Bathinda, July 5
A weeklong operation by the intelligence wing of the police today netted three interstate smugglers who had been selling opium in sachets of different sizes. The police seized 10 kg of opium from their possession. During interrogation, it was found that property worth crores was in the name of these smugglers.

The police recovered a weighing scale, huge quantity of sachets used to pack opium and three vehicles.

The police said efforts were on to attach the property of the accused in Dabwali and Patiala districts through court.

IG (intelligence) Jatinder Jain said the policemen who helped in arresting the accused would be given a reward of `1,000 each.

He said police officers of neighbouring Haryana, including Sirsa SP Davinder Yadav and SHO Dabwali Maha Singh, also assisted in arresting the accused.

Punjab police officials, including SSP Sukhchain Singh Gill, AIG Ajay Maluja, DSP Rakesh Kumar and Bathinda Sadar SHO Gurjeet Singh Romana, proved instrumental in making the arrests.

Those arrested have been identified as Baljit Singh alias Pappa, Harpreet Singh alias Beant Singh and Teja Singh. They used to bring opium from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh and were operating from Jandwala and Jai Singh Wala villages of Haryana and Bathinda city.

They had been selling opium in urban and rural areas of Punjab and Haryana in retail after smuggling it in bulk from neighbouring states. The accused confessed that they used to sell at least 30 kg of opium every month.

Baljit Singh’s two maternal uncles were notorious smugglers of opium, IG Jatinder Jain said.

A case under Sections 18, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against the three accused at the Sadar police station, Bathinda.

The police said one of the members of the gang, Nikka, was absconding and efforts were on to nab him.

Bathinda, July 5
The three members of an interstate gang arrested by the intelligence wing of the Punjab Police had been using luxury vehicles to smuggle opium from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Fond of vehicles they were caught smuggling nine kg of opium in a Hyundai i20 car. A naka was laid following a secret information received by the intelligence wing. Later, an additionla kg of opium was recovered from a house in a village near Dabwali.

Disclosing this today, IG (intelligence) Jatinder Jain said the arrested accuseds were habitual offenders and their family members too had been into the illegal trade of selling opium.

They had been selling opium in sachets of different sizes to customers in Punjab and Haryana.

The accused, Baljit Singh, Harpreet Singh and Teja Singh, had been into the illegal trade for the past two years.

The members of the interstate gang used to purchase opium in bulk from outside Punjab.

Using costly vehicles for comfort and to avoid police checking at various nakas, they had been doing the thriving business for the past two years.

One of the accused Baljeet Singh's two maternal uncles had been assisting him into the trade.

Jain said Harpreet was 19 years old and was the most educated among the three accused. He is matric pass and others two had left studies after class V. They have also purchased properties in Dabwali and Patiala districts of Haryana and Punjab, respectively.

AIG (intelligence) Ajay Maluja said efforts were being made by them to locate all the properties purchased by the accused and it would be investigated whether they purchased the property after earning money from the illegal trade.

The accused were travelling in a Hyundai i20 car when they were arrested in Bathinda.

The police said further investigation had been handed over to inspector Gurjeet Singh, the SHO of Sadar police station.

Bathinda, July 5
The government has sought data of the students of government schools, who live in the periphery of villages. Sources in the department said the government was mulling over providing transportation facility to these students in order to check the drop-out rate from school.

“It has come to our notice that few students stop going to school owing to long distance between their houses and their respective schools. Situation is more worrisome in the case of girl students, as concerned over daughters’ security, parents withdraw them from the school instead of providing them with an alternative," said sources in the office of Directorate of Public Instructions (DPI), secondary, that has sought the data. The data is also sought as response to a query raised in the budget session of the Vidhan Sabha on June 22.

The government plans to provide transportation facility under the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA), which has a component enabling students to be provided with transport facility.

Earlier, the government had charted out the Mai Bhago Scheme wherein girl students were provided with bicycles to enable them reach their schools. However, the scheme did not work out for those students who lived in the periphery of villages.

Directions for collecting the data now are meant to get information about both male and female students of middle, high as well as senior secondary schools.

Bathinda, July 5
After entering into heated arguments with officials of the Excise and Taxation department last night, some shopkeepers of Goniana Mandi today observed bandh in mandi. Later, while taking out a protest march they entered the Community Health Center where they raised slogans against the SMO (Senior Medical Officer) over some irregularities.

SMO Avtar Singh alleged that shopkeepers led by municipal councillor Ramesh Kumar Mattu had been pressurising him to release `35,000 for whitewashing the official residence of the SMO while in fact, it was done during the term of a previous SMO, around three or four years ago. On the contrary, Mattu accused the present SMO of various irregularities.

Giving details of the incident that took place last night, the joint director of the mobile wing of Excise and Taxation Department, MS Mata, said excise and taxation officer (mobile wing), Bathinda, Rishi Kumar got a tip-off about unloading of some cement bags in a shop. The consignment was without valid bills and other relevant documents.

The team led by Rishi demanded papers from the shopkeeper who tried to deceive the officials by producing the driver of some other truck and some bogus documents.

When questioned about the bogus bills, the shopkeeper called up his co-shopkeepers. Soon, the area was crowded and a mob started raising slogans against the excise department officials.

The police was informed and the matter was resolved with the intervention of senior police functionaries, including the area DSP and the Bathinda SSP.

Mata said his officials today met the SSP and demanded registration of a case against the erring shopkeepers for criminal intimidation and obstructing the government officials from doing their duty. Besides, Mata levelled other allegations against the shopkeepers.

He said in this connection, the SSP has marked an inquiry to a DSP.

Also, the shopkeepers of the mandi took out a protest march against the excise department officials after observing a bandh during the day.

However, some shopkeepers, led by councillor Ramesh Mattu, entered the Community Health Centre while returning from the protest march.

Mattu accused the SMO of not treating the patients in the health centre and referring most of them to a private hospital in Bathinda.

SMO Avtar Singh, however, accused Mattu of garnering a grudge against him for non-payment of the amount spent on whitewashing his official residence even when he was not the incumbent of the place when the job was done.

The SMO said the whitewash was done without any approval of the authorities concerned and he was unable to pay the bill from his own pocket.

While the doctors and shopkeepers entered into heated arguments patients in the health centre got panicked and some patients condition deteriorated due to chaos and hullabaloo.

The entire staff of the health centre observed a strike against the nuisance created by shopkeepers.

Later, while talking to TNS, Mattu also accused the excise department officials of harassing shopkeepers over the pretext of surprise checking and pocketing money.

Bathinda, July 5
The combined annual training camp (CATC) of the NCC cadets concluded at the Punjab Technical University Giani Zail Singh campus (PTU GZS) today. The 20 Punjab Battalion NCC under commanding officer VK Verma and RC Kaushik conducted the camp in which 340 cadets including junior and senior wings of different divisions of Punjab participated.

Commanding Officer VK Verma said live and interesting demonstration was given on disaster management. Dr Balwinder Singh, NCC in-charge of GZSCET, Bathinda unit, said 14 cadets including four girls of the PTU GZS campus, Bathinda, attended the camp.

PTU GZS cadets Sapna Sharma and Ekta Khippal performed the guard 
of honour along with the other cadets of GGS College Sanghera and ITI Bathinda.

Campus director Dr Jasbir Singh Hundal announced that cadets of PTU GZS Campus Bathinda, who get the first and second positions in various competitions, will be honoured on the occasion of annual cultural function to motivate the students to join the national level activities promptly.

At the concluding function, PTU GZS campus cadets, Himanshu, Ekta Khippal, Sapna Sharma and Abhishek Jain, performed as anchors at the cultural function.

Cadets performed giddha, bhangra and dance. Choreography on drugs and dowry was presented. The commandant officer delivered the closing speech and distributed prizes to cadets for various activities such as RDC, firing, paratroop camp, SSB and Thal Sainik camp.

Sapna Sharma and Anu Bala, cadets of the senior wing of the Punjab Technical University GZS campus, bagged the first and second positions, respectively in the drill competition for best turnout.

Ekta Khippal, a senior wing cadet and Pranav Sharma, a senior division cadet from the host campus, got the first and second positions, respectively, in the firing competition. Cadets Jasvir Singh of GGS College Sanghera and Nirmal Singh of Government Rajindra College, Bathinda, got the first and second positions in individual drill. Ekta Khippal also got the second position in individual drill competition. Some cadets have been selected for national integration camp.

Senior Under Officer Manjeet Singh, under officer Jasvir Singh and under officer Mandeep Kaur from the ITI Bathinda, GGS College Sanghera and Guru Nanak College, Budhlada, respectively, received cash prizes for their performance.

Bathinda, July 5
An elderly person, who appeared to be in his sixties, collapsed on the street near the Malgodam road today in the afternoon. Bystanders said the man seemed to be exhausted due to the scorching heat. He was walking on the road and fainted. His body and clothes were drenched with sweat.

Volunteers of the NGO, Sahara Jan Sewa, were informed about the man lying unconscious on the road. Local residents gathered around the man and sprinkled water on his face but he failed to regain consciousness.

The man was rushed to the local Civil Hospital by the volunteers of the NGO in their ambulance.

The man was declared dead by the doctors at the Civil Hospital.

Sahara workers brought the matter to the notice of the Kotwali police after handing over the body to the mortuary of the Civil Hospital.

Police officials said the man could have died due to excessive heat but the exact reason behind his death would be ascertained only after the report of the postmortem is received. Police said the report of the postmortem would be attached to the copy of FIR for further investigation.

Inquest proceedings would be initiated in this regard under which further action could be initiated if anyone suspects that the death of the man could be due to some other reason.

Police said they would initiate the inquest proceedings under section 174 of the CrPc at the Kotwali police station.

Volunteers of Sahara said the identity of the man died due to the oppressive could not be ascertained despite making attempts and enquiring about him in the nearby areas.

Bathinda, July 5
The Bathinda Improvement Trust and the Municipal Corporation, Bathinda, (MCB) today removed encroachments from various places in the city. Improvement Trust authorities got temporary encroachments removed from outside a pizza selling shop in its market near Mittal Mall. At least three scooters parked in the corridor were impounded.

“Today, we only impounded vehicles and issued strict warning to the offenders. If the violation continues, we will take a stricter action against the offender,” warned the executive officer of the Improvement Trust, Harvinder Singh Chahal. He added that the drive was being conducted on the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Similarly, the Trust also removed temporary encroachments on the footpath in Patel Nagar area on the Bibiwala road. Some slumdwellers, medicine sellers and other temporary encroachers were ousted from the area.

Meanwhile, the MCB too razed encroachments on the Power House road. The MCB authorities demolished the encroachments made by the Deol Bone and Joint Hospital that had come up in a complete violation of the rules. Around four-feet front portion of hospital was demolished.

Officials said all violations of the building by-laws would be dealt with strictly.

Bathinda, July 5
Under the leadership of the leaders of Mazdoor Mukti Morcha (MMM), Punjab, Ami Lal and Harwinder Singh Sema, the members of the Dalit community from Jeeda village today staged a dharna outside the district administrative complex here. A number of women also took part in the dharna.

The protesters were alleging that an employee of the Cooperative Society, Jeeda, and the committee of the cooperative society, wanted to take possession of the land which was being used by the Dalit women of the village for answering the call of the nature for the last many years.

Harwinder Sema said the MMM would not allow the Cooperative Society, Jeeda, to take the possession of the land in an illegal manner. He said during the regime of the SAD-BJP government, and excesses were being committed on the Dalits as influential persons were exploiting the Dalits and the poor.

Sema said though the issue was related to just one village as of now, but it might spread further in case the government did not initiate any action against the authorities of the cooperative society.

He said they would also intensify their struggle in case the government failed to take any action in this regard.

Sema also asked the government to construct pucca latrines on that site in the Jeeda village so that the Dalit women did not face any problems in future. He said it was the fundamental duty of the state government to provide latrines to the members of the weaker sections of society.

Among others who expressed their views on the occasion, included Shinder Kaur, Bachittar Singh. Gurdip Singh, Angrez Singh, Amarjit Kaur, Kultar Singh and Gurtej Singh.

All of them asked the administration to provide them with justice.

The protesters also submitted a memorandum to the Sub-divisional Magistrate (SDM) in this regard.