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Cricket stadium yet to get off the mark
PTU churning out ‘unemployable’ postgrads
‘Oak Creek a one-off incident’
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Class XI student nabbed by police for snatching mobiles to buy drugs
Less rainfall costs more to farmers
Banned plastic bags seized
Lecture dwells on research methods, need for innovation
Five held for drug peddling
Shop transferred using fake signatures, two booked
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Cricket stadium yet to get off the mark
Bathinda, August 11 Mounds of earth and weeds dot the 25 acres of land for the project which was supposed to be completed within two years and host international matches. The stadium was to come up on the land of Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) Regional Research Centre at village Jodhpur Romana, which was transferred in the name of the Punjab government soon after the foundation stone was laid. With the transfer of the land, the pending litigations were also transferred in the name of the Punjab government. "There were 27 cases pending against the government wherein some people had claimed the ownership of land. Of these 27, only five cases remain to be disposed while the rest have been awarded compensation as per the instructions of the court," said an official of the district sports department, Bathinda. Bathinda District Cricket Association (BDCA) president OD Sharma said that as per the main agreement, the Punjab government was to seek the help of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of which the BDCA is a part. But no such help was sought. In the meantime, the Punjab government had handed over the project to the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) for execution. The PIDB further invited tenders from private firms and the work was awarded to a Delhi-based firm. However, further details of the project remained vague within the department itself. Meanwhile, the BDCA had requested the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA) to lay a pitch so that players can at least start practicing. With the laying of astroturf for hockey at the Government Rajindra College in Bathinda, the playgrounds there have become redundant for use in cricket. "There is no place left for the cricketers to practice. So, we requested the local MLA to take up matter and get at least a pitch laid at the stadium where the cricket players could practice," he added. Confirming this, BDA chief administrator Uma Shankar Gupta said an estimate of Rs 16 lakh has been passed and the work on the pitch is expected to begin after August 15. Fact file The project is caught in legal complications and lack of coordination between the different executing agencies. With the transfer of land, the pending litigations were also transferred in the name of the Punjab government. The PIDB invited tenders from private firms and the work was awarded to a Delhi-based firm. However, further details of the project remained vague. |
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PTU churning out ‘unemployable’ postgrads
The MBA HRM pass-outs are left behind in the recruitment process for the labour welfare officers whose deployment is mandatory in every factory that has 500 to 2000 workers. Labour welfare officers are required to maintain harmonious relations between the factory management and workers, especially in times of labour unrest. While Bathinda has only one such unit namely, Guru Gobind Singh Refinery, there are many such factories in the industrial hubs of Ludhiana. "I applied at one of the cycle factories in Ludhiana for the post of welfare officer. I was shocked when my candidature was declared invalid as the PTU is not in the list of institutes under the Factories Act 1948, from where students can be employed as welfare officers," revealed a student from Bathinda. The student now plans to do an MBA in HRM from an institute included in the list. Due to lack of adequate number of candidates from the PTU, the students of Panjab University, Chandigarh, Punjabi University, Patiala, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar and a Chandigarh-based institute get these jobs easily. With more number of MBA HRM colleges opening under the PTU, the university is preparing a new brigade of unemployable youngsters. The PTU's Giani Zail Singh Campus, which has been declared a constituent college of the varsity, is set to start a course in MBA HRM from this academic session. Meanwhile, Additional Director, Factories, Sodhi Mal said it is the responsibility of varsity to write to the state government requesting that its name be included in the list. However, Dean, Academics, Punjab Technical University, Dr Buta Singh said he will take up the matter and write to the Punjab government for inclusion of the varsity in the list mentioned in the Factories Act, 1948.
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‘Oak Creek a one-off incident’
Bathinda, August 11 Dr Sethi works as director, Clinical Research and Education, with Bio Research Associates Inc. Reacting to the reports of American flags being burnt in India as a mark of protest against the killings, Dr Sethi said America should not be considered xenophobic because of this stray incident. "In these testing times, the American government and the people of America have stood by the Sikh community. The American flag was flown at half mast. At the gathering of the mourners, there were an equal number of Americans and Sikhs to pay their tributes to the departed soul," said Dr Sethi who ushered in the mourners at a gathering held on Friday at the Oak Creek High School to pay tributes to the six Sikh worshippers killed in the shooting rampage. He said not only had Sikh families lost their precious members, even the assassin's family had lost a member. "The loss is mutual and we should pray for the assassin's family also who lost a precious life," he added. Dr Sethi said the incident has served as a wake-up call for the Sikh community, which has now started introspecting. At the Oak Creek gathering, the young Sikh mourners were seen discussing how such incidents can be avoided in future. Remembering the events that unfolded on that fateful Sunday, Dr Sethi, whose residence is a just a mile away from the gurdwara, said he was late for the prayers. He was on his way to the gurdwara and was just a few yards away when his roommate called him warning of gunshots being fired there. "At first, I thought some worshippers, who had fought amongst themselves had opened fire. Then I thought it was a hate crime. But even the police has not been able to verify the exact cause till now," he added.
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Class XI student nabbed by police for snatching mobiles to buy drugs
Bathinda, August 11 Cops from the Civil Lines police station claimed to have nabbed the duo while they were trying to flee after snatching the mobile phone from a woman on Power House Road. Civil Lines SHO Gurdev Bhalla said Shubham has been detained in class XI for many years as he could not pass despite repeated attempts. He got hooked to smack and to get money to buy the drugs, he resorted to snatching mobile phones from the women and the elderly, who appeared to be soft targets, Bhalla said. He said Shubham's accomplice Rajinder is also a habitual offender and has already been booked by the police for snatching mobile phones and intimidating people. Rajinder was booked for snatching a mobile phone near Mehraj village a few months ago. The accused admitted to selling the mobile phones at a low price to shopkeepers in remote areas and then using the money to buy drugs or get fuel for their bike. The SHO said the youths targeted a woman, Paramjit Kaur, yesterday when she was walking towards her house near the Power House road. The accused snatched her mobile while she was talking to someone over the phone. The youths, who were on a bike, fled towards Power House Road where a police naka was already laid. The accused were arrested with the help of the local residents. Investigating officer in the case Jaswant Singh brought the accused to the police station where they were interrogated. Police recovered three mobile phones from their possession. Jaswant said that during the investigation, it was found that the accused used to threaten their victims using knives. They would target only the women, elderly or children and snatch away whatever they could lay their hands on. A case under sections 382 and 34 of the IPC has been registered against the accused at the Civil Lines police station. |
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Less rainfall costs more to farmers
Bathinda, August 11 As per agriculture experts and farmers, per acre cost has increased by more than Rs 3500 this season. Farmers fear that the delayed rains may now prove detrimental to their crops as experts are now predicting delayed rains. "Following deficit rainfall, though farmers manage to save their crops by pumping out groundwater with the help of motors run on diesel, they will not be able to save it in case rains lash their area next month. Then, the crop would be flowering and rains would prove fatal," said a leading farmer from Mehma Sarja village, Jagtar Brar. He said the extended dry spell in Bathinda had increased the input cost of farming, as farmers are forced to shell out more to buy diesel for motors to draw groundwater to save their standing crops. "The farmers who do not have motor connections are worst-affected," Brar said. Jagtar Brar said the Bathinda block has so far recorded a deficit of more than 80 per cent of rainfall. The block witnessed only 20 mm of rainfall against the normal 140 mm. Brar, who has grown paddy and cotton on 65 acres, rued that he had already burnt diesel costing more than Rs 1.5 lakh to irrigate his fields and it appeared that the input cost might increase from Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 per acre this season. Bhola Singh, a farmer from nearby Sangat Mandi, said dry spell notwithstanding, long power cuts were also adding to farmers' problems. Chief Agriculture Officer Dr Rajinder Brar admitted that there could be an increase of nearly Rs 3,000 in the input cost per acre. He said while the farmers had to pay more for diesel, they managed to save some money by not spraying insecticides and pesticides. "The rising temperature prevents various diseases which otherwise affect crop in case it rains," he said. Farmers said brackish water of Bathinda has affected the roots of the crops. Agriculture department officials said the area under paddy cultivation in Bathinda was nearly one lakh hectares while cotton was sown on nearly 1.5 lakh hectares. Apart from cotton and paddy, farmers in Bathinda are also growing fodder, vegetables and fruits. Charanjit Singh, a farmer from Mandi Kalan village, said a similar situation was witnessed in 2009, but the problem was more severe this time. Demanding an extra bonus on crops following drought-like situation, farmers said many of the farmers had to plough their standing crop, which had got burnt due to excessive heat. Amar Singh, a farmer in Goniana, said he had razed the paddy due to lack of water and had grown basmati, but now he was suspecting that the basmati too would have to be razed soon for want of irrigation. The agriculture department officials said they were trying to ascertain the varieties of paddy and cotton that were doing better and manage to survive despite deficit rainfall. "It would prove helpful next time," said the Chief Agriculture Officer.
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Banned plastic bags seized
Bathinda, August 11 The tehbazari team of the MCB swooped down on shops located on the Amrik Singh Road, Red Cross Market, Sirki Bazaar and grain market. During the raids, seven kg of plastic bags were recovered from the shop of one Deepak Kumar on the Amrik Singh Road, two kg of plastic bags from one Ashok Kumar of Sirki Bazar, 10 kg from the Rakesh Box Factory Red Cross Market and 20 kg of plastic bags from Krishna Plastic on the Amrik Singh Road. As per the orders of the state government, plastic bags of thickness not less than 30 microns are allowed and the bags are to be made from virgin plastic, which is recyclable. However, the plastic bags recovered today were not made of virgin plastic, fell short of standards and were not labelled (did not mention the name of manufacturer as is mandatory under law). Municipal commissioner Uma Shankar Gupta said as per the law, Rs 2,000 as composition fees was recovered from the user of such bags. The fine would be imposed on all those caught with the plastic bags today. He, however, added that the manufacturer of such bags could not be located. The drive of the MCB would prove to be a little deterrent in stopping the use of plastic, which finds its way to sewers leading to major blockages and is also extremely harmful for the environment. City residents called for a complete ban on the use of plastic and demanded promotion of paper or jute bags on the lines of Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh. It is learnt that the raids were conducted after Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal directed the MCB to look into the matter during his recent visit to the city for inauguration of a railway overbridge on the Badal-Muktsar road. Sources said Sukhbir may moot a proposal for a complete ban on plastic bags in the next session of the Vidhan Sabha. Plastic has been banned under The Punjab Plastic Bags (Manufacture, Usage and Disposal) Control Act.
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Lecture dwells on research methods, need for innovation
Bathinda, August 11 Dr Somdev Bhardwaj, former director of the Cancer Research Institute, Gwalior, and presently, working as the secretary, Vigyan Bharti, spoke about the role of scientists in the present era. He emphasised that a lot of concepts existed in Vedas and Mahabharata, including that of cloning. He connected these with the fields in which the research was being done by students and scholars at various universities. The director of the PTUGZS campus, Dr Jasbir Singh Hundal, addressed a gathering of MTech students and research scholars of the campus. He spoke about the importance of right attitude and proper conduct for an organised research. The Dean (post-graduate) of the PTUGZS campus, Dr Manjeet Bansal, registrar GS Bath and associate professor (Architecture) Bhupinder Pal Singh, were among the dignitaries present. — TNS
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Five held for drug peddling
Bathinda, August 11 Two of the accused were identified as Gurnaib Singh of Seengo village near Talwandi Sabo and Nachhattar Singh of Behman Jassa Singh village. The sleuths recovered one kilogram opium from their possession. The accused were carrying the contraband on a motorcycle which was also seized. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered against the accused at Maur police station. The accused admitted to having purchased the opium from Singpura village in Haryana to make fquick money.
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Shop transferred using fake signatures, two booked
Bathinda, August 11 In a complaint to the police, one Raj Kumar alleged that Girdhari Lal and Ashok Kumar his shop transferred by using fake signatures. The investigating officer in the case, Farvinder Singh, said a case was registered after a detailed investigation by senior police functionaries. The two accused have booked under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC at the City Rampura police station. Moga resident booked for cheating
A Moga resident has been booked for counterfeiting signature to withdraw money from the bank account of Mashana village Panchayat. In a complaint to the police, Sukhpal Kaur, a resident of Mashansa village, stated that the accused, Karminder Singh, had withdrawn Rs 44,835 and Rs 23,000 by forging her signatures. The matter was brought to the notice of the police. Following a detailed investigation, Karminder has been booked under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 471 of the IPC at the Sangat police station. Two booked for beating
The police has booked two persons and a few unidentified persons for beating up a resident of Bhairupa village. The two accused have been identified as Anil Kumble and Jaswinder Singh. A case under Sections 341, 506, 323, 148 and 149 of the IPC has been registered against the accused on the complaint of one Nasib Chand. No arrests have been made yet. Faridkot resident killed in accident
A woman of Panjgrain Kalan village of Faridkot district fell victim to a fatal road accident on Friday. The deceased, identified as Paramjit Kaur, was riding pillion on a motorcycle driven by her husband, Kewal Singh. The couple was on its way from Jalal village towards Bhairupa when the trolley of a speeding tractor overturned to fell on the woman, who died on the spot. The driver fled from the scene after the accident. The Phul police has registered a case against the unidentified driver under Sections 304-A and 279 of the IPC. One arrested with seven bottles of illicit liquor
One Balour Singh of Mandi Kalan village has been arrested after seven bottles of illicit liquor were recovered from his possession. The accused was arrested from near his village. A case under Sections 61, 1, 14 of the Excise Act has been registered at the Balianwali police station. The accused was released on bail. One booked for firing
The police has booked a resident of Kalian Sukha village for firing a gunshot with an intention to kill a resident of Nathana village. On the complaint of Manmohan Singh, the police registered a case against the accused, Kulwinder Singh, under Sections 307, 341 and 506 of the IPC and 25, 54 and 59 of the Arms Act at the Nathana police station. The complainant stated that he was going to meet someone in Kalyan Sukha village in a jeep when the accused intercepted and fired a gunshot, which passed over his head. He said the accused harboured a grudge against him over a trivial issue. The police said efforts were on to nab the accused. |
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For the last five years, the dream project of the chief minister, constructing an international cricket stadium and cricket academy is hanging fire.
Bathinda, August 11
Bathinda, August 11
