• Four private hospitals in Bathinda district are empanelled under the project, including three in the city and one at Maur Mandi. These are the Max Super Speciality Hospital (located adjacent to the Civil Hospital), the Mata Sumiti Memorial Sharma Hospital on the Mall road, the Bansal Cancer Hospital on the Bhatti road and the Kiran Maternity Home and Surgical Centre at Maur Mandi.
• A committee formed under the directions of the Chief Minister recommended improvement in infrastructure at the Bansal Cancer Hospital in the city. The committee, however, recommended that the Kiran Maternity Home and Surgical Centre at Maur Mandi be delisted from the panel of private hospitals.
• As many as 509 applications were received under the scheme in Bathinda district from June 2011 to December 2012 and financial aid of ~5,31,02,176 was granted during the period.
• From January 1, 2013, to April 11, 2013, 112 patients received grants to the tune of Rs 97,71,550.

Bathinda, April 21
The Phul police has registered a case against three city-based contractors and 20 to 25 unidentified persons for allegedly attacking a Phul resident and looted Rs 10.62 lakh.

The complainant in the case Nasib Chand said the accused kidnapped him, beat him up and took away to a secluded place. He added that after beating him up, the accused left him on the Rampura road.

The police said the complainant's father is the owner of a rice mill in Bhai Rupa village where the incident had occurred.

The police has booked Jaswinder, Harish and DG Mohan, all residents of Bathinda, and 20 to 25 unidentified persons under Sections 364, 452, 323, 379, 148 and 148 of the Indian Penal Code. No arrest has been made yet.

The investigating officer in the case, Sukhdev Singh of Phul police station, said the case was registered after recording the statements of the complainant. Facts were yet to be verified, he added.

"The fight is between two groups of contractors and the exact details of the case could not be found so far," he said.

The police claimed that two groups had a fight over some monetary transactions. The complainant also alleged that his attackers took away Rs 10.62 lakh from the rice sheller. The investigating officer said that further investigation in the case was under way.

Bathinda, April 21
The level of effluents being released by the Guru Gobind Singh Refinery in Phulokhari is well within the permissible limits, said the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) executive engineer (XEN), Najjer Singh Manshahia here today.

While speaking to Bathinda Tribune, he said, "After the refinery's trial run last year, we had put pressure on the refinery authorities that the effluents should not be released in any of the adjacent water bodies as it would have led to contamination of water. We asked them to put in place a system to recycle the waste water and use it for irrigating its green belt."

"The treated waste water is being used by the refinery for its green belt. Apart from saving the water bodies from getting polluted, it also helping in saving the pressure water meant for the consumption by the area residents," he added.

It may be mentioned here that only last week, following prolonged and intensive protests by the residents of Kanakwal and Phulokhari villages, the Chief Minister of Punjab had asked the Chief Secretary to visit the villages to assess the damage done by blasts in the refinery and to see if the villagers needed to be rehabilitated to some other place.

Meanwhile, accepting that the quality of the ambient air (natural air) in the city was not too appreciable and that the suspended particulate matter (SPM) was higher than the permissible limits, he said the PPCB was taking steps to bring it under control.

The permissible limit of the SPM in the ambient air is 60 micron gram per cubic metre. This happens to be different from the permissible limit prescribed for the 'at source (of pollution) air'. The limit for the 'at source air' is 150 micron gram per cubic metre, which is much higher than that for the ambient air.

About the persistent problem of fly ash, he said, "Though the problem has been controlled to a great extent, the situation aggravates when the units are closed following a drop in demand for power, and are restarted. The thermal energy plant has digital meters to gauge the SPM being emitted."

He added that the sandy winds blowing from Rajasthan's dry and desert terrain cause a rise in the SPM in its adjoining areas falling in Punjab. "The extension of Rajasthan's terrain towards the city is a cause of concern. Every time there is a dust storm or a sand storm, the amount of SPM increases in the air," he said.

He also pointed out that the amount of SPM also increases during the harvesting season. "The winnowing and chaffing processes release effluents in high quantities," he said.

After the refinery’s trial run last year, we had put pressure on the refinery authorities that the effluents should not be released in any of the adjacent water bodies as it would have led to contamination of water. We asked them to put in place a system to recycle the waste water and use it for irrigating its green belt. The treated waste water is being used by the refinery for its green belt. Apart from saving the water bodies from getting polluted, it also helping in saving the pressure water meant for the consumption by the area residents.
— Najjer Singh Manshahia, XEN, PPCB

Bathinda, April 21
The brutal rape of a five-year-old in Delhi triggered a protest in Bathinda today. Led by a former municipal councillor Vijay Kumar, people held a demonstration in the city and sought death penalty for the rapist.

The demonstration saw two men posing as offenders, whose faces were covered with black cloth, while other area residents pulled them with ropes toward the gallows.

"While the memory of the gang-rape of 21 years old in Delhi was still afresh in people's mind, another shocking incident has rocked the National Capital. At the receiving end this time is a five years old child," Vijay Kumar said.

Protesters also raised slogans against the Central Government for the rising crime against women in Delhi.

They said the government should introduce a law that awards death as penalty in cases of brutal rape or rape of children. "The Congress Government has failed as far as protecting the interests of the common man or safeguarding women was concerned. No wonder, the lackadaisical attitude of the government towards the safety of women has turned Delhi into the rape capital," they said.

Earlier, residents had also held a protest when a 21-year-old girl died after she was brutally gang-raped in a moving bus in Delhi.

Bathinda, April 21
If a rape is committed in the National Capital, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) of the district as well as social workers come out on the streets demanding justice for the victim. But when it happens closer home in Bathinda itself, the same set of people do not utter even a single word.

The incident of a 21-year-old girl getting raped and then left for dying and the latest incident of a five-year-old child being sexually assaulted drew the ire of the local residents. To protest against the first incident, NGOs had held candle marches and demonstrations in the city while not even a whimper was registered after an 
addict raped a six years old girl near Bathinda railway station on April 15.

While reacting to the incident of rape of five years old in the National Capital, a protest was held at Parasram Nagar here today and in the evening, the Joint Action Committee, Bathinda, issued a statement condemning the incident.

"People assembling to deplore such incidents can be termed as a mere flash crowd. These people send SMS to their acquaintances to gather for a protest demonstration, get themselves photographed and disperse. These people should not be taken seriously," feels Pushpesh Kumar Sharma, a teacher.

When contacted, most of the NGOs preferred not to talk about the issue. However, an office-bearer of an NGO accepted that the problem does exist. "Most of the NGOs refrain from taking up local issues as it meant pointing fingers at the local police and the administration. The social set-up is such that no one wants to have a bad equation with the police chief or the administration and hence, the local issues such as minor's rape, are brushed under the carpet," confided the president of an NGO requesting anonymity.

However, a psychology professor at Government Rajindra College, Prof Gurjit Singh Mann, said while such a crime in Delhi creates furore across the nation, a similar crime fails to draw public ire if it occurs anywhere else in the country. "This is because as human beings, we have become insensitive to the suffering of our neighbour. However, we can condemn something that has happened far away in order to gain attention," he explained.

He said there was an urgent need to create awareness in this connection.

Bathinda, April 21
The district police and the administration seem unmoved despite the large number of deaths taking place at various intersections on city roads.

Today, a mishap took place, the second such instance in the past two weeks, at that particular point.

In the first mishap, a woman had lost her life on April 9. Two-wheelers were involved in both the accidents which occurred in front of the Police Lines, close to the Bathinda-Mansa-Dabwali flyover.

In today's accident, 40-year-old Balvir Singh who was riding a bike, was hit by a Haryana Roadways bus belonging to the Fatehabad depot. The bus shuttles between Hisar and Bathinda and was on way to the city bus stand from where it was supposed to pick passengers for its return journey to Hisar.

The accident occurred at quarter to one when Balvir, father of two minor children, was on way to the city from his village to make some purchase.

The lone motorcycle rider, a carpenter by profession, was on a Hero Honda motorcycle. The biker received fatal head injuries after falling and died on the spot.

The bystanders said since the four-wheelers are always driven down the flyover at a high speed, the two-wheelers end up being at the receiving end.

In a similar accident, Renu, mother of a 13-year-old child, died when the two-wheeler she was riding along with her husband, was hit by a speeding truck.

Both the accidents occurred within a distance of 100 meters. Some vehicles on the stretch go straight and some turn towards the right after taking a U-turn, which causes great confusion among the motorists. The two-wheeler riders either have to park their vehicles by the roadside or risk their lives to take the U-turn.

The shopkeepers in the area said that besides the two deaths, a number of commuters were injured in similar accidents this month. "Last evening too, a tempo collided with a mini-bus at exactly the same point where the two deaths were reported," said Malkit Singh, a resident of Guru Ki Nagri.

He said the construction of a speed-breaker or hump at the end of the flyover could save many precious lives but nobody seems to be bothered.

Police said a case under sections 279 and 304-A of the IPC has been registered against the accused bus driver, identified as Satish, a resident of Kharkara area of Hisar in Haryana.

He was arrested from near the bus stand. The bus was also impounded by the police. Further investigation in the case is on.

Bathinda, April 21
Continuing its offensive against the drug peddlers, the Bathinda police has arrested 23 persons and seized 110 kg poppy husk, habit-forming drugs and opium in areas under different police stations of the district.

Twenty-eight cases under the NDPS Act were registered yesterday wherein the police arrested the accused for carrying the narcotics.

Police officials said the recovery and arrest under the NDPS Act increases manifold during the wheat harvesting season as labourers working in 
the agricultural fields usually consume the habit-forming drugs, poppy husk and opium while doing the hard work.

Earlier on Friday, the police had arrested 11 persons with large quantities of drugs under various police stations of the district. Police said fresh orders have been received from the senior officials to tighten the noose around the drug peddlers ahead of the panchayat elections.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ravcharan Brar said a special operation would be carried out against the drug peddlers and special nakas have been set up in the district to check the flow of drugs from the neighbouring states like Haryana and Rajasthan.

Attention is also being paid to nab the smugglers bringing in drugs from Madhya Pradesh.

Bathinda, April 21
A mail, circulated by one Mona Singh, today created a furore after it alleged that the director of the Sports School, Ghudda, had issued "dictatorial" orders and had asked the parents not to bring any eatables for their wards. The mail, written in staccato style, also alleged that the eatables that the parents had brought with them were collected and kept with the school authorities.

The mail further questioned that since the students were not being given 'ghee' and 'badaam' by the school authorities, how would they bring laurels for the state in the sporting arena.

While talking to Bathinda Tribune, director of the school, Colonel (retd) Arun Chopra refuted the allegations levelled against the school authorities and 
said he wanted to inculcate the habit of sharing among the students.

The director added that he also wanted the parents of the students to understand that their wards were being given a balanced diet and did not need extra 'ghee' to remain fit.

"The mail seems to be an attempt to malign the image of the school. Since 
I stay on the premises of the school, I made an attempt to meet the parents and told them that they were welcome to bring eatables for the children out of affection. In the same breath, I also explained to them that it was essential for their wards to develop the habit of sharing," he said.

"I told them that it was better that the students shared the eatables with their batch mates or classmates. The eatables had been collected for the same purpose when someone clicked a photograph and the entire thing was projected in a bad light," the director added.

"Sharing will also dissuade the students from bribing their friends in lieu of doing their work. I had explained the concept to the parents at a gathering and they appeared to have understood it," he said.

He also explained that the parents needed to shed the notion that only ghee would make their kids healthy. "The students are given a diet approved by the National Institute of Sports (NIS) according to their age and requirements. In special cases, additional nutritional supplements are also provided. If the dietician or doctor does not feel that consumption of ghee is essential for the kids, the parents should understand," he said.

"We had also collected the jars of 'ghee' and asked the students to label the jars with their names so that their parents could be contacted and asked to take it back with them," he added.

The mail also mentioned that a deputation of the parents would meet the Deputy Commissioner on Monday. The director appreciated the announcement and said, "If they are planning to inform the DC of the new principles, I am happy and would gladly abide by whatever I'm asked to do. If the DC, who is technically the president of the school, would ask me to look the other way, I would happily do so.”

Bathinda, April 21
The Bathinda School Bus and Van Operators Association is all set to finally organise an awareness rally in the city on Monday. The rally aims at spreading awareness regarding safety and traffic rules among the operators, parents and schools. Earlier, the rally was to be organised in the city on April 14.

The rally will be flagged off by Alka Meena, ASP/City-II, from Fire Brigade Chowk. As many as 20-25 vans and buses will participate in the rally.

The association is organising the rally to ask the operators to make sure that their buses and vans meet the parameters set by the district administration. Random checking of the buses will also be conducted to see whether the vehicles meet the parameters or not.

A day earlier, stucdents of the St. Xavier’s School had taken out a cycle rally in the city to create awareness about traffic norms.

Bathinda, April 21
Guru Gobind Singh Polytechnic College of the Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo, today conducted the joint entrance test (JET) for admission to the polytechnic courses.

Free bus facility for the students from the surrounding villages of Talwandi Sabo sub-division was provided by the college. Public relations officer of the university, Sukhdevinder Singh Kaura, delivered a lecture in career guidance and counselling for the parents of the students.

The examination centre had been divided into three blocks with a seating plan for 1000 students.

While addressing the parents, principal of the school, Prof Amit Tuteja, said at the time of admission, parents must take note that the affiliation of the college should be from the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) and the PSBTE. The college must also have proper infrastructure, laboratories and set-ups for conducting practical activities.

The joint entrance test is among the initiatives being taken by the Guru Kashi University to take education within the reach of the common man, especially in the rural areas of Malwa.

Bathinda, April 21
Tulip Club was inaugurated at the private township Sushant City I and possession of houses at Abhilasha Homes of the same project was given to the owners.

The Abhilasha Homes has houses constructed in 80 square yards of land in 910 square feet of constructed area.

The chairman-cum-managing director of the group, Rajinder Mittal, general manager, projects, Col. JS Chaudhary, deputy general manager, sales, Sandeep Thakral and deputy manager Arun Kathpal were also present at the inaugural ceremony of the club in the city.

Bathinda, April 21
Health facilities in the city have registered an increase in the number of patients suffering from respiratory and eye allergy due to the harvesting season.

Most of these patients are involved in the handling of agricultural produce or waste and are working near the grain market.

Dr Rohit Goyal, ENT consultant, Max Hospital, Bathinda, said the children and the elderly also get affected due to the harvesting season and the allergens it brings.

The out-patient department (OPD) is full of people suffering from runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing especially early in the morning, watery eyes, inflamed sinuses and in severe cases, even difficulty in breathing. "Since the immunity level of children and the elderly is low, many of them suffer from the problem," he added.

Dr Goyal said that there has been an almost 100 per cent rise in the number of allergic rhinitis cases which is more common in the children and the elderly as their immunity level is low.

ENT consultant Dr BS Khippal added that besides the harvesting season, the burning of paddy stubble too affects people in a similar way. "People face respiratory problems and bronchial asthma. Most of the patients visiting us with allergy problems these days include workers involved in harvesting, commission agents, farmers and a large chunk of the rural population who stay near the fields," he said.

He added that not only do the patients face respiratory disorders, some also suffer from conjunctivitis (allergy in eyes).