Bathinda, August 27
As many as 264 students of the Guru Gobind Singh College of Engineering & Technology, who irked over the alleged overcharging for food in the hostel mess, had gone on the rampage on Wednesday evening, have been booked under various criminal charges on Thursday night.

According to the complaint, the students had smashed window panes, air-conditioners, doors, computers, a staff bus, a car belonging to the mess contractor besides damaging the infrastructure of the hostel mess.

After discussing the matter with various persons, the college authorities came up with a formal complaint against 250 identified and 14 identified students, late this evening. Reacting to it, Talwandi Sabo police registered a case under sections 341, 427, 506, 148, 149 of the IPC. However no one could be arrested.

As per the information available, the hostel students were grumbling over the quality and price of food served at the mess. During the discussion, some students attempted to assault senior authorities of the college. To shield the staff, the security personnel opened fire in the air and even resorted to a mild lathicharge after which the agitated students left the place.

The frustrated students, later, went on the rampage and damaged the infrastructure of the college including the hostel, which the college authorities estimated at about Rs 40 lakh.

Reacting to the incident, the college staff asked all students to leave the hostel and locked it from the outside and declared one-day closure of the college today. Various hostel students were observed carrying their luggage on the road outside the college.

Seeking anonymity, some students informed that the college was charging a fixed sum of Rs 1700 per month as hostel mess charge. Accusing the authorities of high-handedness, they said that many times, finding the food to be of cheap quality, they did not eat it but still had to pay the fixed charges. Further, they alleged that insufficient water was supplied in the hostel washrooms.

Refuting the allegation, college staff termed the food charges as nominal. They claimed that sometimes the college bears many expenses to make the food available at minimal charges. They termed the incident as a planned move by some miscreants to spoil the college atmosphere.

Expressing ignorance about the case registration, SDM Talwandi Sabo, Anil Garg said, "Both parties were heard. College authorities had been directed to lodge a formal complaint, while the students were asked to call their parents to take responsibility for any misdeed in future."

Muktsar, August 27
Muktsar, despite being the home district of the state's Chief Minister, is reeling under long spells of unannounced power cuts, often ranging from 8 to 10 hours, leaving the residents fuming.

Residents have to bear with the sweltering heat and with no signs of a monsoon, they have braced themselves up for long and hard days ahead.

The Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) officials have washed their hands off the issue with a senior engineer disclosing that "under the circumstances, the power board cannot do much as the gap between demand and supply is increasing and the Board is unable to generate power to cater to the escalating demand."

The sale of generator and submersible pump sets has increased in this district with farmers buying both to ensure their fields get enough water.

Residents of a part of the city, where the Guru Gobind Singh Stadium is located, had a field day on August 15, when the power board decided to give uninterrupted 24 hour power supply. However, after Independence Day, things are back to normal with residents having to cope with power cuts that last for hours at a stretch.

Superintending engineer Jaspal Singh said that the power supply position was indeed erratic but in the same breath said that "it is not in our hands to improve things since everything is decided from Patiala where the PSEB head office is located.”

Said Gurpreet Singh Gill, general secretary, District Youth Congress, "Things can improve only if the PSEB is first unbundled and then privatised. Look at Gujarat, where after the Gujarat State Electricity Board was unbundled, people have started getting 24 hours of continuous power supply, be it the farm sector or the commercial sector."

A Patiala-based senior engineer, preferring anonymity, too admitted that Punjab can be a power surplus state only, if the power board is privatised. "Once that is done, residents can get quality power with no voltage fluctuations."

Said GS Rupana, president of the Muktsar District Bar Association, " We are used to power cuts but we are not used to voltage fluctuations, which damage our electrical appliances."

Residents have started giving a political colour to the issue. Malkit Singh, a Congress activist said that the deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal is visiting his assembly segment Jalalabad, 30 kms from here, on August 29 on a thanksgiving tour. The PSEB will not impose power cuts for even a single minute on that day in Jalalabad and instructions to this effect have already been sent by the Board top brass."

It is pertinent to mention here that during the run-up to the Jalalabad by-election, there was absolutely no power cut in that assembly segment. PSEB chairman HS Brar remained incommunicado while other senior Board officials refused to disclose much.

Muktsar residents have learnt to live with the power cuts. But till when will the power cuts go on is anybody's guess.

Abohar, August 27
The district authorities have finally made it clear to an odd 350 encroachers that they will have to vacate the houses that had been built on the ancient Mud Fort as the Punjab and Haryana High Court had expressed concern over the issue.

The encroachers, who had formed an action committee, are believed to have consulted some senior lawyers at Chandigarh after reportedly collecting a contribution of Rs 100 each.

However, nothing tangible has come out so far. The administration is believed to have told the occupants that laying of sewerage system, drinking water pipes, providing electricity connections and street lights by the local Municipal Council, Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board and Punjab State Electricity Board in an unauthorised colony named Jammu Basti or Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar does not entitle the illegal occupants to justify construction of palatial houses on an ancient fort that is owned by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

The ASI, keen to start extraction process, had served a 15-day notice to the occupants for eviction last month but they had been mounting political pressure to thwart the move. Even the SAD MP Sher Singh Ghubaya had visited the area to discuss the matter with the occupants since most of them belonged to his community.

Sources in the administration indicated that a proposal for rehabilitation of the families to be displaced had been forwarded to Chandigarh. Earlier, the illegal occupants in the Government Seed Farm area had been paid Rs 35,000 each from the Chief Minister's fund that was earmarked for displaced families. But the rehabilitation process may take its time. The Action Committee today resolved to stage a dharna and organise demonstration on September 4.

Abohar, August 27
Punjab National Bank will offer a variety of loan schemes to promote agriculture, the backbone of the Indian economy and rescue the agriculturists from clutches of private money lenders, who had been charging a whopping 35 per cent rate of interest, said Deputy General Manager (DGM) RS Kalaria.

Speaking during a brief Krishi Card Distribution function here on Wednesday, the DGM assured the farming community of fair and transparent loaning system to make the farming an economically viable profession. He distributed cards worth Rs 256 lakh to 874 farmers, who had arrived from different parts of Ferozepur and Muktsar districts.

As many as 25 PNB branches had joined hands in making the card distribution a success. Kalaria observed it should be the priority of the banking institutions to ensure freedom for the debt-ridden farmers from the age-old private borrowing system that had virtually frustrated the community.

The Central government had directed that maximum of 7 per cent interest should be charged from the farmers on loans.

The farming fraternity must learn a lesson from the past, update knowledge on modern farming and ensure balanced use of certified seeds, fertilisers and insecticides for spray, he advised.

The loan must be used only to promote agriculture and not for other domestic purpose. This will help in repaying the installments regularly. PK Bansal presided over the function. The dignitaries and farmers were welcomed by H R Riwar, senior manager of the Bank, here.

The PNB also arranged free vaccination camp on this occasion for prevention from typhoid. The chief guest Kalaria was followed by other officials and farmers in getting vaccinated. Project in-charge, Bhavna Sawhney, gave important tips for prevention from such diseases besides routine healthcare. She informed that 50 villages had so far been covered under the campaign.

Bathinda, August 27
Air Marshal NAK Browne, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (AOC-in-C), Western Air Command, accompanied by Kiran Browne, president, Air Force Wives Welfare Association (regional), visited the Air Force Station, Bhisiana.

They were received at the station by Group Captain B Balachandran, station commander and Preetha Balachandran, president, Air Force Wives Welfare Association (local).

The AOC-in-C was presented a guard of honour on his arrival. He was given a detailed briefing on all the activities of the base and apprised of the improvements being undertaken at the Air Force station here.

He also visited the operational units based at the station. The Air Marshal showed keen interest in the modifications and the innovations carried out at the base. He interacted with all the personnel and exhorted them to maintain full operational preparedness to meet the future challenges the Air Force is exposed to.

Kiran Browne was briefed on the various welfare activities undertaken for the benefit of the families of the Air Force personnel. 

Fazilka/Bathinda, August 27
Global meltdown has not affected Income Tax (IT) department at all. Instead, the revenue has increased due to enhanced trading of general items and eatables.

This was disclosed by the regional IT commissioner, HS Sohi, while addressing media persons after the Income Tax Advisory Committee meeting in Bathinda, in which, chairman Small Traders' Board Madal Lal Kapoor and senior member of the Committee Ashok Aneja of the adjoining Jalalabad town were present.

He said that in Bathinda entire trade is agro-based. Hence, it has not been affected by the global recession because the Food and Supply department has recorded an increase in minimum support price of principal crops of the area like cotton, paddy and wheat.

Sohi expressed that the newly constituted Tax Advisory Committee would play a positive role and act as a liaison between the tax payees and the department. He said a special drive would be launched in different circles of five districts falling under Bathinda region to increase the IT revenue by organising traders meet with the IT officials. 

Barnala, August 27
In protest against the withdrawal of student concession bus pass facility in private buses and the alleged 'goondagardi' of the private transporters, the students, led by leaders of the Punjab Students Union (PSU) and the Punjab Radical Students Union (PRSU), observed strike in various educational institutions of the Barnala district recently.

They asked the private transporters to stop the harassment, being done in the buses to the girl students.

They denanded the student bus pass facility be continued in private buses otherwise the agitation would be intensified, they warned. — TNS 

Hanumangarh/Abohar, August 27
An irate mob including women on Thursday thrashed three teachers using shoes and chappals and locked the Government Elementary School at village Chak 22 AG as some girl students complained that a teacher had tried to outrage their modesty by detaining them in the classroom.

Confirming the complaints, Rajesh Soni, block education officer (BEO), Nohar said all the four teachers of the school will be replaced by the new staff on Friday. The headmaster refuted the allegations but was not in a position to clarify why the teachers were thrashed by the mob. — OC 

Abohar, August 27
The under-19 boys team of the GD Senior Secondary School has been declared winner in the district level basketball tournaments organised by the Punjab School Education Board, informed Aman Sharma, director of the institution.

Starting its winning spree under the guidance of sports teacher, Vinay Raghav, the team defeated Navyug Public School 45-31 and then trounced the DAV School by a margin of 37-4.

In the final match played on Thursday, the GD boys defeated a team from Jalalabad 41-29 and became eligible for the state level tournament to be held in Amritsar.