Bathinda, December 24
As many as 107 samples of drinking water collected from various government schools, government-aided and model schools in the district have failed the purity tests. The officials concerned have also sealed source of water in one of these schools permanently.

Till November this year, the health department had collected 596 samples of water of which 107 failed. All the water samples were tested using H2S test vials for checking the microbiological quality of drinking water.

The failed samples include 30 from Goniana block, 13 from Sangat block, 20 from Talwandi Sabo block, 17 from Balianwali block, 25 from Bhagta and two from Nathana.

Water samples of all these 107 schools under two more stages of testing. “After every test failure, we informed the school authorities and asked them to improve the water quality. We collected the samples again and tested them twice,” said the District Health Officer, Dr Raghubir Singh Randhawa.

At Government High School, Nandgarh Kotra village, which has 71 students, the source of drinking water has been sealed. Owing to lack of water from the PWD water works, the school authorities relied on submersible pumps to get the drinking water.

“The ground water is unfit for human consumption and may have had heavy metals in it,” said an official of the health department. When the repeated results showed failure in a meeting with quality of water, the health department sealed its source in late November.

School in-charge, Jagjinder Singh, said the school now has two RO systems. One has been donated by a bank, while another has been donated by the IFFCO company. The school meets with its demand through these two ROs. The school is now to be shifted to its new building, which has a public RO nearby. “In case of increased number of students, we can get water from the public RO as well,” he said.

The water samples of Government High School, Khemuana, and one private school each in Nathana and Kangar also failed. While the Khemuana School has started receiving the water supply from the newly constructed water works, its in-charge, Karamjeet Singh, said a few days ago, the school had got a letter from the health department stating that their water 
sample is passed.

Besides, 405 samples of water were taken from places other than schools, in the district. Total 18 samples of water failed the tests. The health department had to seal the storage of water in underground tanks at two places in Bhokhra village.

Bathinda, December 24
Students of Classes I to VIII of all government schools in the state will soon get rid of the monotonous blue uniform and will get to don a new look in more colourful attire.

A committee, under the supervision of the Education Minister of Punjab, Sikander Singh Maluka, chose dark caramel as the base colour of the uniforms for the students falling under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan.

While the state government had recently transferred money into the accounts of the schools to acquire and distribute summer and winter uniforms to the students under the scheme, the block resource persons have been intimated about the change in the uniform.

While the boys will now get dark caramel-coloured trousers, cap, sweaters and socks along with white and dark caramel-coloured chequered shirt, the girls would get to wear dark caramelcoloured salwars, dupattas, sweater and socks along with white and dark caramel-coloured chequered kameez.

Speaking to the Bathinda Tribune, Maluka said, “The step has been taken to bring about a uniformity in the uniform of students under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan scheme. A committee formed for the purpose chose the colour and the same has been intimated to the schools heads and block resource persons.”

He added that apart from the change in the colour of the uniform, there would be no change in the procedure. “The money has been given to the schools and they will now procure uniforms of the new colour. They can choose any manufacturer or company to prepare the uniforms and will have to make sure that they abide by the colour palette,” Maluka added.

When asked if Rs 400 was enough to buy two sets of uniforms for a student, he said, “I understand that in times of inflation, Rs 400 is too small an amount to buy summer and winter uniforms for students. The schools should be given at least Rs 1,000 per student for the uniforms every year.”

He also agreed that giving the schools funds for uniforms in December was late while ideally, the funds should be transferred in the beginning of the session. “The funds are given to schools under the SSA scheme in 65:35 centre-state ratio. We have taken it up with the Central Government but nothing has come of it,” the minister said.

He also added that in a true sense of the scheme, the students should ideally be given four uniforms (two each for summer and winter) every year.

Bathinda, December 24
Chairman of the Bathinda Zila Parishad, Gurpreet Singh Maluka, today conducted a surprise checking of Government Senior Secondary and Government Elementary school at Bhagta Bhai Ka and Salabatpura, respectively, and pulled up some teachers.

He checked the notebooks of the students and their knowledge of English and Punjabi languages. He also asked the students of the Government Elementary School, Slabatpura, to sing the national anthem and expressed shock over the fact that half the students didn’t know the national song.

He directed the school heads and the staff members to work better and responsibly. He stated that it was important that the teachers helped the students in making their base in all the subjects strong.

He also visited the Government schools in Maluka, Kotha Guru Ka, Bhagta Bhai Ka, Bhodipura, Salabatpura and Jalal and distributed as many as 700 bicycles to girl students of Classes XI and XII under the Mai Bhago Scheme of the state government.

Praising the state education department for making efforts to bring increase the enrolment rate in schools, he exhorted the teachers and parents to give importance to the education of their children, especially their girl child.

While Speaking to teh Bathinda Tribune, Gurpeet Singh Maluka said, "Under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyaan scheme the schools can't fail any student. But that does not mean that the teachers will not pay attention towards teaching properly. Some teachers had not even paid a cursory glance to the matter written in the notebooks by the students and had signed them."

He added that the teachers have been told that if they didn't pull their act together, a disciplinary action would be taken against them in future.

He also stated that in the new year, more schools will be checked by the teams headed by the District Education Officers and Block Resource Persons to improve the quality of education being imparted to the students of government schools.

Bathinda, December 24
As many as 80 Congress party workers participated in the chain hunger strike outside the office of the Bathinda Municipal Corporation. On second day of the strike, general secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) and former local MLA Harminder Singh Jassi led the workers as they raised slogans against the state government and the BMC.

Addressing the dharna, Jassi said property tax imposed by the state government was illegal and had been levied by the SAD-BJP government on its own whim and fancy.

He also criticised the state government for releasing a statement that the Centre had asked the state to levy property tax on its people if it needed grants. Jassi said no such scheme had been launched by the Central government for which the state government needed to levy property tax.

Pointing out that the state government was filling its coffers with the money it had received from people in the name of property tax and regularisation fee, Jassi questioned why the state government was yet to release grants to the BMC for the development of the city.

Bathinda, December 24
A retired woman teacher died of burns reportedly after an LPG cylinder fitted geyser in bathroom caught fire after a short circuit. The woman, identified as Suman, was residing with her son and daughter-in-law at a rented house. Their house was under construction nearby.

Sources said that she was taking bath when a fire broke out in the LPG-run geyser. When the some residents saw dense smoke coming out of the house and rushed to the house where they found the charred body of the victim in the bathroom. Sources said she received 100 per cent burns. Volunteers of Sahara, an NGO, shifted the body to a hospital. Residents said Suman’s son works at a private firm and the also as a newspaper vendor in the morning. — TNS

Bathinda, December 24
All samples of salt and urine collected under the National Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Programme have been found to contain iodine levels in the two kinds of samples up to the right limits.

Every month, the department collects salt samples randomly from schools, shops and other places. Also during the same time, frame urine samples of adolescent children from the age of 13 to 18 years is collected.

The salt samples collected should have iodine up to 15 ppm (particle per million), while the urine samples should have iodine above 100 micrograms.

During the surveys carried out in the district in 2003 and 2006, the samples collected were found to be mildly endemic, wherein goitre incidence was between 9 to 19.9 per cent. Bathinda district’s samples had 3.8 percent and 2.33 percent iodine deficiency.

The samples collected are tested and the results are sent to the state health authorities. The health department advocates use of iodised salt. Since iodine is lost in handling, storing and cooking, the salt packaging companies ensure that at least 15 ppm iodine reaches every human being. For this, the amount of iodine added to salt is more than 15 ppm.

Urine samples of the adolescents are collected and tested to ensure that the iodine absorption in body is as per the requirement. Any anomaly may lead to iodine deficiency.

The district health authorities said that the deficiency of iodine may lead to goitre, still births, abortions, congenital anomalies increased infant mortality, mental deficiency, deaf mutism, squint and dwarfism.

Bathinda, December 24
The Central University of Punjab, organised a trip for its students and faculty members to the main campus which is coming up in an area of 500 acres situated at Ghudda village on the Bathinda-Badal road.

Work is in progress at the Ghudda campus and a 9 km long boundary wall has been completed. Recently, M/S Pardeep Sachdeva Design Associates, New Delhi, were given the assignment to complete the master planning of the main campus and subsequently submit the detailed architectural design of the new campus.

Engineers India Limited, New Delhi, a Government of India Enterprise, has been appointed as the project management consultant to undertake the construction of the main campus and also to oversee the work of the architect consultant.

A total of 325 students and around 50 faculty members and officials visited the main campus. They studied the biodiversity at the main campus and took photographs.

A photography and a painting competition was also organised. A cultural programme, including songs, mimicry, dance and folk songs was also organised. Vice-Chancellor Dr Jai Rup Singh addressed the students and listed the achievements of the university.

Bathinda, December 24
The crockery and flooring of the British era at the city's railway canteen is being maintained quite well for the past many years.

Declaring the material as artifacts, the canteen contractor is taking care of the ancient material since he took over the canteen from the former contractor in the year 1966.

“Though we could not assess the exact year of manufacturing of the dishes, as far as we are told by elderly people, the utensils were used during the regime of Britishers," said canteen contractor Rajesh Kumar. He said his father took over from the earlier contractor and since then the family got the contract of five or ten years.

He said the material of the dishware was earlier used by the former contractor and after his death, it had now become an asset for them.

Though the utensils are rarely been used for the common customers so that it should not worn out or develop cracks-but senior railway officials like these to be used whenever they visit for dine.

“Few of the plates worn out and some have developed cracks and are now been kept in the wooden wardrobe as customers always ask to use these plates and cups," Rajesh said.

He pointed out that the wooden wardrobe in which the crockery is kept, too, is more than 80 to 100 years old and still looks good.

He added that the footfall of customers in the canteen is quite low despite economical rate list of food and snacks as compared to the outside market.

Though the railway station building, too, was built during the time of British the flooring of that time is only in the canteen area. The floors of almost every other office are changed with the modern tiles as the flooring was to be raised during recent overhauling at the railway station. The kitchen shelves, chimney for exhaust, fireplace to prepare food, too, is of the British period.

During renovation the canteen contractor had urged authorities not to break the Italian tiles, which are more than 100 years old and one could not find similar tiles at present.

These tiles are too excellent that as compared to the other flooring the ancient tiles required to be cleaned only at once in a day and shines for the whole day.

When a portion of the kitchen flooring was swapped with the new floor tiles it became a herculean task for the labourers to break these tiles. “An elderly contractor then asked the labourers to use a particular technique by using which the tiles were dug up," he said adding that though this is not the case with the crockery items.

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