Bathinda, April 25
Punjab chief secretary SC Aggarwal inspected the progress of work on the Rs 19,000-crore Guru Gobind Singh oil refinery near here on Saturday evening.

Aggarwal accompanied by Prabh Das, chief executive officer of the HMEL, went around various components of the refinery.

The CEO said 78 per cent of work has been completed and the refinery would be commissioned by the targeted date in the mid of next year.

Aggarwal expressed satisfaction over the pace of work and said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal were giving top priority to the refinery and every possible help would be extended for its completion.

He said the refinery would open employment avenues for the youth of the area.

Mansa, April 25
It may shock you but 3,217 children, including 1,203 girls, of this district falling in the age group of 0-14 years, are suffering either from physical, mental or multiple disabilities.

Collecting the details under a special component of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)-the Inclusive Education for Disabled (IED) - the education department has named such children as children with special needs (CWSN).

According to the details, among the total number of CWSN, 2,688 are in the age group of 6-14 years and 529 are below five years.

Being a part of the SSA, it is mandatory for the education department to cover all 2,688 CWSN (in the age group of 6-14 years) through one or the other scheme of education but still, 409 CWSN are still beyond its reach.

The details revealed that among the 2,688 CWSN, about 390 are visually impaired, 530 are suffering from speaking and hearing problem, 897 are orthopaedically impaired, 507 are mental retarded and 151 are patients of cerebral palsy.

Further, 140 children are suffering from multiple diseases like deaf-blind, blind-mentally retarded, ortho impaired with mental retardation etc. The details also mention that 45 boys and 23 girls were either suffering from learning disability or they were slow learners.

Meanwhile, during the survey, the volunteers identified six children suffering from cancer.

The department has arranged for treatment of five children while the sixth one was getting treatment arranged for by the family.

The details state that out of 28 children detected as suffering from heart ailments, 14 were under treatment, five got cured through treatment arranged under the scheme of health mission and one recovered without treatment.

Among others, two succumbed to the disease and there were six, whose families were not taking initiatives to receive aid for their treatment.

Speaking to The Tribune, district coordinator of the IED, Narinder Singh disclosed that among the 2,688 CWSN, as many as 1,780 were enrolled in schools while about 37, who were suffering from mild disabilities, were taken under the Alternate Innovative Education (AIE) scheme; 187 CWSN, who were severely affected, were covered through home based education (HBE); 259 moderately affected children were provided assistance through resource rooms; and 15 were admitted to special schools.

When contacted, district coordinator of the SSA Darshan Singh Dhillon said, "We have been putting our best to cover all CWSN under the SSA, still there are few children who are beyond our reach as their families are not cooperating."

"Besides the mandatory provision of SSA for 6-14 years, we have been working on a zero rejection policy, under which children in the group of 0 to 5 years are also being assisted to make them capable of adjustment before reaching the 6-14 category," Dhillon added.

Two students of Good Shepherd Public School in Sriganganagar have been selected by the Japan Foundation for 10-day education trip to Japan. Last year too, students of this school were selected.

Mallika Chaudhary and Shrenik Borad showing victory sign over selection for Japan tour in Sriganganagar. Photo by writer

Radhey Sham Bansal

Shrenik Borad (class X) and Mallika Chaudhary (class IX) are among the 100 students who have been selected from 10,000 schools affiliated with the CBSE where Japanese is taught as a subject. Language teacher Rinku Dass would accompsany the students from Sriganganagar.

She is among the 20 teachers who were finally selected by the foundation.

The tour would be jointly sponsored by the embassy of Japan and Japan Foundation to strengthen the Indo-Japan relations.

The selected students/teachers would have a social get- together with the Japanese ambassador and other senior diplomats at New Delhi before boarding the flight to Japan in June this year.

Principal RK Wadhwa informed that Japanese is taught as a subject from class VI onwards in the school.

— Raj Sadosh

After partition of the country, the border area residents particularly those near the international border are constantly suffering from some problem or the other. The residents remain deprived of basic amenities related to health and education.

On the one hand, the state government has announced opening of 21 model schools in Punjab while on the other, the situation of existing schools is pitiable. Government High School situated at village Jhangar Bhaini, located along the Zero Line across the Sutlej river is an example of it. There are more than 500 students in the secondary section from class VI to X.

However, there are only seven teachers posted at the school to teach such a large number of students. The post of teacher for Punjabi, a compulsory subject, is lying vacant too. As per norms, nearly 12 more teachers are required to manage the teaching.

— Praful C Nagpal

Radhey Sham Bansal, working as a sub-divisional clerk (SDC) in the Department of PWD B&R in Bathinda is known as “yoga expert” here.

He started practising yoga more than 11 years ago to cure heart ailment as his four arteries were found blocked during angiography in 1998.

Escorts Hospital, Delhi, suggested a bypass surgery. He went to Swami Ram Dev of Kankhal (Haridwar) who taught him some yoga exercises. In September 1998, he started yoga. After ten months, angiography was conducted on him again. However, the angiography report surprised him as all his blocked arteries were found to be free from the the blockage.

— Sushil Goyal

Bathinda, April 25
Despite a ban on using iron-made hooks in dragging and lifting the plastic-made wheat bags, the menace is going unchecked in the grain markets of the Malwa belt of the state.

While imposing the ban, the state government has asked all officials concerned to check the labourers piercing the plastic bags as it would tear off the bags and pave the way for get the wheat to rot, during the period of storage.

Besides the orders to officials, the government had printed the ban at the bottom of each plastic bag, mentioning: Use No Hooks.

However, during a recent visit to various grain markets of Mansa district including the main yard of the Mansa city and villages like Thoothianwali and Bhainibagha, this correspondent witnessed the labourers using iron hooks in lifting the bags to load in trolleys and trucks.

When asked, they expressed their ignorance about any bar on using the hooks.

The same was observed in the grain market Bathinda, where labourers were found carelessly piercing the iron hooks to drag and put the 50-kg wheat filled plastic bags on others’ heads to load it in trolleys.

They were least bothered about the damage to the bags as the each hit of hook was creating a hole in the bags to get the grains pouring out of it.

Officials of the Punjab Mandi Board as well as those of the government purchase agencies, who were witnessing all this, were seen turning a blind eye towards the practice being carried out blatantly.

In an indifferent tone, they said, “It is a traditional style of labourers, so it will be useless to ask them to shun it. Moreover, the implementation of the ban can only be done, if senior officials assure to stand by us, if the labourers express resentment.”

The reports were same from the Faridkot and Muktsar districts.

Speaking over the phone, the principal secretary to chief minister, Darbara Singh Guru, who has been touring the grain markets throughout the state to check the procurement and lifting process, expressed his ignorance over the menace but assured to check the menace to save the food grains getting damaged.

“It is a very serious issue, so I will immediately take up the matter with the higher authorities of the food and supply department. Moreover all officials at district level will also be asked to be vigilant,” assured Darbara Singh Guru.

Bathinda, April 25
Punjab chief secretary SC Aggarwal inaugurated a privately-developed Sheesh Mahal township here today.

The township is spread over more than 43 acres and comprises residential plots of various size, villas, shops and multi-storied flats. When fully operational, it will have 526 dwelling units.

Rajinder Mittal, a leading industrialist who is among the main developers of the township, said that after presenting a new concept of living in ultra-modern townships, the Ganpati Enclave and the Sushant City-I, the Sheesh Mahal township has been constructed with added facilities. The ultra-modern shopping mall being constructed by the group would be shortly inaugurated.

Mittal said the group was developing several other housing projects here.

Ruling SAD leader Sarup Chand Singla, deputy commissioner Gurkirat Kirpal Singh and several other prominent persons were among those present on the occasion.

Bathinda, April 25
In his whirlwind campaigning for the elections of Punjabi Sahit Akademi, Gurbhajan Gill, a contender for the post of president, along with other candidates of his panel, named as Patar-Gurbhajan panel, visited here today.

During a meeting attended by nearly 60 members cutting across the party lines, Gill urged all members to vote in the favour of the whole panel. Among others, who attended the meeting were Amardeep Gill, Attar Singh, Satnam Jassal and Surinder Preet Singh Ghania.

Speaking to The Tribune, Jaswant Zafar, who is contesting for the post of general secretary, said, “The distinction of our panel is that it is the comparatively young panel. Moreover, it is not only of poets and writers, it includes experts from various fields like agriculture and science.”

“As of now we have been getting full support from all corners. Further, a number of members cutting across party lines (political) are boosting our morale. Many of them have even offered donation for the cause,” claimed Zafar.

Sources in the panel informed that after Surjit Patar recently announced his unequivocal support in the favour of Gurbhajan Gill and other contestants in the panel, the elections, which are scheduled for May 2 at Punjabi Bhawan, Ludhiana, became more interesting.

Speaking to The Tribune, Gill said, “I have come forward with a dedication to put my best for the promotion of Punjabi as language and as culture.”

Gill along with others also visited Barnala, Tapa and Kotkapura and apprised the members about the manifesto.

Bathinda, April 25
Validity of astrological predictions has always been a topic of discussion even in a country like India where faith is considered to be a mover of people’s action. The recent practice of predicting future on TV by soothsayers has grabbed eye-balls but it has also invited flak from several sections cutting across groups and gender, besides elevating its status from a sweet-n-spicy topic of discussion to a matter of hot debate.

Today, the presence astrology can be found everywhere, from day-to-day activities to business decisions, from analysing political situations to investing in the stock market, marriages, surgeries. Even the meetings of some of the top politicians are believed to be scheduled according to the “auspicious” hours.

This ancient practice has got many faces today. Numerology, tarot card reading, palmistry, analysing kundli, face reading and are some of them

A major chunk of the Indian population believes its life is determined by astral constellations and that astrology can also be compared to science. But there are many who believe it is not rational and is based more on faith than on substance.

“Vedic astrology is like medical science. The art of making horoscope is pure mathematical science. However, the accuracy is subject to the availability of accurate birth details. The aim of astrology is not to scare people but to caution them about the forthcoming events,” stated Manju Dabas, an astrologer and a gold medalist in Ghaziabad.

But the opponents have their logic. “A new trend of daily broadcast of predictions has recently been started. At times, while predicting, astrologers emphasis, highlight and warn of certain things such as ‘do not invest in the share market today’ which not only injects psychological fear in the minds of innocent and ignorant seekers of fortune but also adversely affects the important activities by bringing the entire process to a halt. It is really shocking that educated masses who should otherwise abide to reason and apply common sense fall prey to such predictions,” commented Sanal Edamaruku, president of the Indian Rationalists Association.

Interestingly, Sanal has support from an unexpected quarters. Gopal Dutt Sharma in Bathinda who himself has practised astrology for about ten years asks as to how could daily predictions be authentic as millions of people belong to the same zodiac sign. “In some cases, these predictions develop a mind structure of fear and phobia, which misguide or influence innocent people.”

However, Rajesh Gupta, senior lecturer, GZSCET College, Bathinda has a different viewpoint. He believes that astrology does not mislead or fall in the category of superstitious practice. According to him, there are people who are using astrology successfully. Astrological predictions simply indicate the possibilities as to what may occur in future. It is really useful especially in concrete areas wherein one may have to pay dearly for making a mistake. “Going to a learned astrologer is like going to a good doctor,” he added.

Dr Prabhjot Kaur, also of the GZSCET, termed astrological predictions as simply extraordinarily simple-minded ideas passed off as astrology. Moreover, daily forecast could be misleading at times as it is generalised for millions of people. Unfortunately, modern generation seems to have conjured up the myth of astrology again, she said.

“Uncertainty in today’s life has pushed people towards astrology. Many a time when people feel insecure, disappointed or helpless, they tend to seek the intervention of an astrologer to overcome his worries instead of applying a logical approach,” stated Ajay Agarwal, BDO, LIC, Delhi.

Abohar, April 25
Congress legislator Sunil Jakhar who had stormed the Punjab Vidhan Sabha for four days during the last session by raising issue related to supply of spurious wheat seed besides siphoning off the Central government subsidy on it has now lambasted the SAD-BJP alliance government over black-marketing in Bt cotton seed.

Alleging that the ongoing black-marketing was state-sponsored, the former parliamentary secretary for irrigation and horticulture displayed packets of the Bt cotton seed on which MRP had been tampered in violation of the rules framed by the Central government.

“The fact that agriculture department has not so far taken even one sample of seed across the state and the Bt seed companies have been allowed to sell “truthful seed” without getting any certification under the Seed Act 1966 speaks volumes of ill-designs on the part of the SAD led government that had been falsely claiming to be friendly to the farmers, “the MLA said.

He dared the agriculture minister to come forward with data regarding action taken against spurious seed sellers who had ruined hundred of farmers last year. 

Moga, April 25
Punjab police has re-initiated the process of inquiry into the infamous Moga passport scam by constituting a special team headed by Amrik Singh Waraich SP (D) of Faridkot.

This team has arrested as many as nine persons including one woman in the past couple of days including four travel agents: Mehtab Chopra of Chopson Travels, Rajiv Bansal of Evergreen Travels, Mukesh Sharma of Thandal Travels (all Chandigarh-based), Moga-based Pankaj Gautam of Swastik Travels and five persons Shiv Charan Das of village Ghalouti, Manjit Kaur alias Kudip Kaur of village Charik, Bubby Singh of village Langiana Kala and another one who allegedly travelled on these fake passports.

As per details, more arrests could be expected in the coming days. With the fresh arrests, so far, at least 35 persons including police personnel, employees of the passport office, travel agents and a couple of individuals had been arrested, out of which, most of them were languishing in the jail under judicial custody. The trial of this scam is pending before a special sessions court at Faridkot.

This was the nation’s biggest ever passport scam, which was unearthed and highlighted by The Tribune in these columns on July 22, 2008 involving hundreds of individuals and employees of various departments.

About 300 fake passports made by fraudulent means during the years 2006-07 were detected by the police during the investigations. The record of previous ten years from 1995-96 to 2005-06 was not scrutinized by the previous investigating team due to which a new team has been constituted to look into it. 

Moga, April 25
The mystery of missing foreign currency- the dollars and the local currency amounting to Rs 45 lakh that was allegedly stolen by four youths on January 5 this year from a local money changer is still haunting the Moga police.

An FIR under sections 379 and 380 of the IPC was registered against Sukhdev Singh, Soni, Amarjit Singh and Sham Lal all close relatives in the police station (south) on January 8 but the police did not mention the stolen amount in it.

Although, a portion of the money amounting to Rs 21 lakh including dollars was recovered by the police a few days after the incident but the remaining amount could not be traced even after more than three months of the incident. Sources revealed that senior authorities have asked the local police to re-look and solve the case by recovering the remaining amount.

Recently, two of the alleged accused persons were again called by the police and questioned at the CIA staff in the presence of a local industrialist who is the husband of a local woman councillor.

One of the alleged accused persons reportedly named this industrialist and another politically well connected youth saying that they handed over the stolen money to them.

Ram Singh, SHO of the police station (south), admitted that he questioned two of the alleged accused for a few minutes in the presence of the industrialist. However, the SHO said that he could not trace the rest of the money. “Efforts are on and we would question everybody whose names are coming up during investigation to recover the amount,” he added.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has recently stayed the arrest of two alleged accused persons named in the FIR till May 5, due to which, the police could not investigate the case properly. “Custodial interrogation is essential to recover the remaining amount,” said SHO Ram Singh.

Bathinda, April 25
As many as 11 Dalits have been arrested for assaulting cops deployed to stop them from constructing Valmiki temple at a controversial land of village Bhagwapura in 
Talwandi Sabo late on Saturday night.

On the other hand, the arrested Dalits accused the cops for torching one of their hutments on the direction of some landlords, who had been falsely claiming their right over the land, which led to the brewing of tension.

Two cops namely Balwinder Singh and Visakha Singh sustained multiple injuries and a Dalit woman Chhinder Pal Kaur sustained burn injuries. They were admitted to the Civil Hospital, Talwandi Sabo.

Accusing the Dalits for creating ruckus, the police had booked around 15-16 of them under the IPC, including attempt to murder. They refuted the allegation of torching the hutments of Dalits. Senior police officials termed it a mere tactic of the accused to gain communal sympathy.

Police officials claimed that they reached the spot only when the guard posted at the spot informed that the construction of the temple was ensuing tension among the Zamindars and the Dalits.

Meanwhile, assembling under a common banner, various organisations claiming for the welfare of Dalit community launched a stir against the Talwandi police and staged a dharna outside the police station. The protesters claimed that they would continue the agitation till the police release the arrested Dalits.

Tension had erupted about three months back when Dalits had accused some landlords, who taking support of dozens of arms-lased goons had torched their hutments at the same place and opened several rounds of fire on them.

Then, visiting the spot to take an account of the situation, member of the Punjab state SC commission, Dalip Singh Pandhi, had pulled the district administration and asked to provide Dalits with police protection. It was said that the land (87 kanal and 14 marla), where the huts of Dalits were located, was in dispute as the landlord were claiming it as of belonging to them, while Dalits, who were in possession of it, had been terming it as "Shamlat" land.

Fazilka, April 25
Police have booked four persons including a woman on the charges of seducing two girls in Jalalabad. As per details, Krishan Kumar, a resident of Gobind Nagri Jalalabad, along with his wife and three daughters were asleep at their residence on April 17. However, two of their daughters were missing in the morning.

They launched a search but could not trace them. On investigation, they came to know that two persons with the help of the couple in their neighbourhood had allegedly trapped the young teenaged girls and took them along with them. Kirhsan Kumar reported the matter to the police. The police recovered the girls from the bus stand in Jalalabad on Saturday after a week. The police have registered a case against the neighbourer and their two companions. The medical examination of the girls has yet not been conducted. All accused were stated to be absconding. 

Ferozepur, April 25
The ‘shabby’ treatment being meted out to the game of hockey, which earned a name for India on international sports map, and its players by successive governments at the centre and Punjab is known world over.

What has been little known to the people of the country is the fact that authorities concerned have blatantly been ignoring those players who have fetched medals for India in the Olympic Games.

Though a galaxy of stars (hockey players), who have won gold, silver and other positions in the Olympics, world championship and Asian Games have been depleting very fast, the authorities concerned seem to have turned a blind eye towards their plight.

One such star, Rajinder Singh, who won gold medal for India in the 1964 Tokyo Olympic games by defeating arch-rival Pakistan, died unsung more than two months ago in this border town of Punjab.

No one from the state government, district administration, hockey federation and other sports bodies attended his funeral and bhog ceremony, held in this town by his two sisters and other kin.

Interestingly, Shanker Laxman, who was goalkeeper of the team and played a key role in winning a gold in hockey in the 1964 Olympics, also died unsung and uncared at his native place Mhow in Madhya Pardesh a few years ago.

Rajinder Singh, son of an army man, who braved the 1965 and 1971 wars, started his career as class IV employee in the Indian railways. He was a playing member of the Indian hockey team from 1963 to 1968. He was also a member of the Punjab hockey team, which won a number of national championships during that period.

Rajinder died while he was being taken to the hospital after he vomited blood on February 5 this year. As it took about 35 minutes to reach the local Mission Hospital due to traffic jams in the city, Rajinder was declared brought dead by the doctors, who attended on him, said Sharmili, sister of the hockey star.

“It is news for me that Rajinder Singh has died,” said Ajit Singh, former Olympian and Arjuna awardee adding that nobody ever informed about the death of the hero of Indian sports of yesteryear. Similarly, Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav said he had no idea about the death of Rajinder Singh.

Har Narain Singh Laddi, a hockey coach, who was in regular touch with Rajinder Singh, said that he came to know about his death from the letter he received from Rajinder Singh’s nephew.

“It is shocking for me why the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF), Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and other sports bodies apart from different government agencies have been allowing such stars to die unsung,” he said, adding that Rajinder was only 26 when he won the gold for the country.

Sharmili while talking to TNS said she was hurt over the treatment meted out to her brother, who was living in a small accommodation here since 1996 after retirement from the Railways from the post of assistant welfare officer.

Though a number of junior hockey players, who could not achieve that level of success in hockey, which could match Rajinder's achievements, had been given various awards and other favours, Rajinder Singh was denied the same. “Perhaps it is a tradition of the Indian and Punjab government to ‘honour’ its heroes,” she added.