Erratic grant-in-aid

THE Haryana Government has done a commendable job by releasing the UGC scales to college and university teachers with retrospective effect in strict accordance with the grade pattern approved by the Central Government. Concurrently, the government has conceded the long-articulated but unmet demand for pension to the private school and college employees.

One thing which is extremely worrisome and disquieting is the regularly irregular pattern of disbursement of grant-in-aid to private colleges in recent months, which is causing grave financial hardships to the teachers. Teachers are unsure about the date and the month in which they will be getting their salary. Even at present the drafts for the last three months have not been received and the teachers have been compelled to raise loans from here and there to meet their recurring domestic expenses of routine nature.

In the beginning when the system of payment through bank was introduced in April, 1986, this understanding was arrived at that the drafts of grant for the three coming months would be issued in advance to colleges and the drafts for the next three months would be released before the expiry of the third month for which the grant had been issued. This system went a long way in ensuring the regular payment to the teachers. But over the years the system degenerated and consequently not only has the system of advance drafts become inoperative but even the drafts for the due salary are being delayed for months together. It is a bitter truth that most of the colleges do not and cannot release salaries till they have received drafts from the government. For all intents and purposes the State Government is doing the honourable job of bearing the burden of salaries of privately managed colleges and it should continue discharging this obligation gracefully by ensuring the regular supply of grant-in-aid so that the college teachers may not feel pushed to the brink of financial crisis.

We fervently appeal to the Government to streamline the grant-in-aid system to facilitate and ensure the regular disbursement of salary in colleges.

R.L. GOEL and R.S. CHAWLA
Ladwa

Fort of Phillaur

Reeta Sharma has brought out some facts regarding the fort of Phillaur but she seems to have slightly misunderstood the history. I have presented a research paper on the fort at a session of the Punjab History Conference. When Maharaja Ranjit Singh took over Phillaur, the city had only a big Serai made by Sher Shah Suri, on the bank of the river Sutlej. It was only when the banks of this historic river were accepted as the boundaries of the British and Sikh rule and a fort had already been erected in Ludhiana by the British that the Sikh Maharaja too thought of converting the Serai into a fort. This onerous duty was assigned to his able Diwan Mohkam Chand who could complete the erection work only after bricking alive a person, Abdullah, into the fort-wall, who had voluntarily offered himself for the sacrifice. Otherwise the erection work done in the day was demolished at night. His tomb still exists in the fort which is thronged every Thursday by innumerable devotees whose desires are fulfilled. The fort, now converted into the Punjab Police Academy has many firsts to its credit. The first teargas experiment was conducted here which had its reverberation upto South Africa more than six decades ago.

SWARAN SINGH SANEHI
Shahpur

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Deceptive tactics

The point-blank denial of Pakistan regarding the involvement of its army regulars in the Kargil conflict is both surprising and shocking. Their emphatic assertion that they are Mujahideen and irregulars who are engaging the Indian troops is all the more stunning. Who will believe that the mercenaries are giving a fierce fight to the armed forces of India. The shooting down of the Indian fighter planes is not the handiwork of the irregulars. It was the Pak Air Force which surprised the Indian planes and that too on this side of the LoC. The amassing of Pak army in considerably large numbers on the border and regular movements of sophisticated armaments are the other proofs for their mala fide intentions.

It is clear now that Pakistan wants to keep India engaged in this type of protected warfare. Such guerrilla tactics are being utilised for the past many years. Their main object is to grab Kashmir by hook or crook. Being intrinsically kind-hearted and peace-loving people we are being befooled by the successive Pak governments. Irrespective of political differences, we all should back the Vajpayee government in evicting the “NAPAK” intruders from our Sacred motherland. Even Mr Harkishen Singh Surjeet and his likes should support the present government in the greater interest of the security of our nation.

JAI DEV SUMAN
Ferozepore