The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Chandigarh Stories

EDUCATION

Delayed result costs pupils dear
14 BCom students lose a year
Smriti Sharma
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 8
Undue delay caused by the re-evaluation process of Panjab University has cost 14 BCom students of Dev Samaj College for Women, Sector 45, one academic year.

Six first-year students and eight second-year students of the college had been declared failed by the university in June, 2007. The students had then applied for the re-evaluation of the subjects and had consequently cleared the exams. When the students sought admission to the next year, the college authorities told them that the college had filled all seats and would request the university for additional 14 seats to accommodate them.

But even after two months of correspondence between the university and the college authorities, nothing has been done and the students are running from pillar to post. “Since they could not clear the annual examination and the re-evaluation result was not declared in time, it was obligatory on the part of the college to fill those vacant seats,” said the then principal Shashi Jain.

When the college authorities failed to give any satisfactory reply, the parents of the students approached the PU vice-chancellor, Prof R.C. Sobti, to request for additional seats, but to no avail. “Had re-evaluation been a time-bound process, we wouldn’t have suffered so much,” said one of the affected students.

Meanwhile, Prof Sobti maintained that the matter had been brought to his notice and he had already sanctioned the requisite number of the seats in the college. On the contrary, the college authorities claimed that they had not received any such orders from the VC.

Samarth inmates celebrate Diwali
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 8
Inmates of Samarth Hostel, a unit of 31 mentally retarded children, celebrated Diwali here today. The hostel, being run by an NGO from International Boys Hostel, Sector 15, imparts vocational training to mentally handicapped children apart from helping them to learn daily skills.

“The children are taught to groom themselves as many of them even do not know how to wear clothes,” said Puja, mother of an inmate and president of Samarth.

“The inmates at the vocational training wing of Samarth learn manufacturing candles, table mats and ‘shagun’ envelopes,” added Puja.

Members of the Parents and Guardian Society of Children of the Government Institution of Mentally Retarded Children, (GIMRC) Sector 32, Chandigarh, also participated.

Officials from the State Bank of India, Sector 17, distributed sweets among the children.

Meanwhile, officials of the Chandigarh branch of the Indian Red Cross Society distributed fruits among 65 inmates of the Chandi Kusht Ashram Society, Sector 47. Deputy commissioner-cum-chairman of Red Cross R.K. Rao greeted the inmates of the ashram.

Sarita Mohan, wife of UT home secretary Krishna Mohan, SDM (east), Chandigarh, distributed fruits among the children admitted to the APC of the PGI and among the inmates of Missionary of Charity, Sector 23, and Bal Niketan, Sector 15.

Fruits were also distributed among the children admitted to Government Multi Specialty Hospital, Sector 16, Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32, and among the inmates of Nari Niketan, Sector 26, Chandigarh.

From Schools
Competitions mark Diwali celebrations
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 8
The Dharitri Paryavaran Club of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 44-B, organised various inter-house activities to sensitise young minds with respect to the noise and air pollution. Paper-reading, Poster-making and slogan-writing competitions were also held. While Nimrat (Class X) and Rohit (Class XI) stood first and second, respectively, in the poster-making competition, Shikha of Class IX and Jaganjot of Class XI won the first and the second places in slogan writing. In the category I of the paper-reading contest, Harjeena and Sumiksha of Class VII stood first and second, respectively, while in the second category, Saloni and Gurjog, both of Class X, got the first and second position, respectively.

POSTER-MAKING: A poster making competition against the use of crackers was organised at GSSS-38 (west), today. Madhu Bala, youth officer, NSS, regional center, exhorted the students to celebrate Diwali with needy people instead of polluting the atmosphere by bursting crackers on Diwali.

BBMB painting competition
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 8
The Bhakra Beas Management Board has decided to hold a state-level painting competition on energy conservation at the CII complex here.

Fifty students each from the Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh have been selected for the competition. Detailed instructions and the list of students can be seen at www.bbmb.gov.in <http://www.bbmb.gov.in> the website of BBMB.

COURTS

Wrong encashment of cheques
Finance firm to pay Rs 2 lakh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 8
The District Consumer Forum has directed CITI Corporation Maruti Finance Limited (CMFL) to pay a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to a complainant for keeping back his post-dated cheques despite his asking them to close his loan case. The company was also asked to pay Rs 5,100 as the litigation cost to the complainant.

The petitioner had deposited the cheques in lieu of the car loan he was discussing with CITI Corporation.

However, once the loan application was withdrawn, even after repeated requests to return the cheques, CITI Corporation did not return them and presented them to the complainant’s bank regularly for realisation.

The petitioner, Chaman Singh Saini, a resident of Sector 34, is said to have arranged a car loan of Rs 2.5 lakh from CITI Corporation against post-dated cheques.

Since an amount of Rs 4.5 lakh was to be paid for the car, Rs 2 lakh was paid by him through a cheque drawn in favour of the company.

Saini, being a retired Army man, was purchasing the car from CSD. The agent arranged an account payee demand draft of Rs 4.5 lakh from CITI Corp but wrongly put it in favour of the “Canteen Fundamental Store” instead of “Canteen Departmental Stores”, Jalandhar. When Saini detected the mistake and asked the company to rectify it, he was told the correction would take around one or two months.

Since he required the car by December 24, 2000, which was not possible at that time, Saini requested them to close his loan case and return the post-dated cheques and the amount of Rs 2 lakh paid by him.

After repeated requests, the amount was returned but the cheques were withheld on one excuse or the other.

The forum headed stated, “It appears after the draft was received by the opposite party, some unscrupulous person (s) in its office utilised the same to their own benefit.”

They further added that CMFL harassed Saini by submitting the cheques and withdrawing the amount from his account, which they were not entitled to. Even when the complainant withdrew the amount from his account, the CMFL kept submitting the cheques and the complainant had to bear the expenses at the rate of Rs 55 per bounced cheque.

Suspect acquitted in rape case
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 8
UT additional and sessions judge Raj Sjekhar Atri today acquitted one Pintu in a rape case as the witness turned hostile.

On the complaint of Shyam Kumari, on July 17, 2006, mother of the victim, a case of rape was registered against Pintu.

Shyam Kumari claimed the suspect promised her 15-year-old daughter that he would marry her.

On July 14, 2006, when her daughter eloped with him Pintu allegedly raped her.