Abohar, April 1
Hundreds of people today thronged the local railway station to express happiness over the stoppage of the 12455/12456 Delhi (Sarai Rohilla)-Sriganganagar tri-weekly AC Superfast Express.

Most of them, including members of the Morning Club, had started reaching an hour before the scheduled arrival. They garlanded Virendra Kataria, former president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress and former member of the Rajya Sabha for his efforts in getting the train sanctioned and convincing the Railway Minister and the Railway Board chairman that its success lies in more stoppages.

The train had registered only 22 per cent occupancy earlier as it was run non-stop from Sriganganagar to Bathinda.

Notably, hundreds of citizens led by Pramil Kalani, convener of the joint action committee (JAC) of NGOs had squatted on the railway station on January 5 when the train was flagged off. The NGOs had faxed memorandums demanding stoppage of the train here.

Former MP Virendra Kataria had a series of meeting with Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, Railway Board Chairman Vivek Sahai and ED (Coaching) Mukesh Nigam to press for the acceptance of the demand.

While lauding the efforts made by the former MP, JAC convener Pramil Kalani, Sat Pal Khariwal, chairman, Consumers Movement and Ashwani Kumar Jhunthara, vice-president, the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal urged him to struggle for getting sanctioned an express train for Amritsar and Jammu to facilitate a comfortable journey for the pilgrims.

Kataria assured that he will take it up at the highest level besides ensuring that hurdles in making the Abohar-Fazilka rail link functional are overcome during the next few months. He had already requested the minister concerned and the officials to run the 12485/12486 Nanded Sahib - Sriganganagar weekly train thrice a week since there was no justification in keeping it parked at Sriganganagar for four days. 

Bathinda, April 1
It may sound shocking but an attendant and a sweeper-cum-chowkidar are running the affairs of the District Library here.

With the posts of librarian and restorer lying vacant, one can easily judge the seriousness of the government towards the functioning of the library. While the post of librarian has reportedly been lying vacant for the past eight years, the one of restorer is vacant for the past nine months.

It is learnt that the library was set up in 1974. It has over 40,000 books and is a subscriber to four periodicals and seven daily newspapers. It has over 700 members. The issuance and receipt of books is being done by the attendant these days.

Sources said the library had not purchased new books for the past several years on account of either the vacant post of librarian or shortage of funds. However, during the last financial year (2010-11), the government had provided funds of Rs 1.50 lakh to buy books and make payments of subscription fee for newspapers and magazines but in the absence of librarian, new books could not be purchased.

During a visit to the library, some other shocking factors also came to the notice of this reporter. There is no power supply to the library for the past three months as the electricity wires are damaged.

The repairs need to be done immediately or visitors would have to face difficulties during the approaching summer. Besides, a large number of books have been stored in jute bags and are lying on the floor.

To preserve these books, more than two dozen almirahs are also required by the library.

At present, the library is being run from a rented building on the Zila Parishad (ZP) complex here. It is also learnt that over Rs 3 lakh is yet to be paid to the ZP authorities.

Abohar, April 1
Coming down heavily on the ruling SAD-BJP coalition, Abohar MLA Sunil Jakhar has regretted that the government has decided to dispose of cooperative sugar mills to benefit its favourites as had been done in the case of the Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences.

In a statement issued here yesterday, he said it appeared that the Cooperative Department had virtually become an orphan after the demise of Capt Kanwaljit Singh. He had given an assurance on the floor of Assembly that measures to strengthen the cooperative sugar mills would be taken. But the mills at Fazilka, Batala, Gurdaspur, Buddhewal, Nawanshahr, Nakodar, Bhogpur, Morinda and Ajnala were about to collapse.

Interestingly, Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal was claiming that the state would become self-sufficient in power generation. The foundation stones for co-generation plants laid in the mills at Ajnala and Nawanshahr had become mere showpieces. In other units private companies were involved but they too failed to deliver the required results, he said.

Criticising the cooperative policy, he said the sugar mills at Tarn Taran, Zira, Patiala, Faridkot and Jagraon were lying closed giving a major setback to sugarcane growers who were assured of remunerative prices and incentives by the state government. Instead of making these mills functional, the government had now offered VRS to the staff indicating that private players would have a field day. — OC

Bathinda, April 1
“Manpreet was jealous of Sukhbir’s rise in the party, which is very obvious now,” said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here today. “It hardly matters to me and the party if he, lured by some gains, took the extreme step of snapping ties with the party that kept feeding him with a silver spoon all the time. But his move has created a divide between me and my brother Gurdas Badal, who meant everything to me. It has given me immense pain that I am not able to overcome,” he added.

The CM was here to inspect the facilities at the Giani Zail Singh College of Engineering and Technology, from where the state government is soon going to run a transit campus of the state sports school that will later be shifted to its main campus at Badal’s ancestral village Ghudda in the district.

Replying to media queries about Manpreet’s People’s Party of Punjab (PPP), Badal said it was a motley group of disgruntled elements, anticipating that their original parties would refuse to field them in the coming assembly elections.

“I could have contested from the Gidderbaha Assembly constituency in the by-election way back but in consultation with the party, I fielded Manpreet and even shed my blood and sweat to ensure his victory. But he has now ditched us,” said Badal.

Taking a U-turn from his earlier statement that he would not contest the next Assembly polls, Badal said, “I always give preference to the party’s decision over my own. So, if the party wishes, I am always ready to contest any seat.” The CM refused to comment on Manpreet’s statement that his father Gurdas Badal would contest from Lambi this time. “Whatever happens in the future will be there for all to see,” he said.

Umesh Dewan adds from Tohra (Patiala): CM Parkash Singh Badal has said that in the next Assembly elections, due to be held in early 2012, the SAD will not hesitate to enter into an alliance with political parties, which are against the Congress. He was speaking to media after paying tributes to former SGPC president Gurcharan Singh Tohra during a state-level programme organised to mark Tohra’s seventh death anniversary here today.

Five days after Manpreet Badal floated his political party, Parkash Singh Badal, while venting his anger on Manpreet said, “Contesting on a SAD ticket, Manpreet became MLA four times. He held the prestigious portfolio of Punjab’s Finance Minister. But it is really sad that instead of following the principles and ideology of the party, Manpreet left it for no reason. In my view, Manpreet has stabbed the SAD in the back.”

Reacting to a media query regarding the critical observations in the CAG report, which mentioned that the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) resorted to unplanned power purchase through short-term and measures taken in panic, which resulted in wasteful expenditure amounting to hundreds of crores of rupees, Badal said, “The government was vigilant and purchased additional power to ensure that there was no power shortage during summers.” He added that it was not justified to flay the decisions of the government that were taken in the interests of the people of Punjab.

Earlier, paying homage to Tohra, the CM said Tohra was a man of rare intellect and the SAD-BJP government would strive to cherish the aspirations of Tohra. Former Punjab Minister Harmail Singh Tohra and his wife, Kuldeep Kaur, also paid homage to Tohra.

Bathinda, April 1
There is a good news for budding players in the region! The district is now going to start the first session of the state sports school, which the Chief Minister claims to be the first well-equipped school in the state to nurture young talent. Three such schools will be opened in the state and would cater to the three pockets of Malwa, Majha and Doaba.

In consultation with the Sports and Education departments, the state government has selected Ghudda village of this district to set up the school in Malwa. It is the ancestral village of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. As the construction of the main campus may take nearly four months to complete, the school would run from its transit campus at the Giani Zail Singh College for Engineering and Technology.

After inspecting the basic facilities at the transit campus today, Badal claimed it would be the first among the three such schools to be opened in the state where free education would be imparted to budding players besides free diet.

Giving details, Director, Sports, Pargat Singh, who accompanied the CM, said, “The departments are completing the formalities at a fast pace as we want to start the first session by the end of this month.”

Pargat further said the school would have 180 seats — 120 for boys and 60 for girls. Students of classes VI to VIII in government schools would be selected for the sports school and the selections would be done purely on the basis of trials to be held from April 2-10.

He said that the main campus of the school was being built at the cost of Rs 42 crore and would be equipped with ultra-modern facilities for 10 games like kabaddi, wrestling, hockey, volleyball etc.

Abut the selection of the staff, the Director, Sports, said the Education Department had recruited its staff while the Sports Department was carrying out the recruitment process. It would be finalised only after getting response from the students during the trials, he added.

Abohar, April 1
Impressed by the non-stop comedy, NGOs from Fazilka and Sirsa in Haryana have invited the Sparsh Theatre Society to stage a Punjabi play, ‘Jinney Jhalley Mere Palley.'

The comic tragedy was authored by eminent dramatist Suhail Ahmad of Pakistan and staged here for two days recently. Gaurav Vij, who was adjudged the best artist in 2010 by the Punjabi Sangeet and Natak Academy directed the playand played a key role.

The play that made the audience laugh for about 75 minutes opened with the scene of a tired court room wherein the prosecution was trying to establish the identity of an accused while the defence counsel was trying to prove him innocent.

Aptly worded and suitably modulated, coupled with a matching body language, the play weaved a magical spell which kept the viewers glued to the edges of their seats at a cinema house located in the heart of the town.

Earlier, the plays staged in the college campus here had not received much of a response as people in the old city found it inconvenient to pass through the railway overbridge late at night.

At philosophical mid-way, a dramatic twist, as subtle as it lent by Oscar Wilde himself, bared the Pathos lying under the sheets of comical content. Each one put in larger than life share of performance and by the time the play crossed the twist, the silence had seized the viewers in such a loud grip that the accidental fall of a few pop corns was distinctly audible.

The protagonist Gaurav Vij, in the guise of health minister, gets so moved by the plight of the inmates of a lunatic asylum at the hands of social system that he instead of expressing moronic pranks embraces them with open arms, observed Colonel Dilbagh Singh former commandant of NCC.

The artists included Sonu Babbar, Anshuman Gandhi, Ruby Sharma, Ashish Makkar, Sahil Wadhwa, Shalu Dawra, Sumit Chagti, Neeraj Sachdeva, Ajay, Vikram and Tushar Narang.

Moga, April 1
A Dalit labourer engaged in construction work was strangulated to death by his wife and her paramour along with their associates on the premises of the Government Polytechnic College at Rode in the Baghapurana sub-division of the Moga district on Thursday.

The investigating officer Sub-Inspector Gurbinder Singh, while talking to The Tribune, revealed that Harjit Kaur, wife of Ghona Singh, originally hailing from Jharian Wali village of the Mansa district, allegedly developed illicit relations with one Sukhdev Singh, a relative of her husband, a resident of Nangal Khurd village in Mansa district.

The SI said that during the preliminary investigations, it came to light that extra- marital relations of the woman soured relations between the couple, which led to the murder.

The woman wanted to marry Sukhdev and in order to fulfill her desire, she along with her paramour, planned to murder her husband Ghona Singh with the help of some others from her known circle. Kehar Singh, the father of the deceased, has also stated to the police that his daughter-in-law was having illicit relations with Sukhdev, the theory on which the police is investigating the case.

The alleged accused came to the temporary shelter of Ghona Singh and had drinks with him. Later, they strangulated him to death with the help of a rope, which has been recovered by the police.

The SI said the police had registered a criminal case of murder and conspiracy against Harjit Kaur, Sukhdev Singh, Happy Singh, a resident of Hadan Wali (Haryana), Matta Singh and Seera Singh. "We have raided the houses and possible hide-outs of all these accused but they have fled from home fearing arrest," he added.

Meanwhile, the police got conducted the post-mortem examination of the body from the district hospital here, today. The examination report has confirmed that Ghona Singh died of asphyxiation, possibly due to strangulation. 

Bathinda, April 1
Two persons, including head sevadar of Gurudwara Gangsar Jaito Baba Harbhajan Singh (50), were killed as the jeep they were travelling in collided with a train at an unmanned railway crossing near Aklia village in the district this morning.

Baba Harbhajan Singh along with his driver Jagdev Singh of Guri Ki Dhaab village and an associate Binder Singh was travelling in his Bolero jeep (PB-04-N 9409) and the driver failed to see the Bathinda-Ferozepur passenger train at the unmanned railway crossing.

Harbhajan and Jagdev succumbed died in the accident while Binder Singh sustained severe injuries.

After conducting the post-mortem examination, Gurpal Singh, the in-charge of the Railway police post, Goniana, initiated the inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC and handed over the bodies to the bereaved kin.

Bathinda, April 1
A high drama took place outside the bus stand here today when the bus conductor of a private transport company slapped the district president of the ASHA Workers Union, Punjab, for blocking the main entrance to the bus stand.

Nearly 100 activists of the union were staging an anti-government demonstration when the incident took place.

According to information available, to build pressure upon the district administration to receive their memorandum of demands, the protesters blocked the main entrance and exit of the bus stand and started raising anti-establishment slogans. Irked over the protest that was hampering their business, the transporters, including drivers and conductors, indulged in a verbal duel with them. The situation turned ugly when the conductor of a private transport company slapped the district president of the union, Chhinder Pal Kaur of Burj Dalla village, in the presence of police officials.

The incident left the protesters fuming, who announced to lodge an indefinite protest on the spot demanding the arrest of the accused transporting staff for abusing and beating their district president.

Taking immediate steps to bring the situation under control, Civil Lines SHO Jaspal Singh took the protesters to the ADC, who received their complaint and forwarded it to the SHO Kotwali to take action against the guilty.

The ADC also received their memorandum of demands that included regularisation of services and hike in allowances, with an assurance to forward it to the state government.

Abohar, April 1
The pillion riding motorcyclists who had decamped after snatching Rs 4.5 lakh from the manager of the Burjmuhar petro Center here on March 29, have been arrested from a village located in Alwar district of Rajasthan. All of them belong to the Raisikh community.

One of them, Mandeep Singh is the real brother of Petro centre salesman Kuldeep Singh of Dhaani Karnail Singh here while the other one, Rattan Singh alias Ratinder, is his cousin. Rattan's family is settled in Alwar district.

Kuldeep was arrested on March 30 following intensive interrogation. The motorcycle used by them for the loot had been stolen from street number 4 here on March 27. A case has been separately registered in this connection. The stolen two-wheeler has been recovered from a sub canal as they had thrown it also before fleeing to Alwar. — OC