MC office becomes protest ground
Jalandhar, May 15
The Municipal Corporation office premises has virtually turned into a protest ground as members of three unions have been staging dharna here for the last few days. The Safai Karamchari Union has been holding a two-hour protest for the past two days outside the main entrance gate of the MC complex.

Girls protect themselves from the scorching sun in Jalandhar. Photo: Sarabjit Singh

Black films: Notices issued to govt officials
Jalandhar, May 15
In a move to implement the Supreme Court’s orders prohibiting the use of black films of below permissible visibility on the windscreens of vehicles, the city police today issued written notices to senior government officials, including the Army, to remove them from their official vehicles. Jasbir Rai, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Traffic, said they had received copies of Supreme Court’s orders on Monday and accordingly the notices were issued to senior officials of the Central and state governments.

Lack of furniture in schools poses threat to students’ safety
Jalandhar, May 15
The recent death of a 10-year-old student at Government Elementary School in Basti Ibrahim Khan village due to insect bite brought embarrassment for the Education Department, but the lessons are yet to be learnt.

Femina Miss India World 2012 Vanya Mishra (left) at the opening of a clinic in Jalandhar on Tuesday. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh

Road re-carpeted after 7 yrs
Jalandhar, May 15
The PUDA authorities finally re-carpeted a road in the PUDA complex opposite Suvidha Centre which had been lying in a pathetic condition for the past many years. Though hundreds of visitors, owners and employees of various offices located in the complex were happy to see the road re-carpeted, they pointed out several other neglected aspects in the area.

Out of syllabus’ papers: AIEE teachers demand extra marks
Jalandhar, May 15
A meeting of the AIEE Teachers’ Union was held under state president Swarna Rani at the Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall today. As many as 200 teachers were present at the meeting. Condemning the regular out-of-syllabus papers for the session for the first semester exams of 1,488 teachers of the session 2011-13, the teachers blamed SCERT director Neelam Bhagat’s laxity for the fiasco.

Three youths held for consuming heroin under flyover
Jalandhar, May 15
The staff of the Division No 8 police station arrested three youths while they were consuming heroin at Lama Pind Chowk here last night. The arrested youths have been identified as Vijay Kumar of Lama Pind, Surevi Thakur of Aman Naga r and Arjun Kumar of Kamal Park.

Fellowship for cardiologist
Jalandhar, May 15
A city-based interventional cardiologist Dr Amit Jain has been awarded the prestigious fellowship of Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions of USA (FSCAI). The society promotes excellence in invasive cardiovascular medicine through physician education and representation, besides the advancement of quality standards to enhance patient care.—TNS

PowerCom employee dies
Jalandhar, May 15
A PowerCom employee, who was electrocuted on Sunday, succumbed to his injuries in a private hospital here today. Gurcharan Singh got electrocuted while repairing a transformer. The Basti Bawa Khel police has initiated the inquest proceedings under Section 174 of CrPC. — OC

MC office becomes protest ground
Two employees’ unions, displaced residents of Gujral Nagar hold dharnas
Nikhil Bhardwaj

Jalandhar, May 15
The Municipal Corporation office premises has virtually turned into a protest ground as members of three unions have been staging dharna here for the last few days.

Members of the Safai Karamchari Union hold a protest outside the main gate of the Municipal Corporation office in Jalandhar on Tuesday. Photo: Sarabjit Singh

The Safai Karamchari Union has been holding a two-hour protest for the past two days outside the main entrance gate of the MC complex. They are alleging that foul means are being used during the ongoing regular appointment of gardeners and demanding thorough investigation into it.

The union’s protest is also being supported by other unions of the MC, including Nigam Safai Majdur Union, Sewerman Employees Union, Nagar Nigam Class IV Union, Nagar Nigam Class IV Maha Union and Drivers and Technical Union.

In a memorandum given to Joint Commissioner DP Bhardwaj, the union has given a 72-hour ultimatum for the acceptance their demands. The members threatened to sit on an indefinite strike if their demands were not accepted.

The protesters today blocked the entrance to the office and indulged in mud-slinging against the officials and member of their rival union.

Members of the Talmel Committee, rival union of the Safai Karamchari union, which has been opposing its move, also continued their protest. The committee members have been on an indefinite strike for the last two months.

They, while rubbishing the claims of any scam in the recruitment, demanded immediate issuance of appointment letters to the gardeners.

Besides these, residents of Gujral Nagar, who had been displaced by the authorities from the locality where they had been living for years, have also been sitting on a dharna outside the entrance to the Municipal Corporation office sice April 30. They are demanding allotment of homes in some other area.

Black films: Notices issued to govt officials
Nikhil Bhardwaj

Lack of furniture in schools poses threat to students’ safety
Aparna Banerji
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 15
The recent death of a 10-year-old student at Government Elementary School in Basti Ibrahim Khan village due to insect bite brought embarrassment for the Education Department, but the lessons are yet to be learnt.

Students of Government Elementary School, Kot Sadiq; and (right) students of Government Elementary School, Kishanpura, sit on the floor as they attend classes. Photos: Sarabjit Singh

On Thursday afternoon, 10-year-old Sonalika and one of her friends was out in the playground of Government Elementary School, Basti Ibrahim Khan, when Sonalika said an insect had bitten her. Sonalika, who was studying in Class IV, went inside and sat in the classroom and complained of severe pain. School teachers soon informed her parents, who then took her home. Sonalika died that very day.

Even as bushes or unkempt grass are one of the reasons for such fatalities, an acute shortage of furniture in majority of district schools is also one of the key factors threatening the safety of children.

The strength of schools is on the rise, but no arrangements have been made to ensure the regular repair or upgrade of furniture in them.

In the majority of schools that The Tribune visited, teachers said what usually happens is that BOs come inquiring about the furniture problem, take notes and go away. But even as months and years pass, the issue stays unaddressed.

State of schools

At Government Elementary School, Kishanpura, 360 children study, but about 150 have to sit on the floor. There are five classes (divided in 10 sections) and 10 teachers to teach them. Only students of three classes get to sit on benches because there are none for the rest.

Staff members at the school say that last year they brought rugs for children to sit on, but those, too, are torn now. Even as it is time to buy new rugs (for which they don’t have money), the furniture still hasn’t arrived.

The Government Elementary School Kot Sadiq has 212 students. All of them sit on the floor. The school never had furniture to seat children and despite repeated applications to the BO, no heed was paid to the the request.

Both these schools are situated in areas where inundation during rains is normal. While the Kishanpura school is a pucca school, construction material and mud mounds on the school premises pose a threat of insects to children.

The Kot Sadiq school, on the other hand, is situated right on a mud road and the school premises has plenty of grass growing on it.

The insect threat

Staff members say, “Incidents like the one at the Basti Ibrahim Khan school bring fear in our minds. Teachers do not have control on insects. Children play around, sit on the floor, if they are bitten by one, we will be blamed. At that time, no one will take into account our applications to the Education Department. It is just the God that we rely on, because the department sure doesn’t listen.”

Some other schools, which reportedly face shortage (and in some cases absence) of furniture, are Government Primary School, Basti Danishmandan (girls), Government Girls Primary School, Basti Mithu, and Government Primary School, Nahal.

Notably, even as the problem is more severe in primary schools, in the recent years the state of senior secondary schools is also getting bad because the existing furniture is not being upgraded even after it becomes unusable and the number of students is also on the rise.

official speak
"There is certainly a shortage of furniture and we are looking into the issue. The RMSA gets its funds from the Centre and the funds, for furniture, haven’t been adequate. We recently asked all schools to send in their demands regarding furniture and almost all schools have sent in demands. Though schools where the problem is very acute, are few." — Neelam Kumari, DEO (Secondary)

"So far, the SSA has not earmarked any furniture for any of the schools under it since there is no scheme under which it can do that. So, even data regarding this is not readily available." — Ravinder Singh, District Coordinator, SSA

"There are 262 schools in the district with 9th and 10th classes. More than 100 of these schools have reported a shortage of furniture." — Jatinder Kumar, District Coordinator, RMSA

Road re-carpeted after 7 yrs
Tribune News Service

The road at PUDA complex being re-carpeted in Jalandhar on Monday. (bottom) Greenbelt around the complex in a dire neglect.  Photos: Sarabjit Singh

Jalandhar, May 15
The PUDA authorities finally re-carpeted a road in the PUDA complex opposite Suvidha Centre which had been lying in a pathetic condition for the past many years.

Though hundreds of visitors, owners and employees of various offices located in the complex were happy to see the road re-carpeted, they pointed out several other neglected aspects in the area. They said the authorities did not think of installing a system to drain out rainwater.

Two ill-maintained parks, dumping of junk, parking of dozens of vehicles by car dealers on the road and non-functional lights were the other grey areas in the complex.

Simran Singh, a regular visitor to the PUDA complex, said, “The authorities should make proper arrangements for drainage of rainwater.”

SR Thakur, another visitor, said, “The PUDA authorities should also take care of the two parks located at the entrance of the complex.”

‘ Out of syllabus’ papers: AIEE teachers demand extra marks
Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 15
A meeting of the AIEE Teachers’ Union was held under state president Swarna Rani at the Desh Bhagat Yadgaar Hall today. As many as 200 teachers were present at the meeting.

Condemning the regular out-of-syllabus papers for the session for the first semester exams of 1,488 teachers of the session 2011-13, the teachers blamed SCERT director Neelam Bhagat’s laxity for the fiasco.

They said the director had determined neither the style, nor the unit wise distribution of marks, for every subject.

Their main demands were - extra marks in the nine (out of a total 11) exams in which the question paper was out of syllabus; addressing the issue of staff shortage so that their study does not suffer.

They also demanded a seat for those volunteers in the ETT course who had attained the set percentage.

The union members said if their demands are not met within a week, then all the teachers of the said session and 825 teachers of the session 2010-12, among others, will intensify their protest.

They threatened that they will cause jams and will not relent until the government accepts their demands.

Three youths held for consuming heroin under flyover
Our Correspondent