Bathinda, May 30
The realisation of the years-long dream of the city residents to see a local bus service here came closer today after the state government cleared all decks for the introduction of the service.

According to the project details, the Municipal Corporation, Bathinda (BMC), will deposit Rs 2.5 crore with the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) to purchase, operate and maintain 10 non-AC low-floor city buses.

Though the modalities are yet to be finalised, it is being planned that the local buses would not only ply within the municipal limits but would also connect the city to the towns located nearby.

The point to start city bus service had been incorporated in the agenda list of the BMC for discussion in the general house meeting many a times, but due to lack of consensus among the councillors, the plan could not materialise.

However, during a meeting held on April 5 this year, the SAD-BJP councillors passed the proposal and forwarded it for approval to the state government.

During a meeting called by the secretary, Local Bodies, Punjab, today, the file was cleared and the BMC officials were allowed to start the service by appointing the PRTC as executing agency.

With the expansion of the city in all directions, the introduction of a city bus service had been the main demand of the residents for past several years. The project was drafted a number of times but could not be implemented for one reason or the other.

About six years ago, the municipal authorities had even completed all formalities to launch the service. Over two dozen bus stops with shelters were also built across the city. However, the scheme could not mature and the bus stops gradually dilapidated.

Speaking over the phone from Chandigarh, BMC Commissioner Uma Shankar Gupta confirmed that the government had approved the project. He claimed that the scheme would be operational within two months.

"We will soon deposit the required sum with the PRTC. The PRTC officials have informed that it would take nearly one-and-a-half month to get the delivery of the buses. By the time, we will work out all modalities like the renovation of the existing shelters, building new ones, routes and the bus fare," said the BMC Commissioner.

Bathinda, May 30
The District Treasury Office here is functioning with half the sanctioned strength as out of total 38 posts, 20 are vacant nowadays.It is learnt that there are nine sanctioned posts of senior assistant but eight are lying vacant. Interestingly, the lone senior assistant also works as officiating treasury officer at the sub-treasury office, Nathana, for two days a week.

Likewise, out of 15 posts of clerk, six are vacant while one of the clerks has been performing duties at the sub-treasury office, Nathana, for the past several months.

The post of the district treasurer and two posts of the assistant treasurer have also been lying vacant for the past about two years while the post of steno typist has not been filled for about a decade. Two posts of the peon are also vacant here.

Significantly, at the post of district treasury officer, a treasury officer has been deployed by the government as officiating district treasury officer.

Sources said whenever a meeting with the Director, Treasury, Punjab, was held at the department or the employees’ union-level, he had been informed about the shortage of staff in the District Treasury Office and sub-treasury offices in the district. The assurances by the Director each time did not fructify so far.

Bills of various government departments and cheques are issued at the District Treasury Office. Besides, staff here also operate strong room for issuing stamp papers, pass employee-related payments like TA bills, medical bills and general provident fund advances, and pass bills of retired staff.

An employee of the office said due to heavy work-load and date-bound work, the employees remained under stress. Sometimes, they had to work after office hours and on holidays also. In such conditions, their social and domestic responsibilities are also affected badly.

Abohar, May 30
Three persons were killed in separate road mishaps last evening. Satpal of village Doda and Balwinder Singh of Patran were killed as the motorcycle by which they were travelling reportedly rammed into a truck near the drain outside village Ramsara on the Abohar-Hanumangarh road on Sunday.

A case has been registered against the truck owner Pritam Singh of Dharam Nagari here. One Saurabh Sai of village Ganeshgarh was killed when the car, by which, he was travelling, went out of control and hit the roadside tree near village Gidderanwali on the Abohar-Sriganganagar road (NH 15).Khuyiansarwar police is investigating the matter.

Bathinda, May 30
Anticipating possibility of flood-like situation during the ensuing monsoon, the district administration has started putting preventive arrangements in placeOfficials of various departments, including police, irrigation, agriculture, revenue and health, have been asked to prepare detailed reports about the threat perception and requirements to tackle the situation.

The reports are to be submitted to the office of Deputy Commissioner by June 1.

ADC (General) Bhupinder Singh has been appointed as the nodal officer of the flood control arrangements while SSP Sukhchain Singh Gill would take an account of the law and order situation.

A control room would be set up at the district headquarter while three assisting control rooms would be set up at the Tehsil level. The main control room will be equipped with two phone lines (0164-22129042 and 2221042) that will function round the clock from June 1.

DC S Karuna Raju has directed district officials to ask for his permission before leaving the station after June 1.

The district health department has been put on alert with an instruction to constitute health staff teams and make all arrangements in place, including medicines, ambulances etc. The Civil Surgeon has been asked to coordinate with NGOs so that their help could be sought if required.

The DC has directed the senior officials of the drainage and irrigation departments to personally inspect whether all drains in the district have been cleared or not. Besides the functioning of the drainage system, the officials have been specifically directed to focus on the fogging in each and every locality.

The staff of the sewerage and water supply has also been asked to chalk out a strategy to make alternate arrangements if an untoward situation takes place.

It is learnt that the city within the municipal limits has been divided into 12 sectors and each sector has been assigned to an official.

Meanwhile, boats, divers and other equipment are also being arranged.

Bathinda, May 30
BJP President Nitin Gadkari and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will be in the city on June 1 to express grief to Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal over the death of his wife Surinder Kaur Badal.

Official sources said Gadkari and Nitish Kumar will drive to the Badal village from here to meet Parkash Singh Badal and his son and Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh to convey condolences.

Senior BJP leaders and former union ministers Arun Jaitley and Anant Kumar will also accompany them.

Nitish Kumar and Jaitley are expected to reach here in a shared aircraft.

Top BJP leader LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Menka Gandhi are likely to attend the bhog ceremony of Surinder Badal on June 2.

Meanwhile, several Congress, SAD and BJP leaders, including Mohinder Singh Kaypee, former PPCC chief, visited the Badals today to express grief. Many other religious leaders also called on the Badal family.

Abohar/ Fazilka, May 30
The birth anniversary of Maharaja Arut, the founder of globally known Arora community, was celebrated here.Prem Parkash Arya, president, North India Arorvansh Sabha, was joined by the local Arorvansh Sabha, president, Mohinder Pratap Bathla, Vijay Narang, president of Arorvansh Dharamshala Trust, Dr Bhisham Thakkar, chief of Atal Jyoti Mandir, and many others in garlanding the statue of Maharaja Arut in the Arorvansh Chowk outside the Nehru Stadium here.

The celebrations in Sriganganagar district remained a low profile event due to the tragic death of Kapil, son of Jugal Doomra, district president of Arorvansh Welfare Society.

In Fazilka, ‘Fight against social evils and introspection by the Arorvansh populace’ was the core agenda in a special programme organised by Shri Arorvansh Sabha in the local Sadhu Asharam today to mark the birth anniversary of Maharaja Arut.

Scores of people including senior Congress leader Davinder Sachdeva, Improvement Trust, chairman, Mohinder Pratap Dhingra, BJP Mandal, president, Satish Setia, Dr KK Grover, Subhash Kataria, Beopar Mandal, state secretary, Satish Dhingra, Vaidya Mandal, president Dr Krishan Lal Thakkar, Social Welfare Society, vice-president, Surain Lal Kataria, former municipal councilor, Sandeep Kataria, Vishal Kamra and others offered flowers on the photo of Maharaja Arut.