B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

No age, gender bar at literacy exam
Faridkot, August 27
It was a rare sight! A 70-year-old sitting with a 57-year-old woman, a 27-year-old youth and a 17-year-old teenager at a Government Middle School in a village in Faridkot on Sunday, to appear in a test that would certify them as neo-literates.

Old and young, men and women, all sit for an exam conducted by the National Adult Literacy Mission, in Government Middle School at Kaler village of Faridkot district. A Tribune photograph

Man accused of sexually abusing minor girl in Moga 
Moga, August 27
A 13-year-old girl, the daughter of a migrant labourer working at a brick kiln, was sexually abused by an accountant of the kiln at Fatehgarh Kortana village in Moga district.

CLP leader flays govt as ‘abiana’ yet to go
Abohar, August 27
Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Sunil Jakhar today tried to play the Panthic cord by reminding the majority Sikh audience that Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had not kept his word given at Anandpur Sahib in 2007.

Sewerage water damages roads in Abohar 
Abohar, August 27
The overflowing sewerage water that the Municipal Council (MC) staff had diverted to the main roads has virtually made them unfit for traffic. Three of the five roads that link this sub-divisional town with the rest of Punjab and its neighbouring states have virtually been sealed.

With sewerage water lying accumulated, roads in Abohar have developed potholes. A Tribune photograph

Bank funds RO system for school
Bathinda, August 27
The State Bank of Patiala, Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant branch, today honoured 15 meritorious students of the special high school at Thermal colony. According to the branch manager, Kewal Garg, a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system was provided by the bank to the school so that the students can get potable water.

A student being honoured at the special high school in Bathinda. A Tribune photograph

Tributes paid to legendary singer Mukesh
Abohar, August 27
The Sangeet Sadhna Mandal organised a function to pay tributes to famous singer Mukesh on his death anniversary. President Jagdish Gupta led the gathering in offering flower petals at a portrait of the melodious singer.

Fazilka’s famous ‘Tilla Jutti’ losing ground
Fazilka, August 27
"Tilla Jutti", the famed footwear of Fazilka, is languishing for want of institutional support. There are about 300-400 families engaged in the manufacturing of Fazilka's famous embroidered footwear in the town. The women of these families have been carrying out the embroidery work for decades. The skill is exclusive to the traditionally working women in Fazilka. They learnt it from their elders who migrated from Pakistan after the partition and settled here.
Women busy doing embroidery on juttis in Fazilka. Photo by writer

 No age, gender bar at literacy exam
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, August 27
It was a rare sight! A 70-year-old sitting with a 57-year-old woman, a 27-year-old youth and a 17-year-old teenager at a Government Middle School in a village in Faridkot on Sunday, to appear in a test that would certify them as neo-literates.

But it was not only Kaler village in Faridkot where such scenes wee seen.

In fact, over 7,200 old and young appeared in the exam, conducted by the National Adult Literacy Mission (NALM), in 190 government schools of Faridkot district today.

The candidates lined up in front of the government schools in Faridkot from 9 am to 4 pm so that they could be certified as literates.

Covered under the Saakshar Bharat Programme, this examination for neo-literates was today conducted in Faridkot, Bathinda, Muktsar, Ferozepur, Sangrur and Mansa districts.

Jaskewal Singh, the district coordinator of the NALM in Faridkot, said under the scheme, at least one adult education centre has been set up in each village to impart functional literacy. One volunteer teacher is deputed to teach 10 adult learners.

Though the target group of this programme is people between the age of 15 and 35 years, many elderly persons are also showing a keen interest.

These neo-literates have to pass three levels of grades, A, B & C, before they are given the certificate.

A neo-literate, Ninder Pal Singh got a job with the Punjab Police after the death of his father, an employee in the police department. Two neo-literate girls in Moranwali village got jobs in the security branch of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences in Faridkot and a 42-year-old woman got work as an anganwari worker in Machaki Kalan village, said Jaskewal Singh.

Man accused of sexually abusing minor girl in Moga 
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Moga, August 27
A 13-year-old girl, the daughter of a migrant labourer working at a brick kiln, was sexually abused by an accountant of the kiln at Fatehgarh Kortana village in Moga district.

The father of the girl, Mahendra Singh, who originally hails from Muzaffarpur district of Uttar Pradesh, has filed a complaint in this regard at the Dharamkot police station.

He alleged that his daughter used to come to the brick kiln to fetch clean potable water for home. “The girl has told us that the accountant was forcibly abusing her for the past many months because of which she became pregnant,” he alleged.

The accused accountant was said to be absconding.

The SHO of Dharamkot police station, Jasvir Singh, admitted that he has received a complaint in this regard.

The police was yet to register an FIR on the complaint when the report was last being filed. 

 CLP leader flays govt as ‘abiana’ yet to go
Farmers still have to pay water user charges
Our Correspondent

MLA Sunil Jakhar acknowledges greetings from villagers during a rally in Abohar sub-division on Monday. Photo: Raj Sadosh

Abohar, August 27
Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Sunil Jakhar today tried to play the Panthic cord by reminding the majority Sikh audience that Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had not kept his word given at Anandpur Sahib in 2007.

Addressing a meeting in village Killianwali, 7 km from here, Jakhar said the CM had promised to abolish the “abiana” (water user charges) from the farming community but the irrigation officials have been harassing the farmers in the region to pay the same.

Quoting other media reports, Jakhar said besides the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had also twice assured deputations of local farmers during political rallies in this sub-division that a meeting of senior officials would be called to find a solution to the problem. But both could not find time due to their foreign trips, he observed as the audience applauded.

At another meeting in village Jandwala Hanwanta, located at the tail-end of the canal system, the CLP leader said the “Atta-Daal” scheme was abandoned as the state government needed funds to purchase a new chopper for the Chief Minister. He alleged that funds released by the Central Government for various welfare schemes to benefit the farmers were diverted by the Punjab government to meet its needs for luxuries.

Former sarpanch Ram Kumar Mahar alleged widespread misappropriation in implementing the old age pension and shagun schemes.

 Sewerage water damages roads in Abohar 
Raj Sadosh

Abohar, August 27
The overflowing sewerage water that the Municipal Council (MC) staff had diverted to the main roads has virtually made them unfit for traffic. Three of the five roads that link this sub-divisional town with the rest of Punjab and its neighbouring states have virtually been sealed.

Seven dissident councillors of the ruling alliance and 12 Congress councillors had given separate notices under Section 22 and 25 of the Punjab Municipal Act to convene a meeting that was due for the last four months. On Monday, they indicated that an emergency meeting will be held by nominating the working president after the date of notice expires on September 2.

The town with more than 1.75 lakh people has lost faith in the present set-up as life has been thrown out of gear in most of the localities due to the choked sewage system, the councilors said.

Such an ugly situation has emerged for the first time since the formation of the civic body here, Vimal Thatai, the senior most councilor. remarked.

Meanwhile, five councillors of the saffron party who had been continuing their stir against the MC president over his alleged failure to address the civic woes, were today found mobilising citizens for the August 29 protest march.

Some religious organisations have also extended support to the action committee in its month-long fast at the MC complex. The south circle of the BJP had recommended the expulsion of these dissident councillors for spearheading the stir and the matter has now been forwarded to the state president by the district unit of the BJP.

District BJP president Sita Ram Sharma said he will lead a deputation to meet the Minister for Local Bodies Bhagat Chuni Lal tomorrow to seek the shifting of a division of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board (PWSSB) to take over the maintenance and expansion of the sewerage and water supply schemes for which Rs 80 crore has already been sanctioned.

The town had a division in 1990 to carry out the Urban Renewal Project that involved an expenditure of Rs 23 crore only. Now, bigger projects are in the offing and they could be executed only under the supervision of an executive engineer, the district BJP chief felt.

Unfortunately, the council had no permanent administrative and technical officer for a long span, he added.

  Bank funds RO system for school

Bathinda, August 27
The State Bank of Patiala, Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant branch, today honoured 15 meritorious students of the special high school at Thermal colony. According to the branch manager, Kewal Garg, a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system was provided by the bank to the school so that the students can get potable water.

Bank officials planted about 100 saplings in the school.

VK Kochhar, deputy general manager, said that each branch of the bank has been asked to provide aquaguard to any one school in their respective area so that the students can get clean drinking water. — TNS

  Tributes paid to legendary singer Mukesh

Abohar, August 27
The Sangeet Sadhna Mandal organised a function to pay tributes to famous singer Mukesh on his death anniversary. President Jagdish Gupta led the gathering in offering flower petals at a portrait of the melodious singer.

Bharat Joshi, Pradeep Sherewala, Ashok Kakad, Amarkant and Chandan Kauda enthralled the gathering by presenting popular numbers that included “Ik din bik jayega maati ke mol”, “Diwano se yeh mat poochho”, “Juban pe dard bhari awaz,” etc. — OC

  Fazilka’s famous ‘Tilla Jutti’ losing ground
Praful Chander Nagpal

Fazilka, August 27
"Tilla Jutti", the famed footwear of Fazilka, is languishing for want of institutional support. There are about 300-400 families engaged in the manufacturing of Fazilka's famous embroidered footwear in the town.

The women of these families have been carrying out the embroidery work for decades. The skill is exclusive to the traditionally working women in Fazilka. They learnt it from their elders who migrated from Pakistan after the partition and settled here.

The Tilla Jutti of Fazilka had been the choice of leaders such as Giani Zail Singh, Partap Singh Kairon and Beant Singh besides members of the Badal family. Artist like Bhagwant Mann and Gurdas Mann too are known to patronise the footwear.

But the jutti industry could not flourish, thanks to the indifferent attitude of the successive governments. The living standards of the families manufacturing the footwear, could not be improved. Most women of these families can be seen busy in embroidery, sitting on the floor of the only room of their house even today. The government failed to come up with a comprehensive plan to boost the industry.

"There is a shortage of leather, the raw material, the price of which is very high. The input cost has increased manifold. But the sale price of juttis has not increased to the desired rate," said a manufacturer, Ramesh Chander, who runs a shop in Indira Market.

Another shopkeeper, Radhey Shyam, has demanded that loans to the tune of Rs one lakh should be given to the manufacturers on easy installments, that too free of interest.

"Embroidery is a difficult work requiring a lot of skill. We are able to carry out embroidery on one jutti in a week, but the return is low as compared to the hard work we put in," said the embroidery experts, Babita and Asha.

Karnail Singh, Director, Khadi Board and Rural Industries, said 426 residents of Fazilka district have already been given jobs in the field of jutti making. He disclosed that the Board has received 171 applications from Fazilka district for loan. The Board would arrange loans for the applicants soon, he said.

Fazilka Deputy Commissioner Dr Basant Garg stressed upon the need to popularise the Fazilka jutti industries abroad also. He appealed to the manufacturers to prepare juttis based on different sizes on the pattern of the other branded shoes so that the buyers could ask for the footwear by their size. "This would enhance the sale of the juttis," the DC said.