Bathinda, January 17
A teacher at a government elementary school, who was found absent from the school during a surprise checking conducted by Chairman of the Zila Parishad, Bathinda, has alleged that he is being targeted as he is the president of a teachers’ union.

Continuing surprise checking of schools, Chairman of the Zila Parishad, Gurpreet Singh Maluka, conducted a checking of the Government Elementary School in Ghandabanna on Thursday and found three out of five teachers absent from school.

One of the teachers, Jagsir Singh Sahota, had taken a half-day off. But the students told Maluka that the teacher had not come to the school at all. Sahota’s wife, Archana Bohra, who is the headmistress of the school, was also found absent without any record. Another teacher, Kanwaljeet Kaur was also found absent without sanctioning any leave.

Students of the schools also apparently told Maluka during the checking that Sahota, who is the state president of the ETT Teachers’ Union, Punjab, often remains absent from the school and even when he was, he remained busy on mobile phone.

Maluka directed his officials to collect the records of Sahota’s attendance, his signature and handwriting samples and has send the same to the office of the Additional Deputy Commissioner (D) for further action.

Meanwhile, Sahota cried foul and alleged that he was being pressurised and that it was the state government’s attempt to suppress his union before the Lok Sabha elections.

“The union has been active invoicing its demands and the government is trying to suppress our voice by targeting me. I was absent from the school since I had to attend a meeting with the Chief Minister of Punjab at Gidderbaha. I had also applied for a leave and the application was approved by the headmistress of the school,” Sahota said.

He added that the headmistress, his wife, was also being targeted and that she was present in the school when the officials arrived. “One of the teachers was going through some personal trouble and wanted the headmistress to help and accompany her to the police station to register an FIR. The headmistress, on her way out of the school, met the officials of the Zila Parishad and still she was being accused of being absent from school despite the fact that she left the school only a few minutes before it was to get over for the day,” Sahota added.

“Why is the government not focusing on the problems which are actually being faced by these schools? There is a shortage of benches and students have to sit on mats. The electricity bill of the school has been outstanding for two months. Why do the officials oversee these problems?” Sahota questioned.

Refuting the allegations levelled by Sahota, Gurpreet Singh Maluka said, “This is not the first school that we have checked. We will initiate a departmental enquiry not only against him but also against teachers of other schools as well. The allegation that he was being targeted is baseless.”

“The half-day application filed in the name of Jagsir Sahota didn’t match his handwriting. There was a clear indication that he and his wife were working according to their convenience. Sarpanch of the village, Jarnail Singh, also complained against the couple. The students also complained against him. In fact, during a routine visit to the school today, the BDO Phul found that the couple came to school almost 10 minutes late,” Maluka added.

Bathinda, January 17
Central University of Punjab (CUP) celebrated its ‘First Innovators Day’ on its Bathinda campus today. As per the directions of the President of India, Pranab Mukherji, the CUP has taken an initiative to institute an Innovators Club.

The day-long celebration is the first activity in a series of events to be organised by the newly formed Innovators Club under the guidance of the Vice-Chancellor Prof Jai Rup Singh.

The highlight of the programme was to recognise the unacknowledged innovations which could provide solutions to the emerging requirements and needs of the society in day to day activities. These important innovations could be related with any field of study including economics, business, entrepreneurship, technology, sociology, engineering, medicine and agriculture.

Prof Jai Rup Singh said the club will be a platform for innovators and will help link it with our formal education system. He said this will enable the innovators to establish the technology for commercial use too. He further added that the club should also develop a marketing policy for usable innovations to attract entrepreneurs and investors.

Prof JS Hundal, Director of Giani Zail Singh Punjab Technical University Campus, Bathinda, said the innovations and technological development should not be at the cost of environment. He praised the efforts of the Innovators Club in bringing to limelight the innovations of the region and also discussed some day to day innovations conceived at local level. He assured his full support to the endeavours of the Club.

Chief guest of the function, Prof RK Tuli, former director of the National Agri-food Biotechnology Institute, Mohali, in his lecture, discussed various programmes undertaken at national and global level to encourage innovations.

CUP signs MoU

CUP also signed an MoU with the Centre of Innovative and Applied Bioprocessing (CIAB), Mohali, a national institute under Department of Biotechnology (Govt of India) for academic and R&D cooperation. — TNS

Bathinda, January 17
Department of Architecture, Giani Zail Singh Punjab Technical University Campus, Bathinda, has been awarded the Best School of Architecture for the year 2013-14 by the Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar. The award was conferred on January 16 during the 18th Foundation Day celebration of PTU held on its Kapurthala Campus.

The award recognises the achievement of the Department of Architecture, which is the first choice of students seeking admission in BArch course in PTU-affiliated colleges. The award was presented for significant contribution towards the overall quality of education in making the budding architects more employable and sensitive towards the environment, profession and society.

The award comprises of a citation, trophy and a shawl which was presented by the chief guest Naresh Gujral, Rajya Sabha MP and son of former Prime Minister, IK Gujral. The Department of Architecture at GZS PTU Campus, Bathinda, has the distinction of being the oldest degree level architecture education institute established by the Government of Punjab. The department has so far produced 20 batches of architects who are well settled in the field of academics, industry and research. The department has the most qualified, experienced and dedicated faculty in the region and fully developed infrastructure.

The students of the department have won trophies and honours at national-level competitions including journalism trophies at NASA (National Association of Students of Architecture) and various design competitions.

The department is also actively engaged in consultancy work related to the buildings coming up in the campus such as student centre-cum-open air theatre, auditorium, 500-seater hostel, administrative block, etc. apart from other projects being undertaken by the department. — TNS

Bathinda, January 17
Members of the Aided School Teachers and Other Employees Union, Punjab, will go on a mass leave and take out a protest rally in Rampura Phul tomorrow. The union is protesting against Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluka for backtracking from his promise.

State president of the union, Gurcharan Singh Chahal, in a press statement said the minister had promised the union that its deputation could meet Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on January 8. "The deputation waited the whole day, but was not allowed to meet him on that day," Singh said.

Chahal said all the union members had assembled in Chandigarh to take out a protest rally on December 20 and were planning to march towards the residence of the Chief Minister but the minister sent the DPI (Elementary) Darshan Kaur.

"She conveyed the message of the minister that a meeting of the union had been fixed with the CM regarding long-pending demands and asked us to refrain from continuing the protest and the rally," said Chahal.

Chahal also convened a meeting of the union members in Rampura and Bathinda and assigned duties for the mass rally in Rampura Phul. 

Bathinda, January 17
SSP Gurpreet Singh distributed blankets to the poor with the help of Sahara Jan Sewa, an NGO, last night. NGO president Vijay Goyal said volunteers, along with the SSP, distributed blankets to those shivering with cold at the roadside.

Goyal said the SSP also enquired about the well-being and made round of the various city areas. The poor people give blessings to the SSP and the NGO for the noble cause.

Bathinda, January 17
Bir Bulle De Bol, a poetry book, written by Gursewak Singh Bir was released at the Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo, today. The book was released by Vice-Chancellor Dr NS Malhi and Prof Gurbhajan Singh Gill, Director (Planning and Development).

Talking about the book, which focuses on the plight of deprived women, Dr Malhi said the poems brought tenderness and sensitivity in human thoughts and helped to eradicate social evils.

Prof Gill also appreciated the poet for using his pen and talent to write against the atrocities committed on women in the Indian society. Also present on the occasion were Dr AK Kansal, Dean of the College of Basic Sciences, Punjabi actor Aman Dhaliwal and Punjabi singer Gurwinder Brar. 

Bathinda, January 17
Former Parasram Nagar Municipal Councillor (MC) Vijay Kumar, along with a large number of area residents, today protested against the Railways for open water pond in their water works.

Vijay said due to open gates and broken boundary walls six people had lost their lives in the past few years in the water tank. He said there was no watchman and the doors of the water tank remained open all the time.

It is a moment of depression and distress which encourages a person to commit suicide.

If the boundary walls are raised and its doors are locked many lives could be saved, he said.

Vijay threatened to block railway tracks if the authorities failed to take necessary steps to ban entry of public into the water pond. 

Bathinda, January 17
The local police today arrested three drug smugglers with 80 kg of poppy husk. Senior Superintendent of Police, Gurpreet Bhullar, said a police team under the supervision of DSP (D), Ranjeet Singh, intercepted a Maruti Car in Maluka-Neur village. All the three car occupants tried to escape. But the police arrested them.

The car driver has been identified as Randhir Singh Dheera, a resident of Lal Singh Basti, and others as Dilbag Singh and Umardeen of Maluka village.

During inspection of the car, four bags full of poppy husk were recovered. All the bags contained 20 kg of poppy husk (each). A case under Sections 15, 25, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered in this connection at the Dyalpura police station.

The police said that the accused have admitted that they had procured poppy husk from Rajasthan for Rs 700 per kg and were supposed to sell it in Bathinda and surrounding areas.

Dilbag Singh is 23-year-old and is a school dropout. Another accused, Randhir Singh, is the brother-in-law of Dilbag and is owner of a milk dairy.

In another case, the police have arrested Bhupinder Kumar Bunty with a country-made .315 bore pistol with three live cartridges.

A case under the Arms Act has been registered against the accused. The police said that the accused have admitted to steal a Maruti Car in which he was travelling. He also admitted that he purchased the illegal pistol for Rs 10,000 for committing robberies.

SSP Gurpreet said the police party that nabbed the robber will be awarded. 

Bathinda, January 17
A 19-year-old student of Institute of Hotel Management Catering Technology and Applied Nutrition, Mansa road, today committed suicide by hanging himself with a ceiling at his hostel room last night.

Surprisingly, the deceased, Lovejit Singh, the only son of his parents, in his two-page suicide note wrote that a soul of an unidentified person had been disturbing him for past some time. He also urged his friends to take care of his parents.

Wailing father of the boy informed the police that his son had expressed his desire to solemnise his marriage with a girl. But it could not be done and ever since he remained disturbed. Though the exact reason behind the suicide could not be ascertained, the police said.