Bathinda, November 5
Residents of the Aggarwal Colony have opted for the gated community concept to take the security of the area in their own hands.

Last week, a snatching incident was reported from the main road of the colony. A woman had caught the snatcher and handed him over to the police.

"It was then that we decided to secure ourselves. A meeting of our association was convened and we decided to strategically erect four gates in the community that can be locked after dark. The attempt is to enclose the entire area," said the president of Aggarwal Colony Welfare Association, Santosh Kumar Bansal.

The colony has around 60 houses and its residents decided to contribute and erect four gates in the area thereby enclosing the 60 households as one unit.

Around Rs 30,000 is being spent on each gate. Three gates have been installed and the work on the fourth one will be started soon.

One gate each has come up near Dr SK Bansal's residence and near a park while two gates are on the 40-feet road. The residents have decided to close all the gates, except for the one near Dr Bansal's residence after 10 pm.

"A watchman will be deployed at one of the gates, who will maintain the record of people visiting after 10 pm so that a check can be kept on the movement of traffic in the colony," said Santosh.

People from other streets too have expressed keenness to erect such gates. The association of these areas would convene a meeting and approach the Aggarwal Colony Welfare Association for the work.

Area residents said the gates were aimed at preventing anti-social elements and hooligans from creating nuisance especially around festive occasions like Divali, New Year and Lohri.

It may be mentioned here that community gates already exist in the Pukhraj Colony.

Bathinda, November 5
The 58th Punjab School Games began with the netball event at Khalsa Senior Secondary School today.

The event was inaugurated by the MLA from Bathinda (Rural) Darshan Singh Kotfatta, who was the chief guest on the occasion. The president of the Khalsa School management committee, Rajinder Singh Sidhu, was also present.

The function began with "shabad gayan" being presented by the students. It was followed by the hoisting of the flag. Fifteen teams of boys in the under-19 and under-17 categories each are taking part in the event.

Prominent among those present on the occasion were the assistant education officer Pavittar Kaur, Khalsa school principal Najar Singj, Kuldeep Singh, Harmandar Singh, Balkaran Bal and others.

In the under-17 category for boys, Bathinda defeated Gurdaspur 14-7, Barnala defeated Amritsar 28-2, Faridkot defeated Moga 5-3, Muktsar defeated Jalandhar 13-0, Ludhiana defeated Sangrur 12-2, Bathinda defeated Fazilka 18-10, Fazilka defeated Gurdaspur 11-9 and Barnala defeated Mansa 18-6.

In the under-19 category for boys, Amritsar defeated Farikdot 11-3, Mansa defeated Ludhiana 10-9, Fazilka defeated Moga 9-4, Tarn Taran defeated Sangrur 21-2, Gurdaspur defeated Patiala 11-9 and Muktsar defeated Fazilka 12-1.

Bathinda, November 5
Bathinda SSP Ravcharan Singh Brar today called for coordination between the police and public to help reduce the number of accidents taking place on the city roads.

During a media interaction here, the SSP talked at length about crime, traffic problem, rising deaths in road accidents and other police related issues.

Brar said his first priority is to make the city residents feel secure. “Like corporate services, the police too would reach the place of incident within no time," Brar said.

Promising the city residents of protesters-free roads, the SSP said from now onwards, such road blockades would be a history. "No matter which political party, association or union the protesters belong to, they would be dispersed within no time," he added.

Brar pointed out that protesters have no right to block the path meant for commuters. Cases requiring emergent medical attention fall victim to traffic jams during protests.

Warning the protesters against bringing their kids and women to the protest venue to gain police sympathy, he said nobody would be spared from being booked under the IPC. However, a preventive action would be taken against such incidents.

He urged the media to play a vital role in spreading awareness and circulating positive information among the masses.

The Bathinda SSP said that so far, no case of land grabbing or land mafia had come to his notice but he would crack a whip on unscrupulous elements involved in land grabbing and property disputes, if any.

On political pressure while deploying SHOs at various police stations, he asserted that there was no pressure on him and he could shift any SHO (if he is not performing his duty properly) any moment, without any political intervention.

Over the pending cases of crime he said at present, his focus was on ensuring the festive season passes off peacefully. However, these cases would be solved after Divali.

About the mystery death of an MES employee recently, the SSP said ballistic experts and images from Google Earth had been sought. "Three marriage palaces fall within the firing range of a .315 bore rifle. There is a possibility of firing from any of these marriage palaces. We will recreate the scene of firing today and every possible effort would be made to catch the culprit soon," Brar said.

Bathinda, November 5
A unique scene was witnessed in the city today near the 100-feet road with two groups of eunuchs fighting each other over their jurisdiction. The dispute took place near Guru Nanak Dev Senior Secondary School.

The eunuchs accused each other of entering their area and taking money from the people despite their respective jurisdictions having been demarcated.

Police had a tough time controlling them. A PCR van, two policemen on a motorcycle and a large number of local residents gathered as the cops took the eunuchs to the Cantonment police station.

"Though we have divided the area for receiving the tip in weddings, child births and the festive season, the other group forcefully takes money from the people in our area which is wrong. We already had a severe fight with this group and a case has already been registered by the police in this regard," said the eunuchs.

Investigating officer in the case, Baldev Singh said the eunuchs, headed by Rekha Mahant from Kotfatta and Kulwinder Mahant, entered into a quarrel. They were brought to the police station along with their supporters.

"One of the parties claimed to have got a stay from the court on the issue of jurisdiction. The next date of hearing in the court is on November 17 and both the parties have been advised to exercise restraint," the policemen said.

He added that a senior eunuch intervened and the matter was sorted out by deciding not to allow any of the parties to enter the area till Diwali because of the prospect of more money during the festival season.

Later, Kulwinder Mahant said the disputed area included some portion of Power House Road, Shant Nagar, Bhagu road, Model Town, Dhobiana Basti and adjoining areas.

Kulwinder Mahant said they had got the demarcation done in writing way back in April 2009.

Whatever be the outcome of the dispute, it will spell no relief for the people who have to shell out money on auspicious occasions to the eunuchs.

Bathinda, November 5
Couples in the city, who lost their teenage children in accidents, are opting for second baby through IVF (in-vitro fertilization) treatment, at the ripe age of 40 or even more.

In the midlife and unable to cope with the loss as well as under constant social pressure, women wishing to have the second child are undergoing the IVF treatment.

Even the women, who have reached menopausal age, are conceiving the second child using a donor egg. "The road accidents are claiming young lives. The effect of the lost lives can be seen in the form of couples pouring in to get babies using the IVF treatment," says Dr Rajni Jindal, who runs a leading IVF centre in the city.

Dr Rajni recalls that the first such patient reported at her clinic around five years ago. Since then, she gets four to five such patients a month. Talking to TNS, one such woman, who lost her 18-year-old son in a road accident a few months ago says, "My husband and I are both working. Owing to our professional responsibilities, we decided to go for one child only. We had a son who passed away in an accident a few months ago. Since then, we feel our lives have become rudderless. In simple terms, there is no aim. My friends have suggested that we should go for the second child. But at the age of 45, pregnancy is not possible naturally and hence, we opted for the IVF treatment."

Opting for assisted reproductive technique (ART), these patients face many troubles other than medical problems. By the time, the second child is born, most of the parents are too-grown up to rear the young child.

"We have never met an elderly women shying away from pregnancy as conceiving is by choice and not by chance. Many parents are more than happy and elated to have their descendent back as a tiny bundle of joy," adds Dr Rajni.

However, paediatrician Dr Ajay Gupta adds, "Since the practice of having children at a ripe age has just started in Bathinda, the effects of having grown up parents is yet to be seen in kids."

"I counsel children in the age group of 12 to 16 years, who accuse their parents of being overprotective, suspicious and interfering. In such cases, parents are of the right age. In case of elderly parents, the difference in opinions of the parents and the child could be wider," he says.

Bathinda, November 5
A car and truck collision on the road outside the District Administrative Complex today resulted in no casualties but divided public into two groups, that argued over the drivers' mistakes.

Heated arguments first ensued between the drivers of the vehicles after the collision. Later, the crowd that had gathered on the spot, split into two groups and exchanged heated arguments. While one of the groups was accusing the truck driver of driving at high speed, the other accused the car driver of negligently crossing over to the other side of the road.

It is learnt that the collision took place when the car, Maruti Zen, was trying to cross the road towards a book shop opposite the District Administrative Complex, was hit by the truck coming from the side of bus stand.

Though two cops reached the spot, the traffic on the road remain disrupted for over half an hour.

The onlookers said they saw the truck driver applying brakes when the car suddenly took the main road.

"The car had taken the turn from quite a distance and its driver failed to notice the approaching truck, which too was being driven at a considerable speed. The truck applied brakes and the bus following the vehicle too halted. Some of the bus passengers received minor injuries,” said Sandeep Joshi, a typist at the district courts.

“Though nobody sustained serious injuries in the accident, the car got badly damaged,” Joshi said.

Civil Lines SHO Gurdev Bhalla, when contacted, said no case had been registered in this regard as a written complaint was not received yet.

Bathinda, November 5
A workshop is being held for the students of fashion technology department of Swami Vivekanand Girls' College to prepare them for the three-day Diwali Mela to be organized from November 9 to November 11.

Head of the department Sharnjeet Kaur said the workshop will continue for a week. Students have made efforts at the workshop to decorate earthen lamps, pots, idols of goddess Laxmi and Lord Ganesha, candles and items of handicraft.

College principal Raj Gupta said the students of fashion technology under Maninder Kaur, Gurinder Jeet Kaur and Reena Katoch will organize the three-day exhibition.

Bathinda, November 5
Two residents of Rampura have been booked by the police for cheating. In a complaint to the police, Surinder Kaur, a resident of Dehradun, said he had sent money to her sister and brother-in-law to buy property sometime ago. The property was purchased and the documents were prepared in her name but the property was later sold off without her consent.

Bathinda, November 5
Ambuja Cement, Bathinda, will host the North Zone Ambuja Cricket League 2012 on November 8-9.

Teams from Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir will be competing in the league.

The employees of the manufacturing and marketing teams of all Ambuja units from these states will be participating in the event. A spokesperson for the Ambuja group said the main aim of the league is to promote the message of keeping people away from drug addiction and laying emphasis on physical fitness and the importance of games.

Business head, Ambuja north, JC Toshniwal will inaugurate the league. Besides, the heads of the manufacturing units and the marketing heads in Punjab will also be present on the occasion.