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Academic audit will wipe out non-performers: PTU VC
Health staff go on indefinite strike
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Country’s first eco-friendly biogas plant set up near Abohar
Plans afoot for another fire station
13 passengers hurt as mini-bus turns turtle near Ghudda
Three arrested for killing engg student
Families wait for youth freed from UAE jail
Kin of Saragarhi martyrs honoured
Protest over attack on lensman
NFL declares Rs 41.7 cr as dividend
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Academic audit will wipe out non-performers: PTU VC
Bathinda, September 12 This was stated by Vice-chancellor, Punjab Technical University (PTU), Dr Rajneesh Arora, while talking to TNS here today. Dr Arora was on a visit to the Giani Zail Singh College of Engineering and Technology (GZSCET), which is being converted into a constituent college of the university. Dr Arora said that 25 per cent of the PTU colleges have already been audited under the system. Colleges were ranked accordingly for the benefit of the students. “We noticed that though the colleges make mandatory disclosures on their respective websites, the details mentioned in the column were doubtful. This reiterated the need for physical verification of the colleges. Now, mentioning mandatory disclosures is compulsory for all colleges and anyone found violating it will have to face the music,” he added. The VC said that in order to provide students with a wider platform, the PTU has started conducting joint campus placements. While one such drive for five colleges is being held at Ferozepur, another of 31 colleges will be held on September 18 at Fatehgarh Sahib. Speaking about capitation fees openly charged by the reputed colleges, Dr Arora said the only way to stop capitation fees is to break the monopoly of certain colleges. “Since some of the colleges have excellent placement records, they tend to monopolise and hence, demand capitation fees,” he said. While interacting with the head of the departments, Dr Arora discussed the procedure of the PTU taking over GZSCET as its constituent college. The college society has already passed a resolution transferring all its assets and liabilities. “The Board of Governors (BoG) of the varsity will be formed soon and in its very first meeting, the BoG will pass the GZSCET society’s resolution paving the way for the taking over of the college. Being a constituent college and with the kind of academic atmosphere prevalent, it would become the epicentre of research and academics for all other colleges,” he said. Immediate benefit would accrue to the faculty in nearby colleges pursuing their PhD, who have to seek guidance from IIT Ropar, IIT Roorkee or Delhi for their studies, the PTU VC added.
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Health staff go on indefinite strike
Faridkot, September 12 The doctors and paramedical staff on strike kept raising slogans against the Civil Surgeon during the duty hours on Monday even as hundreds of patients were mute spectators to the scene and suffered in the absence of any medical aid. Accusing the Civil Surgeon of harassing the health department employees and using filthy language and innuendoes, the doctors, pharmacists, lab assistants, multipurpose health workers, clerical and Class IV employees on Monday started the indefinite strike, demanding his transfer. Civil Surgeon Gurmail Singh Chahal refuted the allegations saying these were a figment of imagination of those employees who were annoyed with him after he started an inquiry against them for their involvement in cases of wrongdoing. “I am ready to face any inquiry,” he said. However, the protesting doctors and other employees alleged that the Civil Surgeon's behaviour was indecent, particularly towards the women employees. The protesting doctors even delved into the history of a ‘sexual harassment and corruption’ case pending against the Civil Surgeon. “After many months of harassment and a number of complaints, as the higher authorities in the department are not taking any action against the Civil Surgeon, we are left with no option but to resort to indefinite strike,” said Dr Chander Shekhar, the PCMS Doctors Union president in Faridkot. Sunil Singla, district president of pharmacists’ union and Jaswant Singh, president of the district laboratory technicians said the recalcitrant attitude of the Civil Surgeon forced them to go on strike. In a memorandum submitted to the Deputy Commissioner, the protesting doctors and other employees said they would continue their strike until the Civil Surgeon is shifted. But this ‘resolution’ is set to leave hundreds of poor and needy patients in the lurch. The problem is more acute in the rural area in the absence of private doctors' clinics, said Jaswant Kaur, mother-in-law of a pregnant woman who reached Faridkot to consult a
gynaecologist. |
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SAD woos Kaka supporters in Dharamkot
Dharamkot (Moga), September 12 Apparently surprised over the trend, Deputy Chief Minister and party president Sukhbir Singh Badal has decided to visit the area on Wednesday to woo the voters to ensure his party's win. Insiders in the ruling party revealed that the SAD leadership has begun talks with a few local Akali workers, having prominence in the area, who joined hands with Kaka due to personal considerations, for arranging their meeting with the junior Badal, which could be termed as a last ditch effort to strengthen the prospects of the party candidate. Pritpal Kaur, former president of the Dharamkot Nagar Panchayat and her husband Inderpreet Singh Bunty, who run rice mills, openly put up with Kaka owing to personal relations despite being well-wishers of the ruling party. It was learnt that the senior leadership of the party has asked the local MLA and chief parliamentary secretary Sheetal Singh to negotiate with the couple for bringing them back to the mainstream of the ruling party. Earlier, both Sheetal Singh and Bunty went along with Kaka to file his nomination paper before the returning official but after Kaka was expelled from the party, Sheetal Singh sided with the party while Bunty went ahead openly to support the rebel candidate. Bunty enjoys very good relations with Sheetal Singh and the local SAD leadership feels that the MLA could bring him and his wife back to the party. If Bunty starts campaigning for the SAD candidate, even in the last phase of electioneering, the residents of the area feel that he has the capability to strengthen the electoral prospects of the ruling party. It may be mentioned that the stakes for the senior SAD leader and former education minister Jathedar Tota Singh are high in Dharamkot because he is likely to contest the forthcoming assembly elections from this assembly constituency. Political observers said if the SAD candidate loses the SGPC elections from here, the political scenario would also change in the assembly elections. It would make it hard for Tota Singh to carry on with his political ambitions from here. In such a situation, he may turn back to Moga where he lost to Joginder Pal Jain of the Congress in the last elections. Under such circumstances, the political scenario in Moga would be more confusing as DGP Paramdip Singh Gill is also eying the SAD ticket from here. However, the SAD leadership may stay away from him after his retirement on September 30 in view of the controversies that surrounded the top cop recently. Since Jathedar is also in the race for the president of the SGPC and if he is bestowed with the top post in the 'mini-parliament' of Sikhs, he may have to settle for the post leaving either Dharamkot or Moga assembly seat for his younger son Barjinder Singh Brar, former president of the Moga Municipal Council. |
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Country’s first eco-friendly biogas plant set up near Abohar
Abohar, September 12 The plant, first of its kind, at village Kala Tibba would produce gas by utilising cattle dung, poultry waste and kitchen waste. A survey had indicated that hundreds of cattle owners in the rural area had been dumping dung on the road sides or peripheries causing pollution besides damaging the roads. Such dumps had created a lot of nuisance in the rainy season. The government had decided to offer carbon credit worth Rs 600 for the green gas plant. The benefit may run into lakhs of rupees annually. Biogas is an economical, renewable and an eco-friendly fuel. Biogas is produced in an anaerobic digester i.e. a Gobar gas plant. Biogas in its natural self consists of Moisture, Carbon dioxide, Hydrogen sulfide and Methane gas. Methane has a high calorific value in its pure stage. Due to the presence of impurities Biogas becomes a very low calorific value fuel and hence finds a very limited application even though it is cheap and easily available. Asserting that biogas would cost less than the LPG, Balaur Singh said, “The entire quantity of biogas filled in the cylinder would be exhausted while liquefied gas at the bottom remains unused in the LPG cylinders. The production would also help in overcoming shortage of the LPG faced by commercial houses. The government had decided to offer 50 perc ent subsidy to promote green gas production. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has planned to promote installation of 15 compressed biogas bottling plants in different states with a capacity of 11,200 cubic meters per day. The states to be covered as of now include Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. The MNRE had approved another green gas project with 1000 cubic-meter capacity at village Nijawat Kokrian in the Muktsar district, the same is likely to be completed by end of the year. The Punjab Agricultural University has set up biogas development training centre to impart technical knowledge to the interested entrepreneurs. The bio slurry discharged by the green gas plants can be used as liquid fertiliser that would promote organic farming. So far two farmers Pradeep Dawra of village Gidderanwali and Amar Kumar of Malout have shown interest in liquid fertiliser marketing, sources added. |
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Plans afoot for another fire station
Bathinda, September 12 A proposal for the same has already been made and sent to the departments concerned to procure no objection certificates (NOC) from them. The main fire station is already functioning near the Mall Road in the city. The demand for a fire station was being made by industrialists for the past three years on account of the fact that in the area around the ITI Chowk, there are over 150 industries located at the Industrial Growth Centre, ITI industrial area, and the industrial area on the Dabwali road. When contacted, assistant divisional fire officer Baldev Singh confirmed here that there was a proposal to set up a sub fire station near the ITI Chowk here. He said in the recent past, people had met Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal at a “Sangat Darshan” programme and urged him to set up a fire station in the area. He said on this, the Deputy CM ordered the authorities concerned to make a proposal in this regard. He said the local Municipal Corporation (BMC) prepared a proposal and sent it to the Industries Department, Punjab, seeking an NOC from it as the land on which the Sub Fire Station was to be set up belonged to the department. The proposal was under consideration and the NOC from the department was awaited. However, the ITI authorities had issued the relevant NOC, the official added. As and when the Industries Department issues the NOC, the fire station authorities will prepare an estimate for setting up the Sub Fire Station and get it passed from the BMC following which the construction would begin. District president of the Bathinda Chamber of Commerce and Industry Raman Watts said the fire station near the ITI Chowk was the need of the hour as there were over 150 industries, including spinning mills and transformer units, in the area. He said they had been demanding another fire station for the past three years. |
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New-born boy found abandoned in train
Bathinda, September 12 There was no rush in the passenger train and its bogies were barely filled. Some passengers had noticed the abandoned child wrapped in a towel. The child was not wearing anything and was asleep. Officials of the Railway Police informed volunteers of the Sahara Jan Sewa about the matter and the latter rushed the child to the Civil Hospital after informing the Deputy Commissioner. The medical examination of the newly-born was conducted and he was found to be fit. Doctors said the child appeared to be barely two days old. Sahara volunteers said the child did not cry even when he was taken to the hospital and it seemed that he was fed before being abandoned. The child is in the custody of the Sahara volunteers after the district administration granted due permission to them. They said the child may be shifted to some ‘ashram’ in Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar or Patiala. Efforts were on to trace the baby’s parents.
— TNS |
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13 passengers hurt as mini-bus turns turtle near Ghudda
Bathinda, September 12 In today’s incident, four passengers received serious injuries. The injured passengers are undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital. The ill-fated bus was on its way to Killianwali Mandi from Bathinda. As per the injured passengers, the mini-bus (Ahluwalia Bus) was overloaded and two of its tyres burst while approaching the Ghudda village at around 3 pm. Jagga Singh, a labourer from Chak Bakhtu village who was travelling with his wife and a two-year-old son, said he was sitting in the middle of the mini-bus when they heard an unusual sound from the rear wheels of the bus before it overturned. The bus was packed to its capacity and some passengers, including school students, were dangling from its doors and many were sitting atop. “The bus overturned all of sudden and I managed to hold my son in my lap as others trampled me. We broke windowpanes and the windshield to get out of the bus,” Jagga said. Jagga received minor injuries while his wife, who was sitting behind him, received a fracture in her leg. An elderly woman broke her thigh and was undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital. Passengers said people sitting inside the bus and standing along the doors received serious injuries while those sitting on the roof jumped off and escaped unhurt. Onlookers said a school girl, who had boarded the bus around two minutes before the accident took place, had got sandwiched between the roof of the bus and the road. “She must have lost her leg. The poor student was standing near the door,” an onlooker said. He added that the bus driver and the conductor escaped unhurt and fled from the spot leaving the badly damaged bus behind. While police officials or any other government agency failed to reach the spot volunteers of the Sahara Jan Sewa reached the spot immediately and rushed the injured to the hospital. The doctors in the hospital said there were two patients who had received serious injuries on their legs, including a girl and a boy, and could not be identified till the evening. |
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Three arrested for killing engg student
Faridkot, September 12 The daughter of the alleged accused teacher has also been rounded up. Both the accused Kuldeep Singh from village Latala of Ludhiana and Amandeep Kaur, a resident of Khokhra Wala Mohalla in Faridkot were produced in the court of the assistant chief judicial magistrate (ACJM), Faridkot, today. As per the details, the victim Gurbhej Singh, son of a property dealer, Gurbhej Singh, had an affair with Amandeep Kaur's daughter. The mother of the girl, who objected to the relationship, approached a sorcerer in Ludhiana. As per the plan, the tantrik approached the girl and 'offered' her the magic service to mollify the mother. He asked the girl to summon the boy at a canal bank in Bhullar village of Muktsar to perform a ritual. The girl called the boy to Bhullar village on July 26 and in the name of the ritual, the boy was offered a drink laced with a sedative. After he lost his consciousness, he was thrown into the canal. "A case under Section 302/201 of the IPC has been registered. Investigation is in progress." said Sat Pal
Sidhu, SSP, Faridkot. |
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Families wait for youth freed from UAE jail
Sangrur/Barnala, September 12 The duo were among the 17 Indian youth, including 16 from Punjab and one from Haryana, who were sentenced to death by a Sharjah court for the murder of a Pakistani national, Mishri Khan. However, a blood money deal recently reached the victim's family — the youth were released today. The Shariat court on Monday pronounced the judgment giving two-year jail to all the 17 Indians (which they have already completed). As soon as the news regarding releasing the duo from the jail in UAE was received in the two villages of Sangrur and Barnala, the residents rushed to the homes of the two youth and also distributed sweets. Amar Kaur, the octogenarian grand mother of Sukhjyot Singh, his parents, residents of village Sanghera were elated to know that at last their son has been released. Sukhjyot's grand mother Amar Kaur, Sukhjyot's father, Jagdev Singh, an electrician, and mother Manjeet Kaur (45) were rather overwhelmed as they heard the good news of their son being freed from the jail in UAE. “We remained under depression for long. However, we thank the almighty as our sons along with 16 other Indian were freed from the UAE jail. We are anxiously waiting for them,” said Jagdev Singh, father of Sukhjyot Singh. “I thank SP Singh, president, Punjabi Bhartiya Relief Society and Suresh Aggarwal for helping us during the tought time. I also want to thank the entire village for their support.” Jagdev Singh said that his son went to Dubai in 2007 to work there and was working there as carpenter. Meanwhile, family members of Satgur Singh of Ghanor Jattan are also happy over the freeing of their son from the UAE jail. Gurmail Singh, father of Satgur Singh, said all the family members are anxiously waiting for Satgur's safe return. |
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Kin of Saragarhi martyrs honoured
Ferozepur, September 12 On the occasion, ADC GS Pannu, Col HP Singh, Director, Sanik Welfare, Col Harinder Singh, president, General Sham Singh Attariwala Trust, Subhash Chander, SDM besides civil, police and Army officials paid tributes to the Saragarhi martyrs. Earlier, the Bhog ceremony of the Akhand Paath was organised. Renowned historian Dr Rajeshwar Singh narrated the saga of the Saragarhi battle. Several government and private organisations including, Weavco, Markfed, Industries, Labour and and others besides Languages Department had put up their stalls. Santokh Singh (fifth generation of Havaldar Ishar Singh), Manjit Singh, Satnam Singh, Sarabjit Singh and Harbans Singh were amongst the next of kin of the Saragarhi martyrs, who were honoured. No elected representative of the state government attended the function. |
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Protest over attack on lensman
Abohar, September 12 While presiding over a rally at Nehru Park here, Baij Nath and Sheopat Rai alleged that lens man Vijay Sidana was attacked by some armed persons as he was going home using bike near Shanidev Mandir in street six market last evening. As a few persons rushed to rescue him, the miscreants forced them to run brandishing swords. The city police was informed immediately but none turned up. Vijay was shifted later to the civil hospital with bleeding injuries but the doctors referred him to the Medical College Hospital,Faridkot. His condition continued to be serious as per reports received. None of the police officials had inspected the market till Monday afternoon. Phone calls were also not responded.
— OC |
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NFL declares Rs 41.7 cr as dividend
Bathinda, September 12 During 2010-11, NFL had recorded a sales turnover of Rs. 5,791 crore with a profit before tax (PBT) of Rs 204 crores. NFL produced 33.80 lakh MT of urea in 2010-11 achieving a capacity utilization of 104.6 per cent. The company sold 33.59 lakh tons of urea during this period. While highlighting the future plans of the company, Satish Chandra, CMD, NFL said the company has undertaken feedstock changeover of its three urea plants, at Panipat, Bathinda and Nangal from fuel oil to natural gas. These projects are expected to complete by January 2013.
— TNS |
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Bathinda, September 12
