Gazipur (Jalandhar), November 13
Residents of around 25 to 30 villages situated along the Kala Sanghian drain who are bound to consume polluted subsoil water, are still waiting for the construction of overhead water tanks and installation of deep tubewells in their villages.

As of now, residents of such villages either depend on their domestic submersible or panchayat tubewells, the underground terminals of which hardly cross the 200 to 300-foot mark and the water generated through such tubewells is unfit for drinking.

One such village is Gazipur located along the Kapurthala road where residents, for the past around two years, have been waiting for the construction of an overhead tank and a deep tubewell.

“The panchayat had passed a resolution in this regard and also deposited the money sought by the authorities. We have even vacated a piece of four-kanal shamlaat land for the purpose. Now they want us to fulfil the formalities in accordance with some other scheme. It has been two years since we have been running from pillar to post,” said sarpanch Sanjeev Kumar.

“We never needed deep tubewells in our villages till over a decade ago. The subsoil water started deteriorating after the setting up of industrial units and due to inflow of urban waste in the drain. As villages are unduly bearing the cost of industrialisation and urbanisation, shouldn’t it be the priority of the administration to provide us at least with potable water?” he lamented.

Sarpanch Karnail Singh of Gillaan said, “The villagers depend on water generated by the panchayat tubewell which is around 200 feet deep. The entire water is unfit for consumption.”

Paramjeet Singh, Executive Engineer, Water and Sanitation, admitted that as per the recently prepared list, there were around 25 to 30 villages where deep tubewell-run overhead tanks were yet to be constructed.

“So far, only six or seven villages have submitted the proposals in this regard,” he said.

The residents of villages situated along the drain feel that not only water but even the air has turned toxic.

Jaranil Singh of Gazipur village said women in these villages could not wear jewellery as months after wearing it, it starts getting discoloured and ultimately blackened.

“The same is happening to our kitchen utensils, water taps, electricity wire connections and even electric poles. Everything first turns black and then corrodes within months,” he added.

Hoshiarpur, November 13
Commenting on the ongoing activities of former Finance Minister Manpreet Badal, Punjab Education Minister Sewa Singh Shekhwan said that the former had no political future and the issues for which he had resigned did not relate to public. Neither SAD workers and leaders nor people of Punjab were with him. Shekhwan was talking to mediapersons here yesterday.

Referring to heavy debts on the state government, he said the government had 
borrowed loans for the development and welfare of the people. The state government was fully responsible for its clearance 
and there was no burden of its repayment on the people.

Referring to the working of the Education Department, he said a majority of the students studying in government schools belonged to poor section of society and had been suffering from inferiority complex.

It had been decided to provide utensils for mid-day meals and quality schoolbags for carrying books to all the students to end their inferiority complex from the next academic session. It was also decided to provide cycles to all those girl students who had to go to schools in other villages. Jute mats were being replaced with furniture in all the schools.

He said the SAD-BJP government had recruited 38,000 teachers during its three-and-a-half-year regime. As many as 3,500 more elementary teachers would soon be recruited for which sanction had been received by the department. Similarly, 7,500 teachers for senior secondary section would be recruited at the earliest.

Later, he gave away prizes to the winners of the four-day state-level primary 
school sports.

Amritsar, November 13
Degrees were conferred on about 100 students, including 16 postgraduates, during the first convocation of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)-run Sri Guru Ram Dass Institute of Medical Sciences and Research at Vallah here today.

Deputy Chief Minister and SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal was the chief guest at the function, which was largely attended by a battery of senior SAD leaders. Dr Seeta Naik, member of Board of Governors, Medical Council of India, was the guest of honour.

While congratulating the students and staff of the college, the Deputy Chief Minister said he wanted to see the medical college in top 10 institutes of the country and government would extend its all possible support to fulfil this dream. He asked the students to keep abreast with the latest technological advancements in the medical field, which were growing by leaps and bounds.

He admitted that although there was no dearth of expertise in the state, but the medical colleges in the state lagged behind in the technological up-gradation.

Meanwhile, the college authorities instituted an annual award in the memory of famous gynaecologist Dr Amanjot Kaur. It would be awarded to the student who would make a mark in the medical field.

Avatar Singh, president, Shiromani Committee, conferred a gold medal on Neetu Sidhu, a student of the institute, who topped in the state in the first-year examination of MBBS.

Dr Geeta Sharma, Director and Principal of the college, while detailing about the achievements of the institute, informed that the hospital would open a state-of-art Cardiology Department on its premises having the facilities of catheterisation laboratory or cath lab. She said the efforts had already been initiated to increase the postgraduate seats from 43 to 100 and was likely to start from the next session.

Paper presentation, panel discussion and project exhibition by the Indian Society for Technical Education were also inaugurated. More than 90 colleges from Punjab, Haryana, HP, Rajasthan, J & K, Delhi, Chandigarh, Orrisa, Madhya Pradesh are participating. — OC