Moga/Abohar, December 28
The workers of Congress party organized a function to celebrate the 125th foundation day of the party at the historic Dudeke village, about 18 km from the district headquarters, today.

The general secretary of the state unit of the party and former minister Dr Malti Thapar, before presiding over the celebrations, paid floral tributes to Punjab Kesari Lala Lajpat Rai who belonged to this village.

It may be mentioned that Lala Lajpat Rai during his lifetime had the privilege to be the only Punjabi in the Congress party's history who was given a chance to work as the national president of the party.

Dr Thapar, while addressing the party workers and local leaders, expressed her gratitude to them for upholding the principles of secularism, socialism and democracy.

She said that the people of this country and the state in particular were fortunate that command of the nation has been given by the Congress party to a Punjabi who has been entrusted the post of prime minister. Dr Tara Singh Sandhu, Inderjit Singh, Ravi Sharma, Upinder Singh Gill, Ravi Pandit, Dr Harjot Kamal and other party leaders were also present on the occasion.

In Abohar, the City Congress Committee on Monday kickstarted the yearlong celebrations of the 125th foundation day of the party by serving meals to the needy who used to throng the Geeta Mandir located in the heart of the walled city.

City president BL Nagpal was assisted by former president of the women's wing Veer Bala Nagpal, councillors Vimal Thathai and Prem Kalra, former councillors Narinder Verma, Ram Avtar and Mohan Lal. Nagpal said BPL persons are the backbone of the Congress party.

Ferozepur, December 28
Though the year 2009 saw several held up development works being initiated, but many promises made by successive governments remained unfulfilled.One such issue, the re-opening of Hussaniwala-Lahore border, for trade and transit, is still pending. The matter has not even been considered for inclusion in the agenda of the bilateral talks with Pakistan.

The proposal for opening a government college at district headquarters has also not moved ahead notwithstanding the announcement by CM.

As far as the abolition of octroi in cantonment is concerned, though the state government has taken the initiative and promised compensation to the Cantonment Board, however, the matter is facing procedural wrangles and has now reportedly been sent to the Ministry of Defence awaiting sanction.

The condition of roads in the city, dotted with potholes, has not seen any improvement. The condition of the main Circular road besides Icchewala road, Khai road and other city roads are still in a deplorable state.

The faulty sewerage and problem of potable water supply continues to haunt the residents. Thanks to the internal strife within the ruling SAD-BJP, the election for the post of Municipal Council president could not be held despite a majority in the House.

The liabilities of MC are increasing with every passing day with little effort from the government to improve its fiscal condition. Cleanliness is also in a state of neglect with sewers dotted with cesspools of slush, posing grave danger to the health of residents. When asked, MC officials come up with a hackneyed reply, citing paucity of funds and lack of manpower.

The scene continues to be pathetic as far industrialisation is concerned. The government has neither been able to establish any industry in this border town nor has it offered any concessions to the entrepreneurs keen to invest. In the absence of any industry or employment generating institutions, the youth here has been gradually drifting towards the menace of drugs.

Road and rail connectivity has not seen any progress. There is still no night bus service available from this town to any part of the state. The only silver lining has been the completion of the Abohar-Fazilka rail link, which is still undergoing tests.

The city bus stand on which crores of rupees had been spent, continues to be in shambles, though the work on reconstruction of the ROB connecting the city and cantonment has begun.

The farmers in the border areas having land holdings across the fencing are still awaiting compensation. Rural infrastructure, especially in the villages along the border, is still crying for attention. Over and above, the economy continues to be in an appalling state, due to which local traders have been shifting their base to other towns in search of business opportunity.

(To be continued)

Bathinda, December 28
Lodging protest against the alleged discrimination in providing exemptions, members of the Punjab Cotton and Ginning Factories Association from Bathinda on Monday announced that they would stop paying the market fees and rural development fund (RDF).

Meanwhile, the agitators threatened to observe an indefinite boycott of the cotton auctions throughout the state mandis from December 31.

In a state-level meeting held here today, the ginners accused the state government of being biased in granting exemption to a few ginning and spinning mills in Punjab.

They alleged that the state government exempted some ginning and spinning mills from paying the fees and tax in the name of Mega Projects, which had sounded a death knell for the smaller units.

Justifying their step, members of the association belonging to Bathinda district said they were left with no other option as their small and marginal units were running in deficit. Despite this, they were paying huge fees and taxes (about 12.5 per cent) to the state government.

“It is due to the high percentage of such ‘arbitrary’ taxes that cotton growers of the state are not getting a higher price for their crop. While granting such exemption to a particular section, the government closes its eyes towards the condition of the small and marginal units, where lakhs of labourers work to meet their daily needs. If the government will not change its attitude, the units running in losses will be closed and a large number of labourers will be left in the lurch.”

“We demand similar exemptions, which are being provided to some ginning and spinning mills of the state. Till then, we will not pay the weekly cheques for market fees and RDF,” said Subegh Singh, the Bathinda president of the association.

Talking to TNS, state president of the association, Bhagwan Bansal said, “We did not appreciate the tough decision of members from Bathinda. I have called a meeting on December 30, where, after a detailed discussion, a uniform state-level strategy would be announced to get our demands fulfilled.”

Bathinda, December 28
In yet another attempt to prop up its wobbly financial condition, the Punjab government is now eying the land lying with the state police.

As per the freshly chalked out plan, the state government will commercially use the police lands to the best possible extent.

According to an official list (enclosed with a letter number 4829/ building-4), the office of the Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, has now sent the details of 69 sites, which come under its jurisdiction, to the Principal Secretary (Home Affairs), for the purpose.

Taking a step further, the list has been further sent to the Punjab Urban Development & Planning Authority (PUDA) and Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) to check the feasibility of exploiting such lands for commercial purposes..

The police department has not only proposed but also recommended the 'best' utilization of such land. Varying upon the measurements, the police department has recommended that the properties could be used as shops/shopping complexes, petrol pumps, ATM cabins, cell phone towers, banks, PCOs, motels and installation of advertisements and hoardings, etc.

As per the details, eight sites have been identified in Barnala, six each in Amritsar (city) and Batala, five each in Faridkot and Ropar, four each in Amritsar (rural), Tarn Taran, Ludhiana (city), Ludhiana (rural) and Muktsar, three in Gurdaspur and the 2nd Commando Battalion, two in Khanna, Nawanshahar and Hoshiarpur, one each in Ferozepur, Mansa, Jalandhar, Kapurthala and ADGP/Armed Battalion, Jalandhar.

Meanwhile, Patiala, Mohali, Fatehgarh Sahib, Sangrur and Moga districts have been shown to have zero availability of such land.

Seeking anonymity, a highly placed official in the PUDA said that by giving the list of 69 sites, the police department has smartly evaded mentioning valuable properties but has mentioned only such properties which are ill-located and would hardly bring any benefit to the state exchequer. 

Ferozepur, December 28
Swine flu, which has been spreading its tentacles in Ferozepur, claimed another life last night.

Three persons had died in this district in the past seventy two hours.

Balbir Singh who had been getting treatment in a local private hospital since December 24 died late last night. Earlier, Harjit Singh and Gagandeep Kaur, had died of the disease.

Information gathered by TNS revealed that Balbir Singh was only 45 years old and was a resident of Shirianwala village in Jalalabad area of this district. Though he was given the best treatment, he could not survive. Gagandeep Kaur, who died suspectedly due to swine flu in a Ludhiana hospital yesterday, also belonged to Shirianwala village.

Ramesh Kumar Sikri, District Health Officer (DHO), when contacted, said that about 73 persons including 65 adults and eight children, who were in contact with the deceased Balbir Singh and Gagandeep Kaur, had been given treatment so that they could be saved from the disease.

He said that whenever a suspected case of swine flu was being found in the district, the blood samples were taken immediately for clinical tests to find out whether it tested positive or negative for swine flu. The people of the area were being educated so that they could take precautions, the DHO added.

He pointed out that so far, five persons identified as Desh Deepak, Varinder, Soma Rani, Disha Surjeet Singh and Moksh, who were positive cases of swine flu, had been treated. He added that swine flu cases had been reported from Abohar, Fazilka and Jalalabad sub-divisions of the district.

He said that people were advised not to perform certain ceremonies of death in connection with those persons who had died due to swine flu to prevent it from spreading. 

Bathinda, December 28
Out of three suspected cases of swine flu identified in Bathinda district, a 23-year-old girl has been tasted positive case while the other two patients including a doctor, have been tasted negative of H1N1, as per the PGIMER reports declared today.

According to details, Gurjeet Kaur of Multania road has been tested positive. Mother of Gurjeet, Charanjit Kaur, is also suffering from disease.

Both mother and daughter have been undergoing treatment at the isolation ward of the Civil Hospital. Doctors termed their conditions as stable.

The other two suspected cases Sukhwinder Kaur of Sema Kalan village and one Dr Shilpa, who were recently admitted to Civil Hospital and a private hospital, respectively, have been tested negative of the deadly disease.

Meanwhile, district health authorities informed that with the fresh 25 cases of B-category of the disease, the number has reached 124 and all have been prescribed medicines as well as isolation at their homes.

Further, the district health department today traced 11 persons, who came in contact with Gurjeet Kaur. The total number of persons, who had come in contact with the persons tested positive, has reached 231.

The details further state that the district health authorities have taken samples of 16 persons on the basis of suspicion, while death toll has been recorded five till date.

Confirming the details, the district health officer (DHO), Dharam Pal Singh Sekhon said, "We have been putting the best possible efforts to check the spread of disease by making people aware about the symptoms of the disease."

Replying a query related to the allegations upon some chemists for over charging for masks, Sekhon said that the drug inspector today warned all chemists to stop such illegal practice or else be ready for legal action.

Bathinda, December 28
Besides posting a hike in almost every business activity, the Indian Postal Department, Bathinda division, has also been able to gain the faith of customers in the year going by.

The fresh, modern and hi-tech working environment at post offices following the implementation of the Project Arrow brought kudos in addition to more customers. The new look City Post Office and the Bathinda Head Post Office is giving a new experience not only to the customers but also to the staff.

From walls to window, from counters to furniture, all got new and attractive colours. The machines - software and hardware- were also revamped to cater to the new demands, in 2009.

The upgrading included development of human resource as postmen were being given new uniform, a trendy bag, an umbrella and others items and soft skill trainings were also imparted to the postal staff.

In the list of achievements, what figures at the top is the department's success in opening a remarkable number of accounts under NREGA. Sources said that as far as the success rate in this aspect is concerned, Bathinda is the one of the best district in the country. “80 per cent accounts have been opened in post offices in Bathinda division and the rest with the banks,” sources claimed.

In terms of the Western Union Money Transfer, the year has been pleasant to the department as it saw 5,834 transactions between April and November, 2009 while the figure was 5,334 during the corresponding period last year.

As far as the opening of savings accounts is concerned, there has been some hassles for the department due to increase in hike in bank interest but it almost got success in maintaining its past performance.

The facility of Electronic Money Order and the shifting of recurring deposit from ledger to online have also gone down well with the customers. However, the customers have been complaining about "less number of counters" at some post offices and slow work at some counters, in the division.

Tackling staff crunch has been a major challenge for the department throughout the year.

In 2010, the focus on modernisation and computerisation is likely to continue. All the double branches (two main branch) would be computerised in the early part of next year. Customers could also expect more counters at Head Post Offices.

More importantly, railway ticket booking may also see the light of the day.

Besides, 2010 would also see a change of guard as the present Superintendent T.C. Goyal is retireing from service on December 31. 

Bathinda, December 28
In the fourth meeting of the district planning committee, held here today, the officials informed that under various schemes for 2009-10, a budget of Rs 8.53 crore was sanctioned to the district out of which Rs 5.23 crore had been disbursed, till date.

During the meeting, it was disclosed that under the Rajiv Gandhi Vidyutikaran Yojna, the PSEB was released funds worth Rs 2.39 crore, while officials could spend only Rs 1.30 crore and the rest of the amount would soon be returned to the district funds.

Giving details about the status of sewerage projects, officials said that Hamirgarh village had given its 10 per cent conditional share for covering the whole village under the sewerage system. — TNS

Bathinda, December 28
The Punjabi University, Patiala, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Jammu University, Jammu and the Panjab University, Chandigarh, have entered the semi-finals of the North Zone Inter University Cricket Tournament.

The Guru Nanak Dev University defeated Kurushetra University while Punjabi 
University beat Awadh University Faizabad to secure a berth in the semis.

Jammu varsity trounced Aligarh Muslim University in the quarterfinal.

The semi-finals of the tournament would be played on December 30 when Panjab varsity will take on Guru Nanak Dev University while Panjabi varsity will play against Jammu University to enter the final. — TNS

Bathinda, December 28
Taking note of the illegal practice of some CBSE and PSEB affiliated private schools of forcing their students to purchase school kits from particular shops that overcharge for the items the Director General School Education (DGSE), Punjab, today, ordered all the deputy commissioners of the state to check the menace.

Acting upon the directions, Deputy Commissioner Bathinda, Rahul Tewari ordered the District Education Officer (DEO) to issue a directive to all schools in the district to immediately stop the practice or face legal action. — TNS

Bathinda, December 28
In the meeting of the district-level Punjabi language committee, its chairman, Harminder Singh Jassi, who is also the sitting MLA from Bathinda, today directed all officials to implement the state language in routine work with the best of intentions.

He also directed the officials to get their tender notices published in Punjabi.

Irked over the absence of district heads of various departments at the meeting, Jassi directed them to be present or he would take up the matter with their state heads. Meanwhile, he added that he would raise the matter in the Vidhan Sabha also.

Receiving a complaint about all nine posts of Punjabi lecturers lying vacant in Rajindra College, he asked DC Rahul Tewari to write a letter to the secretary, higher education, Punjab. — TNS

Bathinda, December 28
With the passage of time, the protest of farmer unions to get the former state president of Bharti Kisan Union (Krantikari), Surjit Singh Phul released from the jail, is gaining impetus.

Seeking the unconditional release of Surjit Singh Phul, who was arrested from Phul courts on November 17 on the allegation of spreading the Naxalite movement in the state, hundreds of activists including women, belonging to Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) and Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Punjab) today staged a dharna outside the mini-secretariat, here today.

The agitators, later, held a march through the city markets and raised anti-government slogans.

Leaders of the farmer unions alleged that by arresting farmers' representative like Surjit Singh Phul, who fought for the common cause, the government was trying to suppress all democratic organisations, which become a hurdle in its plans.

Accusing further, they said that arresting the leaders under the heinous allegations of being traitors, the state government was trying to make the farmer unions leaderless.

Among others, the main speakers namely, Jhanda Singh Jethuke, Shingara Singh Mann and Jagjit Singh Bhunder openly accused many of the politicians of indulging in heinous crimes. — TNS

Mansa, December 28
Mansa police today busted a gang of vehicle lifters and recovered 12 motor bikes and a Maruti car from their custody. SHO Mansa city Sulakhan Singh said that motorcycles were stolen from different cities of Punjab and Haryana including Mansa and Sirsa.

In this regard, the police had registered a case against Munish Kumar, a resident of Sardoolgarh, Somveer, also a resident of Sardoolgarh, Chakarbarty Gupta and Jatinder Kumar, both belonging to Mansa, under sections 379, 411, 420, 465, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC. During the interrogation, the accused admitted that after stealing vehicles, they used to forge illegal documents and sell the same. They used duplicate stamps of the DTO and other officials concerned for making illegal documents. Police informed that Jatinder Kumar had stolen a revolver from the Mansa police station which was recovered from him by the Tohana police in Haryana. Munish Kumar was their gang leader against whom nearly 16 cases of vehicles lifting and were registered at different police stations of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. 

Abohar, December 28
Sahil Katlaria of Gurdaspur was declared the Champion of Champions during the Seth Bhura Mal Rathi North Zone Badminton Tournament that concluded here on Sunday night.

Lok Sabha member Sher Singh Ghubaya was joined by former state BJP president Brij Lal Rinwa, SDM Amit Dhaka, Harbans Singh Josan, MD, Pioneer Pesticides, and Rakesh Rathi, president of the North India Cotton Association, in awarding prizes to winners.

Veteran player Ram Lakhan of Jalandhar who had participated in the national badminton tournaments for 19 years and excelled in international games thrice was honoured with 'Lifetime Achievement Award.' Association president Sunil Periwal and secretary Arun Munjal informed today that 150 players from Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi participated in 130 matches that were played during last three days here.

Winners: Under-14 
singles: I. Aman (New Delhi); Under-19 singles: Love (Gurdaspur); Men's singles: Sahil Katlaria; Veteran singles: Ram Lakhan; Men's doubles: Sahil Katlaria and Abhishek (Gurdaspur); Veteran doubles: Ram Lakhan and Lovleen; Lucky doubles: Rakesh Dahuja and Sushil Aggarwal (Abohar). — OC