Ghudda (Bathinda),February 17
CM Parkash Singh Badal today rubbished the allegations of former chief minister Amarinder Singh that his son Raninder Singh was being deliberately implicated by the Vigilance Bureau to create hurdles for him in contesting the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat.

“In his own (Amarinder) regime, I and my son Sukhbir, both were falsely implicated in many cases but I do not believe in retaliation. So, we have nothing to do with the vigilance cases,” said Badal.

While talking to TNS, Badal said, “I assure free and fair parliamentary polls.”

When asked about the Congress’ demand to get Punjab declared a disturbed state, he said, “Anybody can make any demand but we are not so weak that whatever the Congress demands, would be allowed to be conceded. There is no disturbance in the state and it is all a ploy to defame the system.”

He said the Union budget did not have any sops. About any special package in the Punjab budget, he parried the query saying, “Being an interim budget, we would not be able to meet the expectations of all in general. But still, it would not be against the interests of the common man.”

Earlier, Badal held a Sangat Darshan programme in the village, where senior officials of all departments concerned were present. The meeting was held to assess public views before finalising the overall development project for the village.

The CM said the development was being undertaken in view of the Central university project, for which acquisition of land would start soon. The village would get Rs 5 crore in lieu of the chunk of Panchayat land acquired for the university.

In the meeting, a US-based team of landscapists, PSEB chairman, director general, school education and secretaries of various departments were present along with the deputy commissioner, Bathinda, and senior police officers.

Bathinda, February 17
The Unemployed Jammu ETT Teachers’ Union staged a protest against the Badal government here today. The union said elementary schools in the city should have ETT teachers.

It also demanded that instead of appointing contractual teachers, the government should appoint regular ones. “There are several vacancies in the state, which should be filled up immediately as it is affecting students,” said Kuldeep Singh Khokhar, state general secretary of the union.

The union said that it would be having its meeting on the 20th of this month at Barnala, where the next course of action would be decided.

“Last year, the government had advertised 9,998 posts of ETT teachers. But, no ETT teacher was absorbed against the advertised posts. B.Ed teachers filled up all the advertised posts. It is not right,” alleged Khokhar.

The union also alleged that members of the union were selected by the education minister and the Chief Minister of Punjab but they were not allowed to join.

The DPI (Elementary) S.S. Randhawa did not allow them to join despite the fact that they were in possession of the appointment letters. Reason cited by the authorities was that ETT qualification from Jammu was not valid and was not approved by the National Council for Teachers Education (NCTE). “Our qualification is very much approved by the NCTE. We had gone to court also and our next hearing is scheduled in February 22,” Kokhar said.

It may be mentioned that the ETT teachers have been protesting for a long time now.

Bathinda, February 17
Taking steps to check power theft, the specially designated police station for this purpose in the Bathinda zone today arrested the first person for illegal use of electricity. The court of the chief judicial magistrate sent him to judicial custody for 14 days.

Though the anti-power theft police station was opened here simultaneously along with four other such police stations at Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala and Ludhiana, it could lodge only one FIR for power theft, that too on February 13.

Though only one FIR has been registered, the officials termed it an achievement as according to them, it had been done against great odds, faced as they are with staff shortage and lack of infrastructure.

When the TNS team today visited the police station situated in the SE office complex of the PSEB, along the canal’s bank, they lamented about staff shortage and lack of infrastructure.

As per the details available, the police station has to cover five districts out of the six districts in the Bathinda zone of the PSEB. Bathinda, Muktsar, Ferozepur, Mansa and Faridkot have been included in its jurisdiction.

In comparison to the area allocated, the police station has only six staff including the SHO. In the police station, one SHO, one Munshi, one reader, one ASI, one constable and one guard have been deputed.

The police station has just one chair for each of them and two old cupboards. There is no official vehicle for the staff They were found taking the power theft accused to the court in a private vehicle.

“How can we perform our duty as we can not afford to burn fuel and use our private vehicles for official purposes. Moreover, due to the lack of staff, conducting raids in other districts would not be possible for us. Besides, we need to have daily contact with the courts in the all the five districts to get the actual status of our cases filed,” rued SHO Gursharan Singh.

As per the details procured, DSP Vigilance and Security, PSEB, Patiala, had issued orders to open the anti-power theft police stations vide letter number 23/6/08. Though the police stations were opened, courts were yet to be allotted for filing of the cases.

Then through a notification, number 14/60/04-2JUDL(1)4270, dated November 3, 2008, the department of home affairs, Punjab, designated all courts of additional sessions judges as special courts for cases of power theft.

When contacted, PSEB chairman H.S. Brar said, “We are aware of the situation and efforts are on to streamline the process.” About the poor response to the system, Brar said the department had now started sending cases to the police stations to check the menace.

Bathinda, February 17
Intensifying their protests, a number of organisations today resorted to demonstration on roads and choked the main crossings and the entrance to the bus stand here today. The move made the day very hectic for civil and police administration. They were already busy due to the visit of Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the daughter-in-law of the CM and wife of the deputy CM, during her election campaign visit to the Bathinda constituency.

ETT teachers, veterinary pharmacists and PWD employees were among others, who held rallies from the deputy commissioner’s office to the Fire Brigade office passing by the bus stand and the Hanuman chowk.

Despite efforts of the administration, the rallies affected the flow of traffic at various points in the city.

Recounting their demands, the protesters said they had been sitting outside the DC’s office for the past couple of days but the government was not taking them seriously. Now, they would intensify their protest.

Talking to TNS, leaders of the protesting organisations said, “It is the best time to awaken the government from its deep slumber as Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who is the likely candidate for the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat, is here. We want to show her the strength of protesters, which may harm her chances of winning the elections, if she contests.”

Agitating members of the PWD Talmel Sangharsh Committee, Punjab, said they would now throng Lambi and Gidderbaha, the assembly constituencies of CM Parkash Singh Badal and finance minister Manpreet Badal, on February 27 to exert pressure.

Raising slogans, the protesters said that they would not give any memorandum to the deputy commissioner as the matter was already 
in the notice of the state government.

Abohar, February 17
The sewerage water that could not be disposed of through the 3 km long channel for the last fortnight, due to protests by the farmers, has now spread over 300 acres of the land near the Abohar-Fazilka bypass. Besides gheraoing the water works in the unoccupied Industrial Focal Point, it has entered into drinking water tanks also. The state government had developed the focal point at a cost of Rs 25 crore, sources said.

Highly polluted water now touches the city bypass besides affecting the bed of the Abohar-Hindumalkot rail track that was being strengthened to run faster trains. The bypass road may sink, if the flow continues and drivers of the vehicles passing through it were scared yesterday.

On the other side of the rail line, the farms and houses have been inundated. The residents have to pass through the black stinking water after loosing crops sown in 200 acres of land. The women find it difficult to arrange green fodder for the cattle while children risk physical security. Accumulating water threatens houses besides the cattle sheds. Some of the tubewells have become non-functional due to the recent crisis.

Official sources confirmed that the farmers had suspended irrigating their fields with sewerage water that flows through the channel after heavy rain a fortnight back. At least three transformers of the PSEB face damage besides an industrial unit located near the bypass road due to accumulating sewerage water.

The first phase of the channel was constructed during the Congress regime under Capt Amarinder Singh by sanctioning Rs 4 crore. The Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board had sent a proposal to the present state government for extending the channel by 8.78 km to dispose of sewerage water in Sayeedwala drain. This needs about Rs 10 crore. Surveys indicate there could be no other way to solve the problem once for all.

Abohar, February 17
The Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Harjeet Kumar Jaggi has reportedly agreed to withdraw the case against Rajesh Gupta, Samaj Sudhar Sabha president. Gur Parsad Behal, member of the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee, announced this after presiding over an emergency meeting here on Tuesday. The meeting was convened to defuse the tension that was mounting up following the registration of the case. There were reports that citizens would wave black flags during the visit of the Northern Railway GM here on February 19. Today's meeting was also attended by Hanuman Dass Goyal, vice-president, North Zone Railway Passengers Association besides NGO delegates.

Behal talked to the DRM on phone and claimed Jaggi had agreed to ask the RPF to withdraw the case. — OC