 |
|
|
Bandh: Special forces deployed
Power thefts: Rs 7 lakh fine recovered
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
City’s open air theatre cries for attention
Traffic awareness drive in progress
Honour for ophthalmologist
|
|||||||||||||
|
Bandh: Special forces deployed
Bathinda, March 27 “Added to them, there are 100 commandos of Punjab Police and one company of BSF. All have been deloyed at public places in Bathinda city, Talwandi Sabo and other nearby mandis of the district,” Dr Gill said. The areas like bus stand and the railway station are being closely guarded and monitored. While the academic session in most of schools is yet to begin, the colleges are busy hosting exams. Not taking chances, the remaining schools have also declared a holiday tomorrow. However, no holiday has been declared on the part of the administration or district police. Meanwhile, the police today took out a flag march in the city to dispel fear from amongst the people and instill confidence in them. The flag march went through various markets and residential pockets of the city. Fact file
About 700 police personnel, including women, would be deployed in the Bathinda city on March 28. Besides, two contingents of the police, comprising 50 policemen in each contingent, have been kept in reserve, one for Bathinda city and the second for Talwandi Sabo. A BSF company, comprising three platoons, will be posted in Bathinda (two platoons) and Talwandi Sabo (one platoon). |
|
Power thefts: Rs 7 lakh fine recovered
Bathinda, March 27 He said four teams were dispatched under sub-divisional officers (SDOs) Amanpreet Bhullar, Surinderpal Singh Gill, Manjit Singh and Dharamvir Singh, who conducted these raids. At village Dunewala in Sangat sub-division, 14 cases were detected and
Rs 2.84 lakh was collected as fine. Similarly, in Lal Singh Basti and Naruana Road, 13 cases were detected. Two cases were detected at Home Land Colony and three were detected at Adarsh Nagar. The power department officials said in most cases, people had taken ‘kundi’ connections straight from the low-tension wires passing from outside their houses. In some cases, people had even bypassed current from the meter. “In a few cases, the meters installed outside the houses had been tampered with. An FIR has been lodged and we will investigate as to how the meters were tampered with. It is likely that people sought professional help to tamper with the meters,” added one of the officials. Interestingly, when the power officials reached an area at 6 am today, the speaker at a local religious centre warned the gathering by making an announcement on the public address system saying, “Bijli Wale Aa Gaye Kundiyan Kad Lao.” (The power officials have come. Remove your kundi connections). |
|
City’s open air theatre cries for attention
Bathinda, March 27 It was Balwant Gargi who designed this theatre, which was inaugurated in 1984 by the then chief secretary, Punjab, JS Dhanoa. The last time this venue saw any streak of literary indulgence was in December 2011 when Natya Manch from Jaito hosted seven plays during its week-long celebrations. “Even before that, the spot was merely used for holding school functions. Those schools that do not have their own auditorium or playground, use the open air theatre for hosting their annual functions,” said the authorities of the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) who collect `500 per day for holding events at the open air theatre. “It was the Rose Garden and the open air theatre that actually gave a new lease of life to a place like Bathinda where there was no source of recreation. It was Balwant Gargi who designed this structure. He got a room built, which now lies buried under the flight of steps in the theatre. Even the lighting system has fallen victim to the thieves,” reminisces the doyen of theatre in Bathinda, Tony Batish, who has been closely associated with Gargi. Not only the Rose Garden theatre, but the one at Government Rajindra College too holds great significance as it was here that Gargi performed his play ‘Kesro’ with artistes Sangita Dhir and Surinder Sharma in the early 1970s. “The open air theatre at government college too is named after him, but that does not suffice for the stature of the kind of person my uncle was. He was a man beyond our imagination,” says Gargi’s niece Amita Mohan, married to a chartered accountant in the city. Amita and her Chandigarh-based brother, Paresh Gargi, have been successful in promoting Gargi and his literature in the city to some extent, but feel that much more remains to be done. Theatre stalwarts like Tony Batish demand that the government should raise a memorabilia in the name of Gargi who is better known as the Shakespeare of the Punjabi plays. “The idea is not to raise mere structures of cement and concrete, but to let the younger generation know what kind of people have lived here,” says
Batish. remembering balwant gargi
|
|
Docs urged to play pro-active role in paying income tax
Bathinda, March 27 Singh said the income-tax department, while analysing the trade sectors of the area, found that collection from the doctors’ side was short. “Society has pined high hopes on you,” Singh told the members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Bathinda, at a meeting organised at Civil Lines Club here under the ‘Personal Contact Programme’. “The income-tax department does believe that you do not believe in tax evasion. So, just share the problems you are facing in depositing the tax with us,” Singh said, and added, “Together, we will find out a way as we are here to serve you 24X7.” Singh expressed hope that Bathinda, which once topped in the country when the scheme of paying `1,400 as advance tax was launched, would do wonders. The income tax official also quoted a saying to buttress his point, ‘When a pill can work, than why go for surgery?’ Addressing the doctors, assistant commissioner of income-tax, Alok Nath, said, “Just spare two-three hours a year for this very purpose and the rest would be taken care of automatically.” Speaking on the occasion, Dr Tarundeep Kaur, assistant commissioner, income-tax, urged the doctors to make efforts for reflecting their income inflow in their annual statements. “If you have any problem, just make us aware. We are at your service,” she said. Other senior officials of the department, including Harbhajan Singh, SK Singla, LD Bansal and ML Tuteja also interacted with the doctors at the meeting organised by the IMA, Bathinda. President of the IMA, Bathinda, Dr Surinder
Garg, welcomed the I-T officials while secretary Dr RK Madaan conducted the proceedings. President of IMA Punjab, Dr Shiv Dutta Gupta, was also present at the meeting. Other office-bearers of
the association, including treasurer, Dr SR Utreja, were also present. Later, the IMA members promised that they would live up to the expectations of the department. |
|
Litterateur surjit patar speaks
Bathinda, March 27 Talking about what ails Punjabi language, he
said, “What ails Punjabi ails every regional language, including the European and other world languages. The world is becoming unipolar in terms of language. The entire world is moving towards English. The
world is suffering from economic insecurity and is giving in to the demands of an increasingly globalised world. And the language of this global village is English.” “There is so much willingness to write and speak in English that the patronage that was used to be given to art and literature has come to an end now. Schools punish students for not talking in English and parents feel proud if there child does well in English.” “Interestingly, the Nobel laureates of India, Rabindranath Tagore, CV Raman and Hargobind Khorana, all had studied
in their regional languages and went on to bring laurels to the country,”
he added. The fall-outs of the lessening interests in regional languages can be seen in the declining sales of books, he said. “The purity of language is declining, be it in books or in popular media. A new literature is being created on the social networking sites. But all these developments don’t disappoint me too much. I see good songs being written for Hindi films. I see youngsters raise their voice against what they feel is wrong in society. If not through poetry or literature, they make their voices heard through the social networking sites.” While on the topic of protests, he got talking about the recent demonstrations against the Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh and rapper Honey Singh in Chandigarh, Barnala and Bathinda. Agreeing that artistes these days are recording only commercially viable songs, he said, “What is popular may not always be classic. Artistes these days record songs that they think will be a hit in the market. Little attention is paid to the lyrics and music. But we can’t blame them. The market is such. Pelting someone’s house and burning an individual’s effigy is not the right way to protest. Hatred begets hatred. The better way to do it is to have a peaceful dialogue with the individual.” When asked what message he would like to
give to the budding poets, he said, “A poet can’t be given a message or an advice. He can’t be told what to write on. A poet becomes a poet only by virtue of putting to words what concerns him. A poet should live among ordinary people and write about their worries. As Khalil Gibran has said, ‘The greatest singer is he who sings our silence’,” he added. |
|
Contemporary concerns
of Punjabi language
Bathinda, March 27 Discussions on varied topics, ranging from the contemporary novels to short stories to the changing world scenario, took place. Prof Randhawa emphasised that books be written on the concerns and problems of the common man and the times that we live in. “The literary works are the mirror of society. Instead of reading and taking inspiration from what our contemporaries are writing on, a writer should see what’s happening around him and write about what he feels about his times,” he said. “Villagers are not the same anymore and they have become a global village. The youngsters are looking at the world with a different vision. Globalisation has changed the face of the world,” said another scholar. Addressing the gathering, Dr Kuljit Shelly said, “Any individual, who has a dream should be prepared for a life full of struggle.” Surjit Patar also stressed on the fact that a writer must write about the times and the world that he is living in. “A writer’s words are the measuring scale for the times and history. Ruling the times is important than ruling a place. The name of the ruler of a place may be erased from the pages of history, but it cannot be done with one who rules the times,” he said. At the end of the valedictory session, all the guests were honoured. Dr Jeet Singh Joshi proposed the vote of thanks. |
|
|
State-wide strike by Milkmen on April 2
Bathinda, March 27 At this meeting, over 125 delegates from various districtslike Bathinda, Mansa, Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala, Ropar, Faridkot and Muktsar, took part. The meeting was attended by state-level leaders of the Dodhi Union, namely, Sohan Singh (state president), Kaka Singh (state vice-president), Joginderpal (state general secretary) and Sat Pal (state press secretary). State president Sohan Singh said as the state government had been turning a deaf ear towards their demands, the milkmen had decided to observe a strike on April 2 in the state. Besides, the milkmen from all parts of the state would also hold a rally on April 2 at Chandigarh to save their business, he added. Sohan Singh said the union leaders had also met the Punjab Dairy Development Minister the previous day, but he had only given an assurance to them to look into the matter and call them in two-three days. He said in case the union’s demands are not met soon, they would certainly observe a strike and hold a rally at Chandigarh on April 2. He said the private milk companies had reduced the milk purchase rates without any reason due to which their business was on the verge of ruin. He said they had brought the matter to the notice of the Director, Dairy Development, Punjab, in writing and verbally but he had been watching the situation like a mute spectator. He also appealed to the farmer organisations and other democratic organisations to raise their voice in their favour by way joining their rally and strike. Their demands include cancellation of licences of private milk companies that have slashed the purchase rates without any reason, opening of export of the milk and milk products, constitution of Milk Price and Costs Commission, and small-scale industry status to the milk processing units. |
|
Traffic awareness drive in progress
Bathinda, March 27 The special traffic awareness drive, launched earlier this week, has started showing results. “The overcrowded markets have become more open to walk in. Now, one seldom finds vehicles parked outside the yellow line,” said Inderjit Kaur, a resident of Nai Basti. The volunteers of an NGO, Sahara Welfare Society, held an awareness programme. NGO’s president Vijay Goyal said the volunteers stopped 20 traffic violators and counselled them about traffic safety. “Sadly enough, most of the violators had did not repent about it. “Most of them thought it was normal not to care about traffic rules and follow them,” said Goyal. He called for responsible driving. Sahara volunteers reached out to the masses requesting them to follow the safety rules, but not many were happy to comply with. |
|
Honour for ophthalmologist
Bathinda, March 27 He has been offered the membership taking into account the commendable work done by him in treating retinal detachment, diabetic retinopathy, intraocular foreign body removal and micro-incision cataract surgery. Notably, Dr JS Sra is among those doctors who have brought the world class surgery and equipment to the city. |
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
