Bathinda, March 30
Along with the government hospitals, Bathinda district’s three private hospitals and a cancer hospital in Bikaner (Rajasthan) have been empanelled by the state government for the treatment of cancer patients under the Chief Minister’s Cancer Relief Fund Scheme.

Besides, the Punjab government has also issued revised guidelines for releasing the funds for the treatment of cancer patients to the hospitals under the scheme. The revised guidelines will be implemented from April 1.

According to the information, the names of the three empanelled private hospitals from Bathinda district are: Max Healthcare Hospital, Mata Sumiti Memorial Sharma Hospital, both in Bathinda, and Kiran Maternity Home and Surgical Centre, Maur.

The Acharaya Tulsi Regional Cancer Treatment and Research Institute, Bikaner, has also been empanelled for the cancer treatment under the scheme.

Besides these private hospitals, the other government hospitals that have been empanelled for the Bathinda district, include the PGI, Chandigarh; Government Hospital, Sector 16, Chandigarh; Government Medical College, Sector 32, Chandigarh; Government Medical Colleges at Patiala, Faridkot and Amritsar; and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.

As per the information, the private hospitals have been empanelled by the government by signing memorandum of understanding (MoU) with them with an aim to provide better healthcare facilities to the cancer patients and save them from any type of inconvenience.

According to the revised guidelines, it has been clarified that the financial assistance will be issued only once in the light of estimates, given by the hospital concerned for the treatment of the patient.

In case of an emergency, the financial assistance for the treatment of the patient can be directly released with the approval of the Chief Minister, granted on the application form of the patient. Besides, no amount will be reimbursed for the treatment received earlier.

The payment for the treatment of the patients will be made to the empanelled hospitals as per the rates of the PGI, Chandigarh. Under the scheme, financial assistance of up to `1.5 lakh may be given for a patient.

However, the government employees and the persons with medical insurance are not eligible for assistance under the scheme.

Bathinda, March 30
Irate over the rising number of thefts in their village, a large number of residents of the Balar Mehma village today blocked the Bathinda-Goniana road and raised their voice against the failure of police to arrest the culprits.

The villagers, accompanied by the local leaders of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Sidhupur), blocked the road in front of the Nehianwala police station for over an hour. The police station is nearly 12 kilometres away from Balar Mehma village. The residents raised slogans against the police and demanded the arrest of the thieves.

Veer Singh, residing on the outskirts of the village on Akalia road, said thieves took away an LPG cylinder from his house last night.

Thieves also broke a piggy bank (gullak) installed in the portrait of a deity kept in a private bus which was parked outside the house of Veer Singh. They also stole some iron tools kept in the bus.

Villagers said they suspected that some villagers were involved in the thefts. They added that the suspects were drug addicts and stole household items to purchase drugs.

“Villagers are quite upset over the rising incidents of crime and have lodged numerous complaints earlier too but nothing has been done to nab the thieves. We had caught some thieves, but the police released them without initiating any action against them,” Veer Singh said.

He alleged that in the past too, vehicles ferrying newly-weds were stopped on the outskirts of the village by these thieves to steal expensive articles.

BKU (Sidhupur) leader, Jagseer Jeeda, said their union has expressed solidarity with the villagers and supported their agitation.

“Villagers have told us about the thefts and the alleged thieves roaming in their area. We too decided to raise a voice against the thefts and for the immediate arrest of the thieves,” Jeeda said.

The villagers said earlier the police station was near their village and policemen used to visit the area falling under their jurisdiction but recently it was shifted to a far-off place which led to a rise in the number of thefts.

Nehianwala SHO, Angrez Singh, when contacted over the phone, refuted villagers’ allegations of rising thefts. “Villagers are demanding the arrest of some persons who are said to have planned with another resident to pick up the LPG cylinder from somebody’s house,” he said.

The SHO denied that the man who had picked up the cylinder was a thief and disconnected the call without giving any further details.

Bathinda, March 30
The computer labs situated in the middle, higher and secondary schools of the district would be used for commercial purposes in the after-school hours.

Director General of School Education (DGSE)-cum-state coordinator Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan has issued instructions directing all the district education officers (secondary) that the computer labs be used to impart computer training to people living in the nearby areas of the concerned school all over the state.

“The basic aim is to utilise the government infrastructure to its full potential and reach out to the common man,” said the ICT general manager Brig (retd) Jagtar Singh, while talking to TNS.

The training programme would also be open to individuals. Also the government has decided to throw open the labs to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that can utilise the labs for giving computer education to the underprivileged. Private organisations can also use these labs to conduct any kind of computer work of their own in the after-school hours.

In Bathinda district, there are 95 middle schools, 92 high schools and 79 secondary schools. The computer teachers of the high schools manage the lab of the middle schools. All of these schools have computer labs, which would be used for training purposes now.

Though the notice issued by the DGSE office does not give any clarification on the kind of staff to be deputed for these extra classes, Brig Jagtar Singh said the existing computer teachers would be roped in for the teaching purpose. “These teachers would be monetarily compensated from the money collected through the fees,” he added.

The six weeks’ training programme encapsulates the knowledge of basics of computers including MS office as well as internet training. Interested persons have been asked to enroll with the nearest government schools by April 30.

“Depending on the kind of response evoked, we will form the groups. Teaching one or two people would not be feasible at one school. So we are looking for a group of at least six to seven persons,’ he added.

The training course is tentatively scheduled to start on May 10. `1,000 would be charged for the six weeks’ course.

Bathinda, March 30
Income-tax department and other financial institutions, like banks, in Bathinda have been making extra efforts to meet the deadline of March 31 — the closing of the fiscal year 2011-12.

Sources in the I-T office here said following the instructions of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the I-T office would function on March 31, the last day of the financial year.

“Despite the fact that the March 31 is Saturday, the office of the income-tax would remain open in view of the last day of the current fiscal year,” sources said, adding that the counters to file income-tax returns would be open till 6.30 pm.

Sources also said arrangements had been made to help the tax payers to file the I-T returns without any hassle.

Banks would also be open till late in the evening to make the filing of tax returns a hassle-free exercise on March 31.

Deputy general manager (DGM) of the State Bank of Patiala (SBoP), Bathinda zone, Vinod Kochar said on Friday afternoon that besides normal functioning, the bank branches would be open till late in the evening for the fiscal closing work.

The DGM said every instruction of the government or the authorities concerned related to year-ending purposes would be followed at all the branches of the bank falling in the SBoP, Bathinda zone.

Sources in banks like the State Bank of India (SBI), Union Bank, Bank of Baroda and others also said the banks would work as per the directions of the government on March 31 and were likely to be open for tax filing and other related purposes till late in the evening.

On the other hand, members of the Bathinda Tax Bar Association have also been working long hours to tackle the March 31 deadline.

President of the association, PP Maheshwary, admitted that all the members of the association were facing the last-minute rush.

Bathinda, March 30
Anticipating positive results of the ‘personal contact programme’, organised in the last few months, Joint Commissioner of Income-tax, Bathinda, NJ Singh, said the department’s belief in the ‘regime of voluntary compliance’ would give desired results 
in the Bathinda charge.

Talking exclusively to the Bathinda Tribune on the eve of the closing of the fiscal year 2011-12, Singh said the response they received during all the contact programmes has infused optimism and confidence in the department.

The officials of the department ran a door-to-door campaign during the last few months and held discussions with traders, hoteliers, doctors and others sections of the society, urging them to play a proactive roles in paying income-tax.

“March 31 is the last day of the current fiscal year to file income-tax returns and depositing income-tax,” the joint commissioner said, adding that he was hopeful that the advice of the department would be heeded to.

He also added that if their suggestions were not heeded, the department would certainly chalk out a different plan.

Singh said they had been keeping a tab on all as all the transactions were visible nowadays and the defaulters would certainly invite action from the I-T department.

Singh said the income-tax office would be functioning on Saturday and counters would run till 6.30 pm to enable the tax payers to file their income-tax returns.

Bathinda, March 30
Power supply to the areas under 11 KV field Gole Market no. 1 and 11 KV Vishal Nagar feeder would be shut down for maintenance and repair on Saturday.

As a result, power supply to Green Avenue, Tagore Nagar, Shakti Nagar, New Shakti Nagar, Vishal Nagar, Panchvati Nagar, Arya Samaj Chowk, Dhobi Bazar, cloth market, Mata Rani Gali, Hospital Bazaar, Ahata Niaz and Gole Market would remain suspended from 10 am to 5 pm.

Bathinda, March 30
The ex-servicemen in the district have come together and formed a society Corpus of Engineer, Sikh Light Infantry and All Arms Act Ex-service Army Welfare Society.

In a press statement issued here, the society’s spokesperson stated that retired sub-major Balwinder Singh has been elected as president, Bahadur Singh as vice-president, Balvir Singh as treasurer, Kulwant Singh as press secretary, Balvir Singh as convening member, sub-major Lachhman Singh as organising member and Katar Singh as advisor.

The spokesperson said the society would extend a helping hand to ex-servicemen in all kind of problems and will shoulder responsibilities too. “We understand that an Army personnel finds it difficult to fit into the civil life after his retirement. Discipline remains an integral part of life but the outer world changes abruptly. We aim at helping the Army personnel come out of such problems,” said the spokesperson.

Besides, the society will also hold awareness camps in schools and colleges to motivate the children to join the Army and put up a united front against social evils like dowry and drugs.

Bathinda, March 30
A municipal councillor and three others have been booked by the police for cheating a resident of the Vishwakarma market of Rs 8.20 lakh. The officials of the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) said the case was registered after an investigation by an SP rank official.

The complainant Pargat Singh said the accused Ranjeet Singh had accepted the token money for the shop of a third person (actually it belongs to one Hardeep Singh). Ranjeet pocketed an amount of Rs 8.20 lakh as token money with the help of a fake owner. Pargat Singh further added that the actual owner Hardeep Singh was not even aware of the fact that his shop was being sold off. Police officials said an affidavit in connection with the sale and purchase of the shop was attested by the Municipal Councillor of ward number 5, Mukesh Kumar.

Bathinda, March 31
An NSS camp was organised at the Guru Ram Dass Institute of Engineering and Technology on Thursday. The students worked together to clean the campus as well as the roadside in front of the campus.

The in-charge of the NSS also joined them. During the one-day camp, chairman of the institute Prof Harbhajan Singh informed the students of the importance of social work. Dr HS Sandhu, principal of the institution and Director Prof Daljit Singh also advised the students to take up more social work.

Chinderpal Singh and Satpal Singh were also present on the occasion.