Bathinda, June 16
After the installation of ‘Panghura’ (cradle) in February 2009 by the District Red Cross Society (DRCS) for accepting unwanted abandoned babies at the Mahant Gurbanta Dass Deaf and Dumb School on Goniana road here, the ‘Panghura’ today got a new-born baby girl at 6.12 pm. It is the sixth baby (five girls and a baby boy), put by unidentified persons in the cradle so far. The fifth baby, a female, was left in the cradle by unidentified persons on November 11, 2010.

After hearing the bell, installed there for ringing to inform the staff about putting the baby in the ‘Panghura’, the attendant of the cradle, Sonia rushed to the ‘Panghura’ from her room and saw a baby girl there. She immediately informed about it to the school Principal Maninder Bhalla who in turn informed the secretary of the DRCS JR Goyal.

The DRCS secretary and the staff took the baby to the emergency ward of the local civil hospital for medical examination where Dr Satish Jindal, a child specialist in the Women and Children Hospital, situated on the premises of civil hospital, examined the baby.

Dr Jindal said the baby girl seemed to be less than 24 hours old while her weight was about 1700 grams as she had taken birth pre-maturely after about 35 weeks of pregnancy. He said the baby had been admitted to the children’s ward where she had been kept under observation.

Dr Jindal said as the baby was yet to start taking feed (milk), so nothing could be stated at this stage as to when she would be discharged from the hospital. He however said the baby would be kept for at least 24 hours under observation.

DRCS secretary JR Goyal also said that they would wait for the decision of the doctors to bring the baby back from the hospital. After taking custody of the baby, they would seek permission from the deputy commissioner to hand over the baby to the authorities of the Yadwindra Puran Bal Niketan, Lahori Gate, Patiala.

Bathinda, June 16
One can understand the functioning of a government department which is running with 75 per cent of the total sanctioned posts lying vacant. This is condition of the feed and fodder section of the animal husbandry department, where out of 32 posts of agriculture development officers (ADOs) in the Bathina zone that caters to six districts, namely, Bathinda, Mansa, Faridkot, Moga, Ferozepur and Muktsar, 24 are lying vacant.

The ADO is the main functionary of the department to make the cattle rearers aware of their rights and duties. The ADO apprises the farmers about the requirement for feed and fodder to each cattle as per its mass and health. He is also the backbone of the department to take the government schemes to the grassroot level and implement them in real sense.

According to details of the sanctioned strength of the section, one ADO is to be posted at each block in every district. However, the reality is in absolute contrast.

According to details, Bathinda district has eight blocks but there are only two ADOs, while Mansa has five blocks and four of them are lying unattended.

It is an irony that Moga district has four blocks and all the posts of ADOs are lying vacant for the last one-and-half years. The condition of Ferozepur district is also similar as out of eight blocks, seven are lying vacant.

Muktsar and Faridkot districts are in a comparatively better position with the vacancies of one out of four posts of ADOs in Muktsar and two out of four in Faridkot.

Besides, the post of fodder development officer (FDO) had also been vacated after the official opted for pre-mature retirement a couple of months back. Finding no other option, the department gave an additional charge to an ADO to run the FDO office.

The feed and fodder section of the animal husbandry department is getting lots of funds from the union government under different schemes like the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY) and also the Agriculture Technology Management Agency (ATMA) scheme.

But in the absence of officials to implement the schemes, various funds which could otherwise reach the farmers in the shape of subsidies, are getting lapsed.

The joint director, feed and fodder section, Dr Baldev Singh said, “Finding the functioning of the section suffering drastically, about a year ago, we had sent the case to the state government to fill the vacancies but till now nothing has been done.”

“Despite this, efforts are on solve the problem at the earliest possible,” he added.

Bathinda, June 16
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today paid a surprise visit to Goniana Mandi and inspected the ongoing development works there.

He took stock of the development works like roads, sewerage, water supply etc on the spot and asked the residents to narrate the problems being faced by them in the town.

The Deputy CM also directed the administration to hold a ‘Sangat Darshan’ in every ward of the Goniana Mandi to complete the development works at the earliest and redress the problems of the residents.

Faridkot, June 16
The Indian government has finally decided to deport the teenager from Bangladesh, Raffiq-ul-Islam, who mistakenly strayed into the Indian territory in West Bengal, back to his home country. He is presently lodged at the juvenile home in Faridkot for the last 18 months.

The High Commission of Bangladesh at New Delhi while granting him permission to go back home has issued him the required international travel documents, which have been handed over to the district administration of Faridkot to facilitate his departure.

Balwinder Singh Multani, the District Magistrate of Faridkot, before relinquishing his charge of office on transfer, today, told The Tribune that a Bangladeshi NGO, ‘Rights Jessore’ pleaded before the governments of India and Bangladesh paving the way for his release.

The Child Development and Protection Officer of Faridkot Shinder Pal Kaur said that she is in regular touch with the authorities of the 'Rights Jessore' and they would soon give a date on which Raffiq-ul-Islam would be taken to Paterapole, the international border with Bangladesh in West Bengal from where he would be sent to Benapole, the international border on the other side.

"The boy will be handed to the SSP of Ferozepur who will depute a police officer to take the boy to Kolkata and then to the international border for handing over to the NGO and Bangladeshi authorities."

Meanwhile, the Minister for Social Welfare Lakshmi Kanta Chawla along with district officials met Raffiq at the juvenile home, enquired about his health and gave him some gifts as a token of love, wishing a bright future for him.

It may be mentioned that in March 2010, the teenager 'mistakenly' entered into the Indian territory in West Bengal and misguided by someone, travelled all the way by train to Ferozepur where he was taken into custody by the BSF authorities and handed over to the local police.

He was unable to communicate in any other language than Bengali. A Ferozepur court ordered to keep him at the juvenile home in Faridkot town till the final decision of a criminal case pending against him. The police had lodged criminal case under Sections 3 and 5 of the Passport Act and various sections of the IPC against him.

On many occasions, during the past 18 months, Raffiq had appealed to the Government of India to "show mercy for mistakenly crossing over into the Indian territory.”. He rued that his parents are poor and could not afford legal help.

Raffiq had been learning Punjabi at the juvenile home for some time and now hopes to continue his studies back at home for a better future. 

Faridkot, June 16
Ravi Bhagat has taken charge as the District Magistrate of Faridkot here, today. An IAS officer from the 2006 batch of the civil services, he has taken charge of from Dr Balwinder Singh Multani who has been transferred and posted as Special Secretary, Social Security, Development of Women and Children, at Chandigarh.

Bhagat was earlier posted as Commissioner in the Municipal Corporation at Bathinda, before which, he was posted as SDM at Malout in Muktsar district.

After his arrival at Faridkot, the senior officials of the district administration welcomed him while the police jawans gave him a guard of honour at the Circuit House, this morning.

After joining the office, he paid obeisance at Gurudwara Tilla Baba Farid where the managing committee of the Gurudwara honoured him with a siropa. 

Fazilka, June 16
All the low-lying railway platforms between Fazilka and Kotkapura would be raised soon for smooth boarding of the trains. Additional Division Rail Manager (ADRM) Sudhir Kumar Singh informed about the decision of railway department to members of a deputation of the Northern Railway Passengers who met him today.

The deputation was led by the president of the Samiti Dr Amar Lal Baghla. Baghla said that following decades old low-lying platforms, the passengers, particularly the women, children and elderly, face difficulties while for boarding and alighting trains.

The deputation, through a memorandum presented to the ADRM have demanded that the train on newly constructed rail track between Fazilka and Abohar should be introduced without further delay as the construction work on this track is almost complete.

Besides, setting up of washing line in Fazilka, foot overbridge at Fazilka, Muktsar, Kotkapura and Jalalabad railway platforms should be constructed, they demanded.

The members of railway passengers samiti have also demanded that rail track between Moga and Kotkapura should be laid for the convenience of the passengers as there is no rail link between the two important towns of Malwa belt.

Separate ticket windows for senior citizens, women and physically challenged persons should also be introduced at the railway stations, sought samiti members. — OC

Barnala, June 16
Barnala police has arrested a nephew who used to blackmail his uncle for money. However, the police could have arrested the nephew a month ago after tracing his number but didn't do so till the family of his uncle traced the blackmailer themselves.

Sources said that the police has arrested Shankar Kumar, a shoe shop owner who allegedly started threatening his uncle Vijay Kumar asking him through text messages to give money or face consequences.

They added that in one instance, when Shankar asked his uncle to come to the ITI chowk near here with Rs 6 lakhs, the latter informed the police and even waited at the pre-determined location but no one came.

Sources added that after some days, Shankar hiked his demand to Rs 20 lakhs and asked his uncle to give one installment of the total two at a Gurudwara near Handyaya chowk.

They added that later, the nephew asked the uncle to give another installment but fell in the trap himself after he sent the threatening message to his cousin’s (victim's son) mobile number.

Sources added that since Shankar's cousin had changed his number just a few days ago and only some people knew about his changed number, this made the uncle and his family suspicious of the role of an insider into the matter.

They added that the family then started keeping a watch on their closed ones and later zeroed on the accused who was arrested by police today.

"Though police has arrested the accused but he could have been brought to book a month ago after he started texting threatening messages at his uncle's number. This speaks of laxity on the part of policemen in handling the case which caused mental agony to Vijay and his family members,” said a source.

Meanwhile, sources added that the motive behind the accused committing the crime seems to be the difference in financial status between the uncle and his nephew with the latter finding him to be a soft target.

DSP, Barnala, Rupinder Bhardwaj confirmed that they have arrested the accused and started taking necessary action into the matter. However, he refused to give details.

Bathinda, June 16
In this era of fast communication, people want quick services and the postal department has also not remained unaffected by it.

Adapting to the trend, migrant labourers, once totally dependent on the traditional money order service of the postal department, have now started using it less frequently, moving on to technologically more advanced methods.

With the emergence of the ATM facility provided by almost every bank, they have started switching their decades-old relationship with the postal department.

"I used to save money and immediately after the savings amount reached the Rs 5,000 mark, it was my first job to go to the post office and book a money order to send the money to my family at a small village in Gonda district of Uttar Pradesh," said a 50-year-old labourer Hari Vallabh Ram.

"But with the introduction of the ATM facility in government banks, which is quite simple and almost free from any transaction expenses, I stopped going for money orders. Now, I deposit money in the savings account of the bank and tell my kin at home to withdraw it as and when required through the ATM card, which is with them," he added.

This is not only the story of Hari Vallabh Ram. A majority of the migrant labourers working in Punjab to earn a livelihood have switched to the ATM facility of banks from the traditional money order service of the Indian postal department.

Though finding the customers (especially migrants) running away from their expensive service (charge @ Rs one for Rs 20), the postal department introduced the electronic money order (eMO) facility, which is a comparatively quicker than the traditional MO. But it could not succeed in attracting the migrant labourers as the service charges remained unchanged.

The data collected from the Bathinda head post office, which is the parental office of 35 post offices and 200 rural post office branches in Bathinda and Mansa districts, the total money order amount sent has seen a steep downfall since the year 2007-08.

In the year 2007-08, a sum of total Rs 6.25 crore was sent through money orders, while the next year (2008-09) it was Rs 5.13 crore. The downfall continued in the coming years also as in the year 2009-10, a total of Rs 3.25 crore was sent through money orders which was further decreased to Rs 2.38 crore in the year 2010-11.

Though the post office officials claim that with the introduction of eMO service, the money order service regained some life and people sent Rs 1.89 crore through eMO in 2010-11, they agree that out of the total eMO consumers the number of migrant labourers was negligible.

Besides the expensive service, one more reason that is pushing the labourers away from the money orders is that the whole amount comes in the hand of the recipient in a single lot that makes a safety risk. On the other hand, they feel the ATM transactions comparatively safer as one can withdraw the amount as and when required.

The postmaster, head post office, Bathinda, Parshotam Dass, said, "We have another option that is cheaper and faster-instant money order (IMO). But despite efforts, the migrant labourers are still not becoming familiar to it. Now the postal department is going to launch Core Banking Project (CBP), which is expected to come soon in Bathinda.

"Once the CBP is introduced, we are sure our customers will return to us as the trust worthiness of the postal department remains unchallenged," he added.