Amritsar, July 27
The Punjab State Power Corporation engineers are sore over the government apathy towards their genuine demands including creating of separate fund for GPF of engineers.

Powercom engineers expressed their strong resentment to the Punjab Government and management of Powercom for deliberately delaying in signing tripartite agreement pertaining to services matter of the employees of the Powercom.

“During the bifurcation of the Punjab State Electricity Board, the government and board management had agreed to sign the agreement which involved all services matters of the employees including service security, seniority and promotion etc. But now the Chief Minister and management is dithering on the issue and their repeated appeals fell in deaf ears,” said P D Lufa, zonal secretary of the Powercom Engineer’s Association. In absence of tripartite agreement, the promotions of engineers are stalled, he added.

J.S. Suchu, joint secretary of the association, said, “The government had also promised to create separate fund of GPF for engineers. But till now the government has done nothing in this regard”.

They urged the government to execute Gidderbaha thermal project under state sector after making necessary tie up with the financial companies so that there was not financial liability on the state. The association pointed out that Powercom has the expertise of executing the project but the government was adamant to handover the project to a private company.

They said if the government failed to resolve the issues in time, the association along with other federations would be forced to launch an agitation and responsibility of the consequences would lie with the Punjab Government besides Powercom and Transco management.

Tarn Taran, July 27
The conductor wires of a bended power tower supplying power to sub-stations in the border area, which has not been dismantled after three months, may become a serious cause for accident at any time.

According to information, tower no. 83, installed near Khara village, 25 km (near Harike township) from here, bended in stormy winds about three months back.

Result: the conductor wires of the tower stop short at only 15 feet from the ground, while their actual position is supposed to be 90 feet from the earth.

The main road, falling on the national highway no. 15 (Amritsar-Ferozpore), is only 30 meters from the conductor wires, which may cause a serious accident at any time.

Engineer Sat Pal Singh, Superintendent Engineer (SE), P&M, a wing of Powercom, who is responsible for maintaining these towers, when contacted, confessed that the tower bended some months back causing the conductor wires in an area of 6 km to come down.

He said work to dismantle the tower would be done soon.

When asked whether the tower may become a cause for accident, the SE said if no accident had happened in the past months, how it could happen now.

Jagir Singh Sandhu, a road safety missionary in a statement, said the conductors wires needed to be taken seriously as the road passing from near the site got a lot of traffic and the tower happened to be in the fields of farmer who had planted paddy.

Two months back, the issue was also raised in a meeting with the Deputy Commissioner, who issued instructions to the department concerned to dismantle the tower but even after three months, the work has not been done.

Amritsar, July 27
Adding a new leaf, the students of Citizen Forum Vidya Mandir, a school which provides free education to children of victims of drug abuse in slums of Maqboolpura locality, will be provided higher education albeit in other schools.

One of its students, Kiran, recently, got admission in Mai Bhago Polytechnic College after clearing joint entrance test. She has been admitted in three-year diploma in computer science and applications. The expenditure of her education will be borne by the school.

The school has also started double shift for the students who could not attend school during days owing to their family problems and space crunch in the school. They were provided basic education in the evening shifts.

As many as 15 girls are doing 10+2 at Government Girls Senior Secondary Schools at Katra Safed while more than 20 students are admitted in matriculation and 9th and 8th standard. The school is currently providing education to the underprivileged children of the area up to seventh class.

“We have a vision for these children of lesser gods and we want them to achieve something bigger in their life which they otherwise could not have dreamt off. After completing their studies they can pay back to the society by helping the next generation of the area in a similar way. This is the only way to make the area drug free as attempts of agencies responsible of law and order failed to make a dent in the drug net,” said Brij Bedi.

“Selection of Kiran after clearing competitive examinations would certainly act as an inspiration for other students. We are also trying to provide quality education and teach them in such a way so that they could make for job oriented professional courses. Some to these students wanted to become law graduate,” said Master ji.

Poonam, who lost her father to drug menace addiction, and her mother do petty job as maid servant to make both ends meet. Eldest of the three siblings, she completed her primary education at Citizen Forum Vidya Mandir and now studying at Government School at Katra Safed.

“I wanted to become a lawyer. I had never dreamt of even completing my primary education as my mother could not afford the expenses our education. But this school has given us a chance to realize our dreams. Master ji’s support is definitely a booster for the children of the locality,” she said.

Maqboolpura, an area notorious for rampant drug addiction came into highlight lose its young boys to the menace rendering about 150 women widow. The issue was highlighted in The Tribune columns that led to the foundation of Citizen Forum Vidya Mandir. Industrialist and social worker, Brij Bedi joined hands with Master Ajit Singh, popularly known as Master ji to shape the school.

Started with just 20 students, the school now has strength of about 450 students who were being taught by the senior students of the school.

The students of junior classes are provided quality education by teachers of Spring Dale Senior School who are also training the young teachers of the school with modern day education system.

Maqboolpura, situated just two kms from bus stand in the outskirts of the city, has a population of over 20,000 with approximate 200 families. Maqboolpura- literally mean place of eminence - has become synonymous to drug addiction.

Amritsar, July 27
Suresh Kumar, who made public that how a private gas agency was forcibly selling articles at exorbitant prices, has complained that he and his wife are being victimised by the influential gas agency owner.

Suresh, a resident of Chheharta, said the dealer of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Jagdev Gas Service, Balwinder Singh Rataul, supplied LPG refills in his area. He claimed that the dealer forced customers to procure a gas pipe for Rs 190 and pay Rs 60 for service before releasing a refill.

“I found that the same quality of pipe with ISI mark was available at Rs 60 in the open market,” he remarked. He alleged that the gas agency did not send any person to conduct service of the gas stove and maintained that it was a brazen loot of the gullible customers.

He took upon himself the task of raising voice against the malpractices of the gas dealer. He forwarded the complaints to the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Bathinda office of the BPCL and District Food and Supply Controller.

Subsequently, District Food and Supply Controller Anjuman Bhaskar carried out an inquiry against the dealer and found the gas agency involved in dubious practices. “The gas agency was categorically told to return the money of customers after Rataul confessed that two of his employees had indulged in malpractice,” she said.

When approached, she said her department had learnt that the gas agency had not returned the money to the people. Hence, she had written to Deputy Commissioner K.S. Pannu to take action against the agency.

Suresh said thereafter the owner of the gas agency let loose a surreptitious “war” against him. He claimed that his wife, employed with Punjab State Corporation Limited, was transferred to Sangrur, where a relative of the owner was holding a senior position in the Police Department.

He maintained that the gas agency owner and his son had orchestrated an attack on him and had threatened him of dire consequences. Following which he made a complaint at Chheharta police station, which, he claimed, never elicited any response.

On the other hand, Rataul managed to get him implicated in a false case registered on July 6 and acting promptly the police kept him in the lockup for a night. However, the residents of his area joined hands and forced the police to release him.

When contacted, Rataul said Suresh Kumar out of animosity had released letters against his agency to various senior officials and the departments concerned. Rataul said Suresh was working to defame his agency in the area and threatened him of dire consequences on his mobile phone from his cell phone.

The Deputy Commissioner said he had received the complaint and would appoint officials to conduct an inquiry into the allegations. 

Amritsar, July 27
The NCC’s 11th Punjab Battalion has organised a 10-day camp for students of various schools at Baba Ishar Singh (Nanaksar) Public School, D Block, Ranjit Avenue, here.

The camp is being attended by over 150 NCC cadets from Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Tarn Taran districts. The students are being made to undergo classes on weaponry and drill. Special attention is also being given to train the students in map-reading and negotiating obstacles. Efforts are also being made to shape the personality of the cadets and to give them career counselling so that they can choose careers in which they can excel in the future.

During the camp, rallies on drug abuse and environment awareness were also taken out. Visits to the Army Recruitment Office and Wagah Border were also organised for the cadets. Col Acharya, Camp Commandant, said the cadets were showing tremendous interest in all activities and he was sure that they would gain meaningfully from the camp.

He said he was grateful to the Principal of Baba Ishar Singh Public School, who offered the premises and all facilities of the institution for the smooth conduct of the camp. — TNS

Amritsar, July 27
A-grade artiste at All India Radio, New Delhi station, Bhola Nath Mishra mesmerised the afficionados of classic music with renditions in Malhar and Kajari raagas.The classical ragas correspond with the ongoing monsoon season. The melodious strains left the audience enthralled.

The music has been flowing in his family for generations. The Hindustani classical vocalist represents the fourth generation in the family.

He was initiated into music by his parents.His mother Chandravati Devi was his first guru and he learned the basics of classical music under her guidance at home.

Gradually, he was instructed by his late father Rakhal Mishra and later by his elder brother Durga Nath Mishra.

At 47, Bhola Nath is still honing his classical music skills under the tutelage of ace Banaras Gharana singers Pandit Rajan and Sajan Mishra at Delhi. He has been training under the Mishra brothers for the past 12 years.

Bhola Nath, himself representing the Banaras Gharana, said hardly any notable stage was left in the country where he had not performed.

However, he regrets not having performed at the Sawai Gandharva Pune as yet. He is sanguine that one day he would get the opportunity to sing at that stage too.

Besides, he had given live performances in Germany, London and Austria. About foreign audience, he said though they did not comprehend lyrics, they enjoyed the music.

Having sung songs for many serials, Bhola Nath wants to sing for Bollywood flicks too. He said “Classical singers like Sultan Khan, Rashid Khan and Mishra brothers had performed in many Hindi movies and he would do the same, given the right opportunity”.

Apart from Bhola Nath, Ustad Danish Aslam Khan on the sarod and Padma Shri Mahmood Dhaulpuri on harmonium captivated the audience.

Pandit Kale Ram on tabla and Jai Dev enchanted the listeners with musical beats of Tabla. 

Amritsar, July 27
There is lot of confusion about the concept of ‘One Rank One Pension’, that is why the process of its implementation in true letter and spirit is being hampered, said Col. GS Sandhu (retd), Chairman of Majha Ex-Servicemen Human Rights Front, while conducting candlelight march with the members of the front in Amritsar.

Col Sandhu stressed that there was an urgent need to redress the grievances of the ex-servicemen who had given the best years of their life for the country. “It is irony that due to misinterpretation of the term One Rank One Pension, an old Naib Subedar of the Army, who had shared enormous responsibilities during his service tenure of 17 years, gets less pension in comparison to a newly retired peon,” said Col Sandhu.

It is to mention that as per Supreme Court’s ruling, pension has been termed as “deferred wages” for the services rendered earlier. Irrespective of their date of retirement, two persons who rendered the same service both in terms of “quality” by the rank attained and the “quantity” by the length of service come under similar “determinants” of pension an to fight for the country.

“The President of India in her speech in Parliament in June last stated that “OROP” would be considered, but except for some improvement brought closer to the “Pre and Post” Sixth Pay Commission Pensions of Ex-Servicemen, no OROP has been granted,” said Col Sandhu.

He emphasised that a soldier is recognised by his rank, which is recognised globally on same parameters; just as a battalion is commanded by a colonel and a ship by a captain. Depending upon the rank, about 94 per cent combat soldiers are compulsorily sent home in their mid 30s. “Even as they worked and got relieved under the same circumstances, an old sepoy gets 60 per cent less that a newly retired sepoy. Whereas, their rank should be considered and same amount of pension should be fixed for both cases”, he said.

Having exhausted all avenues to get OROP, the ex-servicemen were forced to launch agitation, wherein they observed relay fast, for about two months in December last. “As a protest, they even deposited their most prized possession the medals, they submitted a memorandum ‘signed in blood’ to the President of India in March last, but justice for them could not see the light of the day yet. This careless attitude of the government would dampen the spirits of those who are in service. Moreover, driving those who gave their youth for the defence of the country, on the path of agitation is most unfortunate”, he said.