Bathinda, August 9
The 13 persons who were allegedly arrested for gambling from a local theatre here on Saturday night were granted bail today.

Acting upon a tip off, police carried out a raid at the Harchand cinema situated on the Bathinda-Goniana road late on Saturday night and nabbed a group of persons who were allegedly gambling in a ‘special’ room located on the first floor of the theatre.

The accused identified as Satpal of Navi Basti, Sanjeev Kumar of Adarsh Nagar, Ravi Arora of Peerkhana street, Madan Lal of Mata Rani street, Ashu Kumar of Afeem Wali Gali, Vinod Kumar of Qila road, Mukesh Kumar of Veer Colony, Balwant Singh of Veer Colony, Tarlok Kumar of Mandir Wali Gali, Pawan Kumar of Sabun street, Bharat Bhushan of Guru Nanak Pura mohalla and Bittu Aggarwal of Vishal Nagar.

According to information available, most of the accused are said to be familiar faces on the gambling circuit. They allegedly visited the theatre earlier too with heavy amount of cash on a regular basis.

A police team led by SHO Kotwali police station GS Romana raided the theatre. Police claimed that Rs 3,81,146 were recovered from them during search. However, sources said the cash seized could be much higher.

Kotwali police station witnessed several eminent personalities of the city, including political leaders, visiting there to meet the accused. Some of them informed that many of the accused had been enjoying political patronage. Among others, Tehal Singh Sandhu, secretary PPCC and Rajinder Mittal, BMC councillor remained present there for couple of hours to meet some of them. The name of a former SAD minister also figured among the visitors.

It is learnt that initially, the police had only warned the accused to desist from gambling but one of the accused started dropping names and also threatened the police with dire consequence claiming connection with the leaders of the ruling party.

One of the accused even refused to sit in the police lorry to go to the Kotwali police station. Police has also seized cars of some of the accused.

All the accused were booked under section 420 of the IPC and 13/3/67 of the Gambling Act. When produced in the local court, the duty magistrate, accepted bail bonds from the accused and granted them bail.

Meanwhile, speculations were rife as to why the police did not dare to take action against the theatre where the arrest was made. It may be mentioned that the theatre in question belongs to a SAD (B) leader of Muktsar district, who is close to the ruling Badals.

Bathinda/Barnala, August 9
Hardly a day passes when the volunteers of NGOs in Bathinda do not recover dead bodies floating in the canals and distributaries. TNS tried to ascertain the source from where the dead bodies, in such great numbers, were coming from.

During the investigation, it was observed that the Bathinda branch of the Sirhind canal is the main source of such bodies. This branch of the canal emerges from the Doraha head. Meanwhile, it was observed that most people whose bodies were found did not belong to Bathinda district. Most of the time, the bodies had travelled miles before reaching Bathinda.

It is astonishing that if a man jumps or is thrown into this canal near Doraha, the body can travel up to Rai-ke village in Muktsar district, covering the total length of the canal, which is about 86 miles, passing all checks on the way.

The canal has a total of three micro hydel projects on the way and a number of gates (channels) to control the flow of water. But the bodies cross all such points, obviously due to the passing of the buck by the staff deputed there.

The micro hydel projects are located at Mile 26 at Lohgarh, Mile 37 at Chak village and Mile 62 at Sadhana village. Each hydel project has a proper iron-net fixed at inlet points, from where the water passes on to the turbines.

The iron-net is so thickly woven that no foreign particle (beyond a prescribed size limit) can pass through, otherwise, it would cause damage to the turbines. However, sources in the canal department stated that the staff deputed at hydel projects, despite witnessing the body in their area, open the gate so that it crosses their territory.

A senior official now retired of the canal department said, “Such heads may prove much helpful in identifying the body as it would reduce the area of investigation. If it is taken seriously, police would have to check only those villages falling within the distance of one micro hydel project. Moreover, the accountability of staff deputed there should be fixed to check how the body crossed the thickly woven iron nets.”

During the survey, this correspondent witnessed a semi-nude body floating at Dadda Hoor bridge of the Bathinda branch, at Barnala-Raikot road. Some stray dogs were waiting for it to come along the bank. A number of onlookers were watching the body trapped in the water but nobody was willing to pull it out.

When asked, Bikkar Singh, a tea vendor, who has his stall along the bridge, said, “I know that this decomposed body will reach till Bathinda where social workers will pull it out. This body can be pulled out at many points along the way as there are even some hydel projects also along the way. There, the bodies get trapped but the staff allow them to flow with the water further.”

Showing some news clippings, he expressed his anguish saying, “I pulled out a number of bodies at this point and my pictures were published in newspapers. But now I have stopped making effort as I observed that neither the police nor the staff of the canal department bothers to pull these bodies out. Moreover, despite my daring, no official ever appreciated my efforts.” 

Rampura Phul, August 9
A headless body of a youth kept in an airbag was recovered from a canal distributary near Jaura bridge here today afternoon.

According to sources, some children who were swimming in the distributary saw a blue coloured bag in the water. Getting suspicious, they quickly informed volunteers of the Malwa Sahara Club.

Volunteers of the NGO pulled out the bag and found a semi-nude body in it. They informed the police and in their presence the bag was opened. The body was of a headless male in the age group of 30-35 years. It appeared that the before keeping the body in bag, it was tied tightly with a tape.

Considering it a clear case of murder, Rampura police registered a case against unidentified persons under section 302 of the IPC. DSP Rampura Phul, Rupinder Bhardwaj said, “Postmortem of the body could not be conducted today. Further, we will keep the body in the mortuary for one day with the hope to get it identified before its cremation.” — TNS

Bathinda, August 9
The government teachers today criticised the education policies of the state government and accused it of being a major contributor to the declining academic performance of the government schools in Punjab.

Members of the Maths Teachers’ Association, the SC/BC Teachers’ Union, the Government Schools Teachers’ Union, the Science Teachers’ Association, the School Teachers’ Union and the Democratic Teachers’ Front today demanded that the details of crores of rupees spent by the education department should be made public.

“Though the government has spent crores but Punjab, which stood seventh in education in 2000, fell to 17th in 2004 and at present, it is placed 21st. Results of classes V, VIII, X and XII were not even 50 per cent,” argued Darshan Maur, a teacher.

Teachers said they were made to do everything but teaching. Latest is classes on judo-karate, which is being taught in government schools in the morning. The Director General, School Education, Punjab, had passed an order in this regard. What makes the effort worthless is that teachers are being asked to train the students even as they themselves do not know anything about judo-karate.

Teachers complained that they were not getting enough time to teach due to various non-teaching jobs like election duties assigned to teachers. A teacher said when the government started the atta-dal scheme, teachers were made to carry out a survey in various villages. “Based on our survey the government gave atta-dal scheme cards to people. It was a time-consuming process,” said Mahinder Singh, another teacher.

Once, the teachers were asked to reckon how many school students aged 6-14 years in various villages go to school. In the past, teachers were asked to find out the number of dogs in various villages.

A single teacher is expected to evaluate 200 copies a day. They have to maintain record of health record cards of students; details of construction work going on in schools is to be maintained by teachers; bank accounts and affidavits of students, who were eligible for stipends, are to be made by teachers; maintaining six registers by teachers sent by education department; besides many other non-teaching jobs.

The teachers are now pinning hopes on the Right to Education Bill, 2009, which states that no non-teaching jobs would be assigned to the teachers. 

Chandigarh, August 9
The low-cost agro-animal technologies developed by the Defence Institute of High Altitude Research (DIHAR), Leh, have found wide acceptance among farmers in Ladakh. Adoption of these technologies by farmers has not only boosted the availability of fresh food in that region but also helped in socio-economic uplift of the people there.

Stating this during the 17th Ladakhi Kisan Jawan Vigyan Mela organised by the institute, Director Shashi Bala Singh said local farmers had been generating income amounting to several crores by selling vegetables to the Army formations deployed in that sector.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who was the chief guest at the two-day event, emphasised the need for self-reliance in the region. He advised farmers to develop their own small-scale industries keeping in view the concept of high value-low volume products. Appreciating the role of the DIHAR, he said the institute should play a lead role in boosting the agriculture sector in Ladakh.

A laboratory under the Defence Research and Development Organisation, DIHAR is one of its kind institute in the world. It was established with the mandate to develop high-altitude agro-animal technologies for sustainable fresh food production in cold arid terrain.

General Officer Commanding 14 Corps Lieut-Gen SK Singh and Minister of Tourism and Culture Nawang Rigzin Jora were also present on the occasion.

None of the government-sponsored schemes, in Rajasthan, except polio plus, had emerged as a people’s movement during the past few decades. But the Gandhian chief minister Ashok Gehlot has now succeeded in turning the Harit (Green) Rajasthan into a noble campaign.

The project has the potential of transforming the state from an arid state to a green state. This is something that many perceived to be a daunting task, but now hundreds of men, women and students with their will and dedication are found busy in converting 6,500 sq km dry area into water-rich region.

Students of history say in the days of monarchs, the rulers used to sanction the land for any public welfare project and provided funds. The people put in their sweat to build the structure.

The Gehlot government decided to launch a massive afforestation campaign ‘Harit Rajasthan’ on July 15 for transforming the desert state into lush green lands and recharging depleting water table. Tree plantation and plant protection related affairs were included in the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) to utilise available funds for the good cause. Prior to this, the CM had held a meeting with the district collectors (DCs) and decided that the vacant land on school premises, parks, roadside, hospitals as well as local bodies' offices should be used for the plantation of trees.

The urban civic bodies were asked to make arrangements for the supply of saplings from the State Forest and Agriculture departments as well as private nurseries. They were also directed to identify the areas, where plantation is to be carried out on priority in advance and make arrangements for tree guards, grills and fencing to protect the plants. Arrangements were also being made for water, fertiliser and pesticides to ensure healthy growth of plants. A special budgetary provision was made for the drive in all the urban bodies.

Many of the public-spirited organisations have joined the efforts to make the campaign a success and prepared a compact disk containing songs to generate awareness about the significance of green cover in the cities.

While travelling through Rajasthan, one hardly finds a tree even at a km distance. But now, not only the NGOs and educational institutions but less awakened people in villages too can be found planting saplings. Interestingly, medicinal plants and triveni (combination of three religiously revered plants) have become first choice for the women.

The campaign is going to get further boost with the Dera Sacha Sauda, having branches in more than 50 towns in the west Rajasthan neighboring the Malwa region of Punjab, has also directed its followers to plant saplings and ensure their growth.

Contrary to this, the Forest officials in the Malwa region lament 50 per cent of the posts of guards have been lying vacant for couple of years and Punjab government had not released adequate funds for the nurseries. How we can think of any afforestation campaign, they question? — Raj Sadosh

Bathinda, August 9
Desh Bhagat Institute of Engineering and Management (DBIEM), Moga, has been approved by the department of technical education, Government of Punjab.

It has also been affiliated to Punjab Technical Education, Jalandhar, and approved by the AICTE, New Delhi, for admitting students in MBA and B Tech degree programmes in civil, mechanical, computer science, electronics and communication engineering. The campus is located near Dagru on the Ferozepur-Moga road. 

Fazilka, August 9
In the last phase of organisational elections of the co-ordination committee, Para Medical and Health Employees, Punjab, in district Ferozepur, the election of the Civil Hospital Fazilka branch was unanimously held here.

State press secretary Shashi Kant conducted the election process. The following office-bearers were elected:

chairman: Ashok Sachdeva; convener: Bimla Dhawan; chief organiser: Parveen Chauhan; chief advisor: Surinder Mohan Kataria; finance secretary: Vinod Nagpal; co-conveners: Lakhwinder Singh and Sarwan Kumar; organisers: Rubina and Narinder Kumar; organising secretary: Mangat Ram; propaganda secretaries: Jagdish Mehra and Jagdish Sirova: press secretary: Sant Ram Solia, office secretary: Sandeep Kumar. 

Fazilka, August 9
A deputation of the representative of Para Medical and Health Employees Punjab led by its state chairman Ravinder Luthra and convenor Lal Singh Dhanualla met secretary Health-cum-director National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in Chandigarh to discuss the long-standing unsorted issues of the para medics with the Punjab government.

The director, Health Services, Dr SPS Sohal and other senior officers of the Health Department were also present in the meeting.

The other state representatives of the para medics included chief organiser Sardar Singh Gill, press secretary Gulzar Khan, co-convener Kishan Lal, Jaswinder Singh Patti, Ravinder Singh, Mukhtiar Singh, Ravinder Kaur and Mohinder Kaur.

State chairman Ravinder Luthra and press secretary Shashi Kant, while giving details in the meeting of para medics here on Saturday evening, disclosed that the secretary Health has agreed to promote all those class IV employees as laboratory technicians (LT), who have fulfilled the qualifications for LTs within one month.

Besides, 45 left out cases of promotion of multi-purpose health workers (Female) (MPHW) as staff nurses will be given appointment letters within a fortnight. These MPHWs have qualified for being appointed as staff nurses.

Responding to the demand of non-payment of regular salaries to thousands of regular employees under 2211 head, the secretary Health and director agreed to temporary transfer of funds from NRHM projects for release of salaries.

Luthra and Kant further revealed that the secretary health assured that instructions for five per cent annual hike in salaries of the employees working on contract basis would be issued very soon.

Along with this, instructions for grant of higher pay scale to nurses pharmacists, MPHW as recommended by the Pay Commission would also be issued shortly.

The secretary issued instructions to Dr Jai Kishan, director Research and Medical Education, Punjab, to start working in additional capacity as registrar Punjab Pharmacy Council, immediately. It is pertinent to mention here that the office of Registrar Punjab Pharmacy Council had practically being lying closed for sometime following alleged irregularities in functioning of the previous registrar. 

Abohar, August 9
The State Information Commission has imposed a penalty of Rs 25,000 on former DPI (Sec)-cum-public information officer Surjit Kaur for the delay of 514 days caused in supply of information.

The state information commissioner, Rupan Deol Bajaj, while passing the orders, copy of which was received here by the complainant on Saturday evening, said the penalty works out to Rs 1,25,500. However, the maximum penalty permissible under the Act of Rs 25,000 is imposed. The present DPI has been directed to recover the amount from Surjit Kaur within a period of one year by working out installments.

Kavita Rani, daughter of Brij Lal, an employee in the Civil Hospital here, had sought information regarding recruitments made by the DPI (Sec).

The latter had given a one paragraph reply to the show-cause notice issued to her under section 20(1) vide her letter dated July 28, 2009, in which she stated " in so far as the show cause notice dated 24.3.09 was concerned, I learnt about this only on 17.7.09. Before that she had no inkling about this."

The Commission observed that it was not delay in answering the show-cause notice but delay in giving the information to the RTI applicant. Incorrect and incomplete information had been sent on purpose by the PIO to the wrong address not once but twice that also late by one year.

Sriganganagar/Abohar, August 9
Buoyed over tying Rakhis on the wrists of 507 jail inmates during its maiden programme, the newly formed Mahila Uthan Vikas Samiti on Sunday resolved to take up several welfare projects in the coming days.

The meeting unanimously elected Anil Walia, principal of Adarsh Secondary School, as president and Leena Laur, principal of Sanatan Dharm B.Ed College as vice-president of the NGO.

Those present included fashion designer Parul Bhatia, educationists Pushpa Chauhan, Prabha Sharma, Manjit Kaur and Rajinder Kaur. The NGO will organise mass marriages, help needy women by imparting training in sewing and gift sewing machines and provide books and stationery to needy students, Walia said.