Bathinda, May 7
Doctors of the Civil Hospital, who have been told to perform election duties in the forthcoming Zila Parishad and Panchayat Samiti polls scheduled for May 19, have sent a letter to the Deputy Commissioner.

In the letter, they stated that a list issued by the Deputy Commissioner asked the doctors, paramedic staff, driver, clerks and all other employees to perform the election duties on May 19. But there were only three orthopaedician, three eye specialists, and a few doctors on the emergency duty and their absence from the regular duty would cripple the functioning of the hospital .

Two years ago, similar orders were passed, but later they were withdrawn due to hue and cry created by the doctors and patients.

Officials of the Health Department have also sent a letter to the Deputy Commissioner wherein they have mentioned the names of the persons without whom the functioning of the Civil Hospital would come to a complete halt.

The list of 23 persons, including doctors, pharmacists, staff nurses, pharmacists, drivers and other persons involved in accomplishing technical things at the hospital, was issued by the Deputy Commissioner.

Senior Medical Officer (SMO) Dr Satish Goyal said if the doctors were engaged in the election duties, the work at the hospital would suffer.

Interestingly, the name of the SMO is also included in the list for the election duty.

ADC (D) Mohammad Tayyab said they had considered names of all government employees of various departments for the election duties so the names of the doctors were also incorporated in the list.

“The list does not just contain names of members of the Health Department, but also the names of members of other departments. The names of the doctors will be withdrawn from the list. We will add those names which will not affect the functioning of the hospital,” Tayyab said.

Multi-tasking

* Doctors have been told to perform election duties in the elections scheduled for May 19.

* They sent a letter opposing election duties to the Deputy Commissioner.

* The Deputy Commissioner had issued a list of 23 members, including the SMO, doctors, pharmacists, staff nurses, pharmacists, drivers and other persons, to perform the duties.

* Officials of the Health Department have also sent a letter to the Deputy Commissioner wherein they have mentioned the names of the persons without whom the functioning of the Civil Hospital would come to a complete halt.

official Speak
"The list does not just contain the names of members of the Health Department, but also the names of members of other departments. The names of the doctors will be withdrawn from the list. We will add those names which will not affect the functioning of the hospital." — Mohammad Tayyab, ADC (D)

Bathinda, May 7
As many as 54 candidates filed nomination papers for the Zila Parishad elections and 62 candidates filed papers for the Block Samiti elections. As many as 48 candidates filed papers for Panchayat Samiti Sangat, 55 in Bhagta, 47 in Rampura, 66 in Phul, 46 in Maur and 78 candidates filed nomination papers in Talwandi Sabo.

Gurpreet Maluka, son of Education Minister Sikandar Maluka, has filed nomination papers from the Bhagta Panchayat Samiti.

The district administration has taken adequate measures for the smooth conduct of the elections scheduled for May 19.

Various returning officers and assistant returning officers have been deputed for the election duties.

Bathinda, May 7
The Centre for Comparative Literature at the Central University of Punjab, Bathinda, organised the second programme in a series today to commemorate the legendary Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi on his death anniversary. The programme was held in the university auditorium as part of a series of lectures on unmatched literary figures,

Vice-chancellor of Central University of Punjab Dr Jai Rup Singh (second from left) honours the dignitaries at the Shiv Kumar Batalvi Memorial Lecture in Bathinda on Tuesday. Photo: Bhupinder Dhillon

The programme commenced with the screening of a video of an interview of Shiv Kumar Batalvi. renowned professors and intellectuals Prof Harbhajan Singh Bhatia from the Punjabi Adhyan School, GNDU, Amritsar and Prof Sukhdev Singh, Punjabi Department, Panjab University, Chandigarh, delivered lectures on the celebrated poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi. They lauded the efforts of the university in having initiated a series of lectures on literary figures .

Prof Sukhdev Singh articulated the plaintive emotions of the profound poet whose poetry depicts the pathos and desolation of a common man. He remembered Shiv as a poet known all over the country for his deep sensibility and poignant melodies.

Prof Harbhajan Singh Bhatia stated that Shiv Kumar Batalvi, the youngest recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award, embraced the identity of a Punjabi folk storyteller and viewed the massive disruptions around him from the historical perspective of someone deeply immersed in Punjabi folklore, which stands far above in comparison to today's popular songs. He not only wrote poetry but also expressed his views on different forms of literature in scintillating prose.

The lectures were followed by a soulful rendition of Batalvi’s poems by the students of the university. The Vice-chancellor of the university, Prof Dr Jai Rup Singh, thanked Prof Sukhdev Singh and Prof Harbhajan Singh Bhatia for sparing time and throwing light on the life of a literary legend like Shiv Kumar Batalvi.

He gave a clarion call to the intellectuals to come forward with determination to safeguard the rich cultural heritage of the state to enable the younger generation inherit this legacy and reiterated the need for an interdisciplinary approach towards matters of great concern as echoed in Shiv Kumar Batalvi's poem ‘Rukh’(The Tree).

Bathinda, May 7
Residents of Bathinda and its adjoining areas have started to feel the heat. The temperature, which has crossed the 40°C mark, is forcing the residents to stay indoors.

As per the Agri-met Department of the PAU regional station, Bathinda, the maximum temperature recorded on Tuesday was 41.2°C and the minimum temperature was recorded at 21.5°C.

As per the latest forecast released by the station on Tuesday, there is no respite from the heat in the coming days as the weather is expected to remain dry. The temperature is also expected to hover around 41-42°C over the next three days. The sun has been beating down harsh since four days. The maximum temperature was recorded at 41.4°C on Saturday, on Sunday it rose to 41.6°C. On Monday, the maximum and minimum temperature was recorded at 41 and 20.6°C, respectively.

As per the forecast released by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) for the district, the temperature is expected to rise even further and hit the 44°C mark by Saturday. The minimum temperature may also rise and touch the 28°C mark by this weekend. According to the IMD forecast, the maximum humidity will oscillate between 14 and 19 per cent. The minimum humidity will be around 8 per cent over the next four days.

Bathinda, May 7
The civil courts, Talwandi Sabo, will remain closed for summer vacation from June 1 to 30 and the criminal courts will remain closed from June 1 to 15. Talwandi Sabo Bar Association vice-president Fateh Singh Brar said the summer vacation started along with the vacation of the High Court for the first time,.

Earlier, the vacation for the civil courts used to start from June 15 to 30 and for the criminal cases it starts from June 15 to 15 July. Meanwhile, advocates in the Bathinda District Courts are yet to be clarified over the beginning of the vacation. District Bar Association (DBA) secretary Bikramjit Singh Ahluwalia said they had not received any intimation from the DBA in this regard so far.

Breaktime
Civil courts to remain closed from June 1 to 30 and criminal courts will remained close from June 1 to 15

Bathinda, May 7
DAV College student Varunpreet Kaur topped the merit list of the university in the first semester of MA English by scoring 73 per cent marks. Shelza Gupta grabbed the second position in the university with a score of 70 per cent marks while Harpreet Kaur secured 63 per cent marks.

College principal Dr JS Anand honoured the meritorious performers at a special ceremony held today. He presented them a copy of his latest volume of Punjabi poetry "Khahishan De Aar Paar".

Dr JS Anand congratulated the students for their brilliant performance and also appreciated the efforts of Dr HS Arora, head of English Department and his other colleagues for their inputs and sustained efforts to help the students bring laurels to the college.

Meanwhile, according to the results declared by the Punjabi university, Patiala, the students of BBA (2nd and 3rd year) have passed the examination with more than 70 per cent marks.

As many as 17 students scored more than 80 per cent marks and more than 50 students scored more than 70 per cent marks in their fifth semester examinations.

As many as seven students of BBA (third semester) scored more than 80 per cent and 24 students scored between 70 and 80 per cent.

Managing director of the BFGI, Gumeet Singh Dhaliwal, and Dr Manish Bansal, deputy director (Academics), congratulated the students on their achievement. 

Bathinda, May 7
Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo, organised an expert lecturer-cum-seminar on its campus to mark the birthday of Noble laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore. Faculty members teaching literature in various departments of the university shared their views related to the renowned poet, author and writer on the occasion.

Director (Sports) and Olympian Dr Tirlok Singh Sandhu was the chief guest at the function while Dr DR Godara, Dean (Agriculture), was present as the guest of honour. Prof Amninder Dhillon from the education department shared the poet's views that students can learn efficiently with the help of nature. Students should also learn by doing, she added.

Dr Sunil, head of the Department of Language, discussed the various creations of Rabindra Nath Tagore and shared that by adopting his philosophy, moral values can be inculcated in the personality of the students.

Vice-chancellor of the university, SK Ahluwalia, lauded the efforts of the organisers. 

Bathinda, May 7
SSD Women's Institute of Technology, Bathinda, organised a mega job fest on May 3 and 5. Leading companies from Delhi, Ahmedabad, Patna, Ghaziabad and Chandigarh visited the campus for the placement of the students of MBA, MCA, M.Sc IT, BCA, B.Tech, B.Com and other courses.

As many as 500 students appeared for the interview of which 55 were selected by the companies.

The job fair was conducted with the support and cooperation of Nand Lal Garg, president, SSDWIT, Ramesh Kanodia, secretary, SSDWIT, Manisha Bhatnagar, vice-principal, SSDWIT, training and placement officer Mona Jindal, Shalli Jindal and the staff members for the nenefit of the students.

Bathinda, May 7
A football match was organised at the Shiwalik Hills Public School, Rampura Phul. Football coach Hardeep Singh said students of four houses of the school, namely Red, Blue, Green and Brown, participated in the match

While Nirmal Singh was the captain of Red House, Virender was the captain of the Blue House team. Gurmandeep was the captain of Green House while the captain of Brown House was Gurpreet Singh.

Two semi-final matches were held between the teams of the four houses. The winners of the semi-final matches were the Green and Blue houses. The final match was played between the two and was won by Green House.

The school chairman, Gagandeep Sharma, managing director Akash Sharma, principal Avinash Khanna, vice-principal Yogesh Bajaj and the entire staff watched the match. — TNS

Bathinda, May 7
A transformer installed in the house of a farmer in Rampura was stolen by some unidentified persons. In a complaint to the police, Baljeet Singh said a transformer installed in Gill Kalan village was stolen by some unidentified persons. A complaint was lodged with the police in this connection by the PSPCL superintendent, Baljeet Singh.

A case under section 379 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was registered against the accused at the Rampura police station. Police is investigating the matter further.

Bathinda, May 7
In a case registered at the Maur police station, Chando, a resident of Bharatpur area of Rajasthan, was arrested by the police for carrying 9 kg poppy husk. The accused was arrested from near Maur Khurd village. 

A case under sections 15, 61, 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused at the Maur police station.

Bathinda, May 7
Police has arrested two persons for gambling near Liberty Chowk. The accused have been identified as Suresh Kumar and Gurdev Singh. They were arrested by the police with Rs 26,700. A case under sections 13, 3 and 67 of the Gambling Act has been registered against the accused at the Kotwali police station. Investigating officer in the case, Gurdarshan Singh, said the accused were later released on bail.

Motorcycle stolen

A motorcycle was stolen from outside the Mittal Mall. The complainant, Gurpreet Bedi, a resident of Sangrur, said he had parked his bike outside the Mittal Mall and it was stolen by some unidentified person. Police has registered a case under section 379 of the IPC at the Kotwali police station. No arrests have been made by the police yet.

Abetment to suicide

Police has registered a case under section 306 of the IPC against Parveen Kaur and Gurlab Singh for allegedly instigating the son of a woman, Paramjit Kaur, to commit suicide. In a complaint to the police, Paramjit Kaur said Parveen Kaur and Gurlab Singh used derogatory remarks and manhandled her son who later consumed celphos tablets and ended his life. Police has registered a case against the accused under section 306 of the IPC at the Kotwali police station.

Two arrested with illegal weapons

Police has arrested two persons including a woman with illegal weapons. Police has arrested Balvir Singh and Simarjit Kaur who failed to produce any legal documents pertaining to the weapons. A .12 bore country-made pistol along with 10 cartridges and .315 bore country-made pistol along with 10 live cartridges were recovered from the possession of the accused. A case under sections 25, 54, 59 of the Arms Act has been registered against the accused at the Nehianwala police station.

Bike stolen

A bike was stolen from near Panchwati Palace, Doomwali. In a complaint to the police, Parmod Mittal said he had parked his bike outside and it was stolen by some unidentified persons. The matter was brought to the notice of the police and a case under section 379 of the IPC was registered against the accused at the Sangat police station.

One held with poppy husk

Police has arrested a resident of Raikhana village, Sukhpal Singh, with five kg of poppy husk. Policemen said the accused was arrested from near Bhai Bakhtaur village. The accused was taken to the police station

where he was interrogated. Police said a case under sections 15, 61, 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused at the Maur police station and further investigation is on to ascertain the route of smuggling and the elements that facilitated the smuggling of poppy husk.