Bathinda, April 10
The employees of the Centre for Punjab Youth Training Employment (C-PYTE), a government agency set up to train youth for employment in times of militancy in the state, are fighting their own battle.

The general duty instructors (GDI) and education instructors (EI) of the C-PYTE are being paid a measly sum of Rs 2,700 per month after deductions imposed due to a "mistake" of the department.

Having qualifications equivalent to that the physical education teachers, the GDI and EI instructors are working on contract basis for the past 22 years but have not been regularised. After much persuasion with the department, their salaries were revised in January 2012.

However, the C-PYTE department did not take prior permission from the finance department.

"We were paid revised salaries till August 2012. However, as the Director General (DG) of the department had not sought prior permission from the finance department to increase the salary, the latter started recovering the "overpaid" amount from our salaries. Consequently, many of us get only Rs 2,700 per month," said one of the instructors.

When the affected employees pursued the matter with the C-PYTE department they were told that the deduction would continue till the "overdrawn" amount is not compensated completely.

GDIs argued that they were already paid less in comparison to a section of employees under 10 categories, including clerks, senior assistant, adjutants (training officer), camp commandants, director general, safai sewaks, cooks, drivers etc, who are paid salaries as per the rules of the Punjab government.

A GDI is the in-charge of the camp at a C-PYTE centre. Many of them are posted almost 100 km away from their homes. Their contracts are reviewed every year.

Instructors said they were paying the price of the mistake of a higher official.

"We are well-qualified and deserve good salaries. The move of making deductions from our salaries has discouraged the entire cadre," added another instructor.

It is learnt that the file pertaining to the case is pending with the special secretary to the Chief Minister, who has an additional charge of the secretary, department of employment generation, Punjab, KJS Cheema.

The C-PYTE department falls under the department of employment generation Punjab. Despite repeated calls and messages, Cheema could not be contacted for his comment.

Bathinda, April 10
Two minor girls are missing from Jogi Nagar since Tuesday night.

Residents of Street No 16 of Jogi Nagar, the missing girls, who were cousins and daughters of daily wagers, had gone to pay obeisance at Panchmukhi temple in the Street No. 12 but did not turn back home.

Sargam (11) and Alka (5) are daughters of Umey Singh and Mohan Singh, respectively. Umey and Mohan are brothers, who hail from Bihar and have been living in Bathinda for the past 23 years.

Canal Colony station house officer (SHO) Karamjit Singh said the family members kept searching for the kids the whole night long. However, when they could not find them, they approached the police in the morning. "It would have been better if the family members had informed us at night. We are now trying to locate the missing girls," the SHO added.

Residents of the area said the children were last seen eating snacks near the Jogi Nagar main road.

Till filing of the news report, the parents of both the children were yet to lodge their complaint. "We will register a case once we are done with the statements," the SHO said.

Bathinda, April 10
After braving harsh sun for more than two weeks, residents of Bathinda and its neighbouring areas enjoyed pleasant weather on Tuesday and Wednesday. However, the joy, the weather room said, was short-lived.

As per the agri-met department of the PAU regional station, Bathinda, the weather is expected to remain dry in the coming days.

The weather took a U-turn on Tuesday morning when the sun played hide and seek till post noon. The temperature, however, rose after the clouds cleared and bright sunshine forced everyone to stay indoors.

In comparison, Wednesday remained largely pleasant with cool winds blowing throughout the day.

As per the agri-met department, the maximum temperature on Wednesday was recorded at 31.2 degree Celsius and minimum temperature at 20.2 degree Celsius. The wind velocity was recorded at 5.2 km per hour.

The maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded at 35.4 degree and 17.4 degree Celsius, respectively, on Tuesday.

The change in weather was caused by fresh Western Disturbance (WD), which hit the North India.

As per the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the next Western Disturbance is expected to reach North India the next week.

According to the forecast released by the IMD for the next four days, the wind velocity is expected to remain around 6-8 kmph.

The district may have to brace for hot and dry weather as the maximum temperature may increase to hit the 38 degree Celsius mark. The night temperature is also expected to rise and cross the 20 degree Celsius mark around the weekend.

The IMD has also released warnings that although the fresh WD may not cause hail, it may cause strong winds and rains around April 13-14. This may be a cause of worry for the farmers.

Ruling out the possibility of early harvesting of wheat to save the crop from damage due to rains, Chief Agricultural Officer Rajinder Singh Brar said, "This is not the right time to harvest wheat as the crop has not matured well. To tackle the dry weather, the farmers may take recourse to light irrigation only if required. They would not be able to do much if rains lash the area once again. The crop will take at least 10 more days to mature."

Bathinda, April 10
The Director General of School Education (DGSE) today ordered swapping of the charges of the District Education Officers (Secondary education and Elementary education).

Harkanwaljeet Kaur is the new DEO (Secondary) and Amarjit Kaur Kotfatta is the new DEO (Elementary).

The reshuffle came close on the heels of the controversy involving Amarjit Kaur. The controversy had erupted on Monday when the headmaster of the government school in Gehri Bhagi had accused her of asking material and other favours.

The headmaster was suspended on Tuesday.

Denying that the reshuffling of the charges was the fallout of the controversy, Amarjit Kaur said, "Had I been the only one in the reshuffle list, it could have been associated with the case. But the list is long and similar reshuffling has been done in the education department across the state."

"The reshuffle was in the offing for a long time and was announced today before the Panchayat elections. Such reshuffles are normal in the state government departments," she added.

Bathinda, April 10
A 55-year-old man was killed in an accident that took place at the Power House road chowk at around 6:30 pm today.

The deceased has been identified Malkit Singh, a resident of the Bhagu road Street No. 2.

It is learnt that the Malkit Singh, who was on an Activa scooter, was awaiting the green signal at the traffic lights point that intersects the 100 feet road. He moved on when the light turned green. Suddenly, a truck hit the scooter from behind and crushed him to death.

Volunteers of the Sahara Welfare Society, who rushed him to the Civil Hospital, said someone known to the victim was passing by and happened to witness the accident. He identified the deceased. The mobile phone of the deceased found at the spot proved useful in contacting the deceased's family members.

People managed to overpower the truck driver.

A case was being registered. — TNS

Bathinda, April 10
The Bathinda School Bus & Van Operators Association will organise a rally in the city to spread awareness among the operators, parents and schools to ensure safety of students being ferried to and fro theirs schools.

The first phase of the rally will be held on April 14.

Speaking to Bathinda Tribune, the president of the association, Gurpreet Singh, said, "The rally aims at asking the operators to make sure that their buses and vans meet the parameters set by the district administration. We had been receiving complaints about the poor condition of some buses and vans being used to ferry students."

He added that in the first phase of the rally, the operators will be made aware about the various guidelines issued by the administration. "They will be asked to work towards meeting all the guidelines to check rampant flouting of traffic rules," added Gurpreet.

The second phase of the rally will be held in association with the traffic police. It will include random checking of buses and vans to see whether the vehicles meet the parameters or not. Action will be taken against the vehicles which will not meet the benchmark.

The association had originally planned to organise the rally starting April 10 but had to reschedule it considering the Baisakhi Mela on April 13.

He added that as per the official figures, at least 40 per cent of all the vehicles engaged for ferrying students were in poor condition.

"We decided to organise the rally in April with the beginning of the academic session so that the vehicle owners get enough time to get their vehicles repaired or procure new ones," said Singh.

The news of the rally has spelt trouble for the owners of vehicles in poor condition. These include vehicles which are not even registered with the association.

Bathinda, April 10
Government Secondary School, Lehra Mohabbat, on Tuesday released its annual magazine, 'Azad Soch'. Sukhpal Singh Sukhi and sarpanch Jaspal Singh Sidhu released the magazine.

Also present on the occasion were the chairman of the school, Dr Rudh Singh, head of the Baba Bhai Singh Ji Welfare Club, Hakam Singh and a former teacher Baluar Singh.

Praising the students and the staff members who worked for the magazine, the principal of the school, Neelam Gupta, said such extra-curricular activities help in the all-round development of the students.

Editor of the magazine, Dr Ranjodh Singh, a lecturer in economics, said writing for the magazine gives the students a platform to express their thoughts and showcases their creativity. He added that by contributing for the magazine, the students also get a chance to write about the issues and topics they have an affinity for.

The magazine editor said that besides being an outlet for their creative talent, the magazine can also be an indicator of the future path that can be chosen by the students.

Besides, dabbling in literature will also help in developing the softer side of their personalities.

The students have contributed poems, stories and articles in Punjabi on various topics.

The copies of the magazine were distributed among the students.

Also present at the magazine launch function were lecturers Beenu Puri, Bhinderpal Kaur, Simblejit Kaur, Rajinder Singh, Amarjit Kaur, Monica Arora, Gurpreet Singh Vinod Rani, Ramesh Kumar and Kuldeep Kaur.

Bathinda, April 10
Max Super Speciality Hospital, Bathinda, is organizing a free cardiac check-up camp at the hospital on April 12 and 13.

Interventional cardiologist Dr Sharad Gupta and cardiac surgeon Dr Shashi Kant will provide free consultations to people at the camp, educating them about the common heart problems, their causes as well as prevention. Residents of Bathinda and its adjoining region can also avail of free electrocardiography (ECG) and blood sugar tests at the camp.

General manager (operations) of the hospital, Dr Aniruddha Suranglikar, said, "Over the last one year, we have seen a surge in cardiac problems in Bathinda with more than 40 patients coming for consultations every day. Concerned about this, we decided to conduct a free cardiac camp through which we aim to educate people about some common hear ailments and extensively work towards its treatment."

Heart ailments are growing by leaps and bounds. There are many facets related to heart disease that are overlooked.

Heart problems can go unnoticed if vigilance is not maintained. In such a scenario, delaying a visit to the doctor can further lower a person's chance of cure. Heart problems are no longer an 'old' man's disease and even people in their mid thirties can fall prey to it, Suranglikar said, and added that timely detection can help in leading a healthy life.

Bathinda, April 10
The University College of Physical Education, Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo, organised a guest lecture on 'Track and Field Measurements' by Colonel (retd) BS Dhaliwal, Dean, Academics.

Dhaliwal is known for a his vast experience in the Army, sports and academics and has organised a number of athletic meets including inter-varsity competition at Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Bidar, in Karnataka.

Vice-chancellor of the university, SK Ahluwalia, was the chief guest on the occasion. Olympian Dr Tarlok Singh Sandhu, director, sports, GKU, welcomed the dignitaries. Dr Dhaliwal shared details of all the new field and track measurements with the students and the faculty along with the upcoming changes. He spoke at length about the 400 meter international nine lane and 84.39 metre straight line track. He discussed the staggers of track events, their scale and technical know-how.

The students actively participated in the Q&A session after the lecture. The VC emphasised upon the need to promote sports in the university to help the youth stay away from drugs. Head, department of physical education, Dr Ravinder Sumal, proposed a vote of thanks. Prof KPS Mahi, Prof Kamaljeet Singh, Prof Gurdeep Singh, Prof Jaswinder Singh and Surinder Kaur Mahi were also present on the occasion.

Bathinda, April 10
Charanjit Singh from the Imagine School of Animation and Multimedia, Bathinda, delivered an expert lecture on 'Autocad civil engineering, 3D animation and graphic designing' at the Punjab Technical University Giani Zail Singh (PTUGZS) Campus.

He elaborated the highly-scientific past of Autocad civil engineering and the need for autocad in the present era. He also added that a lot of concepts existed in 3D animation including modelling, texturing, animation and rigging that successfully connected these with the multimedia industry. Charanjit Singh also highlighted the role of three-dimensional software in autocad architecture and autocad civil engineering.

Also present during the lecture were Dr Manjeet Bansal, dean (post-graduate) studies, and Dr Jasbir Singh Hundal, director, PTUGZS campus.