Teachers’ body drafts protest plan
Our Correspondent

Samrala, September 29
A meeting of the State Executive Committee of the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU) was held on the premises of Malwa College, Bondli-Samrala, under the chairmanship of Prof S.S. Hundal, president of the PCCTU, yesterday. They decided to intensify their agitation to press for their long standing demands, according to Dr V.K. Tewari, general secretary.

It was decided to strike work after two periods in colleges falling under Punjabi University and hold district-level rallies in Jalandhar, Patiala and Ludhiana on October 7. They also decided to strike work after one or two periods and join protests at colleges in Jalandhar that fall under Guru Nanak Dev University on October 17, at Patiala for those falling under Punjabi University on October 31, and at Ludhiana for those falling under Panjab University on November 19.

The Ludhiana rally will be held in front of the residence of Mr Harnam Dass Johar, Higher Education Minister, Punjab, in which teachers from other universities will also join. At the state-level rally in Patiala, leaders of the PCCTU will court arrest on December 6.

The Trade Union would also hold a protest against the decision of the Supreme Court debarring employees from the right to strike.

The main demands of the PCCTU are pension gratuity scheme, house rent allowance, lecturer designation for all DPEs and due grade, withdrawal of vigilance cases against teachers pending since May 15, 2002 and CPF deduction at 10 per cent of gross salary.

National group song contest held
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, September 29
The Bharat Vikas Parishad, Ludhiana, organised a national group song competition for the students of the CBSE-affiliated schools in Hedgewar Auditorium of the Bharatiya Vidya Mandir Senior Secondary School here yesterday.

Dr D.R.C. Bakhetia, president of the parishad, welcomed the guests. He called for inculcating the spirit of patriotism and national unity among the youth and the masses in general.

The chief guest, Mr Gorakh Goyal, appreciated the efforts of the parishad in organising such programmes. Mr Radhe Shyam Mahajan, state president of the parishad, addressed the gathering and gave an account of the projects envisaged by various branches of the parishad.

Dr Anup Kaur Bansal, Principal of the Guru Nanak Khalsa College for Women, Gujjar Khan Campus, presided over the function. She congratulated the winners of the competition and advised the students to work hard for achieving excellence in life.

2 Punjabi writers honoured
Our Correspondent

Ludhiana, September 29
Sirjandhara, a literary association, bestowed awards on two leading personalities of Punjabi literature. While Bebe Charan Kaur Khalsa Award was given to Dr Kirpal Kaur Zira, a noted novelist and poetess, Bhai Kirpal Singh Khalsa Award was presented to Dr Ajit Singh Sikka, an eminent scholar and poet, at a function held here yesterday at Punjabi Bhavan. These awards have been constituted by Mr Teg Bahadur Singh in the memory of his mother and father.

Principal Harbhajan Singh of Sikh Missionary College was the chief guest. In his address, he urged writers to write to uplift humanity. He laid stress on moral values and need for spiritual education. Principal Ram Singh presided over the function.

Mr Karamjit Singh Aujla, president of Sirjandhara, welcoming the audience. Prof Kulwant Jagraon, general secretary of Sirjandhara, gave introduction about Dr Kirpal Kaur Zira and Dr Ajit Singh Sikka. He said both the writers had enriched the Punjabi literature by their works.

Prof N.S. Tasneem, Prof Mohinder Singh Cheema and Principal Prem Singh Bajaj appreciated the contribution of Dr Sikka in the field of Punjabi and English literature. Prof Parveen Kaur, Mr Sukhdev Singh, Mr Devinder Singh Sekhar and Dr Swaranjit Kaur Grewal highlighted the ethical value of Dr Kirpal Kaur Zira’s novels and poems. Principal Prem Singh Bajaj was also honoured for his work towards modernising the Reference Library of Punjabi Bhavan.