Bathinda, September 26
Terming it as a mere wastage of money, doctors in the city have struck a dissenting note against the recently organized two-day mega medical camp held at Badal village. As many as 17,626 people had availed of healthcare facilities at an estimated expenditure of over Rs 3 crore at the camp.

A city-based health and human rights activist, Dr Vitull Gupta said he has even sought a reply from the senior officials in the health department about the need to spend so much money on the mega medical camp.

"The mega medical check-up camp organized by the state government was nothing but wastage of money and manpower without any productive outcome. The people who went there had to wait for hours in queues to undergo investigation. The question that arises here is — where will these poor people, after they exhaust their five days of medicine, find the consultant who had examined them?" maintained Dr Gupta, who is also the Chairman of the Association of Physicians of India (Malwa branch).

"If we calculate the estimated expenditure of the camp at Rs 3 crore with the total number of patients that turned up there, then the cost comes to almost Rs 1,700 per patient. Is it justifiable to spend such a large amount on one patient, that too at a camp?" asked Dr Gupta.

Speaking further, he said, "It would have been better if the crores spent on such mega camps is utilized in a proper, systematic and efficient way by allocating and dividing it amongst the public health institutions of the area so that patients benefit by availing of the medical services from the same doctor at all times, rather than only for two days."

Similarly, a doctor deployed at a government-run hospital said on the condition of anonymity, "I am sure if our state's public health institutions are strengthened, there will be no need to spend such a huge amount on mega camps. Even the results of the money spent on government hospitals would yield results for a longer period."

There were a number of doctors at the camp, with similar views, who said the healthcare facilities at government hospitals also suffer because of the camps.

"When we are aware that the state health department is facing an acute shortage of doctors, there is no need to initiate such a step. If the government really wants to provide better healthcare services to the patients, then the money being spent on such camps, must be distributed among the institutes run by it," the doctors opined.

Bathinda, September 26
As many as one hundred and three teachers have been transferred to Bathinda district but are yet to be given schools of deployment. The education department has directed the District Education Officer (Secondary) to post these teachers as per the needs.

"The rationalization policy of the government is still to mature. In the meantime, teachers have been transferred and our office has been directed to deploy these teachers as per the need in different schools," said DEO (Secondary) Hardeep Singh.

At the monthly review meeting of district education department held at the Teachers' Home, the principals and heads of the high schools and secondary schools were directed to provide a list of vacancies in their respective schools by 4 pm today. Hardeep Singh said the transferred teachers will be allotted schools in the next two to three days.

At the meeting, the DEO directed everyone to follow the instructions of the Director General of School Education (DGSE) in its letter and spirit. He said no teacher would be allowed to perform non-academic work during the school hours.

It was also directed that the convicted teachers should not be allowed to continue in service.

"As per the directions of the DGSE, the services of all convicted employees should be terminated and a list of such employees has been sought from the respective districts," he added.

Prominent among those present at the meeting were assistant education officer Pavittarpal Kaur, mid-day meal coordinator Gurbachan Singh, superintendent Joginder Singh, Amardeep Singh from Edusat, Sarabjit Singh from RMSA, in-charge of the girls' incentive scheme Kavita Gupta, MIS coordinator Jaspal Singh and science in-charge Amardeep Singh.

Bathinda, September 26
Narcotic smugglers are not even sparing life-saving products to smuggle drugs into Punjab. The counter-intelligence Wing of the Punjab Police here today exposed a novel way of smuggling drugs by recovering 54 kg of poppy husk from bags in which glucose was packed.

IG Jatinder Jain said in a press release that the counter intelligence wing of the Bathinda police today arrested four persons in two separate nakas with huge quantities of drugs. The accused have been identified as Radhe Shyam of Saharanwala in Ganganagar, Amrik Singh Leela of Sangrur, Randhir Singh Dheera and Jagdish Singh.

The officials of the counter intelligence wing said the accused were arrested on the basis of a tip-off provided to them by sources. They were arrested during a long operation wherein the cops kept an eye on the activities of the drug smugglers entering Bathinda from the adjoining states.

Police arrested Radhe Shyam from near Nandgarh village and five kilograms of opium milk were recovered from his possession. He was carrying the drugs on a motorbike, which too has been impounded by the police. Police said he had been smuggling drugs from Bhilwara in Rajasthan for the last two years.

Radhe Shyam was also smuggling the drugs in areas like Muktsar in Punjab and Ganganagar in Rajasthan. A case under sections 18, 61, 85 of the NDPS Act has been registered against him at the Nandgarh police station.

In the other case, police arrested three persons with 54 kg poppy husk and impounded two trucks. The accused got the contraband packed in parcels of medicines in two trucks under the area of the Vardhman police post.

The trucks of the accused had been cleared at the Doomwali barrier and were moving ahead.

They were intercepted by the officials of the counter intelligence wing. They were later booked at the Canal Colony police station.

Police said Amrik Singh had been arrested earlier too by the police wherein 11 bags of poppy husk were recovered from his possession. A case in this connection was registered against him at the Sadar police station, Bathinda.

He was awarded 10-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh was imposed on him by the court. He had been smuggling huge quantities of poppy husk from Ratlam in Madhya Pradesh and was supplying it in Bathinda, Sangrur and Patiala.

So far, the counter intelligenc wing has seized 13 kg heroine, 14 quintals of poppy husk, 740 grams of smack, fake currency worth Rs 4.27 lakh, Rs 2.15 lakh in Indian currency, 18 vehicles and two foreign-made pistols.

Nearly 50 accused have been arrested for their involvement in the smuggling of drugs so far.

The signboard of the tantrik whose office was ransacked on Tuesday. photo: Bhupinder Dhillon

Bathinda, September 26
A day after the office of a tantrik was ransacked and six of his accomplices faced public wrath, police today urged people not to get caught in the web of these tricksters.

Civil Lines SHO Gurdev Bhalla said people should refrain from falling for these tantriks who have opened shops just to mint money by cashing in on their insecurities.

The residents of the area, however, said the ransacking of the office of a tantrik near Fauji Chowk yesterday had once again highlighted the lackadaisical attitude of the district administration and the police that had failed to put an end to the mushrooming business of tantriks in the city.

The police, however, washed its hands off the problem saying it was the propensity of the people to seek irrational solution to their problems that has lead to a rise in the number of such tantriks in the city.

"We cannot stop the tantriks or the astrologers due to lack of a formal complaint. We can act only when someone lodges a formal complaint about cheating on one pretext or the other," said SHO Bhalla.

The incident in which the office of a tantrik was forced to shut down by the local residents yesterday was, according to the police, just the tip of the iceberg as a large number of tantriks have set up business in the city.

These tantriks have set up their offices in various commercial areas and even book rooms in the hotels to lure their customers.

They release advertisements to entice people to their office to find a solution to their problems using various tricks.

The areas where these tantriks are operating in the city are Fauji Chowk, Bibi Wala Road, the area near the court complex, 100 feet road, behind the bus stand and near the railway station.

Lured by the advertisements, when people reach the offices of these tricksters and seek answers to their problems, they are again misguided. People eager to get their work done, wishing to go abroad or seeking employment too approach these tantriks and get misguided.

Police said there are many tantriks who use electronic and magnetic gadgets with which they deceive their customers and impress upon them the need to pay money for their services. After pocketing a huge amount from the customers, they usually threaten or blackmail them if they initiate any action against them.

Senior Superintendent of Police Dr Sukhchain Singh Gill said a drive would be launched by the police against the unscrupulous elements who deceive people.

"But people should come out with complaints against such elements," he said.

Meanwhile, a member of the Punjab Tarksheel Society, Master Rajinder Bhadaur, said people do not have the courage to look into the nefarious designs of the tantriks. "The tantriks correlate people's problems with plants and stars and the people, instead of looking into the system that they are working in, think it is their destiny. The tantriks claim to change the destiny of the people and continue to befool them," he said.

"We had offered a prize money of Rs 5 lakhs for tantriks who claim to change the destiny of the people and so far, nobody has won this amount," he added.

Official Speak
A drive would be launched by the police against the unscrupulous elements who deceive people. But people should come out with complaints against such elements.

—Dr Sukhchain singh gill, SSP, bathinda

Bathinda, September 26
The Punjab Government has recruited 37 medical officers (MBBS) in the state whose appointments were stayed owing to a court case.

The medical fraternity views these appointments as a much-needed relief to the rural areas where health services were lacking for want of adequate number of doctors. All the doctors have been given their working stations and have been asked to report within next seven days.

"This will at least reduce the referred cases that we get from the periphery. Many of the doctors appointed are post-graduates and specialists, who know much more than what is required of them," said doctors at the Civil Hospital.

"As per government policy, the newly-appointed MBBS doctors will have to serve first six years in rural areas. Had they been appointed in civil hospitals, it would have saved specialists from doing non-specialist works such as dealing with medico legal cases, emergency duties and other such works," added another doctor.

The appointment of these doctors had got delayed after some interns moved to the court claiming that they should also be considered in the recruitment procedure. The court stayed the appointment procedure.

Now, after getting orders from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the health department has issued a notification directing the 37 MBBS doctors to report.

Those from Bathinda are Dr Rajat Bansal, who has been appointed at the urban health centre, Lal Singh Basti, Bathinda; Dr Deepak Goyal, who has been posted at the rural health centre, Virk Kalan; Dr Meenakshi at Pratap Nagar health centre; and Dr Bal Krishan Singla at Maur Kalan.

Bathinda, September 26
Member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal visited the Chetak Empowerment Centre and Chetak Asha School at the Bathinda military station. She was accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Kamal Kishore Yadav and Senior Superintendent of Police Sukhchain Singh Gill.

Regional president of the Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) Annie Anand briefed her about various vocational training courses being run in the school.

The MP also interacted with senior AWWA ladies at the military station. She praised the Chetak AWWA fraternity for opening a school, which was a noble effort towards educational, vocational, physical and mental developmental aspects of the differently-abled children.

While interacting with parents of the school students, she assured them of all possible help. She also distributed gifts to the students of the school.

Earlier, addressing a gathering in Jassi Pau Wali village, the MP announced a grant of Rs 2.5 lakh for the Anganwari centres and another two lakh for Islamia Dharamshala. She also announced that the city bus service in Bathinda would be extended to Jassi Pau Wali and other villages.

She called upon the villagers to re-apply for old age and other pension cases. Responding to a complaint, she asked Bathinda Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav to inquire into the alleged misuse of grants meant for buying utensils in the school.

She also inaugurated newly constructed classrooms in the senior secondary schools of Gulabgarh, Jassi Pau Wali, Naruana, Jai Singh Wala and Gehri Buttar, respectively.

Prominent amongst those present on the occasion included Darshan Singh Kotfatta, MLA from Bathinda Rural, Deputy Commissioner Kamal Kishore Yadav and SSP  Sukhchain Singh Gill.

Harsimrat today also batted for farmers in the debate over introduction of FDI in retail. She said contrary to popular perception, it was not farmer-friendly as the companies were bound to buy only 30 per cent of products from the local region. Talking to mediapersons after inaugurating new rooms of a school building in Jassi Pau Wali village near here, she reiterated the need for building consensus on the issue. 

Bathinda, September 26
A former president of the Municipal Council, Rampura, has been booked for cheating.

Rampura City SHO Gurjeet Romana said that a complaint was received from one Sukhdarshan Singh, a contractor, wherein he alleged that Swaran Singh Kukku, the former MC president, and one Ibrahim Khan had sold bricks worth nearly Rs 25 lakh, but they did not deposit the amount with the Municipal Council.

A under Sections 420, 406 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code had been registered against Swaran Singh Kukku and Ibrahim Khan.

While talking to TNS, Kukku said he had left the SAD before the last Vidhan Sabha elections and had joined the Congress. "I have nothing to do with the sale or auctioning of bricks. The case is registered purely on the basis of political vendetta," he said.

The former president of the MC said all the development works were executed by the BDA (Bathinda Development Authority) and he was being made the scapegoat.

The police said no arrest has been made in this case so far and the matter would be further investigated by the Economic Offences Wing of the police.

Bathinda, September 26
A district-level science exhibition will be held on October 18 and 19 at MSD Senior Secondary School here.

Students will first compete at tehsil-level contests. The Bathinda tehsil contest will be held at Delhi Public School on October 11. On October 12, contests will be held at Government Senior Secondary School Rampura for the Phool block and at Government Senior Secondary School, Talwandi Sabo, for the Talwandi Sabo block.

The winners of tehsil-level competitions will showcase their talent at the two day event. The winners of district-level competition will later participate at a state-level competition.

The theme for this year is science and society, which has further been classified into six sub-themes, namely industry, natural resources and their conservation, transport and communication, information and education technology, community health and environment and mathematical modelling.

Besides, teachers will also be participating in different contests. They will compete in teaching-aids category. An on-the-spot slogan writing competition and an essay writing competition will also be held.

Bathinda, September 26
The students of Baba Farid Senior Secondary School (BFSSS) have excelled in the recently held PSEB zonal tournaments.

The students of BFSSS won 53 gold medals, 12 silver medals and 3 bronze medals in the tournament.

The students of the school excelled in sports disciplines like badminton, lawn tennis, yoga, judo, baseball, gun shooting, taekwondo, cricket, weightlifting, wrestling, net ball, handball, table tennis, football, kabaddi and chess. 

Principal of BFSSS, Baljinder Singh and vice-principal Navninder Kaur Dhillon appreciated the efforts of students and congratulated them for the flawless victory.

Gurmeet Singh Dhaliwal, managing director, Baba Farid Group of Institutions (BFGI), appreciated the zeal and enthusiasm of the students and said the positive energy unleashed by sports can produce better ideas and boost productivity. 

Bathinda, September 26
A workshop was conducted by the Indian Army on Tuesday and Friday at Guru Kashi University.

A representative of Indian Army had arrived to deliver a motivational lecture to acquaint the students regarding a career in the armed forces.

The whole programme was conducted under the UES-23 (University Entry Scheme). There were interview rounds with all the technical and non-technical students. From the Army, Major Amit Bhardwaj conducted the programme.

Karanjeev Singh, Training and Placement Officer, said the students will be shortlisted in the next session on October 3-4.

Almost 200 students from all the major engineering Colleges of the Malwa region participated in this pool placement activity by the Army.

Bathinda, September 26
An undertrial fled from the custody of three cops while he was being taken to Ferozepur in a bus.

The cops, Gargajj Singh, Gurjinder Singh and Ranjit Singh, and the undertrial, Devinder Singh Kala, have been booked by the Kotwali police under Sections 223 and 224 of the IPC.