Jalandhar, May 11
Thanks to the “Parho Punjab” programme, government primary schools across the district have been witnessing a trend of reverse migration. Students from private model schools are now opting for government schools which are witnessing an increase in enrolment of students during the current academic session.

As per the data available with the district authorities of Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan, Class II witnessed an increase of 2,082 in enrolment as 16,617 students enrolled in the class during the current academic session against the 14,535 students who appeared in the final examination of Class I the previous session.

Similarly, enrolment in Class III has witnessed an increase of 773 students.

As many as 14,576 students had appeared in the final examination of Class II and 15,349 have been admitted to Class III.

“There is a net increase in enrolment in each class. Even in Class IV, 350 students have taken fresh admission, in addition to the 14,482 students, who have been promoted to Class IV in the last academic session. Moreover, government schools have also witnessed a gross increase in enrolment - 2,564 students in Class I this year,” said Navpreet Balli, District Coordinator, Parho Punjab.

Teachers and volunteers working under “Parho Punjab” are of the view that an increase in the enrolment of students in all grades is a result of introduction of English from the very first day of studies and a rigorous campaign undertaken by the education authorities for the promotion of government schools.

“Small private schools attract students due to teaching of English. Otherwise government schools have always had an upper hand over such schools as far as the quality of teachers is concerned. Now once English has been introduced even in government primary schools, parents find no reason to send their children to small private schools,” said Balli.

Moreover, after implementation of Sarv Siksha Abhiyan, availability of infrastructure was also getting better in government schools, he said.

Some of the examples of increase in enrolment are Government Primary School, Basti Bawa Khel, which witnessed an increase of 213 students and Government Primary School, Charniyaan, which witnessed an increase of 43 students.

“We have launched a month-long campaign and ‘mashal marches’ for the promotion of government schools in villages. Students at village commonplaces have organised self-introductory campaigns in English. Such campaigns propagate introduction of English in schools and sensitise parents in villages to send their children to government schools,” said a volunteer.

Hoshiarpur, May 11
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal today inaugurated the inter-state bus terminus, a bridge on the Bhangi Choe and a railway over bridge (ROB) near Tanda.

Local MP of the Congress Santosh Chaudhary had cut the ribbon to throw open the bus terminus last month. Similarly, the ROB on the Tanda-Sri Hargobindpur road was inaugurated just after its completion by Tanda MLA Sangat Singh Giljian last month.

Apprehending inauguration of the bridge on the Bhangi Choe by some unauthorised leader from the opposition party, the SAD-BJP government had deployed a company of Punjab police commandos at the bridge till it was opened by Sukhbir Badal today.

The three projects have come up at a cost of Rs 26 crore.

While addressing the gathering at Roshan Ground, Badal stressed upon the promotion of sports. He announced that eight stadiums, one in Hoshiarpur, would be upgraded and floodlit in the near future. Besides, six hockey stadiums, equipped with astroturf and floodlights, would be set up in Punjab. The seventh national hockey tournament would be organised in these stadiums in December this year, he claimed.

Sukhbir Badal said the SAD-BJP government had provided employment to over 47,000 youth and 19,000 vacancies would be filled this year.

He said the ROBs on the Tanda-Sri Hargobindpur road, Bathinda-Dabwali road and Dabwali-Malout road were being inaugurated today. He said the ROBs on the Batala-Dera Baba Nanak road and Jagraon-Raikot road would be inaugurated this month.

He said next month would witness completion of seven ROBs and RUBs, including those at Bathinda, Mansa, Amritsar, Jalandhar City and Beas. The ROBs in Ferozepore Cantonment and Morinda would be completed in December.

Badal accepted the demands raised by local MLA and Forest Minister Tikshan Sud and ordered setting up of a judicial complex, besides sanctioning Rs 75 lakh for five tubewells and Rs 15 lakh for the renovation of an indoor stadium.

Transport Minister Master Mohan Lal highlighted the modernisation of the Transport Department, including adding of a fleet of AC buses.

The others who spoke on the occasion included PWD Minister Parminder Dhindsa, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Mohinder Kaur Josh, SAD general secretary Balwinder Singh Bhundar and BJP general secretary Kamal Sharma.

Nawanshahr, May 11
Ambekar Chowk and Chandigarh Chowk situated on the Jalandhjar-Chandigarh highway often witness traffic chaos mainly due to encroachments and haphazard parking of vehicles. Of late, plans to ensure a smooth flow of traffic were made and drives to remove encroachments were carried out. But in the absence of consistency as well as coordination between different departments, the efforts for the implementation of traffic management plans could not be launched.

Deputy Commissioner Shruti Singh and SSP Narinder Bhargav, while taking serious note of the problem, have prepared an action plan after holding discussions with the officials of the different departments and NGOs.

Under the action plan, DSP Satpal Singh Bhangu, along with the police force, visited the stretch of the main road between Chandigarh Chowk and Ambedkar Chowk and got removed the encroachments erected by rehriwalas and rickshaw-pullers, checked haphazard parking of vehicles, errant bus drivers who prefer halting on the road to entering the bus stand, etc.

Bhangu said a few months ago he had raised the issue of involving different departments like electricity, telecom, PWD, Municipal Council, etc. for ensuring removal of encroachments, electricity and telephone poles causing hindrances in the flow of traffic, at a meeting with the Deputy Commissioner. Then a survey was conducted and hundreds of electricity and telephone poles were identified which needed to be shifted as they had been creating traffic bottlenecks.

Bhangu said he had raised the issue of streamlining the process of issuing licences to the rehriwalas and rickshaw-pullers by the MC. While issuing licences, need and space available should be taken into consideration. The particular area for which the licence had been issued should also be mentioned.

“During survey, it was noticed that almost all the rehriwalas and rickshaw-pullers had been converging on Ambedkar Chowk, near the bus stand and Sabzi Mandi, consequently posing a traffic hazard,” said Bhangu, adding that under the action plan, the removal of electricity and telephone poles, causing traffic bottlenecks, had been ordered.

To ensure a smooth flow of traffic, the number of policemen on traffic duty had been increased at Ambedkar Chowk and Chandigarh Chowk.

Nawanshahr, May 11
The District Magistrate has been issuing orders under section 144, CrPC, from time to time directing banks to install CCTV cameras in banks and ATM cabins. Awareness meetings convened by the district police to educate bank officials about installation of the CCTV cameras to help police dig out clues in case of mishaps are also not a rarity in the town.

But the banks, it seems, are in no mood to budge. The dilly-dallying attitude of these institutions has caused the police to resort to strict measures. Recently, perhaps for the first time, the police registered a case against a local bank under section 188 for violating the District Magistrate’s orders regarding installation of a CCTV camera.

The case was registered on the basis of a complaint lodged by Ruchika Chawla, a lecturer in the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, in Sikh National College, Banga. Ruchika had to struggle for about six months to get the case registered.

While sharing details with The Tribune, Ruchika said in November last year when she was travelling by a bus from Jalandhar to Banga, she lost her purse containing her Canara Bank ATM card along with other articles.

When she came to know about it, she tried to inform the bank so that her ATM card could not be misused, but unfortunately by that time someone had withdrawn Rs 20,000 from her account by using her ATM card.

The amount was withdrawn from the ATM of the Bank of Baroda situated on Banga Road, Nawanshahr. When she contacted the branch manager, she was told that nothing could be done now. She came to know that as the bank authorities had not installed a CCTV camera in the ATM cabin, no clue could be had about the miscreant, said Ruchika, adding that then she thought of raising the issue of violation of the District Magistrate’s order.

She filed a complaint in public interest with the Deputy Commissioner in this connection who, in turn, got advice from Assistant District Attorney Surinder Kumar. At last, the FIR was registered after about six months, she added.

Deputy Commissioner Shruti Singh said the banks, with a view to helping the civil and police administration in strengthening security as well as proper enforcement of law and order, should comply with the orders in letter and spirit.

Hoshiarpur, May 11
While criticising the working of various Union ministries, particularly the Railways, Rajya Sabha member Avinash Rai Khanna said he had got a proposal approved from the ministry during his last tenure as MP to make a rail link between Amritsar and Anandpur Sahib via Garhshankar which was duly passed in the railway budget.

A nod was given for a 35-km-long rail track between Garhshankar and Anandpur Sahib for which a provision of about Rs 750 crore had been made in the budget. But instead of starting the process to link the gurdwaras of Amritsar and Anandpur Sahib via Garhshankar, the railway authorities had dropped it without assigning any reason.

If the project was completed, it would benefit not only Sikh pilgrims but also the people of the Kandi area which was still backward. Khanna said he would raise the issue in the Rajya Sabha again to get it passed. — OC

Phillaur, May 11
Former minister Ch Santokh Singh and District Youth Congress (R) Jalandhar President Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary have urged the Punjab Government to bring out a complete ‘White Paper’ of first three years rules of the SAD-BJP government and put the truth on the table.

Addressing newsmen after a function of DYC, organised in Phillaur to honour three international kabaddi players today, the Congress leaders alleged that Punjab had become transit and delivery centre of drugs, which were being smuggled from Afghanistan and Pakistan to spoil the young generation of the state. They alleged that every third male student and every 10th female student studying in higher classes were observed to be in the grip of drugs. While recovery of heroin was found to be 20 per cent in Punjab of the total recovered heroin in the entire country. They alleged that politicians belonging to ruling alliance were patronising drug smugglers and law and order situation was deteriorating due to increase drugs abuse.

The leaders alleged that Health Department, Youth Welfare Department or Home Department in Punjab have closed their eyes to undue patronisation of ruling politicians to drugs smugglers.

Earlier Mangat Singh, alias Mangi, Captain of Indian Kabaddi team, Kuljit Singh, Captain of Canada team and Buta Talwan, Captain of Australia Kabaddi team, were honoured in the function by the DYC leaders.