Bathinda, April 27
A super-speciality cancer and cardiac care hospital being set up here by the Max Healthcare Institute Limited under public-private-partnership (PPP) has failed to meet its deadline, to start functioning, set for April 2011.

Information gathered by TNS revealed that the hospital, whose construction had been going on in full swing, was expected to start functioning from September 2011. Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal had laid the foundation stone of the Rs 100-crore project in the third week of February 2009.

The Punjab Government has given 4.8 acres of land of the local Civil Hospital to the Max Healthcare at an annual rent of Re one for 50 years. The latter has also paid some upfront money to the state government in this connection.

Pervez Ahmed, chief executive officer and managing director, Max Healthcare, who was present on the occasion of foundation stone-laying ceremony, had then declared that the 200-bedded hospital would become operational by April 2011.

Though Manjinder Singh, business development executive of the Max Healthcare, said the hospital was expected to become operational in September 2011, a section of medical professionals in the local Civil Hospital, on whose premises the hospital was being set up, claimed that it would take even more time to become fully functional.

Another issue, which the medical professionals claimed was a matter of concern, is that so far, the Punjab Government or the Punjab Health System Corporation (PHSC) have failed to work out the modalities for enabling the poor cancer patients to get treatment at the under-construction hospital. They also pointed out that only 50 beds had been kept for cancer patients in the proposed hospital, which seemed to be very less considering the rising number of patients in the Malwa region.

A senior functionary of the state health department, who did not want to be quoted, said either those who figured in the list of Below Poverty Line (BPL) families or who were holding blue ration cards would be facilitated for treatment under the poor patient category at the hospital.

"The treatment of such patients will be funded by the Punjab Government from the Cancer Fund or under the Rogi Kalyan Scheme. The criterion is yet to be worked out. The Max Healthcare would give a part of its earning to the Punjab Government to fund the treatment of poor cancer patients," he added.

Raghubir Singh Randhawa, acting assistant civil surgeon, said the local Civil Hospital authorities had nothing to do with the multi-super-speciality hospital as all the decisions in this connection were being taken at state government level.

Bathinda, April 27
Now, the cancer patients will get coupons from the offices of the civil surgeons in their respective districts which would allow them free of cost travel to the hospitals in the state from where they are getting treatment. These coupons have been provided by the state government to the civil surgeons' offices for the first time.

A cancer patient will get coupons for himself and an attendant, who will accompany him during the journey. These coupons will entitle the patient and the attendant to travel free of cost in the buses of the Punjab Roadways and the PRTC. These coupons are in the denominations of Re 1, Rs 5 and Rs 10. The name of the patient, his identity card number, places of departure and arrival and the date of travelling will be entered in the coupon.

The office of the Bathinda Civil Surgeon has received eight bags of coupons (worth lakhs of rupees), which will be made available to the cancer patients on demand.

Talking to this reporter here today, District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Raghubir Singh Randhawa said to get free bus travel coupons, a declared cancer patient would have to approach the office of the Civil Surgeon. On the basis of his/her demand, the requisite number of coupons would be handed over to the patient, he added.

Dr Randhawa said the Director, Health and Family Welfare, Punjab, had earlier written to the civil surgeons of the state to collect the coupons from the office of the Manager, Punjab Roadways, Chandigarh.

The DHO said the coupons would be given to the declared cancer patients for visiting hospitals in Punjab and Chandigarh that provide treatment for cancer like the PGIMER in Chandigarh and the Mohan Dai Oswal Cancer Hospital in Ludhiana.

It may be mentioned here that in the five districts of this region, namely Bathinda, Mansa, Faridkot, Barnala and Ferozepur, thousands of persons are suffering from the fatal disease and have to visit Chandigarh or Ludhiana time and again for treatment.

Bathinda, April 27
To make the procurement operations hassle free, the Punjab Government has been working on a proposal to put two agencies on the task instead of the existing one in those grain markets and purchase centres where arrival of wheat is unexpectedly high.

An indication to this effect came from KJS Cheema, special principal secretary to the Chief Minister while interacting with a section of mediapersons here today.

Cheema visited a number of grain markets and purchase centres to oversee the ongoing wheat procurement operations and to listen to the grievances of farmers, commission agents and others.

Bathinda Deputy Commissioner S. Karuna Raju has already written to the secretary, Food Supply, Punjab, for introducing two procurement agencies in the markets where the arrival of wheat was high.

Cheema said the second procurement agency could be attached to the existing procurement agency in order to make the procurement of wheat fast and smooth.

He said the district head of Food Corporation of India (FCI) had been directed to redress the complaints regarding shortage of gunny bags and delayed payments to the farmers.

Admitting that there was an acute shortage of labour in certain grain markets, he said all-out efforts were being made to overcome the same. The procurement operations would become hassle-free in a few days.

Meanwhile, the DC disclosed that only 40 per cent labour was available for current procurement operations as compared to the previous year. He added that due to bumper crop of wheat this year, the arrival of same had been picking up day by day.

Last year, the different agencies had procured about 6.81 lakh MT of wheat from the Bathinda district, which is expected to go up to 7.5 lakh MT this year. So far, about 4.36 lakh MT of wheat has arrived in the grain markets and purchase centres of this district.

Moga, April 27
The court of Sub-Divisional Magistrate-cum-Collector of Moga, Ajmer Singh, in a significant decision has declared that 188 acres of land (1,471 kanal and 4 marla) worth Rs 35-crore falling within the Beer area of the Sherpur Taiba village, situated on the banks of Sutlej in Moga district, belongs to the provincial government.

For the past 12 years, the Revenue and Panchayat departments were at loggerheads over the ownership right of the land. The controversial land was transferred to the Panchayat Samiti of Dharamkot in the year 1999, the mutation of which has now been set aside by the collector.

It was transferred to the Panchayat Department allegedly by falsely interpreting a notification issued on February 13, 1962 by the Financial Commissioner of the Development and Panchayat Department after the abolition of the District Board of Ferozepur.

Last year, the Revenue Department took back the ownership rights of the land from the Panchayat Samiti and changed its mutation first in the name of the provincial government and then a portion of the land was allotted in the names of some individuals as per the policy of the government issued in 1997 to grant ownership rights to those who are cultivating the government land since 1994.

Opposing this, the then Block Development Officer-cum-Executive Officer of the Panchayat Samiti Arun Sharma filed a civil suit before the Collector’s court, who issued stay orders on May 24, last year.

A few months back, a magisterial probe was conducted into the matter by the ADC Abhinav Trikha, who said the land belonged to the Panchayat Samiti and a portion of the land was illegally allotted to the individuals. Now, the Collector’s decision that the land belongs to the provincial government has raised a question mark on the magisterial probe conducted by the ADC, following which, the revenue authorities cancelled all the mutations.

On November 29, 2002, the then collector issued orders that the Panchayat Samiti was the owner of the land, which was confirmed by the Deputy Commissioner in 2003. However, the DC again reversed the orders in 2005, as claimed by the revenue authorities.

A local resident, Gian Singh, having possession of a portion of the controversial land, approached the High Court, vide CWP-15674, in 2003, in which the court asked the DC to pass speaking orders The DC also passed the speaking orders that the land did not belong to the Panchayat Samiti. Meanwhile, investigation made by The Tribune revealed that the Panchayat Samiti, during the illegal possession, razed hundreds of trees having timber value of Rs 50-lakh and sold it in the open market. Many logs were still lying in the office of the Dharamkot Panchayat Samiti at Kot-ise-Khan in the district.

Sex racket busted: Four persons including three women were arrested by the Samalsar police on the charges of immoral trafficking from Dalluwala village in the Moga district, last evening. Police arrested three women and the aleged kingpin Jagjit Singh, of Mari Mustaffa village.

Bathinda, April 27
All 94 activists of the Unemployed Linemen Union, who were lodged in the local Central Jail for trying to disturb the political rally held on April 14 by ruling SAD (Badal) at Talwandi Sabo, were released late in the evening today.

However, the condition of Ranjit Kaur, who is the mother of state president of the Union Pirmal Singh and has been observing fast in front of the DC office for the past nine days in protest against the alleged high-handedness of the Punjab Government, has deteriorated.

The 94 activists were arrested by the Talwandi Sabo police after registering a report under Sections 107 and 151 of the CrPC against them when they managed to enter the pandal of the SAD (B) and disrupted law and order during its Baisakhi conference.

Meanwhile, about 279 activists of the Union, who were arrested on the same day from different spots and from the SAD (B) pandal, were still lodged in Ferozepur, Sangrur, Malerkotla and Barnala jails. A criminal case against these activists was registered under Sections 323, 353, 186, 148 and 149 of the IPC at Talwandi Sabo police station.

It is learnt that 94 activists were released today after a compromise was reached between the agitating unemployed linemen and the Punjab Government.

A senior functionary of the Punjab police had played a key role in effecting the compromise. The Punjab Government would have to arrange for the release of other jailed activists by 1 pm tomorrow, failing which the union activists along with their family members and children would hold a state-level protest rally here and would court arrest.

District president of the Unemployed Linemen Union, Mansa, Darshan Singh Bareh, said the union would continue its agitation till the state government accepted its demands.

Bathinda, April 27
Congress MLA Harminder Singh Jassi today urged the government to streamline the ongoing procurement of wheat crop and provide basic facilities to the farmers camping in the grain markets to dispose their produce.

Jassi, accompanied by several local party leaders, including Ashok Kumar, Inder Singh Sahni and Rupinder Bindra, took stock of the difficulties being faced by farmers during the procurement process.

The legislator said farmers were compelled to spend nights in the grain markets because of slow pace of lifting of grain by various agencies of the Punjab Government. No arrangement of drinking water and toilets has been made in the grain markets.

He demanded a high-level probe into the “fake” expenditure billed by certain marketing committees to provide basic facilities to the farmers.

Jassi alleged that the SAD-BJP government was pursuing the politics of laying foundation stones to mislead the general public.

Though the summer has just set in, residents of Bathinda are facing scarcity of drinking water, he lamented.

Bathinda, April 27
Even as a large number of private schools, affiliated to the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) and the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have been indulging in dummy admissions for Classes XI and XII, the Punjab Government has started working out modalities to check the menace.

Information gathered by TNS revealed that the state education minister had called a meeting of the representatives of different organisations of private schools, the PSEB chairman and other officials concerned on April 28 to work out the modalities.

Under this exercise, the Punjab Government would recognise coaching centres and academies as associate schools, which would be allowed to hold Classes XI and XII on their premises so that their students could appear in exams as regular students of the PSEB.

The Punjab Government had to take this step after it received reports that a number of private schools in the state had been allowing dummy admissions to students despite the fact that such students would take tuition at Kota, Delhi, Chandigarh and other parts of the country to prepare themselves for competitive exams to get admission in medical and engineering colleges.

The authorities concerned had also come to know that certain private schools had been admitting hundreds of students even as they did not have required infrastructure, including classrooms, to accommodate them, which established that such schools had indulged in dummy admissions.

It is learnt that the menace of dummy admissions had reached a point where the managements of private schools had started approaching the coaching centres asking them to provide students for dummy admissions in their respective schools on commission basis.

A education department functionary said due to the dummy admission culture, a large number of government schools had been finding it difficult to get required number of students for science courses in Classes XI and XII. "Hence, a number of science teachers of such schools have been temporarily shifted to other schools where the strength of science students is adequate," he added.

PSEB chairman Dalbir Singh Dhillon said while recognising any academy or coaching centre as associate school, five conditions would be taken into account: the age of that coaching centre, its covered area, strength of students, number of teachers and their qualification. A final decision in this connection would be taken after the April 28 meeting, he added.

Abohar, April 27
Responding to the representation made by hundreds of people led by the local legislator Sunil Jakhar to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during the Sangat Darshan function on April 22 here, a team of senior officials of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board (PWSSB) today arrived to study the problems related to the outlived sewerage system.

Superintending engineer ML Bansal, executive engineer ND Bawa and sub-divisional engineer Hakam Singh also held discussions with the Municipal Council president Shivraj Goyal and SDM Jasdeep Singh Aulakh. The team visited the main disposal works that had wreaked havoc to hundreds of acres of the agricultural land in the adjoining area besides inundating residential colonies.

It had been suggested that extension of the sewerage water channel up to the Sayeedwala drain with a budgeted cost of Rs 14.26 crore can give much relief. However, funds still awaited nod. — OC

Bathinda, April 27
About 26 years ago, Jeet Kaur had migrated to Bathinda from Delhi after losing her son in the 1984 riots but she is still struggling to get a red card from the state government.

"My son Tirlok Singh was in a private job at Delhi, when the anti-Sikh riots took place. His death was a big shock for me. I along with my second son, shifted to Bathinda, who runs a taxi and earns the bread and butter for the family," she said.

Expressing her anguish, Jeet Kaur said, "The politicians are just exploiting us. Whenever elections come closer, a letter is issued with an assurance to re-examine the case but nothing tangible has been seen.”

Seventy-five years old Gurdev Kaur, who migrated to Nathpura village in Bathinda district, lost her husband Bhola Singh in the riots. "We are trapped in a vicious circle. Having visited offices for years, my eyesight has weakened,” she rued.

It may be mentioned that uprooted from their native places, many Sikh families who migrated to Bathinda are yet to receive rehabilitation packages, especially the red card from Punjab government.

District officials informed that the government, once again, has taken up the task of resettlement of Sikh families that migrated to Punjab between November 1, 1984, and December 11, 1985. They have been given another chance to prove their claims as the administration seeks to complete the re-examinatiuon of all cases seeking red cards by April 28.

"We have no other option but to appear before the officials for the red card as only this will entitle us to facilities and concessions," said Mukhtiar Singh of Daan Singh Wala village.

A senior leader of the Danga Peerat Sangharsh Committee, Mohinder Singh Sohal said, "There are nearly 225 riot victims who are running from pillar to post for the red card. In nearly 83 cases, formalities were completed but the administration is harassing them on the pretext of one document or the other."

Upjeet Singh Brar, ADC, said, "Going by the government’s direction, we had called the claimants to prove their right, today. 522 red cards have already been issued to the riot victims settled in Bathinda. After following the process, the remaining eligibile would also be recommended.”

Bathinda: The lure for lucre has landed Gurjant Singh, ASI, Punjab Police, into the lock-up of same police station, where he was posted, late on Wednesday evening. Gurjant Singh, who was posted at the cantonment police station, was caught red-handed by ASP Vikramjit Singh Bhatti, while accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from one Bhola Singh for helping him in a land dispute case at the same police station.

Bhatti said Bhola had lodged a complaint in connection with a dispute over a residential plot to SSP SS Gill. An inquiry was marked to Gurjant Singh by Gill. Bhatti said Gurjant and two others had been arrested and a case lodged at the cantonment police station. The bribe money was recovered. — TNS