleged that his daughter, a minor, had gone for shopping when Rajiv, his nephew, allegedly kidnapped her. She was found on July 16 by an ASI with Rajiv. The victim’s father claimed that she was a minor but it came to the knowledge of the court through a medical report that she was 16 years old. So, the accused was acquitted of rape charges.
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Police told to give couple protection
Chandigarh, October 5 High drama was witnessed at the court when the couple reached there to hear the outcome of their petition. The couple, Sarita and Rajesh, were reportedly threatened by their family members while they were going to the court. They had married on September 30 and had been on the run ever since. They later moved court to get police protection. The court directed the police to provide the couple protection,
as Sarita was not ready to go with her parents.
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