Abohar, August 7
The long wait for much-hyped National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), funded by the Central government, came to an end today as the deputy commissioner Megh Raj formally inaugurated the first project under the scheme at village Alamgarh located near the city bypass here. Interestingly, the SAD-BJP-led state government had been under fire for not utilising huge funds under NREGA since its formation in February 2007. This had hampered cleansing of canals which resulted in breaches leading to losses that run in billions of rupees besides the crops.

Addressing the gathering which included a large number of women who had been issued job cards under the scheme for manual work, the DC said that each of the eligible workers would get work for 100 days. The administration had planned in such a way that the contractors would not be in a position to exploit the workers. The remuneration at Rs 102 per day would be deposited by cheques in the bank account of each worker. They must get their account opened soon in the bank to avoid any inconvenience, he advised. Initially sub-canals are to be cleaned under the scheme. "You must realise that the Central government is refunding your hard earned money which you had paid under different taxes so ensure its judicious utilisation. The scheme is aimed at giving you a chance to earn for the family," he exhorted. Old age literacy centre would also be opened here, he assured.

Balluana MLA Gurtej Singh Ghuriana said that Rs 35 lakh had been received for different development projects in this village and all works would be started soon. SDM N.S. Brar also addressed the meeting. Sarpanch Luxmi Narain Mahar was among those present.

The villagers demanded steps to prevent accumulation of rain water in the government school, construction of road to the cremation ground, replacement of the canal bridge on Alamgarh-Dharampura road that was better known as "death trap" besides opening of veterinary dispensary in the village.

Moga, August 7
The police today moved an application before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Tarsem Lal Mangla to discharge head constable Paramjit Singh and constable Balbir Singh from charges of raping a deaf and dumb girl here on last Monday.

The CJM accepted the application but declined to discharge the cops verbally maintaining that such a decision could not be taken before the identification parade of the culprits that was scheduled for August 11 in the presence of any local magistrate, said Lakhvir Singh additional public prosecutor of the district.

These cops were presently lodged in the local jail under judicial custody. An FIR under sections 376 and 120B of the IPC was registered against them after an identification parade held in the presence of local SDM in which the victim identified them. Two other persons who allegedly raped the girl were also booked in this case.

Later, during investigations, besides the cops, the police had arrested three persons Sonu, Lakhwinder Singh and Deepak for allegedly raping the deaf and dumb girl. They all were sent to judicial custody by the court.

The victim was sent to the Nari Niketan at Jalandhar by a local court since her whereabouts were not known to the police. She would be brought from Jalandhar by the police for identification parade on August 11 in the local jail.

The deputy superintendent of police (detective and city) Balwinder Singh maintained that the cops were not involved in rape rather they rescued her from three persons who raped her. Since, the girl was deaf and dumb she misunderstood and mistakenly pointed out at the policemen in front of the SDM following which the criminal case was registered against them, he said. "A fresh identification parade will be held in the jail following orders of the court and the truth will come out", he added.

Adding that the police department would initiate a departmental inquiry against these cops of the motorcycle squad for having not informed the incident to the SHO of the concerned police station, he said that they should have taken the girl to the hospital for medical check-up and then got registered a criminal case in this regard instead of leaving her in lurch. 

Bathinda, August 7
In Ward 47 and 49 of Veer Colony and Shakti Nagar localities of the city, smiles come rarely. Ask people questions, and they are likely to rattle off a litany of complaints. Mostly, they aren't exaggerating. The sewerage and street pavements are rarely cleaned. The areas in and around the wards is inundated during rains. Recently rainwater even entered houses in Ward 49.

Shakti Nagar, Veer Colony and Amrik Singh Road were the worst affected. "There's almost no arrangement for drainage here," says Raman of Veer Colony. After showers, water overflows on the roads, sewers are choked with garbage from overflowing bins and consequently, low-lying areas are flooded. At times, sullage bubbles out of manhole covers finds its way to houses and gives a foul smell.

Raman, too, alleges that the councillor of Ward No. 47 is ignoring the area as he belongs to the Opposition. "This is against the democratic feelings of the people who voted only for the development of their area." Mohan Lal, a resident of Ward No. 47 told TNS that only a four-inch sewer pipe was laid some 10 years ago for 500 houses. It is woefully inadequate for 500 houses, including a college. The sewer pipe often overflows, gets mixed with drinking water, resulting in the outbreak of an epidemic in the area.

Residents, who live fearing the outbreak of an epidemic, approached the BMC authorities many times along with councillors of these wards, Jasveer Singh Jassa and Rachna Oberoi, but no help has been forthcoming. Ward councillors said they would do something about it and the BMC authorities said they had sent teams to clear the blocked sewerage. 

Moga, August 7
Former minister and sitting Congress MLA from Baghapurana Darshan Singh Brar is in trouble. He is likely to lose the post of Managing Director (MD) of the Moga Central Cooperative Bank Limited.

The cooperative department allegedly under political pressure has initiated a process to dissolve the cooperative society through which he filed his nomination for getting elected as the Director of the bank.

During the previous Congress government, after winning the election of the Board of Directors, Brar was elected as the Managing Director of the bank. He was still continuing on this prestigious post even after the change of guard in the state.

The Deputy Registrar of the cooperative department D.R. Sharma, when contacted, revealed that the state government had decided to tighten the noose around all those cooperative societies that were not working properly for the past many years and were surviving merely on paper.

Although he was not able to give details of the cooperative society through which Darshan Brar was elected as the director, but he said that his society could be one of the defunct societies that were not working properly.

The Assistant Registrar (AR) of the cooperative department Manjit Singh confirmed that the 'fruit, vegetable marketing and processing cooperative society' registered by Brar with the department was 'under winding' process. "I have written to the higher authorities to dissolve this cooperative society," he added.

The AR claimed that this society was not working properly for the past many years and there were many audit objections against it. "It is not the only one society many more societies have been put under winding process," he added.

On the other hand, Darshan Brar when contacted, alleged that senior Akali leaders of the area influenced official machinery to bring this society 'under winding' process without any reasons in a bid to dissolve it so that he could be removed from the post of MD of the cooperative bank.

As per procedure, the department, after dissolving the society, would serve a notice to the MD seeking explanation from him on his position and then after hearing him, a decision whether to remove him or not would be taken accordingly.

Meanwhile, Darshan has decided to move the High Court of Punjab and Haryana after receiving a notice to seek "justice" as he feared that senior authorities of the cooperative department under pressure from the ruling party were bent upon removing him from the MD's post. 

Bathinda, August 7
Income tax sleuths swooped on seven business establishments of Bathinda's business tycoon, Rajinder Mittal, including his house in the city today.

Terming these as search raids, a top income tax official said that about 50 income tax sleuths, on the instructions of Vijay Kumar, Director, Income Tax (Investigation), Ludhiana, and led by Abha Singh, Additional Director, Income Tax, Amritsar, conducted simultaneous raids on all the seven business establishments of Rajinder Mittal-Bhatinda Chemicals Ltd, Ganpati Enclave, Sheesh Mahal, Sushant City-I, Sushant City-II, Ansal-Mittal group offices and his house.

Declining to give any details, the Additional Director said the raids were carried out in other districts also but the main raid was conducted here and the person connected with the target here was raided in the city.

According to information available, the officials confiscated relevant documents concerned with income tax evasion from the offices and house of the businessman. It was also reported that the income tax sleuths also quizzed two leading realtors associated with the business magnate.

The team started the raids at around 8.30 in the morning and continued till the filing of the report. It is learnt that Mittal was away to Delhi to attend to his ailing father there when the raids were carried out. Since morning, many rumours were doing rounds in the city that the raids were being conducted in the city in connection with the tax evasion by property dealers. Panic was created in the city and property dealers fled the city carrying with them documents related to sale-purchase of property. Newspapers offices were also receiving countless telephone calls by unidentified callers who were informing about the raids on some persons' premises. But most of the calls were found to be fake. 

Barnala, August 7
Barnala deputy commissioner R.L. Mehta today said that students could travel in the government buses with their bus passes but these traditional bus passes would not be valid for travelling free of cost in private mini-buses.

He said that if the students want to avail of the facility of free travel in mini-buses, then they should have bus passes meant for mini-buses.

He said that sometimes the student quarrel with the bus conductors for travelling free of cost in mini-buses that lead to clash between private transporters and students and cause law and order problems in the district.

So, to prevent the occurrence of such incidents, he suggested that the parents of the students should encourage them to make have separate passes for mini and regular buses.

He warned that violation of this could invite legal action against the students concerned.

Bathinda, August 7
College students with bus passes have complained of severe physical and mental torture at the hands of drivers and conductors, who not only ignore them but treat them indecently.

Not a single day passes when students of various colleges and technical institutions are not caught up in a brush with drivers or conductors for a simple reason that the latter are seldom willing to let bus-pass holder students board the bus.

Naveen Gupta, a pass-holder and B.Com final-year student of a local college, contends, "The same endless wait, the same agony, the same clashes, and the same old story every day. My classmates and I have to board a bus from Bhucho Kalan but PRTC bus drivers, it seems, regard us as untouchables. On seeing the students,  they speed away and if at all they are forced to halt to board passengers, we remain their most unwelcome guests."

Narrating his tale of woe, Dinesh Bansal, a B.Com first-year student, says, "On July 14, I was standing with other boys to board a bus from Bhucho Kalan in the morning when a PRTC bus halted half a kilometre away from the main bus stop. Hardly had I stepped in, the conductor blew the whistle. As a result, I fell and sustained injuries."

The problem of girl pass-holders is worse. Sushma (name changed) complains, "Boys still manage to board bus by chasing it. But it is difficult for us. Moreover, conductors try to take undue advantage of our pleas and behave indecently."

The students have warned that if nothing was done to improve the situation, they would not mind resorting to violence.

Iqbal Singh, general manager, PRTC, Bathinda, said, "If we receive any specific complaint, we will take action. For the time being, I will pass instructions to drivers and conductors in this regard. In addition, inspectors will be deputed at particular stations so that students do not suffer."

Abohar, August 7
The Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU) has welcomed the announcement by the DAV Colleges Managing Committee on implementation of the Panjab University Syndicate decisions regarding long-pending demands of the teachers.

The PCCTU president Iqbal Singh Sandhu said that he had met G.P. Chopra president of the managing committee at New Delhi and also discussed the demands with Director Colleges M.L. Aery as well as Director Schools H.R. Gandhar there thrice. They were very sympathetic and cooperative. In fact the PCCTU had been fighting for pension, gratuity and other demands for more than 15 years. Unfortunately, only the Panjab University had come forward to take some positive decision whereas other universities in the state were still to include the provision for gratuity and pension for teachers of the privately managed aided colleges. This virtually deprives the staff working in the private colleges those were affiliated to the Guru Nanak Dev University and Punjabi University of similar benefits, Sandhu regretted.

G.P. Chopra had in a communication sent to principal B.B. Sharma principal of the DAV College, Abohar on Tuesday had confirmed that the DAV College Managing Committee had decided to implement the decisions which were taken by the Panjab University during the meeting of its Syndicate regarding deduction of CPF on the total salary of the staff of the colleges. The decisions related to the salary including all allowances except HRA would be implemented with effect from April 1, 2008. Leave encashment will also be made applicable to the staff with effect from the same date. 

Mansa, August 7
Dilraj Singh Bhunder and Gurmail Kaur were today elected the chairman and the vice-chairperson respectively of the Mansa Zila Parishad. Elections for the posts were held at Zila Parishad Bhawan here. SDM Gujit Singh Pannu was present during the elections.

It may be recalled that elections for the post of the Zila Parishad chief was stayed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on a civil writ petition filed by Ajit Inder Singh Moffer, MLA, on July 15. The HC had vacated the stay on August 5.

Addressing a meeting, Balwinder Singh Bhunder, general secretary of the SAD, said that the state government was committed to the development and welfare of all sections of society.

Dilraj Singh Bhunder said that he would concentrate on the development and welfare works. 

Bathinda, August 7
The axe of the forest department has now fallen on hundreds of trees, on the pretext of widening the road, growing by the roadside on national highway (NH) 64, which leads to Dabwali from Bathinda.

The development, in a city already affected badly by air and water pollution, has raised the hackles of people here.

As per the plans of the administration, the Bathinda-Dabwali national highway would become four-lane till village Jodhpur Romana.

During a visit to the spot, the TNS team found labourers busy cutting and loading the trees on tractor-trailers. The trees were planted in double rows on both sides of the road.

When asked about the road project, XEN PWD (National Highway), Angrej Singh said, "Keeping in view the heavy traffic, the four-lane project has been approved by the central government. In the process, tender has been allotted to a private firm of Baghapurana, which would complete it within the stipulated 13-month period."

About the felling of the trees, he said that more than 90 per cent trees planted along the roadside up to village Jodhpur Romana, where the international cricket stadium project is slated to come up, would be felled.

Forest conservator Parveen Kumar, speaking over the phone from Chandigarh, said, "The department could create bottlenecks in the project but considering the public utility, we had recommended the case which has now been sanctioned by the union government."

"The trees would go to the forest corporation, which would sell them and deposit the money," he added.

Bathinda, August 7
To refute the allegations regarding false implication and harassment of party workers, Nathana area in-charge of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), Gura Singh Tungwali today arranged a show of strength at Diwan Hall of Gurdwara Hazi Rattan in the city.

Though the show of strength was attended by SGPC member Sukhdev Singh Bahia and Gurpreet Singh Maluka, son of SAD district president Sikander Singh Maluka, but it did not quite serve its purpose.

It is pertinent to mention that during the recent visit of SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal to Bathinda district, a number of sarpanches and SAD party workers accused Gura Singh of misbehaving with party men and urged Sukhbir to remove him from the post. In response, the SAD chief assured them of looking into the matter.

Addressing the issue, Gura Singh today refuted the allegations levelled against him. He said that in the complainants, except for one or two SAD workers, the rest belonged to the rival Congress party. He further alleged that the SAD workers were not aware of the mischievous tricks of Congmen, who had prompted them to facilitate a meeting with Sukhbir Badal.

Terming the demand for his removal as a baseless rumour, Gura Singh said it was all based upon a press release issued by some mischievous elements, in which they had named a number of SAD workers and sarpanches, loyal to him. Accusing two SAD workers, Laddi Singh and Vidhi Singh, as creating the drama, he said that none of them even had the primary membership of the party. He further alleged that they were not men of repute.

When asked about the poor response at the show of strength, Gura Singh Tungwali said, "It was called at short notice and we have taken it just as another party meeting, which we had not been able to arrange for a long time."

Bathinda, August 7
Twinkle Sharma, a 14-year-old student of Delhi Public School participated in Sony TV self-choreography programme, Boogie Woogie, on July 20 in Mumbai. Twinkle, who dreams of becoming a dancer of national repute, is the first from Bathinda to participate in the Kids Championship 2008, in the under-15 category.

Sharing her experiences, Twinkle praised the staff for their support but said she had to maintain a hectic schedule, from 8 am to 11 pm. The programme would be telecast on August 9, she added.

The father of the girl, Harish Kumar Sharma, an engineer with the NFL in Bathinda, said his three daughters and wife were all passionate about dance.