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Schools in Kandi area at disadvantage
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In Moga, teachers wait for salaries
BSP performance may play decisive role
Hanspal takes up turban issue with PM
Wild boars wreak havoc
After Amritsar, now role of Ludhiana cops under scanner
Every member has code name
Chetak Corps to hold joint exercise with US army
Free legal services for poor villagers
Violation of Pollution Control Norms
Varsity unable to get staff, cancer fear to blame
No extension for Sobti RC Sobti
Erect night shelters in 6 months: SC
Woman teacher shot at, critical
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Amritsar, February 27 Elementary education is in dire straits with 1,030 posts of teachers and headmasters lying vacant. As against the sanctioned strength of 3,657, teachers and headmasters, only 2,627 teachers are available. In all, there are 866 elementary schools in the district. Of these, two are being run from rented buildings and six either from gurdwaras or village land, said District Education Officer (Elementary) Jaspal Singh. However, there are a number of elementary schools in rural areas that are being run from dilapidated buildings and many do not have boundary walls. Insiders say there are several one-teacher schools. There are about 420 secondary schools in the district, 147 middle schools, 105 high schools and 90 senior secondary schools. Besides, 77 middle schools are being run under the Sarv Sikhya Abhiyan and one under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Sikhya Abhiyan. Students in rural areas do not have much choice post-matriculation. District Education Officer (Secondary) Sukhwinder Singh conceded that 90 senior secondary schools did not have the commerce and science streams. He said there were several reasons for this omission, ranging from lack of staff and poor infrastructure. Those schools lucky enough to have science labs have obsolete equipment. Many buildings are in need of repair. Despite the drawbacks, the pass percentage for matriculation was 81 per cent for the session 2010-2011 and 83 per cent for the plus two classes. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's ambitious project of imparting public school education to students of remote areas resulted in only two schools opening in the district. Two Adarsh Schools, one at Chogawan village in Rajasansi and another at Phatu Gillan village in Majitha, were set up. Though the Education Department has begun to implement the Right to Education Act in government schools in right earnest, private schools in the district are reluctant to do so and insist that they be compensated for any losses. The department pressed into service 250 teachers in various blocks to bring all the students in the 6-14 age group to schools. Tricycles for fetching children with special needs to schools have been made available under the compulsory education programme. As many as 70 primary schools have already been upgraded to the middle level and approval for upgrading seven schools to high schools has been forwarded to the authorities concerned.
Infrastructure pangs n There are a number of elementary schools in rural areas that are being run from dilapidated buildings n
Many do not have boundary walls n
There are several one-teacher schools n
A large number of senior secondary schools do not have the commerce and science streams n
The schools lucky enough to have science labs have obsolete equipment Evening Schools Under the National Child Labour Project, a total of 27 schools have been set up in Jalandhar with 1,350 students (50 for each school). These Evening schools are meant for the children of
labourers. Teachers in these schools have not been paid salaries since April 2011 and the students have recived a stipend of only Rs 1,200 in the past three years. The salaries of teachers were supposed to be raised (from Rs 1,500 to Rs 4,000 per month) from April 2011. Similarly, the students were promised a stipend of Rs 150, which they have yet to receive. Some of these schools are supervised by NGOs which take a lot of interest in helping the children, contributing towards their uniform and stationery. But this is not true of all such schools. There are schools where mid-day meals are prepared inside classrooms as there is no cooking shed. Government funds are often delayed and basic amenities absent. One of the NGOs running the Garha and Model House NCLP schools said they did not have enough funds to run the schools and they needed help. RTE Act Given the fact that the deadline for implementing the RTE guidelines in schools is 2012, Jalandhar schools are way behind. The education department has neither carried out mapping nor ensured proper facilities for students. Schools abound where classes are conducted on the bare floor as there is no furniture. Some schools are being run from marla houses with no playground or lab. Dropout rate The dropout rate in the city schools is 4.36 per cent. Children, teachers say, run away from school for menial work because they know their names will not be struck off. Official Word District Education Officer Neelam Kumari said: "We will recruit as many teachers as we get. It is up to the government to frame a policy that ensures the schools get adequate staff. Before elections, a state recruitement cell was formed but due to the election code, things came to a standstill." She said under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan, schools were given grants liberally.
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Schools in Kandi area at disadvantage
Ludhiana, February 27 The schools in the city and nearby areas have few vacant posts but those in far-flung kandi areas are being run with a teacher or two. "The Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan played a vital role in developing school infrastructure. There is no deficiency of grants under these schemes" said Sandeep Singh, a government schoolteacher. "Government schools are facing various problems. Some do not have good buildings but have enough teachers. Others have no teachers but good infrastructure. For quality education, good teachers and good infrastructure both are a must", said Gurbeer Singh, a schoolteacher. "Right till the assembly elections last month, Education Minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan kept promising solutions to all the problems with a new education policy which never took shape during his tenure," said another teacher.
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NABARD schools gasping for help
Jalandhar, February 27 Despite the fact that each one of these requires at least 16 teachers (four for the science stream, six for vocational subjects, four for humanities and two for commerce), there are a total of only 68 teachers (20 lecturers, 48 vocational masters) in the entire district, the other staff members being nine librarians, 12 restorers and seven senior lab assistants. Teachers at these schools complain that built in haste, substandard material had been used for the buildings. In several schools principals complain of buildings without doors, windows and grills. Principal of a government school at Sangowal, said: "The NABARD schools are running without teachers. There is lack of infrastructure. Since we do not have adequate staff, we send our students to a school at Mehatpur." There are senior secondary schools with a single teacher with teachers opting for postings in cities. In some schools , under-qualified teachers have been hired to teach Class X students as a temporary arrangement. At the NABARD Government Senior Secondary at Athaula, there are a total of six students, all in plus one. Science stream
There are 27 other schools in the district where the science stream is being taught. There are in all 94,905 government school students in the district. In 30 district schools (which include three NABARD schools), there are a total of only 1,002 students (699 medical, 303 non-medical) in plus one and 714 (493 non-medical and 221 medical) in plus two. There are schools without the medical stream. While the schools in the cities are a little better, those in rural schools are in a very bad shape. Schools in the Nakodar-Shahkot belt are specially at a disadvantage because of lack of teachers. Pass percentage
Despite all odds, the pass percentage for the matric examinations in 2010-2011 was 66.73 per cent and for the plus two examinations 77.34 per cent.
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In Moga, teachers wait for salaries
Moga, February 27 Not only this, 35 per cent posts of center head, 36.6 per cent of head teacher and 18.27 per cent posts of JBT teacher are also lying vacant in the district. Similarly, 22 per cent of the master-cadre posts in middle and high schools are lying vacant, hampering education in the district. As many as 117 of the 555 sanctioned posts of social science master, 98 of 368 science teacher, 46 of 246 maths teacher, 24 of 48 English teacher eight of 254 Punjabi teacher, 50 of 222 Hindi teacher, 31 of 78 physical education instructor, two of music teacher, 24 of 40 vocational and one of the two sanctioned posts of Home Science teacher are lying vacant in the district. In high and senior secondary schools, 59.68 per cent of the posts of lecturer are vacant. There is no permanent District Education Officer (Secondary) in the district. The charge has been given to Baldev Singh, District Education Officer (Primary) but he has no drawing and disbursing powers due to which hundreds of teachers and other employees working in the senior secondary wing of the department are awaiting salaries for the month of January and all bills pending.
Fortyfour of the 67 sanctioned posts of principal and 39 out of 76 of Head Teacher are vacant in the district's government senior secondary schools. Similarly, the posts of lecturer in Punjabi (25), English (29), maths (32), political science (42), history (37), commerce (35), Hindi (10), biology (17) , physics (13), chemistry (14), geography (22) and physical education (20) are lying vacant. Due to shortage of lecturers in the science and commerce subjects as against 4,928 students opting for humanities in Class XI, only 714 have opted for science, 231 for commerce and 258 for vocational subjects in this academic session. If the next government in the state dies not find ways to overcome the shortage of teachers in schools, it could find the task of implementing the Right to Education Act difficult.
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BSP performance may play decisive role
Chandigarh , February 27 The odds are in favour of the Congress by about a dozen seats. But with 24 assembly segments in the state expected to see close contests with several candidates in the fray, the results are anybody’s guess. A senior Akali leader who reportedly approached “satta” kings with the plea that they invited bids on his victory chances was turned away. There is now near unanimity that at least seven winners will neither be from the Congress nor the SAD-BJP alliance (read Independents and others). In the eventuality of a clear verdict in favour of a particular party, they are likely to play a decisive role in the formation of the next government in the state. Congress president Capt Amarinder Singh is confident of his party winning more than 59 of the total 117 seats. Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Badal claims that his party will reach the magic figure on its own. And with the seats won by the BJP, the coalition will form the government again. The People’s Party of Punjab headed by Manpreet Badal and its alliance partners in the Sanjha Morcha claim that none will be able to form government without their help. Part of the confusion is on account of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) fielding candidates on all the 117 seats. There is no clear indication as to the number of votes the party is likely to poll. The SAD think-tank feels the BSP candidates were more aggressive this time as compared to the 2007 assembly or the 2009 parliamentary elections. The SAD expects that in several BSP-dominated constituencies, especially in the Doaba and Malwa areas, the BSP candidates could poll up to 5,000 more votes compared to last time, upsetting all calculations. Coming to the election campaign this time, the range of issues and the appeals made were vastly different. If the PPP reminded the voters of the freedom struggle and talked of “restoring the honour of Punjabis”, the Congress talked of “bad” governance. The SAD, on the other hand, tried to woo the voters promising doles . Both the SAD and BJP manifestos targeted the poor, the youth, the Dalit and the middle class. Students were promised laptops and farmers free electricity. The influence of deras, particularly Dera Sucha Sauda, was visible in at least 30 assembly segments, mostly in Malwa. The dera reportedly supported the SAD in 15 Malwa constituencies. The elections saw the parties going beyond their conventional agendas. The SAD that started off with the Panthic agenda changed tact and fielded many Hindu candidates. The Congress kept away Dr Manmohan Singh, and had Sonia and Rahul Gandhi as its star campaigners.
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Hanspal takes up turban issue with PM
Chandigarh, February 27 While former Union Sports Minister and sitting Rajya Sabha member Manohar Singh Gill has joined hands with the Punjab Farmers' Commission Chairman, GS Kalkat, in supporting direct payment to farmers for their produce, former Rajya Sabha member and Punjab Pradesh Congress chief HS Hanspal wants Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to raise firmly the turban issue with the French Government. HS Hanspal, who is a member of the National Commission for Minorities, says that now when India has decided to buy 126 advanced combat aircraft from France, it is time for the Indian Government to "take up turban issue of the Sikhs with the French Government." The UNHRC has asked the French Government to report by March 15 about measures taken by it to remove this violation. "Jathedar of the Akal Takkht and various Sikh organisations from all over the world have taken serious view of the violation of religious rights. They all have threatened to intensify their stir for restoration of their turban pride. Overseas Sikhs also look towards the Indian Government as saviour of their religious rights," Hanspal said in a letter to the Prime Minister. Manohar Singh Gill has expressed his surprise that instead of a producer getting paid for the commodity he sold, payment is being made to third person. "It is an unprecedented situation," says Gill holding that even chairman of the Farmers' Commission GS Kalkat and a study by the Punjab Agricultural University supported direct payment to farmers instead of through commission agents. Gill, who remained Financial Commissioner, Development, in Punjab, says, "Making payment to third party is perhaps legally untenable also. When the new government assumes office in the state next month, it should ensure that payment for the next crop of wheat is made directly to farmers than through commission agents."
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Wild boars wreak havoc
Patiala, February 27 Farmers in the state, especially whose farmlands are near forests, are continuously troubled by wild animals. Special permissions are given to hunters after a resolution by village panchayats following complaints of wild attacks. However, from the past almost over a month, hunting of these animals is not possible following the EC's guidelines. "The orders from the Election Commission are clear that anyone with valid arms licence has to deposit his weapon in the police station till March 8. Without any weapon, we can't go for the kill. The farmers are poor and these wild animals are destroying their crops every day", he said, adding that a single wild boar family could destroy sugarcane in two acres of land in a single night. The state government had issued a notification allowing hunting of wild boar (sus scrofa) for self-consumption in December 2009. Farmers alleged, "Once their crop is destroyed by wild animals, getting compensation is next to impossible from any government department." Balkar Singh, a farmer from Ropar, said that he has been in touch with some hunters, but none has promised to help fearing the EC's orders. "Every night my fellow villagers hold 'theekri pehra' (night vigil) at farms to save the almost ripened crops from wild boars. But without any firearm, we are limited to using a catapult or burning some fire crackers to frighten the animal", he rued. Expressing surprise over the issue, Joint Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, Gurkirat Kirpal Singh said concerned farmers should meet their deputy commissioners, as DCs have been vested with powers to allow sanctioning of weapons under special circumstances. "Once weapons are released, farmers can protect their crops", he added. According to a letter issued by the Department of Forests and Wildlife Preservation, 13 towns falling in six districts of Punjab are open for hunting of wild boars. Farmers in areas of Sangrur, Mukerian, Dasuya, Garhshankar Balachaur, Dhar, Dera Baba Nanak, Ropar, Anandpur Sahib, Kharar, Ajnala, Tarn Taran, Patti and Ludhiana are the worst affected.
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After Amritsar, now role of Ludhiana cops under scanner
Patiala, February 27 The arrested 'Fortuner' gang members could have been arrested a couple of years back if policemen in these districts have shown some keenness. Sources in the department confirmed that the role of certain police officers of the Model Town police station, Ludhiana is under the scanner of the Crime Investigating Agency (CIA), Sirhind. In February 2010, a Honda Civic car was snatched at gunpoint in Ludhiana and the gang members roamed on the city roads for over an hour after which they threw the owner out and escaped with the car and Rs 5.5 lakh in cash. "The car was later recovered by the Amritsar police, who instead of registering an FIR for robbery, lodged a case under charges of theft against Paramjit Singh Pamma", said the police. "We conducted raids to arrest his accomplice, but could not arrest anyone", Amritsar cops told the CIA here today. When the Amritsar police contacted the Model Town police, Ludhiana, they got the car and handed it to its owner through the court. But instead of bringing the arrested accused from Amritsar on transit remand and recovering the robbed money, Ludhiana policemen surprisingly sent an untraceable report. "Not only this, the Ludhiana police hushed up the matter, believing the claims of the Amritsar police despite the complainant claiming that he was robbed at gunpoint", sources said. Sources said that the chances of money exchanging hands could not be ruled out as the policemen had failed to recover more than 50,000 from the accused, who claimed to have paid bribes to the police numerous times. "These are serious lapses and I will get the matter inquired. It is not in my knowledge as for now", claimed Ludhiana Commissioner Ishwar Chander. Following the questioning of police officers from Amritsar, who joined investigations in the 'Fortuner' gang probe case, role of more police officers from Ludhiana is under scanner for allegedly conniving with the accused gang members. Policemen posted in Amritsar, including Inspector Inderjit Singh, ASIs Harjinder Singh and Vipin Kumar and head constables Rajinder Kumar and Jaiveer Singh and constable Kulwant Singh joined investigations to clear their stance in the case. "We will probe the case from all angles and I have asked the Fatehgarh Sahib SSP to send a detailed report on the case to me and we will send it to the Commissioners of Ludhiana and Amritsar. In addition, a report would be sent to the Punjab DGP, recommending strict action against the guilty cops", said Ludhiana Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) MF Farooqui. The Fatehgarh Sahib police had on Thursday claimed to have arrested four members (all national-level sportspersons) of a gang identified by the name of 'Fortuner Gang' allegedly involved in robbing luxury vehicles atgun point.
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Every member has code name
Ludhiana, February 27 Even during a telephonic conversation, they used to represent each other with their unique code. During the investigation, it was found that kingpin Jatinder Singh had been heading several other gangs of snatchers and robbers. The all-sportsmen gang, including Pawan Kumar, Gurjinder Singh, alias Fauji, Atinder Singh, alias Hunter, and Mandeep Singh, alias Pistauli, which was busted by the Sirhind police a few days ago, was a part of huge chain of criminals. It is learnt that Jatinder used to form a new gang every year. Jatinder is married to a Kolkata-based woman. His wife is belongs to an influential family of a transporter having 30 trucks. She was not aware about the activities of Jatinder and the latter had told her that he was dealing in the business of computer accessories. “He is a very cool-headed criminal. He knows where and when to target his victims. The robberies of the employees of Bonn Bread and Kitty Bread in 2010 and 2011 were meticulously planned. The robbers waylaid their vehicles at gunpoint and fled with cash,” said a senior officer investigating the case.
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Chetak Corps to hold joint exercise with US army
Bathinda, February 27 Col SD Goswami, spokesperson of the Defence Ministry, said about 200 US troops of the 2nd Squadron from Hawaii would participate in the joint exercise that has been named “Yudh Abhyas”. An advance party of about 30 US troops has already arrived along with a platoon of Stryker Recon and other support equipment for the bilateral Indo-US military exercise. The joint exercise is designed to promote cooperation between the two militaries at the tactical level, while sharing training procedures and building joint operating skills within the framework of UN peacekeeping operations. During the exercise, troops from both the countries will engage in joint planning for a variety of missions, live fire drills, cordon and search operations, as well as search and rescue training. With Holi falling within the training calendar, the US troops will also get a "colourful experience" of this vibrant festival as a part of the cultural exchange between the troops, Goswami said. Another major three-month long exercise “Shoor Veer” is being organised by the South-Western command to validate its war-fighting doctrines in a joint service environment. The exercise will begin next month and end in May. The exercise will be based on the integrated theatre battle concept and will involve the elite Corps Strike one in the lead and will be joined by the Chetak Corps. The joint service synergy will be enhanced by active participation of the IAF in this exercise. With over 20,000 troops participating in the exercise, this will be one of the largest military manoeuvre conducted so far. The exercise aimed at rapid mobilisation involves several mechanised operations towards offensive operations, battlefield transparency and operational plans based on real- time situational awareness will be enhanced using intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) inputs from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), radars and satellites. With air assets to play a decisive role in future battles, the increased air assets of the Army and Air Force would be employed in an integrated manner in the exercise.
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Free legal services for poor villagers
Hoshiarpur, February 27 He said a panel of advocates and paralegal volunteers would manage these clinics under the guidance of working chairman of the PLSA Justice MM Kumar, Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Charanjit Singh said that legal aid clinics were being opened in far-flung areas where poor people could not afford fees of advocates and incapable of visiting the city for litigation.
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Violation of Pollution Control Norms
Patiala, February 27 In the letter, Khanna has stated that the report on pollution in Punjab, appeared in The Tribune, clearly indicates human rights violations on account of no action pertaining to this crucial matter by the concerned authorities. "Please take cognisance of this and take action in accordance with the law", he said. Coming down heavily on the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), renowned environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal said that board was going "too soft" on the violators of the pollution control norms. Speaking from Philippines on telephone, he said, "The PPCB has never taken legal recourse against the industries found flouting prescribed norms. When there is a provision for imprisonment for those found guilty of committing violations pertaining to the water and air pollution norms, why every time the board let the erring industries go by issuing warnings or taking bank guarantee." Seechewal further said, "It is really unfortunate that people are dying in the state on account of polluted underground water, but the PPCB seems to be least bothered to make sure that all the industries strictly adhere to the prescribed norms." Padma Shri Baba Sewa Singh, who is also a noted environmentalist, has said that authorities of all the concerned departments must create awareness among the masses to ensure that polluting the environment would only lead to serious health ailments besides disturbing the ecological balance. Sewa Singh further said, "All the industries must ensure compliance of the rules in the larger interests of the masses. It is high time that everyone should realise that with consumption of unfit water, anyone can fall prey to serious disease like cancer." Meanwhile, RTI activist Jatinder Jain has said that Arnetu village, situated near the Ghaggar in the Patran sub-division of Patiala district, is an example of how pollution can play havoc with human lives.
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Varsity unable to get staff, cancer fear to blame
Bathinda, February 27 Vice-Chancellor Jai Rup Singh is determined to take the university ahead, but feeling handicapped as the faculty for various subjects is afraid of coming here as the area has become synonymous with cancer. Among the disciplines that have been put on hold are genetic diseases, green architecture and landscape design, economic studies, information technology and management and computer science and technology. Prof Jai Rup Singh is confident that things will improve as more than 150 applications have been received for the recently advertised posts of the faculty. The response in the past had remained poor. However, it might take some time to change the mindset of the faculty that was reluctant to come here. Additional facilities are being created to attract the faculty from other places. He said lack of air connectivity here has also come as a hurdle in the way of senior experts coming to deliver lectures. The aim was to attract serious researchers and grants have been received for setting up the centre for innovative studies. In a bid to get involved with the civil society, the CUP intends to introduce various cancer-related studies and discussions in this regard have been held with the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR). It has been decided to establish a school of emerging life science technologies that would have a centre for stem cells and recombinant technologies and a centre for genetic diseases and molecular medicine, the VC said. The discipline of pharmaceutical science and environmental law was also related with cancer. Tissue culture facility has been developed on the campus. Prof Jai Rup Singh said stress was being laid on propagation of heritage trees that were disappearing and a park of medicinal plants was also set up. He said the University Grants Commission (UGC) has sanctioned the opening of 20 disciplines. Equal importance was being given to languages and social sciences. He said the architect has been shortlisted for constructing the main campus of the CUP at Ghudda near the Badal village and work on the compound wall measuring about 5 km would be completed shortly.
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No extension for Sobti
New Delhi, February 27 Acclaimed jurist Justice Leila Seth, the first woman judge of the Delhi High Court and the first woman ever to become Chief Justice of a High Court
(Himachal Pradesh where she was appointed on August 5, 1991), has been appointed convener of the committee. The other two members on the panel are noted scientist based in Hyderabad Dr P Rama Rao and former Ambassador IS
Chadha.
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amritsar jalandhar ludhiana bathinda Strike: Banks to suffer Rs 500-cr loss: Missing boy found, sodomy suspected: Mid-day meals payments delayed: Demand for ramps at railway station:
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Erect night shelters in 6 months: SC
Chandigarh, February 27 The apex court has also warned: “No further time shall be granted.” The development is significant as nothing less than 1,234 urban homeless people have been identified in the state. The Tribune in December last year had reported that the Supreme Court had made it clear that not a single person should be allowed to die for lack of protection against winter. It had directed Punjab, Haryana and other northern states to provide night shelters with adequate amenities to the roofless. The apex court order was placed before the Punjab and Haryana High Court during hearing on a public interest litigation (PIL) on the issue filed by the World Human Rights Council through advocate Ranjan Lakhanpal. Taking on record the order, the Bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Mahesh Grover asserted: “In so far as the State of Punjab is concerned, the order of the Supreme Court reads thats in pursuance to the directions of this court, the Chief Secretary to the Government of Punjab has filed an affidavit. “As per the affidavit, 1,234 urban homeless persons have been identified in the survey conducted by the Urban Local Bodies department in all the urban towns of Punjab. Out of 1,234, a majority of them, i.e. 1,068, were identified in eight towns. According to norms, 48 permanent night shelters are required whereas there is one permanent night shelter and 28 temporary shelters run by the NGOs. The number of homeless people who have been provided shelter is 1,068.” According to an Additional Advocate-General appearing for the State of Punjab, temporary night shelters have been provided to all the homeless people in the state. “The counsel has said the permanent night shelters in Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala, Ludhiana, Pathankot, Bathinda, Barnala, SAS Nagar and Mohali would be constructed shortly. Funds have also been allocated for this purpose. “We direct that permanent night shelters be erected as expeditiously as possible, in any event, within a period of six months from today.” The Bench added that the present public interest litigation, therefore, was not being entertained any further and was being closed.
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Woman teacher shot at, critical
Moga, February 27 The teacher, identified as Harpreet Kaur, a resident of Ludhiana, was rushed to the district hospital at Moga. Later, the doctors referred her to the Dayanand Medical College and Hospital at Ludhiana. Doctors at the DMC said the condition of Harpreet was critical and efforts were on to save her life. According to reports, Harpreet used to come to school daily from Ludhiana by a car. Today, when she was going back to Ludhiana after the school hours at about 3 pm, two motorcycle-borne youths fired shots at her and fled away. One of the bullets hit her right eye and the other in the leg. However, the driver of the car was not attacked by the assailants. The farmers working in the nearby fields sounded an alert.
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Amritsar, February 27
Patiala hunter Balraj Singh Ghumman feels helpless. Despite getting nearly a dozen calls every day from farmers complaining about wild boars and other animals destroying their crops, he can't do much. Reason: Following the Election Commission's orders, weapons have been deposited with the police.
The hunt for the next Vice Chancellor of Panjab University, Chandigarh, has begun with Vice-President Hamid Ansari setting up a committee that will recommend a panel of three candidates. The Vice-President is the Chancellor of Panjab University. Vice Chancellor Prof RC Sobti’s term ends on July 22. Sobti had got an extension three years ago. Sources said the search committee had been asked to give names well in time.
Chandigarh, February 27
Facts & figures