Bathinda, November 23
In an effort to curb the crime menace in the city and provide more security to the residents, the Bathinda police is all set to introduce ‘community policing’ to tackle crime in the city, from the month of December. The concept which is already working in some districts of Punjab reportedly as Khanna, Batala, Tarn Taran, Patiala and others was introduced by the Senior Superintendent of Police Bathinda, Naunihal Singh, who had launched it in Khanna district, about two years back, when he was posted over there. Talking to TNS, the SSP said the strong force of community police officer (CPO) would be completely funded by the people themselves to keep a check over the day-to-day crime.

The scheme is supposed to minimize the regular crimes like snatching, eve-teasing, thefts and will also keep an eye over the anti-social elements in the areas.

For the recruitment of the CPOs, a proper physical test will be conducted and the eligibility criteria to be followed would be same as for a constable. After the appointment they all will be dressed up in a proper uniform, carrying torch, rod and whistles. To become high-tech and effective, they all would be properly trained by the police department.

The CPOs will be paid around Rs 2500-3000 as a monthly salary, which will be collected from the cluster of 100 houses of the area, where they will be deputed. After 10 CPOs, one will be appointed as an extra officer, who will take place in the absence of anyone.

A three-member committee will be formed to keep a proper check over the CPOs working and to pay them salary. The CPOs will work under the supervision of the concerned area police station. It will be mandatory for the CPOs to maintain a register, keeping all kind of information regarding the inmates of the areas.

It may be mentioned here that the entire concept is being used as a helping hand to the police department, as it is facing the shortage of the policemen.

To implement the concept, the SSP held a meeting with a contractor for providing the manpower and with some social people of the city, was held in the DC meeting hall on Thursday evening.

Bathinda, November 23
Punjab Youth Congress, president, Vijay Inder Singla, on the `reported’ controversy going on in the Badal family, said, ``Maybe they got too much power in their family and that is why they are not able to handle it properly and SAD won the elections on the name of Atta-Dal scheme, which has turned into a flop show.’’

Singla, who was here today for a meeting, alleged that the present Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal)- BJP led Punjab government is misleading the people by making tall claims that they would generate extra electricity in the state, but actually nothing concrete is done for this purpose.

``They are not making optimum utilisation of the available resources in the state. Two units of thermal plant at Lehra Mohabbat are still under construction and work is moving at a snails pace,” he said.

Singla was talking exclusively to TNS and was on his one-day visit to Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala, Mansa, Bathinda and Faridkot and held a series of meetings of youth congress cadre.

``I myself have been Punjab Energy Development Authority chairman and during my tenure various new projects of power generation were started. But when the SAD-BJP alliance came into power, many projects, which would have proved beneficial for Punjab were not implemented. One such project of distributing CFL bulbs, which help in energy conservation, in the homes of weaker sections of the society is still in doldrums. To stop wastage of power, the Punjab government should implement this project. Even the government of India is giving 40 per cent subsidy on it,’’ Singla informed.

Giving details about the new membership drive of youth congress in the state, he said, ``Our national president, Rahul Gandhi has given us a target to rope in 5 lakh new members for youth congress in Punjab and three lakh members have already been made. We plan to achieve our target within this week.’’

Blaming the present government for implicating false cases against its party members, Singla said, ``Our party will always stand with all people who are victims of political vendetta by the Akali government.’’

Bathinda, November 23
Taking a serious note of the blatant violation of the archeological norms of the Bathinda Fort, the district court here imposed a penalty of Rs 50,000 on Surinder Kumar, who had allegedly constructed a house in the territory of the fort.

The court announced the amount of penalty and the accused submitted the amount of penalty on the spot, on Friday.

Sources said the Kotwali police had registered a case, on the complaint of the Central Archeological Department on June 10, 2002, against the accused Surinder Kumar of Aggarwal street, Bathinda.

The accused had constructed the house in the territory of the fort, where construction is prohibited. The accused had not even bothered to get permission from the Archeological Department for the construction. The municipal council had allegedly passed the map of the building, which was also an illegal act.

As per the rules of the Central Archeological Department, no one is allowed to construct in the area of 100 meters of the fort. And in the area of 300 meters, one can raise any structure, only after getting the permission.

When the Archeological Department surveyed the area and found the illegal construction, it contacted the MC.

To be on the safer side, the MC cancelled the passed map and the police registered the case against the accused and initiated further proceedings.

The accused pleaded in the court that the house was constructed long time back, and he was just getting it re-constructed. He further prayed that the MC had passed the map, only after the construction was started. But after hearing both the parties, the CJM imposed the penalty on the accused.

Faridkot, November 23
Illegal residential “colonies” have come up on the Market Committee’s land worth in crores at Sadiq chowk, near Sabzi mandi here.

Residents of the colonies have been occupying the land for past one and a half decade, despite the fact that the district administration had issued directives to shift them to another place.

Dwellings starting from Sadiq chowk have stretched to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College. Beginning from a couple of shanties, it now boasts of few concrete houses to spacious ones with all kind of luxuries.

Majority of them do the menial jobs of picking papers, wires and other usable items from garbage, junk dealing, ice cream vendors, vegetable and fruitsellers among others.

However, commuters, officials and farmers face hard times during arrival of wheat and paddy during the harvest season, as one of the biggest grain markets of the district was located nearby the colony. Tractor-trollies loaded with grain remain stationary on road for longer period in order to find space in the market to unload consignments. It results in undue traffic jams.

They feel that utilising encroached land of the market committee could solve the problem. Residents allege that the market committee had constructed wall around its land on Sadiq road. However, it has now altogether disappeared.

Interestingly, nearly 500 residents of illegal colony near Sabji Mandi located on Ferozepur road have managed to become electorates. Come elections, and leaders make it a point to visit the colony and promises galore to electorates. Another such illegal colony has surfaced near the railway station with about 60 shanties.

In addition, locals allege that some of the residents of these illegal colonies resort to petty crimes. They say that street lights of roads near their colonies were always out of order, adding added that they smashed newly fitted lights in order to find cover.

When contacted Gurpreet Singh, secretary of the market committee, informed that about four years ago, the then DC directed the concerned officials to shift them to Tehna village on Talwandi road. However, the orders was yet to be implemented. About the locality on Sabji mandi, he said paperwork for removing the illegal colony was still going on.

Rupana (Muktsar), November 23
Whenever his grand child coughs in the night hours, he curses the owners of the adjacent paper mill, which has been releasing polluting effluents like chlorine gas, carbon smoke and lime and ash for over a decade now.

And this old man, an asthma patient in Rupana village, has a long story to tell how the senior officials of the Pollution Control boards, the district administration and the ruling politicians have been breaking their promises to control the menace, causing hazards like human and livestock diseases and destruction of crops.

“Your request, presented to the Punjab Chief Minister during his ‘Vikas Yatra’, has been received in this office, and sent to the concerned department. You will soon be informed about the action taken by the concerned department (in this regard)”. Showing this communiqué of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) to this correspondent, which they had received in November 2006 during the previous government regime, the villagers alleged that bribery was the “main reason” for no action so far.

This Rupana is not the only aggrieved village, as the farmers of Roohreawali, Mahabadhar, Bhagsar and other adjacent villages were also the party against the Setia Paper Mill as the villagers have been knocking at the doors of the Punjab Pollution Control Board, the Central Pollution Control Board and the judiciary.

The saline water drain in the area changes its colour as it surpasses the mill, as the hazardous toxic waste flows into this popularly known ‘sem nullah’, which led to the death of some cattle heads in the aforesaid villages in the recent past.

When the TNS team reached the spot where the toxic waste was flowing into the  ‘nullah’ through the illegally laid pipes under the ground, three-four mill workers came running in panic and shuttered the illegally laid channel.

“Look, even the colour of the dung of our cattle has turned abnormally black, as they  eat this fodder, contaminated with the fly ash, said Mohinder Singh, showing the fodder as it has been sprayed with black smoke.

His old father, who was unable to look clearly through his heavy glasses and an asthma patient, said he was now worried about the health of his grandchildren. “Many officials came and went, but this mill continues to make our lives a hell,” he shouted, showing his medicines.  

A labourer in the village had injured his eye as he rubbed it after he was in the thick of the dust when a vehicle passed by. He was told by the doctor that the eye was permanently injured due to the fly ash of the rice husk, used by the mill to generate its own electricity.  

The mill had once faced a closure a few years back, when a team of Central Pollution Control Board from Delhi visited the unit.

The mill authorities, however, maintained that the pollution was being checked to the specified limit at the source itself, with the help of the recently installed pollution-check unit.   

“For the pollution abatement, the industry has put up chemical recovery plant and the remaining affluent is treated in bio-methanation process followed by conventional treatment i.e. two stage aeration system,” Setia Paper Mill general manager H R Bhardwaj said. ESP (Electrostatic precipitator), dust collectors, multicyclones and wet scrubbers and regular analysis of the treated affluent were other steps being taken by the unit, he said.

The mill manager, however, had no reply on the key areas of concern, like the release of the toxic waste into the ‘sem-nullah’ through the pipes hidden under the ground and the spread of solid waste, both ash and lime on the roadsides and streets in villages.

Bathinda, November 23
Residents of Veer Colony in city alleged that the parties and marriage functions held in the Veer Palace, run by Veer Charitable Trust are causing problem for residents of the area. In a press release here today, bearing signatures of residents, who alleged that the people participating in these parties often quarrel with each other after getting intoxicated.

They also alleged that the high volume of DJ system in parties caused sound pollution in the area. A resident, Kuldeep Goyal said, “Veer Palace owners don’t have proper parking and that is why, people  often park their vehicles in front of our houses,  causing congestion on roads.” —TNS

Fazilka, November 23
To celebrate the 160th anniversary of Fazilka town, a three-day heritage festival, being celebrated by Graduates Welfare Association, Fazilka (GWAF) with help of Punjabi Sabhyacharak Manch, Fazilka, commenced with fanfare here on Thursday night.

Brigadier Rajiv Bhutani inaugurated the opening session of the three-day heritage festival by lighting a lamp at Ram Press complex here.

On the occasion, stalls displaying specialties and culture of Fazilka were set. Besides, mini exhibitions with themes to check female foeticide and to control environment pollution were also displayed.

Stalls of traditional Rajasthani food, famous “hand fans” of Fazilka and handmade “wheat straw sarpos” (Chapati boxes) attracted large number of visitors.

GWAF patron Bhupinder Singh and president Umesh Chander Kukkar said the heritage festival was being celebrated with a mission to keep the culture and heritage of Fazilka alive.They said the festival would enable the youth to know the glorious history of the town. Another aspect of the heritage was to commemorate distinguished personalities of Fazilka.

The organisers also intend to apprise the present generation about the risks of global warming and of using polythene bags. The organisers endeavoured to promote walking and use of bicycles to save fuel and control pollution.

On the occasion, Kunwar Mohinder Singh Bedi “Sahar” night was organised to commemorate the Fazilka-based Urdu poet “Sahar”.

A poetical symposium was also held in which Gurmeet Singh Fazilka, Des Raj Jeet of Moga, retired district education officer Jaswant Singh Kailvi, Chamak Surjit of Ferozepur, Hardeep Singh Dhillon, Dayal Singh Pyasa of Jalalabad (W), Sada Lal Phutela, Advocate Dev Raj Sharma, Krishan Lal Kamboj, Kavi Swaroop Singh, Inder Singh Ladhuka, Maninder Singh Taneja cast a spell on the audience till midnight.

Barnala, November 23
On the eve of Gurpurab, the Shri Sukhmani Sewa Society, Barnala took out a procession march here today.

The procession started from Baba Gandha Singh (BGS) Public School and concluded at Gurudwara Singh Sabha here.

Hundreds of devotees followed the Panj Pyaras, who were leading the procession to pay their regards on the sacred occasion.

Welcome archways were set up at various places in the bazaar to greet the procession. The students of BGS School also performed gatka.

Barnala, November 23
In the wider interest of general public, the Punjab Youth Congress (PYC ) would oppose the State government’s move of imposition of entry tax in the State as it would hit hard the business class.

Revealing this, Vijay Inder Singla, president of the Punjab Youth Congress, said party workers would mobilise a mass movement to compel the State government to withdraw the 4 per cent entry tax levied on certain goods from Wednesday.

He was here in the city to supervise the recruitment of youth in the party fold.

Talking to reporters, Singla said the SAD-led government was indifferent to the problems being faced by trade and industry in the State.

Imposition of entry tax would burden the industry which would ultimately pass on to the common man, he added.

Singla told that after the launch of membership drive, more than 3 lakh youth joined the party, while their aim was to enroll around 5 lakh.

He said the party workers would toil hard to canvass for party nominees in the neighbouring  Himachal  Pradesh Assembly elections from December 2.

Abohar, November 23
Three motorcyclists were killed and one was drowned in separate accidents here yesterday.

An ex-serviceman, identified as Bhola Singh (60), was drowned as the motorcycle he was driving slipped in to the Gang canal near village Sadhuwali on the Abohar-Sriganganagar road (NH 15) at 2 am. His son Gurvinder Singh, who was riding pillion, had been admitted to the hospital, family sources informed this morning.

A tractor-trailer, over loaded with dry fodder, reportedly crushed two motorcyclists on the same highway near Piprain village at 10 pm. The injured were rushed to the civil hospital at Suratgarh but both succumbed to their injuries. The police is trying to establish their identity. Documents found on the spot indicated that they were residents of Peelibanga town. The driver of the four-wheeler fled after the mishap.

Mahavir Nayak (40), a resident of Thaladka village, was killed as the motorcycle that he was driving reportedly hit a roadside tree on Rawatsar road last midnight.—OC

Fazilka, November 23
A fifteen-year-old girl and a 4-year-old boy went missing under mysterious circumstances from Radha Swami colony here, a report lodged with the city police said.

In the report, one Manoj Kumar stated that his daughter Sheenu (15) and son Karan (4) were missing.

Earlier the children reached the house at around 12:30 pm. But since their mother was not there, they left for their grandmother’s house after locking the house and handing over the keys to one of their neighbours. Since then, they were missing.

Police sources said no clue had been found so far even after the two days of the incident. — OC

Abohar, November 23
The Border Security Force (BSF) foiled yet another intrusion attempt from the Pakistan side, fourth in the past fortnight, in Karanpur sector on Thursday.

According to the information, the BSF men of 195 Bn, on vigil near the Kheruwala border post, nabbed an intruder while crossing the zero line in the afternoon.

Interestingly, the intruders had changed their modus operandi whereas; such attempts in the past were made only after the sunset.

The barefoot intruder, aged 26 years, was identified as Mohammad Khalid Bhatti , a resident of village 55L under the Yusufwala police station in Sahiwal district of the western Punjab province of Pakistan. Nothing was recovered from him. He was handed over to the Gharsana police for further investigation.

Meanwhile, the sleuths, with the help of a Pashto speaking person, have succeeded in identifying the Afghan intruder, who had been arrested last week. He is Abdul Sattar, a resident of village Sinjitak in district Gaisar of Helmund state in Afghanistan.

He told the investigating team that none of his relatives was now residing in Sinjitak village. He made living by begging and had crossed over to Pakistan from his country few months back.

He was arrested on November 13, but the BSF and the police failed earlier in getting any information from him as he could speak his native language only.

Senior officials in the intelligence network are reportedly busy in analysing broad-day light intrusions, keeping in view the political turmoil in the neighbouring country, sources indicated today.

Barnala, November 23
The three-day Punjab School Table Tennis Ranking Tournament began at the S.D. Sabha complex here today. About 160 boys and 50 girls are participating in the tournament from various districts: Patiala, Ludhiana, Amritsar, Ropar, Jalandhar, Sangrur, Barnala and Chandigarh.

S.D. Sabha president Panna Lal Goyal inaugurated the tournament by lighting the lamp. In his inaugural address, he said that S.D. Sabha which was serving in the field of education since long with three schools and a college in the city, now wanted to contribute towards sports. He also donated Rs 31,000 for this state level tournament.

For the purpose, S.D. Sabha itself carries the whole arrangement of tournament. Shiv Darshan Kumar Sharma, general secretary, S.D. Sabha ,said Barnala being a new district was lacking in infrastructure. Bhim Sen Garg, district president of the table tennis association, thanked Panna Lal Goyal for the financial help.