Bathinda, July 29
During admissions to the entry classes of various courses for the current academic session, the girls outnumbered boys in five courses while the boys outnumbered them in three courses in the Government Rajindra College here.

As per data, available with this reporter, the girls outnumbered boys in B.Sc. Part-1 (Medical), B.Sc. Part-1 (Non-medical), B.Sc. Part-1 (Economics), Bachelor of Computer Application (BCA) Part-1 and the Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Application (PGDCA) whereas the boys outnumbered girls in B.A. Part-1, B.Com.Part-1 and Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Part-1.

Principal of the college Sukhchain Rai Garg said in the B.A. Part-1 class, as many as 444 boys had succeeded in getting admission against 231 girls. In B. Com. Part-1 class, 73 boys and 52 girls got themselves admitted while in the BBA Part-1 class, 36 boys and 17 girls had got the admission.

The principal further said in B.Sc. Part-1 (Medical), only 11 girls and five boys had got the admission though there were 80 seats available with the college for the course whereas in the B.Sc. (Non-medical) Part-1 class, 70 girls and 53 boys had been admitted in the college. In the B.Sc. (Economics) Part-1 class, 35 girls and 15 boys had got admissions. In the BCA Part-1 class, 50 girls and 38 boys succeeded in getting admission. In the PGDCA course, the margin between the girls and the boys remained very thin as 33 girls and 32 boys had got the admission.

The principal said though in five courses the girls had outnumbered boys in getting admission but they could not outnumber the boys in three courses, B.A. Part-1, B.Com. Part-1and BBA Part-1.

He said due to two reasons, the girls perhaps could not outnumber the boys in these courses, one the government college was a co-education college and the second the city had some girls colleges in which the parents preferred to get their daughters admitted for studies.

The admissions to various courses with late fee are still continued, subject to availability of the seats, in the college as with the permission of the college principal a student could get admission till August 2 while with the permission of the vice-chancellor of the university, till August 9.

Bathinda, July 29
The implementation and monitoring of various rural development schemes of the Centre as well as the state government, besides the Swaranjayanti Gram Swerojgar Yojna (SGSY), are reportedly being affected adversely in the district as out of the total 47 posts, sanctioned by the Government of India for its various wings, 33 posts have been lying vacant for a long in the Bathinda District Rural Development Agency (DRDA).

In the wake of such a large number of vacant posts in the DRDA, the governing body of the DRDA has taken a serious note of it.

At a meeting of the governing body, held under the chairpersonship of the DRDA Rajwinder Kaur here yesterday, the participants felt that due to vacant posts, work of the DRDA had been hampering. The meeting decided to write to the government to fill up the vacant posts at the earliest. The meeting was informed that at present, only 14 posts were filled up in the DRDA while two employees were going to retire in near future.

Sources said the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) would now write to the state government to start process for filling up the vacant posts so that work, relating to rural development in the district is not hampered.

Sources further said most of the posts had been lying vacant in the DRDA since 2001. They said the state government should fill these posts as the Centre provided 75 per cent grant for the salary of the employees while the state contributed only 25 per cent.

The pace of rural development works in the district would boost in a big way if the state government filled up these vacant posts without any further delay.

The posts, that have been lying vacant, include an executive engineer, two assistant engineers, two technical assistants in the engineering wing; a senior accounts officer, two accounts officers, an accountant/accounts clerk, two clerk-cum-typists/typist in the finance wing; an assistant and a stenographer in the general administration; a project economist, two statistical investigators and a clerk-cum-typist/typist in monitoring wing; a project officer, an assistant project officer (APO), two technical assistants and two clerk-cum-typists/typist in self-employment wing; a project officer and a technical assistant in watershed wing; a project officer and a technical assistant in the wage employment wing.

Besides these vacant posts, all the three posts in the women’s wing of the DRDA here have also been lying vacant. These posts are of an APO, a technical assistant and a clerk-cum-typist/typist.

Bathinda, July 29
With the opening of the Fun Cinemas, the movie entertainment would always be a treat for cine-lovers of Bathinda, said senior vice-president, business and operations, Fun Cinemas, Deepak Taluja, while addressing media on the opening of the multiplex at the Mittal's City Mall here on Thursday.

Taluja said built on nearly 22,000 square feet, the Fun Cinemas in Bathinda is equipped with the state-of-the-art technology.

The multiplex has four screens with total seating capacity of 1013 and tickets would be available at Rs 80 and Rs 90 for silver and gold classes, respectively.

He said their unique selling point (USP) would be tele-booking, internet booking and service-on-seats. There would be no extra charge for service-on-seat. There is also a provision for unpaid web-booking. He also said special emphasis had been given on security and safety.

Ensuring a colourful kick-off, the Fun Cinemas later in the evening held a special screening of flick “Once upon a time in Mumbaai”, which is to be released on Friday. Almost all the who’s who of the district with their near-and-dear-ones enjoyed the evening. — TNS

Ferozepur, July 29
A large number of people belonging to villages Muthianwali and Katora blocked the traffic on the Sher ShahWali crossing, situated in this city on the Ferozepur-Fazilka road, for hours together to lodge their protest against the favour being extended to the accused involved in the murder of a youth Gurjant Singh by a section of police officials.

Balkar Singh, father of Gurjant Singh, said his son was murdered by three accused namely Harpreet Singh, Amar Singh and Gurjant Singh on May 4. He alleged that though a case was registered against the accused at the Sadar police station, Ferozepur, the police had been trying to save two of three accused.

SSP, SPS Parmar said both the parties including the kin of deceased Gurjant Singh and the three accused were facing cross criminal cases. In the inquiry conducted by the DSP, he found some accused nominated in the FIRs innocent.

He said Balkar Singh and kin of deceased demanded an inquiry by the crime branch of Punjab Police.

He said he had sent a request letter to the DGP, Punjab.

Sriganganagar, July 29
Vice-chancellor of Sardarshehar-based deemed university, Milap Chand Duggar (65) was killed while three others including his driver sustained injuries in a collision between two vehicles in the Churu district today.

Duggar was on his way to Jaipur from Sardarshehar when a jeep from the opposite side collided head-on with it at Goriyan village in Ranauli area.

Duggar, VC of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Education (IASE), was declared brought dead when the police led by Ranauli SHO Ummed Singh shifted the four injured persons to the civil hospital at Sikar.

The injured included Mohinder Kumar (38) driver, Bhanwar Lal Dholi (27) of Kharas and Nand Kishore (27) of Singhana — both occupants of the jeep. Their condition was stated to be stable. The body of Duggar has been brought to Sardarshehar by his brother Kankamal Duggar, who had rushed to Sikar upon getting the information.

Cremation has been scheduled on Friday, family sources said. All the educational institutions in Sardarshehar and markets remained closed. Duggar was the son of a noted academician Kanhaiya Lal Duggar.

Bathinda, July 29
A complaint-cum-suggestion box for general public has been installed at Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal’s office situated at Bharat Nagar on the Bibi Wala Road here.

Giving this information here today, district press secretary of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Dr Om Parkash Sharma said the boxes would facilitate common masses in sending their complaints to the MP.

Sharma added that such a box had also been installed at Harsimrat Kaur Badal’s Mansa office.