Bathinda, March 18
There seems to be no let-up in the number of road accidents occurring in Bathinda. Following the death of three family members of a local jeweller, two young factory workers and a retired junior engineer, a student of PTU Giani Zail Singh campus was killed in a road accident that took place near Bhokhra village today. His classmate and close friend is battling for life.

It is learnt that Manpreet Singh along with his friend was riding a bike when a speeding Bolero jeep hit them near Bhokhra village at around 1.30 pm. He was going to attend a bhog ceremony. While the accident proved fatal for Manpreet his friend got critically injured.

Manpreet Singh was the only child of his parents. His father Kulwant Singh is a driver in the Punjab Police and presently working with a Punjab Vigilance Bureau officer in Amritsar.

Sandeep Kumar, a volunteer of the Sahara Jan Sewa who helped in shifting the injured to the Civil Hospital, said it seemed that the jeep was trying to overtake another vehicle when the accident took place. Volunteers of the Goniana Welfare Society and the Sahara Jan Sewa helped in shifting the injured to the hospital.

Manpreet was declared dead on arrival at the Civil Hospital. He was a second year (fourth semester) student of civil engineering.

Sandeep Kumar said Manpreet’s classmate Kanav Kansal, son of Subhash Kansal, was critically injured in the accident.

n City traffic in-charge Natha Singh said wearing helmet while driving a two-wheeler and seat belt in a car could reduce casualties to a great extent.

n Commuters could avoid accidents by maintaining a speed of below 80 km per hour in four-wheeler on highways. Similarly, the driving speed for two-wheelers should be below 45 km per hour.

n Using mobile phone and earphones while driving can prove fatal and drunken driving is equivalent to attempting suicide.

n Natha Singh said he had awarded 512 challans in February and collected over `50,000 as revenue.

Bathinda, March 18
With three fatal accidents reported in less than a week's time, the city's road network has turned into a killer stretch. Moved by the increasing number of lives being lost in road accidents, the district police, the administration and the Municipal Corporation, Bathinda, (MCB) have decided to launch a special drive to use awareness as a tool to combat fatalities.

Next 15 days would see the city humming with activities focussing on awareness to control the situation. While the NDRF, 7th Battalion, is expected to impart training to volunteers of NGOs in handling the accidental spots, stricter policing is also on the cards.

The need is not to pull a rabbit out of hat, but to work consistently towards increasing awareness among the people. With setting up of the Bathinda refinery and a thermal plant coming up in Mansa, the movement of vehicles carrying heavy machinery on the city roads has increased. Two months ago, a 140-tyre truck was spotted on the Dabwali road trying to find way into the city avoiding turns and wedges.

The Bathinda Tribune spoke to persons at the helm of affairs who have taken up cudgels against the surmounting problem.

MLA Sarup Chand Singla...

While addressing the house of the Municipal Corporation, Bathinda, (MCB) the MLA-elect Sarup Chand Singla had raised a concern over the issue rekindling hope among the people.

Singla has now decided to convene a meeting of the administration, the police and the MCB to curtail the number of road mishaps.

"We realised that many accidents on the GT road in the city take place due to numerous illegal openings in the road divider. The corporation will identify these illegal openings and get them sealed. For this, a survey would be conducted first," he said.

A meeting of all the three wings has been convened next week for the purpose. The next thing on the cards is to install three more traffic lights on two spots identified on the Bibiwala road and one on the GT Road. A nodal officer would be appointed to act as a facilitator between the police and the corporation officials.

"For instance, no one takes the onus of correcting the faulty traffic lights. The nodal officer's task would be to remind the departments concerned about their jobs and the places where their intervention is required," he said.

Temporary encroachments dotting the city roads as well as wrongly-parked vehicles would also face the music for disrupting the smooth flow of traffic.

DC Kamal Kishore Yadav...

The administration's civil defence wing would be a part of the NDRF-police tie-up. Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav said the prime aim was to create awareness. The administration has identified 8 to 10 points in the city where bottlenecks have become a routing. With the assistance from the NDRF and the police, the traffic management at these points would be controlled. At the same time, the process of creating awareness would be hastened.

He added that the next week, a meeting of all the departments concerned was expected to give the final shape to the plan.

SSP Sukhchain Singh Gill...

The police department is holding deliberations with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), 7th Battalion, for training the volunteers of various NGOs working in the city.

"We have already spoken to the commandant about the kind of intervention required. The NDRF is technically well-trained to deal with accidents and teaching the same to the NGO volunteers would prove beneficial. Emphasis would be on removing the victims from the accident spot with no or minimal discomfort and clearing the spot," he said.

The SSP added that while there was no uniform pattern of accidents, in many cases overtaking from the wrong side proved fatal. "The traffic laws are in place, the need is to make people aware. We would appeal parents not to allow their untrained children to drive vehicles," he said.

Also, the police department has been directed to inform all the road accidents to the SSP, irrespective of the time.

Prof Sanjiv Aggarwal...

State coordinator, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sarak Yojana, Prof (Dr) Sanjiv Aggarwal along with the department of civil engineering, PTU Giani Zail Singh campus, worked out a 25-point agenda to put a full stop on the accidents in the city. Suggesting an immediate intervention at the two most sensitive accident-prone areas on the GT road, He said the T-junction near the Sepal Hotel and the Ajit road entry from the Fauji Chowk demanded attention.

“At the Sepal hotel T-junction, a lot of traffic plies on the wrong side creating confusion and consequently, accidents. Similarly, the entry to the Ajit road from the Fauji Chowk should be immediately closed. The road has several educational institutes and banning the entry from the wrong side would mean saving many young lives,” he said.

He also proposed that the traffic police vehicles be equipped with speed radars to check over-speeding. “Speed radars would ensure offenders do not go scot-free. Instead of merely challaning the offenders, they should be made to undergo training at the Children's Traffic Park, learn the rules and then allowed to drive. Perhaps, a short-term course of few days could be chalked out for them,” he suggested, adding that parking alongside the roads, especially outside banks near bus stand, should be strictly prohibited.

Bathinda, March 18
Protesting against the state government and demanding regularisation of their jobs, the alternative inclusive education (AIE) teachers, now known as teachers of special training centres, climbed atop a water tank at Bhokhra village this afternoon.

Protesters climbed atop the water tank at around 12 noon and raised slogans against the Punjab Government. The protest went on till 4:30 pm. It was only after the tehsildar Avtar Singh Makkar and SHO GS Romana intervened, the protesters relented.

The tehsildar and the SHO assured the agitating teachers of an audience with the secretary education, Government of Punjab, on March 21. On this, the agitators climbed down the water tank.

There are around 1,800 special trainers in the state working in these special training centres run under Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA). All the trainers are responsible for bringing the out-of-school children to the school, provide them with a year’s bridge course and get them admitted to the mainstream schools as per their intelligence quotient (IQ).

State president of the union Swarna Devi said the government has decided to close these special training centres on March 31 thereby leaving 1,800 teachers bereft of their livelihood.

Started in 2006, the teachers working at these centres were paid merely `1,000 per month, which was raised to `2,000 in 2007. Till three months ago, these MA/ B Ed teachers were drawing `2,000 after the government raised it to `3,500 (currently drawn).

The teachers are employed for a period of only nine months in a year and every year posts are re-advertised. “Many teachers lose their job if a candidate more educated than them applies and is selected. Otherwise, the same teachers continue,” Swarna Devi added.

These teachers are paid salaries from the funds of village development committees. While the state government pays 35 per cent share, the Central government contributes the remaining amount.

Bathinda, March 18
Terming the annual budget as "unkind" to the middle class and salaried sections, residents of Bathinda said Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had, in fact, prepared a "pro-rich" plan.

Besides, the senior citizens of Bathinda are also not finding anything substantial for them in the budget presented in Parliament on March 16.

Expressing unhappiness over the budget, Prof YL Chopra, retired head of the department of economics at Government Rajindra College said the finance minister did not follow even the basics of taxation and in turn, failed to live up to the expectations of the middle class and salaried sections.

Chopra said the budget pleased only a few while annoying many as it had nothing for the middle class and salaried class which make a larger chunk of society.

Terming the budget as "power running without driver", Chopra said that the budget lacked direction.

Visibly dissatisfied with the budget, vice-president of Senior Citizens' Council, Gurbachan Gupta, said while presenting the budget for 2012-13, Pranab Mukherjee said nothing that could benefit the senior citizens who had been reeling under the effects of price hike, inflation and other economic problems for the last several months.

There is nothing new and beneficial for the senior citizens in the budget in the backdrop of the prevailing economic scenario as if the hardship being faced by this section was not enough. The budget, in a nutshell, was disappointing for senior citizens," Gupta said.

The working class that had high hopes from Pranab Mukherjee, in the prevailing "depressing economic situation" caused by high inflation and price rise, are feeling dejected following the presentation of the budget.

"The budget is sheer mockery of the working class," said many belonging to the salaried class.

Convenor of the Joint Action Committee, MM Behal, said he was optimistic and hopeful that the budget would come as a big relief for the working class.

"But disappointment prevails among the middle class after the budget," Behal said, adding that the proposals had nothing that could help the working class to come out of the economic mess.

Behal said that first of all, the rate of interest on the Employee Provident Fund (EPF) was lowered substantially from 9.50 per cent to 8.25 per cent.

"Secondly, the increase in the income tax rebate was meagre," Behal said and added that the increase of just Rs 20,000 would not help much in the present economic scenario.

Behal said the cut in the interest rate of Employee Provident Fund means that even the small savings by the working class would not be enough for their future needs, like children's education and their marriage etc.

"The situation will remain unchanged for the salaried," Behal said giving the reason that the cut in the interest rate of the Employee Provident Fund would negate the increase in tax rebate.

"Most importantly, the increase in service tax will haunt and pinch the working class even in the day-to-day life as from mobile bills to dining in restaurant and from repairing home appliances to watching TV, will become costlier," Behal said.

Bathinda, March 18
A blood donation camp was organised by Aas Welfare Society at the Namdev Marg here wherein people from various walks of life donated blood.

The blood donation camp was inaugurated by in-charge of the regional centre of the Punjabi University, Patiala, at Bathinda, Dr Satnam Singh Jassal.

Secretary of the society Mohinder Singh said a team of the Blood Bank from Bathinda Civil Hospital collected the blood. He said on the occasion, people were encouraged to donate blood after every three months.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Jassal said that donating blood was a noble act as it helped save human lives.

The chairman of the Aas Welfare Society Hardeep Singh, general secretary Surinder Singh, vice-chairman Major Singh, cashier Mohinder Singh, Balbir Singh, TC Kansal, Harbans Singh, Raj Bunty, Surinder Baba and municipal councillor Jasvir Singh Jassa, among others, were also present at the blood donation camp.

Bathinda, March 18
An eight-day Vedic Chetna and personality development camp was organised by the Arya Yuva Samaj at the DAV (Dayanand Anglo-Vedic) Public School.

The camp was organised with the help of school principal Satwant Kaur Bhullar and Poonam Suri, president of the DAV College managing committee, New Delhi.

The school teachers and students from classes VIII to XI participated in the residential camp.

At the valedictory ceremony, Swami Suryadevaji was the chief guest and the president of Arya Samaj, PD Goyal, principal of Swami Vivekananda College Raj Gupta, principal of DAV School, Malout, GC Sharma, Saroj Bhanout, principal of DAV School, Jaitu, and principal of the DAV School, Kotkapura, Meena Mehta were the guests of honour.

School principal Satwant Kaur said Swami Suryadevaji blessed the students after the eight-day camp. She added that such camps play a vital role in teaching moral values to the students.

According to Satwant Kaur Bhullar, the students learnt medication, yoga and hymns of rituals at the camp besides getting tips on personality development from the experts.

The idea behind holding the camp, according to the school authorities, was to enable the students to get familiar with their rich past and move ahead and face modern challenges of the 21st century. 

Bathinda, March 18
To strengthen the blood donation movement, the workers of the LPG plant of Bharat Petroleum, in collaboration with United Welfare Society, Bathinda, organized a voluntary blood donation camp on the plant premises at the PSIEC Growth Centre, Mansa road, here.

As many as 22 persons donated blood voluntarily. The blood donors were greeted by Nandish Wadhawan, Territory Manager (LPG).

Wadhawan said that during road accidents, the donated blood can help preserve lives. He appealed to the workers to create maximum awareness about blood donation at their workplaces so that precious human lives can be saved.

Territory co-ordinator Rajesh Kumar and assistant manager (LPG) Vishal Telang appealed to the workers to take part in the blood donation activities and encourage more people to donate blood regularly.

Rajinder Sethi, secretary of the United Welfare Society and Naresh Pathania, first aid trainer of Red Cross, said that "blood cannot be produced like agricultural produce. It needs to be donated to save priceless lives."

They also appealed to healthy persons to come forward and join the noble cause of blood donation.

Students from the Institute of Hotel Management and Workers from the Hindustan Insecticides Ltd. also participated in the camp by donating their blood.

A team from the Blood Bank at the Civil Hospital, Muktsar, helped in taking blood from the donors.

Workers at the LPG plant, Raghubir Singh and Vikas Kumar, Society member Gora, Gurveer Singh and Arun encouraged the workers to donate blood without any fear.

The blood donors were given mementos by the local Red Cross Society, on the occasion to express appreciation of their initiative and contribution.

Bathinda, March 18
Radcliffe School, Bathinda, has planned to launch its talent hunt endeavour, "Little Star" at Gidderbaha at SSD community centre March 20 from 3 pm to 5 pm. This year, there will be four competitions, dance, art and craft, handwriting and singing competitions.

Three age-groups will be able to participate in these competitions: from 2 to 5 years, 6 to 9 years and 10 to 14 years. Participants and winners will be awarded trophies and certificates by the school.

Continuing its custom of seeking and pursuing hidden talent even from the remote villages of the region, Radcliffe is keeping up its incessant efforts to give children a chance to showcase their latent talent. — TNS