Bathinda, May 21
Construction of a hospital is in full swing at the Power House Road without seeking due sanction of the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA).

The hospital is coming up at the 1,150 square meters of land adjacent to the residence of income tax commissioner on the same road. Bathinda Development Authority (BDA) had auctioned this land for commercial mixed land usage purposes on November 2 last year at the rate of `41,860 per square meter.

The land earlier had a house on it which was allotted to an XEN-level officer in the district administration and shares its rear boundary wall with the house of an additional sessions judge.

Without seeking permission from the BDA, the nodal authority at the district level, the construction of the hospital is on at the site. Choosing to turn a blind eye to the violation of rules, BDA authorities have not issued any letter or notice to the owner of the land.

Sources said taking notice of the unauthorised construction, the BDA today mulled a plan to issue a notice to Jindal Heart Institute.

BDA officials visited the construction site also. The land owner, Dr Rajesh Jindal from Jindal Heart Institute, said the Chief Town Planner had cleared the plan of his building. “However, the matter lies pending with the public works department XEN as we have made some changes in the toilets of our hospital,” Dr Jindal said.

As per the BDA rules, no plan stands sanctioned unless and until BDA does not approve it. BDA grants approval only after all the other departments concerned have given a no-objection certificate to the particular project.

Meanwhile, the BDA administrator, Uma Shankar Gupta, said no construction could be undertaken without getting any permission from the BDA.

“The construction is in complete violation of our norms. I have deputed a junior engineer to look into the issue and report to me. The progress of work is being checked and the owners would be directed to stop the work,” he added.

Bathinda, May 21
Police have expressed their helplessness over curbing theft incidents in view of the court granting bail to thieves within a few days after their arrests.

Police said they recently nabbed an accused. They added that the accused, who was arrested several times earlier as well, managed to come out of the jail after court granted him bail.

The accused, Suraj Bahadur, a habitual offender, is facing charges in five different theft cases and has always come out of jail after getting bail.

This time he spent one and half months at the Fazilka jail after he was caught with stolen material. He was released on bail just four days ago and the police arrested him again with 58 stolen mobile phones, an LCD and artificial jewellery worth nearly `2.78 lakh.

Nirmal Singh, investigating officer and in-charge of the district court police post said the accused was found residing illegally with a woman, Sukumari Devi. They have encroached upon a government quarter near the 100 feet road and had been staying there for the past few months.

Suraj is facing charges in five cases of theft and one case of quarrel, at different police stations in Bathinda and the adjoining districts. During interrogation, he revealed that he had stolen the mobile phones from Malout and other material from the nearby areas.

The investigating officer said though the court had again sent him to 14 days of judicial remand, he had no idea for how many days he would be kept in the jail. “He may come out soon and revert to his practice of stealing goods,” Nirmal said.

The interrogation of such criminals becomes a herculean task for the police as they get used to finding their way around the interrogation process. The policemen said they have no alternative to such situations. The court should not give bails to such habitual offenders, they added.

Nirmal Singh said earlier too, a gang of five thieves, booked by the police at Civil Lines police station, were granted bail within a few days of their arrest. 

Bathinda, May 21
A 30-year-old mentally unstable woman gave birth to a baby girl at the local Women and Children Hospital. The woman was found in labour aboard Jammu-Tawi Express at the Bathinda railway station at around 6.30 pm.

The volunteers of the NGO Sahara Welfare Society rushed her to the Civil Hospital where she delivered a baby girl at around 8 pm. NGO president, Vijay Goyal, said the new mother does not recognise the child as her own.

“She has neither fed the baby nor taken her in her hands. It seems she doesn’t know that she has given birth to a child,” he said.

Two Sahara volunteers have been deputed to make sure she doesn’t run away from the hospital.

Meanwhile, the family of a volunteer of the NGO is taking care of the baby. Goyal said the NGO would take up the matter of sending the child to a foster care centre with the district administration.

Volunteers of the NGO were trying to ascertain the identity of the women, but have not been able to get any information. She claims herself to be Salma and names a person named Munna. At times, she also claims to be from Jaipur.

Bathinda, May 21
The students of the Government secondary school, Maiserkhana, have taken it upon themselves to manage the waste generated in their school.

This waste management project has been initiated as part of the school’s ‘Paryavaran Mitra’ programme which was introduced in the school in March this year.

The school has been a part of the National Green Corps (NGC) programme under the Ministry of Environment and Forests of the Government of India.

The NGC school eco clubs focus on activities that spread awareness about environment among the students. The five core areas that these clubs focus on are conservation of biodiversity, water and energy, management of waste, planning of land use and management of resources.

The students from classes VI to IX have been enrolled for the project, which is being headed by the principal of the school, Varinder Pal Kaur and the Eco Club in-charge, Binder Pal Singh.

Talking about the initiative, the principal said, “Students and teachers of our school have pledged to take steps towards the conservation of the environment and to identify and arrive at solutions to the environment related issues."”

The school has 600 students, 25 teachers and registers 40-50 visitors everyday. The class IV employees of the school collect the waste generated in the school and segregate it into degradable and non-degradable.

The segregated waste is then collected in the large pits, dug by the students on the premises of the school in the empty space between the garden and the toilets for the students.

Three pits have been dug, two of which are used to collect biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste. The third one will be used to manufacture compost from the biodegradable waste material collected.

As part of the ‘Paryavaran Mitra’ project, the students will also take turns to come to the school during the summer holidays (to commence from June 1) and tend to the 100 saplings which were planted in pots on the school premises recently.

After starting the project in their school, the students and teachers involved in the initiative plan to spread awareness about waste management.

Bathinda, May 21
Sixteen schools have been served show-cause notices for not sending the list of beneficiary students for the Punjab State Talent Search Examination (PSTSE) scholarship for the year 2009 - 10 and 2010-11.

On March 28, the District Education Officer (Secondary) had issued the notices to the heads of 16 schools that were directed to submit a list of students that had cleared the scholarship test.

The schools were directed to send their lists by April 12. Later, the DEO sent reminders to the schools, which did not send the lists, on May 15 and again on May 18.

Sixteen schools in the district still did not send the lists. These 16 schools have been directed to submit their list by May 22 as well as give explanation for the delay.

The schools served the show-cause notice include the Government Middle School, Ablu, Government High School, Khemuana, Government High School, Sekhu, Government High School for Girls, Mandi Kalan, Government Senior Secondary School, Bangi Kalan, Government Senior Secondary School, Raike Kalan, Government Senior Secondary School, Chughe Kalan and Government High School, Poohli.

Besides, the Government Senior Secondary School at Chak Fateh Singh Wala, Government High School, Lehra Bega, Government High School, Sardargarh, Government Senior Secondary School at Paras Ram Nagar in Bathinda, Government High School, Maur Kalan, Government High School, Chathewala, Government High School, Raikhana and Government Senior Secondary School, Multania have also been served the show-cause notice.

The PSTSE scholarship is meant for the students of classes VIII and X. Each qualifying student is given Rs 1,800. The lists are being sought to distribute the amount among the qualifying students.

Bathinda, May 21
A Lok Adalat would be held at the courts of Bathinda, Phool and Talwandi Sabo on May 26. In a press statement issued here today, the District and Sessions judge SK Aggarwal stated that all kinds of civil cases would be dealt with at the Lok Adalat and settled 
amicably.

Any litigant can move an application for bringing up the matter before the Lok Adalat in the court where the issue lies pending. He added that the Lok Adalat also helps reduce the pendency of cases.

Civil Judge (Senior Division), Bathinda, Harinder Kaur Sidhu appealed to the district's advocates, social workers, bank managers and heads of the other departments to make the Lok Adalat a success and help people reach a constructive solution to their problems instead of lingering over the legal issues.

Besides, on May 24, a Lok Adalat would be held at the labour courts too.

Assistant district attorney Surinder Sachdeva said free legal aid is provided to people from the scheduled castes with an annual income of less than Rs 1 lakh. Free legal service is also made available to women, children and jail inmates.

Bathinda, may 21
Six persons have been booked by the police for instigating a girl to elope with a boy. In a complaint to the police, Gurjant Singh of Jalal village said his daughter was found missing on May 1. He alleged that one of their neighbours, Kulwant, instigated his daughter to elope on the pretext of marrying her.

Bathinda, May 21
Baba Farid College, Bathinda, achieved 100 per cent result in the third semester of M.Sc (Physics). The result was declared by the Punjabi University, Patiala.

A total of 28 students had appeared in the examination. Nisha Rani, a student of Baba Farid College has bagged the second position in the university with 84.2 per cent marks.

Six students of the third semester of M.Sc (Physics) topped in the college with more than 75 per cent marks and two students got more than 80 per cent marks.

These students are Prabhjot Kaur (82.4 per cent), Shallu Bansal (79.4 per cent), Ritika Garg (77.8 per cent), Manjit Kaur (76.6 per cent) and Kiranjot Kaur (75.2 per cent).

Pardeep Kaura, Deputy Director (Academics), appreciated the efforts of the faculty and the students. Gurmeet Singh Dhaliwal, chairman, congratulated the staff and the students.

Bathinda, May 21
Congress activists here today paid rich tributes to late Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary and described him as the architect of modern India.

A function presided by the former MLA Harminder Singh Jassi was organised in the morning in the Congress office where party functionaries and activists observed a two-minutes silence as a mark of respect to Rajiv Gandhi.

Addressing the partymen, Jassi said the advance made by the country in the field of telephony and computer was because of the farsightedness of Rajiv Gandhi during his tenure as Prime Minister. Science and technology also developed during his regime and a new direction was given to the country.

He said that efforts should be made to fulfill the dream of Rajiv Gandhi to make India a strong country by maintaining communal harmony and unity as that would be a real tribute to him.

Ashok Kumar, district chief of the party, recalled that it was Rajiv Gandhi who gave voting rights to the youth by reducing the eligibility for voting to 18 years from the earlier 21 years. Senior Congress activist Inder Singh Sahni said Rajiv Gandhi took keen interest in the protection of green cover and the environment.

Among several party functionaries present on the occasion were, Suresh Bansal, Ashok Bhola, Jasvir Jassa, Bhagwan Dass Bharti and Rupinder Bindra.

Bathinda, May 21
A deputation of the Democratic Library Employees Front today met the Punjab Education Minister, Sikander Singh Maluka to present the union's demands.

Bringing the minister's attention towards the union's long-pending demands, the district head of the union, Sukhbir Sungh Joga said the librarians' qualifications were equivalent to the ETT, drawing or PTI teahers. Joga added that while the ETT, drawing and PTI teachers were being paid salaries according to a similar pay scale, the librarians were being paid salaries as per a lesser pay scale.

After a letter of the demands was presented to him by the union members, Maluka assured them that he would consider the demands.

Also present at the meeting were Ashok Kumar, Gurjeet Balianwali, Moti Ram, Navjot Kaur, Shivider Pal and Darshanjeet Kaur.

Bathinda, May 21
Readymade garments including trousers, shirts and other garments were stolen from a shop in the city.

In his complaint, Sahil Kumar, a resident of Shiv Mandir Wali Gali, said the thieves took away the readymade garments from his shop on the intervening night of May 19 and 20.

A case under Sections 457 and 380 of the IPC has been registered at the Cantonment police station.