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Cops prevent sit-in by ETT teachers
PSEB teachers seek hike in wages
Police braces up to foil farmers’ bid to hold protest in city today
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MCB to keep CLU charges
SBoP employees union holds zonal convention
Fix tax rebate, say traders
crime briefs
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Cops prevent sit-in by ETT teachers
Bathinda, March 17 ETT teachers from Ferozepur, Faridkot, Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar and Barnala districts held a meeting at the Teachers' Home. However, as they progressed to take out a rally, the police force, which had barricaded the road outside the Teachers' Home, intercepted them. The teachers raised slogans against the state government and burnt an effigy of the Panchayati Directorate. The ETT teachers are protesting against a proposal of the state government to introduce the Panchayati Directorate for all the Zila Parishad schools. "During the elections, the state government had promised that all the Zila Parishad schools will be brought under the jurisdiction of the state's education department. The government went back on its promise once the elections were over," said the state head of the ETT Teachers’ Union, Jagsir Sahota. He added that the government was trying to avoid bringing the Zila Parishad schools under the education department because it does not want to pay the salaries of the teachers from its coffers. Right now, the teachers of the Zila Parishad schools are being paid by the Central government, he added. "Now, the government has proposed to set up the Panchayati Directorate and bring all the Zila Parishad schools under it. We will settle for nothing less than bringing the schools under the education department. The government will have to fulfil its promise," he said. The police intercepted the protesters in view of the district administration's recent directive earmarking Transport Nagar as the venue for staging peaceful protests after taking prior approval from the government. As many as 28 Sakhrta Mission teachers were arrested on March 13 when they reached the Deputy Commissioner's office to protest against the uprooting of their tent from outside the District Administrative Complex the previous night. The Deputy Commissioner had made it clear that the directive prohibited any person or organisation from staging a protest anywhere in the city, especially on the roads, roundabouts or outside government buildings. Fact file
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PSEB teachers seek hike in wages
Bathinda, March 17 At present, the PSEB pays Rs 6 for checking answer sheets of class XII and Rs 5 for class X. However, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) pays around Rs 16 per copy of class XII and Rs 12 for answer sheets of class X examinations. Demanding an increase, the PSEB teachers said the wages should be increased and pegged with the daily allowance or other salary emoluments. “Checking answer sheets is not an easy task. Due to the paltry compensation paid for the task, most teachers shy away from checking papers and want their duties be cancelled,” said one of the government teachers requesting anonymity. He added that the wages were last revised in 2008. Before 2008, teachers were paid Rs 3.5 for checking papers of class XII and Rs 3 for class X answer sheets. Teachers are supposed to check papers only after school hours and 30 papers have to be checked in a day. “The job requires sincerity on the part of the teacher. No subject-wise parity is offered when it came to awarding wages. An arts teacher, who has to check three sheets, is given Rs 5 and the same amount is given to a social studies teacher, who has to check nearly 30 sheets. Teachers demanded that the wages be revised soon so that they are paid at par with their CBSE counterparts. Checking answersheets
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Police braces up to foil farmers’ bid to hold protest in city today
Bathinda, March 17 The cops deployed here have been instructed to keep a check over the movement of people that appear to be from rural background. Earlier, the police arrested a large number of farmers from Rampura and adjoining villages in an attempt to foil their bid to stage protest in the city. The police said the protesters would not be allowed to take traffic and commuters at ransom. It has been decided not to allow them to hold any protest, the police added. Police sources said special instructions were received from the higher functionaries in the state government to keep farmers away from the city roads as they may block it which may cause inconvenience to commuters. Meanwhile, farmers said they would hold a protest in view of their long-pending demands, including hike in the MSP of wheat and job for one of the family members of those who committed suicide due to economical losses in agriculture. While most of the farmer’s leaders are lodged in various jails of the state, the other leaders are not ready to reveal their strategy in connection with tomorrow’s protest. Meanwhile, some farmer leaders at village and block levels told TNS that they were not clear about tomorrow’s dharna as no such instructions had so far been received by senior BKU leaders. A member of the Bhartiya Kisan Union BKU (Ekta-Ugraha) said farmers were staging village-level protests against the government’s action of arresting their leaders. They were also burning effigies of the state government.
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MCB to keep CLU charges
Bathinda, March 17 While in municipal corporations, municipal commissioners will decide the CLU rates, in municipal committees, the director, Local Bodies, has been authorised to do so. With the decision, the state government has also passed the proposal of notifying 15 roads in the seven commercial zones of the city as commercial roads. During the budget meeting held for the financial year 2013-14, the Municipal Corporation, Bathinda (MCB), had expected to collect Rs 93.29 lakh as CLU charges, which were to be deposited with the state government. However, the municipal councillors opposed it stating that either the charges should be waived off completely or the revenue collected be given to the corporation. Now, the CLU will be charged at Rs 1,330 per square yard in the area falling under the town planning scheme with an annual increase of 10 per cent. In the other areas, it would be charged at 5 per cent of the collector’s rate. All municipal bodies have been told to follow the notification issued on March 1. Meanwhile, the department has also notified 15 new commercial roads, whose proposal was presented before the general house on May 13 last year. For the purpose, the city has been divided into eight commercial zones. With the notification of these roads, people seeking CLU will not have to go all the way to the Chandigarh headquarters but the same could be done at Bathinda itself. Earlier, cases for CLU were sent individually to the Chandigarh office, which meant every applicant had to toil hard to pay CLU charges and get the land usage changed. But from now onwards, the issue would be settled locally at the level of municipal commissioner. Commercial roads notified
Besides, following the approved master plan of Bathinda city, a core area (zone 1) has been identified, which includes the old parts of the city. In the identified core commercial area, no new building bylaws would be implemented, nor could major changes be made. However, the present commercial areas, which are not part of the core area (zone 2 to zone 8), have been identified and the city has been divided into seven zones. The core commercial pocket of city where no changes would be done as per the master plan (termed as zone 1) are from Bathinda Fort’s gate to Des Raj School till Mall road, covering the areas of Heera Chowk, Sirki Bazaar, Post Office Bazaar, Gandhi Market and others; the road from Mehna Chowk to the old bus stand; Arya Samaj Chowk to the old police station; old police station to Sirki Bazar; Multania flyover to the grain market; Mansa road to Patiala railway line Haji Rattan link road; Grain market to Haji Rattan link road connecting main road; road from the Fort to Mehna Chowk; PRTC road (Haji Rattan) gate to GT road; Birla Mill road; railway station to sweet meat shop railway road; and Arya Samaj chowk to Singh Sabha gurdwara and further to the Fort. The seven commercial zones have been classified as Zone 2 to 8. The Power House road, Bhagu road, 100-feet Power House road chowk to Bhagu road, and Dhobiana road fall under Zone 2. Amrik Singh road, Street No. 6 of Nai Basti, Rajesh Cinema to Bhana Mal Trust, the railway station to Veer Colony till railway road, and Fish market street have been categorised under Zone 3. The entire Zone 4 lies under the town planning scheme. The Zone 5 includes areas on the Balla Ram Nagar main road, Barnala bypass to Rose Garden’s left side, and Vishwakarma market. Paras Ram Nagar main road till Sirhind canal, Gurukul road Parasram Nagar Chowk till starting of the TP scheme number 15, main road Pratap Nagar, Surkhpeer road and Multania road from Multania bridge to area within the MC limits come under the Zone 6. The Zone 7 include Lal Singh Basti main road till street no 24 and ahead, Naruana road street no 9 and ahead, Amarpura Basti street no 3 railway line and ahead, and Udham Singh Nagar main road. Sanjay Nagar main road from Patiala railway crossing to Delhi railway crossing fall under Zone 8. Fact file
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SBoP employees union holds zonal convention
Bathinda, March 17 The State Bank of Patiala Employees Union felicitated its general secretary SK Gautam on the occasion for being elected as the joint secretary of All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA). Inaugurating the convention, Gautam said the rise in the price of food items and stagnation of economy pointed to an impending crisis. He accused the government of not having any policy to check the price rise, contain the recession, mitigate poverty and job loss. He also accused the government of turning its back on the common man's problems and introducing policies that are fuelling inflation. He said though the organised labour in the industrial sector was not bearing the brunt of the government's policies, contract workers and unorganised labour are among the worst affected due to the reduction in the number of jobs and wage cut. He further added that on the one hand, the government is talking of mergers and consolidation of public sector banks and on the other, it is seeking to issue licenses to industrial houses to start their own private banks. He also pointed out that the government was showing its double standards by writing off huge loans of corporate houses. Rural branches were being closed down and rural banking is being handed over to private players, he added. Talking about the shortage of staff in the public sector banks, he said though the business of these banks is increasing manifold and the banks are undertaking the task of offering more services to its customers, corresponding recruitment is not being done. He opposed the outsourcing of permanent jobs to contractual employees and said the move will lower job security. He also presented his thoughts on the recently-presented union budget 2013-14. Prominent among those present during the convention were Naresh Gaur, Yadvinder Gupta, Parveen Moudgil, Ashok Malhan, Jasvir Singh, Rajesh Sondhi, Rakesh Bajaj, NK Bansal, Sukhdeep Bhardwaj, Rakesh Jain, PS Pannu, Bhim Raj, Kamal Sachdeva, BL Goyal and Naresh Arora.
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Fix tax rebate, say traders
Bathinda, March 17 In the memorandum, the traders pointed out that the Municipal Corporation has announced that it will offer 10 per cent rebate to those who pay tax by June 30 while no rebate will be given to those paying tax by September 30. The corporation had also announced that 15 per cent interest and 25 per cent fine will be levied on those who pay the tax by December 31. The traders demanded that the corporation should fix the rate of rebate, fine and interest after consulting the traders. They also demanded that once the new rates are fixed, the corporation should take proactive measures to spread awareness about it among the traders and the common man. Also present on the occasion were Somnath Bansal, Vinod Singla, Tarsem Dhariwal, Naresh Bansal, Pravin Goyal, Ashok Kumar, Ashok Jain, Anil Romi, Padam Maheshwari, Kamal Garg, Surjit Singh and others.
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Two nabbed for consuming drug
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, March 17 The accused have been identified as Dalwinder Singh of Basant Vihar and Gurjeet Singh of Guru Gobind Singh Nagar. Head constable Bhupinder Singh said the accused were taken to the Civil Hospital for medical examination. He said smack was not recovered from their possession and it seems that they had already consumed the drug. Police said a case in this connection would be registered. According to the police, one of the two caught for consuming the drug had recently returned from Canada. Man booked for demanding dowry
The police has booked a resident of Parasram Nagar for demanding dowry. In a complaint to the police, Chhinder Kaur said she was married to Sukhbir Singh who had been harassing her for not bringing adequate dowry. The matter was taken up with the police and a case was registered at the women's police station. The policemen and the councillors had tried to make the husband and the wife reach a compromise but failed. A case under section 498-A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered against the husband at the women's police station. One booked for instigating girl to elope
Police has registered a case against Happy, a resident of Model Town phase-1 for instigating a girl to elope with him. In a complaint to the police, Ram Charan of Malviya Nagar said his daughter, a student of class X, went to school but did not return. When enquiries were made, it was found that the accused had instigated the girl to elope with him on the pretext of marrying her. A case under sections 363-A and 366 of the IPC has been registered against the accused at the Kotwali police station. One arrested under
NDPS Act
Police has arrested Ram Singh, a resident of Hakam Singhwala village with 120 kilograms of poppy husk. Police said the accused was found carrying the contraband near the bus stand in Hakam Singhwala village. He was taken to the police station along with the vehicle in which he was carrying the poppy husk. A case under sections 15, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused at Dayalpura police station. |
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City celebrates 100 years of Punjabi theatre
Bathinda, March 17 Street play (nukkad natak) "Tain Ki Dard Na Aaya" was staged at different places in the city. Written and directed by Vimal Middha of the Creative Art Theatre Group, Abohar, the play highlighted the problem of female foeticide and sensitised people on the issue. The 14-member team staged the play at National Colony, heritage village Jaipalgarh, Rose Garden and Model Town Phase III, to give the message of not killing daughters in the womb. It highlighted the problem as a social evil that leads to other problems in society such as inadequate number of women available for marriage. Tomorrow, Surinder Narula from Zira and his team will present the play "Wapsi" at different locations in the city. From March 20 onwards, plays would be held at the Balwant Gargi Open Air Theatre in the Rose Garden. The first play of Punjabi theatre, Dulhan, which was penned by IN Nanda, will be presented on March 20. Also, the modern version of the play "Dulhan - Sau Saal Baad", penned by Pali Bhupinder Singh, will be presented on the same day. On March 21, Chandigarh-based Sudesh Sharma's team will present the play "Chehre". On March 22, Delhi-based Shyam Kumar's team will present the play "Kambakht Ishqq". On March 23, Sukhwinder Sujhi from Patran will present his play "Chhipan To Pehlan" on Bhagat Singh, on March 24, Natyam Manch group will present the play "0000 (Minus Panj Sifar). On March 25, MK Raina from Delhi will present the play "Buhe Bariyan". On March 26, Anita Devgan from Amritsar will present the play "Damru" and on March 27, the Natyam Manch group will present the play "Main Bhagat Singh".
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Palwinder declared best athlete
Bathinda, March 17 On the concluding day, Prof NK Gosain, dean, Malwa College and Dr Satnam Singh, principal, University College of Engineering, Rampura Phul, praised the talent of the athletes and stressed upon the need for the harmonious development of the personalities of students to face the competitive world. In her address, principal of the college Dr Vinod Devgan highlighted the achievements of the college in academics, sports and cultural fields. The principal said the college had been trying to take education to the rural areas of the district and would strive to ensure that its students attain excellence in all fields. In the 400 metre race for boys, Mandeep Singh, Jatinder Singh and Sandeep Singh bagged the first, second and third places respectively. In the category for girls, the race was won by Veerpal Kaur while Gundeep Kaur and Gagandeep Kaur won the second and third positions. In discus throw, Gurpreet Singh, Guedev Singh and Gurjinder Sngh won the first, second and third places, respectively. The first, second and third places in the matka race went to Kulwinder Kaur, Kiranpal Kaur and Simarjit Kaur, respectively. Satnam Singh, Sandeep Singh and Mandeep Sharma got the top three positions in the sack race while Mandeep Singh, Rubal and Gurpreet Singh won the first, second and third places in the obstacle race. While Swami Vivekanand House won the relay race, the second position went to Guru Rabinder Nath Tagore House. The third place went to the ETT students. Guru Rabinder Nath Ragore House also won the tug-of-war contest. Palwinder Kaur was adjudged the best female athlete while Mandeep Sharma was named the best male athlete.
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Bhokra lift rural volleyball tourney
Bathinda, March 17 SC Singla, general manager, NFL, Bathinda, inaugurated the tournament. The two- day tournament was organized to promote rural sports and social harmony. Around 16 teams including Bhokhra, Ganga, Kamiana, Sir Siri, Chautala, Matta, Harike, Phullu Khera and Vivek Ashram along with the teams from the CISF and NFL participated in the tournament. The tournament was won by the team from village Bhokhra. The teams from Kamiana and Chautala were the first and second runners-up. The team from village Sir Siri was given the consolation prize for its outstanding performance. In his address, Singla said sports play an integral part in one's life by inculcating a spirit of cohesion, teamwork and discipline. It also channelises positive energy in the youth, Singla said. The general manager later gave away the trophies and cash awards to the winning teams. DS Ahuja, General Manager (O &M), Rajan Thapar, chairman, sports committee, Harish Chander, president, NFEUB, RS Goli, president, NFOA, Jangir Singh, president, SC/ST Association, Naib Singh Brar, vice-president, District Volleyball Association, GC Mittal, senior manager, P&A, Vikram Rawat, PRO, were among those present. Harpreet Singh, SP Sharma and Paramjit Sharma were the match referees. Shammi Sharma, general secretary, District Volley Ball Association, coordinated the tournament.
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The Elementary Teacher Training (ETT) teachers' plan to stage a peaceful dharna outside the District Administrative Complex here was foiled.
Heavy police force has been deployed in the city in the light of farmers’ state-level dharna tomorrow.
