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School Buildings
PTU stops counselling on HC direction
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New Expressways
Farmers say no to expressway project
Once trade centre, village now encroachers’ paradise
Probe ordered into tree felling
PRTC launches super luxury bus service
Ex-CJI to settle rly overbridge dispute Punjab police recruitment board constituted
5 Dalit students caned, teacher sacked
State to open 87 Adarsh schools
Rs 50-cr central grant for Buddha
Nullah
Policeman booked for human trafficking
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School Buildings
Chandigarh, August 13 As many as 351 schools are being built in the state under a NABARD scheme at a cost of Rs 141crore. Three schools each are to be built in 117 constituencies. Majority of the schools have been constructed and expected to be functional from the next session. At a meeting on July 29 held to review the status of the project, Secretary, School Education, GS Grewal said the payment of Rs 2.80 crore made to the architect was very large for designing buildings and preparing project report. “The architect had been taken on the board of the project and payment of 2.5 per cent fixed of the cost of the project. Why private architect was involved we do not know. The designing of government school buildings could have been undertaken by the office of the Chief Architect of the government,” said
Grewal. “School buildings have standard design and creativity in designing these buildings does not justify this large payment,” he added. Sources said the architect was said to be “close” to an official in the Education Department involved in the implementation of the project. It is learnt the procedures laid down for associating private architects with government projects were also not followed in this case. “This whole thing happened almost a year ago. I have yet to know how this decision was taken during the implementation of the scheme. I have called for the relevant files and another review meeting has been scheduled for next week,” said
Grewal. Incidentally Rs 2.8 crore has already been paid to the architect. “The damage has been done but we have to fix responsibility and get to the root of the whole thing,” said Grewal, adding that the Special Secretary, School Education (Secondary), has been asked to give a detailed report in the matter.
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PTU stops counselling on HC direction
Chandigarh, August 13 The PTU has also been rapped by the state government with preliminary findings of an inquiry marked by Technical Education Minister Swarna Ram revealing it had not followed a proper procedure while conducting a counselling session on August 6. Six students had earlier approached the High Court, claiming they had not been given due opportunity to take admissions to institutions affiliated to
PTU. Vice-Chancellor Rajnish Arora said the university had booked seats for those six students. It had also advised its counsel to seek an early decision from the High Court on the next hearing on August 17 so that the academic schedule was not affected. The academic session for 2009-10 in institutions affiliated to it would start on August 17 as per schedule. Dr Arora claimed the counselling on the basis of plus two merit had been done following a government notification and was in line with the precedence set last year. “We had also announced the current scheduled through advertisements two months ago”, he added. Meanwhile, students as well as their guardians are a confused lot. Social worker Navdeep Asija said there were also attempts to befool students with reports earlier stating seats in government colleges had been filled. “Now, when many students have taken admission in private colleges after paying exorbitant fees, they have come to know that seats are still available in government institutions”, he added. A few others said they had even submitted fee because counselling had been continuing since the last two days and were now unclear about their status. The Vice-Chancellor said all colleges had been directed not to take any fee from aspirants. “We will go by the final court order”, he added. The PTU has allotted 13,000 seats during two rounds of counselling to eligible students, 9,000 of whom have taken admission in its affiliated colleges. It has 17,000 seats available for counselling. The total availability of seats for engineering colleges in the state is around 23,000. Meanwhile, the PTU officials in a press note released in the evening said: “The counselling has been postponed till further court orders. The counselling for sports, defence and paramilitary categories which was to be held on August 17 has been stopped. The academic session will start from August 17. The counselling schedule for lateral entry to second year students shall be carried out from August 28 onwards”.
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Nayar, Dua advocate talks between India, Pak
Ludhiana, August 13 Senior journalist Kuldip Nayar and Editor-in-Chief of The Tribune HK Dua strongly advocated talks between two neighbours. The were speaking on ‘Recent developments in Indo-Pak relations’ organised by the Ludhiana Management Association here yesterday. Besides being eminent journalists, both have been diplomats . Nayar has been India’s High Commissioner to the UK and Dua to Denmark. Nayar said: “It does not matter who killed whom in the Partition. More than 10 lakh were killed and over two crore uprooted. In the game of allegations and counter allegations, even India cannot keep itself on pedestal of morality. Don’t close the process of talks as it is the only means to a solution.” “We know Tashkent and Simla agreements have been violated by Pakistan in the past. However, things now are changing. People of Pakistan also seem despondent after the Mumbai attacks. It is in our interest if Pakistan gets rid of the Taliban ,” he added. Defending Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s gesture on resuming talks with Pakistan recently, Dua said: “Talking is not a sign of weakness. Misinterpretations of utterances of the gesture, are more of political compulsions. No where has the country’s honour been compromised .” He said: “In the current situation, it is wise to keep one’s powder dry but punches ready. Talking is a way to resolve deadlocks. Even Russia, at the peak of the cold war with the USA, had back- door conferences going on. Nehru had said shaking hands with the enemy also immobilised one of its opponent’s hands.” Dr Vatsayan, an ayurveda practitioner, said: “The issue is sensitive. We are yet to decide what relations we have with Pakistan. It is epicentre of terrorism and there are instances since 1947 when terrorists were treated as heroes’ there. They want prisoners in lieu of our dead soldiers and repeatedly stab us in our back.” President of the association VK Goyal proposed vote of thanks.
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New Expressways
Jalandhar, August 13 The committee, of the farmers to be affected by the proposed expressways, has been opposing the expressway between Chandigarh-Machhiwara-Nawanshahar- Phagwara and Lalru-Badi pleading these towns were linked with highways and there was no need of more expressways as farmers in the region would be uprooted. Nirmal Singh, general secretary of the Committee, who met Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, adviser to the Chief Minister, today said he had been assured a meeting of the committee would be arranged with the CM and Dy CM next week. Nirmal Singh wanted the government upgrade existing highways between Chandigarh-Ropar-Nawanshahr- Phagwara and Lalru-Shambu- Kharar-Kurali-Baddi. In fact, Phagwars was linked to Chandigarh via several existing routes. Chandigarh-Ludhiana highway branches off from Samrala to Phagwara via Machhiwara-Rahon and Nawanshahr. There was another wide road from Chamkaur Sahib to Machhiwara that further leads to Phagwara via Nawanshahr. There was another wide road from Rahon to Philaur which leads to National highway between to Jalandhar and Ludhiana. These roads could be widened if needed . There was wide road between Lalru and Kurali via Changera-Shambu-Landra and it leads to Baddi from Kurali. Expressways are not needed when existing could be improved and converted into super highways. About Rs 3,000 crore is needed to acquire land for new expressways. Punjab has debt of more than Rs 63,000 crore. The state has no money to run universities, medical and other colleges, schools, other academic, health institutions, provide drinking water and infrastructure and environment in urban areas which were primary needs . Nirmal Singh said Punjab had vast network of roads but had no money for repair and upkeep. People were agitated over toll on almost all state national and state highways. With two new expressways burden on people would go up, he said. He said we would request the Chief Minister and the Dy CM, not to invoke lapsed notifications again and no step be taken leading to the displacement of large number of farmers”.
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Farmers say no to expressway project Mohali, August 13 Demanding scrapping of the project, a joint action committee of the affected landowners during a press conference here today pointed out that since the period of the notices issued under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act had already expired, the government should not pursue the matter further. Since the landholdings were small, livelihood of many of the landowners was being affected. Another grouse of the landowners was that the government was offering poor compensation. Col (retd) Makhan Singh, patron of the committee, said during the last district land price fixation committee meeting, the administration had offered compensation of Rs 18-20 lakh an acre. Officials in the Mohali district administration said the rates of entire section of the expressway passing through the district had not been finalised yet. Only rate in Majri area (Kharar) had been worked out. The landowners have made it clear that they would oppose the project tooth and nail. Many had taken cooperative loans and sunk tubewells. There were many cases wherein the land of farmers would be cut in parts due
to passing of the highway. The panel has urged the government to widen the existing highways instead of making the expressway.
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Once trade centre, village now encroachers’ paradise
Salina (Moga), August 13 Land of the area was not fertile, but largely saline and waterlogged the village’s prosperity was known in the country. Recalling days of his childhood Ajay Sood, (59), a native of Salina now living in Moga, said there used to be big market with narrow streets and boundary wall encircled the village with gates at entry points. “I saw people coming from Lahore, Patiala and Ludhiana to our village for buying goods,” he added. Now it is a nondescript village with hardly any thing of its glorious past. Almost all families of its once thriving business communities shifted to Moga and other towns. Only those dependent on agriculture remained and worked hard to make the once infertile land productive, helped in the ‘green revolution’. However, in recent years several “powerful and influential” people are said to have illegally occupied at least 108 acres of pasture land and another 100 acres of common land in the village to reap fortune by mechanised farming and the latest techniques. According to a report of the state’s Revenue Department , the administration has identified encroachments on 862 kanals and 16 marlas of common pasture land. The value of this land has been estimated at Rs 20 crore . A major portion, 50 acres, of the encroached land is in the possession of former Congress MP, Kewal Singh, his wife Amarjit Kaur and his two sons, Gurpreet Singh and Kirpal Singh, who have set up a dairy farm there. Nahar Singh, a local leader who died some time back, illegally occupied over 300 kanals of pasture land and leased out another 152 kanals for 99 years to an ‘NGO’ run by Basant Kaur, wife of deceased IAS officer Anokh Singh Pawar. Similarly, Gursharanvir Singh and Harsharanvir Singh, both sons of Amrik Singh, a former DIG of the Jail Department, had illegally occupied 60 kanals and 176 kanals, respectively, of pasture land. There are many other “influential” people who reportedly have illegally occupied common land in the village.
As villagers had turned most of the area into fertile land, Nachattar Singh sarpanch, said: “Many outsiders have grabbed our common land by manipulating the authorities. However, revenue records bear testimony as to the land’s rightful owners”.
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Probe ordered into tree felling
Ludhiana, August 13 BK Chauhan, District Forest Officer, said, “We confiscated logs of illegally chopped wood from a sawmill on the Ludhiana-Moga border. Preliminary probe indicates possibility of official-trader nexus and chopping of more trees along the canal. A survey has been initiated”. Initial findings indicate involvement of a forest guard. The department has begun an inquiry. “We have learnt about more junior staff of the department chopping wood and selling it to the mills, at different places,” said a senior official. “We are also looking into charges of the Jagraon office drawing more money from the department than was paid to the staff,” the official added. Prem Singh, sawmill owner, said, “The move has come as some cover-up exercise to covert operations of the Forest Department officials in selling illegal wood. I purchase wood, officially, from Sudhar, Swaddi, Bathinda and Ferozepur areas. I showed the papers of the wood to the department officials”. He said the raiding party neither informed me nor took any panchayat member into confidence while making the raid. They picked logs from my mill, loaded them in a trolley and went away without my signatures’. He is learnt to have written to the SSP against the raids. Forest Officer Chauhan said, “The mill owner does not have papers of the wood in question. We have seized the property and are probing the matter. He will get the wood if it is his legitimate property. We look into the catch in perspective of tree loss along the canal and other forest areas”.
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PRTC launches super luxury bus service
Chandigarh, August 13 Addressing a press conference, Mohan Lal said the buses would be operated on Amritsar-Delhi; Delhi-Katra; Bathinda-Hardwar; Patiala-Amritsar and Patiala-Delhi routes. These are equipped with modern infotainment system, GPS bus tracking system, and have air suspension for the comfort of passengers. The buses have been fabricated by JCBL, Dera Bassi, on ‘King long’ chassis with Cummins power plant imported from the USA. Transport Secretary DS Jaspal said the passengers would have to pay 75 per cent extra to travel on these buses. He said the buses had been bought under a self-financing scheme and that the PRTC had not been placed under any liability by the purchase. PRTC chairman Manvesh Singh Sidhu said the corporation was trying to strengthen the service to Delhi and would also shortly start direct service to the Delhi international airport. Mohan Lal said the PRTC, which had recorded an operating profit of Rs 7.28 crore in 2008-09, was poised to upgrade its existing fleet with the introduction of 35 new heating ventilating air condition buses, which would charge only 10 per cent extra fare than ordinary buses.
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IIT Transit Campus Ropar, August 13 From 12 classrooms, labs, hostels to faculty quarters, everything is being given a facelift to suit the needs of staff and students. The staff members vacated campus 15 days ago, while one of the quarters is still occupied. This has left the staff of the Central Works Division, which has undertaken work of tailoring the building to IIT needs, with just 15 days to complete the project. Three buildings have been marked as boys’ hostels. Since there are just 20 girl students, they will be accommodated in the faculty quarters. A set of faculty quarters has been given facelift as girls’ hostel. Mess, housekeeping and security has been outsourced after inviting due tenders. “At IIT we do not compromise with the quality. It has to be up to the laid standards,” said the registrar, A Palanivel, who has been camping in the campus for past 20 days supervising work. The director of the institute, Prof MK Surappa, today reached the campus. Two professors - one from IIT Kharagpur and another from IIT Kanpur - will be amongst three faculty members, including the director. Presently, 24 posts of non-academics have been sanctioned.
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Ex-CJI to settle rly overbridge dispute Chandigarh, August 13 Allowing a petition by Kurali Toll Bridge Co Pvt Ltd against the state of Punjab and other respondents, Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Tirath Singh Thakur on Wednesday appointed Justice Khare as sole arbitrator to adjudicate upon the disputes between the parties. Chief Justice Thakur ruled: “The sole arbitrator shall be entitled to a fee of Rs 33,000 per hearing subject to a maximum of Rs 20,00,000. Clerkage and other incidental charges shall be payable separately. The fee shall be deposited in the manner and proportion directed by the sole arbitrator from time to time.” Going into the background of the matter, Chief Justice Thakur observed: Construction of a railway overbridge at level crossing number 32-B, Kurali, on Sirhind Nangal Dam section of northern railway crossing, Chandigarh-Ropar road (National Highway-21), was advertised for inviting tenders from eligible contractors in 1998. “The petitioner-company also responded and emerged as the lowest bidder resulting in the issue of a letter of allotment in its favour on November 19, 2003. Several disputes in due course arose between the parties in connection with the contract.”
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Punjab police recruitment board constituted Patiala, August 13 It was for the first time after 2005 that the Punjab police or the PAP was recruiting in its ranks. Earlier, about 7,000 SPOs were recruited as constables during the previous stint of the SAD-BJP government in 2002 when the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the Punjab police to absorb the SPOs. Though, nearly 7,000 of SPOs were taken in at that time, around 500 of them were still awaiting their absorption. At that time too, the recruitment board was headed by Ishwar Chander Sharma. Besides him, the board comprised of other senior IPS officers, including LK Yadav, SSP (Ropar); Ram Singh, SSP (Kapurthala); Tulsi Ram, Commandant of the 7th battalion of the IRB. These officers would be acting as chairpersons of the sub-boards, which would be supervising recruitment in Patiala, Faridkot, Ferozepur, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, border range and other states. The first phase would take off from September 2 and will conclude on September 7. During this period, candidates would be subjected to physical physical efficiency tests. Successful candidates would be called for a common written test later.
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5 Dalit students caned, teacher sacked
Bathinda, August 13 Parents of the students yesterday protested and raised slogans outside the school. On the complaint of parents, the teacher was booked. All students were of class VI of Hindu Senior Secondary School. On Tuesday, Punjabi teacher Kiran Pal Kaur complained to physical education teacher Kulwinder Singh, that the students were making a noise in the class. Kulwinder started caning them on legs, arms and back. The students narrated the incident to parents, who took them to the Civil Hospital. Later, the principal of the school terminated the services of the accused teacher.
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State to open 87 Adarsh schools
Chandigarh, August 13 An Education Department spokesman said here yesterday these schools would impart education up to the senior secondary level and be equipped with the needed infrastructure. No fee would be charged from the rural students.
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Rs 50-cr central grant for Buddha
Nullah
Ludhiana, August 13 Disclosing this here today, local MP Manish Tewari said he had promised in his manifesto that the cleaning of the nullah would be his priority. The state government, too, had earmarked Rs 50 crore for the nullah in its budget. Tewari said the Centre had sanctioned Rs 250-crore additional grant to the Punjab government for five projects. The nullah is one of these projects. He said funds would be not be a problem, but much would depend on the will, efficiency and cooperation of the state government for executing these projects.
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Policeman booked for human trafficking
Jalandhar, August 13 Sources said the sub-inspector, Lakhvinder Singh was heading a contingent of the PAP basketball team going to take part in the 13th World Police Games being held at British Colombia, Canada. Apart from the team members, he had fraudulently arranged visas for four youth by showing them as players of his team after charging Rs 12 lakh from them each. Departmental action has been initiated against him and the authorities are on the lookout for him. The Delhi police had issued a lookout circular against him. The fraud was detected by immigration officials prior to the plane’s departure. The IGI Airport police arrested the four youth on August 2 while they were trying to board a Japan Airlines flight along with the Punjab contingent. Hardeep Singh (26), Lakhveer Singh (30) and Jasvinder Singh (30), all residents of Hoshiarpur, and Taranjeet Singh (25)of Kapurthala. They have admitted that they were not employed with the Punjab police. They said Lakhvinder, who was also the coach of the basketball team, had collected Rs 12 lakh each from them to arrange visas for them. Meanwhile, Lakhvinder’s family claims he had managed to reach Canada.
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