Bathinda, March 10
Under the banner of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) Employees Association, Punjab, the NRHM employees, working throughout the state, are up in arms against the state government in protest against the non-regularisation of their services. They are also demanding benefits extended to the regular government employees for themselves.

As part of their agitation programme, the Association announced here today that the NRHM employees of all categories would start pen-down and tool-down strike from March 17 for an indefinite period if the state government did not accept and implement their demands by then.

During the strike, the NRHM employees, including healthcare staff and ministerial staff, will stage dharnas and raise slogans daily at the district and block levels.

Hundreds of the NRHM employees from various parts of the state here today took out a protest march from the Civil Hospital to the main bus stand chowk where they blocked traffic for about 45 minutes, raised slogans against the Badal government and in support of their demands.

The blockade was lifted when with the efforts of Tehsildar Avtar Singh and the police officials, the leaders of the agitators agreed to talk to the Deputy Commissioner. After that, they also marched towards Fauji Chowk where they again blocked traffic for some time.

Later, addressing the state-level rally of the NRHM employees, state president of the Association Sarbjit Singh said notices would be sent to the Chief Minister, Health Minister, Health Secretary and the managing director (MD) of the NRHM tomorrow in connection with proposed strike. He also asked the state government to regularise their services as it had done in the case of Sarva Sikhsha Abhiyan (SSA) computer teachers.

Sarbjit Singh said the association had also decided to adopt a legal course by way of filing a case in the court for the implementation of 'Equal pay for equal work' principle. He said they would not accept anything less than regularisation of their services and benefits available to regular government employees. He said they were being exploited by the government on the salary and benefits' front.

He also said during the meeting, the Deputy Commissioner had assured them that he would arrange a meeting for them with the Chief Minister to discuss the matter relating to their demands. 

Bathinda, March 10
Uncovered garbage containers and filth emanating foul smell and scattered all around have started posing a grave threat to the health of the people in the city. The services have been paralysed with over 700 sweepers (regular as well those on contract) going on an indefinite strike since Monday.

Regularization of services of the Safai Karamcharis working under the Bathinda Municipal Corporation (BMC) is the main demand of the protesters along with some other issues related to their pension and promotion, etc. They are adamant on not resuming work till the state government accepts all their demands.

As the repeated talks between the BMC authorities and the representatives of the Safai Karamcharis (sweepers) failed to reach a breakthrough, people have been put to great hardship. Some residents lamented that the dustbin in their homes had also filled up. A schoolgoing girl Priyal said, "As our sweeper had stopped coming for the last three days the dustbin in our house was overflowing. Irked over the foul smellthat it was emanating, along with my father I went to a distant place today to empty it."

"The city is reeling under the problem but the BMC authorities have no alternative. It is a pathetic state of affairs," rued an elderly Sukhwant Singh of Naamdev Nagar.

Sources in the BMC informed that the problem is likely to get aggravated as now the sewerage workers are also going to join the protest. Once it takes place, the whole waste disposal system might also get choked.

President of the Safai Karamchari Union of the BMC, Veer Bhan said, "We were forced to take this step as the state government is paying no heed to our long-pending demands. Now the strike will continue till the demands are met."

BMC Commissioner Uma Shankar said, "As the decision can not be taken at the BMC's level, we have sent their demands to the state government and the reply is awaited."

About the garbage dumps posing health hazard to the people, he said, "We attempted to hire some private sweepers but facing pressure from the protesters, they too did not come. If the protesters do not relent in a day or two, we will appeal to the people including NGO volunteers to come forward to tackle the problem."

Bathinda Deputy Commissioner Dr S. Karuna Raju said, "We understand the sensitivity of the matter but as of now, things are not in control. But we are working on some model to find a solution."

Moga, March 10
Peace prevailed in Moga and its adjoining areas, particularly, at village Dhalleke that witnessed clashes between the followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda and the radical Sikhs. The radical Sikhs called a meeting at Dhalleke on Thursday but the police stopped these leaders from heading towards the village.

Only a few members of the Akal Purakh Ki Fauj’s ‘Jodhpurwale Singh’managed to reach the village gurudwara. Some other Sikhs gathered at the Gurdwara Bibi Kaahan Kaur in Moga.

They did not give any provocative speech and urged all the parties to maintain peace till Shri Akal Takht Sahib issued a ‘hukumnama’ on the issue of attack on village gurudwara by the Dera supporters at Dhalleke on Sunday. Jathedar Kuldeep Singh of the Damdami Taksal maintained that Baljeet Singh Daduwal was stopped by the police at Kotshamir near Bathinda while Sant Gumreet Singh and his jatha, who were coming from Haryana, were stopped at Baghapurana and were taken to Samalsar police station. Resham Singh Khukrana, another radical Sikh leader, was taken to the Sadar police station.

The SSP of Moga Sneh Deep Sharma said the police had not arrested anyone but stopped all outsiders from entering village Dhalleke. Some people were taken to the nearby police stations as a preventive measure but were let off in the evening.

The said village remained tense as the Sikh radicals had given the administration a deadline till March 10 for lodging an FIR against the Dera followers, who pelted stones at the village gurudwara.

Abohar, March 10
The employees of the Municipal Council on the fourth day of their strike here today blocked the traffic on the South Circular Road. They took out a protest march and burnt the effigy of the state government.

They had been staging dharna for the past three days inside the complex but came out on the roads today. Stray cattle were found splitting garbage from scores of dustbins that were overflowing on the main roads.

The citizens in most of the localities had no option but to dump the garbage at the crossings and set it ablaze since part time/contractual garbage collection rehriwalas too had joined the protesting workers.

Since the office rooms remained locked and officers avoiding visiting the municipal complex to avert unpleasant situation, tax collections have also come to a halt.

This is likely to defeat the targets fixed for generating income from different sources. The employees have gone on strike in response to the call given by the Joint Action Committee resenting non-acceptance of their demands by the local bodies department.

Abohar, March 10
Shruti Bhimwal was crowned Miss GAMC while Sarika and Gagan trailed as runners-up during the farewell held at the Gopi Chand Arya Mahila College here, today. Namita and Rohini shared the Miss Beautiful title while Shruti Siyag, Smriti Bhimwal, Amina and Simran won other titles. 

Among the teachers, Shakuntla Middha, Surinder Vadika, Amandeep and Rana Virender shone in the fashion show. Dr Neelam Arun Mittu, principal and others spoke on the occasion. — OC 

Fazilka, March 10
The retail pesticide, fertiliser and seed dealers have been put to a fresh hardship by the recent decision of the Agriculture Department, following which, addition of new product in sale licences has become a tardy procedure.

As per official sources, there had been an old practice of making addition of any product desired to be sold by the retail pesticides, seed and fertilisers dealer in the sale licence at the district headquarters.

As per the norms, the necessary documents are sent to the district headquarters through the Block Agriculture office for necessary additions. The local authorities had been authorised to send the papers after completing the formalities to the district headquarters.

After receiving the documents concerned back from the district headquarters after making necessary additions, the local officials used to handover the papers to the dealer concerned at the Block-level for carrying out their business.

However, now the department has withdrawn the power from the Block-level offices, as a result of which, the retail pesticides, seed and fertiliser dealers willing to sell any other product of any other manufacturer other than enlisted in the sale licence, will have to get the approval of the District Agriculture office directly without any involvement of the local office. Now, the dealers will have to visit Ferozepur for getting necessary additions done.

Pesticides, Seeds and Fertiliser Dealers Association, patron and president Satish Dhingra and Ashwani Narula flayed the recent directions of the Agriculture Department.

“The decision has perturbed most of the retailers, particularly those whose sale establishments are at a pretty long distance ranging from 150-200 kilometres to the district headquarters at Ferozepur,” rued Dhingra and Narula. 

Ferozepur, March 10
The Ferozepur railway division has been suffering huge monetary losses on account of cancellation of trains on different routes, diversion of routes of various other trains and non-transportation of goods due to frequent blockades, being witnessed on different rail sections due to various reasons.

Official sources said in the past two years, the Ferozepur railway division had witnessed a number of cancellation of trains due to flood in various pockets of Ferozepur during the last monsoon.

Besides, the agitation launched by the activists of All India Jat Reservation Sangarash Committee byblocking the rail traffic repeatedly, agitation launched by followers of the Dera Sacha Sauda sect and thick fog in the northern area of the country during the winter led to cancellation of different trains in this division.

“Though the exact amount of monetary losses, the rail division has suffered in the past one year, is yet to be worked out, it runs in crores of rupees per day whenever trains are cancelled,” disclosed a senior functionary pleading anonymity.

“There is need for stringent laws to deal with those who disrupt the rail traffic,” said Vishwesh Chobey, Divisional Railway Manager. He added that they had no option but to cancel the train service on certain routes as safety and convenience of passengers was the primary concern.

Due to disruption of the rail traffic in the Ferozepur division, which managed rail traffic in Punjab, Himachal Pardesh and Jammu & Kashmir states, the rail traffic in its neighbouring rail divisions based in Ambala, Delhi and Bikaner also got disturbed. Thus, it caused losses to these divisions on account of cancellation of long journey trains in their jurisdiction as well.

Meanwhile, the Railway authorities have started contemplating the cancellation of more passenger traisn and diversion of routes of other trains in the Ferozepur Rail division, if the agitation of All India Jat Reservation Sangharsh Committee did not come to an end at the earliest. 

Moga/Faridkot, March 10
The Arya Pratinidhi Sabha, Punjab, today lost the administrative control on the DM College, one of the oldest educational institutions of the state, and four other prestigious educational institutes of Moga.

The court of Sangeet Pal Singh in Faridkot has passed decree orders against the Sabha on Wednesday. As per the details available, the DM College Managing Committee was running five prestigious educational institutes of Moga-DM College, DM College of Education, DN Model School, MDAS Senior Secondary School and MDAS Model School for the past many decades under the rules and regulations laid down by the committee. In 1995, a dispute arose between the members of the committee, which was referred to the Arya Pratinidhi Sabha to mediate and solve the dispute. As per the rules and regulations of the committee, the Sabha was authorised to mediate and adjudicate the dispute.

However, the Sabha instead of solving the issue suspended the committee and appointed an administrator to look after these institutions.

In 1996, the sabha ‘quietly’ took control over these institutes and constituted its own managing committee, which was against the rules.

A section of members of the DM College managing committee filed a civil case in the local court against the Sabha in July 1996 against the illegal occupation by the Sabha on these institutions.

Since then, the litigation was pending in the civil court even as the sabha continued to run these institutions.