Mohali
LEADERS ELECTED: Ajit Karam Singh International Public School (AKSIPS), Phase XI, here, ushered in their third student's council on Thursday. Madhavpreet Singh and Ashima Chauhan, both of Class VIII, were unanimously chosen head boy and head girl, respectively. Jasmine Kalra, director AKSIPS-65, administered the oath of office to the new leaders. They pledged to uphold the dignity of their offices and vindicate the trust placed in them.

CLOSING FUNCTION: Shivalik Public School, Mohali, organised closing day function on Thursday. Different items like songs, dances formed an integral part of the celebrations. A musical presentation of the various activities which students can take up during vacations was appreciated. Young students danced to the tune of ‘Churian’ a Punjabi song.

FUNCTION: The Shivalik Institute of Education and Research, Phase VI, here, organised its annual prize distribution function today. P.H. Vaishnav, former chief secretary, Punjab, was the chief guest. At present, he is chairman-cum-director, Society for Service to Voluntary Agencies (SOSVA). Dr Satpal Kaur Grewal, principal of the institute, welcomed the guests.

Students presented various cultural items. Vaishnav gave away the prizes to the deserving candidates. In the afternoon, a farewell was given to the students.

PLACEMENTS: After two days of interviews at Chandigarh Engineering College (CEC), Landran, WIPRO Infotech selected 26 engineering students from 24 colleges of Punjab. Shreemanta Naik, project manager (telecom), Sagar Srivastava, technical consultant, Vikas Bhardwaj, project manager, Indraneil Roy, divisional resource manager, Sreenivas Vadaguru, resource manager, and Saumen, Senior executive (resourcing), represented the company. The selected students will be given a starting salary of Rs 2.48 lakh per annum.

Chandigarh

COUNSELLING: A diet counselling session on the intake of better and balanced diet was organised at Government High School, Sector 46. Apart from doctors, dietitians and experts, PTA members were invited. Lectures were delivered on topics like balanced diet, health care, hygiene and dental care. — TNS

Mohali, May 17
Students of Shaheed Udham Singh College of Engineering and Technology, Tangori, here, have developed a diesel engine that runs on smoke.

The students — Anshul Gupta, Ankush Gulati, Gurkirat Singh, Ramandeep Singh and Ravinder Singh — feel the farmers can use their “invention” to reduce agriculture costs by saving electricity and diesel.

These students modified a diesel engine and developed a fuel supply system for running the engine on smoke. Prof B. Lonia, head of the mechanical engineering department, who guided the students through their project explained that the diesel engine of 7-horse power running at 1300 rpm and providing 5 kW power was used in the project. Dr Lonia added that the engine could run on smoke for 24 hours a day at 1300 rpm for just Rs 200. Prof D.S. Hira, principal of the college, said the project was developed in the college workshop at the cost of Rs 32,000. He added that the college had applied for a patent on the technology that the students had used.

College chairman S.S. Sidhu said the management encouraged research and that any one interested to know how this technology worked was welcome to come to the college to see its functioning. “Farmers across Punjab are using engines run on electricity and diesel for irrigation. This modification of a regular diesel engine can be highly beneficial to farmers,” he said.

The faculty members involved in the project — Sandeep Sharma and Shiv Kumar Joshi — pointed out that the smoke that was used in the engine could be generated by burning products like farm waste, animal waste etc.

Chandigarh, May 17
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today disposed of a petition seeking directions to the Punjab and Haryana governments on the issue of Hansi-Butana irrigation canal.

The petition, titled Gurbans Singh Punia and otheres vs State of Punjab, State of Haryana and others, sought directions to the respondents to provide siphons of adequate capacity in the proposed canal, especially in the area between Chabha and Daba villages in the Patiala district..

The petitioner submitted that if these siphons were not provided, it would lead to widespread destruction due to flooding of a number of villages. It was further prayed that the construction of proposed canal, especially in the area between Chaba and Daba villages, should be stopped keeping in view the impending monsoon.

The court, after listening to submissions of advocates-general of Punjab and Haryana that arrangements prayed for had already been provided or the work on them was on, disposed of the petition.

Panchkula, May 17
Chief judicial magistrate Anshu Shukla today directed the SHO of the Sector 5 police station to register an FIR against Zile Singh, sub-divisional engineer (horticulture), HUDA, under Section 7 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and under Sections 467, 468, 471, 506 and 120 B of the IPC.

In his petition, Rattan Lal, a work supervisor with the Satkar Co-op Labour and Construction Society in Jind, said he was given a tender of Rs 28 lakh in October 2005 for the supplying and filling of mud in open spaces in a park in Sector 27.

While 80 per cent of his payment was released after completion of a part of the work, the remaining 20 per cent was to be released after the whole work was done.

Rattan maintained that Zile Singh asked him to pay a commission of Rs 4.5 lakh, which he refused. Following this, Zile tried to file a false case of unsatisfactory work against him. He even complained to the vigilance wing of HUDA, but the allegations were found to be untrue.

Forced by a financial crisis, Rattan Lal sought the intervention of a common friend and Zile agreed to release the pending amount for a commission of Rs 2 lakh, of which, 1 lakh was to be paid before the amount was to be released and 1 lakh after the payment.

However, Rattan later decided not to pay the bribe and approached director general of police Ranjiv Dalal, who told Rattan to lay a trap and nab the accused red-handed. However, the engineer got wind of the plan and it failed. However, a day before the raid, Rattan had recorded his conversation with the SDE as evidence, bur this also failed to get the police to register a case, after which he moved court. 

Chandigarh, May 17
The Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association’s plea for free power and water has met with yet another resistance. This time, it is the Government of India which has expressed strong opposition to the association’s petition.

The Centre in its reply, handed over to bar body’s counsel H.C. Arora and which will be taken up by the court on May 28, has voiced its opinion that the association’s request is completely misconceived and untenable in law.

In fact, it had been averred in the reply that “there is no legal cause of action as there is no right vested in any citizen or group of citizens either under the Constitution or under any law, rules or custom to claim free electricity or water”.

Buttressing its stand further, the Centre asserts that there is no constitutional obligation upon the answering respondent to provide free electricity and water to the association.

The reply highlights the fact that even the high court (on the administrative side) has never enjoyed or even claimed any such right to free power and water for any part of the court building or premises, including courtrooms.

“The Punjab and Haryana High Court has always paid for the electricity and water supplied to it,” the government has pointed out.

Citing the apex court judgment in the All-India Judges’ Association case, the Centre stresses that according to the said judgment there is not the least reference to or suggestion of provision in the prevalent tariff scheme for supply of free power or water to any government or private building.

Continuing to weaken the Bar body’s plea, the Centre says that even the Punjab and Haryana Raj Bhavans as well as both Vidhan Sabhas, the PGI, the UT secretariat, the General Hospital-16, the airport and the railway station do not get free power and water.

Incidentally, the building committee of the high court, in its order dated July 10, 2001, had okayed the proposal for providing free power and water to the Bar association.

 

Notice to UT on schools Chandigarh, May 17 The Punjab and Haryana High Court today issued a notice to the Chandigarh administration over a petition filed by two schools seeking quashing of some orders whereby the said schools were asked to close down and stop further admissions. The petitioners, Golden Public School and Sarv Bharti Model School, both located in Mani Majra, submitted that the public notice, dated January 22, 2007, and orders, dated February 8, 2006, November 24, 2006, and November 2, 2004, should be quashed. The petitioners averred that through these orders and notification, the respondents had directed that the aforesaid schools should be closed by March 30, 2007, failing which their buildings would be sealed. It was also directed that the petitioner schools should not allow fresh admission for the session, starting April. It was stressed that the said orders were illegal, arbitrary and unjustified as these had been passed in gross violation of principles of natural justice. It was prayed by the petitioners that their schools were being run in the old abadi area of Mani Majra within the lal dora and were being run for the past 20 to 30 years. It was also emphasised in the petition that the land falling in rural areas carried no zonal plan even now. Incidentally, the notification of January 22, 2007, had stated that according to the decision of the high-powered committee of the UT administration, schools running in the residential buildings would be closed by March 30, 2007. It was further stipulated that such schools would not admit students for the April 2007 session. After hearing the arguments, the court issued a notice to UT administration for July 5. — TNS