Bathinda, August 31
Despite the tall claims of senior leaders of the SAD (B) and BJP about having a time-tested alliance, councillors of both the parties again displayed the deep divide by washing dirty linen in public at the general house meeting of the Bathinda Municipal Corporation (BMC), held here today.

Expressing resentment against the step-motherly treatment being given to her ward, a woman councillor of the BJP, Mandeep Kaur Agrohia, left the meeting and boycotted it.

Further, the argument by a BJP councillor Krishan Garg over an item on the agenda related to the sale of a chunk of land measuring about 100 kanal, made Mayor Baljeet Singh Birbehman, affiliated to SAD, so aggressive that he did not even mind snubbing the councillor in an “offensive” way, which raised the hackles of the BJP councillors.

Earlier, a group of Congress councillors led by Jagroop Singh Gill staged a dharna in the well of the meeting hall and lodged a protest against the bureaucrats as well as the Mayor for ignoring their wards in all development related issues. After a few minutes, raising anti-establishment slogans they staged a walk-out.

During the Zero Hour, almost every councillor raised questions over the poor system of water supply, sewerage system, street lights, cleanliness and metalling of streets. Some of the councillors openly blamed the Mayor for being indifferent in giving the requirements of their wards due importance.

While the Mayor attempted to pacify the councillors, some of them lamented that they were not there to have a cup of tea and samosas but to highlight the grievances of their voters, who question them about the problems, that they could not resolve even two years after being elected.

Raising questions over the credibility of the Mayor, a woman councillor of the BJP, Shanti Jindal asked the Mayor to stop distributing sweet assurances and bring along reforms to provide relief to the common man.

The agenda of inviting tenders for development works in some wards created discontent among a majority of the councillors. Later, the Mayor had to keep the item pending as all councillors wanted equal allocation of funds for the development of their wards.

Taking a cue from the issue, a BJP councillor, Raj Kumar Sood asked the Mayor to provide details to provide a list of total allocation of funds in each of the 50 wards, which the Mayor failed to produce in the house.

Targeting the owners of a recently inaugurated shopping mall-cum-hotel, councillors accused them of encroaching upon a public road by using their political links. Lashing out at them, they asked the Mayor not to give them special treatment as they had not invited the councillors during the inaugural ceremony, where the Chief Minister was the chief guest.

Further, they demanded removal of the encroachment.

Meanwhile, the general house passed a number of items on the agenda, including the rounding up of stray cattle and pigs, maintenance of roads and street lights, allotment of a land to the B.Ed college on lease, installing gates and barbed wire to check the protesters who climb atop the overhead water tanks.

Bathinda, August 31
Bathinda’s dominance on the netball court was exhibited again on Tuesday when both boys and girls of the district won their all super-league encounters that were played today during the 56th State School Games being held at the Khalsa Senior Secondary School here.

Both the teams played two matches each in their respective categories and emerged victorious with handsome margins to secure their places in the top slot.

In the first match, Bathinda boys defeated Barnala (22-16) while in second game they beat Tarn Taran (27-21).

The girls of the district also joined the party and crushed Amritsar by 20 points to 7 in the first game while in the second they defeated Tarn Taran (21-10).

In other super-league matches, Tarn Taran beat Gurdaspur (21-16). The match of the day proved to be the game between Barnala and Gurdaspur, in which the former somehow managed to win the game by a solitary point (23-22).

In other encounters, Barnala overwhelmed Tarn Taran (16-13) in girls’ category while the game between Barnala and Amritsar ended in tie with both teams scoring 11 points.

Earlier, Dr Amarjit Kaur, deputy DEO, Bathinda, inaugurated the super-league encounters.

The other matches to decide the top four teams would be played on Wednesday.

Bathinda, August 31
The state government has come up with a new initiative to promote the homeopathic system of medicine. Setting up of as many as 100 more homeopathic dispensaries in the state is on the agenda of its health ministry.

According to information, the Department of Homeopathy, Punjab, has planned to open nine dispensaries in Amritsar district; seven dispensaries each in Barnala and Fatehgarh Sahib districts; six dispensaries each in Mohali/Headquarter (Chandigarh), Gurdaspur, Moga and Muktsar districts; five dispensaries each in Bathinda, Mansa, Hoshiarpur, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar (Nawan Shehr), Jalandhar, Patiala and Sangrur districts; four dispensaries each in Ferozepur and Ropar districts; three dispensaries each in Tarn Taran and Faridkot districts; and two dispensaries each in Kapurthala and Ludhiana districts.

The department had recently sought proposals from all the district homeopathy officers (DHOs) in the state regarding the places where the new dispensaries could be established.

According to Bathinda DHO Dr Vijay Kumar Bansal, four villages, namely Ballianwali, Bhucho, Maur and Raman Mandi, and Paras Ram Nagar, Bathinda, have been selected for setting up new homeopathic dispensaries. He said he had submitted his proposal in this regard to the department.

Meanwhile, Vinod Kumar Bhalla, commissioner, Department of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy), Punjab, told TNS today that he had received proposals from the DHOs for setting up homeopathic dispensaries in their respective districts.

He said on the basis of the proposals, he would prepare and send a report to the health minister of Punjab within 15 days for further action.

Bathinda, August 31
To celebrate the Janmashtmi (Birthday of Lord Krishna) on September 2, preparations are on in the temples of the city. Besides white-washing, the work on formation of religious 'jhankis' (tableaux), the idols of gods and goddesses is also in progress.

According to information there are more than 80 temples in the city where thousands pay obeisance to Lord Krishna every year on the Janmashtmi. Many of them are decorated with coloured lights as part of celebrations. Tableaux, relating to life of Lord Krishna, are also displayed in the temples.

On the day of Janmashtmi, Shree Chaitanya Gorria Math (Mandir) here will display 'Jhankis', comprising coloured idols of Putna, Shree Krishana Janam Leela, Brahma Maha Leela, Maha Prabhu Leela Jharkhand mein, Mata Yashoda ki godi mein Gopal Krishana. These idols have been prepared with "Cheekni Mitti" by a five-member team from West Bengal in a month. Besides, a “Rath Yatra” will also be taken out for the first time through the city from Shree Chaitanya Gorria Math on September 1.

Another famous temple in the city is “Hathi wala mandir” located near Gol Diggi. The temple committee will display three ‘jhankis’ including “Makhan chor.”

Another temple “Sankat Mochan Hanuman Mandir” (Mandir-Dharamshala Banglewali in post office bazar) will also display some ‘jhankis’, including idols made with cotton, paper and bamboo, besides decorating the temple with lights.

Not only these temples, other temples in the city, including Prachin Shiv Mandir, Mehna Chowk; Prem Sarovar Krishana temple near Teen Koni, Model Town temple, will also attract thousands of devotees. On Janmashtmi, the devotees also pull a thread to give swings to “Thakur Ji” (Shree Krishna) in the temples.

Raj Sadosh adds from Sriganganagar: People in this border district are gearing up to celebrate Janmashtami. Volunteers were found washing the temples ahead of the festival today. Over 300 women attired in identical sarees joined the 'Kalash Yatra' organised in connection with the beginning of Shrimad Bhagwat Katha in Anoopgarh. Fancy dress and bhajan singing competitions were held in the Arorvansh Senior Secondary School.

Barnala, August 31
Eight persons were injured, two of them seriously after a car driver went on the rampage hitting three rickshaws, a bicycle, a scooter before finally ramming into a shop at Valmiki Chowk in Barnala this morning.

Sources said the car driver injured six persons including three women and finally rammed into a shop injuring the shopkeeper and his assistant at 11 am this morning. They added that owner of the vehicle bearing temporary registration number PB13X-1329 who was on way from Bhai Mani Singh Chowk towards Valmiki Chowk area was later caught by the locals and handed over to police.

The injured have been identified as Avtar Singh, Kalu Ram, Soma, Surjeet Kaur and his daughter Amarjeet Kaur, Shailja, among others. — TNS

Bathinda, August 31
The chief judicial magistrate, Bathinda, today issued non-bailable warrants against a Garrison Engineer (GE), accused of corrupt practices but had managed to elude arrest during the raid in which an assistant garrison engineer (AGE) of the military engineering services (MES) was arrested red-handed with bribe.

According to details available, sleuths of the vigilance bureau (Bathinda range), who nabbed the AGE, made attempts to arrest the GE in question, Srahadesh Chandra.

But finding that the formalities of the Army was hampering proceedings, they applied to the court to issue warrants against the accused. Admitting the application, Chief Judicial Magistrate, Bathinda, AS Virk issued non-bailable warrants against the GE, mentioning the date, September 13.

The GE was booked under sections 7, 13 (2), 88 of Prevention of Corruption Act along with 120-B of the IPC in a corruption case, lodged at VB police station, Bathinda.

It may be mentioned that irked over the alleged harassment by the GE and his subordinate, an AGE, Balraj Mehra, an MES contractor Ashok Kumar had complained to VB that the AGE had been seeking a bribe of Rs 20,000 to get his two pending bills of Rs 27,000 and Rs 3 lakh cleared from the GE. However, the deal was settled at Rs 10,000.

Laying a trap, the VB officials nabbed the AGE Balraj Nehra on Friday (August 27) from a shop located on the Bathinda-Goniana road and recovered a packet of chemically-treated currency notes of Rs 10,000 from his possession.