Bathinda, July 13
The nightmarish driving towards Mansa, Talwandi Sabo and Dabwali is likely to be over by early next month when the flyover near the Model Town would be thrown open to vehicular traffic.

Major works of the flyover are complete and only finishing touches and black topping of some portion remains to be done.

An engineer said that the flyover would be ready for inauguration anytime by the end of the month.

Work on the flyover that began four years ago in 2006 has been long stretched because of procedural wrangles in the Railway Board that had to execute work on the portion of the flyover above the railway line. The tenders of the rail portion were invited twice with much delay before giving final approval. However, the Punjab government had completed construction of the flyover approach on all three sides more than a year ago and was waiting for the railways to build its small stretch over the rail lines.

It was a problematic drive all these years, particularly for the motorists, who had to negotiate their vehicles on the congested alternate route through the vegetable market that was also taken by trawlers and trucks. This route was not only longer and time consuming but was also un-metalled thereby causing added wear and tear to vehicles.

The flyover with a total length of about 1.25 km would remove the bottleneck that motorists had to face all these years.

However, the flyover would not end the woes of motorists of Bathinda as the authorities have failed to take any steps to remove the bottlenecks on the other side of the road at the Hanuman Chowk and outside the bus stand. Traffic policemen stand as mute spectators as traffic jams frequently occur at these two places. Motorists and two-wheeler riders are also to be blamed for the problem as many of them do not observe traffic rules and jump traffic lights.

Moreover, work on the bypass is yet to begin and until then trawlers and trucks would continue to run on the main road that crosses through the heart of the town.

Bathinda, July 13
Professor Rattanlal Hangloo of the Hyderabad University today said long-stretched imprisonment of leaders of the Kashmir-based fundamentalist Jamaat-I-Islami and Awami League had articulated into anti-India and anti-national sentiments in Kashmir valley that has remained on the boil.

Abrogation of the Article 370 in the Indian Constitution providing special status to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) was the answer to end the problem in Kashmir once forever, he said.

Hangloo, who has authored several books on Kashmir and is currently head of the department of History in the Hyderabad University, while delivering a lecture on Kashmir problem in the Central University of Punjab here, said the ruling National Conference that was previously known as Plebiscite Front was equally responsible for fanning anti-India sentiments before 1975 when Sheikh Abdullah was crowned as Chief Minister (CM) by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi following an accord between her and the Sheikh.

He accused these three organisations of being responsible for embedding in the minds of Kashmiris anti-India ideology that was resulting in repeated violence in the valley.

It was also the policy of the US to keep the fire burning in Kashmir, as it does not want India and Pakistan to be friends. China was also supporting Pakistan and playing the game secretively, he observed.

He accused late Sheikh Abdullah, the icon of Kashmir politics, of having strengthened anti-accession forces by questioning merger of J&K with India.

He said the biggest blunder created by Indira Gandhi was to remove Congress CM Mir Qasim and install Sheikh Abdullah in his place in 1975. Thereafter, the Congress lost foothold in the Kashmir valley and the anti-India forces started raising their head. Moreover, it was not Pakistan or China but the then Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru who internationalised the Kashmir issue by taking it to the UN.

What was unfortunate was that democracy has always short-lived in Pakistan that has no commitment towards Kashmiris but to the CIA. Hangloo said many Kashmiri Muslims were against continued violence in Kashmir and have migrated to other parts of the country or have made a second home outside the valley.

Prof. Jairoop Singh, Vice-Chancellor of the Central University, and students were present during the lecture.

Bathinda, July 13
Local Goodwill Society and the Nav Bharat Welfare Society jointly organised a free blood pressure/blood sugar check-up and blood grouping camp at the zonal office of State Bank of Patiala (SBoP) here on Monday. A total of 91 persons were examined by a team of doctors.

Meanwhile, local Yoga Sewa Samiti and the Bathinda Vikas Manch today started a yoga exercise camp, which was inaugurated by a retired professor NK Gosain.

Addressing the camp, Gosain explained good affects of yoga on the human body and the mind. Yoga expert Radhey Sham Bansal also spoke on the ‘pranayam’ and other ‘asanas’ of yoga.

He said yoga made a person physically, mentally and spiritually strong so every person should include yoga exercises in his/her routine life style.

Moga, July 13
The High Court of Punjab and Haryana has on Tuesday stayed the arrest of Sukhdev Singh, the main complainant, Jagmohan Singh, the shadow witness and ASI Jarnail Singh who were booked by the Vigilance Bureau for manipulating the controversial arrest of Moga drug inspector Balram Luthra who was caught red-handed while taking a bribe of on June 4, this year. An FIR was registered on June 7 against them and some others including three chemists of the town.

Justice Nirmaljit Kaur, while taking up the bail applications of these persons, has stayed their arrest till August 24, the next date of hearing in this case. A notice of motion was already issued to the VB for today.

Ferozepur, July 13
While Jaspal Singh, assistant sub inspector (ASI), Punjab Police, Faridkot, always tried to do his best to deliver blows to narcotic smugglers, his wife Ramandeep Kaur allegedly initiated herself to same illegal profession to make a quick buck.

This fact came light when Ramandeep Kaur alongwith three others were caught late last night by a team of anti-narcotic cell, Ferozepur led by its in-charge Chinder Singh while trying to smuggle out four kilograms of opium to decoy customers at a point located near Mudki town of this district.

The others who were caught alongwith Ramandeep Kaur included Bhupinder Singh, his wife Kulwinder Kaur and Amarpreet. These three accused belonged to Ludhiana district and were related to Ramandeep Kaur as her daughter was to get married to elder son of Bhupinder Singh, who is now settled in Australia.

“Ramandeep has been carrying out smuggling of narcotics with the knowledge of her husband Jaspal Singh,” pointed out Chinder Singh, adding that Ramandeep started smuggling of narcotics to become rich through illegal means.

He said that a trap was laid by them near Mudki town late last night.

A Scorpio was stopped there and after the occupants gave their nod, their search was carried out in the presence of a DSP rank officer. Four kilograms of opium and a weapon was found in the possession of occupants.

All the accused were taken into custody.

During preliminary investigation, Ramandeep revealed that she had taken this opium from Roop Singh, a migratory labourer, who was once working at the farms of Bhupinder Singh. Roop Singh had brought this opium from Uttar Pradesh (UP) to deliver the same to her.

She confessed that she alongwith other occupants of the jeep were going to deliver the opium to a decoy customer and during this exercise, she was caught by the police.

Chinder Singh said that Ramandeep was also running a Dera of sorts where she would act as fortune teller.

A case in this connection had been registered at police station Ghal Khurd under the NDPS Act.

The judicial magistrate concerned had remanded all the accused to police custody till July 16 when they were presented in the court this afternoon. 

Abohar, July 13
Eminent environmentalist and philanthropist Gauri Shankar Khatri (78) has passed away. He breathed his last during treatment in a private hospital at Sriganganagar, his elder son BL Khatri informed. The deceased had been taken to Sriganganagar following a brief illness. The cremation has been fixed for tomorrow morning.

Khatri planted and nurtured thousands of saplings in parks, educational institutions and cremation grounds. He had been helpful to scores of educational institutions and NGOs in welfare activities and was honoured many a time. Hailing originally from Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, he settled here long back and was the first to launch small packs of dry colours and ultramarine under the brand name ‘Kanda Marka’. — OC