The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

EDUCATION

CAMPUS
Arena Multimedia to train underprivileged kids
Smriti Kak

Arena Multimedia, leaders in multimedia training in Asia, has achieved a significant milestone by enrolling one lakh students. The student, who took the number to one lakh, was felicitated at a glittering ceremony in the Capital.

Arena also announced the launch of its multimedia awareness project, especially for the underprivileged, titled Project Srishti, under which it will initially train 1,000 underprivileged students on multimedia technologies nationwide.

Arena Multimedia, in a span of over six years, has a 55 per cent market share in India and is present across seven countries in 260 centres. It has also partnered with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) during the CIIs’ declaration of the year 2002-03 as the Year of Multimedia recently. Arena has held a series of seminars and workshops and launched new courses to further popularise the use of multimedia and multimedia applications in the country.

It also organised the first International Conference on Multimedia & Design, (ICMD-2002) under the aegis of SIGMMA to present and observe the latest research results and idea for researchers and practitioners worldwide.

IILM festival

Mosaic 2002, the annual inter-college festival of the Institute for Integrated Learning in Management, showcased the talent of aspiring designers, orators and singers.

A gripping final ensues at the second annual Vivekananda Memorial Debating Competition of Mosaic 2002.

A fashion show put together by the students was adjudged by a panel of judges that included fashion designers Payal Jain and Vijay Arora and models Ramnik Paintal and Jayashree Tahiliani.

The girls from Miranda House stole the show and walked away with the best team trophy. On display were clothes, both of the contemporary and traditional kind.

The Second Annual Vivekananda Memorial Debating Competition of Mosaic, 2002, witnessed a three-day battle of words and wits among 17 teams from premier institutions like the IIMs, the MDI, the FMS, SRCC, St Stephen’s College, Hindu College, JMC and others. Ahmedabad emerged victorious in a grand finale, which also included teams from IIM, Lucknow, Jesus and Mary College, New Delhi, and another team from IIM, Ahmedabad.

Arun Bruce and Abhishek Sood, both from IIM, Ahmedabad, were adjudged the best speaker and best interjector, respectively, by an eminent panel of judges that included MP Rajiv Shukla and Reverend Valson Thampu.

The other highlights of Mosaic 2002 were ‘Haath Ki Safai’— the rangoli competition, Eternal Healers — the music competition (Indian, vocal and instrumental) and ‘Kiske Pen Mai Kitna Hai Dam’ — the creative writing competition.

FDDI degrees for 10

The Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI) has awarded degrees to 10 scholar students from the Philippines who completed a one-year term in the institute.

Dr D. Kebschull, Director, Indo-German Export Promotion Project, giving away degrees to the students, who have completed their one-year training in footwear technology.

The students, including five boys and five girls, were in India under the bilateral student exchange programme of the German Technical Agency (GTZ), the German Government and the Indo-German Export Promotion Project for training in footwear technology.

The Filipino students were imparted training in various aspects of shoe technology, including designing, selection of quality materials, cutting and pasting. Dr D. Kebschull, Director, IGEP presented them certificates.

The FDDI was established by the Ministry of Commerce to provide training, develop the latest designs and other consultancies to the footwear industry.

Conference on pipeline design

The ISP organised a two-day conference and exhibition on building hydrocarbon pipeline infrastructure here last week.

The conference discussed issues pertaining to concepts of pipeline design, construction, and operation of pipelines, pipelines for effective supply chain management, technological issues for pipeline, pipeline contract, financing issues in pipeline along with legal and regulatory dimensions.

The conference was inaugurated by Mr M. B. Lal, Chairman and Managing Director, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd.

Mr Uplenchwar, Director (Pipelines), Indian Oil Corporation, said rapid development pipeline was essential to increase the share of pipelines’ mode in the transportation of petroleum products and natural gas, especially in view of the recent significant gas strikes in India.

Admission to CS courses

The Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI), a premier professional distance education body, has announced the admissions for CS Intermediate and Foundation Courses. The ICSI imparts Compulsory Postal Tuition (by correspondence) along with Optional Oral Coaching Classes through its 61 offices all over India.

The eligibility for CS Intermediate Course is BA/BSc./BCom. Graduates of any discipline excluding Fine Arts can seek direct registration to the Intermediate Course. The cut-off date for the course is February 28, 2003.

Handbook and Application Form for Intermediate Course is available on cash payment of Rs 100 at the counter. Those wishing to get their copy through post can send a DD or PO of Rs 150 favouring the ICSI.

For the CS Foundation Course, the eligibility is 10+2 in Arts, Commerce, Science and any discipline excluding Fine Arts. The cut-off date for the course is March 31, 2003. The prospectus and application form for the Foundation Course is available on cash payment of Rs 70 at the counter.

COURTS

HC: DFS must inspect all high-rises by March 31
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 18
Dissatisfied with the progress of the inspection of high-rise buildings in the Capital, the Delhi High Court today directed the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) chief, Mr R. C. Sharma, to finish the inspection by March 31, 2003.

A Bench comprising Justice Anil Dev Singh and Justice R. S. Sodhi said a status report in this regard must be placed before the court on April 14. The court expressed dissatisfaction over slow progress in inspecting the 1,200 high-rise buildings in the Capital for fire safety measures ordered by it.

The court noted that at the present rate, the work might take more than a year to complete. Concerned over the lack of fire safety measures in most of the 1,200 high-rises in the city, the court on October 25 directed the DFS chief to launch an inspection drive to find out violation of laws by the building owners and the tenants.

After examining a sample status report of ten buildings today, as sought by the court during last hearing, it said that severe action would be taken against owners, users and tenants for any violation of building bye-laws and not taking steps to adopt the fire safety norms.

Mr Sharma told the court that of the 59 buildings examined by the DFS so far, 39 were found to be violating the rules.

The court also directed the Delhi Jal Board, New Delhi Municipal Council and the Delhi Cantonment Board to keep up-to-date all the 214 static water tanks in their respective areas to ensure water supply to the fire brigade in any emergency. The court further said the DJB and the civic authorities would maintain properly the fire hydrants in their jurisdiction.

The court also directed the DDA to clear the land use plan for DFS’ workshop at Geeta Colony as the organisation was not being able to meet requirements for repairing equipment.

The directions were issued by the court during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation highlighting lack of fire safety measures in high-rise buildings and the alleged improper maintenance of fire fighting equipment by the DFS. The DFS had earlier stated that all the buildings of over 15-metre height fell within the category of high-rise structures.

Govt plea against bail to Bar members rejected
Our correspondent

Rohtak, December 18
The Additional Sessions Judge, Mr Shiva Sharma, has refused to cancel the bail granted to Rajeshwar Dalal and others in the FIR No 442 dated August 14 under Sections 4/8-A/406/307/506 of the IPC.

They were allowed bail by the court on September 9 on their furnishing personal bonds to the tune of Rs 15,000 each with one surety each in the like amount and they were also directed to join investigations as and when called by the investigating officer by a written notice served at least two days in advance. Now the State of Haryana had sought cancellation of the bail on the ground that the bail was obtained by suppression of facts. Two members of the Bar are the accused in this litigation whereas the complainant is a very senior officer of the prosecution department of Haryana.

The complainant had made an application to the Women Cell for appropriate action and the above-mentioned FIR was registered two days after. In the meantime, the accused got a case registered against the son and daughters of the complainant. The said FIR lodged by the accused was challenged before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, where Mr Gurbachan Singh, DSP (Headquarters) had filed a reply to the effect that cancellation of the said FIR against the son and daughters of the complainant had been recommended by the department.

The accused, who became petitioners in the second FIR, are contending that the complainant has misused his official position to get the FIR registered against them by getting back-dated entries made in the record of the Women Cell and that in fact the FIR was got registered by the complainant only after their FIR had been registered against his son and daughters for assaulting the petitioners. It is also alleged that the complainant has similarly got cancellation of the FIR against his son and daughters recommended and has got this application moved for cancellation of their bail.

“I refrain myself from harping on these aspects as investigation of this case is in progress and the FIR lodged by the accused has not been finally cancelled so far,” the Additional Sessions Judge said. “In the totality of the circumstances, in my considered opinion, it is not a fit case for cancelling the already granted bail in view of the law laid down by the apex court time and again. As such, I reject the application for cancellation of bail made by the prosecution,” Mr Shiva Sharma said.