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rail budget today
College to resume construction with own funds
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Wheat yield under yellow rust threat: Experts
Breathlessness more common in rural areas, finds study
Retd Vice-principal’s
suicide
Dist reports four thefts
Dist braces up for class XII board exams
Repair work to snap power supply
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rail budget today
Bathinda, February 25 President of the Passenger Welfare Association, Rampura Phul, Jasvir Singh has sent a written representation to the minister requesting an increase in the number of trains on the Bathinda-Ambala route as well as change in the timings of the trains. Establish direct link between Ferozepur, Ambala
Highlighting the need to connect the railway divisions of Ferozepur and Ambala, Singh stated that in the absence of a direct link, the passengers have to first reach Bathinda and then board a train to Ambala. Before 1984, a train used to run on the Ferozepur-Bathinda-Ambala route. The train was cancelled during the period of terrorism in Punjab. However, the train was never resumed. People have also been demanding a Ferozepur to Haridwar train via Kotkapura, Jaito, Bathinda, Rampura Phul, Barnala, Dhuri, Rajpura, Ambala and Saharanpur. Link Bathinda & Ludhiana
In the absence of a train connecting Bathinda and Ludhiana, the passengers have to shell out five times more fare and travel by buses. Passengers are demanding a train from Bathinda to Ludhiana via Rampura Phul, Barnala, Dhuri and Malerkotla. Reduce time interval between trains
The issue of long time intervals between trains on the Bathinda-Ambala route has also been raised. The first train to move on the route is the Bathinda-Ambala-Delhi Express that starts at 5:05 am followed by the Ganganagar-Bathinda-Ambala-Haridwar Express at 5:45 am and the Bathinda-Ambala passenger train at 7:15 am. After this, there is no train for the next seven hours. Later, between 2:25 pm and 5:25 pm there are three trains — Ganganagar-Bathinda-Ambala passenger, Ganganagar-Bathinda-Ambala Express and Bathinda-Ambala passenger. Thereafter, there is no train till the last train chugs off at 11:50 pm. "Not only do the passengers face problems, railways also suffer huge losses. We have taken up this matter with various railway officials innumerable times, but nothing has been done so far," added a senior citizen, OP Sidana. Extension of passenger train to Dhuri sought
Passengers have also demanded that the Ganganagar-Bathinda passenger should be extended to Dhuri. Starting from Ganganagar at 3:35 pm, the train reaches Bathinda at 7:10 pm. Thereafter, it remains stationed at the Bathinda railway station for the whole night and starts at 7:05 am the next day. People have demanded that this train be extended to Dhuri. If extended till Dhuri, the train would reach Dhuri at 10 pm and can start next morning at 4:30 am thereby reaching Bathinda at 6:45 am. At Bathinda, its arrival can coincide with that of the Kisan Express, Janmabhoomi Express, Ahmedabad Express, Jammu Tawi Express, Dainik Express, etc. Demand for more halts of Nanded Sahib Express
Passengers have demanded that the Ganganagar-Nanded Sahib Express should be halted at more stations in Punjab. Presently the train halts at Abohar, Bathinda, Tapa, Barnala and Sangrur. Since pilgrims from Punjab flock to Nanded Sahib, the train should also halt at Malout, Gidderbaha, Bhucho, Rampura Phul, Sunam, Lehragaga and other stations. Meanwhile, a delegation from the Sangat block met the State Minister for External Affairs, Preneet Kaur, demanding that the Jammu Tawi Express be halted at the Sangat Mandi railway station. To board this train, passengers have to either travel 25 kms to Bathinda or 28 kms to Dabwali. Passengers also hope that better amenities would be provided at the railway stations such as toilets, ramps for handicapped people and wheeler chairs, number of ticket windows in sync with the population of area, etc. |
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College to resume construction with own funds
Bathinda, February 25 The college will be using Rs 30 lakh from the funds of its Higher Education Institute Society and has received the nod from the principal secretary, higher education department. Surprisingly, although the college had requested the government several times in the past to release funds for the development projects, the same was not done. The self-finance courses, such as BCA and BBA, being run by the college generate funds for the Society. "We could have used the funds for some other project but since we didn't get any funds from the government, we are forced to use it for the completion of the library. Rs 30 lakh will be spent on completing the ground floor of the library," said Prof GS Brar, member secretary of the society. The second floor of the library, which will not be constructed right now, was to have a reading room, a computer lab and a seminar hall. "The immediate need is to complete the library and make it functional. It will also make available the six rooms which are being used for the library in the college. The second floor of the library is not required right now," said Brar. Brar added that the Public Works Department and other authorities concerned have been spoken to and the construction is expected to resume within a month. While the principal of the college will oversee the project, the Society will keep a quality check. While the college has been forced to use its own money to complete the library, on Sunday too, the Punjab Education Minister, Sikander Singh Maluka, evaded announcing a grant for the college. He instead asked the college authorities to prepare an estimate for the funds required to initiate infrastructural development in the college. The college had, in fact, sent an estimate to the government in 2008. Considering the escalating prices, the college sent a revised estimate of Rs 2.86 crore to the government in 2010. Even after more than four years of sending the first estimate, the college has not received any grants. |
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Tighten security cover at ATMs, SSP tells banks
Bathinda, February 25 The banks have been instructed by the police to station guards outside all ATMs in the city to prevent any other case of theft. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ravcharan Singh Brar said, “Apart from the security cover, we also urge the banks to install CCTV cameras outside the ATMs as the thieves may hide their faces. Had a camera been installed outside the PNB ATM on Bibiwala road, there were chances we could have captured the accused's vehicle, its registration number or the accomplices,” Brar said. “During investigations, we came to know that there is one key, which could be used to open nearly 200 ATMs installed in Bathinda district. The key is given by the manufacturers of the ATM machine, which is applicable for all the ATMs produced by the company,” the SSP said. He said a single key to open so many ATMs is a surprise as anyone can use a similar key to open the ATMs. Though foolproof measures taken by the banks to retain the passwords and keeping the key only with the manager, technician or the head cashier, the risk looms large. The password is split into two parts one of which is with the head cashier and the other is with the bank manager and they never share their passwords. Even then, the banks need to tighten the security cover at the ATMs, the SSP said. He further added that although the police was working on various leads and was close to cracking the case, there is a need to guard the ATMs properly. "It is just a matter of time we catch the culprits as someone from the bank itself was behind the crime,” Brar said. He said as a precautionary measure, the patrolling parties of the police have been instructed to keep an eye on the business houses and ATMs in the city. Taking advantage of the fact that no guard was stationed outside the PNB ATM, a man, with his face covered managed to crack the code of the ATM and make good with the cash. On Sunday, an SBoP ATM was found open raising suspicion of the machine having been tampered with. |
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Wheat yield under yellow rust threat: Experts
Bathinda, February 25 The officials of the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) are advising farmers to visit their agricultural fields regularly to keep a close watch on the standing wheat crop, which may come under severe attack of the disease due to favourable weather conditions for fungus. Farmers are also being asked to watch out for yellow-coloured stripes which may come up parallel to the venations of leaf blades of the wheat crop. Experts said since the disease occurs during the early growth of the crop, the early sown varieties could be affected by yellow rust. They said farmers who had sown the early-sown varieties should keep a close watch till the temperature crossed the 30 degree Celsius mark. High humidity after a spell of rains proves instrumental in the spread of fungus, they added. “At present, the temperature has been oscillating between 27 and 28 degree Celsius and weather conditions are humid and cloudy. These are the most favourable weather conditions for the attack of yellow rust,” said Dr Amritpal Singh Brar, associate professor (Agronomy) at the KVK, Bathinda. If ignored at this stage, yellow rust may reduce the per acre yield by 10 to 15 per cent and if the attack is severe, it may affect 40 to 50 per cent of the yield, Brar added. He pointed out that the causal organism, Inoculum, travels from the hilly areas along with the wind and once it settles on leaves, it produces fungus and shrivels the leaves or spikes and cuts short the growth of the plant. “One can easily discover the attack of yellow rust on wheat crop by passing through the fields wearing white clothes. If the clothes are smeared with yellow stains and powder then the crop is under the attack of the fungal disease,” he said. One could also spot yellow dots and stripes on the leaves to ascertain the presence of yellow rust. If farmers fail to spot the fungal growth, they must bring a handful of leaves to the office of KVK, Brar said. The PBW 343 variety of wheat is more susceptible to yellow rust as compared to other varieties. “Farmers who have grown this variety must visit their farms regularly and consult experts to protect their crop against the disease,” Brar added. He reported that the sub-mountainous districts of Punjab, including Hoshiarpur, Ropar and Gurdaspur, are already under the attack of yellow rust. With high velocity winds there are chances that it may also reach Bathinda and its adjoining areas. The experts at the KVK advised the farmers to spray 200 ml of Tilt, Shine, Bumper or Folicur after mixing it in 200 ml of water for an acre of land. If the attack is severe, then the farmers may spray the same quantity of chemical after 15 days, the experts said. “We advise farmers not to spray the chemical unless they detect the presence of causal organism on the leaves. It is of no use to spray chemicals as a pro-active approach,” the experts added. Fact file
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Breathlessness more common in rural areas, finds study
Bathinda, February 25 For the study, on which he will present a paper at the American Thoracic Society-2013 conference to be held in May this year at Philadelphia, the patients in the age group of 19 to 90 years have been taken as subjects. "People of Bathinda and adjoining areas frequently suffer from the problem of breathlessness which further makes running and climbing stairs a strenuous exercise. Conducted from August 2011 to August 2012, the study covers 100 people who were selected on random basis," he said. During the study, it was noticed that a majority of patients, 45 per cent, were suffering from breathlessness due to respiratory diseases. The second most common cause of breathlessness was heart diseases (30 per cent). More number of females (51 per cent) were found suffering from the problem, than males (49 per cent). "This is probably due to the fact that in rural areas of Punjab more women are engaged in agricultural activities than men. At home also, women take the charge of running the dairy. The fodder served to animals causes allergy. The most common domestic chore, dusting the furniture, can also trigger breathlessness in females,” Dr Bahia said. The number of patients of breathlessnmes were found in the age bracket of 50 to 60 years. Also, 45 per cent of urbanites were found to be suffering from breathlessness as compared to 55 per cent of ruralites. Dr Bahia reasoned that the difference may be because of the fact that rural Punjab has agrarian set up. Activities such
as harvesting and winnowing can cause breathlessness. Besides respiratory disorders, heart problems (30 per cent) were also found to be responsible for breathlessness. Dr Bahia added that the high fat and high protein diet, coupled with the lack of activity due to modernisation of agricultural methods was also responsible for the problem in the rural population. "High fat and protein diet leads to deposits in heart arteries thereby making the work of pumping blood more laborious for the heart. When the heart has to pump more blood, it exerts pressure on lungs which leads to breathlessness," he said. He added that so far no national level study has been conducted in this context which could be considered a landmark. With this study, he would lay emphasis on the need to understand causes of breathlessness which people often face and also figure out ways to deal with it. Earlier, he had presented a paper on hypertension in Sydney, Australia in October 2012. |
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Retd Vice-principal’s
suicide
Bathinda, February 25 Bansal was the head of the commerce department in the college and was promoted to the post of principal and asked to join the Government College at Kotkapura. “He did not take up the post and retired,” Pasrija added. Another teacher of the college, wishing not to be identified, said, “He was loved by his students for the vast knowledge that he possessed in his subject. But among colleagues, he was known to be man who never opened his heart to anyone.” Bansal committed suicide on Saturday night by jumping into lake number one of the GNDTP here. Three of Bansal’s four children are married. He had been staying in the Kamla Nehru Colony with his wife and son. His family said he had been suffering from depression for the past some time. Vijay Goyal, the principal of the college, said he and all the staff members who knew Bansal were shocked to learn about his death. “We worked together for over two decades. He was a thorough gentleman. We wonder what could have troubled him so much that he took the extreme step,” Goyal said. Prof Gurjit Mann said it was hard to believe that Bansal ended his life. “The news is yet to sink in. He was a cool-minded person with no financial problem. All his children were well-settled. He underwent a by-pass surgery a few years ago and was suffering from high blood pressure and diabetes. The only possible reason for his suicide could be that he was fed up with his ailments,” Mann said. |
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Dist reports four thefts
Bathinda, February 25 The total cost of the stolen material is nearly Rs 45,000. A case under Sections 457 and 380 of the IPC has been registered against the accused persons at the Civil Lines police station. In another incident that take took place in an areas under the jurisdiction of the Kotwali police station, unidentified persons stole costly goods, including electronic goods, from the residence of one Harbans Singh of Nai Basti. The total cost of the goods is nearly Rs 10,000. A case under Sections 457 and 380 of the IPC has been registered at the Kotwali police station. Material worth nearly Rs 28,000 was stolen from a shop situated in the area falling under the Canal Colony police station. The complainant Balvir Singh said some unidentified persons broke open the shutter of his shop and decamped with the material lying there. Batteries, mobile phones and recharge coupons were missing from the shop. The Canal Colony police has registered a case. In a complaint to the police, one Kulwinder Singh of Bhagta Bhaika said an LPG cylinder and a mobile phone were stolen from his house. A case under Sections 457 and 380 of the IPC has been registered in this connection at the Dyalpura police station. |
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Dist braces up for class XII board exams
Bathinda, February 25 Further, the number of observers at these centres would be more and flying squads would be making frequent visits here. Education Department officials said the centres having students under the open school, students re-appearing in particular subjects and a larger strength have been labelled as sensitive. "The age of students appearing in the examination under the open school category, is much more than that of a regular students. In many cases, married women and employed persons appear for class XII exams. To hold the examination at such centres in a fair manner is a challenging task," confided an official of the education department. Meanwhile, the examination material will be distributed to controllers and superintendents of the examinations on February 26 at the Government Girls Senior Secondary School. All the controllers and superintendents have been directed to appear in person and not to send any representative. A meeting of the controllers and superintendents has also been convened at the Teachers' Home on February 26 at 10 am wherein they would be given instructions issued by the Board. On March 1, students of all streams of class XII will appear in the General English exam. |
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Repair work to snap power supply
Bathinda, February 25 Power supply to areas under the 11 KV railway feeder and 11 KV Mittal Mall feeder and nearby areas as well as Janta Nagar and Parasram Nagar will remain suspended for the same time. |
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Bathinda, February 25
