Bathinda, March 17
The fund-starved Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) has failed to collect Rs 70 lakh pending house tax from 24 paying guest accommodations, three schools and 21 other establishments in the city.

While the issue found resonance in the house meeting held on Friday, nothing has been done to initiate an exercise to recover the dues.

“Most of PG accommodations are being run by the families patronised by local politicians. The owners of these PGs are minting money from the ventures for past many years. When these were served notices to pay house tax, few of them did not even deem it fit to reply to the notice while others filed objections stating that they have been wrongly assessed,” said one of the members of the house tax committee.

He added that three prominent schools in the city have house tax of `21.67 lakh, `9.41 lakh and `27.75 lakh pending against them. Besides, 21 other establishments in the city have also not paid the house tax.

During the meeting, a member of the house tax committee Krishan Kumar Garg had pointed out that these 48 cases have been lying pending for the past two years and with this financial year coming to an end on March 31, the amount would again be lost.

He had alleged that the defaulters are not being summoned for hearing on time leading to huge pendency and consequently, a backlog of cases.

However, assistant commissioner Kamal Kant said over 1,000 cases had been heard in the past two years.

“Hearing is a continuous procedure. Pendency can continue till March 31 and the left out cases come up for hearing in the next financial year. The claimants of such statements should verify with the department before coming out with such statements,” the assistant commissioner added.

The commissioner Bhupinder Singh said he was not well-acquainted with the subject and would ensure that the hearing is held soon after the next meeting of the house scheduled for March 26.

Bathinda, March 17
The employees of the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) have urged the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to absorb them in the Zila Parishad with separate identity.

President of the All India DRDA Staff Welfare Association Sadhu Ram Kusla said here he had sent a representation to the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal to issue a notification regarding the absorption of DRDA employees in Zila Parishads with separate identity.

Kusla said he had also requested the Chief Minister to issue necessary instructions to the office of the Joint Development Commissioner, Punjab, to put up the case of absorption before the Cabinet at the earliest.

He said the establishment expenses of the employees working in the DRDAs were being paid by the Government of India and the State Government at the ratio of 75:25. Besides, the Government of India had also clarified that after merger of the DRDA staff in Zila Parishads with separate identity, it would continue to contribute its share of funds required for administation of DRDA at the same ratio of 75:25.

Kusla also said the case, regarding absorption of staff of the DRDAs in Zila Parishads with separate identity had already been cleared by the Finance, Planning and the Rural Development Departments.

He also said their absorption case had been pending for the past about 12 years as a meeting had been held by the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on October 12, 2000 in this regard.

Kusla said at that meeting, it was decided to constitute a committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to give recommendations regarding absorption of the DRDA staff in government departments of the state.

However, the Chief Secretary did not convene the meeting so far, he added.

Bathinda, March 17
The university exams are coming up (starting first week of April) and the students are busy with their books. But these university exams also mean that 25 children from the Vishal Nagar slum area will have to miss out on their daily classes which were being held at the Adult Education Centre at the SSD Girls’ College, Bathinda.

In view of the university exams, the centre had to be closed in February since the college relieved the final year students for study leaves after organisng a farewell for them. Seven students of BA (final year) were actively working as teachers to these slum kids at the centre.

“Since the students had to prepare for their exams, we had to decide to close the centre. The classes were being attended by slum kids in the age group of 5-16 years. At the beginning of the classes in October last year, 48 children had enrolled with us but some of them stopped coming as the classes were hampering the work that they used to do,” said Usha Sharma, programme officer, National Social Scheme, SSD Girls’ College.

The NSS student volunteers-cum-teachers believe that they had a tough time convincing the slum dwellers to allow their children to come and attend the classes. “We had to make several trips to every single slum in the area and compel the parents to send their children to our centre. It was very tough to convince the parents of girls that it was important for girls too to be literate and at least know how to sign,” recalls Meenu Arora, a BA (final year) student who used to teach the children.

Many of these children were working as household helps and rag pickers. “Some of the girls, who were working as domestic helps used to spend their lunch break at our centre. Still, whenever they meet us they ask us when we will start the classes again,” adds Meenu.

Another volunteer Diksha Garg says, “In the beginning when we used to go to the slums, the dwellers used to wonder if we belonged to some political party and wanted their votes. Some wanted to know whether we would provide free lunch to their children at our centre. Before starting with the lessons, we had to tell them why personal hygiene was important and why they should take bath daily, comb their hair and clip their nails. Then we started with Punjabi, Hindi and Maths lessons. One of the boys was keen on learning English as well, we taught him the basics.”

Assuring that the centre will resume classes in July-August, Usha Sharma says, “Once the exams and holidays are over, we will start the classes again with new volunteers. Some second year students had assisted the earlier volunteers at the centre for some time to see how it functions. The centre will function the way it used to do earlier.”

Bathinda, March 17
A man allegedly tried to strangulate his wife in Guru Nanakpura Mohalla over a trivial issue. The victim has been identified as Bhajno Kaur.

Unconfirmed reports stated that her husband tried to strangulate her following a quarrel over a ‘minor’ issue.

Volunteers of the Sahara Jan Sewa said they rushed the woman to the Civil Hospital where she was being treated by the doctors.

Her condition is stated to be improving.

One of the volunteers of the NGO, Tek Chand, said a neighbour of the victim contacted the NGO over the phone and an ambulance was immediately rushed to hospitalise the victim.

Bathinda, March 17
The Computer Teachers’ Union is hopeful from the SAD-BJP government for fulfilling their long pending demands.

In a press statement issued here today, the president of union Balkaran Singh stated that a meeting of the union was held wherein teachers reposed their faith in the newly-formed government.

They said while computer teachers were regularised before elections, the need of the hour was to bring them under the ambit of the education department.

The secretary of the union Pradeep Maluka said the government should release the salaries of computer teachers that has been pending for the last six months.

Bathinda, March 17
Five persons, including an elderly woman, received serious injuries in separate road accidents.

A motorcyclist was hit by a speeding truck near Lake Number 3 of the Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant. The injured was identified as Mohan Singh. He was rushed to the local civil hospital by the volunteers of the city-based NGO, Naujawan Welfare Society.

In another mishap, a labourer was injured after he was hit by a bus on the GT Road near the Nirankari Bhawan. The injured, Karan Kumar, a resident of Partap Nagar, was on his bicycle when the truck hit him. The volunteers of the NGO, Naujawan Welfare Society, rushed him to the civil hospital.

Rajesh Kumar, a resident of Parasram Nagar, received multiples injuries when his motorcycle slipped near the Parasram Chowk last night. He was taken to a city hospital by the volunteers of an NGO.

A migrant, identified as Satnam Singh was taken to the Civil Hospital by the volunteers of the NGO, Sri Hanuman Sewa Samiti.

Some passers-by spotted Satnam lying in a pool of blood near the Multaniya overbridge. They then contacted the volunteers of the NGO who took the injured to the hospital. He is undergoing treatment and doctors say that his head was seriously injured.

An elderly woman, Shanti Devi, was found injured near the Patiala railway crossing. The woman was hit by an unidentified vehicle. She was rushed to the Civil Hospital by the volunteers of Sahara Jan Sewa. Police officials were informed about the incident and a case in this connection was registered.

Bathinda, march 17
An unidentified man was found unconscious near the Dhan Singh Khana village, situated on the Bathinda-Mansa road.

The villagers called the highway ambulance-108 and rushed him to the hospital, where the doctors at the Civil Hospital declared him brought dead. The body was later handed over to the volunteers of NGO, Sahara Jan Sewa. The Kotfatta police initiated inquest proceedings under the section 174 of the CrPC.

Another unidentified man, with a broken back, was found dead at the Malgodam near the Bathinda Railway Station.

Volunteers of the NGO Sahara Jan Sewa, that had been helping the vagabond for the past few months, said despite making efforts his identity could not be ascertained.

Bathinda, march 17
The students of the Little Millennium section of the Millennium School mesmerised all by dressing up as Barbie and Disney characters on the occasion of annual function, while celebrating ‘Barbie’s Day Out’

The function started with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp by the principal of the school, Beena Rao.

This was followed by a Saraswati Vandana by the students of class I and II. Through their Western dance performance, the students paid tribute to Michael Jackson.

Dressed in the traditional costumes of various states of India, the young students walked down the ramp.

The most interesting act of the function was the ‘Rangeela Punjab' presentation by the students in which they danced to bhangra beats.

Bathinda, march 17
Members of the Sardariyan Youth Charitable Trust took out a rally against the Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh and rapper Honey Singh, here today. They were protesting against the alleged vulgarity in the songs of the two singers.

The protestors alleged the singers, in their songs, had been projecting women in a derogatory light. They took out a march from Hanuman Chowk to Mini Secretariat and also burned an effigy.

Similar protests against the two singers were organised in Barnala and Chandigarh in the past also. — TNS

Bathinda, march 17
The Little Kingdom Nursery School organised its eighth annual day function on Friday. The celebrations started with the lighting of the ceremonial lamp and was followed by a spectacular outdoor display by the young students of the school.

The show started with the prayer dance, followed by a welcome song. Three-year-old kids presented a Western dance performance followed by a performance on Hindi songs and a bhangra act.

Calling children ‘the most wonderful creation of the Almighty’, principal of the school, Shuchita Grover, in her address to the parents, asked them not to make any comparisons between kids.

She also said the term ‘education’ should not be confined to books and homework but also mean the overall shaping of personality of a child.