The fire extinguisher with the expiry date of 2006. Tribune photos: Pawan Sharma

Gill Patti (Bathinda), January 23
It was a close shave for more than 200 schoolchildren of Government Elementary School of this village as the LPG cylinder used to prepare the mid-day-meal caught fire. The incident took place at around 10 am when students were standing outside the school kitchen watching three cooks prepare mid-day meal for them.

"Children ran all over the place after watching the fire erupt. Villagers too gathered around the kitchen and tried to douse the flames. I took out the burning cylinder from the kitchen and another ETT teacher Gurmeet Singh used a fire extinguisher to control the flames," said head teacher Bant Singh.

The school teachers said the fire extinguisher proved instrumental in dousing the flames as the water used by the villagers failed to control the fire emanating from the LPG cylinder. "Though it was a daring act by the school head but he was trembling moments after taking out the burning cylinder from the kitchen," said one of the school teachers.

The teachers said that it is quite difficult to prepare the mid-day-meal in presence of the schoolchildren using LPG cylinders. The villagers who gathered to douse the flames said the regulator of the cylinder was leaking and it might be the reason behind the fire.

Block Primary Education Officer (BPEO) Darshan Jeeda said the head teacher has been instructed to keep the gadgets, attached with the LPG cylinder, in good condition. "We have also told the employees and supervision staff to immediately change the nozzles, pipes and other gadgets attached with the cylinders," he said.

When enquired about the expiry date of the fire extinguisher, he said all the schools in the district have similar fire extinguishers. The BPEO said that there is only one fire extinguisher in a school which is enough to meet such eventualities. 

Bathinda, January 23
All the 31 critical booths in the district would be covered through the webcasting on the day of the elections on January 30. The staff members of the polytechnic and engineering colleges in the state have been entrusted the job of managing the webcast, which is to enable the officials concerned to have a dekko at the ongoing polling procedure.

At Bathinda, the staff and students of the Punjab Technical University Giani Zail Singh campus have been roped in for the job.

“From returning officers (ROs) to the Election Commission of India (ECI), any State or the Central Government official can view the procedure,” the officials at the district election office said. All the polling booths are situated at various government schools and hence the computer teachers of these schools have been deputed.

The existing infrastructure at the computer labs at these schools would be used for webcasting purposes.

The BSNL officials said that the labs are being tested to ascertain, if any kind of infrastructure upgradation is needed for the procedure. The District Education Officer (Secondary) has already issued notification regarding it.

All the 31 critical booths have been divided into six sections, based on the roads, they are located on. Amongst these 31 booths, those situated on the Badal road include Bathinda ward number 26-27, Naruana, Jai Singh Wala, Ghudda and Nandgarh.

Those situated on the Dabwali Road include, Gehri Buttar, Pakka Kalan, Sekhu and Pathrala. The booths, situated on the Talwandi Sabo road, include, office of the Chief Agriculture Officer, ITI (Bathinda), Kotshamir and Bhagi Bander.

Booths situated on the Mansa road include, Bhai Bakhtaur, Maiser Khana and Maur Kalan, while those on the Rampura Phul Road include, Bhucho Khurd, Bhucho Kalan, Mandi Phul, Rampura village, Gill Kalan and Kararwala.

Bhucho-Nathana road had the maximum number of critical booths including Poohla, Poohli, Nathana, Dayal Pura Mirza, Kotha Guru, Maluka, Bhagta, DAV School and DAV College.

Bathinda, January 23
Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer Kamal Kishore Yadav has recommended the transfer of District Education Officer (Secondary) Harbans Singh Sandhu following the allegation that he is posted in his home district.

In his recommendations to the state Election Commission, the Deputy Commissioner has stated that District Education Officer Sandhu belongs to a village from Talwandi Sabo and one of the candidates is learnt to have raised objections.

The candidate had alleged that Sandhu is supporting the candidate from the other party.

Sandhu does not even fall in the category of those government employees, who have completed three years stay at one place.

Bathinda, January 23
In their efforts to make voters aware of their rights and duties and to dissuade them from falling to the temptations of liquor, drugs or money in the upcoming Assembly elections, the NGOs of the city are leaving no stone unturned in their voter awareness campaign.

After organising campaigns in various parts of the city and its adjoining areas, the NGOs are now heading to the schools in the city to address the students and tell them about the fundamental right and duty to vote.

Sonu Maheshwari of the Noujawan Welfare Society, along with the members of his NGO, visited the MHRC in Nai Basti in Bathinda recently. The team distributed kites among the students. The kites had voter awareness messages written on them.

“Although the students are not old enough to cast vote but we hope that they will carry the message home. Parents can do anything to make their children happy and we are sure if their children ask them to vote, the parents will go and vote. Also, these students will themselves become voters after a couple of years, and that is when they will recall what we tell them today,” says Maheshwari.

The NGO now has plans to visit the Arya Model School and the primary school in Parasram Nagar. Similar campaigns are being organised in Bhucho Mandi, Goniana and other adjoining areas and the NGOs have been visiting the schools there as well.

“We may not have been able to address every individual but children will go back home and tell their parents what they are told in the school. They will carry home the messages that we give them. Also, right now their minds are impressionable and what they learn from us today, they will remember for long,” says Rakesh Narula of the Bathinda Vikas Manch.

The NGOs have also been organising slogan writing and poster making competitions in the schools to make children aware of the importance of voting.

Bathinda, January 23
Do you often feel cheated by the vendors at the Bathinda railway station for overcharging or the sub-standard food stuff offered by them? Well then, do not get distressed as help is at hand.

All you need to do is to contact the on-duty Deputy Station Superintendent at the station, also known as deputy SS in common parlance, for the redressal of your grievances.

You may also register your complaint in the Suggestions and Complaints Book available with the deputy SS for ensuring “speedy justice” as the railway officials are bound to address every single of the complaints registered in the complaints book.

Considering the kind of complaints that are being reported at the Bathinda railway station, like selling packaged items at a price higher than the MRP, serving stale food, etc, the Bathinda railway has started taking measures to streamline the catering service at the station.

“Besides routine inspections, surprise checking of the food stalls is also being carried out nowadays by the officials concerned at the station,” said railway officials, adding that passengers could also approach the railway in case they have a complaint against any of the vendors on the station.

Railway officials said the passengers could contact the on-duty deputy SS Bathinda at room number 20 on platform number 5. The passenger may also register his or her grievances in the complaints book kept there.

For filing a complaint, the passenger must be bonafide (having ticket) as the individual’s ticket number is required to register the complaint, officials said, adding that the address of the passenger is also required to be mentioned at the time of filing a complaint.

Describing the complaint redressal process, the railway official said the complaint is forwarded to the Passengers Complaint Inspector (PCI).

The case is later sent to the Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (SDCM) of the Ambala division who has the authority of imposing penalty. Many vendors have been penalised in the past, railway sources said.

The fine would be collected from the contactor by the railway authority here and the receipts will be sent to the SDCM in compliance, railway officials said, adding that the SDCM will then send the Action Taken Report (ATR) to the complainant at his or her address mentioned in the complain book. 

Bathinda, January 23
The Red Cross Society, Bathinda, under the supervision of the District Training Officer, Naresh Pathania and Red Cross volunteer, Krishan Singh, organised training in home nursing and first aid for the volunteers of the Youth Red Cross Unit at the SSD Girls’ College.

During the training, an emergency team of 20 volunteers was created and demonstrations on how to carry the injured and how to administer first-aid to the injured were given. The questions asked by the volunteers were also addressed by the Red Cross members.

The camp was organised by Youth Red Cross society counsellor Monika Kapoor.

Bathinda, January 23
The Mount Litera Zee School, Bathinda organized a Smart Kid Contest through a scholarship test held on January 22 at Hotel Krishna Continental. 103 students from classes 1 to 5 participated in the test. The questions were designed to find out how well children understand the concepts.

The test was followed by a parents’ seminar on “Learning Styles of Children” and how parents can tap and encourage genius in their children. Project Manager, Nitin Jindal, and Leena Pimpley, Academic Head, Zee Learn, Mumbai, explained how innovative techniques would help children in better understanding of concepts.

Abhinn Goyal (Class I), Harshit Garg (Class II), Arushi (Class III), Ojas Singh (Class IV), Lalit Consul (Class V) and Pranav Mittal (Class V) stood first in the test. Aarushi Garg (Class I), Garaush Singh (Class I), Devaush Bagla (Class II), Shivtaj (Class II), Jasjeet Singh (Class III), Arshiya Garg (Class IV), Aditya Rampal (V) and Jatin Bansal (V) stood second. — TNS

Bathinda, January 23
Hypertension and diabetes are emerging as the leading causes of preventable blindness in India. With proper monitoring, the malady can be prevented.

This was stated by Sunandan Sood, head of the eye department, Government Medical College, Chandigarh. He was addressing the delegates of the Bathinda Ophthalmological Society at the CME programme held at a city hotel on Sunday.

Suresh Gupta and Rakesh Bansal from the same institute delivered lectures on glaucoma management in difficult cases and treating squint at an early age, respectively.

More than 30 eye specialists from Bathinda and neighboring areas participated in the discussions. The programme was held under the aegis of the Punjab Medical Council which was represented by Dr RC Garg, elected member of PMC. — TNS