Bathinda, August 4
A large number of members of the ETT Teachers’ Union were arrested and ‘forcibly’ dragged by the police when they blocked the main GT Road at the Hanuman Chowk today. They were taken to the various police stations in the district and were later released.

When the police started arresting the activists, there appeared to be total chaos at the Hanuman Chowk as many ETT union members entered the nearby shops to evade arrest. After arresting them, the police made its way into the crowd where other union members had hidden themselves.

Seeing a large number of police personnel dragging the teachers, including women in the heart of the city, the bystanders or commuters passing through the area were surprised by the spectacle.

The teachers have been demanding that the 5,752 schools under the Zila Parishad across the state be brought back under the state Education Department.

As many as 100 teachers, including women teachers, had assembled near the cloth market at around 3 pm to discuss their demands and take out a protest march against the state government.

After taking out the protest march, the activists reached Hanuman Chowk, where they blocked the traffic on GT Road and burnt an effigy of the state government against for not fulfilling their demands and in protest against the against the police for cane-charging and arresting the teachers on the directions of the state government in Amritsar yesterday.

The intelligence wing of the police was today taken by surprise as a police party, headed by SP (City) Narinder Pal Singh and DSP Gurjit Singh Romana, reached the spot along with SHOs of the Civil Lines and the Thermal police station with a heavy police force after the protesters blocked the traffic for more than 30 minutes and even had burnt the effigy of the state government.

ETT Teachers’ Union district president, Gurjit Singh Jassi, said: “The state government was suppressing our fundamental Right to Expression by directing the police to stop the protestors. Instead of holding talks and heeding to our demands, the government is devising ways of crushing our identity and our protests. We just wanted to take out a peaceful protest to let the city residents know about the anti-people policies of the government, but were not allowed to do so.”

He also announced that if their arrested teacher union members were not released and action against the concerned police officials is not taken for the cane charging, then in the coming days the union activists will protest against the state government and the government will be responsible for it.

It is worth mentioning that some days ago also, the members of the ETT Teachers’ Union were arrested when they gehraoed CPS Sarup Chand Singla’s resident pressing their demands in the city.

DSP City Gurjit Singh Romana said the protestors blocked the main GT Road which affected the traffic despite the code of conduct being into force. Even protestors were told to end their protest and clear the route but they did not listen, so we had to arrest them. A case would be registered against them as per the law.

Labourers work in the bathroom of the hostel block where girls are being accommodated. photo: vijay kumar

While the orientation session for the commerce and medical stream students was conducted today, the session will be conducted for the non-medical students on Tuesday. As many as 409 students arrived at the school today.

Students yet to be given books, uniforms

Confusion is prevailing over whether the students will be provided with books and uniforms by the Education Department free for some time now. While some of the students who arrived at the school today brought along the uniforms they had already bought, highly placed officials in the Education Department stated that the students will have to procure the uniforms themselves and will be reimbursed the amount they spend on the uniforms.

"During the counselling sessions, the students were told that they would have to buy the uniforms themselves. But it was later decided that they would be reimbursed for the same. We have told the students to procure the uniforms on their own. We are yet to be told by the department about how much money each student will be given for the uniform," said the District Education Officer (Secondary) Amarjit Kaur Kotfatta.

Elaborating on the status of providing the books to the students, she stated that for the time being, the students had brought along the books they were studying from in their previous government schools. She added that the new books will be sent by the Education Department soon and will be distributed among the students.

Incomplete facilities

Although the work of the academic block, one block each of the hostels for girls and boys was completed at a commendable speed, some of the facilities are still lying incomplete. A visit to these hostels on Monday morning revealed that while the walls and cupboards were yet to be painted, labourers toiled to fit fans in some of the rooms and complete the work at washrooms in the girls' hostels.

Deputy Commissioner, Bathinda, Dr Basant Garg, who has been closely monitoring the project, said, "The academic block, mess and hostels for girls and boys have been completed in a short time of six months. The labourers have worked against all odds to make sure that the sections that are to cater to the students are completed on time. Whatever little remains to be completed, will be completed in a few days."

Month-long contract for mess

As per information, the District Education Department has, as of now, granted a month-long contract to a private catering house to provide meals to the students of the school.

"The state-wide contract will be given later. The education departments of all the six districts where the schools have been set up have been told to give the contract some private company for a month to cater to the students before the contract is handed out permanently," said a source in the Education Department.

Bathinda, August 4
The court of Sessions Judge Tejwinder Singh awarded five years of rigorous imprisonment to four residents of Siriyeawala village of Bathinda for attempt to culpable homicide.

Complainant’s counsel, advocate Gurwinder Mann said the police have registered a case under Sections 325 and 34 of the IPC and later added 308 of the IPC after receiving the doctor’s opinion.

In her complaint to the police, Manjit Kaur, a resident of Siriyeawala village situated on Bajakhana Road, had accused four persons of attacking her husband Kala Singh in July 2010.

The complainant had stated that she along with her family members was trying to locate a perfect place to install a water tap in the street near her house.

While the family members were just trying to locate and were deciding about a place, other neighbours gathered around the family and entered into heated arguments.

The woman alleged that the four main accused, armed with iron rods and sticks, inflicted serious head injuries on her husband—Kala Singh.

A total of six injuries were reported in Kala Singh’s medical report who was admitted to the Civil Hospital, Bhagta Bhaika, and was then referred to Civil Hospital, Bathinda, where the doctors further referred Kala to a private hospital in view of his serious injuries.

Advocate Mann said consequently, a case was registered against Parveen Singh, Mandar Singh—both brothers, their father—Dyal Singh and one Gurpreet Singh—an army man.

Mann pointed out that only one of the four accused, Mandar Singh, was arrested by the police, while others managed to get an anticipatory bail from the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

During the course of hearing, the court recorded statements of the complainant, accused and the eyewitnesses. The court of District and Sessions Judge, today agreeing with the complainant party, announced five years of rigorous imprisonment to all the four accused persons involved in the case.

All the four persons, including an Army man, Gurpreet Singh, Mandar Singh, Parveen Singh and Dyal Singh were sent to jail today on the orders of court.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on each and in case of default of payment, the accused would further undergo imprisonment for one month.

Bathinda, August 4
Court of District and Sessions Judge Tejwinder Singh awarded life imprisonment to a resident of Katar Singhwala village for killing a fellow farmer. The incident occurred in 2013 wherein the accused Darshan inflicted serious injuries upon Harbhajan Singh which lead to his death.

Complainant’s lawyer advocate Gurjeet Khadial said that the accused had a tiff over a minor issue with the victim.

He said that the accused had been quarreling with the victim over the issue of sharing water from a common water channel to irrigate their respective farm lands. The accused garner a grudge with the victim over the trivial issue of drawing water from the common water canal as he suspected partial division of water. In August 2013 the accused, Darshan Singh attacked the victim, Harbhajan Singh using a sharp edged weapon and inflicted serious injuries. The victim was taken to the hospital where he succumbed to the injuries. A case was registered against the accused on the complaint of victim’s son and the matter was pursued in the court by the deceased farmer’s family. After many trials, examination and cross examination of the witnesses and the statements recorded by the police, court awarded life imprisonment to the accused along with a fine of Rs 10,000.

Khadial also stated that in case of default of payment the accused would further undergo an imprisonment for 3 months. — TNS

Bathinda, August 4
The Punjab Government claims of providing world-class sports infrastructure in the state but it has failed to boost the sports facilities in Bathinda.

Bathinda has three multipurpose stadiums besides the Government Rajindra College ground and the railway stadium. The condition of these is deplorable. The condition of the multipurpose stadiums is quite pathetic due to which players get injured.

Meanwhile, boxing and judo players are practicing without any coach for a long time. They are left on their own as there are no coaches available to train them. There are only two coaches for volleyball and athletics.

The construction of the shooting range could not be completed due to the lack of funds.

The condition of the athletics track is also the same as the work to built a synthetic tracks has been hanging fire from some time.

Government Rajindra College was once considered as the place of sportspersons, as cricket, hockey, football and basketball players used to play there on a regular basis. But the laying of an astroturf has upset the schedule of the players. They have not got any other place to practice.

The work on the international hockey stadium is underway since 2011 and the gaps in the allocation of funds has hampered the work.

Meanwhile, the fate of the international cricket stadium on Dabwali Road is hanging in balance. The project was announced with much fan fare in 2008 but the work on it could not be started.

In a recent development, the district administration has decided to use it for domestic matches. For this, a ground will be developed at the international cricket stadium.

The athletics ground and the football ground have also not been properly managed by the railway officials due to the lack of funds.

The work on another cricket ground has been started by Cops Club. But for that, players will have to take permission from the police administration. District Sports Officer Darshan Singh admitted that there were inadequate sports facilities due to the lack of funds.

Bathinda, August 4
Members of the ETT Teachers’ Union, Punjab, convened a meeting at Teachers’ Home and have decided to hold a flag march in Talwandi Sabo on August 9.

While the senior leaders of all major parties – Shiromani Akali Dal, Bharatiya Janta Party, Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party are travelling to Talwandi Sabo to campaign for their candidates for the byelections, the region is also gaining popularity as the new protest capital of the district.

The members of the union flayed the state government for delaying the procedure of shifting the schools, currently under the Panchayati Directorate and Zila Parishad, back to the state Education Department.

State president of the union, Jagsir Singh Sahota, argued that the state government was neglecting the future of the ETT teachers teaching at these schools and was also playing with the future of the students who were studying in these schools.

The members argued that the state government was extending a step-motherly to the schools under the Zila Parishad. They added that although these schools were also government schools but were lacking in several facilities which were offered to the teachers and students of the government schools in the state.

They announced that they would take out a flag march in Talwandi Sabo on August 9 to make the people of the area aware of the anti-people policies of the SAD-BJP state government and will ask the voters of the assembly segment to exercise their vote judiciously.

Bathinda, August 4
The PWD Coordination Protest Committee today staged a protest under the leadership of district convener Piyare Lal, Sukhmander Singh Dhaliwal and Kewal Singh outside the water supply and sanitation executive engineer’s office.

Arjun Singh Sra, Balraj Maur, Jeet Ram and Ranjit Singh said they were protesting against the executive engineer (XEN), who had made a proposal to deduct Rs 3,200 from the salaries of the employees.

They said if senior officials did not change their attitude, then the employees would be forced to intensify their protest. The rigid attitude of higher officials would not be tolerated at any cost, they added.

Supporting the employees, BKU Ekta Ugrahan also condemned the adamant attitude of the officials towards the employees and announced its support to them.

Harneik Singh, Gurjant Singh, Narinder Sharma, Umeed and other employees said they would stage a protest by burning the effigies of three XENs of the department on August 27.

Mansa, August 4
Many progressive farmers have had handsome earnings under the crop diversification programme and have come out of the wheat-paddy circle that had crushed the farming community, besides making loss to land and leading to depleting water table.

Sarabjit Singh of Burj Dhilwan, along with other farmers, has been running Produce Processing Society in his village in the Mansa district and has sold his products through cooperative societies and their own selling centre in the village.

In Malakpur Khyala village, farmer Harbhajan Singh is running a fish and a pig farm only in five acres. He claims that his annual income, after deducting expenditures, is about Rs 15 lakh.

Farmer Manjit Singh of Burj Dhilwan village in Mansa has also set a new example in the field of fish farming.

Any farmer willing to excavate a fish-pond on his own land will now be given subsidy of Rs 1.20 lakh per hectare. This subsidy is being provided under the Financial Assistance for Development of Fisheries in Saline Affected and Water Logged Area Scheme.

Apart from this, for the first year, a subsidy of Rs 20,000 will be given as fish-feed or inputs. Already exploiting the rich potential of fish farming on a large scale, some progressive farmers in Mansa are implementing the diversification in agriculture sector, besides bringing Blue Revolution in the state.

Through this, a number of farmers have come out of the vicious paddy and wheat crop cycle. Being provided various incentives on fish farming, including subsidy, renovation of fish ponds, providing instruments and others, farmers here have brought more than 500 acres of land under fish farming.

Farmers in Mansa district have a strong marketing network of fisheries in Delhi and several other districts of various states and have provided employment to scores of unemployed youth, besides making Panchayats of different villages profitable.

Harbhajan Singh of Malakpur Khiala also started fish farming on 9 acres but now he has expanded it to more than 70 acres.

Progressive farmers in Mansa have been proving the farming occupation to be lucrative. Like other allied occupations, fish-farming is also a profitable occupation for which subsidy is being provided by the state government.

A few days ago, Mansa Deputy Commissioner Parveen Kumar Thind, said that a subsidy of Rs 23,000 on four-pedal-wheels and Rs 18,000 on two-pedal-wheels aerator would also be given to farmers for which a five-day training session in a month is also given to make the farmers well-acquainted.

Any fish farmer can obtain aerator (oxygen booster) for increasing fish production and subsidy can be obtained under Rastriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY). A sum of Rs 15,000 per hectare is also provided as subsidy for the renovation of existing village ponds under National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) scheme.

Bathinda, August 4
A one-week faculty development programme on ‘MATLAB and its toolboxes in signal processing and communication engineering’ was organised by the Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering of Giani Zail Singh Punjab Technical University (GZS-PTU) Campus, Bathinda.

The programme was held from July 28 to August 2 under TEQIP-II.

Experts were invited from Mathworks Inc, USA, to the conduct the programme. Sixteen faculty members from different departments of engineering and sciences participated in the programme.

MATLAB is an extremely useful programming language that has utilities and readymade tools that can be utilised for conducting research in different fields of engineering and science.

The GZS-PTU Campus has purchased MATLAB and its various toolboxes for effective teaching and research in various the fields of engineering and applied sciences, which shall be very useful for its undergraduate and postgraduate students. 

Bathinda, August 4
A progressive farmer from Rampura village, Darshan Sidhu, has been chosen as a member of the State Level Agriculture Mass Media Monitoring Committee.

He received the letter of appointment yesterday from the Department of Agriculture.

Darshan said he, along with three other farmers, was chosen for the committee. The other farmers are from Ludhiana, Phagwara and Moga.

Sidhu said the committee members prove instrumental in spreading awareness among farmers about the latest techniques and equipment used in the field of agriculture by organising programmes on television, radio and other sources of mass media.

Darshan proved his mettle in the field of agriculture by developing his own machine, which disposes of paddy stubble and there is no need of burning it. He was among other farmers who were chosen to show their experiments during a national level farmer’s exhibition held in Nagpur recently. — TNS

Bathinda, August 4
The Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) safai karamcharis and other employees today staged a protest against the notification issued by the Punjab Government regarding the level-3 employees transfer policy.

The desk employees have started a pen down strike whereas the safai karakcharis have resorted to a jhado chodo strike. The employees raised slogans against the state government.

Municipal Workers Union leader Ranjit Singh and Safai Karamcharis Union president Veerbhan said the Nagar Nigam Safai Karamchari Union had repeatedly submitted a charter of demands to the government at every level but the government had not taken a notice on their demands.

They also stated that the new transfer notification issued by the government was anti-employees and so they would not tolerate it at any cost.

They said instead of resolving their issues and fulfilling their demands, the department was issuing new orders every day and employees were annoyed with the government over this.

The employees demanded that the jobs of contractual safai karamcharis should be regularised, safai karamcharis working with the JITF company should be made contractual employees, on the pattern of the Central government and the Punjab Government should issue installment of 10 per cent DA immediately among other demands. They threatened to intensify the protest if their demands were not met. — TNS

Bathinda, August 4
Students of Baba Farid College have performed fairly well in the semester examinations conducted by the Punjabi University, Patiala. The university recently declared the results of the examinations conducted for the BCA sixth semester.

Students of BCA sixth semester, Sofia Garg, Manthan Singh and Amarsweet Kaur scored 80 per cent, 79 per cent and 75 per cent marks respectively and bagged the first three positions in the college.

While one student scored more than 80 per cent marks, three students scored more than 75 per cent marks, 22 students scored more than 70 per cent marks and 69 students scored more than 65 per cent marks. — TNS