The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Teachers abroad for years face axe 15-day public notices issue the last warning Balwant Garg Tribune News Service Faridkot, August 29 After years of dilly-dallying, the state government has finally decided to sack several teachers who have gone abroad and have failed to return. Some of these teachers have been absent from school duty for as long as six years, thanks to the education department’s “laidback” approach. When notices and reminders to these teachers by the Education Department and the Punjab Rural Development and Panchayat Department (RDPD) failed to ensure their presence, now, the RDPD has served public notices to these teachers, asking them to explain their absenteeism or face the consequences in the next 15 days, said Balwinder Singh, state director, RDPD. Most of the primary schools in the rural areas of Punjab are under the RDPD. Among the nine absentee primary school teachers in Faridkot, including three women teachers, Ranjit Kaur is absent since October 17, 2006. Yadwinder Pal Kaur and her husband Kanwardeep Singh are also absent since May 2007. Other teachers have been absent for the last three-four years. Though it is an open secret that these teachers are staying in foreign countries, the education department did not end their service and no new recruitment was made to replace them. So the end losers were the schoolchildren. With their desire to settle abroad, over 200 government school teachers in Punjab are in foreign countries. While some of these teachers did not get official leave before leaving the country, others got a six-month ‘no-pay’ leave from duty and left for foreign countries. But after arriving there, these teachers kept extending their school leave on one pretext or the other, citing their poor health as a hurdle in the air travel. Now when these teachers have failed to join their duty after so many years, the education department has decided to end their services. As the notices served on these teachers earlier were duly returned as the teachers declined to accept them, so now, as a last warning, the notices have been served through the newspapers, said Balwinder Singh, Director, RDPO. As per the rules, these teachers need to report back to their schools before the completion of six months. While many teachers keep extending their leave, citing poor health as the reason, others join school duty for a day or two before the start of summer and winter break. And once the school holidays start, they again leave the country not to return for the next six months.
	Officials get the shock as power meters go missing Praful Chander Nagpal Fazilka, August 29 The theft of electricity meters is on the rise in Fazilka town. Residents have discovered that the meter installed by the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) outside their houses is being stolen, mostly at night. The latest incident of such theft took place at the residence of Surinder Kumar in Gandhi Nagar locality today when power supply was discontinued between 3 am to 4 am. “We thought that a power cut had been imposed but later found that the electricity meter had been removed,” said Surinder Kumar. Similarly, the electricity meters installed at Shagan Lal Church in Kewal Kamra Street, and at the houses of Ashwani Gumber and Om Parkash Chhabra, residents of Sachdeva Street, were also stolen last night. A meter at a chemist shop, Kranti Medicos, was also found removed in the morning today. “More than 100 electric meters have been stolen from Fazilka town during the last two months. The meters are being removed in Fazilka town only. Surprisingly, no reports of theft have been received from any other town nearby,” admitted Executive Engineer, Powercom, Fazilka, Malkiat Singh. The authorities are groping in the dark over the reason for the theft. “We fail to understand what the thieves do with the meters as these could not be sold in an open market. Only its spare parts can be sold, that too at a meagre price,” said Singh. The modus operandi of the thieves is that they break open the seal of the box, discontinue the power supply and remove the meters. Surprisingly, most thefts occurred in the thickly populated areas of the town. Notably, PSPCL, to check the incidents of power theft, had shifted the meters from inside the houses and business establishments to outside. “If the authorities are not able to protect the meters, they should not have shifted the meters outside the buildings. Now, we are forced to bear the expense of reinstalling the meters,” rued Kranti Kumar. As per PSPCL sources, the consumers have to shell out the reinstallation charge of Rs 520 for single phase and Rs 1,900 for three-phase meters. “We have to pay the amount without any fault of ours. The Powercom should actually bear the expenses,” demanded Om Parkash Chhabra. Moreover, the process of reinstalling the meter is tardy. First, the consumer has to lodge a report with the police. Thereafter, he starts visiting the electricity office for completing the formalities and depositing the meter fees. The completion of the process consumes two to three days and in the meantime, the power supply of the affected consumer remains cut off causing great inconvenience. “I have brought the matter to the notice of the SSP Fazilka today who in turn, assured to nab the thieves soon,” said XEN Malkiat Singh.
	Another Bangladeshi held near Indo-Pak border Third incident reported during the past 10 days Anirudh Gupta Ferozepur, August 29 In the third such incident within a span of few days, the Border Security Force (BSF) apprehended a Bangladeshi national roaming under suspicious circumstances in an area close to the Indo-Pakistan border in Ferozepur sector. According to sources in the BSF, the arrested Bangladeshi national has been identified as Mohamed Salim Hasan, son of Mohamed Vadu Mandal, aged 35 years, and a resident of village Khash Bagunda (PO Ailhash Bazar) in Chua Danga district. BSF officials said the Bangladeshi national was caught around 200 metres short of the barrage while he was roaming under suspicious circumstances along the fencing between the firing range area and the Hussainiwala BOP. The area is around 750 metres from the Zero Line and about 100 metres from the fence. BSF officials said that a Bangladeshi passport issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Chua Danha district, which had a valid visa for Oman, besides a mobile phone with an Omani SIM card and Indian and Bangladeshi currency notes have also recovered from his possession. Sources said that during his stay in Oman where he had gone on a work permit, the arrested Bangladeshi national had come in contact with another Pakistani national who allured him to come to Pakistan to earn a better livelihood. "Lured by the assurances given by the Pakistani national, the Bangladeshi national in search of greener pastures crossed over to India through Gebe border from where he reached Sealdah and then Howrah before finally coming to Ferozepur via Mumbai," said another official. Earlier, on August 21, the BSF jawans had arrested three Bangladeshi citizens from HK Tower border outpost along the Zero Line who were trying to sneak into Pakistan. The three arrested Bangladeshi citizens were later identified as Hafiz Ur Rehman, Mohammed Danish Mia and Sauhar Ali, all of whom were residents of Sumanganj district of Bangladesh. Before that on August 20 also, the BSF had captured a Bangladeshi national who was identified as Ali Ahmed. During the interrogation, Ali Ahmed had revealed that there were four more persons along with him who wanted to cross over to Pakistan. Though the BSF, along with the police, had later managed to arrest three of them, the fourth one managed to escape. BSF sources said around 20 Bangladeshi youths had allegedly crossed over to India of which ten had stayed in Delhi while the other five went towards Amritsar and the rest of them came to this area with the motive of crossing over to Pakistan. However, the Bangladeshi national who was arrested yesterday had come on his own, BSF sources revealed, adding that he might be sent to the Joint Interrogation Centre in Amritsar for further probe into the matter.
	Inter-state gang of drug smugglers busted, one held Kulwinder Sandhu Tribune News Service Moga, August 29 Moga police have busted an inter-state gang of drug peddlers and recovered as many as 184 bags of poppy husk from them. The contraband is valued at Rs 74 lakh. One of the smugglers has been arrested while two of his associates managed to escape from the police. SSP Surjit Singh Grewal said the DSP of Nihalsinghwala, Jaswinder Singh Gharu and the in-charge of the traffic wing, inspector Jaspal Singh, raided the house of Sukhdev Singh alias Sukha at Talwandi Bhangerian village, from where 184 bags of poppy husk were recovered. Earlier, a decoy was sent to the house. He struck a deal with one of the smugglers to purchase poppy husk by giving an advance of Rs 50,000 to him. When the delivery of the contraband was ensured, the decoy gave a signal to the police. They raided the spot and recovered 184 bags of poppy husk. One of the smugglers, Jagsir Singh, hailing from Badhni Kalan village, presently settled at Moga town, was arrested from the spot. A truck, Bolero jeep, motor cycle and a scooter were recovered from the house. Grewal said Sukhdev Singh, one of the alleged accused who escaped from the spot, had recently jumped parole and was absconding for the last few months. He was convicted in a drug smuggling case. As many as eight criminal cases of drug smuggling and forgery have been registered against him at various places in Punjab and Maharashtra. The third accused that ran away from the spot has been identified as Gurcharan Singh alias Channa. A hunt has been launched to nab the absconders, the SSP said. The catch A decoy customer was sent to the house of one Sukhkev Singh at Talwandi Bhangerian village, whom the cops suspected of being involved in smuggling. Later, the cops raided the place and arrested one person while two of his associates, including Sukhdev, managed to flee 184 bags of poppy husk seized. The contraband is valued at Rs 74 lakh.
	Fresh taxes in state Jakhar demands emergency session of Vidhan Sabha Our Correspondent Abohar, August 29 Criticising the state government over its decision to impose new taxes outside the Punjab Budget, the Congress has demanded an emergency session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha to discuss the merit of imposing new taxes on an already burdened state economy. CLP leader Sunil Jakhar urged the SAD-BJP government to issue a white paper on the economy on the floor of the House. "Imposing gargantuan taxes on public in closed-door cabinet meetings is not only undemocratic but a dangerous trend being set by the Akali-BJP government. Punjab Congress deplores this undemocratic practice adopted by the government as it belittles the importance of the elected state assembly," he observed. He said property tax is an ever increasing burden on the people as it will increase with the increase in property rates on an annual basis. Jakhar felt that the optional re-appointment was okayed by the cabinet as the government does not have the funds to settle their retirement dues as more than 35,000 employees are about to retire this year. Jakhar also slammed the state government for its "irrational and non-productive" sports policy. He said Punjab virtually drew a blank in the London Olympics while its neighbour (Haryana) topped the national tally in participation as well as medals. Speaking at the closing function of the 5th National Tchoukball Championship in his native village Maujgarh, he said claims over promoting sports in the state were hollow. The government had not framed the policy sincerely to promote either agriculture or sports. He lauded the District Tchoukball Association for organising the national championship in Punjab, that too in a remote village. Punjab School Education Board vice-chairman Suresh Tondon assured that the Board would make efforts to promote Tchoukball in schools to strengthen its foundation.