Muktsar, February 9
Thousands of working as well as unemployed teachers are scheduled to throng Kapurthala, the constituency of Punjab education minister Upinderjit Kaur, on February 17 for a massive protest against the ongoing privatisation of school education and to raise their demands.

Ringing alarm bells in the backdrop of over 20,000 new teachers emerging every year from the BED colleges, DIET schools and other institutions in the absence of any recruitment for the last seven years, various teachers’ organisations have joined hands to press for their demands like recruitment drive to fill up around 40,000 vacant posts in the government schools across the state. 

After their successful district level protests yesterday, under the banner of Punjab Sarkari School Te Sikhia Bachao Manch, 13 different bodies of the teachers would gather at the state-level rally under the Manch at Kapurthala to sensitise the common masses about the degradation of school education system in the state, Democratic Teachers Front’s (DTF) Muktsar block chief Buta Singh said here.  

Renovation of schools lying in dilapidated conditions, instead of selling them to private parties in the form of Adarsh schools, revoking the suspension of teachers, who had been agitating against official seminars, granting of promotions, stopped since 1999 and regularisation of teachers appointed on contract system and withdrawal of “false case” against some teachers are amongst the main demands of the ‘Sarkari School Te Sikhia Bachao Manch.’

“Instead of resuming the recruitment drive of teachers, which was halted in 2001, the present government is also doing injustice and compromising with the future of the schoolchildren by appointing teachers on contract for a petty salary of Rs 5,000,” DTF Muktsar president Mohinder Singh Bariwala said.

He also pointed out that a large number of computer teachers have not got their salaries for the last six months.

There have also been reports of undue harassment of teachers during the raids and inspections, he said.

“Right to education is believed to be a fundamental right in our country, but the way schools and other educational institutions are now being sold to private hands is not only uncalled for, but also an injustice to children belonging to the poor families,” he said.

Bathinda, February 9
Though the weather gods have brought cheer on the faces of wheat farmers in the state because the chill at this time is considered good for the crop. But for the last few days, these farmers are also in a state of fix. 

Colour of the leaves of their wheat crop have turned pale. However, experts feel that this is nothing to worry about as this change is due to the extreme weather conditions and the colour of the wheat leaves would return to normal once there is an increase in the temperature.

The experts also said that this change in colour can be due to the deficiency of some micro nutrients in the soil, mainly of manganese, which is one of the essential plant nutrients. “Its deficiency has become a perpetual problem in coarse-textured soils of Punjab where rice-wheat rotation has been adopted for more than 10 years. The deficiency results from the leaching of manganese from the surface to the lower soil layers,” a wheat expert at the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) explained.

Speaking to TNS over the phone, Manjit Singh Kang, vice-chancellor, PAU, said, “Punjab has lost essential nutrients after the green revolution and the continuous production of rice and wheat has resulted in the loss of nutrients.”

Gurmit Singh Buttar, director, PAU Regional Research Station (PAURRS), Bathinda, said, “We have got some reports of the wheat leaves turning pale from various parts of this cotton belt. The deficiency of manganese appears as streaks of greyish yellow, grey, brown or pinkish buff/brown colour in the inter-veinal areas of the leaves of the wheat plants. In severely affected plants, similar symptoms can be seen on the young mature leaves also.”

Buttar advised the farmers to spray the wheat crop with 0.5 per cent solution of manganese sulphate (which can be prepared by dissolving 500 grams of manganese sulphate in 100 litres of water) on a weekly basis. “If they want to know anything else regarding their crop, they can contact PAURRS or call at farmers helpline 1551.”

Harnek Singh, a farmer in his mid 30s from village Gobindpura, some six kilometers from the city, who has sown 10 acres of wheat crop, rued, “I don’t know why the colour of the wheat leaves has turned pale. But I am worried that it might result in low production.”

Bathinda, February 9
Nearly eight ‘jhuggis’ situated behind the cardboard factory area in the Paras Ram Nagar here were reduced to ashes in a major fire that broke out on Saturday evening.

No casualty was reported but belongings kept inside all the dwellings were gutted, sources said, adding that most of the families in the slums belonged to a minority community.

Fire tenders took about two hours to control the flames. Volunteers of Red Cross Society, Sahara Jan Seva and Naujwan Welfare Society helped in the rescue operation. Ration and tents have been arranged for the affected families.

Sources said that a lady and a child sustained minor burn injuries and a woman fell unconscious due to smoke.

However, a person was found inconsolable as the money he had kept aside for his daughter’s marriage also persihed in the fire.

Secretary of the Red Cross, J.R. Goyal, said, “The society has issued Rs 8,000 and 40 blankets to the inhabitants of the jhuggis.”

People of the area also donated money and blankets for the victims. Maulvi Azhar Hussain of the Jama Masjid also reached the spot to express his sympathy to the affected families.

Ferozepur, February 9
“The women today should give up their orthodox beliefs and protest against the social injustice and evils prevailing in our society for a better tomorrow,” stated Laxmi Kanta Chawla, state health minister, while presiding over the annual prize distribution function of the DAV College for Women here today.

The chief guest presented medals and certificates to the students, who achieved top ranks in academics and co-curricular activities during the session 2007-08. Besides, the students who brought laurels to the college in different fields, were also honoured. The students presented a cultural programme on the occasion, which drew enthusiastic applause from the audience.

Sukhpal Singh, chief parliamentary secretary, Kamal Sharma, general secretary of the BJP (Punjab), R.S. Sharma, general secretary of the DAV College Managing Committee, New Delhi were among those present.

Later in the day, Chawla visited the local civil hospital, where she met “Asha” workers and handed over affiliation letters to them. She added that nearly 15,000 Asha workers would be recruited under the National Rural Health Mission. — OC

Barnala, February 9
To discuss the problems being faced by teachers, a district level meeting of teachers unions of Barnala was held here today.

At the meeting, the union demanded from the state government that checking of cases of teachers’ promotion be transferred to the local district education officer (DEO). The meeting was held under the presidentship of Avtar Singh Tallewal.

Jarnail Singh Channawal, district general secretary, said that in the meeting, a resolution was passed to ask the state government to transfer the cases of jobs on compassionate grounds to the district education office to expedite the process.

The union also demanded sanctioning of the post of district elementary and district secondary education officer at the earliest.

Roop Singh Dhaula was nominated as the patron of the District Teachers Union at the meeting.

Bathinda, February 9
The much-hyped Community Police Officer (CPO) scheme took another beating on Friday night as thieves allegedly broke shutter of a computer hardware showroom, situated at Amrik Singh road and stole goods worth lakhs.

As per the manager of the showroom, Rishi Dogra, the hawker of newspaper reported him in the early hours about the incident. He lodged the complaint to police in the morning at 9. The police deployed sniffer dog to investigate but could not make a breakthrough.

Expressing resentment over the CPO scheme, the adjoining shopkeepers said, “The watchman before this CPO scheme was taking Rs 20 but these CPOs take Rs 200 per showroom, even though such incidents has been rising.” 

Bathinda, February 9
It was a heart-warming scene at Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School (SGHPS) as the Students of class IX bid adieu to their seniors. The farewell ceremony started with shabad followed by songs and speeches.

A tribute was also paid to Mahant Jirath Singh for his endless contribution in the field of education. A one-minute silence was also observed to pay homage.

The outgoing students were also awarded the titles of Mr and Ms SGHPC, Mr and Ms Elegant and Brains, respectively.

The principal, Jaswinder Singh and the members of the managing committee presented gifts to the students and wished them good luck in their future endeavours.

Chairman SGHPS, Mahant Kahan Singh, secretary H.S. Sandhu and other eminent people associated with the school, graced the occasion with their presence. 

Barnala, February 9
The Bharatiya Kisan Union, Ekta (Ugrahan), today foiled a local bank’s attempt to auction the land belonging to a farmer’s family of Dhaula village, about 8 km from here. The bank was to conduct an auction following the non-payment of the loan taken against the land.

Ranjeet Kaur, wife of Jeet Singh, had taken a loan of Rs 3.14 lakh from the Punjab and Sindh Bank. Later, she took a house loan of Rs 1.80 lakh. But because of poor agricultural yield for a number of seasons, she could not repay these loans.

The bank, meanwhile, obtained orders from the local court to auction the land belonging to Ranjeet Kaur.

Today, when the development officer of the bank along with another staff reached the village to acquire the land, the BKU activists led by Roop Singh Channa opposed the move. Sensing the gravity of the situation, no bids were made for the auction.

As a result, the bank officials had to return empty-handed.

Mansa, February 9
The gate constructed in the memory of two Kuka martyrs, Baba Sham Singh and Baba Sada Singh, in their native village, Joga, has been awaiting inauguration for the last one year. They were blown to pieces at Malerkotla on January 18, 1872.

Gurdarshan Singh Joga, son of a freedom fighter and his wife Harminder Kaur Joga, had got the gate constructed. The gate was completed at a cost of about Rs 2.5 lakh.

The Punjab government is celebrating the 150th year of the Namdhari movement of the Kuka martyrs. But the gate which was constructed in their memory, is awaiting inauguration for the last one year.

Deputy commissioner Surjeet Singh Dhillon said the gate had been constructed by peopl on their own. So, it is not known who would inaugurate it, he added. — OC

Muktsar, February 9
With 96 per cent result, Mai Bhago Ayurvedic Medical College has come out on top, above 11 other such institutions under the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences.

“The result of our college is nearly 100 per cent with a number of distinctions in various subjects, best among the ayurvedic colleges of Punjab,” principal P.C. Kansal said.

A majority of students in this college came from as far as Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, UP and Rajasthan. Meenu, who topped the BAMS course of the college, won a cash prize of Rs 11,000, he added.