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Teachers busy punching in data, Studies take backseat
Just a week on, snatchers target another shopkeeper
Free bus coupons given to 132 cancer patients
Bhucho Khurd fast developing into a marble hub
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Employment office to issue challans
Dispose of unutilised items in schools: DGSE
Harsimrat takes stock of Nanhi Chhan campaign
Woman held for transformer theft
One booked for illegal construction of colony
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Teachers busy punching in data, Studies take backseat
Bathinda, August 5 The teachers have been directed to fill in answers for 126 questions for every student till August 5 or else they would not be given their monthly salaries. “During the monthly meeting conducted at the Teachers’ Home, we were directed to expedite the data filling procedure and ensure that the work is completed by August 5. We were not given any reason for fixing August 5 as the deadline,” said one of the teachers from Nathana block. Questions about students require filling in of minute details such as the blood group of the child, report of medical examination conducted, his/her unique identification number (UID) or the Aadhar card number, marks scored in various time periods in different subjects, etc. “Surprisingly, none of the questions has the option of data not being available. Most of the students are unaware of their blood group and we are uploading the information without having any knowledge of the same,” added another teacher from a government girls’ school in Goniana. Poor internet server and frequent and long power cuts are adding to the woes of the teachers most of whom feel they will not be able to meet the August 5 deadline. As per rule, the data has to be filled online. In remote villages, where internet penetration is lower, the situation has grown from bad to worse. “We are forcing teachers to take the work home or do the same from some cyber café. Had the department made these forms available offline, it would have been much easier for us to complete the work,” said a teacher from government senior secondary school at Parasram Nagar where a computer lab has been dedicated to the task of punching data and students are not allowed to enter. Even at the government school for girls located on the Mall Road, a computer lab has been dedicated for the task. Meanwhile, district education officer (secondary), Hardeep Singh, said he was aware of the problems teachers were facing. “We will request the Director General of School Education (DGSE) to give us some more time,” he said. Fact file Fact file
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Just a week on, snatchers target another shopkeeper
Bathinda, August 5 Surinder Kumar, a resident of Ajit Road and a wholesale dealer of sugar and jaggery, said at around 8 pm on Friday, he was on his way back home on his scooter and was also carrying the bag containing the day’s collection. He claimed that the snatchers blocked his path near Des Raj School, adjoining Bathinda Fort. He alleged that the miscreants managed to snatch the bag away from him despite it being a busy market area and fled from the spot within seconds. The matter was brought to the notice of the police and a case under the sections 382 and 34 of the IPC has been registered in this connection against unidentified persons. Police officials said they were trying to nab the culprits. Kotwali SHO Jaspal Singh, who is deployed on VIP duty in the city, said the police was trying to crack both the cases and would arrest the culprits soon. Interestingly, both the incidents took place in the areas that fall under the jurisdiction of the Kotwali police station. Till now, the police have neither identified the snatchers nor rounded up suspects, rued thevictims. The victims also argued that while the police has been making tall claims about curbing the number of criminal activities in the city, there has been no let up in the snatching incidents. Fact file * Surinder Kumar, a resident of Ajit Road and a wholesale dealer of sugar and jaggery, was on his way back home on his scooter at around 8 pm on Friday. * He was carrying the bag containing the day’s collection. * The snatchers blocked his path near Des Raj School, adjoining Bathinda Fort. * The miscreants managed to snatch the bag away from him despite it being a busy market area and fled from the spot within seconds.
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Free bus coupons given to 132 cancer patients
Bathinda, August 5 According to official information, the Civil Surgeon’s office has disbursed free bus travel coupons to as many as 132 cancer patients so far. The total amount of the coupons, that have been given to the patients from the Bathinda district so far, is about `1.18 lakh. These coupons are of the denominations of `1, `5 and `10. It may be mentioned here that the Civil Surgeon’s Office had been sent coupons, worth lakhs, by the state government for the first time in April 2011 for distribution among the cancer patients. Ever since the facility has been introduced, several financially weak and other patients have been availing of the facility. The benefit of this facility is being availed, especially by the patients belonging to villages like Gill Khurd, Phulo Mithi, Tungwali, Kot Shamir, Bhagta, Gursar Sainewala, Pitho, Chak Ram Singh Wala, Tarkhanwala, Jeond, Virk Kalan, Jassi Pau Wali, Jajjal, Kal Jharani, Kotha Guru, Maisarkhana, Jodhpur Romana, Koreana, Sukhladhi and Kalyan Malka. The coupons, which are provided to the declared cancer patients for traveling to the hospitals, carry the name of the patient, place of departure and destination, date of travel and the identity card number of the patient. It may be mentioned here that though there are many cancer patients from Bathinda region who visit the other cities for treatment, the number of patients, availing of this facility, is less. Sources in the Civil Surgeon’s office said many patients avoid the facility keeping in view their financial status.
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Bhucho Khurd fast developing into a marble hub
Bathinda, August 5
The popularity of the market can be gauged from the fact that customers from within a radius, as wide as 250 kilometres, frequent the market. Every year, as many as five new shops come up at the Bhucho Khurd marble market which dots more than a kilometer of Barnala Road. Shops in the market sell marbles and stones of various qualities, mostly brought from the neighbouring state of Rajasthan. “I was the fifth person to open a marble shop here in 2000 and since then a large number of shops have come up,” said Rahul, owner of the City Marble House. He added that despite a boom in the construction business, the sales have been stagnant as the customer base evenly spreads across the increasing number of shops. Corroborating that the market has become very popular over the years, he added that some sellers from Rajasthan have set up extension counters in Bhucho Khurd. He added that some shopkeepers have also expanded their shops by constructing more than two or three godowns. Suresh Kumar Aggarwal, who was the first person to open a marble house in Bhucho Khurd in 1985, said more than the local customers, it is the people from far off places who visit the market more these days. Kamal Kumar, a worker at one of the shops, said it was the little maintenance that marble needs, its many varieties, different prices, customers’ lack of knowledge about the varieties and price that have led to an increase in the number of shops. Depending upon the variety, whiteness and shine, the price of marble may range between `12 and `300 per square feet. He added that there are numerous qualities of marble and the finest quality of marble comes from Makrana in Rajasthan. Marble is also obtained from other places like Kishangarh, Rajnagar, Abu, Kankroli, Alwar, Banswala in Rajasthan and Katni in Madhya Pradesh. Some shopkeepers sell inferior quality marble to innocent customers by claiming it is from Makrana, he said. “The marble obtained from Makrana has the optimum ratio of iron, silica, lime, magnesium and carbonate while the marble obtained from other places has disparities. The shine of Makrana marble improves with time which is not the case with the marbles from other places,” said JS Brar Rangi, a local contractor. He added that marble from Makrana has less than one per cent iron while others have more than 40 per cent iron. More iron leads to corrosion of marble when it comes in contact with water, Rangi explained. Customers, who go all the way to Makrana, 488 kilometers from Bathinda, may get marble which will not only last but also retain its shine for over 50 years. Apart from the huge price difference, the norms of measuring marble in Makrana are liberal as compared to way the shopkeepers in Punjab measure marble, added Rangi. Rangi said marble extracted from the depths of the earth in Makrana has all the chemicals and is perfect according to the standards laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Aziz Gehlot, a marble seller in Makrana (Rajasthan), while talking to TNS, said they stock and sell more than 100 qualities of marble with a guarantee of 100 years of shine and whiteness. “A good quality marble will have 55.26 per cent calcium, 0.39 per cent magnesium, 0.12 per cent aluminium and a mere 0.12 per cent of iron,” Gehlot said.
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Employment office to issue challans
Bathinda, August 5 According to official information, some of the offices have not furnished their quarterly returns to the district employment office for some years. The offices that have not filed the quarterly returns in response to the notices so far include the SC/BC Corporation's office, Punjab Agro Industry's office, electricity department's offices, and the Central Cooperative Bank. However, the 15 offices and public sector establishments have sent their replies by sending the pending quarterly returns. Talking to this reporter, an official of the employment office said the quarterly returns included information about the total number of persons, working in the offices. He said some offices had been sent notices more than once to furnish the quarterly returns but they had not furnished it so far. He said in view of this, they were planning to file the challans under the provisions of the Employment Exchanges (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act 1959 against them in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate. He said the court imposes a fine on the offices in such cases. The official further said that under the Act, every private and government institution had to send demand (number of employees to be recruited) to the district employment office. If it failed to do so, then the employment office could initiate action against it, he added.
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Dispose of unutilised items in schools: DGSE
Bathinda, August 5 In a letter addressed to the District Education Officers (DEO), elementary and secondary, the Director General of School Education (DGSE) directed them to inform the school heads to dispose of the broken pieces of furniture and other items that are not being used in their respective schools. The DGSE said it had been noticed that unutilised items have been lying strewn around, taking up space on the school premises. It also said enough space should be made available for the students and not be wasted on storing broken pieces of chairs desks and utensils. The school heads have been asked by the DGSE to begin the process of selling off such items as soon as possible and update the district education officers on the progress. The heads have also been directed to deposit the funds, raised from selling the items, in the account of the school management committee and then use it for undertaking development work in the school. Fact file |
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Harsimrat takes stock of Nanhi Chhan campaign
Bathinda, August 5
Harsimrat, who was here to review the status of the Nanhi Chaan campaign against female foeticide, dowry and other social evils, said the MPs of the SAD-BJP alliance would raise the issues of the rights of Punjab peasantry in parliament. She alleged that the Congress-led UPA government was deliberately keeping Punjab out from the ambit of the recently announced drought relief package. The SAD-BJP alliance would not sit silent and strongly raise the issue of injustice against Punjab in the ensuing monsoon session of parliament that will begin from August 8 onwards, she said. Harsimrat invited Congress leaders, who gave statements that there was no drought-like situation in Punjab, to the state and said they should visit the villages to know the reality. Harsimrat said it was very easy to say anything sitting in Delhi but leaders belonging to Punjab, should first come to their own constituencies to assess the conditions of Punjab's farmers. The Bathinda MP said the Congress leaders must realize the problems faced by the farmers due to deficit monsoon. Officiating Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat, Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill, ADC Mohammad Tyeb, OSD to Deputy Chief Minister Gurvinder Singh, MLA Darshan Singh Kotfatta, Dr Om Parkash Sharma and advocate Darshan Singh Bajaj were amongst those present on the occasion.
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Woman held for transformer theft
Bathinda, August 5 Investigating officer in the case, Harjeet Singh said the man, who was driving the motorcycle, identified as Kaka, managed to give the police a slip and efforts are on to nab him. During the interrogation, the woman revealed that there are more than 18 members of the gang who steal transformers installed in the agricultural fields. So far, the members of the gang have stolen more than 100 transformers. They sell it as junk in the market to make a fast buck. Police stations in Haryana including Dabwali, Odhan, Rori and others were in search of this woman. Police said the woman revealed the modus operandi of the gang and stated that the gang works in group of five people and steals the transformers during the night. After taking a room on rent in a village, the accused used to venture out at night and dismantle the transformers and carry the stolen goods in a Maruti car. A case in this connection has been registered against the woman.
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One booked for illegal construction of colony
Bathinda, August 5 No arrests have been made so far. Two booked for beating up Lehra Mohabbat resident
Police have booked two persons for beating up a resident of Lehra Mohabbat village. In a complaint to the police, Jagdev Singh said the accused Dev Singh and Gursewak Singh attacked him with the intention of killing him. He said the accused attacked him over an old trivial dispute. Police said the accused have been booked under sections 307 341 and 34 of the IPC at Nathana police station. No arrests have been made so far. One arrested with habit-forming drugs
Police have arrested one person for possessing huge quantities of habit-forming drugs. Police have recovered 1740 tablets of various forms from the possession of the accused. He has been identified as Paramjit Singh, a resident of Akalia village. A case under sections 22, 61, 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused at Diyalpura police station. Man looted near municipal corporation office
A man was looted at knife-point near the office of the Municipal Corporation Bathinda, which lies next to the Kotwali police station. On Saturday night, Dalebar Singh, a resident of Mehna Basti, was returning home after working at the fish market. When he reached near the office of the municipal corporation, some anti-social elements pointed knife towards him and took away his wallet and a mobile phone. Police have booked unknown miscreants in connection with the case. Further investigation in the case is on. |
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