Bathinda, October 16
More than 250 cops would guard the city in 16 sectors in which Bathinda has been divided for Diwali. Staff from various departments, including NGOs, would be on round-the-clock duty to ensure a safe Diwali. Though for these personnel, it would mean staying away from their family on Diwali but they have taken it in their stride terming it as part of their duty and said every single detail would be taken care of to avoid any untoward incident in the city.

Civil Surgeon, Bathinda, Neelam Bajaj, said the emergency staff would be on duty at the Civil Hospital. All doctors and other staff would be a call away in case they are needed. Ambulances would be ready along with the equipment. Community health centres have also geared up to handle cases and reach patients to the civil hospital, if needed.

Vijay Goyal from the Sahara Jan Seva, an NGO, said that Sahara workers have never celebrated any festival. "Our workers would be ready with at least eight ambulances and service would be provided within five minutes of a call made. Last year, there were no major cases on Diwali and we hope that this year too the festival remains safe for all," Goyal added.

Naujawan Welfare Society has deployed three ambulances that would be stationed within the city premises to deliver quick service from today evening only. "Around 20 workers have been assigned duties with five motorcycles and other vehicles. These vehicles would on constant patrolling to assist people, if needed. Separate areas have been allocated to these vehicles and they would be responsible for their areas," Rohit Garg from the society added.

The fire brigade has promised to reach within a minute after being informed. "Six fire tenders with 24 people would be on duty and immediate action would be initiated in case of a problem, Baldev Singh, assistant divisional fire officer, Bathinda, stated.

Cops are patrolling various places in the city and nakas have been set at all entry and exit points of the city. The area around Government Girls' School, Mall Road, Khalsa School and Desraj School, is heavily guarded by the cops as firecrackers are being sold at these points. An anti-sabotage check was conducted by the police in all markets of the city today and cops have been deployed at places where snatching incidents are possible. Around 60 PCRs have also been pressed into service for Diwali. 

Bathinda, October 16
Diwali this time would surely be greener than last year. The sale of crackers not being satisfactory for the retailers might have dampened the Diwali spirit for them but people for sure no more think that the festival means only bursting crackers.

With the district administration earmarking around 87 booths for the sale of crackers at four places in the city, those selling firecrackers felt a bit low today as the sale failed to pick up.

Giving credit to the awareness being spread by the schools and other institutions, Charanjit Singh Nabha, assistant scientific officer from Patiala, said that children have stopped pestering parents to buy firecrackers for them.

"In the earlier days, the first thing that came to mind on Diwali was firecrackers. Children used to be crazy for it but with awareness being generated about saving the environment, the trend of bursting firecrackers on Diwali is undergoing a change. On Diwali night, the environment gets heavily polluted which can be avoided by taking the simple step of avoiding crackers. I also recommend that light candles and diyas instead of wasting electricity by lighting fancy lights. The order of Supreme Court on banning crackers after 10 pm has also contributed a lot towards celebrating a green Diwali," Nabha said.

Other factors responsible for the low sale of crackers this year as stated by the retailers in Bathinda was the ongoing recession.

"I am selling crackers since yesterday and the sale has failed to pick up this year. Last year, I made a profit of Rs 22,000 but this year, it will not be much. I feel it was better to have done some other work instead of selling crackers to earn money this Diwali," Surinder Kumar, who was selling crackers at the Government Girls' School on the Mall Road, today, said.

"Yesterday, only seven customers came as compared to over 20 per day last year," said Ram Lalit, another retailer from the city.

A majority of people this correspondent spoke to were avoiding crackers on Diwali and said there were better ways to celebrate the festival which means that Diwali would be greener and safer this year. 

Bathinda, October 16
It is not chemistry but economics that is driving bootleggers quickly out of business in this district which in the not too distant past had earned the epithet 'hooch capital' of the state for its high consumption of illicit liquor. The rates of jaggery, the base component of illicit liquor, have hit the roof forcing bootleggers virtually out of the trade.

Statistics culled from the excise department reveal, somewhat starkly, that just one case has been registered till yet while in the corresponding period last year, the department had its hands full as they booked scores of people who produced illicit liquor. Said R.S Romana, Excise and Taxation Officer (ETO), " the rates of jaggery has increased manifold due to which bootleggers have been sent packing.

This development has forced people to consume country made liquor and sales of this product have increased by about 20 per cent as compared to the corresponding period last year."

The rates of jaggery have increased by 40 to 50 per cent as compared to the rates last year. Now jaggery costs Rs 32 per kg while last Diwali the same product was available for Rs 24 per kg. This has forced Bacchus lovers, particularly those addicted to illicit liquor, on the back foot and now they are have a real tough time trying to get their pint of hooch.

However the drowning bootleggers are now clutching the proverbial last straw in a bid to remain afloat. They are now using a chemical- Methanol- which when mixed with water and essence gives a taste of hooch. However, an insider disclosed that sometimes methanol gets interchanged to ethanol which, in turn, makes hooch potent enough to kill by damaging the liver, nervous system and the digestive system.

The adjoining district of Muktsar is also witnessing the same trend. Here, too, the spiralling cost of jaggery is pushing bootleggers out of business. Disclosed Jai Ram, who has been in this business since long, " the high input costs of jaggery, the main ingredient of illicit liquor, has indeed disturbed the economics of our trade. Now it has become impossible to produce hooch although right now we are not resorting to using methanol."

County made wine shop owners are smiling all the way to the bank.

They have been recorded 15 to 20 per cent increase in sales of country made liquor and are elated at the fact that bootleggers have been pushed out of the trade. There are 124 wine shops in this district and all of them have recorded a high percentage increase in sales of liquor.

Said a country made wine shop owner, "People, particularly villagers, have got money after selling their paddy produce in the markets.

Moreover, with Diwali just round the corner, we expect our sales to go up. The absence of bootleggers has also helped our high sales pitch."

Fazilka, October 16
Fire-crackers worth more than Rs 25,000 were reduced to ashes as the stall in which, the crackers were displayed, caught fire in the thickly populated Sanjeev Cinema Chowk here on Friday.

The cause of the fire was stated to be the bursting of a cracker in the air which subsequently fell on a stall, as a result of which crackers lying there exploded. But a major tragedy was averted.

As per the information, Ashok Kumar Setia, owner of the departmental store, had set up a stall of crackers outside his shop in Sanjeev Cinema Chowk. All of a sudden, a piece of the fired cracker in the air fell on the cracker stall.

The stall caught fire and was reduced to ashes within minutes. Some part of the front portion of the shop was also damaged due to fire.

The shopkeepers near the stall poured water on the lames and extinguished the flames after some time. Before the fire tender could reach the site of the mishap, the shopkeepers had doused the flames.

Ferozepur, October 16
In a significant judgment, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum held that a subscriber of telephone or mobile phone connection, has the right to approach the Consumer Forum established under the Consumer Protection Act for the redressal of their grievances, as the Consumer Protection Act is a special legislation enacted for the protection of consumer rights.

In the recent case, one Lakhbir Singh had approached the Consumer Forum at Ferozepur with a complaint that his mobile phone connection has been wrongly deactivated by the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) despite paying the required charges and submission of necessary documents.

However, the counsel for the BSNL contested the case on the ground that the Consumer Forum has no jurisdiction to entertain a dispute related to telecommunication services in view of the recent decision of the Supreme Court styled as General Manager, Telecom versus M. Krishnan and others.

Sanjay Garg, president of the forum after discussing various other authorities of the Supreme Court held that the newly enacted Telecom Regulator Authority of India Act, 1997 is more applicable to the matters related to telecom disputes than the old Indian Telegraph Act, 1885.

He stated that the Consumer Forums have been given jurisdiction to adjudicate upon the matters related to telecom consumer disputes under the said Act of 1997.

While holding that the Consumer Protection Act was a special legislation and not a general law, Garg held BSNL deficient in services, and ordered it to pay a sum of Rs 10,000 to the complainant Lakhbir Singh on account of mental agony, pain and harassment suffered by him and Rs 2000 as litigation expenses.

He further ordered BSNL to restore the mobile connection of the complainant without charging any extra sum. 

Abohar, October 16
Media persons were joined by the members of some NGOs in taking out a protest march here against the registration of a case against a few residents of Gobind Nagari and editor of a local newspaper by the city police under section 452, 506, 148, 149 of the IPC for storming the clinic of former BJP MLA, Dr Ram Kumar Goyal, early this month.

While passing through the main roads, the protesters shouted slogans and displayed placard demanding cancellation of the 'false case'.

They claimed that the residents had actually gone to Goyal's residence to apprise his son Shiv Raj Goyal, president of the Municipal Council about discrimination in development. The rally started from the Nehru Park and ended at Haqikat Rai Chowk.

Slogans were shouted against the Punjab police and the state government.

Besides, media persons those joined the rally included members of all factions of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU), Technical Services Union, Lok Sangram Manch, CIPHET workers union, Mulzim Majdoor Kisan Sangharsh Samiti and Consumer Movement.

While leading the rally, a language daily correspondent Mohinderjit Bahawalia, announced that the protest will be continued till cancellation of the case. He alleged that the editor had been implicated only because he covered the protest of the citizens. 

Muktsar, October 16
Senior Akali leader and managing director of the Muktsar Co-operative Bank, Rozy Barkandy, on Thursday hailed the statement of Sukhbir Singh Badal, in which, the deputy chief minister had asserted that the process to get loans for farmers from the co-operative banks in the state was being streamlined.

Barkandi said the streamlining process had already been initiated in the Muktsar co-operative bank and now farmers of the district were coming in a big way to take loans. He added that during the previous Congress regime, the co-operative banks had virtually stopped giving loans to genuine farmers. He stated that under the chief ministership of Amarinder Singh, loans were given to the farmers based purely on political considerations.

He said the Muktsar co-operative bank was topping the state-wise list of providing loans for farm equipment to the farmers. Barkandi asserted that various farmer organisations were happy about the working of the Muktsar co-operative bank after the streamlining process had been initiated. — OC