B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

3 kids fall pray to non-hodgkin disease
Abohar, December 4
With the death of three children reportedly due to non-hodgkin in two villages of the sub-division, people in rural areas are under deep stress. Officiating civil surgeon Dr RK Arora said Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, NHL, or sometimes-just lymphoma) is a cancer that starts in cells called lymphocytes, which are part of the body's immune system. Lymphocytes are in the lymph nodes and other lymphoid tissues (such as the spleen and bone marrow).

Tributes paid to Akali leader’s son
Muktsar, December 4
Hundreds, including senior leaders of the ruling parties as well as of the opposition, today paid homage to Arjun Singh, younger son of senior Akali leader and ex-MLA Muktsar, Bhai Harnirpal Singh 'Kuku' at a bhog ceremony held at Bhai Maha Singh hall in Gurdwara Darbar sahib here.

Here octroi is still levied
Ferozepur, December 4
Notwithstanding the approval of draft notification for abolition of octroi in Jalandhar Cantt, the matter is still hanging in abeyance as far as the Ferozepur Cantt is concerned, which now remains the only place in the state where the octroi is being levied.

Factionalism in Cong comes to fore 
Bathinda, December 4
Factionalism came to fore in Congress party ahead of the PPCC chief Captain Amarinder Singh's visit late on Sunday evening when a section of Congress workers, allegedly from the youth Congress, rip apart some banners installed in the city.

Badal villagers keep mum over political activities
Badal (Muktsar), Dec 4
Though the entire state is quite eager to see the forthcoming ‘tough’ triangular political battle between the three well-known Badals- Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal (SAD), his real brother Gurdas Singh Badal (Sanjha Morcha) and cousin Mahesh Inder Singh Badal (Congress), residents of their native village Badal are an exception to the whole affair.

Schools await VIPs to distribute bicycles
Maur Mandi (Bathinda), Dec 4
While the kids in various schools are waiting for bicycles under the Mai Bhago Scheme, the bicycles are waiting for the VVIP's are being stored in classrooms-turned-storerooms in various schools of the Malwa districts.





Bicycles stored in a classroom at a school in Malwa. Tribune photo

Restoration of trains sought
Abohar, December 4
Though the Railways partially accepted the demand for restoring 14712/14711 Sriganganagar-Haridwar intercity express, several NGOs have threatened to stall movement of other trains also on Sriganganagar-Abohar-Bathinda section if all the express trains suspended due to foggy weather are not restored by Monday.

3 kids fall pray to non-hodgkin disease
Raj Sadosh

Abohar, December 4
With the death of three children reportedly due to non-hodgkin in two villages of the sub-division, people in rural areas are under deep stress. Officiating civil surgeon Dr RK Arora said Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, NHL, or sometimes-just lymphoma) is a cancer that starts in cells called lymphocytes, which are part of the body's immune system. Lymphocytes are in the lymph nodes and other lymphoid tissues (such as the spleen and bone marrow).

Researchers have found several factors that may affect a person's chance of getting non-hodgkin lymphoma. Some studies have suggested that chemicals such as benzene and certain herbicides and insecticides (weed-and insect-killing substances) may be linked with an increased risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Research to clarify these possible links is still in progress.

Reports from different villages said two children in the same family in village Kerakhera that suffered of water logging for a long time had died reportedly with symptoms that matched Non-Hodgkin disease.

Now three children in a family at village Amarpura are believed to have been targeted by the deadly disease. Physicians at the Nehru Memorial Civil Hospital here said the specialists at the PGI (Chandigarh) had examined one of the three children. They diagnosed that he was suffering from Non-Hodgkin. He died few days back. His younger brother has also now been referred to the medical college. Blood samples of children from a dozen other families were taken on Saturday and dispatched for lab test. Initially the children visibly had no such symptoms but final opinion can be ascertained only after going through the test reports, Dr Ajay Mohan Sharma said.

Quoting research by US based agencies Dr VP Sethi former medical officer of the civil hospital said non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients with a 20-plus-year history of smoking had a 76 percent higher risk of death compared to never smokers. Patients who consumed more than 43 grams of alcohol per week had a 55 percent higher risk of death compared to nondrinkers; and obese patients (defined as a body mass index of 30 or higher) had a 32 percent higher risk of death compared to patients with normal weight for their height.

However, how the deadly disease has targeted minor children in the region, needs comprehensive research, he said.

Tributes paid to Akali leader’s son

Muktsar, December 4
Hundreds, including senior leaders of the ruling parties as well as of the opposition, today paid homage to Arjun Singh, younger son of senior Akali leader and ex-MLA Muktsar, Bhai Harnirpal Singh 'Kuku' at a bhog ceremony held at Bhai Maha Singh hall in Gurdwara Darbar sahib here.

A student of BDS, Arjun Singh (19) had been killed on November 25 in a road mishap near Dabwali on Punjab-Haryana border, while returning from Devi Lal University in Sirsa and the car he was travelling in with his friend rammed into a tree.

Senior Congress leader Jagmeet Singh Brar and MLA Guru Har Sahai Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi were those from the Congress who cutting across the party lines expressed their condolences. From the PPP, Jagbir Brar was also present there. But, none from the Badal family attended the ceremony, as the CM Parkash Singh Badal and the deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had already visited the house of Kuku. Those prominent present from the SAD included Janmeja Singh Sekhon. — TNS

Here octroi is still levied
Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, December 4
Notwithstanding the approval of draft notification for abolition of octroi in Jalandhar Cantt, the matter is still hanging in abeyance as far as the Ferozepur Cantt is concerned, which now remains the only place in the state where the octroi is being levied.

Though, the state government has already promised to compensate the Cantonment Board with the funds in tune with the collections being made by way of levying octroi, still the issue remains unresolved here.

In the year 2007, when the SAD-BJP government had assumed power in the state, the CM Parkash Singh Badal had announced that the octroi will be abolished in this border cantonment on lines of other municipal bodies in the state. Though, the octroi was abolished all over the state, being part of the cantonment area which does not fall under the direct administrative control, the traders still have to pay octroi due to which they are losing customers everyday who prefer to buy commodities from city which is at stone throw's distance where the octroi is not levied, hence goods are cheaper.

Nand Kishore Garg President Beopar Mandal said that the small time shopkeepers were the worst sufferers as they even can’t afford to have shops and godowns out of the cantonment jurisdiction. 

Factionalism in Cong comes to fore 
Gurdeep Singh Mann/TNS

Bathinda, December 4
Factionalism came to fore in Congress party ahead of the PPCC chief Captain Amarinder Singh's visit late on Sunday evening when a section of Congress workers, allegedly from the youth Congress, rip apart some banners installed in the city.

In view of Amarinder's rally at Model Town Phase III a section of party workers had put up banners in city with photographs of local and national level leaders.

A section of youth allegedly upset over the photographs of local began tearing the banners. “They were acting on the instructions given by a senior Congress leader, which should be probed thoroughly," said local Congress worker Satpal Bhateja. Bhateja said that the banners bear his photographs along with the photographs of Captain, Sonia Gandhi and other Congress leaders.

As the supporters of Bhateja and accused boys entered in heated arguments, some media persons reached the spot to cover the event. Accused youth threatened scribe of dire consequences and snatched away the camera of photographer of a vernacular daily.

Media persons brought the matter into the notice of hte SSP and senior Congress leaders in Chandigarh.

In their statement to the police, scribes alleged that youngsters were carrying pamphlets and other material of the Youth Congress in their cars, which revealed that they belonged to the Youth Congress.

Satpal Bhateja and Tehal Singh Sandhu demanded a thorough investigation into the incident.

Civil Line SHO Jaspal Singh said a case in this connection would be registered at the Cantt Police Station and efforts would be made to arrest the accused before morning.

Badal villagers keep mum over political activities
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Badal (Muktsar), Dec 4
Though the entire state is quite eager to see the forthcoming ‘tough’ triangular political battle between the three well-known Badals- Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal (SAD), his real brother Gurdas Singh Badal (Sanjha Morcha) and cousin Mahesh Inder Singh Badal (Congress), residents of their native village Badal are an exception to the whole affair.

No one is even ready to speak over the political activities happening in this tiny village. Neither sitting in the ‘sath’ nor individually one dares to speak over the political rivalry between the Badal family.

When one asks them, they simply term the family feud an ill-fate of Badals as well as the whole village. “I have seen all of them (the separated Badals) enjoying strong bonding and at that time the united family was an icon for the all. But now everything has changed,” said an octogenarian, Hardeep Singh.

“All the three Badals are equally good, when it comes to the development or any requirement of the village. We are just watching the political developments by sitting silently,” added Hardeep.

Similarly, another village resident, Gurdeep Singh said, “We use to read the newspapers and come to know that the entire state is quite relishing the family feud and every time when such news appears, we get disturbed.”

“At first the differences between cousins separated Mahesh Inder Singh Badal from Parkash Singh Badal and Gurdas Singh Badal. After joining Congress, he started giving them sleepless nights. Later, the separation of Manpreet Singh Badal from the SAD forced his father Gurdas Singh Badal to leave the hand of his brother. Now, the trio Badals are about to contest elections against each other from this constituency,” added Gurdeep Singh, while recalling old days.

A teacher of the Government Primary School in the village also termed it an ill-fate of the residents.

“Everything has turned in such an ugly way that now Pash and Dass whom we all used to address ‘Ram-Laxman Di Jodi,’ are now appearing as arch rivals. So, it's better not to speak over the issue,” said the teacher.

Schools await VIPs to distribute bicycles
Gurdeep Singh Mann/TNS

Maur Mandi (Bathinda), Dec 4
While the kids in various schools are waiting for bicycles under the Mai Bhago Scheme, the bicycles are waiting for the VVIP's are being stored in classrooms-turned-storerooms in various schools of the Malwa districts.

Punjab government is distributing bicycles to the girl students of class XI and XII in different districts of Punjab.

School authorities, where the bicycles are stored in classrooms for the past more than one month, said that they have received strict instructions not to distribute bicycles until some VVIP arrive in their school and distribute the same.

“The process of distributing the bicycles is being delayed as senior leaders of the SAD-BJP are quite busy in hectic touring of their respective areas in this election year,” said a principal, pleading anonymity.

He said that the children and even their parents are quarreling with them everyday demanding bicycles, which are stacked up in classrooms. There are many schools where there is a shortage of space but even then the classrooms are converted into storerooms and children are forced to sit out in open. A visit to a government school in Maur Mandi reveals that three rooms of the school are converted into storeroom where bicycles are kept.

Admitting problems due to the bicycles, the schoolteachers lamented that they have no other way-out but wait for the ruling party leader to come and distribute these bicycles.

The teachers said that they have no other option but to store these bicycles in classrooms as there is a possibility of cycles being stolen away by thieves.

District president of the Congress Narinder Bhalaria demanded that all the bicycles stored in classrooms should be distributed immediately.

“While government on the one hand claims to uplift the education but on the other hand force school authorities to convert classrooms into storerooms hampering their studies,” Bhalaria said.

Restoration of trains sought

Abohar, December 4
Though the Railways partially accepted the demand for restoring 14712/14711 Sriganganagar-Haridwar intercity express, several NGOs have threatened to stall movement of other trains also on Sriganganagar-Abohar-Bathinda section if all the express trains suspended due to foggy weather are not restored by Monday.

The NGOs on Friday warned that urns carrying ashes would be placed on the railway platform during demonstration if the Haridwar intercity are not restored. The officials informed to the DRM offices at Ambala and Bikaner. The authorities quickly agreed to run the train up to Saharanpur.

This, the NGOs said, is not acceptable. — OC