Bathinda, February 3
“The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is committed to the welfare of farmers as we put in all efforts to make the centre grant a special relief package for the debt-trapped farmers. 

To fight the battle of Punjab farmers, a mass rally will be held in Delhi on February 22,” said Sukhbir Singh Badal, the president of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), during his first visit to the city after assuming charge.

Sukhbir was here at Gurudwara Haji Rattan to address the party workers of Bathinda and Mansa. Later, he graced the prize distribution function at a private educational institute in village Deon.

The SAD chief alleged, “The Congress has been trying to divide the Sikhs as its party leaders have been continuously interfering in the religious matters of the Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC). Now, the Congress has been creating a conspiracy to divide the SGPC areawise. They have ignited the spark with a demand for Haryana SGPC. Later, they will raise a demand for separate SGPC for the Majha, Malwa and Doaba areas.”

“No educational institute would be shifted out of the city and in fact, our government is committed to the growth of education,” clarified Sukhbir. Putting an end to the colleges shifting row, he said that the ruling party has made a proposal to turn Bathinda into an educational hub.

Speaking on development projects for Bathinda, he said that from February 9, projects worth Rs 70-crore would be kickstarted and a total of Rs 300 crore would be spent on the facelift of Bathinda, he added.

When the SAD chief was asked about being the first non-baptised (Amritdhari) Sikh to head the party, he parried the query.

On the issue of the age of the Youth Akali Dal chief being more than the age of SAD president’s age, he said that the Youth Akali Dal would be restructured this month.

About development projects which are in the pipeline, he said, “Three Punjab institutes of sports would be opened in all the three regions of the state. A branch of National Institute of Management would soon be opened at Mohali as all correspondence with the institute has been done.”“An institute affiliated with the Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information Technology is being considered at Mohali and we are looking for land to set up that prpject. Flying schools would also be opened in Talwandi Sabo and Faridkot,” he added.

Sukhbir said that the onus of starting the 300-bed drug de-addiction centre project now lied with the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA) and the project would soon be started.

Bathinda, February 3
A timely intervention by the police succeeded in defusing tension that erupted this afternoon at Thermal Colony as Sikh followers took a stand against the alleged “naam charcha” on the bhog ceremony of a Dera follower. 

Sources said that there was a condolence meet for a dera follower who had died some ten days back.

The family members of the deceased had taken prior permission from the district administration with a rider that only relatives would visit the place and the programme would be organised inside the house and the persons visiting the place would be monitored by family members.

Giving the reason behind the incident, a Sikh follower said, “We were cooperating with the bereaved family as we had offered langar to the police staff, who were deployed over there to avoid any untoward incident. But the family went out of the permitted limits as Dera followers started gathering there.”

“When the number of Dera followers went up, three of us went to their place to stop them but they misbehaved with us,” he said.

“Frustrated over the behaviour of the Dera followers, we announced in the gurudwara a plan for get-together. By demonstrating weapons, we had no other intention but to make the Dera followers and the police realise that the Dera followers’ behaviour was unjustified,” said Raghuvir Singh, one of those present there.

ASP Harsh Kumar Bansal, along with a police force reached the spot and inquired about the incident. When Bansal was asked about the situation later, he said that no untoward incident took place and the situation was normal.

Bathinda, February 3
The road once described as the artery of the city is languishing for want of attention. Thanks to the apathy of the officials, the road just outside the fire brigade office in the city, linking the Mall Road and the famous Dhobi Bazaar, has become a harrowing stretch for the commuters and motorists to negotiate.

To solve the problem of traffic congestion on this road, a divider was constructed about a month back. But the problem could not be solved as the road became narrower. The vehicles parked outside the shops too create a hurdle in the flow of traffic. The poor condition of the road has only aggravated the problem.

The road was dug up, it is learnt, for the laying of a pipeline. But then the project was left incomplete and work was stopped midway.

Deepak Kumar, the owner of an electrical appliances shop in the area, lamented, “It has become a blot on the face of the city as the Dhobi Bazar and the Mall are famous in the region. But the condition of the road is causing inconvenience to the visitors.”

Tejinder Pal Singh, a motorcyclist, travelling on the road, said, “Everyday, the officials issue new statements about the launch of facelift plans for the city. But when will these schemes see the light of the day is not known.”

It is not the only stretch of the road which is in such a dilapidated condition. There are several other roads and streets in the city which have been affected because of the neglect shown by the authorities.

Despite the presences of three bodies to accelerate development— Bathinda Development Authority, Improvement Trust and Municipal Corporation— the city has been witnessing poor upkeep of such assets.

On his part, K.K.Yadav, administrator, Bathinda Development Authority, said, “The road was dug up due to the laying of a pipeline. This road is part of our Rs 40 crore project sanctioned for the beautification of the city.

Bathinda, February 3
With the chilling weather refusing to relent, the rush of customers in city markets is on the decline as compared to the normal winter days. Even other businesses, like apparel, household items and hotels, are recording a dismal business due to the acute winter that is forcing customers to stay indoors.

Bathinda, being one of the major markets of this area, a steep decline in the number of customers from nearby villages and towns like Goniana, Talwandi Sabo, Rampura Phul and many others has been recorded. At this time of the year, the local customer has nearly vanished from the city markets.

Due to the ongoing wedding season in full swing, a majority of the customers engaged in shopping are the NRIs or the ones shopping for weddings. Rush is seen only at shops where discount sales are going on or at the outlets selling woollen 
garments.

“The average time that a customer spends outdoors has declined. We are waiting for the cold wave to end so that customers start pouring in. This year, there is a drop of at least 50 per cent compared to last year,” said Roop Singh, owner of Calcutta Garments in famous Dhobi Bazaar area.

Another shopkeeper in Sadar Bazaar, Suresh Gupta rued, “We are disappointed. There are almost no customers from the surrounding areas. Not only retail, we have seen a major adverse impact on wholesale business also. We fear that payments may get stuck if the weather does not get better.”

Hotels have also recorded a low occupancu rate. “We were expecting good business this year as many people who forge tie-ups and make purchases visit the city. But due to harsh winter, the activity has come to a halt,” said Amarbir Singh, general secretary, Punjab Hotels and Restaurants Association.

Bathinda, February 3
Wedding bells started to peal in Bathinda in today. The venue was the gurudwara in Model Town where 11 couples turned man and wife at a mass marriage ceremony. The witnesses were family members and those who had come along with other grooms and brides.

Manga Singh, one such groom, was anxiously waiting for his bride. A labourer, Manga hails from Surpuri village in Faridkot. He was grateful for the arrangements and food made at the marriage venue. Pooja, his coy bride, sat in her seat. When asked how she was feeling, she preferred the virtue of silence.

Far from the fairy tale marriage of Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, weddings today are a burden on the families and mass marriages lessen the burden of expenses incurred by the bride’s family. The poor parents often fall in debt while meeting dowry and other obligations.

Though all weddings were arranged, they had been organised by the Bhai Ghaniya Charitable Trust with help from the NRI Foundation, Canada. This was the third time that the organization has been instrumental in solemnising marriages. People approach the organization on their own and after verifying their economic status, they are selected for the D-day. All marriages, which were solemnised today, were in the same caste and religion.

Each couple went back with two beds, a fan and a sewing machine, utensils, clothes and a bicycle gifted by the Trust. Baba Balwinder Singh Maluka blessed the couples. Around 21 tricycles were also gifted to the differently abled on the occasion. 

Abohar, February 3
A charitable gesture made by a retired school teacher from California (US) and her husband would help as many as nine students of a school here to continue their studies. Ann Mudry, a retired school teacher, and her husband Dwight, a retired professor from the California University, during their visit to this remote Punjab town last year, visited the G.D. Senior Secondary Model School.

On their way to the joint Indo-Pakistan check-post at Sadqi in the Fazilka-Sulemanki sector, they shared with this correspondent their concern over the poor literacy rate and the increasing dropout rate on the both sides of the international border.

The couple regretted that education in the country was not paid as much attention as it deserved even 60 years after the independence.

Ann Mudry had invited some friends at their home in Laguna Niguel, California, for tea on Christmas last year. The beautifully designed invitation letter wished that the invitees bring for exchange a gift worth $7. It also asked for a donation of $15 for the G.D. Senior Secondary Model School, Abohar.

Ann informed the guests that they had earlier raised $700 and it was donated to the Door of Faith Orphanage in Mexico.

This year, Ann had said in her address, “The charity was for G.D. Senior Secondary School in India which my husband and I visited recently.”

Ann and Dwight have sent $1,108, principal Aman Ravi Kant confirmed on Wednesday.

This would benefit four girls and five boys, poor but brilliant students, to continue their studies with less difficulty.

Their photos and details would be e-mailed to the Mudry couple, he added.

Faridkot, February 3
A treasure trove of rare ancient and medieval objets d’art, coins and books, reflecting the rich culture of the Malwa region remain closed for the public as the local mini-museum housed in a building here has been locked for the last three years.

Although the previous Akali government decided to integrate the museum with the Baba Farid Research and Cultural Centre, the plan still has to see the light of the day. On the other hand, residents here believe that the intervention of the government had only marred the normal functioning of the museum, which came into existence through collection of historic articles from the region itself.

In 1997, the then tourism and cultural minister, Bibi Jagir Kaur, had announced the opening of a permanent ‘Baba Farid Art Gallery’ at the site of the museum. She had also announced a grant of Rs 80 lakh for the centre.

According to an insider, departmental politics did not allow the plan to fructify.

At present, the museum solely lies in the hands of a class IV employee following the transfer of a clerk some years back.

The museum was established in 1977 following the promulgation of the Antiquities and Art Treasures Act, 1972. Under the law, documentation of the antiques and artifacts was undertaken to prevent the smuggling of precious objects and to highlight the glorious past of the nation to foreigners. Subsequently, offices for documentation were opened at Chandigarh and Amritsar apart from Faridkot.

Piara Singh, who was appointed as the registering officer in 1977 here, while talking to the TNS over the telephone, said that the museum came up after painstaking efforts made by the officials concerned, who visited remote areas to garner artifacts and other ancient objects.

They had to convince the villagers that the rare objects would be given proper care so that they donated them to the museum, he added.

The villages that contributed most were Sirkap Kheh, Juner, Dakru, Sarai Naga, Hathur, Walur, Bhalur and Sunam. These rare objects belonged to the Harappan civilization, Kushan period and the Middle Ages.

Relentless efforts of three years helped in the collection of rare manuscripts, ancient idols, toys, instruments, coins and other rare objects from the four districts of Malwa region.

The antiques were placed in the mini-museum and made public.

Striking artifacts and objects d’art — idols of lord Vishnu and Lakshmi in black stone, idol of Bhagvan Mahavir with four faces — belong to the 10th and 11th centuries.

The rare pieces of stones and 7.5 kg coins belonging to Kushan, Sultanate, Mughal period as also of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s time, are kept at the museum.

Ancient musical instruments, including Saranda, Taos, Sarangi and others are also stored in the museum besides specimens of Phulkari, Durri, Reshmi dushala illustrating the fashion of Punjab in 19th century.

A 19th century white marble idol (28”x8”) of Mahakali, a 183-page Bhagwad Gita written in 1850 Vikrami Samvat, a little wooden bust of Mahatma Buddha belonging to the 18th century and a copy of the Ramayana in Persian language of the same period are among other rare and precious things kept at the museum which are significant for the researchers as well.

Mansa, February 3
The hike in the rates of bus passes of the Pepsu Roadways Transport Corporation (PRTC) has not gone down well with the commuters.

According to information received, the board of directors of the PRTC decided to increase the rate of daily bus pass to Rs 200 from the existing Rs 145.

Sohan Lal, a resident of Sardulgarh, who has been using a bus pass said the hike would affect its sale. Harbant Singh, a resident of Mansa, said this step would benefit the private bus operators.

Hardev Singh Arsi, ex-MLA and the national council member of the CPI, criticised this step of the PRTC by terming it unreasonable. Jaspal Singh Khokhar, co-convener of the Radical Peoples Forum, also said that private bus operators would benefit from this move of the corporation.

Justifying the move of the PRTC, the managing director of the corporation, Manvesh Singh Sidhu, said that the step was taken because the corporation had been incurring losses by providing daily passes at the rate of Rs 145.

He said the board of directors had taken this step to increase the income of the PRTC. The managing director also said that there was a need for creating awareness about the scheme among people and the PRTC would take measures to do so.

Faridkot, February 3
The newly-elected president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Sukhbir Singh Badal, laid the foundation stone for 11th regional centre of the Punjabi University, Patiala, in the Jaito sub-division, near here today.

The centre, which will start from the 2008-09 academic session, will offer computer courses in BCA, PGDCA and CCA, in the beginning.

Sukhbir said the primary goal of the centre was to disseminate education among the rural youth. Thus, admission would be given to those who had passed their matriculation from rural schools.

Besides, half of the seats in the courses would be reserved for students hailing from Jaito, he added.

Sukhbir informed that the fee of the courses would be half than in other colleges.

On a political note, he added that people should not forget the contribution of the Akali Dal while casting their votes. According to him, no opponent had ever routed the Akali Dal in elections. Only its own party workers had done so.

The president of the SAD argued that if the party workers stood by it, the party could never lose elections.

Jagtar Singh, vice-chancellor of the Punjabi University, Patiala, said that four acres of land had been made available by the municipal council and assured that the academic block would be constructed within the next five months.

The VC felt that advanced computer education would provide an opportunity to bright students from this nondescript area to move ahead in their career.

Later, the newly-elected president participated in the proceedings of the Harjit Memorial Kabaddi Tournament at Baja Khana.

Though he could not present the prize to the winning team as the match was in progress, he assured the organiser of providing a grant for constructing a stadium at the place.

Abohar, February 3
Hockey Olympian Harmeek Singh, who was honoured with Arjuna Award in 1996, has regretted that even the universities in north India have not been able to maintain the past school-level standards in hockey. 

Lok Kala Kendra today honoured a product of this district, Harmeek Singh, at the DAV auditorium. Rajinder Singh Jakhar, a patron of the organisation who had played hockey with the Olympian, said the district was proud of the family. Fazilka MLA and other members joined Iqbal Singh Godara, president of the Kendra in presenting a memento and shawl to Harmeek Singh.

Informing that he had already discussed plans to promote sports in schools in all the villages with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Harmeek Singh said Ferozepur figured in the world sports map due to hockey in the past as it had 15 teams that played the game.

Now, not even one good team was found here. Abohar in Ferozepur district and Bhucho in Bathinda district had been popular centres for hockey but the shine is over. The district had been trifurcated in the past to carve Muktsar and Moga districts out of it. “We may not expect result-oriented participation in the Olympics from this border district,” he said.

Asserting that sports was still an enterprising profession, the 1966 Asian Games medal winner Harmeek Singh said parents were not sure about career growth in sports for their children due to the apathy of the teachers.

It had been globally accepted that the country, which excelled in sports, scaled new horizons also, he said. China was in the right direction now. Other developing countries were diverting substantial amount from the budget for health and sports, as they believed promoting sports at the grassroot level could ensure good health for the future generations.

Finding that Abohar had hundreds of tall boys, he urged the state government to set up a hockey academy and provide coaches to explore their potential.

Maisarkhana (Rampuraphul), February 3
Somjeet Sharma defeated Kulwant Rai Sharma by 334 votes in the elections for the presidentship of the Malwa Prantian Brahmin Sabha.

About 50 per cent electorate have exercised their franchise in the first ever elections of the Sabha held here today in the last 11 years. There were a total of 5,420 votes of the Brahmins spread across Bathinda, Mansa, Barnala, Sangrur and some portion of Ludhiana.

The election was conducted by the district administration following a controversy over the poor upkeep of an ancient temple being run by the Sabha. However, it appeared that the administration was working in favour of Kulwant Rai, as less number of booths had been set up in areas where Somjeet had a strong following.

This increased the number of voters around some booths and delayed the election process. People were frustrated and went back without casting their votes.

For the coveted post of the president of the Malwa Prantian Sabha, only two candidates were in fray. Kulwant Rai Sharma, who has been president for the last 11 years, was pitted against Somjeet Sharma.

The main issues in this election included the poor upkeep of an ancient temple and embezzlement of funds of the temple.

The Malwa Prantian Brahmin Sabha runs the ancient Durga Mata Mandir situated at Maisar Khana.

In a year, two big fairs are organised at the temple during the Navratras.

The total annual income of the temple is around Rs 10 lakh. Besides, a B.Ed College is also run by a trust under the guidance of the Sabha, situated in the premises of the temple.

But despite handsome income, the temple is in a bad shape.

Even the public toilets for the devotees have not been constructed in the last 10 years and the ancient temple demands maintenance but as the Sabha took up no development work during the last decade, there was resentment among the people.

Mansa, February 3
Swapan Mukherjee, general secretary of the AICCTU, on his visit here today expressed his solidarity with the farmers and labourers, who have been struggling to get their demands fulfilled with regard to the thermal plant proposed to be constructed at Banawala village.

Addressing a meeting here he criticised the government’s policies as anti-worker and anti-farmer saying that the state and Central governments were misusing their powers by suppressing the people’s movements.

Mukherjee also criticised the cases registered against six farmer leaders who were struggling to get the demands of peasants and workers fulfilled.

At the meeting, the farmers decided to hold a state-level convention at Mansa on February 26 to discuss various farmers’ issues.

Barnala, February 3
Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) state president Pankaj Mahajan and general secretary Suraj Bhardwaj, in a joint press conference here today, disclosed the various decisions taken at the three-day meeting of ABVP executives.

He said that to strengthen the base of the ABVP, about 46,500 new members would be enrolled during the current year.  Efforts will be made to set up units at block level and special training camps would be organised in June at Ludhiana to make the students aware of the programs of the ABVP.

Abohar, February 3
The Lok Kala Kendra organised its sixth annual cultural function under the title ‘Sandali Dupehar’ at the DAV college auditorium here today.

At the function, renowned folk singer Satwant Kaur enthralled the audience as she sang a popular number of a Pakistani singer, “Sun sone dia kangna, sauda iko jiha; dil dena te dil mangna sauda iko jiha”.

Gurraj Singh Chahal compered the programme.

Sahil Sharma initially warmed up the atmosphere at the function by playing some traditional tunes. Arun Faridi began with Baba Farid’s couplets followed by Baba Bulleshah’s evergreen composition “Main kihnu-kihnu dassan eh raj dian gallan” and “Meri khul gayee patakh de ke akh nee, eh gali vichon kaun langhia”.

The performers from Talwandi Sabo played ‘Gatka’ while Baazigars performed ‘Baazi’ outside the auditorium. Folk dance ‘Gidha’ impressed the gathering too. However, the main attraction was the Luddi folk dance.

Comedy star Ranbir Rana was to perform but had to leave early because of some personal engagements. However, he entertained the gathering for some time.

Others who performed at the function included Awaj Punjab Dee stars Masha Ali and Sarandeep, and Supnandan Kaur.

Gurraj Singh Fattanwala, a senior SAD (B) leader from Muktsar, B.C. Josan, a member of the Panjab University senate, and Surjit Kumar Jiyani, MLA from Fazilka, were among the special guests at the function.

Barnala, February 3
To make the public aware of problems like fake marriages by NRI grooms, exploitation of women by their NRI husbands and innocent youths being duped by travel agents, a mass rally would be organised by the Lok Bhalai Party at Raikot on February 8, Balwant Singh Ramowalia, the party chief, informed here on Saturday.

He said the party was committed towards helping in rescuing innocent youths from languishing in foreign jails. The travel agents, who had duped them, would also not be spared. The party would endeavour to expose the fake travel agents and marriage bureaus that dupe people, Ramowalia added.

Welcoming the state government’s proposal for the registration of travel agents, he said stringent laws could help tackle the problem. — OC