Bathinda, March 13
Hitherto ‘marginalised’ by the railway ministry, the businessmen of Bathinda appeared unenthusiastic on the eve of the Railway Budget on Tuesday.

Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi will present the railway budget for the year 2012-13 in Parliament on Wednesday.

Pinning no hope on the railway minister, president of Bathinda Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Raman Watts said that the area had always been marginalized as it did not fit into the poll plans of almost all the rail ministers.

“If names of Bathinda and its adjoining areas find place in tomorrow budget proposal for the railways, it would be a miracle,” said the BCCI chief, adding that but the centre government and the railway minister must take steps for the socio-economic development of the backwaters of Punjab.

“We are not hopeful. Still we pray for the introduction of new trains and some business-friendly announcements by the railway minister,” said Raman Watts.

Echoing similar sentiments, general secretary of BCCI Mohanjit Singh Puri said that expecting much from the rail minister would be futile.

Puri said not only Bathinda and Malwa, even Punjab had not been given much by the railway so far. Puri said that he was not hopeful from Dinesh Trivedi.

Secretary of the Mall Road Welfare Association, Navneet Bansal, railway ministry’s response towards the Bathinda and nearby places so had taught the residents here not to expect much from the department.

Although the region in dire need of measures, like new trains, electrification, doubling of tracks, by the railway for the augmentation of the development of the area, the area would not be given much tomorrow, said Bansal.

President of Bathinda Beopar Mandal Rajinder Raju also appeared pessimist as far as the railway budget was concerned.

Raju said in the present scenario when many tough measures, including increase in rail fare, may be in the offing, expecting welfare measures particularly for Bathinda and this region would not be correct as the region may failed to make room in the poll schemes of the minister.

Even though he has his fingers crossed seeming in anticipation of some miracles.

Finance secretary of Bathinda Beopar Mandal and vice-president of Punjab Beopar Mandal Som Nath Bansal also opined similarly.

Bansal said that the region though needs a catalyst from the railways for speeding up the socio-economic development, the region would fail to get something concrete.

Bansal said that the region has been getting step-motherly treatment from the railways over the last several years.

However, press secretary of Bathinda Hotel and Resort Association, Ashwani Malhotra is hopeful to some extent from the railway minister. “I hope that Bathinds would get a connecting super fast train for Delhi,” Ashwani said, adding that the area needed introduction of new trains for the development of tourism sector and in turn development hotel and restaurant industry.

Bathinda, March 13
Despite tall claims of the police for checking crime, the number of snatching and theft incidents is on the rise in the city.

Gold earrings of a woman were snatched by two youngsters at Model Town area here on Monday. Theft incidents are being reported everyday from various residential and commercial areas in the city. Shopkeepers and showroom owners are at the receiving end and they have to deploy more security guards to keep their shops under watch especially during night.

Some shopkeepers near the Gol Diggi, Mall Road and others have devised a novel way to thwart theft incidents by offering homeless people to sleep outside their shops.

“Offering shelter to homeless people serves dual purpose. While they get a place to spend their night at, we rest assured about merchandise in our shops. We also provide them with blankets and a paltry sum of money to sleep beside the iron shutters of the shops,” said the owner of a showroom on the Mall Road.

He said the police hardly succeeded in nabbing the culprits whenever a theft took place. They would merely complete the paper formalities and fail to perform their duty to arrest the persons behind theft or snatching incidents.

Jangir Singh, the police officer investigating yesterday’s snatching case at Model Town Phase-1, expressed his helplessness in arresting or rounding up anyone in this connection.

“We have registered a case and so far, no arrests have been made,” said Jangir Singh. He said two young boys on a bike had snatched gold earrings worth Rs 20,000 of one Pushpa Goyal, he said.

He pointed out that however, no injury was reported by the victim.

Jaswinder, a resident of the Model Town Phase-III, said the area residents caught a person, who was allegedly trying to steal something from a house. He was beaten up by the area residents and the police refused to take him citing his injury.

Cantonment SHO Jaswinderpal Singh said that there was hardly any theft reported from the area falling under his police station during the past three months and only one snatching incident was reported yesterday. “We are very close to solving the case. The snatchers will be arrested soon. We hope many other cases of theft incidents and crimes would be solved with their arrest,” he claimed.

Bathinda, March 13
After a gap of some years, the local SS Jain Sabha has revived its bird hospital at a new place, the Jain Sathanak situated behind the Cloth Market here. Before its closure, the hospital was housed in a building of the Jain Sabha at Pujaan Wala Mohalla here.

According to information this is the second bird hospital in this Malwa belt of the state. The other one is situated in a Gaushala at Jaitu, which is being run by the management committee of the Gaushala.

The local bird hospital began functioning about a week ago. These hospitals have been set up by the NGOs to provide medical care to the ailing birds.

When this reporter visited the bird hospital, namely ‘Bhagwan Mahavir Charitable Bird Hospital’ here, today, three pigeons were undergoing treatment. One pigeon was sick due to paralysis while the second was injured by the Chinese kiteline. The third was recovering from an injury due to electric shock.

President of the local SS Jain Sabha Umesh Jain said the paralysis-affected pigeon was being administered injection of B Complex syrup while the kiteline victim was being treated with Soframycin and Betadine. The third pigeon was being given multi-vitamins as part of the treatment.

Umesh said that in the afternoon, he had brought five white pigeons from the premises of local historical fort, which were left there by someone after finding them suffering from paralysis.

The ailing birds have been kept there in cages so far. However, the Jain Sabha authorities have now decided to create natural environment for these ailing birds so that they could enjoy natural life and fly freely. For the treatment of birds, a veterinary doctor, Subhash Jain, has been providing services voluntarily by visiting the hospital in the morning and evening.

Umesh also said some local NGOs like People for Animal Society and the Bathinda Vikas Manch, had been extending their cooperation to the Sabha. He urged the people, in case they found any ailing bird in the city, they could approach him on his mobile number 98143-19401 or president of the People for Animal Society Gaurav Goyal on his mobile number 98763-94310 so that they could treat the ailing bird.

Bathinda, March 13
The body of a newborn baby girl was recovered from a water channel near Giani Zail Singh College of Engineering and Technology on the Dabwali road.

Some passers-by informed volunteers of the Sahara Jan Sewa, an NGO, about the body.

President of the NGO Vijay Goyal said the body was fished out and it seemed that the baby was around 24 hours old.

Goyal informed the officials of the Kot Fatta police station about the incident, who reached the spot and recorded the statements in this regard. The cops took the body in their possession and shifted it to the local Civil Hospital.

A case will be registered at the Kot Fatta police station against the unidentified mother.

It is pertinent to mention here that three female foetuses were recovered from near Nachhattar Nagar and areas around the Bathinda railway station.

Bathinda, march 13
Punjab National Bank, Bathinda circle security department organised a two-day firing practice-cum-training for armed guards at Ladda Kothi, 2nd Reserve Battalion Punjab Police, Sangrur.

The training programme was inaugurated by deputy general manager, circle head, PNB Bathinda Circle, GS Gandhok. SSP Gurdeep Singh, commandant, 2nd IRB, Ladda Kothi, was the special guest of honour on the occasion. The convener of the programme was assistant commandant, Prem Sagar Bhardwaj.

The programme aimed at preparing the security guards to meet any kind of eventuality. While addressing the guards, Gandhok said, "Trained armed guards are the eyes and the ears of the bank. Their mental and physical alertness can save the public's money lying in the bank and the lives of its staff and customers."

Commandant Bhardwaj said, "Armed guards, being ex-servicemen, are partly soldiers and partly civilians. They perform their duties with authorised weapons and hence, their training is of utmost importance."

SSP Singh emphasised upon the physical and mental alertness of armed guards to avert any untoward incident.

Bathinda, march 13
City jewellers and some social workers congratulated the newly-elected MLA from Rampura Phul, Sikandar Singh Maluka.

In a press note released here today, president of the jewellers’ association of the city, Manmohan Singh Kukku said Maluka was honoured at Gurudwara Baba Taruana in Maluka village.

Chairman of the Beopar Mandal, Hans Raj Mithu, MC Rajinder Singh Sidhu president of Khalsa Diwan, Gursewak Singh Thermal, Bhola Singh Maluka, Gurjant Singh Mahil, Ranminder Bantu and local party workers of the SAD (B) and local residents were also present on the occasion.