Jalandhar, May 15
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal expressed confidence that the people had voted the NDA back to power.

Addressing a rally at Nurmahal in favour of SAD candidate Rajwinder Kaur Bhullar, he said although the exit polls have predicted a hung Parliament, going by the estimates of these polls, the SAD would be instrumental in the formation of the NDA government.

The byelection had been necessitated following the death of SAD legislator Gurdeep Singh Bhullar some time back.

He said he would be rushing to Delhi in a day or two to take part in the hectic parleys between their alliance partners and other parties to work out the permutations and computations of forming the next government.

Commenting on the suggestion of cinestar Shatrughan Sinha on the formation of a Congress-BJP government, he said this could be the personal view of the former and he did not wish to comment on it.

However, he added that he was confident that the NDA would be able to make it on its own with his party playing a major role.

Reacting to queries on the electoral outcome in Punjab, he asserted that the ruling alliance would emerge victorious.

In answer to a question of the alliance just bagging two or three seats in the light of the exit polls, he said they were wrong and this had been proved in the past also. On many occasions, pollsters had predicted something else and the result was diametrically opposite, he added.

When asked whether the Congress had done the right thing in asking for votes in the name of the Sikh Prime Minister, he said it was not a right thing to do by a party that claimed to be secular.

On the comments of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the Ludhiana rally on the inter-linking of rivers, he said he would go ahead only if such a scheme was undertaken in accordance with the universally accepted riparian law.

Badal ridiculed the claims of former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh that the Akali government would fall after the results were out. “I do not even want to react to such a hilarious statement, especially when the person is not even the leader of the opposition,” he said.

Jalandhar, May 15
The pass percentage in mathematics of class VIII examination of the Punjab School Education Board in the district has dropped by 13 per cent. Last year it was 68.24 per cent, whereas this year it has come down to 55.93 per cent.

Eight government schools in the district have registered 100 per cent failure in the examination.

This, in turn, has posed a question mark over the performance of teachers and students as well as the education system which claims of an improved academic standard in the schools. The dismal results of the schools could be gauged from the fact that not even a single government school had brought 100 per cent pass results. Only the public schools under the board had registered 100 per cent results.

The schools, which had registered 100 per cent failure, include Government Middle School, Bulle, Government Middle School, Ladhran, Government Elementary School, Bashersherpur, Government High School, Jagral, Mundi Kasu, Public Senior Secondary School, Shahkot, SNS Doaba Khalsa Public School, Dhina, and Government Middle School, Butra. Out of these, the school at Mundi Kasu village registered 100 per cent failure last year as well.

A majority of the schools in the district have only four to five pass students, while the rest had failed in mathematics. However, as per the policy of the Education Department, all those schools that have a pass percentage below 20 per cent would be charge-sheeted.

Even last year also 63 schools were charge-sheeted for bringing dismal results in the class VIII examination.

When contacted, DEO (Secondary) Joginder Dass said the teachers concerned would be issued show-cause notices for a poor show. “The teachers will be made to assign reasons for poor result and explain as to why no action should be taken against them for a dismal results,” he maintained.

Phagwara, May 15
Activists of the local unit of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) once again created ruckus and assaulted two Congress workers in the Phagwara market here today.

A group of the BJYM activists armed with sticks, batons, baseball bats and other weapons reached a shop of electronic goods owned by Surinder Singh and Mani, residents of Khalwara Gate in Phagwara, and assaulted them, besides ransacking their establishment.

Eyewitnesses revealed that the BJYM activists had scuffled with them on May 13 also, the election day, over some issue. The duo had complained to the SSP of Kapurthala against the activists on the same day.

The incident occurred this evening when Surinder Singh and Mani returned to the town after meeting the SSP, seeking action against the assailants. The BJYM activists got the news and attacked Surinder Singh and Mani when they were back in their shop.

Up in arms against the hooliganism by the BJYM activists and police inaction, scores of shopkeepers and locals staged a dharna in front of the police station and demanded arrest of the assailants.

The protesters called off the dharna only after the SSP Ram Singh assured action against the assailants by tomorrow.

Hoshiarpur, May 15
With the financial assistance of philanthropists and local NGO Shri Ram Charit Manas Parchar Mandal, Naresh Kumari, widow of Varinder Singh of Numbu Mohalla, Hariana town, has successfully got conducted the cardiac surgery of her four-year-old son Ehsas at BBC Heart Care, Jalandhar.

She along with Ehsas visited the office of the Shri Ram Charit Manas Parchar Mandal here today to express her gratitude for the help rendered by it. The Tribune had carried a report on her plight on April 17 on account of which some donors from Jalandhar, Amritsar and Hoshiarpur provided her a sizable financial help for getting conducted the cardiac surgery of her son.

It may be recalled that cardiologist Anwar Khan during a medical check-up camp organised by the NGO on the eve of Ramnaumi had found Ehsas suffering from congenital acyanotic heart disease, perimembranous ventricular septal defect and pulmonary stenosis. He had suggested cardiac surgery of the boy to save his life.

Naresh Kumari, who is a diabetic and has two more children studying in classes VIII and III, is also supporting her old mother. She is earning her livelihood by doing menial work in various houses around her locality. It was very difficult for her to arrange Rs 1.50 lakh for the cardiac surgery.

Amritsar, May 15
The building committee of the historical Khalsa College today claimed that the demolished part of the chemistry department was constructed after the setting up of the department and was not a part of the original structure.

The president of the committee Nirmal Singh said even the chemistry department was not a part of the original structure and was constructed later, after the expansion of the college.

He said the committee gave the approval to demolish a part of the chemistry department after thoroughly checking the history. He said the committee always took into consideration not to change the original structure and if any new building was added they took every care to give it original shape.

He said the girders of the 21’x18’ room were so heavy and it was difficult to remove them. So they decided to cover them by beams to lay the lintel of the new computer block.

It is pertinent to mention here that the heritage lovers of the city had expressed their shock over the demolition of a portion of the Chemistry department of the historic Khalsa College building for the construction of the computer block.

Balvinder Singh, a professor of the Guru Ramdass Institute of Planning, Guru Nanak Dev University had condemned the alleged vandalisation of one of the most beautiful and historic marvels of the holy city.

However, Dr Daljit Singh, principal of the college had said the demolished portion was the storeroom for keeping the gas plant meant for the chemistry lab. He said they had shifted to LPG keeping in view the safety of the historical building.

Nirmal Singh said such artisans were difficult to find and if there were any, they were charging exorbitant rates for the same work. He said they had also constructed the gates of the extension of the college in Ranjit Avenue to give it an identical shape but had to abort the idea after the construction of the gate due to economic unfeasibility.