Lehra Mohabbat (Bathinda), March 29
Sensing that the long agitation of the villagers, supported by farmer unions, against the bio-medical waste management plant set up outside the village could take a violent turn, the district police today locked the premises of the plant and imposed restriction over all kinds of activities there.

While locking the plant, police officials announced that the district administration was in the process of organising a meeting between the agitators and the Chief Minister to find out an amicable solution to the problem. They assured that the meeting would be fixed before April 8. Later, hundreds of protesters lifted the dharna terming the announcement as their victory.

According to details available, a firm, namely the Green Tech, had recently set up the bio-medical waste management plant at nearly two kilometers from the village, on the Balianwali road. The plant had come into operation on January 1 this year but due to the agitation, the work was suspended on March 23.

Terming the project as hazardous to the residents living in the plant's vicinity, villagers supported by various Kisan Unions were protesting against it. They alleged that the bio-medical waste emitted foul smell and the smoke billowing out of its chimney was full of infectious germs. They also accused the owners of the plant of befooling them by stating that the plant was a unit for manufacturing syringes and other surgical products but when the villagers investigated, they found bags full of bio-medical waste, including body parts, on the premises.

Meanwhile, a group of people from the village also spread a rumour that the plant would affect the price of all adjoining agricultural land that encouraged the villagers to unite and seek support from farmer unions to initiate an indefinite protest to get the plant closed.

The villagers also met Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal and his wife Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal to order the plant owners to shift it to some other village. Though the leaders assured them of accepting their demand, nothing could take place on the ground.

Meanwhile, the villagers came to know that the plant owners had been enjoying the patronage of the ruling leaders as two persons close to the Deputy CM, including one of his OSDs, were also partners in the plant's profit.

Then, they approached the leaders of the opposition, who lent support to them by arriving at the dharna site. The issue was also raised in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.

Meanwhile, it was reported that manager of the plant had lodged a case against nearly a dozen agitators for assaulting him and snatching his camera, ATM card and some cash besides seeking a permanent injunction from the court restraining the agitators from interfering in their work.

Despite repeated attempts, the owners of the plant could not be contacted for their comments. However, Nathana SHO Sandeep Singh, who locked the plant, said the plant owners had asked him to resolve the issue peacefully.

Bathinda, March 29
The sex ratio (at birth) in Bathinda district rose to 865 in 2010. It was 833 in 2009. However, the sex ratio in the district was 785 (0 to six years) according to the 2001 Census.

This was stated by District Family Welfare officer-cum-nodal Officer for the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) Dr Malkiat Singh Gill here today. The figures of the sex ratio at birth have been recorded by the death and birth registration wing of the Civil Surgeon’s Office here.

Dr Gill said the increase in the sex ratio (at birth) was certainly an outcome of the awareness among people against female foeticide and implementation of the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act in an effective manner in the district.

He was attending a workshop on an NRHM programme here in which doctors from local dispensaries, child development and project officers (CDPOs), auxiliary nursing midwives (ANMs), anganwari workers and local staff of the NRHM participated.

The official further said that the state government had honoured four Panchayats of the district in 2009 and six Panchayats in 2010 with cash prizes for improving the sex ratio in their respective villages.

He also called upon the participants to create awareness among the masses so that the sex ratio could be improved further.

District Programme Manager of the NRHM Gyatri Mahajan told the participants about registration of expecting mothers during the pregnancy period.

She also emphasised to motivate the pregnant women to go for free deliveries in government hospitals and restrict their families up to two children.

She also asked the participants to disseminate information about the benefits being given to the people under NRHM schemes.

Civil Surgeon Dr Inder Dayal Goyal asked the participants to inspire people to avail of the benefits from the NRHM programmes.

He added that community participation was must for the successful implementation of the NRHM programmes.

District Health Officer Dr RS Randhawa spoke about the symptoms and preventive measures against Swine Flu.

District School Health Medical Officer Dr Kundan Kumar Paul spoke about tuberculosis (TB) and immunisation of mothers and children.

Ferozepur, March 29
The District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum, Ferozepur, has directed the local branch of the National Insurance Company to pay a compensation of Rs 20,000 to one Gian Chand for indulging in unfair trade practices while settling the insurance claim of his car, which met with an accident and suffered total loss in April 2010.

Sanjay Garg and Tarlok Singh, president and member of the forum, while deciding the complaint filed by Gian Chand and his son Anoop Aggarwal against the insurance company and Dada Motors, Moga, held that the insurance company exploited the complainant instead of making payment of the amount to which they were entitled as per their insurance policy. As per the copy of the judgment, issued today, the complainant got his car insured for 2,16,000 for the period 9.4.2009 to April 8, 2010 from the NIC.

On April 7, 2010, the car met with an accident. The NIC offered the complainant only Rs 1,85,000 against the insured sum of Rs 2,16,000.

Abohar, March 29
Pillion riding motorcyclists reportedly looted Rs 4.64 lakh from the manager of a petrol pump by throwing red chilly powder in the eyes of the salesman who was driving the motorcycle.

Sources said Ashok Kumar of Fazilka and Kuldeep Singh of Dhaani Karnail Singh, working as manager and salesman at the Burjmuhar Petro Centre located on the outskirts of the sub- divisional town were going to deposit Rs 4.64 lakh with the local branch of Oriental Bank of Commerce located in the walled city. The motorcycle that they were using was reportedly intercepted by the miscreants. City police SHO Sukhdev Singh and Sadar SHO Chhinderpal Singh led the police parties that inspected the site. 

Bathinda, March 29
On the occasion of the second death anniversary of Joginder Bhasin, his family organised a blood donation camp on Sunday at their residence here.

Senior deputy mayor of the Municipal Corporation, Bathinda, Tarsem Goyal inaugurated the camp.

Blood donors Sangeeta Sodhi and Dr HS Sodhi said that their family friends, relatives and neighbours had donated 25 units of blood at the camp.

Principal of a local college, Raj Gupta, while appreciating the gesture of Sodhi and Bhasin families said all family members were having rare negative blood groups (A-, B-, AB- and O-) but due to their positive approach, they had donated 77 units of blood in emergency situations to save lives in the past.