Bathinda, November 29
When Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal and his MP wife Harsimrat Kaur conducted raid at the Civil Hospital, Bathinda, on July 17, it not only hit the headlines but also rekindled a hope that the functioning of the hospital would improve with the Badal couple giving a severe “dose” to the hospital staff. But after the lapse of just four months, things are back to square one.

During a visit to the hospital today, The Tribune found patients carrying their OPD slips, X-ray reports and medicines, and moving around to find doctors. Majority of the doctors were not on their seat. There were long queues in the corridors of the hospital.

“We are standing here for past an hour but nobody seems to be bothered. We have asked sweepers and peons about doctor sahib but they too are expressing inability to tell their whereabouts,” rued one Binder Kaur of Tapa, who came to get herself checked by an MD (medicine). She was complaining of respiratory problem.

“I am so poor that I had to borrow money from my neighbour to pay the bus fare and to buy medicines. But here, nobody is concerned about my condition,” she rued.

Similar was the condition outside the radiology ward where people with fractured limbs had no other option but to wait for long until radiologists came to their seat and attended to them.

Condition of a middle-aged Sheela Devi of Dhobiana Basti (Bathinda) was pitiable. She was sitting in a wheel chair and crying due to back pain.

When asked for how long was she in queue, she started cursing the hospital authorities for their indifferent attitude.

“The government doctors get handsome salaries but their approach towards poor and needy patients, who have no other option, is not professional at all,” said RS Siroha of Partap Nagar, who came with a fractured hand and problem in stomach.

On checking, TNS found some of the doctors attending a meeting in the cabin of the senior medical officer (SMO). Oblivious of the pathetic condition of the patients waiting for them, they were also seen sharing a laugh.

When contacted after the meeting concluded, SMO Dr Vinod Garg said, “The doctors were called for a meeting with oncology experts, who arrived here. I too wanted the meeting to take place after 3 pm so that patients do not get harassed. But due to some compulsions, we had to call it in between.”

However, he assured of ensuring that patients are not harassed in future for any reason, meetings in particular, which are to be called only after the closure of OPD ward.

Bathinda, November 29
A group of prominent Indian Australians pledging support for the Federal Liberal cause has welcomed the election of Ted Baillieu as Premier of Victoria.

Sydney-based businessman and community leader Jagwinder Singh Virk, who is in Bathinda these days, said the group has pledged to work with Liberal governments to build closer ties with India at all levels and to provide greater business opportunities to Australian farmers, exporters and service providers.

He urged the Australian state governments to lay emphasis on Indian language studies at school level so that young Australians can develop a better understanding of Indian culture. The new Victorian Premier, Ted Baillieu, has a good understanding of Indian culture and has regularly attended and actively participated in annual Divali and Holi celebrations with the Indian community for a number of years, Virk said.

The Indian community in Australia has doubled in just six years, becoming the fastest growing minority. The India-born population has risen from 1,10,563 in mid 2002 to around 2,40,000 in mid 2008, to become fourth biggest migrant community.

Bathinda, November 29
The seventh Malwa Heritage Fair (Virasat Mela) has been slated to begin on December 3 at Jaipalgarh village adjacent to the Sports Stadium here. The three-day fair to be organised by the Malwa Heritage Foundation would not only showcase the tradition and culture of the region, artists from six other states have also been invited to display the culture of their respective states.

Though it is not an event being organised by the government, almost entire district administration is on toes to make it a success. Almost the whole officer lobby of the district today remained busy in chalking out the details of the fair.

When asked, a senior official, seeking anonymity, said, "No doubt, we are making arrangements for the fair, but it not due to any personal reason. The fair is connected with the traditions and in the interest of whole region. Moreover, there is no political compulsion, as no political bigwig has even expressed his/her willingness to attend the fair."

The DC meeting hall kept buzzing with activity as Deputy Commissioner Gurkirat Kirpal Singh, who is an honorary president of the Foundation, held a series of meetings with the organisers as well as his subordinates, including SSP Sukhchain Singh Gill, BMC commissioner, ADC (G), ADC (D), SDM, Tehsildar and DDPO.

After the meeting, the DC and the SSP accompanied by a number of others addressed media.

Giving details about the fair, the DC said it would commence with traditional ceremonies. After paying obeisance at Gurudwara Hazi Rattan and a tomb there, a heritage procession would be carried out through the city. It would conclude at Jaipalgarh village. Decorated animals, jeeps and other vehicles would be part of the procession. Mare dance, Sikh martial art 'gatka' and choreographies against social evils would be the main attractions of the procession.

Chief coordinator of the fair Harwinder Singh Khalsa said they had invited artists from six states, namely Uttrakhand, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and Haryana, to showcase the culture of their states also.

Abohar, November 29
The activists of Jamhoori Kisan Sabha, today threatened to gherao the officials of the primary agriculture development bank and central cooperative bank whenever they would visit different villages to arrest those farmers, who have failed to make payment of loan advanced to them by these banks.

While announcing this here today, Kulwant Kirti, general secretary, Jamhoori Kisan Sabha, Ferozepur district, said they had taken this decision as officials of banks had started arresting those farmers, who had made default in payment of installments of loans taken by them for agriculture operations.

The activists also staged a dharna in front of the branch of Primary Agriculture Development Bank located near new grain market of this town today.

They lodged their protest against the arrest of farmers by the officials of bank in different villages of this sub-division in the past few days.

Kirti said the bank officials had been issuing arrest warrants and subsequently arresting the farmers from their respective dwellings despite the fact that under a compromise reached between five farmers organisations and then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal in 1997-98, the state government had decided that no farmer would be arrested for his failure to make payment of loan installments.

He added that even the SAD (B) had also promised in its election manifesto that no farmer would be arrested for failure to repay loan.

He said all the farmers organisations would be given a call to come on a common platform to launch a statewide agitation against the state government, if the arrest warrants were not withdrawn immediately.

Ram Kumar, another leader of Sabha, said hundreds of arrest warrants had been issued against the farmers in Punjab by the bank authorities in the past few days. The number of farmers belonging to Abohar region, against whom the arrest warrants had been issued, was the largest in Punjab.

Boota Singh, joint registrar, cooperative societies, when contacted, said arrest warrants had been issued against those farmers, who had failed to make payment of installments of loans, which they had taken for non-farm purposes.

He added that percentage of recovery of farm sector loan was around 80 while percentage of recovery of non-farm loan was around 60 in the Malwa region of Punjab. 

Ferozepur, November 29
The Mohan Lal Bhaskar Foundation (Ferozepur) would organise its third All India Mushiara in this town on Tuesday evening.As per a press note issued here today, Prabha Bhaskar, patron-in-chief of the organising body, said Bhaskar was an Indian spy and had undergone more than six year imprisonment in Pakistan where he suffered a lot.

Bhaskar managed to return to his motherland with the efforts of renowned poet Harvansh Rai Bacchan in 1974.

A galaxy of Urdu poets including Munnwar Rana (Lucknow), Janab Rahat Indori (Indore), Janab Popular Meeruthi (Meerut), Janab MF Farooqui (Ludhiana), Janab Anwar Jalalpuri (Lucknow), Janab Sajjad Zhanjat (Shajhanpur), Janab Tariq Qamar (Lucknow), Janab Ritaz Maini (Ludhiana), Janab Afzal Manglori (Roorki), Janab Tasna Kanpuri (Kanpur), Janab Moin Shadab (New Delhi), Mohtarma Zeba Nisha, Mohtarma Namita Rakesh, Janab Shams Tabrezi (Panchkula) and Janab Sawtanter Arif, Rampura Phool were expected to participate in the Mushiara. — TNS

Abohar, November 29
Alpine Institute of Education has won the overall trophy in the cultural festival of senior secondary schools of the region that was organised by Gopi Chand Arya Mahila Collegiate School here as part of the Punjab School Education Board campaign to explore talent in the students of senior classes.

Principal Dr Neelam Arun Mittu gave away the prizes. The function was conducted by Dr Shakuntala Middha, Dr Meena Mahajan and Prof Neeraj Mehta. SDM Jasjit Singh Aulakh was the chief guest for the valedictory session. More than 200 students from 25 schools participated.

Moga, November 29
The 28-year-married woman (Anu), who was found dead under suspicious circumstances at her house in the new town area of Moga on Sunday, had died of asphyxiation, confirmed a three-member medical board that conducted postmortem in the district hospital, today.

The doctors observed that she died an unnatural death and ruled out the theory of death due to electrocution floated by her husband and in-laws.

Earlier, Tarsem Lal Goyal, father of the deceased woman had alleged that her daughter was forcibly electrocuted to death by her husband and in-laws, on the basis of which, the police registered a criminal case.

Today, the family members and relatives of the deceased carried out a protest on the hospital premises demanding constitution of a medical board for conducting the post-mortem examination.

The medical board had also taken viscera of the body and sent it for a chemical examination, said one of the doctors. The victim got married to Ritesh Bansal, son of Subash Bansal about seven years back and since then her in-laws were continuously demanding dowry from them.