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Tension in Fazilka village as cops held ‘captive’
An IDEA for a beautiful life
Bathinda Railway Station |
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Diwali lightens bank accounts in Abohar, Sriganganagar
Real estate sector in city witnesses boom
Plea to implement Eye Donation Act
Swami Vidyanand (right) along with MP S.S. Dhindsa (left) at the eye donation camp held in Jhaloor on Saturday. A Tribune photograph
BKU activists observe
black Diwali
Man shot dead after brawl
Man held; breakthrough in murder mystery
Turtle trade: Accused sent to judicial custody
Officials with the seized turtles in Abohar. — A Tribune photograph
Bathinda soaks in celebrations
Shop burgled of 4.8 lakh
Gang attack leaves 30 injured
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Tension in Fazilka village as cops held ‘captive’
Fazilka, November 10 Several persons, including two police officials, sustained injuries in the incident. Police vehicles were also damaged. According to sources, the alleged “objectionable presence” of two police officials and their “dubious” attitude towards a woman in the village was the reason behind the incident. On Saturday, the villagers staged a dharna against the police. According to an FIR lodged with the Khui Khera police, head constable Gurmail Singh along with constable Bahadur Singh of Khui Khere police station and their friends Parkash Chand of village Hiranwali and Rajinder Kumar of village Hindumal Kot, along with Khem Chand, driver of jeep reached Churiwala Dhanna village, on Friday night. Rajinder Kumar wanted to meet his sister Kamla in the village where his parents had also arrived. His friends including the police officials accompanied him. As they reached the residence of Kamla and her husband Sultan Ram, the villagers objected as they doubted that the police officials had come with some “ulterior motive”. Later, the villagers organised themselves and surrounded the house of Sultan Ram. They allegedly held the police officials captive and thrashed them. According to the Fazilka DSP, Rachhpal Singh, when the police got information about the incident, SHO Khui Khera police station Sangram Singh was rushed to the spot, but he had to face irate villagers. Additional force from Sadar police station, Fazilka and Abohar were sent to the spot and it was only after that were the police officials released. The injured head constable, Gurmail Singh and constable Bahadur Ram, have been admitted to the local civil hospital for treatment, he added. A case under sections 307, 364, 353,186, 342, 427, 148,149 of the IPC has been registered against Ram Partap, Bal Krishan, Ram Krishan and nearly 35 unidentified villagers by the Khui Khera police. Villagers under the banner of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Krantikari), Lok Sangram Manch and Technical Services Union have united against the police action. Hundreds of villagers on Saturday staged a dharna against the police officials in the village. Bal Krishan Fauzi, general secretary, BKU (Krantikari), Fazilka-Abohar block, told the TNS that the two police officials had been visiting the village for about two weeks with “bad intentions” which had disturbed the peace of the village. He also claimed that senior police officials had been informed of their activities. Since the authorities took no action, the villagers had to act resulting in tension in the village. Bal Krishan alleged that the police had beaten up villagers.
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An IDEA for a beautiful life
Bathinda, November
10 The police is determined to completely root out the menace with total involvement of people, especially the students, through IDEA, which stands for initiative of all, de-addiction, enforcement and awareness. The focus of the de-addiction campaign is school and college students, who could be possible and potential drug addicts and the police is educating, informing and alarming the students about the ruinous effects of drugs both on individual health and the society. The campaign launched from Malwa region has produced unexpected success and over 1-lakh have taken the pledge to say ‘no to drugs’.
With the efforts of the police, some villages have been made free from drugs and the drive is making inroads into other areas. Seminars to educate people about the ill effects of drugs are being
conducted on a large scale and the police has already carried out awareness camps in Phulo Mithi, Gehri Devi Nagar, Bahadur Garh Jandia, Multania, Behman Deewana, Balluana, Teona, Gehri Butha, Jangi Rama, Paras Ram Nagar, Basti Lal Singh, Central jail and various other places. The police is conducting seminars against dugs in schools to alert
kids about the harmful and destructive effects of drugs and CDs are being displayed to show the visual effect of drug addiction. Besides special lectures by the doctors, a large number of
eminent people, like Governor, Chief Minister and the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court have lend their support to the noble cause. Interestingly, the campaign is not confined to boys only and girls are
also being motivated to join the drive by saying ‘no’ to marriage with drug-addicts. A large number of girls have taken oath not to marry
drug addicts and oath and more are following suit, police sources said. The police have taken the awareness drive to reputed institutions like St. Joseph School, St. Xavier’s School, SSD Girls School, Giani Zail Singh Engineering College, Government Rajinder College, Bhai Aasa Singh School, Khalsa School, DAV school, Khalsa Girls College etc. DIG, Jatindra Jain, is of firm conviction that if the students, who
are the future of the country, are not handled carefully and motivated against drugs, they can fall prey to this vice and turn into addicts.
Adolescence is the most vulnerable age when the youth can drift away and go astray. Tacking the problem at this age is like ‘nipping the evil in the bud’, he feels. An encouraging feature of the campaign is that a very large number of youth volunteers have come forward to join the drive, which raises hopes for making it a mass movement. Drugs addiction, which included consumption of opium, liquor, grass and other narcotic substances, is more common in Bathinda and other parts of Malwa area and it is heartening that the initiative to make the region drug-free has also come from here. |
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Several measures needed to become passenger friendly
Harbinder Singh Tribune News Service
Bathinda, November 10 The door-framed metal detector that acts as a deterrent and is must for a sensitive place such as railway station is absent here. The station is sans clock and train-schedule display. Moreover, the cloakroom is quite far from the platform. The place is untidy too. No guard is positioned at the entrance to keep a tab on the visitors to the railway station, leave aside a security system that makes it more vulnerable. The authorities, however, claim that the railway police force and the government railway police keep a regular vigil at the station. “In case of suspicion, sniffer dogs and metal detector are pitched in. Moreover, the porters (coolie) are instructed to inform the security department if they suspect any passenger,” said Sher Singh, assistant traffic manager, Bathinda railway station. “The door-framed metal detector was there for around six months back but was removed for want of repair,” another officer said. Both the officers, however, opined that the public cooperation is must to strengthen the security system and resultantly their safety. “Passengers should inform the security if they find an unclaimed or suspected article. Their timely help could help evading a major accident. They are advised not to accept eatables from the strangers and keep an eye on the passengers travelling along,” emphasised Sher Singh. The television sets at the station were found to be on but were out of signal and the authorities got them switched off only after they were informed. As far as cleanliness at the station is concerned the assistant traffic manager said it was because of the renovation that was in process. The junction sends 68 passenger trains and 40 goods trains to six directions everyday but platform ticket seems to be outlandish here, as one does not find anybody asking for ticket either at the entrance or exit. The officer admitted to the fact saying when caught, one would end up paying 10 times more. A bridge meant to help people commute between the platforms could be seen used by cyclists as well as they cross the railway station through it escaping a bit longer road route and making it a sort of thoroughfare. “They are permitted and as soon as subway completes construction they would not be allowed to enter the station without ticket,” said Sher Singh. While the onus is on the rail authorities to take care of the station, the responsibility of commuters cannot be ignored.
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Diwali lightens bank accounts in Abohar, Sriganganagar
Abohar, November 10 The sky was thickly covered with smoke as tens of thousands fire works pierced into it. Top brass in the business field confirmed reports of record business this Diwali. True to the known Punjabi style, not only the sellers but also the consumers did not adhere to the
prohibitory orders issued by the district administration by flouting each clause of the official communication. The district magistrate through public announcement had directed fire works sellers to obtain license from the sub divisional magistrate and bound them to put the stalls only in the Nehru Stadium. The recently developed stadium looked like a fish market and the residents left no stone unturned in making the things even worst. A large number of consumers bought local made crackers, which were otherwise prohibited by the administration. Officials confirmed that only one manufacturer had got license for such kind of crackers but witnesses asserted dozens of shopkeepers sold the same till 11 PM on Diwali. Dry fruit, fresh fruit, gifts, sweet and fire works stalls did a record business. Leading sweet shops had finished the stocks before 3 PM. Disgusting part of the celebrations was that neither the authorities nor the NGOs bothered to illuminate and decorate memorials at city crossings except the Aggarsein Chowk. According to reports gathered from the neighboring city Sriganganagar, more than 5 crore of rupees were withdrawn from ATMs of different banks during 72 hours preceding the Diwali holiday. Most of the ATMs had to be refilled with currency at least thrice in a day, officials said. Sale of flowers was estimated at Rs 1.5 lakh and that of fire works and crackers at Rs 70 lakh till last night. All crossings in the district town and most of the markets were tastefully decorated with colour paper pieces and flowers besides illuminating them. Some said this spoke volumes of prosperity in the arid irrigated region on both sides of the inter-state
border. But environmentalists termed excessive use of fire works and crackers a sheer wastage of money and fatal for the climate. |
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Real estate sector in city witnesses boom
Bathinda, November 10 These include various residential townships and shopping malls-cum-multiplexes in different parts of the city. Bathinda is one of the fastest developing cities of the state and the district ranks ninth in Punjab in terms of its population. Bathinda also has the country’s third largest railway junction, two thermal power plants, NFL Fertilizer unit, two cement units, vanaspati units, Punjab’s second biggest pharmaceuticals and cloth wholesale market, north India’s biggest transformer industry and much more. Bathinda started witnessing development in all areas, be it the production of edible oil, spinning yarn, utensil manufacturing, cotton ginning, pressing and other items after the Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant was set up here in 1974. After the local municipal committee got the status of Municipal Corporation in 2002, real estate sector witnessed a major boom. Presently, many shopping malls, namely City Centre project near the courts complex, City Mall on Goniana Road, Ganpati Mall at Ganpati Enclave and few others are under construction and few more are in the pipeline. Another real estate developer HBN is also planning to set up another shopping mall opposite lake number 3 of the thermal plant in this town. H. S. Sra, owner of HBN Group, that is coming up with two real estate projects at Bathinda, said,
"We are coming up with a shopping mall-cum-multiplex opposite lake number 3 in Bathinda with an investment of around Rs 41 crore. It will house a 3-screen multiplex along with three-storey mall area. Work on the site has started and the project will be ready by December 2008.’’
Mumbai-based Zoom Developers is also planning a Rs 110 crore housing-cum-commercial Project on 12.5 acres of land in Bathinda. Rumneek Bawa, CEO, Zoom Developers said that the Bathinda project will comprise of a group housing complex along with a commercial complex, a hotel-cum-shopping mall, a hospital etc.
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Plea to implement Eye Donation Act
Barnala, November 10 Expressing concern over the urgent need for this act, Dr Dharmveer
Chalia, professor and head of the eye department, Rajindra Hospital Patiala, pleaded with the state government for the registration of the act as early as possible. He was speaking on the 16th free eye camp held at Sant Brahamsagar Bhuri Wale
Kutiya, Jhaloor, here today. Earlier, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, MP and secretary general of the SAD, inaugurated the two-day eye camp at Kutiya
Jhlaoor. He was accompanied by Baba Tek Singh Dhanuala, executive member of the Shiromani
Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee and former MLA Malkeet Singh Keetu. Dhindsa ,while reacting to the need of registration of the Eye Donation Act, said he felt that there should not be any difficulty for the registration of the act if it is already accepted by state government. He assured that he would take up the matter with chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday. Dhindsa told that the state government would begin recruitment of doctors as it felt hundreds of posts of doctors were lying vacant in the government hospitals in the state. Civil surgeon of Barnala, Balbeer Singh, told that the union government had sent Rs 50,000 as financial help for the 15th eye camp held at
Kutiya. Dhindsa presented the cheque to Swami Vidyanand, head of Jhaloor
Kutiya, who thanked the doctors and the union government for providing financial help of Rs 50,000 for the camp. |
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BKU activists observe
black Diwali
Faridkot, November 10 The activists organised an agitation at market committee’s grain market located on Faridkot-Ferozepur road. Binder Singh, district president of BKU, said they were forced to observe the festival of lights as black day. He alleged that a commission agent had hoodwinked a farmer, Gurmail Singh
of Dallewal village, of Rs 1.90 lakh. Binder informed that Gurmail used to sell his crop through a commission agent and had taken an advance of Rs 1.10 lakh from the agent some years back. In return, he gave some signed blank cheques as security. However, with the passage of time, the debt increased to Rs 1.90 lakh. He claimed that the amount was then returned to the agent in the presence of some BKU local leaders. But the agent did not return the cheques. “The agent assured that he would destroy the cheques
as if they had no value,” Binder said. Meanwhile, the court convicted Gurmail and sentenced him for a year on a case filed by the commission agent. It turned out to be double loss for the family, he added. The amount should be returned to the family, he demanded. |
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Man shot dead after brawl
Bathinda, November 10 Sources said there was a verbal duel between Baljit Singh and Surinder Shinda of the same village, on Friday. Following that heated exchange, the accused Surinder and his son Gobind manhandled Baljit today. The intervention of the villagers ended the scuffle. After some time, Surinder and Gobind, along with their accomplices, came to Baljit’s house and called him out. When he was near the door of the house, they attacked him with a sharp-edged weapon. Hardev was trying to settle the matter when Gobind, allegedly on the orders of Surinder, fired at him. Soon after the firing incident, villagers rushed them to the Civil Hospital at Bhagta. Sensing the situation, doctors at Bhagta referred them to the Bathinda civil hospital. Sources said that on way to Bathinda, Hardev succumbed to his injuries. Doctors at the civil hospital declared him brought dead while Baljit was referred to some private hospital for a CT scan. Doctors said the report of the CT scan was positive. The body of the deceased has been kept in the mortuary for post-mortem to be conducted on Sunday. When contacted, SHO Bhagta said, “The police has been conducting proper raids to nab the alleged accused. The case will be registered after the investigations.” Relatives of the deceased said he is survived by two daughters and a son. |
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Man held; breakthrough in murder mystery
Abohar, November 10 According to the information available, SHO Ranbeer Singh recovered a loaded .12 bore illegal pistol while frisking a person, identified as Gian Singh. He allegedly confessed to his crime of having brutally murdered five members of the family of Alok Rajput in 2005, at Fafoond village in Aurai district of Uttar Pradesh. He had migrated to UP after disposing of his immovable property after meeting Alok Rajput, who had reportedly visited Peelibanga to explore the market for the sale of heroine and smack three years back. Later, a dispute over sharing the booty developed. A desperate Gian Singh allegedly attacked Rajput’s family and killed a woman, two girls and two boys to pieces, using a sharp-edged weapon. However, a minor girl survived after getting medical aid and narrated the tale of crime to Rajput. Gian Singh has been evading arrest since then. SP Raghvinder Suhasa said a team had been dispatched to Aurai district in UP to collect more information. The UP police officials stated that raids had been carried out in UP and Rajasthan to nab the culprits earlier too, but in vain. |
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Turtle trade: Accused sent to judicial custody
Abohar, November 10 A team from the Forests and Wildlife department comprising range officer Swaran Singh, block officer Satnam Dass, inspector Kundan Singh, wildlife warden Sat Pal Nirania, guards Hemant, Krishan Kumar, Manjit Singh had raided the Archie Art Gallery here following a tip-off on Thursday night. They seized nine turtles. Interrogation revealed that the owner had purchased the turtles from a departmental store located in the posh market of Karolbagh area in New Delhi for Rs 50 each. The turtles fetched Rs 100-200 per piece here from the customers fond of sending gifts on Diwali. It is pertinent to mention here that the department had earlier seized limbs of black bucks from a septic tank in a farm house in the open wildlife sanctuary area in Seetogunno sub-tehsil area. The Rajasthan based culprits had been arrested. The department had also recently got a pigeon’s tournament cancelled at village Chakda in the same region.
The officials said today that a case against Saurabh Kumar has been registered under several sections of the Wild Life Act 1972. Making turtles captive and their sale was prohibited under schedule 1. The department rejected Saurabh’s plea of ignorance. |
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Bathinda soaks in celebrations
Bathinda, November 10 Emergency Medical Officer Dr Ashok Kumar said, “The hospital authorities were prepared to tackle any case of emergency.” The festival also provided an opportunity for people to let their hair down. As many as 17 drunkards “Masts” were picked up by Sahara Jan Seva, an NGO, during the Diwali night. Volunteers from the NGO arranged some kind of a shelter for them at night. For the men in khaki too, it was an occasion to indulge. A home guard jawan at the Mall Road, who was slightly high, said, “I love New Year and Diwali as these are the days when even those lower in the rank get gifts and can indulge themselves.” Liquor shops outside the railway station and the bus stand were seen doing brisk business with people from all walks of life making a beeline for it. |
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Shop burgled of 4.8 lakh
Ferozepur, November 10 Owner of outlet, Tuli Brothers, Vijay Tuli said there was a heavy rush of customers at the shop yesterday on account of Diwali. So they closed the shop at around 10 pm and the entire cash of the day’s sale was kept in the safe closet. When they came to the shop, they found that the two locks were broken and the cash about Rs 4.80 lakh lying in the safe was missing. He immediately raised an alarm and informed the police. A police team led by DSP arrived at the spot and collected the evidence. The investigation is on.
— OC |
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Gang attack leaves 30 injured
Mansa, November 10 Meanwhile, the local residents informed the police. DSP Balwinder Singh said that some youths have been arrested and investigation is underway.
— OC |
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The Bathinda railway station may boast of being one of the Asia’s biggest railway junctions but a lot needs to be done before it becomes passenger
friendly.
Barnala, November 10
Saurabh Kumar, a resident of Johri Mandir area and owner of an an art gallery located on the Circular Road here has been remanded in judicial custody by the trial court here.
A team from the Forests and Wildlife department comprising range officer Swaran Singh, block officer Satnam Dass, inspector Kundan Singh, wildlife warden Sat Pal
Nirania, guards Hemant, Krishan Kumar, Manjit Singh had raided the Archie Art Gallery here following a tip-off on Thursday night.
