Bathinda, November 5
Though the Economic and Statistical Department (ESD) is considered as most important department in Punjab as it deals with the work of district planning committees, MPLAD funds and statistics collection at the district as well as the state level, the department is facing staff crunch reportedly hampering its functioning.

As per sources, regular deputy economic and statistical advisors (deputy ESAs) are working only in five districts, Fatehgarh Sahib, Mohali, Bathinda, Patiala and Sangrur of the state. While the offices of the deputy ESAs in the remaining 15 districts of the state are being run by way of giving current duty charge of the post of the deputy ESA to the research officers (ROs) or district statistical officers (DSOs) for the past more than one year.

Sources further said that all the six posts of the deputy ESA at the state headquarters are also lying vacant.

In other words, out of 26 posts of the deputy ESA, the work of 21 posts is being run by making stop-gap arrangements.

Sources further said as the post of the deputy ESA was a promotional post so the ROs and the DSOs required seven years' experience on their respective posts to make themselves eligible for the post of deputy ESA. Keeping in view the shortage of regular deputy ESAs in the state a file had reportedly been moved by the department about one year ago to relax the seven years' experience condition to five years' experience for promoting the ROs and the DSOs as deputy ESAs. But the fate of file is unknown, sources alleged.

Besides the posts of the deputy ESA, several posts of assistant research officer, statistical assistant, investigator, and data entry operator etc, have also been lying vacant in the department, due to which the functioning of the entire department has reportedly been suffering in one way or the other.

An officer of the department told this reporter that due to shortage of staff the functioning of the department was certainly affecting adversely as they were facing problems in collecting various types of data which was a must for making proper planning of the projects. 

Bathinda, November 5
A team of health officials, constituted by the Bathinda civil surgeon Neelam Bajaj, today found dengue larva in the water of coolers of some offices at the mini-secretariat here.

The team informed about it to the employees of the offices concerned and asked them to get their coolers cleaned to prevent the disease from spreading. The team is also checking dengue larva in various areas of the city.

The civil surgeon today made an appeal to the people to cooperate with the health authorities in controlling the dengue and malaria diseases in the 
district. 

Bathinda, November 5
In the wake of the recently issued orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to check the menace of stubble burning that continues unabated, the district police booked eight farmers for burning paddy stubble in their fields.

Though the police registered the cases mentioning the names of the accused under section 188 of the IPC, for defying the orders of the district magistrate, none of them could be arrested.

It may be mentioned that a thick layer of smog which has engulfed the entire region was causing uneasiness among the residents of the region for the past couple of days.

To put the officials on their toes, the High Court asked the deputy commissioners to file a detailed action taken report to check the menace.

As a result, the DC Bathinda convened a meeting of all officials concerned on Wednesday.

Just after the meeting, when the DC pulled up officials, the district police swung into action hurriedly and booked farmers from various areas of the district.

According to details available, the booked farmers belonged to Balluana, Ganga, Daan Singh Wala, Ghudda, Jangirana, Bhai Rupa, Sidhana and Jodhpur Pakhar villages.

Bathinda, November 5
Under the banner of Punjab Taxi Union Sanghrash Committee, a large number of taxi drivers and operators from this district today staged a dharna outside the mini secretariat and took out a protest march here in protest against the state government's alleged "anti-taxi operators/drivers" policies, regarding taxes and permit, by saying that the government is imposing un-necessary taxes on them and taking their taxis in possession forcibly.

District president of the union Navdeep Singh Bhalla said if the government remained failed in accepting their demands then they would intensify their agitation at the state level by way of observing fasts and holding dharnas and demonstrations. He said the taxi drivers would also block the traffic.

Their demands include withdrawal in the hike of annual taxes imposed on vehicles, directions to the DTOs not to take their vehicles in custody till the matter is resolved, stoppage of imposition of un-necessary taxes on vehicles.

The union leaders said that earlier there was a tax of Rs 400 per annum on the taxis while it had been increased now to Rs 9,000 per year, due to which there was a great resentment among the taxi drivers and operators. They asked the government to withdraw its alleged "anti-taxi operators and drivers" policies. 

Abohar, November 5
While redressing some of the complaints filed by the consumers from different towns of Ferozepur district alleging supply of contaminated water, the Permanent Lok Adalat (PLA) Public Utility Services has directed the municipal council, Ferozepur, to install reverse osmosis systems (ROS) in the houses of the complainants.

Consumer Movement chairman Sat Pal Khariwal described it as a landmark award. The NGO too was pursuing similar complaints from the local consumers.

Notably, the PLA had directed the district health officer in May this year to take samples of the drinking water, being supplied by the councils at Ferozepur and Abohar. The DHO took five samples during one month from different houses in Ferozepur, four of which failed test as per the report of the state bacteriologist, State Public Health Laboratory, Chandigarh.

Responding to the notice from the PLA, the MC, Ferozepur, pleaded that the private pipes laid by the individual had become rusty. The EO contended that there was no complaint of mixing drinking water with the sewerage water.

The PLA observed in the award, a copy of which was made available to The Tribune today, that if a municipal council fails to discharge its obligation of supplying potable water to the residents, it violates its fundamental right to receive such water. The violation itself is a clarion call for granting them adequate compensation.

The council must display telephone numbers on water bills to help consumers file online complaints. The municipal council has also been directed to pay a penalty of Rs 500. The directions are to be complied within 30 days. 

Bathinda, November 5
Quintals of cotton loaded in a truck caught fire today in the morning reportedly due to spark in some electricity wires, near Des Raj school, here.

The truck driver, Hardeep Singh informed that he had brought the cotton from Fazilka to deliver it at a quilt store in the city. The truck was parked in the street and all of a sudden he witnessed a spark in the wires, crossing above the truck. The spark set the cotton on fire. In a hurried attempt, he threw the burning cotton bales on to the street and evaded any damage to the truck.

Meanwhile, fire brigade officials reached the spot and doused the fire. 

Bathinda, November 5
The bhog of akhand path of Sri Guru Granth Sahib will be performed on November 8 at Gurdwara Haji Ratan here in memory of Sikhs who had lost their lives in 1984 anti-
Sikh riots. The "akhand path" will begin at the gurdwara tomorrow.

Meanwhile, a former municipal councilor and a victim of riot Mohinder Singh Sohal today criticised deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal for making appeal to the Sikhs to observe "ardas divas" on November 8 for getting justice for the victims because Sukhbir had done nothing for the victims when he was a minister at the Centre. — TNS

Bathinda, November 5
The Punjab ICT Education Society plans to start a computer certificate course for boys and girls. The society feels that the youth remain unemployed because they do not have basic computer knowledge.

The three-month course would cost Rs 2000 and it would start from December 1 this year. Minimum qualification for the course would be Class XII and the classes would be from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm from Monday to Friday. 

Bathinda, November 5
The Bathinda district badminton championship (open) will be held at the Dunes Club on November 7 and 8.

Only two events--men's double and boys singles (under-19)-- will be held. Bathinda Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tiwari will preside over the proceedings on the last day while SSP Ashish Chowdhary will be the chief guest on the opening day. — OC

Bathinda, November 5
Dr Jagjeet Singh Bahia, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences & Research has returned from China after participating a conference on hypertension.

He said today that the agenda of the conference was "how to prevent hypertension in the modern world scenario".

Doctors from various countries discussed latest methods to control high blood pressure. They also discussed methods to prevent the deadly complications of hypertensions including, cerebrovascular accident, heart disease & Renal failure. — TNS