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Nursing students complain of ragging; college mgmt refutes claims
Junior nursing students of Mahatma Hans Raj DAV College of Nursing sit on a dharna in Jalandhar on Monday. Jalandhar, August 24
The junior nursing students of the local Mahatma Hans Raj DAV Institute of Nursing today accused their seniors of ragging and staged a dharna in protest against the college for about one hour.

Junior nursing students of Mahatma Hans Raj DAV College of Nursing sit on a dharna in Jalandhar on Monday. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh

Scholarship Scheme For Minority Students
LPU ‘turns’ a blind eye
Jalandhar, August 24
The Lovely Professional University has failed to introduce the scholarship and means-cum-merit scheme for minority students despite wide publicity in the district. The scheme, which is part of the Prime Minister’s New 15-Point Programme, is valid till August 31.

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Nursing students complain of ragging; college
mgmt refutes claims
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 24
The junior nursing students of the local Mahatma Hans Raj DAV Institute of Nursing today accused their seniors of ragging and staged a dharna in protest against the college for about one hour.

Demanding an immediate intervention by the college management into the matter, the students said they were bullied and made to do menial jobs. The students in a written complaint maintained that the seniors even asked them to do their assignment work and often refused them entry in the recreation hall. One of the students requesting anonymity said, “We were asked to clean the rooms, pick garbage, wash basins and utensils of our seniors in the hostel. And upon confrontation we were threatened as well,” said a junior student.

They also alleged that though the college has a complaint box, it was never opened. “A majority of our genuine problems, including that of ragging went unnoticed despite putting slips in the complaint box. Even the college staff never listened to our genuine problems. Our repeated attempts to talk to the college management went in vain,” added another student.

Then agitation came to an end only when college advisor J. Kackeria intervened into the matter. College principal Veena Williams refuted the allegations and termed them as baseless. “We have an anti-ragging committee in the college and the students never brought this issue to our notice. However still we would look into the matter and solve the issue at the earliest,” she added.

Scholarship Scheme For Minority Students
LPU ‘turns’ a blind eye
Kusum Arora
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 24
The Lovely Professional University has failed to introduce the scholarship and means-cum-merit scheme for minority students despite wide publicity in the district. The scheme, which is part of the Prime Minister’s New 15-Point Programme, is valid till August 31.

While the university reportedly turned a blind eye to the scheme, the students on the other hand expressed shock over the indifferent attitude of the varsity. The university boasts of a whopping strength of approximately 26,000 students from across north India.

A majority of the students on the condition of anonymity maintained that they had gone through the contents of the scheme and found it in their interest. “We fail to understand that why the varsity is not adhering to the directives of the Union government. The university authorities should introduce this scheme at the earliest,” said a student.

Talking to The Tribune, Davinder Singh, one of the volunteer of ‘The Kalgidhar Trust’, Baru Sahib, who had been spreading awareness about the scheme, said he met Ramesh Mittal in this regard. “I even spoke to LPU Vice-Chancellor Ashok Mittal over the phone and told him the details and benefits of the scheme but to no avail. The university is disobeying the orders of the Union government by not implementing this scheme,” he added.

However, Vice-Chancellor Ashok Mittal said they have not received any official document from the Union government in this regard. “I was told by somebody regarding this scholarship but until there is an official communication we cannot proceed. After all we would never deprive our students from such beneficiary schemes. We would surely implement the scheme in the interest of the minority students,” he maintained.

Davinder further maintained that they had issued as many as 40,000 booklets for the public welfare. “When all the required information is mentioned in the booklets then why the university authorities are not implementing the scheme,” he asked, adding that as a leading private university they should ensure maximum benefit through this scheme.

He also distributed free pamphlets and four big advertisements regarding the scheme on Sunday.

When contacted, ADC (Development) Sarojini Gautam Sharda said she would definitely look into the matter. “The scheme is meant for the welfare of the minority students and I would ensure that maximum students avail its benefit,” she maintained.

n As per the scheme the students belonging to the Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist and Parsi communities are eligible to apply for the scholarships of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India.

n The minority students securing above 50 per cent marks would be awarded scholarships at the pre-matric, post matric and professional courses for the current academic year. The last date of submitting the forms is August 31.

3 kids among six killed in accidents
Our Correspondents

Batala, August 24
Three children, identified as Harjinder Kaur (3), Balwinder Kaur (6) and Harjot Singh (8), traveling in a Maruti car were killed after a collision between the car and tractor-trailer late last night near Udhowal Village on the Batala-Gurdaspur road. Another child Ravneet Kaur (10) and Balwinder Singh (42) were seriously injured and sent to Amritsar for treatment.

Owner of tractor-trolley Santokh Chaudhary has been arrested and a case under sections 279, 337, 338, 427, 304-A of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against him.

Hoshiarpur: Three persons were killed in separate road accidents in the district during the past 24 hours.

Two pedestrians, identified as Gurbachan Lal of Naloian and Kewal Singh of Satnaur village, were crushed to death by a speedy tractor-trailer near a college at Mahilpur, 24 km from here. The police has booked tractor-trailer driver Harpal Singh of Mazara Dingrian under sections 279 and 304 of the IPC.

In another accident, Narinder Singh of Bajwara died on the spot when a tractor-trailer in which he was traveling overturned near the bhangi choe.

Govt’s days are numbered: Kaypee
Our Correspondent

Tarn Taran, August 24
Lok Sabha MP and PPCC chief Mohinder Singh Kaypee has predicted the downfall of the SAD-BJP government in the state, claiming that the government has failed on all fronts.

Kaypee was here to preside over the dharna, organised by the Congress workers against the “bad performance” of the government, outside the office of the Deputy Commissioner. Kaypee said the government has not fulfilled even a single promise made to the people during the Assembly elections. “The farmers are not being provided eight-hour power supply and the industrial units are being closed because of power crunch hitting workers hard,” he added. He said the party has planned to stage dharnas in all the district head quarters in the state.

NREGA: District crosses job card target
Our Correspondent

Hoshiarpur, August 24
Job cards have been issued to 55,396 persons against the target of 52,000 under NREGA, said Deputy Commissioner Megh Raj talking to media here today.

Punjab had received Rs 29 crore from the Union government under NREGA during current financial year of which Rs 12.62 crore had been given to this district. Rs 129 was being provided to the NREGA workers as daily wage, said the DC and hoped that 80,000 workers would be given job cards before March 31, 2010. To monitor the work, block-level committees had been constituted.

Tribune Impact
Authorities wake up to pothole problem
Parmod Bharti

Nawanshahr, August 24
Finally, the PWD (B&R) authorities and the private road construction company woke up from slumber and sprung into action to repair potholes dotting the Nawanshahr-Jalandhar highway in the town.

It is pertinent to mention here that ‘The Tribune’ has carried a story - “Who will repair this road” on August 21, highlighting the problem being faced by the commuters. On Wednesday night, an apple laden truck going to New Delhi from J&K overturned due to the pothole.