Bathinda, October 30
Rail passengers passing through Punjab were a harassed lot as the striking farmer unions were very frequently resorting to blocking the railway tracks in support of their demands. Passengers faced lot of inconvenience on the second day of the rail blockade today when 54 trains were either cancelled or diverted on various routes in the Ferozepur division.

Rail movement in the Ambala and Ferozepur divisions that cater to various areas of Punjab has been badly hit during the past two days.

Various railway stations in the Ferozepur division refunded more than Rs.25 lakhs to the passengers by this afternoon on account of cancellation of tickets. The refund amounted to Rs.6.50 lakhs yesterday.

Top railway source said that as many as 42 trains, including 5 mail express and 37 passenger, have been cancelled today. Another six trains were diverted and an equal number terminated mid-way causing great inconvenience not only to the passengers but also their kin waiting to receive them at the destination.

The Shatabadi running between New Delhi and Amritsar was terminated at Jalandhar and the passengers were transhipped to their destination in 5 buses hired by the railways.

Trains running from Delhi to Ferozepur and Ahmedabad to Jammu were terminated at Bathinda.

As many as 53 mail express and passenger trains were either cancelled, terminated mid-way and diverted yesterday. The trains proceeding towards Amritsar were terminated at Jalandhar due to the farmers’ blockade near Beas.

A number of goods trains too were held up at several places in the division. A top railways officer said that the loss being suffered due to delay in loading of each goods train was to the tune of Rs.45 lakhs.

The rail tracks have become a hot spot with the striking farmers who blocked trains last month also in support of their demands.

The railways officer said that the matter has been taken up with the Punjab government because law and order was a state subject. A series of meetings have also been held with the concerned officers with a view to protect the rail passengers from the wrath of protestors who have time and again been resorting to blockade of trains.

Bathinda, October 30
Lodging a ‘dramatic’ protest against the state government, activists of the Youth Congress, Bathinda block, immersed the remains of a burnt effigy of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal in a Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant (GNDTP) lake here today.

Accusing the Deputy CM of making a number of false claims about development with the residents of Bathinda, the activists, led by the block president Ashu Thakur, burnt his effigy in front of the foundation stone of an international cricket stadium here on Thursday.

Observing customary rituals, they collected the remains of the burnt effigy in an earthen pot today and covering it with a red cloth took it to the lake number 3 of the GNDTP. They wished the state gets free from the alleged control of the ruling SAD clan and immersed the ashes in the lake.

Speaking to The Tribune, Ashu Thakur said, "The Deputy CM made a number of promises with the electorate of Bathinda while seeking votes for his wife Harsimrat Badal before the parliamentary polls, but did not fulfill any of them."

Naming the international cricket stadium and a five-star hotel, the Congress leader said years had passed but the foundation stones of the projects did not witness a single brick being laid.

“It is just the beginning of the Pol Khol campaign, under which we will expose a number of other false promises made by the SAD leaders to allure voters,” added Ashu Thakur.

On the other hand, district SAD (B) president Sikander Singh Maluka, who is also a senior member of the Political Affairs Committee of the party, termed it as a cheap political gimmick and claimed that the SAD-led government was committed to deliver the maximum of what it had promised.

Bathinda, October 30
If you want to bring your monthly medical expenditure to zero then observe fast once a week. But the fast should be observed in letter and spirit by eating only fruit or drinking boiled water during the day.

The above views were expressed by naturopath Harpreet Singh Bhandhari, who is the state coordinator of International Naturopathy Organisation, while addressing a programme on naturopathy and yoga awareness that was organised by local Society Sehat Education and Welfare Activity at the Teachers’ Home here today.

Bhandhari advised all to spend a simple life. He also advised the gathering to say no to fast food, especially oily products. He also suggested them not to read newspapers and should switch off TV sets while taking meals, as it helps in proper digestion.

Bhandhari said the people nowadays preferred medication and had forgotten meditation. He urged all to adopt naturopathy system to remain happy and prosperous.

Dr Sanjiv Pathak, an ayurvedic medical officer, spoke on ‘domestic treatment with Ayurvedic formulas’. He also gave small tips on home remedies for diseases like indigestion, hyper acidity, diarrhoea and vomiting.

Dr Poonam Grover spoke about strengthening the immune system of the body through natural ways. Brahma Kumari Nisha delivered a lecture on the importance of spiritualism in life.

Yoga expert Radhey Sham Bansal imparted knowledge to the gathering about treatment of some diseases with the help of yoga exercises.

He also helped the gathering to do some yoga asanas. Naturopathy and yoga are like two wheels of a cart, naturopathy cures while yoga maintains, he remarked.

Among others who addressed the gathering included president of Society Sehat Education and Welfare Activity Dr AP Grover, deputy advocate general Sukhdeep Singh Bhinder and an engineer DK Garg.

Abohar, October 30
The DAV School (Mansa) bagged first prize in folk dance during the Mahatma Hansraj Aryan Punjab Zone Youth festival that concluded here at the LRS DAV Senior Secondary School today.

The winners performed Sammi dance. The teams from Police DAV Public School (Jalandhar) and DAV School (Atari) won the second and third prizes. Navjot Kaur of Batala was adjudged the best dancer. Pritika Sharma of Amritsar and Ankush Dhawan of Jalandhar were declared the best actors among girls and boys in drama. DAV Managing Committee secretary Mohan Lal gave away the prizes. The Amritsar zone was declared overall winner while Bathinda zone was runners-up. About 800 students from 70 schools of the state participated in the three-day event.

Other results are as follows:

Shabad/bhajan, Hindi debate, on-the-spot painting- DAV International School (Amritsar), Skit- LRS DAV Senior Secondary School (Abohar), Quiz, welcome song, classical vocal- DAV Public School (Amritsar), Declamation (Hindi)- DAV School BRS (Ludhiana), Declamation (Sanskrit)- Police DAV Public School (Jalandhar), Classical Dance- DAV School (Patiala), Greeting Card making- DAV Public School Pakhowal road Ludhiana, Rangoli- Haripura (Abohar) DAV Public School. — OC

Jalalabad (Ferozepur), October 30
A high-level team comprising senior functionaries of the Border security Force would conduct a probe into the alleged suicide case of its constable Jai Ram Toppe at its local camp.

As per the details, Toppe (35), married, was found injured on the roof of one of the buildings of the camp on Thursday by his unit mates. There was a cut on his throat. He was shifted to a nearby medical care centre. Whether he died in the hospital or died on the spot could not be known. The BSF sources said Toppe, hailing from Rajasthan, was getting treatment from a psychiatrist while he was on leave for a few weeks. No suicidal note was recovered.

A case in this connection has been registered. The body of Toppe, who was serving the BSF for the past over ten years, had been sent to his native place after postmortem. No senior functionary of the BSF commented on the issue.

Sriganganagar, October 30
Rotten khoya packed in nine tins, weighing 140 kg, has been seized during a raid, conducted by the officials of the food and supplies department at a cold store located on the Sriganganagar-Hanumangarh road, DFSC Ajaypal Jyani said.

Preliminary investigation indicated that the lot had been deposited by a local confectioner on October 8 and its colour turned grey by now. Samples have been rushed for the lab test to initiate further action. Notably, eight tins of khoya were earlier seized by intercepting a tourist bus but the sender or consignee was yet to be identified.

Sriganganagar, October 30
The Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) has arrested tehsildar Nizzamuddin Khan for allegedly accepting Rs 3,000 as illegal gratification from a farmer to avert auction of a disputed land.

The tehsildar had allegedly demanded Rs 10,000 to delay the auction. Lal Bahadur (complainant) approached the ACB, which laid the trap.

However no increment document was found during the search at his residence at village Boli. Khan refuted the allegations asserting that he was falsely implicated.

Abohar, October 30
The Padho Punjab team today launched an awareness campaign to caution the students against the use of fire crackers on Diwali.

District coordinator inaugurated the campaign at the Government Elementary Basic School in Nai Abadi.

Meanwhile, the Director General Education (DGE) has asked heads of all schools to write excerpt from the speech made by the PM Dr Manmohan Singh on the Independence Day. BPEO Shyam Sunder Sharma was among those present. — OC