Batala, May 26
Politics has taken over studies in three schools being managed by the DAV in Batala. The fight is on between the local Management Committee and the DAV College and Aided Schools Management Committee at Delhi to retain control over the schools with each side blaming the other for the mess.

The fight took alarming proportions when armed conflict took place in one of the girls school run by the DAV Management. The Principal of DAV Senior Secondary School, Mr A.C. Preet, who also took the beating in the conflict, when contacted, blamed a former BJP minister from the area, Mr Jagdish Sahni, for violence on the school campus.

He alleged that the DAV Management Committee from Delhi wrests total control over all the DAV run education institutes. It dissolved the local management committee headed by Mr Jagdish Sahni that was earlier managing the affairs of the local three schools — Agyawanti Marwaha Senior Secondary School for girls, MRS DAV High School for Girls and DAV Senior Secondary School.

Mr Sahni, when contacted, however, refuted the charge. He alleged that the Delhi-based committee had dissolved the local management committee illegally. As per the notification issued by the Punjab Government in 1997, the local management committee could only be dissolved after following a legal recourse.

The main allegation levelled for dissolving the local committee is financial misappropriation. However, the local management committee was ready for a CBI inquiry into the allegations levelled against them. The only allegation against them is that they deposited the funds of the school in a monthly income scheme.

The move was aimed at getting a better interest rate for school funds that could be used for the betterment of students. The local management committee has even deposited the commission received for the funds in the school accounts.

Mr Sahni alleged that while a case had been registered against him, no case has been registered against the other party. He blamed the local MLA, Mr Ashwani Sekri, for the mess and violence.

Mr D.R. Gupta, Director, Colleges and Aided Schools of DAV Management Committee at Delhi, when contacted, said the local management committee was dissolved after an inquiry into the financial misappropriation was held by a committee comprising him and Mr J.R. Kapoor, secretary, DAV management committee. In the inquiry, the local management committee was found to have violated the constitution of the schools.

Mr Sekri, when asked about the allegation levelled against him by Mr Jagdish Sahni, said he had no role in the conflict. He only directed the police to save the women and girls of the school who were being harassed by the henchmen of Mr Sahni.

The politics on the school does not seem to be ending here. These days there are holidays and the schools are not functioning. However, when the schools start functioning, Mr Sahni said he would take control of the schools as their dissolution was illegal.

The politics has already started simmering with the BJP and the local MP, Mr Navjot Singh Sidhu, holding a rally in favour of Mr Jagdish Sahni that was also attended by its state President, Mr Avinash Khanna. The Congressmen have held rallies against Mr Sahni.

Pathankot, May 26
Residents of Bungal village and surrounding areas yesterday protested in front of the SDM’s office against the shortage of water. Protesters most of whom were women were led by former minister of the BJP Mohan Lal.

The protesters alleged they had not been getting adequate drinking water since long. They get water supply just for one to two hours in a day. Due to lack of personal tubewells or hand pumps in the area people have to depend on government water supply that was inadequate.

Earlier also residents of the village had blocked traffic on the Pathankot-Dalhouise road to protest against water shortage.

The women among the protesters also protested against the single digit lottery stall in their village. They alleged many youth and men of the village had taken to gambling at these single digit lottery stalls. If the administration failed to stop the single digit lottery in the village they would force them to stop the operations, the protestors alleged.

Mr Mohan Lal accused the local MLA for ignoring the people who had been protesting against shortage of drinking water. While people of area have been reeling from shortage of water the MLA has not even bothered to visit them.

The Congress government has been claiming development in the area. Every MLA was being given Rs 5 crore for the development, but people of the kandi area have been striving to get two buckets of drinking water per day.

Authorities of the Public Health Department blamed erratic power supply for the drinking water woes of people. They alleged due to power cut they fail to pump water to storage facilities to ensure full supply.

Water supply schemes should be given hot line connections to ensure adequate drinking water supply to the Kandi areas, they suggested.

Chandigarh, May 26
Not long ago he was a gardener-cum-attendant in the Punjab Languages Department at Patiala. And the menial chores he was asked to do there made him to quit the job.

He is now a member of the Advisory Board, an apex policy-making and literary award-deciding body of men of letters, academics and intellectuals of the Punjab Languages Department.

The man being written about is Ninder Ghugianvi. The tale of his struggle, pain, indignities and achievements has the stuff of a thriller. Insults suffered by him and the struggle he waged to live on has already metamorphosed into wonderful pieces of Punjabi literature. As his pain and abuse multiplied, he became more and more creative to pen an unforgettable autobiographical narrative “Mein Saan Jajj Da Ardali” ( I was a Judge’s orderly).

At the tender age of 12, he rebelled against his father to become a singer and disciple of the legendry folk singer Yamla Jatt. However, for survival, he became a munshi of an advocate. Then he got the job of an orderly of a judge. His experiences as orderly and domestic servant nudged the writer inside him to wake up and to author the autobiographical book.

On his autobiographical narrative, a telefilm, “Jajj Da Ardali”, has been produced by a music company. The film, loaded with satire and comedy, is a sharp comment on our system that more often cruelly mauls talented people with poor backgrounds. Harbhajan Jabbal is in the lead role in the film.

Ninder’s father, a small shopkeeper, rebuked him quite often for his fascination for the folk singer and for not paying attention to run the shop to earn a livelihood in his native Ghugiana village in Faridkot. However, despite his father’s tough opposition, Ninder pursued what was dear to him. Successfully copying the style of his guru, he started entertaining small gatherings in and around his village. As all that proved little to fill his belly, he joined as munshi of an advocate in 1993 and later applied for the job of a court crier-cum-orderly.

Ninder got the job on the condition that he would also have to work at the residence of the Judge as a cook, sweeper, dishwasher and milch cattle attendant. The Judge, his wife and son loved him and respected his literary leanings and talent for folk singing. He wept when the Judge was transferred. Another Judge, who replaced the earlier one, was moody and treated Ninder inhumanly and gave him a sound beating at times. Unable to bear the humiliation, he resigned from the job.

Later, he joined as a gardener at the Languages Department in Patiala. He was also asked to look after the writers who used to stay at Sahit Sadan, a guest house in department’s complex. Though it was a menial job, it gave him the opportunity to interact closely with Punjabi writers. Whosoever used to stay at the sadan, Ninder entertained him with folk songs. However, he had to quit the job there also.

The turnaround in his life came after he quit the job at the department. Interaction with writers further inspired him to write. He got the autobiographical account published in a series in Punjabi Tribune. It created a flutter among literary circles and Ninder instantly became a popular name. Desi Radio, being run by a Punjabi in London, produced a play based on that account. A student wrote a term paper for his M.Phil course based on that story. Punjabi papers in Canada, the USA and the UK also published that account. On an invitation, he visited Canada, the USA and the UK, and produced various programmes for radio in Punjabi abroad.

The Asian Broadcasting Corporation, Toronto, has broadcast a radio script of his autobiographical book. The Sahit Akademi of India has incorporated Ninder’s representative prose writing in its collection of “Veehvin Sadi Chonvi Vartak”. In its publication “Vishav Bal Kosh”, Punjabi University has included Ninder’s articles on Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Master Madan, Lata Mangeshkar, Ustad Bismilla Khan.

He has authored several life sketches of artistes. Features written by him on Yamla Jatt and Karnail Singh Paras (Ramoowalia) have been included in the Bal Kosh. His book on folk singers has been published by Guru Nanak Dev University.

The Languages Department has published his book on Surinder Kaur, a legendry folk singer. The list of his books is long. He has worked as commentator of several radio programmes.He was honoured once by a former Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Jean Christean.

Born on March 15, 1975, Ninder had education only up to matric.

Amritsar, May 26
In a Bollywood style, Army men caught a fleeing cop after he had snatched a purse from a woman here yesterday.

A Punjab police cop, Shamsher Singh, who was posted at Circuit House police chowki, after performing his night duty, was returning home on his motor cycle when he committed the crime on the way.

He snatched the purse of a woman on Court Road in full public view. According to police sources, public and some Army men in civil clothes chased the accused till he was caught on the Ram Tirath road.

A case under Section 382, IPC, has been registered against him at Civil Lines police station.

Mr Jagatpreet Singh, SHO, has sought his dismissal in his report.

Jalandhar, May 26
Ms Rita Bahuguna Joshi, the president of All India Mahila Congress, has revoked the sack order passed by Ms Gurkanwal Kaur, the Punjab Minister for Social Welfare and chief of the Punjab Mahila Congress, on Ms Kamaljit Kaur Multani, the Jalandhar (rural) District Congress chief.

Ms Multani was removed by Ms Gurkanwal Kaur on April 8 ,allegedly without assigning any reason.

Mr Anil Dutta, the Chairman of the Jalandhar Central Cooperative Bank ,and some ministers had taken exception to Ms Gurkanwal’s action.

Mr Dutta took Ms Multani and her family to New Delhi, where, she met the AICC chief,Ms Sonia Gandhi.Ms Gandhi was also apprised by Mr Dutta, who, is said to be close to Mr V. George, the Personal Secretary of Ms Gandhi, as to how the one man ,one post principle of the Congress was being violated by certain Jalandhar -based Congress leaders.

On hearing both the leaders, Ms Gandhi, according to Mr Dutta, rang up the AICC General Secretary Mr Dwivedi and Ms Rita Bahuguna Joshi .Following this, Ms Joshi wrote a letter to Ms Gurkanwal Kaur informing her that the removal of Ms Multani stood cancelled and that Ms Multani would continue to work as the president of the District Mahila Congress, Jalandhar, (rural).

“Actually, Ms Gurkanwal Kaur had become upset over the work being done by me in the cantonment area (represented by Ms Gurkanwal Kaur). I was instrumental in getting cooperative loans sanctioned for a number of people through Mr Dutta. This could have generated some sort of zealously,” said Ms Multani.

Amritsar, May 26
Health services in Amritsar district were paralysed due to the state bandh call given by the Indian Medical Association, Punjab, here today. All private clinics and government hospitals remained closed. Chemists also joined the strike.

Rising above party affiliations, Navjot Singh Sidhu, BJP MP, said reservation should not be used as a poll plank. Coming in support of the protesting doctors, he said the government should adhere to merit only, especially in higher educational institutions.

Mr Sidhu said he was not against the reservation for the other backward castes. He assured the downtrodden and other suppressed citizens from different castes and communities that medicos were with them. He said the Centre should help them economically with books, good food, extra coaching at primary and secondary education levels and also financially enable them to compete with other castes.

Dr Hardeep Singh Deep, Honorary State Secretary, said merit should be the only criteria for selection of candidates to higher education in professional fields. This was very much in the interest of citizens of our country, he added. He urged the government that the just demands of striking doctors be met at the earliest to avoid inconvenience to the public.

Later, the agitating doctors submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Kirandeep Singh Bhullar.

Bathinda: Hundreds of activists of various social organisations took out a torch rally against the proposed increase in caste-based reservation in educational institutes here last evening.

The protesting bodies included General Categories Welfare Federation (GCWF), Indian Medical Association, Indian Dental Association, Medical Representatives Association, Chemist Association, Beopar Mandal, Swami Vivekanand Study Circle, Brahman Samaj, Agrawal Sabha, Bharatiya Kisan Union, Bharat Vikas Parishad, Aided School Association, apart from different employee unions.

ROPAR: The members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) protested against the proposed reservation policy. The members of IMA running the private hospitals in the city also abstained from work in protest.

The protesters said the decision of the government will further widen the rift in the society.

Gurdaspur: The anti-reservation agitation continued for the third day here. Students, members of the general category welfare association and traders association participated in the protest. A rally was held in the Sukha Talab park. Hundreds of protestors marched through the Gurdaspur town raising slogans against the government.

The students also blocked traffic for about half an hour near the old bus stand.

The protestors maintained that the reservation issue was raised by Mr Arjun Singh just to create unrest in the country. The number of people who would get benefited due to reservation in institutes of higher learning will be just a few hundred, they added.

Ferozepore: Medical services remained paralysed here due to strike observed by the medical fraternity in protest against the reservation policy of the government and its dictatorial attitude towards the protesting medical students. The Indian Medical Association (Ferozepur), the PCMS association, members of IDA and NIMA also observed strike on Thursday.

The doctors also held a protest march up to the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Dr Arvinder Singh, and submitted a memorandum to him.

Chandigarh, May 26
The Punjab Government today issued a fresh notification to recast the advisory committees for departments.

Interestingly, apart from the committee formed for the Department of Social Welfare, none of the committees has held a meeting during the past one year .The panels have been working only on paper.

Officials confirmed that the panels had been dormant in the past. However, forming the committees is a statutory requirement as MLAs of the ruling party and the Opposition are their members. The Minister and the Secretary concerned of each department are also members.

The role of the committees is to help frame government policy, oversee the proper implementation of policies and raise matters of public importance.

Sources confirmed that the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Ch Jagjit Singh, had written several reminders to hold meetings of the committees. However, departments "ignored" the reminders. The sources said barring two departments, no mandatory notice was even issued by any department for holding a meeting.

Today, the government recast the committees and said their term was till March 31, 2007, or till the end of the term of the Vidhan Sabha. Also mentioned in the notification was that it was mandatory for these committees to meet once in three months and send reports of the proceedings to the Department of Parliamentary Affairs.

Mohali, May 26
The Congress government is providing free power to the agricultural sector with an additional subsidy of Rs 432 .82 crore.

This was stated by Mr Balbir Singh Sidhu, a member of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, here yesterday. A subsidy to the tune of Rs 50 crore had also been arranged for providing free power to members of the backward classes. He said that Capt Amarinder Singh, Punjab Chief Minister, had improved the economy of the state.

He said that the SAD leader, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, had taken such decisions which had brought Punjab to the state of bankruptcy. He had even sold the river waters to the neighbouring state of Haryana. It was only Capt Amarinder Singh who passed an historical decision in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to protect the right of the state on river waters.

Fatehgarh Sahib, May 26
The midday meal scheme would be implemented in all primary schools of Punjab from July 1 in a new manner by involving community, particularly the mothers of the students. The Government of India has released sufficient funds for this scheme.

Earlier, when the scheme was introduced in the state it failed to make a mark. Now the Deputy Commissioners have been made the nodal officers whereas earlier DEO (P) used to be the nodal officers and the FCI would provide the material while PUNSUP would be nodal agency for transporting, said Mr Sarvesh Kaushal, Principal Secretary, Education, while presiding over a meeting in this regard at Bachat Bhavan here today.

Mr R. Venkatrattnam, Special Secretary, all six Deputy Commissioners of Patiala range and various other officials attended the meeting.

Mr Kaushal said the parents would be motivated to form mothers’ self-help groups which would be given money for cooking. He said it had been done as only mothers could take better care of cooking and serving while earlier it was the duty of school teachers.

He said a cluster of 15 schools would be constituted and they would submit the requirement of material, which would be forwarded to the FCI and PUNSUP.

He said village education committees would be given Rs 2,000 each from the Sarv Sikhya Abhiyan to purchase utensils for preparing food.

Mr Kaushal said to check the quality of food and material Block Education Officers would supervise. He also urged the Deputy Commissioners to start working on the project immediately.

He said for reviewing the progress of the scheme a website was being developed by Director-General Computer Seema Jain and all type of information would be put up on the website, which would help in creating better coordination.

Rajpura, May 26
Patel Public School organised painting and clay modelling contests for class VI to XII here today.

A wide variety of subjects, including environmental protection, female foeticide, literacy promotion and water management, were chosen by the students for the competition. The judges, Ms Mini Arora and Ms Seema Chopra, teachers from DAV Public School, had a tough time in judging the entries.

Meanwhile, Ankur and Sharishti were placed first in Group A and B, respectively, in the painting contest. Neha stood first in Group C. Similarly, in the clay modelling, Gunjan Malhotra bagged the first position in Group A.

In Group B, Gaurav Munjal and Gagandeep Singh were jointly placed first, according to Mr Dharam Pal, director of the school.

Amritsar, May 26
Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU) has introduced five postgraduate courses — MTech (communication system), MPharma, MSc (nanotechnology), MSc (bioinformatics) and PG diploma in hospital management from the current (2006-07) academic session.

Dr S.P. Singh, Vice-Chancellor, said here today that all courses were of two-year duration except one-year postgraduate diploma in hospital management. The admission process for these courses had already commenced.

The Vice-Chancellor said these courses had been structured keeping in view the high demand for these disciplines in the international market. He clarified that admission to all courses available at the university would be made purely on the basis of merit in entrance tests to be conducted by the respective departments.