Abohar, February 23
A sum of Rs 1.31 crore that had been arranged with the help of the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to give relief to the residents in the waterlogged village of Bahawalbasi, seven kilometers from here, has virtually failed to serve its purpose.

The project was inaugurated on February 2, 2009 claiming that it would solve the long- pending problem of waterlogging. The farmers had not been able to grow even paddy. Three pumping sets were installed to lift the water seeping from the ponds and dispose it of through huge cement pipes to the Pakki drain.

However, a team of media persons found today that the pieces of pipes at pumping set number 1, which were to be used to lift water from the pond, were missing. The small drains constructed on the roadside to facilitate natural disposal of waste water from houses was partly damaged.

Some members of the village Panchayat said the cement pipes installed to drive out water from the pump number three to the Pakki drain had started leaking within a month perhaps due to the sub-standard material used.

The authorities concerned were repeatedly informed but to no avail. It was found that the water pumped out through the cement pipes by the lift pump number 3 was actually being pushed back to scores of fields. Submersible pumps that were installed under the scheme have been rendered out of order.

Crops spread over 250 acres of land have damaged. Cracks have developed in the houses owned by Chand Ram and Nihal Chand. The boundary wall of Baba Khetarpal Mandir has collapsed.

Superintending Engineer Rajinder Singh, Drainage Department, said the state government had been requested to sanction Rs 60 lakh for the maintenance of such projects besides recruiting 28 pump operators.

He confirmed that some of the projects were not working as the Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd (PSPCL) had disconnected supply due to non-payment of the bills. Regarding leakage in pipes, he said this will be inquired into.

Bathinda, February 23
The rural veterinary officers (RVOs), working on contract under the Zila Parishads in the state, are up in arms against the Punjab government for not regularising their service.

Despite the reported promises made to them in the past by the political functionaries, nothing concrete has been done so far.

To apply pressure on the state government for accepting their demand, the RVOs from five districts-- Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar, Moga and Faridkot-- today gathered at the Zila Parishad complex here and staged a dharna there, raising slogans against the government.

Some of them said that in case their services were not regularised soon, they would contemplate taking harsh steps like mass resignations. They also stated that the state government had decided about five years ago to fill 581 posts of the RVO on contract basis but due to non-availability of veterinary doctors in the state, the government could fill up only 450 posts so far while the remaining posts were still lying vacant.

The agitating RVOs said they were getting only Rs 22,250 as salary from the contract package of Rs 32,260 as the package amount also included the salary of the pharmacist and Class IV employee, and expenses incurred on electricity bill, while a fresh veterinary officer in the Animal Husbandry Department appointed on a regular basis would get Rs 39,500 per month.

The RVOs also said that due to the contract system, job security, promotional avenues and gazetted status were proving to be elusive for them.

Besides, they also did not get any allowances, despite the fact that their qualification, work and responsibilities were equal to that of the the veterinary officers, working in the Animal Husbandry Department.

The RVOs also said that due to non-recruitment of veterinary officials in the Animal Husbandry Department in the last 12 years, many RVOs had already crossed the age limit fixed for getting the government job.

In case, the government now recruited veterinary officers on regular basis, then they would not be eligible even to apply. So the government should regularise the services of all RVOs at the earliest, they added.

Dr Parampal Singh Brar from Muktsar said the Chief Minister had earlier assured them that the matter, related to their demand of regularization of service, would be taken up at the Cabinet level. But it had not happened.

Dr Varinder Pal Singh from Moga also talked about mass resignations by the RVOs in case their demand was not met. Dr Harinder Singh Bhullar from Faridkot also spoke on the occasion. 

Bathinda, February 23
The Union Railway Budget-2011, which will be presented on February 25, has generated hope among the common man as well as the railway employees.

Besides introduction of new trains, ensuring the safety and punctuality of the trains is on top of the wish list of the people here. The railway employees too are hoping that Mamata Banerjee would announce benefits and perks for them.

Passengers at the railway station in Bathinda that The Tribune spoke to exuded much enthusiasm, something which was missing the last time.

With the region all set to witness the coming up of various mega projects, people here are hoping that faster and better connectivity to major cities from Bathinda would figure in the Rail Budget this time.

There are a number of fast trains between Bathinda and Delhi but these trains are scheduled either in the morning or late in the evening. So passengers are hoping that an express or superfast train from Delhi to Sriganganagar via Bathinda, in the forenoon, would be introduced.

A Bathinda-Dhuri DMU, scheduled between 9 am to 12 pm, also figures in the wish-list. It will give thousands of people using road transport a cheaper alternative by connecting the region to other part of the state.

Some other demands like a Bathinda-Sirsa DMU, during the day time, a Sriganganagar-Jaipur Express via Bathinda and a direct rail link from Bathinda to Amritsar also figure in the list. As Bathinda has Asia's largest Army cantonment, there are a number of Armymen belonging to the southern states, who wish for a direct rail link from Bathinda to South India.

Among others, introduction of a pantry car in the Bathinda-Jammu Tawi Express, improvement in infrastructure including revamping of platforms, waiting lounge, facilities for providing RO water, also are in demand..

Above all, people are of the view that the government must include some special component in the Bail Budget for the safety and punctuality of trains to plug the loopholes that give the Indian Railways a bad name.

Vice-president of the Railway Passengers Association, Northern Zone, Hanuman Das Goyal said, "Though hopes are high but it is a matter of luck as to how much this region gets."

Meanwhile, vice-president of the Northern Railway Men's Union (NRMU), Bathinda branch, Suresh Kumar said, "The Rail Budget should be prepared in such a way that it is able to generate profits for the Indian Railways." 

Ferozepur, February 23
Rakesh Kumar, an engineer with the Indian Railways, has authored a book titled ‘Railway land management— A practical approach’ for managing the land owned by the Railways.

His book was to be released by Vishwesh Chobey, DRM, Ferozepur, at a function today.

Rakesh is serving as Senior Section Engineer (Works), Land and Heritage, in the Divisional Railway Manager’s (DRM) office in Ferozepur.

The book comprising 276 pages contains all information pertaining to the land owned by the Indian Railways and methods to manage it effectively.

He pointed out that he had studied various land management systems being followed by different states including Punjab besides his personal experience. “The book is for the ground level staff of all departments of the Railways, facing practical problems in day-to-day working, while dealing with issues connected with the land owned by the Railways.”

“The attempt had been made to make the book up-to-date and authentic. The book was also needed as land is the biggest asset of the Indian Railways, which owned about 4.32 lakh hectares of land and was the second largest owner of the land in the country after the Ministry of Defence,” Rakesh added.

“The book will be helpful for those interested in establishing projects on the railway land under private public participation (PPP) scheme and also for the revenue department as well as other railways in the world to know how the Indian Railways manages its land,” he claimed.

He added that it would also help curb encroachment on land owned by the Indian Railways.

Besides, Rakesh Kumar had thwarted a number of attempts made by unscrupulous elements to grab the land belonging to the Indian Railways in the Ferozepur Division area.

He had also managed to trace out land worth crores belonging to the Indian Railways by examining the old revenue record of the Punjab government. He was awarded the highest award of the Indian Railways— Ministry of Railway National Award — for outstanding work done to protect the railway land in 2009.

He has also won the highest award of the Indian Railways— Ministry of Railway National Award for English essay competition (second prize) last year on the topic ‘Public Private partnership over Indian Railways’. Rakesh also received the DRM Awards for 2002, 2008 and 2009.

He got the second prize in the divisional-level both Hindi language essay and noting and drafting competition last year.

Rakesh has received a number of cash prizes for his achievements in different fields. His articles have also been published in different magazines and newspapers. 

Bathinda, February 23
Local Congress MLA Harminder Singh Jassi today criticised the SAD-BJP government for laying foundation stones for development projects without proper perspective. He alleged it was being done due to the ensuing Assembly elections.

In a press note issued by Rupinder Bindra, media in-charge of the MLA, Jassi said the people of Punjab could not be mislead by such foundation stones. He said the Badal family had been making tall claims about development works in Bathinda while in realty it was not true as several colonies on the periphery of the city did not have even the basic facilities. — TNS

Bathinda, February 23
Panjab University inter zonal level skill in teaching and on-the- spot preparation of teaching aid competitions were held at the Dasmesh Girls College of Education,Badal, today. Education Minister Sewa Singh Sekhwan was the chief guest. PU senator Dr Tarlok Bandu was also present. 

Principal SS Sangha welcomed the decision of the government to hold TET test for appointing teachers. Sekhwan said efforts will be made to ensure that winners of these skill-in-teaching competitions get preference in appointment of teachers and in M.Ed. admissions. — TNS

Bathinda, February 2
The two-day UGC sponsored national conference on ‘Role and contribution of women in freedom struggle’ began at the DAV College, here today.

Organized by the Post-Graduate Department of History, the conference was presided over by Dr Pawan Kumar Singla, Controller of Examinations, Punjabi University, Patiala. In his keynote address, eminent historian Dr Satish K Kapoor, dwelt on the contribution of Indian women in the freedom struggle.

Welcoming the guests, Dr JS Anand, Principal of the college, expressed the hope that the conference would bring the present generation face-to-face with the realities of the freedom struggle. The inaugural function was graced by Prof Kulbir Singh Dhillon, Prof Manju Malhotra, Dr SS Sohal, Dr Sudhir Vidyarthi, Atma Ram, Swami Surya Dev and PD Goyal. — TNS

Ferozepur, February 23
A criminal case has been registered against Jaswinder Singh and Amandeep, both students of the local RSD College, for their alleged involvement in illegally entering the house of Babbu, one of the alleged accused in the murder of their college mate Aman Sethi, and causing damage to the property yesterday.

The case was registered under sections 452, 427, 148 and 149 of the IPC at the city police station against them and about 30 other unidentified persons. However, no arrest has been made so far in this connection.

Police sources said a section of students of the RSD College blocked the traffic at Udham Singh Chowk in the city area for more than an hour and raised slogans against the authorities concerned.

They directly went to the house of Babbu, located at Makhu gate area after the blockade was lifted.

Aman Sethi (21) was allegedly murdered by Babbu and Tittu, friends of the deceased on February 19. Police sources said a number of police teams had been pressed into service to trace the body of Aman.

The assailants had thrown the body of the deceased into the Rajasthan Feeder Canal.

Sriganganagar, Feb 23
Three youths, who were going to attend a marriage function, were killed as a bus hit the motorcycle which they were using near village Chandurwali Kanchian today.

An official at Tibbi police station said Arif Khan (20), along with Qurban Ali (15) and Mohammad Ramzan (20), was going to village Masani to attend a marriage. Just five kilometres away from Tibbi, when they tried to overtake a bus between village Chandurwali Kanchian and NGS canal, the two-wheeler collided with a bus that was plying on Tibbi-Sangria route.

All of them died on the spot and the motorcycle was demolished. The police shifted the bodies to the nearby community health centre.

A case against the driver of the bus has been registered on the basis of the statement given by Insaf Ali.

Ferozepur, February 23
On the first day of the Western Command Football Championship-2010-11, which started on a colourful note in the local cantonment area today, the Tiger Division defeated Kharga Corps 6-0.

The match, which remained one-sided from the very beginning, could not provide an opportunity to Kharga Corps to score even one goal as the players of the Tiger Division dominated the field in the first and second half in a flawless manner.

The Tiger Division scored six goals in the 8th, 15th, 36th, 55th, 63rd and 73rd minutes.

Sep Khamliak Mang of Tiger Division scored two goals in the 15th and 55th minutes of the match.

The second match was played between Elephant Division and Vajra Corps troops in pool ‘C’ which was won by the Elephant Division 1-0.

Lance Havildar YJ Singh of the Elephant Division scored the only goal in the 36th minute of the match.

The ten-day Western Command Football Championship 2010-11, is being organised by the Golden Arrow Division under the aegis of the Vajra Corps.

As per the Army authorities, about 13 teams of different formations will participate in the championship. The teams are divided in four pools. The championship is being played on league base.

The final of the championship will be played on March 4.