Mohar Jamsher (Fazilka), June 23
Every year, a large number of residents of this village, in close vicinity of the Indo-Pak border, start packing their belongings as the pre-monsoon period sets in.

Notably, pre-monsoon rains trigger a fear of flood among them as their village is situated on the bank of a creek of the Sutlej river on the one side and surrounded by Pakistan from three sides. Hence, whenever the Sutlej gets swollen, they get isolated from the rest of the world and their village becomes an island.

For the residents, who have been braving such hardships since their birth and have been ignored by the successive Central and state governments continuously, the floods in the Sutlej have become more dangerous than even Pakistan.

Every year, during the monsoon, the residents, mostly facing extreme poverty conditions, would migrate to Mauzam village or other villages, situated across the creek of the Sutlej towards the mainland of India. This has become a routine affair for them.

The residents, with small landholdings, pooled in their resources and contributed money to construct a bridge over the Sutlej, linking the village with the mainland. The bridge was washed away in floods, last year.

“We are not afraid of the enemy’s bullet from Pakistan. We are afraid of the fact that if the Sutlej gets flooded, who would save us,” pointed out Ashok Singh, sarpanch of the village.

He added that even after 64 years of independence, the successive governments could not construct a bridge to provide connectivity to the residents of the village with the mainland throughout the year. The village was surrounded by cobra fencing from all sides and thus it got separated from India every night, he pointed out.

Ajay Sood, SDM, Fazilka, said the drainage department had sent a project connected with the construction of a bridge over the creek of the Sutlej to provide a permanent link to this village with the mainland to the state government.

He said the district administration had provided a ferry to the residents to transport their tractors, cattle and other material from one side of the creek to the other.

The residents were being vaccinated and an evacuation centre would be set up to take them away from the village in case of floods, he added.

Bathinda, June 23
The railways, after incorporating some changes, has finalized the new time-table for the trains. The revised schedule will be effective from July 1.

Though the railway authorities claim it to be the best possible effort to strike a balance between the demand of passengers and the commercial and operational viability of the department, they have failed to meet the expectations of a large number of passengers.

A majority of the commuters, including the Northern Railway Passengers Association, is unhappy with the revised timings of the trains running from Bathinda as they could not find any of the suggested changes in the new time-table.

"This is a mere formality as the new time-table could not bring any relief to the passengers," rued Jasvir Singh, president, Northern Railway Passengers Association, Rampura Phul.

The Association had demanded that the train number 14526 (Sri Ganganagar-Ambala Intercity Express) be delayed by two hours as it could then cater to hundreds of passengers travelling in the train number 19224 (Jammu Tawi-Ahmedabad Express), train number 12481 (Delhi-Sri Ganganagar Intercity Express) and two more trains from the Delhi and Rewari side, informed Jasvir Singh.

"As the train number 14526 leaves the station before all tese train reach Bathinda, the passengers are left waiting to catch a train for Ambala and Haridwar," he added.

Further, the Association mentioned that they had urged the railway authorities to advance the train number 54555 (Dhuri-Bathinda passenger) by 1.15 hours as by the time it reaches the Bathinda station at 9 am, various trains like Ahmedabad-Jammu Tawi, Ahmadabad-Udhampur, Sri Ganganagar-Delhi have already left, resulting in inconvenience to the passengers.

It was also informed that the passengers were of the view that train number 14732 (Bathinda-Delhi Intercity Express) should be advanced by 1.10 hour because by the time it reaches Dhuri, all trains towards Ludhiana have left. In the same way, it was also demanded that while coming from Delhi side, the train number 14731 (Intercity Express) should be delayed by an hour considering the convenience of those who want to catch the connecting train for Ludhiana.

Expressing unhappiness with the revised timings, the members of the Association rued that despite sending thousands of SMSs, e-mails and inland letters to the railway authorities, none of their demands was given any consideration.

Assistant Traffic Manager (ATM), SP Bhatia, when contacted, said the railways had many constraints. Despite this, some changes were made in the time-table to help the commuters.

Pacifying the passengers' association, he said, "The railway is always receptive to grievances and suggestions from passengers. But before bringing any change in the schedule, the department considers various aspects related to the operational and commercial issues."

Bathinda, June 23
It was a different scene at the office of the District Transport Officer (DTO), located in the district administrative complex (DAC), as hundreds of people scrambled to get fancy numbers for their vehicles, the auction of which was held here today.

The passion to get so called VVVIP numbers ran so high among the applicants that number one of PB-03 X series was auctioned for Rs four lakhs. The number of this series fetched Rs 2.02 lakhs and number three fetched Rs 1.76 lakhs.

These numbers were bought by Parma Nand, Sukhraj and Inderpal.

Though the auction of fancy numbers was started before noon by DTO Bhupinder Singh, it continued till late in the evening. About 225 fancy numbers were sold to different applicants in today's auction and the Punjab government had earned revenue in lakhs from the same.

As there were no arrangements for the applicants to sit, they remained on their toes till the number, for which they had applied, was auctioned. A large number of the applicants were found moving here and there in the DAC premises braving the blistering sun.

DTO Bhupinder Singh said that number four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven and seventy seven also fetched a good amount from the applicants. He added that as per the initial estimates, over Rs 20 lakhs were collected from the applicants today.

He said that about 40 fancy numbers were not auctioned today as only one person had applied for taking those numbers.

To instill competition in the auction of those numbers, advertisements would be inserted in the newspapers to invite applications, he said and claimed that the auction of fancy numbers was being done in a transparent, free and fair manner.

Bathinda, June 23
The Improvement Trust, Bathinda, witnessed a lukewarm response from the buyers today as it could sell only four out of the 15 properties put on auction today.

The total earning of the Trust remained at Rs 60 lakh.

Earlier, at the beginning of the auction, the authorities of the Improvement Trust were hopeful. But hardly 10 bidders turned up, belying the expectations of the Trust authorities.

Ashok Bharti, Chairman, Improvement Trust, said that three of the sold properties were located at Transport Nagar while one was located in Keshav Nagar dairy scheme. He mentioned that none of the properties located at Rajiv Gandhi Nagar could find any bidder. — TNS

Pakho Kalan (Barnala), June 23
In a case which speaks of how the womenfolk are suffering due to the problem of drugs in Punjab, a wife bore the brunt of her addict husband and was abandoned by him while his daughter, a brilliant student, had to give up her studies.

Preeti Sagar, daughter of Paramjeet Singh, a retired Naik from the Army and a resident of Pakho Kalan, said, “My father used to beat me and my mother under the influence of liquor and drugs. He did not even give us money for households needs and for my studies. Last year, while I was preparing for class XII examinations, he made our lives miserable. Still I took my examination and later in June 2010, my mother and I had to stay at our relative’s house.”

“Despite all odds, I have secured 65 per cent in class X and 61 per cent in class XII. I wanted to study and wish to do a course in nursing but my father spends all the money on liquor and drugs and hardly gives us anything.

“We approached the principal secretary to the Chief Minister Darbara Singh Guru during his recent visit to our area and the police forced my father to take us back,” she added.

She further said, “My father is an addict so he is quite unstable and can throw us out of our home.”

“I want to study further but my father would never give me money to get admission in a college. I request the government and NGOs to do something for us,” said Preeti Sagar.

Preeti’s mother Bharbhur Kaur said, “I do not want my daughter to suffer the way I have suffered. I request the government to get her free education so that she does not suffer further.”

Paramjeet Singh, husband of Bharbhur Kaur, could not be contacted for his comments since his friends told the TNS that he was not in the village.

Meanwhile, sources said that the mother- daughter duo had approached the principal secretary to CM Darbara Singh Guru during his recent visit to the area, who has directed the police to look into the matter.

Mansa, June 23
The district transport authorities have issued notices to about five dozen transport companies for the recovery of Rs six crores from them, which was due on account of motor vehicle tax (MVT). The district transport authorities took this step when its repeated efforts failed to move the defaulter companies to clear their tax liabilities.

Some of the transport companies have not cleared the liability on account of MVT since 1992 when the district came into existence.

District Transport Officer (DTO) NS Brar said if the transport companies concerned failed to clear their tax liabilities, the department would move against them under the Land Revenue Act and would recover the amount from them in the shape of arrears of land revenue.

The properties of defaulter transport owners could also be attached, he added.

Last year, the image of the local DTO office was dented when a scandal of irregularities was detected into its function surfaced and the then officiating DTO along with three other officials was arrested.

A clerk of the office of the DTO had accused the officiating DTO and other official of minting money by employing illegal means for issuing registration certificates, driving licences and no objection certificates through the agents.

Brar said as the image of the DTO office was dented after allegations against its functioning were levelled in the past, he got a special audit of its accounts and other things for a period of about three and half years.

He said during the special audit, about 57 transport companies were found liable for paying MVT to the tune of Rs 6.04 crores. The notices to these companies had been issued and recovery was also expected from them. He said as per his information, about 10-12 defaulter companies had become totally defunct and hence, he had been trying to find ways to recover dues from them as well. 

Ferozepur, June 23
The Army authorities, handling the affairs of the local cantonment, have allegedly imposed an ‘undeclared military rule’ in some parts of its area after they closed a road leading from the cantonment to Ghiniwala village of the district for public use.

The local Army authorities did not lift the restriction on public movement on that road even when KK Yadav, District Magistrate, Ferozepur, wrote a letter to the station commander, Army Headquarters, Ferozepur, to lift the ban, imposed on that road for public 
movement.

Earlier, in December 2009, the local Army authorities issued orders that all the civilians living in private accommodations in the cantonment area and civilians frequenting the area would have to get identity cards, to be issued by the Army authorities to facilitate their entry.

At that time, Yadav constituted a committee to sort out the matter when this action of the Army authorities faced stiff resistance from the civilians and some officials of the Punjab Government.

Now, Yadav in his letter, written to the station commander on May 3, mentioned that executive engineer, Provincial Division (B&R), Ferozepur, had reported that the road falls under the Market Committee (Ferozepur) and it was entered at code number 05066 of the data book.

The road was being repaired by the Department of the PWD for the past several years. The road was a public road and hence, the Army authorities had illegally restricted public movement on it, Yadav added.

The complaint against the Army authorities for blocking the movement on public road was lodged by Ravi Kumar Soi, former member of the Ferozepur Cantonment Board and Jagbir Singh Deol, former sarpanch of Ghiniwala village.

Both Soi and Deol alleged that the Army authorities had breached the fundamental rights of the residents by imposing a ban on the movement of people on that public road.

They pointed out that after the movement was stopped on that road, the residents living in that area had been facing a lot of inconvenience.

Yadav said he had taken up the issue with the Army authorities to sort out the matter at the earliest.