Computer teachers to observe ‘black Divali’
Tribune News Service

Sangrur, October 20
The Computer Teachers Union today termed the enhancement in the salary of computer teachers from Rs 4,500 to Rs 7,000 by the Punjab Government as a “cruel joke” with them. In view of this, the union has decided to observe “black Divali” tomorrow.

In a statement issued here today, the union leaders, including Mr Gurwinder Rattan and Mr Rupinder Singh, senior vice-president and general secretary, respectively, said the Education Minister had promised to give them ETT teacher’s scale as a gift on the occasion of Divali, but now the state government had backtracked from its promise.

The union leaders warned the Amarinder government that as it had denied ETT teacher’s scale to the computer teachers, so it should ready to face adverse results in the ensuing Punjab Assembly elections. They warned the state government that if it did not grant to regular scale to them the computer teachers would organise demonstrations during the “road show” of Capt Amarinder Singh, Chief Minister. Besides this, they would also gherao ministers, especially the Education Minister.

Meanwhile, members of the district unit of the Unemployed Art and Craft Teachers Union, Punjab, held a rally against the state government today, demanding filling of about 15,000 posts of art and craft teacher in the state.

CM extends Divali greetings

Chandigarh, October 20
The Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh and the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo, in separate messages, today extended greetings to the people of the state on the occasion of Divali.

In a message on the occasion, Capt Amarinder Singh said that Divali was one of the most colorful and captivating festivals of India that provided us an occasion for rejoicing and merriment.

The Chief Minister appealed to the people to celebrate this festival with traditional fervour and gaiety rising above the petty considerations of caste, creed and colour. Mr Dullo wished well for all Punjabis and Punjab on the occasion. — TNS

Pathankot, October 20
Illegal mining by brick-kiln owners is continuing openly on the village common land in Mamun village, near Pathankot, despite orders of the Deputy Commissioner and the SDM, Pathankot.

When The Tribune team visited the site today, thousands of bricks made out of razed hillock were lying at the spot. An entire hillock was razed to get earth for making bricks. The labourers were still busy making bricks out of the earth dug from the land covered under the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA).

The village panchayat through a resolution had allowed a brick-kiln owner to dig earth for the common land. Mamun village is located on the foothills of the Shivaliks and the area is covered under the PLPA.

However, despite that the brick-kiln owner who was given permission by the panchayat to dig land used JCB machines to uproot trees from the common land.

After the matter was reported in these columns, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Vivek Pratap Singh, ordered the DDPO to inquire into the matter.

After the inquiry a fine was imposed on the brick-kiln owner for uprooting the trees. The SDM, Pathankot, recently passed an order banning mining on the said common land, But the mining was continuing.

The Deputy Commissioner, when contacted, said the mining should not continue at the spot. “I would send the BDO concerned to the spot and get the work stopped, he said.

Sources said the mining in the area was also against the norms laid by the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB).

Abohar, October 20
Even in the face of losing a young family member just prior the festival of lights, the family of Darshan Lal Chugh, district trainer for scouts and guides, yesterday pledged the body of their only son, Raghav (8), to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot.

His eyes were donated through the Bharat Vikas Parishad to the Shri Jagdamba Andh Vidyalya and Chikitsalya, Sriganganagar, for transplantation to two needy persons.

Raghav had a congenital heart condition and had developed a hole. The family tried to get him treated at different hospitals, including at Bangalore.

Mr Chugh on his way to Jalandhar yesterday when he got a call about Raghav’s death.

On his return, the family resolved to donate his eyes through the parishad and rest of the body to the medical college instead of cremating it.

Raghav was the only brother of four elder sisters.

Hospital sources said so far bodies of 18 elderly persons and two children had been donated.

Bharat Vikas Parishad president Praveen Chawla, Seva Bharti patron Jagdish Chuchra, Senior Citizens’ Association president Capt S.K. Dutta, Teachers’ Club president Dr G.L. Nagpal and other NGOs appreciated the gesture of the family.

Ludhiana, October 20
The Indian Medical Association has urged the government not to bring doctors under the VAT (Value Added Tax) regime. In a representation to the government, a former national vice president of the IMA and president, Ludhiana chapter, Dr Gursharan Singh said, bringing doctors, under the purview of VAT was unwarranted.

He said this will escalate the cost of treatment. No doctor will be paying this tax from his own pocket. The cess will be passed on to the patient. Already many poor people are dying due to the rising cost of the treatment, he said.

In no other state of the country the doctors have been brought under VAT so there was no reason to bring them under VAT in Punjab he said. Arguing against VAT he said India was a poor country where health facilities were already poor. 

Chandigarh, October 20
Alarmed by the rising levels of pollution in Budda Nullah, the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PSHRC) has taken strict cognizance of the violation of health and environmental rights of people being caused by the negligence of public servants who have failed to prevent the hazard.

Treating The Tribune Special Investigation on the state of the Nullah - Killer Drain — as hard evidence, the commission has constituted a fresh committee to look into the issue which potentially impacts public health. Earlier, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had also taken suo motto notice of The Tribune series and directed the Punjab Government to come up with a time-bound plan to clean up the nullah.

The Commission for its part, while acting on the petition filed by Ludhiana-based International Human Rights Organization (IHRO), constituted a high-level committee of experts to investigate the problem. The Committee comprising Dr K.S. Aulakh, Vice-Chancellor, PAU, Ludhiana; Dr L. S. Chawla, former V-C , Baba Farid University of Health Sciences and Dr Daljit Singh, Principal, Dayanand Medical College, Ludhiana, has been directed to treat the issue on priority and submit a detailed report on the matter by December 1.

While presenting the case before the Division Bench of the Commission earlier this month, IHRO chairperson Mr. D. S. Gill had underscored the need to appoint a high-profile panel of experts who could suggest a solution to the problem being posed by industrial and domestic pollution of Budda Nullah.

Ordering the formation of the committee, the Commission stated that it expected the committee to suggest ways to clean up Budda Nullah on a sustainable basis. “The Committee would advise what is required to be done by different agencies, including the state government, the Municipal Corporation, the Punjab Pollution Control Board, with an idea to eliminate in its entirety the scourge of pollution caused by the Nullah,” the Commission’s order states.

The Commission further directed the committee to focus its attention on the facts and factors responsible for the dreadful condition of the dirty, killer drain, which was at one point of time a clean stream.

“The committee will also focus its attention on the overall effect of the pollution on the health and its impact on quality of life of the concerned citizens, including the manner in which it had affected the local agriculture and caused the spread of diseases,” directed the Division Bench comprising Mr. B.C. Rajput and Mr N.K. Arora.

Copies of this order have been ordered to be sent to the Principal Secretary (Home), the Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, and the Commissioner of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation, besides the committee members, said Ms Inderjit Kaur Ubhi, coordinator, ‘Clean Budda Nullah’ project and its executive associate Sukhdev Singh Ramgarh Sibian who too represented the IHRO before the Commission along with Mr Gill.

Meanwhile, the IHRO has constituted two committees of its own comprising technocrats, environmentalists and lawyer-investigators to help the committee constituted by the Commission in developing a strategy to rid Budda Nullah of pollutants. Principal investigators, who will probe the corruption aspect of the matter and make efforts to get the guilty prosecuted, if any, will be Mr Mohinder Singh Grewal, Mr Jatinder Singh Sandhu, Ritesh Dhir and Shashi Kant Verma.

Abohar, October 20
Various factions of the Bharatiya Kisan Union and the Khet Mazdoor Sabha today resolved to jointly organise a rally in the new grain market here on October 26 to air their grievances on the fall in the cotton rates allegedly due to wrong management of the market by the state government.

Speakers said at a meeting of the farmers at Nehru Park here that prices of good quality cotton had fallen from Rs 2,100 to Rs 1,800 in a short period. The private buyers, excited over the bumper cotton crop, had joined hands to bring down the rates by entering into a pool.

There were complaints of victimisation in weighing the commodity also. The farmers after attending the rally on October 26 would march to the office of he Subdivisional Magistrate to submit a memorandum against the government agencies and private buyers, they said. 

Rajpura,October 20
Fearing that his illicit relations would be exposed, Ram Singh, a farmer of Bhedwal Jhuggian village, near here, brutally strangled his daughter-in-law to death late last night. The police has booked six persons, including Ram Singh and the woman’s husband, in the case.

The shocking incident came to light today when the family of the 26-year-old victim, Rajwinder Kaur, a resident of Devi Nagar Abrawan, was called to Bhedwal Jhuggian village for her cremation. Earlier, the father of the girl, Kehar Singh, was informed that his daughter had been electrocuted the previous night.

However, Kehar Singh, who reached Bhedwal Jhuggian along with the panchayat of his village, suspected her in-laws’ theory about the cause of her death as they continued to change their statements. When the father persisted with queries about the death, the in-laws changed the statement saying that the girl had committed suicide.

Police sources alleged that Ram Singh had been having illicit relations with his certain relatives for the past several months. Rajwinder, who had been married for about two years, got a wind of her father-in-law’s extra-marital relations.

The sources said Rajwinder had brought these facts to the notice of her husband, Kuldip Singh, and his father, Kehar Singh. She was also allegedly harassed by the father-in-law and his relatives over bringing the issue to the notice of Kuldip Singh and Kehar Singh.

The police sources said the fear of the exposure of the extra-marital relations might have compelled Ram Singh and others to strangle Rajwinder. The accused have reportedly confessed to the crime.

Meanwhile, the post-mortem examination was conducted at the local Civil Hospital here today. The DSP, Mr Manmohan Sharma, said the police was investigating the matter and would solve the case soon.

Besides Ram Singh, the police has booked five other persons — Kuldip Singh, Hazara Singh, Labh Kaur, Swaran Kaur and Jarnail Singh — under Sections 302 and 120-B of the IPC.