Bathinda, April 23
The Friday afternoon incident, in which some gangsters opened fire in the parking lot of the district courts complex injuring two persons and managed to flee scot-free, has exposed the security claims of the district administration.

The incident has raised a question mark over the security blanket to the judges also.

Taking a serious notice of the security lapse, District and Sessions judge SK Aggarwal held a meeting with the district police and passed directions to enhance the security at the courts complex.

Following the directions, the district police has installed a door frame metal detector at the entrance and decided to depute two cops in the parking lot, who would check all four-vehicles entering the complex. In addition, a special guard deployed there would keep vigil round-the-clock.

Confirming the facts, ASP (City) Bikramjeet Singh Bhatti said some more mechanisms were being developed to ensure better security to the court complex. About the yesterday's incident, he said after collecting the addresses of all suspected hideouts of the accused, teams were conducting raids but none of them could be arrested so far.

Meanwhile, the firing incident has created panic in the city. Expressing anguish against the district police, an elderly shopkeeper said, “The police otherwise keeps making tall claims about its efficiency but neither it could prevent the firing incident nor could it stop the culprits from escaping from the spot.”

Reacting to the failure of the police in nabbing the accused even after identifying all of them, some residents said, “The only effective deterrent is the ability of the police to plug the escape routes and catch the culprits in a quick way. But unfortunately, the district police lacks on that accout.”

Bathinda, April 23
To create awareness among the masses against corruption, rising prices and in favour of bringing 'black money' back from the foreign banks to the country, the Punjab unit of the Bharatiya Janta Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP, will observe an awareness fortnight from May 1 to May 15 by organising a marathon and bicycle rallies throughout the state.

State president of the BJYM Rajesh Kumar ‘Honey’ said here today the marathon and the bicycle rallies would be organised in all 32 districts (rural and urban both) of the BJP in the state. He also accused the UPA-led Congress government of providing protection to the corrupt persons and creating hurdles in bringing the ‘black money’ back from the foreign banks.

With regard to seeking party tickets from the BJP for the BJYM members during the ensuing Punjab Assembly elections, Honey said the morcha would not seek any share as there was no quota provision in the party set-up for its wings. However, he said the party would give tickets to the youths on the basis of their performance.

He further said the morcha would form 10-member booth-level committees in the state to strengthen its network for the ensuing Assembly elections. Honey, who was here in connection with a programme organised by the district unit of the BJYM (Urban), said the morcha would also start a drive against drug abuse in the state, for which an awareness campaign would be launched.

Among those who were present or spoke on the occasion included district BJP (Urban) president Sham Lal Bansal, chairman of Improvement Trust Ashok Bharti, senior deputy mayor of Municipal Corporation Tarsem Chand Goyal and district president and general secretary of the BJYM (Urban) Vikram Lucky and Pawan Yadav, respectively.

Bathinda, April 23
The Central Jail here courted another controversy after a medical specialist of local Civil Hospital alleged that he was abused on the jail premises by its pharmacist today.

Two years ago, the functioning of the jail came under scanner after a senior functionary of the Punjab police, in an inquiry conducted by him, charged a section of its officials with corruption, which resulted in transfer of some of the officials. The jail authorities also faced an embarrassing situation a few weeks ago when a Himachal Pradesh-based criminal, who was lodged in the jail for a few days, accused some of the jail officials of indulging in drug pedalling.

Ramesh Maheshwari, a medical specialist, who was put on duty at the jail to examine the inmates, alleged that he was abused by Kulraj Singh, pharmacist, without any provocation from his side. “Kulraj Singh started abusing me when I recorded in the jail register that the jail doctor, Gurjeet Singh, is not available in the jail,” alleged Maheshwari.

Refuting the allegations of Maheshwari, Kulraj said Gurjeet Singh had gone outside the jail premises for some time and hence, he requested Maheshwari to examine the patients. Instead of examining the patients, he started rebuking him without any reason, he added.

Bathinda: Deputy Commissioner Dr S Karuna Raju inaugurated an ATM of the Punjab National Bank (PNB), Circle office, Bathinda, at the Model Town, Phase I, here on Saturday. PNB’s Circle Head, Bathinda, GS Gandhoke and AGM, Circle office, Bathinda, MC Rustagi were present.

The bank also presented to the DC a cheque of Rs 29,300 (cost of sewing machines) for the District Red Cross Society. Chief manager of the bank’s Civil Lines branch HC Sehgal proposed the vote of thanks. — TNS

Bathinda, April 23
Hundreds of medical professionals having specialisation in the field of psychiatry from across the country along with the representatives of various NGOs and other social institutions would discuss the modalities to increase the quality of life of elderly people on Sunday.

A total of 250 eminent psychiatrists from all over India along with the local medical professionals will attend the Third National Midterm Continued Medical Education (CME) of Indian Association of Geriatric Mental Health (IAGMH), being organised by the Bathinda Psychiatric Forum, tomorrow. Two such Midterm CMEs were earlier held at Kolkata and Varanasi in the past two years.

“The elderly people are suffering from various diseases which needs treatment,” said Purav Midha, former general secretary, IAGMH. The event would be inaugurated by SS Gill, vice chancellor, Baba Farid University of Health Sciences. A lecture would be delivered by Shiv Gautam on ‘Healthy Aging and Mental Health of The Elderly’. Eminent psychiaitriaistsManaswi Gautam, Avinash Desousa, Ajit Avasthi, SC Tiwari, Rajiv Gupta and Indira Sharma would also paricipate.

Moga, April 23
The district administration of Moga and the authorities concerned of the FCI swung into action after the farmers and commission agents (arhtiyas) made a hue and cry over the faulty readings of wheat humidity content by the moisture detection device installed in the silo, base depot of the FCI, being run by the Adani Agri Logistics Limited on built operate transfer basis, 12-km from the district headquarters, here.

As per the reports, during the past few days, there was difference in the readings of humidity content being tested by the FCI inspectors in the grain markets and in the base depot.

The district food and supplies controller Baljinder Singh Dhillon said the fault was on part of the FCI, which has been rectified by the food agency. He said the administration has assured that no deductions would be made from the farmers’ produce in the wheat purchased by the FCI due to faulty readings in the base depot.

District manager of the FCI, KD Jain said, “We have immediately called our engineers from Ambala.” He also assured that no deduction from the farmers’ produce would be made in this regard.

Meanwhile, Commissioner of the Ferozepur division, Raminder Singh and District Magistrate of Moga Dr VN Zade has issued directions to all the procurement agencies to take correct readings of the moisture content, revealed Nath Singh Buttar, spokesman of the Moga district.

Sriganganagar, April 23
While drinking water reservoirs and ponds at some villages including 12HH (Baniawala), had dried up following the suspension of water supply for past two weeks in the Gang (Bikaner) canal, about 3000 cusecs of water has been allowed to cross over to the West Punjab province of Pakistan for the past 3-4 days, regrets Rajasthan Kisan Sangharsh Samiti.

The Samiti members led by its spokesman Subhash Sehgal, who visited the villages today, said the gate number 16 of the Ferozepur headworks had been lifted by two feet to dispose of the canal water to the neighbouring country.

Earlier, the level of water from the Harike headworks was downed on April 9 by 6,000 cusecs to siphon off water through the Sutlej river bed that finally reaches the Hussainiwala (Ferozepur) headworks. The Punjab officials had confirmed on April 10 that the gate numbers 16 and 17 at Hussainiwala headworks were lifted by four feet to divert water to Pakistan.

The Samiti today faxed a memorandum to the Rajasthan Chief Minister and Central Water Commission to get flow of water to Pakistan stopped.