The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Commuters suffer as roadways employees go on strike Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 16 Passengers at the bus stand were a harried lot today as the roadways employees went on a day’s strike in support of their demands. As a result 650 buses, owned by the government, remained off the road. Further, the protesting employees blocked entry of the private buses to the bus stand, which added to the passengers’ woes. The passengers had no option but to search for the desired buses on the roads outside the bus stand. The private bus owners had parked their buses alongside the various roads as they were denied entry into the bus stand. The private buses, around 900 in number, had to look for passengers on the roads. The move led to traffic chaos on the roads. The long traffic jams were seen on all four sides of the bus stand because of these buses. As per information, all the public buses make 2,700 trips, to and fro, from the bus stand to various destinations. On the other hand, the private bus operators make around 4,000 trips. However, the effect of the strike by the roadways employees was explicitly visible on the services for the passengers as the private buses were overcrowded. More than anything, the passengers had a tough time in finding the buses for desired routes as they were parked in a haphazard manner. A passenger, Satvir Singh, said “For the last one hour I have been moving from one road to another to find a bus which can take me to Batala. I am reading the information boards on each bus, but could not find one.” He added that even if the roadways employees were to protest, there was no need to restrict private buses entry to the bus stand and thus create a chaos. Another passenger, Ram Singh said, “The end result of each protest is public harassment. Why don’t they go and gherao the Chief Minister.” On the other hand, the protesting employees stated that their demands were just and the government had failed to deliver as per its promises. Protesting employees’ Joint Action Committee’s executive member Narinder Chamiari said they were demanding hike in their pays. “The government is increasing pays of only those who have protested. As the roadways employees had often refrained from protesting, they are at a loss.” The contractual employees too have joined the protest demanding regularisation of their services. The employees have decided to gather at Jalandhar on December 19 to decide on the future course of protest.
	Missing boy found from Beas Parents thrash teachers; police rules out kidnapping P.K. Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 16 High drama was witnessed at Sri Ram Ashram School, located on Batala Road, here this morning when the parents of 12-year-old Vansh Sharma, who had gone missing yesterday, thrashed teachers on the school premises. However, Vansh, a Class V student, was found from the Radhaswami Dera at Beas in the afternoon after some sewadars at the dera called the family members on their phone after reading the mobile phone number written on Vansh’s identity card. Though the police officials said they were yet to reach any conclusion in the case, but confirmed that it was not a case of kidnapping for sure. Vansh had gone missing yesterday as he did not return from school. Madhu Sharma, mother of the boy, said as the auto-rickshaw, who used to ferry the students to the school, did not come, they had dropped the boy at the school. However, the school authorities revealed that he did not attend the school. As he failed to return home, the family members inquired from the school and searched for the boy in their relatives’ homes in the city. When they failed to locate him, they informed the police that Vansh had gone missing from the school. Today, when the family and police could not find the boy, the irate parents entered the school premises and thrashed teachers and staff members present there saying that it was the responsibility of the teachers to check the movement of the children inside the school. Neetu Sharma, Principal of the school, said the boy had not come to the school. However, she underplayed the thrashing of teachers. A police team also reached the school and questioned teachers, staff members and students present in the school. Later in the evening, Vansh stated to police that he did not know how he reached Beas. He said he was standing outside the school when somebody hit him on his head and he fell unconscious. “Later, I found myself at the Beas railway station, from where he was taken to the dera by some followers, who were distributing langar there,” he said. Some followers of the dera called the family on the mobile number written on the identity card of the Vansh. A police party went to Beas and brought him back. Baljit Singh Randhawa, ADCP (Operation), said it was for sure that Vansh himself left the school, but we could not say anything more till the investigations were complete. He said no case was registered in this connection till now.
	Teachers’ strike worries parents Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 16 Parents of the students studying in eight government-aided private colleges are a harried lot with the staff in these colleges remaining on strike for the fourth day today. Deepak Kumar, whose daughter is pursuing BSC (economics) in Khalsa College for Women and son BCom in DAV College, said the colleges remained closed for seven days in this month and strike for tomorrow (December 17) had already been announced. He said the colleges remained closed for three days apart from two-hour strike had been observed for 15 days in November. He said teachers, non-teaching staff and principals were fighting for their pays and perks, but in their agitation against the government, students, their studies and career had become a casualty. There are about 500 permanent and equal number of temporary teachers and 300 non-teaching staff members in these eight colleges, which have been agitating for pay and perks at par with their counterparts in government colleges. Higher studies in the city have been hit as 80 per cent of the total college students in the city are getting education in these eight government-aided colleges. Mother of three college-going students Ramanjit Kaur said continuous agitations and loss of study of students were eroding sympathy of parents for the teachers. She felt that the teachers must reassess their prolong agitation. She added that there could be many ways of registering one’s protest and consequently support of parents and students could be of great support to the teachers’ cause. Many Colleges to conduct examinations in winter break: With a view to minimising the damage to studies many city colleges, including, those whose examinations were cancelled due to strikes, decided to conduct their second-term examinations during the forthcoming 15-day winter break starting from December 24. Khalsa College Principal Daljit Singh said some of the house tests, which began on November 29, had to be cancelled due to the strike. To avoid loss of study in the next month, the cancelled examinations would be conducted in the winter break. Khalsa College for Women Principal Dr Sukhbir Kaur Mahal said her institution had already postponed the examination for January. She said following meeting with all stakeholders it has been decided to conduct the house test in winter break. She informed that the second term of the internal house tests would begin from January 2. As many as six examinations of the second terminal tests of BBK DAV College had to be cancelled. College Principal Dr Neelam Kamra said all these examinations would be conducted in the ensuing 15-day winter break. She added that minimum loss of studies happened in her college as the strikes disrupted examination schedule and not study schedule. She said the cancelled examinations would be held in the winter break and the normal study schedule would remain untouched after the resumption of the college following conclusion of the winter break. Hindu College Principal PK Sharma said seven exams were cancelled as a result of the ongoing strike by principals, teaching and non-teaching staff. He said talks were under progress with permanent and ad hoc teachers to arrange these examinations in the winter break. On the call of the Joint Action Committee (JAC), comprising the managements’ federation, principals’ federation, Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union (PCCTU) and Private Colleges Non-Teaching Employees Union (PCNTEU), the agitators held a rally on the campus of DAV College today. District president of the PCCTU Gurdas Singh Sekhon said the agitating employees would block traffic and burn an effigy of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal tomorrow.
	Potato glut doesn’t benefit consumer Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 16 The potato glut has hit the farmers, but consumers are not getting benefited as the middlemen are pocketing the margin. A 50-kg bag of potatoes was sold for Rs 90 in the wholesale fruit and vegetable market at Vallah. However, consumers got the same produce from Rs 4 to Rs 5 per kg in the retail market. A housewife, Harman Kaur, said she was finding that the prices of vegetables had been going down for the last fortnight. However, the prices of potato had a steep fall. A week ago potato was sold at Rs 8 to Rs 10 in the retail market. On know that the same potato was fetching a farmer less than Rs 2 a kg, she said it was shocking to learn that the retail consumer was shelling out double of what the farmers were getting. A leading wholesale potato merchant, Charanjit Singh, also Amritsar Fruit and Vegetable Merchants Union secretary, said no demand of potato from Uttar Pradesh market and bumper crop in the region caused a steep decline in demand of potato and thus in its prices. He said markets in Uttar Pradesh were lapping up potatoes being delivered from cold storages. He said the shelf life of potatoes coming from storages was long, whereas fresh potato turned black after some days. Potatoes in the region first arrived from Hoshiarpur, followed by Una, Amritsar, Firozepur, Faridkot and other areas. He said it was a huge loss for farmers as investment cost of farming the crop was high, while returns were negligible. If farmers of Jalandhar had dumped their produce of potatoes on the roads to show their anguish, the condition of peasants from Amritsar was no better. An employee of a private firm, Rajnish Kumar, said abundant production of a vegetable hardly makes any difference for the consumers. He said in the age-old chain of supply from tillers to consumers, the prices of the produce keep on increasing. Apart from tillers and consumers, everybody get benefited. He opined that the local administration could set up shelters at four to five places in the city where farmers could sell their produce directly to consumers.
	Cong leader booked for murder bid Harpal Bhatia and his supporters had allegedly attacked rival group during Youth Cong poll PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 16 Civil Line police has booked Harpal Bhatia, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) delegate from Amritsar (East Constituency), under attempt to murder and other relevant charges in connection with the yesterday’s clash between two Youth Congress groups during Youth Congress elections. Among others against whom a case under Sections 307, 323, 324, 148 and 149 of the IPC and Sections 25, 27, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act has been registered include Daman Deep Singh, who is contesting for presidential position in the Youth Congress on Lok Sabha pattern, Harpreet Singh and their 20 to 25 unidentified supporters. Bharat Bhushan Lovely, who is a supporter of rival Vikas Soni backed by Jasbir Singh Dimpa and Om Parkash Soni, in his statement to the police said that he along with Daljit Singh had gone to the District Congress Committee (Rural) office for casting votes. The accused attacked them there and injured him with sword, baseball and sickles. He alleged that when the other supporters came to save him, the accused shot fires in the air. ACP (North) Gurnam Singh, when contacted, said, “A case has been registered and we are verifying the facts.” He said process has been initiated to identify the remaining accused. “If the accused in the case are found guilty, they would be arrested and action would be taken against them,” said the ACP.
	Malkit Singh pays obeisance at Golden Temple Neha Saini Tribune News Service Amritsar, December 16 Singer Malkit Singh, one of the pioneers to popularise bhangra music globally, came calling to the holy city today. He paid obeisance at the Golden Temple. His purpose was spiritual by all means. Coming up with his latest album, which is his first religious album, Malkit was at his humble best, “When I started my musical journey, I never imagined that I would achieve such success.” Coming from a humble background of Hussainpura village in Jallandhar, the singer became the first Indian to be honoured by Queen Elizabeth II with the Member of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace. And it did mean a lot to him, “It was a matter of pride for every Punjabi.” And he is ready for another one, by performing at one of the most happening nightclubs of the world, Ministry Of Sound in London, on the New Year’s eve. “Music lovers in the UK and Europe are in awe of traditional Punjabi folk music, whether its bhangra, dhol or tumbi, which they call a Punjabi guitar. Even if there is a language barrier, the music is enough an entertainment for them.” The singer who was the first to fuse bhangra with pop and collaborated with artistes like Apache Indian is ready to release his first religious album, “As an artiste, I want to explore every genre of music and since I am a very spiritual person this album is all the more special,” he says. But the singer fails to understand the growing trend of violent and obscene lyrics amongst upcoming singers. Being vocal and upfront about his dislike for it, he has an advice to lend, “I have always made music enjoyed by an entire family. It’s more of a principle than commercial approach. I hope the youngsters do understand that music is not for sale, but also for soul.” He will move to Chandigarh for shooting the video for his upcoming album “Nachne Da Shaunk”.