Bathinda, January 7
Three-year-old twin brothers, Rajanpreet and Sajanpreet, who were admitted to the local Civil Hospital on Tuesday as suspected to be suffering from Swine flu, have been tested positive by the PGI, Chandigarh. They belong to Talwandi Sabo town of this district.

The samples of throat swab of twin brothers had been sent to the PGI for test on Tuesday but the hospital authorities received the results today.

District health officer (DHO) Dr Dharampal Singh Sekhon told this reporter this evening that they had started administering Tamiflu tablets to the mother of the twin brothers here this evening after receiving reports from the PGI. However, the Talwandi Sabo SMO had been asked to contact the father and grandfather of twins immediately to start the medicine to them also as they had been in contact with the children.

However, two other Swine flu patients Gurdev Singh of Ghamiara village in Muktsar district and Gurjant Singh from Neelianwali village in Haryana were still under treatment in the Civil Hospital's isolation ward here.

The DHO said all the four Swine flu positive patients admitted to the Civil Hospital here were improving and in good health.

Meanwhile, no new case of Swine flu was today reported from any part of the district.

Bathinda, January 7
Whether it is a foetus or something else, it will now be ascertained by the doctors of Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot, as the doctors of local Civil Hospital could not express a clear view on it and have referred the case to a medical college in Faridkot for the final opinion.

Local SHO Gurjit Singh Romana told The Tribune that pieces of flesh (foetus or something else) were today found buried on the roof of a house of one Tarsem Singh, located in Jogi Nagar here. The family then informed the police. After receiving the information, he immediately rushed to the spot and took the same in his possession, he added.

Romana said the local doctors examined the pieces of flesh but were not sure whether it was a foetus or something else, so they referred it to the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot.

The SHO said that he would now take the pieces of flesh to the Medical College for examination. Following the report from the Medical College, it would become clear whether it was a foetus or something else. Romana added that the police would initiate necessary proceedings in the case.

Bathinda, January 7
For separating blood components, like platelets, red blood cells and plasma, an apheresis machine has been installed at the Civil Hospital here.

Assistant civil surgeon Dr Indu Bhushan Aggarwal today said the Punjab Health Systems Corporation had purchased the machine at a cost of Rs 15 lakh, which had been paid from the user charges of the hospital.

Dr Aggarwal told TNS that the state drug controller issued a licence the previous day to run the machine. He said the hospital authorities would get the licence from the office of the state drug controller in few days. After procuring the licence, the machine would be brought into use immediately, he added.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the executive committee of the District Red Cross Society and some other institutions, like the Saint John Ambulance Association and the Hospital Welfare Branch, was held under the presidentship of additional deputy commissioner (Development) C Sibin here today. It was informed during the meeting that during 2009, as many as 3,172 units of blood were collected by organising as many as 88 camps in Bathinda district.

It was also informed that an amount of Rs five lakh had been received from the MPLAD funds for the drug de-addiction centre situated at the Civil Hospital. At the centre, yoga classes had also been started for the inmates.

Fazilka, January 7
Four car-borne miscreants allegedly snatched Rs 2.40 lakhs from two staff of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation petrol pump in broad day light in thickly populated area here today.

The criminals allegedly had also attacked one of the emplyee before snatching the cash.

As per the statement of Mehar Singh, who has been working with the COCO (Company owned Company operated) BPCL petrol pump at village Banwala, the incident took place at about 10.45 am.

He said that he was going to Fazilka from the petrol pump at about 10.45 am on a motorbike along with another employee of the pump, Tek Singh, a resident of village Ojhanawali. He said that they were going to the State Bank of India to deposit cash of Rs about 2.40 lakh.

Mehar said that as they reached near the Truck Union, Fazilka, one Tata Indica car allegedly hit them from the left and both fell from the bike. He added that four persons wearing mask got down from the car. One person allegedly hurled the revolver while the other three had sticks. One of them allegedly hit the wrist of Mehar and snatched the cash, which was kept in a bag and decamped with the booty.

They said that fled towards Abohar road. Later, Mehar and Tek Singh raised alarm.

Meanwhile, shopkeepers at the site told The Tribune that none of them saw the occurrence of the incident. Hence, they were not in a position to explain anything about it.

The manager of the petrol pump Rajinder Rana said that Mehar Singh has been working at the petrol pump for the last seven years since the commencement of the BPCL company run petrol pump at the village Banwala.

On the other hand, Police city in-charge inspector Baljit Singh said that the police is investigating into the case. The teams of officials have been sent to different directions to locate the alleged dacoits and the Tata Indica car, used in the alleged crime. 

Moga, January 7
A case of sexual abuse of a 16-year-old Dalit girl has come to light in the Moga town. The police has registered an FIR and launched a hunt for the alleged culprit who has fled away from his house.

The victim has reported to the police on Wednesday that she was being sexually abused by one Sandip, son of Kimti Lal, a resident of Nigaha road of this town for the past few months.

She stated that Sandip had promised to marry her but for the past few weeks he did not come on the line and plainly refused to marry her.

“He raped me on the pretext of solemnising marriage with me”, she alleged.

The girl disclosed everything to her parents who took her to the district hospital for a medical examination and reported the matter to the police.

In the preliminary medical report it has been established that she was being sexually abused, on the basis of which, the police has registered a criminal case under sections 376 of the IPC against the alleged Sandip and raided his house late last night and early this morning but he had fled away from his house.

The ASI Balraj Singh of police station (south) revealed to this correspondent this evening that Sandip was yet to be arrested by the police.

“We are in the process of carrying out raids on his possible hideouts in the town and other place and hopefully nab him soon,” he said.

Earlier, there were reports that Sandip had approached the girl's family and the police through his political links for a compromise but the victim refused to do so. 

Ferozepur, January 7
To provide potable water in all villages of the state, the government has envisaged a massive proposal under the Punjab Rural Water Supply and Cleanliness Project worth Rs 1,280 crores, which would be funded by the World Bank, stated Sukhpal Singh Nannu, CPS (Revenue), at a a rural conference here today.

Nannu said that with the persistent efforts of the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, the World Bank has agreed to decrease the contribution of the beneficiaries up to 50 per cent with which 1,18,837 families belonging to the EWS strata would be benefitted, adding that around seven lakh households in 3,161 villages would get benefit of Rs 54 crores. Nannu said that the rural folks would have to deposit Rs 800 instead of Rs 1500 and those belonging to the villages along the border would have to give Rs 400 instead of Rs 750 now.

Nannu distributed cheques to the village panchayats of Basti Makhan Singh, Khalchian Jadid, Suba Kadim, Luthar, Haziwala, Mira ShahNorr and Gobind Nagar for various developmental works. 

Abohar, January 7
The Technical Services Union of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) took out a protest march here today to express resentment over suspension of five leaders, who had also been booked by the city police for allegedly forcing the SDO Surinder Singh Behal and additional SDO Jagdev Sokhal to keep standing within the circle drawn by the agitating employees for the whole day at the divisional office of the PSEB last month.

As the TSU leadership and its associate organisations looked determined to force entry into the divisional office despite restrictions imposed by a court, heavy police deployment was ensured by the authorities there. The procession passed through main roads of the town as the TSU workers shouted slogans against the senior XEN and the PSEB.

The TSU workers burnt an effigy of the XEN outside the municipal bus stand affecting vehicular traffic for a few minutes.

They submitted a memorandum to the sub-divisional administration demanding revocation of suspension orders as well as withdrawal of the FIR against the TSU leaders. 

Abohar, January 7
The residents belonging to the villages of Punjab and Rajasthan, located close to the inter-state border, share a different kind of harmony among themselves, which is based on their daily needs.

While a large section of residents of Punjab's villages go to various poppy husk vends in the nearby villages of Rajasthan to get their daily dose, the bacchus lover of Rajasthan visit liquor vends of Punjab to fetch the required quantity of liquor.

Long lines of people can be seen in front of poppy husk vends located at various villages of Rajasthan as addicts belonging to different parts of Punjab visit these places vends. These addicts consume their doses for a kick in front of vends only as possession of poppy husk in Punjab is a heinous crime.

The tipplers of Rajasthan state make purchases of liquor from vends located at villages of Punjab due to significant price difference prevailing in both states. The liquor is much cheaper in Punjab than Rajasthan.

Kala Singh, who originally belongs to Aalamwala village of the Muktsar district, has been putting up in Melarampura village of Rajasthan, on the Punjab-Rajasthan border across the substitute Gang Canal for the past 20 years, so that he could have his daily dose of 50 poppy husk with ease.

Harbans Lal, a shopkeeper of Melarampura village, said that Punjab addicts came to poppy husk vends on this village while tipplers of Rajasthan would go to Bajitpur Bhoma village of Punjab to buy liquor at cheaper rates. Both the villages were situated at a distance of about 20 metres only.

During a tour to various villages of Punjab and Rajasthan situated at inter-state border revealed that smuggling of poppy husk and liquor from Rajasthan to Punjab and Punjab to Rajasthan respectively had become a routine feature.

A section of residents told TNS that residents belonging to Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Mohali, Chandigarh and other districts of Punjab covered hundreds of kilometres to reach here to get poppy husk.

Tarun Rattan, DSP, Abohar, when contacted, while claiming that effective efforts were being made to check the activities of smugglers in this area. He added that in 2009 alone, 56 kilograms of opium, 7.42 quintals of poppy husk and 976 grams of smack had been recovered from the smugglers. He added that 1907 litres of illicit liquor, 1018 litres of Theka liquor and 8720 kilograms of Lahan liquor was recovered from the unscrupulous elements in this sub-division in 2009. He said 177 cases were registered under NDPS Act and 148 cases under the Excise Act in 2009. 

Bathinda, January 7
Students of the Dasmesh Public School, Faridkot, have again proved their mettle in the acedemics and brought laurels to the district as 17 scholars out of total 36 general category scholars through National Talent Search Examination (NTSE) - 2009 belong to the school. It may also be mentioned that 47 per cent of the total Punjab scholars have sprung from the Faridkot district only.

All these national scholars belong to the Dasmesh Public School, Faridkot, which has been giving a sense of pride to the district and Punjab state for the last three years consecutively.

This examination, which is conducted at three stages by the SCERT, Punjab and NCERT, Delhi (Government of India) is the ‘toughest’ examination of the school level.

It is notable that Dasmesh Public School, Faridkot, has been contributing the biggest number of pupil scholars to the national kitty of this prestigious scholarship. Once this Scholarship is won by a student, he would continue to get it till he clears his PhD /MD/ ME /MSc.