PG students gear up for exams
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 20 — The examination season has been a bad dream for those engaged in its conduct and a nightmare for the students appearing for their examinations this session. After doing a full circle of announcing the dates of commencement of examinations, printing of datesheets and postponing examinations, Panjab University has finally announced that the postgraduate examinations are beginning as scheduled.

After an air of uncertainty, the announcement of the authorities has come as a bolt from the blue for most students. Flummoxed students are oscillating between studying for their papers and frequenting the examination branch of the university with enquiries of all kinds pertaining to examinations.

While some roll numbers of private students were despatched on Saturday, the remaining were sent yesterday. The roll numbers of the regular students are available with the office of their respective depatments, sources in the examination branch stated. Though the students are gearing up for the examinations, a streak of unhappiness is running through the student community about the way the announcement has come.

Sonia Sharma, one such student, says, “It is unjust on part of the university to be announcing the commencement of examinations at such a short notice. In effect, we have been given a preparation time of six days which is definitely not enough. Though the dates of examination had been announced sometime back, the final word on the matter has come only now.’’

A worried Richa Chauhan, appearing for her undergraduate examination, comments, “I am trying to get through to my friends who have to take their postgraduation examination. Back home at Manipur, they are unaware of the development here. How they will get here at such a short notice, is a big problem in itself but that their first paper is scheduled for April 26 takes the cake.’

Though Anju Chahal is all set to take her examination, she is anxious about her roll number reaching in time. She says, “The roll number will come to me. I have been to the university to enquire about the fate of my roll numbers but all I have been told is that they have been despatched. The authorities are not willing to reveal when this was done and when I will receive it. I’ll wait for a couple of days, take stock of the situation and then apply for a duplicate if need be.’’

Manju Gupta says though the late despatch of roll numbers will pose a problem for candidates appearing at out-station centres, the roll numbers are bound to reach the private candidates living locally just before they push the panic button. Then, the local candidates are at a greater advantage since they can get a duplicate roll number card issued just in case a problem arises. It will entail a lot of inconvenience for those appearing elsewhere, she adds.

Buses in park irk residents
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 20 — Residents of Sector 21-D here have opposed the decision of the Chandigarh Traffic Police to allow private operators and schools to park their buses on a public park in the sector.

The residents alleged that the parking of buses in the park, besides being a source of nuisance, particularly at night, left little space for children to play. They contended that since there was no other park in the area, this park should not have been allowed to be used as a parking place for buses. Senior citizens, who used to stroll in the park in the morning, were hard hit by this decision as buses continued to be parked till around 6.30 am.

Though there were not many buses during the day time, it was during the night that the park was full of buses.Those looking after the buses allegedly drank in the open, alleged Mr Ram Din, a rickshaw-puller near the park.

The President of the Citizens Association, Prof A.S. Bhatia, wondered why the permission to park the buses had been given when holding marriage functions in the green belt was not allowed. He demanded that bus operators should be allotted sites away from the residential area, near the petrol pump in Sector 34.

Mr Rajiv Gupta, a resident, alleged that the the those who looked after the buses were a source of nuisance as they bathed and urinated in the open.

Meanwhile, Mr Davinder Singh Thakur, DSP (Traffic), said that the decision to let bus operators park their vehicles in the park was a temporary one.The decision was taken as the road near Scooter Market , Sector 21, where the buses used to be parked earlier, had become a traffic hazard. He expressed the hope that a solution to the problem would be found soon since the bus operators had assured the police of full cooperation.

Buses circumvent bus stand
By Varinder Singh
Tribune News Service

SAS NAGAR, April 20 — Punitive action and efforts on part of the authorities concerned notwithstanding, a large number of buses coming from Punjab to Chandigarh and vice versa still circumvent the local general bus stand, resulting in a lot of difficulties to residents here.

Acting on complaints of residents, who had even organised a dharna on the Balongi chowk last fortnight to lodge their protest against the attitude of the transport officials by not halting the buses at the bus stand, the traffic police and the Punjab Roadways authorities had launched a drive against offending drivers. But it seems that the drive has yielded little result, as, a large number of drivers of private and government buses still prefer to take the bypass route for going to and from Chandigarh and hesitate to take their vehicles to the general bus stand.

The problem is particularly acute for residents of phases VIII, IX, X, XI and those of Sohana village, as the Balongi chowk, which is being used by drivers of most of the buses as an alternative bus stand, is far from these areas and they have to reach there after hiring different modes of transport such as autorickshaws to get a bus to Punjab.

“It is a total injustice with us, as the Balongi chowk which is illegally being used as a bus stand these days, is at a distance of about 7 km from our area,” said Mr Amar Singh, a resident of Phase XI. He said they had to wait for one to two hours as hardly any bus for Punjab reached the general bus stand. Similarly, Mr Harjit Singh, a resident of Sohana village said his family had to spend at least Rs 50 to hire an autorickshaw to reach the Balongi chowk for the purpose of boarding a Punjab bound bus.

Officials of the Punjab Roadways, conceded that even after warnings to the drivers, the problem still existed. “Actually to get more passengers, they start shouting at the Chandigarh bus stand, that the bus is not going to the Mohali General Bus Stand, as the passengers boarding buses from Chandigarh prefer buses circumventing the local bus stand as it takes more time,” said an official at the local bus stand. They, however, maintained that the situation had improved to some extent after a drive was launched by the traffic police and the roadways authorities.

“Out of a total of 600 buses leaving Chandigarh for Punjab daily, as many as 313, mainly belonging to the Punjab Roadways and the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation, are supposed to come to the local general bus stand, but on an average, we are receiving only about 200 buses daily. But the number has definitely increased after the drive as earlier, only 60-65 buses bound for Punjab used to enter the general bus stand daily,” said Mr Davinder Singh, the Station Supervisor.

He said to ensure that every Punjab bus come to the general bus stand, the roadways authorities had started keeping a record of every bus entering the bus stand.

According to official sources, besides buses of Himachal and Haryana, the CTU-run buses also do not go to the main bus stand. “In spite of an order by the Ropar Deputy Commissioner, CTU officials maintain that they have not got any orders in this regard from their superiors,” said a Punjab Roadways official.

When contacted, Mr Sukhwinder Singh, in charge of the Traffic Police, said the problem was that even if the drivers were forced to enter into the city at the Balongi chowk entry point, they do not go to the main bus stand and instead they slip through different exit points between the Balongi chowk and the general bus stand. “Actually, we don’t have the requisite manpower to ensure the entry of each bus into the bus stand.”

He said with a view to ensure the entry of buses to the main bus stand, about three dozen drivers had been challaned during the past three weeks. Besides, traffic police personnel have also been deployed to plug the exit points, he added.

MANAULI (FOC): Residents of Singhpura, Darali, Manauli and more than half a dozen villages lack any regular bus service and have to depend on their own conveyance for transportation purposes. Villagers near Zirakpur and SAS Nagar said they had to walk long distances to get a bus. Mr Mokh Singh, a resident of Ramgarh village near Zirakpur, said the village is just 4 km from the Chandigarh-Delhi road but the area had no bus service.

Mrs Surinder Kaur, sarpanch of Manauli village, complained that the bus service of the CTU numbered 101 had stopped as the roads were in a bad shape. The village panchayat has demanded that as the roads are now metalled, bus service in the village should be re-started. It demanded that more buses should be introduced.

The worst affected are students and teachers. Manjit Kaur, who studies at a college in Chandigarh, complained that she generally gets late due to the non-availability of buses.

“We have to face problems during the examination time as it is not possible for us to reach examination centre in time. We have to either stay at hostel with our classmates or with some our relatives”, she added.

Occupancy falls in city hotels
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 20 — The hotel industry in Chandigarh has been facing an acute room occupancy problem for the past one year. Within the organised industry in Chandigarh, there are almost 800 rooms available in all categories. The hype created on all the occasions and events is so much that many regular visitors to the city either cancel or postpone their visits, but in reality most of the hotel rooms are lying vacant.

This has happened during Agro-Tech '98, architects' conference, Indo-Pakistan cricket match and the recently concluded Khalsa tercentenary celebrations.

So much accommodation is offered on such occasions by institutional guest hoses at a highly subsidised rates that there are very few takers for hotel rooms, according to a press note issued by the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Chandigarh (HRAC) here today.

Clubbed along with this was the major problem of illegal private guest houses. These guest houses did not have a regular tariff structure. On the other hand, the hotels had their tariff displayed. Guest houses agents did not let travellers reach any hotel. They often misguided a tourist, the press note alleged.

The hotel industry had been crying for help for a long time and if no remedies were taken in the immediate future, the industry would die a slow death, it added.

Car taken away on suspicion
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 20 — A retired Lieut-Col had never imagined that his car would be taken away by the police on a mere suspicion that it belonged to a person whom it wanted to catch in some case.

Lieut-Col (retd) L.S. Bedi said he was made to suffer due to the fault of the policemen. "They should have informed me or a policeman should have been posted at the place from where the car was taken away," said he.

Lieut-Col Bedi, a resident of Army Welfare Housing Organisation (AWHO) flats, Mansa Devi, had parked his car (CH-01-B-5449) in Sector 22 where he works as a manager at a leading hotel.

On April 14, he came out of his office at around 6 pm. He tried to locate his car but in vain. It turned out that the police had taken away the vehicle, thinking that it was owned by a person named Karan. This happened after the police received a call from Mr Dilip Kulkarni of Sector 45 that Karan had fled in a car which was parked in Sector 22.

According to Lieut-Col Bedi, Karan, used to reportedly make obnoxious telephone calls to Mr Kulkarni's place. Mr Kulkarni had laid a trap on April 14 to catch Karan. As he was making a call from a PCO in Sector 22, he was caught by Mr Kulkarni. He escaped and on the way, he saw the car. He tried to open it either to avoid detection or to escape.

Thinking that the car was Karan's, Mr Kulkarni called the police, who towed away the vehicle, said Lieut-Col Bedi.

The car was later found in Sector 17 police station.

How the police made sure that the car belonged to Karan, still baffles the retired armyman. He alleged that the car was handed over to him at 8.40 pm but he was asked to fill 7.40 pm as the time of receiving, in the form.

Tuition no alternative to school teaching
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 20 — With a view to enrich educational thought and practice in the changing educational scenario, quantitative expansion along with qualitative improvement is being practised with the help of modern technological gadgets like multi-media, CD ROMs, video-multimedia projector as methods of teaching in Shivalik Public School, Sector 41.

This was stated by the school principal, Mr D.S. Bedi, during an interview here today while discussing innovative steps being taken by him for the future.

Hailing from Gujranwala in Pakistan, Mr Bedi did his early schooling from there but after Partition, he studied in Ambala. He did his BT from Sohan Lal Training College, Ambala, and later a condensed course in M.Sc (chemistry) from Panjab University, Chandigarh.

He believes in total personality development of child instead of mere mental development through teaching of prescribed subjects and co-curricular activities. According to him, schools should lay more emphasis on preparing the child to meet the challenges of future in life. His message to the students of today is to constantly work hard for the achievement of their goal. They should believe in “Victory with determination’’, which is the motto of the school. The thrust of his school is on group work and self-learning by involving the students in maximum activities in the learning process.

Condemning the tendency of the parents to go in for home tuitions, Mr Bedi said tutions certainly are no alternative to school teaching. In fact, they only add to the burden of the child who is caught between school, home and tutor. He advocates effective instructions in the school where a child interacts in the school to get his doubts removed. This is the best possible solution in the formal education system.

Answering a question on what he expects from a good teacher, Mr Bedi said that “a good teacher is one who takes care of the child’s harmonius development in and outside the class room situations and would act as a friend, guide and counsellor.’’

He should make himself available to the students at all times. However, such teachers should also strive to grow professionally. These teachers should keep attending good refresher courses from time to time to acquire knowledge on the latest educational techniques. To meet this requirement, the school keeps organising in-service education for all teachers. Mr Bedi claims that the school follows all norms adopted by the CBSE including Provident Fund when it comes to the salary of teachers and subsequent job security. It also provides ancilliary facilties like free education to the children.

“Corporal punishment should be the last resort of any school to check growing incidence of violence in schools. The heads of schools along with teachers should try and make all possible efforts to provide individual and group counselling, keeping in view the development stages of chidren,’’ said Mr Bedi. He maintains that schools like his, which are availing the services of a counsellor are having few problems with teenagers and adolescents. Such children find it easier to confide in counsellors than their parents and friends. Besides, the heads of the institutions and teachers should set model examples for the students.

The school follows the CBSE syllabus because it is widely prevalent and more credible for students all over the country. The high standard of science and mathematics gives these students an edge over others in various competitive examinations.

On future plans, Mr Bedi said “we plan to develop co-operative programme of neighbourhood schools to devise strategies of learning, teacher development and parental involvement.’’ He feels that this will mitigate the difference between private enterprise of independent schools and government initiative. In the times to come, more stress will be laid on value education and ethical growth through schools.

Market lacks amenities
From Our Correspondent

PANCHKULA, April 20— In the wake of negligent attitude of the Haryana Urban Development Authority ( HUDA), shops at the Rehri Market, Sector 7, here do not have several civic amenities.

Mr Jeet Singh, President of the Housing Board Rehri Market Union, said that the market lacked a proper parking place. Two garbage collection trollies were parked in the parking lot, which were generally overflowing with waste. Foul smell from these trollies affected their business as customers avoided the place, he said.

The union also complained about poorly-maintained streetlights. Due to non- availability of proper lighting arrangements, there was a fear of theft in the shops. All streetlights did not work during the night and damaged lights were not being repaired.

Another problem mentioned by the union was the presence of a generator in a shop in the main market. The President of the union added that as the generator was placed near the rehri market, the foul smell of the burning of its fuel also dissuaded customers from visiting the market. It further polluted the environment in the area, he said.

Mr Jeet Singh further said that the HUDA had been informed about the problems being faced by the shopkeepers in the area but nothing had been done so far in this regard.

Man who received Guru's relics
By Amarjit Thind
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 20 — Not many people know that the person who received the sacred relics of Guru Gobind Singh upon their arrival from England in 1966, presently housed at Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib, lives in the city and still considers that auspicious morning the " greatest honour" of his life.

Octogenarian Chattar Singh retired in1977 from the Indian Airlines after putting in more than 33 years of service and has been a city resident since 1986.

Recalling the golden moment of his life, he says it was a great honour to be chosen to receive the relics which were being sent to India after a long-drawn struggle. The weapons were among hundreds of pieces of armament removed from the armoury of the Lahore Fort by Lord Curzon, the then Viceroy and sent to England.

The relics returned are a daahni - aahni, Shamsheer Teg, Vada Barcha, Sunehra Chakkar and a shield made of rhinoceros skin.

The government had taken up this matter with its British counterpart and it was only after years of parleys that the British Government relented and agreed to send five relics, the arrival of which was being eagerly awaited by the public and the government alike, he said.

"I was called by the station manager of Delhi and asked to reach Mumbai to receive the relics and accompany them back. I reached Mumbai but preferred to stay at the airport itself. I could not go to sleep that day. I was at the airport well before time, anxiously awaiting the flight from London which arrived at 5.35 a.m.," he said.

The relics were off-loaded with due respect.

The personal effects of the Tenth Guru had been carefully wrapped in a cloth and placed in wooden boxes. "I received them with the reverence of a devout Sikh and saw that everything was in order. After inspection, they were resealed in wooden boxes and put in a Caravelle on the onward journey to Delhi ", he recalled.

Subsequently, they were handed over to Lal Bahadur Shastri, the then Prime Minister.

One disappointing aspect about the whole episode,which pains him even today, is that he has not been able to trace the photographer who captured the historic occasion despite repeated attempts over the past 30 years. His requests to their offices in Mumbai have been unfruitful. "All that I am left with are my memories of the day and the joy of seeing them housed at the Takht in Anandpur Sahib on my visits some years ago.

Hailing from a family of devout Sikhs from Sialkot (Pakistan), he joined the Imperial Airways as a cable clerk and by dint of hard work, initiative and efficiency became the Acting Operations Officer of British Overseas Airways Corporation in charge of Karachi Airport and Mauripur.

He foresaw Partition and left Karachi on March 17 and joined the Indian National Airways the very next day. His last posting before retiring was as Passenger Relations Officer and as in charge of the cargo section in Delhi.

He received letters of commendations and appreciation from various quarters in the course of his service and even after that.

Sikh holy book written in hand
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, April 20 — “It took me almost a year to write this Guru Granth Sahib. It was by the grace of the Almighty that I was able to sit for 11 hours every day on an average to pen down seven pages”, said G. S. Sobti, who has written in hand Guru Granth Sahib, in the outline and format of the original holy book of the Sikh.

As in the original, Guru Granth Sahib penned by Sobti has 1430 pages, with 19 lines on each page. In some pages some words can be found added outside the printed margins and some even corrected after applying whiteners, revealing the strenuous exercise of checking and re-checking with the original. “I used to keep the ‘sanchiyaan’ (smaller versions of Guru Granth Sahib) alongside while writing. And also after I completed, I went through the whole ‘book’ again and showed it to people around for re-checking”, said this frail looking octogenarian.

Sobti, who retired as headmaster, of a high school in 1972, started writing Guru Granth Sahib on Baisakhi day last year, which he was able to complete in a year’s time. “The ‘parkash’ of Guru Granth Sahib was done this year on Baisakhi,” he said.

Talking about his interest in daily path, Sobti said: “I have also written shabads for Ragis and also written Japuji Sahib”.

But what about failing eyesight, and other physical problems at this age? A smiling Sobti said: “I do have problems in eyesight, but when I sit to write I do not even seem to need spectacles.”

Sobti insisted that his daughter celebrate her birthday every year on Baisakhi. He holds an annual samagam every year on April 13 and serves “langar”. He even presents a memento to the sangat, that has an inscription from Guru’s Bani.

Sobti has plans to start a memorial educational award “on or after April 4, 2002” in memory of his only child, Gurpreet, who died at the age of 13. In the name of Charitable Endowment, Punjab, he has announced his plans to donate Rs 1 lakh, which he says would be distributed among talented students of the Guru Nanak Khalsa Secondary School, Sector 30, and Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 19, annually.