Bathinda, January 8
Chaos prevailed at the petrol pumps here as most outlets went dry today due to a nationwide strike of officers of various petroleum companies. Police had to be called to maintain order at the petrol pumps where fuel was available and long queues of vehicles were waiting for re-fuelling.

With officials of the two oil companies, Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), launching protest against the government at the national level, the city has been hit with dipping fuel supply and vehicle owners getting panicky over the situation.

Most of the filling stations had put "no stock" boards by the afternoon. As soon as word about the shortage spread, people started making a beeline to petrol pumps.

Baljeet Singh Mann, owner of a filling station, said "there was no supply of fuel since yesterday.

Dr.Gurdev Singh, a resident of the town, lamented that normal life would get crippled if the strike continued.

However, filling stations of the Hindustan Petroleum did a flourishing business as their supplies were unaffected. Some people had no clue about why the fuel supply had been affected and when was the situation expected to improve.

Smadh Bhai (Moga), January 8
President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (B) Sukhbir Singh Badal has announced that the NDA, of which his party is a part of, will reduce the prices of petrol by at least Rs 15 and that of diesel by Rs 10 per litre if voted to power in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. He was addressing a public gathering here today.

Sukhbir said the reduction in petrol and diesel prices by the Congress-led UPA government was just an eyewash, as it was much less than the expectations of the common people and the transporters keeping in view the fall that international crude oil price has witnessed.

Lashing out at the UPA, he said it was misleading the people on this issue as crude prices had decreased from $ 147 to $ 50 per barrel, which was equivalent to the oil prices almost five years back. Adding that the oil prices should have been reduced to the amount that was prevailing in the country five years back, he said no relief had been provided on LPG and kerosene prices.

The SAD-chief said in the present situation of economic meltdown, the Union government could have controlled inflation besides providing boost to the economy by reducing the fuel prices.

Referring to the initiatives taken by his party for the welfare of common people, Sukhbir claimed that only the SAD had come out with welfare schemes for every section of the society. He asserted that his party’s aim was to reduce the gap between the poor and the rich coupled with the overall development of the state.

The SAD-chief distributed cheques of Rs 3 crore and Rs 1.28 crore to as many as 44 panchayats of Panjgraeen and 20 panchayats of Baghapurana assembly constituency, respectively. The works on Baghapurana bypass and power grid at village Rode was started in his presence. Besides, he also gave a cheque of Rs 2 crore for the development of Baghapurana town.

Meanwhile, during their speeches, Paramjeet Kaur Gulshan, MP, Bathinda, and party’s senior vice-presidents Gurdev Singh Badal and Jathedar Tota Singh demanded that Sukhbir should be appointed as the chief minister of Punjab soon.

Later, the junior Badal addressed an impressive rally at village Wadda Ghar, where he gave away documents of ownership to 25 SC/BC families. The families had built houses on government land and were in its possession before August 18, 2008.

Bathinda, January 8
After having received written assurance over the smooth purchase of cotton, five groups of protesting farmers have announced that their 24-hour rail roko protest, slated for Friday, has been deferred.

Earlier, the farmer unions, namely, Bharati Kisan Union Ekta (Ugrahan), Kisan Sangharsh Committee, Punjab Kisan Sabha, Punjab Kisan Sabha (Sambar) and Kirti Kisan Sabha had given the call for a 24-hour rail roko agitation at Rampura and Mansa.

But after the resumption of cotton purchase in Punjab by the CCI from January 7, farmers have been left with only two issues, namely, purchase at fair price and starting of purchase in five mandis where cotton was not being purchased.

According to information available, Chief Secretary Ramesh Inder Singh, in a DO letter number S/CS/09/22 to Arvind Kumar Singh, secretary to Government of India, Ministry of Textiles, mentioned that after the discussion with the CMD of the CCI, it had been agreed that Punjab Markfed could purchase on behalf of the Cotton Corporation of India in five Mandis where purchase had not been started, namely Lehragaga, Dirba, Sunam, Nihal Singh Wala and Bhikhi, provided the Ministry of Textiles approves of the arrangement.

Further, he urged the official to either direct the CCI to depute its own staff or authorise the Punjab Markfed to make purchase on behalf of the CCI.

The state government in an attempt to pacify the protesters, sent them the letter in the afternoon. But after finding them adamant over the date on which to start purchase in these mandis, Darbara Singh Guru, principal secretary to the chief minister, informed them in the evening that till January 14, all the processes would be completed and on January 15, the purchase would start.

Confirming the facts, Sukhdev Singh Kokri Kalan, general secretary, BKU Ekta (Ugrahan) said, "The state government, after informing us about the matter, urged us to postpone the strike till the given date.

After discussions, the unions have decided to accept the request of the government. But if the promise is not fulfilled, they will have to face dire consequences."

Bathinda, January 8
Trucks are not on the road since January 5 and it is not known till when would the protest continue but its effect has started becoming visible in the city because this agitation is affecting everyone. Truck union members were adamant on their decision of keeping the trucks off the road till the government agreed to their demands.

Drivers of the truck said they were being affected by this strike but they said they would not drive their trucks till the government bows before their demands.

The main problems cited by the truck union of the city were high diesel prices, toll taxes, national permit applied on trucks, RTO officials harassing truck drivers, among others.

"The price of fuel is being reduced globally but our government only knows how to increase the price. We want diesel to be made cheaper by Rs 10 per litre. Wrong government policies and exorbitant taxes are not letting the fuel prices come down. Toll taxes are so much that we hardly derive profit out of our business. We had had a meeting in Delhi some time back and were assured that our demands would be met but the situation is still the same. Earlier, national permit levied on a truck was Rs 2,500 but now it has been doubled. It should be rolled back to Rs 2,500. Truck drivers are harassed at various spots when they carry the load on the ground of being over-loaded. Most of the time, the truck is not overloaded but we are forced to pay some money to the officials concerned to drive ahead," Aatma Singh Chahal, chairman of truck union, Bathinda, said.

Raw material supply has been stopped to various factories of the city and even to the market. Sources said perishable goods were likely to head north in the days to come if the situation failed to improve. Dhaba owners have also been hit hard by the ongoing strike by truck operators. Their business has been slowed down since no trucks were plying and truck drivers contribute to their business in a major way.

The veggies however, are supplied mostly from the local areas so there has not been much impact as far as vegetables and fruits are concerned. Commodities that were being supplied from the outside are becoming dearer.

Vinod Monga, a transporter in the city, said, "The strike started on January 5 and it is for an indefinite period. The rate of raw material supplied to tyre companies has been cut by 35 per cent but the prices of their products are not coming down which is affecting us. The profit made by us is also not enough because the amount of taxes levied on us is too much and I think it is better to keep my trucks standing rather then trying to earn from them because I hardly get the returns."

Truck drivers hope that their demands are met soon and they return back to business because they don't want to keep their vehicles stationary. Devinder Singh, a truck driver, said, "I have been stationary for the past few days. It is a blow to me and my family but I am not going to drive till the government does not chalk out a solution for our problems."

No one was able to tell how long this strike would continue but truckers hoped that it is over soon. Tehal Singh Buttar, truck leader, Talwinder Singh Bahiya and Deepinder Singh from the truck union of the city told The Tribune that the situation was bound to get from bad to worse if nothing was done to get the trucks back on roads.

Bathinda, January 8
The Red Cross, Bathinda, has come up with the noble idea of helping abandoned babies of the city. The society has come up with the idea of putting a cradle outside the MGD Deaf and Dumb School. Anyone who wants to abandon a baby can simply put the child in the cradle and press the bell which will be installed at the school's gate. The bell would be connected to the principal's office and her residence.

Sources said it has been decided that two caretakers would be hired and the bell would be connected with the caretaker's room also. Sources said a similar scheme was being run at Amritsar and Bathinda was the second city to implement it. "There have been some incidents of child abandoning in the past. Following this, we planned to implement this scheme in Bathinda. We spoke to Guru Gobind Singh Refinery and they agreed to help us with Rs 1 lakh," an official said.

Sources said it would be inaugurated by month end. There are two rooms at the school’s gate and a window would be constructed in one of these. A cradle would be put behind that window. Once a child is found abandoned, its medical check-up would be conducted and the baby would be handed over to a government-approved NGO. The NGO would look after the adoption process.

Muktsar/Bathinda, January 8
In order to get high-yielding varieties of cows and buffalos, the state government is launching the Embryo Transfer Technology Project on experimental basis. The first such project will be set up at the animal breeding farm in Patiala at an estimated cost of Rs 2.5 crore. In case of success, the state government will introduce it throughout the state. This was stated by state animal husbandry minister Gulzar Singh Ranike, who was here to inaugurate the five-day Punjab State Livestock Championship-2009. The event has been organised to mark the Maghi fair at the Guru Gobind Singh sports stadium today.

Talking to media persons, Ranike said the department would set up five new polyclinics, namely at Jalandhar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Amritsar, Mohali and Moga, equipped with modern facilities. “We have chalked out a strategy to upgrade the 19 block-level hospitals with latest equipment,” he added.

B.S. Sidhu, director, Animal Husbandry, Punjab, who was also present on the occasion, said around 1,500 animals were taking part in the event.

Many ‘nihangs’ exhibited their horse riding skills and performed ‘gatka’. ‘Malwai Gidha’ and mare dance also fetched the attention of the crowd. Hundreds thronged the fair on the inaugural day.

Faridkot/Bathinda, January 8
With the arrest of two persons, the Faridkot police today claimed to have cracked the mystery shrouding the two-and-a-half-month-old blind double murder case, which had triggered panic in the city.

As per the details available, on October 26, the police had recovered the half-burnt bodies of two youths, identified as Kashmir Singh (20) and Rajinder Singh (22), in an isolated place near the new cantonment area in the morning. According to police sources, Rajinder, a carpenter, and Kashmir Singh, a labourer, were found missing a day before the murder. Their parents had lodged a complaint with the police and were shocked when they came to know about two unidentified bodies having been found near the cantonment.

Giving details, SSP Paramraj Umaranangal today said the police had been trying to find clues to solve the case and arrest the accused.

He said after investigations, it had been ascertained that accused were Kashmira Singh of Faridkot and Charhat Singh of village Kabalwala, who killed the youths by assaulting them with sharp-edged weapons and tried to set the bodies on fire later. Disclosing the reason for the crime, he said, "Around two years back, Kashmir Singh and Rajinder had teased two nieces of Kashmira Singh. Moreover, the deceased had an eye on the wife of Kashmira Singh. All this led the accused to kill them."

"It was a well planned murder as both the accused allured Kashmir and Rajinder to indulge in sensuous pleasure on the intervening night of October 25-26. They took both of them to a race course, where they brutally killed them," said Umranagal.

The SSP said the accused were in police custody and would be presented in the local courts on Friday along with an application of police remand for seven days.

Ferozepur, January 8
The Vigilance Bureau today arrested a BDPO official after he was caught red-handed taking bribe.

Sukhdev Singh, SSP, VB, said that Jaswinder Singh, panchayat secretary, BDPO office, Mamdot, was apprehended for allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 4,000 from Kartar Singh, sarpanch and resident of village Sahiwala, in order to release a cheque of Rs 20,000 against payment for maintenance of village streets, salary of helpers and electricity bills of a school and a gurdwara.

He said the accused had demanded a bribe of Rs 5,000 to release the payment. However, the deal was settled at Rs 4,000, which the complainant handed over to him today. The vigilance sleuths had nabbed him on the spot.

The SSP further said the accused was arrested in presence of two government witnesses, Resham Singh and Mukesh Kumar, and Narinder Kumar as a shadow witness.

A case has been registered against Jaswinder Singh.

Abohar, January 8
Additional police force had to rush to Sadar Bazaar here as some shopkeepers gheraoed a police party, which had gone there to investigate into a complaint regarding the sale of stolen shoes, sources said.

As per information available, the owner of a showroom had complained to the city police station that his neighbourer was selling the shoes that had been stolen from his showroom by some unidentified persons. The police party led by ASI Tejinder Singh during the investigation reportedly recovered the shoes of a particular brand, for which only the owner of the showroom had authority to sell.

As the police asked the suspected shopkeeper to accompany them to the police station, some shopkeepers gheraoed the police party in the presence of some office bearers of the Sadar Bazaar Association. This created a scene resulting in chaos in the busy market.

Additional SHO, Jarnail Singh along with more force rushed to the spot. The shopkeeper had to be freed after he agreed to produce the bill of the particular pairs of shoes till Saturday.

Abohar, January 8
Technical snags forced the Punjab National Bank to shut down its ATM at the main branch today. The step was taken as the customers complained of receiving lesser number of currencies due to faulty dispenser.

Senior branch manager, H.R. Riwar said vendors were to ensure proper functioning of the ATM that was installed in 2004.

The branch office had nothing in its hands except reporting the snags to the higher authorities.

The customers demanded that the ATM should be replaced with an updated equipment since most of the banks had now introduced touchscreen ATM to facilitate fault-free functioning.