Bathinda, March 20
As if Bathinda’s date with the ‘long’ span of winter was not enough, the weather presented another facet of its mood swing on Tuesday when not only did the mercury nosedive but dust-laden winds also hit the region affecting the visibility.

The unpredictable weather sprung a surprise again as just after the region had started witnessing the first signs of summer with mercury hovering near 30 degrees Celsius mark, the temperature today plummeted to record 26.2 degrees Celsius in the afternoon, around six degrees Celsius lower than yesterday.

The day’s low, however, was 17.4 degrees Celsius, almost similar to what was recorded on Monday morning, as per the agri-met department of the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) regional station, Bathinda.

It may be mentioned that winter had overstayed in the region and had started retreating just three days back when mercury began touching the 30 degrees Celsius mark.

The weathermen said the western disturbances in the Jammu and Kashmir region were the reason behind the sudden change of weather conditions in Bathinda and its adjoining areas.

The dip in temperature was welcomed to some extent. The dust-laden winds were unexpected and unwanted. The dusty wind caused problems to people suffering from respiratory ailments, besides the common man who found moving outside a perilous venture.

Moreover, the dip in temperature brought cheers back on the faces of wheat growers in the region as the sudden rise in temperature had posed a threat to their crop.

Meanwhile, the news emanating from the weather room is also not pleasant for the city residents as the western disturbances are likely to affect the weather for the next two to three days.

As per the information from the met department on Tuesday evening, the weather is likely to remain mainly dry in the next two to three days in the region with a possibility of strong surface winds during the period. The weathermen said the winds may carry dust.

Bathinda, March 20
In an alleged rape case, the local police has arrested one Harpreet Singh, a resident of a nearby village, and Bablu, the guard of a local marriage palace.

The duo was booked by the police under Sections 376 and 34 of the IPC on the basis of the statement, made by the girl.

The victim reportedly belongs to Talwandi Sabo while she is working at a private hospital here.

When contacted, the SHO of the Civil Lines police station, GS Bhalla said this evening that both the accused were produced in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate here today. The court sent the duo to judicial custody of 14 days.

The SHO said that in her statement to the police, the girl had accused Harpreet Singh of raping her while she had accused the guard of the marriage palace of helping him in the alleged incident.

On the basis of her statement, the police had booked both Harpreet and Bablu under Sections 376 and 34 of the IPC and arrested them, he added.

The SHO also said the girl had been initially examined at the local Civil Hospital while the vagina swab and the clothes of the girl had been sealed. He said the vagina swab and the clothes would now be sent to the Chemical Examiner at Kharar. So nothing could be stated about the alleged rape at this stage, he added.

It may be mentioned that the 20-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a youth at a marriage palace here last evening.

After that, the girl was admitted to the local Civil Hospital where she was examined by Dr Poonam Dhillon, a gynaecologist at the Women and Children Hospital here.

Dr Dhillon had opined last night that from the clinical examination, it seemed the girl had been sexually assaulted.

Bathinda, March 20
The jewellers have extended the bandh being observed by them in protest against the proposals made in the Union Budget for two days, including today.

All association members have also decided to respond to the national call of the Swarnkar Sangh and join them at a dharna to be staged in Delhi on March 22.

A meeting of the jewellers was convened today at Veer Bhawan wherein the presidents and members of jewellers' bodies from Talwandi Sabo, Jaito, Goniana, Faridkot, Kotkapura, Muktsar, Abohar, Bhucho Mandi, Rampura and nearby areas participated.

The members decided to continue the bandh till March 21. On the evening of March 21, a final call on joining the dharna at Delhi is expected and the jewellers plan to be a part of the protest. The jewellers said that at the national level, the government was losing business worth Rs 100 crore per day due to the nationwide strike by jewellers.

Prominent among those present at the meeting included Punjab Swarnkar Sangh vice-president Kartar Singh Jaura and Tarsem Singh of Saraf Association.

Bathinda, March 20
The Director General of School Education (DGSE) will start coaching classes for AIEEE, CET and PMT competitive exams from March 28 onwards.

Coaching for these exams would be telecast through the Edusat system at Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Bathinda, Government Desraj School, Government Senior Secondary School, Paras Ram Nagar, Government Girls' Senior Secondary School, Goniana, Government School at Bhagta Bhai Ka, Government School, Talwandi Sabo, Government School, Bhucho Kalan, Government School, Mandi Phool, and Government Girls School, Maur Mandi.

The students of government schools would be provided free coaching and free study material.

Students from non-government schools can get enrolled for `1,000 and can contact the heads of government schools where the programme would be telecast.

Bathinda, March 20
The slum pockets in the city may repel the elite classes, but it's these pockets that house the sparrows. Over the last 10 years, the population of house sparrows, earlier the most commonly found bird, has been on decline across the country.

In this city, sparrows are not found in towering buildings, but in the calm and peaceful areas where they have undisturbed habitats.

House sparrows are found in Dhobiana Basti and areas near the dairies, dotting places parallel to the cantonment area. Besides, sparrows are often found greeting the visitors to Takht Sri Damdama Sahib at Talwandi Sabo.

“All the places mentioned are undisturbed where sparrows have yet not lost their habitat. Sparrow is a kind of bird that will not nest even in artificial boxes that we urban dwellers hang for them,” said Shubh Prem Brar, professor of geography at Government Rajindra College here.

Prof Brar has hung 10 nest boxes at his house in Model Town Phase-I wherein owlets, mynah, bulbul, robin, parrots and squirrels are nesting, but not sparrows.

An avid bird watcher, Prof Brar has been visiting dairies situated alongside the railway track near Model Town where sparrows are found in a good number. “The city dwellers do not have enough food for these little birds. They prefer feeding on leftover grains. Today, people get flour and pre-cleaned grains in packets bought from malls, where sparrows can't reach,” he added.

Wildlife photographer and bird lover Nirlep Singh, who has been studying birds for many years, holds the new structure of houses and din of the cities responsible for the sparrows' disappearance.

“Earlier, we used to have open verandahs and plenty of footholds, where the winged beauty used to nest. The modern housing structures are flat and slick, leaving no place for nesting for an introvert bird like sparrow,” he pointed out. He said bird watchers have observed that bird calls get lost in the din of the city, adding: “Sparrows prefer to live where there are no sounds competing with their chirping.”

They urge people to plant bushes like bougainvillea, ber, henna, mulberry (shehtoot) and citrus plant where sparrows feel safer. Sparrows have evolved with human race and are always found around human habitations where they feel safe.

Prof Brar quotes British scientist James Lovelock: “House sparrows are barometers of continuation of human life on earth. It is endangered now and so would we be.”

Bathinda, March 20
The District Blindness Control Society (DBCS) has been holding a three-week long free eye operation camp from March 11 at the Civil Hospital here. The camp will conclude on March 31.

The DBCS has fixed a target to implant intraocular lenses (IOLs) in the eyes of 300 patients during the on-going camp.

However, till today, the society had got the lenses implanted in the eyes of 191 patients through operations, conducted for cataract.

Talking to this reporter here today, the district programme officer for the DBCS, Dr Raghubir Singh Randhawa, said after the examination of the eyes of the patients suffering from cataract, a date is given to the patients for conducting operation of their eyes and implanting the lenses.

Dr Randhawa said no eye operation was done at any dharamshala or any other such private place as the Government of India had banned the eye surgeries at such places.

Hence, all eye surgeries were now being done in the government health institutions. He said due to this, the eye surgeries were now fully safe as there were no chances of contracting infection.

He appealed to the people to come to the camp to get themselves operated for cataract and get the intraocular lenses implanted free of cost.

He added that the these lenses were being provided by the District Blindness Control Society.

A member of the Bhai Ghanaiya Health and Education Society, Bhoj Raj, said as the eye surgeon of the Civil Hospital was on leave till today, the society had made arrangements for operating upon the cataract patients and implanting the intraocular lenses.

He said three eye surgeons, Dr Gaurav, Dr Kashish Gupta and Dr Karan Sarwal, had operated upon the cataract patients voluntarily so far.

He said earlier, the Civil Surgeon, Dr Iqbal Singh had called upon a meeting of the ophthalmic officers, working in the field, and had asked them to refer the cataract patients to the camp.

Another member of the Bhai Ghanaiya Health and Education Society, Harjit Singh, said for screening the cataract patients, free eye check-up camps had also been held at Kotfatta, Kotshameer and Kot Bakhtu villages, besides Bathinda during the past ten days.

He said the patients, who had been found suffering from cataract there, had been operated upon for the same at the camp.

Bathinda, march 20
Punjabi singer Sherry Mann regaled the audience at ‘Mechactaeon 2012’, a function held by the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Punjab Technical University Giani Zail Singh Campus in collaboration with the food joint Moti Mahal.

The chief guest on the occasion was Urmila Singla, wife of MLA Sarup Chand Singla.

On popular demand for an encore, Mann had to sing his popular number ‘Yaar Anmulle’ repeatedly.

Principal Jasbir Singh Hundal honoured the chief guests and Prof Charanjit Singh, head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, presented a memento to Sherry Mann. Prof Rajesh Gupta, coordinator of the event, proposed the vote of thanks.

In the morning, director-principal of the Bharat Group of Institutes, Sardulgarh, Dr HS Randhawa inaugurated the function. Various technical, formal and informal events were also organised.

In the CAT mock test, Sherry stood first. In GATE mock test, Roohi Garg stood first, in technical paper presentation, Gaurav Solanki stood first and Neeraj secured the second place. In group discussion, Himanshu stood first and Abhishek stood second. In quiz contest, Sukhdeep was declared winner, in aptitude test Akash Goya stood first while Rishi Gupta stood second.

In mock court room, Abhishek Jain secured the first place and Dhananjay followed at second. In pressure cooker contest, Arashdeep Singh and Anurag Thakur secured the first and second places, respectively. Arshdeep Singh was awarded the Poet of Hearts title and Kamal Kumar Bansal was awarded the second place. In mock press conference, Prashant secured the first place and Arshad came second.

Bathinda, march 20
Chaman Lal Singla, general secretary, Associate Banks Officers Association (ABOA), unit State Bank of Patiala (SBoP), has been elected as the vice-president of the All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC), representing over two lakh officers in the banking industry.

Lajpat Rai Goyal, secretary ABOA, unit SBoP, Bathinda zone, said Singla had been elected in a meeting of the AIBOC held at Nagpur. SK Mahant, also from the SBoP, has been elected as an executive member of the AIBOC.

Chaman Lal Singla visited the zonal office in Bathinda on Tuesday.

Bathinda, march 20
The volunteers of a city-based NGO, Sahara Welfare Society, saved a drowning man at a pond in Amarpura Basti.

The incident took place today in the morning when the NGO got a distress call from the area stating that a man had jumped into the pond.

The volunteers of the NGO, Jagga Singh and Manoj Verma, reached the spot and pulled the youth out of the pond. They administered him first aid and pumped out water from his stomach.

Some intravenous drugs and injections were found from the youth’s pocket. He was rushed to the Civil Hospital.

He was later identified as 28-year-old Sanjay Kumar. He is recuperating at the Civil Hospital.