Bathinda, December 10
Private schools are all set to face difficult times ahead with the state government ordering a survey of these schools under the Right to Education (RTE) Act.

The office of the district education officer has directed the selected principals and those who are in-charge of the government schools in the Talwandi Sabo area to conduct a survey of private schools in the block.

All the principals have been provided with proformas and directed to fill these and submit at the district headquarters within a week. All private schools — affiliated, associate and government aided — will be surveyed as per the pro forma.

The schools will be directed to submit the number of teachers and students it has besides details like the qualification of the teachers and the principal, building and infrastructure, generation of funds and maintenance, attendance registers, qualification certificates of the teachers and other staff members, papers regarding the school's area and ownership, details of laboratories, libraries, toilets and drinking water 
facilities.

As many as 51 schools will be surveyed in the Talwandi Sabo area by the principals of government schools in Gulabgarh, Bhagi Vander, Maur Khurd, Maur Kalan, Sekhu, Pathrala and Aklia Kalan.

The information collected during the survey would be submitted to the education department.

Based on this report, the education department will review the working of the schools and decide whether they should be allowed to operate in the next academic session or not.

"The survey is an integral part of making quality education available to all. The non-performing schools will be weeded out in this procedure. Schools operating in the lanes and bylanes, from dingy rooms located in streets will ultimately face closure as they would not be able to fulfill the guidelines," added an official in the education department.

He pointed out that in a number of associate schools the principals on record are not the actual ones working on the school premises.

"This survey will curtail the malpractices prevalent in private schools. The undereducated staff is also a major problem in these schools which will be checked," the education department official said.

Bathinda, December 10
Increasing interference, excessive use of mobile phones and drug addiction has lead to marital discord and family disputes and the consequent registration of criminal and dowry cases at various police stations in the city.

Cops at the women police station said they receive at least one fresh complaint everyday and they try to resolve the issue by counselling the two parties. If counselling fails, then the registration of a case is the last option and nearly three to five cases are registered every month.

Additional SHO at the women’s police station, Beant Kaur, said accessibility to mobile phones, rising drug addition and unnecessary intervention by family members are the main reasons behind the disputes.

She said though most cases are resolved with counselling, 32 cases have so far been registered at the women police station under sections 498-A and 406 of the IPC.

As many as 49 cases of dowry and harassment were reported last year and the number of such cases is expected to increase this year, Beant Kaur said.

At times, both the parties enter into heated arguments and many a time, they attack and injure other. Because of this, they have to face criminal cases at various police stations.

Cases of murder and attempt to murder too are associated with family 
disputes.

The recent case in which parents were killed in Maur Mandi was also the outcome of property dispute, the police said.

Most complaints come from the women members of the family who complaint of demand for dowry.

The girl's parents try to remain in touch even after her marriage.

The dispute may also arise when the son-in-law completely depends upon his in-laws.

There are many cases where the girl's claim over the property after her marriage has lead to dispute.

Women’s police station in-charge Jarnail Singh said most disputes arise when increasing interference by the sister-in-law or the girl's parents is reported in families.

"It is not always dowry that becomes the bone of contention but the increasing interference, tarnishing of the image of the girl by the in-laws or other family members, which create unrest," said Jarnail Singh.

He said the cases are resolved with the intervention of panchayat members and repeated counselling sessions are held to resolve the disputes.

The minor issues become serious because of the increasing intervention of the family members and relatives and ultimately the minor issues snowball into dowry cases.

The women cell officials said such cases are reported in the case of both love and arranged marriages.

The policemen said if not counselled properly, the situation takes an ugly turn. In some cases, the boy's family members refused to return the dowry received at the time of the marriage and the girl's family members entered into heated arguments and a dispute took place.

The police officials said dowry material related to five to seven cases usually keeps lying at the police station which is released by the girl's family members after the intervention of the court. 

Bathinda, December 10
The ambitious project of the Satya Paul Azad Memorial Public Library to computerise the entire record of the books stocked is yet to reach its finish line. The library had set itself a target to complete the project within three months.

Marred by the absence of a Hindi typist earlier and now an Urdu typist, the project has been moving at a snail's pace for the past few months.

Speaking to TNS, its manager-cum-librarian said the work of keying in the data for all the English books stocked in the library was done. Keying in of the details of Punjabi books was also nearing completion but the case was different when it came to Urdu books.

"The work of computerising all the details of every single book is a time consuming task. The computerisation process includes keying in the title of the book, the name of the author, book number, its publisher, its price and its subject. We would have completed the task by now had there not been a shortage of typists in the area," said Parveen Garg, the manager of the library.

The library is home to almost 48,000 books. The stock includes as many as 17,000 Hindi books, 12,000 books in English, 13,000 books in Punjabi and almost 6,000 books in Urdu.

While the library was earlier handicapped by the absence of a Hindi typist, now it is faced with the shortage of a typist who could key in the details for the Urdu books using English words.

"The typist who started the work of punching in the details of Urdu books left before completing the task. As soon as we get a typist, the work will be completed. As far as the Hindi books are concerned, the data for only a few books remains to be keyed in. If we get a typist who is regular with his work, the computerisation of Hindi books can be completed within 3-4 days," added Garg.

Over the past one and half year, since the project started, the rate of typing a page has also risen. "While earlier, we used to pay the typist Rs 5 per page, now we are paying anywhere around Rs 8 per page. In a single page, the details of as many as 30-35 books can be typed in," said Garg.

Since the computerisation of the Hindi and Urdu books remains to be completed, the library is yet to begin using the software. However, the library is not bound to begin using the software only after the details of all the books have been keyed in.

Once the computerisation is complete, the readers will get to know everything about any book with just a click of the key.

Bathinda, December 10
A day after a man was looted of his new Ford Endevor car by two armed youths from outside the City Centre Mall in the city, police was still groping in the dark.

Owner of the car, Harpreet Singh, who had been at the receiving end of police apathy yesterday first when he called on 100 to inform the police about the carjacking and again when he went to the Civil Lines police station, said the police was cooperating with him and had taken his help to make sketches of the accused.

“Though the police is yet to trace the vehicle and the carjackers, police released the sketches of the accused to nab them as soon as possible,” said Harpreet.

Although precious time was lost when no one answered the PCR Number 100 and at the Civil Lines police station when Harpreet was asked to produce the papers of the car first to register an FIR, the police had shown alacrity in thoroughly scanning the footage captured by the CCTVs installed outside the BIG Cinemas at the mall.

Harpreet said the CCTV footage had given some vital clues to the police and he was hopeful of getting his vehicle back.

ASP City-II Patil Ketan Baliram said the police was focussing on tracing the culprits first and then the vehicle. He said the police was trying to figure out if the youths involved in the carjacking had criminal records.

“We have released the sketches of the accused involved in the crime. We are trying to identify them by ascertaining if they’ve had any criminal history," he said.

The carjacking incident has jolted the entire police force in the city since it happened in broad daylight and that too in a high security area. The car owner’s claim that no one answered the PCR number 100 has also cast a shadow on the police’s claims about strengthening the law and order situation in the city. 

Bathinda, december 10
The dharna of the Special Trainer Teachers Union entered its 47th day today.

The teachers have been sitting on a dharna in connection with their pending demands.

Those sitting on the hunger strike include Jasvir Kaur, Paramjit Singh and Balwinder Singh. While Jasvir Kaur’s hunger strike entered 13th day, Paramjit Singh’s hunger strike entered eighth day and Balwinder Singh’s hunger strike entered fourth day.

The union members, in a press statement issued recently, said they were sitting on a dharna to protest against the unfulfilled promises made by the Punjab Government.

The union members have been protesting against the ouster of as many as 900 special training teachers.

Although the Education Minister of Punjab Sikander Singh Maluka, in a meeting with the members of the union, had promised them that all the pusted teachers would be taken back, only 500 out of the 900 were re-employed.

The government is yet to issue any notification about the fate of the remaining 494 teachers.

The union members, including Devinder Singh, Gurcharan Singh and Gursewak Singh, claimed that although the government had promised the union that the remaining teachers would also be reinstated, it was delaying the process over one pretext or the other.

It is important to note here that two of the agitating teachers, who were on fast-unto-death were taken to the hospital last week.

The union members said the health conditions of all those sitting on hunger strike was not good and some of them had been admitted to the hospital.

The union members added that they were undeterred and threatened to intensify their agitation if their demands were not met. 

Bathinda, december 10
District and session judge, Bathinda and the chairman of district legal services authority, Jaspal Singh today presided over a function held to celebrate the International Human Rights Day at district library today.

Civil judge (senior division)-cum-secretary of district legal services authority Kanwaljit Singh was the chief guest on the occasion.

School and college students and legal experts were also present at the function.

In his address, Kanwaljit Singh said legal awareness played a vital role in protecting human rights. He said information was considered power and legal literacy could act as a tool against human rights violations.

He added that the legal services authority was working to make people aware of their rights. He said a front office had been opened at the district courts for the purpose. Also legal aid clinics were opened in rural areas of the district.

Addressing the occasion, district attorney, Surinder Sachdeva, said no partiality could be done with a person on the basis of his cast, sex, language or religion.

The date, December 10, was chosen to be celebrated as the International Human Rights Day to honour the UN General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation, on 10 December 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first global articulation of human rights and one of the first major achievements of the new United Nations.

Bathinda, december 10
The annual day celebrations of the Army Public School, Bathinda Military Station, will be held tomorrow. The function titled, Sparkling Dew Drops, will begin at 2.15 pm on the school campus.

Lieutenant General Sanjeev Anand, General Officer Commanding (GOC), 10 Corps, will be the chief guest on the occasion whereas Annie Anand, president, Chetak AWWA (Army Wives Welfare Association), will be the guest of honour.

Among the highlights of the programme will be salute to the martyrs. 
“The enchanted shirt”, “Guru ghantal” and “Step up to revolution” are the items listed for performance at the cultural extravaganza.

The programme would begin with an invocation of the deity Ganesha preceded by the annual report of the school that will be presented by the principal.

Mime, jugalbandi, fashion show, hip-hop dance and musical items to be performed by the little children are expected to be among the other highlights of the annual programme of the Army Public School.

Bathinda, December 10
Traffic diversions have been made for the semi-final matches of the Kabaddi World Cup to be held in the city on December 12 at the Multipurpose Sports Stadium.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ravcharan Singh Brar said all roads entering the city have been demarcated in such a way that the players, spectators, VIPs and the commuters do not face any problems.

People coming from Goniana and Gidderbaha would reach the Rose Garden Chowk, Goniana road and near the office of the Improvement Trust. The place for parking the buses has been fixed near the Rose Garden Chowk opposite the office of the Improvement Trust.

The parking for private vehicles has been slotted near the SCF complex on Goniana road. Similarly, for the people coming from Barnala side, parking facility would be available at Bibiwala Chowk and at North Estate.

Vehicles coming from this side would be parked in the ground of the DAV College. Vehicles coming from Mansa side would be parked at Police Lines, Valmiki Chowk, near Government Rajindra College, near St. Joseph's Convent School at Bhagu Road, Ghorewala Chowk and Jujhar Singh Nagar road.

The SSP said no private vehicle would be allowed to move towards the stadium side from Hanuman Chowk or Hotel Krishna Continental. Similarly, no private vehicle would move on the VVIP route from street number 10 of Guru Gobind Singh Nagar up to the stadium.

Similar arrangements were made for the inaugural ceremony of the Kabaddi World Cup in the city on December 1 and the city is gering up for the big day again. Security would be tightened for the semi-final and security personnel are expected to be deployed in adequate strength in the city to maintain law and order and to keep an eye on anti-social elements.