Chandigarh, March 5
Slaying of Sikhs by the Taliban in Afghanistan and attacks on Punjabis in Australia dominated the second day’s proceedings of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha with the House unanimously condemning the attacks and asking the Centre to build pressure at the international level to safeguard life and property of Punjabis abroad.

The House also mourned the death of former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu. As Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was not present due to poor health, Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal raised the issue when the House met for obituary reference today.

He told the House that repeated attacks on Sikhs in Pakistan and racial attack on Punjabis in Australia deserved to be condemned with voice vote and build an international opinion for zero tolerance of such events.

Leader of the Opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal supported the resolution and said the House should jointly build pressure so that the voice of the House echoed at the international level.

She pointed out that some of the victims of racial attacks in Australia belonged to her home district of Sangrur.

After BJP leader and Industries Minister Manoranjan Kalia supported the resolutions, Vidhan Sabha Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon summed up the sentiment of the House by saying that a message will be sent to the Centre pointing out the resolution passed in the House and for demanding security to Punjabis across the world.

Later, the House also made reference to eminent writers, freedom fighters and former MLAs who have died since the past Vidhan Sabha Session by observing a two-minute silence. Some names that had been left out inadvertently were suggested by legislators present in the House and subsequently included.

Punjabi writers who were paid rich tributes and remembered included Santok Singh Dhir, TR Vinod, Ram Sarup Ankhi, H. Mehboob, Tera Singh Chann and Sudarshan Fakhey. Former legislators Kulwant Singh and Diwan Jagdish Chander where also remembered.

The House also paid rich tributes to freedom fighters, including Gurdev Singh, Jetha Singh, Kesar Singh, Munshi Ram, Bapu Ram, Bir Singh, Bhag Singh, Chanan Singh, Nahar Singh, Ujjagar Singh, Bapu Govind Singh Kalapula SS Verka, Balwant Singh Kapoor and Kartar Singh.

It was further resolved that the state government should ensure the well-being of the families of these people to whom tributes had been paid. 

Prof Dr Dac-Yang Jeong of the department of material science & engineering, Myongji University, Korea, at a conference on electronics and engineering materials at Baba Farid Group of Intitutions in Bathinda on Friday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

Chandigarh, March 5
The Punjab government today announced major changes in the building bylaws.

Addressing a press conference here today, Minister for Local Government Manoranjan Kalia said the urban estates, which were transferred to the local bodies, would be covered under the new modified building bylaws.

He said in order to facilitate more openness around the buildings, there would be no restriction of height subject to air safety regulations, traffic circulation and fire safety norms. According to the existing specifications, a residential building could be constructed up to a height of 38 feet, but now it could be raised up to 50 feet, said Kalia.

There would be no restriction of density of the number of dwelling units per acre which at present was restricted to 60 per acre, it would increase the supply of affordable housing, said the minister.

Clubbing of plots for the purpose of constructing one unit with provision of rain water harvesting system and provision of underground water storage tanks to ensure proper water pressure for supply to upper floors would be permissible, he added.

He said the excess constructions in the existing buildings would be considered for regularisation in case these confirmed to the new provisions.

To facilitate the owners to start construction work immediately on residential plots in the schemes of improvement trusts and the residential plots in urban estates, industrial focal points or schemes prepared under any other Act which stands transferred to the municipal authorities, henceforth, a self certification scheme has been introduced under which sanction order from the municipal authority in the form of a building permit would not be necessary and the building plans would be deemed to be sanctioned on the basis of a certificate from an architect registered under the Architect's Act, 1972, stating that the building plan is in conformity with the applicable rules. 

Patiala, March 5
The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) yesterday introduced a scheme “Material at Site Model” for transporting material from the PSEB stores to the site of work directly by outsourcing of loading and 
unloading it through private contractor.

Under the scheme, private contractors have been engaged with vehicles and manpower for loading/unloading of material from the stores to the work site. Junior Engineers and field staff will not be required to come to stores for taking the material.

About six months back, the scheme was started as a pilot project at the Central Store, Patiala. After its success, the board decided to implement this scheme across the state. The scheme was today inaugurated at the Central Store, Kotkapura, by board chairman HS Brar. The scheme would be soon extended to the Central Stores at Bathinda, Ferozepur, Malout, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Verka, Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Mohali and Sangrur in a phased manner.

Chandigarh, March 5
The Congress high command has taken serious note of the proliferation of office-bearers in the Punjab Congress, particularly secretaries with the list crossing the 1,200 figure, and is likely to ask the state unit to reverse the trend of issuing appointment letters to one and all without ratification from the centre.

According to party sources, the group led by former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has complained to the party high command that the present dispensation in the Pradesh Congress has made a mockery of the entire system of appointments with the number of secretaries crossing the 1,200 mark. Vice-presidents and general secretaries make up for another big chunk of office-bearers. There are only 234 members in the general house of the party and 25 district chiefs.

The sources said members were likely to take up this issue at the meeting of the party’s coordination committee tomorrow in Delhi and demand that all appointments made recently be scrapped. It will also be demanded that a ban be placed on further appointments till the election process of the Pradesh Congress is completed.

There is a feeling that persons, who do not have a Congress background and are not even primary members of the party, have been made office-bearers. Former minister Ashwani Sekhri had recently raised this issue saying even senior leaders were not taken into confidence while making such appointments.

PPCC president Mohinder Singh Kaypee, when questioned on the issue, said he had not received any communication from the party high command in this matter. Kaypee said he had made appointments to posts of secretary on the same pattern as that of his predecessors.

He said he did not know whether the issue would be taken up at the meeting of the coordination committee tomorrow. Kaypee said the issues, which might be taken up for discussion, included making arrangements for the visit of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi to Amritsar on April 13.

The group led by former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has complained to the party high command that the present dispensation in the Pradesh Congress has made a mockery of the system of appointments with the number of secretaries crossing the 1,200 mark

Nangal, March 5
The number of migratory birds visiting national Nangal Wetland has been on decline. Hectic human activity, global warming and vanishing green cover have been the main factors influencing number of winged visitors to the place. This was found during bird census conducted at Nangal wetland last week by avid watchers.

The survey found that 8,473 migratory birds of 19 species, including ruddy shell ducks, pintail duck, crested grove, common pochard, red crested pochard, great cormorant, small cormorant, mallard, common coots, shoveler, gaidwal, night heron, wigeon, grey lag geese, tufted duck and common teal were on decline.

The Bombay National History Society, Delhi Birds Club, Chandigarh Birds Club, NGO Jagriti and avid bird watchers conducted this survey. Coots were the most commonly found birds numbered at 1,860, followed by gaidwal at 1,042, wigeon at 920, pintail at 822, ruddy shell ducks at 854, shoveler at 664. Earlier, a bird count by Dr Vibhu Prakash, principal scientist from the Bombay Natural History Society in the year 2005, had spotted 20,000 birds of 25 varieties. The study reveals decline in number of other migratory birds as well.

“This year boating in area was discontinued in December, whereas migratory birds start visiting wetland by October itself,” said Parbhat Bhatti, in charge of a local NGO.

Amritsar, March 5
A 243-member jatha of Hindu pilgrims from Pakistan crossed over to India through the Attari-Wagah joint checkpost here today.

The pilgrims led by Govind Ram Makhija will pay obeisance at Sadani Darbar in Raipur (Chhattisgarh), Amravati, Amarkantak, Allahabad, Chitrakut and Haridwar before returning to their country. The jatha includes 40 women.

Surinder Kumar Billa, president, All-India Hindu Shiv Sena, welcomed the jatha at Attari. 

Ludhiana, March 5
The amended Nanakshahi calendar is under print and will be released before March 14.

Stating this here today, Avtar Singh Makkar, President, SGPC, told The Tribune that the amendments regarding the sangrands and gurpurbs of Gurus had been made as suggested by Akal Takht and approved by the executive of the SGPC. Dates of four gurpurbs of agman of Guru Gobind Singh, Jyotijot samana of Guru Gobind Singh, Gurta Gaddi of Guru Granth Sahib and martyrdom of Guru Arjan Dev had been incorporated into the calendar. There was no change in the date of birth of Guru Nanak Dev and the Diwali festival.

Makkar said the SGPC had sent relief worth Rs 11 lakh in Pakistan currency to the Sikhs killed by Taliban and injured in Peshawar as relief on behalf of the SGPC through Bishan Singh, former President of the Pakistan Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.

He said the SGPC had written letters to the Union Government and Pakistan Government seeking permission to send an 11-member delegation to Pakistan to study the situation prevailing in Peshawar and other parts of Pakistan regarding the Sikhs living in that country. The SGPC chief said the budget session of the SGPC would be held by the month-end and emphasis would be laid on the dharma prachar programme. Live ‘katha’ was being launched on the PTC channel on the pattern of the live Gurbani programme from Harmandar Sahib within this month. 

Patiala, March 5
Leaders of the Rural Medical Services Association (RMSA) have opposed the Punjab government decision to give additional charge of defunct dispensaries, falling under the jurisdiction of Zila Parishad, to doctors stationed in nearby government dispensaries.

Terming the decision “detrimental” for rural medical services, RMSA state president Dr Aslam Pravez demanded that the government must review the decision and doctors must be posted in every government dispensary.

Dr Pravez said: “It is practically not possible for one doctor to take care of more than one dispensary. Hence, the government must appoint a separate doctor at every dispensary rather than giving additional charge to the doctors posted in nearby dispensaries.”

Sirhind/Rajpura, March 5
The Agriculture Department is flooded with complaints from farmers from various districts of Fatehgarh Sahib, seeking cure for yellow smut disease, which had taken toll over wheat crops for the past few days.

“Crops were mainly suffering from yellow smut, which damages the sprouting grains,” said officials of the Agriculture Department at Fatehgarh Sahib and added that wheat varieties of PBW 502 and 343 were more susceptible to this problem.

“Sudden variation in temperature was responsible for the smut,” said Darshan Singh Kaka of Kamarpur village, Rajpura. Chief agriculture officer at Fatehgarh Sahib Sarabjit Singh said this was a wind-borne disease, usually transmitted from the hilly areas to the plains and reduces the yield of wheat by nearly 50 per cent.

The officials said farmers had been advised to spray tilt- an effective medicine that controls rust in crops. “We are advising farmers to use 200 ml medicine in 1,000 litre of water and spray it in one acre area. The farmers, who have treated their seeds before sowing, do not have anything to worry,” the officials added. — TNS

Patiala, March 5
An advertisement, publicising the monthly Punjab State Lottery in the February issue of the Preetlari magazine, which is distributed in all government schools across the state by the Education Department, has opened a cane of worms for the Punjab government with parents and academicians criticising the publishing of such an advertisement in the magazine.

According to the parents and academicians, such an advertisement is certainly not good for the students, as they may get influenced to make quick bucks through lotteries and can fall prey to gambling as well. This Punjabi magazine mainly carries short stories and poems and is distributed among the students from Class I to XII of the government schools of Punjab.

In the February issue, the back cover of the magazine carries advertisement of the monthly Punjab state lottery being issued by the director, Punjab State Lotteries, Chandigarh.

Expressing her displeasure over the advertisement, Rashmi Ahuja, whose daughter studies in Class V, said: “It is ridiculous that the state government has given lottery advertisement in the magazine meant for the school students. The students would start wasting money on the lottery. Also, if they won’t get any prize, they may get into the vicious circle of gambling.”

Former member of the Punjab School Education Board, Arvind Malhotra said the government should have avoided giving such an advertisement in the magazine meant for the school students. “If there is any element of luck/gambling, children may get tempted. Hence, the advertisement can have a bad effect on thought process of the students. It is certainly not a healthy practice,” he asserted.

Fatehgarh Sahib, March 5
Most of the government-aided schools in Fatehgarh Sahib have been running without principals and teachers for the past many years.

Despite repeated requests and representations to senior officials, nothing has been done in this regard, staff of a school said. “We are toiling hard to impart education, however, teachers are continuously been burdened with work without recruitment,” said the teachers of another school in Sirhind.

District president of the Punjab State Government Aided School Teacher’s Union Ravinder Joshi rued the school committees were forced to give salaries to principals and teachers. Even the teachers appointed by the school committee on behalf of the government did not get grants.

The teachers rued that despite tall claims of the government to improve education at these schools, nothing had been done so far.

As per a rough estimate, nearly 4,000 posts of teachers in government-aided and recognised schools were lying vacant. Even clerks and peons were also not been appointed. Around 50 posts of teachers had been lying vacant at six government recognised schools of Fatehgarh Sahib for the past many years. Five schools have officiating principals and only one has its principal appointed as per the rules. The teachers rued that no recruitment was done by the government after 2003 and the school committees had to take care of the staff salaries. They said these schools could not collect fees from students like private schools.

Amritsar, March 5
Though the present education model in India is far better in comparison with developed countries like Germany, Canada and the US, still their industrial output is enormous owing to their better utilisation of resources and strong work culture.

This was the gist of the two-day Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR)- sponsored national seminar, “Education Scenario in Punjab: Challenges and Prospects” organised at Guru Nanak Dev University here.

It was observed that the present examination model with less stress and less examination fear in India was better in comparison with the examination systems in developed countries. However, inadequate infrastructure, low-quality publications and a pitiable work culture were responsible for the poor output.

“Otherwise little stress and little fear of examination system adopted here is good for schoolchildren as it prepares them for competitions and excellence at higher levels," viewed Dr Dalbir Singh Dhillon, Chairman, Punjab School Education Board, while delivering the keynote address.

Punjab is the second state in the country, after Haryana, which has introduced the semester system at the school level and it is also the first education board in the country, which has adopted uniformity in syllabi and books.

The uniform syllabus in subjects like mathematics and science has been introduced this year onwards, in order to bring the system in tune with the system being introduced throughout the country for holding a common test for technical education after 10+2 education.

Earlier, the Guru Nanak Dev University Vice-Chancellor, Prof AS Brar, while inaugurating the seminar highlighted the resource crunch being faced by the universities. Dr Raghbir Singh, Dean, Academic Affairs of the university, presented a vote of thanks.

A souvenir brought out by the School of Social Sciences was also released in the inaugural session.

Continuing his address, Dr Dhillon said studying of five core subjects like English, Punjabi, mathematics, science and social studies had been made compulsory for students in this state.

The Punjab School Education Board has also introduced Comprehensive Continuous Evaluation (CCE) as part of the modernisation of syllabi in the school education system, he added. “Besides these five core subjects, a student would also have to pass three subjects of computer science, Hindi and physical education, which will be evaluated at the school level,” Dr Dhillon said.

Meanwhile, Professor Brar highlighted the resource crunch being faced by the universities. Prof SS Sohal, Head, School of Social Sciences, advocated that India needed more than 27,000 additional institutions of higher learning to meet the goals of Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) of 30 per cent by 2020.

During the three technical sessions, more than 50 research papers were presented and a panel discussion was also held. 

Patiala, March 4
A murder convict lodged at the Patiala Central Jail was allegedly murdered by an undertrial here yesterday. The deceased has been identified as Nirmal Singh, a Sunam resident, who was convicted for murder and was in jail from past 13 years.

As per the information, Ajay, who is facing trial in a murder and rape case, was lodged in the same cell, in which Nirmal was lodged. It is learnt that both of them were nurturing enmity from past sometime.

Today afternoon, the duo had verbal scuffle over some matter and subsequently Ajay assaulted Nirmal’s head with a brick. Following the severe head injury, Nirmal died at 
the spot.

Ferozepur, March 5
A man killed himself after killing his girlfriend in Peerwala village, about 4 km from here, today. Malkit Singh and Rupali, who was doing a computer course, had an affair for the past many years and were keen to get married. However, Rupali’s family was opposed to the alliance.

Malkit shot dead Rupali with his 12-bore double-barrel gun when he came to know that she was getting married to someone else. After killing Rupali, Malkit shot himself dead. The incident took place when Rupali, along with her sister Maneesha, went to Malkit’s farms this morning. His friend Jatinder was also present there. Rupali and Malkit had an argument over the marriage and when Rupali confirmed that she would be married off to someone else, Malkit killed her.

A case has been registered in this regard.