Amritsar, April 15
The ethics and morals that schools boast of were ruthlessly breached at a BDPO office today when teachers accompanied by students carelessly trampled the very objects which they are traditionally taught to uphold - books.

In what can be called a show of utter disregard to study material, teachers and students were seen trampling books meant for free distribution among students belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) in a room of the Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO), Verka, situated in the posh Rani Ka Bagh locality here.

The government earmarks crores of rupees in the scheme initiated under the Social Welfare Department in its bid to bring down the school dropout rate in these categories. The scheme is primarily aimed at assisting families unable to afford books.

According to information, the books are handed over to the BDPO by the Punjab School Education Board. The BDPO then informs teachers of the arrival of the books following which they come to collect the material.

Even so, this time around, it was a rather chaotic situation as not only teachers but students too trampled the books (meant for students of Classes VI to X of government schools falling in Verka block) scattered on the floor of the BDPO’s room, while handpicking them.

It is clear that mismanagement and lack of coordination marred the ambitious plan of distribution but whose negligence resulted in this sorry state of affairs is a question that yet remains unanswered, given the attitude of the authorities concerned which are busy passing the buck.

Teachers complained that the BDPO office did not provide any kind of assistance in the provision of books, adding that the material had not been stacked properly and not even a single person was deputed to oversee their distribution.

BDPO Prem Pal Singh, however, said his department was not supposed to provide any kind of staff during the distribution. His department could only provide room for stocking and maintenance of books brought from the local depot of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB), he added.

He alleged that teachers and students had scattered the books all over after taking out the books they needed.

When contacted, District Education Officer (Secondary) Neelam Bhagat said a letter of the Director-General of School Education, Chandigarh, was circulated among all government schools stressing to depute teachers and class IV staff and not students for fetching textbooks. Thus, revealing that it was indeed unlawful for the students to be present in the room during the process of distribution. She added that since the matter was brought to her notice, she would carry out an inquiry and would also evolve a way out to smoothly distribute the material.

Jalandhar, April 15
Candidates for the Lok Sabha polls will file their nominations from April 17 to 24 while the withdrawal date will be April 27 till 3 pm. Thereafter, the election symbols would be allotted on the same day.

Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Electoral Officer Ajit Siungh Pannu said the nominations could be filed after 11 am on April 17 and the process would continue till 3 pm on April 24.

The scrutiny of documents would be undertaken on April 25-26 and the date for withdrawal would be April 27.

He said as per the directions of the Union Election Commission, the nomination papers could be submitted to him in his courtroom on all working days, except Sunday. The forms could be submitted to him on Saturday too.

The candidates could come to him accompanied by no more than four persons and submit a maximum of four sets of papers. The candidates could only use three vehicles for the purpose that should be parked 100 metre from his office while the procession would have to wait at a place earmarked for the purpose by the police.

In the case of Independent candidates, 10 voters should sign the application form. More information could be obtained from his office or that of the ADC, he added.

The DEC said the election agents could be allowed then use of one vehicle per assembly constituency. The permission for plying such vehicles should be obtained from his office. All rickshaws being used for electioneering purposes too would be counted as vehicles, he pointed out.

He said the polling agents should be from that booth only and should not indulge in 
any activities to influence the voters inside or outside the booths.

Tarn Taran, April 15
The working of Community Health Centre, Sarhali, today came under scanner as a non-scalpel vasectomy (NSV) operation was allegedly conducted on an unmarried Dalit youth belonging to Khara village, 25 km from here.

Raju (35), who is under shock, alleged that he was being pressurised by the health authorities to give statements favourable to them. Dr Kamaljit Kaur, Civil Surgeon, when contacted said Raju in an attested affidavit submitted to the district authorities had said that he was married and had two kids. However, Dr Lakshman Das, Senior Medical Officer (SMO), said the inquiry conducted by the health centre after the issue was raised in the media revealed that Raju was unmarried.

Raju told this correspondent that he was lured by local health workers into undergoing NSV operation. He said the health workers said he would get money for having NSV as he belonged to a poor Dalit family. He said he was forced to sign an affidavit mentioning that he was married and had two kids.

Balwinder Kaur, an ASHA worker, and Amandeep Singh, a multiple-purpose worker (male) of the health centre were shown as witness in the affidavit, the copy of which is with The Tribune.

Dr Lakshman Das, said during the enquiry a major negligence on the part of the health authorities had been observed as the record of the health centre did not have any entry of any eligible “couple number” for Raju, which was necessary before conducting an NSV operation. The family of the victim, while demanding a high-level probe into all the operation conducted in the CHC, Sarhali, till now, said strict action should be taken against the person who had ruined his life.The PCMS Specialist Doctors Association, led by Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal, pointed out that enquiry should also be conducted on the role of SMO who failed to have proper check on the working of the centre.

Jalandhar, April 15
After the death of two MBA students of Lovely Professional University in a mishap during their private trip to Dharamsala on Monday, the university authorities today issued notices to all its students that they must inform their respective heads of the departments or hostel wardens before moving out on any trip.

The authorities feel that the step had been taken for the safety of the students. “We cannot curb their freedom to venture out. But we can at least tell them to be watchful. Just in case we come to know of some trouble with a student during his trip, we can inform his parents about the same and even give them phone numbers of fellows their ward had moved out with,” said Aman Mittal, one of the directors.

“It is mandatory for all 6,000 hostellers to mention the name of the station they are moving out to as they leave the premises. But we are also telling the day scholars to furnish similar information to their HoDs before leaving on any personal trip. Even as it is not compulsory for the day scholars to do that as they are at their own liberty once they move out of our gates, but the advice is meant for their welfare,” he stressed. Mittal added that in the recent incident, the four students had moved out without informing the university authorities. “It left everyone panicky as we were not aware as to where all had gone and how many of them were there in all. In such a case, we too find it difficult to help the tragedy-struck families,” he said.

He added the university was planning to put up a biometric attendance system at the hostel and the main gates so that they could ascertain the time of entry and exit of the students.

Meanwhile, the body of local student Karan Dua reached his house at Basti Guzan this evening. His cremation was held today.

Jalandhar, April 15
Three workers sustained serious burn injuries in a fire that broke out in a rubber manufacturing unit on the Jalandhar-Amritsar highway at Suchi village this afternoon. They are fighting for life in a hospital.

The unit is owned by the family of former Akali leader Swaroop Singh at Suchi village, near here.

Though, Sadar police station SHO Lakhwinder Singh and fire brigade officials claim that no one was injured in the fire that broke out because of a short circuit, sources confirmed that three migrant labourers, Suna Lal, Ram Kumar and Pappu, sustained serious burn injuries and are fighting for their lives in a private hospital here.

A doctor attending on them revealed that Suna Lal, Ram Kumar and Pappu reached the hospital with 50, 40 and 32 per cent burn injuries, respectively, at about 2.30 pm.

Hailing from Bihar, the three are said to have been rushed to the hospital without disclosing the facts to the police.

Noticing the smoke billowing out of the industrial unit, Speedways Rubber Company, labourers raised the alarm and subsequently the fire brigade and the owner, Preet Pal Singh, were called.

After receiving information, three fire engines reached the spot and controlled the blaze in over half an hour.

As the unit owners had not reported the matter to the police, no case was registered in this context.