Bathinda, February 4
An ambitious project of the Improvement Trust — the Maharaja Captain Amarinder Singh Transport Nagar — for which 67.88 acres of land was acquired in 2002, is still a distant dream for all as except for incomplete structures of few offices, the total chunk is lying vacant.

The delayed project is not only giving a bad name to the administration but also forcing city residents to bear various problems due to transport companies located inside the city.

The project was initiated during the Congress regime, when Capt Amarinder Singh was the chief minister. But with the change of government, deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal again laid the foundation stone for the same project but with a different name. The name of his rival (former CM) was removed and it was to be called just Transport Nagar.

It was a commercial-cum-residential project, which sounded quite appealing as it included the proposal of 219 residential plots, 36 shop-cum-offices (SCOs), 44 shop-cum-flats (SCFs), 40 offices goods booking agencies, 46 repair-cum-spare shops, 104 booths and a huge parking.

Further, proposals for a weighing scale, service station, bank, post office, dispensary, primary school and a fuel station were also floated to allure the investors. Among these, the authorities had kept three commercial sites reserved for future requirements.

Sources in the Improvement Trust informed that once residential plots were allotted through draw and auction system in 2004. Further, commercial plots were sold through auction. However, observing the project grappling with official babudom, till date no buyer has turned up to raise buildings or reportedly to pay non-construction charges.

It has also been informed that despite constructing 14 SCOs, the Improvement Trust authorities could not sell even a single. Further, sources said that the Improvement Trust would construct 20 goods booking agencies and 15 SCFs, for which no contender had ever applied.

When contacted, chairman of the Improvement Trust Ashok Bharti said, “Earlier, there were few hurdles. But now, we are trying to complete all formalities, after which the project will surely be developed in a speedy way.”

Parrying a query related to controversy over the name of the Transport Nagar, Ashok Bharti said, “As of my information, its formal name is the Maharaja Captain Amarinder Singh Transport Nagar. I am not aware if the name of the former CM had been skipped on the recently-laid foundation stone.”

Bathinda, February 4
Taking a serious notice of the irregularities in the state government’s Atta-Dal scheme, Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tewari issued a show-cause notice to eight depot holders. Meanwhile, he suspended the supply of other five depots.

Giving details, officials of the District Food and Supply Controller informed that there were frequent reports of irregularities in the implementation of the scheme. To curb it, the DC ordered for checking of depots throughout the district.

During the process, revenue staff and panchayat secretaries visited villages and held common meetings with people and observed a number of complaints against the depot holders of villages Karam Garh Shatra, Bambiha, Gill Kalan, Jalal and Ramgarh Bhunder. In accordance with the reports of subordinates, the DC suspended the supply to these depots.

Meanwhile, the officials detected some irregularities in the depots located at villages Bhodipura, Sidhana, Mandi Kalan, Poohli, Kalyan Sukha, Fatta Balu, Sandoha and Lehari, for which, the DC issued a show-cause notice to the holders.

Bathinda, February 4
The World Cancer Day was observed at local Civil Hospital and the children and women hospital here today. Civil Surgeon Dr Neelam Bajaj presided over the function.

Assistant Civil Surgeon Dr Indu Bhushan Aggarwal spoke about the mouth cancer while Dr Pawan Jindal spoke about breast cancer. Both speakers created awareness among the participants about the disease and the precautions related to the disease.

Senior Medical Officer (SMO) of Civil Hospital Dr Vinod Garg and SMO of children and women hospital Dr BS Gill also spoke about the cancer disease.

Dr Neelam Bajaj appealed to the people to keep abreast of the cancer disease. She said the awareness campaign would continue for a week.

Dr Bajaj also said painting competitions related to the disease would be held in local schools in a week and the winners would be honoured.

Meanwhile, an exhibition was also organised at the Civil Hospital and flexes were installed that carried messages aimed at educating the general public about the disease.

Dr Bajaj said on February 7, anti-polio drops would be administered to the children in the age group of 0 to 5 years as a part of the pulse polio programme in the district.

She said the drops would be administered to about 1.84 lakh children of this district at the booths by the mobile teams and the transit teams. She added that 1,334 teams would visit door to door to administer drops to the left out children on February 8 and February 9.

Ferozepur, February 4
The students of the Shaheed Bhagat Singh College of Engineering and Technology (SBSCET) today held a demonstration and blocked the Ferozepur-Moga GT road in protest against the non-payment of their security money deposited with the Punjab Technical University (PTU) during the time of their counselling.

As per the information, the demonstrating students belonged to third year who had deposited Rs 10,000 as CET counselling fee with PTU during the time of their admission out of which Rs 7500 was refundable within first year.

However, the same had not been refunded to the students till date, due to which around 350 students resorted to agitation today.

Dr TS Sidhu, principal SBSCET, when contacted, said that there was some problem between PTU and the college on account of some pending dues amounting to Rs 60 lakh which included inspection fee, affiliation fee being charged from the college.

Sidhu said due to this, the PTU was adopting delaying tactics in refunding the security of the students. Sidhu said that he has assured the students that their pending security which amounted to around Rs 26 lakhs would be paid by the college out of its own funds, and later the college would settle the issue with the PTU. After the assurance from the Principal, the students lifted the blockade.

Abohar, February 4
In a landmark decision of far reaching repercussions, the Permanent Lok Adalat (Public Utility Services) has observed that “Red Cross funds are always meant for the benefit and welfare of the unprivileged section of society. Thus the Red Cross Society cannot be expected to squander even a single paisa out of the Red Cross funds according to its whims and fancies.”

While deciding the petition filed by the GMT BSNL (LL) against the District Red Cross Society for recovery of Rs 90,000 on account of telephone bill, the Adalat, chaired by Amarjit Singh Katari with Dr SK Gupta and Dr RL Taneja as its members, made hard-hitting observations over the use of Red Cross telephone (No. 244007) by the Deputy Commissioners during the period July 7, 2004 to Feb 12, 2009.

As per the award, copy of which was made available to this correspondent yesterday, the respondent Red Cross Society secretary had paid a sum of Rs 10,000 by cheque on January 15 and was been directed to pay rest of the arrears in eight equal installments of Rs 10,000 each before 15th of every month failing which interest at the rate of 16 per cent would be charged.

The Adalat further observed, “Red Cross is a trust and its office-bearers including its chairman, who is appointed as such, by virtue of his office, are its trustees. Beneficiaries of the trust are that unprivileged section of the society which is deprived either by the society or nature of its rights to lead the life of a normal person.”

Since the telephone in question was not used by the Deputy Commissioners concerned for the Red Cross purpose, therefore, a copy of this award be sent to the chief secretary, government of Punjab, for recovery of awarded amount proportionally from the DCs concerned, who remained posted at Ferozepur during that (7.7.2004 to 12.2.2009) period, the Adalat held.

Abohar, February 4
The circle committee of the Technical Services Union (TSU) has decided to mobilise workers/employees of the Punjab State Electricity Board (PSEB) for observing a complete strike on February 10.

TSU circle secretary Balwinder Singh Sandhu and divisional secretary Jarnail Singh informed the media after a meeting today that rallies have been planned for Friday at the sub-division number 2 and 3 while rally at the sub-division number 1 would be held at sub-division number 1 on February 8 and Khuyiansarwar on February 9.

The meeting in this connection was presided over by the circle president Hem Raj.

He informed that the Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) and other organisations have consented to extend support to the TSU and would participate in the rallies being organised to press the state government for scrapping Electricity Act 2003 and revise the pay-scales of the PSEB workers.

Mansa, Februrary 4
A student of Mansa has brought laurels to the state through his excellent academic performance in the field of civil engineering.

Smeet Jindal, son of Kewal Kumar, Mansa, studying at Dr BR Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, continuously got top position in civil engineering at the national level.

He was honoured on Republic Day by Suneel Kumar, joint secretary, Government of India, who presented him with an appreciation certificate.

Smeet Jindal appreciated his parents’ cooperation. “I want to serve the country by becoming a good engineer,” he added.

Bathinda, February 4
Acting on a tip-off, the district health authorities and the police conducted a joint raid at a shop in Kot Shamir village here today and confiscated more than two quintals of ‘desi ghee’ suspected to be spurious. One person has been arrested in this connection and would be produced in the court tomorrow.

The health staff was led by district health officer Dharam Pal Singh Sekhon while DSP (Rural) Baljit Singh led the police party.

While talking to The Tribune, Bathinda Civil Surgeon Dr Neelam Bajaj said following a tip off that one Gurmail Singh was selling spurious desi ghee at his shop in Kot Shamir village, about 13 km from here, the police and the health staff conducted a joint raid and seized 14 tins (15 kg each).

Dr Bajaj said the health staff had also colleted samples of the “desi ghee”, which the shopkeeper had brought from Bikaner in Rajasthan. She said the samples would now be sent to the Food Laboratory, Chandigath. If the sample reports confirmed that the “desi ghee” was spurious, the health authorities would initiate proceedings against the shopkeeper in the court.

Meanwhile, DSP (Rural) Baljit Singh said the police had arrested the shopkeeper, who would be produced in the court tomorrow. He said the police had registered a case against Gurmail Singh under Section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act and Section 420 of the IPC.

The DSP said it was also learnt that the shopkeepers purchased “desi ghee” at cheap rates from Rajasthan to sell it at higher rates in the state.

Bathinda, February 4
An emergency meeting of the District Beopar Mandal and the Bathinda Beopar Mandal, which was held here today, condemned the state government’s decision to impose entry tax from February 5 on traders and imposition of surcharge on VAT. The meeting also asked the government to withdraw the entry tax and surcharge on VAT immediately.

The meeting was presided over by president of District Beopar Mandal Kasturi Lal Aggarwal and president of Bathinda Beopar Mandal Rajinder Kumar Raju.

The meeting also warned the state government that if it failed in withdrawing the tax and the surcharge, the traders would observe strike throughout the state.

Sriganganagar/Abohar, February 4
A badminton tournament for the members of Ganganagar Traders Association was inaugurated today by Virender Rajpal, former president of the Ganganagar Club at Sriganganagar.

Those present as special guests included Dr GS Gill, Kashmiri Lal Kathuria and Vijay Mundawala.

Interestingly, such an event had never been earlier organised for the members.

Kuldeep Kasnia, vice-president of the Ganganagar Traders Association, presided over the function that was convened by Rakesh Jasuja, secretary of the association, Manoj Jaju and Rajat Goyal.

Sriganganagar/Abohar, February 4
In a bizarre incident, one Bachittar Singh brutally killed his wife and later committed suicide by hanging himself at his house in Malkana Khurd village of Kesarisinghpur segment of Sriganganagar district last evening. Police said today that an FIR has been registered.

The bodies were handed over to the kin after conducting the postmortem. Police said that Khushwinder Singh and Gurwinder Singh, sons of the accused, went to Kesarisinghpur yesterday. On returning home, they were shocked to find the body of their mother lying in a pool of blood and father's body hanging from the ceiling fan in another room.