GUJRANWALA, March 16: The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Gujranwala, postponed the Pakistan Studies paper of the second group of the ongoing Secondary School Certificate Annual Examination (matric) 2013 when it was ‘leaked’ early on Saturday.

Reportedly, the board administration had dispatched the question papers of first and second groups simultaneously to the superintendents of all examination centres on Saturday morning.

However, the superintendent of the examination centre at Government Secondary School, Ghoinki, mistakenly opened the pack of second group’s question papers and distributed it among candidates. When some students found out it was the other group’s paper, they told the invigilators at which the superintendent took it back and distributed the correct paper to them.

Board Chairman Prof Dr Farhan Ibadat Yar Khan took serious notice of the incident and postponed the second group’s paper to April 4 at the same examination centre.

Students and their parents expressed concern over the postponement and said due to the mistake of the exam centre in-charge, hundreds of students would suffer and have to wait for so long considering it was their last paper.

A candidate, Zoraiz Mazher Malik, said he was supposed to go to Saudi Arabia with his family to perform Umrah and their seats had also been booked for the last week of this month. Now he was in a dilemma as the paper was scheduled for the first week of next month. When he contacted the board administration, they suggested he appear in the supplementary exam if he had to go for Umrah.

PROTEST: Residents of a housing society demonstrated on Saturday outside the office of district coordination officer against cutting off their electricity connections and fleecing by society owners under various pretexts and demanded action against them.

The protesters carrying banners and placards chanted slogans against the society owners and district administration. They said there were about 122 houses in the G Mangolia Housing Society but none of them were being provided improved civic facilities they had been promised.

They said they were instead being charged inflated electricity bills besides other utility bills every month. Electricity connections of about 80 houses had also been cut off over non-payment of the increased bills. They alleged owners of the society were influential politicians and the district administration was reluctant to take action against them.

DCO Najam Ahmad Shah took serious notice and assured the residents an inquiry had been launched against the society owners and action would be taken soon.

JAIL: Jail authorities constituted a complaint cell in the central jail to resolve the problems of the inmates while the jail superintendent would listen to the complaints regularly.

The newly-appointed jail superintendent, Hafiz Azizullah, said he would listen to the prisoners’ complaints from 9am to 11am in the jail premises and resolve them instantly. He elaborated juveniles were being given computer and technology education in the jail to make them skilled and civilised citizens.

RECOGNITION: The chief minister presented a cash award of Rs50,000 and a commendation certificate to Kamoki Assistant Commissioner Sumaira Zaheer for her impressive performance, on the recommendation of Divisional Commissioner Abdul Jabbar Shaheen and DCO Najam Ahmad Shah.

The CM also gave Rs50,000 to local journalist Hafiz Zaman whose one arm had been fractured during a clash between senior and young doctors at the local DHQ Hospital two months ago.