The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	City girls hope for African safari Represent Punjab in Indian handball camp for Cameroon Rajay Deep/TNS Bathinda, July 6 All three Punjab girls selected for the Indian handball camp for U-17 (Girls), where the team for coming Youth Commonwealth Games would be selected, belong to Bathinda. Selection of the trio - Navpreet Kaur, Anmol Kaur Dhillon and Ajashanjot Cheema -all students of local St. Xavier's Senior Secondary School, brought laurels not only to their parents and school staff but to the whole city. Before leaving for the camp, speaking to the TNS, the elated girls said the 42-day long camp, commencing from today, will be held at Sirsa (Haryana). All 25 girls selected from across the country would give their best performances in the camp to secure berth in the 16-member final team to participate in the Youth Commonwealth Games, which would be held in Cameroon (Africa). The girls informed that they had been continuously practising for the past six years to manage their entry in the Youth Commonwealth Games. Speaking about their previous records, the girls said their team secured the first position in the state school games held at Bathinda in 2006. Then they participated in the National School Games held at Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) in the same year. Further, in 2007, they secured the second position in state school games and then stood second in the National School Games held at Delhi. The next year again, they managed to maintain their position (second) in the National School Games at Delhi. In 2009, their team bagged the first position under the captainship of Anmol Kaur Dhillon. The team had also participated in sub-junior national championships held at Manipur and Indore. Apart from their achievements as sportspersons, the girls have also been a success academically. In their matriculation exams this year, Navpreet Kaur scored 95 per cent marks, Anmol Kaur got 93 per cent and Ajashanjot gained 85 per cent marks. “It is a misnomer that studies create a hurdle in the career of sportsperson and sports hampers the calibre of scholars. During the past six years, we never took any of them to be a burden and enjoyed both studies and sports.” Giving credit to the school principal Father Iwo Dias and coach Davinder Singh, the girls said they had always motivated them to take further steps in their sporting career.
	PHRC seeks report from SSP, civil surgeon Kulwinder Sandhu Tribune News Service Moga, July 6 Taking a suo moto cognisance of the news report “No action against illegal de-addiction centre-24 youths still under detention” published in these columns in The Tribune on Tuesday, the Punjab State Human Rights Commission (PHRC) has called for a report from the SSP and Civil Surgeon of Moga district by the next date of hearing, which has been fixed for August 19, this year. A three-member panel of the Commission comprising KK Bhatnagar, LR Roojam and Justice Baldev Singh has also sent a copy of this notice to the ADGP of Internal Vigilance-cum-Human Rights Commission, the principal secretary and director of the health services and family welfare department of the state government for information and compliance of the commission’s orders. The Tribune highlighted that contrary to the guidelines framed by the Punjab government, the district administration, particularly, the police and health departments have adopted an insensitive attitude towards the illegal detention and solitary confinement of as many as 24 youths who have been kept in the lock-up of an unauthorised drug de-addiction centre run by a local society at Ghal Kalan village in the Moga district. Even as senior officials of the administration admit that the drug de-addiction centre is running illegally but instead of taking legal action against the persons running it, they have rather given protection to them under political pressure of the local SAD leaders. The state government has set minimum standards of care for drug addicts in the drug de-addiction centres by making it mandatory that all treatment services should be managed by qualified and trained professionals as per clinical and human rights standards.
	Rain hits train movement Tribune News Service Bathinda, July 6 Heavy rain and the resultant waterlogging at the yards in Ambala station has affected the movement of at least three trains that pass through Bathinda junction. In view of “natural calamity,” two trains touching Bathinda were cancelled partially on Tuesday, sources in the railway said, adding that the affected trains were 335/336 passenger that run between Ambala and Sriganganagar, the 4888/4886 link express that run between Jodhpur and Haridwar/Kalka and the 4711/4712 Intercity that runs between Sriganganagar and Haridwar. The 335/336 remained cancelled between Ambala and Bathinda while 4888/4887 remained cancelled between Bathinda-Kalka and Bathinda- Haridwar, sources said. Sources added that the 4712 could travel only up to Sambhu - a station before Ambala - and started its return journey from there as 4711.
	Indians on death row in UAE Ramoowalia to meet Burney Kulwinder Sandhu Tribune News Service Moga, July 6 Former union cabinet minister and president of the Lok Bhalai Party, Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, has left for London to meet Ansar Burney, former Pakistan federal minister for human rights, who has offered to pay Rs 25 lakh as 'blood money' to save 17 Indians presently on death row in a Sharjah jail (UAE) facing allegations of murdering a Pakistani youth. Out of these 17 youths, 16 of them hail from Punjab and one from the adjoining state Haryana had recently been sent to the gallows by a Sharjah court after having proved the charges of murdering a Pakistani youth. The murder was committed in the year 2009. Early this year, a mercy plea of these Indians was field in the Shariah court at Sharjah, which is still pending before it. The Indian government too has come out to support these youths after their families urged for intervention through diplomatic channels. Burney, who lives in London, last month announced that a Karachi-based trust being run by his family would pay the 'blood money' to the victim's family. The victim has been identified as Misri Nazir Khan and efforts have been initiated by Burney and his colleagues to come to the terms of agreement with the family members of the deceased youth for accepting the blood money so as to pave the way for the release of Indian youths. The representatives of the Ansar Burney Trust, who met the victim's family in Pakistan, have claimed that most of the family members of the victim have agreed to accept the trust's offer of US$ 54,000 as 'blood money' but a final agreement is yet to be made with them. It may be mentioned that if the mercy appeal of these youths is declined, there is only one option of 'blood money' to save them. In his statement released last month, Burney said, "I am looking forward to the outcome of the appeal. We would not let the Indians die". Burney, who was federal human rights minister during the rule of Pervez Musharraf, a couple of weeks back also visited Sharjah to look into the facts and circumstances of this case. These 17 Indians were convicted to death sentence on the testimony of a lone eyewitness, who has of late reverted from his own statement. Burney has reportedly met the witness, who told him that the time when this brawl broke out everyone was drunk and thus it was very difficult for anyone to identify the real killers in the night. Meanwhile, the shariah court of Sharjah would resume hearing on mercy plea on coming July 14 because the prosecution failed to arrange an interpreter for translations from Arabic to Punjabi on the last date of hearing in the case. This is the second time the hearing was adjourned because of the non-availability of an interpreter.
	Here, beauty gets a new address! Rajay Deep Tribune News Service Bathinda, July 6 To beautify their locality and set an example for all, members of the Panchavati Nagar Welfare Society have come up with uniquely designed house number boards, which they are installing outside each house located in the locality. About a fortnight back, residents of the Panchvati Nagar decided on beautifying their locality. Taking a unanimous decision, residents opted to install some unusual house number boards and plant a large number of saplings in the streets. Witnessing such atypical number boards installed in some of the posh colonies in Ludhiana, the society members ordered its replication to a local grill-maker. According to society residents, out of some 70 houses in the colony, the boards have been installed outside about 50 houses, while the installation of the rest was in process. The houses are also marked numbers in a different style. The houses located on the main 45-feet road have been given numbers starting from one, while the others are given numbers starting from 101, 201 and 301, varying according to the street numbers. Executive member of the society, MM Behal informed that each board cost them about Rs 700, for which they had pooled in. “We took the initiative to set an example and receiving the appreciation from all visiting the colony, we are now hopeful that it would be replicated in various colonies," said Behal. It may be mentioned that the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA) is also going to install city guide maps and localities' layout plans in this developing city. All entry points of the city would have city maps to guide the visitors with the best possible details about the location of markets, localities and the roads leading to them. According to BDA officials, such guide maps would be installed at all important public places within the city also. Further, the city will have locality-wise house numbering maps, installed at the entrance of the localities. Making it easy to understand, all boards will show its own location by pointing, "You are here".
	Infighting surfaces in Mahabir Dal Rajay Deep Tribune News Service Bathinda, July 6 Once again the infighting in the Bathinda unit of the Shri Sanatan Dharm Mahabir Dal has come to light.This time, lodging complaint against the former minister Charanji Lal Garg, a large number of the Dal members visited the SAD (B) constituency in-charge Sarup Chand Singla and brought their problem to his notice. Besides, they urged the media to highlight their plight. Speaking over the issue, the members claimed that observing his anti-Dal activities, they had withdrawn their support to Charanji Lal Garg about one-and-a-half years back. Despite this, he was still holding and using various accounts of the Mahabir Dal through fake and bogus committees formed by him. “Posing to be a close associate of the ruling Badal family, Charanji Lal Garg is using unfair means to build pressure on the genuine members of the committee,” alleged the Dal members. Targeting the district administration, the members said, “If administration pressurizes any of the members in any way, that would mean the government's failure to provide justice to the general public. Tolerating no further highhandedness, we will approach the Governor of Punjab and the chief justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and appeal for justice.” On the other hand, Charanji Lal Garg claimed to be the president of the genuinely elected Bathinda unit of the Shri Sanatan Dharm Mahabir Dal. Refuting the allegations levelled against him, he said, “The handful followers of one Banarasi Dass Goyal, who falsely claims to be the general secretary of the Dal, are creating a hue and cry just because I have exposed some scandals.” “I wish they go to the high court, where I will produce a number of evidence against the crooks who are not able to tolerate the development of the Dal,” added Garg. When asked about the members approaching Sarup Chand Singla, who had lost the previous Assembly polls from Bathinda, Charanji Lal Garg said, “Mahabir Dal is a religious body working for the welfare of the general public, Sarup, who has once tasted defeat, should keep a distance from the issue.”