Bathinda, November 28
The telecom major BSNL’s newly-launched service, BSNL Bharat Berry, has failed to catch the fancy of Bathinda residents in general and BSNL’s subscribers in particular.

The BSNL offered the service to GSM mobile users across India in mid-November and was considered as an “answer to the renowned Blackberry” to some extent as it provides the Push Mail and the PIM SYNC services.

In other words, BSNL customers availing of the service are enabled to get e-mail pushed to their mobile phone virtually from any of their e-mail accounts and perform synchronisation of their contacts, notes and tasks across their mobile phones and BSNL Bharat Berry server.

Though the e-mail accounts or related services are being considered ‘must-have’ nowadays as a person with no e-mail account might be a rarity in urban areas, the city residents as well as the BSNL’s mobile subscribers are apparently not enthusiastic towards it as the BSNL’s customer service centre (CSC) is not even getting enquiry calls about the service.

“I do not remember anyone asking about the service,” a BSNL staff pleading anonymity told TNS at one of the CSCs on Monday.

“You are the first person who is enquiring about the service,” he added.

A senior BSNL official said, “There is a poor response to the Push mail or such service in the city. People here do not seem to be in the need of this service,” adding that in metro or big cities where connectivity is must, people go for push mail etc. “People from the corporate world generally go for such services,” he reasoned.

Though the lack of necessity of the service among the residents may be one of the reasons for the poor response, the BSNL has also failed to draw public attention towards the service.

“BSNL’s failure in creating awareness about the service through advertising in mass media or so here is also one of the reasons for the low response. Otherwise, the free trial offer ending on December 15 would have generated at least some enquiries,” said a BSNL staff.

During the visits to the CSCs at Bharat Nagar and Gol Diggi on Monday, TNS did not find banners or hoardings to draw visitors’ attention to the service even there.

However, when DGM, BSNL, Bathinda, Amit Garg, was contacted over the phone on Monday, he said the company would launch an awareness drive on the BSNL Bharat Berry within 10 to 15 days.

Bathinda, November 28
Ban on smoking in public is being openly violated at the railway station here. Laughing at the face off ban are the six kiosks selling tobacco and its products right outside the main gate of the railway station. The sellers openly sell the tobacco products and passengers could be seen smoking even inside the railway premises.

Six kiosks of cigarette-biri sellers which have come up at the entrance of the railway station during the past few months have also encroached upon the area around the boundary wall and entrance of the railway station.

Caring two hoots for the law, the sellers and consumers continue to openly use tobacco and smoke in public. Passenger pointed out that it becomes quite difficult to even enter the railway station in view of smokers queuing up to purchase cigarettes, biri and other tobacco products. 

 “I was welcomed to the Bathinda railway station with a puff of smoke. People could be seen smoking even inside the railway station and trains without any check”, said Ramneek Kaur, a resident of Mohali visiting Bathinda.  

She said that the nomads and ascetics were also puffing charas (contraband) inside the railway station. Harvinder, a daily passenger boarding Janta Express every morning said that the railway station was home for the ascetics who sleep, bath and attend natures call at the railway station.

Though there are large numbers of beggars too stay at different platforms and could be seen sleeping adjoining the ticket counters during night hours.   They beg for alms, purchase tobacco, smoke and create nuisance at the railway station.

Chief Health Inspector (CHI) Piyush Kumar admitted that the kiosks at the entrance of the station defeats railway authorities purpose to ban cigarettes on the railway premises.

 “Since the sellers take plea of selling tobacco outside the railway premises no action has been initiated against them by the railway authorities”, he said, adding that the matter was also taken up last year with a former deputy commissioner who had assured to do the needful but nothing concrete has been done to remove the ‘encroachment’ and nuisance at the railway entrance.

It’s the duty of the district administration and the Punjab Police to remove tobacco selling right at the entrance of one of the biggest junctions of the railway, he said.

Bathinda, November 28
On the call of the Punjab State Ministerial Services Union (PSMSU), the ministerial staff (clerical cadre), working in the government offices, went on mass casual leave for five days from today in support of their demand regarding hike in the grade pay of the clerks, senior assistants and superintendents.

Earlier, they had gone on mass casual leave for three consecutive working days from November 22. So, since November 22 the ministerial staff is on mass casual leave (on all working days) till today.

Due to the mass casual leave, the normal functioning in the government offices has been adversely affected as people have to return empty handed to their respective destinations without getting their work done.

They are demanding the 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 5,400 as grade pay for senior assistants and pay-scale of Rs 10,300-34,800 with Rs 6,600 as grade pay for 
superintendents.

However, the state government has reportedly paid no attention towards their demand so far, due to which they were adamant to continue their mass casual leave till Friday.

Meanwhile, the members of the union, led by district president Sukhpal Singh Sidhu, today held a rally inside the Mini-secretariat here and raised slogans in support of their demand.

Later, they and members of the Class IV Government Employees Union took out a protest march jointly from the Mini-secretariat to the main bus stand here, leading to disruption in the smooth flow of vehicular traffic for some minutes.

Along with the clerical cadre of other government offices, the ministerial staff, posted at the District Treasury Office here, today also remained on mass casual leave, due to which the entire clerical work got affected. A few persons were seen making request to the officiating district treasury officer Ashok Chopra to do their work but he expressed his inability on account of mass casual leave by the ministerial staff.

District president Sukhpal Singh Sidhu said, “On November 30, an effigy of the Punjab Government would be burnt at the district headquarter here.”

Sidhu further added that due to mass casual leave, medical examination of the newly recruited employees was also not being done in the districts.

“The amounts from the general provident fund (GPF) of the employees and the development grants could also not be released since November 22 by the treasuries,” he added.

Bathinda, November 28
Police officials from the Bathinda zone were sensitised on how to tackle human trafficking, at a two-day workshop that started at the Police Lines here today.

Dr DJ Singh, Dean and Joint Director, Punjab Police Academy, Phillaur, delivered a lecture to as many as 30 participants, including constables, head constables and ASIs from the Bathinda police range, informing them about the gravity of problem. He said India was fast emerging as a major centre of human trafficking, which is over 12 million dollar business worldwide.

“As per a rough estimate, India contributes to 20 per cent of total illegal trade in the world and 10 to 15 lakh people become victims of human trafficking every year. This is the third largest crime in the world after drugs and weapons,” he said.

He said workshops were organised across the country and the Punjab Police has got orders from the Central Government to make people aware of human trafficking. Following the directions, such programmes are being organised in every district. “A different approach is required to deal with the menace of human trafficking as most of the times victims seem to be accused. In a bid to go abroad by hook or crook, vulnerable people end up falling into wrong hands,” he said, adding that other heinous crimes were also related to this social crime.

Singh related a case to the gathering. He said during a visit to the UK, he met a girl from Hoshiarpur there who had migrated on marriage basis. “The colour of her fingers did not match with that of her body as her fingers were black. She initially refused to narrate her tale and later broke down,” he said.

On prodding, she said she had already shared her problem with over 100 persons but there seemed to be no help. He pointed out that the girl’s in-laws and husband had forced her into illegal trade of drugs to make fast bucks but she refused. She was tortured and was made to wash utensils with cold water. The colour of her finger’s skin turned blue and then black but she refused to indulge in any illegal trade. 

He said despite making attempts and taking up the matter with the chief constable (DGP level officer) of the UK police, nothing could be done as the girl did not have valid documents for her stay.

“All she wished in the end was a request that the matter should not be brought into the notice of her father back home as he would die of shock. However, the news of her death came a month later. The case was just a tip of an iceberg as there are thousands of such girls who continue to dream of greener pastures but end up crying forever,” he said.

The Dean urged the participants to take help of NGOs to make public aware of the dark side of immigration.

Donning the cap of a teacher, DJ Singh did not only teach the cops but also questioned them individually.

Bathinda, November 28
The St Xavier School team won the first position in power point presentation delivered during the Ignited Minds inter-school competition held at the DAV School, today. The host secured the second position while the third position was secured by the Delhi Public School. Around 3,000 students from 18 schools all over the district participated in the event.

The winners were awarded certificates of merit and cash prizes. In the MS paint competition, St Xavier School’s team stood first followed by that of the Lord Rama Public School at the second place.

In the quiz competition, Delhi Public School, Sanawar Public School and DAV Public School secured first, second and third places, respectively. In the debate contest, Army Public School secured the first place while DAV School was adjudged runner-up. In the collage making competition, DAV School and KV no 5 School stood first and second while Sanawar Public School and Lord Rama Public School teams were bracketed third. In the skit contest, DAV School, Krishna Vatika Public School and Vishwas Public School stood first, second and third, respectively.

The chief guest on the occasion was school manager Dr JS Anand and principal Satwant Kaur Bhullar.

Bathinda, November 28
On the call of the Punjab Civil Medical Service Association (PCMSA), the doctors working in the local Civil Hospital and the Women and Children Hospital today wore black badges against the non-issuance of notification with regard to implementing their demands that have already been accepted by the state government.

A member of the association said their demands include grant of six PG (post-graduate) increments to the doctor at the time of implementation of new pay- scale, enhanced grade pay to the doctors on the Central Government’s pattern after 20 years of service, house rent on non-practice allowance (NPA), deputy civil surgeon’s designation for senior medical officer.

He said these demands were accepted by the Chief Minister some time ago at a meeting held with the PCMSA leaders, including patron of the association Dr Manjit Singh Randhawa.

Bathinda, November 28
The members of the district unit of the Class - IV Government Employees Union (Punjab) today stayed away from work in the offices and held a rally outside the Mini-secretariat here in support of their demands.

The protesters were led by district president Manjit Singh. Their demands include seven per cent annual increment, abolition of contract system, filling of the posts lying vacant in government departments, medical allowance Rs 1,500 per month, promotion for matriculation pass class IV employees without the typing test, and Rs 2,000 per month as special pay.