IG Nirmal Singh Dhillon (extreme right) addresses the mediapersons during the event. Sitting next to him is DIG Parmod Ban. Tribune photos: Pawan Sharma

Bathinda, December 18
The “Khula Darbar” for NRIs, organised by the Bathinda Zone police here today, saw a large number of cases from the local residents. From marital discords, land grabbing and suicide – all kinds of cases were kept before the police for consideration.

The event also saw a number of complaints against the police. Either the cops were accused of high-handedness or shielding the accused in the cases.

Police officials at the “Khula Darbar” outnumbered the complainants in the morning, but as the day progressed and turned warm, complainants started pouring in from Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar, Ferozepur, Faridkot, Moga and Fazilka districts.

Jasbir Kaur, a resident of Malout, broke down before narrating the tale of her daughter who is based in Sydney, to IG Nirmal Singh Dhillon. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma

Most of the NRI cases reported pertained to frauds and land disputes.

An NRI, Raj Singh, complained that his land worth `2 crore had been usurped. The NRI Cell of the Jalandhar police had referred his complaint to Bathinda. He, however, refused to divulge details saying if he did so, the accused would become alert and go into hiding.

One Lachhman Singh from Canada, who now lives in Bargari village of Faridkot, came with a complaint against the Faridkot police as well as some other persons. He stated that in 2009, his in-laws’ neighbours in the village took over their 21 marlas of land illegally. “When we returned from Canada to discuss the issue, they got me arrested on a false complaint and I was jailed for 15 days. By the time I was released, I had lost my Canadian permanent citizenship as I could not report back to Canada in time. Though later the case was withdrawn and another case was registered against the other party, I have been unable to return to my family in Canada,” he said.

One Sukhdev Singh from village Burj Tharor, Bhagta Bhai Ka, said his brother Jagsir Singh lived in Manila in Philippines. In June, Jagsir was kidnapped by a group of Punjabis in Manila. “Though my brother managed to escape from their custody, the gang members have harmed other vulnerable Punjabis in Manila. One of the accused has now come back to his village in Ferozepur and we fear he might harm people here also,” he said demanding arrest of the accused in Punjab.

Inspector General of Police (IG) Nirmal Singh Dhillon, DIG Pramod Ban, Bathinda SSP Ravcharan Singh Brar, Mansa SSP Narendra Bhargav, Muktsar SSP Surjeet Singh, Ferozepur SSP Varinderpal Singh, Faridkot SSP Gurpreet Singh, Moga SSP Surjit Singh Grewal and Fazilka SSP Amar Singh Chahal listened to the problems of complainants.

Police not registering a case of dowry: Victim

Ravneet Kaur, daughter-in-law of a former SGPC member from Bathinda, accused the police of not registering a case of dowry and harassment against her “influential” in-laws.

Married to Mubarak Singh, son of a former SGPC member, a year ago, Ravneet has been running from pillar to post for the past three months to get a case registered against her husband and in-laws.

Hers was the first case taken up for hearing today. She accused the police officials of favouring her “influential” in-laws and denying justice to her. She alleged that her in-laws demanded dowry as well as used to beat her. “I am the eldest of five siblings. My mother suffered a shock after learning about my sufferings and passed away in September while my father lives abroad. The police is adding to our woes,” she said.

Young cops remain cynosure

Smartly-dressed young women cops stood out amongst the police force donning khaki. The young recruits remained the centre of attraction for the visitors. They chaperoned complainants, young and old, for their hearing and also helped them with their complaints.

Bathinda, December 18
The father of Jaishree Garg, a student of the SSD Girls’ College who committed suicide on November 27, today accused the police of not arresting the accused as well as leaving out the name of the accused’s father from the FIR.

The victim’s father Anil Garg today complained to IG Nirmal Singh Dhillon accusing the Bathinda Kotwali police of not arresting the accused Samir Kumar, a resident of Maur Mandi, owing to some political influence.

Jaishreee, a student of BEd, had committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling fan hook in her hostel room at the SSD Girls College here. She was reportedly in love with Samir Kumar, who had promised to marry her but later refused.

“Unable to bear the disgraceful words Samir and his father Amarjit Gupta used against Jaishree, she committed suicide. Samir had also been blackmailing her of making their relation public, if she did not stop pestering him for marriage," Anil said.

He said Jaishree was a very bright student. "Samir and his father drove my daughter to suicide and are now moving around scot-free. The police should arrest them," he demanded.

Bathinda, December 18
Around 5,500 workers under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) as well as around 1,600 female multi-purpose health workers will go on strike on December 19 to protest against the state government.

The workers will get together in Chandigarh and protest against the state government and will also voice their various demands.

The convener of the NRHM Employees’ Union, Narinder Kumar said in 2011, the state government had issued a notification pertaining to regularisation of all the female multi-purpose health workers. Despite the notification issued, the regularisation was not implemented. The health workers are now demanding intervention of the chief minister of Punjab for implementation of the orders.

The workers demanded that either their jobs be regularised or they be given salaries equal to that of the regular employees.

“The labour department’s instructions say equal pay should be given for equal work. While the regular staff nurses are drawing Rs 30,000 per month, the NRHM nurses are being paid a measly sum of Rs 10,000. At the same time, the work load of the NRHM staff is much more than that of the regular staff members," the NRHM staff members said. They added that if the government could not regularise their jobs, at least it should pay them equal salaries.

Last year too, NRHM had gone on strike following which the government had deducted their salaries marking protest days as non-working days.

In 2011, the staff remained on strike for 20 days in August, entire October and seven days in November. The state government had deducted two months' salary.

The NRHM Union then met the CM, who assured them that they would be paid the deducted salaries.

"Despite the assurance, we are yet to receive the salary for those two months," Narinder Kumar added.

The protesters have decided not to lift their dharna till the government releases their salaries and accepts their demands.

Bathinda, December 18
The first Drug De-addiction Open Cricket Tournament of the Cops Club started at the Police Public School here today.

In this four-day event, from December 18 to December 22, teams from Delhi, Chandigarh, Amritsar, Sirsa, Mohali, Jalandhar, Patiala and Bathinda are participating.

Senior Superintendent of Police Ravcharan Singh Brar was the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony.

Speaking on the occasion, he called upon youngsters to shun drug addiction and channelise their energy towards different sporting activities.

Chaman Lal, a cricket coach from Ludhiana, Desh Prem Azad coach of cricketer Kapil Dev and Major (retd) Harcharan Singh, father of SSP Ravcharan Singh Brar will be honoured, at the closing ceremony on December 22, for their contribution in the field of sports.

In the Jalandhar vs Chandigarh match, Jalandhar won by nine wickets and in the Bathinda vs Mohali, Bathinda won by 27 runs. Bathinda will now play Jalandhar in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

The winning team would be given a cash prize of Rs 51,000, while the runners-up would be awarded Rs 31,000.

DSP Baljit Singh Sidhu, Rajesh Khosla, Arun Wadhawan, Raj Kumar Sood, Jeet Mal, OD Sharma, Sudhir and others were also present.

Bathinda, December 18
The Special Trainer Teachers Union, who have been sitting on a protest and hunger strike outside the District Courts Complex today declined the offer of meeting the education minister Sikandar Singh Maluka on December 26.

A deputation of the union met the Deputy Commissioner of Bathinda, Kamal Kishore Yadav to finalise the date for meeting the education minister.

“The DC told us that they had scheduled the meeting for December 26. We declined the offer since we wish to meet the minister within a day or two,” said a member of the union, who was present at the meeting.

“The health condition of Jasbir Kaur, who has been on fast-unto-death for 21 days now, will turn worse by then. She has been taken to hospital a number of times already. Paramjit Singh and Balwinder Singh have also been on fast-unto-death for 16 and 12 days, respectively. How can the administration be so insensitive towards their condition,” he questioned.

The members of the union have been protesting in the city for close to two months now.

They have been asking the state government to re-instate the 494 teachers who were ousted. In addition to this, they have also been demanding release of their salaries. “We have not been paid salaries since November 2011. The number of months for which the salary has not been paid varies from district to district,” he added.

Bathinda, december 18
As many as 1,081 employees have been engaged for the sixth socio-economic census being conducted in the district.

Presiding over a meeting in this context, Bathinda Deputy Commissioner, Kamal Kishore Yadav, said the Government of India was conducting a socio-economic census in the entire country from December 2012 to February 2013.

Speaking on the occasion, the DC said the census was of great importance for watching and analysing the economic activities of the nation. The employees who have been employed for conducting the census were being given elaborate training, he said. Based on the figures collected, the government will make economic decisions, he added.

Joint director, Economic Statistical Advisory (ESA) Jagdeep Singh said presently, the master trainers were being trained. Besides imparting training on various aspects of the census, they are also being trained to answer the queries of people they will train.

Deputy director ESA, Paramjit Singh said the process has also started in district Bathinda. He added that in Bathinda district, 2,438 economic blocks would be surveyed. For these economic blocks, 353 supervisors and 728 enumerators have been deputed.

He added that as per the directions of Punjab Government, the enumerators and supervisors will start the field survey work on January 16 and the work will be completed by February 16. The master trainers will now train other field staff.

ADC Rajiv Prashar, SDM Bathinda Ramvir, SDM Rampura Bhupinder Singh, SDM Talwandi Sabo Anil Kumar Garg and DDPO Rajinder Batra were also present during the meeting.

Bathinda, december 18
A meeting of the district planning committee Bathinda was held today.

Presiding over the meeting, Deputy Commissioner, Kamal Kishore Yadav took stock of various development works going on in the district.

During the 2012-13 financial year, the district planning committee had a budget of `924.99 lakhs for carrying out various development works. Of these, `287.342 lakh have been spent.

The DC said the residents of the district should be made aware of and asked to use RO water so that a large number of them can take advantage of the public ROs installed in different wards.

He said in the areas where the ROs were not being used much, a special campaign should be launched to make people aware of the facility.

The issues of providing single phase connection to people living below poverty line, about the ongoing sewer works in district, patch work and laying of new link roads leading to villages were also discussed.

The district programme officer, district social security officer, statistical advisor, district development and Panchayat officer were present during the meeting and gave details of the beneficiaries and amount distributed to them under various schemes.

The committee members were given information about the agendas passed during the last meeting held on October 17.

Other members of committee were also present at the meeting.

Bathinda, December 18
The students of Baba Faird Senior Secondary School (BFSSS) participated in the national-level science fair which was organised at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi.

Models made by students from schools across the Northern India were displayed at the fair.

Students of BFSSS exhibited a model on Computer Water Cooling system. The model was appreciated by the judges as well as the schools which visited the fair and the model got a special consolation prize for its unique idea.

Baljinder Singh, principal of BFSSS, congratulated the winners as well as the teachers. Managing director, BFGI Gurmeet Singh Dhaliwal also appreciated the efforts of students and teachers.

BFSSS students also participated in the Idea Cup which was organised at the Police Public School, Bathinda on December 12-13. BFSSS students participated in athletics and judo championships. Kuljeet Grover and Mandeep bagged gold medal in judo championship.

Bathinda, December 18
The monthly meeting of the Senior Citizens and Pensioners Vikas Manch was held at Fountain Park in the city. The meeting was conducted under the presidentship of GL Goel while BL Jindal addressed the meeting.

During the meeting, issues related to travel concessions given to senior citizens, payment of arrears, tax slabs, LPG cylinders, etc, were discussed.

The Manch demanded that the pension of the pre-2006 pensioners be fixed on notional basis as it was applicable in the case of pre-1986 pensioners. They said the fitment weightage should also be brought at par with that of the regular employees by being worked out at 50-60 per cent instead of 40 per cent.

The argued that since the price of medicines had gone up and senior citizens were hounded by disease more often, their medical allowance be increased from `400 to `1,500 per month. They also demanded that the limit of subsidised LPG cylinders be increased from six to twelve for pensioners and senior citizens.

Discussing the tax slabs, they argued that the slab for exemption from income tax should be raised from two lakh to three lakh for the pensioners and from 2.5 lakh to 4 lakh for the senior citizens.

They also demanded that male senior citizens should also be given 50 per cent concession in railway tickets to make it at par with the concession being given to female senior citizens. They want similar concession in government buses as well.

They urged the government to release by January 2013, the third instalment of the pay revision arrears, which was due in November 2012 payment and which was deferred by the state government. It was also discussed that the medical allowance of the Central Government employees be increased from `100 to `500 to bring it at par with that being given to the Punjab Government employees.

Bathinda, December 18
In an attempt to reduce the number of cases of vehicle theft, the parking lot of the Civil Hospital has been given out on contract.

Speaking to Tribune News Service, civil surgeon Dr Ajay Sahni said giving the parking area on contract would help control miscreants from stealing vehicles from the premises of the hospital. He added that it would also ensure that the vehicles of the people visiting the hospital are not haphhazardly parked.

While parking the vehicle in the area was free earlier, now the patients will have to pay for the same. Parking a cycle will cost `1, parking scooter and motorcycle will cost `2 while parking a car will cost Rs 5.