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Showers punch holes in MCB claims
Farmers in Malwa worried as heavy rain damages crops again
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Eight days on, PRTC employees union continues its strike
ADC conducts surprise checking, finds Civil Surgeon absent
Two get 10 yrs in jail for carrying drugs
Gold ornaments, cash stolen from dera in Kotfatta village
BKU, Mazdoor Union hold rally
GKU holds cross-country run for students
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Showers punch holes in MCB claims
Bathinda, September 8 Several areas of the city were inundated once again after the area received heavy rainfall on Monday evening. Knee-deep water is a common sight for residents of areas like Power House Road, Amrik Singh Road, Parasram Nagar, Balla Ram Nagar, Kamla Nehru Colony, Namdev Marg, Prajapat Colony, Green Avenue, Nai Basti, Kothe Amarpura, Sirki Bazar and Dhobi Bazar, but this monsoon season has caused a shock to the residents of several other localities which were also water-logged over the weekend and even on Monday. The rainfall managed to drain the MCB’s claims of being prepared for a heavy downpour as lanes and roads connecting areas in Vishal Nagar, Panchavati Nagar, Ganpati Enclave, Bathinda-Goniana Road, Model Town and several other places were also waterlogged. Complaints poured in about the inefficient working of the drainage and sewerage system of the city as the sewers in several commercial and residential localities in the city regurgitated, thereby emanating a foul smell. Water enters houses of senior dist officials
Roads outside the residences of some of the top officials of the police and the administration, located on Powerhouse Road and the Civil Station areas, were submerged in water. The roads outside the residences of the Inspector General of Police (Bathinda range), Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), the Deputy Commissioner of Bathinda, Sessions Judge Tejwinder Singh and others were clogged and vehicles splashed water all around as they made their way through the water. Pedestrians had a tough time wading through the area. |
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Farmers in Malwa worried as heavy rain damages crops again
Bathinda, September 8 As heavy rains are not good for cotton crop and the standing paddy crop, especially those sown in the low-lying areas. It is pertinent to mention that cotton crop is a dry weather crop and rainfall above a certain level is bound to harm it. Opening of cotton boll has just started and heavy rain can damage it. Similarly, rain accompanied by winds can lead to logging of plants and stagnant water in the fields can cause anaerobic conditions where plants can wither due to lack of oxygen to the roots. As harvesting of cotton has begun in the Malwa region of the state, farmers are apprehensive. Damage to paddy crops have also been reported in several parts of Bathinda district. Shingara Singh, a farmer, said the rain is untimely and may lead to a big loss to farmers. He stated that because of drought-like situation earlier, they had used generator and fertiliser which had raised their cost of input and a large number of cotton plants have been damaged due to heavy rain so far. Another farmer, Gurmit Singh, said this has again dashed their dreams as earlier, a drought-like situation and then heavy rain has damaged crops in their field. He demanded that the government should order girdawari and compensate the aggrieved farmers. Official of the Agriculture Department said heavy rainfall has affected the cotton crop. It may lead to shedding of the flowers and fruit and the crop may again return to the vegetative stage, which may lead to decline in the yield. He also stated that cotton was maturing fast and its arrival was expected
in the mandis by September 12, which might get delayed now. |
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Eight days on, PRTC employees union continues its strike
Bathinda, September 8 The protestors had even intensified their strike during Talwandi Sabo bypoll and distributed the pamphlets carrying the slogan ‘Raj Nahi Sewa, Lutt Liya Punjab Sara’ among the voters in Talwandi Sabo before the poll. However, it had no impact. A number of protestors were brutally cane-charged by the police and were put behind the bars under different sections of the IPC while staging protest even as the model code of conduct was in force for the Talwandi Sabo bypoll. There are about 1,800 contractual employees in the state who went on protest to get their demands fulfilled but the state government showed the door to around 400 protesting employees for going ahead with their democratic right of protest and seeking their rights. Now, the protestors have begun hunger strike in Patiala. The protestors met Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal in the run-up to Talwandi Sabo bypoll but it remained fruitless following which they decided to intensify their agitation. The police then had booked around 200 unidentified persons and arrested around 50 identified protestors under Sections 309, 332, 353, 186, 148, and 149 of the Indian Penal Code claiming the protestors pelted stones at the police leaving three cops injured. They also threatened to commit suicide. On strike, the employees of the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) Workers’ Azad Union are shouting slogans against the PRTC management and the state government demanding that buses running under the kilometer scheme should be stopped as the owners of these buses in connivance with the management are causing losses to the PRTC of around Rs 7 crore every month. The protesters alleged that the drivers of these buses are pilfering 20 litres of diesel daily and causing losses to the PRTC in connivance with the PRTC management. The workers are demanding that the contract system be abolished and they should be regularised, overtime should be given and suspended employees should be reinstated. they are also seeking pay grade of workshop employees, promotions and pay and pensions commensurate with their rank. PRTC Workers’ (Azad) Union, Bathinda, president, said, “The protest have entered the eight day of hunger strike and turn-by-turn, our group of protestors are observing the strike. The government had recruited new employees on contract and expelled about 400 employees. Around 100 of our protestors across the state have been arrested by the police till date.
The motive of the state government is only to benefit the Orbit buses and other such transport being run by the Badals’ clan. Against the law of land, the state government had promoted the private buses and declined the state owned buses that had lead to loss of public whereas against this, the Haryana government has no private buses. We would intensify our agitation and end our strike only after the government meets
our demands that are pro-people.” |
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Religious processions tie up trafffic in knots
Bathinda, September 8 This time, the city NGOs have pulled up their socks in view of the lethargic attitude of the district administration and the police to take precautionary measures while the immersion of the idols was on in the Sirhind Canal. A child was washed away and another death was reported last year due to the ill-maintained banks of the canal. “Apart from these deaths, skirmishes, heated arguments and brawls took place last year due to the utter chaos during the time of idol immersion,” said Sonu Maheshwari of the NGO Naujawan Welfare Society. “Apart from the loudspeakers and floodlights, the slippery pavements too were cleaned this time,” he added. NGO Sahara Jan Sewa’s president Vijay Goyal said efforts were made this time to avert any untoward incident near the canal. “We have deployed our volunteers and number of ambulances deployed on the route of devotees has been increased,” he added. The volunteers of both the NGOs said a large number of devotees are coming from Bhucho, Maur, Ramupra and nearby areas for the ceremony. Though the traffic police personnel have been deployed to control the traffic, residents appreciated the role of volunteers of the city NGOs. “Due to the efforts initiated by the NGOs, no untoward incident has happened this time,” said Gopal, a resident of Green Avenue in the city. |
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ADC conducts surprise checking, finds Civil Surgeon absent
Bathinda, September 8 Jarangal who conducted a surprise checking at
9:15 am, checked the offices of senior officials and later the attendance registers where a
number of employees had not marked their attendance. He claimed that Civil Surgeon Dr Tejwant Singh Randhawa, who has been found absent, would be issued a show-cause notice. During the checking, it was also found that many staff members have not marked their attendance in the register despite being present in the office,” said Jarangal Jarangal maintained that the problem of doctors reaching the hospital late causes problems to the patients who had reached here for
treatment. During the checking at the hospital, it was found that private vehicles were being used to
ferry patients and there was no control over the rates these vehicles charged from patients. He added that the
issue would be taken up with the District Transport Officer and the district police to apprehend the ongoing fleecing of poor patients. “There were no proper arrangements of food and lodging for the patients’ attendants. Keeping this in view, the administration will coordinate with the different social organisations so that arrangements could be made to provide food and lodging.” Jarangal said. |
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Two get 10 yrs in jail for carrying drugs
Bathinda, September 8 The Canal police had arrested the accused, identified as Deepak Kumar of Lakhansar village in Dabwali and Jasvir Singh alias Tota, for carrying medicinal drugs for the purpose of selling them to the addicts. The accused were booked under various sections of the NDPS Act and were put on trial. During the various court hearings, the accused were found guilty and were sentenced to jail by the court today. |
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Gold ornaments, cash stolen from dera in Kotfatta village
Bathinda, September 8 As per information, Baba Amardas and his disciple Gursewak Singh from Dera Baba Vasaudas Khadesari were asleep when around 2 pm, they heard some noise. They woke up and became suspicious. After some time, they checked the rooms. Then they opened the door of one of the rooms and to their shock, found that the door was closed from outside. Later, after breaking open the door, they saw that two gold rings and one gold chain and around Rs 10,000 in cash was missing from their almirah. Investigative officer, Assistant Sub-inspector (ASI) Paramjit Singh said the police reached the spot and took stock of the situation after getting the information. |
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Computer teachers meet DEO, protest
Bathinda, September 8 The teachers said as the state government had failed to keep its promise, they would boycott all non-academic work assigned to them. Elaborating on their demands, they said the state government had regularised the services of the computer teachers and had also announced that all the allowances given to the regular government employees would also be given to the computer teachers. They added that though it was mentioned in their appointment letters that they would be given all the benefits as given to the state government employees, it was not done. The teachers had been demanding for a long time that they be transferred to the State Education Department from the Punjab Information and Communication Technology Education Society (PICTES), they added. They said although the state government was not willing to give them the allowances and the benefits given to the teachers in the state Education Department, they were often assigned non-academic work from time to time. They announced that to protest the government’s failure in keeping its promises, the teachers had decided to boycott all non-teaching work assigned to them starting September 4 and stated that the boycott will continue till the time their demands are not heeded and they don’t get their due. |
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City girl gets scholarship at Italian university
Bathinda, September 8 Besides tuition fee, the scholarship will cover her accommodation, meals and pocket money during her course period. Priya cleared her Class X examination from Delhi Public School with 85 per cent marks and completed her Senior Secondary studies from Birla Balika Vidyapeeth, Rajasthan in first division. Inspired by Kalpana Chawla, she decided to take up space engineering and began pursuing graduation in the same subject from SRM University in Tamil Nadu. She not only completed her graduation in first division but also managed to secure scholarship from the university for three consecutive years during her course. In September 2013, her paper on ‘Magnetic Journey of Space Shuttle’ was accepted and published during an international conference on ‘Advances in Mechanical, Automobile and Space Engineering’, held at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi. One of her research papers on ‘Study of nano particles for enhanced heat transfer characteristics of base fluids
for cool thermal energy system’ was accepted and published in International Journal of Engineering Research and Applications. Daughter of Hemraj Garg, the owner of a book depot in Bathinda and Nirmala Jain, a housewife, Priya said, “I used to read in newspapers and watch on TV about astronaut Kalpana Chawla and was inspired by her life. I always dreamt of doing something which was related to space and decided to study space engineering after I finished school. I am delighted that an Italian government university has offered me a scholarship to study the subject furthe.” |
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BKU, Mazdoor Union hold rally
Bathinda, September 8 Addressing a gathering, Jasveer Singh and other leaders termed the
anti-drug drive started by the state government as a “drama”. They said no action had been taken against influential persons involved in drug business. “The police have been arresting drug addicts and issuing statements in the media about their crackdown on drug smugglers,” they added. “The drug addicts commit petty crimes such as snatchings and thefts to arrange money for drugs. Nearly 180 persons have died in the state because of drugs and several others were taking to drugs due to the poor economic condition, unemployment and inflation,” said the leaders. “If the government really wants to take out youngsters from the trap of drugs, it should provide better employment opportunities, provide free treatment at drug de-addiction centres and take strict action against those involved in drug trade,” the leaders added. Their fight for the fulfillment of their demands regarding farm debts and compensation to farmers who committed suicide would continue, they added. They appealed to the villagers to participate in the protest rally at Moga to be held on September 17. |
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GKU holds cross-country run for students
Talwandi Sabo, September 8 The boys covered a distance of 8 km and girls covered a distance of 4 km during the run. Dr Narinder Singh, Director, Finance, GKU flagged off the race along with other officials. Mandeep Singh, Rakesh Kumar and Jasveer Singh came first, second and third, respectively among the boys. In the girls category, Gurpreet Kaur, Veerpal Kaur and Kuldeep Kaur grabbed the top three spots. The winners were honoured by Dr Narinder Singh and other staff members. Managing Director Sukhraj Singh Sidhu appreciated the efforts of Dr Ravinder Sumal and his team.
— TNS |
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