Bathinda, December 13
The finance and contract committee (F&CC) of the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) today approved a number of development projects, which mainly included the laying of new roads in various areas.

The measure assumes significance as the elections to the Municipal Corporation are six months away.

While the main agenda of the meeting consisted of 14 items, another supplementary agenda, with 14 listed items, was moved in the meeting. The agenda was duly passed.

Meanwhile, the 19 items listed for laying interlocking tiles in the city were put on hold due to the state government's orders imposing a ban on the further use of tiles in local bodies.

Interestingly, in the previous F&CC meeting, the same works were presented for laying the premix as the government had directed that pavers be laid in streets having a width of less than 30 feet.

With the new dictum, all the Rs 537.26 lakhs of work related to the laying of pavers were cancelled. Fresh work orders will now be issued later.

The committee approved the laying of roads from Lal Singh Basti main road, Sobha Singh Chakki to street number 6-A, metalled road from Patiala railway crossing to the left side of the grain market, Lal Singh Basti to street numbers 13 and 24, Lal Singh line to grain market Basti main road, street number 6-A to street number 13, metalled road from right side of Patiala railway crossing, laying 30 feet of metalled road in the area between Baba Deep Singh Nagar main street number 3 and Patiala railway line.

Besides, estimates for laying roads in Amarpura Basti main street number 3, from Jindal dairy to street number 2 till Walia house, Amarpura Bastri main street number 3 to street number 3 Jindal Dairy, and other similar areas were also passed.

The committee unanimously decided to shelve the tenders floated for the construction of toilets in the MC office building as the office is to be shifted to Civil Lines.

Also, Rs 2.36 lakh has been passed for laying an approach road and streetlight on the road leading to the Central University of Punjab (CUP).

Estimates for buying two tankers for sprinkling water was also passed. For introducing the geographical information system (GIS), the committee decided to give the work to the CE Info System Limited.

NRI Jaswinder Singh, who was also in the SUV when the accident took place, in police custody. Tribune photos: Pawan Sharma

Bathinda, December 13
Taking strict action, senior police functionaries have suspended the Station House Officer (SHO), Thermal, Harpreet Singh, for keeping his immediate reporting officer in the dark after the road accident yesterday in which a student of SSD Krishna Vatika School lost his life after his motorbike was hit by a police vehicle that was taking a U-turn near the Thermal lake number 3.

Robin, a student of class XII, was killed in the accident when he was returning home in Thermal Colony after the school along with another student.

The SHO failed to bring the matter to the notice of his senior, ASP Patil Ketan Baliram, who remained unaware of the accident till late in the evening. Police sources said that earlier too, the SHO had failed to inform the ASP about the firing incident in which the son of a local councillor had been arrested by the Thermal police from a hotel on Goniana road.

Meanwhile, the police failed to get a case registered against head constable Rashpal Singh, who was at the wheels of the Tata Safari, with which the bike collided. An NRI, Jaswinder Singh, too was in the SUV when the accident took place. Police officials said Robin was the only brother of four sisters and his father is bed-ridden due to some ailment.

A senior police official said the accused in the case are trying to arrive at a compromise with the members of the affected family by offering compensation.

Condoling the death of the school boy, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ravcharan Brar said imposing strict traffic rules is the need of the hour and all the youngsters, especially the school-goers, must be forced to wear helmets.

"The gravity of the injuries could have been reduced had the boys riding the bike been wearing helmets. The engineering college student who got killed in the road accident too could have been saved had he been wearing a helmet," the SSP said.

He said most accidents involve serious head injuries to the motorcyclists. The SSP urged the motorcyclists to wear helmets and also appealed to the drivers of four-wheelers to use the seat belts to minimize the extent of the injury.

Bathinda, December 13
To bring some respite from dharnas, protests and road blockades that have become the order of the day, the police has decided to upgrade the skills of the quick reaction team (QRT).

To keep the protesters on their toes by upgrading the crowd dispersal skills of the quick reaction team (QRT), a special drill was organised at the Police Lines ground. Riot vehicles, specially designed batons, various other weapons and guards were used during the drill.

Around 500 policemen, including women cops from seven districts, participated in the drill amidst the drizzle today in the afternoon.

The drill was inspected by senior police functionaries including the IG, Bathinda Zone, DIG and the SSPs of the seven districts of the zone including Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar, Faridkot, Fazilka, Ferozepur and Moga. Those doing well in the team were given appreciation letters by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Nirmal Singh Dhillon.

Dhillon, while talking to TNS, said the teams from seven districts underwent rigorous drill wherein the inefficient personnel were shown the door. Fresh recruits would be included in their place, he said.

DIG Parmod Ban and SSP Ravcharan Singh Brar were also present during the inspection.

The IGP said the focus of the QRT is on dispersing the crowd during the protests, dharnas and riots. The aim is also to teach a lesson to the anti-social elements.

Dhillon said the aim of the drill is to inspect the efficiency of the team members and also to incorporate new techniques and methods.

Police officials said the members of the QRT were told to hone their skills to disperse the crowd and to control the protesters with and without the use of baton.

SSP Ravcharan Singh Brar said every district has two such teams comprising 20 policemen, headed by an inspector rank official. The team undergoes training daily and is armed with all types of modern weapons and techniques to handle protests. He said the team is specialised in dispersing crowd, tackling road blockades and other nuisance created by anti-social elements in the cities. "It was a sort of inspection to boost the strength of the policemen in the team," Brar said.

Police officials present during the drill said soon, cops in plain clothes too would barge into the protesters using modern techniques to disperse those creating nuisance. With a separate wing of the QRT, people would soon get respite from the nuisance created by the protesters, especially during road blockades, the SSP said.

Fact file Weapons on display: Policemen, during the drill, put on display various weapons including a fire shell that exploded in the air. The weapon is used to disperse the crowd. The use of tear gas shell was also displayed during the drill. Dummy protest: team of the policemen staging a dummy protest was told to change the slogan-'Punjab Sarkar Murdabad'- to 'Saada Eka Zindabad' during the drill. The slogan 'Punjab Sarkar Murdabad' did not go down well with the senior police functionaries but the junior officials were seen giggling over the slip up.

Bathinda, December 13
The cyber café owners in the district have been directed to keep the records of activities of each computer user.

Passing these orders, the additional deputy magistrate, Rajiv Prashar, said the activity server log should be kept saved in the main server for a period of at least six months. Individual net activity should also be saved and if any suspicious activity was noticed, it should be reported to the police immediately.

The cyber café and STD/PCO owners have also been directed not to let any user avail of the services without producing his/her identity proof.

A register should be maintained in which information related to the user, including his name, address, telephone number and signature or thumb impression, should be recorded. The identity proofs may include an identity card, voter ID card, ration card, driving licence and passport.

After cases of mobile phones being found from the possession of jail inmates surfaced, taking mobile phones or other modes of communication on the jail premises has also been prohibited.

Further, all industrialists, traders, businessmen, farmers and others have been directed that before employing any migrant, his or her antecedents should be verified and the verification should be registered at the police station concerned.

Similarly, owners of hotels, restaurants and inns have been directed to take identity proof of the visitors before the latter check in. It is mandatory that the entries be made in an entry register.

Prashar has also prohibited playing of indecent songs in any private or government bus.

All chemists, medical drug stores (wholesale and retail) have been directed to keep record of their stocks in a sale and purchase register. Any police official, including executive magistrate, DSP or above-rank officers, could check these registers. They have also been told not to sell drugs without record and proper prescription.

Taking a strict notice of trucks and other heavy vehicles being parked on the city roads resulting in traffic bottlenecks, Prashar directed such drivers to park their vehicles at the designated space near Transport Nagar. Any heavy vehicle found parked in the city during day time would be challaned for wrong parking and action would be taken against the drivers for violating the orders of the ADM.

All the orders are applicable from December 10 to February 10.

Also, under the Punjab Village and Small Town Control Act-1918, the Deputy Commissioner has directed that all able men should guard villages, railway tracks, canals and drain bridges, public works' drains, oil pipelines etc. These orders are applicable from December 5 to February 4.

Bathinda, December 13
A mega Lok Adalat will be held in Bathinda on December 15.

District and sessions' judge-cum-chairman of the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) Jaspal Singh said at the mega Lok Adalat, cases would be amicably settled.

Cases concerning insurance companies, banks, traffic police and other departments had been pending with different courts and would be decided at the mega Lok Adalat.

Jaspal Singh added that the courts would be held at Bathinda, Phool, Talwandi Sabo and the Labour Courts, Bathinda.

He appealed to the people to bring their disputes and cases to the mega Lok Adalat for speedy disposal. He added that even the cases that were yet to be filed in court could also be brought to the Lok Adalat.

"The Lok Adalat helps reduce pendency of cases as well as help the courts in deciding other cases expeditiously," he said.

Bathinda, December 13
Five persons sustained injuries in separate mishaps.

A woman and her daughter received injuries when a speeding car hit the two-wheeler they were riding upon. The victims have been identified as Ramandeep Kaur and Preet. The victims were given first aid by the volunteers of the Sahara Jan Sewa.

In another accident, a young boy fell off a tempo on the Mall Road. The victim was shifted to a hospital by volunteers of the Sahara Jan Sewa. The volunteers said the condition of the victim, identified as 18 years old Ashok Kumar, a resident of Amarpura Basti, was stated to be serious.

In yet another case, two motorcyclists sustained injuries in an accident that took place in Sirki Bazar. The injured were rushed to the Civil Hospital by volunteers of the Sahara Jan Sewa. The victims have been identified as Bindri Singh and Rakesh Singh, residents of Lal Singh Basti.

Bathinda, December 13
The Top Ranker International and the Top Ranker Senior Secondary School held their annual meets.

Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav was the chief guest on the occasion. Yadav inaugurated the function by traditional lighting of lamp. A Guinness World Record holder, Mohammad Faisal, coordinator Jayson Jose, Jagseer Singh and Jagtar Singh were the special guests. Mohammad Faisal demonstrated his memory skills and also gave tips on ways to sharpen one's memory. Prizes were distributed to meritorious students during the function. — TNS

Bathinda, December 13
Two persons, including a woman, have been booked for demanding dowry.

In a complaint to the police, Swaranjeet Kaur of Lehra Mohabbat village said the accused - Lakhwinder Singh and Prem Lata of Sivian village - harassed her and demanded dowry. A complaint was lodged with the police and the matter was investigated by the officials at the Women police station. After a detailed investigation, a case under Section 498-A of the IPC has been registered against the accused persons at the Women police station.

In a similar case, Jagsir Singh, Mahinder Kaur, Mithu Singh, Seeta and Baltej Singh have been booked under Sections 498-A, 406, 420, 494 and 120-B of the IPC at the Women police station. The case was registered following a complaint by Mandeep Kaur of Jeeda village.