Bathinda October 9
"When I was diagnosed as HIV positive, I first thought of committing suicide. I looked around and saw my three children, who all are under the age of 15 years and have a lot to do in future. Then, I decided to get myself treated as earlier as possible," said Mukhtiar (name changed), a cab driver by profession.

About three months back, when Mukhtiar came to know about his disease, he started receiving treatment here at the Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART) centre at the Civil Hospital, Bathinda. He is now quite confident that with the therapy, he can be with his family for some more years. "If I had not opted for this treatment, I would have gradually ended my life, crawling to the grave with this disease," said Mukhtiar.

Medical Officer Dr Kasturi Lal said, "When we started the ART centre in September 2010, there were only 30 patients. They were given only medicines, which were brought from the other ART centres. Within a year, now, more than 850 patients have been registered. Out of these 850, there are 503 patients on ART medicines while the others are on pre-ART."

"The treatment with ART is started when the patient is able to tolerate the medicines. It is dependent on the count of CD-4 cells in the blood of the patient. These cells are the primary target of the AIDS virus and their loss will result in the decrease in the immunity of the person. If the count of these cells is less than 250 per microlitre of blood, the patient is put on Pre-ART and regularly monitored. When the cell count starts increasing, the anti-retroviral therapy (ART) can be started," he explained.

"The AIDS virus can be transmitted through four routes-through blood transfusion, sexual route, by using infected syringes and during pregnancy through the infected mother to the child. Here, a majority of the patient got the disease via the sexual route. Most of the patients are from poor families. They are mainly the truckers, cab drivers and sex workers, who usually have more than one sex partner," said the doctor.

"The patients from adjoining cities like Mansa, Abohar, Ferozepur and Muktsar also visit for treatment. With the ART medicine, the longevity as well as the quality of life of the patient improves. Here, we have a counsellor too, who motivates the patient to take their treatment properly and calms their anxieties from time to time," he added.

The staff at the centre constitutes of seven persons-a medical officer, counsellor, staff nurse, pharmacist, data manager, lab technician and care coordinator.

"We maintain a rapport with the patients to build confidence in them. As they are fighting an irreparable disease, some of the patients come without any hope. So, we keep on impinging positivity in them. We call every patient after 15 days and conduct their regular check-up such as measuring their weight, haemoglobin besides checking the side-effects of the medicine," said Jasveer Kaur, who works as a staff nurse at the centre.

In Punjab, there are a total of five ART centres-- at Patiala, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Pathankot and Bathinda. Under the National AIDS Control Policy, these are run by the National AIDS Control Society in collaboration with the Community Care Centre.

The Community Care Centre is a project of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of India. It is managed by the Gunjan Organisation for community development, which is funded by the Himachal Pradesh State AIDS Control Society, Shimla.

Bathinda, October 9
The education department will distribute 4459 cycles to girl students of classes Plus One and two of government schools under the Mai Bhago Vidya Scheme in Bathinda.

Starting from tomorrow, cycles worth Rs 1.2 crores would be given to the students so that all the girls get enough opportunity to complete their senior secondary education.

Although elementary schools in the state are quite approachable, yet the high schools and the senior secondary schools in the villages are located at a distance. This acts as a disincentive for the girls to continue their education. In view of this, the scheme was launched in the state with an outlay of Rs 75 crore.

On Monday, Member of Parliament, Bathinda, Harsimrat Kaur Badal will distribute the first batch of 100 cycles in Bathinda to the students at Nehianwali government school, said District Education Officer (Secondary) HS Sandhu.

The 20 inches and 22 inches high cycles have been bought from different companies after floating tenders. For Bathinda, supply order worth Rs 1. 20 crores was sent on August 23. On an average, each village would get around 15 cycles.

Bathinda has got cycles from the Atlas Cycles Haryana Limited, Sonepat, Kohinoor Cycles Private Limited, Ludhiana and Safari Bikes Limited, Ludhiana.

The Bathinda sub-division would get the maximum number of 20 inches cycles (954), while Phool west will get 117 cycles in same category for the students of the government school at Rampura Mandi.

In the 22 inches category, Bathinda sub-division will get the highest (753) number of cycles while Sangat will get 108 cycles.

A similar scheme was floated around four years ago wherein cycles were given to the girl students based on the distance of their houses from their respective schools.

However, the scheme then had a discipline clause that stated that if a student stops coming to the school after taking the cycle, the facility would be withdrawn. It made the scheme flounder and it petered out soon.

“There is no such discipline clause this time under the Mai Bhago Scheme for girl students. The only aim is to promote the education of female students,” the DEO (Secondary) added.

Bathinda, October 9
Ali Brothers, the young Sufi singers of the Patiala Gharana, are making waves on the small screen. At a young age they have already turned into celebrities and have carved a niche for themselves in the hearts of the audience all over the country.

Known for their 'buland' or high-pitched and melodious Sufi songs, the three children have appeared in shows like Entertainment Ke Liya Kuch Bhi Karega on Sony TV, in Little Champs on Zee TV and India's Got Talent telecast on Colors channel.

Despite having attained the heights of success, the three remain glued to their roots -- the Patiala Gharana-- which has a number of disciples in Punjab including the singer Master Salim.

The leader of this team is 14-year-old Parvez Bablu, a student of class IX of the local Dasmesh Senior Secondary School. His 12-year-old brother Parven Hassan and 11-year-old nephew Ahmed Ali complete the melodious team.

"Our children have been practising since the age of five years. Music is in our blood, in our genes. Even our new-born babies are more accustomed to music than they are to the voice of their mothers," says Bablu's father Zakir Hussain, who tutors the three children.

Ahmed's brother Masha Ali is also a well-known singer and the major force that prompted them to appear for the audition of the reality show Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega. "For this show, they appeared for the auditions at Chandigarh and then were directly called to Mumbai," says the proud father.

They practice daily for two to three hours besides studying. "It's my Board next year and I am confident that with the guidance of my teachers, I would be able to get good marks," says a concerned Bablu, who missed school for a moth with his team to participate in India's Got Talent.

Bablu and Hassan study in Dasmesh School and Ahmed is a student of Khalsa School. "The principals of both the schools have been kind enough to give our children free education. The teachers too are very accommodating and help the children cover the leftover portions," adds Ahmed's father Raj Khan.

At home, the children rehearse on harmonium and tabla, which is replaced by the digitized keyboards during the various shows. They have been trained to adapt themselves to any kind of musical instrument made available. At the end of the day, like any other child, all the three love playing gully cricket and running after each other.

Bathinda, October 9
As an aftermath of the tiff between the Municipal Councillors and officials of the Bathinda Municipal Corporation (BMC), the volunteers of various NGOs have started assisting in fogging in their areas.

On Saturday, a pre-agenda meeting of the body was convened at the residence of the Mayor. The meeting turned unsavory when the Municipal Councillor Mithu Ram Gupta raised the issue of poor fogging facilities in the city despite the dengue scare.

He had pointed out that fogging facilities in his ward were poor. The BMC officials had objected to this and had heated arguments. From today onwards, the volunteers of the local area NGOs, who are well-conversed with the topography of respective localities are accompanying the drivers of the fogging machines.

“We had noticed that the fogging machine drivers just used to carry out a formality. The areas were not being fumigated effectively and people are falling prey to dengue,” said Gupta.

For convenience, the city has been divided into three major areas comprising Paras Ram Nagar, satellite areas, main market, residential areas and the locality situated towards left side including Shant Nagar and Aggarwal Colony.

For a population of 2.80 lakh, the BMC has just three fogging machines, one of which was bought recently. The BMC now plans to buy two more fogging machines, agenda for which would be presented in the forthcoming meeting.

Of the three fogging machines, only two are functional. Another one could not be run in the absence of an educated operator. One of the three machines is 22 years old.

A machine covers two wards daily while two machines cover four wards. Thus, each ward gets fumigated after 13 days. Moreover, no one knows if proper fumigation is done or not. At times, the machine moves around making noise but does not billow smoke.

Bathinda, October 9
Four people including a woman have been booked for cheating a resident of the Sirki Bazar in connection with the sale of land in Nachhattar Nagar. The accused have been identified as Vinaypal, Kiran Bala, residents of Afeem Wali Gali, Rajiv Jindal of Bharat Nagar and Ramesh Kumar. They have been booked under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 120-B of the IPC.

Tarsem Chand, the complainant, a resident of Sirki Bazar, alleged that his brother had sold their ancestral land to some of his relatives, friends and others by illegally manipulating the papers by getting the land registered through unfair means in the revenue records. Investigating official, Vardhman police post in-charge ASI Narinder Kumar, said a complaint was sent by Tarsem to the Bathinda SSP and an inquiry was marked to him. He said Tarsem and the main accused Vinaypal are brothers and had ancestral property worth lakhs at Nachhattar Nagar. During investigation, it was found that the accused had 4132 square yards of property but he sold off 4600 square yards to his friend, nephew, son and wife.

Vinaypal first got the land registered in the name of his wife and son and further sold it to a third person to make fast money. A case in this connection has been registered at the Canal Police Station. No arrests was made so far. “Efforts are on to nab the culprits,” said the police officials. — TNS

Bathinda October 9
Due to the ongoing threat posed by the dengue epidemic, the administration has also become alert. Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav today visited the dengue patients in the Civil Hospital.

The DC instructed to ensure that there should be round-the-clock availability of the doctors and other staff for the patients.

He has also instructed all the staff members, especially the lab technicians not to go on strike and warned of strict action against those who go on leave without prior information.

SMO Satish Goyal said, “We have employed special staff. Two medicine specialists and also four more doctors and 15-16 staff nurses have been put on duty.”

Bathinda, October 9
A man killed his brother over a trivial issue of not switching off a submersible pump in the Mallwala village, today. The village falls under the Rama police station where a case under various Sections of the IPC has been registered against the accused for killing his own brother.

The deceased was identified as Paramjit Singh. He had expressed his concern over the wastage of water as the electric motor installed in his house was not switched off by his brother Harbans Singh.

Harbans got upset after his brother raised objections. In a complaint to the police, Kulwinder Singh, the cousin of the deceased, said the brother who opened fire had filled a can of water by switching on the electric motor but forgot to switch it off. The electric motor remained switched on and water kept pouring. The elder brother raised an alarm in the house over the wastage of water. Though he really meant to scold his servant for not switching off the motor but his younger brother thought that the reprimand was for him.

Upset, he went to the house and came back with a .12 bore rifle and fired at his brother hitting him in the chest. The licence of the rifle was in the name of their father. The bullet pierced through the chest of his brother who died on the spot. The accused was arrested and sent to the jail.

Bathinda October 9
Suxam Singla, an 18-year-old city girl, has made Bathinda proud through her otstanding performances in judo.

At the age of nine years, she started following her instinct, which always directs her to be the most successful person.

“I feel myself different from other girls of my age-group. It is all because of my game, which gives me the confidence to face the society with courage,” said Suxam, who has won many gold and in total over 50 medals in judo competitions. In the year 2003, when Suxam started getting training, only after two months, the girl had been selected for the national judo championship held in Gawhati. It was a moment of pride for her parents.

Sharing his emotional connection with her daughter, Suxam’s father Narinder Singla said, “Though in her first national participation, she could not win any medal there. However, she has proved to us that she has the capability to reach the zenith.”

For her achievements, Suxam gives all credits to the coach and her parents. “My parents pushed me to go for the game and also my coaches, who had sensed the inner capabilities of a player. They have made me strong,” she said.

In academics too, she has always performed well. She has done her matriculation with 84 per cent marks from the CBSE Board and 76 per cent in the class XII.

“Not only in sports but also in studies, I want to compete with my fellow students. I have always maintained a balance in both the areas,” she said.

She is pursuing B.Tech (Electronics) from the Punjabi University (Patiala).

“I forget to tick the sports category in the admission form of the university and filled the general category column. Unfortunately, the admission was denied to me. However, after looking at my various sports certificates and achievements, the university’s sports department has taken me under the category of an outstanding sports person, due to which my total fee has been waived” said Suxam, while sharing moments from her life.

Bathinda, October 9
A woman, residing on the Ajit road, complained of her chain being snatched by two unidentified miscreants on September 27. The accused were booked by the Bathinda Cantontment police after ten days.

The complainant, Sukhwinder Kaur, wife of Nidhan Singh, said she along with her husband had returned from the market late at night on September 27 in a car. Two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants had snatched her chain as she came out of the car to open the door.

No arrest has been made in this regard. The police is also clueless about the snatchers.

Bathinda October 9
The Punjab Governor-cum-Chancellor of the Punjabi University (Patiala) has nominated Prof Ashok Gupta (retd) as a member of the Senate for the third consecutive term in view of his services and contribution towards the cause of education.

He has assured to work for the welfare of the society. Various NGOs of the district have welcomed the decision and congratulated Prof Gupta.

He assured of concentrating on the overall development of the university. He has been instrumental in the uplift of the colleges affiliated to the Punjabi University.

What would Anna do?

General statements like all cops are corrupt tend to ruffle the feathers of those who are honest. However much one may try to convince people but they simply refuse to believe the existence of an honest cop or an honest government official. At the town planner's office, a man came to get the copies of some maps regarding his property. He came with a reference from the higher authorities and needed copies immediately. The entire staff present swung into action and started looking for papers. Unable to control his anxiety, the man placed a note of Rs 500 on the desk of the dealing clerk and said, "Now, do my work soon." Irate over this, the employee asked him to pick his money and go away. "Not all the work can be done with money. Will your money look for the lost papers? Please go away and let us do our work. Come and collect your papers later," he yelled and added that what would the crusader against corruption — Anna Hazare — do when the Indians themselves are bent upon greasing the palms for every work.

Sympathy towards dengue patients only…

During the ongoing indefinite strike, the laboratory technicians have been conducting dengue-related tests in the government hospitals. However, routine tests such as HB, TLC, DLC and urine are not being done. During a visit to the Bathinda Civil Hospital, patients wondered as to why the technicians had sympathy only for the dengue patients and were compelling other patients to visit private laboratories for tests. Patients were also wondering why the striking employees were harassing the poor patients, if they had any confrontation over their demands with the government. One could easily assess the alertness of the authorities of the local Civil Hospital after knowing that even the senior officials had no knowledge a few days ago about the exact number of dengue positive cases, undergoing treatment in the hospital's wards, despite the admission of over 100 patients suffering from fever in the hospital. This came to the notice when the reporter asked a senior official as to how many dengue positive patients were under treatment in the hospital. But he could not tell the number except for saying that there were over 100 fever cases in the wards of the hospital.

Abuse in khaki...

While the Punjab Government is mulling proposals to reform its Police Department and has even planned to incorporate soft skill development training module, the cops' present language is a far cry from the actual demeanour expected from them. It is almost impossible for a common person to withstand the abuses cops rain even while talking amongst themselves. “The Punjab Police’s language can actually put many to shame,” admits one of them and hastily adds that cops refrain from using such language in front of their families. Let us hope that the Punjab Government starts soft skill development programme soon.

Why we lack quality health care institutes?

Ever wondered why despite being a nursery of medical and non-medical entrance test preparing institutes, Bathinda lacks quality health care in both the government and private sector? One of the doctors has an answer to it. Doctors in Bathinda host parties at the arrival of new equipment in respective hospitals. These parties are held in the fanciest hotels of the city where invited guests (also doctors) are encouraged to direct patients towards the host under the category wherein newly bought machine can be used. Young doctors, however, feel that instead of hosting sumptuous parties, the host doctor should hold

medical education programs informing them of the latest updates of machines and treatment related.

When a bed-ridden runs to get captured on lens

Undoubtedly, the media has proved that its reach is even more than the police. However, people are yet to get acclimatized to this fourth pillar. It is normal that when TV channels are covering any incident, people try hard to be in the frame. Not exactly the same, but camera had shown its magic, when I along with my colleague photographer, went to take a version of a lady at her home, regarding social problems. We lost our way and called her to know the exact location. Suddenly, from nowhere, the energetic lady came to pick us and drove us to her place. In her red salwar-kameez, she was so nicely dressed, perhaps for her photo-shoot. She became so busy with her clicks that I reminded her to tell her about the social problems. I wondered, whether the camera really has magical powers?

Sorry, we don’t know...

For the most awaited Diwali, the market is full of gifts, sweets and of course people are seen shopping, especially, on the weekends. When a gift gallery owner was asked about any other gallery in the city to check out variety, he completely ignored the query and said sorry. When his helper tried to tell the location, he secretly asked him to shut his mouth. Perhaps, a businessman could not bear his client going to his rivals. Interestingly, on inquiring about any other store from any shopkeeper, the same reply was there—Sorry, we don’t know.