Bathinda, June 11
The results of the class X examination conducted by the Punjab School Education Board are out and Bathinda city has nothing to cheer about.

Shockingly, not a single student from Bathinda city features in the merit list taken out by PSEB. As many as 398 students from across the state have made it to the PSEB merit list for the class X examination results.

Bathinda district has fared marginally better as three of its students feature in the top 50 in the merit list. Tanya, Arjun Sharma and Chandni Jain, students of the same school in Maur Mandi, have secured the sixth, 38th and 46th ranks, respectively in the merit list.

While Tanya secured 1,240 out of a total of 1,300 marks (95.38 per cent), Arjun Sharma has secured 1,229 marks (94.53 per cent). Chandni Jain follows Arjun closely with 1,227 marks (94.38 per cent).

Shockingly, Bathinda district is placed almost at the bottom of the results tally, securing the third last place, when it comes to the overall pass percentage of students.

While the overall pass percentage for the state is 73.49, the overall pass percentage for Bathinda students is only 61.66. As many as 17,631 students had appeared for the examination. Out of these, 10, 871 students cleared the examination.

The merit list is topped by Mukesh Kumar Verma, a student from Amritsar. Mukesh has scored a total of 1,244 marks and an aggregate of 95.69 per cent. Second position is held by Sarita, a student from Ludhiana, who has secured a total 1,243 marks (95.61 per cent). Radhika Gupta, a student from Jalandhar, is at the third position on the merit list. She has scored a total of 1,242 marks (95.53 per cent).

Maximum number of students on the merit list is from Ludhiana. Surprisingly, while the overall pass percentage for Ludhiana is only 64.96, as many as 110 students from the city feature in the merit list.

Girls managed to outshine the boys once again in the examinations. While the overall pass percentage for girls in the state is 79.28, that for boys is only 68.97.

The overall pass percentage for the students belonging to the urban areas of the state is 75.64, for the students of the rural areas is 72.58.

Students can check their results on the PSEB 
website www.pseb.ac.in starting 8 am on Tuesday.

Bathinda, June 11
The teachers, recruited under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyaan and the Rashtriya Madhyamik Siksha Abhiyaan, accompanied by CSS teachers, will hold a rally at the Mini-secretariat on June 14, Thursday.

At the rally, the teachers plan to raise their voice against the “excesses committed against them” at the rally that they had held at village Maluka on June 8.

A large number of protesting teachers’ unions had gathered at the village and were inching closer to the education minister’s residence when they were stopped by a large police force. To dampen the spirits of the protesters, the police had to resort top lathicharge and use of water canon.

“Many of our comrades were even beaten during the night at the village. As many as 59 teachers have been held captive at the Bathinda Central Jail. Our purpose to hold the rally is to demand that the cases registered against the 59 teachers be cancelled and police personnel involved in the lathicharge be given suitable punishment,” said member of the state committee, Harjeet Jeeda.

“The administration beat the peaceful protesters, both male and female, with sticks and unleashed the water canon on them. We have been fighting for our demands for long and it’s high time the government lent an ear to us,” he added.

A deputation of the protesting teachers’ union had also met the Deputy Commissioner on June 9 to request him to pass orders for the release of the arrested teachers.

The DC, however, conveyed to the deputation that nothing could be done in the matter as cases had been registered against the teachers and legal process needed to be followed.

The SSA and RMSA teachers have been demanding a hike in their pay scale and regularisation of their jobs. After a meeting convened in the city on May 16, they had threatened to gherao the Punjab Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka on May 27, if the Chief Minister failed to agree to their demands.

A deputation of the protesting teachers’ unions were to meet the CM on May 22 but the meeting was cancelled as the code of conduct was imposed in the wake of the elections for various civic bodies. Expressing helplessness over the issue, the teachers had shelved the plan to gherao the education minister till the elections.

As many as 32 unions from across the state and district have announced their support to the protesting teachers and have confirmed that their members would join the rally. These include the Bhartiya Kisan Union Ugraha, Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta Sidhupur, Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union, ETT Adhyapak union, 7654 Sanjha Front, B.Ed Adhyapak fron Punjab, ETT Sikhyarthi Union, Sikhya Provider Union, STR Adhyapak Union, Government School Teachers' Union, Berozgaar Multi-purpose health workers union and Pharmacist Union among many other.

Bathinda, June 11
As many as 101 Congress persons will sit on a hunger strike outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner if the police fails to register an FIR within seven days against the SAD-BJP workers who had allegedly “attacked” senior Congress leaders on the day of the by-election for Ward Number 6.

This ultimatum was issued to the district administration by the former Congress MLA from Bathinda and general secretary of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), Harminder Singh Jassi at a protest dharna, organised by the District Congress Committee (Urban) outside the Mini-secretariat here today.

Jassi, however, said their hunger strike and dharna would remain peaceful. He said if even after the hunger strike the police did not register an FIR, then they would organise a big demonstration, in which state-level leaders would also take part to compel the police to register the FIR and arrest the “guilty”.

Jassi alleged that when the polling in the Ward No. 6 was in progress on June 7, some persons of the SAD-BJP had “attacked” senior Congress leader Balwant Rai and the district Congress president (Urban) Ashok Kumar and “beaten them up”.

On the same day, the party had demanded registration of an FIR against the guilty but no one heard their voice, due to which they had been compelled to stage protest dharna today, he added.

Former Punjab Minister, Chiranji Lal Garg, also warned the district officers to register the FIR against the guilty otherwise Congress persons would compel them to do so by staging dharnas in front of their residences.

Among others who addressed the dharna were two PPCC delegates KK Aggarwal and Darshan Singh Jeeda, and a local municipal councilor Jagroop Singh Gill.

Also present on the occasion were district president (Urban) Ashok Kumar, district president of Mahila Congress Mohinder Kaur Rani, newly-elected municipal councilor from Ward No. 6 Iqbal Singh Dhillon, district press secretary Rupinder Bindra, and presidents of two blocks from Bathinda Suresh Bansal and Mohan Lal Jhumba.

Later, the protesters, led by Jassi, also held a demonstration at the gate of the Mini-secretariat, where they raised slogans against the Punjab Government. 

Bathinda, June 11
To curb the rising number of road accidents in the city, Bathinda police is targetting youngsters violating the traffic rules on city roads.

ASP City-II, Kuldip Chahal, said the traffic drive launched with the help of recently-inducted youngsters in the police force has proved instrumental in curbing the menace of wrong parking, driving on the wrong side and use of mobile phones while driving.

Addressing media persons at Civil Lines Police Station, the ASP pointed out that the police was quite concerned over the rising number of deaths due to road deaths in the city.

“Youngsters in the city do stunts on the roads to impress their friends and onlookers. We keep a close watch on such miscreants who create panic among other commuters,” he said.

He added that while a few of these ‘stuntmen’ had already been booked under various sections of the IPC for rash and negligent driving, others were let up after stringent warnings.

He said wrong parking at Mall Road, Dhobi Bazar, near railway station and in the outskirts of the city was being dealt with an iron hand.

“With the deployment of the newly-inducted police recruits, driving on the wrong side at the Fauji Chowk from Ajit Road too is being curtailed,” the ASP added.

Civil Lines SHO, Gurdev Bhalla, said patrolling and nakas on city roads falling under his area had been intensified to stop the nuisance created by young drivers.

Bathinda traffic in-charge, Ranjeet Singh, said the special drive launched by the police has led to an increase in the number of challans being issued to rule violators. “Now more than 125 challans are being issued every day. Apart from these, almost 15-20 vehicles are being impounded everyday.

He said a crane had been pressed into service by the traffic police who tow away the wrongly-parked vehicles from the Mall road, bus stand area, railway station and other busy markets. Later, challans are issued to the owners of the towed-away vehicles.

Bathinda, June 11
Civil Lines police has arrested five persons with stolen material worth nearly Rs 3 lakhs. The accused have been identified as Sukhjeet Singh, Gursewak Singh, Karanvir Singh, Gurbaksh and Sony. One of their accomplice, Manjeet Singh of Barnala, is at large and will be arrested soon.

Addressing a press conference, ASP City-II Kuldip Chahal and Civil Lines SHO Gurdev Bhalla said 24 electronic, electric and other household material including chairs, inverters, televisions, computer monitors, mobile phones and other goods have been recovered from the possession of the accused.

Bhalla said the accused were arrested during a special checking. He said the accused were involved in stealing goods from the houses and public places.

A case under sections 379 and 411 of the IPC has been registered against the accused at the Civil Lines police station.

Experts said treatment for tuberculosis should not be left midway by the patients.

Bathinda, June 11
The District Health Society (RNTCP) organised a tuberculosis (TB) awareness workshop at Gurdwara Shri Guru Teg Bahadur Sahib here yesterday. At the awareness programme which was organized under the leadership of district TB officer Dr Ashok Monga, people were informed about the symptoms, precautions and treatment (DOTS system) for the disease.

The Communication Facilitator of the society Gagan Goyal urged the people to get their sputum examined immediately in case anyone showed the symptoms of TB, like cough for more than two weeks, blood in sputum, loss of appetite, loss of weight, pain in chest etc. Goyal said the sputum examination is done free of cost in the government hospitals.

He appealed to the people not to leave the treatment midway. In case any patient gave up the treatment halfway, then the disease becomes incurable. So, the patient should complete the course of the medicine, ranging from six to eight months, to get rid of the disease forever.

He also said the medicine is given free of cost in the government hospitals. On the occasion, DOTS provider Tara Chand from Mohalla Niaz Mohammad was also present.

Bathinda, June 11
A contingent of the Senior Citizens Council, Bathinda, has left for Darjeeling. The team was flagged off at the Housefed Colony complex at 9.15 pm on Sunday by Daljit Singh Brar, MC, and Ranjit Singh Deol, chief, Housefed Complex. The team comprises 14 members. Speaking on the occasion, Brar said the contribution of the elderly to society can not be negated. He also lauded the fact that the team was being led by a 78-year-old woman, Satwant Kaur, who has retired as Deputy DEO.

Chief of the Senior Citizens Council Prof DS Mastana said the Council makes special arrangements to deal with the loneliness faced by the senior citizens. Colonel Kuldip Singh, Tara Singh Sidhu and Bharat Sharma also gave their good wishes. — TNS