Bathinda, October 28
The residents’ hope to have a city bus service was rekindled today when the state government in collaboration with its private partner started the much-awaited survey to assess the feasibility of the project.

The survey study has been entrusted with the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) and IL&FS to ICT Pvt Ltd, New Delhi.

According to information, the team is supposed to submit its report within 15 days to the concerned departments of the state government.

The team interviewed users of two-wheelers, cars, auto rickshaw, buses and cycle as well as the vehicle operators to gather information. The surveys are being carried out on roadsides, shopping and office complexes and also at some major parking areas.

It may be mentioned that earlier the dream of city residents suffered a blow as the state government had ignored this fast-growing town while considering such service for major cities of Punjab.

As some major projects like oil refinery, civil aviation terminal, number of multiplexes, hotels, ring road, etc are likely to come up in Bathinda, people have started expecting such service in the city.

In the absence of local bus service, people of Bathinda city, considered as one of the fastest-growing cities of the state, are forced to commute on rickshaws and private vehicles.

The 28 passenger shelters built across the city couples of years ago are in dilapidated condition as the city bus service could not be introduced. The municipal corporation authorities had made promise of introducing a city bus service several times but could not fulfill it.

In 2005, the department concerned even prepared the proposal to launch the service but it was put under the carpet as nothing has matured so far.

Terming the project as a need of the hour, commissioner, BMC, Ravi Bhagat said, “We seek people’s cooperation in the survey as the scheme would be taken up at the state level on the basis of their views.”

Bathinda, October 28
Seeking justice for thousands of victims of the Sikh massacre that took place in 1984 in various parts of the country after the murder of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, a deputation of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) under the leadership of party president Simranjit Singh Mann will submit a memorandum to President Pratibha Patil on October 31 at New Delhi.

Before going to submit the memorandum, the SAD (A) will organise an “ardas divas” on October 31 at Gurdwara Rakabganj Sahib, Delhi, in connection with the 25th anniversary of the Sikh massacre.

In the memorandum, the party will bring to the notice of the President that the affected Sikhs have not got justice even after 25 years of the massacre.

On behalf of the SAD (A), national president of the party’s youth wing Barinder Singh Mann here today invited the Members of Parliament (MPs) of the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) from Punjab to participate in the “ardas divas” at Delhi to pay tributes to the innocent Sikhs. He also made a ‘special’ appeal to the leaders of the SAD (B) to take part in “ardas divas” as they, including Parkash Singh Badal, always termed the Congress as “enemy of the Sikhs”.

The youth SAD (A) leader also said it was a moral duty of his party to seek justice for the kin of the victims. Due to this, his party not only wanted punishment for the killers but also sought rehabilitation of the kin of the victims, he added.

He also made an appeal to the United Nations Organisation to put pressure on the Government of India to provide justice to the Sikhs.

Meanwhile, Barinder alleged that CM Parkash Singh Badal had a secret pact with the Union Government due to which his daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal, MP from Bathinda, had been allotted a “kothi” in Delhi by the government while she was entitled to a flat. He said his party would write to the Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar to cancel the allotment, as it was a violation of the rules and regulations.

Bathinda, October 28
With an aim to improve the overall development of students, the MSD Public School and the Lord Rama Public School have started SMS service, in which the school authorities send SMS to parents informing them about their child’s performance, holidays and other activities taking place in the school.

Apart from the academic performance of children, the parents would also be able to check their ward’s attendance as the school would inform parents on the day their child is absent.

Giving credit for this initiative to the president of the school Chiranji Lal Grag, Suraj Setia, principal of the schools, said he came out with the novel idea following the inconvenience caused to students due to unscheduled holidays announced by the state government.

“There have been instances when students staying far off have gone through inconvenience due to sudden announcement of holidays by the government. Now, we would send SMS to all parents as soon as we get information about the holiday,’ Setia informed.

The service was started just 10 days back and absenteeism has dropped in both the schools. Parents now feel that children should not take a leave unnecessarily, as principal himself is monitoring the attendance, which has proved favourable to the schools and students alike.

The software for SMS service cost Rs 1.5 lakh and about Rs 20,000 would be spent per month to run the service, the school authorities informed.

“We take test of one subject daily. At the end of a week, we sum up the result of every child and send it to the parents. It would keep the parents posted about their child’s performance. Apart from these tests, half-yearly and final exams result would also be sent to the parents through SMS,” the principal said.

Parents who do not have mobile phones have been requested to have one.

Bathinda, October 28
Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Member of Parliament, today exhorted members of the Panchayati Raj Institutions to keep a strict vigil on the quality of execution of public projects in their respective villages to ensure that public money was properly utilised.

Addressing public rallies during her “sangat darshan” at villages Barkandi, Ganga, Kaur Kothe Singh, Mehma Bhagwana, Kothe Sandhuan, Kothe Phulla Singhwala, Kothe Chet Singhwala and Bhuchokalan, Harsimrat said she was getting projects worth crores of rupees sanctioned for the Bathinda Parliamentary constituency from the state as well as union government and it was essential that money sanctioned for the projects was properly utilised. She added that it was hard earned money of taxpayers and “we all should ensure that this money does not go down the drain”.

She said during last 62 years, no effort was made to delve into the root cause of salinity of water in the Malwa area and to tackle the problem in a scientific manner. She said deputy CM Sukhbir Badal had promised the people of Bathinda that by the end of October 2010, all 560 villages of the constituency would be equipped with either RO System or double ultra filter system to provide clean drinking water.

Exhorting women to join her campaign against female foeticide and for greening environment, she said, “It is our duty to save Punjab from the stigma of ‘killer fields of unborn girls’.” She said her campaign had picked up momentum and considering the success of this model, even international bodies were evincing interest to replicate it in other troubled areas.

Harsimrat also exhorted the women to take benefit of the breast cancer check-up camps being organised in the district. During her visit to villages, she also handed over pension sanction letters to 173 beneficiaries. She also gave cheques worth Rs 60,000 to six families under the National Family Benefit Scheme.

Bathinda, October 28
Activists of the Mazdoor Mukti Morcha (MMM) and the Lal Jhanda Punjab Bhatha Mazdoor Union today held a rally and demonstration in front of the office of the deputy commissioner here to protest against the alleged “anti-labour” policies of the Central and state governments.

The protesters also demanded implementation of labour laws in letter and spirit, Rs 200 per day wages to labourers, control over rising prices, strengthening of public distribution system etc.

The dharna was addressed by state secretary of the MMM Comrade Bhagwant Singh Samao, Harwinder Singh Sema, Ami Lal, Babu Singh Talwandi, Jasvir Singh, Avtar Singh Mahima and Paramjit Singh Ghuman among others.

Almost all the speakers criticised the government for its “pro-imperialism” policies by saying that due to these policies, the prices of essential commodities were rising, majority of the farmers, landless labourers, small traders etc were under debt and were facing many problems in their day to day life.

They also said the government was “snatching” basic facilities, like healthcare and education, from the people.

The leaders emphasised on intensifying the struggle against the “anti-labour” policies of the government. — TNS

Bathinda, October 28
Kotwali police booked six persons including a municipal councillor for committing fraud with the additional district and sessions judge, Faridkot.

Sources informed that the complainant Ashok Kumar Singla, additional district and sessions judge, was named as Mangat Rai in his childhood. Later, he changed his name as Ashok Kumar Singla.

The judge owned 31 bigha and 14 biswa of land in Janta Nagar, Bathinda. The accused namely, Sukhdev Singh, Sarvarinder Singh, Ganpat Rai, Jassa Singh, Gurdeep Singh came to know the fact and presented a man, who impersonated as Mangat Rai, and had the land transferred in the name of Manpreet Kaur of Bathinda on April,15, 2004.

After knowing the fact, the judge lodged a complaint with the Bathinda police. Investigating the matter, the DSP (City), found it to be a case of fraud and marked it to the Kotwali police station, where a case has now been registered.

SHO Kotwali Gurjeet Singh Romana said one out of the six accused—Ganpat Rai was a sitting muncipal councilor of Abohar. Giving details, Romana said that Sukhdev Singh belonged to Dhani Khadaka Singh, Jassa Singh of Sham Khera village, Sarvarinder Singh of Abohar city and Gurdeep Singh of Mehma Sawai village in Bathinda.

A case under sections 419, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471, 474 and 120-B of the IPC has been registered. Despite conducting raids, police could not arrest any of the accused till the filing of the news.

Moga, October 28
A case came to light here on Wednesday when a boy's family was made to finance a girl's visit abroad for study in the name of marriage.

Some travel agents of Ludhiana and Moga districts brokered an inter-caste marriage between a Jat Sikh boy and a girl belonging to a lower caste, wherein, the boy's family was asked to pay Rs 20 lakh to the girl's family to send her abroad.

The girl, as per the agents, had cleared the IELTS test and her chances to go abroad were brighter than that of the boy. The travel agents planned out that after reaching abroad, the girl would call the boy on the request of spouse visa.

However, when the boy and his parents came here to a local hotel from Kamalpura village in Ludhiana district to marry the girl, the travel agents who had already been paid an instalment of Rs 1.5 lakh demanded Rs 5 lakh as the second instalment for solemnising the marriage.

But the parents of the boy asked the girl's family to show the passport of the 'bride'. Surprisingly, the father of the girl Surjit Singh revealed that they had applied for the passport. However, the travel agents had told the parents of the boy that the girl had cleared the IELTS test and was about to go to Canada. Suspecting a fraud, the boy Buta Singh and his father Baldev Singh called the Moga police who stopped the marriage and nabbed six travel agents including two women on charges of fraud and faking a marriage. An FIR under sections 406, 420 and 120-B of the IPC has been registered against them.

The arrested travel agents include Ram Singh, his wife Manjit Kaur, residents of Hans Kalan village of Jagraon sub-division of Ludhiana district, Mohal Lal, a resident of Ajitwal (Moga), Rajan Verma, a resident of Moga, Rajwant Kaur, wife of Sukhdev Singh, a resident of Jagraon and one Chaman Lal, a resident of Kamalpura village of Ludhiana district.

During preliminary investigations, it has come to light that the girl and her family was also kept in the dark by the travel agents who told them that the boy's family would bear the expense of sending the girl abroad, said Lashkar Singh SP (D) of Moga district. Further, investigations were in progress, he added. 

Mansa, October 28
An alleged travel agent and his “victims” levelled charges against each other by holding press conferences here today. The agent, against whom charges of making money through forgery were levelled, refuted the allegations and said it was the handiwork of some persons who had not returned the money of his friend provided to them through his guarantee. Butta Singh said he was not travel agent and did not receive money from any one in the name of sending people to foreign countries.

Mansa police had inquired into the matter earlier but did not find anything.

Some alleged victims alleged that Butta was a travel agent and charges money from people in the name of sending them abroad. — OC

Ferozepur, October 28
Ferozepur bagged the overall trophy during the 31st Punjab Police Range Games which concluded here today. DIG Ferozpur Range RP Mittal distributed the prizes to the winning teams at Shahid Bhagat Singh stadium.

SSP SS Parmar, SP Headquarters S Singh, SP Detective HS Pannu, DSP Zira Wazir Singh, DSP Rahgubir Singh, DSO BS Boparai and DPRO Ashok Handa were present.

Mittal congratulated the winners of various events and advised policemen to include sports as part of their daily itinerary. Mittal said that Punjab Police has produced sportsmen of national and international repute who have brought laurels to the force.

Results: Hockey: Ferozepur (I) Moga (II); Football: Ferozepur (I) Muktsar (II); Basketball: Ferozepur (I) Moga (II); Handball: Ferozepur (I) Muktsar (II); Volleyball: Ferozepur (I) Muktsar (II); Wrestling: Ferozepur (I) Muktsar (II); Judo: Ferozepur (I) Muktsar (II). — OC

Bathinda, October 28
For the 15th consecutive year, the DAV College, Bathinda, won the Punjabi University Inter-College Kabaddi (National style) Championship by defeating local Government Rajindra College by two points.

Other teams in the league were the SD College, Barnala, and the Physical Education College, Chubki.

Dr JS Anand, principal of the DAV College, stated that eight players from his college were selected to play inter-varsity matches. — TNS