Vacation time is project time
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 5 — Summer holidays for school children mean loads of holiday homework. And it is not only restricted to exercises in grammar, mathematics or science but includes projects like chart-making, maintaining scrapfiles, elaborate model making and producing craft and art items.

The city has certain outlets where projects for schools, especially science projects, can be made to order. In the Sector 18 market, most products varying within the range of Rs 30 to Rs 200 like electric and musical bells and mini solar cookers are available. The Sector 35 market becomes busy during summer holidays, meeting the demands of the students who want to procure objects like mini torches, kaleidoscopes and alarm bells. For projects like cutting and pasting pictures of birds, animals, historical places, well-known figures, sports legends and writers and authors, the dependable places are the libraries outside schools, which have been reported to guard their reference sections.

"I remember when I was in school, our English teacher asked us to write a diary everyday and after the vacation each one of us was asked to read it out. Now the kind of projects the kids get is amazing. My niece has to watch the National Geographic Channel on certain days and prepare reports. Then she even has to collect the pictures of certain animals. So, instead of visiting the zoo during her holidays she would be turning into a couch potato to learn about animals that are not even sometimes to be found here", said 24-year-old Manisha, who this year would be busy helping her 10-year-old niece with her holiday homework.

Said Mr D. S. Bedi, Principal of Shivalik Public School, Sector 41, "The projects given to our children have always been meaningful activities. In fact, the selection of holiday homework is such that the children while being involved in the same also get to learn a lot. Just a way of motivating children to learn more than just textbooks". The school this year has given its students projects like collecting material on the lifestyles of some great lives, on the 300 years of the Khalsa and the World Cup.

"This year we have not given any such project to Class IX students. Instead, for them there is a 15-day camp on 'Personality Development', in which almost 50 people have been invited to interact with the students. The idea is to keep the children updated", Mr Bedi added.

With most principals insisting on the fact that summer holidays is the only time when the children can do some "extra work and become more aware", the children somehow do not feel the same. For them holiday time is supposed to be fun and frolic alone. Some parents said that the basic advantage of such holiday homework was that it kept the kids out of sun and "out of trouble".

"I think it is a good thing to keep the kids busy in some way. But sometimes for their science projects, we have to make purchases from outside, and even sit with them to write long essays on 'general knowledge' topics or other such kinds of projects", said Mrs Sheela Kumar, whose two children, aged nine and 14, study in a private school.

For Tara, who studies in Class VII in a convent school, holidays are meant to be with cousins and aunts and uncles and just get pampered. "But these projects just waste our time, and we are not even able to watch television, because we have fixed times for play, television and homework".

Added Vandana Bhatt, a Class VI student, "Last year, I had to take the help of my brother in making charts of science diagrams. And he kept on asking me to do his odd jobs because he was helping me out. I hope not to get any craft project this time, because I will have to tell my mother to do it".

Maintaining that summer holidays is the only time when children have a chance of exploring new things through intelligent projects, Mrs Meenakshi Mahindra, Principal, Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan, Sector 27, said, "Like any other school, we give projects like collection of samples and reading fiction and writing reports. And since the role of a teacher is to guide them, we also give our students projects like watching the night sky and drawing the figures of constellations or preparing tourist brochures of places they have visited".

Mrs Saroj Gupta, Principal, Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 19, said, "The government schools get white-washed during summer holidays. So the charts made during summers is the only way in which we can re-decorate our walls. Also, our main aim is to keep the children busy and active. In fact, sometimes even the children come with their own ideas as to what they would like to do in summers". Last year this school gave the project of 'creating out of waste' to junior schools, to " avoid any wasteful expenditure by the parents for the projects given to the students".

Many schools do not give any projects during the vacation.Mr Dilbagh Singh, Principal, Government Senior Secondary School, Sector 29, said, "The children of school would not be able to spend time and money on any project during holidays".

"The projects that we give are used to display in exhibition once the school reopens. This encourages the students to get interested in other things besides just course books", said Mrs Surinder Duggal, of Government Model Senior Secondary School, Sector 10. The school boasts of a successful exhibition put up by the students after the summer vacation, in which they had worked in groups to prepare projects like solar cooker and blast furnaces.

MFC students harassed lot
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 5—Students wanting to avail themselves of the second re-appear chance for the masters of finance course, approved by the Syndicate meeting held on April 24, are running from pillar to post for issuance of roll numbers. These students, most of them from outside the city, are a harassed lot.

They have been shuttling between the Department of Correspondence Courses and the Vice-Chancellor's office to find out when their roll numbers will be issued with the examinations of the course scheduled for May 12.

One such student, M.S. Rao, alleges,"We are being called to the university time and again. Every time we reach the department, we are given a new date. Running around in the heat is itself a tedious job and added to that is the anxiety which has us at our wits' end.''

Narrating the sequence of events for the day, Amit Verma from Meerut, Prince Sodhi and Manmohan Singh from Mohali say,``We were informed by our department, members of the Syndicate and other university officials that we were being given a re-appear chance but did they not foresee the problems we are facing at the hands of the authorities. Was it not their duty to ensure that things went smoothly? The university is giving us a tough time, we are sorry to say.''

Everybody they go to have their hands up and inform them that they are in no position to be of any help. "The Secretary to the Vice-Chancellor informs us that the Vice-Chancellor has no problem in the matter, the Chairperson says she is willing to help and is sympathetic for us and the Controller of Examination says he is not able to do anything unless he gets orders,'' they allege.

Sources in the university point out that it will be difficult to accommodate the students anxious to take their examinations during this schedule because the branch concerned will not be able to organise their examinations at such short notice. However, there is every likelihood that the examination will be conducted in September. They add that the Syndicate decided to give an extra chance to the students but when this would be done was not decided.

The Chairperson of the department, Mrs Santosh Sharma, explains,``I have tried to find out but the only answer I have got is that the officials have no written orders and are awaiting the proceedings of the meeting before making any announcement.''

Garbage lifting problem in 4 UT villages
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 5 — The failure on part of the authorities to remove cow-dung and garbage from the four villages incorporated into the Municipal corporation has led to insanitary conditions, in these villages, besides raising the fear of outbreak of an epidemic here.

The lifting of the refuse was privatised last year and things had been going on smoothly ever since. The villagers had been pleased with the new system as they had been critical of sweepers of the department who rarely ventured inside the villages for their duties. Under the new system, cow-dung was deposited by villagers at various points fixed by the corporation, from where it was cleared by the contractor on a daily basis. The contract expired on March 31.

Apathy on part of the civic authorities has resulted in insanitary conditions as the contract was neither reviewed nor re-tendered in time. The lapse has resulted in the collection of garbage in large dumps in the interiors of the villages, and the worst affected are dairy farm owners.

Mr Gurdeep Singh, a resident of Attawa, says cow-dung used to be cleared thrice a day. Villagers earlier used to dump the refuse along the main roads but with the new system in place, it was taken to the collection points by them. It was a neat operation and the lanes and bylanes were clean after a long time.

For the past one month, no one except some sweepers, who are sent to the village from other sectors, come twice or thrice a week and go back after sweeping outer roads. Inner roads and lanes and bylanes have not been cleared and the stink of the cow-dung is all-pervading, he said.

Another resident, Mr Parmeshwari Dass, said it was deplorable that such things were allowed to happen which had a direct bearing on the health of the people. The outbreak of an epidemic, including gastroenteritis, will become a reality if something was not done soon.

Mr Karnail Singh, a resident of Burail, said after trying to cope with the erratic water and power supply they had also to live in unclean surroundings. The decision of privatisation had been hailed by us as the surroundings were more clean after the cow-dung was lifted at regular intervals. It was a great relief to the villagers but things are back to square one.

Drains are blocked and street corners littered with refuse. The worst affected are the ones who live adjacent to the houses of dairy owners. The stench and the mosquitoes from the putrefying refuse is unbearable, adds Mr Sanjeev Sharma, another villager.

Mr Gurdev Singh, a former sarpanch of Buterla village, says since a majority of the villagers have kept cattle, the amount of cow-dung generated cannot be kept without troubling others. Even residents feel that it adds to unclean surroundings, but are not sure about the solution.

Villagers do not have the means to dispose it at the dumping grounds and have no other alternative but to dump it along the inner and main roads of the village, he added.

Mr Bhupinder Singh, a former sarpanch of Badheri, came down heavily on the functioning of the corporation and said the tenders could have been floated well before the present ones expired. If such a situation had arisen, the previous contractor could have been allowed to function at the old rates for the time being. At least, the people would not have been made to live in filthy surroundings.

He said before the village was incorporated in the corporation the village panchayat had 15 sweepers but now the number had been scaled down to just six.

They, too, came from other sectors for sweeping the outer roads only. Inside the village, drains were overflowing and huge dumps of cowdung were visible adding to the insanitary surroundings.

Earlier, the cow-dung was cleared three times a day but now it had come down to just one trolley load. Even if the contractor was to start work tomorrow, it will be some time before the things come to normal.

Villagers also demand that complaint centres should be set up to look into the problem of insanitary conditions in various localities of the villages. Registers could be kept at the water and power complaint centres, they added.

Meanwhile, the Mayor, Mr Kewal Krishan Addiwal, said the tender had been cleared by the Finance and Contract Committee and would now be placed before the house. It was only after the approval of the house that it would be advertised. He, however, said it was likely to take some time.

Water tank leaking for 10 years
From Our Correspondent

DERA BASSI, May 5 — As the summer is rising to its peak, the water pressure in the town is reducing to a great extent.

According to sources, about four lakh gallons of water is being supplied by two water tanks, having capacity of 50,000 gallons each, daily. About one lakh gallons is supplied directly.Nearly two lakh gallons of the supply is being utilised while the rest is wasted.

Residents complain that the water tank adjacent to the local bus stand has been leaking for the past 10 years. This reduces the water pressure to the town.

Some women complain that the water hydrant remains choked and people can be seen bathing and washing clothes and vehicles beneath it. They also complain that this frequent water forms cesspools that may lead to water-borne diseases.

Mr Ravinder Vaishnav, a resident, complained that water shortage becomes acute during summer when there are power cuts for long hours. Due to the absence of a generator at the tubewell, the residents have to consume salty water drawn from various hand-pumps in the town.

It is learnt that the state government has fixed Rs 20 per connection monthly as flat rate for water supply. Taking advantage of the policy, the consumers keep their taps on, without caring about free flow. This tendency of the consumers residing in the ground floor puts the consumers of upper storeys in trouble.

Mr Daljit Singh Sandhu, Executive Officer, Municipal Committee, said that no such complaints have come to his notice in the past two years from the residents. He said that during the past two months, the subdivisional office had to douse a number of fires and the water hydrants of the tubewells were used to refill the fire tenders. He assured that the water leakage from various points would be checked soon.

Focal points lack amenities
From Bipin Bhardwaj
From Our Correspondent

DERA BASSI, May 5 — Though the Punjab Government has launched a number of projects by setting up focal points, but to develop them fully, a lot of improvement is required.

The industrialists who have already invested in these focal points complain that after allotting the industrial plots, the government has ignored them completely. The industrial points have been left without essential services such as dispensaries, post offices, banks, fire stations, commercial complex and guest houses. Workers and owners have to go to Chandigarh, Panchkula, Patiala and Ambala to meet their requirements.

An industrialist, who is running a glass unit at Dera Bassi industrial focal point, complained that the investors have to submit the project report before getting a temporary registration with Punjab State Industrial and Excise Corporation Limited. In spite of that, they have to pass through various other barriers, “created by officials to garner money”, to get clearances, alleged Mr Saranjit Singh. An investor gets shattered after this long process to get his unit functioning and by the time he gets clearance, he is exhausted, physically and financially. Ultimately he drops the idea of the unit and thinks to sell the plot, he added.

Industrialists also complain that the government has created another barrier in their functioning by making it compulsory, to get a no objection certificate (NOC) from the Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA) for power connections. They object to this, saying why PUDA should be asked to give an NOC when they are going to invest in the plot allotted by the government. It is the duty of the government to keep a check on the basic amenities at the industrial focal points .

They said the government should open a “single window” to get all formalities completed at that window so that they do not have to go for their registration to different places and grease the palms of different department officials. The Udyog Shahayak created by the government has failed completely, they said.

Capt. Kanwaljit Singh, Finance Minister, Punjab, said the rural focal point set up in Jarot village will have all basic amenities. He further added that reasons would be ascertained about the non-development and selling of industrial plots by the owners at focal point, Dera Bassi.

(Concluded)