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Hike in power tariff irks residents
PSEB Class XII results out: Two from city make it to merit list
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Power crisis worsens in Bathinda
Newly sown cotton crop, tube wells damaged in canal breach
Protesting teachers detained, later released
Resident wins suit against insurance company
Residents, political outfits raise voice against liquor vends
Eurokids celebrates Mother’s Day
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Hike in power tariff irks residents
Bathinda, May 11 President of the Bathinda Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) Raman Watts said, "Industry in Punjab is already facing a crisis due to the tax concessions in bordering states and such a step would further affect the industry adversely." He also stated that if the state government increases the tariff, they will stage a protest against the government, but will not pay the hiked tariff. President of the Punjab Beopar Mandal Ashok Dhunike said the hike in power tariff will increase the rate of each and every commodity and the burden will pass on to the traders and the common man. As the sale of traders will dip, hike in salaries for workers will also get affected. He also stated that to increase the revenue of the government, the SAD-BJP alliance is putting an unnecessary burden of more than Rs 4,000 crore on the common man. Surjit Singh, a resident of Bathinda, said by increasing the power tariff , the government is planning to trouble the common man so that he is denied the comfort of air-conditioners, TV and fridge. Meanwhile, Meenu Singh, a housewife, said the timing of the hike raise questions, as just before the elections, the government was saying it will work for the welfare of the people and in just two days, they have showed their real face. This shows that they are least concerned about the middle class, she added. President of the Bathinda Urban unit of the BJP Parminder Goyal said they will oppose any hike in power tariff, as the traders are already upset with the state government. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had pleaded with the voters to vote for Modi and overlook the party's lapses in this election. But Goyal was of the view that this will affect the party's prospect in the civic polls. |
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PSEB Class XII results out: Two from city make it to merit list
Bathinda, May 11 Anuradha, a student of Government Senior Secondary School, Mandi Phul, brought laurels to her school by securing the fourth position in the merit list and first position in the district by scoring 439 marks out of a total of 450 marks (97.56 per cent). Bheem Singh Brar, a student of Government Khalsa Senior Secondary School of the city scored 434 marks and secured the ninth rank in the merit list and second position in the district. Bheem was also benefitted by the government's policy of giving grace marks to students excelling in the field of sports. Mona, another student from Mandi Phul secured the 15th position in the merit list and the third position in the district by scoring 428 marks.
Girls outshine boys in Malwa region
Once again, girl students outperformed the boy students of the Malwa region. Out of the 122 students from the Malwa region, who made it to the merit list, 91 are girls and only 31 are boys. Of those who made it to the merit list, Bathinda had 11 students (two girls, nine boys), Sangrur had 17 students (14 girls, 3 boys), Faridkot had 12 students (12 girls), Fazilka had 25 students (18 girls, seven boys), Muktsar had 34 students (22 girls, 12 boys), Mansa had 3 students (girls, one boy), Moga had 12 students (8 girls, 4 boys), Barnala had 5 students (3 girls and 2 boys), Ferozepur had three students all of whom are girls. Was expecting good result: Anuradha
Anuradha, who secured the fourth place on the merit list and the first place in the district, stated that she studied for 8-9 hours every day and was expecting good results. She added that she was delighted by the fact that she had topped in the district but was also disappointed that she could manage only the fourth place in the state. A science student, she credited her physics teacher Devinder Kumar for her result. Want to serve the needy: Bheem Singh Brar
Bheem Singh Brar, a resident of Kothe Chet Singh Wala, who stood second in the district and got the ninth position in the state, said that he wants to be a lawyer and help the needy and underprivileged fight for their rights. Bheem is also known in the district for his prowess in the netball game and has played in national level competitions. Bheem thanked the state government for introducing marks-for-sports policy as he got 15 marks as grace marks. I want to be an IAS officer, says Rakesh
Parents of Rakesh Kumar, who secured the fourth position in district and said that he wanted to become an IAS officer, didn't let the financial condition of his family come in the way of his studies. His father runs a grocery store, but he made sure that his hardworking son got all the opportunities. His father Surinder Kumar stated that while Rakesh's mother didn't keep well, his ill aunty was also staying with them which has further stretched thin the finances of the family. Surinder added that
he was trying his best to make his son's dream of becoming an IAS officer come true. |
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Cardio care unit lying defunct since its inception
Bathinda, May 11 The Cardiac Care Unit (CCU) has been fully equipped with the latest required machines, as the new building was built after renovating the old emergency block in 2011. The new building has six beds, a ventilator, an oxygen cylinder and an ECG machine. Sources said the shortage of doctors at the centre is due to the poor salary structure. Sources in the Health Department claimed that medical super-specialists stay away from serving in the government hospitals as they do not get good salaries here as compared to the private ones. According to a Health Department official, a super-specialist is given a salary of Rs 55,000 as per the Central government rules whereas, a super-specialist normally earns between Rs 1 to 2 lakh in private hospitals. So, why would they join the government service, he asked. It is pertinent to mention that lakhs were been spent on setting up the Cardio Care Unit, but it has not been used even once. Doctors suggested that a different system of promotions and seniority should be set for super-specialists and their salaries should be set accordingly, if they want to run these centres. It is worth mentioning that the NCD clinic was set up to implement two schemes of the Central government —National programme for Prevention and control of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and stroke and the national programme for the healthcare of elderly. Even the NCD centre has only one doctor at present, Dr Vandana, an oncologist, who has been working here as her husband is working with Max Hospital here, otherwise the centre would not have started even till now. Another doctor suggested that the government should review its policy on the salary of super-specialist doctors or else, on the present pattern, it is almost impossible to find any super-specialist doctor for the centre. It has also been seen that many a time, the Health Department has published advertisements inviting doctors to join, but the hospital has got no response so far. District Health Officer Raghubir Singh Randhawa refused to comment on the issue stating that it should be asked from the department as they had to appoint the doctor here. |
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Power crisis worsens in Bathinda
Bathinda, May 11 With the tripping of two units at the thermal plants, one each, due to some technical snag on Saturday afternoon, the power generation has stopped fully. As its other units are lying non-functional for the past some days due to the non-availability of coal, the reason behind the power crisis is said to be the non-availability of coal. And due to this reason, the city has also been facing long power cuts for the last 10 days, which is affecting the common man hard. Last year, Bathinda was declared as no power cut zone but the shortage of coal has changed this scenario. It is worth mentioning that the GNDTP has a capacity of generating 460 MW from its four units, while the GHTP has a capacity of generating 920 MW from its four units. Highly placed sources said the department is facing coal shortage, due to which it has ordered to conserve the coal stock to ensure supply during the peak season of paddy transplantation. It is pertinent to mention that the thermal plants are facing a shortage of coal as last month, the Panem coal mine had suspended coal supply to Punjab. The private thermal plant, set up by Vedanta, with a generation capacity of 1,980 MW at Banawala village in Mansa district is yet to start generation for commercial use. President of the PSPCL Engineers’ Association Baldev Singh Sran alleged that the PSPCL has failed in ensuring the implementation of the coal purchase agreement (CPA) even as the supply firm was interrupting the supply
repeatedly. Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant (GHTP) Chief Engineer SK Puri said the unit number 3 which tripped due to some technical snag, will be started on Monday, while he claimed that the other units have been stopped to preserve coal supply. Puri also stated that the rake of coal in small portions will be reaching here soon, as they have been transported. |
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Four held for running sex racket in district
Bathinda, May 11 Man held for forgery
The Bathinda police have registered a case against an accused for committing a fraud of Rs 7 lakh by changing the name in a draft issued by the Punjab State Cooperative Bank, Chandigarh. In a complaint lodged by Jarnail Singh Bhullar, manager of the Cooperative Bank, Civil Lines branch, Bathinda, it was stated that Ravi, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, changed the name and transferred the money to his State Bank of India account number 33318924305 with the motive of committing a fraud. On November 9, 2013, the State Bank of India through its draft number 05303 issued Rs 7 lakh in Ravi’s name. But after the detail inquiry, it emerged that the draft was not being issued by the bank in the name of this person. Sub-inspector Jarnail Singh said the police are conducting a detailed inquiry into the incident and have registered a case.
— TNS |
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Newly sown cotton crop, tube wells damaged in canal breach
Bathinda, May 11 Balwinder Singh, a farmer from Bir Talab village, said he had sown cotton in four acres recently which has been damaged and a large number of tubewell motors installed in the area where the water spread have also been damaged. Water reached till the Bathinda-Bir Talab village road leading to problems for the commuters. The water spread over 400 acres in Bir Talab village and its adjoining areas. A large number of workers have been put on work to fill the breach by putting sand bags. Four cranes and tractors have also been pressed into service to level the land. The point of concern is that a large stretch of the Sirhind canal, which is opposite the breach site has also lost its strength and the area is increasing. It is pertinent to mention that last year, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had laid the foundation stone of cleaning of the canal project. But the project never started. Farmers also alleged that the breach took place as the canal has not been cleaned by the district administration in the last one year. Senior Engineer (SE) Irrigation from Ludhiana JR Chauhan is supervising the plugging and strengthening work going on at the spot to fill the breach since Saturday night. He said the breach is being filled with the sand bags and the work will be finished soon. While Upkaranjit Singh Sra, XEN, Irrigation, said the root cause of the incident was uprooting of roots of the trees due to strong wind in the evening and it will take still four more days to complete the strengthening work here. It is pertinent to mention that 80-foot breach occurred at the Sirhind canal near Bir Talab village, due to which water started filling agriculture land on Saturday evening.
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Protesting teachers detained, later released
Bathinda, May 11 The police took this step in order to stop them from reaching Teachers Home where they planned to gather and carry out a protest march. The police took them to various police stations, but agitators at the Civil Lines police station staged a protest against the state government and sat on a dharna on the premises of the police station. Many police personnel were deployed at Teachers’ Home. They locked the gate of Teachers Home to prevent the protestors, who reached the premises early in the morning, from coming out. All routes towards Teachers’Home were cordoned off with huge barricades. Protestors were taken into custody at Fauji Chowk, Rose Garden and from outside Teachers Home. The agitating teachers accused the state government of giving them jobs just to pacify them till the elections. In the afternoon, the delegation of protestors held a meeting with Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav, in which their meeting with Principal Secretary Anjali Bhawra was fixed for May 14 and with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on May 19. After this meeting, the detained protestors were released on the assurance that they would not protest in the city today. Protestors Sukhwinder Kaur Moga and Gursharan Kaur said during the Lok Sabha elections, many Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders and workers held meetings with them and asked them to vote for the SAD with an assurance that their demands would be fulfilled after the elections. DSP Gurjit Singh Romana said he detained nearly 90 protestors and they were released in the afternoon from the Civil Lines and Cantonment police stations. |
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Resident wins suit against insurance company
Bathinda, May 11 The woman raised her voice after she was paid a paltry sum of Rs 1,773, despite the fact that she paid Rs 50,000 to the company more than four years ago. The forum directed the company to refund her the principal amount along with Rs 5,000 fine. Rupinder Kaur (40), a resident of Rampura, purchased an insurance policy in 2009 with a promise that she was required to pay two yearly premiums of Rs 25,000. Kaur alleged that the company neither provided any cover note nor any separate terms and conditions of the policy or a free look period. Her counsel, advocate Sanjay Goyal, said it was assured by the policy sellers that she would be insured for Rs 1.25 lakh if she paid Rs 50,000. The woman was told that 12 per cent per annum would be added to the amount of Rs 50,000 if she wished to get her principal amount refunded. But she could not get it refunded before the lock period of 5 years, it was said. The complainant paid two premiums of Rs 25,000 each in March 2009 and 2010. After more than four years, she sought her money along with 12 per cent rate of interest but was handed over a cheque of Rs 1,773. She was told that as per her policy she was required to pay yearly premiums of Rs 25,000 for minimum 20 years or else she would not be entitled for any refund. The company pleaded that the present dispute did not come under the definition of ‘consumer’ as per the precedent laid down by the National Commission in the case titled Ram Lal Aggarwalla versus Bajaj Alliance Life Insurance Company Limited and others. The company claimed that the policy was issued to the complainant on September 26, 2009 and the policy documents were dispatched to her through courier. The complainant, despite receiving the policy documents, did not raise any objections or lodged any complaint during the free-look period, the company said. Hence, it was presumed that the contract of the insurance between the company and the complainant was legally concluded, it said. It was further stated that the complainant did not reinstate the policy in question within the reinstatement window period of 2 years. The policy was auto foreclosed on September 26, 2013 and the foreclosure amount of Rs 1,773 had been paid to the complainant, it said. After hearing the arguments of both the parties, the forum observed that nothing had been mentioned on the proposal form that the premium was to be paid for 20 years and the coverage term was 20 years, thus, the company mislead the complainant while issuing the policy and it amounted to gross deficiency in service on its part. Despite the fact that the policy issued to the complainant was single pay, the company also got the second premium from the complainant, which again amounted to deficiency in service on the party of the company, the forum observed. The cheque amount of Rs 1,773 sent to the complainant was without any calculation, the forum observed. It further observed that it was quite surprising that against the payment of two premiums of Rs 25,000 each, the company calculated the due amount to be Rs 1,773. The forum ordered that the deductions, if any, are to be made should be made from the first premium and the second premium must be refunded to the complainant without any deductions. The company is directed to refund the amount of Rs 50,000 after deducting a proportionate risk premium and medical expenses, if any, incurred on the medical examination, with complete detailed statement given to the complainant on how the payment is deducted. |
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Residents, political outfits raise voice against liquor vends
Bathinda, May 11 Armed with data about the location of various liquor vends in the city, state president of the LJP, Kiranjeet Singh Gehri, said there were as many as 124 liquor vends in the city that were either located in residential areas or in proximity to places of religious importance. He said with the aim of putting pressure on the district administration to close down these liquor vends, members of the LJP, Shiv Sena Punjab, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, General Samaj Party, Democratic Farmers’ Association and residents had come together. Gehri, Ravinder Kumar, Pawan Pathania, SC Datta, Prakash Singh Sahota, Sira Tungwali and others said liquor vends located in residential areas and near temples or other religious places posed a threat to the security of females and young commuters. They also accused the Deputy Commissioner of Bathinda, Kamal Kishore Yadav, of playing a partisan role and going against the orders of the Supreme Court of India and the Punjab and Haryana High Court to favour the owners of the liquor vends. The protestors added that vends located outside Patiala railway crossing, near Adarsh School, Amarpura Basti, Baba Farid Nagar and several other places were a cause of breach in law and order situation. Sharing the data that there was only one Civil Hospital, five dispensaries and a few schools but there were 124 liquor vends, the protestors attacked the state government and questioned its plans of saving the state’s youth from intoxicants. Over the past ten days, supported by political outfits, the issue has snowballed. While earlier, the residents of Jogi Nagar had taken up cudgels against the liquor vend located in their area, yesterday, residents protested against the liquor vend located near Patiala railway crossing. |
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Eurokids celebrates Mother’s Day
Bathinda, May 11 Deepika Bansal grabbed the first prize, the second prize went to Meenakshi and Gurpreeet Kaur won the third prize. Baba Farid Group of Institutions also organised a function to celebrate Mother’s Day. The event began with a poem recited by Gurminder Singh, which was followed by a speech, solo dance and song presentation. Manpreet Kaur, a student of Class XII, presented a song dedicated to mothers, mentioning the sacrifices made by them for their children. Sukhnaiv Singh, a student of Class XII, presented the popular Punjabi song “Bebe teri aatte di chirhi”. Another student Ramanjot Singh presented a dance on the song “Meri Maa”. |
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