B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Insulted by employer, Dalit youth commits suicide
Moga, August 27
A Dalit youth Chinder Singh has committed suicide after being allegedly insulted by his employer, a renowned doctor of the Moga district. 

Prime govt land in Civil Lines to go under the hammer
Bathinda, August 27
A prime 9.8 acres of government land situated in the Civil Station here will go under the hammer. The age-old public department offices will make way for swanky commercial ventures.

Imp Trust chief gets HC summon
Chandigarh, August 27
The chairman of the Bathinda Improvement Trust is in the contempt loop.

 ‘Pvt colonisers trying to pressurise BMC to issue completion certificate’
Bathinda, August 27
Private colonisers, who have developed private residential colonies, are pressurising the local Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities to take over their projects.

148 cases solved in Lok Adalat
Bathinda, August 27
The monthly Lok Adalat held here on the directions of the Punjab Legal Services Authority solved 148 cases today.

Insulted by employer, Dalit youth commits suicide
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Moga, August 27
A Dalit youth Chinder Singh has committed suicide after being allegedly insulted by his employer, a renowned doctor of the Moga district. 

The police had booked Dr Veer Bhan Garg, who runs the Garg Nursing Home in the town, under Section 306 of the IPC on the statement of the deceased’s wife Pinky, said ASI Surjit Singh, who is investigating the case. However, he was yet to be arrested by the police at the time of writing the news.

She alleged that he was working as a sweeper in his nursing home.

He committed suicide after the doctor allegedly insulted and harassed him when he demanded his salary. He consumed some poisonous substance on August 25 at his home in the village.

She stated that her husband was rushed to the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital but could not be saved.

The Tribune tried to contact the said doctor at his nursing home and residence but he was said to be absconding from the town. 

Meanwhile, Dalip Singh Pandhi, Member, Punjab State Commission for Scheduled Castes, while talking to The Tribune, said the police should add the relevant Sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocity Act) in the criminal case.

“I have directed the SSP of Moga to take the case seriously and get the investigation done by an official not less than the rank of a DSP and immediately arrest the doctor concerned,” Pandhi said.

Prime govt land in Civil Lines to go under the hammer
Megha Mann
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 27
A prime 9.8 acres of government land situated in the Civil Station here will go under the hammer. The age-old public department offices will make way for swanky commercial ventures.

The land mutation of the present Tehsil complex, Patwarkhana and four other government offices has already been transferred in the name of the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA).

The move has come under the Punjab Government’s scheme of optimum utilisation of vacant government land. The offices dislocated under the project will be shifted to the new wing of the Mini-secretariat extension that is under construction.

Notably, this 9.8 acres of land is the only green zone in the heart of the city.

As per the BDA’s proposal, around 70 showrooms, two shopping complexes, coffee houses and restaurants would replace the old buildings.

The Revenue Department has already started measuring and demarcating the land under various offices.

Besides the Tehsil complex, the land under the offices of Sewerage Board and Water Supply will also be auctioned. Other offices that would be shifted include that of the Public Works Department, the Irrigation Department and the Education Department’s depot.

Additional Deputy Commissioner Bhupinder Singh Rai has been entrusted the job to ensure the smooth transition under the project and make sure that the offices to be shifted get adequate place first.

Deputy Commissioner Kamal Kishore Yadav said that while the Patwarkhana and the Fard Kendra would get state-of-the-art places, other offices too would be adjusted in the Mini-secretariat itself.

Contempt of Court
Imp Trust chief gets HC summon
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 27
The chairman of the Bathinda Improvement Trust is in the contempt loop.

He has been asked by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to appear on August 30 to show cause as to why contempt proceedings be not initiated against him for placing before the court incorrect pleadings.

The Bench of Justice Hemant Gupta and Justice Vijender Singh Malik observed: “On February 14, while hearing an appeal, this court noticed discrepancies in the true copies of the pleadings of the writ petition and the written statement attached with the letter’s patent appeal, with the original pleadings of the writ petition and the written statement. 

“The counsel for the appellant was directed to clarify the interpolation in the pleadings annexed with the letter’s patent appeal as true copies.

“Counsel for the appellant stated that by mistake, the pleadings of the other cases were attached…. Even though it is so stated, the appellant has not taken any steps to correct the pleadings attached with the present appeal.

“We find that the action of the appellant in firstly putting incorrect pleadings and then not putting the correct pleadings for six months, is a contemptuous conduct in proceeding with the appeal before this court. Therefore, a notice is ordered to be issued to the Chairman, Bathinda Improvement Trust, Bathinda, to appear before this court…”

 ‘Pvt colonisers trying to pressurise BMC to issue completion certificate’
Megha Mann
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 27
Private colonisers, who have developed private residential colonies, are pressurising the local Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities to take over their projects.

Presently, two renowned developers have put up their applications with the BMC asking it to take over their projects and issue them a completion certificate.

As per the rules, a private coloniser has to complete its project within three years of the issuance of licences. However, the municipal corporation can extend this period every year for a period not exceeding one year. When the coloniser applies for the completion certificate, a team of technical and engineering experts of the corporation visit the project and verify if the work has actually been completed.

“When a coloniser floats a project, he promises the moon to the people publicising facilities like 24-hour water supply and power back-up, sewerage, wide roads, adequate green belts and parking spaces. However, when the project materialises, things turn out to be quite different and people end up complaining about one thing or the other,” said BMC officials.

They said colonisers were pressurising them to issue completion certificates despite the fact that many facilities were yet to be provided. The BMC officials said they were under tremendous political pressure to clear the files of these colonisers at the earliest.

“Politicians and government officials do not realise that the corporation itself has many liabilities. Only 70 per cent of the BMC limits have sewerage connection and many more things need to be done,” they added.

However, BMC Commissioner Uma Shankar Gupta said there was no political pressure from any quarter.

“Committees have been formed to conduct an inspection of the colonies that seek completion certificates. Same would be given only if colonisers fulfil all the parameters,” he said.

148 cases solved in Lok Adalat

Bathinda, August 27
The monthly Lok Adalat held here on the directions of the Punjab Legal Services Authority solved 148 cases today .

Twelve benches were formulated to solve these cases in the district courts. Each bench included an advocate and a social worker.

Close to 323 cases were received at these Adalats and 148 were solved today. Compensation to the tune of Rs 1,91,78,338 was awarded during the Lok Adalat. — TNS