Jalandhar, September 17
Nearly all the aided private colleges in Punjab have been facing a severe dearth of regular teachers for the past many years. There are 4,025 sanctioned posts in aided colleges and over 1,200 posts of teacher are vacant in such colleges. Ironically, the fact that the posts were sanctioned on the basis of students’ strength in 1981, made the scenario worst.

In spite of the fact that the strength of students has increased in the colleges over the past three decades, the government has failed to employ more teachers, leave alone the filling of vacant posts.

Although, the private or charitable managements manage all 136 private aided colleges, such colleges are largely dependent on the 95 per cent salary deficit grant given by the government. Rest 5 per cent has to be borne by the college managements.

Pertinently, owing to quite less number of government arts colleges, the private government aided colleges are the major disseminators of higher education in rural areas.

Talking to The Tribune, Dr Jagwant Singh, president, Punjab and Chandigarh Colleges Teachers Union, said the apathy of subsequent governments to revise the policy regarding such colleges marred the smooth functioning in general, and academic environment in particular.

“The government sanctioned the staff strength and allocated the financial aid as per the strength of students in 1981 which was around 90,000 at that time. However, an approximate figure obtained by our union from the three state universities - Guru Nanak Dev University, Panjab University and Punjabi University - revealed that at present over 1.6 lakh students are studying in aided colleges affiliated to these universities,” he added.

Besides the vacant 1,250 posts, another 3,000 new posts should be created in such colleges to run them in accordance with the University Grants Commission (UGC) norms, he demanded.

Jasmeet Kaur, DPI (Colleges), said the government was working on a proposal in this regard but she could not reveal the exact details as no such meeting in this regard was held during her tenure.

Jalandhar, September 17
A daughter of a constable with 20th battalion of the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) who died while performing his duties on the Indo-Pak border in 1964, has been struggling for benefits promised by the government.

Jogindro Devi was just 18-month old when her father Teja Singh died for his motherland. She was brought up by her relatives as her mother solemnised her second marriage due to the bad economic conditions of the family. Jogindro had to discontinue her studies after class VII.

Narrating her woes to The Tribune, Jogindro Devi, a resident of Mohalla Abadpura, claimed that her representations seeking monetary benefits, including Teja Singh’s pension, brought her disappointment every time.

Being the only legal heir of Teja Singh, she also submitted applications to the PAP authorities and the SSP, Jalandhar, for various benefits but to no use.

She even approached the State Women Commission in 2009, following which the commission asked the Punjab DGP to look into the matter and report back. After one year, a letter from the DGP claimed that the record pertaining to Teja Singh was not available with the PAP as the then 20th battalion of the PAP had been converted into the 22nd battalion of the Border Security Force (BSF).

Jogindro Devi lamented that the BSF authorities, however, claimed that Teja Singh (PAP No 20/599) died while he was an employee of the PAP and it was the responsibility of the armed police to provide the due benefits to his kin.

Phagwara, September 17
Punjab Youth Congress will launch a “jail bharo andolen” at all block and district headquarters on September 18 in protest against the alleged police lathi charge and illegal detention of Youth Congress activists headed by PYC president Ravneet Singh Bittu MP by the Ludhiana police. YC activists were going to submit a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner against indifferent policies of the SAD-BJP government today.

This was announced by Punjab Youth Congress president Ravneet Singh Bittu while addressing a press conference at the residence of former minister Joginder Singh Maan after condoling the death of Baljinder Kaur, wife of Maan, here this afternoon

Bittu alleged huge amounts of MNREGA and Indira Awas Yojna sent by the Union Government were either being misutilised or diverted by the Badal government under alleged corrupt practices and the YC would expose all the scams of the Badal government. — OC

Ucha (Sultanpur lodhi), September 17
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal claimed that the law and order situation in the state was better than many other states and even the foreign countries.Badal stated this soon after laying the foundation stone of Adarsh School at Ucha village on the Kapurthala-Goindwal road here today. He said every state had been affected with rising crime rate but the situation in Punjab was better than the worst-affected states like Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana.

When his attention was drawn towards incident of custodial death of Aroor Singh in Dhilwan police station on September 5 last year in which a criminal case was registered against four police officials, including then Dhilwan SHO and all the police officials were evading arrests despite the strict instructions of the Punjab and Haryana High court, Badal termed it as an isolated case of police involvement in the custodial death.

Badal announced that the state government had decided to give a special grant of Rs 10 crore to each assembly segment for development, besides a special grant of Rs 2 crore for the constructions of toilets in villages.

Education Minister Upinderjit Kaur, who is also the sitting MLA from Sultanpur Lodhi, claimed that Punjab stood third in the country in the field of education according to the 2009 survey conducted by the National University of Planning and Education. Former SGPC chief Bibi Jagir Kaur also spoke on this occasion.

Jalandhar, September 17
Hundreds of veterinary doctors gathered in the city today to urge the government to fulfil their long-pending demand of issuing notification regarding payment of the Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA) to the vets in the state.

The protest was organised under the banner of the Punjab State Veterinary Officers Association at 
the Animal Husbandry complex here.

Addressing the protesters, Dr Ashok Sharma, state president of the association, said the government was still unwilling to concede to their long-pending demand regarding the NPA.

After a long wait and false assurance by the government, the association had been forced to boycott the “Pashudhan Melas” and monthly progress 
system from today onward, he added.