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appointment of assistant professors
Midnight buying catches fashionistas’ fancy
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Better amritsar
: Non-biodegradable plastics—I Use of polythene bags goes on unabated Amritsar, October 5 Rampant and thoughtless usage of plastic is posing a mammoth risk to the environment and a Herculean task for the civic agencies to clean the city littered with poly bags.
Security beefed up in view of festive season
Cops on patrol duty rescue abducted trucker
Sexual assault cases against minor girls on the rise
Insurance firm fined for denying medical claim
Tourist couple on way to Golden Temple robbed
No headway in Roadways’ workshop robbery case
LPG company accused of duping 18 dealers
Industrialists thank govt for accepting demands
NGO demands fixing of reflectors on tractor-trailers
Tractor-trailers used for transporting produce to the grain market near Amritsar. A Tribune Photograph
Blast near Beas: Police to write to Punjab government
No end to MBBS students’ ordeal
Orientation programme for school teachers
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appointment of assistant professors High Court notice follows plea that varsity ‘ignored’ the petitioner and selected less-qualified candidates GS Paul Tribune News Service
Amritsar, October 5 A candidate, Sarabjeet Kaur, MTech, had challenged the criteria being adopted by the university in appointing assistant professors for its computer science and engineering departments. On May 28, the GNDU had released an advertisement in leading newspapers as well as on its official website regarding ‘walk in interview’ for more than 500 posts of assistant professors in various departments on the university campus, regional centres and constituent colleges (purely on contract basis/part-time basis) for the academic session 2014-15. It included around 141 posts of assistant professor in the departments of computer science and engineering. It was clearly mentioned in the advertisement that as per UGC guidelines, if MTech or UGC NET-qualified candidates are not available, the candidates having MCA (minimum 60 per cent marks) as qualification may be considered for appointment. The GNDU had conducted a written test on July 9. A list of 291 candidates, who qualified the written test, was uploaded on the official website of the GNDU and they were interviewed on July 13 and 14. On July 17, the selected candidates were issued appointment letters. University VC Prof AS Brar claimed that the appointments were made on merit basis only and that no criteria were violated as per stipulated guidelines. “We required two types of teachers, one for MCA and another for BTech students. Teachers in both the categories were selected on the basis of a written test followed by an interview. The notice of motion was issued as one of the candidates had filed a writ petition. We will produce our report on the stipulated date in the court,” he said. On the other hand, Sarabjeet claimed that the list of candidates selected in the interview was neither uploaded on the website nor displayed on the notice board of the department. Further, for GNDU campus, only 13 MTech candidates against 30 posts were appointed whereas many MTech candidates were ignored. “I am MTech and have six years of teaching experience, but was not appointed while MCA candidates were selected. From the advertisement to the result of written test, every information was uploaded on the official website of the university. Ironically, the most significant part, the final result of the interviews, was not uploaded. I submitted an RTI application and it was revealed that the result was not declared and that only the selected candidates were issued appointment letters. It is surprising that how come the selected candidates got to know that they were hired for the said posts when the GNDU did not declare the results,” she said. Sarabjeet moved the High Court on July 28, following which the directions were issued to the VC to consider the representation of the petitioner by passing a speaking order. On October 2, the VC passed a speaking order stating that only suitable candidates were selected from the combined list of MTech and MCA candidates. The petitioner again challenged the speaking orders, acting upon which the High Court has now served the notice of motion. Petitioner’s claim
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Midnight buying catches fashionistas’ fancy
Amritsar, October 5 The four-day exhibition having stalls of designer wear and lifestyle goods both from India and Pakistan kicked off yesterday cashing on the festive season. Chic designer ethnic wear and accessories make sure that ladies lay their hands on everything trendy. The exhibitors are getting a good response to the now-a-fashion-staple, famed Pakistani hand-embroidered suits in chiffons, cottons and crepes, laces and innovative Indo-Western summer wear. And the concept of ‘midnight shopping’ worked out the limitation of timings as well. “We had been organising this exhibition twice a year, in March and October. We tasted success with the midnight shopping concept, where in buyers, especially women, drop in even late at night,” said Gurpreet Singh, the organiser of the exhibition. The exhibition is a midnight shopping experience as visitors can gain entry till 11 in the night. “Most women want to shop with their husbands, who are busy during day time. So, we came up with the concept of midnight exhibition,” said Gurpreet. Women too are enjoying their night out and shopping their heart out. “It is great that exhibitors have understood the constraints of women. I usually prefer picking up exclusive things from such exhibitions and since this event continues till late in the night, there is enough time in hand to make selections,” said Guneeta Kapoor, a visitor to the exhibition. Though the number of Pakistani stalls is limited to only three this time due to Eid celebrations in the neighbouring nation, there is enough for shoppers to grab.
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Better amritsar
: Non-biodegradable plastics—I Neeraj Bagga Tribune News Service
Amritsar, October 5 Non-biodegradable plastic clogs flow of the water in drains, a majority of which are now covered in the city. Though the demerits of plastics are well known, yet the dependence of people on it is ever increasing. Stray cattle are often seen feeding on heaps of garbage dumped in these polythene bags. The menace has reached an alarming proportion due to absence of effective waste management and disposal system. The system of door-to-door collection of garbage is not properly functional in the city. This method helps in segregation of bio-degradable and non-bio-degradable waste materials at the collection point. It also ensures safe disposal of non-biodegradable material later on. It’s the “throwaway culture” which has intensified the usage of the polythene bags made of hazardous material. It has been observed that animals swallow plastic bags containing food or leftovers and die. Besides, roads are often littered with poly bags and present an ugly and unhygienic scene. These bags find way into the city drainage system, resulting in blockage of drains. Municipal Corporation officials said it was inconvenient and difficult to maintain the sewerage due to extensive use and dumping of plastic bags. It also reduces the percolation of rain water into the soil, thus further lowering of already low ground water levels in cities. The soil fertility deteriorates as plastic bags form part of the manure, which remains in the soil for years. A proprietor of a company manufacturing plastic and poly-bags in the city, Sundeep Khosla, said it was mandatory to print the name of the manufacturer and his address on poly bags. “No person can manufacture or carry bags from virgin plastic of thickness not less than 40 microns and size less than 8x12 inches,” he added. Kholsa also warned that bags also contained elements linked to cancer and should not be used for packaging of food. The city is one of the biggest manufacturing centres of textile, shawls, blankets, hardware and other industries that use thousands of kilos of plastic bags every day. Small commercial units dump non-biodegradable waste on streets, which poses a serious health hazard for the residents. The coloured plastic bags often contain mercury, lead and other heavy metals. There are various laws to control the usage of plastic bags like the Punjab Plastic Bags Manufacture, Usage and Disposal Control Act-2011, and the Punjab Plastic Carry Bags (Manufacture, Usage and Disposal) Control Act-2005. The latter Act imposed a ban on polythene bags below 30 microns in width, having dimensions less than 8x12 inches or not complying with the specified colours. Various campaigns to limit its usage and curtail its harmful effects failed to bring out positive results. The district administration held a meeting with poly bag manufacturers in 2008 regarding the implementation of the Act, but there was no positive outcome. In 2011, the Municipal Corporation had initiated a campaign but the results remained non-impressive. Innovative entrepreneurs are coming out with bags made from materials like jute, cardboard and clothes. To attract modern age shoppers these bags have been given a trendy look.
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Security beefed up in view of festive season
Amritsar, October 5 Jasdeep Singh, SSP, Amritsar (rural), said special teams have been constituted to lay nakas at various points in the rural belt to check activities of anti-social elements. The rural police have received extra force of 300 cops for security arrangements in view of the festive season. “We are now making plans and identifying sensitive areas in the rural belt where special nakas would be set up,” said the SSP, adding that comprehensive plans would be chalked out to provide security at various religious places in Chawinda Devi and Ajnala villages. He said search operations would be conducted in sensitive areas. Kuljit Singh, ADCP (Headquarter), said the city police have also got 300-strong force from the Punjab Armed Police, the Indian Reserve Battalion and the Anti-riot squad to enhance security in the holy city. He said security around religious places have been enhanced while night patrolling has also been increased in view of the festive season. He said special nakas were being laid in the late evenings to check the entry of anti-social elements in the city. He said the city police were keeping an eye on the movements of miscreants as no preventive arrests were being made.
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Cops on patrol duty rescue abducted trucker
Amritsar, October 5 The police have registered a case of kidnapping and dacoity and launched a hunt to arrest the accused. As per the details available, the truck driver, Sadhu Singh of Sangrur, was going to a rice mill in Dhuri when five persons, who were on two bikes, intercepted his truck (PB-13-S-9515) between Tangra and Khilchian area. They thrashed him up, tied up his limbs and gagged him before throwing him in the truck. The robbers then drove the truck through villages to reach the Amritsar-Batala bypass. Puran Singh, investigating officer and in-charge, Verka police station, said a night patrol party was on the route and managed to rescue the victim and the material. He said the culprits were unloading paddy bags when they heard a police siren. They fled from the spot leaving the truck behind. On Sadhu Singh’s statement, a case under Sections 395 and 365 of the Indian Penal Code was registered. Police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh said they have vital clues in the case and hope to nab the accused soon.
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Sexual assault cases against minor girls on the rise
Amritsar, October 5 A five-year-old girl was raped by a youth in Channanke village on September 10 and was admitted to a hospital in a serious condition. Though the police had arrested the accused, identified as Harpal Singh (24), the victim is struggling to come out of the shock. The victim lives with her mother and an elder sister while her father works in a factory in Rajasthan. She was sleeping with her mother when the accused abducted and raped her. The accused had come out of jail on bail. An unidentified youth attempted to rape a six-year-old girl in Jandiala township near here. The victim had gone to buy biscuits and rusks when the accused took her towards fields allegedly with an intention to rape her. A 16-year-old girl was raped by two persons at Raipur Kalan village in Ajnala on the intervening night of September 9 and 10. Another incident was reported at the Sultanwind police station on September 18 wherein a 15-year-old girl from Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawanshehr) was raped by a youth from Tarn Taran the previous day. The police had later arrested the youth and his aunt in this connection. On September 17, the Amritsar rural police booked persons for sexually assaulting a minor girl in Jethuwal village. The victim was a daughter of their domestic help. The case was registered around a couple of months after the incident as the accused were trying to strike a compromise with the victim and the family, it is learnt. The Islamabad police in the city nabbed a person for allegedly raping a minor girl, a Class XI student, after taking her to a hotel near the bus stand. The victim stated that the accused gave her some intoxicant before committing the crime. While claiming that the police department has taken stern action against culprits and a majority of them were arrested, police officials blamed degradation of moral values and advent of information technology as the basic cause behind this. “Degradation of moral values besides drug abuse and increasing frustration level among the new generation are among the reasons behind the sudden spurt in cases of sexual assault,” said Jasdeep Singh, district police chief, Amritsar rural. He pointed out that minor girls were easy target as the accused gets almost no resistance from them while committing the crime. Police Commissioner Jatinder Singh Aulakh said there was a need to inculcate moral values among children. He added that moral values should be a part of the modern education system. Officialspeak
Degradation of moral values besides drug abuse and increasing frustration level among the new generation are among the reasons behind the sudden spurt in cases of sexual assault. Minor girls are easy target as the culprit faces almost no
resistance. There is a need to inculcate moral values among children. These should be a part of the modern education
system.
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Insurance firm fined for denying medical claim
Amritsar, October 5 In a complaint before the forum, Shabeg Singh, a resident of Bacharwal village near Ajnala, had stated that he had purchased a medical insurance policy from the ICICI Prudential Life Insurance in 2009-10 and thereafter, he had been purchasing the health policy continuously. He stated that in 2010, he was admitted to a hospital and was diagnosed with suffering from blood sugar. Shabeg said it was for the first time that he came to know that he was suffering from the disease. The complainant had incurred medical expenditure of Rs 20,000, which was paid by the insurance company. The next year, he had to be hospitalised again and spent Rs 41,156 on treatment. He alleged that the company flatly refused to reimburse the claim this time on the ground that he was suffering from pre-existing disease. The forum observed that the insurance company could not produce any document to prove that the complainant had knowledge about the disease prior to obtaining the policy in question from the opposite party. The forum stated that on hospitalisation for the first time, the hospital records had clearly stated that the complainant was suffering from blood sugar and is a known case of diabetes and after scrutinising the entire record, the opposite party had paid the claim of the complainant amounting to Rs 20,000. The forum ordered that as the opposite party had already paid the amount of the same medical treatment under the same policy to the complainant earlier, it cannot decline the present claim of the complainant under the same policy.
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Tourist couple on way to Golden Temple robbed
Amritsar, October 5 Gurwinder Singh, a resident of Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), said he along with his wife were going to the Golden Temple by an auto-rickshaw when the accused came on a motorcycle and snatched the purse of his wife. He said the purse contained Rs 80,000 in cash and two expensive mobile phones besides an ATM card of Bank of Baroda. The Kotwali police have registered a case under Section 382 and 34 of the IPC against unidentified robbers. However, there is no breakthrough in the case so far. Notably, snatchers primarily target tourists and women, particularly near the Golden Temple and the railway station. Even as the police claim to have initiated a number of steps to curb snatchings, such crimes continue unabated in the Civil Lines and other parts of the city.
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No headway in Roadways’ workshop robbery case
Amritsar, October 5 ACP (North) Balkar Singh and Civil Lines SHO Sukhwinder Singh Randhawa said till now, they had no clue about the robbers and investigations in the case were in progress. Nonetheless, the modus operandi of the culprits pointed towards an insider’s hand in the case. Police sources said robbers knew that there was only a security guard and a cashier inside the workshop in the night. They were aware of the fact that the cashier was in possession of Rs 22 lakh as for the past three days, he could not deposit the daily bus ticket proceeds in bank due to holidays. The cashier, Maninder Singh, told the police that the accused were also aware that he was having the keys of the locker in his pant. He said when the accused gained entry in the cashier’s room by injuring the security guard, they demanded the keys. However, he denied having the keys. On this, they said they knew that the keys were in his pants and threatened to kill him in case he did not give it to them. Roadways officials had demanded security from the police department, which they failed to get. CS Brar, General Manager, Roadways workshop Amritsar-I, said they receive around Rs 6-7 lakh daily as ticket proceeds from the Punjab Roadways buses plying on different routes and as a routine, the cashier deposited the money in bank. But due to bank holidays, the cash could not be deposited in the bank.
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LPG company accused of duping 18 dealers
Amritsar, October 5 Addressing mediapersons here yesterday gas dealers Dawinderjit Singh, Sanjeev Sekhri, Jaspal Singh and others alleged that they were the victims of the forgery committed by the company. They said they were under tremendous pressure as the consumers were pressurising them to return their deposits for their inability to supply LPG refills. They said they had applied for the LPG gas agency dealership after reading advertisement for the same in 2011-12. Each of them deposited Rs 17 lakh for getting the license. The company demanded 200 connections from each of them. They maintained that the rate of an LPG cylinder kept increasing from Rs 400 to Rs 600 and eventually to Rs 1,070. They said the company stopped sending the supply around six months ago. The dealers said around three months ago they approached SSP (rural office) to lodge a case against the owner of the company, but nothing had been done in this regard.
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Industrialists thank govt for accepting demands Amritsar, October 5 President of the Bal Kalan Industrial Welfare Association, Sundeep Khosla, thanked Chief Minster Parkash Singh Badal for directing the Punjab State Industrial Export Corporation (PSIEC) and the Industry Department for laying sewerage in the village during the sangat darshan held yesterday. He said there were three ponds in the village and laying of sewerage would channelise its waters and the fear of the outbreak of diseases would be curbed. In response to their other demand, the Chief Minister asked the village panchayat to provide land and directed the Police Department to initiate the procedure to set up a police chowki there. Around 70 units of mixed industries functioning from the village lack proper planning and regulation. The area started attracting industrial units from 2004 onwards when many industrialists packed their units on Batala and Majitha Roads and sold of the land to pocket the profit following the real estate boom. They procured plots at much cheaper rates at Bal Kalan village. — TNS
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NGO demands fixing of reflectors on tractor-trailers
Amritsar, October 5 The local residents say as trolleys move slowly and vehicles coming behind often fail to see them due to absence of light reflectors. Such tractor-trolleys, which do not have light reflectors installed at their rear, can lead to road accidents during nights. A local NGO, Road Safety Mission, has demanded that the administration should get reflectors installed on trolleys. “Each and every trolley in the area comes to the Bhagatawala grain market at least once. The traffic police can spread awareness by installing reflectors on vehicles which enter the market. This way all trolleys can easily have reflectors,” said Kuljit Singh of the Road Safety Mission. He said reflectors were not very costly and could be purchased for Rs 10 to Rs 15 a piece. These can help in saving many precious lives.
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Blast near Beas: Police to write to Punjab government
Amritsar, October 5 Police officials are contemplating to write to the Punjab government through Deputy Commissioner for taking up the matter with the Army authorities to plug loopholes so that such incidents were repeated in the future. District police chief, Amritsar rural, Jasdeep Singh, said investigations at the spot revealed that the residents usually gained entry in the Army range located in the Mand area of the Beas river and managed to steal diffused bombs from there. The Army range is used by the forces for target practice and diffusing explosive material. “There should be deployment of Army jawans till the whole area is sanitised and all explosive material is removed. The residents steal residue of the explosive material for copper and iron, which they sell to junk dealers,” the police chief said adding that movements of local residents should be restricted in the Army range area. He said the police would also write to higher ups in this connection. However, Naresh Vij, an Army spokesman said the system was already in place under which forces sanitised the area after every practice session in a routine. “We take enough precautionary measures and thoroughly inspect the area before leaving,” he said. The police are yet to arrest the culprit junk dealer, Tarsem Singh and his son Komanpreeet Singh, who were absconding since the blast, which had ripped through his house killing three persons on the spot. Komalpreet also sustained injuries in the incident and was under treatment somewhere, Jasdeep Singh said, adding that raids were on to nab them. The father and son duo were booked by the Beas police on charges of causing death by negligent act, criminal conspiracy and other relevant charges of the Indian Penal Code and the Explosive Act. The accused had reportedly shifted the bodies from the spot to a nearby building before fleeing.
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No end to MBBS students’ ordeal
Amritsar, October 5 Around 60 students have made this tent their home as they are protesting to pressurise the government to shift them to other recognised colleges in the state after their parent college was de-recognised by Medical Council of India. These students have brought three fans on rent to make them comfortable. “We often knock at doors of nearby residences to let us use their washrooms. We also visit a gurdwara nearby for the purpose,” said a girl student. She said her parents had so far paid Rs 7.5 lakh to the college. “An MBBS student has to spend on many things after tuition and hostel charges. Everybody sitting here has spent over Rs 10 lakh during the last three years. The management quota students pay Rs 4.95 lakh as tuition and hostel charges. Besides, we will regret wasting our three precious years if we did not get degree from a recognised college,” said another student. The students have managed to get a temporary electricity supply for the tent. “Two days ago we could not sleep as there was an electricity snag. We should be studying this time to complete our course, but we have been forced to live in a tent on the roadside with unhygienic surroundings,” rued another student. Even today the students organised a candle march from Gala Mala Chowk to Celebration Mall to garner support for their cause. “We have come to this city hoping that Research and Medical Education Minister, who lives here, will make up his mind after looking at our pitiable condition,” said another student.
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Orientation programme for school teachers
Amritsar, October 5 Prof SS Dhillon, Registrar and Dr Amit Kauts, Principal, MGN College, Jalandhar, were the the chief guest and the guest of honour, respectively, on the occasion. Prof Dhillon in his address discussed the concept of this novel project of the government. Labelling it as a brainchild of Vice-Chancellor, Prof AS Brar, he highlighted the role of the Punjab government for supporting the project in all respects. He emphasised that schools had been specifically established in villages to minimise the rural-urban chasm in the field of education. He exhorted the teachers to accept this Herculean task as a mission and not as a profession in order to meet the expectations of the down-trodden sections of society, who send their wards to them with a great hope. “The most crucial sectors of health and education cannot be left solely at the mercy of the private sector. The mushrooming of private coaching/tuition centres, especially for the X+I and X+II students is wreaking havoc with the school education,” he added. Satish Kumar, deputy district education officer (SE), Amritsar, asked the teachers to make optimum use of the opportunity to hone their subject expertise, pedagogical skills etc.
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Amritsar, October 5
Amritsar, October 5
Amritsar, October 5
