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Kabaddi extravaganza: Will city be a good sport?
Indian team to be announced after Diwali
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Toddler’s kidnapping
Health Dept continues raids at sweet shops
Class IV staff start hunger strike
Four booked for dowry
Woman among three booked for violence
DPS Bathinda wins inter-school basketball championship
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Kabaddi extravaganza: Will city be a good sport?
Bathinda, October 23 Last year, the Punjab government spent the money on the event from the sponsorship garnered from various liquor manufacturing companies in the state. Ironically, the government has been claiming that sports keep the youth away from alcohol and drugs. Though the source of funds this time is yet to be known, residents of the city are regretting that the amount spent on the games could have given Bathinda residents some respite, if used judiciously. With this money, major issues like stray cattle menace, inadequate infrastructure in government schools and poor healthcare facilities could have been redressed. The city could also have heaved a sigh of relief if facilities to end the traffic bottlenecks could have been created. Education
The annual infrastructure budget of Bathinda district is Rs 20 crores from which around 700 government schools under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA), Nabard and the Panchayati Raj Institution schools get funds. Most of the schools lying within the municipal limits of Bathinda are poor cousins as compared to their private counterparts in the city. "The government middle school situated right in the heart of city at the Mall road does not have a pucca floor outside the classes. It results in the school premises getting inundated at the time of heavy rains," said the education department officials. Similarly, the schools situated in the trans-railway line area lack adequate supply of potable water. "Even a few lakhs, spent judiciously, is enough to give the government school education and infrastructure an impetus," said the officials of the education department. Stray cattle menace
Four people have lost their lives in the last six months and over a dozen have sustained serious injuries owing to the stray cattle. The problem persists apparently due to the 'paucity' of funds with the local civic body. The estimated number of stray cattle in the city ranges from 1500 to 2000. The city has just three cattle pounds (gaushala), while the fourth is under construction. "A total of five cattle pounds are needed to ensure that the stray animals do not pose a threat to human life. We need Rs 1.5 crore to set up one cattle pound and Rs 75, 000 per month to impound the stray cattle moving around in the city," said Sadhu Ram Kusla, general secretary, Sri Ram Gaushala. He said they do not require land but need money for the construction of the gaushala. If one more gaushala comes up in the city, then there will not be any problem in accommodating the stray cattle moving around, he said. Traffic bottlenecks
Many people have lost their lives due to the traffic bottlenecks, lack of driving and parking sense, acute staff shortage in the police and poor facilities. Spending a few lakhs to light up the dark areas, installing proper reflectors and signboards, rectification of traffic lights, deployment of extra force, NGOs or others could bring some respite from the accidental injuries and deaths. Commuters on the Guru Kashi Marg daily battle commotion at the Hanuman chowk due to poorly maintained light points. "Only a few thousand rupees are required to synchronize these lights that need experts from outside the city," said the MC officials. To add to this, the Bathinda police are forever busy with the VIP duties, the city being the epicentre of political activities in the state. “No one even has the time to think about the option of training and deputing traffic marshals, which does not even cost a dime and is a proven formula to solve traffic chaos," said some of the residents. Dengue
Bathinda is the second city in the state to have the highest number of dengue cases after Ludhiana. Lack of infrastructure and staff constraints have put the Civil Hospital doctors in a Catch-22 situation. Many families have spent more than Rs 40,000 on treatment at the DMC, Ludhiana, instead of getting medication at the Bathinda Civil Hospital. While people have carried their own cots to the hospital due to the overcrowding of dengue patients, the hospital staff laments government apathy and thinks it is responsible to a large extent for the problems. People like Joginder from the local bus stand area, Tarsem from Ghore Wala Chowk, Vicky Singla from Goniana, Karanpal from Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar had gone all the way to the DMC Ludhiana, to get treated for dengue. "After waiting for hours, we left the hospital and came to Ludhiana. There was no question of going to a private practitioner as everybody is after the patients' money. “Had I got proper and timely treatment at the Bathinda Civil Hospital I could have ben spared harassment and saved some money as well,” said Joginder, a dengue patient. Fact file
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Indian team to be announced after Diwali
Bathinda October 23 The coach of the team, Harbans Singh, who will remain with the team till the final matches, said, "All the players, who are attending the fitness camp, are of equal calibre. We cannot pick and choose anybody as they play with the same energy in the field. However, we are hopeful that we would form the best team and would again win the second World Cup Kabaddi." "The players have been observed from day one by the coaches and the final results will be fair as they would be based on many aspects. “At the camp, everything, from the discipline of the players to their game, is watched carefully. Till Diwali, they will have to practice hard to prove themselves. They will be given a day off on Diwali," said the coach. "At the camp, the team spirit as well as the national spirit is being imbibed into the players. They have to show all their courage and energy in the field," he added. Gurlal Singh, who has not missed any big tournament, be it the Asian Games or the games in Iran, unfortunately could not play in the last World Cup due to an injury. This time, he is in the camp and hopes to be a part of the World Cup till its final rounds. "All the players have an experience of around eight to 10 years and nobody is new to the game. Everybody wants to be in the final 14 as the World Cup has its own importance as it will highlight the potential of the player to the world. However, we are hoping for the best. The rest depends on fate," Gurlal said. Meanwhile, the Director, Sports, Pargat Singh also confirmed that the team would be announced after Diwali. "The selection committee will declare the team soon after Diwali. It would be announced on the day of the final trials, expected to be on October 28 or 29." Kabaddi fans would be eagerly awaiting for the announcement to see who makes the
cut. Fact file
The teams
Pool A Pool B India
USA Canada Italy Australia
Argentina UK
Norway Iran
Spain Afghanistan Germany |
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Toddler’s kidnapping
Bathinda, October 23 Kartik was picked up by two unidentified motorcycle-borne youth from the posh Model Town, Phase-II area in broad daylight. Kartik was playing in the park with his eight- year-old brother when the two unidentified men picked up the boy and fled on a bike. Kartik's brother Dhruv, failed to reveal the identity of the accused and only said that two men took away his brother on a bike. Bathinda SSP Sukhchain Singh Gill said the police was exploring all the angles and also focusing on the tantrik angle. SP (D) Sukhdev Singh Chahal claimed the police will crack the case soon. He said they could not make the sketch of the accused as the brother of the kidnapped child who saw the men could not reveal anything and only said they were wearing black clothes. A police officer deployed to conduct raids in surrounding areas of Bathinda said that police teams today conducted raids at 15 different locations and enquired about the child at all possible hideouts. "We have been looking for the child at the hutments of the tantrik, drug addicts and others. We are also in touch with the family members," he said. Police officials said no ransom call has been made so far. A case in this connection has been registered at the cantonment police station under section 364 and 120-B of the IPC. Past abductions
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Health Dept continues raids at sweet shops
Bathinda October 23 The reason officials give for the delay in conducting the raids is the spread of dengue fever, which kept them pre-occupied. Today, the officials of the department conducted raids and destroyed sweets lying in an unhygienic condition at various places. In a raid conducted at a cold storage, near the focal point in the industrial area, the officials collected samples of the stored sweets from two shops, namely, Manoj Sweets and Happy Sweets. District Health Officer Dr Raghubir Singh Randhawa said, "We were totally involved in handling the dengue crisis. However, today, we have been specially asked by the DC to initiate a drive to nab those involved in the making of spurious sweets." Explaining the delay in initiating the action, the DHO said, "For a district, just one official has been employed to deal with such issues. However, the manpower should be reinforced so that more teams can be formed to tackle such problems simultaneously." "Till Diwali, we will continue these raids as these are planned specifically for the festival,” he added. In areas such as Paras Ram Nagar, Phirki and other locations, where people were selling sweets in open and unhygienic conditions, checks were conducted and products destroyed immediately. "The sweets were lying in an extremely bad condition as flies could be seen sitting on these. The owners of these temporary tent-type shops have been warned not to compromise as it is hazardous for the health of the buyers," said Amrit Pal Singh, the Food Safety Officer. "The tests will be done at the state laboratory in Chandigarh and the results are expected after Diwali. However, the samples collected during the raids at the time of Navratras were found to be free from any adulteration," the DHO added. |
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Dry fruits beyond common man’s reach during festival season
The rates of the dry fruits have doubled as the festival season is on. The market price of cashew-nut is Rs 1,100 per kilogram while before the festival season its rate was Rs 500 per kilogram. Similarly, the price almond has jumped from Rs 400 per kg to Rs 700 per kg. People have become conscious in choosing the stuff for
Diwali. Ashok, the owner of Valaiti Ram Satpal store, said, “Despite of hike in the price of dry fruits during the festival season, the customers prefer to purchase the gift packs of dry fruits due to health reasons or fearing adulteration in sweets.” The owner of
Amantran, a bakery and a sweet-shop, Bobby, said, “The customers are buying dry fruits as well as sweets from us as they trust our preparation.” “On the one hand, we are being alerted against adulteration and spurious activities of sweet-makers, on the other the market price of everything has gone up. We have no charm left for the festival,” said Mandeep
Kaur, a resident of Vishal Nagar. |
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Reporters’ diary
It is party time in the city. With the assembly elections knocking the door and the World Cup Kabaddi round the corner, the city has suddenly beein converted into a party destination. Politicians have started organising parties for the media persons and even their families.
In the garb of media meet, elaborate luncheons are being hosted seeking 'cooperation' from various media teams in the coming elections. It would be interesting to see as to how many of these luncheons actually translate into cooperation and further into votes. Can you speak in Hindi, please?
It’s not love for the national language Hindi but the scare of Punjabi that has prompted an official of a procuring agency in Bathinda to request his callers to speak in Hindi. A South Indian by origin, the official has been posted here for the last one year. “Amongst adjusting with the oddities of new place, the language here gave me a tough time,” he said. A year down the line, he has learnt the nitty-gritty of Punjabi language right from the hinterland of the state. Now, he understands the things farmers speak, albeit with a little help from his subordinates. Kabaddi-Kabaddi or Badal Badal?
When the last year's World Cup Kabaddi’s star commentator-the comedian, Bhagwant Mann was asked about this year’s championship, he replied, “For the publicity, the government is giving bicycles bearing Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal's photographs to the school girls. I doubt if in the World Kabaddi Cup-2, the players of the team India will have to come in the field with the tattoo of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) printed on their biceps and any player going for the raid in the opponent's side would have to say 'Badal-Badal' instead of ‘Kabaddi-Kabaddi’.” Notably, the comedian has joined the People's Party of Punjab (PPP), an opponent faction of the SAD and has not been invited for the championship. Beware Mann saab, you have given a great idea to your opponents prior to the assembly election. Live Jalebi - a unique USP
Live talk shows, live telecast of the news and sports matches on the television, live coverage of wars and rallies by TV channels are the common terms. However, hearing 'Live Jalebi' alerts you for a moment. Well, it is quite humorous to read ‘Live Jalebi’ glued on the serving window of a food court in the famous mall of the city. It is basically the jalebi counter of the restaurant, where on an instant order, one can enjoy the delicious ‘garam-garam Jalebi’. Perhaps, it’s an idea to attract jalebi lovers or a mistake in printing. But, an innovative USP! Traffic rules being violated
It is often seen that some people do not bother the presence of the traffic police at the roundabouts and violate the traffic rules by jumping the red light or any other way. This happens especially when they find the traffic police standing in a group and busy in other works. At times, the situation creates traffic chaos when several commuters simultaneously violate the traffic rules thinking that there is no one to check them. Will the higher police authorities direct the traffic police to regulate the traffic from all sides of the roundabouts? It is yet to be seen. A visit to a barber’s shop
Yes sir, will do sir, please sir, sure sir….these were the adjectives a barber used when a police inspector reached his shop to get his hair cut. I had been in-charge of many police stations and people still respect me at all those places. The policeman kept on eulogising himself while sitting on the chair of the barber with head bowed. During the 20 minute haircut, the cop apprised the correspondent sitting beside his chair of new traits of policemen besides boasting about his drinking habits, work pressure and 'arranging' branded liquor. |
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School in residential area opposed
Bathinda, October 23 “We never know if the people moving around are associated with school or not. This gives anti-social elements enough benefit of doubt under which they keep loitering without any restriction. In fact kidnapping of the toddler from same area is an eye opener and a wake up call for the BDA and police to review existence of school in residential area,” said the association members. They added that during the parent-teacher meetings of school and other events such as annual function, the locality gets flooded with traffic and vehicle parked in haphazard manner. Many a times the visitors to school end up having tiff with area residents due to the vehicles parked in front of houses. "To make the matters worse, no one from school is bothered to even navigate traffic or ensure that roads do not get clogged up. Even the school vans are parked parallel to the park. Existence of commercial venture is not healthy for the locale environment and hence we have requested BDA authorities, the developer of this area, to look into the issue," added the area residents saying that school interferes with privacy in locality. Meanwhile, principal Radcliffe School Sujit K Jana said that school does not lie in Model Town phase II but in Shant Nagar. "No one has approached us with the problem of traffic in areas around the school. But keeping in view the comfort of people, we will streamline our traffic system," he asserted. |
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Class IV staff start hunger strike
Bathinda, October 23 The members of class IVth union (Education Department) said they had met the officials at Chandigarh too, who agreed to their demands in principle but did not implement it. Meanwhile, the agitating Government School Lecturer Union has got an audience with the CM Prakash Singh Badal on October 31. In a press statement issued today, the president of the union Hakam Singh stated that the union members took out a protest rally in villages of Abul Khurana, Mauana, Lambi, Malout and other villages lying in the CM's constituency. They said the denial of principal secretary to the CM Darbara Singh Guru had prompted them to take this step. Hakam Singh said if the government does not accept the demands of the union, the protests would be intensified and on October 30 a massive rally would be held at Gurudwara Amb Sahib in
Mohali. |
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Four booked for dowry
Bathinda, October 23 Investigating official in the case sub-inspector Janak Raj said the boy’s family members had claimed that their son is the US returned and is expected to return to the US after marriage. However a few months after marriage, the girl’s family members found that the boy was deported back by the US after his involvement in a sexual harassment case and subsequent seven years of imprisonment announced against him. The couple had a two and a-half-year-old girl, who is now living with her mother in Adarsh Nagar for the last eight months. The IO said the marriage was solemenised by a Kotkapura-based PK marriage bureau. He said the girl has done BSc and later done B.Ed after marriage. However, the boy was however only Xth passed and that too is not confirmed. The boy’s family members said that the boy had done his studies from the US. They had claimed that the boy has 75 acres of land and their residence in front of PAU is worth Rs 32 crores. However, after a dispute when the girls family members came to know about the boy’s details, the boy’s family members demanded a share in the girl's property. A case in this connection has been registered against boy and his family members under Sections 498-A, 406 and 109 of the IPC. However, no arrests have been made in this regard. |
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Woman among three booked for violence
Bathinda, October 23 The complainant said that his father was beaten up over the claims on a house by both the parties. A case under Sections 323, 324 and 34 of the IPC has been registered against the accused. However, no arrests have been made in this connection so far. |
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DPS Bathinda wins inter-school basketball championship
Bathinda, October 23 Principal Dr Arun Jee congratulated the entire team and their coach S Sankar. The team would next participate in the national level basketball championship that is to be held at DPS Noida next month. Also, DPS Bathinda's girls team participated in first inter-DPS girls basketball championship held at DPS Jalandhar. The team secured the second position in the tournament that was held. |
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Bathinda October 23