Bathinda, November 15
Three city residents were injured after a cylinder blasted here today. The incident occurred after the victims were trying to illegally transfer the LPG in Kartar Basti, situated at the back side of Government Rajindra College around 9.15 am. Later, the police recovered 38 cylinders of various companies, including Indane and HP, from the possession of the victim’s family members.

The police have registered a case of cheating and theft under Sections 420 and 379 of the IPC at the Kotwali police station. The accused have been identified as Satpal, 48, his brother, Sohan Lal (52), and Sohan Lal’s son Navdeep (28).

The policemen who reached the spot said it appears that the illegal process of transferring the LPG from the domestic, commercial cylinders and the small 5 kg LPG cylinders had been going on for the past long time. The incident occurred when the accused were trying to transfer the gas from one LPG cylinder into another. They had some tie-up with the regular suppliers of the LPG from where they pilfer the LPG to make one full cylinder. The police said the accused had been cheating with the LPG consumers as well who also failed to get the complete quantity of the LPG as it was pilfered by such unscrupulous elements.

The area residents alleged that the policemen and the senior district administration officials were well aware of the illegal functioning but refused to take action due to corrupt government officials.

“Since these policemen and the concerned government officials themselves had been enjoying the services of these unscrupulous elements, they refused to take any such action,” said Manga, a city resident.

This is just a tip of the iceberg as there are numerous other places n the city, which too are in the notice of the police and the concerned department officials—where similar illegal practice is a norm for the past long time.

The police always register a case for mere an eyewash to put a curtain on such illegalities but once the matter slips into cold bag such practices gains momentum again.

The policemen have taken 22 domestic, 12 commercial and 4 (5kg) cylinders from the place where the incident occurred. Area residents said the accused were running a shop of LPG stove repair and sale of illegal cylinders in the Grain Market. Some of the cylinders recovered are filled with gas while few are empty.

SHO, Kotwali, Mahesh Saini, said efforts are on to nab the two accused who absconding in the case. He added that one of the three accused received serious burns in the incident while the others have been booked. Their shop at the Grain Market has been sealed, he said.

Senior police functionaries, including DSP, Gurjeet Romana, and others too enquired into the matter and visited the Civil Hospital and to know about the incident from area residents.

It is pertinent to mention here that five persons had received serious burns in similar incidents in the past one and half years. Earlier, incidents of fire have been reported in a same fashion while pilfering the LPG or diesel and petrol were on Bibiwala Road-Bathinda, nearby Phoos Mandi and Kotshair villages.

City NGOs and senior lawyers have demanded immediate banning on the sale of illegal LPG cylinders which are being operated right under the nose of the senior policemen and district administration officials.

They alleged that there is a nexus between such unscrupulous elements which is affecting the genuine LPG customers who are getting LPG cylinders after the pilferage. Such nexus could not be operated without the involvement of the government machinery, which is lying idle and is not properly checking such illegal activities going on unabated at various parts of the city.

Bathinda, November 15
Reacting sharply to the remark made by the Chief Parliamentary Secretary yesterday stating that the BJP will continue to contest from 22 wards like earlier and if the party would ask for more seats in the upcoming elections for the Municipal Corporation of Bathinda, it may go alone, district president of the Bharatiya Janta Party Parminder Goyal launched ammo today and stated that the party would indeed contest the elections alone from all the 50 seats.

Attacking the statement made by Singla, Goyal stated that Singla had inadvertently in fact voiced the sentiment shared by the residents of the city that the BJP should fight the MCB elections alone and contest for all the 50 seats of the MCB.

He added that the BJP workers and leaders were buoyed with the success which the party was witnessing in India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was palpable in Punjab as well and the people of Bathinda believed that BJP leaders would do justice to their demands and needs.

He further added that if the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders continued with their stiff upper lip attitude, they would have to pay for it. He stated that the BJP workers in Bathinda were waiting for a signal from the high command of the party and were all set to contest and win all the 50 wards and make sure that the security deposits of all the SAD candidates were forfeited.

Taking a dig at the wafer-thin margin with which the SAD candidate Harsimrat Kaur Badal had won the Lok Sabha elections in the Bathinda constituency, Goyal stated that SAD should have learnt from their near-defeat experience of the Lok Sabha elections and should have dumped its superiority complex by now and should have showcased a more humble approach to make sure that it does not suffer a humiliating defeat in the MCB elections.

Meanwhile, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee general secretary and former MLA, Harmander Singh Jassi, stated that the war of words between the alliance partners SAD and BJP in the state was just substantiating the claims made by the Congress leadership about a rift between the alliance partners.

“While the SAD had the upper hand in the state earlier, ever since the Lok Sabha elections BJP leaders have been infused with the energy which the SAD leaders are afraid of. The rift between the two parties is costing the people of the state dear,” Jassi said.

Bathinda, November 15
Union Cabinet Minister of Food Processing and Bathinda Member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal today cancelled all her visits in Goniana after the president of district Youth Akali Dal Balkar Singh along with his entire family was booked following suicide by his sister-in-law and two children.

The woman, a lecturer, deployed in a government school at Blahar Vinju village was married to Gurlal Singh—nephew of SAD district youth Akali Dal president Balkar Singh of Goniana Mandi who had considerable agricultural land.

They were married for the last five years and had three children, including a 4-year-old girl. The woman gave birth to twins, a girl and boy, 13 months ago.

Sources said she jumped in the water tank of the Goniana Water Works along with the 13 months old baby girl and 4-year-old girl. The baby boy—13 months old—was with her mother-in-law.

A case has been registered against her husband, his parents, uncle, aunt, brother-in-law and sister-in-law for demanding dowry from the deceased.

Bathinda, November 15
Unlike a number of other children playing in the street outside the four-year-old Mohit Kumar cannot play and enjoy his childhood. Reason—he is suffering from cancer and at its last stage. His poor parents could not do any more for their son even after spending a lakhs of rupees on him.

Mohit, who has never been to school, screams with pain round-the-clock and then sleep. He was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 2.5 years when he slipped down and received minor injury on his face just above the cheek and near his right ear. His parents witnessed a swelling following which they took him to a private hospital where doctors detected Mohit of suffering from third stage of cancer.

For their only son after two daughters, they spent lakhs of rupees on his treatment from private hospitals to the PGIMER, Chandigarh, and then again private hospital after getting refusal from the PGIMER.

“No one in our family had ever suffered from cancer but how my son got this pain, god knows. We had him treated from the PGIMER, Chandigarh, after a private hospital referred us to the PGI but after getting treatment for some time the doctors asked us that our son is on the last stage and there is no chance now. We took him to Max hospital in Bathinda but our 1.5 lakhs we got under Chief Minister Cancer Relief Fund, were gone all only in radiotherapy treatment. Then we went to NCD clinic, Bathinda, where cameo therapy has been give six times to my child but all in vain. Now, we don’t have any money and we are under debt but still, we are trying again at the Max hospital for treatment as it had radiotherapy facility,” said child’s mother, Mamta Rani. Mohit’s father bittu kumar is serving at a private shop in Barnala.

Dr Vandana Midha, an oncologist at the NCD clinic said, “The child is on last stage and we are trying our best. Even our staff had once collected the money for them and brought medicines for them. There are only two such child patients suffering from cancer while one had reportedly expired.”

Dr Manoj Sharma, Professor of Radiation Oncology, Maulana Azad Medical College and Associated, Hospitals said that there is a need to prevent the cancer among the children. “To prevent the cancer among the children there is a need for early detection he says that would include host of diseases in children that includes phimosis, undescended testes, swelling in the testes.

“Similarly, the swelling in the long or short bones, often mistaken as post play trauma swelling and abnormal weight loss or weight gain. Besides, persisting fever, child remaining persistently inactive and uninterested in play, and nodal swellings, including lymphoma, leukaemia ,tuberculosis and both. The abnormal breast development that needs warning with regards to diet, weight gain and family history of breast cancer while cat’s eye reflex: Retinoblastoma and the Argentinean Experience superman mask with one white pupil are some other symptoms that needs to be checked immedately.”

“The poor oro-dental hygiene, including crooked teeth, submucous fibrosis in gutkha eating children, and the bleeding gums. Anaemia, nodes in the neck or axilla or inguinal areas, menstrual disorders, adolescent sexual habits both personal, mutual and market related.

Secondly, life style modification could help prevent malignancies in future year to come. The junk food habits, gutkha habits, tobacco-related addictions, alcohol-related additions, over eating and stuffing oneself with food, (food addictions), slimming habits leading to malnutrition (undesirable figure consciousness), over usage of mobile phones right from childhood days (tumours like gliomas and acoustic neuromas), without vaccination: hepatitis , HPV etc, sedentary lifestyle , not involving in physical activity , glued to books or TV leading to over weight or poor muscle mass for the age.

Similarly, the lack of awareness and habit of healthy food cancer preventive foods, lack of awareness on greenery that relates to caner protective food production or can be called anti-cancer agro forestry and herbal gardening.

The lack of awareness of self-breast examination in adolescents females, self-examination of private parts and their hygienic upkeep, self-nodal examination are some other modes to prevent the cancer.

Bathinda, November 15
Xavier’s idol singing competition was organised in St Xavier’s School in Bathinda here today. This was the third year the competition was organised.

As many as five schools participated in the competition. These included St Xavier’s School, Bathinda, St Xavier’s, Mansa, St Xavier’s, Rampura, St Francis Xavier’s, Hisar, and St Joseph’s, Dabwali. Two participants from each of the five schools participated in the competition which was organised for two categories–Under-14 and Under-18.

There were two rounds in which the participants sang songs, one of their own choice and the other of the judges’ choice. The judges were Brother Arvin, Vinod Sharma and Ashok Kumar.

In the Under-14 category, Kushagar Asthana of St Xavier’s, Hisar, won the first prize while in the Under-18 category, Tejeshwar Sing of St Xavier’s, Bathinda, was declared the winner.

Principal of the school appreciated the performance of all the contestants.

Bathinda, November 15
Senior Secondary Residential School for Meritorious Students, Bathinda, celebrated Children’s Day with enthusiasm. Under the guidance of principal of the school Rajinder Kaur and supervision of Dr Ranjodh Singh (economics lecturer) a good show was put up by the students in the morning assembly.

On the occasion, project director Meritorious Schools, Punjab, Maj Gen KAS Bhullar was present as the chief guest. The entire assembly was hosted by Ramanpreet Kaur, Amandeep Singh, Manpreet Singh and Ramandeep Kaur.

Chemistry lecturer Sunil Sukhija reflected on the contribution of Pt. Nehru and his love for children by elaborating on the genesis of Children’s Day. The principal welcomed the chief guest and requested him to motivate the students of the school with his words.

Maj Gen KAS Bhullar guided the students and teachers on how to bring fruitful results in future and motivated them to accomplish the vision of the school. Vice-principal of the school Lovejot proposed the vote of thanks.

Bathinda, November 15
The Sports Department at the behest of the district administration has finally woken up and plugged the breach in the boundary wall of the Government Rajindra College in the city. The step was taken almost two months after the organisers of the World Kabaddi League matches had demolished a two parts of the boundary wall of the college leaving the college authorities to fend for themselves.

The boundary wall had been demolished from two sides to give easy access to the parking lot to the vehicles of the VIP guests. The wall is the common boundary wall of the college and the Astroturf Hockey Stadium where the event was organised.

“The college authorities met the Deputy Commissioner, Bathinda, Dr Basant Garg, and gave him a representation regarding the same and requested that the administration should look into the matter and direct the department concerned to plug the two breaches in the wall,” said the principal of the college, Vijay Kumar Goyal.

“The Sports Department was then directed to rebuild the parts of the wall that had been demolished in September. Labourers are at it and the work will be completed on Saturday,” said the head of the department of physical education, Surjit Singh, who was supervising the reconstruction of parts of the wall.

It is pertinent to mention here that the breaches in the boundary wall had been giving open access to stray animals and outsiders. The situation was so bad that the college authorities had resorted to using dried bushes to keep anti-social elements, passersby and stray cattle at bay. Making use of the breach in the wall, the ground inside the wall was being turned into a dumping yard by the people staying nearby.

It is also pertinent to mention here that at the time when the college authorities had submitted the representation with the administration, they had been assured that iron gates will be installed at both the places but now the breaches have been plugged with construction material.