Bathinda, February 9
The Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) should do away with the archaic rule of imposing the minimum charges on all the consumers irrespective of the usage of electricity.

In cases of NRIs, whose houses are locked for several months in a row, are getting hefty power bills despite the fact that not even a unit of power has been consumed.

HS Khurmi, a former deputy chief engineer of the PSPCL, raised this issue at the public hearing on electricity tariff 2012-13 conducted by the Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) at the local Circuit House today.

Khurmi said the erstwhile board fixed these charges when the power was surplus. "Now, when we are power deficit, the board should withdraw this draconian law that binds everyone to pay for the power unused," he said. Khurmi added that in PUDA-approved colonies, the colonisers have installed expensive LED lights to conserve electricity and it is being judiciously used. "With LEDs consuming much lesser power, the emphasis is on conserving electricity. However, here too minimum charges prove hindrance as the consumer is forced to consumer more electricity than required. In the times when we are moving towards greener environment and striving to reduce carbon footprint, such laws prove a big deterrent. In a way, people are being penalised for investing in energy conservation," he said.

He added that in the month of March, most of the private colonisers were asked to pay minimum charges as high as Rs 1.50 lakhs for the units of electricity that were never consumed.

Responding to him, an ex-officio member Virinder Singh said it was indeed a matter of concern and that the PSERC would look into the matter on policy level.

Raising the problems faced by the rice shellers in the state, Narain Dass Garg from the Bathinda Rice Millers Association said the rice shellers should be allowed to surrender their load and their connections should not be disconnected. "Owing to bad business, the rice shellers in Raman and Goniana areas want to close down their shelling machines for a period of time. However, if the power connection is once disconnected, we would be forced to pay the entire security again," he rued.

He requested the PSERC to modify its policies in a manner so as to allow the owners of rice shellers to surrender their power load and again taking it without paying the security fees anew.

Dalip Saini of the Mahalahkshmi Industries said due to long power cuts, the industries were forced to run their business on gensets, which was not a viable proportion. He said industrialists were ready to pay as per tariff of the peak season. "On gensets, a unit of power costs around Rs 50, which is much less than the unit of electricity that costs during peak season," he reasoned.

Agriculturist Sukhwinder Singh emphasised that the PSPCL should not allow the government to go scot-free on the issue of subsidy to farmers. He said the state government was giving subsidy since 2007 and had not paid the amount to the PSPCL on time. Quoting the Indian Electricity Act, he said in view of this violation, the PSPCL should withdraw the subsidy awarded. The PSPCL officials replied saying that the quote of withdrawing the subsidy in view of non-payment has to be introduced in the power tariff plan itself, for which the matter was being taken up with the PSERC.

Bathinda, February 9
The CBSE exams are fast approaching and you would think that students appearing for the exams must be a harried lot. Here’s a reality check: gone are the times when the B-word used to scare students.

Speaking to Bathinda Tribune, many students confessed that their mantra for handling the exam pressure is to take it easy and study according to a time-table and not try and do everything at the same time.

Garima Arora, a class XII student of St Xavier's School here, says she is not stressed out about the board exams although she has also been preparing for various competitive exams simultaneously.

“We recently got over with the pre-board exams, which are a tougher version of the board exams. There is nothing to be stressed out about. Board exams are like school exams, the only difference being the change of examination centre. The school had finished the syllabus in December and since then, revisions are going on. It has helped us a lot.”

Burning midnight oil and spending sleepless nights is also a passé. Says Nancy Chawla, a student of class X of Sri Guru Harkrishan Public School, although studying for long hours is imperative; taking breaks and adequate sleep are equally important.

“I study for long hours but also take breaks at regular intervals. My parents also don’t ask me to study all the time. I prefer studying during the day and sleep properly during the night. I intend to follow the same schedule during the board exams as well. The key to success lies in revision,” she says.

School are also not leaving any stone unturned when it comes to helping the students with preparations. Finishing the syllabus by December or mid-January, holding pre-board exams and extra-classes are some of the means the schools have been using to ensure students are prepared for the exams.

Dr Arun Jee, principal of the DPS, says, “We finish the syllabus for class XII by December or mid-January, which is followed by pre-board exams that help students test what they’ve learnt. If students face problems we also provide them with extra inputs and study modules. As for the class X exams, the board itself has lessened the burden and stress of the students by making the exams optional (school-based or board-based) under the CCE (continuous and comprehensive evaluation) system.”

Monica Singh, principal of the Police Public School says, “To make sure that students have enough time to revise the syllabus, we tried to finish the syllabus as early as possible. We conducted class tests and also held extra classes to make sure all the queries and problems of the students were cleared. We also held topic-wise exams to help students prepare better.”

Bathinda, February 9
The wait for the full bloom spring appears to be unending in the region as chill apparently is in no mood of packing its bag.

Nonetheless, the first fortnight of the spring is about to be over, the mercury is yet to follow the calendar with the minimum temperature in Bathinda is still equalling to the lowest minimum temperature of the winters that just went by.

Mercury on Thursday morning dipped below the zero degree mark to record a new low in the region at 7.30 am when the temperature was minus 0.4 degrees Celsius, as per the agri-met department of the Punjab Agriculture University, regional station, Bathinda.

The day's high was 16.4 degrees Celsius, thanks to the sun.

Springing a surprise for all, the mercury induced the feeling of winter in the mid-spring yesterday when it plummeted to touch almost the zero degree mark. The wind speed is worsening the renewed cold wave conditions. Today, the wind blew at the rate of 3 km per hour.

The mercury’s southward swing recurred in the region a couple of days back when the northern part of the country started experiencing fresh snowfall.

It may be recalled that a week ago, the minimum temperature in Bathinda had crossed the double digit figure while maximum temperature has also started hovering above the 20 degrees Celsius mark.

The affects of snowfall in Shimla is palpable in Bathinda, said weathermen, adding that like other regions of the north and north-west part of the country, Bathinda and its adjoining areas were also bearing the brunt of snowfall being experienced in Himachal Pradesh nowadays.

Bathinda, February 9
A car was stolen from near Sarabha Nagar on February 2. In his complaint to the police, Rajesh Kumar of Sarabha Nagar said he had parked his car outside his house. A digital camera and a mobile phone were also there in the car.

He added that the total value of the car and the material in it was worth around Rs 70,000.

Police officials said a case in this connection has been registered under Section 379 of the IPC at the Civil Lines police station.

No arrests have been made in this regard so far.

Bathinda, February 9
There seems to have been little attitudinal change in the mindset of the people despite the tall claims of the Punjab government of having created awareness on giving equal importance to girls and boys.

Police today booked three members of a family for giving some poisonous substance to a woman after she gave birth to a girl child a few months ago.

While the woman is battling for life at a private hospital in Bathinda, her husband Amandeep Singh, mother-in-law Ginder Kaur, both residents of Pitho village near Rampura, and sister-in-law Mandeep Kaur, a resident of Lehra Mohabbat, have been booked by the police.

The in-laws have been booked under sections 307, 498-A and 34 of the IPC at Sadar Rampura police station.

The wailing father of the woman, Navtej Singh of Karamchand Patti Mehraj, said the in-laws of his daughter Navneet Kaur were upset after she gave birth to a girl child.

“The family members were already harassing my daughter over the pretext of not bringing much dowry but the situation went out of control after the birth of the baby girl,” said the father.

“We urged the family not to raise a hue and cry over the birth of a girl as there is hardly any difference between a girl and boy these days, but to no avail. They administered some poisonous substance to my daughter,” the girl’s father alleged.

“It is heart-breaking to see my daughter undergoing treatment in the emergency ward of the hospital for the past two days,” he said.

He added that the in-laws of his daughter informed him over the phone about the sudden ailment of his daughter. She was taken to a quack by her in-laws from where she was shifted to a qualified doctor with their intervention.

He pointed out that despite spending `8 lakhs on the marriage, the family members of the boy demanded more money. “Now, they were upset over the birth of the girl child and cursed my daughter for not bringing enough dowry and burdening them with a girl child,” the father added.

He said he solemnised the marriage of his daughter two years ago. The family claims to have given cash more than `1.5 lakhs which was used by the in-laws to purchase an Alto car a few months ago.

He said the boy’s family had stated that they have 15 acres of land but later, they came to know that they had only 10 acres.

The father also said the boy owned 10 acres of land, worth many lakhs, and there were only three family members in the house. Even then, his daughter’s husband sought money from him to pay the monthly bank instalment of `5,000.

While the boy started consuming excessive liquor, his mother kept cursing her daughter-in-law for giving birth to a baby girl.

Police officials said those who have been booked in the case would be arrested soon and may be sent to jail.

Bathinda, February 9
A meeting of the district task force, in connection with three-day National Pulse Polio programme from February 19 to February 21, was held under the presidentship of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kamal Kishore Yadav here today.

Those who were present in the meeting included civil surgeon Dr Iqbal Singh, district health officer Dr RS Randhawa, district school health officer Dr Kundan Kumar, district immunisation officer Dr Manpreet Kaur Rupal, secretary of District Red Cross Society JR Goyal and secretary of Zila Parishad Rajinder Batra.

The DC reviewed the arrangements, made for the three-day programme. He said during the programme about 1.75 lakh children from 0 to five years would be administered anti-polio drops in the district.

He said on February 19 as many as 698 booths (502 in rural areas and 196 in urban areas) would be set up for administering anti-polio drops in the district.

Mobile teams would also be constituted for administering drops at the bus stands, brick kilns, railway stations and other public places.

Dr Iqbal Singh said over 2,390 health workers had been assigned duties while 1,076 representatives of the NGOs would assist in the programme.

Dr Rupal said sincere efforts were being made by WHO to eradicate the polio from the world. She said in 2002, about 1,600 polio cases had been reportd in India while 2011 only one case was reported.

Bathinda, February 9
A male foetus was found near Nehianwala village today. The matter was brought to the notice of the local police by a passerby, who noticed the foetus lying in a water channel.

The investigating officer in the case, SI Jarnail Singh, said a case under Section 318 of the IPC has been registered in this regard at the Nehianwala police station. A formal complaint has been made by Sandeep Kumar of ward number 3, Nai Basti, Goniana Mandi.

The police official said there was no hospital or any other health centre situated around the place from where the foetus was recovered.

The investigating officer said the foetus had been taken into possession and efforts were being made by them to identify the culprit.

He added that the DNA test of the foetus would be sent for examination to the doctors of the Civil Hospital, Bathinda.

It may be mentioned here that this is the third incident wherein a foetus has been recovered in Bathinda and surrounding Goniana Mandi. Earlier, a foetus was recovered from near Nachhattar Nagar area of the Bathinda city and before that, a foetus was recovered from near the railway station.

The president of Sahara Jan Sewa (an NGO), Vijay Goyal, said the foetus was handed over to the volunteers of his NGO who buried it at Ram Bagh in Bathinda after autopsy had been conducted.