& V I C I N I T Y
Thursday, January 7, 1999
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C H A N D I G A R H & V I C I N I T Y |
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Thursday, January 7, 1999 |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Overemphasis
on marks 'regrettable' 50
glorious years of traditions, training |
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480
candidates to battle it out
Strike
hits LPG distribution |
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Overemphasis
on marks 'regrettable' CHANDIGARH, Jan 6 — A thrust area of development in school education in the coming few years will be information technology. Schools will have to work on utilisation of computers and related software study material, particularly in the context of the presence of vast information on Internet. These views were expressed by Mr Pramod Sharma, Principal of Mayo College, Ajmer, one of the premier public schools of the country established in 1875. Talking to TNS, Mr Sharma said none of the schools in the country had really been able to put the available software expertise to its optimum use. One of the bane of the present education system was over emphasis by parents and teachers alike on children securing more marks. "They would not be satisfied by their wards securing second position. Mark-based system is alright for higher classes. In our own wisdom we punish children right from class one to excel in academics alone". The principal said: "In good residential public schools there was an effort to rejuvenate the childhood lost in the mad rat-race. This was achieved through all round development of personality. A child is allowed to grow freely till Class VIII. This could enable him and his parents to see which field he has an inclination for. A student poor in academics may have an aptitude for fine arts or sports", he added. It was pertinent that schools try to impart "all skills of head, and hand". It was wrong to say that the present education system was merely a legacy of the British system, Mr Sharma said. Ample modifications has been made to suit the Indian context. It was also wrong to say that reputed public schools were catering merely to the aristocracy. These days middle class families had an easy access to these schools. The principal of Mayo College was returning after the recently concluded conference of the public school principals held at Nabha. Principals of as many as
72 member public schools from all over the country, apart
from foreign delegates, attended the conference. |
Rain spells
doom for labourers CHANDIGARH, Jan 6 — Finally the rain gods have relented and the heavens have opened, ending the 40-day reign of dry spell. While 5mm of rain was recorded during the day in the city till 5:30 in the evening, last year, at this time, the city had experienced 124.3mm of rainfall. The temperature for the day fell to 13.6°C as against yesterday's 22°C. Though the rain was a welcome sign for those snugly tucked away in their quilts for the entire day, for businessmen it meant bad business while for labourers it spelt doom since no work meant no food for them. Sham Lal, a labourer from UP, sitting huddled in a corner at a bus stand in Sector 26 says, "I migrated to the city on January 1 and have not yet earned enough to see me through the rainy days. I'm banking on people from my village to provide for me today.'' Raj Singh, a rickshaw-puller seeking shelter at the same bus stand, wails, "Rainy days not only mean no customers, they also mean no fire to keep ourselves warm. Now the wood is all wet and we cannot light a fire while we wait for customers.'' With the advent of the first rain, the temperature is likely to dip further and the queues outside the doctors are bound to lengthen. Dr Sanjay Malik of the Government Hospital at Panchkula, elaborates, "Rain will mean a rise in viral infections, increasing cough and cold problems and resurfacing of chilblains.'' A shopkeeper in Sector 22 says, "The rain is a dampener for businessmen. People don't venture out because of the cold". Not only did the markets wear a deserted look but attendance in offices and colleges was also thin due to the weather. Meanwhile, the 13-type houses under repair in Sector 22, saw leaking roofs and the road leading to Maloya Colony was blocked due to water logging. The weatherman predicts a
cloudy sky with a few spells of rain in the city over the
next 48 hours. Moderate to heavy rainfall in the region
and heavy snowfall in the higher reaches of Himachal
Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir is likely. |
50 glorious years of traditions, training "This week marks the beginning of the 50th anniversary of the National Defence Academy at Clement Town, near Dehra Dun. In the first fortnight of 1949, nearly 190 of us from the prestigious first course, joined this famous institution as cadets. The memories are still so fresh. "Starting of the NDA was a unique happening in independent India. It was the premier pre-commissioning training academy in the world where cadets of all the three wings of the defence forces — the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force — start their pre-commission training together, as against separate institutions for each Service elsewhere. "Experience of World War II proved that the modern wars were tri-Service wars and required very close cooperation and coordination between all the Services. The planners of the NDA, therefore, thought that if officers of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force were trained together in their formative years, they would develop 'old school boy type ties' and long lasting friendships, which would result in greater cooperation during peace, and particularly during war. "The merit in the concept has been proved right over the years and has resulted in excellent cooperation between the three Services wherever ex-NDA cadets have worked together. The curriculum covered some know how regarding all the three Services which gave the cadets the correct idea about the working, life and customs of the other two Services and hence greater understanding of sister organisations. "The situation in India in January,1949, needs to be explained. It was only one and a half years from Independence and about four years from the end of World War II. Besides, Indian forces had already countered an aggression from Pakistan over Kashmir in 1948. A career in the defence forces was much sought after. There was great nationalistic fervour among the youth. "The first course, therefore, got good representation of the young material available in the country. The Academy was initially housed in barracks in which prisoners of war, mostly Italians, lived. The training was two-tiered and so was the staff. We had military training and academic training. The civilian academic staff was selected through the UPS and was of high calibre. The legendary General Thimayya was the Commandant and Col Kamta Prasad, the Deputy Commandant In charge of the NDA. The Principal was Mr Gibson, ex-Doon, who was later Principal of Mayo College, Ajmer. "The curriculum was broad based. It included more than 20 subjects — sciences, humanities, military and even workshop practice, carpentry and knowledge of mechanical vehicles. Facilities were available for all kinds of sports and hobbies. A few British instructors for PT and drill were brought in. For us January 26,1950, was a special day. Not because India was declared a Republic but for another reason: for the first time on ceremonial occasion, Indian food was served. "The name of the Academy changed three times. The first name was Joint Services Wing (JSW), to signify that cadets from all three Services were being trained there. It was then changed to Armed Forces Academy (AFA) and soon after to the National Defence Academy (NDA). "Initially, the cadets from different Services were given separate uniform, peculiar to their service. However, after a few weeks distinct uniform for the Navy and the Air Force were withdrawn and all cadets had the same uniform. This was done to bring in greater integration and minimise the psychological effect of separate services. This bit of experimentation was understandable. "Over the years the entry to the NDA has been changed from matric to plus two or higher secondary, and the duration of training at the NDA has also varied. Also the NDA shifted to its permanent location, Khadakvasla near Pune, where the training facilities, the accommodation and layout are of world class. But what has remained constant is the character of the training as also the traditions started by the first course." — Lieut-Gen
Harbhajan Singh (retd) of Ist course, NDA, as told to
Prabhjot Singh. |
Civil-military
cooperation vital: Rama Devi CHANDIGARH, JAN 6 — The frequent deployment of the Army in internal security duties may prove counter-productive and have an adverse effect on its operational readiness and combat effectiveness the Governor of Himachal Pradesh, Ms V S Rama Devi, while inaugurating the annual conference of the Army and civil administrations at the Headquarters of the Western Command, Chandimandir, today. The meeting was attended by senior Army, police and civil administration officers of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi. She appreciated the role of the Army in providing valuable and timely assistance to civil administrations in meeting various challenges in spite of its heavy commitments. However, it should be requisitioned as the last resort, she said, and gave some instances during her long career. Describing the Army, police, paramilitary forces and civil administration as major pillars of our democratic society, she emphasised the importance of perfect coordination and harmonious working among themselves to meet the challenges lying ahead of the nation. "A good rapport should exist between the Army and state governments to create an environment of total understanding and cooperation". She called upon the civil administration to help resettle the exservicemen and be sensitive to the requirements of both the serving and retired soldiers and their families. Viewing the China- Pak nexus as "detrimental to our national interests", she said on our part, we had made genuine efforts to forge peaceful , cordial and friendly relations with Pakistan. However, Pakistan's socio- political compulsions, bad economy, poor law and order situation and her ambition to emerge as a regional power compels her to adopt a hostile posture towards India, she added. The Governor called for strict vigilance and concerted efforts to defeat militancy propped up by Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir and adjoining districts of Himachal. We should jointly fight internal threats posed by fundamentalism, communalism, illegal immigration, drug trafficking, corruption and poverty. Earlier, General HB Kala, GOC-in-C, Western Command, welcomed the delegates and said the Army maintained a high degree of readiness and was always striving for excellence. He laid stress on the need to give due recognition to the soldiers , exservicemen and widows of Servicemen. Lieut-Gen H R S Mann, Chief of Staff, Western Command, while addressing a conference of paramilitary forces commanders conference in the afternoon emphasised the need for constant training so that battle worthiness could be maintained at all times to get better rewards when called upon to do so. High-ranking officers of
the Army, the Border Security Force, the Central Reserve
Police Force and the Indo- Tibetan Border Police in the
Western sector took part in it. |
480
candidates to battle it out CHANDIGARH, Jan 6 — The offices of the four returning officers for the UT panchayat poll were thronged by candidates and their supporters on the last day of filing of nomination papers. As many as 480 candidates are in the fray for 147 posts of sarpanches and panches. The candidates with their supporters, some with the party flags, although no party has officially announced its candidates, raised slogans in support of their contestants when opposing groups came face to face. However, there was cheerful banter, and claims and counter- claims. According to official sources, there is no consensus on the candidates in any of the 17 panchayats of the city. The number of candidates are also more this time as compared to previous elections. As per figures provided by
the Election department, 386 persons are contesting for
the posts of 130 seats of panches and 94 for the posts of
17 sarpanches. |
Manch
members hold protest on 'Fire' CHANDIGARH, Jan 6 — Members of the Chetna Manch Chandigarh today took out a procession to condemn the attacks on the film "Fire" by Shiv Sainiks and "other fascist organisations". Mr Gursharan Singh, President and Dr MS Randhawa, general secretary of the manch, respectively, in a press note termed the attacks on the film as an infringement on the right to freedom of expression" which must be defended at "every cost". Other artistes, writers and intellectuals who addressed the gathering included Dr Rani Balbir Kaur, Poonam, Editor of Preetlari,Dr Prem Singh, Editor of Desh Sewak; Dr Harjinder Laltu and Hardev Singh. Speakers condemned the attacks on the minority community by fundamentalists in Gujarat and called upon people to come forward to defeat the fascist forces. Earlier braving heavy
rain, artistes and writers assembled at Panjab University
and marched through sectors 14, 15 and 16 carrying
banners. The march concluded with a rally at the Sector
17 Plaza. |
Strike hits
LPG distribution CHANDIGARH, Jan 6 — The supply of cooking gas to the city, SAS Nagar and Panchkula was severely hit following a two-day strike by the LPG distributors which ended today. A meeting of distributors was held here and it was decided to observe a one-day strike again on January 25 to highlight their demand for the allotment of LPG godown sites at reasonable rates. The patron of the Chandigarh LPG Distributors' Association, Mr AK Bhatia, said that in Delhi a distributor was getting godown site at the rent of Rs 8,000 per year while the Chandigarh Administration was demanding Rs 15,000 per month. While the increase in rent in Delhi was at the rate of 5 per cent after five years, the administration was demanding an increase of 25 per cent after five years. He claimed that in the Capital a distributor was refilling 12,000 to 15,000 cylinders a month as against his Chandigarh counterpart who refilled 3,000 to 5,000 cylinders a month. As the cost of land was many times higher in Delhi the Administration should allot sites at reasonable rates in Chandigarh, he averred. Calling the high rent
against the directive of the union government, Mr Chander
Mukhi Sharma, president, alleged that the Administration
had failed to implement the policy because the lease
period was too short. |
CHANDIGARH, Jan 6 — The sudden postponement of the election for the posts of Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Art, Culture and Sports Committee of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) has caused resentment in the BJP-SAD alliance. According to sources, the meeting, scheduled to be held this evening, could not held as another meeting of a committee probing the change in the design of a bridge connecting the city with SAS Nagar, was also scheduled for the evening. Meanwhile, the former Mayor and a member of the committee, Mr Gian Chand Gupta, while condemning the postponement of the meeting, alleged that for the fear of being defeated, the ruling group deferred the meeting without assigning any reason. Mr Gupta also challenged the membership of Mr OP Goyal, a councillor owing allegiance to the ruling group, saying that Mr Goyal had already resigned from the membership of the committee at one of its meetings of the House. Despite repeated efforts,
the Mayor, Mr Kewal Krishan Adiwal, could not be
contacted for his comments. |
CHANDIGARH, Jan 6 — The police today arrested two persons involved in adulterated mustard oil racket which was unearthed in Sector 26 grain market yesterday. According to the police, those arrested were the Jai Bhagwan and his brother, Mohinder, reported to be proprietors of the M/s Narain Dass Suresh Kumar. A case under the Essential Commodities Act has been registered. Meanwhile, a depot holder of Sector 27, Sachdeva, has been booked by the police for supplying the wheat flour meant for the public distribution system to Jai Bhagwan and Mohinder. As many as 50 bags of wheat flour, stocked at the Sector 26 premises of the duo, were seized yesterday. Two held: The police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested two persons allegedly involved in automobile and car stereo thefts in the city. The arrested persons are Sanjay Bhatt, a resident of Sector 19, and Sachin Kumar Rawal, a resident of Sector 30. Two car stereos have been recovered from their possession, the police claimed. On preliminary interrogation, two more car stereos stolen by them from sectors 21 and 27 and a motor cycle (DL-IS-68-158) at their instance. Case registered: Ms Neeraj, a resident of Sector 40, in a complaint to the police alleged that her husband and in-laws had been harassing her for bringing more dowry. The police has registered a case against Surya Kumar (husband), Vijay Kumar (father-in-law) and Pushpa (mother-in-law). Car stereo stolen: Mr Balwant Singh, a resident of Sector 18, complained to the police that stereo of his car (CHO1-U-1990) has been stolen from his residence. A case has been registered. ZIRAKPUR Godown burgled: Burglars broke into a godown on the night intervening January 5 and 6 and decamped with goods worth Rs 25 lakh. The police has however reportedly delayed the registration of a case till the DSP has visited the area. According to police sources, the delay in the registration of the case was because of "area jurisdiction" as the area to the right of the traffic light falls under the Patiala Police, while the area to the left of the traffic light was under the jurisdiction of the Sohana Police station, a good 20 km away. The thought is more than "comforting" to the managers of M/S Malhotra and Sons, a firm that holds the sole rights to supply shaving blades to Punjab. According to Mr Ranjit Kumar Depot Manager the godown could have been burgled between 2 pm and 3 pm as workers of a neighbouring factory left at about the same time. It was at about 8.15 am that the peon reported to the manager that the locks of the godown had been broken. The police was informed immediately, however, it reached only after 2 p.m, they alleged. Even after the
intervention of senior staff officers from New Delhi and
taking up the case with the SSP, Ropar, a case had not
been registered till the filing of this report. Police
sources say that operational problems often come in the
way and the case in point is a prime example. While the
Zirakpur police post is at some distance from the scene
of the crime, it is the territorial responsibility of the
Sohana police (Ropar), to investigate the matter. |
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