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RCF unions claim wider support
Crisis of technical manpower hits
Science city to get MIG-23 from IAF
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One arrested for
harbouring Bheora
Badal promises to reopen unrecognised schools
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RCF unions claim wider support
Kapurthala, April 2 Addressing a press conference at the Kapurthala Press Club here, Mr Rajinder Singh, general secretary of the RCF Men’s Union, said the JCM was also considering a nationwide strike of railway employees. The RCF Men’s Union is affiliated with the AIRF. Both the federations have already condemned the proposal, Mr Rajinder Singh claimed. The union leaders said the DMW workers at Patiala registered their protest against the proposal by wearing black badges during a visit by Mr J.P. Batra, Chairman, Railway Board, there yesterday. Besides, the protests were being held at Ferozepore, ICF Madras and Lucknow, claimed the union leaders. Employees of the Ferozepore Division had decided to sit on a dharna and hold rallies from April 7, Mr Brij Mohan, a former RCF Staff Council member, said. He said that five national-level railway employees’ unions in the meeting of the Participation of Railways Employees Management (PREM) in New Delhi had also opposed the proposal on March 20. Mr Mohan added that these included Indian Railways Officers’ Association, NFIR, AIRF, Railway Protection Force Association and Indian Railways Promotee Association. The union leaders alleged that the RCF management had started adopting vindictive attitude towards them. “I was asked to immediately leave for Kolkata on the pretext of some official work,” Mr Sarabjeet Singh of the Technical Employees Association of Railways, claimed. “In fact, the management does not want me to contest the elections of the Staff Council to be held on April 21,” he alleged. Countering the claims of Mr Yash Pal Gupta, General Manager, RCF, the union leaders said that according to the Contract Labour (R & A) Act, 1970, the prohibition of employment of contract labour on perennial nature job, contract labour could not be employed where the work was done through regular workmen. The General Manager had some days back refuted the allegations of union leaders that contract labourers were working in the factory on “Supply, Installing and Commission” basis. |
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Crisis of technical manpower hits functioning of PSEB
Jalandhar, April 2 This was highlighted in the recently presented report of the PSEB Engineers’ Association to the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission. The members said that there could be frequent trippings and equipment damage at the time of paddy sowing when the demand for power increased. The members said that under such circumstances, they would also not be able to follow the operating policy of the Revised Indian Electricity Grid Code that was to be effective from April 1, 2006. The policy states that “the control rooms of Regional Load Dispatch Centre, all State Load Dispatch Centres, power plants, sub-stations of 132 KV and above, and any other control centres of all regional constituents shall be manned round the clock by qualified and adequately trained personnel.” The members lamented that there was not enough trained staff to abide by the new policy. They said that a major section of the staff handling the equipment was under-qualified, untrained and incompetent to work at the thermal stations. They said this was leading to major equipment failures, causing losses to the tune of hundreds of crores of rupees, compromises on the safety of lives, accidents, frequent trippings and the loss of generation due to operational errors. Giving statistics in the report, the members of the association pointed out that in the thermal plant at Bathinda, as many as 36 posts were lying vacant in operations and only 32 were occupied. Of these, just seven officials were degree holders and the rest 25 did not have any degree required for the post. The report has specified that out of the total 62 sanctioned posts for the maintenance section, just 32 had been filled and 14 of recruits were non-degree holders. Similarly, it had also been pointed out that 62 posts of engineers were lying vacant at the Ropar thermal plant out of the total sanctioned strength of 252. In Lehran Mohabbat, 20 posts were lying vacant against the total 178 posts in operations, maintenance and civil maintenance wing. Claiming that there had been a violation in the Indian Electricity Rules, 1956, Mr H.S. Bedi, president of the association, alleged in the report that its provisions regarding training and qualification of the manpower for handling power plants and electricity equipment were not followed by the generating station heads. The rule states, “The owner of every generating station of 100 MW capacity and above shall arrange for training of personnel, engaged in operating and maintenance of a generating station at his own institute or any other established institute for the purpose with recognition by the Central Electricity Authority.” He said the rules specified a syllabus and duration of training courses with a further provision for refresher courses. Mr Bedi said that all assistant engineers (posted as SDOs) operating power houses in the Ranjit Sagar Dam and Mukerian were non-degree holders. He further said that in 473 sub-divisions in Punjab, 140 posts of assistant engineers were lying vacant. Many sub-divisions did not have any sub-divisional engineer, revenue accountant and cashier, he added.
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Science city to get MIG-23 from IAF
Kapurthala, April 2 “We have been allocated with a MIG-23 aircraft and we have already inspected it at Halwara airport. The IAF authorities have told us to built a platform for its mounting and we will accomplish it shortly,” he added. The science city, in collaboration with the Punjab State AIDS Control Society, is also planning to launch the “Red Ribbon Express” bus with an objective to create awareness about HIV and AIDS among college students of Punjab, Mr Khandpur said. He said the other attractions at the science city would be a digital planetarium to be set up for the first time in the northern region. “A dinosaur park is also being set up in an island surrounded by a water body. Indian dinosaurs will be displayed specifically and we are going to get 45 models of dinosaurs shortly,” he added.
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One arrested for harbouring Bheora
Phagwara, April 2 The person arrested here has been identified as Gurcharan Singh, a resident of New Vishvakarma Colony on Palahi Road. “We were after him on a specific information. He had, some days back, given a slip to the Phagwara police and the Mohali police,” the Phagwara ASP, Dr Sukhcahain Singh Gill, said. According to police sources, a case has been registered against the accused on charges of sedition, Arms Act and harbouring a terrorist. — TNS
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Badal promises to reopen unrecognised schools
Jalandhar, April 2 Addressing a public gathering at Basti Mithu here, Mr Badal said the decision to close down such a large number of schools was “nothing but a big blow to education in Punjab”. He was accompanied by his son, Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal, and a number of other Akali leaders. Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal, an MP, alleged that those running the government were “non-performers of the highest order.” BJP leaders, Mr Manoranjan Kalia and Mr Bhagat Chuni Lal, and senior Akali leaders, including Mr Ajit Singh Kohar, Mr Sarwan Singh Phillaur, Mr Kamaljit Singh Bhatia and Mr Sarbjit Makkar also addressed the rally. |
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