Bathinda, January 5
The drug regulatory system in the state is all set to get a major uplift with an investment of `93 crore in the sector.

Under the 12th five year plan, the Central Government will contribute 60 per cent of the funds, while the state will contribute the remaining share under the Institutional Development Plan (IDP) for strengthening of drugs regulatory control and drug testing labs in Punjab.

In July 2011, the state government divided the state into five zones, which is in sync with the IDP. These zones include Mohali, Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Bathinda. Of these, the Bathinda zone has maximum of six districts, including Bathinda, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Faridkot, Mansa and Muktsar.

As per the IDP report, the state has a vibrant pharmaceutical sector in the form of 265 drugs and cosmetic manufacturing units with a total turnover of `9,182 crore, out of which the domestic market is of `4,129 crore and exports are to the tune of `5,053 crore.

Further, there are about 25,000 drugs sale establishments in the state and 97 blood banks run by government and private organisations.

Presently, the state drug regulatory infrastructure is inadequate to handle such market.

Regulation of the sale of habit-forming drugs, which are being frequently misused in one form or the other, is one of the many expected outcomes of the scheme.

A separate intelligence cell will also be constituted which would include five drugs control officers or inspectors.

"With the IDP, we are aiming at testing of medicines, introduction of online system to ensure transparency, faster redressal of complaints and suggestions from the pharma sector among other issues," said the state drug controller Ajay Singla.

He added that with the creation of zones, the retail licensing sector got a huge relief. While Haryana and Rajasthan have been following this pattern for the last many years, Punjab introduced zoning in 2011. He added that the issue was now being taken up with the finance and personnel departments as a large number of recruitments would have to be made to run the system.

"The government is working out the modality for its share of 40 per cent of funds. Once finalised, it would be submitted to the Central Government to obtain the 60 per cent grant," he said.

Zones Area of jurisdiction (districts)

Mohali: Mohali, Ropar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala

Ludhiana: Ludhiana, Moga, Sangrur, Barnala

Jalandhar: Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Nawanshahr and Hoshiarpur

Amritsar: Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Pathankot and Gurdaspur

Bathinda: Bathinda, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Faridkot, Mansa and Muktsar

Bathinda, january 5
Members of the Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ugraha) today held a protest against the sale of spurious seeds and delay in the arrest of the accused by Bathinda police.

Raising slogans against the police, the farmers alleged delay in the arrest of the person found guilty of selling spurious seeds despite the fact that the case was registered two months ago.

The farmers said they had got a case registered against the two owners of a seed manufacturing unit and three dealers at Nandgarh police station but the accused are yet to be arrested.

The farmers entered into heated arguments with the police as they headed towards the main entrance of the office of the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in front of the District Administrative Complex.

After breaking the barricades, the farmers managed to reach the main entrance of the SSP’s office where they raised slogans and then dispersed after sometime.

District president of the union, Shingara Singh said the police had assured them of arresting the accused within a week.

The union members said many farmers of Raike Kalan had lost thousands of rupees after they were sold spurious seeds by some manufacturers.

The farmers threatened that the union would intensify the protest if the police failed to arrest the accused soon. 

Bathinda, january 5
Member of Parliament from Bathinda, Harsimrat Kaur Badal today called upon the need to boycott political leaders involved in heinous crimes such as rape.

“The politicians who do not abide by the social norms have no place in the society. Strict action should be taken against such people so that the message goes out that no one is above law,” said Harsimrat, while addressing a gathering at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of a new langar hall at Gurdwara Bhai Jagta Ji.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Sarup Chand Singla, and Mahant Bhai Kahan Singh Sewa Panthi also spoke on the occasion.

Later, Harsimrat visited parts of Maur constituency, including Mandi Kalan, Bhunder, Dyalpura and other villages, where she listened to the problems of the residents of the area and distributed grants meant for developmental purposes.

Flaying the Congress-led UPA Government, Harsimrat said the Central Government had failed to frame new pro-people policies, adding that instead, it burdened the common man with inflation.

She also inaugurated a new building at the Government High School (Girls) in Mandi Kalan village.

Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon, SSP Ravcharan Singh Brar, ADC (Development) Mohammad Tayyab, Rampura SDM Bhupinder Singh, SAD press secretary Om Prakash Sharma and others were present.

Bathinda, January 5
While youngsters backpacking and setting out to explore new places is commonplace, French couple Yann and Francoise, in their fifties, are all set to break the cliché. With all the items of basic necessities like clothes, edibles, water, pump to refill air in the tyres, maps, etc in their luggage, the couple has decided to spend six months covering various states of the country during their Friendly India Tour.

Wearing half pants in this chilly weather, the couple arrived in Bathinda this afternoon. Looking fresh, they told TNS that they had started from Sirsa in the morning. The couple, planning to spend the night in Bathinda, are on their way to Amritsar. They stopped over at the Jodhpur Romana village to enquire about routes.

Starting from Sirsa, they halted at Dabwali, Sangat and other small towns and paid obeisance at temples and gurudwaras on their way to Bathinda.

"We are aiming to reach Mumbai on May 26 and will cover Gujrat, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and various other states before culminating our tour," Yann said.

Interestingly, the couple is well-versed with the names of the villages and cities like Jodhpur Romana, Sangat, Zeera, Kotkapura, and the areas which they would pass through before reaching Amritsar.

"Although we are aware of the route we have to take, we enquire about it to make sure that we do not stray. If we go off track even once, we will have to spend more time getting back on the right route," Francoise said.

"During this friendly tour, we like meeting new people and also get to learn more about the diverse yet united culture of India," Yann said.

She added that they were learning about the culture, attire, language and many other things while pedalling everyday.

"Since this is the cheapest and an interesting mode of travel, we thought it would be fit to cover as much distance as we can on bicycle," the couple said.

They added that cycling also keeps their bodies and mind fit and suggested that people of Punjab should also use bicycles to keep themselves fit.

Talking about the problems they face while on the move, Yann said, "We paddle fast on roads which are quite smooth and have less traffic but we slow down when there is a lot of traffic, dust and pollution."

"Apart from paddling on a broken road in Haryana, the journey has been fantastic," Francoise said. Pointing at their cycles, they told TNS that they had bought the Taiwan-made bicycles in France. The couple has done some modifications in their bicycles to carry luggage.

Both Francoise and Yann work at a post office in France and decided to tour India just a few months ago. "I am a post-woman and he is a post man", Yann said with a smile. The couple has two daughters. While one of them is married, the other one is still studying. 

Bathinda, January 5
Canine owners in the city will now have to pay an annual charge to the Municipal Corporation, Bathinda (MCB), for owning a dog.

The MCB is in the process of implementing the Punjab Municipal (Registration and Proper Control of Dogs) Bye-laws that make it mandatory for every dog to be registered with the municipal body on or before April 1.

Every dog will have to be registered within a week of its arrival within the MC limits at a fee of Rs 250. The registration shall be valid from April 1 to March 31 every year.

On registration, a metal token with the name and the address of the owner engraved on it will be issued, which would have to be worn by the dog all the times. The owner could be penalised anything between Rs 50 and Rs 250 if his or her dog is found without the metal collar.

The canine owners will also have to provide details of the inoculation against rabies, duly certified by a veterinary doctor. A dog, which has not been inoculated, can be destroyed or culled and no compensation will be paid to its owner.

Further, if a dog is brought within the MCB limits for bonafide show purposes, the owner will be charged Rs 50 per day. In addition, the owner of the dog will also have to pay Rs 100 for taking his or her dog to any canine sporting event or dog show.

The law has strict rules for those found indulging in cruelty towards animals. An owner found torturing his canine can end up losing his licence to keep the dog. However, the owner can file an appeal against the order with the MCB.

The owner will also be held responsible if his pet trespasses on someone's premises and kills or injures anyone. However, if the canine attacks livestock, the owner of the livestock and not the owner of the dog shall be responsible for the loss.

Clear-cut instructions have also been laid in connection with destroying dogs. Canine's destruction may be ordered if it is dangerous and out of control. The owner of a mad dog will have to contain the animal or it will be treated as a stray animal.

Sources said objections were invited regarding the bye-laws. "Three objections have come up wherein people have mentioned that the dog owner should be held responsible if their animals defecate openly. The dog owner should be made to dispose the excreta of the canine lest it litters public places," the sources added.

Municipal commissioner Uma Shankar Gupta said the bye-laws would be put before the general house of the MCB for consideration and would be passed accordingly. Once passed, it would be forwarded to the government for the final notification.

Bathinda, January 5
Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Talwandi Sabo, Anil Garg held a meeting with the representatives of various political parties today regarding the new voters to be enrolled from January 6 to January 25.

He gave the final voters' list to the representatives as well as a CD containing the list of voters without photographs.

The SDM appealed to them that the workers should be made to go through the published lists so that any kind of anomaly in the name, age and other details of voters could be rectified.

Garg added that the Election Commission has started a special campaign to enroll 18-19 year old voters from January 6 to January 25. If anyone has been left out of the voters' list, he or she can give an application to be enlisted during the same time period. He asked the political representatives to extend their cooperation in making new votes.

Election tehsildar Harphool Singh, SAD representative Sukhdev Singh Bahia, BJP representatives Gulshan Wadhwa and Vijay Singla, BSP representative Major Singh and CPM representative Mahipal and others were present at the meeting.

Bathinda, January 5
A two-day training camp of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) began today in Bathinda. Ten battalions from all over the country are participating in the camp.

The battalion which would perform best during the camp would be given a shield and rewarded.

Prashant, commandant of the tenth battalion from Guntoor in Andhra Pradesh, said the motive of the two-day camp was to make the forces aware of the functioning of each-other’s areas. Since it is very cold in Bathinda, the forces deployed in other parts of the country would get an idea of working under the intensive cold weather conditions.

The teams participated in various group and single events and performed several tasks. The teams used a water tank to tie ropes around it and rehearse rescue operation.

The commandant said NDRF has people on deputation from various forces including the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). The officials and jawans from these forces are deployed for five years where they undergo rigorous training for different rescue operations.

While those on deputation from BSF are expert in flood operations, CRPF personnel are well versed in nuclear, biological, radiological and chemical warfare, CISF personnel are experts in launching rescue operations during cyclone and tsunami.

The gathering of all the battalions at one place helps exchange of ideas, skills and their experience which helps them further in carrying out rescue operations.

The battalions comprising nearly 350 men arrived from Guwahati, Kolkata, Orissa, Arakonam in Chennai, Pune, Gandhinagar in Gujrat, Bathinda, Delhi, Patna and Guntur.

The commandant added that the honing of skills at the training camp would make the battalions prepare better for rescue operations.

Various shortcomings of the officials in these battalions would be highlighted and the polished skills would be appreciated during the two-day training camp, he said.

Bathinda, january 5
Police have registered a case against Prabhjot Singh for raping a girl from Badiala village.

In her complaint to the police, the girl accused Prabhjot of raping her. She said the accused took her in a car to a secluded place over the pretext of marrying her and raped her. A student of class X, the girl added that the accused then dropped her near Rampura city.