B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Mobiles seized from jail inmates
Faridkot, August 24
Days after reports surfaced about the kingpin of a gang making over 600 phone calls from the Faridkot Central Jail to threaten witnesses and influence police officials, two more mobile phones were recovered from the jail inmates during a search conducted today.

BJP councillors to intensify stir against Abohar MC chief
Abohar, August 24
Even as Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal had asked the senior officials to be more responsive to the problems of the people, none of them had bothered to listen to the citizens who had been staging dharna and observing chain fast at the Municipal Complex here for past 38 days, dissident BJP councillors resented.

Chand Bhan drain now sewage-free
Chandigarh, August 24
Chand Bhan drain in Bathinda district is finally free from sewage. Goniana Municipal Council is not discharging effluent into the drain and the work of installing a sewage treatment plant is complete.

Youth Cong dharna against ruling alliance
Faridkot, August 24
To protest against senior leaders of the ruling SAD (B)-BJP alliance in the state, the Punjab Youth Congress today organised a dharna and a march in front of the residence of Faridkot MP, Paramjit Kaur Gulshan, here. The Congress protest was led by the Youth Congress president, Vikramjeet Singh.

Goods confiscated at Ferozepur rly station
Ferozepur, August 24
The sleuths of the Excise and Taxation department conducted a raid at the railway station yesterday at night. Goods worth lakhs, brought here without paying the sales tax, were confiscated.

Heavy police force deployed at community congregation
Bathinda, August 24
Heavy police force was deployed on Mehraj road near Rampura in view of a religious programme planned by the Bhullar Bhaichara at Patshahi Chhevi Gurdwara Sahib.

Another ROB in the offing!
Abohar, August 24
Minister of State for Railways KH Muniyappa has asked the Ambala Division Railway Manager (DRM) to conduct a survey for the construction of another railway overbridge (ROB) besides an underpass at Abohar.

Mobiles seized from jail inmates
Faridkot jail at it again; 30 mobiles recovered in 8 months
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, August 24
Days after reports surfaced about the kingpin of a gang making over 600 phone calls from the Faridkot Central Jail to threaten witnesses and influence police officials, two more mobile phones were recovered from the jail inmates during a search conducted today.

One of these mobile phones has been recovered from Hapreet Singh, a youth undergoing 10-year imprisonment in a rape and abduction case. Another prisoner, Gurnail Singh, from whom the mobile was found, is undergoing life imprisonment in a murder case

Interestingly, during the search of the inmates and prisoners, the jail staff also recovered opium from a prisoner who is undergoing imprisonment in a case under the NDPS Act, said Tejinder Singh Maur, the jail superintendent.

Jail officials said the prisoner, Dharam Singh, got the opium from a visitor who had come to meet him in jail today. After the meeting, the jail staff started frisking Dharam Singh but he did not utter a word. The reason, as the jail security found out, was that the opium was hidden in his mouth wrapped in a polythene pack. Since he was unusually quiet, the jail staff asked him to open his mouth and the opium was recovered.

The jail authorities revealed that in the last eight months, 30 mobiles have been recovered from the jail inmates. During the same period, there were 13 cases of recovery of various psychotropic drugs from the prisoners.

There are also three cases of jail officials facing music for their negligence during the current year. Their negligence had led to the escape of undertrials. 

BJP councillors to intensify stir against Abohar MC chief
Our Correspondent

Abohar, August 24
Even as Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal had asked the senior officials to be more responsive to the problems of the people, none of them had bothered to listen to the citizens who had been staging dharna and observing chain fast at the Municipal Complex here for past 38 days, dissident BJP councillors resented.

Speaking to the media after a meeting, councillors Boota Singh, Ravi Makkar, Kamal Nagpal, former vice-president Kaushal Pihwal, Geeta Chaudhary and Gurmeet Kaur said there had been no improvement in sewage disposal and drinking water supply.

They have formed a 34-member action committee to intensify the stir seeking removal of MC president Shivraj Goyal as, in their view, he was responsible for the unprecedented mess in providing the basic amenities. They regretted that no senior leader of the saffron party paid heed to their demands.

Intriguingly, the political leaders had not been able to fulfill the assurances given to the electorate during Vidhan Sabha elections early this year.

Consumer Movement chairman and senior member of the action committee Satpal Khariwal said door-to-door meetings will be held to mobilise the people for the road march to be held on August 29. The protest will start from and culminate at the Municipal Council complex.

Chand Bhan drain now sewage-free
Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 24
Chand Bhan drain in Bathinda district is finally free from sewage. Goniana Municipal Council is not discharging effluent into the drain and the work of installing a sewage treatment plant is complete.

Information to this effect was given to the Punjab and Haryana High Court during the hearing of a petition filed in public interest for directions to the State of Punjab and its functionaries against releasing sewage of Goniana town into Chand Bhan drain.

Leaving nothing to chance, the Division Bench of Acting Chief Justice Jasbir Singh and Justice Rakesh Kumar Jain has directed the municipal authorities “to make an endeavour that the untreated water should reach the sewage treatment plant, so that it would be treated and used for irrigation purposes”.

The issue was brought to the High Court’s notice by the Gram Panchayat of Chand Bhan village and other petitioners. Hearing arguments in the case, the High Court on the previous date of hearing had taken on record a status report filed by Punjab Pollution Control Board’s environmental engineer NS Manshahia.

He had asserted that the Board’s member secretary, after hearing the MC’s representative, had decided the Council would not discharge effluent into the Chand Bhan drain under any circumstances; not even during the rainy season.

The MC would not lay underground pipelines towards the Chand Bhan drain; and would make necessary arrangements to use the treated sewage effluent for irrigation and plantation by June 30.

As the case came up for resumed hearing, the Bench observed that a Board official, along with Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board’s executive engineer, visited the site of sewerage treatment plant on July 27 to verify the compliance of decisions taken during the personal hearing on March 27.

They observed that Goniana MC was not discharging effluent into Chand Bhan drain; and the installation of sewage treatment plant, based on waste stabilisation ponds, was complete.

But the MC had not made arrangement for the use of treated sewage effluent for plantation.

Disposing of the petition with direction to use the water from the STP for irrigation purposes, the Bench observed: “Since the sewage treatment plant has been set up and the sewage water is being treated, no further order in this writ petition is required to be passed.” 

Youth Cong dharna against ruling alliance
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, August 24
To protest against senior leaders of the ruling SAD (B)-BJP alliance in the state, the Punjab Youth Congress today organised a dharna and a march in front of the residence of Faridkot MP, Paramjit Kaur Gulshan, here. The Congress protest was led by the Youth Congress president, Vikramjeet Singh.

“We are protesting at the Parliamentary constituency level to register our protest against the senior most leaders of the ruling alliance. Today, we reached Faridkot to stage a dharna in front of the MP’s house but we came to know that the MP doesn’t live in Faridkot and her house is locked. So, after staging a token protest in front of her house, we marched toward the Mini Secretariat to register our protest,” said Vikramjeet Singh, adding: “Our protest will end on August 26 after staging a dharna in front of Punjab CM’s residence in Badal village.”

Goods confiscated at Ferozepur rly station

Ferozepur, August 24
The sleuths of the Excise and Taxation department conducted a raid at the railway station yesterday at night. Goods worth lakhs, brought here without paying the sales tax, were confiscated.

Giving the details, Pavinder Kumar, AETC, said the department had been receiving inputs regarding evasion of tax by some people who were bringing in goods through trains without paying the tax.

The AETC said yesterday at around 11 pm, the excise officials including Yash Gill, ETO, Jaspal Handa, Harjinder Singh, Rajnish Sharma and Gurbaksh Singh conducted a raid at the railway station during which they found 106 items worth lakhs which had been brought by the Janta Express and the Delhi-Ferozepur passenger train.

The AETC said he has written to the railway authorities to instruct their officials not to entertain people who evade tax by bringing goods through trains in a clandestine manner. — OC

Heavy police force deployed at community congregation

Bathinda, August 24
Heavy police force was deployed on Mehraj road near Rampura in view of a religious programme planned by the Bhullar Bhaichara at Patshahi Chhevi Gurdwara Sahib.

Police force was deployed around the gurdwara since morning.  Some shops and a school situated on the road leading to the gurdwara were told to temporarily shut down to avoid any untoward incident.

DSP Randeep Singh Mann said the Bhullar Bhaichara sought to hold a religious programme and bhog ceremony at the gurdwara but the authorities declined permission. “The administration got the information that the ceremonies might be held even without permission. As a preventive measure, a large number of policemen from Bathinda and surrounding areas were deployed,” the DSP said. — TNS

Another ROB in the offing!
Raj Sadosh

Abohar, August 24
Minister of State for Railways KH Muniyappa has asked the Ambala Division Railway Manager (DRM) to conduct a survey for the construction of another railway overbridge (ROB) besides an underpass at Abohar.

Congress Legislative Party leader Sunil Jakhar informed after meeting the minister at the latter’s office that DRM PK Sanghi has been told to despatch a team of engineers soon to vet the demands raised by the residents during the minister’s visit.