Orders assigning 40 Punjab govt teachers to check illegal sand mining withdrawn

Ashok Kaura
Phagwara, June 20

To stop illegal sand mining, around 40 Punjab government teachers were asked to stand guard at prominent checkpoints in Phagwara between 9 pm and 1 am, said the state government.

The order comes a month after the state revoked a similar order that deployed 24 school teachers to guard distilleries in Gurdaspur.

Phagwara's Sub-Divisional Magistrate and senior officials of civil and police administration—in a communication exchange—were informed that the teachers will be posted at the checkpoints between 9 pm and 1 am and that they would be accompanied by a police team.

Calling the order "shameful", Government Teachers Union Punjab and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have slammed the Congress government in the state for involving government teachers in non-teaching activities.

Union District President Karnail Phillaur and General Ganesh Bhagat urged the Chief Minister of Punjab to take care of the interests of the teaching community.

However, SDM Phagwara, Pawitra Singh, told the correspondent on Saturday that keeping in view of the demands of the teachers, he (SDM) has withdrawn his orders regarding teacher's deployment to curb sand mining. He continued that the government had instructed to appoint the teachers having Rs 5000 plus grades as special executive magistrates to stop illegal sand mining.

SDM added that no sand mining was observed in and surrounding Phagwara as he withdrew these orders three days back.