Jalandhar, October 20
The construction of bus queue shelters, equipped with the global positioning system (GPS), is among a number of unkempt promises of the Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar. Nearly one year has passed since the Municipal Corporation launched the City Bus Service under the public-private ownership mode, but the corporation has failed to provide the facility of GPS to commuters.

With the help of the GPS, it will be easier to find the exact location of each bus, its distance from the particular bus queue shelter and its expected time of arrival.

Moreover, the speed of the vehicle, distance covered by it in a particular time and consumption of fuel can also be assessed with the help of this system.

According to the plan, the corporation, with the help of HCL Private Limited, had to establish a server which would serve as control room for the buses and GPS at all bus queue shelters.

As per sources, plans of Jalandhar City Transport Services Limited are still hanging fire as the authorities feel that some of the present routes of the City Bus Service are not at all viable.

“Due to some operational problems, JCTS Limited is planning for an amendment in some routes. Some routes are not viable as the number of passengers is considerably lesser, compared to the other routes. Sometimes it becomes difficult to meet even the input cost. Therefore, the authorities have been planning to extend and divert some routes. We will be able to install the GPS in buses and at bus queue shelters only after the finalisation of these routes, as establishment of bus queue shelters and the GPS on unviable routes will be of no use,” said an employee who deals with the City Bus Service.

As per information, the authorities are planning to extend routes from Nangal Shamaan to Kartarpur. This route will further be bifurcated as one line of transport will be channelised via Mahavir Chowk and the other through Jyoti Chowk. As Kartapur doesn’t fall in the jurisdiction of the MC, the route extension eventually turns out to be a policy matter which has to be handled at the level of the state government.

“The State Transport Commission (STC) has permitted us for diversions in the inner city area but the office of the STC denied any diversion for areas outside the jurisdiction of the MC. Working of the GPS will take off very soon as the construction of the building where the server has to be installed is nearing completion,” said MC Commissioner.

Meanwhile, the MC is also trying to equip nearly all other 150 heavy and light vehicles, used by different departments of the corporation, with GPS. This issue was recently discussed at a general house meeting of the MC.

Jalandhar, October 20
The recent decision of the HRD Ministry to raise the cut-off percentage for admission to the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) from the existing 60 to 80 per cent, and give more weightage to class XII marks, has drawn a flak from students and a welcome response from teachers in the city.

Though the HRD Minister has termed it as a move to reduce dependence of class XII, IIT-JEE aspirants on coaching centres, students are of the view that this would ultimately increase the performance pressure on them.

Shashank, a class XII student and IIT aspirant, said the move would lead to more pressure on us. “How can a student expect to clear IIT-JEE entrance without coaching. If school teaching would have been enough why should we look for options like coaching classes? The HRD Ministry should also ensure that teachers give their 100 per cent in class,” he added.

Another IIT aspirant Arshpreet Kaur also voiced similar thoughts and said her parents had already paid a huge amount for her coaching. “My coaching classes started as soon as I took admission in class XII. I have been putting my 100 per cent to make it to IIT but now this seems a bit difficult. Most of my seniors, who secured approximately 70 per cent marks in class XII, easily managed to reach the IITs but it seems a bit difficult now,” she added.

Students also maintained that instead of raising the cut-off list for IIT, the HRD Ministry should check the growth of coaching centres, which charged huge fees.

However, MGN Public School Principal Satwant Gakhal said the decision would be beneficial for students. “At least the students would be regular in their classes and they will have to perform well in examinations. The parents approach us for relaxation in attendance as the student remains busy with his coaching classes leading to chaos in the education system,” she added.

Police DAV Public School Principal Rashmi Vij said the initiative would lead to reforms in the CBSE education system.

“Due to simultaneous admissions in coaching classes, students give more importance to competitive examinations, leading to poor attendance. Even parents support their children in the practice, leading to a decline in their percentage. The decision will go a long way in restoring the school education system. Moreover, the students who are actually capable of making it to the IITs would excel in the class XII examination,” she said.

Jalandhar, October 20
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas and United Sikhs, an organisation devoted to promoting the civil and human rights of the Sikh community, today released copies of a joint letter addressed to Texas public school districts reminding them of the protection of religious dresses required by the state law and the US Constitution.

The letter was sent directly to specific school districts where problems were reported and is also being issued publicly for use by parents and communities across the state to advocate for students’ rights to wear religious attire at school.

“Both Texas’ Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the US Constitution protect students’ rights to wear religious attire in school, including Sikh students’ rights to wear turbans,” wrote the ACLU of Texas Legal Director, Lisa Graybill. “The same laws protect Catholic students wearing rosaries, Jewish students wearing yarmulkes, and native American students wearing long hair in accordance with their religious beliefs,” she added.

Gurvinder Singh, Director, United Sikhs, commented, “Sikh students regularly experience bullying, verbal and physical abuse at school because of their appearance, yet many do not know they can challenge this mistreatment. We hope this letter will empower students and their parents to stand up for their rights.” Gurvinder Singh also urged school administrators to review the Sikh Awareness Project (SAP), a school appropriate programme designed to prevent harassment.

Jalandhar, October 20
What makes him inimitable is that he raises funds not by organising big Bollywood shows or charity matches but by pedalling across thousands of miles on his bicycle every year.

Mark Roy was in news last year for his unique contribution of raising money for charity. The feature which transformed his idea and practice of charity into news was his age. Presently in the 84th year of his life, he bagged another pedalling feat even after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Roy was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December last year and doctors suggested radiotherapy for him. After undergoing rigorous treatment in August this year, he is back on his bicycle to collect money which he usually donates to different hospitals run by charitable trusts.

“I started cycling just as a hobby in 1984. Then in 1991, I underwent a major coronary heart by-pass surgery after three of the four major blood vessels were blocked. Doctors suggested complete bed rest. However, I again started cycling for 4 to 5 km a day without informing the doctor. After six months, I cycled up to 60 miles per day and it turned out to be a big news in British English media and BBC Asia even telecast as a piece of documentary. It was a stunning revelation that just six months after undergoing a major cardiac surgery, a man in his late seventies cycled 60 miles a day. This gave a boost to my charity campaign,” said Roy.

Mark Roy, whose original name was Makhan Singh, belonged to Paragpur village near Jalandhar. He shifted to England in 1949 and retired as a chemical engineer. He is a member of the Cycling Touring Club of South West London. Through his cycling, he also contributed for the rehabilitation of the victims of earthquake in Pakistan (2006).

Roy also volunteered as a subject to conduct new experiments for the treatment of prostate cancer. “A normal course of radiotherapy lasted for 40 days. But doctors were about to study results of a 19-day course in the patients of my age. So I offered myself. As compared to the normal dosage, doctors gave me double dose,” claimed Roy.

Jalandhar, October 20
The controversy surrounding the allocation of the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) to a charitable trust refuses to die down.

While the Congress has been demanding annulment of the deal, its Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira has gone further by writing to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking for a CBI probe.

The allocation is a matter of gross misuse of authority causing a huge loss to the exchequer by the government. Rules, procedures and regulations have been flouted while handing over the institution at a throwaway price of just Rs 131 crore on a 99-year lease to a society headed by Surjit Singh Rakhra, a close confident of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, he added.

The PIMS is situated in the heart of the city on 60 acres of prime commercial land that was part of 170 acres of the erstwhile Sugarcane Research Station, Punjab Agriculture University, having a market value of more than Rs 1,800 crore. This medical college is supposed to have 150 MBBS seats besides a 500-bed hospital providing treatment in various super specialties on the pattern of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, he pointed out.

Set up in 1994, the PIMS was estimated to cost Rs 156 crore that was to be funded from the proceeds of sale of the remaining 110 acres of land belonging to PAU. Political and official apathy led to an abnormal delay in its completion.

However, the Congress feels that the PIMS allocation has not been transparent and fair and that the party also has a hunch that the Chief Minister’s family has a vested interest in this project.

Therefore, it is imperative that a CBI inquiry should be conducted to unveil the wrongful, unfair and illegitimate allocation of the PIMS, he added.

Khaira has also forwarded a copy of the letter to Home Minister P Chidambaram.

Jalandhar, October 20
The Youth Congress (YC) has alleged that despite assurances by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal that they were not indulging in political vendetta against the Congress, more such instances are coming to light everyday.

Pointing to one such incident of Lasara village, DYC (rural) chief Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary said the police booked Phillaur block president Tejinder Singh on the base of a fictitious complaint under sections 452, 427, 323, 506, 148 and 149 of the IPC on October 14. Interestingly, the complainants, Sarabjit Singh and Jasbir Singh, run a shop in the village and today submitted an affidavit in court saying that they had never submitted a complaint against Tejinder at Lasara police post. The latter was today bailed on the basis of the affidavit by the local court, he pointed out.

He said the duo had been summoned to the chowki and asked to sign on some blank papers that were later allegedly used by ASI Rashpal Singh to fabricate a complaint against Tejinder Singh. It was alleged that Tejinder had entered their shop and fought with the complainants, he added.

Chaudhary demanded the suspension of the ASI with immediate effect besides strict departmental action against him. “We also want a probe whether the sitting MLA is behind this act,” he said.

He also questioned the statements of the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal that the Akalis were not indulging in political vendetta. “If this was not a case of vendetta then what is?” he questioned.

“Sukhbir Badal has also said he is streamlining the functioning of the police by making report cards of the cops to make the force people friendly. Is registration of false cases against Congress leaders and workers one of the parameters to attain outstanding reports?” he asked.

The DYC later submitted a memorandum to the SSP in this context.

Jalandhar, October 20
Seven years after its inception, the Guru Nanak Dev University Regional Campus, Ladhewali, will get a state-of-the-art sports wing. The construction work for the wing is in full swing these days.

The campus was sans any sports facility all these years and students were forced to play in makeshift arrangements. A long-pending demand of the students, the sports wing would house a volleyball ground, basketball and badminton courts and table tennis facility.

The UGC recently released grants worth lakhs for the construction of the sports wing and other pending projects on the campus. Spread over eight acres, the campus has been managing sports events without any necessary equipment, leading to problems for students.

Dean of Regional Campus Tejinder Kaur told The Tribune said it had been almost a month since work started on the campus. “We are hopeful that the construction would be completed in a month’s time.”

She maintained that considering the availability of space, they had started work on the volleyball ground, basketball, badminton and table tennis court.

“Ever since it came into being in 1979, the campus has been managing the show without proper infrastructure,” she said.

Expressing satisfaction over the construction of the sports complex, students said it would fulfil their long-pending demand. “We were forced to play without any infrastructure despite the fact that the university is renowned for its sports achievements. The construction of the sports complex has rekindled our hopes,” said a student.

Apart from this, the work on the extension of the girls’ hostel and a sewage treatment plant would also begin soon.

It needs mention here that the sports achievements of Guru Nanak Dev University are unparallelled in the history of university games in India but its own regional campus has been managing affairs with makeshift arrangements.

Jalandhar, October 20
Host DAV Institute of Engineering and Technology (DAVIET) lifted the overall trophy in the three-day Punjab Technical University (PTU) inter-college volleyball tournaments-2009 (men and women). The tournaments began on October 13.

DAVIET defeated Desh Bhagat Institute of Engineering, Mandi Gobindgarh, 25-23, 25-17 and 25-17 in the men’s category.

In the women category, Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Engineering College (BBSBEC), Fatehgarh Sahib, defeated the PIET, Patiala, 25-13, 25-22 and 25-22 on the final day. The BBSBEC girls lifted the overall trophy in the women category.

Earlier in the day, semi-finals and runners-up matches were played in which Chitkara Institute of Engineering, Rajpura, bagged the third position, while Sant Baba Bhag Singh Institute of Engineering, Padhiana, ended up fourth.

In the women category, Guru Tegh Bahadur Khalsa Institute of Engineering and Technology (GTBKIET), Chappianwali (Malout), beat Rayat and Bahra College, Hoshiarpur, in the third and fourth position matches.

As many as 37 teams of men and 17 of women from various institutes affiliated to PTU participated in the tourney.

The winners were given trophies and certificates. Earlier Jalandhar (North) MLA K.D. Bhandari announced a grant of Rs 1 lakh for the organising committee of DAVIET and urged technocrats to imbibe a passion for sports.

Results: Day 1: Men category

GGS, Kharar, beat LLRIET, Moga; Desh Bhagat Institute, Mandi Gobindgarh, beat BKSET, Amritsar; CTMT, Jalandhar, beat Baba Farid Engineering College, Bathinda; Global College, Amritsar, beat IMS, Bhaddal; BBSBEC, Fatehgarh, beat Indo Global College of Engineering, Abhipur; RIET, Phagwara, beat LIT Phagwara; DAVIET beat SSIET, Dera Bassi.

Women category: BBSBEC, Fatehgarh, beat LIT, Phagwara; RBCETW, Hoshiarpur, beat SBSCET, Ferozepur; PIET, Patiala, beat GNDEC, Ludhiana; GZSCET, Bathinda, beat Sukhmani Institute of Engineering, Dera Bassi; CTIEMT, Jalandhar, beat BKSET, Amritsar.

Day 2: Men category: BCET, Gurdaspur, beat CTIMT, Jalandhar; BBSBEC, Fatehgarh Sahib, beat St Soldier Institute, Jalandhar; DAVIET, Jalandhar, beat SSIET, Badhani; DIET, Kharar, beat ACET, Amritsar; SBBSIET, Padhiana, beat IET, Bhaddal; Desh Bhagat Engineering College, Mandi Gobindgarh, beat RIET, Phagwara.

Women category: PIET, Patiala, beat CTIET, Jalandhar; Rayat and Bahra College, Hoshiarpur, beat BCET, Gurdaspur; BBSBEC, Fatehgarh, beat Rayat Institute, Ropar.

Day 3: Men category: Overall Winner: DAVIET, Jalandhar; runners-up: Desh Bhagat Institute of Engineering, Mandi Gobindgarh;

third position: Chitkara Institute of Engineering, Rajpura.

Women category: Overall winners: Baba Banda Singh Bahadar Engineering College, Fatehgarh Sahib; runners-up: PIET, Patiala; third position: GTBKIET, Chhapianwali (Malout).

The month of Kartik holds a prominent place in the life of devotees as so many important festivals fall in this month. The festival season starts from Dasehra followed by Karva Chauth, Ahoi Ashtmi, Divali and Vishavkarma Day. The joyous spirit of celebrations reaches its climax with the celebration of Bhaiya Dooj. After the dazzling show of Divali and Vishavkarma Day, this festival brings along with it a lot of love, affection and veneration. Bhaiya Dooj is a festival that marks the sanctity of the relationship of sisters and brothers. This is a festival to pray for the longevity and prosperity of the brothers.

Bhaiya Dooj falls on the second day of Shukla Paksh, the fortnight of Kartik. Sisters perform the “aarti” of their brothers in order to save them from all kinds of evils. The festival gives a heartfelt look at the dynamics of marvellous sibling relationship. It is commonly believed that the disturbances in a brother’s life can be overcome by the blessings of their sisters.

Earlier brothers used to protect their sisters from the ignoble eyes of the world. Sisters used to tilak their brothers to strengthen the tie. Yesterday’s feeling of sincerity and attachment have given way to the pomp and show of the materialistic world that dominates the scenario today. The basic purpose of this festival was not to collect “gifts” and sweets from their brothers but to wish and pray for the exuberant happiness of each other.

It is noticeable that due to the evil of female foeticide, most of the boys are deprived of the pleasure of having the sister who can soothe their soul with her selfless love. There is no Rakshabandhan or Bhaiya Dooj for such brothers.

If we have to keep this beautiful tradition alive, the disparity to the sex ratio will have to be ended.

To save the relation, first of all we have to save the girl child otherwise these festivals will lose their charm.

Jalandhar, October 20
The BSNL has launched a promotional scheme for its landline customers. Now customers can book their landline connections in just Rs 250 with caller ID and speaker phone. The scheme is valid up to December 31.

The BSNL has also launched a scheme for mobile customers for one-second pulse rate. Now the mobile customers can pay 1 paisa per second for local calls and two paise per second for STD calls to any network using special voucher of Rs 45 with validity of 30 days.

Jalandhar, October 20
The three-day long zonal youth festival for Kapurthala and Nawanshahr districts being held at Guru Nanak Dev University, Regional Campus, Ladhewali, entered the second day today.

Students from 14 colleges affiliated to the university participated in events like folk orchestra, fancy dress, histrionics, skit, mimicry, mime, quiz (preliminary), bhangra, one-act play, classical instrument (percussion and non-percussion), classical vocal, semi-classical, rangoli, flower arrangement, phulkari, poetical symposium, elocution and debate.

Jalandhar, October 20
A Divali mela competition was held at the B.D. Arya Girls College, Jalandhar Cantonment, on October 16. On this occasion, students participated in events like rangoli, thali sajao, bangle ceremony, diya and candle making, greeting card making and small panels. Winners were given prizes.

The department of fashion designing and home science of Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya organised ‘Diwali Fiesta’, an exhibition-cum-sale on October 15. The students put up variety stalls on the college campus, which included decorative candles, diyas, nail art, jewellery, home furnishings, eating stalls and much more.

Meanwhile, the local CJS Public School celebrated Divali with great fervour on October 15. On this occasion, students participated in various events including thali decoration, candle making and rangoli. A fancy dress competition for the tiny tots of the primary wing was also held.

The students of Kamla Nehru College for Women, Phagwara also celebrated Divali on October 16. The students participated in various events, games and activities on the college campus on the event of Divali.