Phagwara, February 17
The Northern Railway (NR) will soon introduce e-ticketing through ATM kiosks at all major railway stations to facilitate the passengers. Railway sources said here today that the NR would set up 305 ATMs at different major railway stations and the facility would be available free-of-cost to passengers.

The Railways will provide the space for banks to set up ATMs at stations. These ATMs will have internet ticketing kiosks which will enable users to generate e-tickets.

The sources said the Railway board had selected seven nationalised banks for the installation of ATMs with the e-ticketing facility for reserved, unreserved and platform tickets. “The banks will tie-up with the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC), which will give permission to these banks for installing the ATMs depending on requirements,” the sources added. The sources said this facility would be of great help to passengers as they would be able to get their tickets by using debit or credit cards and by following simple instructions at the ATM kiosks.

Meanwhile, the Railways has already started a number of similar facilities for the convenience of passengers but they might take time to get popular. “People, who are not that technology savvy, want to continue with the old system. But it will pick up with time,” they said.

On the other hand, when asked about increasing rail accidents on unmanned level crossings, they said the Railways was working to convert these into manned crossings in a phased manner, but the financial crisis was the major stumbling block. — UNI 

Amritsar, February 17
The local police and BJP MLA Anil Joshi have locked horns once again as the latter has criticised the police authorities for harassing public by not registering their FIRs properly.

At a press conference here today, the MLA said he had been receiving complaints from two or three persons daily alleging that the police was harassing them by not registering FIRs in snatching and 
other cases.

The MLA spoke during the allotment of shops under the Galiara scheme in the new market near the Golden Temple. He said the law and order situation in the city was deteriorating and the police had failed to live up to the public expectations.

Interestingly, Joshi had created a piquant situation for the ruling alliance earlier too. He had staged a dharna in the busy commercial area of Lawrence Road against the local traffic police and managed to get sub-inspector Satpal Singh transferred. He also got his challan cancelled causing a major embarrassment to the SAD-BJP combine and the senior police officials.

Talking to mediapersons, Joshi said the police was urging the people not to lodge FIRs stating that they had lost the items to show a lower rate of crime. Requesting people to bring such cases to his notice, the MLA said the traffic was in disarray as the police had failed to control chaos on city roads.

Responding to the allegations, a senior police official said the city residents were in a better position to comment whether the crime rate had increased or decreased.

He said, according to our records, more than 100 extra FIRs had been registered during the past 15 days after launching the “lodge your own FIR scheme.” Now people were lodging their complaints themselves through different means, including e-mail. Besides, people could now also file FIRs through a proforma available at different police stations.

He said the police was getting a good response under the scheme and every care was being taken to ensure that no one was harassed.

On the traffic, the officer said a traffic management plan was launched on October 31 and was being implemented properly with the help of BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, MLAs and mayor 
Shwet Malik.

Kapurthala, February 17
Hundreds of teachers gathered here from different parts of the state under the banner of the Government School Sikhia Bachao Manch, Punjab, on Sunday. They decided not to gherao education minister Upinderjeet Kaur’s residence as per the programme as the latter fixed a meeting with their representatives on February 20 in Chandigarh.

State leaders of the teachers Sheetal Singh Chahal told The Tribune that the problems of the manch, a conglomerate of over a dozen teachers’ unions, would be brought to the notice of Dr Upinderjeet Kaur at the proposed meeting.

Earlier, the police had made elaborate security arrangements at different entry points of the town in view of the proposed demonstration of the teachers. A large number of protesting teachers were stopped at the entry points. However, later they were allowed to reach Shalamar Bagh. Subsequently, over 2,000 teachers organised a protest rally in favour of their demands. While the teachers were adamant on carrying out the protest march towards Dr Upinderjeet Kaur’s house, the police was in no mood to allow them to do so.The representatives of the district administration, including executive magistrate Gurpreet Singh and city DSP S.S. Chinna, played an important role in arranging a meeting between the protesting teachers and the education minister at her residence in Chandigarh on February 20 after contacting her on the phone.

Following this, the protesting teachers decided not to proceed towards her house and handed over a memorandum to a representative of the district administration.

Chahal said during their proposed meeting they would demand from Dr Upinderjeet Kaur that the Punjab government should give up the idea of opening “Adarsh” schools as it was nothing but privatisation of education.

The other demands to be put up by them included regularisation of all contractual teachers appointed during the Amarinder Singh-led Congress government, restoration of all government schools handed over to the zila parishad and the municipal council some time back to the education department and abolishing the contract system while making new appointments.

Kapurthala, February 17
A delegation of Punjab Congress will meet the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for getting economic package for Punjab.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Punjab Congress chief Rajinder Kaur Bhattal said the delegation would meet the PM within a week. The delegation would also call on union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar for a special package to the state farmers. Criticising the SAD-BJP combine in the state, Bhattal said Congress would observe black day on the first anniversary of the government on March 2 as it had ‘failed’ to protect the interests of the people. Block-level rallies would also be held against the state government between February 22 and March 1, she added.

Bhattal alleged that the public at large in the state was fed up with the `anti-people’ policies of the Badal government, This would become clear in the forthcoming parliament elections, claimed Bhattal

To a query, state Congress chief said she supports subsidies for various sectors, including agricultural. Speaking on the proposed February 26 rally by SAD-BJP in Delhi, she said, Badal government, on the contrary, should thank Centre for liberally releasing huge funds for the development of state. Congress MP Rana Gurjit Singh, MLAs Sukhpal Singh Khaira and Amarjit Singh Samra were also present in the press conference.

Amritsar, February 17
Women suffering from the HIV infection should go in for a caesarean operation instead of a normal delivery as it would lessen the risk of the baby getting infected from the diseased mother.

This revelation was made by distinguished geneticist and reproductive and cardiovascular problem expert from Brown University, USA, Prof Surendra Sharma, while talking to The Tribune on the sidelines of the fifth international symposium on genetic health and disease organised at Guru Nanak Dev University here on Sunday. The symposium is being organised by the department of human genetics and centre for genetic disorders of the university on the theme of “OMICS in the 21st century”.

He said a majority of the women abroad were undergoing caesarean operation but it was yet to be adopted in this part of the world. He said there was need to make people aware of the benefits of the caesarean operation to remove misapprehensions. He highlighted that pregnancy constituted a major challenge to the maternal pathways of the immune system, hormonal regulation and foetal-maternal exchanges. Answering queries, he said pregnant women should be kept stress free, besides avoiding smoking, alcohol and environmental pollution, as it could result in the birth of a baby with underdeveloped mind. — OC

Batala, February 17
A sangat darshan programme was held on the premises of the Ved Mandir, Thathiari Gate, here on Saturday.

Punjab chief parliamentary secretary Jagdish Sawhney presided over the function and disbursed 44 cheques worth Rs 15,000 each to the beneficiaries under the “shagun” scheme.As many as 62 beneficiaries were given cheques under different pension schemes. Under another scheme driving licences were given to 25 applicants after verifying their antecedents and driving capabilities on the spot. A sum of Rs 25 lakh was given to 50 panchayats and 25 cheques for Rs 12,500 each to the owners of kutcha houses. — OC