Bathinda, October 9
With the general house of the Municipal Corporation, Bathinda (MCB), approving a draft for metered water connections, the ball has been set rolling for reducing wastage of water and making municipal bodies more committed to provide adequate water supply.

The draft policy specifies all the parameters, metering units and tariff as well as technology involved in measuring the water consumption.

Municipal commissioner Uma Shankar Gupta said the metered water connections would increase the responsibility of the MCB in providing adequate water supply to the consumers. “We will be able to govern the entire system more efficiently as the wastage of water would be reduced,” he said.

Besides metering water, emphasis would be laid on checking leakages. The consumer will be served a notice directing him to either fix the leakage in two days or face a fine of Rs 100.

The water usage would be charged differently for residential and commercial establishments.

The premises not covered under residential and commercial properties would be charged under the mixed category usage at Rs 5 per kilolitre. This category will be applicable in the cases where a part of the premises under residential use is also used for commercial purposes, provided the water use is for non-intensive purposes.

For instance, residences with some portions being used as shops by grocers, doctors, dentists etc will fall under the mixed use category.

However, commercial tariff would be applicable to dhabas, tea shops, sweets shops, barber shops etc, as by nature of the trade activity, the usage of water is intensive on such premises.

For multi-storeyed residential society, water shall be supplied to the complex through water meters. The meter will be installed at its underground tank, considering the society as single unit only.

The society may get sub-meters installed for individual houses.

The bill of demand for water connection shall be presented by the urban local body on quarterly basis and shall be paid within 15 days of presentation of the bill.

Bathinda, October 9
The court of District and Sessions Judge SK Aggarwal awarded two years of rigorous imprisonment to two men in a case registered against them under the NDPS Act.

Krishanjit Singh (44), a resident of Kothe Patti Mohabbat Basti, Rampura Charik Road, Moga, and Shamsher Singh (48), a resident of Chowk Majithia, Moga, were held with one kg of opium each. They were arrested from near Pathrala village on January 1, 2008. Krishanjit had tied to his waist a glazed envelope which contained the contraband.

Both the accused had pleaded for leniency on the ground that they had three children each and were the sole breadwinners in their families.

The court awarded them with two years of imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 200 each. In case of default in paying the fine, the duo would further undergo two months of imprisonment.

Bathinda, October 9
A delegation of different bar associations of Punjab met the newly-appointed Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, AK Sikri, seeking the abolition of evening courts and declaring Saturday as holiday in the courts.

Members of the bar associations from Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Kapurthala, Nabha, Moga, Mohali, Ferozepur, Faridkot, Mansa, Fazilka, Khanna, Tarn Taran and Bathinda were part of the delegation.

The president of the Bathinda Bar Association, Ranjit Singh Jalal, and secretary Gurwinder Singh Mann were present at the meeting.

Lawyers said the evening courts should be abolished as it posed problems for litigants as they had to return to their homes late in the evening.

Lawyers, who have their cases scheduled for the next day, would also face problems in case evening courts are not abolished as they would not get enough time to prepare for their cases.

Further, bank employees too cannot remain present in the court after their working hours.

The lawyers also demanded that Saturday should be declared holiday. They reasoned that as per the guidelines of the Supreme Court, the high courts would work for at least 185 days in a year while lower courts should work for 210 days.

However, in the lower courts, people are working from 270 to 280 days a year thereby affecting their performance.

Chief Justice AK Sikri said he would look into the matter and take up the issue with his fellow judges.

Bathinda, October 9
More and more people in the city are opting for meditation to ease anxiety, depression, addiction to drugs and cope with the other problems that one encounters in one's daily life. Strenuous exercises, music, yoga and modern and ancient techniques are practised at these camps, which are supervised by experts from across India and sometimes even from abroad.

(From left) Dr Kashish Gupta, Rajeev Sharma, Dr Vandana Singla and SSP Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill.

Bathinda, October 9
A meeting was convened to discuss the arrangements for the fair to be held at the Maiserkhana temple on October 20. Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Talwandi Sabo, Anil Kumar Garg presided over the meeting.

The members of the temple's management committee, members of the panchayat and Tehsildar Avtar Singh Makkar was also present on the occasion.

The officials were assigned different duties for the fair. The SDM said the fair attracts a large number of pilgrims, which calls for making adequate arrangements.

He directed the police officials to assign specific routes for traffic and parking spaces. "The traffic routes should be laid in such a way that the pilgrims visiting the temple do not face any problem," he said.

Garg informed that a control room is being set up on the panchayat ghar premises, which would work under the DSP Maur. He assigned duties to the policemen to ensure that the fair is organized efficiently.

Sub-divisional engineer (B&R) Maur will coordinate with the DSP Maur for installing barricades at different places to ensure the pilgrims do not face any inconvenience while paying obeisance.

The executive officer (EO), Maur Municipal Council, will get the temple premises completely cleaned on October 18. The EO and the forest range officer, Talwandi Sabo, will be responsible for sprinkling water in the area.

The sub-divisional engineer (Public Health), Maur, and the secretary, market committee, Maur, will install 40 stand posts wherein drinking water will be made available to the people.

Keeping in view the convenience of the pilgrims, 30 temporary urinals and 30 toilets have been erected near the bus stand.

SDE (PSPCL), Maur, will be responsible for providing uninterrupted power supply during the fair, while the SMO, Talwandi Sabo, medical officer (PHC), Maiserkhana and the Civil Surgeon, Bathinda, will coordinate for arranging the ambulances and installing medical posts.

The manager, Milk Plant, Bathinda, would be responsible for providing milk on the temple premises to the devotees.

Bathinda, October 9
The Sarkari Sikhya Bachao Manch, an NGO, has written to the Secretary, Education, Punjab, demanding the streamlining of the education and examination system in the state.

In the letter, the NGO has stated that the half-yearly examinations for class VI to class X are held in an irresponsible way.

The anomalies relate to the distribution of the question papers, use of extra paper for printing, diluting the secrecy of the exam and the additional burden incurred on conducting the exam.

The members of the NGO also condemned the new rationalization policy of the government. They also sought a probe into the deadlines being repeatedly jumped in the case of transfer of teachers who were being unnecessarily transferred to settle scores.

The members of the NGO also raised the issue of the lack of basic infrastructure in government schools, shortage of principals, removal of anti-teacher and anti-pupil provisions in the Right to Education (RTE) Act, the visits by the less experienced members of the office of the Director General of School Education (DGSE) to different schools and the teachers being made to do non-academic work.

The members of the Manch said there was an urgent need to redress these issues as Punjab has already slipped to the 15th position in terms of education in the country. If the defects were not rectified soon, it could have grave consequences, it warned.

Bathinda, October 9
Cops at the Canal Colony police station, who are investigating the murder of a 20-year- old girl who was found murdered yesterday are in a dilemma over the identity of the girl.

The girl's family members today reportedly got a phone call from their relatives in Amritsar who claimed to have spotted the girl in the holy city.

Canal Colony SHO UC Chawla said though the DNA sample of the girl has been preserved, the chief point is no longer the identity of the girl but that of the culprits behind the murder.

He said though the parents have identified the girl, the police would also try to enquire into the claims made by the deceased's relatives in Amritsar.

He said the relatives might have been mistaken but still the police will enquire into it.

The girl, identified by her family members as Amritpal Kaur, was reported missing since Tuesday and her body was found dumped in a remote hut meant to store turi (dry fodder) at a farm on Bir Road.

The farmer Teja Singh, whose farm it was, brought the matter to the notice of the police.

A case under various sections of the IPC has been registered against unidentified persons in this regard.

Bathinda, October 9
The Indian Army gave the final touches to the pool campus recruitment activity held at the Guru Kashi University. The initial workshop was conducted in September. The process of filling of applications for the UES-23 has been completed by the Army. Following this, an Army team led by Colonel. Y Vijay Kumara, the presiding officer of the University Entry Scheme- 23, visited the campus for the interviews.

Students from Giani Zail Singh College of Engineering & Technology, Guru Ram Dass College of Engineering & Technology, Baba Farid Group of Institutions and from Guru Kashi University took part in it.

The team has initially shortlisted students from various colleges to be sent for the Staff Selection Board (SSB) interviews which will be conducted in the April-May 2013. Vice-chancellor of the Guru Kashi University Dr DS Hira appreciated this joint activity of the GKU and the Indian Army. 

Bathinda, October 9
Railway employees today went on hunger strike demanding the acceptance of their long-pending demands.

Bathinda, October 9
The Civil Lines police have arrested a woman from near Aggarwal Colony with two-and-a half litres of intoxicating liquid. SHO Gurdev Bhalla said the accused woman, Neelam, is a resident of Aggarwal Colony. Involved in selling intoxicating material for a long time, she was arrested earlier also. She has already been named in two or three such cases registered at various police stations in the district.

Bhalla said a case in this connection has been registered against Neelam at the Civil Lines police station.