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Releasing Shruti’s picture was a mistake: ADGP
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Crisis in Higher education
Govt asks PGI to study extent of drug abuse
Don’t trivialise issue, Capt tells Sukhbir
Farm sector, industry to benefit from booming bilateral trade
Better drainage system must to save soil: Expert
Agencies fail to lift cotton, farmers protest
Farmers at a dharna outside the Cotton Corporation of India office in Bathinda. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma
Cancer cases on the rise: Govt survey
Firefighters try to douse the fire in Khanna. A Tribune photograph
Police turn a blind eye to eve-teasers at SARAS
Mela
Youth at the SARAS Mela. Tribune photo: Rajesh Sachar
Badal orders probe into gastro deaths
Ban fails to check burning of stubble in
Muktsar
A burnt paddy field in Jalalabad. A Tribune photograph
Minister dismisses Capt’s claim
Medical interns demand an increase in stipend
Notice to State on regularising services of 810 panchayat secys
Arms licensing branch sealed in Amritsar, records seized
Gangster gives police the slip
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Crisis in Higher education
“Barring a few, most of the 105-odd private engineering colleges that have came up during the last 15 years can be described as examples of poor input leading to a poor output,” said a director of a group of private colleges, pleading anonymity. With the quality of students abysmally poor and the teaching standards less than satisfactory, not more than 25 per cent engineering pupils clear their exams in the first year. “There are 40,000 seats in the state’s engineering colleges for 35,000 non-medical students who clear the Class XII exam every year. You can’t expect quality students who are admitted without any competition,” said an educationist. Poor English language skills is another impediment. The Dean, Placements, PTU, Navdeepak Singh Sandhu, said “it takes more than a year for a student with poor communication skills to just settle down in his class”. The teaching standards need a re-look, particularly when many teachers are a mere BTech. A sizeable number of them pursue MTech through correspondence while on
job.
When approached, B Purushartha, Director, Technical Education and Industrial Training, said there was no reason for alarm. “Private education has a self-correction mechanism. Those not performing well will close down like in Andhra Pradesh where more than 100 engineering colleges have closed down. We have written to the Centre asking for minimum educational standards for appointment of teachers” — To be concluded
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Govt asks PGI to study extent of drug abuse
Chandigarh, October 16 Rahul Gandhi had on Thursday quoted reports to say that 70 per cent youth in the state had a drug problem. This had triggered a row with the ruling SAD-BJP alliance asking him as to how he had arrived at this “mathematical conclusion”. Addressing students at Panjab University here on October 11, Rahul had said: “The youth of Punjab should break free from the shackles of drug addiction and focus on education. It is time to initiate a change. Reports suggest at least 7 out of 10 youths are hooked on drugs.” It was later stated that Rahul had quoted from a study conducted by Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. Speaking to The Tribune, Prof D Basu from the Department of Psychiatry, PGIMER, said: “The study originally stated that nearly 70 per cent of the drug addicts were youngsters and not that 70 per cent of youngsters in the state were drug addicts.” “The Punjab Government wants to conduct a comprehensive study to determine the exact status of drug addiction among the youth. Since it will be a large-scale study, a lot of thought needs to be put in before finalising a study plan. In order to offer productive assistance to the Punjab Government, we will try to analyse the modalities of the study soon,” Dr Bose said.
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Don’t trivialise issue, Capt tells Sukhbir
Chandigarh, October 16 “Better behave and act responsibly and don’t make a joke of such a serious problem. Running away from the problem and denying it does not make the problem vanish,” he said. The PCC president pointed out that it was the Punjab Government that had in an affidavit said that 70 per cent of the youth in Punjab were affected by drugs. By criticising Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi who had referred to these figures, the government was contradicting its own stand, he said. Criticising Badal for blaming the BSF for the influx of drugs into the state, Amarinder asked the Chief Ministers to what steps he had initiated to check the domestic drug industry. “Instead of taking the issue seriously, the father-son duo, joined by others like Bikram Majithia (Revenue Minister) are repeatedly skirting the issue and putting the blame on others,” he said. Bittu’s contention
In a separate statement, Anandpur Sahib Member of Parliament Ravneet Bittu said there had been a decline in the number of Punjab youths joining the armed forces and drug addiction was much to blame for this. Bittu said at a recent recruitment rally in Ferozepur, only 1,619 of the 30,000 youths could pass the physical test for joining the armed forces. During similar recruitment rallies in Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur and Pathankot, only 2,982 youths out of 40,000 could clear the physical test, Bittu claimed.
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Farm sector, industry to benefit from booming bilateral trade
Talking to The Tribune, CII National Council on Public Policy member Gunbir Singh said it was good that Pakistan had decided to do away with its discriminatory policy. "This will definitely benefit Punjab, especially Amritsar, which will consequently emerge as a major trading hub in the sub-continent," he said. He said the previous import list of a meagre 137 items was a restrictive one as the actual number of items on it wasn't much. He said the expansion in the list would create new opportunities. "The farm sector will gain with an increase in the variety of perishable goods while the industry will benefit in the areas of textiles, engineering goods, chemicals and pharmaceuticals. We must keep in mind that Pakistan imports 70 per cent of its GDP," Gunbir Singh added. Khanna Paper Mill MD Suneet Kochhar said the move would impact all stakeholders, creating more export opportunities for traders and facilitating job avenues for the youth in the border belt. He said a booming Indo-Pak trade would cut down logistics cost, benefiting both the traders as well as the end consumers. He, however, expressed a word of caution. "There is a lot of difference between what Pakistan says and does. Therefore, we should wait for it to come clean on the number of items it will be importing." Kochhar said Pakistan should focus on increasing the number of items, even if it was less. He referred to Pakistan's list of 137 items in which the number of products was less but categories were more. He also stressed the need for having matching infrastructure and a "common border vision" for both the nations. Giving the example of the US and Canada, he said around three lakh travellers and 35,000 trucks crossed Canada-US borders everyday. Companies on both the sides had invested millions of dollars in cargo and passenger security, he said. Amritsar Exporters Chambers of Commerce vice-president Rajdeep Uppal said the move would give a much-needed boost to the trade via the Attari-Wagah land route. He, however, said there were a lot of bottlenecks like the lack of infrastructure on the other side of the border.
Pak’s current list
Early this year, Pakistan had shifted to negative list trade regime with India, but surprisingly stuck to positive import list for the Attari-Wagah land route. The list had 137 items including livestock (eight categories), carcasses/meat (15), vegetables (22), raw jute (29) and yarn (44). These five items alone took the figure up to 118 in the list of 137 items. Other items in the list were pineapple, black pepper, raw cane and beet sugar, oil cake and other solid residues, cement and clinker, polyethylene, polypropylene, newsprint, paddy harvesters and paddy dryers. Pakistan had agreed to "substantially" increase the number of items on this list by October-end during the last month's visit of Union Commerce Secretary SR Rao to Pakistan.
Breaking barriers The farm sector will gain with an increase in the variety of perishable goods while the industry will benefit in the areas of textiles, engineering goods and chemicals. Pakistan imports 70 per cent of its GDP — Gunbir Singh, CII National Council
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Better drainage system must to save soil: Expert
New Delhi, October 16 To tackle the agrarian crisis in the region post-Green Revolution, one of the suggested options is a shift from the wheat-paddy pattern being followed by the two states. However, considering the tremendous contribution of the region to India’s foodgrain kitty, Prof Ronnie Coffman of the
BGRI, has suggested radical changes in the irrigation and drainage system for effective conservation and utilisation of water to control soil salinity and the groundwater level. Coffman, who is in India to attend a workshop to celebrate 50 years of Norman E Borlaugh’s contribution to the Green Revolution in India, told The Tribune that it was time that water management underwent a makeover, an option that India may find easier to implement than a shift over in its cropping pattern. Wheat and rice is India’s staple food and their consumption will grow in the coming days. Besides being important cash crops, farmers would reject a cropping system that could reduce their income, he maintained. He said the problem of salinity and the drop in yield could not be attributed to the overuse of fertilisers alone. “Water standing in the fields needs to be drained out and for that, an effective drainage system is required. While Punjab has an irrigation system, a proper drainage system to avoid waterlogging and in turn controlling the salinity is missing,” he says. “From the standpoint of soil health, I have no doubt that it would be desirable to bring more diversity to the wheat-rice cycle. But this is a policy issue that needs to be considered in the larger context of food production
needs,” Coffman said. As an alternative, he suggested policies that could lead to more effective management of water resources. “Water is the primary constraint to future food production. The state-of-the-art management techniques are needed for effective conservation and utilisation of water,” he added.
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Agencies fail to lift cotton, farmers protest
Bathinda, October 16 The farmers said they failed to get remunerative price for their produce as the government agencies were not procuring the crop. "Private buyers are manipulating the price as there is no genuine buyer in the form of government agencies. Last year, the cotton procurement season began with the purchase price of Rs 5,000 per quintal which went up to Rs 7,000 per quintal. But this season, prices are fluctuating between Rs 4,100 per quintal and Rs 4,200 per quintal", said Shingara Singh Mann, district president, BKU (Ekta-Ugraha). The farmers alleged that the CCI officials were deliberately delaying the purchase to benefit private traders. "There is no reason for not procuring the produce as the cotton bales are in good condition. Farmers will be benefited if the CCI starts the purchase process," Shingara said. Chief Agriculture Officer Rajinder Brar said: "The plucking process is on in Bathinda. Good quality cotton is found in villages of Sangat, Maur and some areas of Bathinda and Bhucho". He said the area under cotton in Bathinda was nearly 1.5 lakh hectares. The per acre yield this season was between eight and 10 quintals. BKU member Jagdeep Singh Mann said the CCI had earlier assured the farmers that it would start procurement from October 16. "Despite the assurance, nothing has been done so far", Mann said. No CCI official was available for comments.
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Cancer cases on the rise: Govt survey
Chandigarh, October 16 A door-to-door survey of 94,700 houses was conducted as a pilot project in Faridkot, he said, adding as many as 850 cancer cases came to light. Besides, 935 deaths due to cancer were reported in the last five years. "There are 2,675 suspected cases. Of the total population of 6.18 lakh in Faridkot, 5.21 lakh people were been examined during the survey. The remaining will be covered before the end of this week," he said. "From the suspected cases, which have been identified on the basis of 12 symptoms, we expect that there will be no more than 250 cases of cancer, taking the number of confirmed cases to 1,100," he said, adding: "This means, the number of cancer cases in Faridkot is less than 200 per one lakh people". Compared to the average figure at the national level, the incidence of the disease was on the higher side, but as compared to developed countries, the figure was far less, Dr Piyara Lal said. He said during the survey, doctors and paramedical staff also educated the people. "Pregnant women were told to ensure that they breastfeed their babies to avoid breast cancer. People were told not to chew tobacco and avoid smoking. We also told the people that in case of doubt, the person concerned should get himself examined from a qualified medical doctor for an early detection of the disease"
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Goods worth Rs 40 lakh gutted in godown fire
Khanna, October 16 The godown belongs to Markfed but it was rented out to Punsup for storage of wheat, sugar and pulses meant for the Public Distribution System
(PDS). Reports said some passerby noticed the fire and informed the police. Fire tenders from
Gobindgarh, Fatehgarh Sahib and Khanna were pressed into service. A Fire Department official said a big loss was averted by the fire teams as they were able to contain the fire from spreading to a nearby godown of Markfed where a large quantity of wheat was stored. A portion of shed also collapsed. The official said the fire was so devastating that a large amount of wheat, sugar besides tarpaulins was gutted in the fire. Punsup officials said the loss was about Rs 40
lakh. The fire officer said no safety arrangements had been made by the department
(Punsup). If there were proper safety arrangements in place the loss could have been much lower, he added. The cause of fire has not been ascertained as of
now. Punsup District Manager Parminderjit Singh Boparai said that Rs 40 lakh is only an estimated loss and the actual figure will come out after proper verification. He said they were trying to find out the exact cause behind the
fire. Khanna SDM Purshotam Singh Sodhi said he had visited the site and was enquiring into the matter. The site is close to a Solvex plant where a major fire had broken out some time ago in which 10 labourers had died.
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Police turn a blind eye to eve-teasers at SARAS
Mela
Patiala, October 16 “I was chased by four youths yesterday afternoon and the police personnel on duty turned a blind eye towards it,” said a local resident Pooja (name changed on request). With the police failing to tackle eve-teasing, the incident is just one of the many that have taken place at the venue. “Two days ago a Superintendent of Police (SP), who was deputed for security at the venue, was seen sipping tea while hundreds of youth created ruckus at the gates and molested the women,” said a senior officer. In-charge of the security at the
mela, Nahar Singh, SP, Patiala, rubbished all allegations. “I am present at the mela till 9.30 pm and no such incident has come to my knowledge,” he said.
Patiala Senior Superintendent of Police Gurpreet Singh Gill said he would look into the matter and ensure there is no lapse in security. "I will depute police officials in civvies from tomorrow," he added.
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Badal orders probe into gastro deaths
Batala, October 16 He was accompanied by Chief Parliamentary Secretary Des Raj Dhugga, former Speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon and former legislators Sewa Singh Sekhwan and LS Lodhinangal. The CM was scheduled to visit the town yesterday but could not make it because of bad weather. He announced an ex-gratia relief of Rs 1 lakh each for the kin of the victims. Deputy Commissioner Dr Abhinav Trikha has directed Batala Sub-divisional Magistrate JS Grewal to identify the non-government organisations who worked to provide relief to the affected families. They will be felicitated by the Chief Minister.
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Ban fails to check burning of stubble in
Muktsar
Muktsar, October 16 Unaware of its harms, a number of farmers can be seen burning stubble in night hours, which they term an easy method to clear the fields for the next crop. "We do not see any harm in it. Every farmer does it. We are following this practice for the past many years," said Ranjit Singh, a farmer. Both the district administration and the Agriculture Department claimed that their officials were spreading awareness among the farmers about the harmful effects of burning paddy. Cases were also being registered against the
violators. Jaskamal Singh, a progressive farmer of Kauni village, said the farmers must not burn the stubble because it killed a number of helpful worms present in the fields.
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Minister dismisses Capt’s claim
Patran (Patiala), October 16 Majithia spoke at a public gathering after attending a mass marriage, organised by Shutrana MLA Vaninder Kaur Loomba. During his visit to the Saras Mela here this evening, Majithia said AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi should tender an apology to the people of the state for calling its youth drug addicts during his next visit to Punjab, scheduled for March 19. “Both Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi had been responsible for so much turmoil in Punjab,” he
alleged.
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Medical interns demand an increase in stipend
Patiala, October 16 The interns get a monthly stipend of Rs 4,500 per month during their year-long internship. However, since the beginning of their internship in July they have not received a single penny. One of the students said the stipend was last increased four years ago from Rs 2,500 per month to Rs 4,500 per month for the 2005-06 batch. While they were getting a monthly stipend of Rs 4,500, interns in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh were getting Rs 8,000. In Delhi, the stipend is Rs 8,900 and in Uttar Pradesh it is Rs 7,500, said a medico intern. “The interns of Government Medical College, Faridkot, have time and again held strikes but the government only gives us assurances,” he added.
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Notice to State on regularising services of 810 panchayat secys
Chandigarh, October 16 In the petition filed in public interest through advocate Sardavinder Goyal, it was alleged that the services of these panchayat secretaries were earlier terminated by the state government on the basis of an inquiry report filed by the then Financial Commissioner P Ram. In the petition placed before the Division Bench of Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain, the petitioner contended that 909 panchayat secretaries were recruited by the Punjab Department of Rural Development and Panchayat in 2001. The High Court directed the state government to look into the matter after the recruitment process was challenged. After the inquiry report was filed by P. Ram alleging that the entire recruitment process was tainted, the state government terminated their services. An FIR was also lodged by the CBI against then Rural Development Minister Nirmal Singh Kahlon, the selection committee chairman and other committee members. “Though the High Court was monitoring the matter, the state government illegally and deliberately appointed 909 sacked panchayat secretaries on a contract basis in 2004 and has now regularised the services of 810 panchayat secretaries,” the petitioner said.
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Arms licensing branch sealed in Amritsar, records seized
Amritsar, October 16 A three-member team led by Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Supreet Singh Gulati scrutinised the antecedents of the those issued licences by the branch and questioned the staff members. Sources said a list of suspected fake arms licences had been prepared by the administration. Although all staff members were asked to appear before the inquiry team, two employees did not turn up. The administration is in the process of issuing them show-cause notices. “The designated team has taken in its possession the entire record and we are conducting a thorough probe to ascertain the modus operandi adopted for issuing fake arms licences,” said a senior official.
TOTAL RECALL
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Gangster gives police the slip
Barnala, October 16 The accused opened fire at the police party from Barnala district and managed to escape. The police said on a tip-off, a team laid a naka at a crossing at Bhaini Jassa village yesterday. The police traced Gurmeet Singh alias Kala Mann, and his two accomplices. It tried to stop the car but the accused managed to flee.
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Chandigarh, October 16
Bathinda, October 16
Many incidents of eve-teasing have been reported at the Sale of Articles of Rural Artisan’s Society
(SARAS) Mela in progress at the Sheesh Mahal despite the heavy presence of police personnel, who are busy arranging the security of visiting VIPs.
“I was chased by four youths yesterday afternoon and the police personnel on duty turned a blind eye towards it,” said a local resident Pooja (name changed on request).
Despite a ban imposed by the Deputy Commissioner on the burning of paddy stubble, the illegal practice goes on unabated in the district.
Smoke billowing from the paddy fields is a common sight. Besides causing environment pollution, it is a major health hazard. The situation is similar in
Kotkapura, Bathinda, Malout, Abohar and Jalalabad.
Chandigarh, October 16
Mohanbir Singh Sidhu, Additional Director, said:
"Bad results mean bad admissions. Bad admissions mean less finances which means less wages for teachers. This in turn means poor teaching standards and vacant seats”. Complaining against poor training facilities, students say at best they are taken to Ludhiana units. “It is all theory”, said Shruti, a third year student in electrical engineering.
Amritsar, October 16