Bathinda, April 5
"There's little that we can do to rein in the private schools and make them adhere to the rules and regulations of the Right to Education Act," said Punjab Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka. He was in Bathinda today to launch the refurbished website of the District Education Office (Secondary Education).

When asked who, if not the state education department, could control the private schools from openly flouting the RTE norms, he reiterated, "The government is in the process of planning a way to stop the private schools from working according to their own whims and fancies. We will make sure that the private schools follow the RTE norms."

The minister also expressed the helplessness of the education department in tackling the problem of dummy admissions in higher secondary classes in private schools of 
the state.

"If the same had been happening in government schools, the education department could have taken strict action but it can't do much in the case of private schools. What if private schools question the department?" he asked.

Allaying the fears over the merger of as many as 690 primary schools with their richer cousins, he said, "The department has prepared a list of 690 schools. But only a maximum of 200 schools will be merged. We are looking into the logistics of the process. The department is identifying schools that have less than 20 students and schools that are located close to each other. The teachers, parents and the students need not worry as it will be good for everyone."

When asked if the state government's decision to withdraw free education for girl students of classes IX to XII would not prove detrimental to the very purpose for which it was launched, he said, "The government has withdrawn the scheme but its dedication towards the cause of the girl child's education is still intact. Girls who belong to BPL families will still be able to avail of the scheme."

The minister also announced that the government had set aside a budget of Rs 25 crore to strengthen the basic infrastructure of all the primary schools across the state.

Talking of the fate of the schools to be opened on the public-private partnership model, he said the plan was still in place. "Although some private firms have backed out of the public private partnership mode, we are confident of roping in other corporate firms to work towards the cause," Maluka said.

Bathinda, April 5
“We will do anything required to popularise kabaddi across the world. If need be, we will host an IPL-like event for kabaddi,” said Sikander Singh Maluka after being unanimously elected president of the Punjab Kabaddi Association here today.

Maluka was elected as the president of the association for the third consecutive term. Gurdeep Singh Malhi was also chosen uncontested for the post of general secretary of the association.

He took the opportunity to praise the government for popularising kabaddi.

“Kabaddi has been alive in villages of the country for many decades but it never got the recognition that it should have. It was only after the World Kabaddi Cup began in Punjab that the sport became popular across the world,” he said.

“After bringing teams from other countries to Punjab to participate in the World Kabaddi Cup, the government now plans to take Kabaddi to other countries. We would try our best to make kabaddi a part of the Olympics or other international sporting events. And if we don’t succeed in doing so, we will follow in the footsteps of cricket and organise an IPL-like event. We will popularise the game in countries like Australia,” Maluka added.

He further said sports should be made a mandatory part of the curriculum at the school level.

“Right now, sports events are organised by panchayats, universities, schools and various other bodies. We are planning to chalk out a way by which a combined sporting event can be organised at the district or the state level. This will save time, energy and money and bring the best sporting talent to fore,” he added.

Following complaints about the absence of office-bearers of the association during crucial meetings, he requested everyone to either be present at all meetings or not take any such responsibilities.

Bathinda, April 5
The Director-General of School Education (DGSE) has served show-cause notices on as many as 41 teachers from government schools across the state for remaining absent from duty for a long period of time. Out of these 41 teachers, two teachers belong to Bathinda district.

While some of the teachers have been absent from duty for only a couple of months, others have been on unauthorised leaves for more than a year.

Emphasising that the long absence of teachers from their duties has been costing students of their school dear, the DGSE has served notices on the teachers who have “abandoned” their posts.

The teachers through a public notification were given seven-day time to send clarifications regarding their long absence from duty.

In cases where teachers fail to send their replies to the DGSE within the stipulated time period, it would be assumed that they have nothing to say and action will be taken against them.

The DGSE has also asked the school heads to point out more such cases where teachers have been absent from their duties for long.

The list includes one teacher each from Pathankot, Patiala and Ropar, four from Tarn Taran, seven from Ferozepur, nine from Gurdaspur, two each from Barnala, Hoshiarpur, Muktsar, Bathinda and Jalandhar and eight from Moga.

The teachers from Bathinda district who have been sent the notice include Shaminder Kaur, a science teacher at the Government High School at Bangi Raghu, and Arshpreet kaur, who teaches social science at Government High School, Baajak.

While Shaminder has been absent from duty since July 2011, Arshpreet has been absent since November 2011.

This is the second time that the DGSE has released a list of teachers who have abandoned their posts. Earlier, in February this year, a list of 148 teachers had released. In March, six teachers from Bathinda district had been dismissed from duty.

Bathinda, April 5
Disappointment was writ large on the faces of persons, who had to return without watching the controversial Punjabi film, 'Sadda Haq', which was scheduled to release today. Following the late night ban on the film by the state government, the cinema halls were forced to not only rejig their schedule but also remove the posters of the film from their atriums.

Gopal Singh, manager, Fun Cinemas, said, "We got a call from the office of the Deputy Commissioner on Thursday night. We were asked not to screen the film. A screening of the film was held in Chandigarh after which some senior government officials decided that the film may hurt the sentiments of a section of society and spark protests. We had to change the film schedule and remove the posters. Tickets had been sold and we were left with no option but to refund the money."

Rajkumar Gautam, unit head of Q Cinemas said, "We were informed about the ban on Thursday night. We had sold some tickets through advance booking. We refunded all the tickets. Luckily, we didn't have to change the schedule as we closed the auditorium where the film was to be screened for maintenance work."

The cast and crew of the film, who had come to Bathinda on Sunday to promote the film, were disappointed by the state-wide ban. Apwinder Sidhu, associate producer of the film, said, "The ban is a question mark on the intellect of the people who decided that the film would hurt the sentiments of the people. We demand that a committee, comprising chancellors of universities and the other members of the intelligentsia be formed and allowed to decide the fate of the film. While the film has been cleared by the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal (FCAT) and is being supported by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), it is disappointing that the SAD-BJP government has banned the film."

Kuljinder Sidhu, actor, director and writer of the film, maintained that the movie was not about the strife between the Sikhs and the Hindus.

Rather, it shows the friction between society and the system. "The film is inspired by true events and does not aim to hurt the sentiments of any section of society. We are hoping that better sense will prevail and the ban will be lifted."

Bathinda, April 5
Mahinder Singh Sidhu today won the District Bar Association (DBA) elections to become its president defeating Jasvir Singh by a margin of 660 votes.

Shaminder Singh Sohal was elected the vice-president after being elected by a margin of 709 votes. He defeated Hanish Bansal. Jasvir got 242 votes out of the total 907 votes polled at the District Court Complex.

Returning Officer JR Khattar said the entire election process was completed peacefully. He said Jasvir had lost the election for the DBA president for the third time in a row.

A young entrant, Sandeep Singh Kangar, who became a member of the association just two months ago, won the elections by 90 votes, Khattar said. Kangar has been elected the joint secretary by defeating Om Parkash Garg.

Vikramjit Walia has been elected the secretary. He defeated Arvind Sharma by a margin of400 votes. Manjit Kumar Dhamija had already been declared the treasurer. He was elected unopposed by the lawyers. Khattar said out of the 1080 votes, 907 votes were polled today.

Lawyers celebrated the victory of Sidhu by distributing sweets and dancing. A more elaborate celebration has been planned later.

The new DBA president said he would work for the betterment of the lawyers and their families and would also contribute to strengthening the bond among the fraternity.

Bathinda, April 5
The District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum has directed the National Insurance Company Limited to pay Rs 5 lakh to a consumer for his stolen truck.

A bench of the Forum comprising its president Vikramjit Kaur Soni and members, Amarjeet Paul and Sukhwinder Kaur, pronounced the decision.

A truck driver had complained to the Forum that the insurance firm had refused to repay the insured amount of Rs 5 lakh on flimsy grounds after his truck was stolen.

The truck owner got his vehicle insured from the company and the period of insurance was from January 5, 2010 to October 4, 2011. It was during this period that the truck was stolen by some unidentified persons. The complainant said the insurance firm had refused to pay the money on the trivial ground that he had left the keys of the truck inside the vehicle before the theft.

The complainant Kuldip Pinder Singh said he had purchased the truck after getting auto loan from a finance company. He himself had been driving the vehicle. On January 17, 2011, the complainant returned from Mandi Gobindgarh and parked his truck on the Barnala bypass near Gurudwara Hazura Kapura.

After locking the doors of the truck, the complainant went to his house for meals and it was during this period that the vehicle was stolen by some unidentified persons.

The complainant got an FIR registered at the Thermal police station the next day. The police tried to trace the missing truck but failed. The police later issued an untraceable report about the stolen truck in August 2011.

The complainant then filed a theft claim with the insurance firm which was refused on the ground that the driver had left the keys inside the truck before the theft.

The insurance firm replied that after receiving the intimation from the complainant regarding the theft, an investigator was appointed to look into the matter. It was observed that the complainant had left the keys of the truck in the cabin itself which resulted in the theft. The complainant was informed about it through a letter dated November 16, 2011 and an explanation was sought from the complainant.

Advocate SK Sharma, counsel for the complainant, claimed that the insurance firm had illegally refused the claim. The Forum, while accepting the complaint, directed compliance of its order within 45 days failing which an amount of Rs 5 lakh with an interest at the rate of 9 per cent per annum would be levied on the firm from the date of the institution of the complaint till its realization.

A girl receives treatment at the Civil Hospital in Bathinda. She sustained injuries after the driver of a bus lost control over the vehicle and hit her. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

The identity of the deceased could not be established. The accident occurred this evening when their vehicle overturned on the Jaitu-Bathinda road near Akalia village.

Police trace missing child

The Canal police today traced a child missing from a school in the city. This is the second incident in the city during the past 24 hours as yesterday also a child went missing from a school and was later found misguided by a drug addict near a gurdwara in the city.

In today’s incident, the child was recovered from near a gurdwara in the Lal Singh Basti.

The entire police personnel of the Canal police station was pressed into service in search of the child who was later recovered and handed over to his family members.

SHO, Canal, Kuljeet Singh said the parents of the child were residents of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar.

The four-year-old child was dropped along with his 12-year-old brother in a school at Lal Singh Basti. The woman found his elder son in the school but her small child was missing.

The matter was brought into the notice of the police by some residents of the area who thronged the Canal police station. The police immediately swung into action and with the help of some police teams the child was recovered and was taken to the police station where he was handed over to his parents.ough a letter dated November 16, 2011 and an explanation was sought from the complainant.

Advocate SK Sharma, counsel for the complainant, claimed that the insurance firm had illegally refused the claim. The Forum, while accepting the complaint, directed compliance of its order within 45 days failing which an amount of Rs 5 lakh with an interest at the rate of 9 per cent per annum would be levied on the firm from the date of the institution of the complaint till its realization.