Bathinda, December 18
The gathering of the intellectuals at the Teachers' Home today demanded that the election manifesto of the political parties should be declared a legal document so that the parties cannot backtrack from the promises made in it.

The election reforms committee of the NGO, Kheti Virasat Mission, working in the environmental sector, held the people's dialogue on corruption and money-free elections in view of the ensuing Vidhan Sabha elections. It was the ninth such congregation in a row. The NGO plans to hold six more such dialogues in different districts of the state.

In partnership with the Youth Clubs Organization, Punjab, and the Bathinda Rural Youth Club Association, the group aims at awakening the masses about their rights as voters and why their votes matter.

Jaskirat Singh, state coordinator, Election Watch, Punjab, said that political parties frequently backtrack from the promises made in the manifesto. "Sadly enough, the manifesto is not considered a legal document and the political parties are not bound to fulfill all the promises they make. We want that the election manifesto be given legal sanctity," he added.

Citing the example of the Punjab Government's move to open a cancer hospital in the public and the private sector in Bathinda instead of controlling the water polluting units in the state, the speakers said the government should be made answerable to the people.

"As the electorate, we should stop taking things at face value. Every voter has a right to question the government and the political parties. The need is to sensitize the people and awaken them about their rights," said Prof. Bagga Singh, state president, Association for Democratic Rights, Punjab.

Similarly, another member on the discussion panel, senior journalist Hamir Singh called for a complete overhaul of the system. Instead of becoming an event dominated by drugs, muscle power, money and dynastic politics, elections should be about the common man and democracy.

"The common man has been completely sidelined in this milieu of elections. No political party is accountable for any of the actions, which is in complete disagreement with the spirit of democracy. Our waters are poisoned, our farmers are dying, agriculture is no longer a lucrative business and the soil now fails to produce healthy food. But no one is accountable. It is no one's responsibility," rued Pishoura Singh Sidhupur, president, BKU (Ekta).

Prominent among those present were Dr Piyara Lal Garg, state coordinator, Bharat Gyan Vigyan Samiti, ex-sarpanch Malwinder Singh Mali, secretary, IDBP, Jarnail Singh Jakhepal, state secretary, UCPI, Patiala Charan Singh Gill, Umendra Dutt, Hartej Mahita, Master Jarnail Singh Jajjal, Jasbir Singh Garewal and Bhupinder Singh Maan.

Bathinda, December 18
The entire Punjab may be gearing up for the assembly elections in February, but getting involved in politics is apparently not something that interests Bathinda's youngsters. They attribute the disinterest to a lack of understanding of the system and rampant corruption in politics. Speaking to Bathinda Tribune, many youngsters accepted that although they try and vote in every election, they know either nothing or very little about the political scene in their district.

Twenty four-year-old Himanshu Malhotra has voted more than three times, but accepts that he has little interest in politics and takes his parents advice on which candidate to vote for. "Most politicians fulfil only 20 per cent of their promises. And whatever development is registered happens just a year or a couple of months before the next elections. The candidates of every party are the same when it comes to forgetting the promises, but we prefer to choose something over nothing. It's the case of andhon mein kaana raja." Yogesh Mahesjwari echoes, "I recently travelled across Punjab and observed that various development projects, that had been lying dormant till some months back, are underway. Rallies are being held across the state and loftier promises are being made."

Anu Khurana, 23, says that although everyone wants change and keeps cribbing about a lack of age limit for active participation in politics, youth keeps away from being involved in the political arena. "Everyone keeps saying bad things about the government, everyone wants change but no one is ready to take the initiative. There is a lack of faith in the system and we prefer to sit on the fence and watch. The corrupt ways of politicians have generated so much negativity that it discourages the youth from being interested in it."

No one can ignore the importance and might of money when it comes to gaining political clout. "No matter how worthy the candidates are, in all probability, the one with more money wins the seat. It is for everyone to see that whatever little progress is shown, is right before the next elections are due. The youth of today doesn't want to be a part of the political system since it believes that irrespective of how hard we try, it is difficult to bring about any change," says twenty seven-year-old Jasmanpreet Kaur.

Narinder Bhatia, 22, is yet to get his voter ID made and is in no hurry to vote for the first time. "I'm usually not in the city during the elections. And anyway, elections don't really bring about any change. All the candidates make hollow promises that never materialise. Only abut 10 per cent youngsters must be interested in politics. No one wants to be a part of the corrupt system and gain a lot of information about it."

It is the fear of being dragged into unfair ways of working of the political parties that proves to be a deterrent for the youngsters. "There is so much goondagardi in politics and we have seen enough examples of the voices of change being suppressed. In such a dismal state of affairs, we certainly don't want to be embroiled in controversies by being progressive. Everyone wants to play safe and just vote for the slightly better candidate," says Shweta Rani, 23. "I have absolutely no knowledge about what is on the parties' agenda this time. Their promises don't matter as only ten per cent of those will be fulfilled in their tenure. I vote for the candidate my parents vote for," says twenty four-year-old Manish Lubana.

Bathinda, December 18
Demanding a special train between Bathinda and Varanasi in view of the birth anniversary celebrations of the Sant Guru Ravi Das that falls on February 7, residents of the Bathinda and its adjoining areas have written a letter to the Union Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee.

In a meeting held in this regard under the banner of the Maha Shakti Welfare Society on Sunday, the devotees said that the railway should provide a special train from Bathinda for the residents of the region. They also demanded that the railway may extend the service of the Shiv-Ganga Express up to Bathinda at least for 15 days considering the number of devotees.

President of the society Mahendra Pal said that members of the society have also decided to submit a memorandum in this regard to the Bathinda Member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

The followers of the Sant demanded that the railway should consider the problems of the residents who go to Varanasi in large numbers to pay respect to the Sant and boarding trains from Delhi poses problems to them in the biting cold.

Members of the society also said that waiting for the Varanasi-bound trains along with kids at the platforms at the Delhi station caused inconvenience as trains normally run behind the schedule due to inclement weather conditions during the period. 

Bathinda, December 18
The people pouring into the city from different states of the country have become an asset. Not only the educated migrants, even the uneducated labour class has proven to be an advantage for the economy of the city that is gradually attaining the culture of a metropolitan.

"Bathinda district has 15000 to 20000 migrant labourers visiting seasonally in the agriculture sector. The agriculture sector is so heavily dependent on the migrant labourers that one cannot even imagine the paddy season without them," observed an economist from the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Sukhpal Singh, who has exhaustively studied the migration pattern in the state. He added that the migrants play the biggest role, adding surplus value to the economy, which can only be expected in the labour sector. The wages given to the uneducated or poorly skilled migrants is much less than the contribution they make towards the development of that particular work.

In the last four years, there has been a considerable decline in the number of migrant workers visiting not only Bathinda, but even Punjab, due to the introduction of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) that gives minimum wages nearer home. As per the experts, in the agriculture sector alone, there are 8.5 lakh migrants, 2 lakh of which are seasonal while the remaining are permanent settlers.

Apart from the migrants in the agriculture sector, people coming here for livelihoods too form a sizeable chunk of quality human resources. Bathinda's education industry, National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) and now the Guru Gobind Singh Refinery has acted as a magnet attracting people from far off places.

"During the setting up of the refinery, we even had Chinese engineers living for over a year. It was a temporary migration, but it added a new dimension to this multi-faceted issue," observed Amrit Singh, a lecturer.

According to the 2001 census, there were 32,072 migrants in all durations whereas in the last ten years alone, 14,757 migrants came to Bathinda. The total added population during 1991-2001 has been recorded as 58,214 of which 14,757 are the migrants, which is 25.35 per cent share of the increased population.

Interestingly, the maximum number of 39,082 migrants, who came to Bathinda city, had their place of last residence in other districts of Punjab which is 34.81 per cent of the total migration followed by the migrants from within the district, numbering 38,899, which is 34.65 per cent of the total whereas 28.57 per cent are from the other states.

As per these figures, the maximum number of migrants in the city (about 70 per cent) is from within the state. Besides hosting people from within the state, the city also plays host to people from Rajasthan, UP, Bihar and other states. 

Bathinda, December 18
Eighteen-year-old Ajay Garg, a student of the Giani Zail Singh College of Engineering and Technology (GZSCET), has been missing since the evening of December 17.

In his complaint to the cantonment police, Ajay's father, Madan Mohan Garg, a resident of Model Town phase-I, stated that his son has been missing since 5 pm on Saturday. Ajay had gone to immerse some grains in the canal near the ITI Chowk. However, he did not return home. His mobile has been switched off while his new motorcycle (whose registration number has been applied for) too is missing.

Garg’s family tried to locate Ajay but in vain. Police have registered a case.

Bathinda, December 18
Under the NRHM’s Mata Kaushalaya Kalyan Scheme, no funds have been provided after October 31 to the local Women and Children Hospital for disbursing Rs 1,000 each among those women who have been delivering babies in the hospital. Over 500 women have delivered babies in the hospital from November 1 to December 16.

The scheme was started in the hospital in June, 2011. The hospital authorities started making payments to the women from June 20. Till May this year, the number of deliveries in the Women and Children Hospital here remained below 200 while it started increasing in June as 214 women delivered babies in that month. It seems that the payment of Rs 1.000 against each delivery has certainly played a vital role in motivating the women to give birth to the babies in the hospital.

According to information, the detail of deliveries conducted in the Women and Children Hospital here in 2011 as follows: January (178), February (160), March (161), April (154), May (180), June (214), July (275), August (377), September (348), October (351), November (314), and 209 deliveries from December 1 to December 16.

However, no body knows whether the scheme has been discontinued by the NRHM or will continue. Besides, it is also not confirmed whether the women who had delivered babies after November 1 in the hospital will get Rs 1,000 or not in future.

Despite this, the number of deliveries (over 300 per month) is still continued as is evident from the fact that in the first fortnight of December month, over 200 women have delivered babies in the hospital here.

Sources said in case the funds were not released under the scheme by the NRHM and the people know about the discontinuation of the scheme, the number of deliveries in the hospital might come down.

However, the Women and Children Hospital here is also facing an acute shortage of staff nurses as out of 33 posts, 18 are lying vacant, as nine staff nurses have reportedly got themselves transferred from here in the past about three months. Due to this, the work is hampering in a big way.

A staff member in the hospital said at least 15 staff nurses are required immediately as the number of deliveries in the hospital in a month is so high that a small number of staff nurses has been facing problems in performing duties round the clock in shifts.

Bathinda, December 18
A Special Neo-natal Care Unit (SNCU) being set up at the Women and Children Hospital here under the National Rural Health Mission programme awaits equipment and staff.

The unit is meant to provide special care to newborn babies weighing above 1500 grams. The babies up to the age of four weeks will be admitted here.

The building of the unit has already been constructed at a cost of Rs 20 lakh but the staff for running the unit is yet to be posted here by the Health Department. Besides, the equipment has also not been provided so far.

According to information available, three resident doctors and eight staff nurses, besides Class IV employees and sweepers would be posted at the SNCU here. The unit would be equipped with equipment like radiant warmers, phototherapy machine and pulse oximeter. Besides providing treatment, the SNCU would also guard the babies against diseases like jaundice, septicaemia and respiratory distress.

SDO of the Punjab Health System Corporation (PHSC) Dinesh Kumar, when contacted, said a neo-natal ward for six babies, a pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) ward for 10 babies, a nursing station, a six-bed ward for mothers, toilets etc had been constructed at the cost of Rs 20 lakh. He said they had completed the work and handed over the building to the Women and Children hospital authorities. However, the latter wanted some minor additions that would also be carried out soon.

Meanwhile, the shortage of paediatrician is already evident in the Women and Children Hospital as there is only one paediatrician at the hospital these days. One paediatrician had resigned on December 8 last and the post is lying vacant since then.

Due to this, only one paediatrician is running the OPD and attending to 150 to 200 babies daily. Besides, he has also been attending to high risk deliveries after the OPD hours.

It is also learnt the lone paediatrician will conduct 40 to 50 blood transfusions on thalassaemia patients in a month.

Hospital staff said that there was a dire need to start the SNCU in the Women and Children hospital besides appointing another paediatrician.

Bathinda, December 18
After receiving information from the AIG (Intelligence), Patiala, Mohnish Chawla at about 10-00 pm yesterday that a meeting between the leaders of the Unemployed Linemen Union, Punjab, and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has been fixed for December 20 to solve the issue related to appointment of 4,000 unemployed linemen in the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), the union gave up the idea of disrupting the SAD’s ‘Mahan rally’ held at Moga today.

Talking to TNS here, state president of the union Pirmal Singh said during the meeting to be held on December 20 at Chandigarh, he along with other state committee members would take part while from the government side, the Deputy Chief Minister, the Advocate General and the PSPCL chairman would be present.

Pirmal said as per the information, the state government had filed a special leave petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court on December 16 to get the stay on the recruitment of linemen imposed by the High Court vacated. During the meeting on December 20, the state government would also give them detailed information about the SLP. Besides, they would also be informed about other alternatives to resolve the matter, he added.

Meanwhile, some physically-challenged unemployed linemen also met the union leaders here today as they have not been selected along with 1,000 already selected and appointed linemen.

Pirmal said about 30 physically challenged linemen had to be selected, but only one was appointed. The remaining had been considered ineligible orthopedically. He said these unemployed linemen had also completed two-year apprenticeship in the electricity department, adding that if they were ineligible for the post of lineman then why they were allowed to complete the apprenticeship. He said they would also raise this issue with the Deputy Chief Minister during the meeting on December 20 and seek justice for them.

Meanwhile, members of the union from Amritsar and Tarn Taran districts participated in the dharna and chain hunger strike outside the Mini-secretariat here today.

The union leaders said their dharna and the chain hunger strike would continue till the acceptance of their demand.

Bathinda, December 18
Eight athletes of the Malwa College and the Malwa College of Physical Education have been selected for the All India Inter-University Meet being held at Mangalore (Karnataka) from December 17 to December 21.

College spokesperson said these athletes had already created new records at the Punjabi University inter-college meet.

Suresh Kumar has already won gold medal at the national level in 5,000-m and 10,000-m races setting a new record at the All India Inter-University level and has participated in the Asian Games. At Mangalore, he is participating in 5,000-m race and half marathon.

Similarly, discus throw player Kirpal Singh has already bagged gold at the Junior National Games and participated in the World Junior Athletic Championship in Canada. He also created a new record at the inter-university level.

In triple jump, Arpinder Singh participated in the Junior World Championship, bagged silver in the Junior Asian Championship and created a new record at the National Athletic meet.

In high jump (women), Purnima Hambrum had won gold medal at the junior national games and silver medal in the senior national event. Now, she is participating in 100 m hurdles.

Raji C.T. (100 m hurdles) and Dinesh Kumar Rao (javelin throw) have already established their credential in their respective events. Ratan Lal Jat is participating in the half-marathon.

International athlete and president of the District Athletic Association, Bathinda, KPS Brar hoped that these athletes would play a major role in winning the overall championship for the Punjabi University, Patiala, in both men and women categories.

College spokesperson said that students Suresh Kumar and Manisha have already set records. Suresh Kumar established record in 5,000 m race in a time span of 14.19 minutes breaking the earlier record of 14.35 minutes. Similarly, Manisha set record in discus throw at 43.91 m as against the earlier record of 40.60 m.

Bathinda, December 18
A team of volunteers, including students and teachers of St Xavier’s School, visited Government Primary School at Behman village. The students of St. Xavier’s conducted various games and regaled the villagers.

Teachers also sensitised the villagers to health and sanitation besides educating the girl child. They held a brief talk with the villagers in this regard.

The students also visited Mahant Gurbanta Dass School for Deaf and Dumb. A friendly cricket match was held between the students of both the schools so as to foster a sense of camaraderie and fair competition. A mehendi competition was also held.

The student volunteer team headed by principal Fr. Ivo Dias accompanied by vice-principal Fr. Remy Cardozo were taken on a guided tour inside the school to acquaint them with the day-to-day activities and various achievements of the school. — TNS

Bathinda, December 18
The North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala, has tied up with the Natyam Theatre Group, Jaito, to hold a play in villages falling under Bathinda district from December 19 to December 28 educating rural masses about female foeticide and drug addiction.

In a press statement issued here today, the director of the Natyam Group Kirti Kirpal stated that play Kiddar Nu Ja Rahe Haan Asin (where are we headed to) would talk about the problems of female foeticide and drug addiction in the state.

The play would be enacted in the villages of Chak Fateh Singh Wala, Poohla, Lehra Khana, Lehra Bega, Chak Bakhtu, Giddar, Bhunder, Kotda Kaura, Lehra Dhurkot and Rampura, and the areas nearby.

Programme officer of North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala, Yashwinder Jassi said besides sensitising villagers to these important issues, the play would also provide a source of entertainment to them, who live amidst difficulties.

Bathinda, December 18
Dr Harbinder Singh Dhaliwal has been unanimously elected as the president of the Public Library, Bathinda, during a meeting of the general house of the library held here on Sunday.

The house also authorised the new president to nominate his team. Dr Dhaliwal is son of former president of the Public Library, Dr Bhagat Singh Dhaliwal, who had passed away recently.

Bathinda, December 18
The 7654 Teachers’ Union has joined the list of agitators against the government. Joining the 17 farmer groups, which have been holding protests against the government, the teachers’ union today announced that it would fight for their rights.

The union members said that they met Punjab Chief Minister twice and apprised him of their demands, but to no avail. They also met the cabinet sub committee and placed their genuine demands before it, but government failed to react positively.

Union members have threatened to hold a massive dharna on December 25 in collaboration with 17 farmer unions and wake the government from slumber. — TNS