Bathinda, August 8
Police have booked six persons, including a Municipal Councillor and a former councillor, for cheating an employee of the PTU Giani Zail Singh Campus.

A complaint was submitted with the Economic Offences Wing of the Bathinda police by Amritpal Kaur.

She accused Devinder Kohli, Raghuvir Kohli Bhappa, both brothers and residents of Mehna Chowk, Lakhvir Singh of Adarsh Nagar, Jiwan Kumar, MC Darbara Singh and former MC Chhinder Kaur of pocketing `14 lakh on the pretext of selling a plot.

Naib Singh, an employee of the college and husband of the complainant, told Bathinda Tribune that they decided to purchase a 101 square yard plot in the unplanned area near Adarsh Nagar for `7 lakh around seven months ago.

The accused, including a policeman and their son-in -law, whose names have not been included by the police in the FIR, offered to help them in buying the plot.

The complainant added that they had requested the police to look into the role of the son-in-law and a head constable in the deal.

“My son-in-law assured us of a fair deal by showing that he too was spending the same amount — `7 lakh — to buy a similar plot in the area. Despite the agreement, mutation of the land and registration, it was later discovered that there was no such plot in the area and the place shown to us was actually a street,” Naib said.

He also claimed that their son-in-law initially consoled them by saying that he too had been cheated but later refused to become a party in the complaint.

“This led to the suspicion that our son-in-law was also involved in the plan to cheat us. Despite informing the police of the role of our son-in-law and a policeman in the plan, the police did not include their names in the FIR,” he said.

He added that the investigation continued for more than three months and a case was finally registered against the accused only after they made numerous rounds of the Economic Offences Wing and the senior police functionaries.

He said three of the accused, Lakhvir Singh Lucky, Devinder Kohli, and Bhappa Kohli, were arrested by the police at 5 am on Wednesday.

A case under sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered in this connection against the accused at the Civil Lines police station.

Bathinda, August 8
The extended dry spell has led to an increase in milk prices in Bathinda. Though the dairy farmers are still planning to increase the prices, the prices of the standardised and toned milk packets have already been increased by Rs 1 and Rs 2. At present, the price of milk ranges between Rs 35 and Rs 40.

Dev Raj, inspector, Dairy Development Department, Bathinda, said the price has shot up as excessive heat has led to a decline in the production of milk.

“The price may go down again if the production improves after the rains in the next few weeks,” Dev Raj said.

He said the average milk production in Bathinda is nearly seven lakh litres per day. Milkmen are resorting to various means of adulteration and use injections to maintain the supply of milk these days, he added.

President of the Milk Vendor and Dairy Union of Punjab, Sohan Singh said the milk production would be back to normal in the next two months or so.

A section of the milkmen admitted selling adulterated milk to cater to the demand. A vendor in the city, having ten cattleheads, said he was forced to use injections to extract milk from the animals to maintain the supply of milk to 36 houses.

“There are some families who offer `40 for a litre of milk which is extracted in front of them,” the vendor said. He added that out of ten animals, he had to give injections to two before milking them.

“The breeding season of these animals, which starts after mid-August, will help in improving the milk production,” said Mohan Singh, a milkman in the city. He said most dairy animals in the city and surrounding areas were suffering from infertility due to lack of proper diet and care.

Dr SP Sharma, a veterinarian in the city, said green fodder gives calcium, phosphorous and other necessary nutrients to animals.

“Lack of green fodder leads to weakness among the animals who fail to reproduce,”he said.

The rising price of green fodder, due to its decreasing availability, is one of the reasons why it is missing from the diet of dairy animals. The price of green fodder ranges between `250 and `300 per quintal while dry fodder is available at the rate of `300 per quintal.

Sharma said a healthy dairy animal requires 40 kg of foodstuff everyday and green fodder is a must in its diet. Most of those running non-commercial dairy farms use injections to get milk from the animals, he said.

Bathinda, August 8
Actress Monica Bedi and Punjabi singers Preet Harpal and Roshan Prince had the city star-struck, quite literally, when they came to promote their upcoming Punjabi film, “Sirphire”. Accompanying them were the producer of the film Gurpreet Singh Sidhu and director Harjit Ricky.

Actress Monica Bedi flanked by singers-turned-actors Preet Harpal (left) and Roshan Prince (right) during a press conference held to promote their upcoming Punjabi film, “Sirphire”, in Bathinda on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

Monica seemed to have lost a lot of weight, along with the baggage of her past. Dressed in a dark peach top and beige Capri, she looked quite petite. Beginning with a chaste “Namaste”, she thanked everyone related to the film for giving a “Punjabi girl an opportunity to work in a Punjabi film”.

When asked what took her so long to enter the Punjabi film industry, she said, “This is my first Punjabi film. If we study the Punjabi films that were being made some 10-15 years back, we will realise that those were family entertainers. Now, after so many years, the same phase has come back in the industry. I had been getting offers in the past as well, but I didn’t find any of them interesting enough to be my launchpad in the industry.”

Rebuffing the fact that aspiring Punjabi actresses first look towards Bollywood and when they don’t get enough or good work, they turn to Punjabi films, she said, “I’ve done quite a number of films in Bollywood and I’m glad those were opposite actors like Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Sunil Shetty and Sanjay Dutt. I have done many regional language films as well.”

“This is the golden period for the Punjabi film industry and this, I thought, was also the right time for me to enter the industry. Bollywood, Tollywood or Punjabi films — all are part of the Indian entertainment industry. Punjabi filmmakers have also started using the best cinema techniques and the films are being shot in exotic locations and I see no difference between Punjabi and Hindi films now,” she added.

Preet Harpal, talking about the trend of singers turning actors in the Punjabi film industry, said, “In films like “Jihne Mera Dil Luteya”, “Jatt & Juliet” and “Carry on Jatta”, the singers have proven their acting prowess. Diljit Dosanjh has set a glittering example for all the actors who wish to see themselves as actors.”

“In fact, it is less about a singer turning into an actor and more about how a person carries himself in front of the camera. If someone has the talent and the confidence, being or not being a singer is of little significance,” he added.

Talking about the present crop of blockbuster Punjabi films, he said, “We are glad that the films being made these days promote the Punjabi culture in one way or the other. The best thing about these films is the fact that one can watch them with the entire family. No wonder, they are doing as well as some of the blockbuster Hindi films.”

The team had a packed promotional tour. Before the press conference, the team visited the campuses of Baba Farid Group of Institutions and Guru Kashi University. It was also scheduled to visit a mall in the city after the conference. 

Spat between bouncers, lensmen 

Bathinda, August 8
The excise and taxation department has pulled up its socks and has started keeping a close watch on goods being brought into Bathinda through various routes without paying the entry or exit taxes.

The officials at the excise department, with the help of the Sangat police, have detected tax evasion to the tune of lakhs through the Punjab and Haryana border near Sangat Mandi.

Sangat Mandi SHO, Amritpal Bhaati, said they were keeping a track of the tax evaders passing through various escape routes. He said goods and papers were confiscated yesterday in the city in connection with tax evasion.

A senior excise official, pleading anonymity, said in a bid to escape the two per cent Central Sales Tax (CST) on various goods, including iron, scrap or other goods, the businessmen were not entering through the prescribed entry tax barriers and were instead taking escape routes through villages of Haryana, Baretta, Boha or near Sangat Mandi.

“A truck carrying material worth `20 lakh is supposed to pay entry tax of at least `20,000 and if a trader manages to take five trucks a day through the escape route, he would save `1 lakh,” said the excise officer.

To levy CST, the officials are now plugging all the possible escape routes with the help of the police. They have also raided the premises of some transporters. The officials, however, said they faced difficulties as the tax evaders had developed a network with the help of many shopkeepers, dhaba workers and others who pass on the information about the raids whenever they detect a government vehicle passing through the escape routes.

“The tax evaders also keep a tab on the meetings of the raiding officials and choose the escape routes whenever the excise officials have a busy schedule,” the official said. The excise officials also said that the aim of intensifying the vigil was to make an effort to fill the coffers of the state government.

“We have been told to collect maximum money from the wrongdoers so that it could contribute towards various developmental projects in the state,” he said.

A case under various sections of the IPC was registered against a local businessman a few days ago for bringing goods through the escape route.

Bathinda, August 8
To throw light on the dangers posed by the increase in pollution, a training camp on biogas was organized by the Punjab Energy Development Agency (PEDA) at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Bathinda, yesterday. Speaking on the occasion, in-charge, PEDA, Sukhwinder Singh said if pollution is not checked at this stage, it would become difficult for the people to live in a healthy way. 

People wearing masks in metropolitan cities to protect themselves from air pollution will no more be a cinematic probability, but a reality, he warned.

The PEDA in-charge added that shifting to non-conventional sources of energy was the only way out. Biogas is one such non-conventional source of energy that is cheap and environment-friendly, he informed the gathering.

"Due to increasing demand, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), kerosene, wood and coal have become costly and would soon be out of reach of the common man, whereas biogas is one source of energy that is available at an affordable rate," he said.

To promote the usage of biogas, PEDA is offering a subsidy of Rs 8,000 on biogas plant for every beneficiary. He said in Bathinda district, there are 2250 such plants that are functioning efficiently. PEDA engineer Sandeep Singh spoke about the benefits offered on schemes such as subsidy given on solar geyser, solar street lights, solar inverter and solar cooker.

Bathinda, August 8
A seminar on colour perception and measurement was organized in the department of textile engineering at the Punjab Technical University Giani Zail Singh (PTUGZS) campus, Bathinda.

The representative of Data Colour Inc in India, US Gupta, was the main speaker on the occasion. Data Color Inc is the American manufacturer of technical instruments related to optics and illumination. Gupta made students aware about the basics of colour perception and objective colour measurement and gave a live demonstration of dual beam optical spectrophotometer, which is an instrument used for colour measurement of any textile material in the dyeing and printing industry. 

Co-coordinator of the textile engineering department, Dr Anupam Kumar welcomed the guest and advised the students to benefit from the experience of the speaker. Campus director Dr Jasbir S. Hundal advised the faculty to establish and upgrade related facilities in the department itself so that not only the students but the textile industry is able to derive benefits of this facility. 

Dr Rajeev Kumar Varshney informed about his proposal to seek a grant of Rs 20 lakhs under the scheme for the modernization and removal of obsolescence in technical education of the AICTE.

Bathinda, August 8
A resident of Sangrur who was returning after attending a marriage met with accident on Bathinda-Barnala road in the wee hours today. He was driving a Maruti Swift car which overturned and was damaged in the accident.

Cops at the Cantonment police station said the person did not wish to get a case registered with the police. Police informed that the accident took place at around 3.15 am yesterday. He claimed that the car driver did not receive any injuries despite the vehicle being damaged to a great extent. 

Preliminary investigations revealed that the driver of the car got confused while driving in the narrow lane because of headlights of the approaching vehicles, he said. The vehicle overturned and fell on the other side of the road with its parts scattered all over the place. 

The car also damaged an electric pole and a milestone on the Barnala road. Commuters said vehicles are driven at a breakneck speed on the road and a large number of accidents have taken place on this stretch due to the narrow road. 

Bathinda, August 8
Police have arrested a resident of Blahar Vinju village for possessing 2.5 kg of poppy husk. The accused, Paramjit Singh, was caught by the police during patrolling. A case under sections 5, 61, 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused at the Nehianwala police station.

Police have arrested one person with 7.5 quintals of wheat meant for the poor that was being sold in the market. The investigating officer-cum-complainant in the case, ASI Gurdeep Singh said the accused was caught carrying the wheat. He has been identified as Vakeel Chand of Kotli Ablu village. It was found that Vakeel was selling the wheat bought from the government at a subsidised rate in the open market at a higher price. A case under section 7 of the Essential Commodities Act and section 420 of the IPC has been registered against the accused at the Nehianwala police station. Further probe in the case is on.

In a cross case registered against two parties, police have booked seven people under sections 341, 323 and 34 of the IPC at the Diyalpura police station. Investigating officer in the case, Bhupinder Singh, said both the cases have been registered on the complaints of Rani Kaur and Hakam Singh, both residents of Dyalpura Bhaika village. The first FIR was registered by Rani Kaur wherein she accused Hakam Singh, Nirbhai Singh and Sarwan Singh of their village of beating her up. Rani said she was beaten up as the accused suspected her of lodging complaints against them. A similar case was registered on the complaint of Hakam Singh against Iqbal Singh, Nona Singh, Meetsa Singh, Jeeta Singh, all residents of Diyalpura Mirza village.

Police have booked six persons for beating up a trucker at Rampura. In a complaint to the police, Gurmeet Singh of Kotli Khurd village said Ranjit Singh, Gagan and Balvir Singh along with some others beat him up over a trivial issue.  He said the accused attacked him with deadly weapons with the aim of killing him. Police have booked the accused under sections 452, 341, 323, 148, 149 and 25, 27-A of the Arms Act at the Rampura city police station.  No arrests have been made so far.

Bathinda, August 8
Police have arrested three persons for beating up the driver and conductor of a PRTC bus.

In a complaint lodged with the police, Harmel Singh said he worked as a driver for the PRTC city bus. The bus left Bathinda at 7.40 pm for Mashana village last evening. When it reached near the Vardhman police post, a rashly-driven Maruti Zen car hit the bus.

The car driver seemed to be in an inebriated condition. He called up his kin and started beating up the conductor.

Policemen later removed the traffic blockade and arrested the assailants. A case under sections 279, 353, 186, 323 and 149 of the IPC was registered against Jagjit Singh, Pardeep Singh and Sehajbinder Singh, all residents of Anoop Nagar and three unidentified persons at Canal Colony police station.

Investigating officer in the case, Hargobind Singh, said initially, the accused had been sent to one-day police remand after being produced in the court.

He added that the medical examination of the accused was also being conducted at the Civil Hospital and further investigation in the case was on.