CN and heard

The NHAI counsel however had to eat humble pie when he was confronted by a division bench of the High Court over the “special treatment” given to Ambience Mall on the Expressway. When asked about whether the original plan had the provision to provide front entry to the Ambience Mall,the NHAI counsel replied in the negative. Trying to justify the “special treatment”,he said that there were “several reasons” due to which access to the mall was allowed. The “several reasons” however remained unexplained by the NHAI counsel.

Inconsiderate

A communication by the Director,Public Instructions,that the Chandigarh Administration will “consider” whether to implement a Supreme Court judgement did not attract appreciation from the Punjab and Haryana High Court last week. During the hearing of a petition,demanding the setting up of an Education Tribunal,the High Court judge raised eyebrows over the stand taken by the Director,Public Instructions (DPI).

The DPI had formally conveyed that the idea of setting up the Tribunal is being “considered”. The Supreme Court judgment,passed in 2002,makes it mandatory for each state to set up an Education Tribunal. When confronted on whether the Administration is considering or will set up a Tribunal,the counsel for Administration clarified that the process has been initiated.

Farewell

Assistant Intelligence Officer Gurdas Singh retired after 35 years of service,a substantial part of which he had spent at Panjab University tracking the movement of students. An active figure on the campus,especially during student elections,Gurdas had joined the Punjab Police in 1977. Having had a stint with the Punjab Chief Minister and the judges of Punjab and Haryana High Court he came on deputation to Chandigarh. He was also awarded the President’s medal for his achievements .

Old is gold

Recently an exhibition of heritage artefacts was organised by the grandson of a deceased collector. Assuming the 20-something was the collector himself,a scribe from a fellow daily began questioning the young man on “interesting stories” he could share regarding the valuables. The young fellow began narrating a few but the scribe,looking for more,questioned every other family member,including a paternal grandmother. It is unclear whether the journo got what he was looking for,but the family definitely seemed out of breath by the end.

Adam-teasing on the rise

During the Chandigarh SSP’s recent visit to Panjab University as part of the drive against sexual harassment,he was greeted with just over 200 students and a half-empty hall. This is probably why the visibly disappointed SSP’s inaugural remarks were,“It seems my campaign has not yet reached the students of PU”.

Some of the boys seemed to have come to attend the session just to serve as distractors. One of the boys,in all seriousness,asked,“What should we do if girls stare at us”? To this,the SSP promptly replied,“You should be happy. It will be very difficult if we start addressing that also”.

Seeking brevity

On the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti,a function was organised in the Gandhian Studies department of Panjab University. While inviting the Vice-Chancellor,A K Grover,for a brief address before the department,its head tried to ensure that the address was nothing more than ‘brief’.

Narrating an incident from a few days back,the Department head said,“We know that Dr Grover is an eloquent speaker. On September 29,at a function,where Sir was given just about 15 minutes to speak,he continued for over an hour. However,due to paucity of time,I would request you to keep today’s address brief”. Despite the attempts at flattery,the house was in splits,and the visibly embarrassed VC,summed up his talk in ten minutes.

Crafty criticism

Sukhbir Singh Badal,deputy chief minister of Punjab and president of the Shiromani Akali Dal,who had been invited as the chief guest at the Founder’s Day celebrations at his alma mater,Lawrence School,Sanawar,had already expressed his nervousness in coming back to the school after more than 30 years.

However,when it was his turn to address the gathering,he said that he was at a complete loss for words. “On most occasions when I speak,it is to criticise the other political parties. In a function like this,I really don’t know what to say,” he joked.

Delay in delivery

With the increase in LPG prices,schools have expressed that procuring a cylinder,every few days,to prepare mid-day meals for the school children is not cost-efficient anymore and that the department needs to look at more sustainable means of cooking,like biogas.

“Currently,we get grains and pulses from the education department store,but we would not like to get LPG from there even if it means having to regulate prices and ensure a constant supply as going by the delay in delivery,on many days the food would not be served,” said a teacher.

Nothing Happened,His Excellency

At the recently held public hearing session with the Administrator,which entered and remained in the news after a couple was manhandled by the security staff,the officials of the UT administration tried their best to create a make-believe situation for the UT Administrator,saying that the media reports were not true.

So much so that in order to sustain the alibi taken by the officials,the cops pleaded to reporters and were on their knees requesting the mediapersons to find a way through which they could save their skin.

Field days

This week,when Somdev Devvarman,the current poster boy of Indian tennis,arrived in Chandigarh to practice for the Tashkent Challengers,even the officials and coaches seemed awestruck by his presence.

Currently battling form and injury,Devvarman was determined to train hard at the hard courts,but the constant requests from fans,trainees and coaches for a photograph with him kept the former Top 100 player busy. Sanam Singh,local tennis player and a good friend of Devvarman’s,from the University of Virginia,also had a field day obliging his numerous fans.