Bathinda, June 10
Paddy transplantation started on a slow pace due to the shortage of labour and hot, humid weather conditions in the district today. Farmers were also seen visiting the Bathinda railway station to hire labourers arriving from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh (UP) to work in their fields.

The number of migrant labourers from Bihar, UP and other states has declined drastically this year. Sukhraj Singh, a farmer from Deon village, said they came to the railway station to hire labourers for their fields but could not strike a deal as the labourers were demanding higher wages.

Ranjit Singh, another farmer, said not only had the cost of labour gone up, they were also demanding more incentives, unheard of till sometime back. "We can’t do anything but to give in," he said.

Hardip Singh, a farmer from Behman Diwana village, said due to the unbearable heat, they were not able to start work in the fields. “We will wait till the end of the month for the transplantation of paddy,” he added.

Chief Agricultural Officer (CAO) Rajinder Singh Brar said the transplantation of paddy would pick up pace in the days ahead. He said the area under paddy was one lakh hectares last year. While the area would remain the same this year, the area under basmati would increase.

It may be mentioned that the state government had claimed to provide eight-hour power supply to the farmers but the claim has fallen flat as on the very first day of paddy transplantation, the promise was not kept.

• The number of migrant labourers from Bihar, UP and other states has declined drastically this year
• Farmers were seen making a beeline for labourers at the city railway station
• Farmers forced to give more incentives to lure labourers to work in their fields, resulting in the rise of labour cost
• Meanwhile, the sweltering heat is weaning the farmers away from the fields

Bathinda, June 10
The Department of Technical Education, Punjab, has set up a departmental inquiry against a cashier of Government Polytechnic College who was suspended for having embezzled college funds to the tune of Rs 37 lakh in December last year.

Speaking to Bathinda Tribune, Additional Director in the Department of Technical Education, Punjab, Mohanbeer Singh, said though the cashier returned the money when the matter came to light, he was found guilty of misusing his position and the money which belonged to the college.

Singh added that a departmental inquiry was underway in the case and a chargesheet was being prepared against the cashier.

He further stated that the Bathinda SSP had also been requested to take action in the case.

It is pertinent to note here that Gurlal Singh, a cashier with the college, received his transfer orders in December last year.

It was during the process of handing over the charge that the college authorities realised that Rs 37 lakh, an amount that the collected comprising student fund and development fund for the year, had not been deposited in the account of the college by the cashier.

Not willing to report the matter to the police, the college authorities thought it better to report the matter to the Department of Technical Education, Punjab, which runs the college. “When the matter came to light, I wrote a letter to the Director of the Department of Technical Education apprising him of the matter and requesting him to take the required action,” said Yadwinder Singh, principal of the college.

He further added that although it was against the rules for the cashier to have kept the cash belonging to the college with him for more than 24 hours, the cashier accepted his mistake and returned the entire amount to the college authorities.

Following a written complaint in this regard, the Director of the Department of Technical Education issued a suspension letter for the cashier and ordered an inquiry into the matter to asertain the facts of the case.

Bathinda, June 10
Bathinda police have registered a case against the driver of an oil tanker and his associate following a blast at Jassi Pao Wali village under the Kotfatta police station area.

The police claimed to have registered a case following a report submitted by MK Singh of the Indian Oil Corporation. In the complaint, Singh stated that the driver and his associate, after filling their tank at the Indian Oil depot, went to a private open space nearby, where they were welding the broken lid of the tanker. It was then that the tanker caught fire.

The incident took place on May 26 in which one of the accused, Jagtar Singh alias Jagga, died while welding while the driver of the oil tanker Makhan Singh received injuries.

The tanker which caught fire belonged to Sukhdev Transport Company, Kotkapura, and the flames were so high that three fire tenders from Bathinda and Jassi Pao Wali were called to control the flames.

The Kotfatta police has registered a case against the two accused, driver Makhan Singh and Jagtar Singh alias Jagga Singh.

Investigating Officer (IO) Gurmail Singh said a case has been registered on the basis of the investigation report submitted by the Indian Oil Corporation.

Bathinda, June 10
Members of the PRTC Retired Workers Bhaichara staged a state-level dharna at the bus stand here today. The protesters accused the state government of formulating policies which are resulting in losses to the state-run PRTC.

Addressing the protesters, Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal, accused the state government of favouring private bus operators and formulating policies not favourable to the PRTC. As a result, the PRTC was running into losses and the commuters were at the receiving end of the deteriorating condition of the state-run transport service.

He said the retired PRTC workers were finding it hard to make both ends meet and the PRTC was under a debt of Rs 270 crore and owed Rs 180 crores to its retired workers. Dhaliwal added that the retired employees of the PRTC were waiting for the release of gratuity, general provident fund (GPF), leave encashment and other facilities so that they get some relief.

Bathinda, June 10
A Mansa-based NGO got refund of the excise duty of Rs 57,500 along with the rate of interest on an ambulance after fighting five years of legal battle in the consumer forum against Padam Motors, located on Bibiwala Road, Bathinda.

The NGO, Sewa Bharti, purchased an ambulance, Tata Winger, by paying an amount of Rs 5.75 lakh in October 2008 to provide free ambulance service for the public.

The NGO registered the vehicle with the appropriate authority within 14 days of the purchase. They submitted the papers to the seller for the refund of excise duty to the tune of of Rs 5.75 lakhs, but failed to get any response.

The complainant then moved the Consumer Forum and finally got the money after contesting against the seller in the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.

The counsel for the complainant, Jasdeep Walia, said the amount has now been finally paid by the opposite party which rose to Rs 93,840 along with the rate of interest of which Rs 25,000 is yet to be received.

Walia said there is a rebate of 10 per cent of the cost of the vehicle or the excise duty if a registered NGO purchases a vehicle for the purpose of ambulance. To claim the refund, one should submit the requisite documents after the registration of the vehicle from the registration authority.

The NGO submitted the papers to the seller which further forwarded it to the manufacturer. The manufacturer, however, denied the refund saying that the seller — Padam Motors — had sold the vehicle, which was more than five months old. As per the manufacturer’s circular to the seller, the vehicle for purpose of use as an ambulance, should have been sold within three months, he said.

He pointed out that the District Consumer Forum passed an order in favour of the NGO against which the opposite party went to the State Commission, which dismissed the petition.

The lawyer said the NGO got the cheques from Padam Motors and the case of execution filed against them has now been withdrawn.

Bathinda, June 10
In yet another case of ‘cheating’ by insurance company agents, the Consumer Forum imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 and directed the Reliance Life Insurance situated near Haji Ratti Chowk to refund Rs 1.92 lakh.

A poor vegetable vendor, who had saved money for his daughter’s marriage, was “mis-sold” by the agents of the insurance company with false claims of 13 per cent per annum rate of interest on the amount and anytime refund.

In his complaint, the 50-year-old illiterate person, Sarwan Kumar, through his counsel, Sanjay Goyal, alleged that the company officials approached him with the offer and befooled him by selling an insurance policy in the shape of a fixed deposit.

Advocate Goyal said Sarwan runs his house by selling vegetables by the roadside in the city and was not aware of the tricky designs of the insurance agents.

The poor vendor was told to purchase insurance policies so that he could make a quick buck by keeping his money with the company, which offered 13 per cent rate of interest on the sum. The agents offered to refund the money whenever he required with an option of a loan on the amount deposited.

“Since only five months were left for his daughter’s marriage, the poor man thought it fit to make a few bucks by keeping the money with the insurance company,” the lawyer said.

He added that the accused also got the poor man’s signature on some blank papers. He pointed out that a written complaint in this regard was also sent to the office of the SSP Bathinda against the company officials.

The counsel stated that his clients had failed to get any policy papers containing terms and conditions despite making numerous rounds of their office.

The vendor, after failing to get the policy papers or refund of his amount, reached the consumer forum and filed a complaint.

The opposite party was summoned by the forum which pleaded that the policy was issued to the complainant on the basis of his statements, premium paying term opted and declarations made in the proposal form executed and submitted by the complainant. They also claimed to have sent a welcome letter to the complainant with details of the policy.

They further submitted that the policy schedule filled by the complainant states that the premium paying term under the policy was of five years and he was aware of the minimum premium paying term.

The complainant signed the proposal forms after reading and understanding the contents. They stated that since the complainant did not make the request for the cancellation of the policy within 15 days, he was not entitled for the refund of the amount.

After hearing arguments, the forum observed that though the opposite party claimed to send the policy papers with terms and conditions to the complainant by post, it failed to produce any receiving slip duly signed by the complainant.

The free-look period of 15 days, which gives the buyer a chance to withdraw from the insurance policy, failed to reach the complainant. The forum also observes that the policy papers were filled by the company’s agents.

As per the record placed on file, it was proved that the opposite party mis-sold the policies amounting to unfair trade practice on the part of the opposite party, the forum observed.

The forum announced Rs 10,000 as compensation and Rs 5,000 as cost against the opposite party which has also been directed to refund the amount of Rs 1.92 lakh after deducting the proportionate risk cover of one month, medical expenses, if any and stamp duty charges considering the policies of the company.

It was directed that compliance be made within 45 days from the date of receipt of the order and in case of non-compliance, 9 per cent interest will be levied on the amount payable to the complainant till its realisation.

Bathinda, June 10
A passenger train rammed into a tractor on an unmanned railway crossing at Behman Diwana village on the Bathinda-Ganganagar railway line on Tuesday. The collision was so strong that the tractor broke into two separate pieces.

Sources said the tractor driver sustained serious injuries and was rushed to the hospital.

After receiving information, the Railway Police Force (RPF) and the GRP along with a team of the railway officials reached the spot.

As per information, the incident occurred in the morning at around 7.30 am when a passenger train, number 54755, was going to Abohar from Bathinda and was passing through an unmanned railway crossing at Behman Diwana village. Satpal Singh, a resident of the village, was going to his fields on a tractor. A case against the tractor driver has been registered under Section 279 and 427 of the IPC for negligent driving and damaging railway property.