B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Recruitment record not available, admits Edu Dept
Fazilka, June 7
The office of the Secretary, Education and Director Public Instructions (DPI), Secondary Education (SE), has submitted an affidavit to the State Information Commissioner (SIC), admitting that it does not have a proper record of the head masters and head mistresses recruited in 2006. The Education Department finally submitted the affidavit to SIC Satinder Pal Singh after local resident Amit Kumar had filed an RTI application to seek information on the issue.

Farmers, labourers protest against govt
Barnala, June 7
A large number of farmers and labourers from the Malwa region held a rally in support of their demands and against the “anti-farmer and labourer” policies of the state government, at the grain market here today. They also took out a protest march in the city and raised slogans against the government. Farmers and labourers from Bathinda, Sangrur, Mansa, Moga, Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Patiala and Barnala districts took part in the protest.

Principal secy hears out freedom fighters’ kin Bathinda, June 7 The state government has taken up the matter of bringing the family members of those who lost their lives during the Jalianwala Bagh massacre, the Kuka Namdhari movement and the Kamaghatu Maru, under government schemes. The principal secretary of the Freedom Fighters' Department, Punjab, Sarvesh Kaushal, stated this during a meeting held here today.

Principal secretary of the Freedom Fighters' Department, Punjab, Sarvesh Kaushal (centre), during a meeting held in Bathinda on Friday. Photo Bhupinder Dhillon

Daring act of women helps police nab snatchers
Moga, June 7
A daring act of two women who were attacked by snatchers in the city this morning has helped the police to nab two members of a gang of snatchers who were involved in many incidents of snatching and theft in the district.

5 held on betting charge in Gidderbaha
Muktsar, June 7
The Gidderbaha police today claimed to have busted a racket of punters after arresting five persons. Nine cell phones and a computer have been recovered from their possession.

Recruitment record not available, admits Edu Dept
Praful Chander Nagpal

Fazilka, June 7
The office of the Secretary, Education and Director Public Instructions (DPI), Secondary Education (SE), has submitted an affidavit to the State Information Commissioner (SIC), admitting that it does not have a proper record of the head masters and head mistresses recruited in 2006.

The Education Department finally submitted the affidavit to SIC Satinder Pal Singh after local resident Amit Kumar had filed an RTI application to seek information on the issue.

Amit Kumar had submitted the application on February 18, 2012, to the Secretary, School Education, Punjab, to find out how many headmasters were recruited directly through the C-DAC and how many were recruited on the basis of experience.

Under the current procedure, only master cadre headmasters could have been recruited. But sources said the department had recruited teachers from other cadres also. When the department failed to provide the requisite information, Amit Kumar filed a petition before the SIC in November 2012.

However, the SIC also could not get the information on the matter. During the fifth appeal, Public Information Officers of Secretary, School Education and DPI, submitted the affidavit (a copy of which is with The Tribune), stating they did not have a proper record of the people recruited.

Satinder Pal Singh, SIC, in his orders observed, “It is strange that the file pertaining to the people recruited in 2006 could not be located either in the office of Secretary, School Education, Punjab, or in the office of the DPI (SE) Punjab. It is recommended that the Principal Secretary, School Education, Punjab, get the whole matter inquired.”

Farmers, labourers protest against govt
Tribune News Service

Barnala, June 7
A large number of farmers and labourers from the Malwa region held a rally in support of their demands and against the “anti-farmer and labourer” policies of the state government, at the grain market here today. They also took out a protest march in the city and raised slogans against the government.

Farmers and labourers from Bathinda, Sangrur, Mansa, Moga, Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Patiala and Barnala districts took part in the protest.

The protesters demanded an unconditional release of farmers who were arrested in connection with the death of an ASI, withdrawal of “false" cases registered against farmers, waiving of the domestic electricity bills of the agriculture and rural workers, Rs 2 lakh grant to every family of those farmer and agriculture worker whose kin had committed suicide and five marla plots to houseless labourers.

Addressing the protesters, speakers warned the state government to accept their demands or be ready to face a statewide agitation. They also told the labourers and farmers to be ready for a mass agitation.

The state president of the BKU (Ugrahan) Joginder Singh Ugrahan, the president of the BKU (Dakonda) Buta Singh Burjgill, the president of the Punjab Kisan Union Ruldu Singh Mansa, Bhola Singh Kalalmajra of the Dehati Mazdoor Sabha, Nirbhai Singh Dhudike of the Kirti Kisan Union, Bhagwant Singh Samao of the Mazdoor Mukti Morcha, Zora Singh Nasrali of the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union and the president of BKU (Krantikari) Surjit Singh Phul were among those who addressed the protesters.

Pending demands

Principal secy hears out freedom fighters’ kin
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, June 7
The state government has taken up the matter of bringing the family members of those who lost their lives during the Jalianwala Bagh massacre, the Kuka Namdhari movement and the Kamaghatu Maru, under government schemes. The principal secretary of the Freedom Fighters' Department, Punjab, Sarvesh Kaushal, stated this during a meeting held here today.

He met as many as 51 families of freedom fighters from Bathinda district.

Kaushal stated that at present, the benefits were given only till three generations of the freedom fighters. He stated that the state government was in the process of developing a website to enlist all the freedom fighters of the state and their family members.

The principal secretary listened to the problems being faced by the family members of freedom fighters. The queries were largely related to health services, travel fare concession and job quota.

He also directed Bathinda Deputy Commissioner to hold a meeting with the family members of the freedom fighters every three months.

Also present during the meeting were the secretary of the Freedom Fighters Department, VK Janjua, ADC (D) Mohammad Tayyab, Bathinda SDM Damanjit Singh Mann, Talwandi Sabo SDM Saktar Singh Bal and Rampura Phul SDM Charandeep Singh among others.

Daring act of women helps police nab snatchers
Tribune News Service

Moga, June 7
A daring act of two women who were attacked by snatchers in the city this morning has helped the police to nab two members of a gang of snatchers who were involved in many incidents of snatching and theft in the district.

Stating this, Senior Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Grewal said two city residents, Kuljit Kaur and Kulwant Kaur, were going for a walk this morning when two motorcycle-borne youths tried to snatch a pair of earrings and a purse from them.

When an earring was snatched by a youth hurting Kuljit’s ear, she politely told the youths that she would remove the other earring herself from her second ear to prevent herself from being hurt. While she was removing the earring, the other woman, Kulwant, daringly overpowered one of the youths. Within a couple of minutes, a patrolling party of the police reached the spot and nabbed the culprits, the SSP said.

The snatchers had been identified as Jaspreet Singh (19) and Naveen Kumar (20) and a criminal case under Section 382 of the IPC has been registered against them.

During investigation, the youths admitted that they were involved in many cases of snatching and theft in the district. At least, five such cases had been solved with the arrest of these two snatchers who were evading arrest for quite some time in the previous cases, the SSP added.

5 held on betting charge in Gidderbaha
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, June 7
The Gidderbaha police today claimed to have busted a racket of punters after arresting five persons. Nine cell phones and a computer have been recovered from their possession.

Gidderbaha police station SHO Varinder Singh said acting on a specific information, a raid was conducted at a house in Laxman colony on Thursday and the accused were caught red-handed.

Those arrested were named as Joli Sharma, Suraj, Karan Kumar, Soni, all residents of Gidderbaha, and Rahul of Dabwali in Haryana.

The SHO said after registering a case under various sections of the Gambling Act, the accused were sent to the jail till June 10.