J A L A N D H A R

Students brave heat to obtain desired streams
Jalandhar, June 28
It may not have been as hard preparing for the PTU-CET as it was for getting a seat in counselling that began at Government Polytechic this morning. They had to literary sweat and toil to grab a seat of their choice.

Mission Admission Candidates with their parents wait for their turn for the PTU-CET counselling at Government Polytechnic in Jalandhar on Thursday. — Tribune photo by Pawan Sharma

CET counselling dates trouble PMT aspirants
Hoshiarpur, June 28
The students, pursuing both CET and PMT, are a worried lot these days. The reason is that the CET counselling dates (July 6 and July 7) leave almost no time for preparation for PMT entrance to be held on July 8.

Tempo, truck union row delays wheat lifting
Nawanshahr, June 28
A row, between the local tempo and truck unions here on Thursday, stalled the work of wheat lifting by village panchayats under Jawahar Rojgar Yojna ( JRY) from the FCI warehouse for about three hours.

Volunteer teachers hold rally
Nawanshahr, June 28
The district unit of Shikhiya Volunteer Adhiyapak Union organised a rally at Baradari Garden, here on Thursday. During the state president of Democratic Teachers Front Bhupinder Singh demanded scrapping up of 73rd and 74th constitutional amendment.

Gang of snatchers busted
Hoshiarpur, June 28
The police claimed to have busted a two-member gang of purse snatchers, which had been operating in the area of Model Town, Sadar and Mehtiana for the past three months.

Land dispute: Temple panel threatens blockade
Hoshiarpur, June 28
Activists of Snatan Dharam Mandir Committee of Dhanoya village and Youth Club Organisation, Punjab continued their protest on the consecutive second day against the district  administration.

Mann’s remand extended Jalandhar, June 28 SAD (Amritsar) chief Simranjeet Singh Mann could not have a sigh of relief as his judicial remand has been further extended for 14 days till July 12 by a city court here on Thursday. SAD (A) chief Simranjit Singh Mann with his supporters in the district court complex in Jalandhar on Thursday. A Tribune photograph

Students brave heat to obtain desired streams
Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 28
It may not have been as hard preparing for the PTU-CET as it was for getting a seat in counselling that began at Government Polytechic this morning. They had to literary sweat and toil to grab a seat of their choice.

The candidates had to bear the scorching heat this afternoon and also had to wait till late in the night to claim one of the nearly 150 rural category seats in any of the eight colleges filled today.

Since reserved rural category seats could be filled only by 6 pm as against the expected noon, the whole schedule for the general rural category seats got delayed by over six hours.

Many aspirants from various parts of the state, who had started coming to the campus since 9 am along with their parents, seemed too exhausted by the evening.

A huge water-proofed tent was put up for the convenience of the parents but the tent being closed from three sides, it became too difficult for the parents and the students to bear the humid weather till the evening.

The counselling, however, brought cheers to many who despite a poor rank got admission in their choicest branch of their most preferred rural college. A candidate with rank of 19,377 got admission in electronics and communication engineering branch at Baba Banda Singh Bahadur College of Engineering and Technology (BBSBET), Fategarh Sahib, in rural reserved category.

The candidate who got admission at the first place was the one with 1,423rd rank. There were many who kept on fretting and fuming as they had not filled the preference or category in their forms correctly.

Counselling was conducted for three campuses of the Punjabi University, three campuses of Guru Nanak Dev University and two colleges of Punjab Technical University - BBSBET and Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana.

The Ludhiana college was the most preferred institute, followed by BBSBET and Yadvindra College of Engineering and Technology, regional campus of Punjabi University.

All colleges managed to fill their reserved rural category seats barring the newly opened regional campus of Panjab University at Rampura Phull in Bhathinda. In all, 67 seats were filled in the reserved category.

There were more than 100 seats in rural general category for which the top most rank was 199.

CET counselling dates trouble PMT aspirants

Hoshiarpur, June 28
The students, pursuing both CET and PMT, are a worried lot these days. The reason is that the CET counselling dates (July 6 and July 7) leave almost no time for preparation for PMT entrance to be held on July 8.

Students, who are also appearing for PMT examination of Baba Farid Medical University, Faridkot, had already cleared CET entrance of Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar. Malkiat Singh Maheru, parent of one such aspirant, said students are having a difficult time with consecutive dates for CET counselling and PMT examination.

He urged the authorities of Punjab Technical University to change the dates of counselling to July 9 and July 10 to make the students enable to avail a chance for getting admission in the medical colleges. — OC 

Tempo, truck union row delays wheat lifting
Our Correspondent

Nawanshahr, June 28
A row, between the local tempo and truck unions here on Thursday, stalled the work of wheat lifting by village panchayats under Jawahar Rojgar Yojna ( JRY) from the FCI warehouse for about three hours.

Under the JRY scheme, village panchayats from Nawanshahr and other blocks had reached the local FCI warehouse to receive wheat for distribution among labourers in their respective areas.

Some panchayats hired Tata 407 vehicles from tempo union near the FCI warehouse for transportation of wheat.

However, when the Tata 407 vehicles were brought for weighing, the members of the local truck union reached the spot and opposed the carrying of wheat in tempo. They claimed that they had the tender for lifting of wheat from FCI warehouse.

Talking to the correspondent, tempo union President Tarsem Singh termed high-handedness of the truck union as the cause for the argument.

He said, “Hiring of trucks by the panchayats for carrying the wheat bags to their respective village was their choice and the resistance by the truck union was illogical.” Even some panchayats carry wheat in their own tractor-trolleys and jeeps, he added.

Meanwhile, Truck Owners Union President Manjit Singh claimed the tender was in the name of truck union for lifting wheat from FCI warehouse. “If the panchayats are to hire a vehicle for the same, the truck union should be contacted,” he argued.

However, the issue was later resolved amicably through a mutual understanding between the two parties. It was decided that the Tata 407 vehicles, hired for the day would be allowed to carry the wheat. But, henceforth, only trucks would be hired for carrying the wheat from FCI warehouse. 

Volunteer teachers hold rally

Nawanshahr, June 28
The district unit of Shikhiya Volunteer Adhiyapak Union organised a rally at Baradari Garden, here on Thursday. During the state president of Democratic Teachers Front Bhupinder Singh demanded scrapping up of 73rd and 74th constitutional amendment.

He said, “The state government has been recruiting teachers under various categories but was paying nominal honorarium for the services.” Demanding the filling up of 32,000 vacant posts of the teachers in various government schools, he said the teachers should be appointed on regular basis instead of contractual recruitment. — OC 

Gang of snatchers busted

Hoshiarpur, June 28
The police claimed to have busted a two-member gang of purse snatchers, which had been operating in the area of Model Town, Sadar and Mehtiana for the past three months.

A police team arrested two youths namely Makhan Lal of Mehtiana and Kulwinder Singh alias Sonu of Pandori Ganga Dass (Mahilpur) yesterday.

Kulwinder Singh was a relative of Makhan Singh and had been residing in Mehtiana town for the last five months.

The police recovered three mobile phones, one purse, two bank passbooks from their possession and impounded the motorcycle used in the robberies. According to Anita Punj, Hoshiarpur SSP, the duo had admitted to committed a large number purse snatchings. — OC

Land dispute: Temple panel threatens blockade
Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, June 28
Activists of Snatan Dharam Mandir Committee of Dhanoya village and Youth Club Organisation, Punjab continued their protest on the consecutive second day against the district 
administration.

They charged the administration of not solving the land dispute of village temple between the temple committee and village panchayat pending for the last 3 years. They staged a dharna in front of the office of SDM, Mukerian.

According to the temple committee, the sarpanch of village Dhanoya has claimed possession of four kanal land, which is actually owned by the temple committee. The sarpanch had leased two Kanal of it to an individual. They demanded the repossession of the leased land, registration of a case against the sarpanch and dismissal of the present panchayat. Later, they took out a protest march in the town.

Shiv Nandan, president of temple committee warned the district administration to solve the issue failing which they would block rail and vehicular traffic on Jalandhar-Pathankot section on June 29, 2007 and would organise a bandh on July 2 in the town.

Mann’s remand extended
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, June 28
SAD (Amritsar) chief Simranjeet Singh Mann could not have a sigh of relief as his judicial remand has been further extended for 14 days till July 12 by a city court here on Thursday.

Mann was arrested last month for an attempt to dishonour late ex-Chief Minister Beant Singh’s statue at BMC Chowk, here last month. A case was registered against him under sections 107 and 151 and a week later, he was also charged with sedition.

Now, his bail application will come up for hearing on July 4.