Bathinda, December 4
The Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) plans to borrow Rs 100 crore as loan from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) to provide drinking water and sewerage to all parts of the city.

Already reeling under funds crunch, the cash starved MCB is taking up the ambitious project that will translate into taxing city residents with increased rates of property tax, licence fees and other taxes.

The Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board (PWSSB) had prepared an extensive plan of Rs 99.43 crore to cover the entire city under the drinking water supply and sewerage facility.

Since the municipal corporation is unable to execute the project from its existing sources of income, it has decided to seek Rs 100 crore in loan from HUDCO. Earlier too, in 2000, HUDCO had granted a loan of Rs 42 crore for the same purpose.

The agenda would be presented before general body scheduled to meet on December 6. As per the agenda, for laying the sewer line in areas beyond Sirhind canal, Rs 59.68 crore would be spent. For providing sewerage connections in areas between the Bathinda-Bikaner railway bypass and the Bathinda-Dabwali road-- a large portion of the areas beyond the railway tracks covering 16 wards and a population of over 1 lakh-- Rs 28 crore will be spent.

For the rest of the city, a sum of Rs 11.75 crore has been earmarked.

To provide drinking water facility, Rs 31.86 crore has been earmarked. For the augmentation of the water works at Giani Zail Singh Engineering College, Rs 6.12 crore will be spent.

For the Ajit Road sub-water works, Rs 2.11 crore has been earmarked and for the tank in Desraj Memorial Senior Secondary School, Rs 1.59 crore will be spent.

For constructing a 2 million gallons per day (MGD) water plant at the industrial growth centre, Rs 1 crore would be spent and the augmentation of the Bhagu road water works would be done at a cost of Rs 14.09 crore.

A sum of another Rs 6.92 crore would be spent on constructing drinking water distribution lines in the city.

The loan would be paid over a period of 10 to 12 years with a possible installment of Rs 1 crore per month. The corporation plans to pay the loan from the VAT funds of Rs 45.03 crore received from Punjab government.

The fund will be directly attached with the loan wherein the state government will pay the funds after deducting the loan amount to be payable to HUDCO.

It is pertinent to mention here that the MCB has already taken a loan of Rs 40 crore from the Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) under which capital investment has been done in the city.

Leader of opposition in the MCB, Jagrup Singh Gill, said instead of taking the loan, the state government should give grant-in-aid for the project.

"It's good that the government wants to provide sewerage facility and water to all. But in lieu of the Rs 200 to Rs 300 crore properties in the city sold off to private players, the state should give grant-in-aid. Borrowing loan would mean increasing property tax and other rates, thereby squeezing out the hard earned money of the common man in the city," he said.

Gill added that the corporation should come out with its liabilities and income and then decide how the loan will be repaid. "If all these factors are not considered, the government may end up selling yet another property to repay the loan," he said.

Councillor Krishan Kumar Garg from the Nai Basti area said the corporation should also lay emphasis on maintaining the existing water supply in the city.

"The Nai Basti area is hardly a few meters away from the Gole Diggi water tank. Yet we face the problem of drinking water supply. New projects are being floated while no attention is being paid to the old ones," he said.

Meanwhile, former SAD municipal councillor Vijay Kumar from the Paras Ram Nagar area said Rs 100 crore would not be enough for the scheme. "The city's limits are being extended to 6 km, which means more funds would be needed. The government will have to seek more funds in the near future to come," he added.

Official Speak
The present income of the municipal corporation is Rs 2 crore per month and the installment of the loan could be easily paid. For the Rs 40 crore PIDB loan, the state government has been requested to waive it. The general house of the Municipal Corporation Bathinda duly passed this request and we hope the PIDB will oblige.

—uma shankar gupta, municipal commissioner, bathinda

Bathinda, December 4
The municipal corporation has not received any objections regarding the revised licence fees that will be imposed on all professionals and commercial establishments in the city.

The corporation had invited objections on October 26. However, no objection has been filed so far. Following this, the issue of the revised licence fees will be taken up by the MCB general house for its consideration at the December 6 meeting.

The corporation has introduced licensing for all units in the city. Under this, barbers, blacksmiths, sanitary fitting units, schools and banks would all be charged licence fees. The licence awarded will have to be renewed before March 31 every year.

A sub-committee constituted to look into the issue had decided that the fees of the commercially viable activities should be increased and that of the smaller units decreased. After introducing the necessary changes, the revised rates were kept in the public domain and objections were invited. Since no objection has been received, the revised rates will be kept for the consideration of the general house on December 6.

The corporation had passed the agenda to lay interlocking tiles and premix carpet in the streets around Ram Bagh in ward number 35. However, the residents of the area demanded that first sewerage connections be provided in the area and then the road be laid as it would be useless to lay the road first and then dig them up again to lay the sewer line.

The municipal councillor of the area also insisted that the sewer line be laid first. Fulfilling the demand, the sewer line was laid first and then the road was constructed. However, the cost of the project has exceeded the estimate passed. The increased bill will be presented before the general house of the municipal corporation for its consideration.

Bathinda, December 4
The Punjab government has asked the private schools to give 25 per cent concession in admission fees to the NRI students.

The move comes following the directions of Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal, who wants to attract NRI students to the state. The state government is hosting an NRI Sammelan from January 3 to January 5 next year, wherein the list of such schools would be distributed amongst NRIs in the form of a booklet.

For this, the district education officer convened a meeting of private schools here today. All the private schools were given forms and were asked to give their approval as soon as possible.

While the schools running under the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) are willing to oblige, the schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) have chosen to remain tightlipped.

"Giving 25 per cent concession to NRIs does not seem to be justified. When the Indian students studying abroad do not get any such concessions in school education, why should we have such a guideline? Moreover, when an NRI student starts studying in India, he or she will no more be an NRI. So, why extend the services?" said a representative of one of the private CBSE schools.

However, the principal of Dasmesh Senior Secondary School, Ravinder Singh Mann said it was a good move.

"It is good that the government wants to attract the NRIs to the state as our education system is better and cheaper than that being imparted in foreign countries. We are ready to give this 25 per cent concession. But it's an open secret that NRIs opt mainly for public schools in hill stations like Shimla and Dalhousie. Why would they come to the small cities of Punjab?" he asked.

Another private school representative said they were being compelled to reserve seats under the Right to Education (RTE) Act. "It is admission time and we have been directed to reserve seats under the RTE Act, which is not possible. Under the RTE Act, we are supposed to reserve 25 per cent seats for the weaker section of society. However, the government has not made it clear whether it would refund us the fees of the students admitted under the RTE or not. Even before the issues of the RTE Act could be settled, the government has now burdened us with the NRI seats issue," he added.

Since the education department convened a meeting at a short notice, not all prominent private schools could attend it. Principal of the Delhi Public School, Dr Arun Jee said he had come to know about the directions, but could not attend the meeting as the school remained unaware of it. "We know the urgency of the situation. We will soon take up the issue with the management and reply," he said.

Bathinda, December 4
A steep rise in the price of sand and gravel and the near non-availability of these construction materials have unsettled the plans of many for constructing a house in the last four months after the closure of all sand mines in Punjab following the orders of the Supreme Court and the High Court.

But the prolonged lull in construction activities has left many families of labourers in dire straits. The daily wage earners, already struggling to manage two square meals a day, now get no work in construction activities.

And it is not just the daily wagers but also masons who are without work.

So it does not come as a surprise that many of these masons are these days working in factories and as farm labour to keep their hearths warm.

"The construction sector is considered the biggest employment provider for the daily wagers, particularly in its allied fields like brick kilns, cement factories, carpentry, paint units and flooring tiles," said Madan Lal Bajaj, president, Punjab Cement Manufacturing Units.

There has been an almost 50 per cent decline in the demand for cement in Punjab in the last four months with the stoppage of the construction activities. The low demand has had a cascading and adverse impact on the price index also. "This is the reason why there has been a fall in the price of cement," said Madan Lal Bajaj.

It is not only the cement manufacturers who are lamenting the pause in construction activities due to the non-availability of sand. Government and private contractors too feel that they are caught in a Catch-22 situation. "For every government work, there is a time-bound completion agreement and any delay on the part of the contractor invites penalties. Since we are not getting raw material, how can we complete the projects on time," said a government contractor.

"We are even ready to pay for the hiked rates of sand but as it is not available in the market, how is it possible to resume the construction work," he asked.

Along with the ban on mining sand, the prohibition on quarrying has also hit over 3000 brick kilns in Punjab. The prices of bricks have shot up by about Rs 1000-Rs 2,000 per thousand. There has been no fresh production and the kiln owners are cashing in by selling their old stock and that too at an exorbitant rate.

"As the brick prices have soared from Rs 4,000 to over Rs 5,000 per thousand in the area, many brick kiln owners in Rajasthan have started marketing their bricks in Punjab. The bricks from Rajasthan are being supplied at Rs 4,200-Rs 4,300 per thousand," said Pawan Mittal, a brick kiln owner.

While the state government has blamed the High Court and Supreme Court decisions for imposing restrictions on mining, the brick kiln owners said it was the political leadership in the state that was responsible for turning a blind eye to the problem of illegal mining which had caused the courts to adopt a tough posture.

Bathinda, december 4
The members of the Punjab and Chandigarh Medical Sales Representatives Union (PCMSRU) went on strike today protesting against the Central Government, state government and their respective employees.

The secretary of the Bathinda unit, Chander Mohan, said the state government should notify eight working hours for the sales promotion employees. He pointed out that the Punjab government is yet to issue a notification specifying eight hours as working time per day for the sales people.

He said that the employers were taking advantage of the absence of such a notification and were making the sales employees work 12 to 14 hours every day. He added that the sales representatives were not even being paid extra for the working for more than eight hours everyday.

The PCMSRU also appealed to the state government to ensure the legal working rights of sales promotion employees in hospitals, institutions and clinics.

The union asked the central government to immediately constitute an industrial tripartite committee for the sales promotion employees.

The union reasoned that the employees were facing many problems at the hands of their employers and the pharmaceutical industry, including labour law violations and unfair labour practices, among others.

The union members said the problems needed to be periodically discussed by the pharma industry, labour authorities and the union. Thus, a tripartite committee should be constituted which should meet regularly and resolve the problems of the workers.

They demanded that the Central Government should declare statutory working rules under the the Sales Promotion Employees Act 1976.

They also demanded that the female sales representatives be given six months of maternity leave.

One of the essential demands included a cap on all drug prices and minimum maximum retail price (MRP) of all essential drugs. They also demanded that the essential drugs be exempted from excise duty.

The union demanded that the employers issue appointment letters to the sales employees under the SPE Act and constitute a grievance redressal forum for all SPEs under the Industrial Dispute Amendment Act, 2010.

The demands...
The Punjab government should notify eight working hours for the sales promotion employees.
Ensure the legal working rights of sales promotion employees in hospitals, institutions and clinics.
Constitution of an industrial tripartite committee for the sales promotion employees to discuss the problems being faced by the sales representatives at the hands of their employers and the pharmaceutical industry.
The female sales representatives be given six months of maternity leave.
The essential drugs be exempted from excise duty.

Bathinda, December 4
Two motorcyclists were killed in a road accident at the Bhai Ghanaiya Chowk in the city today.

Volunteers of the city-based NGO Sahara Welfare Society reached the spot and took the injured to the Civil Hospital where doctors declared them dead on arrival.

The volunteers traced the families of the deceased by calling on the numbers retrieved from their cell phones.

One of the deceased was identified as 22-year-old Amandeep Singh, a resident of village Burj Mehma. The volunteers said Amandeep was engaged in cattle business.

The other deceased was identified as Gurcharan Singh, a resident of Baghwala village in Raman Mandi area. He owned a cloth shop in the Kheta Singh Basti area.

The volunteers said a tractor-trolley ran over the motorcyclists killing them on the spot. The thermal police have registered a case in this connection.

In another road accident, Joginder Singh, a resident of Sivian Road, Kothe Kameke, Bathinda, was injured.

In his complaint to the thermal police station, his son Iqbal Singh said Joginder Singh was riding his scooter at around 4:30 pm when a speeding car, coming from the opposite side, hit it.

Joginder is undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital. Police have registered a case against the unknown car driver.

These accidents added to the long list of persons who were either killed or injured in road accidents in and around the city.

Although the city’s traffic police has time and again requested the drivers to drive safe, traffic rules are openly violated on the city roads.

Bathinda, December 4
The general body meeting of the Teachers’ Home Trust was held to discuss the arrangements for the 34th teachers’ and students’ felicitation ceremony.

The meeting was conducted under the presidentship of Gurnam Singh.

During the meeting, it was decided that the function will be held on December 30 at the Shaheed Ashyapak Karnail Singh Issru Hall in the city.

Chairman of the trust, Jagmohan Kaushal said the teachers of Bathinda and Mansa, who retired between October 1, 2011 and September 30, 2012 will be honoured at the ceremony.

He added that the students who had secured good marks in classes 10 and 12 would also be honoured on the occasion.

Aiming to encourage the practice of speaking and writing Punjabi, students who scored good marks in the language would also be felicitated. Besides, the national and state awardee teachers would be honoured on the occasion.

The applicants, who could not submit their applications for awards till November 30, can now do so till December 15.

The deadline has been extended to give more teachers and students the opportunity to come out with their achievements.

Fact file
Teachers of Bathinda and Mansa, who retired between October 1, 2011 and September 30, 2012 will be honoured at the ceremony.
Students who had secured good marks in classes 10 and 12 would also be honoured on the occasion.
To encourage the practice of speaking and writing Punjabi, students who scored good marks in the language would also be felicitated.
The national and state awardee teachers would also be honoured on the occasion.

Bathinda, December 4
A train ran over 23-year-old Dimple, a resident of Amarpura Basti, on the Bathinda-Sirsa railway line. Dimple was reportedly returning after buying habit-forming drugs from Sirsa in Haryana.

The incident took place when Dimple alighted from the train near Bangi Nagar. He suddenly fell down and the train passed over his legs.

Volunteers of the NGO Sahara Welfare Society rushed Dimple to the Civil Hospital. The volunteers also arranged for blood for the injured.

The volunteers revealed that Dimple had bought habit-forming drugs from Sirsa and was returning to Bathinda.

Bathinda, December 4
In a bizarre case of theft, Rs 12,000 were stolen from the money box (golak) of Gurudwara Sahib Mehraj Basti in Rampura.

In his complaint to the Rampura city police, Jagsir Singh, a resident of Buggaran, stated that someone took away the cash from the money box of the gurudwara on the intervening night of November 2 and November 3.