Bathinda, March 20
The rumbling in the corridors of the power in Delhi is likely to have its effect on the unlikeliest of places. Speculations are rife that the elections for the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB), scheduled to be held this year, may be deferred. The term of the MCB ends on July 9 this year.

Earlier, it was believed that with the start of the election process for the panchayats in Maythis year in Punjab, the residents of Bathinda will also elect their 50 councillors and the process for the civic body elections would be completed in June.

But now, with the national politics in a state of flux, the ruling SAD (B)-BJP alliance is believed to be weighing its options about the MCB elections-whether to hold it before or after the Lok Sabha elections?

The reason for this political pondering is obvious. The stakes are high for the SAD (B) from the Bathinda parliamentary seat as Harsimrat Kaur Badal is the sitting MP from this seat. The Akalis will, therefore, move cautiously, calculating every impact that the MCB election can have on the Lok Sabha elections in Bathinda, said sources.

With the MCB in the doldrums financially and residents in Bathinda receiving the extra burden of new taxes in recent times, political observers believe holding the MCB election before the Lok Sabha election could have an adverse impact on the latter.

While political observers in the area feel that after the end of the present term of the MCB on July 9, the local bodies department will depute an administrator, Baljit Singh Bir Behman, Mayor, Municipal Corporation Bathinda, said the election process will be completed in June. Earlier, the MCB was under the governance of an administrator for over five years from 2003 to 2008.

In July 2008, residents of Bathinda had elected 50 councillors, including 24 of the SAD (B), 14 of the BJP, six of Congress and six independents. While two Congress councillors and five independents joined hands with the ruling SAD (B)-BJP, one independent and one SAD (B) councillor went with the Congress.

Rajan Garg, son of former minister Chiranji Lal Garg, joined hands with the Congress after his father shifted from the Akali Dal to the Congress a year back. After the death of a BJP councillor, Parshotam Gargi from Kamla Nehru Colony area, the by-election for the corporation seat was won by Iqbal Singh Dhillon of the Congress.

Besides the Congress, the ruling SAD (B) in the MCB had to face strong opposition from its alliance partner, the BJP, in the last five years. On many issues, the BJP councillors sat on dharna against the MCB. The imposition of the new property tax, hike in change of land use (CLU) fee are some of the issues that created resentment against in the BJP its alliance partner, said Krishan Kumar Garg, a BJP councillor in Bathinda.

These less-than-cordial relations between the BJP and SAD (B) are another reason why the Akali Dal will not want it to surface in Bathinda during the Lok Sabha elections. If the MCB elections are held before the Lok Sabha elections, as always there would be scrambling for tickets. In the last MCB election, the SAD (B) and the BJP leaders jostled for their share of the 50 tickets. While the Akali leaders got 28 tickets, the BJP succeeded in getting 22 tickets. The Akalis won 24 out of 28 while the BJP wrested 14 of the 22 allotted tickets.

Senior Congress leader and councillor Jagroop Singh Gill said the ruling SAD (B)-BJP has no issue to harp on in the MCB elections. Many prime public properties were sold off to derive political mileage in the last assembly elections. The huge funds spent by the MCB in the last five years lacked proper planning. The funds were misused to get the Akali Dal instant benefit without any planning, said Gill. 

Bathinda, March 20
"Education will be sold as a commodity in the market till the time it finds buyers," said Dr Parkash Singh who teaches banking at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow.

Dr Singh was in the city today to deliver the keynote lecture on the first day of the two-day national conference being held at the Baba Farid College of Management and Technology.

Talking about the trend of coaching institutes luring students and their parents by making them harbour dreams of a lucrative career, Dr Singh said, "These institutes are successfully selling the dreams because they are getting the buyers. A lucrative job has aspirational value and every parent wants his child to have such a career. Careers in the fields of engineering, medicine and management, among others, have been turned into brands. While some brands may flourish, others may lose sheen, depending on the demand."

While speaking to Bathinda Tribune, he debunked the popular perception that engineering or medicine students pursuing management courses lacked vision. "A four -year course in engineering equips a student with only a degree. By pursuing a course in management, the student manages to sharpen his skills. More than half the students studying in some of the top management schools across India are from an engineering background. They go ahead and specialise in finance or human resource and take up jobs in consultation firms and banks," he said.

"While the number of students taking up engineering is increasing, the number of jobs in the field of engineering is decreasing. My opinion is that after completing the course in engineering, the students should work for a few years and then take up a course in management. Their work experience will make them more competitive," he added.

He also confessed that the trend of dummy admission (students getting enrolled in schools but not attending classes) in Punjab schools was "news" to him.

Although he refused to comment on this alarming trend, he said, "If the schools have no problem in allowing the students to miss school classes and attend coaching classes instead, what can be done. But the trend is alarming and I would advise against it. The state government should do something about it."

Bathinda, March 20
A two-day national conference on ‘Trends and Issues in Product and Brand Management’ began at Baba Farid College of Management and Technology (BFCMT) today. The chief guest on the occasion was Jatinder Vijh, joint general manager (HR), HMT Ltd, and Prof Parkash Singh from IIM, Lucknow, was the keynote speaker. Gurmeet Singh Dhaliwal, managing director of the college, welcomed the guests.

Addressing the students, Dhaliwal said they should work hard and create a brand name for themselves. He said the students needed to stay positive and take certain calculated risks to become a brand. The keynote speaker, Prof Parkash Singh, presented his views through a PowerPoint presentation. He said people were becoming brand conscious and were willing to spend more on a particular product just to stay loyal to their brand.

Chief guest Jatinder Vijh also gave a PowerPoint presentation on ‘Brand and Brand Management’. He used his life experiences to explain what brands are and what challenges are faced by various brands. He explained that money alone could not create a brand but it was the value of the company and employees that matters. He asked the students to read autobiographies of Steve Jobs and Mahatma Gandhi, if they wanted to learn brand management.

The guests also released a proceeding of presented papers on the occasion. More than 130 papers were submitted for the conference ,out of which more than 40 were presented by eminent research scholars and industry representatives in the second session. 

Bathinda, March 20
In the home district of Chief Parliamentary Secretary (Excise and Taxation) Sarup Chand Singla, the Excise and Taxation Department has suffered a huge loss in the form of application fee collected for the allotment of liquor vends for the fiscal year 2013-14.

Last year, Rs 2.16 crore was collected as application fee and as many as 1,112 applications were received but this year, only Rs 35 lakh was collected as application fee, with the department receiving only 54 applications.

The department had divided the entire district into nine zones, including two zones of the city. All the zones have 522 liquor vends — 396 of PML and 126 of the IMFL.

However, only two applications were received for the Bathinda zone, with Rs 75,000 as application fee that too from the applicants, being considered as close aides of ruling Akalis, who would now automatically get the licence to run vends as no one had applied for vend. The last date to submit applications was March 19. The draw of lots would be held on March 22, which would now be held for the remaining seven groups — Goniana, Rampura, Sangat, Bhucho, Kotfatta, Rama Mandi and Maur.

Pawan Garg, Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner (AETC), Bathinda, said, “ There is no doubt that the dip in the enthusiasm among the entrepreneurs is below the expectations but there are various reasons behind the decrease in collection of application fee. Last year’s competition and increase in the fixed quota are the two major causes.”

The annual quota of PML has been increased from 52.94 lakh proof litres to 62.48 lakh proof litres and the quota for IMFL has been increased from 11.24 lakh to 11.36 lakh proof litres this year.

Bathinda, March 20
The Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Ambala Division, Pardeep Kumar Sanghi, paid a surprise visit to the Bathinda Junction this morning. The visit was part of a routine inspection before the visit of the general manager, which is scheduled for the next month.

The DRM was accompanied by eight other officers and inspectors. These officers included senior divisional operating manager Karan Singh, senior divisional commercial manager Gulshan and chief medical superintendent Dr Girija Prasad. The officers were intimated about the visit of the nine officers on Tuesday afternoon and the team landed at the junction on Tuesday night.

The focus of the team was on reviewing the amenities provided to the public and passengers at the station. While the DRM appreciated the Bathinda Junction officers for paying attention to the sanitation of the station, he frowned upon various other things.

While reviewing the waiting hall, he pointed out the maze of wires, non-availability of helpline and train numbers. He spent more than 15 minutes in the waiting hall and expressed his dissatisfaction over the computers, installed to display information of train timings.

Shockingly, while the senior officials were on a round of the junction, the class IV employees could be seen cleaning the walls of the station with a wet cloth. He also pointed out that the new staircase was not built to satisfaction while the old staircase, built many decades ago, was better. The ticket and reservation counters did not display all the required information regarding the time-table of the trains, he said.

The DRM ordered that attention be paid to the maintenance of the waiting hall. He asked to build a new gate for the new parking area and asked that the maze of wires be cleared without any delay. He also questioned the junction officers about the kiosks outside the boundary wall of the railway station and ordered them to remove the same.

The DRM said some of the lapses had been pointed during his earlier visit too but the junction officers had not taken any concrete steps to address the problems. 

Bathinda, March 20
The District Consumer Dispute Redressal Forum has imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 upon Powercom for misplacing the file of a farmer pertaining to the shifting of his tube-well.

Accepting the complaint of Jagjit Singh, a resident of Khokhar village, the forum directed the Powercom to pay Rs 5,000 as compensation to the complainant.

The case of Jagjit Singh versus Punjab State Power Corporation Limited, The Mall, Patiala through its secretary and SDO, Operations, Sub-Division,, PSPCL, Maur district, Bathinda was decided by the president of the Forum, Vikramjit Kaur Soni and members Amarjeet Paul and Sukhwinder Kaur.

The counsel for the complainant Ashok Gupta said Jagjit Singh applied for a tube-well connection and deposited the security fees and the documents with the Powercom.

Thereafter, Jagjit applied for the shifting of the tube-well connection at Khokhar village as he had agricultural land in the village and started living there. After completing the formalities, the farmer was told that his file had been misplaced.

Despite approaching the officials on many an occasion, they expressed their helplessness in locating the file. Despite producing the photocopies of the receipt of the security paid by him for the tube-well connection, nothing was done to shift the tube-well.

The complainant said the Deputy Chief Engineer, Faridkot, wrote a letter in this regard and sent the case to the XEN, Maur. Despite writing to the XEN to shift the tube-well connection, nothing was done by the authorities, the complainant alleged.

The complainant said the despite knowing that his file was lost, he was ready to complete the formalities but nobody listened to his grievances.

After making numerous rounds of different offices and meeting senior Powercom officials, the complainant finally sent a notice to the parties and decided to sue them in the consumer forum.

In their reply, Powercom officials pleaded that the complainant had applied for the shifting of the tube-well connection but no order for the shifting was sanctioned by the competent authorities.

The defendant accused the complainant of always being in a hurry regarding the shifting of the tube-well connection.

Bathinda, March 20
A free legal-aid camp was organised at Virk village by the Punjab Legal Services Authority. The camp was presided over by advocate Kapil Kumar, who made the villagers aware of their legal rights.

The villagers were sensitised about their legal rights and monetary benefits provided under the Building and Construction Workers' Welfare (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Services) Act.

The villager thanked the volunteers of the Legal Services Authority. The lawyers assured all possible help to the labourers in providing benefits through the Labour Department.

TheDistrict legal Services Authority has been carrying out a campaign to create awareness among the workers about their legal rights by holding such camps.

Bathinda, March 20
A team of seven doctors, headed by Dr Ridhi Narang and Dr Litik Mittal from Surendera Dental College and Research Institute, Sri Ganganagar, visited the Guru Kashi University Campus, Talwandi Sabo, recently. A free dental check-up camp was organised on the occasion. As many as 200 patients, students and faculty members were examined and 27 patients were treated at the camp. Treatments like scaling and restorative procedures were done in a mobile dental van.

Addressing the patients, Dr Mittal said the commonly-found dental problems included gum diseases, flourosis. — TNS

Bathinda, March 20
Tension prevailed at village Rai Ke Kalan this morning when the members of the action committee formed by the villagers to make the gurdwara free from the control of Sikh hardliner preacher Sant Baljit Singh Daduwal, entered the premises and started seizing control.

The villagers, including a large number of women and children, even started reciting the "path" of Sukhmani Sahib there.

They also told the officials that they would not leave the gurdwara until the administration takes the keys from Sant Daduwal and hands it to them.

However, the situation was brought under control with the efforts of the police and the district administration and it was decided that a meeting would be held between both the parties after a few days.

It may be mentioned that the village panchayat wants to take control of the gurdwara and had even staged a protest in this regard outside the Mini-secretariat.

Members of the action committee, Kulwinder Singh and Jathedar Harnek Singh, said two years ago, the panchayat of the village took the concurrence of the residents by keeping them in the dark. They said they were changing the granthi of the gurdwara, but gave the control of the gurdwara to Sant Baljit Singh Daduwal. "Since then, the people of the village began a fight to seize the control of the gurdwara and, decided today to take control on their own," said the members of the committee.

They also alleged that they were not getting the details of the money coming from the 25-acre land of the gurdwara for the last two years.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Rajiv Prashar said, "Both the parties have been told to produce their documents and any decision in this regard would be taken after that." He added that no untoward incident was reported today.

Later, in the evening, Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav held a meeting with both the parties. During the meeting, Sant Daduwal demanded that the administration discuss the issue after a fortnight as he had other pre-occupations. The administration has agreed and called a meeting again on April 5.

However, police force was deployed in the village so that no untoward incident takes place at night.

Later, Daduwal, after attending the meeting with the district administration, said he had not forcibly taken control of the gurdwara. "Two years ago, the village panchayat had itself handed over the gurdwara to me, requesting me to take care of it," said Daduwal.

He alleged that those who were now creating noise were those who had been made to leave the gurdwara, as they were not following the rules of Sikhism. 

Bathinda, March 20
As part of the ongoing theatre festival, the first Punjabi play, 'Suhag' was staged at the Open Air Theatre in Rose Garden here today. While the original play was written by IC Nanda, the play has been re-written by thespian Dr Pali Bhupinder Singh. Singh's play, christened 'Dulhan', was also staged today. Both the plays were directed by Rajinder Raja of the Satya Theatre Group from Ludhiana.

While 'Suhag' focussed on the ills of society and how the young girls were married off, 'Dulhan' focussed on how society has changed and progressed over the last 100 years but the problems have remained the same. The play focussed on how in the lure of going abroad, young girls are married off to men twice their age.

"Both the plays bring to the fore the commodification and exploitation of women. Both the plays were staged back-to back to make the contrast stark. We may feel proud about the fact that our girls are studying and becoming self-dependent but still there are many girls who are married off to much-elder men without their consent," said Kirti Kripal of the Natyam Manch, the organiser of the theatre festival.

He added that since the festival was being organised to celebrate 100 years of Punjabi theatre, it was pertinent to focus on the issues that plagued society 100 years back and that still exist.

In both the plays, as many as 12-13 actors play various characters. While the characters remained the same in both the plays, the context and the problems changed. Through the plays, the actors tried to drive home the point that no matter how much we progress as individuals, we will have to progress as society too.

On Thursday, the play 'Chehre' will be staged by the Theatre For Theatre Group from Chandigarh. 

Bathinda, March 20
Mukesh Kumar (36), a resident of Dhobiana Basti committed suicide by jumping into the water tank of the Punjab Water Supply Department near Basti today.

The deceased had been married for 15 years and is survived by four children- two daughters and two sons. According to the police, the deceased was upset for sometime as his wife had left her and was residing with someone else near his house without the consent of his family members.

The police said a case under Section 306 of the IPC has been registered against the wife of the deceased on the complaint of the deceased’s mother.

The body was fished out by the volunteers of the Sahara Jan Sewa using an iron anchor and rope. Janta Singh, who resides near the water tanks, said the water tanks were covered with high walls and there was respite from the suicide incidents for many years. “Since a portion of wall collapsed around six months ago, such incidents seems to have resumed,” Janta said. He said the wall had collapsed after a truck hit it accidentally.

The police said that SHO Cantt Paramjit Singh had already written to the officials of the Water Supply Department about the collapsed portion of the wall but nothing was done.

Mdeanwhile, ASP (city) Alka Meena said she would take up the matter with senior-most officials of the department and send a fresh letter tomorrow to get the boundary wall of water tanks refurbished.

“The residents had informed the police that the construction of the boundary wall had drastically reduced the number of suicides and recovery of dead bodies. The wall needs to be rebuilt at the earliest,” the ASP said.