Bathinda, October 12
Measures initiated to prevent power theft proved worthy for the Powercom, which collected an amount of Rs 5.5 crore this year so far as penalty.

The power body detected as many as 1,191 cases of power theft as compared to 499 cases last year. The fine collections were Rs 2.84 crore last year. The anti-power theft drives launched in the district proved instrumental in collecting a huge amount as penalty.

The Powercom officials said apart from cases detected by the anti-power theft (APT) cell daily, raids were also conducted in a cluster of villages.

Apart from imposing penalties, FIRs were also lodged against the offenders.

The officials said due to shifting of electricity meters outside houses in urban and rural areas, the problem of direct 'kundi' connection reduced to a great extent.

"But the incidents of tampering with power meters are on the rise. In a month, we confiscate 1,500 to 2,000 meters under the Bathinda circle, including Bathinda and Mansa districts. Out of these, at least 30 to 50 meters are found tampered with," said senior XEN, Enforcement-II, LK Bansal.

Bansal added that apart from illegal connections, they also come across cases where consumers enjoy power supply more than the sanctioned limit.

Recently, the department came across a category of consumers who were provided with domestic connections but use power for commercial purposes.

The maximum number of thefts (267) was detected this year in the month of July making the department richer by Rs 1.22 crore in the form of penalty. The highest recovery made last year was in the month of February when 162 cases were detected and Rs 57 lakh were collected as penalty.

The XEN said the tampering of electricity meters was mostly detected in electromechanical meters as compared to electronic meters. "Whenever we detect that an electromechanical meter has been tampered with, we never return it and instead install an electronic meter," he said.

Fact file The anti-power theft drives launched in the district proved instrumental in collecting a huge amount as penalty. The maximum number of thefts (267) was detected this year in the month of July making the department richer by Rs 1.22 crore in the form of penalty. Besides imposing penalties, cases were registered against the offenders. Powercom officials say shifting of electricity meters outside helped in checking power theft. The problem of direct ‘kundi’ connections too was addressed to a great extent.

Bathinda, October 12
Members of the Democratic Mid-day Meal Cooks Front, Punjab, today staged a dharna at Rampura Phul in protest against the state government's move of handing over the task of cooking and serving food to students to a private firm.

Since October 1, the Bishalakshmi Club, a private firm from West Bengal, started cooking and delivering food to all government schools. Food is served to primary and upper primary students.

Raising slogans against the state government, the members of the union accused it of making money from the welfare scheme of the Central Government. They also argued that ever since the firm had started working, complaints had been pouring in regarding the quality of food served to students.

The union has asked the government to roll back its decision of handing over the contract to a private firm or else the mid-day meal cooks along with the parents of students would launch an agitation.

The members of the union also threatened that in case the school authorities asked any cook to leave the job, they (cooks) would gherao school principals.

Apart from alleging that the state government was not serious about strengthening the scheme, the Front accused the government of being unwilling to pay its share of the scheme which was being run under a Centre-State 75-25 partnership model.

The protesters demanded that their salaries be raised from a meagre Rs 1,200 per month. They argued that several of the female members engaged in the scheme either belonged to financially poor background or were widows and hence, should be paid more for their work.

Bathinda, October 12
This wedding season is all set to get dearer with the Department of Excise and Taxation directing the owners of resorts to collect luxury tax at the rate of eight percent from tent houses, decorators and the caterers.

Though the government has not issued any official notification mentioning that the collection has been intensified, the Department of Excise and Taxation, Bathinda, convened a meeting of marriage palace and resort owners on Wednesday directing them to ensure that luxury tax was collected from the three service providers.

The luxury tax has been in effect in the state for the past around five years, its collection procedure was not being properly followed. Most marriage palaces and resorts owners have been circumventing collection of the luxury tax.

"In certain cases, the owners of these commercial establishments had been claiming tax from the marriage parties. However, they neither forwarded it to the department nor was the collection reflected in the bills," said an official of the Department of Excise and Taxation.

With the department directing strict adherence to the collection procedure, it is the wedding party that will ultimately have to bear the burden of the additional tax.

President of the Hotels, Restaurants and Resorts Association Satish Arora said the association had refused to collect the luxury tax. "We are no authority to collect tax and pay it to the department. The government should collect tax from these three service providers on its own," he said, adding: "The government is trying to bank upon the season of festivities and marriages. This is the only time when we make a modest income and that too is all set to be hit." Assistant excise and taxation commissioner GS Tiwana said the department's emphasis was only on getting the genuine and actual bills. "We just need the bills depicting actual amount paid to these commercial establishments. During the meeting, we directed the owners of these establishments to submit the same," he said.

Bathinda, October 12
Every year, Kalu Ram and his sons Manu and Pawan take a month-long leave from their respective employers. No, the trio does not go on a vacation. Through the month, three of them indulge in their passion — making effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakaran and Meghanad.

Kalu Ram (60), who works as a pharmacist at a bone speciality clinic in Bathinda, has been making effigies for close to 40 years now and says it has turned into the love of his life and his wife doesn't mind.

"I leant making effigies from my guru Radhe Shyam Teona and for the past 40 years, I have been taking leave a month before Dasehra to make effigies. My employer also knows about my passion and in fact, encourages me," he says.

So much is his work popular that he gets orders from far and wide.

"Although I give preference to the local orders, at times, I also go to Rampura Phul, Bhucho and places in nearby districts to make effigies. Making one effigy takes close to 10 days. Some people don't know that I am a pharmacist and make effigies as a hobby," he adds.

Kalu Ram's passion is fuelled by the interest that two of his three sons show in the work. Manu (35) and Pawan (28) accompany and assist him in making effigies. "Both of us work at garment shops in Gandhi Market. For the past seven years, we have been helping our father in making effigies. Spending a month making effigies rejuvenates us and prepares us for the grind of daily life," says Manu.

Insisting that making effigies is their passion, they say they don't make effigies for money. "A contract for making three effigies is for Rs 47,500. A lot is spent on the material that we use and the labour that we put in. At the end, we are left with only some Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000. That's the price of our labour," explains Kalu Ram.

Although he allowed his two sons to work with him, he doesn't want his grandsons pursue the same hobby. "We want them to study, work hard and have a steady job. The craze for the festival is dying slowly and very few people care about the hands that prepare the effigies that draw crowds. People are more interested in the hands that set the effigy on fire," says Pawan.

Bathinda, October 12
Two models prepared by the students of two schools of Bathinda district were among the 900 models chosen from schools all over the country to be displayed at the national-level Innovation in Science Pursuit for Inspired Research (INSPIRE) awards exhibition. The exhibition was held in New Delhi from October 8-11

While the exhibition was inaugurated by the former president of India, Dr APJ Abul Kalam, it was visited by the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission of India, Montek Singh Ahluwalia, among other personalities.

A mathematics model prepared by Harmanjeet Singh, a class X student of Government Senior Secondary School, Deon and a science model prepared by Parneet Kaur, a class XI student of Government High School, Sardargarh, were among the 25 models which had been chosen to represent the state at the national level.

Harmanjeet's model is based on the Chinese riddle 'Tangram'. The project has seven flat shapes which can be put together to form almost all the figures, living or non-living, moving or stationary, in the world. These seven figures include two large triangles, one medium-sized right triangle, two small triangles, one square and one parallelogram. These seven figures have been cut out from a square. Talking about the model, Harmanjeet's guide, mathematics teacher Sukhdev Mittal, said, "We've used seven geometrical figures to prepare various shapes such as that of alphabets, animals, human beings in action, trees, mountains etc. The model is called, 'Our World Through Mathematics."

Parneet Kaur's model, 'Car tube solar cooker' uses a used car tube instead of an insulated box. Talking about the model, the guide of Parneet Kaur's model, science teacher Ramandeep Kaur said, "We used a car tube to prepare the solar cooker. The car tube works like an insulated box which traps the sunlight and heats the pot kept inside it. The Greenhouse effect is the basic principle which is at work in the model."

Out of the total of 109 students of middle schools in Bathinda district, as many as eight students were chosen for the state-level exhibition. As for the high schools of the district, a total of 128 models and projects were put on display at the district-level exhibition. Out of these, as many as 10 students were chosen for the state-level exhibition and two were chosen for the national-level exhibition.

Photographs and information about all the models exhibited at the exhibition have been compiled in a 'Compendium of the Models and Projects'.

Bathinda, October 12
Seeking to register a thumping victory in the upcoming elections of the Municipal Corporation and Lok Sabha polls, a meeting of the Congress workers was convened here today. Addressing the meeting, general secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee, Harminder Singh Jassi urged the party workers to spread awareness among the people about the achievements of the Central Government and its "pro-people" policies.

He asked the workers to be proactive and inform the public of the "anti-people" policies of the ruling SAD-BJP alliance. He also asked them to begin working and gather data about the number of unemployed youth in all the wards of the district.

He also lauded his party for setting up a cancer hospital in Sangrur, the stone for which was recently laid by Rahul Gandhi. 

Bathinda, October 12
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has assured the DRDA Employees Association, India, against winding up the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA).

The president, All India DRDA Staff Welfare Association, Sadhu Ram Kusla stated this in a press statement issued here today. He said the assertion came after the association submitted Sonia Gandhi a memorandum on October 8 at Rae Barelli in Uttar Pradesh after the conclusion of a meeting of the vigilance and monitoring committee that she chaired.

Kusla and the other members of the association submitted the memorandum to Sonia. "She told us that with the implementation of this decision of the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), more than 18,000 employees will lose their jobs, which will impact 1 lakh of their family persons all over India. MoRD is paying 75 per cent to meet the salary budget and contingencies and 25 per cent matching share is paid by the respective state and UT," Kusla said.

Sonia was told that at present, DRDAs are implementing various centrally sponsored employment generating and poverty eradication schemes like Swaran Jayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY). However, the scheme will be merged with the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) from April 1, 2014.

The process for the recruitment of the new staff has already been started by the respective states on the directions of MoRD. DRDAs have been paying salaries and other contingencies under the DRDA Administration Scheme. However, MoRD has decided to abolish it. After abolishing DRDAs, a District Plan Support Unit (DPSU) will be set up at each district headquarters and new staff will be recruited. 

Bathinda, October 12
Aggressive marketing skills by a Tanishq salesman proved costly for him after a conman managed to take away two gold chains of 15 grams worth Rs 1.05 lakhs from him.

In his complaint to the police, Rajeev Kumar said he got a call from someone purportedly calling from Grover Hospital.

The caller demanded two gold chains of 15 grams and assured to purchase the chains after selecting one. The complainant sent a salesman to Grover Hospital where the caller advised the salesman to hand over the gold chains and collect the payment from another place — Garg Nursing Home.

The person asked the salesman to collect the payment from two persons— Anita and Manoj. The salesman reached Garg Nursing Home but failed to find anyone by the name of Anita and Manoj.

Investigating Officer in the case Charanjit Singh from the Kotwali police station said that a case under section 420 has been registered in this connection against the unidentified person.

"We are yet to record the statements of the salesman and would enquire into his negligence in the case,” the officer investigating the case said. 

Bathinda, October 12
Secretary, Local Bodies, Government of Punjab, Ashok Gupta, today reviewed the development works undertaken by the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB).

At a meeting convened with the MCB officials today, Gupta laid emphasis on streamlining the solid waste treatment project. He asked the officials to ensure that user charges are properly collected from the public and paid to the private company, JITF Urban Waste Management Limited that collects it.

He also directed the officials to ensure that the collection of property tax is intensified so that the municipal body could be deemed fit to receive grants under the various schemes of the Central Government.

Gupta also directed the officials to advertise the government's move of regularizing illegal colonies, houses and plots, the last date for which is October 25.

Assistant municipal commissioner Kamal Kant Goyal was also present at the MCB meeting. — TNS

Bathinda, October 12
Osteoarthritis is the commonest of all joint diseases and a universal disorder. The problem is further compounded because of its progressive nature and relative lack of healing of the disease. This was stated by orthopaedic and joint replacement surgeon at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Dr Dilveer Brar.

In a press statement issued here today, Dr Brar stated that osteoarthritis is the leading cause of physical disability in the elderly and constitutes a large number of cases attended at the orthopaedic clinic in Max Hospital.

He advised the patients to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The patients suffering from osteoarthritis are advised to lose weight. Every single pound lost can result in up to four pound reduction in the load on the knee.

Also doing quadriceps exercises and brisk walking can strengthen the muscles around the knee thereby reducing the stress on the knees. Cycling and swimming also work in the same way. Among other preventive steps advised is avoiding squatting and sitting cross-legged. Hence, patients are advised to use Western type of toilets.

Dr Brar said in the initial stages, patients are given anti-inflammatory medication and are educated about the changes required in lifestyle patterns, ranging from losing weight to knee strengthening exercises. Surgical treatment is offered in cases of disability.

Bathinda, October 12
Bachpan, a play school, today hosted a function to celebrate Dussehra. The students of the schools came dressed at Lord Rama, Laxman and Sita and enacted scenes from the Ramayana. An effigy of Ravana was also burnt.

Addressing the students and their parents, principal of the school, Palak Jaura, stated that in today's era, female foeticide, dowry, envy, gambling and drinking are the real evils.