Bathinda, March 27
Seeking total autonomy for the universities of the country and no interference in their functioning by government agencies and politicians, eminent educationist and former chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Prof Yash Pal today asked the Union government to disband the UGC and the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE). He also sought formation of a constitutional body to ensure total autonomy for universities.

In reply to TNS query regarding a proposed bill, The Foreign Educational Institutions (Entry and Operation) Regulation Bill 2010, that aims at allowing foreign universities to set up campuses in India and offer degrees independently, Prof Yash Pal said, “ I have not seen the Bill yet. But I don’t think that it will harm much as India is a vast country and can absorb a number of such institutions.”

The former UGC chairman was here to deliver First Foundation Day Lecture on “Education tomorrow” at the city campus of the Central University of Punjab situated on the Bathinda-Mansa road, about four kms from here. Among others, vice-chancellor of Central University Prof Jai Rup Singh; vice-chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi Law University, Patiala, Prof Gurjit Singh; professor in School of Bio Sciences, Central University, P Ramarao; and local SDM KPS Mahi attended the lecture.

Prof Yash Pal asked the specialists in physics, chemistry, biology, computer subjects and other technologies to work together to find solutions to various problems. Citing an example, he said due to impurities and pesticides in water, there were a lot of cancer patients in this region. He said people from one field cannot solve this problem. It could be solved only when scientists, doctors and technologists work together. He also emphasised on discouraging tendency of cramming among the students as it did not allow entry of new thoughts to their minds.

Vice-chancellor Prof Jai Rup Singh said Prof Yash Pal motivates the young generation and providing solutions to education-related problems was on his main agenda. Regarding the Central University, Jai Rup said he was making sincere efforts for creating a world-class infrastructure and environment on the university campus here. He said among new Central universities, the one here had taken the risk to start only science subjects.

Bathinda, March 27
Against the claims of the state government of bringing transparency and smoothness in the revenue department, a recently detected irregularity in the revenue office, Bathinda, has created a flutter among the buyers as well as sellers of properties located in Mehna Patti area of the city.

It has been exposed that about 300 mutations in the area were lying unsanctioned, even though the same had been entered by the then Patwaris in the mutation register many years back.

Further, it has been observed that in many cases, ‘Fards’, which indicate that mutation had been sanctioned, were issued whereas mutations have not been sanctioned so far.

The matter was unearthed when one Kaushlya Devi of Bathinda appeared before the Bathinda deputy commissioner, with a complaint that although her mutation had been sanctioned in the Mehna Patti area, the same had not been incorporated in the latest ‘Jamabandi’ yet.

Finding it a matter of immediate concern, the DC directed the Tehsildar to collect the status report of the whole area. Shockingly, during the inspection, the Tehsildar observed that there were about 300 such cases lying unsanctioned.

Confirming the facts, Bathinda DC Gukirat Kirpal Singh said, “Immediately after the Tehsildar brought the matter to my notice, I instructed him to fix the responsibility of the erring officials.”

About the future course of action regarding the unsanctioned mutations, the DC said, “I have passed orders to the circle revenue officer (CRO) to decide all these mutations within a period of one month after hearing the necessary parties.”

Talking to The Tribune, the Tehsildar-cum-CRO Bathinda, Avtar Singh, said, “Acting upon the orders of the DC, we have initiated the process of clearing the pending cases as well detecting the role of officials in such irregularity.”

“During the inspection, it is observed that the irregularity took place from October 25, 2002 to October 23, 2005. So, we are advising people, who had got their mutations sanctioned in during this said period in the Mehna Patti area, to come for the verification of status of their properties,” disclosed the Tehsildar.

Ferozepur, March 27
The state government has initiated a probe into the alleged involvement of a section of staff members of the local civil hospital in inflicting fake fractures of bones of ‘customers’ with the motive of getting the members of the other group implicated into false criminal cases.

Official sources said that Shashi Bhushan Pandhi, deputy director, state health services, had been deputed to conduct the probe by SPS Sohal, director, state health services, Punjab. Pandhi had also been asked to submit his report at the earliest by Sohal.

The scam connected with the infliction of fake bone fracture by a section of class IV category staff members came to light when a contractual employee Vinod Kumar exposed it before the media persons a few months ago.

While speaking to the media, Vinod Kumar had categorically stated that he along with some other staff members where breaking bones of arm and leg and making cut marks on the same of their customers in lieu of money to enable them to implicate their enemies into false criminal cases on the basis of medico-legal reports.

He also confessed that all those who were involved in this ‘unholy nexus’ were fully trained to inflict fractures and cuts on the bones of their customers with ease. They had been charging differently for inflicting different kinds of fractures on the customers.

Duleep Kumar, civil surgeon, while taking immediate action after the scam came to light, had ordered that medico-legal examination of any patient having cut injuries would be done by a panel of doctors and not by any individual doctor.

Kumar, when contacted, said that the scam was the outcome of professional rivalry between two groups.

He added that to bring the truth to surface, he had written a demi-official letter to Sohal, director, health services, Punjab, urging him to institute a high-level probe into the scam. He added that Pandhi was expected to submit his report before the end of this month.

Moga, March 27
Another scam of sub-standard rice transported to the other states through a special goods train with the connivance of a transport contractor has come to light in Moga on Saturday.

A truck-load of poor quality rice has been seized when the bags were being loaded in a rail wagon today. A complaint has been lodged by the FCI authorities in the daily diary register at the Dharamkot police station and investigations were in progress.

As per details, the sub-standard rice was directly coming from a rice mill instead of the FCI store houses and was being loaded in the train reportedly in connivance with certain officials of the food agency. As per the rules, no rice mill can directly load rice on the special train. It has to first supply its custom milled rice to the FCI authorities after quality checking the FCI authorities load it on the train as per the guidelines laid down by the union government.

When contacted, DK Jain District Manager of the FCI said that he too reached the spot immediately and inquired into the incident in the presence of the railway police.

Jain said prima facie, it has been established that sub-standard rice was being loaded in the train by the transporter and he had lodged a written report before the police and also handed over the truck loaded with rice to the police authorities. He did not rule out the possibility of some rice millers and officials of the FCI involved in the scam but avoided to comment until an inquiry was conducted.

Neelkanth Awahad, Senior Regional Manager (SRM) of the FCI posted in the regional office at Chandigarh claimed that the FCI authorities were vigilant and caught red-handed the sub-standard rice being loaded on the train. “I have ordered a departmental probe and nobody involved in the illegal practice would be spared,” he added.

Meanwhile, when the news was last written, it was learnt that the police had also arrested the truck driver and a hunt has been launched to nab the transport contractor.

Bathinda, March 27
Bagging the highest number of medals, players from the LLRM Polytechnic College, Ajitwal (Moga), stole the show on the final day of the two-day 39th state-level Inter-Polytechnic Colleges’ Annual Athletic Meet here today.

The Punjab Technical Institutions’ Sports (PTIS) organised the meet at local Sports Stadium. As many as 600 athletes from 40 colleges from across the state participated in the meet, which saw 19 events for boys and 14 for girls.

The participants from the LLRM college not only clinched the Victor Ludorum Championship trophies but also the Athletic Championship trophies, in both the categories (boys and girls). Meanwhile, the boys’ team of the RIMT, Mandi Gobindgarh, and the girls’ team of the GPCG, Ludhiana, were runners-up in these championships.

The best athlete awards were clinched by Amrit Pal Singh and Manpreet Kaur of the LLRM College. Manpreet broke the records in 200 metre, 400 metre and 800 metre races.

Jasmer Singh of the Adesh Polytechnic College, Muktsar, set a new record in pole vault after he crossed 3.28 metre mark thereby breaking the six-year-old record of 3.26 metre. In triple jump (girls) event, Simrat Pal Kaur of the LLRM College broke the old record of 8.79 metre and set the new one of 9.37 metre. Anoop of Government Polytechnic College, Bathinda, broke her own record in discus throw (27.45 mtrs) as she flung the discus to a distance of 27.92 metre.

Those who broke the previous records were awarded colour certificates and rewards of Rs 1,000 for each event.

Additional director, technical education, Punjab, Naresh Nagpal was the chief guest.