Jalandhar, January 1
Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal will meet representatives of industrialists from the state, in Chandigarh on January 7, to redress their grievances. Badal said this while talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of Hamdard Award function organised by Ajit Publications at Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall here today. 

He was here to present the award to noted journalist Kuldip Nayar. The award includes a trophy and a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh.

Badal said he would hold a meeting with industrialists to solve issues put forward by them.

Industrialists across the state have been sour with the state government for not withdrawing hike in power tariff as per its commitment, imposing regular power cuts in winters, not simplifying sales returns and not refunding the excess VAT collections.

On a statement by a chief parliamentary secretary, in a section of the media, calling for removal of a bureaucrat, Badal said the MLAs were free to talk about any problem with him at any time and the concerned officer should have first brought the matter into his notice instead of going to the media.

The CM said the government would consider the suggestion by dignitaries on the occasion on bringing in legislation in the state to make the subject of Punjabi language compulsory in all schools of the state.

Nayar told the CM from the stage, “It is ironical that most of your ministers also do not like to communicate in Punjabi. Families of most Akali leaders in the state prefer conversing in Hindi or English while ignoring the state language,” he added.

Leader of the Opposition, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, said, “Our state was earlier known for selfless attitude but most Punjabis were now turning egoistic and self-centred, always blowing their own trumpet. Our state was known for high agricultural produce but now it has become popular for dowry deaths and female foeticide,” she regretted.

Acting president SAD Sukhbir Badal called for promoting Punjabi language in the state in the New Year. Deputy speaker Lok Sabha Charanjit Atwal, leaders Avinash Rai Khanna, Gulzar Singh Ranike, Ajit Singh Kohar, Sucha Singh Langah, Sarwan Singh Phillaur and Sarabjit Makkar were among others present.

Deputy Commissioner Ajeet Singh Pannu and SSP Arpit Shukla attended most part of the private function standing near the dais. Joint commissioner, MC, Rahul Gupta, and SP Dr Surinder Kumar Kalia were among others who attended the event which went on for more than five hours. Mayor Rakesh Rathour’s ‘Safai Abhiyan’ slated to begin today from ward number 12 near Birring village had to be cancelled in view of CM’s visit.  

Chandigarh, January 1
In an exceptional judgement aimed at ensuring reformation of prisoners, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has reduced the sentence of three youngsters to less than the minimum prescribed punishment.

Even though the minimum sentence prescribed for robbery is seven-year rigorous imprisonment, Justice Ranjit Singh directed their release from custody after they had spent six years and four months approximately.

In his detailed order on appeals filed by Ajit Singh and other youngsters in their 20s, Justice Ranjit Singh ruled: “Though the minimum sentence prescribed under Section 397 of the Indian Penal Code, the prayer of the appellant would require consideration.

The appellants have undergone a period of six years and four months approximately. They appear to have almost undergone the complete effect of the sentence. They are stated to be of young age living in their twenties. They must have reformed by now. “A chance can be given to the appellants to further reform themselves. They can be released to society to lead normal life especially so when they have undergone almost complete sentence awarded to them.

“Accordingly, while dismissing the appeals, sentence awarded to the appellants shall stand reduced to the period already undergone. The appellants be released from custody on receipt of the copy of this order.” The three were booked on a complaint of Amit Arya.

In his statement before the police, he stated that on July 29, 2001, he, along-with his brother Rohit Arya, was returning from Rajgarh. They were forced to stop theircar by the occupants of an Esteem car. Two youngsters armed with country-made pistols came out of the car and asked the complainant to surrender their belongings.

While leaving, they took away the complainant’s Indica car. They were, subsequently, convicted of the offences and sentenced to seven-year rigorous imprisonment. Arguing on behalf of the appellants, the counsel said they were in custody since August 1, 2001.

During the course of trial they had not been released on bail. In fact, their sentence had also not been suspended after conviction He added that the appellants had undergone complete rigours of the sentence awarded. If the remission during this long incarceration were to be considered, the appellants would probably have undergone the complete sentence of seven years. 

Nawanshahr, January 1
The resentment against holding of vacation seminars among the teachers, witnessed during the recent sate-wide protests, has provided the much-needed chance to various teachers’ unions to oppose the alleged “anti-education and anti-teacher policy” of the government, under the banner of “Sarkari School Bachao, Sikhiya Bachao Manch”.

With a view to converting the exercise of providing training to in-service teachers a worthwhile programme, the education department has engaged a private agency. In the first phase, two districts of Amritsar and Kapurthala have been brought under the scheme. But the scheme has also come under sharp criticism by the newly constituted “Sarkari School Bachao, Sikhiya Bachao Manch” as it has been termed as a move to privatise education.

Interestingly, though both the state government and the manch unanimously have agreed that the school education system had virtually rotted over the years, at the same time, both are busy pointing fingers at each other.

The general perception prevailing among the higher-ups as well as the public about school teachers is that though they are getting handsome salaries, they are not doing any justice to their profession. Private schools are giving better academic results than the government schools due to which the government talks of revamping the education system by initiating a move to hand over the schools to corporate houses.

On the other hand, the “Sarkari School Bachao, Sikhiya Bachao Manch” says that the wrong education policies of the government are responsible for the present mess in the education system. The manch leaders say that about 40,000 posts of teacher are lying vacant and government schools lack infrastructural facilities. Moreover, teachers are being deputed on a number of non-academic duties like preparation of votes, conducting different types of elections and surveys.

Democratic Teachers Front president Bhupinder Singh Warraich and Punjab State General Category Welfare Federation senior vice-president Balbir Singh Bains, while talking to The Tribune, lament that by initiating moves to hand over schools to corporate houses, the state government is running away from its constitutional and moral duty of providing education to the deprived section of society.

“While private schools are just like business houses set up for profit motive, government schools spread and not ‘sell’ education,” they said. “While the private education institutes can clamour for quality education by producing better academic results, the primary motive of government schools is to spread literacy among children, especially those belonging to the poorer sections of society,” they added.

Warraich and Bains, while ridiculing the government's policy of setting up Adarsh Schools, stressed that the priority of the government should be to evolve conducive policies for converting all the existing schools into Adarsh Schools to ensure quality education. “They cannot justify the privatisation of education by the wrong perceptions that they have nursed about school teachers being insincere,” 
they added.

Intellectuals feel that the senior functionaries of the state government, educationists and representatives of the “Sarkari School Bachao, Sikhiya Bachao Manch” should shun the fault-finding approach and sit together to find ways to ascertain the causes of the deterioration of the education system as well as the remedial measures for its betterment.  

Chandigarh, January 1
The first day of the year was not a good day for the bus commuters of Mohali and other peripheral towns of Punjab. Commuters reaching the bus stand to catch buses were a harassed lot as most of them were clueless about the cancellation of the routes. 

“We have been waiting for the bus for one hour as we did not know about the cancellation of all the routes to the city. We came to know about the situation from the bus conductor. It is ridiculous on the part of authorities, which are responsible for creating problem for public”, lamented Mohinder Kaur, who reached the bus stand from Derabassi along with her daughter-in-law Charanjit Kaur and grandson.

They had to go Phase IIIB2 in Mohali. Taking advantage of the situation, auto-rickshaw drivers were allegedly charging extra from the hapless passengers.

Gurpal Singh of Khizrabad said that except CTU buses there was no mode of public transport to his area. “I have to go to my village but there is no other way except the auto-rickshaws, which are demanding much far more than the normal fare today,” he said. Yesterday the CTU had announced that the bus services to Punjab areas, including Khizrabad, Rajpura, Ropar, Khamano, Chunni, Rangeelpur and Bindrakh, had been curtailed because of raise of special road tax from 50 paise per km to Rs 5, covered by the bus in 
Punjab area.

Besides the local routes, many CTU routes to many parts of the state, including Ferozepore, Bathinda, Mansa, Abohar, Samana, Tanda, Thein Dam had also been withdrawn.  

Hoshiarpur, January 1
In a judgement that came as a relief to a consumer, the district consumer forum, headed by president P.D. Goel, quashed the demand of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) in which it had sought a payment of Rs 40,777 from Nirmal Singh of Bhatrana village. 

The consumer forum further directed the PSEB to pay Rs 1,000 as litigation expenses to the complainant within one month.

In his complaint, Nirmal Singh stated that his electric meter had been running fast for which he had lodged a complaint with the PSEB on August, 2006.

The authorities of the PSEB replaced the defective meter. Later, Nirmal was shocked to receive a notice for Rs 40,777 from the PSEB in which he was informed that the removed meter was showing a consumption of 11,000 units and the meter was also burnt.

Nirmal claimed that he was never summoned to the M E Lab for the purpose of testing the meter so the notice was illegal.

The authorities of the PSEB took the plea that the meter was removed in the presence of Nirmal Singh and the MCO was duly signed by the complainant/his representative. The meter was sent to the ME Lab and it was found burnt.

The district consumer forum held that the careful perusal of the memo issued by the PSEB makes it clear that the disputed amount of Rs 40,777 had been demanded from Nirmal Singh on the basis of the ME report which had not been placed on record.

The forum further held that the PSEB was guilty of violating its own commercial circulars which are mandatory to be followed. 

Chandigarh, January 1
A series of exhibitions have been planned this month by the Western Command at Ambala, Jalandhar and Jammu for the Army Day 2008 celebrations.

The first such “Know your Army” exhibition would offer an opportunity to the people to witness the latest technology and a wide range of military equipment like tanks, infantry combat vehicles, artillery guns, anti-aircraft guns, radars and engineering skills.

This show would possibly be the biggest Army display for the residents of Ambala, a defence release said here.

The theme of the exhibition is “Indian Army: Harbingers of peace and stability”. It will trace the saga of valour and sacrifice of the Indian Army over the decades and portray the technological advancement and military might of the world’s second largest Army over the years. It will also offer equestrian events, sky diving, band display, motorcycle display and hot air ballooning for the two-day show on January 5 and 6. — PTI

Hoshiarpur, January 1
At least six persons, equipped with swords and baseball bats, beat up Sham Murari Shori of Akash Nagar near a causeway on the Bahadurpur road on Monday night. They snatched Rs 20,000 and a mobile phone (9463072488) from him and fled.

According to police sources, Shori was returning to his house after attending a retirement party of his friend last night. When he reached near a causeway on the Bahadurpur road, six persons standing on the road attacked him with baseball bats due to which he fell on the road. After snatching valuables from him, the assailants escaped under the cover of darkness.

Sources further said before beating Shori, the assailants also beat up motorcyclist Parminder Singh of Bahadurpur and a scooterist who was yet to be identified when they were passing from the said causeway.

The police has registered an FIR under section 382 of the IPC in this connection.

In another incident, people caught two young women, identified as Kalpna and Samro, both of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, presently residing in jhuggis near Dasuya railway station while they were trying to escape after stealing Rs 3,100 from the purse of Gurmit Kaur of Lehal village, while the latter was purchasing cloth in a shop at Hariana town here on Monday evening. Later, they were handed over to the police which booked the duo under sections 379 and 411 of the IPC. 

Hoshiarpur, January 1
To curb drug abuse, the district health department, in collaboration with the District Red Cross Society and NGOs, will launch a campaign shortly. This was stated by deputy commissioner D.K. Tiwari here on Tuesday.

Tiwari said the youth, especially students, were increasingly indulging in intoxication and were spoiling their future. To make them aware of the ill-effects of addiction, awareness seminars would be organised in schools and colleges. A de-addiction centre would be set up at the local civil hospital for which a building would be constructed. The state government had provided Rs 20 lakh for this purpose. Other infrastructural facilities would be made available by the District Red Cross Society.

To control the supply of drugs and to nab the drug-peddlers, the police help would be sought.

The DC said to improve the sanitary conditions in rural and urban areas, a special campaign would be launched in the district with the help of NGOs.

All the municipal councils and nagar panachayats would be asked to instruct their safai karamcharis to collect litter from door to door in their respective areas. Proper arrangements would also be ensured to dump biodegradable, medical and plastic waste materials at proper places.

“Keeping in view the heavy rush of traffic in bazaars in Hoshiarpur town, some proper and suitable steps would be taken. Entry of heavy vehicles would not be allowed in the bazaars during busy hours. One-way traffic would be introduced in certain bazaars,” he added. 

Hoshiarpur, January 1
As many as 16 migrant labours, including women and children, were wounded when a Tata Tempo-107 (PB-07T-4113) they were traveling in overturned near Mahilpur on Tuesday.

According to police sources, all the injured were admitted to the civil hospital, Mahilpur, from where 13 were discharged after providing first-aid. Only three women (out of the total injured) are still under treatment in the hospital.

At least 42 migrant labourers were ferried by driver Ramji Singh of Sasoli in his Tata Tempo-107 from Chabbewal to Saila Khurd for harvesting peas there. On the way, Ramji failed to control the vehicle due to which it overturned.