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Sports School Row
Ex-councillor ousted from SAD, blames MLA
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More than 50 seek AAP ticket for LS polls
MBBS students given warm send off
Shortage of faculty, funds leaves aided schools crumbling
55% kids covered under polio drive
Rally on National Voters’ Day
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Principal shown the door
Inquiry panel favours removal of coaches also for instigating students Nikhila Pant Dhawan Tribune News Service
Bathinda, January 19 Lecturer in physical education, Nazar Singh, has been appointed as the new principal of the school. Speaking to Bathinda Tribune, director of the school, Colonel (retd) Arun Chopra, said, "The office of the Deputy Commissioner of Bathinda, who is also the chairperson of the school, issued a letter directing that the principal of the school, Dr Gurdeep Singh, be sent back to the institution from where he was promoted and appointed as the principal of the sports school. He has gone back as a lecturer to the government school in Jodhpur Romana village." He also added that the services of basketball coach Raman Singh and wrestling coach Bikram Singh have been terminated with immediate effect. While the warden of the girls' hostel has left the institution after her contract expired on December 23 last year, the warden of the boys' hostel has been shown the door by the inquiry committee. "The functioning of Gurpreet Kaur, warden of the girls' hostel, was not satisfactory and hence, her contract was not renewed. The contract of her husband, Harjit Singh, who was the warden of the boys' hostel, was to come up before the school management for renewal on January 23, but his services have already been terminated," the director said. Interestingly, Gurpeet Kaur is the sister-in-law of the ousted principal Dr Gurdeep Singh. The director added that the ousted teachers and coaches were found guilty of conspiring with a section of the villagers to bring a bad name to the school authorities, mislead the students, instigate them against the school management and create ruckus in the school on several occasions. "They were served formal warnings earlier as well. The coaches were engaged in misguiding the boys in the hostel. We also found out that during their interaction with the parents, the coaches did nothing to add to the reputation of the school or the school management," the director added. He also stated that his decision to bring transparency into the functioning and dealings of the school may not have gone down well with the staff of the school. He added that the school management was in the process of advertising for the vacant posts of coaches and wardens.
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Ex-councillor ousted from SAD, blames MLA
Bathinda, January 19 Manjit Singh, along with his supporters, challenged the authority of Singla in ousting him from the party. On Saturday evening, a communiqué issued from the office of MLA Sarup Chand Singla stated that Manjit Singh had been removed from SAD due to his "anti-party" activities. Today, Manjit Singh claimed that he was neither served a show-cause notice nor was he asked to appear before any authority. "Singla showed me the door as I did not bow before him. For the last 18 months, I was out of touch with Singla and was directly reporting to the party high command," he said. The bone of contention between the two is said to be the land of Dhobiana Government School. There is a pond (now dried up) near the government school, which the nearby gurudwara claims as its own. While the supporters of Manjit Singh had been demanding construction of a school on this land, the gurudwara management claimed that the land belonged to gurudwara. Talking to TNS today, Sarup Chand Singla elaborated that Manjit Singh was shown the door in consultation with the SAD in-charge for Bathinda, Sikandar Singh Malula, who is also the Punjab Education Minister, "We warned Manjit Singh four times to stop anti-party activities. His conduct in the Dhobiana government school land row was unbecoming and could have snowballed into an ugly controversy," he said, Singla added that as a responsible representative of the people of ward number 11, Manjit Singh should have defused the situation rather than increasing its magnitude. Sikandar Singh Maluka could not be reached for his comments as he had recently undergone an eye surgery and is recuperating at Chandigarh. Meanwhile, Manjit Singh claimed that he had more than hundred residents on his side and they wanted a school to come up on the site. Accusing two SAD ex-councillors of instigating Singla against him, Manjit Singh said five months ago, one of the councillors had tried to manhandle him at Singla's office. "I will approach the party high command against Singla's orders," he said. |
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Child suffers electric shock as kite string gets stuck in cable
Bathinda, January 19 While running to catch hold of a kite, the child pulled its string, which got stuck in the 11 KV wires. Suddenly, the child received electric shocks and fell unconscious. A woman in the neighborhood found the child lying unconscious and informed his parents. The child was rushed to Health Street Hospital. Paediatrician Dr Ajay Gupta said the child was conscious when brought to the hospital. "He was given the necessary medicines and his wounds were treated. The child was discharged on Sunday," he said. The boy, Milan, is a student of class IV of the DAV Public School. The members of the Bathinda Association of NGOs (BANGO) met the child and inquired about his well- being. These included chief coordinator Ramnik Walia, Sadhu Ram Kusla, Sonu Maheshwari, Raman Kumar, Ramesh Mehta and Vinod Bansal. Members of BANGO demanded a ban on the China-made kite string that has become the cause of such accidents in the city. Earlier, on Saturday evening, the volunteers of BANGO had caught a wholesale dealer of kites, selling China-made string illegally on Amrik Singh Road. They had also raised slogans against the kite-seller and informed the Kotwali police. The police arrested the shop's owner who is also the president of the Kite Sellers' Association in the district. A case has been registered. |
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Jatts urged to use power of votes to get reservation in jobs
Bathinda, January 19 Malik was addressing a convention organised to mark the birth anniversary of Bhagat Dhanna Jatt at Teachers' Home. Farmers, teachers, lawyers and others from Barnala, Ferozepur and other adjoining areas participated in the convention. Malik said this was the right time to use the power of votes to get reservation for the community in the state. He informed that the chief ministers who belong to the Jatt community are delaying reservations in jobs for members of the community who are economically weak. He said the representation of the Jatt community in government jobs is reducing and it is now less than 10 per cent of the total population of the Jatts. "We have made it clear to the masses to support only that party which supports the poor Jatts of the state," he said while addressing the gathering. Malik said apart from 27 per cent reservation in jobs for those in the community with income not more than Rs 6 lakhs a year, members of the community should also get scholarships for their children if their income is not more than Rs 2 lakh per year. The OBC reservation is need-based and not all belonging to the Jatt community will get the benefit, but only the needy, he said. Speaking on the occasion, advocate Gurwinder Mann said the farming sector in Punjab collapsed long back and only the rich farmers who have more than 50 to 100 acres of land are surviving. "The condition of those members of the community, with less than 10 acres of agricultural land in Punjab, is pathetic but the politicians running the government refuse to look at their plight," Mann said. He added that though nine states of the country have announced reservation for the Jatt community, Punjab is lagging behind as the state government refuses to consider it as a problem. |
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Paras Ram Nagar residents flay MCB for inflated water, sewerage bills
Bathinda, January 19 The rally raised the issue of inflation and its effect on the common man. The speakers said the Central Government had miserably failed in keeping a check on the skyrocketing prices of daily commodities. The mounting bills of sewerage, water and power have added to the problems of the common man, they said. They protesters that during a meeting of the municipal corporation last year, the House had passed a resolution to waive all the pending sewerage and water bills and just charge last three years' balance from the consumers. "But the consumers are now being charged bills that are more than a decade old. The Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) is now reversing its own decision," said Vijay Kumar. He added that if anyone did not pay the bill, his connection is being plugged. This means that the MCB is now arm-twisting people to get the bills paid, the former councillor alleged. The speakers also alleged that power meters, installed for domestic consumers, were faulty and did not reflect the actual number of units consumed. "These meters are faulty. They show much more units than are actually consumed, thereby inflating the bills," Vijay Kumar alleged. The gathering also condemned the hike in prices of LPG cylinders. Residents of the area like Raj Kumar, Sohan Singh, Kashmira Singh, MM Behl, Alamjit Singh, Vijay Mangla, Ajit Singh and others were also present on the
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Better bathinda menace of stray animals Stray cattle and dogs have become a big problem for city residents. From being cause of fatal accidents to becoming a reason behind unhygienic conditions in the city, they have become a bane. Part I of the series highlights the issue Megha Mann Tribune News Service
From the arterial GT Road to other important roads such as Power House road, Ajit road, Bibiwala road, Namdev road, Mall road, Amrik Singh road and roundabouts, the stray bovine could be seen anywhere. Farmers from nearby villages abandon most of the animals, which have become unproductive over the years. Most of them are either bulls, oxen or the old cows, which have dried up. Unable to feed and take care of these animals, farmers load these animals in a mini-truck and abandon them at the city’s periphery in late night or early morning hours. By the time the day starts, these animals could be seen hindering traffic on the city roads. On Saturday evening, at the PCR point number 8, two fighting bulls injured a passer-by. The witness, a shopkeeper, Honey Singh said the man was walking by when he spotted the bulls fighting. “Even before he could get aside, one of the bulls hit him in the leg and he fell down. He got his leg fractured and lost his tooth in the accident,” he said. Similarly, in July last year, 50-year-old biker Paramjit Singh lost his life near Haji Rattan Chowk due to two fighting bovines. In August, a woman and her daughter were injured by stray cattle at the Post Office Bazar. Earlier, three people were seriously injured after they were hit by stray cattle on Santpura road. Though, the four cattle pounds in the city and a few in the nearby villages house a number of stray cattle, much needs to be done to contain the problem. The four cattle pounds of Bathinda have around 2,500 stray cattle for which the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) gives diet of Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4 lakh per month. Not only the bovine population, but the canines and swine too have added up to the problem. In the Amarpura Basti, Sanjay Basti, Surkhpeer road and Dhobiana Batsi, there are a number of people who rear pigs to be slaughtered and sold for pork. However, instead of rearing these pigs in a covered and fenced sty, people prefer to keep them in the open, which proves to be nuisance for others. In the Dhobiana Basti area, frequent quarrels are reported due to the nuisance that pigs spread. In the month of November last year, a piglet was killed after a truck ran over it. The owner of the piglet started demanding compensation from the truck driver. Though, the truck driver agreed, the area residents did not let him give the compensation. “More than a decade ago, the city faced same problem of pigs. At that time the pigs were much more in number than they are presently. The Municipal Council had to resort to law to free the city from this nuisance. We wish they do the same thing again to get rid of the problem,” said Harchand, a resident of the Amarpura Basti area. Former deputy commissioner, Bathinda, SR Ladhar, had passed strict instructions to impound the pigs on roads and leave them only after their owners paid heavy fine. “This had deterred pig rearing and for over a decade, the city remained almost free from the swine population, which has returned to harass people again,” observed Jaswant Singh from Surkhpeer road. Sterilisation of stray dogs to start soon
Ujwal said that the work on sterilisation of stray dogs too was being taken up enthusiastically. The cost of sterilising is Rs 750 per dog. As per the rule, the MCB is to bear some portion of the expenses, while the state government is to give grant for the rest. “Since we did not get any grant, we decided to spend the entire amount from our pocket. We have sterilised a few dogs. The MCB veterinary doctor is on leave. Whenever he returns, the work will be resumed,” he said. Ujwal added besides surgery, the dogs also required a lot of post-operative care whose funds had to be managed by
the MCB. He said that owners of pigs, which create nuisance for public, were served notices and fined. The MCB has sent a proposal to the state government for implementing the Cow Cess Act, which will collect funds for the rehabilitation and care of stray animals. The cow cess is levied in those states where cow slaughtering is banned. “The proposal has been sent and its final notification is expected any time soon. This cess will help us create a corpus fund that could be used for setting up more cattle pounds and to give more subsidy to the existing ones. Already, we pay Rs 18 for diet per animal to the cattle pounds within the MC limits,” he said. |
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More than 50 seek AAP ticket for LS polls
Bathinda, January 19 The party leaders said with more people joining the party in urban areas, the workers were now spreading into the rural areas as well. Apart from Amrik Singh road, Gopal Nagar and Rose Garden, meetings were also organised today in rural areas in Khialiwala and Naruana villages where large turnout of people was witnessed. “Though the exact number of people who applied for the MP ticket is yet to be ascertained by the party, as per a rough estimate, around 50 to 55 persons have already applied for the MP ticket for the coming general elections,” said an active party worker of the AAP, Bhupinder Bansal. People have applied for the ticket online on the website of the party, accessed by their leaders in Delhi. He said people wanted a change and apart from eradication of corruption, the top demand of the people was the elimination of the VIP culture. “People are quite upset by the gun totting, stick wielding policemen encircling political leaders sitting in vehicles fitted with red beacons considering other commuters as nothing,” Bansal said. “The anger of the people will surely be seen in the coming Lok Sabha elections and despite all negative talks, most of the people have made their mind to vote against the age-old political system,” Bhupinder said. There is a long proforma for those seeking ticket for the MP elections, which includes signatures of 800 supporters, qualification of candidates, their relationship with parties, politicians, age, financial status and the motive of joining AAP. Besides other yardsticks, the ticket seeker also takes the pledge of not using red beacon, unnecessary security and indulging in extravagance. After segregating the names of the candidates, the same will be discussed with the district level party leaders, after which, the opinion of people will
also be sought before the final nod. Meanwhile, the party has come up with the district office near the 100 feet road to coordinate with the party workers in and around the city areas and nearby mandis and villages. Party’s district general secretary Bilas Chand Gupta said many people offered them office but they refused and now they finally decided to take a building after paying its rent. Highlights
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MBBS students given warm send off
Bathinda, January 19 Dance, modeling and video of 2009 batch students were the main attractions of the day. Principal Dr Harkiran Kaur emphasised upon the ‘Work is Worship’ mantra and encouraged the students to come out in flying colours in their future PG examinations. Chancellor, Adesh University, Dr HS Gill, also bid best of luck to the students. Chief guest, Senior Superintendent of Police, Bathinda, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, delivered a motivating speech encouraging students to move ahead in life. A poetry book titled ‘Tirke Lafaz’ written by Dr Rajiv Mahajan, Dean Academics, was also released on this occasion. The function was organised by Dr PS Cooner, Dr V Dubey, Dr Jaswinder Kaur, Dr Khushdeep Singh and Dr Monika Gupta. |
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Shortage of faculty, funds leaves aided schools crumbling
Bathinda, January 19 The teachers and other employees of aided schools in Punjab are unable to sustain themselves in a situation like this, thanks to the apathy of the state government. The teachers of these schools have grown accustomed to taking it to the road, blocking traffic and raising slogans against the state government as much as they are accustomed to making their students learn tables. What are aided schools? In 1967, the then Punjab Government turned 484 privately managed schools into aided schools and announced that 95 per cent of the money spent on paying the teachers of these schools will be borne by the government while the remaining five per cent by the school management committees. These schools function like any other government school with the government stressing on quality education and at least 30 students in every section. The schools also come under the purview of the Right to Education Act (RTE). What ails the schools?
All went well with the aided schools till the year 2003 when the state government decided to freeze the recruitment process for the appointment of teachers and other staff members for these schools. The government also withdrew pension facility but had to resume it after the teachers and staff members agitated against the government. Apart from reeling under the shortage of teachers, these schools are also suffering from fund crunch, since apart from the 95 per cent aid for the salary, the government doesn’t provide any funds for the maintenance or other expenses of the schools. While the students of government schools, who are given uniforms, scholarships, free books and cycles by the state government, students of aided schools are deprived of these facilities. Demands
Accusing the state government of administering slow poison to these schools, the teachers demand that they be absorbed in the schools under the Education Department and be adjusted against the posts of various cadres lying vacant at these schools. The teachers and other employees’ unions of these schools have also been accusing the government of withholding their salaries for months at stretch and also delaying the release of arrears of salary and dearness allowance. They also demand facilities like maternity leaves and other facilities which the government extends to the teachers in government schools. Latest agitation
A large number of teaching and non-teaching employees of aided schools staged a rally at Rampura on Saturday protesting against the Education Minister of Punjab for going back on his promise of making them meet Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during his sangat darshan programme in Bathinda on January 8. The union has threatened that it would stage a state-level agitation in Bathinda on February 2 in case the government fails to heed their demands and fix a meeting with the CM by then. |
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55% kids covered under polio drive
Bathinda, January 19 Assistant Civil Surgeon Dr Kundan Pal administered polio drops to children at the Goodwill Dispensary in Paras Ram Nagar. 1,266 teams have been deputed to cover the remaining children on January 20-21.
— TNS |
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Rally on National Voters’ Day
Bathinda, January 19 A massive awareness rally will be taken out in the Bathinda city where around 700 students are expected to participate. She appealed people to participate in these awareness rallies. |
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Bathinda, January 19
Municipal Commissioner Vipul Ujwal appealed to the animal owners to treat cows as they treat their parents. He said most of the non-productive cattle were usually abandoned by the people. “We are not running away from our responsibility, but we want people to have compassion for the animals they own. The adage of ‘Gau hamari mata hai’ stands true even today,” he said.