B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Cash-strapped MC leaves Kotkapura in mess
Kotkapura (Faridkot), May 20
The already precarious financial condition of the Kotkapura Municipal Committee (MC) in Faridkot district has now deteriorated to such an extent that for the over seven months, the MC has been unable to pay the private contractor hired to collect garbage in the town.

Man, wife booked for killing mother for property
Fazilka, May 20
In a startling incident, a man, in connivance with his wife, allegedly murdered his mother over a property dispute. City police claimed to have unfolded the mystery behind the woman's murder a year after the crime took place.

BJP fills top slots in frontal bodies
Chandigarh, May 20
Kamal Sharma, president, Punjab unit of the BJP, has appointed heads of the party’s frontal organisations such as Mahila Morcha, Kisan Morcha and Yuva Morcha.

PSEB results
Abohar maintains lead in dist
Abohar, May 20
This sub-divisional town located at the tail-end of Punjab has maintained the lead in the PSEB class XII results not only in the newly-carved Fazilka district, but also in the undivided Ferozepur district.

Cash-strapped MC leaves Kotkapura in mess
Dues pending, contractor stops collection of garbage in town
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Kotkapura (Faridkot), May 20
The already precarious financial condition of the Kotkapura Municipal Committee (MC) in Faridkot district has now deteriorated to such an extent that for the over seven months, the MC has been unable to pay the private contractor hired to collect garbage in the town. As there has been no lifting of garbage in Kotkapura since May 11, residents have been exposed to health hazards in the hot weather.

Perpetually short of funds, the last time that the Kotkapura MC paid to the contractor was in October 2012. Then, Rs 12 lakh was paid to the contractor. In the last seven months, the contractor served many reminders to the MC but no payment was made. The contractor then stopped the collection of garbage.

The travails of the MC do not stop here. The MC has not been able to pay salaries even to its 80 employees for the last two months. Eight retired MC employees had to file writ petitions in the High Court to get their post-retirement benefits.

In December 2012, the High Court had issued orders to stop the salary of the senior MC officials and attach all of its properties, including bank accounts and vehicles, after the MC used the provident fund of its employees to meet its daily expenses.

“We are now close to solving our financial instability,” said MC executive officer RS Dhillon. The MC has raised Rs 6 crore loan from the Amritsar Improvement Trust last month, he said. A major portion of the loan amount was used to pay the arrears of MC’s retired staff so that all pending cases against the MC in High Court are closed.

About the non-payment to garbage contractor, Dhillon said keeping in view the financial condition of the civic body, the contractor should be cooperative. “ Days after I joined at Kotkapura, I paid 50 per cent of the arrear to the contractor. I assured him of paying the remaining amount in the coming days and he should resume work,” he said.

Rishi Kant Yadav, the manager of the garbage lifting company, said they were unable to pay salaries to its workers and had thus, stopped work.

Sources in the MC said there are no chances of improving its financial condition in the coming days.

Two weeks ago, when the Improvement Trust, Amritsar, asked the Kotkapura MC to pay the first loan installment of Rs 33 lakh, the MC again defaulted and expressed its inability to do so.

“If we had enough money to pay the monthly installment of Rs 33 lakh, we would not have raised the loan,” said a senior MC official.

"After the closure of the bulk oil depots in Kotkapura, we have lost octroi, which was our main source of income. This is the reason for our tight economic condition," said Paramjit Kaur Dhillon, president, Municipal Committee, Kotkapura.

Man, wife booked for killing mother for property
Our Correspondent

Fazilka, May 20
In a startling incident, a man, in connivance with his wife, allegedly murdered his mother over a property dispute. City police claimed to have unfolded the mystery behind the woman's murder a year after the crime took place.

As per the FIR registered with the city police, Fazilka, Shanti Devi, a resident of local Radha Swami Colony, had died under mysterious circumstances on April 17, 2012. The deceased’s elder son, Raj Kumar, residing in Sirsa, had alleged that his brothers had made their mother captive and did not allow him to meet her. He apprehended that his brothers could harm their mother.

After the allegations, police swung into action and got the post-mortem examination of Shanti Devi conducted at the Civil Hospital.

The police disposed of the matter by registering a case under Section 174 (unnatural death) of the CrPC. In the meantime, the postmortem report was received which suggested that she had died of poisoning.

SHO Sukhdev Singh Brar said that after a thorough investigation by the Superintendent of Police (Headquarters), it was established that Raj Kumar, who levelled allegations against his brothers, had himself committed the murder. He along with his wife Asha had administered a poisonous substances to his mother. She had died an hour later.

While citing the reason for the murder, Brar said Raj Kumar was keen to get the ownership rights of a commercial plot owned jointly by the family.

Raj Kumar and his wife Asha were booked under Sections 302 and 120-B of the IPC. “A police team has been sent to nab the accused in Sirsa,” said the SHO.

BJP fills top slots in frontal bodies
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 20
Kamal Sharma, president, Punjab unit of the BJP, has appointed heads of the party’s frontal organisations such as Mahila Morcha, Kisan Morcha and Yuva Morcha.

In a statement issued here today, party general secretary Tarun Chugh said Renu Thapar of Ludhiana had been appointed president of the Mahila Morcha.

Jatinder Athwal of Anandpur Sahib had been appointed president of the Kisan Morcha, Mohit Gupta of Bathinda president of the Yuva Morcha, Javed Aslam president of the Minority Morcha and Dilbagh Rai had been appointed president of the Scheduled Caste Morcha, he added.

PSEB results
Abohar maintains lead in dist
Raj Sadosh

Reeza Makkar was ranked 5th in science group.

Abohar, May 20
This sub-divisional town located at the tail-end of Punjab has maintained the lead in the PSEB class XII results not only in the newly-carved Fazilka district, but also in the undivided Ferozepur district.

A perusal of the class XII merit list of 336 pass-outs indicated that out of 14 students in Fazilka district who figure in the list, 13 belong to educational institutions based at Abohar.

Only two students in Ferozepur district have been placed in the merit list.

Principal of DAV Collegiate School, Dr Sanjeev Kumar Arora, said Reeza Makkar got the fifh position in class XII science stream while Lovish Singla also figured in the list.

Another educationist Gurmail Singh said four students of Singh Sabha Kanya Pathshala, three of Government Senior Secondary Adarsh School, two each of Government Senior Secondary School for Girls and Guru Nanak AV Senior Secondary School have brought laurels to the town by securing positions in the merit list. They include Anu Baweja, Shikha Goyal, Shivangi, Abhishek Chaudhary, Sanyam, Mani Gupta, Gurkirat Kaur, Anu, Navneet Kaur, Shivali, Vanisha Thatai and Payal Goyal. Payal has got hundred per cent marks in Maths too.

In 1960, MR Gupta of Government Senior Secondary School had topped in higher secondary exam in the state. Since then, the town has maintained its glory in academics.