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| Wednesday,
April 25, 2001, Chandigarh, India
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Duped by agents, they languish in Pak jail Mustafabad (Fatehgarh Sahib), April 24 Their faces brighten
for a moment as we ask them about Desh Raj. They think that someone
has been sent by the Punjab Government to free Desh Raj from the jail.
The elder daughter, Jasvir, says: “We were waiting for you for the
past three days. Someone was saying that the government will send a
team of officials to the village”. However, the moment they realise
that it is a team of journalists, they slip into gloom. Desh Raj,
along with 28 other Punjabi youths, is yet another victim of greedy
travel agents having a wide network with a base in Punjab. They
continue to sell dreams of “greener pastures” to Punjabi youths
who want to make a fast buck. Desh Raj left his village about 15 years ago for a job in Iraq. He stayed their for five years and returned to India. Again he left for Lebanon to take up another job. His two brothers are also there. In Lebanon, he came in contact with a travel agent who assured to take to him to Italy and charged Rs 4 lakh for it. However, he was arrested en route to Italy and is now lodged in the Pakistani jail. In
fact, the story of Desh Raj and the others would have never come to
light if Gurdeep Singh, who is also lodged in the jail in Baluchistan,
had not written to his relative in Morinda explaining their fate.
Gurdeep Singh belongs to a Scheduled Caste family of Buraj village,
near here, and is a carpenter. About seven years ago, he left for
Dubai where he was reportedly lured by an agent to push him to Greece.
He came to the Buraj village in the first week of January and sold his
scooter, which was given by his in-laws, and also borrowed Rs 50,000
from a friend, who had to sell his car to arrange the money for him.
Gurdeep Singh left for Dubai a few days before “Lohri” telling his
maternal grandfather that he would be going to Greece soon. However,
instead of reaching the cherished destination, he landed in the
Pakistani jail. According to Gurdeep Singh’s letter, he and the 28
youths were on way to Turkey through some clandestine route. They were
arrested by the army on the border in Turkey from where they were
handed over to the Iran army which subsequently handed them over to
the Pakistan army, perhaps, with the intention that they be handed
over to the Indian authorities. However, the authorities concerned in
Pakistan put them behind bars for entering their country without valid
documents. According to the latest message received from Gurdeep Singh
and others, the Pakistan authorities have sought character and
verification documents from them for their release. Gurdeep Singh and others have given all details about their families and their addresses in the letter. The interesting part of the letter is their appeal to the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, to get them freed from the jail. Gurdeep Singh and others in the Jail have requested their relatives to gather at Chandigarh at a pre-fixed date and to request Mr Badal to take up their cause with the authorities concerned in the Union Government. Though families of the detained youth say that they have taken up the matter with the Punjab Government through official channels, Mr Badal showed his complete ignorance about the issue when asked in this connection by a private TV channel at a conference held immediately after the meeting of the Political Affairs Committee ( PAC) on Friday. There are several questions, however, which remain unanswered. Firstly, why did the authorities concerned in Pakistan not inform the Indian Embassy in Pakistan about the detention of the Punjabi youths handed over to them by Iran? Secondly, why has the Indian Embassy on its own not taken up the issue with the External Affairs Minister in Delhi and also with the Punjab Government to get the youths freed? Why the Punjab Government has not shown any interest to get the youths released though its officials, including the police authorities, have been informed by the relations concerned about the detained youths? Mrs
Amarjit Kaur says her elder son Gurmeet Singh met the district
authorities concerned at Fatehgarh Sahib to get the necessary
documents prepared. She is unable to understand that the release of
his husband and others would not be that easy. The External Affairs
Ministry would have to take up the issue with their counterparts in
Pakistan for getting the youth freed. The External Affairs Ministry is
not likely to do anything until “forced” by the Punjab Chief
Minister, to do something in this connection. The names of the other
youths detained in the Pakistan jail are as under: Preet Pal Singh,
son on Dharam Singh (Mukerian), Gurpal, son of Jang Singh (Ropar),
Kulwinder Singh, son of Kaur Singh, Khamano (Fatehgarh Sahib), Tirath
Singh, son of Dharm Singh, Lanbra (Hoshiarpur), Pavitar Singh, son of
Rachan Singh, Banmajra (Ropar), Satwinder Singh, son of Amar Singh,
Daulatpur (Nawanshahr), Harmesh Singh, son of Bakshish Singh,
Jajantpur Jattan (Nawanshahr), Seva Singh, son of Niranjan Singh,
Jandiali (Jalandhar), Surjit Singh, son of Sohan Lal, Langeri
(Nawanshahr), Harjinder Singh, son of Surinder Singh, Mithra
(Jalandhar), Jujhar Singh, son of Tarsem Singh, Patti Sura Singh
(Hoshiarpur), Makhan Giani, son of Resham Singh, Sindhala (Jalandhar),
Devinder Singh, son of Sucha singh, Chamba (Hoshiarpur), Mehar Singh,
son of Malkiat Singh, Raune Khurad (Ludhiana), Gurnam Singh, son of
Karnail Singh, Tanda Ram Sahai (Hoshiarpur), Sajjan Singh, son of
Amrik Singh, Masadpur (Mukerian), Sarabjit Singh, son of Niranjan
Singh, Rajasansi (Amritsar), Narinder Pal Singh, son of Ram Singh,
Salara (Jalandhar), Jagmel Singh, son of Hari Singh Cheema, Thathabahi
(Moga), Baldev Singh, Son of Sadhu Singh, Godhewal (Moga), Harbans
Kali, son of Gurdev Singh Mehana (Moga), Buta Singh, son of Satpal,
Mehta Chowk (Amritsar), Paramjit Singh, son of Niranjan Singh,
Taleheri (Kurukshetra) and Dial Singh, son of Banta Singh (Udham Nagar). |
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Zaffarwal’s claim sounds
hollow Amritsar, April 24 After Gurbachan Singh
Manochahal, slain chief of the Bhindranwale Tigers Force, Zaffarwal
was the only top-ranking militant to be intensively interviewed by a
number of mediapersons from India and abroad. Zaffarwal was shown
worshipping weapons in Pakistan in a photograph published by the media
those days. Though Zaffarwal claims he was a mere puppet in the hands
of the ISI, the tone and tenor of his interviews given to the foreign
media during the peak of militancy spoke otherwise. His claim that he
had not owned responsibility for any killings cannot be believed, his
interrogators say. Several politicians and bureaucrats, especially
police officers who fought against terrorism, were against
“stage-managed” arrest of Zaffarwal. Joyce J.M. Pettigrew, an
Irish woman who has done a lot of work on Sikh militants, in her
much-talked-about book, “The Sikhs of Punjab: Unheard Voices of
State and Guerrilla Violence”, published in London gave two
comprehensive interviews of Zaffarwal. Both interviews threw enough
light on his nefarious designs. Zaffarwal was quoted saying in the
book that after Labh Singh’s death, “the baba announced a new KCF
and a new Panthic Committee”. During his interview with Pettigrew,
Zaffarwal had said that the KCF had been given a lot of ideas on its
operations by intellectuals, including lawyers. |
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Modern equipment for
hospitals Patiala, April 24 All three government medical colleges in Patiala, Amritsar and Faridkot are in the process of getting phaco-emulsification equipment to be used for cataract operations, besides endoscopy. The Medical College Hospital in Faridkot will get a treadmill and a colour doppler testing machine. All equipment is being imported. Sources said this was the first time in nearly nine years that medical college hospitals were importing equipment from abroad. They said this had become possible due to the enhanced medical fee after the hike in treatment charges. Besides, funds had been generated
from Non-Resident Indian students who had been admitted to the medical colleges after paying a hefty fee. The sources said, the Controller, Stores, had approved a kidney dialysis machine for the Medical College, Patiala. The case for the acquisition of a video-endoscopy machine and laproscopic surgery equipment had been approved for the Medical College, Amritsar. The Patiala college was also pursuing the case for importing both machines approved for the Amritsar college. All three medical colleges have generated huge funds since the past more than one year. The Patiala and Amritsar medical colleges have accumulated nearly Rs 5 crore each. The sources said the medical colleges were likely to get a big boost with the influx of modern equipment. For instance, the Medical College Hospital, Patiala, had recently started conducting CT scans this service had been discontinued for some time as the radio-activity tube of machines could not be replaced. The tube was replaced recently at a cost of Rs 16 lakh. Faulty equipment was also being repaired. The government had earmarked budget for the three medical colleges in the beginning of the year. This was usually done in the last few months of a year and the authorities had to go in for bulk purchases at the end of the year. Directions have been given that a near-equal amount be spent every month as per the need. The sources said thought the government had amalgamated the funds
collected through enhanced fee as well as those from NRI admission in the budget, it had promised that more money would be forthcoming to the institutions once they spent their allocated budget. However this might be wishful thinking as the current
procedure for acquiring machinery and other essentials is so cumbersome that it will be difficult to spend the funds allocated in the budget. Doctors of the local Medical College, however, said when the fee structure was enhanced the government had promised that the extra
amount so collected would be used for the improvement of the medical institutions only. They said only if the government allowed the medical institutions to use funds collected through enhanced fee and NRI admissions could the problems facing the institutions, particularly those of lack of medicines and modern equipment, be removed. |
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BSP rules out joining third
front Phagwara, April 24 Addressing a press conference here yesterday, Mr Kanshi Ram said after Kargil, the government had again been caught napping at Pyrdiwah. After Nepal, Bangladesh, the only peaceful border with India, had also become tense. The NDA government, he said, was heading towards failure on all fronts. He
asserted that the judicial probe into the Tehelka episode was not likely to be impartial and suggested the setting up of a Joint Parliamentary Committee to probe the scandal. He criticised the Congress for stalling parliamentary proceedings. Open debate was the only way to go into the Tehelka expose, he added. He
disagreed that the Congress-NDA stand-off would lead to the fall of
the NDA government. “Even Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had
dared the Opposition to move a no-confidence motion against his
government” he said. The BSP president ruled out snap poll in
Punjab. The BSP President ruled out snap poll in Punjab Calling
Bahujan Samaj (society) an alliance in itself, Mr Kanshi Ram ruled out
joining any third front in Punjab in the forthcoming poll. “If I can
manage and add just 2 per cent votes of other categories to the SC
votes, the BSP will win 25 seats in the Doaba region and wield the
balance of power” he said. His party was very keen on contesting the
SGPC poll slated for November, he added. The BSP supremo talked along the same lines at public meetings at Goraya and Hadiabad near here. |
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NABARD adopts
Bathinda Bathinda, April 24 Bathinda is the first district in the state to be adopted under the scheme in the third phase of the programme. There are seven other districts throughout the country that will benefit from the scheme. The DRIP will provide the much- needed financial help to rural youth for starting their own business who have been rendered jobless due to frequent crop failure in the state. The condition of farmers is very bad due to unprofitable output from the agricultural sector, and are also faced with helplessness due to unavailability of any other option. Although some of them have started agriculture-based allied occupations but due to lack of infrastructure, they have not found these profitable. The potential of rural people has been going waste because of non-availability of work. Under the DRIP scheme, attempt will be made to create awareness among the rural people to start their business. Financial help will also be provided to them through banks and other financial institutions. The NABARD will work as a mediator between the producer and the buyer so that small-scale industrialists do not face any problem in the markets. Stress will be given to those industries for which raw material is available in the village or nearby city. The plan is to utilise the sources available in the village to the maximum. The DRIP was launched in 1993-94 with a motive of creating employment for the rural people. The scheme, which was originally thought to run for five years was extended to seven years. The scheme has given employment to nearly 1.6 m persons. A series of seminars will be organised in the district at various places in which bank officials, industrialists and officials from the Department of Industries will participate. Under the scheme, no subsidy will be given to beneficiaries and interest taken on the loan given to them in order to motivate them to use the loan in a proper way. The NABARD will not make direct payments to the beneficiaries, rather it will give financial help to banks which will give loans to the people. Mr Gurinder Singh, Assistant General Manager, NABARD, said the main motive of the DRIP was to generate employment for the rural people in the non-farming sector. He said even bank employees in the region were not well aware about the rules while dealing with the loans given to the small industrial units as they mainly deal with agricultural loans. |
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Branding in jail alleged Ludhiana, April 24 The jail authorities, however, refuted the charges levelled by the undertrial against two staff members. They counter-alleged that the undertrial had played a trick by using a chemical to settle scores with the jail staff who had not accepted his illegal demands for certain facilities in the jail. According to the complaint filed by the undertrial , who has also sent representations to the Punjab Human Rights Commission , Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, the state Director- General of Police and district police officials, the incident took place this morning. He said he was not feeling well for the past several days and requested the jail staff to provide him medicines. He alleged that instead of helping him Assistant Jail Superintendent Mulraj Singh and Hawildar Jarnail Singh beat him up severely and later inscribed ‘qatil’ on his back today morning. Mr G.S. Sidhu, Superintendent, Jail, however said the allegations were wrong. He said the undertrial wanted some out of the way facilities and hit upon this idea to pressurise the jail staff. He claimed that according to his inquiry the undertrial and the constable had an argument over some point recently when the undertrial was being taken to a court. He said that in order to teach the constable a lesson, the undertrial branded himself using a chemical at the district court complex. He also claimed that a number of other undertrials present in the ‘Bakshikhanna’ had given it in writing that the alleged victim did it in front of them. Meanwhile, sources claimed that preliminary medical examination has confirmed that the inscription on the body was done sometime in the morning. However, final report was awaited. |
SAD dist chief’s
removal sought Jalandhar, April 24 The group, led by the recently
appointed Improvement Trust Chairman Sarabjit Singh Makkar, and
Parminder Pal Singh Khalsa, which held its meeting at the local
Gurdwara Central Town here today, tried its best to use the recent
outbursts of Prof Inderjit Singh as its trump card. He had allegedly
criticised the SAD President and Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash
Singh Badal. However, Prof Inderjit Singh maintained that he had
every right to raise his point at the party fora in a democratic
manner. The Makkar group today went to the extent of seeking removal
of Prof Inderjit Singh saying he had no ability to run party affairs.
The supporters of Mr Makkar who held a meeting at the local Central
Town Gurdwara passed a resolution that all Akali workers would hold a
conference on May 20. |
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Amarinder denies deal on giving
ticket Chandigarh, April 24 A meeting with the senior leaders of the party including, MPs, was held to discuss issues concerning Punjab and strengthen the party in the state. |
Antique British clock to chime again Kapurthala, April 24 The clock, which was installed by the then Maharaja of Kapurthala in 1880 after importing it from a London firm, was out of order for the past over four decades because of a technical fault. The Deputy Commissioner, Mr V.K.Singh, contacted a Kolkata-based firm for the repair of the clock and representatives of the firm visited the town during the past week. The chief technician of the firm, Mr S.K. Dutta, told the Deputy Commissioner after the inspection of the clock that it could function normally. The firm first offered to buy the clock by installing a new clock in its place free of cost. The firm said it could sell, the clock after repair for more than Rs 10 lakh. Mr V.K.Singh declined the offer by saying that the historical clock should be preserved for future generations as a relic. The Deputy Commissioner has given the contract for the repair of the clock to the firm. He told reporters that the clock would be repaired within the next three months. He said the clock tower would be renovated at a cost of Rs 3 lakh. The clock has three big bells each weighing about 150kg. Old-timers say the then Maharaja had deputed a person to wind the key of the clock once in a week. The Kolkata-based firm, M/s Aglow Swiss Watch Company, claims to have repaired many old clocks in the country. It
has also installed a clock at the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
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Resentment against
re-employment Chandigarh, April 24 Certain employees, who have also approached the Minister of State of Public Works (B and R), Mr Ajaib Singh Mukhmailpura, to oppose the re-employment, said such a move would block the chain of promotions down the line in the department. Some officers in line for promotion would retire during the period, they said. The reason advanced by the government for the re-employment is that the functionary has been associated with various projects taken up at Anandpur Sahib during the Khalsa tercentenary celebrations. However, those opposing the re-employment say that various projects at Anandpur Sahib were taken up by different architects and even architects engaged from abroad were asked to do specific projects. Employees said that there were a number of other talented architects in the department and they should be provided a chance to prove their worth. |
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Litterateurs kick up row Chandigarh, April 24 A large number of “left out” delegates to the conference who met here the other day and formed themselves into a Sangharsh Samiti, have decided to meet the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, and submit a memorandum demanding the removal of Dr Harcharan Singh and Mr H.S. Bhatty as president and secretary of the Punjab Arts Council for allegedly misusing the offices of the apex arts body to promote a parallel body under the name and style of “World Punjabiat Foundation” and raise large sums of money for obscure purposes. It is alleged that all preparations for the Lahore conference were made by the duo from the offices of the council in Sector 16 here. The council’s premises, services of staff members, stationery, telephones, etc, were put to unauthorised use. “This is blatant misuse of the arts council and the government, which has nominated them, must intervene and put its foot down,” they say. They point out that similar “mismanagement” marked the holding of the “World Punjabi Conference” on the Panjab University campus here in December by the same set of persons. But at that time, things did not get out of hand totally as they did this time. A large number of Punjabi writers, artists, litterateurs, journalists, etc, who were invited by the organisers themselves to join the Indian delegation to the Lahore conference, had to face embarrassment and mortification on being left out of the delegation at the last moment. Some of them had to face the ultimate humiliation of coming back from Wagah where they had been told to gather for crossing over to Pakistan. While well-known litterateurs and artistes like Mr Gurdial Singh, a Jnanpith laureate, Dr S. Tarsem, Secretary of the Kendri Punjabi Likhari Sabha, and Mrs Primilla Puri, a renowned vocalist, were left out after being invited to join the delegation, several others who were not even remotely connected with Punjabi literature were included and taken as delegates to the Lahore conference. One office-bearer took his car driver on the trip to Lahore, another was accompanied by certain tamba-wearing farmers from his native village while a third took along his wife and other members of the family. Although a large number of “left out” delegates were informed a few hours before they were to leave for Lahore that they had been refused visas by the Pakistani Embassy in New Delhi, enquiries made at the offices of the arts council reveal that their passports were not even submitted to the embassy. One well-known woman singer who had been told that she had been denied a visa by the Pakistani Embassy, contended that if she had been refused a visa, her passport should carry the “rejection” stamp. But this was not so. “They have just played a fraud on us,” she complained. The same discovery has been made by several other “left out” delegates. One of them, Mr N.S. Parwana, a Punjabi journalist, has decided to return the honour conferred on him at the World Punjabi Conference held in Chandigarh in December in protest against the non-inclusion of litterateurs like Mr Gurdial Singh and Dr Tarsem, who is visually impaired. Dr Harcharan Singh, Chairman of the arts council, who went to Lahore to attend the conference, cut short his visit and returned to Chandigarh after he learnt that he was not among those to be honoured at the conference. He has also resigned from the World Punjabiat Foundation which is headed by Mr Kanwaljit Singh Mandher, a close relation of a Union Minister. Mr Bhatty, one of the principal organisers for the Lahore conference, admitted that there had been “bungling” in the selection of delegates. “But there is nothing much that can be done now. No useful purpose will be served by holding an enquiry and trying to fix responsibility. We are sending letters of regret to all those who could not go with us. We are also returning their passports along with the money collected from them by way of travel expenses.” He was at pains to stress that the arts council had nothing to do with the Lahore conference, which was organised by the World Punjabiat Foundation. He also noted that most of those who were now protesting against non-inclusion in the delegation to Lahore were not members of the foundation. |
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Sheikh Hasina’s
effigy burnt Phagwara, April 24 The protesters were led by Mr Surinder Dogra, chairman of the Punjab Hindu Shiv Sena. Talking to mediapersons later, Mr Dogra alleged that the NDA government had not dealt firmly with Bangladesh in this regard. They
asked the Prime Minister to pursue a policy of “an eye for an eye”
with Bangladesh. Mr Dogra announced that the Shiv Sena would contest the Assembly elections in Punjab but would not enter into an electoral alliance with any party. |
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NFL employees hold
dharna Bathinda,
April 24 Mr N.C. Sharma, general secretary of the
Fertilisers Workers Association Federation of India, said the PSUs had
made unparalled contribution in the development of the nation. He
alleged that the Union Government was bent on privatising the PSUs due
to pressure of the IMF and the World Bank. The activists of the
district unit of the NFL Employees Union (NFLEU) raised slogans
against the Union Government and the IMF. The activists said NFL was
the only profit making PSU of the country. After privatisation, job
security and employment of thousands of workers would be at risk, they
alleged. Mr N.S. Brar, district president of the NFLEU, said in a
written statement issued here yesterday that a two-day strike would be
observed on Wednesday and Thursday in all the units and offices of the
NFL throughout the country to protest against the disinvestment of
NFL, he added. |
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Two shells
recovered Ludhiana,
April 24 The experts said at least five more
shells were still in the water which could be recovered only after the
water level in the canal was reduced. Disclosing this to The Tribune,
Mr Pramod Ban, SP, city-II, said the experts of the Army based at the
Baddowal unit launched the operation at about 5:00 p.m. After about an
hour, they were able to recover and defuse the two shells from the
water. He said the operation would continue as soon as the water
level reduced and added that it could not be ascertained how the
shells reached there. |
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Diversion leads to traffic jam Bathinda, April 24 The level crossing known as the Patiala phatak in the city
generally does not remain closed for more than 15 minutes. When
drivers of the vehicles today made inquiries from the gatekeeper they
were told that it would remain closed for quite some time but he could
not tell them the exact time and said that the drivers should talk to
the senior officials. With no option the vehicles started to move
through the Hazi Ratan road though it was closed for heavy traffic a
few years ago. Barricades to check heavy vehicles were erected on
residents request. Otherwise also the road is unfit for heavy
vehicles because its condition is very poor. There is no concrete
flooring on that road and it is too narrow. The drivers of the heavy
vehicles faced many problems but they did not have any options. A
senior official of the railway said that they were helpless in the
matter. He said he could understand the difficulties faced by the
commuters, but the repair work was also necessary. |
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Cops’ plea for
cancelling FIR refused Abohar, April 24 Mr Vijay Kumar Bholusaria, a local resident, had
complained to the DGP in 1997 that some persons in connivance with the
revenue patwari and nambardar of Bhagu village had made some changes
in the revenue record of his ancestral, undivided agriculture land and
sold it but the police was not registering a complaint against the
accused, who reportedly enjoyed political protection. The DGP
directed the SSP Ferozepore to take action. An FIR was registered by
the city police on February 3, 1998, but during the investigation the
police moved an application in the court seeking cancellation of the
FIR on the pretext that the prime accused, Ram Lal, had not benefited
due to the changes in the revenue record of the land in dispute. When
the court issued a notice to the complainant, he objected to the plea
and filed a separate complaint against the accused in the court. |
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Plan to sell Lahori
Gate draws flak Amritsar, April 24 While the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has strongly criticised Sri Hargobindpur Municipal Committee’s proposal, the Punjab convener INTACH, Mr Sukhdev Singh, responding to comments of Punjab Minister and officials of the Cultural Department said an ambivalent and ambiguous attitude was apparent that indicated lack of interest. Dr Sukhdev has urged the Chief Minister to take immediate measures to protect Sikh heritage in the state under the Punjab Ancient and Historical Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1964. The INTACH said team of experts should be taken into perspective for the preservation of historical monuments rather than evading responsibility. |
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Ambulance donated Nawanshahr, April 24 Mr Vinod Arora and Mr Satish Vohra, president and project in charge, respectively, of the local Rotary Club, said the free ambulance service project had been sponsored by the Rotary Foundation besides sanctioning a grant of $ 2500. |
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1 killed as van hits tree Phillaur, April 24 According to reports received here this morning, the Jalandhar-bound van was hit by a heavy vehicle. As a result the driver lost control over the vehicle. People from nearby villages rushed to the spot but they could not rescue the driver |
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Pensioners’ Association seeks age reduction Sangrur, April 24 The association has urged the government not to impose
income tax on pensioners. This was stated here on Tuesday by Mr Vinay
Kumar, a retired DEO and president of the association. |
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Khosla resigns as Dy
AG Chandigarh, April 24 |
Girl abducted Pathankot, April 24 According to police sources, Ali Hussain of Bahadur Lahri village lodged an FIR with the Sadar police station, Pathankot, stating that on April 11 there was a religious gathering at his house which was attended by Sheru, Ishu, Pannu, Lal Din, Sham Din, Sahbi and Rahima, along with others. He alleged that the seven suspects made Failo to sleep near them and kept talking to her till late at night. Ali Hussain also alleged that early next morning, the seven-member group took the girl with them on the pretext of answering the call of the nature but they did not return. The
Sadar police registered a case on Saturday. |
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Woman, daughter commit suicide Jalandhar, April 24 Shanti
Devi, 70, hailing from Bihar, was staying with her daughter Mamta and
her husband Jatinder, a rickshaw puller, for the past three years and
was perturbed over her and her son-in-law’s inability to get Mamta
treated for gall stones as they did not have Rs 25,000 needed for the
operation for the removal of stones. As the mother could not bear
her daughter’s suffering she allegedly decided to commit suicide and
her daughter followed suit. The residents of Mohalla Chandigarh had to collect Rs 2,500 for the cremation of bodies. |
PUTA to launch stir against VC in
May Patiala, April 24 Meanwhile, the recently formed parallel
PUTA body has requested the Vice-Chancellor to take up the issue of
taking action against the ‘’ousted’’ body in the Syndicate
meeting tomorrow. The new body’s vice-president, Dr Ajit Singh
Bhatia, said the request had been made following an emergency meeting
of the body’s executive committee. In a separate statement here,
Dr Bhupinder Singh Khaira and Dr Balwinder Singh, PUTA President and
Secretary, respectively, both of whom have been derecognised by the
university authorities recently in favour of a parallel organisation,
said an agitation would be launched on May 1 if the Vice-Chancellor
continued to treat the university as his ‘’personal fiefdom”. Both
leaders said an emergency meeting of the PUTA executive had termed the
“illegal” notification by the Registrar derecognising PUTA as “fraudulent’’. The
leaders also alleged that the Vice-Chancellor had promoted ‘’self
appointed’’ president Dr Manjit Singh to professorship a few weeks
ago by ignoring the seniority of a large number of Readers. Meanwhile,
the campus unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) today
condemned the role played by two BJP leaders with regard to the issue
of delay in declaring the result of ABVP campus unit convener Sandeep
Kapoor. In a statement here, Sandeep Kapoor said Senator Pitambar Dutt
and Syndic Pawan Singla had played a “negative” role by taking the
side of the Vice-Chancellor on the issue of harassment of students of
the unit. |
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Private schools
mushroom Jalalabad The
premises of these unaffiliated schools often not only lack basic
facilities like proper water supply but also adequate space for the
children.The classrooms are usually poorly lit and ventilated.
Besides, many teachers working there do not have the necessary
academic qualifications. Most of these institutions are registered
under the Societies Act with the Registrar of Firms and Societies,
Punjab. Interestingly, the students of these private schools have to
be enrolled simultaneously in government schools for appearing in
board examinations. In fact, teachers of government institutions often
approach these unaffiliated schools for the admission of students to
their institutions to ensure that posts are not declared surplus by
the Education Department. Most of the students of the unaffiliated
schools usually belong to nearby villages. Poor parents prefer to put
their wards in these schools rather than sending them to rural
government schools or expensive reputed schools. In that way their
children get better education than is available in village government
schools and at an affordable cost. The condition of government schools
is also pathetic. These are short of staff and also lack basic
facilities. Mr Sher Singh and Mr Paramjit Singh, MLAs, had apprised
the Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, about the prevailing
situation at a public function held here recently. Ms Jupinderjit
Kaur, principal of Mata Gujri Public School, Chak Suhelewala, said
there was nothing wrong in opening private schools. After all, she
said, these institutions were imparting education at an affordable
cost. However, she added that there must be some regulations regarding
the size and plan of the school building and the qualifications of the
staff. |
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Office-bearers of PCCTU elected Doraha, April 24 The election was held at the annual session of the Ludhiana district council of the PCCTU on Monday at the Arya College for Boys, Ludhiana. The election was attended by the state president, Prof K.B.S. Sodhi and more than 50 delegates and activists from 25 colleges of the district. The inaugural address was given by Mr V.K. Mehta, principal of the college. Prof V.K. Bhardwaj, the outgoing district secretary read out the annual report of the union. Prof Sodhi said annual election of the PCCTU would be held on May 6 at GGN Khalsa College, Ludhiana. |
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Class X exam to be reconducted Bathinda, April 24 The students got the wrong question
paper at centres number 10 and 24 of Khalsa Senior Secondary School.
Question papers at these two centres got interchanged due to centre
controller’s mistake. So students who were to get the question paper
based on the old syllabus got the question paper based on the new
syllabus and vice-versa. The paper will be conducted at Government
Senior Secondary School in Parasram Nagar from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on
the old roll numbers. This was stated in a notification of the Punjab
School Education Board issued on April 19. |
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