APPOINTMENT DROUGHT IN DU TO END
President orders to form panel for selecting Visitor’s Nominees
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 8
Delhi University’s requests for Visitor’s Nominees may soon be fulfilled what with the Visitor, the President of the country, himself having passed the orders for the constitution of a committee to look into the matter.

In his first-ever interaction with the Vice-Chancellors of the central universities, the President, Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Azad, ordered the setting up of two committees to ensure that that vacancies in universities are filled and also for improving the quality of higher education.

The order has spelt relief for Delhi University, which is grappling with a serious vacancy problem in the absence of the Visitor’s Nominees to the various faculties of the university.

As per the rules laid down by the UGC, a selection committee, which is constituted to hold interviews for appointments as well as promotions of teachers for each faculty, should have a Visitor’s Nominee duly appointed by the President of the country.

Since the university is without these nominees, appointments and promotions in all faculties have come to a halt. The consequence of which is a severe shortage of teachers in some departments like the Economics Department where alone there are more than 17 vacancies.

The DU officials, meanwhile, are in an exuberant mood. “The meeting was very satisfactory and many issues, which needed to be expedited, were given a hearing and orders have also been passed by the President to ensure that these problems are dealt with,” said an official of DU.

Having been apprised of the vacancy situation in the universities, the President has ordered the committee to submit within a month the list of nominees drawn for the purpose.

“The meeting was very fruitful. In this first-of-its-kind meeting, the President has given us a hearing and also taken steps to ensure that the problems are sorted out,” pointed out the Vice-Chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Prof G. K. Chadha.

He went on to add, “issues pertaining to infrastructure and financial inadequacies were raised and the President was apprised of the fact that most universities at present are obliged to spend more in salaries and pensions and less on developmental activities.”

The President in his interaction with the VCs advised them to make education employment-oriented and laid emphasis on research undertaken in science and non-science subjects, adding that research and teaching should go hand in hand.

VC sets the ball rolling for DUSU elections
Tribune News service

New Delhi, August 8
The Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University has appointed Prof. Rajiv Khanna as the Chief Election Officer for the conduct of election of the office bearers and members of the Central Council of the university student’s union.

The VC, who is the patron of the students’ union, has also appointed the principals of the colleges and the heads of the institutions affiliated to the DUSU as Election Officers for the conduct of elections for 2003-2004.

Prof. S. C. Jain of the Chemistry Department has been appointed the Chief Returning Officer and Mr D. S. Bedi of the Law Faculty has been appointed Additional Returning Officer for the elections.

The last date for the receipt of nominations, scrutiny and publication of the list of duly nominated candidates is August 22 and the date for the submission of bank drafts as security deposit by the nominated candidate is August 23.

The last date for the withdrawal of nomination and publication of the final list of candidates is August 25, and the elections will be held on September 5.

For day colleges the polling will be done between 8.30 am and 11.30 am and for evening colleges the poll time is between 4.00 pm and 7.00 pm.

COLLEGES IN SONEPAT REMAIN CLOSED
SFI to protest in front of Parliament House against fee hike
Our Correspondent

Rohtak/Sonepat, August 8
The Student Federation of India (SFI) has threatened to Hold a protest demonstration in front of the Parliament House in Delhi on August 21 to demand annulment of the Supreme Court order regarding fee structure for professional courses through a legislation of Parliament.

General Secretary, SFI, Haryana unit, Jai Bhagwan, said that state executive committee of the student union will meet here on August 9 and 10 to finalise its plans for the proposed demonstration.

The SFI had today given a strike call to protest hike in fee-structure for admission to medical, engineering and other professional courses.

The general secretary said that while the strike was near complete in Rohtak, Hisar, Fatehabad, Bhiwani, Jind, Raithal, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Panipat, Sonepat, Jhajjar and Sirsa districts, it evoked partial response in the Ambala, Yamunanagar, Panchkula, Faridabad, Gurgaon, Mahendergah and Rewari districts.

He alleged that the state government had deployed police in almost all the colleges and universities to make the strike ineffective.

He also said that the district president of SFI, Jind unit, Som Datt, and few other SFI activists were arrested by the police at Jind.

The SFI also demanded judicial probe into incidents of paper leakage and corruption prevalent in higher education institutes.

The association demanded that colleges and professional institutions located in the Bhiwani and Jind districts should not be affiliated to the newly created Ch Devi Lal University.

These institutions should continue to remain affiliated with the Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak and Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra respectively, said SFI.

Meanwhile, responding to by the SFI, all the colleges in the Sonepat district remained closed today.

Hundreds of activists of the Federation took out a protest march in the town and handed over a memorandum of their demands to the Deputy commissioner.

In the morning, the activists assembled at the CRA College and shouted slogans against the government. They were led by the district coordinator Kunal Gahlawat, Harender Nain, Sandeep, Anirudh.

In the memorandum, the students criticised the state government for its decision regarding hike in fee structure. They said this had made education very expensive and beyond the reach of the common man.

The students demanded immediate withdrawal of the hike.

HC issues contempt of court notice to Noida officers
Our Correspondent

Noida, August 8
Expressing its unhappiness, the Allahabad High Court has issued contempt notices to two officers of the Noida Authority, for having continued with the demolition operations in Nithari village in violation of the stay order granted by it.

Both the officers have been asked to file their reply within four weeks in the court, along with all documents.

Justice Rakesh Tiwari issued this notice while hearing the plea on contempt of court filed by Gullu Dutt, Khasras No. 256, 257,304/a and 304/3, regarding old Abadi case. Gullu Dutt had in his complaint pleaded contempt of court by the officers concerned.

Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Hira Lal and Project Chief Engineer, M. K. Agarwal, have been issued with contempt of court notices. It may be recalled that two officers of the Noida Authority were reprimanded, and one of them was sentenced to imprisonment by the Supreme Court three months ago for filing incorrect and misleading affidavits before the apex court pertaining to the availability of land in Noida.