Mansa, July 13
Proper measures need to be taken fast to check the increasing number of cancer patients in Malwa belt. Though the state government had decided to set up a cancer hospital in Bathinda, yet the authorities need to be quick in setting up facilities for treatment.

Cancer has affected people from every section of society. Sometime back, a school teacher, Anamika, working with the DAV school in Mansa, had died of cancer.

Along with this, Dr. Narayan Parsad and women leader Jeeta Kaur also died of cancer. Noted Punjabi writer, Ajmer Singh Aulakh, has been also fighting the disease and getting treatment at New Delhi. “Malwa region should be identified as a special zone 
affected by cancer,” he said and demanded the government set up a treatment centre soon and provide treatment at a cheaper rate.

Meanwhile, District Health Officer Rupinder Kumar Singla said contaminated water has become the main reason for the spread of cancer. "Drinking water in this region contains a high level of heavy metals,” he mentioned.

He pointed out that according to a survey by the PGI team, excessive use of pesticides and fertiliser is the main cause of cancer. Nearly 500 patients have been suffering from cancer in Mansa district and 50 patients were found to have been affected by cancer during the last six months.

He admitted that due to the absence of proper treatment facilities in the Civil Hospital, patients were bound to go to Bikaner for treatment.

When Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Satish Chandra, was asked for his comments on efforts being made for the treatment of cancer patients in the Malwa region, he could not give any answer. 

Mansa, July 13
Prominent Punjabi playwright, Prof. Ajmer Singh Aulakh, would organise plays in Canada against the social evil of female foeticide. Speaking to this correspondent, he informed that he would leave for Canada on August 1 to organise plays on the basis of his book “Neon Jarh.”

This programme will be sponsored by the “Canada based Punjabi Heritage Theatre Society of Alberta”. These plays would continue for three months in the different cities of Canada.

Professor Aulakh said female foeiticide has become a challenging social evil in Canada and Punjabi and other Indian people were involved in this. Some people belonging to Indian origin have been preferring boys over the girls, he added. — OC

Bathinda, July 13
The health department conducting frequent raids and seizing drugs worth crores of rupees throughout the state shows that consumption of habit-forming drugs is unabated in Punjab, especially among the youth.

Vinay Jindal, drug inspector, Bathinda, told this correspondent that the health department seized habit-forming drugs from Bansal Medical in village Pitho and Suraj Medical Agency in Rampura Phul today. “We seized 32,000 tablets for which the shop owners could not show a proof of valid purchase,” Jindal said.

Sources said sale of such drugs was rampant in connivance with higher-ups.

“We are asked to send lists of drug stores indulging in selling habit-forming drugs without prescription. We send names to the health department regularly but the department does not conduct raids. The police also send such a list to the health department. A raid is carried out only after the lists sent by us and by the police are scanned and the names shortlisted. Rationally, raids should be carried out on all the shops, names of which are sent to the department, in order to check the sale of such drugs,” said a rural doctor, seeking anonymity.

Ferozepur, July 13
SSP Surinder Pal Singh Parmar has placed Gurjant Singh, SHO, Ferozepur Cantt police station, under suspension for dereliction of duty.

As per the information, the SHO failed to act on a complainant lodged by the complainant, Karan Singh, regarding theft of his motorcycle.

The same motorcycle was later used by the robbers in their attempt to loot a petrol pump. — OC

Bathinda, July 13
The Vigilance Bureau (VB) sleuths today nabbed the officiating senior medical officer (SMO) of Bhagta while accepting bribe.

Sources said Buta Singh, his son Harjeet Singh and one Harjit Singh, all of Maluka village, were admitted to the Civil Hospital, Bhagta, after they got injured in a quarrel.

The accused SMO, Manwinder Singh Ahluwalia, struck a deal with them to issue a medical report in their favour for Rs 5,000 but a kin of Buta Singh, Pargat Singh of village Jangi Rana, informed the VB about it.

A trap was laid and the VB officials, led by DSP Des Raj, caught the SMO red-handed while accepting the bribe. The SMO was arrested.

Sukhdev Singh, SP (Vigilance), said, “It is a breach of trust as people respect doctors a lot. Such persons have been bringing a bad name to this noble profession.”

Bathinda, July 13
In a fit of rage, one Jarnail Singh of village Gehari killed his brother-in-law Kuldeep Singh of village Khillan, who tried to broker a compromise between his sister and Jarnail.

According to details available, the couple had a domestic dispute, which the woman reported to her brother Kuldeep Singh. To resolve the matter, Kuldeep and his wife visited the couple on Sunday. When he asked Jarnail not to harass his sister, Jarnail assaulted him with a lathi on his head.

Kuldeep died on the spot. A case has been registered. The accused is at large. 
— TNS

Moga, July 13
In yet another incident of crime against children, a 13-year-old minor girl of a poor labourer, was allegedly raped by a migrant from Bihar at Badhni Kalan in the Moga district during the wee hours on Sunday. It is the second incident of rape of a minor girl in the Moga district during the past two weeks. Earlier, on July 5, an 11-year old Dalit girl, was sexually abused at village Himmatpura in Nihalsinghwala sub-division.

In the fresh incident, the police after registering a criminal case under section 376 of the IPC in the Badhni Kalan police station had arrested Lakshman, the alleged accused, who raped the minor girl.

The medical examination of the victim was conducted by a gynaecologist in the Civil Hospital, in which, the rape charges had been confirmed, revealed the police sources.

Prem Pal, father of the victim, stated to the police that he took a room on rent in the house of Nambardar Bhola Singh, two weeks back. There were about 10 migrant labourers already living in that house for the past about 10 years.

"In the wee hours on Sunday, when my daughter went to the toilet, Lakshman, a painter, forcibly took my daughter in his room by putting a piece of cloth in her mouth and sexually abused her," he stated.