Bathinda, February 21
Dismissing the petition filed by the insurance company Bajaj Allianz against the orders of the District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum, directing it to pay a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to a complainant from Bhagta Bhaika, the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, Punjab, has upheld the orders of the District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum.

In a petition filed before the District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum, the complainant, Amrit Pal Singh, had said that his mother Jaswinder Kaur got herself insured under the personal accident insurance scheme of the company for a sum of Rs 5 lakhs. She had nominated him as the beneficiary under the scheme.

Jaswinder Kaur was murdered within the period covered by the insurance policy. She was declared dead on May 10, 2007 and the complainant sought the claim settlement as per the insurance policy of the company. Despite repeated requests, the insurance company, however, failed to disburse the claim amount.

The insurance company, in its reply, pleaded that the complainant wasguilty of killing his mother. Therefore, he was not entitled to any compensation.

The complainant, however, stated that while he along with his father Gurcharan Singh was named as accused in the death case of Jaswinder Kaur, his (complainant's) name was cleared of the murder charge by the police after a detailed investigation. The complainant supported his claim by submitting the inquiry reports of the police.

The complainant said the post-mortem report of his mother showed it was not a natural death but that she had succumbed to injuries inflicted by assailants. In other words, she had been murdered. Hence, it was not a natural death. Since the death was accidental, the claim under the insurance policy of Jaswinder Kaur was consequently payable to her legal heir.

The insurance company rebutted the claim saying the complainant was not entitled to the claim as he had been named as an accused in the death case along with his father.

The complainant then put forth evidence to prove that he had nothing to do with the murder of his mother as it was his father who was actually being prosecuted for the crime. The complainant had put on record the certificate issued by the deputy district attorney (legal) in this regard.

The complainant said the inquiry challan was presented only against his father and that his name was removed from the list of accused after an inquiry conducted by the DSP (D).

The insurance company, however, did not accept the logic contending that the complainant's name could again be included again in the list of the accused during the course of investigations.

The complainant said that by stating this, the insurance company was stretching its imagination too far.

The Commission observed that the insurance company cannot deprive the complainant of his right to inheritance.

The complainant had also asked for Rs one lakh as compensation for the harassment caused to him by the insurance company but the Commission rejected the claim and directed that litigation charge of Rs 2,000 be paid to him. 

Bathinda, February 21
Even as the Dera Sacha Sauda chief's appearance in the district court has been cancelled for tomorrow, the government and private schools will remain closed on the day.

A number of Dera followers are expected to throng the district tomorrow.

The buildings of schools are being used to house security personnel who have arrived from various districts as part of a preventive measure against any untoward incident. These schools have declared holiday for February 21-23.

Security personnel are putting up at educational institutes in the areas of Canal colony, Dyalpura, Balianwali, Nehianwali, Kotfatta, Cantonment, in the jurisdiction of Kotwali area, Rampura Sadar, Maur, Rampura City, Talwandi Sabo and Bathinda Sadar.

The maximum number of personnel (500) is lodged at Government Senior Secondary School, Kotfatta, followed by 220 cops at Maharaja Ranjit Singh Khalsa Technical College.

The in-charges as well as class-IV employees of these schools have been directed to facilitate all kinds of boarding and lodging needs of security forces.

Forty-one officers from various government departments have been deputed to look after the arrangements at these schools and coordinate with the in-charges or principals.

Meanwhile, not ruling out threat to law and order situation, the private educational institutes have also declared holiday for tomorrow.

With most of the schools busy in annual examinations, the exams scheduled for February 22 have been postponed and new dates have been issued.

The classes at Government Rajindra College, however, will be held as usual. Principal Vijay Goyal said, "All the teaching and non-teaching staff members have got directions from the government neither to leave station nor to seek any leave." Further, the college is busy preparing for its convocation to be held on February 24 for which rehearsals would be held on February 23.

The DAV College has declared a holiday for tomorrow.

Bathinda, February 21
With board exams of the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB) round the corner, the Director General of School Education (DGSE), Punjab, has listed measures to check cheating and copying. The exams for classes XII and X will begin on March 1 and March 12, respectively.

Students would not be served drinking water inside the examination hall.

At the same time, the examination controllers have been directed to ensure that the places earmarked for drinking water and toilets do not have any hidden material meant to be used for cheating purpose.

All the examinations will be held on the ground floor and the first floor of the schools only. No examination would be allowed on the second floor or above. Teachers held for allowing or facilitating copying in exams on earlier occasions will not be assigned exam duties.

The entire examination material will reach the districts by February 24 and would be made available to the centre superintendents.

Any teacher, who has been assigned the examination duty, will not be allowed to proceed on leave. If any such leave has already been assigned, it has to be cancelled, the DGSE directed.

In a preventive measure against cheating, the PSEB has already written to various deputy commissioners requesting them to impose Section 144 of the CrPC around the examination centres so as to dissuade people from crowding outside.

The district education officers of senior secondary wings have been directed to submit lists of sensitive examination centres at the offices of their respective deputy commissioners and sub-divisional magistrates so that measures could be taken to provide security there.

The school examination controller will not interfere in the examination procedure. The centre superintendent will be responsible for conducting exams smoothly while the examination controller will be responsible for maintaining the decorum outside.

No principal would be allowed to depute his or her representative as the examination controller.

Any employee of the education department, who has been assigned an examination duty, found involved in any unfair means being used in the examination centre would have to face strict disciplinary action and an FIR can also be registered against him or her.

In Bathinda district, 10 examination centres have been declared sensitive, said officiating DEO (Secondary) Amarjit Kaur Kotfatta.

Bathinda, February 21
The staff of the Postal Department observed a complete strike today and raised slogans against the "wrong" policies of the central government.

Besides the staff at the head post office and the city post office, members of some pensioners' associations also participated in the strike.

The employees from 35 sub-offices in the district, including the field staff members, retired officials of various government departments and others addressed the gathering during a protest.

On working days, the city post office registers cash transactions worth nearly Rs 95 lakh apart from handling postal orders, registries, mail orders and others.

The divisional secretary of the All India Postal Employees Union, Makhan Lal Mangla, said the government was not paying attention towards the long-pending demands of the postal employees. He said long-pending issues of pensioners were also not addressed yet.

Bathinda, February 21
The national round of the pulse polio campaign will be held in the district from February 24 to February 26.

Presiding over the meeting of the pulse polio district task force held today, additional deputy commissioner (ADC) Mohammad Tayyab said all the departments will have to coordinate to make the campaign a success.

He said the rural medical officers and pharmacists will not be granted leave. The police will provide security to the female staff members on duty while security will also be provided at the bus stands at places like Bibiwala Chowk, Ghore Wala Chowk and near thermal plant.

Anganwari workers have been directed to ensure that even new born-babies are administered the vaccine in the villages and other localities.

Bus drivers have been directed to stop their buses near the polio booths so that the children travelling in them are also administered the vaccine.

The assistant commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Bathinda, was asked to direct the civic body employees not to remove the banners popularizing polio vaccine in the city. He was also directed to make arrangements to station the teams at the NFL, thermal plant hospital and Giani Zail Singh Engineering College.

The local unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the NGOs has been asked to lend support.

Civil Surgeon Dr Ajay Sahni said on February 24, every child in the age-group of 0 to 5 years should be given polio vaccine even if the child is new-born, unwell or has been given vaccine earlier. Nearly 1.75 lakh children will be administered polio vaccine in the district. For this, 698 booths and 40 transit booths have been set up.

District education officers, both primary and secondary, were directed to educate the children about the pulse polio in morning assemblies.

District food and supplies department were asked to direct the brick kiln owners to ensure that the children at these establishments are administered polio drops.

Others present at the meeting included the District Immunization Officer Dr Rakesh Goyal, senior medical officers, state coordinator Dr Mehtab Singh and officers of various government departments.

Bathinda, February 21
An annual function was organised at Doon Senior Secondary School in Kararwala village. Students from all the classes, from LKG to class XII, participated in the function which had as its theme 'Ehsas'.

Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), Rampura Phul, Bhupinder Singh was the chief guest on the occasion. Various cultural programmes, songs, drama and other events were organised at the function in which the students of various classes participated.

The principal read out the annual report of the school which highlighted the academic and cultural achievements of the students.

Bathinda, February 21
Five students of Baba Farid Group of Institutions (BFGI) have been placed with Om Satyam Technologies. The students appeared in the presentation round and final interviews. Finally, five candidates were selected of which three received an annual package of Rs. 2.4 lakhs while two students were selected at a package of Rs.1.8 lakh per annum.

Om Satyam Technologies Private Ltd. is a multinational, a Nasscom ASSCOMM registered company that deals in software development, IT business solutions and product development.

HR manager, Om Satyam Group, Sandeep Sharma appreciated the enthusiasm of the students.

Managing director, Baba Farid Group of Institutions, Gurmeet Singh Dhaliwal thanked the officials of the company for providing an opportunity to the students of the institute.

Bathinda, February 21
Poetry and singing competition was held at the Central University of Punjab (CUP), Bathinda. The theme was the girl child and the vanishing folk and cultural songs.

It was a solo and group competition in which around 30 students participated. The students presented poems with focus on female foeticide and treatment meted out to the girl child in Indian society.

Shaini, Ramanjit Kaur, Jatinder Kaur and Simranjit Kaur-- all students-- portrayed the pleadings of the unborn girl child to her mother in the poem, "Maine jag dikha de, Dhee babul di rani, Maa, mujhe na mar". The poems depicted the social tragedy.

In the song competition, students presented the songs, "Bol mitti deya baweya, ve soohe cheere walea, "Tappe" and "Dama Dum Mast Kalandar", that thrilled every one. The song "Mae ni mae" of Shiv Kumar Batalavi sung by Gursharan Kaur in the solo category and "Ghorian De Geet" in the group section were enjoyed by all. A spokesperson for the varsity said the results will be out on February 22 and the winners will be honoured on February 26. — TNS

Bathinda, February 21
A resident of Parasram Nagar has been booked by the police for beating up a resident of Partap Nagar. In a complaint to the police, Jagjit Singh said Gurdeep Singh, his brother-in- law's son, came to his house while he was watching television along with his wife.

The accused argued with the couple over a trivial issue but was told to leave after the intervention of their neighbours. The accused again went to Hagjit Singh's house at night and beat up the complainant before fleeing. Police has registered a case under sections 452 and 323 of the IPC at the Canal Colony police station.