B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

SAD (A) to contest DSGMC elections
Sangrur, December 23
The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) will contest the forthcoming Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) elections. A five-member committee, headed by vice president of the party Amarjit Singh Kila Hakima, will visit Delhi to take stock of the situation.

Special drive against eve-teasers launched
Bathinda, December 23
Inspector General of Police, Bathinda Zone, Nirmal Singh Dhillon today launched a special drive against eve-teasers. Ten squads of female cops equipped with weapons and vehicles have been formed to check eve-teasing incidents in Bathinda city.

F’pur MC posts recurring losses, functioning hit
Ferozepur, December 23
The functioning of the Municipal Committee of this historic border town has been hit owing to its poor fiscal condition juxtaposed with lack of resources and manpower.

Four hurt as bus, car collide head-on
Barnala, December 23
In a head-on collision between a bus and a car on Ludhiana-Bathinda main road at Mehal Kalan village in Barnala district, four persons, including a man and his daughter, received seriously injuries today morning.

Villagers suffer post delimitation of police stations
Faridkot, December 23
A year after the Punjab Police redrew the boundaries of its police stations to increase its operational capacity and enable them to offer services adapted to local needs, the new police map has left the residents of over one dozen villages in the district sulking.

Fatehgarh admn gears up for Shaheedi Jor Mela
Fatehgarh Sahib, December 23
The district administration will set up two temporary bus terminals in Fategarh Sahib during the 3-day Shaheedi Jor Mela so that commuters do not face any inconvenience. The mela will be organised from December 25.

Amogh Div GOC meets ex-servicemen, war widows in border village
Abohar, December 23
General Officer Commanding, Amogh Division, Major-General NC Badhani interacted with ex-servicemen and a group of Veerangana (war widows) during his visit to Bakayanwala, a border village located on the Abohar-Hindumalkot road.



Amogh Division GOC NC Badhani (left) interacts with an ex-serviceman at Bakayanwala village located on the Abohar-Hindumalkot road. A Tribune photograph

Rescue boats exposed to vagaries of weather
Muktsar, December 23
The boats purchased by the district administration to launch rescue operation during floods have been left in the open to face the vagaries of weather in the parking area of the District Administrative Complex (DAC) here.




Rescue boats lying abandoned at the District Administrative Complex in Muktsar. A Tribune photograph

SAD (A) to contest DSGMC elections
Tribune News Service

Sangrur, December 23
The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) will contest the forthcoming Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) elections. A five-member committee, headed by vice president of the party Amarjit Singh Kila Hakima, will visit Delhi to take stock of the situation.

The other members of the committee are SGPC member Surjit Singh Kalabula, general secretary Jaskaran Singh, general secretary Professor Mohinder Pal Singh and member of Political Affairs Committee (PAC) Master Bahadur Singh Bhasaur.

Party president Simranjit Singh Mann said here today that the party would contest the elections on the issue of “Khalistan”. He said the party would only field those candidates, who believed in the party’s ideology and could bear the election expenditure.

He said the five-member committee would decide how many seats the party should contest.

Special drive against eve-teasers launched
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 23
Inspector General of Police, Bathinda Zone, Nirmal Singh Dhillon today launched a special drive against eve-teasers. Ten squads of female cops equipped with weapons and vehicles have been formed to check eve-teasing incidents in Bathinda city.

The IG, who was accompanied by SSP Ravcharan Brar, said the recently-inducted women in the Punjab Police had been roped in for the purpose of identifying habitual eve-teasers. The fresh-recruits would mix up with the college or school students to identify the eve-teasers.

The IG said the nodal officers of the special squads have been told to conduct regular meetings and deal with the menace with an iron hand.

"We have also decided to sensitise school and college girls and women working in various institutions by holding seminars, meetings at school and college-levels. The educational institutions have been directed to install a complaint box in which girls could drop their complaints," the IG said.

He said necessary action would be taken after the complaints were scrutinised at police stations concerned. The girls may also inform the police if they are victimised. Their identity would be kept secret. The girls have also been urged to register their complaints, suggestions or share any secret information with the female cops or senior police functionaries. He said regardless of political party, organisation or higher official the accused persons would be associated with, necessary legal action would be taken against the accused.

The public can lodge complaints, give tip offs or meet the police officials personally, he said. Their contact numbers are Bathinda: 75080-18002, 0164-2215020, Muktsar: 80543-70002, 01633-265855, Mansa: 98150-94444, 01652-220043, Ferozepur: 97800-05002, 01632-249261, Faridkot: 70370-18004, 75085-00700, Fazilka: 85588-00802, 01638-264000, Moga: 95923-55550, 01636-237888.

F’pur MC posts recurring losses, functioning hit
Our Correspondent

Ferozepur, December 23
The functioning of the Municipal Committee of this historic border town has been hit owing to its poor fiscal condition juxtaposed with lack of resources and manpower.

Not only its liabilities are increasing with every passing day, there is a dearth of revenue-generating mechanism.

As per the information available, the MC has liabilities to the tune of Rs 1051.83 lakh, which includes pension contribution and provident fund dues of its staff amounting to Rs 4.5 crore besides pending electricity charges of Rs 1.25 core. Further, it has to repay a loan of Rs 20 lakh to the HUDCO and Rs 90 lakh to Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board (PWSSB).

On the other hand, it has yet to recover arrears of Rs 1.4 crore pending against the residents and some commercial organisations on the account of house tax, water tax and rental charges.

Thanks to political patronage, people have been desisting from paying dues to the MC for the past many years.

MC president Ashwani Grover said around Rs 82 lakh was pending on the account of house tax only.

As on date, the MC gets to collect around Rs 29 lakh per month as VAT. Besides, Rs 17 lakh are generated through various taxes and miscellaneous collections. On the other hand, its monthly expenditure amounts to nearly Rs 75 lakh leaving a deficit of almost Rs 40 lakh a month.

"With standing liabilities of almost Rs 11 crore and a monthly deficit of around Rs 40 lakh, one can imagine the fiscal health of the MC," regrets Grover, adding that the state government had been requested umpteen times to provide a special package to the MC, Ferozepur, to bail it out from the present crisis but to no avail.

It is not that the MC is riddled with worsening financial condition, lack of resources and manpower has added to its woes.

Against a sanctioned strength of around 125 sweepers, the MC has only 90 men on its rolls. Since the city has expanded rapidly over the years, at least 200 sweepers were required to keep it spick and span, said an MC official.

"Even the strength of pump operators, sewer men besides fire-fighting staff was much less than what is required," he added.

Grover said in the prevailing scenario, the functioning of the MC had been severely affected, which often invites public wrath. He said a local delegation, led by the adviser to the Chief Minister, Kamal Sharma, had called on the Chief Minister, following which a meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Local Bodies Minister to initiate remedial measures in this connection. However, any tangible outcome was still awaited, he added.

Four hurt as bus, car collide head-on
Tribune News Service

Barnala, December 23
In a head-on collision between a bus and a car on Ludhiana-Bathinda main road at Mehal Kalan village in Barnala district, four persons, including a man and his daughter, received seriously injuries today morning.

The injured were identified as Hardip Singh and his daughter Bhawandeep Kaur, Amarjit Singh and Baldev Singh. The accident reportedly took place due to fog.

According to the Mehal Kalan police, all the injured, who were from Rakba village near Mullanpur in Ludhiana, were on their way from Mulanpur to Barnala while the bus was going from Barnala towards Ludhiana.

The injured persons were admitted to the Civil Hospital, Barnala. In view of serious condition of the injured persons, they were referred to Government Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, but they were reportedly taken to DMC Hospital, Ludhiana for treatment.

The police said the driver of the bus fled from the scene. 

Villagers suffer post delimitation of police stations
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, December 23
A year after the Punjab Police redrew the boundaries of its police stations to increase its operational capacity and enable them to offer services adapted to local needs, the new police map has left the residents of over one dozen villages in the district sulking.

Many villages, which had a police precinct at a distance of three to five km prior to the delimitation of police stations, are now attached to police stations situated 20-35 km away.

Kaler, Dhudi, Bhana, Chand Baja, Chameli, Dhurkot, Misri Wala, Mand Wala, Dhillwan, Punjgrain Kalan, Bageana, Chahal and Kameana are among the villages that have been at the receiving end post reorganisation of police stations. The needy victims at these villages end up spending a substantial time in approaching the police station of their jurisdiction.

Before the boundaries of the police stations were redrawn, Kaler, Dhudi, Bhana, Chand Baja, Chameli, Dhurkot, Misri Wala, Mand Wala, Kameana and Chahal were under the jurisdiction of Faridkot Sadar police station situated at a distance of six km. But now, these villages fall under the jurisdiction of the Kotkapura Sadar police station, which is situated over 20 km away.

Similar is the case with Bageana, Punjgrain and some other villages, which were under the jurisdiction of the Kotkapura Sadar police station earlier. Now, these villages are attached to the Bajakhana police station. The distance between the police station and these villages has increased to nearly 35 km.

On the contrary to what was expected, there have been several incidents when cops reached the spots of crime late due to the increased distance, said a senior police officer on the condition of anonymity.

"We know the reason for this re-drawing of the jurisdiction map of police stations. It is all for political reasons," said another police officer.

After a notification (No. S.O.47/C.A 2/1974/S. 2/2010), last year, all police stations now have jurisdictions as per the assembly constituencies in the state. Instead of attaching a village to the closest police station, all villages of an Assembly constituency now fall under the police stations (Sadar or City) situated in the constituency.

"It is believed that the motive behind redefining the jurisdictions of police stations was to address the persistent demand of some ruling party leaders, who were facing problem in prevailing upon the police officers of a police station in another leader's constituency as some of the villages in their Assembly constituency fell under the jurisdiction of a police station in the constituency of the other leader," said the officer.

Fatehgarh admn gears up for Shaheedi Jor Mela
Tribune News Service

Fatehgarh Sahib, December 23
The district administration will set up two temporary bus terminals in Fategarh Sahib during the 3-day Shaheedi Jor Mela so that commuters do not face any inconvenience. The mela will be organised from December 25.

The buses transporting devotees from Ropar, Morinda, and Kurali would be parked at the bus terminal set up at Baba Moti Mehra Gate on Bassi Pathana Road. The buses coming from Chandigarh, Mohali and Landra would be parked at the temporary bus stand set up at Ambar Colony near Attewali village. Meanwhile, buses coming from Patiala, Khanna, Gobindgarh, Amloh, Malerkotla and Ludhiana would be parked at the old bus terminal. The buses would not be allowed to enter Fatehgarh Sahib and would return via the old flyover through Chungi No 4.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Hardial Singh Mann said special attention would be given to traffic management. He said the route from Ropar to Patiala would go through villages Morinda, Khedi, Chunni, Badali Ala Singh, Hansali Sahib, Nabipur and Kharoda, while Ropar to Khanna route would go through Ropar, Morinda, Bassi bypass, Dadheri village and Gobindgarh to proceed to Khanna. Similarly traffic from Khamano to Rajpura would pass through Uccha Pind, Bassi bypass, Dadheri, Gobindgarh and Sirhind and proceed towards Rajpura while traffic from Chandigarh would pass through Landran, Banur Rajpura and proceed towards Patiala.

Mann said the whole town had been divided into five sectors and an official of the rank of Superintendent of Police official would be in charge of each sector and would be assisted by a Deputy Superintendent of Police and an Inspector. He said 46 nakas and 10 check barriers had been set up in the area. CCTV cameras had also been set up at strategic places to keep a strict vigil on the area. He said 16 parking lots had also been earmarked for devotees to park their vehicles. 

Amogh Div GOC meets ex-servicemen, war widows in border village
Our Correspondent

Abohar, December 23
General Officer Commanding, Amogh Division, Major-General NC Badhani interacted with ex-servicemen and a group of Veerangana (war widows) during his visit to Bakayanwala, a border village located on the Abohar-Hindumalkot road.

The GOC assured them of redressing their grievances. Similar meetings were held in Dhanur and Chak 13Q villages.

He told the ex-servicemen how significant they were for the Army, by being residents of a border area. He assured them of providing all necessary assistance in getting their genuine problems resolved.

Further, Major-General Badhani asked them to remain vigilant about strangers roaming in the border belt.

Rescue boats exposed to vagaries of weather
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, December 23
The boats purchased by the district administration to launch rescue operation during floods have been left in the open to face the vagaries of weather in the parking area of the District Administrative Complex (DAC) here.

In the absence of any shed, rain water accumulates in 
the boats and damages the wood and metal used in their fabrication.

Sources in the DAC told The Tribune that nearly Rs 2 lakh were spent on making each boat, with the purpose of ferrying people caught in floods, especially during the monsoon season, to safety.

"In 2011, the district had suffered huge losses due to flash floods and the boats had played a vital role in carrying out the rescue operation then. But this year, the boats remained unutilised because the district experienced less rains," said an employee of the DAC.

Another employee of the DAC said the boats had also proved useful for the districts nearby because during rainy season, these boats were pressed into service there too.

Muktsar SDM Varinderpal Singh Bajwa said, "I am not sure whether there is any boat shed or not. However, arrangements would be soon made to avoid any damage to the boats.”