Jalandhar, March 30
Following widespread protests on the issue of the merger of about 71 primary schools in the district, a team comprising DEO (primary) Kuldeep Sharma and District Science Supervisor Baljinder Singh today cancelled the merger of four of the city schools which had previously been ordered to be merged with other primary schools.

The team was constituted on the orders of DGSE Kahan Singh Pannu across districts after statewide protests on the issue. While previously, 71 district schools had been included in the merger, the teams were constituted to review the grievances of residents and teachers who had been complaining that the merger would further add to their problems rather than solving them.

Even today, the city saw vehement protests on the issue, as former MLA Jagbir Brar led a crowd of hundreds of residents and teachers to Government Primary School Lohar Nangal to oppose the decision.

The visit of the teams brought forth gross lacunae, as the merger would have resulted in the overcrowding of students in certain schools lacking infrastructure.

The merger of Government Primary Schools Sabowal (with Lohar Nangal), Buta Mandi (with Buta Pind), Bilga (boys with girls' school) as well as Garha (boys with girls' school) has been cancelled after listening to their grievances.

Talking to The Tribune, DEO (Primary) Kuldeep Sharma, said, "In most of these schools we observed that the school to which the first school was being shifted was lacking enough space to accommodate students of both the schools. In one or two of the cases, there were too many students and in other, too little rooms to accommodate students of both schools. So as of now, these schools will not be merged. Our teams and BPEOs will be touring many of the other schools in the coming days to determine whether the merger will benefit them."

Teachers' organisations across the district had held protests yesterday, threatening agitations if the government did not take back the decision.

On the directions of the DGSE, more than 650 primary schools across the

state and 71 in the district had been ordered to be merged with other neighbouring schools as per the government's rationalisation move.

Meanwhile, the recent ruling regarding the merger remained steeped in ambiguity, as the Education Minister and the DGSE versions regarding reviewing the merger decision differed.

Education Minister Sikander Singh Malooka today said that a special committee of panchayat and municipal institutions as well as the education department would be constituted to look into the matter regarding primary schools' mergers.

He said the next decision on the issue would be taken only after the committee gave a go-ahead on the decision.

DGSE Kahan Singh Pannu, however, said there was no change in the decision.

"We had made it very clear on the 28th itself that schools will be merged on the basis of conditions like the presence of two or more schools within 1 km radius, presence of sufficient infrastructure in second school to house both schools, presence of less than 15 students for a school being shifted. And any two schools which satisfy these conditions will still be merged. There is no change in that decision."

The DGSE, however, also clarified that schools without adequate infrastructure would not be merged.

The DGSE also said that the process would be subject to more additions in future and if needed, the deadline would also be extended beyond April 1.

However, unlike the education minister, he ruled out the possibility of the total cancellation of the rationalisation move.

Jalandhar, March 30
The special investigating team (SIT) of the Jalandhar rural police, looking into the allegations of misbehaviour of the Lambra police with the former Valmiki woman sarpanch of Kalyanpur village and the wrong registration of a first information report (FIR) under Section 307 of the IPC against the sarpanch and his supporters, has failed to complete its inquiry even after a fortnight of its constitution.

Jalandhar (rural) SSP Yurinder Singh Hayre had constituted the SIT, headed by SP (D) Rajinder Singh, comprising DSP Kartarpur Jasbir Singh Rai and economic offences wing (EOW) wing inspector Paramjit Singh to conduct a probe in this regard.

When contacted, SP (D) Rajinder Singh confirmed that the inquiry had yet not been completed. To further queries, he said the probe was on and efforts were on to complete it at the earliest.

Replying to the questions regarding the delay in completing the inquiry, Rajinder Singh said the statements of a number of persons were to be recorded in connection with the probe. The statements of some of them had already been recorded, whereas the others were being recorded.

He said he also remained on leave for a few days and asked DSP Jasbir Singh Rai to get recorded the statements of the persons

concerned in this regard. The inquiry would be completed soon, he added.

Earlier on March 15, taking a strict note of the alleged misbeviour with the former sarpanch Rajni by Lambra police personnel, vice-chairman of the National Commission for SCs Raj Kumar Verka had told the SSP to lodge an FIR against the erring policemen with immediate effect. He had also asked him to file an action taken report (ATR) with the commission within a week.

On that day, Hayre told the SC panel that Lambra SHO Jaswinderpal Singh and ASI Kewal Singh had already been shifted to the police lines and a regular departmental inquiry had been marked to SP HQ Mukhwinder Singh against them.

Meanwhile, Jaswinderpal Singh was posted as Kartarpur SHO during pendency of inquiry by SIT against him.

Taking a serious note of his posting as the SHO again, BSP state general secretary Sukhwinder Kotli and its district general secretary Kamaldev Jandusingha had already given a seven-day ultimatum to the Jalandhar (rural) police to lodge FIR against Jaswinpderpal Singh for allegedly torturing Dalits. They alleged that the six persons, including Kali, Buddu, Manga, Happy, Manak and Kaka, were falsely implicated in a case of clash between two groups and allegedly brutally beaten up by the then SHO and other policemen.

However, justifying Jaswinderpal Singh’s posting as Kartarpur SHO, SP Rajinder Singh said there was no ban on posting any police official as SHO during an inquiry against him.

Jalandhar, March 30
Despite the claims of the state government of providing best healthcare to women during pregnancy by launching different schemes, the rate of maternal deaths in the district has gone up alarmingly.

As per the records, 45 maternal deaths were reported in the district from April 2012 to February 2013. Thirty three were from Jalandhar district, seven cases were of migrant women. Five women - three from Kapurthala and two from Hoshiarpur- died while undergoing treatment at different hospitals in Jalandhar district.

Moreover, the health authorities have placed 36 maternal deaths in the category of 'Facility Based' ,eleven women died during confinement 29 after pregnancy.

The death of 36 women in the absence of facilities in the government -run health institutions in a year has once again flattened the tall claims of the Punjab health department in providing adequate healthcare facilities to women during pregnany and new mothers.

The mortality rate has also put a question mark on the health department for not implementing various schemes and facilities introduced under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), properly.

The mortality rate is also a clear indication that the adequate and required health-care facilities are not being rendered to the patients.

This also includes the transpiration and preliminary health care facilities, a senior doctor said.

Sources in the department, however,said that either a majority of the health officials in the rural areas hardly attend the expecting and new mothers with care or the women and their attendants remain negligent in getting them medically examined.

Moreover, the reluctant attitude of the ANMs and family members also put their lives at a high risk,said Surinder Mittal, a city- based social servant.

Dr RL Bassan admitted 45 maternal deaths in Jalandhar, last year. The poor transpiration facilities in far-flung areas of the district were other major reasons of the high morality.

A view of a closed market on the SD College road in Jalandhar on Saturday

Jalandhar, March 30
Contrary to the decision of the Mahanagar Sangrash Committee (MSC) to postpone its agitation after assurance by Chief Parliamentary Secretary(CPC) for Cooperation and Jalandhar (North) MLA Krishan Dev Bhandari a few days ago, protests against imposition of the property tax continued in several city markets today.

Shops located on the SD College Road market and adjoining areas, including Mohalla Gobindgarh, Arjun Nagar, 40 Quarters and Old Jawahar Nagar, remained closed for three hours from 9 am in protest against the imposition of the property tax.

Observing a token strike, the shopkeepers, led by the representatives of the SD College Road Market Association Sudesh Dhawan and Daljit Billa, held a protest march and staged a dharna against the property tax near Madan Flour Mill.

They also blocked traffic for several minutes to express their resentment against the imposition of property tax.

Among others Khadoor Sahib MLA Ramanjit Singh Sikki, area BJP councillor Arjan Pappi, former Congress councillor Rajinder Beri and vice -president of the District Congress Committee (urban) Sudesh Vij also joined the protesters.

Talking to The Tribune on the sidelines of the protest, the vice -president of the District Congress Committee (urban) Sudesh Vij alleged that the “Parkash Singh Badal -led SAD-BJP government was befooling the general public regarding constituting a review committee for the property tax, as the same had already came into force retrospectively from November 15 last year through a notification.

“If the Badal government is serious to provide relief to the residents, it should withdraw the property tax without any delay, as the masses in general and traders, in particular,were reeling under the rising prices of essential commodities.” he added.

Vij further stated that the traders were adversely affected, as the Badal government had made a steep hike in power tariff.

Kapurthala, March 30
Former Punjab Finance Minister Dr Upinderjeet Kaur laid the foundation stone of a boundary wall of Government High School at Desal village, falling under the Sultanpur Lodhi Assembly segment of Kapurthala district.

Sultanpur Lodhi Congress MLA Navtej Singh Cheema raised question about getting laid the foundation stone of the boundary wall of the government school by an Akali leader, who had been rejected by the electorate.

Cheema asked in what capacity she laid the foundation stone of the boundary wall to be constructed at a cost of Rs. 26 lakh.

Cheema of the Congress emerged victorious from Sultanpur Lodhi, usually considered a SAD bastion, by defeating his arch-rival Dr Upinderjeet Kaur by a margin of 4,267 votes in 2012 Assembly elections.

It was for the first time during the last Assembly elections that the Congress defeated Akali candidate in this Sultanpur Lodhi seat. Earlier only in 1992, Congress candidate won the Assembly elections from this seat as Akalis had boycotted the polls.

Interestingly, Dr Upinderjeet Kaur (49,363 votes) defeated Cheema (38313 votes) by a huge margin of 11,045 votes in 2007. Meanwhile, addressing the gathering at the school, Dr Upinderjeet Kaur stated that the bridge connecting Sultanpur Lodhi and Chohla Sahib would soon be constructed at a cost of Rs 85 crore.

Jalandhar, March 30
Sant Baba Bhag Singh Institute of Engineering and Technology (SBBSIET) organised the Mock JEE here today.

Convenor of the test, Professor Tejwant Singh and Co-ordinator Prof. Anupumdeep Sharma of SBBSIET informed that a faculty and staff of Sant Baba Bhag Singh Institute of Engineering and Technology has worked hard to conduct of this large-scale test meant for science students of +2 (Non Medical ) classes.