Tarn Taran, August 8
SGPC President Avtar Singh has criticised Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) chief Paramjit Singh Sarna for favouring Congress leaders allegedly involved in the Delhi Sikh riots at the cost of Sikh interests.

Avtar Singh was here yesterday to inaugurate Bunga Rangettian and Gurdwara Shaheed Baba Jeewan Singh built by Baba Jagtar Singh of Kar Sewa Wale.

Avtar Singh condemned Sarna for backing Congress leaders like Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler and others.

Avtar Singh said, “Sarna, besides Manjit Singh Calcutta, is hand in glove with the Congress and they may go to any extent to ruin the Sikh cause.” It was for this that Sarna levelled false allegations against senior advocate of the Supreme Court H.S. Phoolka which were aimed at disheartening Phoolka who had been working to get justice for the riot victims.

Terming Sarna as anti-SGPC, Avtar Singh said whenever any employee of the SGPC went to Delhi for his personal or official work, he was denied accommodation in the sarai of the DSGMC on the instructions of Sarna.

The SGPC President added he would locate all the places where Baba Jeewan Singh stayed or took shelter on his way to Anandpur Sahib from Delhi while bringing the “head” of Guru Tegh Bahadur which was beheaded by the then Delhi emperor.

Kapurthala, August 8
Unemployed BEd teachers staged a dharna near Masjid Chowk here today in protest against the failure of the government to fulfil their long-standing demands of recruitment.

The agitating unemployed teachers flayed the Parkash Singh Badal government for not implementing the election manifesto of his party to give employment to the BEd teachers. Unemployed Teachers Front spokesman Deepak Jugial announced intensification of the agitation in case their demands were not accepted.

He alleged that the police had stopped the teachers at the city entry points and did not allow them to participate in the agitation.

The agitating teachers had planned to gherao the residence of Education Minister Dr Upinderjit Kaur. However, the police did not allow them to do so outside the residence of the minister. But the agitating teachers held a protest rally and submitted a memorandum to SDM S.K. Singla.

Tarn taran: The ETT Adhyapak Union, Punjab, will intensify its agitation in case the state government failed to meet the demand of the 
ETT teachers to bring back the control of the zila parishad-run government elementary schools under the Education Department.

A warning in this regards was given here today at a district-level conference of the ETT teachers addressed by the state leaders of the union. All the 550 ETT teachers working zila parishad schools in the district participated in the conference.

President Jaswinder Singh Sidhu, general secretary Ranjit Singh Bath and other leaders of the union condemned the indifferent attitude of the government towards their sole demand. The leaders said the demand had been mentioned in the election manifestos of the SAD and the BJP and the state government had assured the union a number of times.

The leaders warned that after August 15 the union would gherao the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister, ministers and MLAs of the ruling SAD-BJP combine, besides disturbing the public gatherings of the ruling party by raising slogans in favour of their demands.

The union leaders condemned the role of Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Ranjit Singh Brahmpura for going back on his assurance given to the union regarding the demand. The union burnt the effigy of Brahmpura.

Pathankot: The members of the Education Employees and Teacher Union held a protest rally and blocked traffic at Pathankot-Jalandhar road near Chakki bridge for over two hours demanding regularisation here today. Led by union‘s state president Ajmer Singh Aulakh, over 500 teachers including women from all over the state joined the protest. They also raised slogans against the government. Later they submitted a charter of their demands to Ashwani Sharma, state BJP president, for forwarding it to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. 

Jalandhar, August 8
With an aim to provide educational and cultural exposure, a group of 25 schoolboys from Jammu and Kashmir visited Jalandhar under Operation Sadbhavana yesterday. The boys left for Amritsar today.

During their stay, the boys of classes VIII to XII hailing from Akhnoor in Jammu district visited Jalandhar cantonment, Science City in Kapurthala, shopping malls, local Model Town and the Phagwara industrial area.

The youngsters, who stepped out of their state for the first time, were happy to explore the city and its surrounding areas.

“I was not aware that India has progressed so much. The educational trip to Science City was really amazing,” said a youngster. Earlier, Vajra Corps GOC Lieut-Gen Ramesh Halgali interacted with the boys and their teachers and gave a motivational talk on national integration.

The boys expressed their desire to pursue higher studies in Punjab. A majority of them maintained that they would love to join the armed forces.

Gurdaspur, August 8
Notwithstanding the lofty claims of the Punjab Government about upgrading school infrastructure, Government Primary School located near the tehsil is a complete picture of neglect. The school has 45 children on its rolls and the building is located in a low-lying area.

The premises has turned into a virtual archipelago as students have to wade through the water, which enters from three sides of the building, on their way out of the school. Two teachers and an educational volunteer in the school have a trying time to save furniture and books during the rainy season. Even a light shower is enough for water to flow into the school. Usha Parveen, centre head teacher and in charge of the school, disclosed that she had written letters to the District Education Officer (Primary) but to no avail. She said she had apprised the authorities of the problems, of rainwater flowing into the premises and the dilapidated condition of the building, in a letter written on July 20, 2010.

However, a senior teacher disclosed that the school in charge had reacted only after rainwater flooded the school in the first week of July.

“She was duty bound to act earlier. The damage had already been done. The PWD authorities should also step in and do something concrete about the issue. Otherwise parents will stop sending their wards to the school.”

Sources disclose that earlier the school was housed near Singh Sabha Gurdwara and was shifted about five years ago.

Ironically, at that time the Education Department shifted the school but failed to provide a building, following which Government Model Senior Secondary School was forced to give a part of its building to the primary school. Senior secondary school Principal Pawan Kumar says, “We are doing our best to see to it that water does not enter the school. However, till now we haven’t met with much success.”

An Education Department official disclosed, “It’s not only the water which is the cause of a problem. The roofs too leak during the monsoons. It seems that the school has become an unwanted baby of the Education Department.”

DEO (Primary) Karamjit Singh said he was aware of the problems and added that things could move forward only if he had the requisite funds.