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Sin
and the city
Farmers demand compensation for crop loss due to cold
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Run-up
to rail budget
School kids to be sensitised on road safety under UN plan
Youth Services Dept is short-staffed
Undertrial of Bathinda jail dies in Chandigarh
Woman booked for burning holy scripture
Mock test of HIC held in city
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Sin
and the city Incident comes days after firing near bus stand & CBI raid at beauty parlour Gurdeep Singh Mann Tribune News Service
Bathinda, February 12 The boys demolished the shop using sharp-edged weapons, base ball bats and iron rods. The shop owner sitting inside was, however, spared by the assailants and was not injured. Commuters and traders in the adjoining shops remained mute spectators and failed to stop the assailants from vandalising the shop. The shop owner, Amandeep Singh, later talking to TNS, said that his partner Shyam Sunder, in whose name the licence of the medical store is, has a fracture in his leg and has been advised bed rest for the past one month. "I was looking after the shop in his absence for the past one month. Some youth approached me a few days ago demanding money but I refused," Amandeep said. He added that the boys entered the shop forcefully a month ago and the actual owner, afraid of violence, did not raise his voice against them. "The possibility of these young boys consuming intoxicants could not be ruled out as they semed to have a criminal bent of mind," he said. He pointed out that the police officials who arrived to note the statements, have been informed about the main culprit, Sukha, residing in the Basant Vihar area. Investigating officer in the case, ASI Jaswant Singh said that the house of Sukha was raided by the police. "I saw a girl giving tuition to some children at his house. She made me talk to Sukha who refused to be a party to the crime and assured of visiting the police station at 6 pm," the ASI said. He pointed out that the reason behind vandalising the shop seems to be some personal dispute between the boys visiting the shop and the shop owner. The attackers and the shop-owner knew each other and things would get clear only after the completion of the investigation, he added. The ASI too added that the role of intoxicants consumed by the boys at the shop could not be ruled out. "It is all upto the drug inspector and the other health officials to look into. The authorities should also see how someone else could sell medicines in the absence of a licence holder at a chemist shop," he said. He added that Shyam Sunder is the actual licence holder and it is debatable as to how his partner was selling medicines in his absence. The shopkeepers said that the youths came in two cars and had parked their vehicles much ahead of the shop to escape easily. No case was registered till the filing of this report.
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Farmers demand compensation for crop loss due to cold
Bathinda, February 12 Farmers said the potato crop and other vegetables including the cucurbitaceae variety got affected in the district due to the severe cold. Farmers said the period of cold weather got extended this season due to which the potato crop, which was maturing, got affected. Though not much damage has been reported to potato, the late sowing varieties like Kufri Bahar and Kufri Sandhuri got severely affected. "It is double loss for the potato growers as during the last season too, potato farmers failed to earn much due to the overgrowth and diseases affecting the crop," said Nirmal Singh, a farmer from Goniana. He said nearly 6,000 hectares is under potato cultivation and the government should announce compensation for the affected farmers. Meanwhile, a member of BKU (Lakhowal) today said that a massive agitation will be launched by thousands of farmers from Kurukshetra in Haryana, starting from February 29. "The battle of Mahabharata was launched from Kurukshetra and the farmers too have decided to launch agitation from the same place," said the district general secretary of BKU (Lakhowal), Jagjit Singh Giana. He said the agitation is in support of those farmers who quit agriculture due to the wrong policies of various governments and who committed suicide. He said the farmers are gearing up to participate in the massive rally to be held at Pipli village near Kurukshetra. He said their union has demanded compensation for the families of those farmers who committed suicide due to agricultural debt. He said the demand relates to government job for a family members of farmers who committed suicide. The Swaminathan report and the Hooda committee report, under which they would get appropriate MSP for wheat, paddy and other crops, should be implemented. The leaders including Bikkar Singh Ganga, Major Singh Chakbakhtu, Jagtar Singh Pakkakalan, Maggar Singh said they would leave for Kurukshetra by train on February 29 and the stir would continue till their demands are met.
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Run-up to rail budget Connectivity with Ludhiana, Amritsar, Delhi & amenities at rly stations figure Sudhanshu Verma Tribune News Service
Bathinda, February 12 Making a clarion call to the railway minister Dinesh Trivedi for including Malwa in his to-do list, the Malwaites said that better network of rail was urgently required for the speedy social-economic development of the area. "New Delhi is yet to be connected properly with the region," alleged Hanuman Dass Goel, general secretary of the Railway Passengers Welfare Association (RPWA), Bathinda. Goel reasoned that there was no train from Delhi to Bathinda and adjoining stations in the morning around 8 am to 9 am. He added there was need for a train from Sriganganagar-Abohar-Malout via Bathinda to Delhi in the afternoon around 2 pm. President of the RPWA, Bathinda, Ashok Kumar Garg also said that Bathinda had trains for New Delhi but there should be superfast trains in the afternoon for the national capital. Echoing similar sentiments, president of Passengers Welfare Association, Jasvir Singh said that Bathinda needs introduction of a train to Amritsar. He said that a direct train between Bathinda and Amritsar was the need of the hour as the highly revered place in the country-Amritsar-- was not connected properly with Bathinda. Besides new trains, passengers also demanded that the railway should reflect well over the connectivity of the area. Goel, Garg and Jasvir Singh were of the view that even after over 60 years of Independence, rail connectivity was still an issue in the region. "Besides new trains, a little bit of changes in the timings of the trains will also help in bringing connectivity," said Goel. "It's has became an enigma as to why Bathinda and Ludhiana are not being connected," said Goel, whose view found support from Jasvir Singh also. "Not only Bathinda, Ludhiana and Dhuri, but connectivity between Ferozepur-Ambala via Bathinda is also needed," Jasvir Singh said. Goel said that the frequency of trains should also be increased while there should also be a provision for the stoppage of super fast trains like the Nanded Express at small stations. Garg said that the frequency of the train that runs between Amrita and Japer via Bathinda should also be increased. Rather, the train should be run on a daily basis as presently, it touches Bathinda only twice a week. Passengers alleged that most of the stations in the area lack even the basic amenities, including potable water. Goel said that the railway minister should make special allocation for making drinking water available at small stations in Malwa considering the fact that the groundwater in the region was not fit for consumption. Javier Singh, while endorsing Goel's demand for potable water, said modern toilets should also be constructed at small stations. Garg said that the condition of lavatories at many small stations was pathetic and not even in a condition for use. Urging the railway minister to make room for Malwa in his plan of action, passengers expressed the hope that their wishes would come true on March 14 when the rail budget would be presented in Parliament.
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School kids to be sensitised on road safety under UN plan
Bathinda, February 12 Punjab and Andhra Pradesh are the only two states of the country selected in Road Safety 10 programme, which is being run in Brazil, China, Egypt, Russia and Vietnam. Director General of School Education (DGSE) Ashok Kumar Singla has already issued instructions to all government schools in the state, through the district education officers, to sensitise children during morning assemblies, hold rallies on the issue as well as lectures by the traffic officials on the school premises. "The UN will provide funds for all these activities that aim at catching the children young and inculcating good traffic sense among them. It is the Directorate of Public Instructions (Secondary) that would allocate us funds," he said while talking to TNS. The instructions are, however, silent on giving the blue-print for holding such activities. "The project was started in May last year. We have already wasted one whole precious year and we still do not have anything concrete to offer. Neither the education department nor the stake holders in the project are clear as to how the younger generation is to be sensitized on road safety," said Harman Sidhu, president of the NGO ArriveSafe. It is working in collaboration with Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) for implementation of the programme in Punjab. Harman Sidhu said that an educational content has been developed to be replicated in schools, but the final nod of the Ministry of Surface Transport and Highways is awaited. In Bathinda, many young lives are snuffed out in road accidents, which could be avoided by simple intervention and religiously following the traffic rules. The Punjab police have identified 20 accident-prone areas in Bathinda district, but have done little to check them. Programmes like Road Safety 10 are aimed at mitigating the road accidents and the loss of precious lives.
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Youth Services Dept is short-staffed
Bathinda, February 12 Out of 22 districts of Sources said Bathinda, Faridkot, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Patiala, Ropar and Sangrur districts had assistant directors while in Amritsar, Ferozepur and Ludhiana had the staff and the offices while the posts of assistant directors were lying vacant there. However, in the remaining 12 districts, there were neither offices nor staff so far. Due to the vacant posts of the assistant director in the districts, not just the student and non-student activities have been affected but the functioning in the offices, where they exist, have also taken a hit. Due to the vacant posts, the youths have been deprived of the activities and guidance in the districts. The youth activities include youth leadership training camp, hiking, trekking, youth festival, recommendation of youths for youth award and inter-state tours. Besides the activities, the motivation work for the youths against drug addiction and social evils has also been getting affected. When contacted over the phone, State Liaison Officer in the Youth Services Department, Charanjit Singh, said the department had already sent requisition to the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) for filling 13 posts of assistant directors. He said an advertisement would be issued by the PPSC for the purpose. He also said since the model code of conduct was in force, the recruitment work would start only after the model code of conduct is lifted. The liaison officer also said the department had already filled the posts of steno-typists for the district offices. He also said the offices of the Youth Services Department would be established in the remaining districts after the model code of conduct in the state ceases to exist.
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Cold wave loosens its grip, bright sun makes mercury cross 20° C
Bathinda, February 12 The characteristics of spring also became palpable today as the mercury climbed to cross the 20 degree Celsius mark. The minimum temperature today, recorded at 7.30 am, was 7 degree Celsius, around 4 degrees higher than that on Saturday, as per the agri-met department of the Punjab Agriculture University (PAU), regional station, Bathinda. Considerable increase in the temperature was recorded in the afternoon as well when the mercury touched the mark of 22 degree Celsius, a hike of almost 7 degrees from the temperature recorded yesterday. The stark difference in the weather conditions between the two days — Saturday and Sunday — was because of the presence of the sun. While on Saturday, the sun remained under the veil of clouds almost throughout the day causing the mercury to plummet, today it shone bright, resulting in the considerable increase in temperature. The weathermen said the harsh weather conditions, experienced by the region during the last few days were due to the prevailing weather conditions in the Jammu and Kashmir and the Himachal Pradesh regions which had received snowfall during the period.
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Undertrial of Bathinda jail dies in Chandigarh
Bathinda, February 12 The deceased, Ashwini Kumar, was referred from the Bathinda jail hospital to Civil Hospital on February 1. From the Civil Hospital he was referred to Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot and further referred to PGIMER (Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research), Chandigarh. Jail authorities said Ashwini was hooked to drugs for the past few years and was residing in a slum area near the Model Town, Phase-1 quarters. His father had died sometime ago and he was presently residing with his mother. He was lodged in the Bathinda jail a few months ago where his access to drugs was snapped and a result of which his health deteriorated.
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Woman booked for burning holy scripture
Bathinda, February 12 Giving details about incident, police officials said the woman burnt the scripture to teach a lesson to her mother-in-law. The woman has been identified as Harjinder Kaur. A case in this connection has been registered against Harjinder Kaur at Balianwali police station. Senior police officials from Maur Mandi visited the house of the accused woman and take stock of the situation. Police officials took the holy scripture into their possession and also recorded statements of the neighbours and the family members. The matter was also brought to the notice of jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib, Giani Balwant Singh Nandgarh.
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Mock test of HIC held in city
Bathinda, February 12 As many as 6000 students from various cities took the test at 50 centers all over Punjab. The institute will provide scholarship to students in various medical and non-medical courses on the basis of their performance in the test. The result of the exam will be declared in the first week of March.
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Bathinda, February 12
Bhai Ghanaiya Chowk, NFL Colony crossroads, village Bhokhra, near hi-tech police post on Goniana bypass, village Harraipur intersection, bridge over the canal near Romana Ajit Singh, T-point on Muktsar road, village Behman Diwana bus stand crossroads, village Balluana bus stand crossroads, Karamgarh Satran bus stand, village Buladewala bus stand, village Deon bus stand crossroads, village Killi Nihal Singh Wala near the turn around the water channel, main gate of Bathinda cantonment on Barnala road, Adesh Hospital front T-point, village Lehra Bega bus stand, railway crossing T-point at Rampura, bridge over the drain near village Gill Kalan, railway crossing on Delhi line in Bathinda and T-point near hi-tech post at village Kotshamir.