Jalandhar, May 27
To upgrade its standard of the English language in government schools across the state, the Punjab government has decided to enter into a tie-up with the faculty from the University of Wolverhampton, UK. As per the programme, the resource persons from the university would train selected teachers of the government schools who would further undertake training for other teachers across the state.

The programme would formally be inaugurated at Government Senior Secondary School at Khambran village tomorrow.

Sir Pat McFadden, MP, UK, arrived in this connection on Tuesday and was received at Jalandhar railway station by Dr S.S. Randhawa, director, SCERT, and other officials of the education department.

He is scheduled to sign a pact with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at a hotel in the evening.

The director of SCERT said the pact would be signed for training in the fields of sports, business and education. He said the UK authorities would be imparting training free of cost. He added that the facilities on the campus of Cambridge School, Urban Estate, would be availed for a month’s time taking advantage of the ongoing summer break.

Nawanshahr, May 27
The Gujjar community in Punjab too has come out in open to express its solidarity with the agitating Gujjars in Rajasthan over the issue of reservation.

The Gujjars in the district organised a meeting at Balachaur today which was attended by former Congress MLA Ram Krishan Kataria, CPM leader Mahan Singh Rouri, District Youth Congress chief Rajwinder Singh Lucky and Tarsem Kataria. The leaders criticised the BJP government in Rajasthan for betraying the Gujjars on the reservation issue.

The leaders said, “Though granting the ST status to the Gujjars in Rajasthan was one of the main agendas of the BJP, nothing concrete had been done to fulfil the hopes of the community.” In fact after coming to power the BJP government has forced them to resort to the path of agitation, they added.

Talking to The Tribune, Kataria said a rally under the banner of the Gujjar Samaj Sangharsh Samiti would be organised at Dana Mandi, Balachaur, on May 29 and the further course of action would be decided with the consent of community members.

Meanwhile, a deputation of the Gujjar community met chief parliamentary secretary Chaudhary Nand Lal at his residence today. Expressing solidarity with their agitating brethren in Rajasthan, Lal assured the deputation that he would urge Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to take up the issue with Rajasthan CM Vasundhra Raje and the national leadership in New Delhi. — OC

Hoshiarpur, May 27
To avert any mishap on the ensuing Ghallughara anniversary, a special operation is being launched by the police throughout the district in the first week of June. This was disclosed by SSP Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill while talking to this correspondent here today.

During the operation, anti-sabotage checking of railway stations and bus stands would be done during the mornings and evenings from June 1 to 7 by teams of police officials under the supervision of DSP (H). Another team, led by a DSP (special branch), would do anti-sabotage checking in crowded places and markets.

The SP (headquarter) would convene a meeting of cybercafe owners to guide them for collecting complete information about the persons visiting their cybercafe along with identification proof, etc. Besides, owners or managers of hotels and dharamshalas would be asked to note down all activities of the visitors coming there for night stay. The SSP said the identification of mischievous elements was being done to check their activities during the Ghallughara anniversary. — OC

Hoshiarpur, May 27
The District Consumer Forum (DCF), Hoshiarpur, directed the National Insurance Company (NIC), branch Mukerian, to pay Rs 2,50,600 with interest at the rate of Rs 9 per cent per annum (from the date of filing the complaint till payment) to Sukhwinder Singh of Aullian PO Umarpur.

The DCF further burdened the NIC with Rs 1,000 as litigation expenses.

Sukhwinder Singh filed a complaint with the DCF alleging that the NIC wrongly repudiated the accident claim of his Santro car (No. PB-07-N-0860) which was insured by it after receiving a premium of Rs 10,014.

In their reply, the authorities of the NIC admitted that the complainant insured his vehicle and submitted the claim form, wherein the name of the driver was shown as Jasbir Singh.

The investigator Ajit Singh Gill reported that at the time of the accident the said vehicle was being driven by Sukhwinder Singh, who did not have a valid driving licence, instead of Jasbir Singh.

The DCF held that neither had the affidavit of Ajit Singh Gill been filed by the NIC nor the statement or affidavit of Jasbir Singh had been produced on record to prove the fact that at the time of the accident, Sukhwinder himself was driving the car.

The NIC had not produced any evidence to prove that by negotiation, the insured party had agreed to accept the amount of Rs 1.50 lakh.

Therefore, the defence raised by the company (that the insured party had agreed to accept the amount of Rs 1.50 lakh) by way of negotiation goes to the ground, further held the DCF.

Hoshiarpur, May 27
Deputy Commissioner NK Wadhawan presided over a meeting convened by him for reviewing flood control measures here today. He instructed government officers of various departments to get the guide bandhs of all the drains in the district cleared, cleaned and strengthened keeping in view the ensuing monsoon season.

He also instructed executive officers of all the municipal councils to get the choked sewerage and drains of their respective towns cleared before the monsoon to avoid inconvenience to the people.

Emphasising on the need for supply of potable water and cleanliness in the towns to avoid health problems due to water borne diseases, Wadhawan instructed that pump sets be arranged for clearing flood waters during rains. He further instructed the executive engineer, drainage department, to arrange sufficient quantity of empty bags to plug the breaches during floods.

The district health authorities were instructed to constitute teams of doctors and arrange necessary medicines, and ambulances. — OC

Jalandhar, May 27
A man of Kular village falling under Nakodar police station killed a priest of a temple by attacking him with a sharp-edged weapon here on Monday night.

The police arrested Vijay Kumar today on the charge of killing the priest, Maninder Bhagat (60).

An FIR was registered against the accused on the statement of deceased’s wife Banso, following which the police nabbed the accused and recovered the weapon used in the crime.

The accused reportedly confessed to have killed the priest.

According to sources, the accused alleged during preliminary investigations that the priest used to perform black magic on him, that was why he killed him.

Batala, May 27
The police arrested two persons on Saturday and recovered Rs 15,000, a mobile phone and a handbag from them. The accused have been identified as Shiv Masih and Jagir Masih.

According to the information, the accused had snatched the handbag from Rajwant Kaur on May 14 while she was on her way back home after withdrawing Rs 20,000 from a bank.