Salabatpura (Bathinda), December 20
This small village housing Punjab headquarters of the Dera Sacha Sauda of the controversial Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh has been sealed by the police in view of the call of Sikh radicals to march there tomorrow in support of their demand for shutting the dera permanently.

All roads leading here from Bathinda, Barnala, Rampura Phul and other places have been barricaded and police and commandos deployed in strength to stop anyone from proceeding towards this place. Riot control vehicles and fire-fighters have also been deployed at the checkpoints. The area has been turned virtually into a fortress as the authorities were firm not to allow any untoward incident that might trigger communal violence like that of last year. As a preventive measure, the police have taken a number of people into custody.

Media persons and others, after a lot of persuasion allowed by senior police officers to cross the barricade, were being videographed by the cops. Their vehicles were also checked before letting them proceed. The road leading to the Gurdwara in the nearby village Dayalpura where the radicals sponsored "Akhand Path" started yesterday has virtually been sealed to prevent the hardliners from reaching there. The radicals had intended to march towards the Dera after the "Bhog" tomorrow.

In view of all this, a curfew like situation prevails in the area beyond the village Jalal where senior police personnel were camping to prevent anyone from proceeding towards the Dera about 7 kms away. The roads were deserted and most of the shops were closed.

A senior police officer said that adequate preventive measures have been taken to prevent any mischief by the radicals who hardly have any support. The radicals had reportedly chosen Dayalpura for launching the anti-Dera movement because of two reasons, firstly because of its proximity to Salabatpura and secondly as this village came into prominence with death sentence being awarded to its resident, Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, in a case pertaining to killing of nine persons at Delhi during a futile attempt on the life of the then Youth Congress chief Maninderjit Singh Bitta in 1993 when terrorism was at its peak in Punjab. Guru Hargobind Singh had also visited this place.

The premises of the Gurdwara wore a deserted look with policemen in civvies sitting under a tree. Prayers were being offered inside as usual. Followers of the Dera were gathering inside the sprawling premises of its headquarters here and outsiders were not allowed entry. A leader of the Panch Pradhan organisation claimed on telephone that they were not doing anything on their own but were following the direction of the Sikh clergy that had asked the Punjab government to seal all deras belonging to the sect. He claimed that a large number of people have been arrested in this connection.

A former militant Daljit Singh Bittu and three others were arrested near Ludhiana last night while they were reportedly heading towards Dayalpura.

Ferozepur, December 20
Commercial banks should extend full cooperation in implementing various welfare schemes mooted by the government and at the same time, provide self-employment opportunities to the unemployed youths so that the economic level of the people, residing below poverty line (BPL) could be uplifted, stated Megh Raj, DC, while presiding over the meeting of district level bankers review and consultative committee here.

On the occasion, the DC took stock of the initiatives extended by the banks in the field of agriculture reforms and small-scale industries, and ascertained if the targets set by the government for various banks had been accomplished or not. The DC said that the banks have provided soft loans to the tune of Rs 854.98 crores to the farmers till September 30 this year and another Rs 41.40 crores have been provided to establish small-scale industries.

The DC further said that out of a target of Rs 1333.23 crores set by the government, 204 branches of 24 banks in the district have already provided loans amounting to Rs 1056.52 crores, which amounted to 79 per cent of the total target. The DC advised the bank officials to take the farmers out of the clutches of the commission agents, who charge heavy interest from them.

The DC further said that under the SGYS scheme, unemployed youths have been provided soft loans worth Rs 2.35 crores in 491 cases. He said that 610 self-held groups have been established in the district, through which 5153 new kisan credit cards have been issued and an amount of Rs 71.94 crores has been released.

He informed that till date, 1,25,173 kisan credit cards have been released in the district. He exhorted the bank officials to meet the fixed targets in all circumstances and work with sincerity and dedication.

Bathinda, December 20
More than 2,150 cases were settled at a two-day mega Lok Adalat held at district courts here today. Compensation worth over Rs 5 crore was awarded to the litigants. Thousands of people attended the mega Lok Adalat.

Justice Ajay Lamba of the Punjab and Haryana High Court presided over the Lok Adalat. He along with District and Sessions Judge Kuldip Singh, Bathinda, inspected the working of different benches of the Lok Adalat.

Justice Lamba stressed on persuading litigants to resolve their disputes through an amicable settlement. He also highlighted the need to strengthen the Lok Adalat movement. He appealed to the litigants to resolve their disputes through Lok Adalats. He claimed that both parties felt winners after the settlement at Lok Adalat.

Moreover, this alternative system of dispute redressal was the only way to get speedy justice, he informed.

The High Court judge appealed to the people to get their pending cases settled at 
Lok Adalats to save money, time and harassment in the courts.

Lok Adalats not only provided speedy justice to litigants but also helped reduce pendency of cases in courts, he added.

In all 17 benches, including two each at Rampura Phul and Talwandi Sabo, were constituted to dispose of the cases pertaining to traffic challans, arbitration cases, cheque bounce, cooperative societies, labour, mobile companies, banks, matrimonial dispute and civil suit cases. 

Ferozepur, December 20
More than 22 lakh cases were pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court alone whereas around 2.5 crore cases were pending cases in various courts in the country, said Justice A.N. Jindal, Administrative Judge, Sessions Division, Ferozepur, while inaugurating the Mega Lok Adalat here today.

Justice Jindal said that keeping in view the huge quantum of cases pending in various courts all over the country, the Supreme Court has started the process of Lok Adalats so as to ensure speedy redressal of the pending cases.

Justice Jindal said that in the Mega Lok Adalat being organised here, a total of 16,664 cases would be taken up by various benches and compensation to the tune of Rs 11.50 crore was likely to be granted to the petitioners.

He further said that in the Mega Lok Adalat all sorts of revenue cases, including those related to Nambardar, division of land, mutation, land acquisition, compensation would be taken up besides cases related to NDPS Act, motor vehicle Act, insurance, accidental cases , PP Act, land revenue Act besides several others such cases would also be taken up for amicable settlement.

He said that even non-compoundable criminal cases could also be sorted out on mutual consent and FIR can be cancelled through the Lok Adalat.

Justice Jindal said that the process of Lok Adalat would go a long way in reducing the burden on the courts and at the same time, it was cost effective and speedy source of providing justice to the people.

Justice Jindal said that around 200 Lok Adalats have already been organised in Ferozpur.

On the occasion B.S. Sudan commissioner, R.P. Mittal DIG, Megh Raj DC, D.P. Singh SSP, Jaspal Singh, Sessions Judge besides senior judicial, civil and police officials were also present.

Mansa, December 20
Nearly 6,686 cases were solved with the consent of parties concerned at the Lok Adalat, held on the judicial complex in Mansa today.

The Punjab & Haryana High court Judge, Harbans Lal inaugurated the Lok Adalat. To solve the cases, eleven benches were constituted. A compensation of nearly Rs 9.81 crore has been awarded to the concerned parties after solving the cases.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Justice Harbans Lal said that 112 lok chetna seminars and 127 lok adalts were held in the district during last one year. In these Lok Adalats, 10,731 cases were brought for hearing, out of which 5,848 cases had been solved besides a compensation of Rs 21 crore was provided to the parties concerned after the cases were solved. It is notable that there is no provision of appealing against the decisions of Lok Adalat.

District Sessions Judge Bhupinder Singh, Additional District Sessions Judge Jaspal Singh Bhatia, Civil Judge Jagnahar Singh, Additional Civil Judge Dimple Walia and SDM Gurjeet Singh Pannu were also present on this occasion. 

Bathinda, December 20
Reports of rain from all over the region has proved a boon for farmers and given respite to officials of the agriculture department, who are confident of achieving the wheat yield target this year.

"It will give a big boost to the wheat crop which is at the tillering stage in most parts of the district", said Amarjit Singh, a senior officer of the agriculture department.

The temperature had started rising over the past few days and was adversely affecting the growth of the wheat crop.

However, the rain today has given new hope to farmers who, in its absence, would have suffered a huge loss because of the stunted growth of the wheat crop due to the rising temperature. Agricultural experts in the district had recommended light 
irrigation to the wheat crop because the temperature had gone up rapidly in the past few days.

Amarjit Singh told TNS that the yield could be reduced by 2 quintals per acre as the temperature rose to 26 degree Celsius a few days back, but now the worry was over.

He said that the wheat crop had been sown on 80,000 hectares, as against 75,000 hectares last year, out of the total one lakh hectares of agricultural land in the district.

Eighty per cent farmers of the district used to sow wheat after November 15, leaving less time for the crop to mature, which needed between 140 and 145 days.

Abohar, December 20
The Punjab Khet Majdoor Sabha has decided to stage dharna and demonstration at Abohar on Monday, at Zira on Tuesday and at Jalalabad West on Wednesday.

National committee member and district secretary of the sabha Rishipaul said here today the state government was not implementing NREGA in an effective manner. Hundred-day work should be ensured besides creating helpline to solve the problems being faced by the beneficiaries, he demanded.

Regretting that the state government had not fulfilled its promise of releasing Rs 400 as monthly pension for aged persons and widows, the sabha demanded that the amount be enhanced to Rs 1,000 keeping in view the sky-rocketing prices of vegetables, pulses and other essential commodities. Those who were entitled to get amount of the shagun scheme in 2007 were yet to receive the cheques. Survey to identify genuine BPL families should be re-conducted ensuring non partisan approach, he said.

Demanding that daily wages for farm workers be fixed as Rs 200, the sabha urged the state government to follow the Central government pattern in writing off all debts payable to the SC Finance Corporation, Bacfinco, and cooperative banks. All homeless persons should be allotted about five marla plots each to construct houses along with Rs 1 lakh grant. The sabha also urged the government to tighten noose on insecticide sellers, Rishipaul said.

Bathinda, December 20
General house meeting of the Punjab State Electricity Board Engineers' Association (Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant) was held at Officers' Club here today. The following were elected office-bearers on the occasion: Fateh Pal Singh Malhi, regional secretary, R.K. Verma, D.K. Singla, Rajinder Singla, Amit Goyal and Samvinder Singh, office-bearers of GNDTP region.

The association condemned the indifferent attitude of the Board management in resolving their long-pending demands, including timely release of promotion orders of engineers and stagnation in civil engineering cadre.

It also criticised the political interference of the state government in PSEB's working.— TNS

Bathinda, December 20
J.S. Kular, Special Judge, on Thursday sentenced one person to rigorous imprisonment for 10 years and a fine of Rs one lakh in a case of poppy husk smuggling.

According to reports, a team from the Bhagta police station had recovered 180 kg of poppy husk on March 20, 2006 from a truck. The police had stopped the truck at Kotha Guru police barrier after a tip-off.

During the search operation, the police recovered 180 kg of poppy husk from the occupants of the truck identified as Jaswinder Singh, a resident of Hamirgarh and Gora Singh of Sangatpura village in Bagha Purana.

The police had registered a case against both the accused in this connection at Bhagta police station.

While, the court, during the course of proceedings of the case, found Jaswinder Singh guilty of the crime and sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs one lakh, the case against the second accused Gora Singh was still under consideration of the sessions court.

In case of non-payment of fine, the accused would have to undergo imprisonment for one more year in keeping with the provisions of the law. 

Abohar, December 20
Stinking toilets, dumping of clinical waste in open and wild growth of grass spoke volumes of the poor maintenance as NSS volunteers from the Tender Heart Senior Secondary School today spent a few hours in the 100-bed Nehru Memorial Civil hospital here as part of their multifaceted activities during the 10-day service camp.

The students wondered how the physicians and other staff had been preaching about better hygiene and health to about 3.5 lakh population of the sub-division.

The health of this largest health centre reels under heavy odds, a patient was heard commenting during an interaction with the young visitors who struggled hard to make the complex a bit clean.

Normally, the NSS units keep their activities confined to a particular complex. However, students of the Tender Heart school recalling that charity begins at home first and removed garbage from their locality Dharam Nagari that remained neglected by the municipal council.

Councillor Suman Chhabra and other social activists extended a helping hand. The unit chose to beautify the area around Balaji Dhaam which is regularly visited by hundred of devotees not only on Tuesday but also on other days of the week. During the today's session, Shyam Sunder Sachdeva, a member of the national council of the Indian Journalists Union, delivered a talk on the role of the media in society’s betterment. Social activist Rajiv Soni presided over the meeting. Dignitaries representing different fields are invited daily to update knowledge of the volunteers, principal Meenakshi Bhandari said. The students plan to spend two days in the sub-divisional complex to beautify it.

Ferozepur, December 20
While the towering multiscreen malls and cineplexes have witnessed rapid growth all over the state during the last few years, especially, in the bigger towns like Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Chandigarh of course.

However, this border district of Ferozepur has an altogether different story to narrate as out of the four cinema houses, which had been established here a long time back, two have already been shut down and the rest are reportedly incurring losses, and struggling to survive in today’s changing scenario.

One of the oldest cinemas of the town, Dhani Ram Theatre popularly known as "Raja Talkies", which was constructed in the year 1930 has been closed and the other one, Joshi Palace, constructed in the year 1976, has also been 
demolished.

The closure of the cinema houses has not only disappointed the cinema lovers of the town but has also rendered scores of people jobless. On an average, any cinema houses at least a dozen staff members including gate-keepers, ticket checkers besides canteen contractors, parking contractors, clerks and managers. In view of the closure of these cinema halls, all these people have to perforce look for an alternative job elsewhere.

When contacted, Vikram Joshi, owner of Joshi Palace, which was recently demolished, said that their cinema was running into losses due to diminishing audience besides heavy taxes imposed by the government. Joshi said that in the bigger towns, lot of multinational companies and big players were establishing multiplexes and taking over the existing ones. However, no one was interested in a border town like this. Hence, they had to close the cinema and were now planning to build something else on that land.

Subhash Kalia, who represents the family running one of the oldest theatres, " Raja Talkies" had similar views to echo. Kalia said that their theatre was running into losses due to tough competition in wake of DVDs/VCDs available in the market. Moreover, due to frequent electricity cuts, lot of expenditure was being incurred on diesel besides huge money was being spent on the maintenance of the theatre building. Therefore, they had to close the same.

When contacted, Kamal Kakkar, owner of Shimla Talkies, which is one of the two cinemas, the other being Amar Talkies, which are still functioning, said that though there is no element of profitability in running cinema house in this place, they were somehow managing the things on a no profit, no loss basis. Kakkar said that the exemption of entertainment tax by the state government has come as big relief to them, otherwise it was not possible for them to continue. He told that at an average around 100 people come daily in four shows they stage, which hardly keep the things going.

Old-timers remember that during the time, when the Hussaniwala Indo-Pakistan border was open for trade and transit, local cinema halls used to attract a lot of Pakistani visitors who were really fond of Indian movies. However, the closure of this trade route in the aftermath of 1971 Indo-Pak conflict came as a severe blow to the local cinema owners. Later, the introduction of VCDs, cable TV and subsequently DTH (direct to home) satellite service providers proved to be the proverbial last straw for the local cinemas. 

Ferozepur, December 20
Notwithstanding heavy reduction in the crude oil prices in the international market, the UPA Government had not brought down the oil prices, stated Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Irrigation Minister, here on Friday.

Sekhon further revealed that the CM Parkash Singh Badal will tour this border district for three days starting from December 28, during which he was scheduled to address public rallies at Talwandi Bhai, Ferozpur, Jalalabad and Fazilka.

He said that the CM was likely to make some important announcements pertaining to the developmental works in this border. — OC

Faridkot, December 20
As many as 10,815 cases were settled and compensation worth Rs 4.43 crore was awarded to the litigants on the spot on the first day of the two-day Mega Lok Adalat held at judicial complex here today. Justice R.K. Jain of Punjab and Haryana High Court presided over the Lok Adalat.

While talking to newsmen, Justice Jain said under the Faridkot sessions division, 56 benches were constituted in Muktsar, Faridkot and Moga to dispose of 18,353 cases and 10,810 cases were settled on the first day of the Lok Adalat. Compensation worth Rs 15.84 crore was awarded to the litigants on the spot.

Bathinda, December 20
On the closing ceremony of the seven-day NSS camp at the Dasmesh Girls College of Education, Badal, S. Harpreet Singh, MLA Malout, was invited as the chief guest.

The occasion was marked by a cultural programme which started with the recitation of shabad. The students enthralled the audience by their wonderful performance Luddi and Gidha. Amanjot and Navjot sang melodious songs. The students also read poems and delivered speeches on burning issues facing society.

NSS programme officer Lata read the report of the camp while principal Dr S.S. Sangha welcomed the chief guest and congratulated the student for the successful completion of the camp.

Free medical camp was organised at the camp and the college campus, old age home and civil hospital were cleaned up.

A rally on drug addiction, AIDS awareness and dowry was organised.

MLA Malout, in his speech, praised the NSS volunteers for their dedication and asked them to remember the values imbibed at the camp in their daily lives. 

Abohar, December 20
Braving inclement weather, hundred of students joined their teachers to bring out the Padho Punjab awareness rally on Saturday here. SDM N.S. Brar while flagging off the rally said the new project had brought in major changes not only in the style of teaching but the mindset of the teachers also. This would make the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan more effective, he hoped.

District coordinator Shanker Chaudhary said that most of the teachers had been opposing training camps under the project but today all of them by participating in the rally overwhelmingly put their stamp on its utility and also had pledged to be more sincere to the noble profession. Block primary education officers Shyam Sunder Sharma, Tirlochan Singh and Mohinder Kaur were joined by the Padho Punjab trainers Kuljit Singh, Bhala Ram, Rohtash and Surinder Nagpal in leading the rally which passed through main roads and streets of the sub-divisional town.

Observer from the district headquarters Harpal Singh made an emotional appeal to the teachers for acting as parents of the poor students to overcome their handicaps. 

Mansa, December 20
Tributes would be paid to the noted lecturer Raj Kumar, who passed away a few days back of jaundice at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi, at Gaushala Bhawan in Mansa on December 21.

Fifty-three-year-old Raj Kumar was a lecturer of mathematics at the Government Secondary School (Boys), Mansa.

He passed his matriculation from the Gandhi Senior Secondary School, Mansa and graduated from Rajindra College, Bathinda.

After completing B.Ed. from the Government College, Faridkot, Raj Kumar joined government service as teacher of mathematics at the Government High School, Bir Hodla Kalan here in 1975.

During this period, he completed MA in Economics from Punjabi University, Patiala. He did his masters in mathematics from Meerut University and got the second position in the university. After that, he was promoted as lecturer.

After serving at different places, he joined the Government Senior Secondary (Boys) School in Mansa in the year 1996.