AGRICULTURE

Punjab paying for Green Revolution: Aulakh
Tribune News service

Ludhiana, April 29
Inaugurating the “Soil Conservation Officers’ Workshop”, organised by the Directorate of Extension Education yesterday at the Pal Auditorium of the Punjab Agricultural University, Dr Kirpal Singh Aulakh, Vice-Chancellor, said Punjab had to pay a very heavy price for ushering the Green Revolution to the state, as its natural resources had been over exploited.

Dr Aulakh added the scientists should make the people aware of the conservation of water resources and the maintenance of soil.

He said the major consequences of the large scale adoption of the rice-wheat cropping system in Punjab had led to the deterioration of soil and the depletion of water table.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr G. S. Virk, Chief Conservator of Soil, Panjab, said this workshop would bring forth new recommendations regarding soil and water and help in solving the regional problems. He said this workshop should be organised every year so that the farmers could be given technical guidance related to the water management and the soil conservation.

Dr Gulzar Singh Chahal, Additional Director (Research) said the soil had been damaged due to intensive cropping. He said the PAU had got a research project worth Rs 40 lakh for drip irrigation.

EDUCATION

Students, resent ‘casual’ approach of paper setters
Our Correspondent

Doraha, April 29
Glaring mistakes, found either in style or matter, in most of the Panjab University annual examination question papers this year, have brought to the fore the negligence and a casual approach of most of the paper-setters towards the future of those who sit for these exams.

“Why are we being made scapegoats for no fault of ours?” question the afflicted lot. “We study the syllabus prescribed by the university for the whole year only to find in the end that the paper has been set according to the whims of the paper-setter,” complain students.

Going by the blunders committed in the setting of papers sometimes, even grace marks to serve no purpose. Hence the affected students demand nothing less than re- examination.

“Why cant the university employ responsible people for such a crucial task ?” they question .

Glaring mistakes have been discovered in the style and matter of most of the question papers this year. It is learnt that financial accounting paper of B.Com I had errors. Similarly, the business organisation and management papers of the same class was prepared on two the two-year old pattern, as a result of which the choice was limited.

Again income tax law paper of B.Com III was above the level of the students. And there are only a few examples of errors in PU question papers.

Mr Jaswant Singh Gill, Principal, GNN College here said “No body cares for what is happening. For lack of any punitive action casualness among paper-setters is growing with time.

“Disciplinary action should be taken against such papersetters for ruining the career of students, said Dr Jhanji, Principal A.S College, Khanna. Prof Harpreet Singh Dua, fellow Punjabi University, said the papersetters who are appointed by a panel should go through the guidelines of the new syllabus and the pattern of the question paper thoroughly.

Teachers oppose govt’s move to privatise education
Asha Ahuja

Ludhiana, April 29
Teachers of government schools have launched an agitation against the government’s move to privatise education. The blatant commercialisation by the mushrooming pre-nursery, nursery and KG schools has irked the city educationists and concerned citizens.

“The rapid pace at which these schools have emerged has taken the city by storm. So much is the competition that now many of them are offering discounts,” said a Principal of a play-way school.

She said: “We never thought education would reach such a stage where the educationists like commercial sales would put up an admission fee and then slash it and write a discount fee. Thus the old schools are losing out as they do not offer discounts.”

“Too much stress has been laid on form or presentation of ideas in these schools, said Ms P. Kalhon, a former teacher. “One school celebrated a special Red Day and every thing was coloured red to teach students about the colour. A teacher can teach all colours in a quicker and inexpensive way,” she added.

A majority of the play-way schools say that they use LCD projectors so that the children can learn better, but sitting before the screen for long hours does affect the eyesight and also kills imagination, a teacher said.

“What children need to learn is the balance of our tradition education with the right use of new technology brought from the West. Books are necessary to give a sound basic plus allowing the child to be creative,” says Ms Harpreet Kaur Gill, Principal of a play-way school.

ADMINISTRATION

Lease rates of shamlat lands fixed
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 29
The district administration has fixed the minimum annual lease rates of shamlat lands in the villages to enhance the income of the panchayats. Mr Anurag Verma, Deputy Commissioner, said no shamlat land would be auctioned below these rates for the current financial year. The rates had been fixed after a thorough discussion at a special meeting of the SDMs of all subdivisions held here today.

He said Rs 10,000 per acre had been fixed for irrigated panchayati land with a tubewell, Rs 8,000 per acre for irrigated land without a tubewell, Rs 4,000 per acre for agricultural land falling inside the dhussi bandh on the Sutlej and Rs 2,000 per acre for barren sandy lands (tibbas).

The Deputy Commissioner further clarified that where the lease rates were already higher than the minimum fixed rates, the lease would be further enhanced by 10 per cent positively during the auction for the current year.

He said in future the SDM of the subdivision concerned would personally conduct the auction of the shamlat lands, where the area is more than 50 acres and the auction where the shamlat land fell within 20 to 50 acres would be conducted in the presence of the Circle Revenue Officer (Tehsildar/Naib Tehsildar) concerned .

SSP orders probe into credit card fraud case
Legal Correspondent

Ludhiana, April 29
SSP Ludhiana-Narinder Pal Singh today ordered a highlevel probe with the arrest of a city lawyer in a credit card fraud case. S.P. City-I, R.K. Jaiswal has been ordered to submit the report within five days after the inquiry.

Criticising the manner in which a city advocate was arrested, allegedly badly treated in police custody and paraded before the mediapersons like a hardcore criminal, more than 1000 advocates struck work and staged a dharna, in front of the Judicial complex.

The lawyers also raised slogans against the alleged high handedness of the police, when the arrested lawyer was produced before Judicial Magistrate-Manoj Singla, this afternoon. But the Judge today declined the request of prosecution to extend the police remand. Thereafter, the bail application was filed on behalf of lawyer.

District Bar Association President-B.K.Goel, former bar president-Harish Rai Dhanda and DBA Secretary-Mr Rana Harjasdeep Singh had presented a memoradum to the SSP Ludhiana, after which probe was ordered. He has assured that if any cop was found guilty, strict action would be taken against him, claimed Mr B.K.Goel, DBA President.

Mr Harish Rai Dhanda, former DBA president, questioned the authority of the police to parade the arrested person before the media. We should move high court, added Mr Dhanda. The work came at standstill in the courts due to strike.