Jalandhar, March 31
The recent hike in the monthly fees of the students by some private schools in the city has drawn flak from the parents. The sudden increase in the fees structure has not only made the school education expensive but dwindled the monthly budget of common man as well.

A random survey of these schools by The Tribune team revealed that there is a significant increase in the fees structure of these schools.

Parents maintained that in these conditions they are left with no option but to change the school of their child as the expenses have increased beyond their limit.

Swami Sant Dass Public School situated in J.P. Nagar has increased the monthly fees of the students from Rs 700 to Rs 1,000. This fee structure varies for every class. Even the admission fee has also witnessed an increase of Rs 300 as compared to last year.

“Last year the admission fee was Rs 2,200 whereas this time it has been increased to Rs 2,500,” maintained a parent.

Owing to fee hike the parents especially met the school authorities in this regard. The school management will disclose their decision pertaining to revision in the fee structure on April 1.

The president of the school, Swami Shanta Nand, said, “The fee has been increased very reasonably. There is a hike of 30 to 37 per cent in the fee structure. The fee hike has been done keeping in mind the Sixth Pay Commission by the government, however, we will reconsider it again.”

Parents maintained that when they confronted the steep hike in the fees the school authorities asked us to get our children admitted in some other schools. “We are being fleeced in the name of education. The school authorities force us to buy things from the school tuck shop. Right from a school badge to uniform we are asked to purchase buy things from the school itself”, said Rashmi Bhatia whose child is studying in the same school.

Similarly Dhilwan International Public School (DIPS) recently closed its junior wing G.B. Public School, Karol Bagh, and left the parents in lurch. The students from G.B School were shifted to DIPS and told to pay fees as per the norms of DIPS. Earlier they were studying at low fees in G.B. School.

As per the DIPS fees structure the parents have been asked to pay a monthly fees of Rs 900 whereas it was Rs 500 in G.B. School. Even the computer fee has also been increased from Rs 150 to Rs 200. “We cannot afford this new fees structure as this is beyond our limits”, said Manjeet Singh a parent.

However, school principal Sarvesh Deol simply refuted any hike in the school fee.

Even the local Police DAV School is also not behind. The school has increased the monthly fees from Rs 545 to Rs 875. This also includes increase in the computer fee from Rs 50 to Rs 70. “The admission fees have also been increased from Rs 4,500 to Rs 6,300. Apart from this the school authorities keep on charging certain fines every now and then”, maintained a parent.

Principal Rashmi Vij said, “No doubt the fees have been increased but this has been done owing to the implementation of Sixth Pay Commission.”

However, the parents from the elite section of the society were seemingly not much affected. One of the parents who recently got his child admitted in LKG gave an exorbitant amount of Rs 32,000 and said, “No doubt the fees is quite high as compared to many others schools in the city but the facilities being provided by them are at par with any other best school in the country,” he added.

Jalandhar, March 31
Up in arms against the alleged negligence of the owners of a tannery, where two migrant labourers had died on Sunday night, scores of labourers working in different industrial units in the city and surrounding areas today held a massive protest demanding compensation for the family members of the deceased.

The protesters blocked a road leading to the Leather Complex by putting the bodies in the centre of the road for almost four hours. They also raised anti-government slogans and demanded a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to next of kin of each deceased.

The protesters, majority of them from Bihar, were also joined by members of the Mahila Morcha Cell of the SAD and certain other self-styled leaders. To pacify the agitators, the SHO, Maqsudan, Harjinder Singhm and in charge of the Basti Baba Khel police post reached the spot with police forces.

The mob could be pacified after a compromise between the tannery owners and family members of a deceased, Sohan Lal.

Two Bihari migrant labourers - Sohan Kumar and Vijay Kumar - had lost their lives after inhaling a poisonous gas, containing chemical fumes, from a container inside ABC Tannery, located in Leather Complex, on Sunday night. The third victim, Ram Dhani, who is still struggling for life in a private hospital.

Jalandhar, March 31
If you suspect that employees at a petrol station are duping you by putting less oil in your car tank than what they have been displaying on their meter, you can check that up by installing your own fuel metering system in the car.

A B.Tech final-semester student of the electronics and communication engineering department of the DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology, Varinder Babbar, has come out with a low-budget innovation, which he displayed during the two-day technical exhibition that concluded today. The exhibition was a part of “Electro-Qaida”, a technical festival organised by the Consortium of Electrical and Electronics Engineers on the campus.

Demonstrating its working, the student fixed a circuit by way of which the float fitted in the oil tank of a car helped take the digitalised reading of the volume of petrol in the car on a small screen. Pressing another button one could know the percentage of tank filled. Another button helped read the number of miles one could travel using the petrol in the oil tank. The student even showed that it could sound an alert on the screen when only a reserve amount of 10 litres was left in the tank.

For checking whether the exact amount of petrol is being filled in the car, Babbar suggested, “As soon you take your car to a filling station, take down the reading of the petrol using the device.

After a petrol pump employee fills up the petrol take the reading again. Find the difference. It should be the same as displayed on the filling station meter. In case it differs, you have caught them and can prove them wrong.”

The student put up yet another exhibit in which he displayed a unique application of wireless transmission of various commands such as switching on electrical appliances in a huge compound, displaying messages on LCD screens and running a stepper motor through a PC.

Babbar had installed a circuit placing his PC at some distance from a wireless transmitter and used a serial port for data transfer. With a few clicks of his mouse, he demonstrated how a manager could control the entire premises of his bank, including opening and closing lockers, changing display of rates of foreign currency on an LCD and switching on various electronic devices.

Dr Manoj Kumar, head of the department, said he had told his undergraduate students that since they could not develop a new technology at this stage, they should concentrate on finding out newer user-friendly applications of the existing technologies.

Jalandhar, March 31
“Youth holds the key to development and the future of the nation lies with them,” these thoughts were expressed by Baba Bhagat Singh Bilga, the only surviving revolutionary Ghadarite from the Ghadar Party, who would turn 102 on April 1.

Even to this day, his message to the people and politicians in particular is to relive the dreams of the great freedom fighters who laid down their lives for the sake of the nation.

And at a time when the nation goes to vote, Baba Bilga made an appeal to the masses, “Vote for development, solidarity and secularism of the nation.”

Talking to The Tribune over the phone from Birmingham, England, Baba Bilga said, “Governments came and went but the issues of the development of society still lie unaddressed. The picture of India is not the same as conceived by the freedom fighters.”

“Mulk di halat bigad gayi hai. Mehangayi te bekari ne aam admi di kamar tod diti hai”, he said, expressing his concern for the welfare of the common man. “Government policies are also biased. They are drafted for the elite and the middle class and the poor people are bearing the brunt,” he said.

A great admirer of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, he added, “Oh di soch hi nirali si”. He lamented the humanistic degeneration of Indians worldwide. “Politicians remember Bhagat Singh on his martyrdom day and in turn are overlooking his ideals which hold true even today,” said Baba Bilga.

Born on April 1, 1907, in Doaba’s Bilga village (which abounds with freedom fighters) in the household of Nambardar Hira Singh Sanghera and Mata Malan, he was a born freedom fighter.

The contribution of Baba Bilga in the freedom struggle is enormous. But the man with visionary thoughts owes his spirit for the nation to great Ghadarites who changed the course of time.

And in India as president of Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall Trust, Jalandhar, he has been celebrating the annual Ghadari Mela since 1992 with his fellow comrades. Baba Bilga would be coming to India in September to participate in the Ghadari Mela.

Jalandhar, March 31
Following resentment shown by Olympians, residents of Sansarpur village have also expressed their discontent with political parties for ignoring hockey stars while distributing the party ticket for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Different political parties fielded five cricketers and a shooter but none of the national or regional parties thought it wise to field a hockey player as its candidate. Five cricketers - Madan Lal (Congress candidate from Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh), Chetan Sharma (BSP, Faridabad in Haryana), Navjot Sidhu (BJP, Amritsar), Kirti Azad (BJP, Darbhanga in Bihar) and Mohammad Azharuddin (Congress, Muradabad in UP) - would be trying their luck in the elections.

Besides, shooter Jaspal Rana, brother-in-law of BJP chief Rajnath Singh’s son, is also in the fray from Tehri in Uttarakhand.

Former sarpanch of Sansarpur Gurdial Singh told The Tribune that all this showed how our national game was being given step-motherly treatment.

Had the political parties treated hockey players on equal terms with cricketers, more youngsters would have been attracted towards this national game, he added.

Sansarpur village is known as a nursery of hockey players as it has produced as many as 14 Olympians and a number of international players. While nine hockey players who, hail from Sansarpur, represented India in Olympics, four represented Kenya and one played from Canada in Olympics.

All of them are from the Kular clan.

Meanwhile, Sadhu Singh, who runs a grocery shop in the village, said it showed how the political parties adopted partisan attitude towards hockey players who brought laurels to the country by winning eight gold medals in Olympics in 1928, 1932, 1936, 1948, 1952, 1956, 1964 and 1980.

Sports Authority of India (SAI) coach Mohan Singh, who has been training as many as 50 children of Sansarpur in hockey, expressed his anguish with the politicians for ignoring hockey stars.

Jalandhar, March 31
Jalandhar has always had a love-hate relationship with theatre. From the rustic, usually socialist theatre, staged amidst communist cackle at Desh Bhagat Yaadgar Hall, to the occasional solo productions by local troupes and the rare “nukkad nataks”, city theatre has always found a way to bounce back whenever we thought it was slipping out of hands.

This time it did bounce back, and bigtme, in the triple treat which was reserved for theatre aficionados at KL Saigal Memorial Hall on World Theatre Day (March 27).

It was bigger and better. The sound system was crystal clear, the actors were well prepared and there was variety in the presentations.

Three plays were staged. The first being Dr. Jagdish Garg’s “Jadon Main Sirf Aurat Hundi Han”, the second was Kirti Kirpal’s “Mitti Di Kahani” and the last was Gurvinder’s “Taqmeel”.

Set in the Partition era, Dr Garg’s play talked about a Hindu woman stranded in the house of a Muslim family in Pakistan along with her family. The husband, when driven to make a choice between his wife and sister, chooses to save the sister and leave the wife to the mercy of the revenge thirsty Muslims. The stung woman answers by rejecting the husband’s authority and decides to live life on her own terms.

Next came “Mitti Di Kahani”, a take on the lives of the people who leave their country for the foreign shores hoping for a bright future, only to be rendered nameless and confused in an alien land even as their families leave them to battle the sorrows alone.

The first two plays were cliched but fair entertainment, the kind that we were expecting, but the third was a complete shocker and a pleasant one at that.

“Taqmeel” was the story of a woman who is deserted by her lover to grapple with the misery of a failed relationship and the burden of bearing his child.

Once a mother, reeling under the pressure of an unchangeable, myopic society, she finally decides on abandoning her baby with the news going on to hit the headlines next day.

A seemingly familiar story, what was refreshingly hard hitting about the play was it’s innovative treatment and presentation.

Director Gurvinder himself played the male and female lead. The poetic symbolism of the dialogues (read “mera gosht mere ishare samajhta hai” or “jab seep ka munh khulega to moti phisak kar chaurahe par aa girega) worked wonders to render it a grace, the absence of which would have absolutely ruined it, give the explicit content and sensitive subject.

Gurvinder was manly and assertive as the male lead and endearing and womanly as the female lead doing complete justice to the diction as he mouthed dialogues with delicate grace.

First staged at Kurukshetra, the play was a brave attempt given the fact that lead actor almost had to be a woman during half the duration of the play.

The innovative sets (by Amit) amd music by Dr Geeta Dutt added up to the magic of “Taqleem”.

The only problem was the weak supporting cast and the abrupt climax, of course, negligible factors given the entire experience.

The other highlights of the event were a Bhand style stand up act by Chamkaur Singh Nagra and Ravinder Kumar who gave the audience a peek into the cultural roots of comedy in the state.

Reknowned artiste Balwinder Vicky (popular as Chacha Raunki Ram) and Ravinder Pal Sharma were felicitated on the occasion. Vicky's comic takes on politics and the menace of drug addiction were smart and entertaining.

Jalandhar, March 31
At a late night party of hostellers held to celebrate “Hostel night”, the young brigade was seen humming the evergreen and close to the heart song “Purani jeans aur guitar, mohalle ki vo chhat aur mere yaar”. Especially the final-year hostel students were moist-eyed sharing the nostalgic hostel days.

Well what makes hostel life exceptional? The answers might be many but hostellers have one thing in common we learn adjustments. Right from room sharing to routine mess food, they have kitty of experiences to share. The Tribune spoke to some final-year hostellers who are about to leave their home away from home within some days.

For Harkirat Kaur, a student of LLB (Hons)-V year of Guru Nanak Dev University Regional Campus, Ladhewali, life in a university hostel was virtually fun. “I was crying on day of joining the hostel and I am crying in the name of leaving as well,” she maintained.

The aspiring lawyer from Ludhiana spent five years in the hostel. “The mere thought of leaving the hostel makes me feel sad. My initial three years passed with mix feelings and certain mundane problems but the last two years were simply awful,” she added.

A majority of the hostellers maintained that late night discussions with roommates were something which they will miss badly later on. “Remaining awake till late night and then finding out eatables from every roommate was fun. We learnt food sharing as well. After spending significant years in the hostel I am confident of never facing any adjustment problems in my life,” giggled Harkirat.

Though every moment spent in the hostel was special, birthday bashes are worth a mention. Navdeep Kaur, a student of MCA, said, “Surprising a roommate with a cake at 00:00 hours was simply amazing. We use to contribute money for a yummy cake and enjoy the treat. Above all despite certain mundane problems our stay in the hostel has given us fond memories forever.”

Infact students always look forward to colorful moments in their life and they add zest in their own way. Geetika, another MCA student from the university, shared her plan, “Me and my friends had decided to vacate the hostel the same day. We have specially asked our parents to come together on this day and be part of our farewell. We want to make this moment as beautiful as it can be. The reverse counting has already begun and we feel virtually shaken on the very thought of leaving the hostel. Hostel was our second home.”

Jalandhar, March 31
Up in arms against the Central government, scores of members of the Joint Platform of Mass Organisations (JPMO), comprising more than two dozen organisations, held a mass awareness rally in PUDA ground along Garha Road here.

The protesters lambasted the Central and state governments for their pro-rich policies, besides their callous attitude towards the burning problems of the working people. The organisation pledged to continue its mass struggle to fight against the anti-people policies of the governments.

More than 40,000 people from all over the state reached the venue and took part in the rally led by leaders, including Kulwant Singh Sandhu, Darshan Nahar, Natha Singh, Sucha Singh Khatra, Ramesh Dogra and Jaswinder Singh Dhesi.

Addressing the rally, Mangat Ram Pasla, president of the Centre of Trade Unions, Punjab, declared that the organisation would build a massive resistance against the policies of imperialist globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation which were directly responsible for the deterioration of the living conditions of the working class. He added the policies had been depriving them of the basic civic amenities such as potable water, primary education and health services.

The protesters also demanded immediate settlement of the problems of residents of the border and Kandi areas. They also urged to stop the alterations being made in the original structure of Jallianwala Bagh.

Jalandhar, March 31
The police is still clueless over the suspects who allegedly were selling the dal-atta foodgrain on the black market at Lohina. The suspects are still absconding.

The one suspect, a clerk in Punsup, Yogesh Ravi, was today produced in a court which remanded him in judicial custody.

Talking to The Tribune, DSP Navjot Singh said traps had been laid to nab the main suspects, Pawan Kumar, alias Pappu, and Surinder Kumar, in the case. Raids were conducted at various places on the disclosure of Yogesh Ravi and Swaroop Lal, he added.

The special branch of the police had unearthed a racket of black marketing of foodgrain by a Lohian-based firm run by two commission agents allegedly in connivance with employees of Punsup on Monday evening.

The police has recovered 553 bags weighing 277 quintals of wheat stored by the commission agent in the godown.

Meanwhile, the Pendu Mazdoor Union lodged a protest against the arrest of a driver, Swaroop Lal. Union chief Tarsem Peter said Swaroop Lal was doing his duty as directed by his employer.

Jalandhar, March 31
The police will initiate the process of attaching the property of a couple who were declared proclaimed offenders (POs) by a city court earlier this month. The court of Judicial Magistrate Jaspinder Singh declared on March 3 Tanwinder Kaur and her husband Sukhpal Singh of Doordarshan Enclave under Wadala Chowk police station proclaimed offenders in a criminal case.

The FIR was registered against the couple and some other persons under sections 406, 420 and 120-B of the IPC at Maqsoodan police station on September 6 last year.

When hearing in the case was started, the couple failed to appear in the court. Subsequently, they were declared POs.

Meanwhile, when contacted, SHO Harjinder Pal Singh said they had already been trying to nab the accused couple. At the same time, he said the process of attaching their immovable property would be initiated.

According to the FIR, the couple and some other accused had allegedly committed fraud on Jeet Ram of Nussi village by selling him a 15-marla plot in Guru Nanak Nagar at Suranussi on the GT Road falling under Maqsoodan police station, whereas the actual owner of the plot was someone else.

The complainant, Jeet Ram, told The Tribune when he along with labourers went there to construct a boundary wall after registration of its sale deed, some persons reached there and claimed that one of them was the actual owner. At this, they reported the matter to the police and subsequently the FIR was registered.