Bathinda, November 25
A nodal officer has been appointed to aid in the issuance of no-objection certificates (NOCs) to those living in the prohibited and regulated area around the historic fort situated in the heart of the city.

Addressing a meeting of officers today, Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav said the SDO, Municipal Corporation, Bathinda (BMC), Davinder Jaura, has been appointed as the nodal officer to aid in the issuance of NOCs required for repairing or constructing buildings in the specified zones.

People seeking an NOC for construction and repairs in the area around the fort will approach JE Davinder Jaura for guidance.

Jaura, who will be available at the BMC office, said he would guide people in filing applications for NOC. “Applications would not be routed through us, rather, we would help people in getting clearances from the department concerned at Chandigarh,” he told TNS.

As per the guidelines of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the buildings situated around the fort have been divided into two categories.

The new amendments state that a minimum of 100 metre area beginning from the boundary of the protected monument is specified as prohibited area. A minimum of 200 metre beyond that in all directions is categorised as regulated area.

The Union Ministry of Cultural Affairs (ASI), New Delhi, had issued a notification on November 29, 2010, wherein it had notified different nodal authorities for each state.

These nodal offices are entrusted with the job of issuing NOC for conducting repairs, upgradation, construction and new constructions in these areas.

In Punjab, these rights have been conferred upon the Director, Cultural Affairs, Archaeology, Museum and Archives, Punjab, plot number 3, Sector 38 A, Chandigarh.

The move will bring respite to the people living around the Bathinda Fort, a protected monument under the ASI, who were facing problems in construction and even repairing their houses owing to the strictures of the ASI that bar any such activity within the specified limits of the structure.

Presently, around 50 persons have applied for NOC. Being the oldest habitation in the city, the area around the fort is thickly populated and has old buildings that frequently stand in need of repairs or re-construction.

Bathinda, November 25
Bathinda residents got up to a blind start today as the prevailing foggy conditions in the morning for the past few days became dense on Friday and enveloped the entire region.

The weather conditions affected the normal life besides disrupting vehicular traffic train movement as the visibility remained near to nil in the early hours of the day.

The conditions started improving after 10.30 am when the sun appeared in some parts of the region but remained feeble throughout the day.

Though residents experienced the “real” chill for the first time this season, as the nip in the air was palpable, the behaviour of mercury did not substantiate their view as it did not dip considerably. As per the weather room, the mercury was at 11.4 degrees Celsius in the morning which was almost similar to what was recorded during the last four days.

In addition to normal life, rail movement was also hit by the fog. As per the railway sources, the dense fog hit the movement of many trains which were found running around one to two hours behind the schedule. However, the two important trains which pass through Bathinda, the Punjab Mail and the Udyan Abha Toofan Mail, were the worst affected. The train no. 12137 Mumbai-Ferozepur Punjab Mail reached Bathinda three hours and ten minutes behind schedule while the 13007 Toofan Mail reached Bathinda on Friday about 13 hours behind schedule.

Besides, passenger trains, including train no. 54752 Sriganganagar-Rewari, 54754, Bathinda-Sriganganagar and 54783 Fazilka-Rewari ran half-an-hour behind the schedule.

However, as per the sources in the weather room, the fog is untimely and bright sunshine would return in the coming days, at least for 10 days.

Bathinda, November 25
Bathinda railway station, which is considered to be India's biggest railway junction, stinks badly due to lack of upkeep and indifferent attitude of the railway authorities.

Though railway authorities claim that Bathinda railway station is being declared number one in terms of sanitation for the past three years, a visit to the railway station revealed a different picture.

Despite a ban imposed on smoking in public, cigarette sellers could be seen encroaching upon the main entrance of the railway station leaving little space for passengers, while rickshaw pullers and auto-drivers have blocked the rest of the entrance.

Spaces earmarked for parking vehicles are lying unused for the past long time and one can find them being utilised by people to attend nature's call. People urinate in open besides the stairs adjoining the ticket counter. The entire railway station stinks.

"The toilets meant for physically challenged are lying closed for the past long time whereas those meant for others stink badly. Due to the foul smell and unhygienic condition, people have no option but to ease out in the open," said Karambir, a daily passenger.

He said lack of a chairs or waiting room outside the ticket counters force people to sit on ground.

Apart from only making tall claims of keeping the railway station clean and providing basic amenities to passengers, the railway authorities have done nothing in this regard, said another passenger Hakam Singh, who was on his way to Delhi with his family.

Station superintendent SN Rai, when contacted, said a contractor had been assigned the task of cleaning the platforms and workers were doing a commendable job.

He added that the areas falling outside the limits of contractor, however, might be stinking.

"There are many posts of sweepers in the railway station, which are lying vacant for the past long time. The issue has been taken up with the higher authorities a number of times but to no avail," Rai said.

With winters knocking the door, beggars could be seen huddled together inside the railway station adding to the chaos at overcrowded railway platforms.

Bathinda, November 25
The overflowing sewage on the stretch leading from the GT road to the General Post Office (GPO) has become an eyesore.

The District Administrative Complex and the judicial complex are situated on either side of this road. For the last three days, the sewer has been overflowing coupled with heaps of garbage.

The entrance to the office of the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) lies on this stretch. The situation has worsened to such an extent that the gates leading to the SSP office have been blocked and the access is provided from the other side facing towards the patwarkhana.

"For the last three days, the sewer has been overflowing and no one has come to clear it. Since the stink is unbearable, we decided to close this gate and navigated vehicles either from the front side of the Mini-secretariat or the rear," said a cop stationed on duty.

Not only the cops, even litigants visiting the judicial complex are at the receiving end. The visitors here have laid bricks that are being used to navigate through the puddles of overflowing water. While the sewer has been overflowing at these two places, the roads along the government accommodations too are full of garbage strewn all over.

The house of the Commissioner, Income Tax, has a pile of garbage in the neighborhood, which remains unattended throughout the day. The Mini- secretariat and the judicial complex buildings fall under the jurisdiction of the ward of the Mayor Baljit Singh Beerbehman, while the public health department is entrusted with the task of maintaining civic amenities around them.

"What would be the condition of the other parts of the city, when its heart is so filthy. I wonder how the top most officials tend to skirt the dirty areas and work in their respective offices without batting an eyelid," said Purushottam Bansal, a visitor to the judicial complex today.

Meanwhile, the Mayor Baljit Singh Beerbehman said that since he was out of the city he was not aware of the problem. "I will get the problem sorted out soon," he added.

Bathinda, November 25
To help the rural youth to become economically self-reliant, an eight-week self-employment/wage employment training programme in the trade of computer hardware and networking is in progress here nowadays.

The programe has been initiated by NABARD. The training programme is being conducted under the skill development initiative programme by the Regional Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (RCED), Chandigarh.

During the entire training programme, besides the practical training, the trainees will also be educated about the methods, relating to starting new ventures, managerial skills, loans, marketing, maintenance of the workshop and role of allied ventures.

In this eight-week programme, as many as 32 youths, including girls, from various villages, including Goniana, Bhokra, Romana, Jhumba and Nathana, are being imparted training in computer hardware and networking free of cost.

When contacted, Reetu Garg, Project Officer, said after the completion of the training, certificates would also be issued to the successful candidates. These certificates would help the trainees in a big way in getting the loans from the banks under various schemes for opening their shops or workshops. Besides, these certificates also helped the trainees in adjusting them to the new jobs, she added.

According to information available, under various schemes, the banks also provide subsidies to the candidates on the loans, to be taken for starting their own ventures. The subsidies are given even up to 25 per cent or more for opening the ventures.

The Skill Development Initiative Programme was started by the NABARD in 2008. Since then, the NABARD had organised 17 programmes in Bathinda, in which about 550 candidates had been trained. Of them, about 70 per cent youths have reportedly got self-employment or wage employment to earn a livelihood in professions like leather bag manufacturing, fashion technology, mobile repair, motor binding and fabric painting.

Bathinda, November 25
As the three-day mass casual leave by the ministerial staff throughout the state failed to draw the attention of the state government, the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union (PSMSU) has decided to hold a meeting of the state executive body in Jalandhar tomorrow to chalk out a further agitation path.

The meeting will be presided over by state president of the union Sukhraj Singh Sandhu. In this meeting, district presidents and general secretaries from all the districts will participate.

It is learnt here today that at the meeting a decision could be taken to observe pen-down strike for indefinite period from Monday as the ministerial staff are of the view that if they remain silent at this stage then their demands will be dumped by the government. In view of this, the ministerial employees don't want to withdraw their agitation completely.

Meanwhile, the ministerial staff here also went on mass casual leave today for the third consecutive working day. Earlier, they had gone on mass casual leave on November 22 and November 23 while November 24 was an official holiday.

So since November 22, the functioning in the government offices here had remained paralysed and would continue till Monday due to holidays on Saturday and Sunday.

In case, the union decides to observe pen-down strike from November 28 (Monday) then the people in the sate will have to face problems for some more days. Due to the mass casual leave, the functioning in the government offices had affected adversely as in the offices no clerical work could be done while the people returned to their homes without getting their works done.

The demands of the union include pay scale of Rs 10,300-34,800 with Rs 4,600 as grade pay for clerks, pay scale of Rs 10,300-34,800 with Rs 5400 as grade pay for senior assistants and pay scale of Rs 10,300-34,800 with Rs 6,600 as grade pay for superintendents.

Members of the union today also held a rally on the complex of Mini-secretariat here and raised slogans in support of their demands. They also took out a protest march and blocked road for about five minutes near the main bus stand here as a symbolic protest against the state government. They were led by district president of the union Sukhpal Singh Sidhu.

Bathinda, November 25
The chairperson of the Baba Haji Rattan Muslim Welfare Society Nagina Begum today urged the Wakf Board authorities to carve out a Colony for the Muslims on its land in the city.

Talking to media persons here Nagina Begum said though there were several pieces of Wakf Board land in the city but no effort had been made to set up a colony for Muslims so far, despite the fact that there were about 13,000 Muslims in the city, and many of them were poor who needed houses. She said they had approached Punjab Wakf Board in this regard several times, but to no avail so far.

She said the Wakf Board had 96 bighas of vacant land from Hanuman Chowk to Stadium. Besides, there was Wakf Board's land at the Truck union office here, which could be given for colony. She said they had also sent a representation to the Deputy Commissioner for the land, but a reply is yet to be received from him.

She also said that near Ganpati Enclave there is a graveyard of the Muslims that had not a path to enter it. They had approached the administration for the path but no solution had come to light so far.

However, she and other members of the Baba Haji Rattan Muslim Welfare Society thanked one Rajesh Gandhi from Gidderbaha for giving the path to the Muslims to enter the graveyard from the land, which is under his possession.

Bathinda, November 25
The Aakash Institute is conducting a National Talent Hunt Examination (ANTHE-2011) in the city on November 27 between 11 am to 2 pm.

In the first stage of the exam, 3,200 students will be short-listed. All the selected candidates would be given scholarship worth Rs 14 crores at the all-India level.

The institute has a countrywide network of 58 centres, including Bathinda.

As per the press release, more than 1500 students are going to write this examination at the nine test centres in and around the city.

Bathinda, November 25
The Sanawar school organised its annual sports meet on Thursday. It was presided over by AEO Harnek Singh. The sports meet was inaugurated by the school’s chairman Gurcharan Singh Brar and the principal Ravinder Kaur.

Various sporting events were held on the occasion in which students from Nursery to class-X took part. Cultural events were also held to mark the occasion.

In her speech, the principal said that participation in sports leads to the imbibing of sportsman-like qualities in the students besides boosting their physical growth. — TNS

Bathinda, November 25
The students of the Baba Farid Senior Secondary School won 12 places at the district-level competition of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB).

Five districts — Faridkot, Muktsar, Bathinda, Sangrur and Mansa — participated in these competitions. A spokesperson for the school said that Varinder Singh secured the first place in painting and Lovepreet Kaur secured the first place in handwriting. Harmandeep Kaur came second and Rashpreet won the third position at the primary level.

In folk singing, Bhupinder Singh and in solo dance, Navdeep Kaur, got the first and second positions, respectively. Principal Diljit Singh congratulated the students on their splendid performance. — TNS