Bathinda, December 27
Inspector General of Police, Bathinda Range, Nirmal Singh Dhillon, today held a meeting with the heads of various educational institutes, including school, colleges and private institutions where girls study.

The IG vowed zero tolerance for eve-teasers and crime against women, especially the girl child at the meeting.

"I assure you that every policeman deployed under this police zone, starting from Harike near Faridkot up to Sardulgarh in Mansa, would stand up to the crime against women. The state government has provided enough funds to introduce new mechanisms to deal with such crimes with an iron hand," the IG said.

Dhillon was accompanied by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ravcharan Brar, SP (Detective) Amarjeet Singh and DSP City-II Gurmeet Kingra. The police officials also displayed boards and pamphlets on which the phone numbers of senior police functionaries would be written to invite suggestions and complaints.

He said a squad of ten female constables-- who would be on Activa scooters-- is being given special training to deal with eve-teasers around educational institutes and public areas. These constables are presently undergoing training to handle weapons and would be seen on the roads in a different uniform in the next few days, Dhillon said.

The principals and teachers of the educational institutes assured the police of all possible help and support in their endeavour to curb the crime against women.

Apart from the squad in uniform, a team in plainclothes too is being planned. The team is already active in various parts of the city. "The team has already shown its aptitude by cracking the whip on eve-teasers during the last two days," the IG added.

He asked the educationists to spare at least five minutes to sensitise the children about the ill effects of crime against women.

Speaking on the occasion, SSP Ravcharan Brar said apart from heinous and petty crime against women, the overall crime in the area too would be brought down to a great extent. "We have many separate wings in the pipeline for specialized investigation and fast redressal of complaints," Brar said.

He said modalities have been chalked out to discuss the issue at length with the children during a visit by police officials to the schools and colleges. He said committees and sub-committees have been formed at the district, sub- division and village levels so that the message reaches down the line. He added that 400 policemen have been sensitised about the grave situation.

Giving suggestions, principal of Malwa College SK Gosain urged the IG to deploy policemen in plainclothes outside his college as the anti-social elements flee after spotting a police vehicle.

Similar views were expressed by the president of associated schools association, Punjab, Rajinder Guddu, who stressed upon the need to sensitise school students, especially from the rural areas. Guddu also put forth the idea of dress code in colleges.

School teachers were also of the opinion that the use of mobile phones, use of two-wheelers and four-wheelers in schools and colleges had its effects on encouraging such crime.

The police officials also asked the teachers to honestly use the complaint box and not to hide any complaints received in the boxes, which are to be installed in the educational institutes. Policemen were also told to keep in mind the safety of the girls in buses as vulgar songs and misbehaviour by the youngsters is reported often in these vehicles. The IG assured to convene a meeting of the transporters in the next few days in this regard.

Fact file

TNS called up the women helpline number 0164-2215020 to enquire about its functioning. It was informed by the female attendant that so far, no complaint of any serious nature had been reported. However, cases of domestic violence and family feuds had been reported.

A squad of ten female constables-- who would be on Activa scooters-- is being given special training to deal with eve-teasers around educational institutes and public areas.

A team in plainclothes too is being planned. The team is already active in various parts of the city.

The IG asked the educationists to sensitise the children about the ill effects of crime against women.

The SSP said committees and sub-committees have been formed at the district, sub- division and village levels so that the message reaches down the line. He added that 400 policemen have been sensitised about the grave situation. 

Bathinda, December 27
The Bathinda district administration had a hectic year with the Vidhan Sabha elections occupying its attention in the first quarter of the year followed by a number of agitations and protests and finally the inaugural ceremony and matches of the World Cup Kabaddi in December.

The officials of the district administration remained on their feet with Bathinda being the political turf of the Badal family and two of the state cabinet members - Education Minister Sikandar Singh Maluka and Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon - elected to the state assembly from the district.

Different factions of the teaching community remained on the warpath ever since Sikandar Singh Maluka was made the education minister. Administrative officials in Rampura and the police had a tough time in managing the protesters who threatened self-immolation and tried to jump off the water tanks.

Besides the employees of the education department, the linesmen union and others organized protests and held the city to ransom.

The year saw new additional deputy commissioners taking charge and a change of guard in other departments.

In the middle of the year, the district had unusual guests. A parliamentary standing committee on health, comprising Members of Parliament and officials of the Central Government, visited the villages affected by cancer in the Talwandi Sabo area. They spoke to the villagers about the ailment, its causes and repercussions. However, the event remained mired in controversy with the Punjab government and the administration being accused of presenting distorted facts before the committee.

Also during the year, Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav proceeded on mid-term career training for eight weeks and the charge of the district was given to the Faridkot Deputy Commissioner Ravi Bhagat.

The city played host to the All India Mayors' Council in the last quarter of the year. Mayors from all over the country gathered in Bathinda to discuss issues related to the local bodies and granting of more powers to them. Towards the end of the year, rural school games, state science fair, World Cup Kabaddi and other events kept the officials busy.

This year, the administration also undertook the work of dividing the villages into wards as per the directives of the Central Government.

In 2013, the administration has to host two elections. The elections for the municipal corporation are slated to be held in the middle of 2013 while the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) elections are due late next year.

Bathinda, December 27
The PCMS Specialist Doctors' Association has demanded review of the PCMS cadre and a special scale for specialist doctors on the pattern of the Central Government employees.

During a meeting, headed by state president of the association Dr Kashmir Singh Sohal, held here, the doctors said specialist doctors in the PCMS perform both the duties of general duty medical officers and specialists but were paid emoluments of graduate PCMS officers.

"Besides, specialists have to function as emergency medical officer, attend courts, do VIP duties and many other duties. And still, they are being asked to meet the benchmark of a specialist. Most of the specialists are overburdened and exhausted but no heed is paid to their problems," they said.

Doctors demanded that the PCMS cadre should be reviewed.

In the last couple of years, many new health programmes have been launched but no new post has been created or identified resulting in stagnation, understaffing and steep rise in work load of specialist doctors.

Secretary general Surinderpreet Bhagat stated that recruitment of general duty medical officers should be done as per the Indian Public Health Standards and specialists should be assigned duty of their respective speciality only. He said the government should introduce more benefits to attract specialists towards the government job.

"The economical benefit equal to five annual increments given to doctors who have completed post-graduate course after May 2001 is not enough to attract and retain them in the government service," they said, demanding that specialists should be given a benefit of 50 per cent on basic pay as higher qualification pay. The benefit should be given to all the specialist doctors from the date of completion of PG course, they sought.

The doctors said there was an urgent need to improve the working conditions and to give status to doctors as per their qualification and experience.

Terming the practice of allotting targets and benchmarks to specialists as "not in the interest and welfare of patients", the association demanded such practices should be stopped.

They also demanded that pending service matters of doctors should be solved at the earliest; doctors should be given 15 per cent of basic pay as conveyance allowance and five percent of basic pay for academic excellence. Rural area allowance for specialist doctors was demanded to be increased from six per cent to 15 per cent of their basic pay.

Further, 10 per cent of risk allowance was also demanded for specialists as they are exposed to extra risk of acquiring serious infections from patients.

Fact file

The doctors said specialist doctors in the PCMS perform both the functions of general duty medical officers and specialists but were paid emoluments of graduate PCMS officers.

Besides, specialists have to function as emergency medical officer, attend courts, do VIP duties and many other work. And still, they are being asked to meet the benchmark of a specialist. Most of the specialists are overburdened and exhausted but no heed is paid to their problems, they said.

In the last couple of years, many new health programmes have been launched but no new post has been created or identified resulting in stagnation, understaffing and steep rise in the work load of specialist doctors.

Bathinda, December 27
Surinder Gosain and Gurinder Singh have joined the Central University of Punjab (CUP), Bathinda, as secretary to the vice-chancellor and senior manager, Computer Centre respectively. Gosain has got more than three decades of experience in the media, especially in the newspaper industry.

Gurinder Singh has also more than three decades of experience in the field of information technology. He worked with the department of atomic energy, ESPL, TCS, Quark and Vmoksha in various capacities. — TNS

Bathinda, December 27
The hoteliers, restaurants and marriage palace owners have got a major relief with the High Court granting a stay on the change of land use (CLU) charges imposed by the Punjab Government.

Owners of these commercial establishments have been holding agitations and dharnas against the government for slapping huge CLU charges on them that would have sounded the death knell for these set-ups.

A meeting was convened wherein hoteliers hailed the court for giving a major relief. The president of the Hotels, Restaurants and Resorts' Union Satish Arora said four cases were filed in the High Court. "Bathinda's association was the first to file a petition. Later, three more petitions were filed, one each from Amritsar rural, Amritsar urban and Ludhiana. These were added to the petition from Bathinda on which the stay was granted," he said. The next date of hearing has been fixed for January 22.

Around 3,000 marriages palaces and resorts in the state have been opposing the CLU. Satish said the CLU had not existed before 2007 whereas the government had directed all the establishments to pay charges from the day they were set up.

"The CLU was actually meant only for malls and big colonies. Marriage palaces and resorts have been wrongly included. We want the government not to charge CLU on the establishments that were constructed before 2007. The government can charge penalty or some other kind of fees from 2007 onwards instead of burdening an industry which is already facing crisis," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, an association member said while the HC has given them respite, the Punjab Government was preparing to impose fresh taxes on them. It seemed that the government wanted to bring the hospitality industry to an end in the state.

The general secretary of the association, Anil Thakur, said the owners of hotels, marriage palaces and resorts were opposing the new taxes as well. — TNS

Bathinda, December 27
The Bathinda Jewellers' Association today demanded death penalty for the accused in the Delhi gang rape case.

In a press statement issued here, the state chairman of the Indian Jewellers' Society Kartar Singh Jaura said that the government should hold trial of the Delhi gang rape case in a fast-track court so that the victim and her family could get immediate justice.

The jewellers said that keeping in view the rising incidents of thefts in jewellery shops, the police should make proper arrangements to avoid such incidents in future.

Bathinda, December 27
The police has registered a case against two persons for stealing agricultural tools. In a complaint to the police, Chhinderpal Singh of Mohalla Kikardas said Gora Singh of Jodhpur Romana and Jagga Singh of Jassi Bagwali village had stolen his agricultural tools worth nearly Rs 42,000 to Rs 43,000. The complainant claimed that the accused have sold the tools.

The Canal Colony police has registered a case under Section 379 of the Indian Penal code (IPC).

Inmate consumes phenyl tablets

An inmate brought to the district courts in connection with the hearing of a case registered against him, consumed phenyl tablets in one of the toilets on the District Court Complex.

The complainant in the case, Baldev Singh of the Punjab Police, said the accused was allowed to use a toilet to answer the nature's call where he consumed the tablets.

The inmate was shifted to the emergency ward of the Civil Hospital. A case has been registered under Section 309 of the IPC at the Civil Lines police station.

Man booked for instigating woman to elope

An unidentified man has been booked by the police for instigating a woman to elope with him.

In a complaint to the police, Jeeto Kaur said his granddaughter was a divorcee and had a year-old daughter. An unidentified man instigated her to elope with him on the pretext of second marriage.

A case has been registered under Sections 363 and 366 of the IPC at the Sadar Rampura police station.

One arrested with drugs

The police has arrested a resident of Chaoke village for possessing habit-forming drugs.

As many as 45 vials and 500 tablets were found in the possession of the accused, Malkit Singh, who was arrested from near Chaoke village.

A case under Sections 22, 61 and 85 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered against him at the Sadar Rampura police station.

Villager kidnapped

A resident of Patti Sandli Mehraj has allegedly been kidnapped.

In her complaint to the police, Baljeet Kaur stated that her husband had gone to agricultural fields but did not return.

A case under Section 363 of the IPC has been registered against unidentified persons at the City Rampura police station.

Three booked for assault

The police has registered a case against three persons for beating a resident of Sangat Kothe.

In a complaint to the police, Gulshan Kumar said the accused attacked him and inflicted injuries upon him.

The investigating officer in the case, Gurjant Singh, said the accused picked up a fight over a trivial issue of standing in front of each other's house.

A case under Sections 341, 323, 506 and 34 of the IPC has been registered against the accused at the Sangat police station. No arrest has been made so far.