Hoshiarpur, July 8
Excavation of sand for construction work, by sand suppliers, from the Bhangi choe (seasonal rivulet) bed around the causeways from Purani Bassi and local Bahadurpur to Bassi Gulam Hussain, is posing a serious threat to these causeways during this monsoon.

The Sarpanch of Bassi Gulam Hussain, Narjit Singh Nandi told The Tribune here today that road traffic from Hoshiarpur and more than a dozen villages on the Una road to Bharwani road was passing through these causeways.

Besides, majority of the workers of the three large-scale industries of Chauhal, who resided in villages like Nandan, Purani Bassi, Bassi Kikran, Bajwara, Jahan Khelan etc. also passed through these causeways daily.

Damage to these causeways would not only affect traffic but would also hit the residents and fertile fields of the adjoining areas. He demanded an immediate stop to digging of sand and filling up of pits caused due to the excavation.

Narjit Singh also criticised the authorities of Kandi Canal for not completing the reconstruction work of the syphon, crossing the Bhangi Choe near Bassi Gulam Hussain village, which was damaged in the floods of 2008. The damaged syphon also poses a serious threat to village residents and lands.

General Manager Industries-cum-Mining Officer Subhash Kumar said though checks were being made by the staff of district industries centre to avoid excavation of sand from the choe bed, some mischievous sand sellers carried out excavation during night hours and loaded their tractor-trailers for which a fine of more than Rs 1.50 lakh had been recovered from them in June, 2010. He said the checks would further be intensified in the future.

The Superintending Engineer of the Kandi Canal circle, Anil Sud, told The Tribune that work for reconstruction of the syphon was under progress and would be completed within the next three months. He claimed that there was no threat to the residents and fertile fields of Bassi Gulam Hussain from floods.

Nawanshahr, July 8
District Education Officer Darshan Kaur exhorted school teachers, who have been attending seminars under the project ‘Quality Improvement in English Teaching and Development’ launched by DGSE Krishan Kumar, to derive maximum benefit of these seminars and to apply the new teaching-learning methodologies in the class room.

With a view to bring in qualitative improvement in the teaching of English at the elementary level, the Sarv Sikhiya Abhiyan, Punjab, has published an English-Punjabi Picture Dictionary.

“It is matter of pride for the district that the teachers - Balbir Kumar and Parmod Chander, who prepared the picture dictionary - belong to this district. Both the teachers have been deputed to deliver special lectures during the ongoing teachers’ training seminars in the district on how to make the best use this picture dictionary to strengthen the teaching-learning process of the English language at the elementary level,” said the DEO, while addressing school teachers at the Government Senior Secondary School, Aur, where she conducted a surprise visit on Tuesday.

The author of the picture dictionary - Balbir Kumar and Parmod Chander - delivered special lectures during the Teachers’ Training seminars at the Government Senior Secondary Schools at Aur and Kahma on Tuesday and Wednesday. They said the picture dictionary had been prepared to make the meanings of words as well as concepts clear with the help of pictures and simple sentences in English and Punjabi language, keeping in view the mental level and needs of the students of elementary classes. Stress has been given to pronunciation.

A number of appendices have been given in the dictionary to help establish the baffling sound-symbol relationship of different letters in the picture dictionary. Besides, some distinctive appendices about silent letters, American and British English, lexical blends etc. have also been given in the dictionary. Anil Sharda and Alka Rani, Principals of the Government Senior Scondary School, Aur and Kahma, respectively, Master Trainers - Arvinder Kumar, Nirml Kumar and Harbhajan Lal, among others, were also present on the occasion.

Amritsar, July 8
The ETT teachers union has decided to intensify its agitation against the state government for showing indifferent attitude towards its demands. Jaswinder Singh Sidhu, state president of the union, said the ETT teachers would agitate at the political rallies which would be organised by state government leaders in various parts of the Punjab.

They have been demanding to bring in the schools run by the Zila Parishad and Nagar Councils under the Education Department.

The teachers have been on no-cooperation movement since the start of the month wherein they had boycotted all works other than teaching assigned to them by the Zila Parishad and Nagar Council. Several teachers have resigned from various works assigned to them such as block master training, centre master training, block resource person, district resource person, etc, from July 1.

“These teachers would be honoured during special conventions being held all over the state to organise the ETT teachers. These conventions would continue till August 15 and a massive convention would be held at Moga,” said Sidhu.

He claimed that in an autocratic way the Director-General (Schools), Kishan Kumar, had issued notices to all Zila Parishads to consider the agitating teachers, who failed to turn up at their designated posts from July 1, as suspended. — TNS

Nawanshahr, July 8
A case under sections 420, 406 and 120 B of the IPC has been registered here at the NRI police station against Sandeep Kumar, his father Tirath Ram and mother Kulwinder of Gujjarpur Kalan village for allegedly duping a UK-based NRI by fraudulently selling his agricultural land.

Giving details, SSP Narinder Bhargav said the victim NRI, Amrik Singh of Gujjarpur Kalan village, had lodged a complaint with the Deputy Commissioner. In his complaint, he stated that he had issued a power of attorney to Sandeep Kumar on February 24, last year.

On April 26, this year, Sandeep brought him to the office of the sub-registrar on the pretext that his attendance was required in connection with the mutation of the agricultural land sold by him last year.

But he was stunned to know from Gumail Singh, who had been tilling his land, that Sandeep had come to take possession of the land.

When he asked about it from Sandeep, he could not give any satisfactory reply, but when he enquired from the office of the sub registrar, he came to know that Sandeep Kumar had misled him on April 26 and fraudulently sold his land to Santokh Singh of Mohalla Heeran Jattan. 

Pathankot, July 8
The police arrested proclaimed offender (PO) Satish Puri, who was wanted in a murder case.

SP (City) Bhupinderjit Singh Virk said the accused, a local resident, was wanted in a case registered against him in police division-1 here under sections 302 and 452 of the IPC in connection with the murder of a woman, identified as Kamlesh, a resident of mohalla Gartholi, on January 17, 1979. On May, 16, 1979 Session Court sentenced him to life imprisonment and also imposed a fine of Rs 1500. He appealed in the Supreme Court with special leave petition (SLP) which was dismissed on October, 10, 1993 after which he went underground.

The SP said a fresh case under sections 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the IPC had been also registered against him on June, 22, 2002 and he was declared proclaimed offender on October 18, 2003. The SP said the police had brought him from Pune where he was running a dry-cleaners shop in Naitti estate in Mohammad wadi locality. Today he was produced before the local court which sent him to 10-day police remand for further investigation, he added.