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Shikara ride soon in city lake
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Bid to kidnap girls foiled, six booked
Visitors face inconvenience
checking Piracy
Woman held for selling illegal liquor
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Shikara ride soon in city lake
Bathinda, September 27 Construction of parking lots for the vehicles and footpaths for the pedestrians is going on and is likely to be over in the next few days. Efforts are on to purchase more boats as heavy rush is anticipated once the project takes off, said the employees present at the site of the project. At present, there are 34 boats, which include a shikara, water scooter, paddle boat, rowboat besides other boats in lake number three of the thermal plant. Divers and security guards said the construction work is on at full throttle and they have been conducting trials with the boats in the water. "The boats run on petrol consume the entire fuel in making one round and require a refill. The owners of these boats said they are in the process of purchasing more boats. "We are likely to get an impressive response,” said an employee. Officials of the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA) claimed they have received a letter of clearance from the Powercom and the project would soon be opened for the public. SDO, BDA, Ravinder Singla said tenders were called to give two acres of land on lease for ten years. The contractor will deposit Rs 1.14 lakh annually for the first two years and Rs 1.80 lakh in the third year. After that, the amount will be increased by five per cent every year. The money would be given to the Powercom for utilizing its lake in 90 acres and two acres of parking area. It was decided that people visiting the lakes would be charged between Rs 50 to Rs 300 for 30 minutes for boating in the lake. Efforts are on to negotiate for one more lake of the thermal plant where musical fountains are being installed. Conflicting views
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Bhagat Singh’s revolutionary zeal still fires the imagination of GenNext
Bathinda, September 27 Historians have traditionally portrayed Bhagat Singh as a revolutionary whose daredevilry captured the imagination of the nation and catapulted the attainment of freedom onto the centre-stage. His zeal still finds an echo and inspires the youth. "Instead of being a day to remember the martyr, it turns out to be a public relations exercise for the media savvy NGOs, that pay floral tributes and forget him the next moment. They are content playing loud music, getting their pictures clicked and looking for their pictures in the newspapers or TV channels the next day," says Prabhjot Kaur, a student of engineering. NK Jeet from the Lok Morcha, Punjab, believes that the basic understanding of Bhagat Singh and his teachings have been distorted to an extent that is irreparable. "When a country like Pakistan is emphasizing on the re-evaluation of Bhagat Singh's image, we are happy portraying our national hero on silver screen in an altogether different light," he adds. Instead of attributing the freedom movement to the Congress or Mahatma Gandhi, the government should come out with a true picture, he demands. He adds that even the theatre groups in Punjab have failed to do justice to the legendary martyr. Pakistan's Ajoka Theatre group has completely revamped the image of Bhagat Singh in its play ‘Mera Rang De Basanti Chola.’ "We need theatre groups and artists who can actually personify Bhagat Singh's life without glorifying him unnecessarily," observes Jeet. Agreeing with him, Tarun from Jujhar Nagar points out those films have indeed failed to serve their purpose and have projected the hero in an altogether different light. "Films alone won't serve any purpose. The need is to tell the youngsters about the ideologies that Bhagat Singh really stood for," he adds. |
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PIDB eyes British era irrigation building
Bathinda, September 27 Instead of taking the initiative to develop it as a heritage building, the Punjab Government wants this unique piece of British architecture to be knocked down. "The irrigation department has transferred the building in the name of the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA). The Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) is eyeing the property with plans to develop this large area commercially. The nearby area has already been sold to the owner of a mall in the city," said sources in the BDA. The source added that not only the XEN's residence, but even the offices of the irrigation department situated nearby belong to the same period. "If not the XEN's residence, then the irrigation department offices would surely be dismantled. Already there are talks to provide rooms to the irrigation department in the newly-built extension of the Mini- secretariat, which are not enough," said sources in the irrigation department. Rooms in the XEN residence are 25-feet high as compared to mere 10-feet constructed today. Similarly, the walls are 2.5 feet thick whereas nowadays, only 9 inches thick walls are being constructed. "We do not feel the heat even during power cuts. Equipped with proper ventilation, it is quite airy," says the XEN Irrigation Nirmal Singh Brar who moved into the house early this year. During the British days, the irrigation office was a major component of the administration, which explains the large mansion comprising six bedrooms and a large sitting-cum-dining room with servant quarters situated at the rear. The house was more than enough for a single family to live in. So around 15 to 20 years ago, two XENs split it in two parts to accommodate two families in the mansion. Since then, the house has remained divided into two parts. The present XEN, Brar, occupies the one part and the other is locked. Even the master plan of Bathinda for 2031 mentions this to be the only building with rich British architecture left in the city. "We had requested that the offices of the irrigation department too should be included in the list, but it was not done," said the town planning officials. Meanwhile, BDA officials said they are yet to hear a word from the PIDB about the fate of the building. Fact File
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Bid to kidnap girls foiled, six booked
Bathinda, September 27 In his complaint to the police, Bhola Singh of Badda Giwar Bhairupa alleged that Gurtej Sharma, Bikki and four unidentified boys had kidnapped two girls from their village in a car. Some of the villagers, who came to know about the kidnapping, chased them. The girls were 'rescued' but the boys opened fire at the villagers. Two persons were injured in the incident. ASI Baljit Singh at the Phul police station said preliminary investigations reveal that the girls boarded the car with their consent. The matter was brought to the notice of the family members of the girls. Their family members chased the boys to teach them a lesson. The boy who was taking away the girls in the car fled but the others escorting him on bikes had a quarrel with the villagers. The boys opened fire with a gun and the splinters hit two villagers. The villagers also threatened to stage a dharna but the matter was resolved after senior police functionaries assured of arresting the accused at the earliest. A case has been registered in this connection.
— TNS |
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Visitors face inconvenience
Bathinda, September 27 Hundreds of persons had come to the centre with the hope that the staff would be resuming their duties today. Unconfirmed sources said the government had not accepted the demands of the agitating employees, especially regularisation of services so far. Several visitors had waited for some time for the centre to open but in vain. Many of the visitors flayed the district administration for not making any alternative arrangement as they had to face inconvenience. Paramjit Singh, a handicapped labourer from Sema Kalan village, about 22 kilometres from here, said he had come to submit an application to get the benefit of the ‘Shagun scheme’ for the marriage of his daughter. However, he ended up losing a day’s wage and the bus fare he had paid to reach the centre. But his effort went in vain. An employee at a rice sheller, Vinod Kumar of Rampura Phul, who had come to apply for a permanent driving licence, also criticised the Suwidha Centre staff and the administration. He said he had taken leave from his job only to apply for the licence, which had gone waste now. Malkiat Singh, a resident of Bhai Rupa village, said he travelled 52 kilometres to get a certificate related to a correction of name in the birth certificate of his son, but to no avail. Similar were the grievances of a car driver from Raman Mandi, Avtar Singh, an employee of the Powercom, Bathinda, Jagsir Singh, and a student of local Gurukul College, Vikas Lubana. Fact File
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Traders seek help from admn during festivals
Bathinda, September 27 While briefing about their problems, the traders asked the administration to issue special instructions to the police for making elaborate security arrangements during the festivals, especially Diwali. They also asked the police authorities to act immediately in case the police receive any information about mishaps or crime. The businessmen also asked the police to ensure the smooth flow of traffic during the festival days. They also urged the administration to make special arrangements for parking of vehicles in different bazaars. They also sought round-the-clock patrolling in the city for the safety of shopkeepers and the residents. The Beopar Mandal office-bearers also demanded sufficient space for the sale of crackers in different areas, like Mall road, truck union, near Rajindra College, Gol Diggi area. They also demanded an increase in the number of policemen near the Fire Brigade and the Sadbhawna Chowk. One-way traffic in the Dhobi Bazaar was also sought by the traders. The traders also appealed to their colleagues not to display commodities unnecessarily outside their shops. They also asked the traders not to support those persons who sell adulterated commodities. They also urged the businessmen to extend support to the administration, besides seeking support from the administration. Bathinda SDM, Sandip Rishi, who attended the meeting, assured the Beopar Mandal that the administration would fulfill their genuine demands. Among those who were present in the meeting were SDM Sandip Rishi, DSP (City) Vikramjit Singh, District Health Officer (DHO) Dr RS Randhawa, area in-charge of the SAD for Bathinda (Urban) Assembly constituency Sarup Chand Singla, district president of the Beopar Mandal Ashok Kumar Dhunike, president of the Bathinda unit of Beopar Mandal Rajinder Kumar Raju Bhathewale, Kartar Singh Jaura and Paramjit Singh
Sandhu. |
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checking Piracy
Bathinda, September 27 Police officials said they have got special instructions to register the maximum number of cases under the Copyright Act to check piracy. "We have been registering at least two to three cases in a month for downloading songs from the internet into mobile phones at commercial places," said the investigating officer at the Canal police station, Karnail Singh. He added that the cases are registered on the basis of information provided by the investigators deployed by the Indian Music Industry (IMI). There are four such investigators in the Bathinda district who keep a watch on those selling songs to the buyers without obtaining a licence from the IMI. They conduct joint raids with the police at market places at different places. One of the investigators of the company in Bathinda, Harinder Bittu, while talking to TNS, pointed out that so far, more than 15 cases have been registered in this regard at various police stations of the district in the last six months. He further said that the IMI is paying tax to the Punjab Government for collecting money in lieu of the licences issued to the users. He added that anyone selling songs to the private users, after downloading it for commercial usage, is liable to be booked under various sections of the Indian Copyright Act. Bittu added that the company (Mobile Music Exchange-MME) has deployed marketing personnel to help people get licences for the sale of songs. Licence seekers are supposed to pay Rs 18,000 per annum to upload songs in mobile chips at commercial places. Special Instructions
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Family battling trauma of terror attack
Bathinda, September 27 The bogie of the train in which
he was travelling became the victim of bomb blast in a terror attack.
The incident happened between the Narwana and Tohana railway stations.
Tota Ram succumbed to his injuries on February 17, 1992 in a hospital
at Rohtak. However, his son Vinod and daughter Neeru had survived in the
incident. Paaro Devi, widow of the victim, lamented, “After my
husband’s demise, our life changed. My children had to do drop their
studies. The government had given us compensation. But most of the money
was spent on my son Vinod’s treatment who had sustained severe
injuries in the attack.” Vinod, who was six-year-old at that time,
does not remember much about the incident. He only remembers his
teenage days when he had to drop his school to support his family.
Showing his report card of clss II of the 1995-96 academic session, he
could hardly bring himself to speak about his childhood. “We have
suffered a lot. I could not study and even my sister had to get married
early because of financial problems.” The family lives in Ahata Niaz
Mohammad at Bathinda and their monthly income is around Rs 3,500. Vinod
works at a small shop and his mother works as a domestic help. Vinod is
married and has a child. Showing the photocopies of her applications
to the higher officials, Paaro Devi added, “All our appeals went in
vain. We are not asking for financial aid from the government. However,
my son could have been provided with a job.” |
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Woman held for selling illegal liquor
Bathinda, September 27 Besides, a fine of Rs 10,000 has also been imposed on her. Meanwhile, the Excise and Taxation Department conducted a raid at a plant nursery in Rampura Phul area on Monday and seized 21 bottles of illicit liquor from there. The owner of the nursery, Salim, and one Mahesh Kumar, both residents of Rampura Phul, have been booked in this regard. The excise inspector and others had conducted the raid under the supervision of excise and taxation officer RS Romana. |
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