The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Cheating in exam turns into law & order problem
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, March 18
Copying in the Senior Secondary School Board examinations in Faridkot has turned into such a serious law and order problem that the supervisory staff at an exam centre in a private school have declined to perform duty after they received threats from some students for discouraging them from copying.

After the observer and controller of the exam centre expressed their helplessness in performing their duty to check copying due to threats from the students, the District Education Officer (DEO), Faridkot, wrote to the Deputy Commissioner to provide extra police security to the supervisory staff and depute some senior civil officials as observers to check copying and instill confidence among the supervisory staff.

After getting the complaint from the DEO, the Deputy Commissioner, Faridkot, has not only brought the matter to the notice of the Secretary, Education, Punjab, but also deputed two SDMs and a tehsildar to perform supervisory duty.

Even extra police force has been provided at some 'sensitive' exam centres to check the rowdy behaviour of the students and those assisting them in copying, said Ravi Bhagat, DC, Faridkot.

In a complaint to the DEO, the observer at this exam centre, revealed on Friday that some students, armed with sticks, chased him when he was on way to his home after performing the exam duty. It is alleged that after this observer did not allow copying, the owner of the private school where this exam centre is located, incited the students to terrorise the observer.

Not only the observer, even the controller of the exam centre also asked the DEO to cancel this centre as there are some specially designed 'holes and windows' in the rooms at this centre to facilitate copying.

Just because the supervisory staff did not allow copying at this exam centre, on Friday, the staff members were even not allowed to enter the centre by the management of this private school, said Baljit Singh Brar, DEO, Faridkot.

“For this 'delinquent' behaviour of the school management, I have already informed the Secretary, Education, and the education department has issued a warning to cancel this exam centre if the supervisory staff faces any problem,” said the DC.

Interestingly, the owner of this private school was also a member of the district flying squad to check copying in the Board exams. But after many complaints were received against him for harassing the students in other schools in retaliation for not allowing copying at the exam center in his own school, he has been withdrawn as a member of the flying squad, said the DEO.

Cemented drains, new canals top priorities: Sekhon

Irrigation minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon being welcomed at Maur in Bathinda on Sunday when he made his first visit after assuming the office. A Tribune photograph

Bathinda, March 18
“Constructing cemented drains, new canals and bringing respite to the waterlogged areas of state would be my priority,” said the irrigation minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon.

Sekhon visited his constituency Maur today for the first time after being elected as MLA. Speaking to the media about the problems of Maur constituency, Sekhon said he would also solve problems like the lack of canal water, the absence of cemented drains and poor road network.

“I assure the people of Maur that neither will they feel the pinch of lack of water to irrigate their fields nor will they have to move sans a road network,” he claimed.

Commenting on the forthcoming state budget, he said irrigation always finds priority in the state budget.

Answering a query on union budget, he said the like earlier, the union government has given a step-motherly treatment to Punjab. He termed the budget as anti-farmer and anti-poor.

Earlier, Sekhon was welcomed at different places in Jethuke, Gill Kalan, Rampura and Dhadde. SSP Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill, assistant deputy commissioner Bhupinder Singh Rai, SDM Rampura Sukhdev Singh and SDM Talwandi Sabo Gurmeet Singh welcomed the minister. — TNS

Wheat crop in some pockets likley to suffer loss of yield
Anirudh Gupta

Missing grain formation in the ear head of wheat plant.

Ferozepur, March 18
The standing wheat crop in certain pockets of the district is likely to suffer a loss of yield due to the non-uniform grain formation in the ear head of the plants.

As per the information, the occurrence of frost in the early part of February which affected pollination along with an abrupt increase in day temperature besides an enormous difference in day and night temperature in March have been the main reasons behind this non-uniform grain formation.

Dr Yuvraj Pandha, Assistant Professor (Plant Protection), Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Ferozepur said due to the frost, some percentage of pollens got desiccated due to which pollination got hampered in some isolated areas.

Pandha said the minimum temperature in February went up to -0.7 degree Celsius (recorded on February 8) which led to frost injuries. About the difference in day and night temperature, Pandha said on March 8, a minimum temperature of 8.1 degree was recorded while the maximum temperature was 22.4 degree Celsius.

He advised the farmers not to use any spray or pesticides in this case as non-uniform grain formation was not a disease as it happens only due to precarious weather conditions, including frost.

Pandha said several farmers including Nachattar Singh, Jagtar Singh and Makhan Singh, from village Toombar Bhan, have already reported a yield loss on this account.

He added that certain specific wheat varieties including HD2733, DBW17 and ARBAT have encountered this problem while new varieties like PBW621 and HD2967 have not faced any such loss.

Pandha also said the problem was severe at those places where sowing was done in the first week of November whereas in the fields where sowing was done later, the problem was less.

The incidence of yellow rust has also been reported in certain areas, especially in cases where PBW343 variety was sown. This variety is susceptible to this disease, Pandha said, and added that the symptoms of this disease were the formation of yellow pustules in the form of streaks for which a specific spray was required.

The incidence of Aphid, a pest which sucks the sap in the ear head resulting in poor and shrivelled grain formation was another matter of concern which can affect the yield, Pandha said.

According to officials in the agriculture department, around 3.93 lakh hectare was under wheat cultivation in the district where a yield of 4700 kg per hectare with a total production of 18.66 lakh MT was expected this year.

Khanna boosts workers’ morale
Our Correspondent

Abohar, March 18
Former state BJP president and Rajya Sabha member Avinash Rai Khanna exhorted party workers not to get demoralised over the defeat in the recent elections in this constituency.

Speaking at a function organised at Arorvansh Bhawan here, he said Abohar was known as a stronghold of the Jansangh/Janata Party/ Bharatiya Janata Party, adding that the party had suffered a defeat in the Vidhan Sabha elections for third consecutive term. This needs debate and introspection.

“I wanted to discuss it with State Social Welfare Board chairperson Vijay Laxmi Bhadoo but she is away to Jaipur,” he said.

Notably, the BJP candidate Bhadoo had not been able to get even nine per cent of the total valid votes this time. District president, general secretary, presidents of both the local units, Municipal Council president along with 99 per cent of the party councillors and former MLA Dr Ram Kumar Goyal were conspicuously absent from the function.

State BJP secretary Sandeep Rinwa informed that no funds were received to renovate the water supply and sewerage system. This was one of the causes for resentment among the people here, he said.

Main road encroached upon, turns into dumping ground
Praful Chander Nagpal

Fazilka, March 18
The main road leading to the Government College, DAV BEd College and DAV Senior Secondary School here has virtually been turned into a garbage dumping ground where people have encroached upon. The Municipal Council had worked out an ambitious project of creating a divider for the smooth running of traffic on the road.

The dividers have been laid and electric poles have been erected on it but the space on the left side of the divider, offering entry for the DAV BEd College and DAV Senior Secondary School, have become a garbage dumping ground.

The old electricity poles have not been removed. The roads on either side have not been metalled. There are big potholes. Followers of a religious sect have encroached upon in the middle of the road and have raised a temporary structure. The construction activities have been abandoned.

“We had approached the electricity board officials to remove the electric poles before the imposition of the model code of conduct but they did not bother. As soon as the poles are shifted, the encroachment would be removed immediately,” said Sukhdev Singh, Executive Officer, Municipal Council, Fazilka. Students have to travel on this road several times a day.

The thickly populated Anandpur and Kanshi Ram Colony are also located here. On the right side of the divider, scores of shops have cropped up making it a busy area.

“It is difficult for the residents to cover this bumpy stretch, the only connecting road to the main town,” regretted Manjit Singh of Kanshi Ram Colony.

Moreover, a large numbers of BSF personnel also have to travel through this road to visit the town.

Veteran social activist and retired professor of IIT Roorkee, Bhupinder Singh has offered the services of the Graduate Welfare Association Fazilka if the authorities are hesitant to remove the encroachments.