Bathinda, September 4
Making yet another attempt to earn money from the 21,261 square yards of the Blue Fox complex, a plan has now been devised to auction it for constructing a shop-cum-office site that will also house a hotel.

The Bathinda Improvement Trust has planned 40 shops-cum-offices and a hotel at the controversial Blue Fox complex, near the Rose Garden. "The plan for the project has been forwarded to the Chief Town Planner (CTP) Punjab for his final nod," said the administrator, Improvement Trust, Kamal Kishore Yadav.

While around 42 SCOs have been kept in the pipeline, 1.2 acres of land would be given to develop the hotel. The sites would be given for auction as soon as the plan gets approved.

Earlier too, attempts by the Municipal Corporation Bathinda and the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) to auction the complex for commercial purposes had failed to evoke a good response from the bidders.

Bidders had skipped the Blue Fox auction earlier in 2010 and 2011 owing to the skyrocketing reserve price of over Rs 51,000 fixed on an average.

"This time too, we do not expect much response from the market. There is hardly any buyer for the commercial site from outside Bathinda. Heavy property tax and increased stamp duty may prove to be the dampener," said property consultant Kewal Krishan.

The Improvement Trust took the land from the municipal corporation around two-and-a-half years ago after giving a loan of Rs 96 crores to the corporation against the land. "We fear the Blue Fox complex may prove to be an albatross around our neck. The corporation was given loan against the property with the expectation that a decent profit could be earned out of it. But the past auctions have elicited a poor response," said an Improvement Trust official.

The sale of the complex had courted a controversy in 2008 when it acquired a political hue with the Congress raising objections. It was sold off to the PIDB that gave Rs 40 crore loan to the municipal corporation. Later, in 2010, the property, once transferred to the PIDB, was handed back to the corporation on the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Later, in September 2010, it was decided to auction the area in four-plot format, which did not attract even a single bidder.

Bathinda, September 4
The garbage collectors enrolled with the private company, JITF Waste Management Limited, today called off their strike after three days following intervention by the officials of the municipal corporation.

Garbage collection in the city had come to a standstill owing to a tussle between the collectors and the management of JITF.

For many months, similar problems have been arising at the beginning of every month when the garbage collectors are to be given their salaries. Verbal altercation between the collectors and the management was becoming a regular feature.

Irked over poor garbage collection, the officials of the municipal corporation had taken the JITF officials to task. They in turn, pulled up the garbage collectors. The move, however, did not go down well. Owing to a similar problem, the garbage collectors had called a strike and had not been picking garbage for the last three days.

"The standoff between the two ended only after we intervened today," said the municipal commissioner Uma Shankar Gupta. He said efforts are being made to set a synchronized pattern of giving salary.

Added to this, there have been issues of attendance and other minor problems, Gupta said.

The collectors picked the garbage today with the help of the sweepers employed by the municipal corporation.

Bathinda, September 4
Various teacher unions today took out a march to protest against the rationalisation policy of the Punjab Government. The teachers said the student teacher ratio in government schools is now increasing to 1:40 where as it should be 1:30.

The unions alleged that because of this, the number of teachers would come down and they would be burdened with work. Teachers deployed in different schools across the state would also feel insecure as they could be shown the door with the implementation of the new policy, the unions alleged.

The teachers feared that those employed on contract would not be able to get their contracts renewed if the new policy is imposed upon them.

The unions said that teachers working under the Sarva ShikshaAbhiyaan, RAMSA besides the CSS scheme would also be affected with the implementation of the new rationalisation policy.

A teacher leader, Ratanjot Sharma, said after taking out the march from the Teachers' Home to the District Administrative Complex, the teachers submitted a memorandum to the government through the Tehsildar. The unions hoped their voice would be heard. 

Bathinda, September 4
Around 45 teachers from all over Punjab will be awarded at the state-level Teachers' Day function being held at the Jeet Palace here tomorrow. The chief guest on the occasion will be Punjab Education Minister Sikandar Singh Maluka while chief parliamentary secretary (CPS) Inderbir Singh Bhuleria will preside over the function. Bathinda (Urban) MLA and CPS Sarup Chand Singla will be the special guest.

A team from the district education office is making arrangements for the function. Today, DEO (Secondary), Mansa, and DEO (Elementary), Barnala, also came to lend a helping hand in making the arrangements.

Meanwhile, the non-teaching staff of the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyaan (RMSA) has decided to observe Teachers' Day as black day at Chandigarh.

Continuing their protest against the government, the workers donned black badges at their workplace today. Tomorrow, the workers will wear black clothes to register their protest. They also called upon the other organizations to support them.

Bathinda, September 4
Security was tightened at the court premises today following a clash between two criminal groups on Saturday.

The two criminal groups clashed when they had come for hearing in a court case. It is learnt that the court authorities brought the matter to the notice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday.

Today, locks were put on the entrances to the second and third floor, thus barring the lawyers and other litigants from entering these floors. The court authorities, requesting anonymity, said as per the directions of the Supreme Court, the entrance to the judicial complex was blocked in order to avoid the mixing of criminals.

The matter was brought to the notice of the Senior Superintendent of Police, Bathinda, Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill. The SSP deployed around 20 cops as security cover in and around the judicial complex.

The lawyers said at the time of criminal gangs appearing in the courts, special forces should be deployed to avoid clashes as it happened on Saturday.

It is pertinent to mention here that the judicial complex has also got a dedicated police picket. Despite the picket, a large number of cases relating to the theft of vehicles are reported from the premises.

Bathinda, September 4
The members of the district Youth Congress have urged the district police to intensify vigil in view of the rising crime in the city.

The local residents and the vice- president of the Youth Congress Ashu Thakur met the Canal Colony SHO and demanded that a permanent naka be laid near Partap Nagar where many incidents of crime have taken place during the last few days.

SHO UC Chawla assured that patrolling would be intensified in the area to curb the rising incidents of snatching, loot and theft.

The residents also brought the problem of the people consuming liquor openly outside a vend. The Canal police assured of looking into the matter.

The protest by the Youth Congress over the crime incidents are in keeping with the party's policies that has seen it stage protest whether it is over the setting up of the solid waste management project in the city or the overflowing sewerage in areas like Paras Ram Nagar. Led by its former MLA from bathinda, Harminder Singh Jassi, the local unit of the party has been pro-active staging protests and trying to stir public conscience.

The Congress leaders have been blaming the state government for its ill conceived policies that are creating civic problems for the people of the city, a charge that is strongly refuted by the local functionaries of the parties in power.

The Congress workers have also staged protest over the fresh taxes that have been imposed by the state government. The taxes have not drawn plaudits from all the corners and the Congressmen hope to cash in on the opportunity.

Bathinda, September 4
My Career Experts, a group led by an IIM alumni, has launched a batch named Catch-22 for students from the Malwa region to get into the IIMs.

These students will be mentored by a group of 11 IIM alumni who are presently working with companies of national and international repute.

These alumni are coming to Bathinda on September 23 to guide and to inspire the young minds to help realize their potential.

As many as 100 students will be selected for this batch through a test. Students from economical weaker sections of society will be awarded up to 100 per cent scholarship on merit-cum-means basis.

An All-India online selection test for this exclusive batch will be held on September 9.

Sony Goyal, the director of the institute, said students from Malwa region have huge potential and need mentoring to make their dreams come true. 

Bathinda, September 4
The Bathinda Malayalee Association (BMA) celebrated Onam — the harvest festival of Kerala — at the National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) recreation centre with pomp and show.

Keralites living in Bathinda gathered to celebrate the festival that commemorates a mythical past of plenty, peace and equality.

The venue was decorated with floral decks, Pookkalam, to remember the homecoming of the mythical King Mahabali, who is believed to visit his subjects on the Thiruvonam day of the Malayalam month of Chingam (the first month of the Malayalam calendar).

Chief guest KNS Poduval formally inaugurated the event by lighting the ceremonial lamp. Chairman of the BMA, PA Terly, addressed the audience about the importance and history of the festival, followed by a prayer song led by the BMA president Davis Joseph.

The festive mood was enlightened by Thiruvathira— a traditional dance performed by a group of ladies besides other cultural programmes and games.

The women arranged the flowers on the floor dressed in traditional cream and zari border saris.

The celebrations came to an end with a sumptuous feast called "Onasadya" comprising rice and various curries and scores of sweet and hot delicacies. The “Onasadya” is a nine-course meal consisting of 15 to 26 essential dishes.

Bathinda, September 4
Rama police have registered a case of cheating against two residents of Mumbai for pocketing Rs 23. 81 lakh. The duo had taken the money to deliver a car to an official of the Guru Gobind Singh Refinery.

Police said the complainant NK Aggarwal alleged that the distributor Gurmeet Singh, a resident of Mumbai, and Anjali Sharma, took the token money to provide a car worth nearly Rs 31 lakhs.