Jalalabad (Ferozepur), June 24
Panic gripped the residents of Fattu Wala village, located in the close vicinity of the Indo-Pak border of this sector, after five of its residents died in quick succession in the past three weeks.

Notably, all the residents, who died suddenly, were below 45 years of age. The exact reason behind the death could not be known yet. Information gathered by TNS revealed that Bhajan Kaur was the first to die on June 2 at the village in her sleep. Harpal Singh (45) died on June 17 without any obvious reason. Binder Singh (35), another resident, died on June 21 suddenly. Kala Singh (40) died on June 22. A few hours later, another resident, Fauja Singh, also died all of a sudden.

The residents started claiming that people have been dying as they were suffering from gastroenteritis which has become endemic in the village.

Rakesh Arora, Senior Medical Officer (SMO), Jalalabad, said a team of medical specialists, along with para medical staff members, who carried out a door-to-door survey, found that there was no case of gastroenteritis or diarrhoea in the village. Except for Kala Singh, who died due to diarrhoea, all other residents had died a natural death, he claimed.

The SMO said that samples of water, contents of vomiting by residents and liquor being sold in the liquor vend of the village had been taken and sent for examination at a Chandigarh-based laboratory. Chlorine tablets had also been distributed among the residents.

GS Dhillon, officiating civil surgeon, said some residents might had died due to excessive consumption of liquor. He said there was no case of gastroenteritis or diarrhoea in the village at the moment.

A special medical check-up camp would be held shortly to examine the residents of the village, he added.

Bathinda, June 24
Charges of corruption and rendering of deficient services to the public flew thick and fast in the General House Meeting of the local Municipal Corporation (BMC) held here today.

During the zero hour that stretched for over an hour, the councillors were so aggressive that they did not mind tarring Mayor Baljeet Singh Birbehman with the same brush.

Not only the Congress, his own party colleagues (Akalis) also accused him of degrading their image in front of the BMC staff.

The councillors also levelled allegations against BMC Commissioner Uma Shankar Gupta. A SAD councillor, Manjeet Singh, accused him of misbehaving. Supporting him, a number of his colleagues announced that they would lodge a complaint with the higher authorities and get the commissioner transferred.

Gupta responded to the allegations in a tone similar to that of the angry councillors and said he would not execute anything unjustified, whatever be the consequences.

Earlier, a BJP councillor Basant Bhatia placed a bottle of dirty water in front of the Mayor and the commissioner and told them that the water in the bottle was supplied through a water works tap. The Mayor asked the staff concerned to check the problem immediately.

A BJP councillor Krishan Garg raised the issue of Change of Land Use (CLU) charges and alleged that the BMC staff was unjustifiably collecting it from the areas in the old city. The issue was endorsed by several councillors, including Bhupinder Singh Bhullar, and amid thumping of tables, the House finally decided that the practice would be stopped.

When a SAD councillor Tek Singh Khalsa questioned the authority of the BMC in issuing notices to the people constructing buildings on the land belonging to the Waqf Board, the house unanimously decided that the BMC would not interfere with the matters concerning the Waqf Board.

Bathinda, June 24
The Chamar Maha Sabha today accused the SAD-BJP Government of trying to weaken the Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the ‘Chamar’ communities in Punjab.

Paramjit Singh Kainth, president of the organisation, held a symbolic demonstration in front of the office of the Bathinda Deputy Commissioner under the sabha’s ongoing state-wide chain of protests. Kainth alleged that under a deep-rooted conspiracy, leaders of the ruling parties had started targeting the civil and police officials belonging to the Chamar community.

He demanded that the Punjab Government should increase the quota of reservation for the SCs keeping in view their increased population in the state, which was now about 35 per cent of the state’s total population.

Kainth alleged that the government did not include a ‘Chamar’ MLA into the cabinet nor did it give plum postings to any of them. None from their community was appointed as the vice-chancellor of any of the universities in the state, said Kainth. — TNS

Ferozepur, June 24
Hundreds of activists of the Northern Railway Men’s Union (NRMU) today staged a dharna and held a rally in front of the local office of the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) to protest against the alleged highhandedness of the authorities concerned.

The leaders of the union, who addressed the rally, alleged that instead of working out more facilities for the employees, the Railway authorities had failed to implement their already accepted demands.

Ramesh Singh Thakur, divisional president, NRMU, said the main demand of the union was that the Railway authorities must fill up two lakh vacancies in various categories immediately and implement the recommendations of the anomalies committee without any delay.

Pakho Kalan (Barnala), June 24
Help has come in for the family whose plight was described in the news item 'Family bears the brunt as man refuses to kick drugs', that appeared on June 23.

The management of a private polytechnic college of Bathinda has stepped in to help the girl Preeti Sagar, daughter of Paramjeet Singh. The girl had said her father beat her and her mother under the influence of drugs.

In its response, the college has assured her admission in three-year engineering diploma in any stream with 100 per cent scholarship and also promised to arrange lodging for her near the college.

Rajinder Singh Dhanoa, member of the management of the Guru Ramdass Polytechnic college in Jeeda of Bhatinda, who called up this correspondent, informed, "We have contacted a resident in Preeti Sagar's village and would go there tomorrow."

Preeti Sagar, however, could not be contacted but one of her sympathisers said they would discuss the offer before taking it up. 

Fazilka, June 24
Transport and Technical Education minister Surjit Kumar Jyani would inaugurate the newly constructed community centre-cum-rest house at the war memorial complex tomorrow in the border village of Asafwala, seven kilometres from here.

Brigadier Arul Dennis would preside over the function while the SDM Ajay Sood would be the guest of honour.

Barnala, June 24
Unidentified assailants attacked a youth and injured him near the grain market area here this afternoon. The injured has been admitted to the Civil Hospital where his condition is stated to be stable.

Deepinder Singh of Dhillon Nagar said he was returning home today when he was attacked with bamboo sticks.

After seeing people coming to the spot, the attackers fled, he said. SHO, City, Harmeek Singh Deol, a case has been resistered and a probe is on into the matter. — TNS