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Contenders flex muscles
for panchayat elections
PRI poll on May 12
Jail inmate booked for suicide bid
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Only all-girls school in district running out of space
Court acquits woman in murder case owing to lack of evidence
Coaching centres misguiding students: Chandigarh
Meet reviews progress of health schemes launched in district
Teachers to meet DGSE for math labs
Gram Sewaks hold protest march
Book fair held at Guru Kashi varsity
Villager held for murdering teenager
Seminar recalls Balwant Gargi’s association with city
Cyclist dies after falling into canal
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Contenders flex muscles
for panchayat elections
Bathinda, April 23 “The ward system has divided the unit called village, which was known for its warmth and feeling of oneness and brotherhood. Things are quiet different now. In every ward, there are contenders who have become aggressively keen to retain their position,” said Sarabjit Singh Randhawa, a resident of Bathinda. Villagers are busy deciding candidates from their respective wards. Though sarpanches will still be elected directly, it will not be a cakewalk for them either. “One can no longer be dependent on the influence of one’s family in a village. The kind of majority and support a sarpanch garners from panches will also matter,” said Hardeep Singh from Jodhpur, Romana. "In a democratic set-up, unanimous election of a leader is usually dissuaded as it gives a monopoly to a particular section of villagers to rule over the village," said a district administration official. Though the SAD-BJP has been upbeat about the ward system, the Congress has been sceptical about the division. Bathinda Congress (rural) president Narinder Singh Bhuleria expressed concern over the fact that rejection of nomination papers cannot be challenged at the local level. "If a person’s nomination papers are rejected and he or she is not satisfied, his rejection can be challenged in the high court only, which is a time-consuming process. It may prolong till the next election,” he said, adding that the Congress had challenged the formation of wards through a writ petition. Meanwhile, 315 villages of Bathinda district now have 2,468 wards. The wards have been divided on the basis of the population. Bathinda block, with 66 villages, has the maximum number of wards, 518, and Phul block with 29 villages has the least number of wards, 219. Also, two new panchayats have been added. Earlier, there were 313 panchayats in the district and now, there are 315 panchayats. In Bhagi Vander village, a 'Vander panchayat' has been formed and in Jaga Ram Tirath village, a panchayat of Jaga Ram Tirath Kalan has been constituted. Earlier, for the formation of a new panchayat, a population of 200 was must. Now, there is a panchayat for every 300 people. The minimum number of wards in a village is five and the maximum is eleven. Villages with a population of more than 10,000 should have 13 wards but there is no such village in Bathinda. |
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PRI poll on May 12
Bathinda, April 23 The elections are slated to be held on May 12. Nominations can be filed from April 26 to April 30. The papers will be checked on May 2 and nominations can be withdrawn by May 3 before 3 pm. After 3 pm, the candidates will be issued their election symbols. Yadav said the votes would be counted on May 14 and by May 15, the entire poll procedure would be wound up. He said the Additional Deputy Commissioner (general) will be the returning officer for the Zila Parishad elections and SDMs of Bathinda, Talwandi Sabo and Rampura Phul will be returning
officers for panchayat elections. |
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Jail inmate booked for suicide bid
Bathinda, April 23 Investigating Officer (IO) in the case, Surinderpal Singh said the accused was lodged in the jail for carrying poppy husk. A case under sections 15, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act was registered against him around a month ago at the Canal Colony police station. The IO said the accused was lodged in the jail last month and was mentally upset since then. The other prisoners, wardens and the jail security staff, spotted the undertrial trying to tie a piece of cloth around his neck after climbing up the tree. He was brought down with the timely intervention of the jail staff and the other prisoners. Police has slapped another case on him under section 309 of the IPC. The statements of the accused would be recorded tomorrow. — TNS
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Only all-girls school in district running out of space
As per records, 1,400 students were enrolled in the school in 2009 and in 2012-13 the figure rose to 2,199. As many as 1,915 students have been admitted to the school for the 2013-14 academic season till now.
“The admission process is on. There will be many more admissions after the results of the class X examination are declared,” said Mandeep Kaur, principal of the school. Contrary to the perception that lesser number of girls would take admission in schools after the government withdrew its 'free school education for girls' scheme, a higher number of students have taken admission in the school this year. For class IX, the school has seven sections with an average class strength of 50 students. Class X, too, has seven sections with an average of 42 students in each classroom. Although the class X results are yet to be announced, as many as 289 students have already taken admission in class XI. There are eleven sections for class XI and twelve for class XII. Till now, 569 students have been enrolled in class XII. After 15 rooms of the school were declared unsafe by the B&R department, the school was left with only 36 rooms to accommodate classes for more than 2,000 students. While the facility of drinking water has been upgraded, there are only 10-12 functional toilets. “Four rooms are being constructed by a person who wanted to donate money to the school. Apart from that, a science laboratory, a library and a room are also under construction. The room for the head teacher has also been turned into a classroom,” said the principal. While the school authorities boast about its vocational courses in computer science, secretarial practice, food preservation and canning and radio and television, it lacks well-equipped laboratories to hold classes for the courses. Under the mid-day meal scheme, as many as 440 students of classes VI-VII are given meals. While in winters, the students make a line and sit on the ground to consume the meals, in summers, they have to huddle together under the shade of trees to eat their meal. Government Elementary School will soon be merged with Government Girls Senior Secondary School since the land of the elementary school has been earmarked by the MCB for the construction of a multi-level parking. As many as 60 students of the elementary school will add to the student strength of the senior school. “The plan is to construct a separate building with a separate gate for the students of the elementary school once the merger takes place,” said the principal.
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Court acquits woman in murder case owing to lack of evidence
Bathinda, April 23 The woman was acquitted due to lack of sufficient evidence. The prosecution also failed to prove any motive behind the murder. Though the complainant claimed illicit relationship as the reason behind the murder, he failed to bring it on record with any substantial evidence or witnesses in the court. On the other hand, the woman cited a dispute over ancestral land as the reason why she was implicated in a false case. Manjit Kaur Guddi, wife of Munshi Ram, was accused of murdering her husband by strangulating him with a chunni in October 2011. A complaint was lodged with the police by her brother-in-law and a case under section 302 of the IPC was registered against Guddi. The woman, claiming that she had been falsely implicated, pleaded that she is not an accused in the case as the brothers of her husband had a dispute over an ancestral property and that she had been made a scapegoat in the case for monetary gains by her brother-in-law. The counsel for the woman, Ramesh Kumar Mittal, argued that the claims of the eye-witnesses did not match with the reports of the post mortem and the circumstantial evidence. The complainant claimed that the woman used a chunni to strangulate her husband. Mittal, however, stated that the post mortem report said that the strangulation mark was on the front of the neck and not around Her counsel argued that his client's statement was recorded under section 27 of the Indian Evidence Act and it was not attested by any independent witness. In its order, the court ordered that by giving the benefit of doubt, the accused stands acquitted of the charge framed against her.
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Coaching centres misguiding students: Chandigarh
Bathinda, April 23 He was in the city on the occasion of inauguration of an admission-cum-counselling centre of the university in Bathinda. He said, "Till the time an institute has a vested interest, it can't guide anyone properly. The purpose of counselling should be to apprise students about options they can explore according to their interests. It is also very important to counsel parents about fields other than medical and non-medical, which can open up new horizons for their children."
Talking about why the university decided to set up an admission office in the city, he said, "Bathinda is becoming one of the major hubs of educational activities in the state. Many students are coming to Bathinda to study, many students from Bathinda are also going to other places to study. We wanted to place in front of them one more option in the form of our university." "The role of our counselling office is to gauge the interest and inclination of a student and suggest a career path that he may like to choose. The centre will not force them to take admission at Chandigarh University," he said. "None of the universities in the Malwa region have come up with counselling centres to help students in making the right career choice. There are fields such as architecture and animation which students need to be informed about. They also need to be counselled about new fields in engineering, considering the kind of industries which are being set up in the region," he said. The Chandigarh University vice-chancellor said that it was the lack of proper counselling due to which the youth of the region were going astray and it should be checked.
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Meet reviews progress of health schemes launched in district
Bathinda, April 23 The doctors highlighted the problem of inadequate staff strength that hampers the implementation of the projects. Civil surgeon Dr Ajay Sahni said the government has decided to provide all 100 hospitals in the state with adequate staff. "The recruitment procedure is underway and soon the shortage of doctors, nurses and paramedics would be overcome," he asserted. Meanwhile, District Family Welfare Officer Dr Ravanjiot Kaur said emphasis is being laid on promoting the scheme of providing sanitary napkins to the adolescent girls in the age-group of 10 to 19 years age in the villages and educating them about the importance of maintaining personal hygiene. She said that after pregnant women and children, the government is now focusing on adolescent girls, who are the future mothers. The ANMs and ASHA workers in the villages provide a packet of napkins at for Rs 6 and also educate the youngsters and answer their queries on sexual health. The doctors also discussed the rate of institutional deliveries in the district, which is more than 80 per cent. Bathinda is among the first six districts of the state who have an appreciable rate. However, due to staff shortage, the pockets of Maur, Maiserkhana and Lehra Mohabbat still need to improve. "As soon as the staff situation improves, doctors at these stations would be able to deliver better," said Dr Sahni. Besides, the doctors also discussed at the meeting the second phase of cancer treatment, revised national tuberculosis control program (RNTCP), working on declaring Bathinda tobacco-free district, update on vector-borne diseases, school health iron tablet folic acid project, intensive weekly vaccine to migratory patients and other projects.
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Teachers to meet DGSE for math labs
Bathinda, April 23 The association is demanding that funds be released for the construction of math labs in the schools across Punjab so that practicals can be conducted in the labs and not out in the open. The DGSE will also be requested to open posts for math teachers from class I to VIII. "Right now, till class VIII, the science teachers have been given the responsibility of taking maths classes as well," said press secretary of the association, Sukhdev Mittal. "As per the Right to Education Act (RTE), till class VIII, the schools can't detain any student for promotion to the next class. This is the reason why the students of class IX are so weak in mathematics. This impacts the results and hence, also proves to be an impediment in the path of promotion of mathematics teachers," he added. The association also said that while the teachers of other subjects get promoted frequently, maths teachers have to bear the brunt of the policies. The association also pointed out that the maths teachers also have to perform the accounting work in the schools which adds to their burden.
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Gram Sewaks hold protest march
Bathinda, April 23 The dharna against the district administration entered its 17th day. The Gram Rozgar Sewaks have been protesting for over a fortnight now near the Zila Parishad. Protesting against the district administration and the state government, district president of the union Amrik Singh said that employees who work for two years continuously in an organization cannot be thrown out in accordance with the labour laws, as has been done in the case of gram sewaks. The employees threatened that they will go to court against the deputy commissioner, Bathinda. He added that a state-level protest will also be held in Bathinda, if the government does not take back the dismissed gram sewaks.
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Book fair held at Guru Kashi varsity
Bathinda, April 23 Punjabi University, Patiala, the Publication Bureau besides other major publishing firms from all across northern India visited the book fair. A mobile book exhibition also attracted the attention of the students. Head of the Department of Punjabi, Dr Sunil Kumar, delivered a lecture on 'Language, literature and culture'. The chairman lauded the efforts of the organisers and advised the students to read books other than those in their syllabus. Vice-chancellor of GKU, SK Ahluwalia, stated that such exhibitions and fairs make the students familiar with literature and the culture of the world, enriching them in the process.
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Villager held for murdering teenager
Bathinda, April 23 a secluded place in Gehri Bhagi village. He was found strangulated with a piece of cloth. His mother Naseeb Kaur got a case registered against unidentified persons for murdering her son. Police officials said both the accused and the victim belonged to poor families and had been residing in the same village for many years. Police officials said the accused was arrested and questioned at the Kotfatta police station. Gehri Buttar resident booked for rash driving Police has registered a case against a resident of Gehri Buttar village for driving his vehicle rashly and negligently. In a complaint to the police, Baljit Singh of Gehri Buttar village said the accused Megha Singh, who was driving a tractor, hit the motorbikes of his relatives. His relatives, Paramjit Singh and Sukhdev Singh, were injured in the accident and were admitted to the hospital. Police has registered a case under sections 279, 337 and 427 of the IPC at the Sangat police station. |
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Seminar recalls Balwant Gargi’s association with city
Bathinda, April 23 Sahitya Akademi Award winner Ajmer Singh Aulakh and thespian Tony Batish delivered lectures during the programme. Remembering Gargi for his colloquial and conversational style of writing, Aulakh said the playwright was known for infusing life into his characters by describing them in all possible ways. "Description of his characters was so evocative that the readers could visualise them," said Aulakh, who himself is known for works that focus on the problems faced by the common man. Giving examples of many of Gargi's works, Aulakh elaborated upon the style, content and language used by the playwright. Talking about his literary genius, Aulakh said the playwright was known for writing in a subtle manner about issues that the other authors didn't even touch upon. Talking about Gargi's most celebrated works, 'Loha Kut' and 'Kuari Teesi', he impressed upon the fact that Gargi's contribution to Punjabi literature could be gauged by the fact that his works had left an indelible mark on society. Toni Batish, an eminent playwright from Bathinda, remembered Gargi's close association and love for the city. He said such was Gargi's love for the city that he wanted his ashes to be submerged in the Sirhind Canal in Bathinda. Taking pride in the fact that Gargi's work, 'Razia Sultan' remained one of the major productions of his theatre group, he recalled the days that he spent with the playwright and the lessons that he learnt from him. The special lectures were followed by the presentation of a skit, 'Dilaan Da Doctor', by the students of the DAV College. The skit showed various characters coming to a doctor known for transplanting hearts. While a girl wanted a heart that would allow her to break the hearts of many youths, a wife wanted her husband to have a heart which is faithful to her. The skit also made a snide remark at the Punjab Police by stating that a policeman couldn't undergo the procedure since he had no heart. During his address, vice-chancellor of the university, Dr Jai Rup Singh, recalled the long sittings that Balwant Gargi had with his father, the eminent Punjabi scholar, Prof Pritam Singh. He also read out an excerpt from Gargi's work wherein he had mentioned Prof Pritam Singh. The vice-chancellor added that the demise of the playwright had left a great void in Punjabi literature and was an irreparable loss. The function concluded with a vote of thanks proposed by Prof RG Saini. |
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Cyclist dies after falling into canal
Bathinda, April 23 Volunteers of the NGO Sahara Jan Sewa received information about a body lying in the empty canal at around 5.30 am today. They shifted the body to the Civil Hospital in the presence of the officials from the Thermal police station. The volunteers said the man appeared to be returning home late last night and might have failed to differentiate between the dry bed of the canal and the road due to darkness. Thermal SHO Kabal Singh arrived at the spot with his team. He said the body would be handed over to the family after the post-mortem. Further action would be taken after recording the statements of the family members, he added. |
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The Centre for Comparative Literature of the Central University of Punjab (CUP) organised a special programme on its campus here today. The
programme, which was dedicated to the renowned Punjabi playwright Balwant Gargi, aimed at discussing his life, works and his contribution to the world of Punjabi literature. The programme was the first of a series of lectures focussing on unmatched literary figures.
Bathinda, April 23
