The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

financial irregularities in Adarsh School
Edu dept team begins probe
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, August 31
A team of the district education department arrived today at the Government SAS Adarsh Senior Secondary School in Pacca village of Faridkot district to conduct an inquiry into the allegations that the teachers were not getting the “promised” salary and that ‘unwarranted’ fees was being charged from the students.

While the inquiry was in progress, students, parents and the allegedly exploited teachers started raising slogans against the management of the school, which is being run under public-private partnership. This forced the senior civil and police officials to rush to Pacca village to control the situation.

The inquiry began today, two weeks after over 20 teachers of the school, complained to the Punjab CM, the Director General School Education (DGSE) and the Deputy Commissioner, Faridkot.

The teachers accused the school management of giving them Rs 8,500 salary but showing it as Rs 16,500 in the official record.

While the Deputy District Education Officer was conducting the inquiry, the parents of many students also reached the school and accused its management of charging Rs 3,000-Rs 4,000 as annual admission fee in the name of providing uniforms and school books.

The parents alleged that the school was charging heavy transportation fee from the students which was against the rules. As the protesting teachers and parents lay siege to the principal’s office, a police team also reached the village to control the situation.

Suresh Arora, Deputy DEO, said he had recorded the statement of the teachers. “The report would be submitted to the higher authorities,” he said.

Under a new initiative in public-private partnership to promote quality school education in Punjab, the state government started setting up Adarsh Schools. As per the agreement, the students are given free-of-cost education. Also, Rs 1,600 per month on an average would be spent on every student. While the state government contributed 70 per cent of the funds, the remaining 30 per cent is the responsibility of the private management.

But in some Adarsh Schools, it is alleged that the management is making fake enrollment of the students and recruiting teachers only on paper to get more funds in the shape of 70 per cent contribution from the state government. Even students are not spared and they are charged in the name of providing them with uniforms and books which are rarely available, alleged the parents.

The teachers alleged that the management, which also runs private engineering and polytechnic colleges, put them on the job of bringing more and more students for their engineering colleges.

Pooja Garg, principal of Adarsh School in Pacca, said the deduction from the teachers’ salary was to provide them with laptops and training. But the teachers denied getting a laptop. About the Rs 3,000-Rs 4,000 being charged as admission fee from the students, the principal denied the allegation but many parents produced the receipts for such payments today.

The charges
The teachers accused the school management of giving them Rs 8,500 salary but showing it as Rs 16,500 in the official record.
The parents of many students accused the school management of charging Rs 3,000-Rs 4,000 as annual admission fee in the name of providing uniforms and school books.
The parents alleged that the school was charging heavy transportation fee from the students which was against the rules.

Petrol pump staff’s murder rocks Abohar
Raj Sadosh

Abohar, August 31
Even as the police here was sweating to solve the mystery shrouding the murder of Pooja Sandhu, a housewife, yet another murder rocked the sub-division today.

The victim was an employee at a petrol pump that is run reportedly by three persons including Satinderjit Singh Manta, a close aide of Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.

As per the statement given to the Wahabwala police by one Mangal Singh, his brother Hari Singh of village Rajpura along with brother-in-law Sukhmander Singh of village Kundal had been working at the Swaran Petroleum Point, located in village Rajpura on the Abohar-Hanumangarh road (state highway).

According to him, the petrol pump is jointly run by Roop Chand Wadhwa of Sadulshehar, Subhash Chander of Fazilka and Satinderjit Singh Manta.

Notably, Manta had been close to former MP Gurdas Singh Badal, had joined the PPP but later rejoined the SAD and was designated as in-charge to look after the affairs in Jalalabad constituency, represented by Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. Wadhwa is also known as a close associate of the Badal family.

Mangal Singh has been quoted as having told the police that Hari Singh had rejoined the petrol pump staff a fortnight back after a two-year break during which he served as truck driver.

Past midnight, Hari Singh was sleeping outside while Sukhmander Singh shifted inside due to the chill at about 1.30 am.

After half an hour, two unidentified persons came and attacked Hari Singh with sharp-edged weapons.

Responding to his cries, Sukhmander woke up and rushed to help but the culprits escaped in the nearby fields. He later shifted Hari Singh to the civil hospital at Abohar but Hari Singh succumbed to his injuries. The body was handed over to the family after autopsy.

Fazilka SSP Amar Singh Chahal along with Abohar-based SP Virender Singh Brar and Balluana segment DSP Gurpreet Singh Dhindsa inspected the petrol pump.

Sniffer dogs indicated that the killers had escaped to neighbouring Rajasthan through the inter-state border at village Patli.

National award for Ferozepur lecturer
Our Correspondent

Ferozepur, August 31
In recognition of his service in the field of education, environment protection and social service, Dr Satinder Singh, presently posted as a lecturer at the local government girls’ senior secondary school in Ferozepur, has been selected for the national award which will be presented by President Pranab Mukherjee during a function to be held on the Teachers’ Day in New Delhi.

Dr Satinder Singh said he was overwhelmed to have been selected for the honour. He is youngest amongst the four other educationists from Punjab selected by the Ministry of Human Resource Development for the award this year. The last time when an educationist from this border district was selected for this award was in 1999, when Niranjan Singh from the education department was bestowed this honour.

Poor sanitary conditions
Fazilka MC top guns in the dock
Praful Chander Nagpal

Fazilka, August 31
Following deterioration in sanitary conditions in the town, the Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM), Fazilka, has served a notice under Section 133 of the CrPC (causing public nuisance) to the president, executive officer and the sanitary inspector of the Municipal Council, Fazilka. The private company responsible for maintaining cleanliness in the town, has also been served the notice.

Charandev Singh Maan, SDM-cum-Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Fazilka, had conducted an on the spot survey of sanitary conditions in the town on August 29 at Sanjeev Cinema Chowk, outside Kanchan Tara Hotel, near Valmiki Temple, Phirni Road, Waan Bazaar, Bikaneri Road, Madan Gopal Road, Border Road and other areas.

Heaps of garbage was found littered at many places. Sensing the possible risk of an epidemic outbreak, the SDM issued a notice to MC president Anil Kumar Sethi, executive officer Sukhdev Singh, sanitary inspector Naresh Khera, the private company JITF Urban Waste Management Ltd., responsible for lifting the garbage and its manager Sanjeev Sahai.

“I have issued the notice to the authorities concerned under section 133 of the CrPC and have asked them to present before my court on September 10 to present their views,” said SDM Maan.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Municipal Council, Fazilka, in an attempt to improve the sanitary conditions of the town had entered into an agreement with a private company JITF Urban Waste Management (Ferozepur) Ltd. on June 30 last year for lifting the garbage in the town.

According to official sources, the private company entrusted with the job of lifting garbage has used less number of containers, rickshaws and sweepers.

“At least 100 containers and an equal number of sweepers are required to cater to the need of the town for collecting garbage,” said an MC official on the condition of anonymity.

The pitiable condition is despite the fact that the private company is paid a hefty amount of Rs 259 for lifting a tonne of garbage by the council. Sources reveal that the company reportedly lifts heavy garbage on a priority basis as it is considered profitable.

Besides, it has been learnt that the compactor of the company is out of order. Because of this, the garbage has not been lifted for the last one week in the humid rainy season making the dumping sites a heavily stinking area.

“The company’s officials have been served notices 4-5 times to perform their duties properly but to no avail,” said executive officer, Municipal Council, Sukhdev Singh, adding that the council may impose penalty on the contractors.

“The costly machine, compactor, went out order resulting in delay in lifting garbage. The town would be cleaned by Sunday,” clarified the manager of the company, Sanjeev Sahai. Refuting the allegations he said the desired number of containers, rickshaws and employees have been deployed as per the conditions of the agreement.

Inter-state gang of vehicle-lifters busted, 10 youths arrested
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, August 31
Planning to buy a used car or a bike? Beware, it can land you in a theft case or drag you to court for buying a stolen vehicle.

This was the lesson that was delivered after the police recovered three stolen cars and as many as 18 motorcycles from two separate inter-state gangs of vehicle-lifters in Faridkot yesterday.

Ten members of these gangs, all youth, were arrested by the police. Their interrogation revealed that lifting vehicle from one state and selling it in another with changed and fake vehicle identification number (VIN) and engine numbers was business as usual for these vehicle lifters.

Faridkot SSP Gurinder Singh Dhillon said the interrogation of five suspected youths in Kotkapura led to the recovery of five stolen motorcycles from them.

Further interrogation led to the arrest of three more youths and recovery of a total of 18 motorcycles which they had stolen from various parts of Punjab and the other states.

Like any other commodity, the arrested youths stacked the stolen motorcycles in a godown and after effecting a change in their look and preparing fake documents, these were sold in different parts of the state.

Interrogation of some of these arrested gang members gave the police information about a gang of car lifters that has members across Punjab, Haryana, UP and even at a far away place like Kerala.

The police also recovered three stolen cars from the accused. One of these cars was stolen from Kerala and was later sold in UP, using forged documents.

“We are making more investigations about two other cars and motorcycles. I have even called up my counterpart in the Kerala police to help us as it involves the use of fake documents,” said the Faridkot SSP.