Bathinda, November 20
Since the government introduced the atta-dal scheme, it has been surrounded by inquiries at all levels.

Unfortunately, those who deserve to avail of the benefits of this scheme have not been able to do so, whereas some rich people are availing of the benefits by getting their cards made for this scheme by government officers.

Noticing this, the state government has instructed district officials to carry out a verification of those who are availing of this scheme and deserve to benefit but due to certain circumstances, could not get their atta-dal scheme cards made.

The government had earlier noticed some people who were taking advantage of this scheme by adopting wrong means. The authorities received a large numbers of complaints against such people but it seems that the action taken was not enough. Citing irregularities in the scheme, the government has once again decided to sort out things.

After this verification, it would be highlighted as to how many people are availing of this scheme and how many deserve to avail of this scheme. The people who are availing of this scheme but do not deserve to would also be found out.

Around 75,000 people are benefiting under the scheme in the city. Some had complained to the deputy commissioner recently that many rich people and even government officials are snatching away their rights by getting fake cards made to make use of the atta-dal system.

The government has issued written orders to all DCS to start verification under this scheme. The sarpanches and patwaris will be responsible for checking every card under the atta-dal scheme in their areas. The government has asked the task to be completed within 15 days. The verification also has to be conducted for old-age pensioners in the city. Around 80,000 pensioners are benefiting under the scheme.

DC Rahul Tewari, when contacted, said, "We are aware that 75,000 people are getting the benefit of the scheme, but it is difficult for us to check all the cards. We would still make an effort to check them. The SDM will make the list. At present, the staff is busy with election duty as the revision of electoral rolls is going on. We would take at least 15-20 days in completing the verification of the atta-dal and old-age pension schemes. We will undertake the exercise after the elections.” 

Moga, November 20
Residents of the local town were forced to live under unhygienic conditions since Wednesday after the municipal council sweepers began their three-day protest against the state government for not considering their long-pending demands.

The demands of the sweepers include regularisation of the services of temporary employees, technical grade for sewerage safai sewaks, release of the fifth pay commission’s report, waiving of loans of government banks and corporations and jobs on compassionate ground to the wards of temporary, contractual and regular deceased employees.

The sweepers instead of going on routine duty walked down the streets of the town from the office of the local body protesting against the state government and assembled at the main square of the town in front of the bus stand and the main bazaar.

They raised slogans against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal, SAD chief, and blocked the traffic for about an hour.

As they tried to burn the effigy of the CM, the local SHO Ram Singh intervened and tried to prevent them from doing it.

Eye-witnesses said the SHO was roughed up by the sweepers, including the women employees. The situation had turned tense before the SHO left the spot paving the way for the sweepers to burn the effigy.

The women employees, who were in the forefront of the agitation, burnt the effigy along with their male counterparts and raised slogans against the Badal family.

The executive officer of the MC, Brij Mohan Jhamb, when contacted, admitted that the routine work of cleaning the town was affected badly but the official work was carried out by calling the clerical and other employees on demand, who were also participating in the gate rallies and protests.

Meanwhile, the residents of the town demanded that under such circumstances, when the employees of the MC were on the warpath and not doing the cleaning work properly, the authorities of the council should make alternate arrangements.

Abohar, November 20
The ruling BJP had to cut a sorry figure due to alleged misconduct of its workers in the municipal council (MC) here today.

The MC employees went on a strike, closed the main entrance of the council, staged a dharna and shouted slogans against the saffron party alleging that the husband of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor misbehaved with Prithvi Raj, an employee in the street lights maintenance department, on Thursday morning.

Two days back, another BJP worker had also misbehaved with the employees on the pretext of not attending to complaints regarding street lights, the agitators rued.

Executive officer Devinder Kumar Goyal interacted with the victim and other members of the Municipal Employees Union at the dharna venue.

In a memorandum submitted to Goyal, the employees demanded that the case should be referred to the police.

It rang alarm bells within the party. Mandal BJP president Ravi Setia along with other office-bearers rushed to the council complex and held negotiations with the protesting employees.

Later, MC president Shiv Raj Goyal also drove in and discussed the issue by calling the employees to his office besides the party worker involved in today’s incident.

He assured the employees that such incidents would not be repeated.

Bathinda, November 20
After the Elephant brand, sale of the West Way ordinary Portland cement (OPC) manufactured in Pakistan is gradually picking up here.

Pakistani cements hit the market here earlier this year when India gave a green signal for its import. However, the imports dropped to a trickle during the monsoon due to fear of it getting destroyed in rain. But once again, its import was picking up due to large-scale construction activity.

A local dealer, Raj Kumar, said that he was selling around 5000 bags of Pakistani cement every month. Its demand was expected to increase once the current economic turmoil was over, he expected.

He said that people prefer to use the OPC rather than the Portland Pozzolana cement (PPC) that was being manufactured here by mixing fly-ash, whereas OPC is manufactured in the form of different grades, the most common in India being Grade-53, Grade-43, and Grade-33.

OPC is manufactured by burning siliceous materials like limestone at 1400 degree Celsius and thereafter grinding it with gypsum.

Raj Kumar said that the Pakistani OPC is cheaper by about Rs 30 per bag as compared to the Indian one. Most of the manufacturers here were manufacturing PPC as fly ash was being supplied to them from the local thermal power stations.

He said that the Pakistani cement was in great demand by cement pipe manufacturing units.

Abohar, November 20
About 100-feet wide breach in the Malukpura sub-canal near here inundated hundreds of acres of agricultural land of nearby farm houses today.

As per official record, the farmers informed the irrigation department about the breach at 3:30 in the morning and assisted the staff in stopping the flow of water to other areas.

However, the work on plugging the breach is expected to be taken up tomorrow after supply from the headworks in the sub-canal was completely suspended. A message in this regard was flashed in the morning, sources said.

Farmers feared that the recently-sown wheat crop would be completely destroyed. 

Bathinda, November 20
Womenfolk have a reason to cheer now as the strike called by television workers and producers is on the verge of ending.

It may be noted that due to the strike, which began on November 8, entertainment channels could not telecast fresh episodes of serials and telecasts had to be repeated.

The strike was called because of alleged disparity in pay between the grassroot workers and those who are at the top level in the television industry. The television workers were asking for wages at par with their colleagues in the film industry, more breaks while shooting and better working conditions.

Thankfully, the producers and the TV workers reached a consensus yesterday and viewers would get to watch their favorite daily soaps again. It was reported yesterday that the dispute between the producers and the workers has finally been settled. The news brought smiles back on the faces of people, especially women, in the city.

Parminder, a housewife staying on Power House road, said, "I am an avid TV viewer and am crazy for soaps but due to some problem, which I don't know, the channels were broadcasting repeat episodes of all soap operas.

Because of this, my children watched only movies and cartoons while other family members watched news and other channels. I could not watch entertainment channels because whatever was being shown was old and I had seen them already. But I have heard that the problem has been resolved and I am looking forward to see the soaps again." Dimple from ZEE TV, Mumbai office, when contacted, told TNS that the channel was working out dates for telecasting fresh episodes and that viewers would be informed through the channel about the schedule.

A Sony TV spokesperson from Mumbai told the TNS that the meeting between the broadcasters and other people concerned was going on and the channel was waiting for the decision that they would reach after the meeting was over.

"We would decide whether the episodes are to be telecast from Monday or later after we know what happened at the meeting. We are yet to come to a decision," a Sony spokesperson added.

Pooja, a student of the DAV College, said, "I hope the strike gets resolved soon. I switch on the TV everyday in the evening in the hope that a new episode would be shown but I get disappointed everyday."

On the one hand are those who are waiting for the strike to get over whereas there are others who wish that the strike goes on forever. The league includes children and men who stated that they were happy that they were able to watch cartoons, news and movies.

Kunal, a Class X student felt, "I am happy that my mother does not get to watch the crying woman. I don't understand what makes her so unhappy and what happiness my mother gains out of watching someone crying. I have heard that the strike due to which soaps were being repeated would soon come to an end but I want this strike to go on forever. At least we get dinner on time and get to sleep peacefully on time."

Whether the strike comes to an end or not but the hope that it would soon end has surely made many women happy across the country. 

Bathinda, November 20
Never in his 17 years of academic career did he thought that he would end up selling vegetables on the roadside to eke out a living for himself.

He was equally oblivious of the fact that the part-time service that he offered to his family business along with his studies would finally become his calling. He is almost a graduate armed with computer skills but without a job thus revealing the pathetic state of affairs in the state.

Ram Lakhan was in class VIII when he started lending his father a helping hand in his part-time vegetable business. His father works with GNDTP as a helper. Lakhan grew up doing his 10+2 from MHR Senior Secondary School, Nai Basti here. He did his BA first year from DAV College, Bathinda, on regular basis.

A couple of years back, Lakhan started providing full-time service to the family business but not at the cost of studies. He got himself enrolled in BA second year for the distance education course from the IGNOU, New Delhi. Meanwhile, he did a computer course of two years duration. "I had never bunked class," said the 24-year-old. At present, he is a final year student.

He asked, "What was the use of spending time, money and energy on studies?" The only benefit was that he could now count and was able to fill up the job application forms. "No use otherwise."

"I don't want to take up a private job of Rs 2,500 per month as I earn nearly Rs 250 a day on an average by selling vegetables," he said. The vegetable seller rued that there was no government job available to him.

Lakhan argues that on the one hand, the government does not arrange for jobs to the educated youth while on the other, if someone gets into self-employment, the road is not quite smooth for him.

"I have heard that the BMC people are contemplating on driving us out of the place where we sell vegetables. What is my fault?"

"You can't get a government job unless you have Rs 3 lakh to offer as bribe or you are very good at studies," he added.

Lakhan goes to 'Mandi' at 5 in the morning, fetch vegetables for selling purpose, return to arrange them at the roadside rehri till his brother comes by 11. Later, he goes back home, takes bath, food and bit of rest. He returns to the job by 3 pm to work till 9 at night.

His brother did 10+2 this year and Lakhan wanted that he does BCA. But his brother is reluctant and asks, "What is the use spending so much on the course and end up doing the job that does not require any technical skills."

Bathinda, November 20
To implement bus passes in private buses, Punjab Students Union (Shaheed Randhawa) conducted a rally at the ITI in the city today. During this rally, fund was also collected from the students. District general secretary Manpreet Singh said the rally was conducted to demand passes in private buses, scheduled route for buses and check hooliganism of private bus owners. Students would hold a mass rally to support the three demands they have on November 25. Manpreet claimed that the real face of the private bus owners would be revealed during the protest on November 25.

Another rally was conducted by the students at the Malwa College citing the same reasons.

The union leaders appealed to all the students to come forward and take part in the forthcoming rally. Pawel Kussa, state president of PSU (Shaheed Randhawa), addressed the rally at the Malwa College. 

Bathinda, November 20
In a case related to bribery, Kuldeep Singh, sessions judge with the district court, today sentenced two officials with the Railway department, Barnala, to two years of imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 5,000 each. According to information available, complainant Shashi Kant Sharma, a contractor, contacted Surinderpal Singh, section engineer with the Railways, to get his security with the Railways refunded. For the job, Surinderpal asked Rs 3,000 but the deal was struck at Rs 2,500.

However, Sharma informed the Vigilance Bureau officials. Acting upon it, a team led by DSP Jagdish Mittar caught Surinderpal and supervisor Darshan Singh red-handed while taking bribe. A case was registered under the IPC. — TNS

Ferozepur, November 20
Four members of a Ludhiana-based family died on the spot following a road accident in the morning today when the Maruti car bearing registration number PB 10 AX 7366 in which they were travelling, collided with a tractor-trailer.

The deceased have been identified as Jaspal Singh, son of Mohinder Singh, Baljit Kaur, wife of Jaspal Singh, Manmohan Singh and Pritam Kaur, all residents of Shimla Puri, Ludhiana.

According to information available, the family was coming to Ferozepur to attend ‘antim ardas’ (a religious ceremony) of Jagir Singh, uncle of Baljit Kaur, at Basti Gajjansingh Wala in village Satianwala on the Moga road.

Abohar, November 20
One Raju, son of Teja Singh of village Gobindgarh near here, reportedly committed suicide today by hanging himself from a tree on the road that linked the village with Abohar town. His bicycle, blanket and shoes were found near the tree.

As the victim could not be identified earlier, the local police handed over the body to an NGO after registering an FIR under section 174 of the CrPC.

However, in the evening, the brother of the deceased identified the body.

The bereaved family was not in a position to ascertain the reason behind the suicide.

Abohar, November 20
A man has complained to the police here today that his son, who was believed to have died a natural death recently, was actually murdered allegedly by his daughter-in-law and her alleged lover.

One Pohla Singh cremated his son Jasbir Singh about a fortnight back believing that the latter died a natural death but the case took a dramatic turn today.

Sources in the local police said Jasbir originally hailed from Karampatti village and had later settled at the Government Seed Farm colony located on the outskirts of this town. He died on November 7 and the bereaved parents cremated him believing it to be a case of natural death.

However, reliable sources revealed that Jasbir had been objecting to the alleged illicit relations of his wife Navpreet Kaur with one Nirmal Singh of Barnala. Navpreet had married Jasbir in 1998 and the couple had a daughter and a son.

It is alleged that Navpreet developed relations with Nirmal about two years back and Jasbir took strong notice of it. The couple had a strained relationship due to the alleged affair.

As per the complaint made to the police, now Pohla Singh alleged that Navpreet alias Pal Kaur and her alleged lover Nirmal had strangled his son to death on November 7 under a well-hatched conspiracy.

The police had registered a case under sections 302, 34 of the IPC after preliminary investigation, sources said.

Mansa, November 20
“Unemployment and illiteracy are the major reasons for the increasing trend of drug addiction in Mansa region”. Dr Sanjeev, Medical Officer, disclosed it at drug de-addiction centre, Mansa.

There was a need to create awareness among people particularly youths and provide job opportunities for them, he added.

He informed that nearly four-five drug addicts visit the OPD of the centre daily for the treatment.

Nearly 25 to 30 patients are admitted in the centre every month and around 70 per cent patients belong to poor families, he rued.

The initial stage of treatment is detoxification. After some days counselling and yoga are started. Counselling of family members is also compulsory for the purpose of drug de-addiction.

Dr Sanjeev stressed on the need for massive campaigning against the increasing trend of drug addiction.

Now, tablets and capsules have been replacing traditional drugs like puppy husk and opium.

Meanwhile, CPI leader, Buta Singh and radical people forum leader, Jaspal Kokhar and some other prominent personalities of the city and villages said that lack of industrial development in the district had led to unemployment and drug addiction in the region.

On the other hand, some youths belonging to the district admitted that they could not get any job and became drug addicts under mental stress. They informed that drugs are easily available for them at many chemist shops.

Mansa, November 20
Punjabi language should be implemented as an official language in all the government offices, this was decided in the meeting of district officials that was presided over by deputy commissioner Kumar Rahul yesterday.

The meeting was held at the end of the Punjabi Week, which was observed from November 12–19. Some literary persons raised the demand that the judicial work should be done in Punjabi so that a common person can understand the decisions and procedure of the judiciary.

They also demanded that the competitive exams for IAS and PCS should also be conducted in the Punjabi medium, at least in Punjab.

Among others who attended the meeting were ADC Baljit Singh Sandhu, SDM Gurjeet Singh Panu and district language officer Balvir Singh.

Abohar, November 20
Finding Ranji Trophy stars playing at the Nehru Stadium here might have been a distant dream. But the Chander Cricket Club has been able to invite the well-known cricketers as a part of the 32 teams from different parts of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Chandigarh. The teams are participating in the 20-20 National Open Cricket Tournament that had been going on since November 9.

Today, the fans were amazed over the presence of Rahat Ali (Ranji UP), Naman Sharma (Indian Airlines), Robin Chaudhary (Minor county), Rahul Arora (Vijay Trophy Delhi), Sanjay Mahajan, Babloo, Sukhwinder and Amit Kakria (Ranji Punjab), Vivek Verma (Delhi under-19), Shakti Singh Chauhan (Commonwealth Games 2006), Abhishek Sukhija (Air Force), Bhupinder (Indian Railways), Jaskaran (Haryana under-19), Vipan Chaudhary (National Cricket Academy), Vipul Chadha (Ranji Haryana), Pankaj Joshi (Ranji Delhi), Raj Paul (Ranji Rajasthan), Gautam Mandora (Punjab under-22) and others.

Organising secretary Rajinder Girdhar informed that in pool A, the Abohar XI had reached the semi-final while in pool B, the Bobby XI, Fazilka, will play the quarter-final against Rajpura XI tomorrow. The semi-finals and finals are fixed for November 24 and 25.

Meanwhile, on the day 12, the PSEB defeated the Baba Cricket Club, Sriganganagar, by eight wickets. Playing first, the Baba Cricket Club made 123 in 20 overs at the loss of six wickets. Bablu scored 27 off 19 deliveries whereas Ranji stars Mohan Singh and Bablu added 25 and 21 runs respectively. Karanveer of the PSEB claimed three wickets for 21 runs.

While batting for the PSEB, Sandeep Kohli scored 58 and Kali added 34 to it facilitating the winners win in the 15th over. Sandeep Kohli was declared the man of the match.