B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

209 govt schoolteachers sacked for absenteeism
Faridkot, June 19
In its attempt to rein in absenteeism among government school teachers, the office of Director General School Education (DGSE), Punjab, has dismissed as many as 209 teachers in the last three months. As several notices to these teachers failed to procure their presence in the schools, the DGSE sacked them because of their long-term absence from duty.

Govt departments yet to pay electricity bills worth Rs 1.88 crore
Muktsar, June 19
The Power Department seems to be powerless in collecting its bills from the government departments, as they owe the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), Muktsar division, a whopping amount of nearly Rs 1.88 crore.

Mobile medicare unit launched
Ferozepur, June 19
Reaching out to the poor and needy patients belonging to the border villages, the HelpAge India, with assistance from Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Savera Charitable Trust today launched a mobile medicare unit (MMU) at Guruharsahai.

Bilateral knee replacement surgery performed
Ferozepur, June 19
In a first of its kind surgery ever performed in this border region, both knees of a 52-year-old woman were replaced in a single session for which typically a patient needs to undergo surgery in two stages several months apart.

209 govt schoolteachers sacked for absenteeism
Balwant Garg/TNS

Faridkot, June 19
In its attempt to rein in absenteeism among government school teachers, the office of Director General School Education (DGSE), Punjab, has dismissed as many as 209 teachers in the last three months. As several notices to these teachers failed to procure their presence in the schools, the DGSE sacked them because of their long-term absence from duty.

It is believed that most of the dismissed teachers have been staying in foreign countries for a long time.

Interestingly, over 70 per cent among the sacked teachers are women. Out of a total of 209, 147 are women teachers. The maximum number of these sacked teachers belong to Ludhiana district (58), followed by Moga (23), Amritsar (12), Ferozepur (11), Muktsar (7) and Faridkot (6).

In three letters (Memo No 17/2-2012 Enforcement Cell (2), dated 13/6, 9/5 and 13/3/2013), issued to all DEOs in the state, the DGSE said as these teachers had abandoned the department long back, so they were dismissed from the service.

Among these long-term absentee teachers, some have not been attending their duties for the past seven years. Jaswinder Kaur, a teacher from Gurdaspur, has been absent from duty since August 1, 2006. Palwinder Kaur, a teacher from Moga, had last attended her school on July 4, 2008. Yadwinder Pal Kaur and her husband Kanwardeep Singh in Faridkot are absent since May 2007.

Though it is an open secret that many of these teachers are now staying in foreign countries, the education department did not terminated their service, hoping that they would join their duties. Since students were the losers duer to this absenteeism of the teachers, they were sacked, said KS Pannu, DGSE.

While some of these teachers had no official leave before leaving the country, many others got six-month ‘no-pay’ leave from their duty and went abroad. Once on the foreign shores, these teachers kept extending their school leave on one pretext or the other, citing poor health reason as a hurdle in their air travel.

After having this bad experience with these foreign crazy long-term absent teachers, the DGSE office in May 2011, decided not to allow ex-India leave to any contractual teacher.

In a letter ( No.5/6-ICT-2011/Leave/LWP/R003227) to all DEOs, the DGSE wrote that no teacher under the information communications technology (ICT) project of the Punjab Department of School Education would be allowed ‘no-pay’ ex-India Leave, under any circumstances. The maximum, 15 days ‘no-pay’ leaves in a year, can be allowed only in the case of marriage or the accident, wrote the DGSE.

Govt departments yet to pay electricity bills worth Rs 1.88 crore
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, June 19
The Power Department seems to be powerless in collecting its bills from the government departments, as they owe the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), Muktsar division, a whopping amount of nearly Rs 1.88 crore.

The list procured from the PSPCL office of defaulters and the amount pending against them till May 2013 revealed that nearly 19 departments were yet to pay their electricity bills.

The Water Supply and Sanitation Department (Public Health Department) was on the top of the list with an outstanding amount of over Rs 1.33 crore.

A number of government hospitals and dispensaries falling in the area comprising Muktsar, Bariwala and Rupana were among the major defaulters of the Power Department, as bills worth nearly Rs 18 lakh were pending against them.

The Muktsar city police and the Bariwala police also owed Rs 5.62 lakh, while the pending amount against government schools and ITIs was of Rs 4.16 lakh.

The Central Government departments were defaulters of Rs 2.42 lakh. The irrigation department had to pay Rs 1.61 lakh. The Zila Parishad office had to clear its outstanding bills of Rs 1.42 lakh.

A senior official of the PSPCL said correspondence was being made time and again with the defaulters and a message had also been conveyed to the heads of these departments to clear their power bills.

Besides, the power connections of some water works, which are a major defaulters of electricity bills, have been disconnected in the villages, he added.

Mobile medicare unit launched
Our Correspondent

Ferozepur, June 19
Reaching out to the poor and needy patients belonging to the border villages, the HelpAge India, with assistance from Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) and Savera Charitable Trust today launched a mobile medicare unit (MMU) at Guruharsahai. “The MMU will have a project manager-cum-counsellor, besides a qualified doctor on board and the same shall be equipped with necessary medicines and equipment,” said Guruharsahai MLA Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi, who played an instrumental role in bringing the much needed facility to the doorsteps of the border area residents. Sodhi also runs Savera Charitable Trust which has already underatken several philanthropic endeavours in the area.

“The MMUs will address the vital healthcare needs of the people belonging to the remote border villages who lack medical facilities and financial resources," said Sodhi.

He said the MMU programme works on the principle of preventive healthcare and aims at meeting the essential health needs, enhance the health status and perpetuate consciousness among the underprivileged and unaware senior citizens of the border region. “Besides making provisions for preventive healthcare and counselling, the programme will also seek to provide curative medication,” he added.

The MMU will target a major segment of the rural areas where healthcare facilities either do not exist or are inadequate. The mobile units will also provide free medication and organize health care checks and awareness activities.

Bilateral knee replacement surgery performed
Our Correspondent

Ferozepur, June 19
In a first of its kind surgery ever performed in this border region, both knees of a 52-year-old woman were replaced in a single session for which typically a patient needs to undergo surgery in two stages several months apart. “No single session bilateral knee replacement has ever been performed elsewhere in the region,” said Dr Kamal Baghi, director of the local private hospital where the surgery was performed by a group of doctors led by senior joint replacement surgeon Dr Neeraj Bansal.

“With this approach, the knee joint is reached from the front (anterior) rather than the back and both knees can be replaced at the same time, thereby cutting the total recovery time to half,” said Dr Bansal, adding that another benefit of the anterior approach is that instead of cutting or detaching the muscle, the doctors work through the natural separation between muscles. The result is a smaller incision, less pain and faster return to full function, he said.

“With the anterior approach, there are really no restrictions or limitations after the surgery,” Dr Bansal said and added that the patient is also able to return quickly to his normal activities.