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High Court issues notice to BDA, PUDA
Coal pilferage near rly tracks goes on unabated
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New Red Cross women’s hostel to cost Rs 1.33 cr
Over 6 months later, Gidderbaha man held for Bhucho resident’s murder
Students sensitised to tuberculosis
ruckus by
Sgpc member’s son
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High Court issues notice to BDA, PUDA
Bathinda, January 17 Officials from these departments have been directed to appear before the court at the next hearing scheduled for January 30. Notices have been served following a writ petition filed by a local doctor, Dr Gajendra Shekhawat, who had bought the site (2420 square yards) from the BDA at the cost of Rs 8.66 crore in June 2011. "At the time of allotment, the BDA authorities had shown that the area is going be developed as a posh locality. Convinced by the claims of the Bathinda Development Authority, I bought the land at the rate of Rs 35,000 per square yard against the reserved price of Rs 11,140 square yards in the auction," Dr Shekhawat said. When Dr Shekhawat took possession of the land, he was surprised to find that the area in question had been converted into a slum. "I was charged heavily for the land on the pretext that the area has been fully developed and is surrounded by a commercial zone," he said. Dr Shekhawat said that since the area has been encroached upon, it would not be viable to construct a hospital at this place. As per the allotment letter issued to him, it is mandatory to build a hospital within three years of the issuance of the allotment letter. He has stated that the time for constructing the hospital should be extended till the encroachment is removed from the area. Thereafter, three years should be granted to complete the construction of the hospital, he added. Interestingly, in 2009, during his tenure as the chief administrator of the BDA, the now Deputy Commissioner, Bathinda, Kamal Kishore Yadav had got the entire area freed of encroachments. All the encroachments were removed and the site was cleared. However, after the anti-encroachment drive, he was transferred within a week. Later, slowly and steadily, all the encroachments crawled back in place and the area now stands covered by pockets of slums. Even in the latest map of the Urban Estate phase 3, uploaded on the website of the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA), part I shows that 95 per cent of the area around the hospital site has been encroached upon. "This means that the BDA is accepting having sold a property that is now surrounded by encroachments," said Dr Shekhawat. Even other people living in Model Town phase III and Dhobiana road have been demanding that the slums be removed. Meanwhile, the chief administrator, Bathinda Development Authority, Uma Shankar Gupta said a scheme to rehabilitate the slum dwellers has been charted out and sent to the state government for approval. Under this service scheme, the slum dwellers will be given a plot of 25 square yards to construct a house. "As soon as the scheme is approved, the encroachments will be removed," he said. Fact file
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Coal pilferage near rly tracks goes on unabated
Bathinda, January 17 A visit to the railway station at around 7.45 am revealed that around nine to ten people, including women and children, were carrying bags of coal after taking it away from the wagons at the railway station. Spotting this correspondent taking pictures of the coal bags lying beside the railway tracks, the women hurried up the process of taking away the coal bags from the railway station. Shopkeepers at the nearby railway road said the practice of stealing coal from the open wagons at the railway station has been going on for many years. People carrying coal in gunny bags can be seen even during the wee hours, at 2 am, 4 am and also at 8 am and at around 4.30 pm in the evening, they said. Railway authorities said on an average, two rakes of coal, meant for the National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) and Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant (GNDTP) pass through the railway station everyday. People living in the vicinity of the railway tracks said the trains loaded with coal slow down near Gaushala, Amarpura Basti, Bangi Nagar and Deep Nagar. The unscrupulous elements unload the coal even when the train slows down for 10 to 20 minutes. Some coal buyers waiting for the sellers on railway road said they purchase coal at the rate of Rs 150 to Rs 250 per bag. The cost of these bags increases during the winter. At least 30 to 40 bags of coal are usually stolen from the wagons in a day, the onlookers said. "A gang of 15 to 20 people supervises the sale and pilferage. The gang further sells the coal to the buyers just outside the railway station," said a shopkeeper, pleading anonymity. He said more than a dozen thieves were arrested by the police some time ago but they were released soon after their arrest. Officials of the Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant said they do the final weighing of the coal inside the plant and the payment is made after taking into account the final weighing only. Deputy Chief Engineer (Fuel and Efficiency) Ashok Gupta at the GNDTP said 3700 to 4,000 metric tonnes of coal is carried in a wagon. Gupta said the weight of the quantity of coal meant for the thermal plant fluctuates after dipping it in the water to settle the ash and other unwanted material. He said the quantum of pilferage is low, merely one tonne against the 4,000 tonnes of coal in a wagon. The overall transit loss is considered at 2 per cent and with the introduction of the new regulations, efforts are on to bring down losses to even below 2 per cent. The officials said coal worth nearly Rs 15 crore is brought to the three thermal plants including the GNDTP and the thermal plants at Lehra Mohabbat and Ropar. The officials said it is the responsibility of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) to keep a check on the pilferage. RPF post commander Ajay Rajpal claimed there is no coal pilferage on the railway station premises. He said measures are being taken to check the menace. Area Traffic Manager, Railways, SP Bhatia said he would take up the matter of coal pilferage with the higher authorities to curb the
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New Red Cross women’s hostel to cost Rs 1.33 cr
Bathinda, January 17 "We have prepared an estimate of Rs 1.33 crore and sent the file to the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, for approval. The Central Government will contribute 75 per cent in the project, while the state government will give another 25 per cent to complete it," he said. Goyal added that the agency for executing the project will be decided only after the grants for the project is received. The building, with 48 rooms, was declared unsafe on January 7 this year. While eight rooms served as the store of the Child Welfare Council, some were used as a store of the Red Cross Society, three or four had collapsed completely, while the others had around 62 to 65 students living in them. The buildings belonging to the Public Works Department (PWD) and roads department declared the building unsafe to live in. Consequently, a number of female students of the nearby Punjabi University Regional Centre, living in the hostel, were asked to leave. The students opposed the move saying they were asked to vacate the hostel at short notice. However, the district administration stood firm saying the life of the occupants of the hostel building was more precious than any other thing. The working women's hostel has proved to be a safe abode for the females living here. Spread over an area of around 6000 square yards, the hostel was constructed in 1978. In 1978 too, the Central Government had contributed 75 per cent of the cost of construction amounting to Rs 1,24,8000, while the state government contributed another 25 per cent amounting to Rs 4,16,000. The building was completed in 1980-81 after spending Rs 23 lakh on raising other structures on the premises. |
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Threat of Chinese thread
Bathinda, January 17 Goyal said his NGO treats every bird with care and warmth. "Though most casualties take place among the pigeons, other birds like parrots, crows and kites also get entangled in these threads and hurt themselves." Another rescuer of the birds, Vijay Goyal from the NGO Sahara Jan Seva, said, "Most birds get injured after getting stuck into kite threads hanging from the electric poles and tree branches. We rescue one or two birds daily that get trapped in kite strings." The severely injured birds lose their lives as they get injured while flying as the kite threads are not visible. "Many have their wings, legs and necks slashed when they get entangled in the manjha thread," Goyal said. Pardip Kumar, a teenaged bird rescuer at Jain Sabha, said, "Whenever an injured bird is brought to us, I provide first aid and call the doctor for medication. At times, the number of birds brought here for treatment is in hundreds." Dr Subash Jain, a veterinary doctor, requested the kite flyers not to use China thread or sharp strings while flying kites. "A little awareness on the part of kite flyers can save the lives of innocent birds," he said. |
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Awareness rally on Pulse polio drive held
Bathinda, January 17 The rally passed through the areas near bus stand, Mall road, Fire Brigade chowk and concluded at the Gole Diggi. The students and employees taking part in the rally carried banners and placards with messages about the importance of getting children vaccinated against polio. Civil Surgeon Dr Ajay Sahni said on January 20, 1.76 lakh children in the age group of 0 to 5 years would be administered polio drops. For the purpose, 723 booths have been set up. Besides, 47 transit teams would administer polio vaccine to children while on the move. These include 24 teams for the area around bus stand and 14 for the railway station. Nine teams would be stationed at various roundabouts in the city. 31 mobile teams have been formed to administer polio drops to children in and around marriage palaces, brick kilns, hutments etc. The Civil Surgeon appealed to the parents of the children from 0 to 5 years of age to get their children vaccinated against polio. Even if the child was born few hours ago, he or she should be given polio drops, he said. Students of multi-purpose training school and GNM school, pulse polio state coordinator Dr Mehtab Singh, District Health Officer Dr RS Randhawa, District Immunization Officer Dr Rakesh Goyal, District TB Control Officer Dr Ashok Monga, mass media officer Usha Singla and officers and staff members of the SBoP also participated in the rally. Fact file
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Over 6 months later, Gidderbaha man held for Bhucho resident’s murder
Bathinda, January 17 Despite making efforts, the body could not be identified and was cremated after completing all the formalities. The station house officer said with the arrest of the accused Raj Kumar Raju, the deceased has now been identified as Ram Lal, a resident of Bhucho Mandi. Ram Lal was working as a security guard in a private hospital and was hooked to various forms of intoxicating substances, including liquor and medicinal drugs. He was residing in a rented accommodation with his 30-years-old wife and three children. The accused in the case, Raj Kumar Raju, was economically better than the deceased and had helped Ram Lal getting the job. Raj Kumar used to visit Ram Lal's house and developed an illicit relationship with his wife. Ram Lal’s wife Sonu planned to eliminate her husband with the help of Raj Kumar to continue their relationship. To bring their plan into effect, Raj Kumar took Ram Lal to Bathinda from Bhucho in a train and offered him tablets and liquor. At night, he took him to the industrial area near the ITI Chowk and slit his throat with a knife. The police said since Raj Kumar was not a habitual offender and had committed crime for the first time he got upset and increased the intake of liquor. Somehow, his wife came to know about the illicit relationship and the murder. For five months, there was no trace of the body, as Ram Lal’s wife Sonu did not lodge any complaint about her missing husband. In the meantime, the illicit relationship between her and Raj Kumar continued. Raj Kumar decided to marry Sonu and went to meet her parents in Zirakpur where he offered to marry Sonu. However, her parents thrashed him for the proposal. In a bid to take possession of the house of her husband, Raj Kumar’s wife Sunita, informed the police about the misdeeds of her husband. The police investigation found that Raj Kumar was the man behind the muder of Ram Lal, who was arrested by the police and now sent to jail. A case in this connection was already registered at the Cantonment police station under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). 3 shopkeepers booked for assault over business rivalry
The police has registered a case against three shopkeepers for beating another shopkeeper over business rivalry. Narinder Kumar, Amandeep Singh and Balwant Singh of Patel Nagar have been booked under Sections 324, 341 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code at the Kotwali police station. Jagsir Singh of Mata Jivi Nagar, who runs a shop in the Aggarwal Colony, had complained to the police that he and his father were beaten up by the accused who were upset over the rising number of customers at his shop. In another case of enmity between family members, the police has booked two persons for assault. In a complaint to the police, one Kuldeep Singh said his relatives Jaspal Singh and Ravi Kumar were jealous of him and beat him up. A case under Sections 452, 324, 323 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the accused at the Rama police station. Nathana resident booked for tearing cop's uniform
The police has registered a case against Labh Singh, a resident of Nathana, for tearing the uniform of a policeman deployed at the Nathana police station. In his complaint, head constable Gurdev Singh said the accused came to him and complained that some vehicle rammed into his scooter. Gurdev asked Labh Singh to stay calm over which the latter caught the cop from his neck and tore apart his uniform. A case under Sections 353 and 186 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against the accused at the Nathana police station. |
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Ambuja Cement gets captive railway siding
Bathinda, January 17 The local unit head of the cement plant, Sanjey Vashist, and the general manager (corporate affairs), SS Mani, were among those present on the occasion. The rake chugged off amidst chanting of mantras, beating of drums and fireworks. Vashist described this as a major step to de-congest the roads as the cement consignments would be carried directly through the captive railway siding. He said the facility was poised to become a major step forward in logistics for the local unit. The siding would further increase the annual dispatch of cement by about one lakh tonne. The nearly 2.5-km-long track has been built by the cement unit. The company is building another siding at its unit at Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh. Fact file
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Students sensitised to tuberculosis
Bathinda, January 17 Goyal said tuberculosis was a very dangerous disease but with full treatment and precautions, patients could be cured. The government has started the DOTS (directly observed treatment, short-course) system under which medicine and treatment are provided free of cost. Goyal urged people to get their sputum examined immediately in case they discovered symptoms of TB like persistent cough for more than two weeks, blood in sputum, loss of appetite, loss of weight, pain in chest etc. Goyal added that sputum examination was done free of cost in all government hospitals. The communication facilitator also exhorted people not to leave the treatment of the infectious disease midway. |
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ruckus by
Sgpc member’s son
Bathinda, January 17 In a meeting held here today, the organisation discussed the case involving the SGPC member's son, Prabhjot Singh. The meeting was attended by the representatives of various social organisations in the city. In a press release issued here, the organisation lauded SSP Ravcharan Singh Brar for maintaining the law and order in the city, adding that the lawyers should encourage such an officer. Such protests fuelled by political parties disturb the peace in the city and diminishes the morale of the police force. The organisation has urged the members of the District Bar Association to reconsider their decision and let the police do its job. The lawyers were free to fight the youths’ case inside the court, but they should not disturb the peace by protesting outside, the press release said. Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association, Punjab, commended the efforts of the SSP in reducing the crime in the city. The crime graph of Bathinda city as well as the district has come down tremendously, a press release issued by the organisation said. |
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