The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Teachers oppose university move to appoint BCM head Vice Chancellor agrees to hold dialogue with the protesting faculty members GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 4 The row between the Guru Nanak Dev University teachers and the authorities intensified after the teachers unanimously refused to abide by the authorities’ orders of appointing a new head of the Business and Commerce Management (BCM) Department, after removing Dr Balwinder Singh. The latter also happens to the president of the Guru Nanak Dev University teachers’ union. At present, the BCM Department does not have any head. At least, the next five senior-most professors in line have declined to occupy the headship of the Department after Dr Lakhwinder Singh conveyed to the Vice Chancellor AS Brar about his refusal to occupy the head’s chair. A group of teachers today observed ‘no-teaching hours’ between 11 am and 1 pm, which reportedly affected the studies, when the minor-II exams of around 8,000 students of BCM, which included the one from university’s regional campuses in Gurdaspur, Mukandpur and Jalandhar, too, are underway. The teachers, during these hours, sat outside the Vice Chancellor’s office in protest against decisions taken by the authorities in the recent past, which included dismissal of their senior colleague GS Bhalla, rejection of personal promotional cases of teachers in violation of the UGC norms, arbitrary change of the eligibility dates of teachers under personal promotion cases, besides the “unceremonious” removal of their president Dr Balwinder from the head’s chair. The studies of as many as 8,000 students, which included the ones from regional campuses also, were hit because of their strike call. The teachers declared that their agitation would continue and a mass rally would be held in the campus on Monday to further intensify their protest. Meanwhile, the TCS firm, which was scheduled to visit the campus to conduct a placement camp from CBM department, also deferred the programme, apparently in the wake of disturbed conditions. The Vice Chancellor AS Brar outrightly denied that the studies of students had been affected. He said the ad hoc teachers would take care of this aspect. He also said that he was ready to have a dialogue “on a positive note” with the faculty. “It is false to say that any UGC or AICTE norms were flouted while extending the promotional criteria of the teachers. It was equally wrong to project that eligibility dates of the teachers were altered. The promotions were granted strictly on the basis of the publication papers of research work. In some cases, the expert’s selection panel was not convinced with the research publications the teachers had submitted till 2009, therefore the experts were not ready to endorse their promotions. It was only I who persuaded them to consider their promotion at least from the current year, keeping in mind their contributions till present times and, accordingly, it was done. How can it be termed as alteration of the eligibility dates? Rather, they were put in advantageous positions”, he said. “My doors are open for teachers to deliberate over the differences they have. Till today, no one has come to me personally. Dr Lakhwinder Singh too conveyed his refusal to join as head of the CBM Department to me only over the phone,” Brar added. Behind the scenes Even as the university authorities stated that Dr Balwinder Singh has been removed from as the head of the CBM Department so that an inquiry to be conducted against him for reportedly adopting students’ attendance pattern, should not be influenced, one can smell a rat going by the official communication received by Dr Balwinder. The official letter says ‘Dr Balwinder Singh be removed from the headship of CBM Department and to be replaced by Dr Lakhwinder Singh, who would hold the charge till December 31, 2011. The letter further conveys Dr Lakhwinder to continue as head of the Department from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013. Does this imply that the university authorities have presumed well in advance that the inquiry against Dr Balwinder Singh would last for the next one and a half year? When it was pointed out to the VC, AS Brar, he retorted, “ No, that is not the case. I suppose, there might have remained some discrepancy while issuing orders. I will review it,” he said. OFFICIAL SPEAK My doors are open for teachers to deliberate over the differences they have. Till today, no one has come to me personally. Dr Lakhwinder Singh too conveyed his refusal to join as head of the CBM Department to me only over the phone — AS BRAR, VC, GND VARSITY, Amritsar
	Staff crunch hits services at Civil Hospital Manmeet Singh Gill Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 4 The local Civil Hospital is facing an acute shortage of doctors, nurses as well as the paramedical staff. Healthcare services have been severely hit due to the problem. The gravity of the situation can be gauged from the fact that the hospital, on an average, facilitates over 500 deliveries per month and attends above 700 hundred patients at its OPD with only 40 nurses in its staff. However, as per the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS), a hospital needs at least 75 nurses to provide proper medical care. Of the total 40 nurses at the hospital, two have recently been posted on deputation from other departments. Even the present strength of Emergency Medical Officers (EMOs) at the hospital is not sufficient in view of a rush of patients. There are 27 EMOs at the hospital as against a need for a minimum of 45 EMOs as per the IPHS norms. The hospital has only one sanctioned post of lab technician. However, the department has got seven lab technicians on deputation from other departments. According to the hospital staff, at least 10 lab technicians are required to deal with the existing rush of patients at the hospital. The hospital does not have a single sanctioned post of safai sewak although 25 of them have been deputed here from other departments. A 150-bed hospital needs to have at least 40 safai sewaks to work round-the-clock. A staff member said, “The doctors and other staff at the gynaecology department are working overtime because of the rush of pregnant women. The staff is under constant stress.” Hospital SMO Dr Balbir Singh Dhillon said, “The hospital was upgraded from 75-bed to 150-bed institution but the staff was not sanctioned in the same proportion.” He said the higher authorities have been apprised of the situation and necessary steps would be taken in this regard. Number crunch Majority of the present staff working on deputation As many as seven lab technicians working here are on a deputation. The hospital requires at least 10 lab technicians Against the 40 safai sewaks required, the hospital has only 25 safai sewaks on deputation Against the required strength of 75 nurses, the hospital has only 40, including two on deputation The hospital has only 27 Emergency Medical Officers against the requirement of 45 OFFICIAL SPEAK The hospital is facing a shortage of staff. The hospital was upgraded from a 75-bed to 150-bed institution but the staff was not sanctioned in the same proportion. The higher authorities have been apprised of the situation and necessary steps would be taken in this regard — Dr Balbir Singh Dhillon, Senior Medical Officer, Civil Hospital, Amritsar
	140-year-old Town Hall to get image makeover In new avatar will be promoted as mega tourist destination with underground museum to showcase Punjab’s cultural heritage GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 4 The Town Hall, a 140-year-old heritage building in Amritsar, is being developed by the state government as a tourist destination. This was announced today by MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, while apprising about other integrated development projects which are in the pipeline to provide quality life to the residents of holy city. The pink, U-shaped Town Hall building, which was built in 1870, at present houses the offices of the CID, the Police Department and the Amritsar Municipal Corporation (AMC). The CID and police Department has already vacated the place, likewise the AMC would have a new address at Ranjit Avenue. A multi-storey building on 2.5 acres is likely to be constructed for the AMC, and will have basement parking. An eight-acre plot of the Improvement Trust has been demarcated to pave the way for this whole project costing about Rs 30 crore. This plot at Ranjit Avenue would have the AMC office, a sewerage board office and a convention centre. The Improvement Trust would grant Rs 20 crore for building the convention centre. As per plan, the Town Hall building would be transformed into a mega tourist destination which would have an underground museum spread over 5000 sq metres for showcasing articles pertaining to Amritsar’s history and rich Punjabi cultural heritage, a well-stocked library with rare books, besides a food court and café, in the later stages. Being strategically located near the Golden Temple, this Town Hall site would be an apt destination for tourists. “The historic building would be conserved at the first instance. The site would be put to reuse in such a manner that its historic value should increase. In the first phase, Rs 9 crore would be spent just to conserve the building”, said Sidhu. Though, the new concept would be taken care of by the Archaeological Survey of India yet the revenue proceeds from the adaptive reuse of Town Hall would come back to the AMC. It would be ploughed back into city’s development projects. Other projects too were announced as catalysts for future development and revitalisation of the walled city. Down history lane The Town Hall is a two-storey building measuring 181X 86.9 foot. It is made up of red burnt and grinded bricks, with a ceiling supported by wooden rafters or beams. Before 1852, it housed the residence of Rani Sada Kaur, the mother-in-law of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. In 1857, after the annexation of Punjab by British, one of their first actions was to demolish the robust outer fortification. In its place, this building was converted into the first Municipal Committee of Punjab and establishes the offices of city Kotwali (police), treasury branch and the district administration and the tradition continued. During British rule, people would gather every evening here to relax and enjoy the music played by live bands in the Town Hall grounds. Its central tower was brightly lit at night. In the early 20th century, an expansive public library was established on the premises. Later, renamed the Moti Lal Nehru library, it continued to wield a significant presence.
	on dussehra mode Low profits don’t dampen spirit of effigy makers GS Paul Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 4 With just three days to go for Dussehra, which symbolises the victory of good over evil, local artisans are busy preparing effigies of Ravana, Kumbhkarna and Meghnath. Amritsar being the main hub for this job, expert artisans are the most desired ones these days. They work together in a group to carve out the artistic effigies for their customers hailing from as far as Jammu, Hoshiarpur, Chamba, Jalandhar, Lopoke and Tarn Taran. Their destination is near Lohgarh Chowk, where semi-finished effigies are placed on the roadside and even on the open roofs of their houses. Though the rising inflation has reduced their profit margins, it has failed to dampen their devotion and spirit. The new generation is also learning the art alongside their studies. Every artisan does a specialised task. For instance, if one is expert in making heads of the effigies, others’expertise lies in making hands and legs. There are families who have been involved in this job for the past over a century. Banwari Lal, now 65, remembers the time when he was just eight years old and was a helping his grandfather in making effigies. Now, his son Vinod Kumar has carried on the legacy. “I am a trained gents’ tailor, but a few weeks before Dussehra, I would do nothing but help my father and my cousins in preparing effigies”, says Kumar. The cost of the effigies would depend on their size, which varies from two-and-a-half feet to a giant 110 feet long. The smallest one has a price tag of Rs 250 and the biggest one carries a tag of Rs 50,000. “Their cost has shot up drastically. Five years down the line, a 30-feet tall effigy, the production of which cost us between Rs 6,500 and Rs 7,000 would now be more than Rs 20,000. Similarly, the 24-feet long bamboo sticks which were available for Rs 85 four years back now cost us anything between Rs 150 and 175 and the paper we use was just Rs 2.5 per kg the cost of which now stands at Rs 12 per kg. But, we have not hiked the price in that proportion,” said Banwari Lal. Bonds of faith We had carried on with this trade for the sake of our decades old customers, who have been associated with us since our ancestors were in this profession,” said Bansa, another artisan — Bansa, An artisan
	Exporters incur losses as trucks remain stranded at Attari checkpost Hike in demand of fresh vegetables in flood-hit Pakistan leads to chaos at the border post PK Jaiswar Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 4 Exporters are facing a tough time as Attari-Wagah joint check post is witnessing a huge rush of trucks owing to increase in demand of fresh vegetables in flood-hit Pakistan. Hundreds of trucks laden with fresh vegetables especially tomatoes and soybeans are stranded at the joint check post (JCP) due to space crunch on both sides of the border. About one and half kilometre long queues of trucks on either side of the road, from JCP to Attari village, have to wait for at least three to four days before crossing over to Pakistan. Due to this the exporters especially those who are exporting tomatoes and fresh vegetables are incurring huge losses. Such a long delay is causing damage to the vegetables. “Already it took about five days for the truck to reach JCP from Nasik. Further, two to three days’ delay damages about 50 per cent of the vegetable produce,” said Manav Taneja, a leading exporter. He said about 700 to 800 trucks of gypsum, dry dates, and dry fruits (being imported by Indian traders) from Pakistan were waiting for clearance for unloading on Pakistan’s side. Similar is the situation here with as many trucks are parked outside the JCP. “Attari has space only to accommodate 25-30 trucks for unloading and loading of gypsum rock at a time. It takes about five hours to load the truck again. The space crunch on Pakistan side has also forced the authorities there to limit the import of trucks to 150 only,” said Taneja. Om Parkash, another exporter and president of the Indo-Pak Exporters Association, said the authorities concerned should fix some ratio of trucks of tomatoes and soybean being exported to Pakistan while giving preference to the perishable items. He said the authorities should also devise a way for the proper parking of trucks. He opined the officials concerned should separately park the soybean and perishable goods so that there would be no confusion. Haphazard parking on either side of the road leads to the congestion and chaos near JCP. RK Duggal, Additional Customs Commissioner, could not be contacted. A custom official, preferring anonymity, said there was not sufficient infrastructure at the JCP to handle such a huge rush of trucks. However, he added that after the completion of Integrated Check Post (ICP) at Attari, they would be able to handle more than 400 trucks in a day. Delay hurts Hundreds of trucks laden with fresh vegetables especially tomatoes and soybeans are stranded at the joint check post (JCP) due to space crunch on both sides of the border These trucks have to wait for at least three to four days before crossing over to Pakistan
	1,739 get kisan credit cards Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 4 The District Consultative Committee held its meeting at Bachat Bhawan today to review the progress of all banks and government agencies. Additional Deputy Commissioner Parneet Bhardwaj, who presided over the meeting, expressed concern over the falling credit deposit (CD) ratio in the district. He said economic development would be possible only when the BPL families received the benefits through micro financing like self-help groups, Sway Gramin Shrma Yojana (SGSY) and Differentiate Rate of Interest (DRI). In his key-note address AGM Punjab National Bank SK Pasrija said disbursement/credit flow under the Annual Credit Plan (ACP) during the first quarter had been to the tune of Rs 893.04 crore against the target of Rs 786.60 crore. While disbursement in the agriculture sector was Rs 501.62 crore against the proposed target of Rs 399.63 crore. Aggregate deposits of banks in the district increased from Rs 13,709 crore to Rs 17,049 crore, registering annual growth of 24.36 per cent. Credit growth increased to Rs 7400, witnessing yearly growth of 9.47 per cent. In order to boost agriculture credit, the banks have issued Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) to 1,739 farmers amounting to Rs 69.01 crore and on accumulated basis 153821 KCCs were issued amounting to Rs. 1462.39 crores. Under the SSI Sector, credit flow had been to the tune of Rs. 169.11 crore against the target of Rs 194.69 crore. Performance in respect of DRI advances was not recorded up to the desired level. Among others Punjab National Bank Assistant General Manager SK Pasrija, Chief Lead District Manager Jatinder Mankotia, RBI AGM KS Bhullar, NABARD AGM Surinder Singh and senior officials from different Banks, government departments also attended the meeting.
	Laboratory technicians observe strike Tribune News Service Amritsar, October 4 The Laboratory Technicians Association observed a no-work day today causing inconvenience to patients at the government medical institutions. The technicians have decided to continue their protest till October 8. The vice-president of the district association, Baldev Singh Jhander, informed that they have received a message from the state government for a meeting with the Chief Minister on October 12. He said, “The protests as planned by the association would be continued till then.” In addition to the earlier demands of rent free accommodation, risk allowance and implementation revised pay grades, now the association has also demanded regularisation of services of contractual employees. The lab technicians had yesterday held a protest rally in Chandigarh during which police had arrested and later released few leaders of the association. “The police had unnecessarily arrested the employees. There was no need for the move as workers were protesting peacefully,” said Malkiat Singh, district president of the association. ‘Arrests uncalled for’ The police unnecessarily arrested the employees. There was no need for the move as workers were protesting peacefully. — Malkiat Singh, Leader, Technicians Association
	Labour unions rally against state govt Amritsar: Activists of various labour unions, including AITUC, CITU, CTU Punjab and INTUC, today held a protest march against the SAD-BJP government for its alleged anti-labour policies. Raising slogans and holding placards, they marched in different areas of the city. All of them gathered outside the office of Deputy Commissioner. Addressing the agitators, leaders Amarjit Singh Assal and Vijay Mishra said the coalition government had meted out step-motherly treatment with industrial labourers. They said neighbouring Haryana and UT Chandigarh were offering minimum labourers to skilled and unskilled labourers higher than Punjab. They said record inflation this year had made broken the back of these workers and they were finding it difficult to make both ends meet. — TNS