B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Adarsh School row continues
Faridkot, September 4
The ongoing tussle between the management and teachers of Government Adarsh School in Malla village of Faridkot over the non-payment of latter's salary reached a new level today.

Students of Adarsh School and their parents block traffic and stage dharna in Bajakhana town on Tuesday. A Tribune photograph

20 years on, train blast victim still awaiting compensation
Bathinda, September 4
Twenty years after terrorists triggered a bomb blast in the Janta Express train near the Narwana railway station, the wife and son of one of the victims are still awaiting suitable compensation.
Vinod Kumar and his mother Paro meet media persons along with social activist Jagdish Singh Ghai in Bathinda on Tuesday. A Tribune photograph

Milk samples seized in Moga
Moga, September 4
A team of the district administration headed by the ADC Joram Beda raided a dairy at Manuke village in Moga district on Tuesday morning and collected samples of milk. District Health Officer Dr Ravinder Kumar Verma was also a part of the team that conducted the raid.

Adarsh School row continues
Students block traffic; teachers boycott classes; management blames state govt
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, September 4
The ongoing tussle between the management and teachers of Government Adarsh School in Malla village of Faridkot over the non-payment of latter's salary reached a new level today.

While the teachers boycotted the classes for the second consecutive day, a large number of schoolchildren and their parents staged dharna and blocked traffic to express their annoyance.

The protesting students and their parents blamed the state government for the poor condition of the schools which are still in their infancy. The Adarsh School Scheme, a private-public partnership project, was started in Punjab two years back.

The capital cost is equally divided between the private partners and the state government. With a target of Rs 1,600 per month per student as expenses, the operational cost of an Adarsh School is shared in the ratio of 70:30 between the state government and its private partner. No fee is charged from the students.

In Faridkot district, three Adarsh Schools were established and the teachers in all these schools, at Malla, Middumaan and Pacca villages, are on the path of agitation, alleging non-payment of salaries for the last many months.

In Malla, the teachers even started boycotting the classes yesterday, leaving the students in the lurch. The total strength of the students in these three schools is about 2300.

Today, when the parents along with their wards started a protest in the middle of the national highway at Bajakhana, senior police officials led by the SSP Faridkot rushed to the spot to pacify the agitating parents.

Meanwhile, 35 teachers in Malla blamed the school management for not giving them the salary for the last five months but the latter held the state government responsible for not providing its share of 70 per cent grants as operational cost.

Yesterday, a large number of parents of the students of Pacca and Malla Adarsh Schools had approached the Deputy Commissioner, Faridkot, Ravi Bhagat to end the impasse.

The DC spoke to the Director General of School Education (DGSE) and informed him about the situation. "We are hopeful of an early solution as the current situation is causing a big loss to the students," said the Deputy Commissioner.

20 years on, train blast victim still awaiting compensation
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, September 4
Twenty years after terrorists triggered a bomb blast in the Janta Express train near the Narwana railway station, the wife and son of one of the victims are still awaiting suitable compensation and a promised job.

Paro, a resident of Ahaata Niaz Mohammad here and her 27-year-old son Vinod Kumar, who was also injured in the blast, are living in penury since that fateful February day in 1992, when the incident took place.

Addressing the media persons here today, Jagdish Singh Ghai, a local social activist, said though the Haryana Government gave an ex-gratia relief of Rs one lakh, the Punjab government and the Railways have not given a single penny.

Ghai showed documents claiming he has proofs that many other victims of terrorism got financial compensation as well as jobs.

"The life and security of a passenger is the duty of the Railways. They did not pay any compensation. Vinod, who was about seven-year-old at that time, suffered injuries in the blast. He had to undergo surgeries but no compensation meant for the injured was given," said Ghai.

Vinod carries a deep scar from the wounds. He said he works as a salesman at a local shoe shop," I have cleared the middle school examination. I have got registered with the local employment exchange but there are no jobs."

Paro, who works as domestic help, said her husband Tota Ram, along with their son and daughter, were on way to Delhi to attend the marriage of a relative.

"I still remember how cheerful they were on that day. They were excited at the prospect of attending a marriage ceremony and also at the chance of traveling in a train. But the bomb blast ripped apart our family. My daughter escaped with minor injuries. Even she was not given any compensation," said Paro

Ghai has appealed to the Punjab Government and the Railways to provide a job and compensation to the victims so that the youngsters can be prevented from falling in the wrong hands.

Milk samples seized in Moga

Moga, September 4
A team of the district administration headed by the ADC Joram Beda raided a dairy at Manuke village in Moga district on Tuesday morning and collected samples of milk. District Health Officer Dr Ravinder Kumar Verma was also a part of the team that conducted the raid.

There were reports that adulterated milk was being sold by the dairy owner. The team found crude calcium, meant for feeding the milch cattle at the dairy. — TNS