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Health depts intensify campaign against adulterated sweets
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Pupils’ result not to effect promotion of teachers: DPI
Malwa diary
Abohar gears up for festival of lights
Ferozepur school organises Diwali fete
Rajasthan to buy fodder from Punjab
Cancer-hit Malkana village cries for attention
‘Flouting of traffic rules proving fatal’
One killed, 30 injured in road accident
Zonal Cricket Tournament
Training for postal staff concludes
Man booked
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Health depts intensify campaign against adulterated sweets
Bathinda, October 11 According to the DHO, a South Indian family was making adulterated sweets in a rented house for the past six months. The barfi seized was made up of sugar, maida, suji and synthetic colours while Khoya, the main ingredient of barfi, was completely missing. The family confessed they were supplying the sweets to the local market. This led to another raid in Gandhi market here. The adulterated sweets were seized and destroyed. Such sweets were sold to the shopkeepers at Rs 15 for a 450 gm packet. The shopkeepers further sold it to general public for Rs 30. "We took the samples and have sealed the stock. Synthetic colours are harmful for consumers and the colours used for making sweets here were inferior," said Dr Sekhon. Two days back, the health department seized more than 3 quintal of spurious desi ghee from Rampura Phul, said the DHO. He also warned those indulging in this practice and advised people to refrain from buying cheap sweets from vendors. |
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Pupils’ result not to effect promotion of teachers: DPI
Bathinda, October 11 The teachers had been making a hue and cry against the practice being adopted by the Education Department. Many teachers approached the High Court as teachers with lesser service were getting promotions. Many cases were still pending in the court, informed GS Grewal, Secretary, School Education (Primary), while talking to TNS from Chandigarh today. “The teachers went to the HC regarding the promotion criteria and the court issued orders to do away with this practice. We have to comply with the court’s orders. So, the department has put an end to this practice,” Grewal added. A teacher needed 50 per cent result for getting promoted. The result was calculated on the basis of the performance of his students. Out of 100 marks given to a teacher in his Annual Confidential Report (ACR), 60 marks were based on extra-curricular activities and the rest on teaching. Due to this format of preparing an ACR, many junior teachers were getting promoted. “Those who used to write the ACR never bothered to consider 60 per cent marks based on extra-curricular activities. Teachers did not mind doling out money to those who wrote the ACR and many teachers deserving promotion were left out,” teachers from the Shiksha Bachao Manch, Bathinda, said. The letter, a copy of which is with The Tribune, states that ‘the matter of consideration of results of classes taught by teachers while promoting them to a higher post has been considered and it has been decided to withdraw the instructions contained in Memo No. 16/46/2004-2Edu 2/12766, dated 9.6.2005 being contrary to the provisions of the Punjab State Education Service Class III (Service Cadre) Service Rules, 1978. The letter also stated that the cases of all employees, who had been ignored for promotion earlier on this account, should be reviewed. The letter was approved by the Secretary, School Education. Meanwhile, the teachers here accused the DEO (Secondary) Bathinda, Surinder Pal Kaur, of not declaring the letter containing the above-stated instructions. The DEO, however, refuted the allegations. She said she did not receive the letter. “The letter has been out but the channel of a letter reaching a DEO’s office is long and the letter must be on its way,” Surinder Pal added. |
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Inculcating reading habit among students!
Charles W. Eliot had said books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. And Christopher Morley was quoted saying Lord! When you sell a man a book you don't sell just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue - you sell him a whole new life. Love and friendship and humour and ships at sea by night - there's all heaven and earth in a book, a real book. All this seems to have inspired the management of Sriganganagar-based Good Shepherd Public School to organise a book fair on Saturday during the monthly parents meet with the help of Chandigarh-based Consu Max. The wide range of books from about 300 publishers included Punjabi short stories, Yoga, the perfect way to success and happiness, Sarojani Pritam's fiction book Aadmi mein farq, 201 tips for blood pressure, how to feel confident besides pictorial presentations on fruits, foods and others. Principal RK Wadhwa said we want to promote the reading habit in the students. Now-a-days students are being diverted from their reading habit. However, as the books are the recognised as store house of knowledge, so to bind them with the Indian culture, four "Vedas" have also been displayed in the fair. The organisers did not forget to put books on the life of former President APJ Kalam and other prominent personalities on display. The school director Manjit Chimni, deputy director Manavjeet Chimni, academic in-charge Meenu Chimni welcomed the chief guest Dr BB Dhingra, principal medical officer of the district Civil Hospital and guest of honour Rajani Aggarwal, officiating principal of the BRG Government Girls College. The veteran guest inaugurated the event by lighting the lamp. The Shepherdian Mall, library and activity room were the other attractions for the visitors. Science exhibition showcasing the models prepared by the students was also a part of the activities for the day. Teachers and students of other schools too visited the complex and bucketed books besides games for kids. — Raj Sadosh
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Abohar gears up for festival of lights
Abohar, October 11 Such orders used to be treated merely as a ritual in the past. The town had been reeling through a choked traffic system during the Diwali festival days since the Municipal Council and local police used to give a free hand to the mushrooming of roadside stalls for sale of not only ordinary fireworks but noisy crackers that are prepared using jute thread. However, this Diwali only 42 persons have been allowed to put in stalls that too in the Nehru Stadium. Going a step ahead, SDM Amit Dhaka has reportedly made it clear to sweet sellers that they will not be allowed to encroach upon the footpath or busy market roads to display sweets. Let the customer enter the shop for purchase, he was quoted saying when a few shopkeepers met him on Saturday. He said this will ensure neat and clean roads on the day of festival. There had been wide spread appreciation among the citizens of the initiatives taken by the administration on the same footings in the recent past. Firmness on the part of the administration will facilitate unperturbed movement of public on the auspicious day, consumers hope. However, it is yet to be seen whether the Municipal Council will take the trouble of mobilising its sanitation staff for dusting roads and removing garbage before the Diwali festival. In Sadulshehar, 30 km from here, followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda including women and children were found giving the Naam Charcha Ghar a festive look to celebrate Diwali in a befitting way. Children were found giving a layer of cow dung material to the sprawling ground while mothers spent the day in cleaning each corner of the complex. The Dera committee also plans to distribute essential commodities among the needy families under its food bank programme, sources said. |
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Ferozepur school organises Diwali fete
Bathinda, October 11 DIG Ferozepur, RP Mittal, was the chief guest while school secretary BB Sanwalka was the guest of honour. The fete drew a large number of people from Ferozepur and the nearby areas. The students pledged to have a cracker free Diwali. Prizes were given to the winners through raffle draw. Healthy baby contest was held under the presence of Dr Sheel Sethi, MD Paediatrics and Major Dr Nishu Singh. Principals of different schools and colleges were also present on this occasion. Director SP Anand and principal Usha Kiran thanked the chief guest for his presence. Host of the fete, Sourabh Bamba, thanked the public and wished them all a joyful Diwali and a prosperous New Year. |
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Rajasthan to buy fodder from Punjab
Bathinda, October 11 A team of five officials from Rajasthan, headed by Parameshwaran, Assistant Collector, Jodhpur, after visiting Abohar reached Bathinda today where they held a meeting with various private traders and the officials of Market Committee. During an exclusive talk with TNS, the officials said they had a sufficient dry fodder for their livestock at present. However, it would only last for about two months. “To meet the future requirement, we have been meeting sellers to know the rates they could offer. We will place orders after analysing the details (availability of product and the price demanded),” the officials said. Parameshwaran said, “It is a preliminary survey. We will discuss the details with higher authorities at Rajasthan. We may offer taxes and the transportation charges to the sellers. We have planned to visit about 15 markets in Punjab. However, before finalising the deal, we will invite tenders. The Punjab administration would be urged to facilitate the purchase arrangements.” When asked about the price they were expecting for the fodder, the officials said they were willing to purchase the dry fodder at about Rs 300 per quintal whereas in Bathinda, sellers were demanding more than Rs 400 per quintal. “That is why we have decided to visit various parts of the state to get the best price,” they added. The officials informed that they had about 9 lakh animals, including cows and buffaloes, in Jodhpur district and the whole exercise aimed at feeding them till February. Some farmers sitting beside their paddy crop in the grain market, Bathinda, said, “We were unaware about the Rajasthan government’s requirement. If we were intimated earlier, we would have collected the wheat residue instead of burning it off to prepare our fields for the next crop.” |
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Cancer-hit Malkana village cries for attention
Malkana (Bathinda), October 11 Punjab is advertised as one of the most well-off states in the country, yet in villages like Malkana— poverty, unhygienic living conditions, contaminated water, prevalence of horrible disease like cancer and above all, official apathy towards the needs of the people—are still squeezing the life here. Though the state health authorities and the political leadership highlighted the epidemic form of cancer disease in this region, during previous polls, they apparently forgot to take fruitful steps for public welfare later on. In the absence of government’s attention and poor economic status, the village is resorting towards some black magical tricks presuming as a treatment to their grave disease. During a visit to the village, residents told this correspondent that dozens of persons had fallen prey to different forms of cancer in the past. They disclosed that about six deaths had taken place in the past four month. Meantime, cursing their fate, they collectively alleged that neither any medical assistance nor any awareness campaign was launched for them. Moreover, the recommended cases for medical aid, even after short listing, remained a distant dream. Ironically, some of the patients succumbed to the disease but no aid could be lent from the state government. Sitting beside the under installation reverse osmosis (RO) plant in the village, a group of elderly residents of the village, were found quite depressed due to the affect of the disease. Hesitant in talking over the issue, they said, “Except giving bad name to our village, your news will serve no purpose as the state government is so heartless that even after receiving number of applications for medical aid, nothing took place but the patients left the world.” Later, speaking about the cancer-inflicted deaths; they named a 60-year-old Gurcharan Singh, who had died of stomach cancer, about a month back. Further, they spoke at length about Kaur Singh, who after struggling for seven months, had died about four months back at the age of 63 due to mouth cancer. Naming 40-year-old Gurdeep Kaur, who died on July 1, this year, they said that she was suffering from throat cancer. Another woman of the village, Jaswinder Kaur, in the same age group, lost her life on August 5 due to breast cancer. One 52-year-old Golo Kaur, suffering the uterus cancer passed away on September 5, this year. “The list of Cancer deaths is very long, which has now started creating hurdle in weddings of village youths as knowing about the disease affected status of the village, outsiders hardly come forward to marry their children in this village,” said Baldev Singh. An educated woman of the village, seeking anonymity said, “It is the need of the hour that government swings into action. Though the RO plant in village has started working, officials must pay attention for the treatment of already cancer affected victims of the village.” |
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‘Flouting of traffic rules proving fatal’
Sriganganagar/Abohar, October 11 Nearly 1,340 persons were killed in armed attacks while 8,314 lost their lives in road mishaps in different parts of the state during 2008, said Ravinder Singh Dhillon, additional DGP (traffic). Dhillon said that gross violation of the traffic rules and inadequate mechanism to check the menace was responsible for the whopping death toll in road accidents. The government and judiciary were seriously considering stringent possible measures to check the trend. He said "I fail to understand why those (officials), who issue driving licenses and registration books for vehicles, do not examine whether the applicant has got perfect knowledge of the traffic rules/law. The government deploys police even at the farm house level through beat system to check day-to-day crime but the traffic police remains un-updated. If the special police cells can be formed to assist the railways, excise and electricity departments, why the transport department is denied such force, he wondered. Dhillon said goods loading vehicles can be found carrying 15-25 passengers normally. People must share the blame for this unlawful practice. Why they board an overloaded three-wheelers or jeeps. The parents must oppose carrying of students by school vans beyond their sanctioned capacity. SP Umesh Chander Dutta disclosed that 50 per cent of the road mishaps in the district were reported after 6 pm and that too on the roads that had been renovated under the Pradhan Mantri Sadak Yojna in the rural areas. Link roads were earlier considered safer but the things have changed in the recent past. The police have decided to lay special nakas after 6 pm to check the vehicles. Breathe analysers will be used to nab addict drivers. |
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One killed, 30 injured in road accident
Barnala/Sangrur, October 11 Injured persons were taken to the Sangrur Civil Hospital, Barnala and Dhanaula hospitals respectively. The identity of the deceased could not be asertained. The person was brought dead at the Sangrur Civil Hospital. As per the information, the bus was on its way from Sangrur to Bathinda while the 10-tyre vehicle was going from Barnala side. There were passengers from Sangrur, Sunam, Lehra Mohabbat, Malaut, Anandpur Sahib, Nawan Shehar, Rampuraphul, Tapa, Bathinda. After getting information about the accident, the Barnala deputy commissioner (DC) Harkesh Singh Sidhu rushed to the accident site at Badbar village to expedite the rescue operations. Later, he also visited Dhanaula and Barnala hospitals and talked to the patients to ensure them proper treatment. Speaking to The Tribune, the Harkesh Singh Sidhu said the accident took place when a 10-tyre vehicle, loaded with cement, and a Punjab Roadways bus collided head on at Badbar village. He said the driver of the 10-tyre vehicle and conductor of the bus had also sustained injuries. |
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Fazilka polytechnic college lift the trophy
Our Correspondent
Abohar, October 11 Legislator Sunil Jakhar was the chief guest on this occasion. He honoured the winners and runner-up team. The closing ceremony was presided over by Praveen Middha, head of the department of electronics and communications in the MIMIT Malout. The guests were welcomed by the college chairman Sanjeev Middha and principal Subhash Ahuja. More than 12 teams from four districts participated in the three-day event. The students of the host college made the prize distribution function colourful. The gathering enjoyed skit by Baba and group, folk singing by Neha Handa, break dance by Lal Chand and song by Gurekam. Fun games were also organised. Sunil Jakhar said he was delighted to know that 1800 students were now getting technical education here in the college that had just 58 students in the beginning. Extra mural activities do matter for all streams in education, he opined.
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Training for postal staff concludes
Bathinda, October 11 The North India Technical Consultancy Organisation Limited
(NITCON) imparted the training to over 50 staff of the postal department. The training programme aimed at enhancing managerial skills of the staff so that they may meet the competent environment of the hour. Chief manager NITCON Vijay Arora and other speakers spoke about professional ethics in duties and other topics during the
programme. — TNS |
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Man booked
Hanumangarh/Abohar, October 11 Yamuna Devi (38) was found dead on Thursday night behind a cinema house in ward 18 of Rawatsar town.
— OC |
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With Diwali just a few days away, production of adulterated sweets has stepped up resulting in the health department conducting raids to check the illegal activity. In one such raid conducted today under the headship of Dr DP Sekhon, District Health Officer, Bathinda, around two quintal of adulterated sweets and seven quintal of spurious raw material was seized.
lies underneath the glittering facade of a prosperous state like Punjab.
Punjab is advertised as one of the most well-off states in the country, yet in villages like Malkana— poverty, unhygienic living conditions, contaminated water, prevalence of horrible disease like cancer and above all, official apathy towards the needs of the people—are still squeezing the life here.
