The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Himachal Pradesh Edition

	Bhattal asks Congmen to shun differences Rajay Deep Tribune News Service Bathinda, April 11 Taking a serious note of the absence of party leaders belonging to the Captain Amarinder Singh camp at the Amritsar conference, PPCC chief Rajinder Kaur Bhattal is learnt to have asked the various factions to tone down their alleged differences. Aware of the factionalism among the party MLAS in Bathinda district, Bhattal has ordered them to work collectively to make the Baisakhi conference a success. A five-member coordination committee has also been formed in this regard. Tej Parkash Singh has been appointed as the chairman of the committee while Amarjeet Singh Samra, Bir Davinder Singh, Avtar Singh Brar and Jasveer Singh have been appointed as members of the panel. It may be recalled that the rivalry between Harminder Singh Jassi, MLA Bathinda and Jeet Mohinder Singh, MLA Talwandi Sabo, had surfaced in the open at a conference held in Bathinda on April 8. Sources said that the PPCC chief, through a phone call, has restricted Harminder Singh Jassi, Jeet Mohinder Singh, Gurpreet Kangar and Makhan Singh, all MLAs from Bathinda district, from making remarks against each other from the stage at the Baisakhi conference. Bhattal has also reportedly asked them not to intervene in each other's constituency. Avtar Singh Brar said over the phone, "All MLAs and workers have assured of making their best efforts to make the conference a success. We have visited the site of the conference in Talwandi Sabo to make the necessary arrangements." The conference is being supervised and coordinated by a committee. No senior leader from the Centre is expected to visit on the day. Moreover, Margaret Alva, in-charge Punjab Congress affairs, is also busy with elections in Karnatka. So, she too will not be able to attend the conference, Brar added. It may be mentioned that the Congress MLAs had called a press conference in Bathinda today, which could not take place as party MLA Jeet Mohinder Singh turned up late for the event.
	RO plants soon in rural areas Safe water for villages Prabhjit Singh Tribune News Service Kauni (Muktsar), April 11 After the successful launch of the reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment plants in the villages of Gidderbaha tehsil, Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal today said, “The government has now decided to cover the state’s 40 per cent rural population under the scheme in two years.” For the ambitious plan, the state government had sent a detailed proposal to the NABARD for a financial assistance of Rs 175 crore and the grant would soon be sanctioned, he added while laying the foundation stone of a bridge across the Chandbhan drain here. The finance minister said the work of installing the RO plants in all the 53 villages of the Gidderbaha Assembly segment would be accomplished in two months. It may be recalled that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had inaugurated the community-based safe drinking water RO plants in the villages of Gidderbaha Assembly constituency of Manpreet Singh Badal with an assurance that the villagers of Malwa region would soon get rid of the problem of contaminated groundwater for drinking purposes. The project had been launched with the help of Naandi, an NGO of the TATA Foundation. The scheme of setting up the Reverse Osmosis (RO) water purification plants in Punjab, as a pilot project would be spread across the state where people were forced to consume contaminated water and suffer from water-borne diseases, including various forms of cancer, Manpreet said. According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which the government had signed with the NGO last December, the water would cost Rs 2 per 20-litre barrel to the villagers and the user money would contribute to the operations and maintenance of the micro units. The MoU was then signed for setting up of RO plants in all the 53 villages of Gidderbaha block in the first phase. The project involved the villagers’ participation as the panchayats would be providing groundwater for treatment at the micro units besides the land of 500 square feet. The state government’s department of planning has allocated Rs 2.5 crore for the project. Initially, the state government had allocated Rs 25 crore for the project, but now an additional sum of Rs 175 crore would be sanctioned by the NABARD in three months, the state finance minister informed. Besides, the state government had also inked an agreement with the World Bank (WB) for Rs 1,280-crore Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project, which would be duly financed by the WB to the extent of Rs 751 crore. As per the pact, the Punjab government would be providing Rs 245 crore and the Union government Rs 207 crore, while the community contribution, in the form of user charges, would be Rs 77 crore. The government has been appealing to the village Panchayats to come forward and contribute their respective shares of 10 per cent and 5 per cent for the WB’s drinking water and sewerage schemes respectively. The CM has been pointing out that the state government alone could not implement these schemes due to certain terms and conditions set by the WB for the monetary contribution of the people. So far, only five villages, including the CM’s Badal village have adopted the WB-sponsored scheme in Muktsar district.
	Sparring doctors transferred A fallout of brawl over clicking pictures inside OT Rajay Deep Tribune News Service Bathinda, April 11 Two lady doctors, Swapanjeet Kaur and Dipreet Kaur, of the civil hospital in Bathinda, who landed in a controversy after a brawl inside the operation theatre, have been transferred by the state government. As per the reports received, principal secretary, health department has sent the orders to the civil surgeon, Bathinda, on Friday. In the orders, Swapanjeet Kaur, gynaecologist, has been transferred to Muktsar, while Dipreet Kaur, anaesthetist, has been posted at Tapa Mandi. The orders have been issued after an incident, which took place on February 16, when Swapanjeet Kaur and anaesthetist Dipreet Kaur got into a fight over the clicking of reportedly objectionable photographs of a patient admitted for hysterectomy. Swapanjeet had accused Dipreet of clicking photographs of the patient while she was unconscious. In a letter to the director, health department, civil surgeon Maninderjeet Singh had sought action against both the doctors. In his letter, vide number 45, Singh had mentioned the charges. It may be mentioned that just after the incident, the civil surgeon, vide letter number 286, had constituted a committee a two-member committee to consider all the facts. The investigation committee presented a report mentioning that both the doctors were guilty of careless attitude towards the patient. Issues related to discipline and conduct were also raised. In the report, it was stated that Swapanjeet had earlier also levelled allegations against Dipreet, which was sent to the SMO Children’s Hospital vide letter number 66, dated November 23, 2007. After the news was published, claiming to be innocent, Dipreet Kaur had submitted a police report to TNS that gave her a clean chit saying no objectionable clippings were found in her mobile. When contacted, civil surgeon Maninderjeet Singh said that the order had been forwarded to the SMO. He also said that Dipreet Kaur, had been absent from duty for a couple of days without seeking sanction.
	D-day nears but GHTP yet to put its act together Puneet Pal Singh Gill Tribune News Service Bathinda, April 11 “When the first unit of stage II of Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant (GHTP), Lehra Mohabbat, will be dedicated to the state by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Baisakhi, it will be still incomplete. It is being done more out of political necessity and may adversely affect the functioning of the unit,” sources at GHTP informed. Many of the systems like control and instrumentation, alarms and annunciations, water treatment plant, chlorination, thermal insulation, fire-fighting, air-conditioning and ventilation are not complete, sources further said. “Not only this, critical equipment like unit auxiliary transformers (UAT), HP heaters and ultra filters have not been commissioned so far. Even the local means of communication like telephones and public address system, through which instructions are given to operators, are not working. This is not all. The coal mill reject system, wagon tipplers for coal unloading, primary and secondary coal crushers and coal conveying system for this unit have not been installed so far,” sources said. Despite many essential systems being incomplete, the unit was started on coal firing on January 31, 2008, to make up for the delay. “The coal is being fed through the existing system of 2x210 MW units of stage I. The stage I coal handling plant is unable to handle the extra requirement of unit 3 and is risking the working of stage I, causing loss worth lakhs to the PSEB on account of demurrage being charged by the railways. During this February, demurrage of Rs 5.5 lakhs was levied for 32 racks out of the total of 48 received. During March, railways have charged demurrage on 44 racks out of a total of 70 received in the month. The situation has worsened in April as it took more than 24 hours to unload some of the racks. “Regular or normal generation of this unit will start only when coal plant for this will be complete which is not likely to happen before June 2008,” say experts. Contrary to the Punjab State Electricity Board’s track record of constructing thermal power plants in record time, the fate of GHTP stage II consisting of two units of 250 MW each has been uncertain from day one. “The Bathinda thermal stage-1 was completed in 1975 and stage-2 in 1979, Ropar thermal stage-1 in 1985, stage-2 in 1989 and stage-3 in 1993, i.e. all the stages of each thermal were completed within a gap of four years,” experts said. This is not the end of the tunnel. Goindwal thermal plant is another example, which is yet to start even 8-9 years after talk about it began. Doraha thermal is also part of folklore. However, when Paramjit Singh Baweja, chief engineer (constructions), GHTP, was contacted, he confirmed that many of the systems were incomplete. “But the unit can still perform well,” he added.
	Plea for harmony in society Our Correspondent Abohar, April 11 To convey to the masses that nobody in society was untouchable, Shri Shri Ravi Shankar, founder of the Vyakti Vikas Kendra, Bangalore, during Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s birthday processions on April 14, advised his followers to arrange for potable water stalls in selective towns. This was informed by Neera Mohan, a senior teacher of the organisation, here today. Talking to The Tribune on the sidelines of a four-day advance camp on the Art of Living at the Homeopathic Medical College complex here, she said Guru Ji, as the founder is popularly called, preached harmony for all, irrespective of caste or creed, religion or faith. The residential advance camp is being held for the first time in the region for those who had attended the basic camps in the past. Interestingly, about 35 participants will observe complete silence for three days. “The Art of Living program guides one on a journey deeper into one’s self. We need to rest in order to be more dynamic. However, very often, when we take vacation, we come back feeling more exhausted. The course is a vacation that leaves our body, mind and spirit rejuvenated and relaxed,” she said. “Through sadhana (practice), Seva (service), Satsang (chanting, singing and knowledge), silence and swadhyay, this program helps us to relax and emerge refreshed, revitalised and invigorated,” Neera added. Sharing her experience about camps conducted during the past decade in some of the prisons, Neera Mohan claimed there was a sea- change in the behaviour of even serial killers. “You can be a part of good society by shunning negativity and developing respect for all. Forget the past, bother not for future and live sincerely in present. Each one of us has lot of energy. We have to utilise it fairly,” she said.
	Devotees make beeline for fair at Maisar Khana Rajay Deep Tribune News Service Maisar Khana (Bathinda), April 11 Thousands of devotees made a beeline for the famous Maisar Khana fair to worship the goddess Jawala Devi and pray for their wishes to come true. The fair that began on Friday evening will conclude on Sunday afternoon. Various stalls selling eatables, toys and cosmetics have been set up attract people of all age groups. During a visit to the temple at the village, the TNS team found pilgrims from the northern states waiting for their turn to worship the goddess, standing in a queue. The slogan of ‘Jai Mata Di’ being raised by the devotees was echoing all over. The fair is reportedly being organised by the volunteers of the Punjab Mahavir Dal. Aparna Sahay, who was standing in a queue to pay obeisance, said, “I have come here for the first time but I have heard a lot about its sanctity. My neighbours told me that all requests made here get fulfilled.” About the number of devotees visiting the place, the district in-charge of the Punjab Mahavir Dal, Pawan Bansal, said, “This time, it is expected to be at least 25 per cent more than last year.” Speaking about the importance of the ‘sarovar’, a lady who was bathing her six-month-old-son, said, “This water has a miraculous powers as it removes all skin ailments.” People were found getting the heads of even little babies shaved for the first time to perform their “mundan” ceremony. Speaking about the history of the temple, one of the priests said that the fair takes place every six months. On the sixth ‘Navratra’, it is believed that the deity, Jawala Devi, herself comes to the temple and showers blessings on the devotees. Arrangements were made for fire tenders to be deployed to deal with any eventuality but keeping in view the rush, it appeared that the number of policemen deployed were less in number.
	Security beefed up in region Tribune News Service Bathinda, April 11 A Jammu and Kashmir-based militant outfit has reportedly issued a threat to blow up the Ferozepur railway station and several other railway stations, including Ludhiana. A letter sent to station superintendent of the Ferozepur railway station, reportedly by self-styled area commander of Lashkar-e-Toiba Wasim Ansari, has threatened to carry out explosions at Ferozepur, Bathinda, Jalandhar and Ludhiana railway stations, besides bus stands and several cinema halls located in these areas, highly placed sources said. Written on an inland letter card, Ansari ostensibly also threatened to blow up some religious places of the region. It is also stated in the letter that the Jaish-e-Mohammed was supporting Lashkar-e-Toiba. The Ferozepur station superintendent reportedly received the letter, written in Hindi, on Thursday. On the other hand, when contacted, Bathinda railway protection force (RPF) sub-inspector Bikar Singh said that security had already been tightened and strict vigil was being maintained on the railway station to avoid any untoward incident. While the district police has intensified its search operations of public places, including city railway station, bus stand and hotels to nab suspicious persons, experts also do not discount the possibility of it being a hoax call.
	Murder Case Life sentence for 4 Tribune News Service Bathinda, April 11 The local court of district and sessions judge Kuldip Singh, has awarded life imprisonment to four persons, including two brothers, in a murder case. The court awarded life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 50,000 each to the convicts. In case of non-payment of fine, the imprisonment would be extended by one year. The accused includes Jasbir Singh, Randhir Singh (both brothers), Mangal Singh and Jagvir Singh. As per court proceedings, Gian Singh had allegedly murdered Jasbir Singh and Randhir Singh’s father some four years back. The police had registered a case of murder against Gian Singh, a resident of Mehraj village. But the police, after thorough investigation of the case, found Gian Singh innocent and released him. The brothers, not satisfied with the outcome of the police investigation, had made up their mind to take revenge on Gian Singh for their father’s murder. On December 22, 2006, the brothers, along with their maternal uncle Mangal Singh and brother-in-law Jagvir Singh, attacked Gian Singh with swords when he was returning to his home after shopping, killing Gian Singh on the spot. The court held the four guilty of the murder charge and awarded life imprisonment to them.
	Hunt on for missing lieutenant Tribune News Service Bathinda, April 11 A massive manhunt has been launched to locate Lieutenant Abhishek Naik who went missing from the New Delhi Railway on Sunday (April 6). An officer of the 10th Sikh Light Infantry Regiment, 24-year-old Abhishek was returning to his base unit at Bathinda after spending his annual leave with his family at Mumbai when he disappeared mysteriously. The officer was described by the Army authorities here as ‘very calm, composed and professional, who would not pick up a fight with anyone in the train.’ His colleagues here said that he was cool by temperament and his disappearance was a mystery. The Army officials here informed that the police in Delhi have registered an FIR and intensified search for him. But the Army, though not directly connected with the search operations, has activated all channels to locate the missing officer.