Bathinda, August 26
A demolition drive was carried out today in the wake of allegations levelled in a section of the media against PUDA employees saying they were conniving to facilitate encroachments in the Dhobiana Basti area of Phase III, Part I, of Urban Estate, in Bathinda.

Despite the heavy deployment of police, incidents of violence were witnessed as the residents pelted bricks on the police and PUDA authorities.

For the past one week, the old residents of the colony and some new ones were busy in raising new structures on the 15-acre piece of land (khasra number 2576, 2577 and 2578) in the locality.

It is also said that due to the alleged involvement of some BMC councillors and a SAD (B) leader, the PUDA officials turned a blind eye towards the activity.

The situation took a serious turn when a section of the media carried reports about the encroachment that was going on at full pace.

In this afternoon, a team of PUDA authorities including chief administrator KK Yadav and additional chief administrator Sibin C., accompanied by a posse of policemen, workers and machines, including tractor-trolleys, JCB and water cannon, reached the spot and started demolishing the newly constructed structures.

In the demolition drive, some old houses, adjacent to the new ones, were also demolished, which provoked the residents of the area.

They started raising slogans and pelted stones at the PUDA officials and the police men, which made the cops resort to a mild lathi-charge.

Some of the women even created a scene by lying on the road to obstruct the movement of vehicles.

To pacify the protesters, K.K. Yadav assured that only the new structures
would be demolished.

Meanwhile, the residents also started alleging that some stalwarts of the district wing of the SAD (B) were involved in the encroachment.

They alleged that these leaders had come along with their goons to carry on the construction work.

They further named a senior leader of the Bathinda unit of SAD accusing him of being hand-in-glove with the land mafia.

Lashing out at SAD (B) chief Sukhbir Badal, a number of persons, whose
constructions had been razed, accused him of not keeping his words and
getting the colony legalised.

It may be mentioned that in the demolition process, a woman, Jaswinder Kaur, reported to be in the advanced stage of pregnancy, was also injured, but no ambulance service had been arranged for during the operations.

When contacted, KK Yadav, chief administrator, PUDA, refuted the allegation regarding the connivance of PUDA employees in the encroachment.

Bathinda, August 26
The image of the Bathinda police took a severe beating today when two of its cops along with their friend were found allegedly indulging in immoral activities at a house in Bhaleria Nagar here.

The accused cops of Bathinda traffic police have been suspended and departmental inquiry has also been initiated against them while a case has been registered against their friend.

According to sources, residents of the locality nabbed them when they were allegedly in an objectionable condition with a woman.

Sources said that a retired railway employee, Swaranjeet Singh, was residing in the house. For the past one-and-a-half years, he was living alone in the house as his family had shifted to Model Town.

Sources added that Swaranjeet along with his friends, Jaswinder Singh and Randhir Singh, head constable and constable respectively with the traffic police, allegedly started doing immoral activities in the house.

On Monday night, a woman residing opposite to Swaranjeet's house saw the three in an objectionable situation with a woman.

Later, her husband, Inderpreet told them not to desist from such activities in a
residential area, sources said, adding that it irritated the accused who hurled
abuses at him.

Meanwhile, the woman fled from the rear door of the house.

The neighbours reported the matter to the senior superintendent of police, who immediately rushed a police team comprising DSP special branch, Dilbag Singh and the SHO concerned to the spot.

The police rounded them up and got them medically examined.

When contacted, Dilbag Singh confirmed that the two policemen had been suspended and a departmental inquiry had been initiated against them.

Bathinda, August 26
Flouting the eviction orders passed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court against dairies falling within the municipal corporation limits, the Bathinda Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities have failed to shift the illegal dairies running from residential areas of the city.

While five of the nine dairies have been moved out, the rest continue to operate in Partap Nagar, Shakti Nagar, Lal Basti and in areas adjoining the Qila Mubarak.

Residents said the stench emanating from the dairies was unbearable for them, especially on days when it was raining as the cow dung got mixed up with sewage.

The residents said there was only one dairy in the areas till August last year. The number of dairies increased to nine till March this year.

After five of them have shifted out, four dairies with nearly 150 animals continued to exist, causing a lot of nuisance and pollution in the areas that is inhabited by over 500 residents.

They said after the orders on shifting out dairies was passed by the high court a few years ago, the district administration had evicted the diaries from the corporation limits.

At the same time, the Cantonment Board also made similar efforts and planned to make a dairy complex on the Goniana road.

But the dairy owners refused to shift to a new site earmarked near Goniana.

The residents said they had complained to the corporation in this regard a number of times but to no avail.

They said the slackness and unjustifiable demand in taking requisite action had emboldened the dairy owners so much that they were now even threatening all those residents who complained about the matter.

Interestingly, the matter was brought to the notice of the corporation way back in March, following which the officials had visited the areas and allowed the dairies to continue till the completion of work at Goniana.

The officials had granted one month time to the dairy owners on April 16 while also stating that there would be no extension.

However, the dairy owners continue to keep their cattle.

Kamal Kant, executive officer, Bathinda Municipal Corporation, said the dairies had been served notices to remove them from the areas.

When told that four dairies were still there, he said that he would get it checked up.

Bathinda, August 26
Baba Farid Public Senior Secondary School excelled in various under-19 sports events held recently in Bathinda.

The institute bagged first position in kabaddi (boys) while in volleyball (girls) it secured second spot.

The other results were: volleyball (boys) 1, basketball (boys) 1, basketball (girls) 2, gymnastics (boys) 1, judo 40 kg (girls) 1, judo 50 kg (boys) 2, wrestling (boys) 1, badminton (boys) 2, badminton (girls) 2, table tennis (boys) 2, volleyball shooting (boys) 2, fencing (boys) 1 and in football (boys) the institute got the third position.

Bathinda, August 26
Given the change in the weather conditions again and lack of proper sanitation, the town is in the grip of viral fever.

The viral fever is widespread but no practical measures are being taken by the health officials or the Bathinda Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Though viral fever seems to have spread its tentacles in epidemic proportions, there are hardly any cases of malaria, say doctors.

The Tribune talked to a few medical specialists in the city, including prominent physician Dr M.L. Garg, who admitted that a majority of the patients were suffering from viral fever.

When asked whether he doubted it to be dengue, he said, “Nothing can be said without conducting the related tests, but it is true that platelet counts in blood were found to be less in many cases.”

“Since most of these diseases are contagious, these are spreading at a fast pace and we feel that nearly 40 per cent of population of the city could already have fallen victim to one or the other of these diseases,” he added.

He advised the people to adopt preventive measures and maintain cleanliness of
their surroundings.

When contacted, Kasturi Lal, district health officer, clarified that no dengue case was being diagnosed anywhere in the city.

Meanwhile, it was learnt that several cases of viral fever have been referred to
Ludhiana too.

Speaking on the issue, BMC authorities said they would soon convene a meeting of all officials concerned to assess the situation.

Bathinda, August 26
Activists of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) staged a dharna outside the mini-secretariat, here today to lend support to the family of Bhola Singh, the farmer from village Kot Shamir, who allegedly committed suicide as a contractor refused to pay the money due to him.

Raising slogans, the protesters alleged that Bhola Singh had 6-7 acre of land, which he had sold to pay his debt.

To earn his livelihood, he had purchased a tractor and deployed it in the construction work going on at a private colony on the city’s outskirts.

The contractor, Tony Bansal, who had hired his tractor, reportedly gave a vague response when asked to pay his dues, which was around Rs 4 lakh.

The village panchayat and activists of the union met him several times, but he refused to pay.

Frustrated, Bhola Singh consumed poison and ended his life. He is survived by his father, mother, wife and two children.

A delegation of the union met the deputy commissioner Rahul Tewari and
submitted a memorandum.

The DC marked the inquiry to the SDM concerned and also forwarded a letter to the SSP asking him to look into the case.

He assured the protesters that if their case turns out to be valid, then a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh would be granted to the family of the deceased from the CM’s Relief Fund.

Later, the protesters took out a peaceful march towards Fauji Chowk in the city.

Abohar, August 26
Two persons were grievously injured in a mishap on the Abohar-Malout road here today. According to information available, senior Bharatiya Kisan Union (Lakhowal) activist Gopal Bhagsar and Leelu Ram, the driver of the Scorpio van they were travelling in, were injured seriously.

They, along with some other persons, were going to Chandigarh for some work. As the vehicle crossed Balluana village, one of its tyre got punctured.

The driver parked the vehicle on the road side and started replacing the tyre while Bhagsar watched him doing so.

They were reportedly hit by an Indica car that was overtaking the parked vehicle. Bhagsar received a head injury.

Both were first taken to a hospital at Malout but the doctors referred them to a super-specialties hospital as their condition was critical.

Abohar, August 26
The ongoing factionalism in the chemists fraternity took a serious turn today. V.P. Dogra, general secretary of the Punjab Chemists Association (PCA), in a communication addressed to the district presidents and secretaries, informed that on the recommendations made through the letters by the chairman of the Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) Chaman Lal Kakkar, the so called president along with his district Ferozepur unit is no more attached/affiliated to the PCA.

Kakkar had been expelled from the primary membership of the PCA, Dogra stated.

Meanwhile, Pardeep Narang, executive president of the District Ferozepore Chemists Association said in a release this evening that the units would be reactivated soon.

State president Surjit Mehta and secretary V.P. Dogra had conducted a meeting of the chemists of the district here last week.

They had dissolved the district unit besides expelling the district president Kakkar.

Reacting to this, the president of the Wholesale Chemists Association had dissolved the local unit.

Importantly, different factions in the chemists' fraternity had been keeping their fingers crossed for last few months.

Some alleged that raids were conducted by health department at certain medicine shops under the diktats of the other faction due to professional constraints.

Barnala, August 26
The election to the post of presidentship of the municipal committee, Tapa, were held today after they were postponed thrice on the trot.

Binder Singh has been elected for the top post while Tirlocan Bansal has been elected as vice-president.

The elections were held in the presence of SP (City) Kushi Kumar and was supervised by ADC Barnala Harjeet Singh.

It may be recalled that the High Court had disqualified the candidature of Nagar Singh alias Nago, ex-president of the MC, for the post.

In the house of total 14 councillors, Nago and Binder had the support of equal number of councillors.

Labh Singh, Bhim Sen, Madan Lal, Jitender Kaur, Tirlochan Bansal and Dhanaula MLA Kuldeep Bhathal participated in the elections.

Barnala, August 26
Demanding abolition of the contract system, the Safai Karamchari Union here staged a dharna before the Municipal Committee’s office today.

They alleged that the contractor does not pay them according to the prescribed rates for labour as approved by the DC.

Ram Kali, who presided over the dharna, demanded that the contract system for sweepers should be abolished as it was exploiting them.

Some of the contractual sweepers are working for past 11 years.

The union demanded from the state government either to regularise their services or provide them the minimum DC rates, which was Rs 3,000 per month.

Later, the safai karmcharis presented a memorandum of their demands to
the MC president.

The protesters warned that if there demands were not met, they would not call for a strike in the city.

In the past too, safai sewaks did not lift the garbage in the city for 15 days on the trot thereby causing great inconvenience to the city residents.

Mansa, August 26
A painting competition for children were organised by the Children Welfare Council, Mansa at the Government Senior Secondary School (Boys) here today.

The contestants were clubbed in five groups on the basis of age. The groups included the two groups of physically challenged kids.

Vidushi of DAV Senatry Public School, Mansa bagged the first position in the age group of 5 to 8 years. Ramandeep Kaur of Dashmesh Public School, Mansa and Jatin of DAV School, Mansa got second and third place respectively in the age group.

In the age-group of 9 to 12 years, Deep Davinder Singh of Khalsa High School, Mansa got first prize while Arvinder of same school and Gulshan Kumar of the host school bagged second and third positions respectively.

Baljinder Singh of Khalsa High School received first position and Caffee of DAV School got second and Gagan Deep Singh of Khalsa High School got third position in the age group of 13 to 16 years.

In the contest for physically challenged kids, Binta Singh of Khalsa High School, Mansa, Aarti Rani of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Budhlada and Priyanka Verma also of Government Girls Senior Secondary School, Budhlada bagged the top three prizes, respectively.

The top three position holders of all the group would take part in the divisional-level competitions scheduled to be held at Ferozepur on September 2.

Chief guest Amritpal Goyal distributed prizes among the winners.