 |
|
|
solid waste management
Fraudster dupes man of Rs 63,000
Amicable settlement of court cases is our priority, says HC Judge
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Fire extinguishers installed at DC office surpass expiry date
2 held with poppy husk worth Rs 1 cr
Schools lack kitchen for mid-day meals
Crime briefs
KVM to submit draft on agriculture policy to state govt
TASTE BUDS
|
|
NGT official finds site photos genuine
Local commissioner appointed by the NGT visits the garbage dumping site; to report to NGT by August 19 Megha Mann Tribune News Service
Bathinda, July 27 The residents of the area, who were affected due to the dumping of garbage, had submitted the photographs before the NGT during the hearing on July 24. They had pointed out that the Municipal Corporation, Bathinda (MCB), was not managing the solid waste in a scientific manner. On April 29, the NGT had asked the MCB to manage the garbage in a scientific manner and issued certain guidelines. Since the MCB challenged the photographs submitted by the residents of the area, the NGT appointed a local commissioner to visit and verify a few points (see box). On his arrival, Dutta first enquired about the dimensions of the project and the amount of garbage it will treat. Later, he conducted a detailed survey of the 30 acres of the site with garbage strewn all around. Tempers ran high when municipal commissioner Uma Shankar Gupta said the photographs did not depict the entire picture of the work undertaken at the site whereas the counsel for the residents, GS Chahal, and others said the MCB officials had tried to alter the state of affairs after July 24 when the NGT passed the orders. Gupta claimed that the garbage was covered with soil, 1,000 saplings were planted within 15 metres of the boundary, the entire area has been fenced with barbed wires and disinfectants were sprayed regularly. The MCB officials also produced photographs and bills of various things procured to support its claim. However, the appellants in the NGT contested all the claims. A visit to the place revealed that it was not that the entire area had been fenced with barbed wires. Only the front portion, facing a distributary of the Sirhind Canal, was fenced. Similarly, saplings were not noticeable except for the area where barbed wires were fixed. Area residents Captain Mal Singh and Karnail Singh alleged that the saplings were planted on the night of July 24 after the NGT had passed orders that the local commissioner would visit the site. The NGT had also directed MCB to segregate biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste. However, the plastic was found buried along with the refuse material. Municipal commissioner Uma Shankar Gupta said the MCB had planned to construct a drain that would carry leachate from the dumping site to the Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) in the neighborhood so that the toxic leachate does not find its way into the earth and pollute the underground water. Dutta will submit his report to the NGT before the next hearing, which is scheduled for August 19. Meanwhile, a large group of women from the affected areas sat on a dharna against the corporation since early morning. The MCB has a total of 36 acres on the Mansa Road. Six acres have been dedicated to the Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) while 10 acres have been reserved for its expansion. The remaining 20 acres are for the municipal solid waste management plant; of which 10 acres will have the plant while there will be plantation and stores in another 10 acres. People alleged that the MCB was using even the 10 acres reserved for the STP for dumping garbage. Local Commissioner checked
Fact file
|
|
Fraudster dupes man of Rs 63,000
Bathinda, July 27 The victim, Jagmohan Singh (70), lodged a complaint at the Kotwali police station and a case under Section 420 of the IPC was registered against an unidentified person. Investigating officer (IO) Partap Singh said the miscreant swapped ATM cards while the victim was counting the cash (Rs 3,000)
that he withdrew from the ATM of the State Bank of Patiala situated at the
Civil Lines. The miscreant memorised the password of the complainant's card before swapping. Unmindful of the fact that his ATM card has been swapped, the complainant visited the bank to enquire as to why his ATM card had stopped functioning. The bank officials told him that the card was blocked due to frequent punching of wrong password. The reason was that the ATM card, which was in the possession of the complainant, was not related to his bank account and hence, the password that he was entering did not match with that of the card. The IO said preliminary investigations revealed that the accused had withdrawn money from ATMs situated in Bathinda city, Gidderbaha and Fatehabad. "We are yet to get the pictures of the accused. We will probably get them on Monday," he said. The police said incidents of such crimes were reported from those ATMs which were sans security guard. The police said there were some youngsters and children who are trained to sneak a quick look into the PIN of a customer’s ATM card and then divert his attention by dropping something. In the meantime, they swap ATM cards. Earlier cases
February 22: Miscreants manage to take away Rs 6.80 lakh from the ATM of the Punjab National Bank (PNB) on the Bibiwala road. The police is yet to solve the case. April 24:
Unidentified miscreants tamper with the ATM of the State Bank of Patiala (SBoP) in Model Town Phase-II but fail to take away cash. Though a case was registered in this connection, the police could not make a breakthrough. February 24: The PNB ATM on the GT Road was tampered with but no case was registered. October 24: The SBoP ATM in Parasram Nagar was tampered with but the miscreants could not take away cash. The police had registered a case, which is yet to be solved. Prevention against ATM fraud
|
|
Amicable settlement of court cases is our priority, says HC Judge
Bathinda, July 27 Justice Chauhan today visited the District Courts here and inaugurated a library for lawyers. He also inspected the monthly Lok Adalat where he interacted with litigants. He said, "Our main thrust is on resolving disputes amicably. The bitter feelings among the litigants are removed by professional and trained persons in mediation centres and the functioning of the centre in Bathinda is quite satisfactory."
Justice Chauhan said Lok Adalats were meant to reduce the fiscal burden of the litigants and to speed up the process of disposing of court cases. Out of 3,163 cases that came up for hearing in the Lok Adalat today, 3,020 were settled with mutual consent of the parties. Eighteen benches at the Lok Adalat awarded compensation of Rs 2.6 crore. Justice Chauhan planted a sapling on the premises of the court and held a meeting with the judges here. He also inspected the multi-purpose ADR (Alternate Dispute Redressal) Centre being built at the cost of nearly Rs 1.16 crore. While interacting with lawyers, he assured them of getting the Industrial Tribunal and the Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum shifted to the present Courts Complex.
District and Sessions Judge Tejwinder Singh, Deputy Commissioner KK
Yadav, Senior Superintendent of Police Ravcharan Singh Brar, all judicial officers, DLSA secretary-cum-Civil Judge (Senior Division) Kawaljit Singh were among those present on the occasion.
|
|
Fire extinguishers installed at DC office surpass expiry date
Bathinda, July 27 In case of fire breaking out in the complex, which bustles with visitors throughout the day, these fire extinguishers will not serve any purpose. Almost all the fire extinguishers installed outside the offices of the government officials located on the complex have surpassed their expiry date a month ago. Navtej Singh Sidhu, who is the son of the owner of the BKB Engineering Company which had filled these cylinders last time, said, "My father had met some officials in the DAC and told them that the fire extinguishers had crossed their expiry date. There may be some issue of approval of the estimate for refuelling of the cylinders." When contacted, the DC said, "In all probability, I will issue a show-cause notice to the officials who are responsible for keeping a record pertaining to the cylinders." He added that the process of refuelling the cylinders was not complex. "If there is an estimate, it would be cleared in no time. It is a necessity and is required for the safety of the employees and the visitors. The officials concerned should not wait for the date of expiry to pass before waking up to getting the cylinders refilled," Yadav said. Apart from the office of the DC, the DAC also houses the office of the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Amar Singh Chahal, ADC Rajiv Prashar, SDM Damanjit Singh Mann and SSP Ravcharan Singh Brar. Offices of many other departments like excise and taxation, education and transport are situated at the DAC.
|
|
2 held with poppy husk worth Rs 1 cr
Bathinda, July 27 Senior Superintendent of Police Ravcharan Singh Brar said the contraband was seized at a joint naka was laid by the CIA, Bathinda, and officials of the Counter Intelligence Agency, near Chak Atar Singhwala village on the Badal road. The narcotics were being smuggled in a truck loaded with bananas. As many as 120 bags containing nearly 42 quintal of poppy husk were found hidden under bananas. A case under Sections 15, 25, 29, 61, 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered at Nandgarh police station against four persons, who have been identified as Ashwini Kumar of Moga, Jaspreet Singh Jassa of Barnala, Jaswinder Singh of Khosa and Nachhattar Singh of Akhara Jagraon. While Ashwini and Jaspreet have been arrested the latter two are at large. The accused brought the contraband from Madhya Pradesh to sell it in Punjab.
|
|
Schools lack kitchen for mid-day meals
Bathinda, July 27 There are as many as 24 elementary schools in the district which are reeling under the shortage of funds and hence, have no option but to have the food prepared outside. Apart from these schools, there are as many as eight schools in Bathinda district which do not have space for kitchen on the premises. While speaking to Bathinda Tribune, the mid-day meal manager for the district, Daqljit Singh Joshi, accepted that he knew about the situation and that the education department was in the process of taking a decision regarding such schools. "Some of the schools which are running out of a small place don't have the provision for a kitchen. We even sent funds to some schools to build kitchens but they sent us the money back saying that they didn't have space for a kitchen on the school premises," he said. "We had even mulled over the possibility of building a kitchen on the roofs of such schools but the plan couldn't have materialised since it had logistical problems. Apart from constructing a kitchen, stairs also needed to be built," he added. Desraj Senior Secondary School, located near Qila Mubarak in Bathinda, is one school which is provided the mid-day meal by self-help groups. "According to the Archaeological Department of India (ASI), we are not allowed to construct a shed. What is the use of having an open kitchen? We are bound by the rules. Otherwise, we would have by now constructed a kitchen on the school premises," said Bhupinder Kaur Dhillon, principal of the school. The MDM rules also clarify that the food should be prepared under the supervision of a teacher and should be tasted by the teachers before being served to the children. "After the food is brought to the school, we taste it to check its quality," the principal added. The primary schools which do not have space to construct a kitchen include schools in Nathiana, Jivi Nagar, Pratap Nagar, Sanguana, Multania and the Civil Station. Fact file
|
|
Cops nab three with smack
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, July 27 In another similar incident, Talwandi Sabo police arrested two persons, including Parminder Singh and Jagwant Singh, both residents of Talwandi Sabo. They were found carrying 20 grams of smack. Police said the accused was found travelling with the drug on a bike near Bhagiwandar village. A case under sections 21, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused at Talwandi Sabo police station. Two booked for selling wheat meant for PDS
Police has booked two persons including Roshan Lal and Tarsem for selling the wheat in the market at an inflated price. The wheat was actually meant for the poor and meant for sale at ration depots. Investigating officer-cum-complainant in the case, sub-inspector Gurdeep Singh said while Tarsem was arrested, his accomplice Roshan Lal managed to escape. But he expressed the hope that he would be arrested soon. Gurdeep said the accused had been cheating the poor in the area by selling the wheat actually meant for them. A case under sections 420, 34 and 7 of the Essential Commodities Act has been registered against the accused at the Rampura city police station. Two booked for assault
in Chaoke village
Police has registered a case against two persons for assaulting a resident of Chaoke village. In his complaint to the police, Lakhwinder Singh said the accused, Rinku and Nanni Singh, attacked him after a verbal duel also tore his clothes. Police has registered a case under sections 452, 323 and 34 of the IPC at the Rampura Sadar police station. No arrests have been made so far. |
|
KVM to submit draft on agriculture policy to state govt
Bathinda, July 27 Agriculture experts, including the organic farmers, presented various suggestions to be included in the state agriculture policy draft whose main emphasis should be on rejuvenating the soil, putting an end to the use of pesticides and fertilizers, making adequate infrastructure available to the farmers and making the tillers an important stakeholder in the farming sector and other such issues. KVM director Umendra Dutt said the farmers undertaking organic farming have reported an increase in fertility of their soil, need for less inputs and better returns. Farmer Hartej Singh from village Mehta in Bathinda said chemical-free farming has brought back the organisms in his soil to life. Dr Om Prakash Rupela, environmentalist from Kerala, Rajesh Krishnan, Hemant Goswami, Piyush from Toxic Links and Gayatri advocated the use of "jeevamrit", which is made using cow urine and dung. The "jeevamrit" increases the activity of micro and macro organisms in soil, thereby rejuvenating it. Charanjit Singh from village Chhaina in Faridkot said the "jeevamrit" moisturizes the dead soil. Farmer Amarjit Dhillon from Dabrikhana said the organic farming is an economically viable option and over the years, results in very little input cost and greater output. He said the sugarcane and gram farmers spent almost nil on growing the two crops. Chemical-free farming requires a mere Rs 100 to Rs 200 expense per acre on these two crops, while in chemical farming, at least Rs 3,000 per acre is spent. Similarly, in Malwa, the cotton growers spent at least Rs 7,000 per acre on chemicals, the need for which can be minimised with organic farming. Meanwhile, on July 26, a public dialogue was held on the crisis of drinking water. Rajya Sabha MP Avinash Rai Khanna spoke extensively about the ways to conserve water, using it in a controlled manner and his project launched in Punjab jails for rainwater harvesting. On Saturday, a discussion was held on policy shift for ecological agriculture wherein Devinder Sharma, Dr OP Rupela, Deepak Suchde and Rajesh Krishnan, convener, CGMFI, participated. In the afternoon session, a seminar was held on the role of panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) in conservation of natural resources and meeting ecological challenges in Punjab. Dr Sudhirendar Singh, Lakshman Singh Laporia and Hamir Singh also spoke at the event. Also, a workshop on municipal waste management and urban environmental issues in Punjab was held wherein Dr OP Rupela, Capt Mal Singh, NK Jeet, Dr Neelima Jairath, Piyush from Toxics Links and Amit from the Centre for Science and Environment were present. Fact file
|
|
Juice lovers swear by this corner
Nikhila Pant Dhawan Tribune News Service
Bathinda, July 27 While many may wonder how the juice prepared at one shop may be different from the other, loyal customers of Shankar Juice Corner think otherwise. The shop, located near the Sadbhavna Chowk, is popular for preparing unadulterated juice and adding condiments only at the behest of the customers.
Apart from fruit juices, the shop also sells carrot juice and banana and mango shakes. The genuineness of the drinks on offer adds to its freshness and relaxes the mind of the customer. Cool, energising and enervating— the customers could not have asked for more whch explains why the shop continues to remain popular even after more than three decades. Unlike in several other shops, here, the juice is prepared not behind a high counter but right in front of the customers. "The customers can see that we do not add ice or anything else to the juice to make it thinner or sweeter. Those who have been coming to our shop trust as so much that they just place their order and go and sit inside the shop," he added proudly. The shop doesn't enjoy popularity for nothing. It was opened more than 35 years ago by Vikas's father, Vasudev and never regretted doing so. "My father started with selling juice on a rehri when he was still a teenager. He progressed and bought a shop. Now my brother, Chanchal, and I take care of the shop," he added.
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
The photographs submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) are genuine and original, observed advocate Ritwick Dutta, a local commissioner appointed by the
NGT.
"Amicable settlement between the parties fighting a legal battle is our priority," stated Justice Jitendra Chauhan, Judge, Punjab & Haryana High
Court.
The draft for the agriculture policy of Punjab was discussed on the second day of the natural farming and environment festival of Kheti Virasat Mission
(KVM) being held at the community centre in Model Town phase III. Agriculture experts, including the organic farmers, presented various suggestions to be included in the state agriculture policy draft.
If you are looking to relish something which kindles your taste buds, is high on taste and light on your waist, then a glass of juice is something that you may wish to consider. And these are only some of the reasons why the juice lovers of the city swear by the Shankar Juice Corner.
If you are looking to relish something which kindles your taste buds, is high on taste and light on your waist, then a glass of juice is something that you may wish to consider. And these are only some of the reasons why the juice lovers of the city swear by the Shankar Juice Corner.
"We ask the customers if they want us to strain the juice or not, whether they would like to have 'masala' or not. Customer comes first and serving them with what they like is what works in our favour," says Vikas.