SIALKOT: The Border Security Force (BSF) continued unprovoked intensified intermittent firing on border villages in Charwah sector of the Sialkot Working Boundary on Thursday night.

According to senior officials of the Chenab Rangers, the BSF targeted the civilian population and fired several mortar shells.

The Chenab Rangers responded instantly in a befitting manner, making the Indian guns silent. No loss of life or any injury was reported.

Sowing of the wheat crop remained suspended in Sialkot border villages due to Indian firing.

SUSPENDED: The district government has suspended from service 25 schoolteachers (educators) who had been recruited on fake degrees while it has recommended to the provincial secretary education to ensure stern action against the two district officers of the education department, involved in recruitment of the teachers.

The district government had recruited 1,488 educators in 2010 and it came into notice after the hiring that the several teachers had fake degrees.

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had taken notice of the hiring and had ordered a probe into the matter.

The special probing teams conducted the inquiry under the supervision of District Monitoring Officer (DMO) Sialkot Amir Raza and found the degrees of 25 educators fake. He told the newsmen the degrees of 1,096, out of 1,488 educators, had been verified while the scrutiny of 359 degrees was still under way.

The district government recommended to the Punjab secretary education to take action against district officers (DOs), Muhammad Saleem Bhatti and Zareena, members of the then selection committee, for their direct and indirect involvement in this scam.

The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has also started probe into this scam.

tanners booked: The Environment Protection Department has got registered cases against 35 owners of local tanneries for releasing toxic waste in Nullah Bhed.

The cases were registered under section 188 PPC.

District Officer Environment Waseem Ehsan told Dawn the tanneries had also been sealed.

He said that a deadline of two months had been given to the tanneries to take steps to avoid environmental pollution. DCO Muhammad Nadeem Sarwar said he had imposed official ban under section 144 PPC on dumping waste in Naullahs Bhed and Aik in a bid to control environmental pollution.

Meanwhile, local tanners have strongly protested against the registration of cases.

Published in Dawn, November 29th , 2014