Sriganganagar, October 28
Thousands of people bid a tearful adieu to Sant Lekha Singh, who had many a time drawn the attention of the global media and top brass in major political parties by spearheading farmer agitations from Gharsana as convener of the Rajasthan Kisan Mazdoor Beopari Sangharsh Samiti. He died of cardiac arrest last evening.

The 80-year-old saint suffered attack while voicing the problems of the people during the sangat darshan programme that was held during the visit of District Collector Subeer Kumar at village Chak 19GD.

He was rushed to the civil hospital at Gharsana but the doctors declared him as brought dead. His body was handed over to the kin today.

Those who attended the funeral procession included CPM MLA from Anoopgarh Pawan Duggal, Amra Ram, MLA from Data Ramgarh, Het Ram Beniwal, former MLA, CPM state secretary Prof Wasudev, Prof OP Mohindra, deputy chief whip from BJP, ADC Sant Kumar Budania and SDM Ram Chand Potlia. Duggal informed that a befitting memorial to the veteran leader would be developed in Gharsana.

Fazilka, October 28
To take up the issue connected with forced consumption of heavily polluted water by the residents of different villages of this sub-division located in the close vicinity of Sutlej that flows in a zig-zag manner alongs the Indo-Pak border, noted Punjabi comedian Bhagwant Mann today brought activists of an US-based NGO here so that they could be made aware of the plight of people in the area.

Mann along with S. Ashok Bhaura visited Teja Rawela and Dona Nanka villages where the residents have been suffering from various ailments due to consumption of underground polluted water as successive governments have failed to provide them with potable water.

Mann, who has decided to build a movement to save the residents of the border villages, is mobilizing the support of artists, thinkers, social activists and others to pressurise the government to make arrangements for supply of potable water in the area.

“Now, the plight of residents of villages hit by polluted water will be made an issue by the US media so that international pressure could be brought to bear on the authorities to improve the plight of residents,” pointed out Mann, adding that a video film on the living conditions and sufferings of residents would be made and shown in the US.

Mann said he would leave no stone unturned to ensure that the authorities concerned became sensitive to the problem. He said the Indian government must take necessary steps to make Pakistan stop the discharge of effluents from Kasur-based industries into Sutlej. Mann and Bhaura also visited the schools of Teja Rawela and Dona Nanka.

Abohar, October 28
The police authorities concerned are still groping in the dark to identify the accused, involved in the accident in which a minor was crushed by his car on the evening of October 16 near village Chooriwala Dhana in this sub- division.

In the hit-and-run case, a big car with red light atop, suspected to be owned and driven by a VVIP of this region, crushed the boy Sahil, while negotiating a turn at breakneck speed.

Though a case under sections 304-A and 279 of the IPC was registered at the police station concerned, no arrest has been made so far. Even the number of the car, which allegedly crushed Sahil, was mentioned in the FIR registered in this connection.

Ashok, DSP, Balluana, when contacted, said an inquiry was being conducted so that the real accused could be found out.

However, a section of the leaders of BKU (Krantikari) alleged that police authorities were trying to save the culprits from legal action and hence, were deliberately trying to arrest the accused after identifying them.

Bal Krishan, block secretary, BKU (Krantikari), said when their organisation staged a dharna on October 22 to protest against the failure of the police to arrest the accused in the case, they were promised that action would be taken soon but the this case had not moved towards its logical end.

He said the BKU (Krantikari), which would hold an agitation tomorrow (October 29) to protest against the non-procurement of paddy by the agencies concerned. But it would also take up the issue connected with the killing of Sahil.

Varinder Brar, SP, Abohar, said more than ten days had passed since the death of Sahil but the police was leaving no stone unturned to unmask the real culprits. 

Bathinda, October 28
Businessmen and traders from various parts of the district today met deputy commissioner Gurkirat Kirpal Singh and apprised him with the problems that they were encountering.

The traders complained that due respect was not being accorded to them in government offices even as they contributed the major share in VAT and income tax to the state and Central governments, respectively.

They expressed displeasure over the security in markets, due to which many robbers succeeded in attacking shops even during broad daylight. Some traders alleged that whenever they caught a thief, either the police did not lodge an FIR or hesitated in doing so. They also sought issuance of arms licences for self-security so as to keep robbers away from them to an extent. To this, the DC said the government had changed the arms licence policy recently, due to which licences could not be issued easily now.

Some traders also raised the issue of law and order in markets. They lamented that their customers faced problems due to the presence of anti-social elements in markets. A trader also asked the DC to ensure the closure of shops on Sundays.

Some traders also resented the traffic congestion in bazars and sought that administration take measures to ensure its regulation in a big way.The businessmen also raised the issue of harassment they faced at the hands of staff of the Excise and Taxation Department.

In response to the complaints and suggestions of the traders, DC Gurkirat Kirpal Singh said he would take up the matters related to the police with the SSP. Besides bringing improvement in traffic regulation, they would also beef up the security at sensitive points, he added.

Meanwhile, the DC made an appeal to the traders against using domestic LPG cylinders for commercial purposes, which was unlawful and carried penalty.

President of the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal Madan Lal Kapoor, who is also the chairman of the Small Traders Board, Punjab, was present on the occasion. 

Kot Shamir (Bathinda), October 28
A day after the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) cancelled the affiliation and prohibited fresh admissions in three Ayurvedic colleges of the state, one of them—Saint Sahara Ayurvedic College in Bathinda — today held the counselling for the next batch of the BAMS.

Ironically, the counselling was held under the personal supervision of the Registrar of the BFUHS.

Though the college authorities claimed the counselling was being done only for the allocation of students to the college and not for admission purposes, sources informed that the college had been running a batch of about 50 students of the BAMS earlier too, without valid permission.

Speaking to the Tribune, chairman of the college Dr Naresh Pruthi said, “The university authorities had been creating unnecessary hurdles in the functioning of the college last year also. They were asking us to get affiliation every year that we did not need. Irked over the harassment, we approached the High Court and got interim orders for the counselling, on both occasions.”

“This year, we had applied for the affiliation along with the required fee but the university authorities did not even conduct the inspection. Now we have read in the newspapers about the cancellation of the application of the affiliation but the university authorities have issued nothing in writing to us. Now, proceeding with the court’s order, we are holding the counselling,” said the chairman.

About the “illegal” admissions held last year, he said, “We charged no fee from the students and even made it clear to the students that their admissions were subject to the court decision.”

However, he parried the query when asked as to what would happen to the students already admitted if the college lost the case as the students already studying in the college would have to apply somewhere else and begin from the scratch.

On his part, registrar of the BFUHS, Dr DS Sidhu said, “The college is not at all entitled to hold any fresh admission. Observing deficiencies in the required formalities, we cancelled their affiliation and imposed a ban on the admission.”

Speaking further he said, “However, the college authorities got court orders. In accordance with that, we have allowed them to hold counselling from the next batch of the BAMS but with the clear instruction that counselling would be held only for allocation of students and not for admission purposes.”

“I am here to personally supervise whether the counselling committee informs the applicant students about the actual position that the affiliation of the college was subject to the court’s decision,” said the registrar.

However, he parried the query about the fate of students already admitted to the college saying, “The matter is sub-judice.”

Vice-chancellor of BFUHS Dr SS Gill, when contacted, said the affiliation had been cancelled and the registrar was there only to ensure compliance with the court orders. (See also P4)

Bathinda, October 28
The total number of dengue positive cases has risen to 85 in the Bathinda district in this season. Of these, 73 belong to Bathinda city only.District Malaria Officer (DMO) Dr Malkiat Singh Gill said this evening that they had received a report from the DMC Hospital, Ludhiana, the previous night, regarding 10 new dengue positive cases from the Bathinda district. Majority of the cases in this list were from Bathinda city, he added.

Dr Gill said out of the 85 dengue positive cases, 73 were from Bathinda city, seven from Talwandi Sabo block, two from Sangat block and one each from Ballianwali, Bhagta and Nathana blocks.

Dr Gill said they had also conducted Mac Elisa test (a confirmatory test for dengue) on 14 blood samples at the sentinel surveillance hospital (SSH) situated on the premises of the Civil Hospital here.

Of these, eight from Bathinda district and three from other districts tested positive today, he added.

With regard to 20 blood samples, sent to the Civil Hospital, Mohali, yesterday, the DMO said the report of these blood samples was yet to arrive.

Meanwhile, to kill mosquitoes, employees of the Health Department today sprayed Pyrethrum Ext 2 per cent after mixing it with kerosene in the houses of the dengue patients and in different colonies of the city.

Bathinda, October 28
Following a tip-off, a team of the district Health Department conducted a raid on the premises of a cold storage here today and seized about six quintals of khoya, which is suspected to be sub-standard. The seized dairy product belongs to a local shopkeeper.

The team that raided the cold storage comprised district health officer (DHO) Dr RS Randhawa and food inspector Rajinder Pal Singh. Later, Bathinda civil surgeon Dr Inder Dayal Goyal also visited the spot.

The district health authorities have already launched a special campaign against sale of sub-standard or spurious eatables during the ongoing festival season.

The DHO said on getting secret information, they conducted a raid on the cold storage situated behind a cinema house in the city. They seized about 30 containers of khoya, which was suspected to be sub-standard. The confiscated dairy product weighed about six quintals with each container having about 20 kg of milk product, he added.

The DHO said they had sealed the confiscated milk product and kept it in cold storage. A sample of the product would be sent to the Public Analyst, Chandigarh.

Dr Randhawa added that in case the sample failed the test, they would destroy the seized product and lodge a complaint against the owner of the product in court.

Otherwise, the product would be returned to the owner, he said.

Bathinda, October 28
Under the National Polio Surveillance Project-India of the World Health Organisation (WHO) a district-level workshop on acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) surveillance was held at the civil hospital complex here today.

Issues related to polio status, strategies for polio eradication, role of AFP surveillance and the role of medical officers were discussed at the workshop. District immunisation office Dr Iqbal Singh said during the current calendar year only 29 cases of polio came to light throughout the country. None of these cases was from Punjab, he added. — TNS

Abohar, October 28
Nearly 800 students from 70 schools of the state have converged at the LRS DAV Senior Secondary Model School here on Thursday to showcase their talent in different streams during the three-day Mahatma Hansraj Aryan Zonal Youth Festival.

Arya Vidya Sabha secretary Mohan Lal inaugurated the event. He was accorded a warm welcome and joined by Manju Mehta, controller of exams in the DAV Education Board, regional director Dr BB Sharma and local managing committee chairman Dev Mittar Ahuja in lighting candles to inaugurate the festival.

The dignitaries, who released the school brochure, were welcomed by principal Kusum Khungar. The teams participated in patriotic songs, ghazal, declamation, debate and other events. — OC

Ferozepur, October 28
Former Olympian Pargat Singh may contest the election for the presidentship of Hockey India (HI) as it fell vacant after its president Vidya Stokes resigned yesterday reportedly to mark her protest against the denial of the post of the president of Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee to her by the party high command.

Pargat Singh, Director, Sports, Punjab, who was here today to attend the inaugural ceremony of the Punjab Rural Sports Games (Under-16 boys), did not make a categorical statement but gave an indication when he said, "I am determined to clean the system and hence, I will not run away from any responsibility." "Let me work out things before taking any decision whether I will be a candidate for the post of presidentship or not in the election of Hockey India (HI) whenever it will be held," said Pargat when queried about this.