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PRTC strike
Dumping of water tank debris raises hackles of residents
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Two injured as private bus hits men at work
9,000 candidates take TET at 26 centres
Open House response
Directorate of Factories holds training course on industrial safety
Exhibition on Inspire Awards to begin on Aug 28
Schools to observe Drug De-addiction Week in Sept
Free health check-up camp held
Medical practitioners burn CPS Sidhu’s effigy Investors discuss economy, politics
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Protesting PRTC staff shown the door
On contract, the employees were on strike since August 2 seeking better pay & perks Bharat Khanna Tribune News Service
Bathinda August 24 The protestors had even intensified their strike during the Talwandi Sabo bypoll and distributed pamphlets carrying the slogan ‘Raj Nahi Sewa, Lutt Liya Punjab Sara’, among the voters in Talwandi Sabo where the bypoll was held on August 21. Around 100 protesters were brutally cane-charged and put behind the bars under different sections of the IPC during their protest. There are about 1,800 contractual employees in the state who started protesting to get their demands accepted but the state government showed the door to around 400 protesting employees for protesting and seeking their rights. The protestors had also met Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal during his visit to Talwandi Sabo during the campaigning for the bypoll. But that too poved to be futile following which they decided to intensify their agitation. It is noteworthy that to get their demands accepted, the employees have gone on an indefinite strike from August 2 while in Patiala, about two dozen employees have begun a their hunger strike near the bus stand. The police had booked around 200 unidentified persons and arrested around 50 identified protestors under Sections 309, 332, 353, 186, 148, and 149 of the IPC claiming that the protestors pelted stones at the police leaving three cops injured and then threatened the police with attempt to suicide bid. On strike, the employees of the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) Workers’ (Azad) Union are raising slogans against the PRTC management and the state government demanding that buses running under the kilometer scheme should be stopped as the owners of these buses in connivance with private transporters are making the PRTC incur a loss of around Rs 7 crore every month. The employees alleged that the drivers of these buses running under the kilometer scheme are pilfering litres of diesel daily and causing loss to the PRTC in connivance with its management. Workers are demanding that the contract system be abolished and their services be regularised, overtime should be paid, suspended employees be reinstated, pay grade of workshop employees be raised, the deserving should be given promotions, pay and pensions should be given on time. The PRTC Workers’ (Azad) Union state general secretary Rupinder Singh said, “Many had been on hunger strike while others are on continuous strike. The government had recruited new employees on contract basis and expelled about 400 employees. “Around 100 of our protestors across the state have been arrested by the police till date. The police, being a puppet in the hands of the state government, cane-charged us earlier, leaving about five injured who were not even allowed to be taken for their treatment. The motive of the state government is only to benefit the Orbit buses and other private transport being run by Badals and other politicians. Due to the strike, the PRTC earlier stopped the playing of around 27 buses including Orbit being run on the Patiala-Nawangaon-Haryana route. Against the law of the land, the state government had promoted private buses that had led to loss of revenue. Compared to this, Haryana has no private buses. The Badal family is occupying all the routes, at times forcibly through their own transport, including Orbit. We are on a definite strike and will remain firm on our demands. Unless the government meets our demands, we will not end our strike. Rather, the agitation would be intensified further.” The police, being a puppet in the hands of the state government, cane-charged us earlier, leaving about five injured. They were not even allowed to be taken for treatment. The motive of the state government is only to benefit the Orbit buses and other private transport being run by the politicians. Against the law of the land, the state government had promoted the private buses that led to loss of revenue. Compared to this, Haryana has no private buses. The transport companies being run by the politicians is occupying all the routes in the state, at times forcibly, through their own transport companies, including the Orbit. — Rupinder Singh, state general secretary, PRTC Workers’ Union (Azad)
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Dumping of water tank debris raises hackles of residents
Bathinda, August 24 The overhead water tank, built at a cost of nearly Rs 1 crore, is yet to be made operational as its connectivity with the main water works situated on Bhagu Road is yet to be made. Apart from raising concerns over the delay in its connectivity, city residents are questioning the use of building material for filling earth. Once, the water tank is made operational, it will be instrumental in providing water supply to the localities on Ajit Road, Power House Road and other areas. “The building material was dumped three or four days ago around the recently constructed water tank,” said Jaswinder Sandhu, a resident of Model Town Phase-III. He said the cemented floor, to be constructed after the earth filling will develop chinks due to the building material. “Instead of using such material, the contractors are bound to use soil and broken pieces of bricks for proper grip of cement to construct the floor under the water tank,” he said. Another resident, Swaran Singh, demanding probe into the use of building material, said the soil extracted during the construction of the water tank should have been used again for the purpose of filling the earth. “Double benefits are reaped by first removing the construction material (debris) from some other construction site and then using the same under the water tank, instead of soil,” Swaran said. He added that he has sent a complaint in this regard and would send it to the seniormost authorities of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board (PWSSB). Rajesh Kumar, the contractor, who executed the work, when contacted, expressed his ignorance on the issue. “Though I have finished the construction work of the water tank, I am not aware who dumped the building material. The department (PWSSB) might have dumped the material there,” he said. The Executive Engineer (XEN) of the PWSSB, when questioned about the claims of the contractor, replied: “How can our department dump the building material under the water tank when the same is handed over to the contractor to look after its entire construction.” The XEN claims that he was not aware of the issue and would surely make enquiries into it.
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Two injured as private bus hits men at work
Talwandi Sabo, August 24 As per the information, two labourers, namely, Naib Singh and Jagtar Singh were engaged to construct a house on Bathinda Road in the town today in the morning at around 8.30 am. Suddenly, a speeding bus coming from the Rama side crushed Naib Singh and hit the other labourer. Naib was seriously injured while Jagsir Singh sustained minor injuries. The bus driver fled from the spot after leaving the bus at the local bus stand. Shopkeepers of a local market on Bathinda Road called the Sahara workers who rushed the victims to the hospital. While Naib was referred to a Bathinda hospital, Jagtar was discharged after the first aid. Irked over the incident, the shopkeepers of the local market and the people surrounded and flattened the tyres of the bus and protested at the Khalsa Chowk. Residents alleged that buses of this company have been hurting people as a matter of routine. The protesters also started shouting slogans against the company. Meanwhile, leaders of the Congress, the PPP and the AAP also joined the protest. However, DSP Malkit Singh reached the spot and impounded the bus. He also directed the officials to register a case against the bus driver. Later, the police on the basis of Jagtar’s statement, registered a case against the driver, Charana Singh, under Sections 279, 337 and 338 of the IPC at Talwandi Sabo police station. |
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9,000 candidates take TET at 26 centres
Bathinda, August 24 The Education Department had set up 26 examination centres in Bathinda of which four were in Talwandi Sabo and five were in Rampura Phul. Three hubs, from where the question papers were disseminated and the answer sheets were submitted and collected at, were set up. These included Government Girls Senior Secondary School in Bathinda, Government Girls Senior Secondary School in Mandi Phul and Khalsa Senior Secondary School in Talwandi Sabo. To ensure smooth conduct of the examination, the Education Department had deputed 26 principal cadre teachers as superintendents and 26 master cadre teachers as deputy superintendents while 425 ETT teachers were also been given duties. Low turnout
As per the data available, the teachers are losing interest in appearing for the examination although it is mandatory to clear the examination to work in a school as a teacher. In the TET, conducted on December 28, 2013, as many 13,700 ETT and B.Ed teachers had appeared for the examination in Bathinda district while the number dropped to 8,936 during the examination conducted in the district today. The data available for the entire state also tells the same story. For the examination conducted last year, as many as 55,000 ETT-pass teachers and 1,54,000 B.Ed pass teachers had appeared for the examination. Of these, only 700 ETT and 172 B.Ed teachers had
managed to clear the examination. This year, as many as 47,857 ETT teachers and 1,35,833 B.Ed passed teachers had applied to appear for the examination. |
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Road accidents increase at alarming pace
Sense of responsibility in adhering to law is missing Sukhmeet Bhasin Tribune News Service
Bathinda, August 24 More than 511 persons were killed and 419 injured in road accidents in Bathinda in the past three years. As many as 677 cases pertaining to road accidents were registered with the city police from 2011 to 2013. On an average, five accidents are reported every day in the city in which around 8 persons are injured while there are many cases, which go unreported. Rash driving and violation of traffic rules are the main reasons behind most accidents, besides untrained and underage driving. Negligence of citizens
The major factor, which has led to a large number of accidents, is the negligence of citizens. Law fails to have its impact if citizens don’t support it. Everyone should understand his responsibility in adhering to the laws. There are numerous cases of rash driving, drunken driving and underage driving. This has lead to complete chaos on the roads.
Pathetic condition of roads
The pathetic condition of roads is also responsible for the increasing rate of accident fatalities in the country. The condition of roads hasn’t improved much but the number has increased tremendously. Corruption is one of the major reasons behind this. The projects for roads are given to contractors without inspecting their experience and resources.
Exponential increase
in vehicles
The exponential increase in the number of vehicles, narrow roads and dearth of traffic police officials are also the reason behind the spurt in road accidents. Although the government is undertaking road-widening projects, it is unlikely to address the problem of traffic jams any time soon unless the number of vehicles continues to swell at the current rate.
No enforcement of law
Another reason is the lack of proper laws and their enforcement. Traffic laws are obsolete and they don’t have a substantial impact in the current scenario. Also, the existing laws are not enforced properly. People generally consider traffic rules to be linked with fines or challans. They do not understand the importance of rules as a measure to protect people from accidents. For instance, people wear helmets and use seat belts only to save themselves from challans and not as a preventive measure. Concerned over the rising number of accidents, the Punjab Government has recently taken some steps. The road safety council in Punjab has decided to cancel the permits of trucks and tractor-trailers ferrying passengers, besides cancelling the licences of their drivers. With the rising number of accidents involving school buses ferrying children in recent years, the Transport Department has directed the school managements to implement safety guidelines for buses, including installation of speed governors, limiting the maximum speed of the buses to 40 km per hour. But the disappointing observation is that these instructions are hardly followed. The department has also directed the Police Department to strictly ban the ferrying of schoolchildren on ‘gharukas’ (indigenously made make-shift vehicle) and check underage drivers from driving tractor-trailers. But the execution of all these orders is still largely missing, due to which school buses and more than 73 per cent of auto-rickshaws are still plying illegally in the city. There is a need for strict implementation of traffic rules to curb the trend of the rising number of fatalities in road accidents. Unfortunately, road accidents cause a huge loss to the state’s contribution to the gross domestic product. A more terrifying fact is that road casualties in Punjab have been rising alarmingly every
year. Open house question What ails the smooth flow of traffic on the city roads? What are the main reasons for the accidents? And how do you rate the city police in traffic management? Write to bathindatribune@gmail.com or Chief Reporter, Bathinda Tribune, SCF 117, Opposite Harchand Cinema, Bathinda.
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Directorate of Factories holds training course on industrial safety
Mansa, August 24 The training session was held under the leadership of Harbhupinder Singh Nanda, IAS, Labour Commissioner and Director of Factories, Punjab, from August 22 to 23. A total of 70 trainees interacted with the faculty from Directorate of Factories to devise ways and means of promoting industrial safety and prevention of accidents. The programme was inaugurated by MP Beri, joint director of Factories, Punjab. In his inaugural address, MP Beri emphasised the need for creating safety awareness among workers, supervisors and managers to prevent industrial injuries and thereby increase productivity. He appreciated the initiative taken by TSPL for conducting safety training programmes for their regular as well as contractual workers. Philip Chacko, chief operating officer, TSPL, said TSPL thrived to be a world-class power plant with high standards of safety and sustainability. Viral Mehta, senior vice president, Julian Nair, head of Operation and Maintenance, Commander PC Dash, head PR and CSR and P Joseph, head HR were also present on the occasion. MP Beri delivered a talk on electrical hazards while Sahil Goyal, assistant director of Factories, Moga, elaborated on onsite and offsite disaster management plan. RK Mahotra, senior manager (Fire and Safety), NFL, Bathinda, delivered a talk on global environment and general safety tips to avoid accidents. Dr Parveen Mudgal, SMO, HMEL Refinery, Phullokhari, Bathinda, provided information on health hazards. Julian Nair explained about the need of safety culture in the industry while Awinash Kumar, head HSE, emphasised the importance of safety drills and procedures in industry. SK Singh, terminal manager, IOCL, Bathinda, gave useful tips on behavior-based safety tools. The participants were awarded certificates at the valedictory function held yesterday by Rakesh Kumar, SDM, Mansa. He exhorted the management representatives to implement various suggestions discussed in the training course in their factories and help their respective units to move in the direction of zero accident situation.
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Exhibition on Inspire Awards to begin on Aug 28
Bathinda, August 24 The exhibition of the projects made by students of Classes VI to X will be held at Teachers’ Home from August 28 to 30. The DGSE has directed the school heads to make sure that the models and projects to be displayed at the exhibition are made by the students themselves and not bought from the market. The subject teachers of the students will have to act as their guides and help the students in making the models. Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) is a programme run by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The programme has five components covering the entire range of education and research from Class 6th to the post-graduate stage of academics. The first component of the programme is the Inspire Award, which recognises talent among students at a very early stage. Under the scheme, a one-time award of Rs 5,000 is given to the students, who would utilise about 50 per cent of the amount for making a science project/model and the remaining 50 per cent towards the cost of bringing the project/model to the district-level exhibition centre for display. |
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Schools to observe Drug De-addiction Week in Sept
Bathinda, August 24 In a letter by the Director General of School Education (DGSE)-cum- project director of Rashrtiya Madhyamik Sikhya Abhiyaan (RMSA), the schools and the teachers have been given directions to plan ways and activities to spread the message of ill effects of habit-forming substances among students. The teachers have been asked to use the morning assembly time to hold talks about drug abuse. They have been advised to take the help of experienced doctors or members of some NGOs working in the field of drug de-addiction. As per the directions, the students may also plan and organise drug de-addiction rallies in villages to spread awareness and also inspire residents to come forward for the help of the drug addicts. As per the letter, the teachers have also been asked to organise declamation contests, painting competitions, slogan writing, poem recitation contests and lectures in the schools to inspire students not to fall prey to this dreaded habit. Film screenings and street plays may also be held in this regard.
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Free health check-up camp held
Mansa, August 24 The health officials conducted free health check-up of around 832 patients and gave them free medicines. The number of patients visiting the camp was much higher than expected. Former director of State Bank of Patiala, Mansa, and general secretary, State Bank Officers Welfare Organsiation, Chaman Singla inaugurated the camp. Dr Asha Kiran led the camp while Dr Ranjit Rai, Dr Nishan Sngh, Dr Baljit Kaur, Dr Sushak Sood, Dr Manav Jindal, Dr Harmandeep Singh Chahal, Dr Kushaldeep Singh Chahal, Dr Vishal Garg, Dr Nishi Garg and others participated. Dr Nishan Singh said, “There are many old patients who generally avoid going to hospitals despite their deteriorating health. But they have come enthusiastically come at the camp. We would request NGOs to come forward and help in organising regular medical check-up camps.”
— TNS |
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Apart from the delay in the use of overhead water tank in Model Town Phase-III, the residents are also upset over the dumping of building material instead of using soil for filling the earth.
A labourer was seriously injured after he was hit and crushed by a private bus on Bathinda Road at Talwandi Sabo today in the morning. Shopkeepers from the adjoining market staged a protest against New Deep, a private bus company. The protest ended after the police registered a case against the driver. The bus was taken to the police station.
As many as 8,936 B.Ed and ETT passed teachers appeared for the Teachers’ Eligibility Test (TET) at 26 centres in Bathinda today. The examination was held in two sessions — in the morning from 10:30 am to 1 pm and afternoon, from 2:30 pm to 5 pm. As many 452 candidates remained absent from the examination.
people had to go to the medical practitioners. They also added that in such conditions, it is unfortunate that they are called quacks and irresponsible by the politicians. A spokesperson of the association said there are good and bad people in each and every department . It is not proper to say the whole department is irresponsible, he added.
— TNS
