In Brief — Chandigarh

Grievance
PWD B & R staff threaten stir
In a letter to the Haryana chief engineer the Haryana PWD B & R Branch Class III Ministerial Staff Association has pointed to the inhygienic conditions and the need for repair in the department’s head office building in Chandigarh. The association has threatened to agitate later this week if corrective measures were not taken.

Dalits urge filling of quota posts
The All India Dalits and Minorities Welfare Front has charged the Chandigarh Administration and neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana of not evincing interest in the clearance of more than a decade old backlog of quota posts for members of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes. In a press release, front general secretary O P Kalyana, while seeking early filling up of the backlog, has also sought provision of legal protection to SC/STs in the matter of promotion.

Service
Competitions for poor kids held
The Panchkula branch of the Family Planning Association of India conducted competitions for poor children who were admitted in the Devinagar Government Middle School in response to FPAI’s earlier "Send Your Child to School" campaign. Prizes were given for good handwriting on takhatis and for counting.

Campus
13 vacant seats in Zoology Department
Thirteen seats each are still vacant in the Department of Mathematics and Zoology in the first year of B.Sc (Honours School). According to convener of Joint Admission Committee, H. M. Dani, eight seats each are vacant in physics and geology, seven each in biophysics, anthropology and botany, six each in biochemistry and microbiology, four in chemistry, and two in pharmacy. All candidates interviewed earlier as well as late applicants can appear for interviews on August 19 at 9 am.

PU non-teaching staff hold rally
A mass protest rally was organised on the university campus by the Panjab University Non-Teachers Employees Federation today to press for the immediate payment of the remaining arrears of the employees on account of revision of pay scales and settlement of other demands like time-bound promotion and payment of fixed medical allowance. According to a press statement by the president of the federation, Dharam Paul Sharma, rallies will be organised every day till the demands were met.

Drive
Tree plantation function today
Build India Group (BIG) is going to organise a function for tree plantation and distribution of uniforms and books to school students at Government High School, Sector 25 on August 19. According to a statement issued here, the school is one of the institutions adopted by the group. The statement added that about 25 trees have been planted in the school by the efforts of the group members and the students. Also, students are given awards for maintaining the plants.