B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Home guards to man security towers in Pb jails
Ferozepur, October 12
Once considered to be a distant cousin of the police force, the Punjab Home Guards (PHG) has been entrusted with the onerous task of manning the security towers in various jails of the state. According to the directions issued by the DGP-cum-Commandant General, Punjab Home Guards, the PHG volunteers have been asked to take over the task of manning around 103 security towers in as many as 19 jails of the state.

PSPCL’s easy bill payment facility not easy to locate in Muktsar
Muktsar, October 12
Electricity consumers here are unable to avail of the benefit of easy bill payment facility being provided by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), as many of the addresses of the outlets are either fake or incomplete. Though the PSPCL has chosen 13 easy bill outlets in Muktsar for making the payment of electricity bills, hardly a single can be found to avail of the benefit of paying the bills without standing in a queue at the traditional counters at the Corporation's offices.

Cleaning of main sewer line begins in Abohar
Abohar, October 12
To remove a major bottleneck in the sewerage system, the cleansing of the main sewer line was initiated in Arya Nagar near the railway track after about six years today. The Municipal Council arranged for a sewerage jet machine from the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA) to clear the blockages in the main sewer line located opposite the Mahatma Gandhi Vidyalaya in Arya Nagar.

Cleansing of main sewer line began in Arya Nagar of Abohar on Friday. A Tribune photograph

Farmers, arhtiyas complain about slow lifting of paddy
Muktsar, October 12
Irate over the slow lifting of paddy in the grain markets across the district, farmers and commission agents today lodged complaints with the Commissioner (Ferozepur division), who had come to review the situation.

DC conducts surprise checking at anganwari centres, school in Barnala
Barnala, October 12
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kavita Singh today conducted surprise checking at three anganwari centres, situated at Amla Singh Wala, Hameedi and Thuliwal villages. She also took serious notice of the fact that charts, books and toys had not been distributed among the children by the anganwari workers.

Drug trafficker’s father held for offering bribe to cop
Abohar, October 12
A man has been held for offering bribe to a police official here.

Sweepers go on indefinite strike
Muktsar, October 12
Due to the alleged delay in the payment of salaries, as many as 69 sweepers hired by a private company to collect door-to-door garbage in the city today went on an indefinite strike.

NWIET win hockey tourney

Home guards to man security towers in Pb jails
Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, October 12
Once considered to be a distant cousin of the police force, the Punjab Home Guards (PHG) has been entrusted with the onerous task of manning the security towers in various jails of the state.

According to the directions issued by the DGP-cum-Commandant General, Punjab Home Guards, the PHG volunteers have been asked to take over the task of manning around 103 security towers in as many as 19 jails of the state.

PHG officials said around 515 PHG volunteers will be deployed. They will be taken out from the callout duties which they have been performing along with the police.

In Ferozepur Central Jail, around 30 PHG volunteers have already been deployed, relieving the jail warders of these duties.

Confirming the development, Ravinder Kumar Awasthi, Commandant, PHG, said five PHG volunteers have been deployed on each of the six towers in the jail. He said there were 338 PHG volunteers in the district. Besides, another 420 volunteers have been posted with the border wing battalion.

Ironically, the PHG volunteers deployed in the jail have been equipped with the archaic .303 rifles which have already been phased out.

Awasthi said though the PHG has been issued around 180 self-loading rifles (SLRs) per battalion, the ammunition is not available yet. He added that as soon as the SLR ammunition is received, the .303 will be replaced by the SLRs which have been provided to the PHG by the BSF authorities.

Ramandeep Singh Sandhu, the jail superintendent, said PHG volunteers have been posted at five towers whereas the other three towers were being manned by the PAP personnel.

Sandhu said the jail warders who were earlier posted for these outer ring security duties will be henceforth be utilized for some other duties inside the jail.

Sandhu said he will write to the senior officials to provide better equipment to the PHG volunteers so that the security of the jail premises is not compromised. 

In the line of duty

The Punjab Home Guard (PHG) volunteers have been asked to take over the task of manning around 103 security towers in as many as 19 jails of the state.

Around 515 PHG volunteers will be deployed for the purpose.

In Ferozepur Central Jail, around 30 PHG volunteers have already been deployed, relieving the jail warders of these duties.

Ironically, the PHG volunteers deployed in the jail have been equipped with the archaic .303 rifles which have already been phased out.

PSPCL’s easy bill payment facility not easy to locate in Muktsar
Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, October 12
Electricity consumers here are unable to avail of the benefit of easy bill payment facility being provided by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), as many of the addresses of the outlets are either fake or incomplete.

Though the PSPCL has chosen 13 easy bill outlets in Muktsar for making the payment of electricity bills, hardly a single can be found to avail of the benefit of paying the bills without standing in a queue at the traditional counters at the Corporation's offices.

Besides, the automatic machine installed to collect the bill payment at the PSPCL office is also lying defunct for the last two years.

A visit to the addresses of easy bill outlets, listed on the official website of the Corporation, revealed that a majority of them did not even exist and the rest were difficult to locate.

The PSPCL authorities have only provided the names of shops selected as easy bill outlets and the road where these are located. But any landmark of the place or the full address has not been provided.

Not only this, even the outlets that exist are reportedly charging commission from the consumers against every bill payment, which is in violation of the rules.

Talking to this correspondent, an employee of the PSPCL said, "Recently, I paid the electricity bill of Rs 2,000 through an easy bill outlet. But I was charged Rs 20 extra for availing of the facility. I was not aware that the easy bill outlets can't charge extra amount from the consumers as they are supposed to collect their commission from the PSPCL."

When contacted, Deputy Chief Engineer, Muktsar circle, Dilawar Singh, said, "I will definitely take up the issue of incomplete addresses provided on the website so that the consumers can avail of the benefit. Outlets that are charging commission from the consumers would also be fined."

About the condition of the automatic machines installed to collect the bill payment, he said, "The old machine is lying defunct for a long time but the process to install a new machine is already on and it will start functioning in a few days."

Cleaning of main sewer line begins in Abohar
Our Correspondent

Abohar, October 12
To remove a major bottleneck in the sewerage system, the cleansing of the main sewer line was initiated in Arya Nagar near the railway track after about six years today.

The Municipal Council arranged for a sewerage jet machine from the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA) to clear the blockages in the main sewer line located opposite the Mahatma Gandhi Vidyalaya in Arya Nagar.

Executive Officer of the Municipal Council, Bhushan Aggarwal and the officials of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board (PWSSB) were informed that sewerage lines in localities like the new and old Suraj Nagari, Sidhu Nagari, Thakur Abadi, Sidhu Nagari, Azeemgarh, North and South Avenues remain blocked as water has not been disposed of from this junction.

Most of the streets and main roads connecting these residential areas became unfit for pedestrians.

Realising the gravity of the situation, the authorities today pressed into service its sanitation staff along with the jet machine. 

Farmers, arhtiyas complain about slow lifting of paddy
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, October 12
Irate over the slow lifting of paddy in the grain markets across the district, farmers and commission agents today lodged complaints with the Commissioner (Ferozepur division), who had come to review the situation.

As soon as Raminder Singh, Commissioner, Ferozepur Division, reached the local grain market this afternoon, a number of farmers started narrating their woes to him.

The commission agents there also joined in and complained against the staff of the paddy procuring agencies, saying lifting by the government was going on at a snail's pace.

A commission agent, Pipal Singh, even challenged the data of total purchase prepared by the government officials. Pipal Singh said, “The officials are showing fake records. The quantity of paddy procured so far is far less than shown in the records.”

Some commission agents even accused the rice mill owners of demanding undue benefits from them.

However, neither the Commissioner nor the officials of the district administration gave any reply to the queries of farmers and commission agents.

When contacted over the phone, Raminder Singh parried the query saying, "I am busy in a meeting."

DC conducts surprise checking at anganwari centres, school in Barnala

Barnala, October 12
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kavita Singh today conducted surprise checking at three anganwari centres, situated at Amla Singh Wala, Hameedi and Thuliwal villages. She also took serious notice of the fact that charts, books and toys had not been distributed among the children by the anganwari workers.

The Deputy Commissioner also checked the stock of mid-day meal at the Government High School, Hameedi. She found that the quantity of foodgrain for the mid-day meal was more in stock as compared to the record maintained in the register. She directed the Deputy District Education Officer (Elementary) Gurjit Singh to inquire into the matter and submit a report to her. — TNS

Drug trafficker’s father held for offering bribe to cop

Abohar, October 12
A man has been held for offering bribe to a police official here.

DSP Raj Kumar Jalhotra said Puran Singh of village Waddey Rauke Kalan in district Moga allegedly attempted to offer Rs 75,000 to CIA staff in-charge Navdeep Singh yesterday. He wanted the official to settle the FIR No. 110 registered on October 4 under Sections 15, 61 and 85 of the NDPS Act in his favour.

As per the revised instructions, the police is supposed to book the owner of the vehicle also under the Act even if it has been borrowed by the accused.

Puran Singh explained that his son Sandeep and his friend Manjeet Singh had fled leaving behind the poppy husk as the cops intercepted the black Scorpio (PB-12G-9676). He wanted the police to dispose of the case and help in getting delivery of the vehicle.

The CIA staff in-charge Navdeep Singh nabbed Puran Singh and lodged an FIR against the Prevention of Corruption Act. — OC

Sweepers go on indefinite strike

Muktsar, October 12
Due to the alleged delay in the payment of salaries, as many as 69 sweepers hired by a private company to collect door-to-door garbage in the city today went on an indefinite strike.

The agitating sweepers said they were to be paid salary in the first week of every month, but even after seven months the salaries were not being paid to them on time.

"The salaries of all sweepers hired by the company must be paid by the first week of every month," demanded Sunny Kumar, a sweeper, and added that they had not been paid their salaries for the last two months. — TNS

NWIET win hockey tourney

Bathinda, October 12
North West Institute of Engineering and Technology (NWIET) lifted the trophy in the inter-zonal PTU hockey tournament. The college team won the gold defeating the Adesh College 5-0. This is the fourth consecutive year when the NWIET has grabbed the top position in PTU Hockey Tournament. Chairman of the college Lakhbir Singh Gill and MD Prabhpreet Singh congratulated the students. — TNS