Jalandhar, December 20
The members of the Punjab Technical University Non-Teaching Employees Union today suspended their eight-day-old strike after a compromise was reached over forming a five-member committee to take a decision on the issue related to their regularisation.

Former technical education minister Jagdish Singh Garcha, former director (outreach) of PTU Amarjeet Singh Grewal, members of non-teaching staff of Guru Nanak Dev University and Punjab School Education Board were there on the campus making their points so that the matter could reach a logical end.

Vice-chancellor Dr S.K. Salwan said the union members agreed on resuming work after they were told that a five-member committee to be headed by former vice-chancellor of Guru Nanak Dev University Dr S.P. Singh would be set up to study the case and give their opinion in their matter.

“The committee is likely to be formed by Monday and it will give its recommendations in three months. The university will then study the report for taking a final decision,” he said.

PTU union president Yadwinder Singh Randhawa said two representatives from the union would be putting up their demands before the committee. He said all daily wagers and contractual employees would resume duties tomorrow.

He insisted that the strike had been suspended and not called off, as in case anything went haywire, they would again stop working.

Earlier, members of the union sat on a dharna demanding the regularisation of their services.

Phagwara, December 20
Though the authorities of Lovely Professional University (LPU) claim that the death of its three students, reported suicide by two and the mysterious death of another student, took place in the past few weeks due to personal reasons of the students, yet it has started several programmes in an effort to de-stress its students.

Special yoga, meditation and art of living classes are being organised on the campus for making students tension-free. Already several such classes were held on different dates, especially to ease the students from tension, says LPU corporate communicator Aman Mittal while talking to The Tribune.

“These camps will benefit the students as they will not only feel stress-free but also start performing better in academics due to improved concentration,’’ he says.

“Some students who were habitual of secretly smoking and drinking told the authorities they had given up these habits, especially after attending the art of living camp for a week.’’

Another five-day art of living camp for hostellers is going to start from December 26, he adds.

Besides, special programme “talk to me” has been started since last week of November in which a lecturer from each of the 40 LPU departments has been made coordinator of the programme in his\her department.

The coordinator visits each class of his\her department and encourages the students in a friendly and informal
atmosphere to share personal, educational or any other kind of problems which he\she faces. The coordinator suggests the students about possible ways to get rid of that problem.

The coordinator also provides the students either their personal phone numbers or e-mail addresses where they are encouraged to discuss those problems about which they do not want to talk about in the presence of other persons, he adds.

Hoshiarpur, December 20
Chairperson of the National Commission for Safai Karamcharis (NCSK) Santosh Chowdhary, in a letter to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, described the pitiable condition of safai karamcharis working in municipal corporations or councils and in other state departments.

Releasing the content of her letter here this evening, Santosh Chowdhary said as chairperson of the NCSK in the last three years she previewed that the condition of the safai karamcharis was pitiable and the progressive states were ignoring this issue which was of prime importance for the country’s betterment.

During her tour of various states, especially Punjab, she found that safai karamcharis were not being given even the basic amenities by their employers.

With the continuous efforts of the NCSK, the previous government had increased the wages of the karamcharis, but several other issues relating to their welfare remained unattended. During her recent tour of Pathankot, she found that the number of vacancies of safai karamcharis in the municipal council there had been lying vacant for long.

The situation of other municipal councils or corporations in the state was also found to be similar.

She pointed out that the population of the country had increased three times since Independence and the areas of municipal councils and corporations had also increased according to the need, but the posts of safai karamcharis had not been increased accordingly and the norms of cleanliness were unrevised.

The Prime Minister had already directed that the backlog of vacant posts should be filled.

She urged Badal to issue immediate directions to the departments concerned for filling the posts relating to the Scheduled Castes, especially those of safai karamcharis, on priority basis.

On the recommendations of the NCSK, the state government of Maharashtra had not only filled all the vacant posts of safai karamcharis but also has increased 5,000 additional posts for them, she claimed.

Nawanshahr, December 20
As many as 1.65 crore families across the country have been provided 100-day employment under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGA).

Balwinder Attri, field publicity officer of Amritsar, stated this during an interaction with rural development officers and sarpanches, panches of various villages of the district, under the ongoing public information drive, here on Thursday.

He said the government had spent Rs 12,000 crore under the scheme which ensured at least 100 days’ work in a year to one unemployed youth from each family in villages.

The scheme has been implemented in the 330 districts in the country, including four districts of Punjab.

With the introduction of the NREGA, the strength of migratory labour had also reduced considerably.

Besides, the government has envisaged a plan to provide a compensation of Rs 25,000 to the affected families in case a member of a family provided with 100 days’ work under the scheme is rendered handicapped while on duty.

Avtar Singh Bhullar, DDPO, Gurdarshan Lal Kundal, secretary, Zila Parishad, also addressed the officers.

Hoshiarpur, December 20
Rajya Sabha member Dharam Pal Sabharwal inaugurated a seminar hall on the campus of the Vishveshvaranand Vedic Research Institute (VVRI), Sadhu Ashram, here on Thursday.

An amount of Rs 6 lakh was released by Sabharwal from the MPLAD fund scheme for the construction of the hall.

In the beginning of the function, students of the institute recited mantras for Manglacharan.

VVRI director Indra Datt Uniyal spoke about the research work on heritage and ancient Sanskrit literature being carried out in the institute.

Sabharwal praised the institute for its research work on ancient Sanskrit literature.

He also spoke on the specialisation of the Indian culture and importance of the Sanatan Dharma.

The ideology of non-violence had great importance in various dharams in the present age, asserted Dharam Pal Sabharwal.

Persons from all walks of life, including educationists, lawyers and doctors, were present on the occasion.