J A L A N D H A R    E D I T I O N

PTU okays early reappear chance for students
Jalandhar, January 21
Punjab Technical University’s academic council today unanimously decided to give a special, early chance to the students of the last and the second-last semesters to re-appear in the supplementary examination on the pattern of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB).

Sukhbir’s Coronation
Power deficit state turns ‘powerful’
Jalandhar, January 21
Uninterrupted power supply during the day came as a pleasant surprise for the people of the region plagued by huge power cuts even during winters.

Brick-kiln workers gherao labour officer
Gurdaspur, January 21
Hundreds of activists of the Lal Jhanda Punjab Bhatta Labour Union gheraoed the office of the labour officer here this evening to lodge their protest against the authorities concerned for not implementing the agreement reached between the union and the Brick-kiln Owners Association.

SAFMA delegation in India for peace
Amritsar, January 21
A 22-member delegation of the South-Asia Free Media and South Asia Human Rights from Pakistan crossed over to India from the Attari-Wagah joint checkpost, near here, today.

Insurance company ordered to pay up
Hoshiarpur, January 21
Providing relief to Randhir Singh of the local Pur Hiran, the district consumers forum, headed by its president P.D. Goel, has ordered the local branch of ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company to pay Rs 38,925 with interest at the rate of 9 per cent from the date of complaint till payment along with litigation expenses of Rs 1,000 to him within one month.

Route of Sukhbir’s cavalcade changed
Amritsar, January 21
The agitating temporary class IV staff of the municipal corporation were confined to the four walls of Town Hall, having the headquarters of the corporation, by big police force in view of the visit of the newly sworn-in Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal, to pay his obeisance at the Golden Temple.

NRI arrested in wife’s murder case
Amritsar, January 21
The district police succeeded to nab John Gomes, an NRI who had killed his wife Neha, besides critically injuring his brother-in-law Ashu, here last evening.

• Staff protest against DEO
• 3 booked for assault, snatching

PTU okays early reappear chance for students
Deepkamal Kaur
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 21
Punjab Technical University’s academic council today unanimously decided to give a special, early chance to the students of the last and the second-last semesters to re-appear in the supplementary examination on the pattern of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB).

The council, which met on the university’s new campus on Kapurthala Road today, approved the decision, keeping in mind the interests of the students flunking the last two semesters, who otherwise have to wait for six months or a year to get a re-appear chance to qualify for the entrance to another course.

The members, including vice-chancellor Dr Rajneesh Arora, deans and principals of nearly 142 affiliated colleges, passed another amendment to conduct the supplementary examination of the odd semester in the odd one and the even semester in the even one, thus reducing the total number of chances to half.

The members authorised the VC to constitute a committee for the same and present the report to the board of governors (BOG) for amendments to the rules.

The council agreed to conduct online counselling from the next session with the assistance of the NIC. The VC said nodal centres would be set up in a few college campuses which would have a provision for a lease line connection with the PTU main campus, making it possible to have live updates on admission.

Regarding the fee structure, the VC told the principals that it was not possible for the university to enhance the fee.

“Only the Majithia committee set up by the Supreme Court has the right to take the decision. All professional colleges can forward their comprehensive representations to the committee in this regard,” he said.

The members also insisted that some kind of checks be made on further growth of professional colleges. They also called for keeping a restrain on extending the last date of admission. They also demanded an extensive panel on the board of studies with emphasis on improving the relevance of management courses and taking into account more job options in banking and insurance sectors.

Sukhbir’s Coronation
Power deficit state turns ‘powerful’
Amarjit Thind
Tribune News Service

Brick-kiln workers gherao labour officer
Chander Parkash/TNS

Gurdaspur, January 21
Hundreds of activists of the Lal Jhanda Punjab Bhatta Labour Union gheraoed the office of the labour officer here this evening to lodge their protest against the authorities concerned for not implementing the agreement reached between the union and the Brick-kiln Owners Association.

Though they lifted the gherao after the labour officer assured them that their agreed demands would be implemented tomorrow, union general secretary Shiv Kumar said the union had threatened the district administration that if their demands were not met by 4 pm tomorrow, they would show black flags and black envelops to the Chief Minister and wear black headgears on January 23 when he would visit Batala, Gurdaspur and Pathankot areas of the district.

Shiv Kumar alleged that the authorities concerned had been playing into the hands of the Brick-kiln Owners Association as they had been failing to implement the agreement which the union and the association reached on April 21, 2008, in the presence of the labour officer.

He added that due to the non-implementation of the agreement, the labourers working at brick-kilns in different sections were being paid less wages than the wages which had been fixed by the Punjab government in September, 2008.

He said first union activists held a rally in Nehru Park here today and then went to the district administrative complex to lodge their protest. After that they went to the office of the labour officer and gheraoed it.

He said the gherao was lifted when the labour officer assured them that their exploitation by the Brick-kiln Owners Association would not be allowed to continue and new wages would be implemented by tomorrow.

SAFMA delegation in India for peace
Tribune News Service

Insurance company ordered to pay up

Hoshiarpur, January 21
Providing relief to Randhir Singh of the local Pur Hiran, the district consumers forum, headed by its president P.D. Goel, has ordered the local branch of ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company to pay Rs 38,925 with interest at the rate of 9 per cent from the date of complaint till payment along with litigation expenses of Rs 1,000 to him within one month.

Randhir Singh stated before the consumer forum that the insurance company had repudiated the repair claim of his insured Tata Indica car (PB-07R-4155), which had met with an accident, on the ground that the car was being used for commercial purpose.

The forum held that the insurance company had failed to prove that the vehicle was being used as taxi with the result that the complaint of Randhir Singh was accepted. — OC

Route of Sukhbir’s cavalcade changed
Our Correspondent

Amritsar, January 21
The agitating temporary class IV staff of the municipal corporation were confined to the four walls of Town Hall, having the headquarters of the corporation, by big police force in view of the visit of the newly sworn-in Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal, to pay his obeisance at the Golden Temple.

The police had to change the route of the official cavalcade of Sukhbir Singh Badal and had to take another route, which has been dug up due to construction of elevated road bridge near Shera Wala Gate. The ad-hoc employees were agitating seeking permanent status as they had been employed on temporary basis for the past several years.

NRI arrested in wife’s murder case

Amritsar, January 21
The district police succeeded to nab John Gomes, an NRI who had killed his wife Neha, besides critically injuring his brother-in-law Ashu, here last evening.

Immediately after the registration of the case, the police swung into action and police parties were dispatched to the railway station, the bus stand, etc.

Besides, a lookout circular about the accused was also sent to different airports in the country. Acting on a tip-off, the police party from Majitha Road arrested the accused while he was trying to flee from Amritsar. He was caught in the Batala Road area.

John Gomes had some dispute with his wife Neha about two days ago over some property issue after which Neha left his house and came to her parents’ residence. Yesterday, Gomes reached the house in an inebriated position and killed Neha and injured Ashu. — TNS

Staff protest against DEO

Nawanshahr, January 21
Activists of the Government Teachers Union, SC/BC Non-Gazetted Welfare Employees Federation and Science Teachers Association jointly organised a dharna in front of the office of the district education officer here on Wednesday to protest against the alleged corruption in the DEO office. Union leaders, Prem Rakker, Dinesh Kumar, Iqbal Singh, Ram Krishan, Jaspal Singh Nagra, Baldev Singh, Amrik Singh Kahlon, among others, termed the office of the district education officer as a “den of corruption” and said if the DEO did not mend the corrupt practices in the office, the stir would be intensified and the issue brought to the notice of the higher authorities. — OC

3 booked for assault, snatching

Hoshiarpur, January 21
Three persons, Sukhi of Baga, Shama of Khurdhan and Jassi of the local Gokal Nagar, allegedly assaulted Vikram Sharma with sharp-edged weapons and snatched Rs 5,500 and a gold chain from him on pistol point near Roshan Ground last evening.

The Model Town police has booked the three under sections 394, 307, 506, 148, 149, 323 and 324 of the IPC. — OC