Bathinda, May 17
The notification of the Health Department barring private blood banks from holding voluntary blood donation camps has put the private blood banks in a fix.

The Blood Transfusion Council, Punjab, under the Punjab State AIDS Control Society (PSACS), has directed the in-charges of all private blood banks not to hold any voluntary blood donation camp and collect blood units.

Issued by the joint director, blood safety and quality assurance, PSACS, the orders state that the move has been taken keeping in view safety of blood.

The officials reason that for safe blood in this country, where comprehensive laboratory tests are neither possible nor pragmatic, it is best to switch to 100 per cent voluntary donations. They added that it was now established that only voluntary and non-remunerated blood donation is safe. With imposition of the ban on private blood banks, the department wants to focus on motivating non-remunerated blood donors and phasing out even replacement donors.

With the new directions, private blood banks are not eligible to hold voluntary blood donation camps as per schedule F Pt XII B of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act.

It has been directed that to end the scarcity of blood and ensure availability of safe and quality blood round the clock and throughout the year, the private banks have been directed to motivate altruistic groups of donors in their respective areas who donate regularly and prepare an inventory.

The order has affected over 49 private blood banks in the state of the total 94 operating currently. Bathinda district has two private blood banks, whose owners say that the orders will eventually lead to drying up of banks and will create paucity of blood.

“The Bathinda region, especially Rampura Phul, is famous as the pioneer in voluntary blood donation movement. With private blood banks not allowed to collect blood units, the morale of voluntary blood donors has taken a dip,” said a member of the Bathinda Association of NGOs (BANGO), Sonu Maheshwari.

The owner of a private blood bank said these banks have far better facilities than the government blood banks and provide blood units at the rate fixed by the government. "When we opened blood banks, we gave an undertaking to the government that no professional blood donor will be entertained at our banks. Our arrangements and facilities are regularly checked and duly passed. This is unfair on the part of the government to pass such a stricture," said one of the owners of a private blood bank. The private hospitals are now calling up voluntary blood donors to come to their centres for donating blood.

BANGO's member Sadhu Ram Kusla added that the revised blood rates have created mayhem in public. The BANGO has lodged its protest and made an appeal that the revised rates as well as the ban on private blood banks should be withdrawn.

Meanwhile, Raj Kamal Chaudhary, the secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Punjab, said the emphasis was on phasing out commercials blood donors who bleed in lieu of money. They could be drug addicts who may end up exposing the blood recipients to various health risks. "I am yet to get any representation about protest against the orders. Once I receive it, I will look into it," he asserted.

Meanwhile, people protested in Rampura Phul today opposing the revised blood rates and burnt an effigy of the Health Minister. 

The emphasis is on phasing out commercials blood donors who bleed for money. They could be drug addicts and may expose the blood recipients to various health risks. So far, I have not received any representation about protest against the orders.
— Raj Kamal Chaudhary, Secy, Health & Family welfare Dept

When we opened blood banks, we gave an undertaking to the government that no professional blood donor would be entertained at our banks. Our arrangements and facilities are regularly checked and duly passed. This is unfair on the part of the government to pass such a stricture.
— owner, Pvt blood bank

Bathinda, May 17
The PSEB Engineers Association, Guru Hargobind Thermal Plant (GHTP), Lehra Mohabat, has flayed the police for not taking action against those who had forcibly held captive a senior member and his family at his residence on May 15.

A meeting in this context was held here in which those present criticised the illegal act of the protesters.

Ajay Sehgal, regional secretary of the outfit, said while they completely understood the right of unions to resort to available legal recourses to lodge their protest and to press for their legitimate demands but such illegal actions cannot be tolerated.

Those present deplored the incident and called upon the PSPCL and GHTP plant management to play a proactive role to ensure safety and security of personnel and thermal plant equipment rather than waiting for a major incident like the one at Maruti Motors to happen.

Sehgal said the members also deliberated on the preventive measures that needed to be in place to prevent the recurrence of such incidents in future. However, the members were unanimous that the private security agency, PESCO, which supplies the work force at the plant has proved to be ‘thoroughly incompetent’ in restraining the workers from carrying out illegal acts. This is not the only the agency’s sole failure since in the past too it had failed to stop theft/pilferage of material from the plant/colony.

This is a serious issue since the plant, like an army cantonment, which is a vital and an important establishment vulnerable to terrorist threats and other acts of sabotage. It is totally unsafe to entrust the security of thermal plant to incompetent agencies like PESCO, he alleged.

The police too had failed to stop the agitators from picketing the house of the engineer in the colony or take steps to get them released from captivity. No FIR has been lodged even though a complaint had been sent to the police station concerned on the day of the incident itself, he added.

The association urged the state government to entrust the security of the plant to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) so that such incidents do not happen in future and the officials were able to perform their duties without any fear, he said.

Bathinda, May 17
Former Minister and senior Congress leader Chiranji Lal Garg has sought the resignation of Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Sarup Chand Singla and action against Excise officials for failing to prevent Rs 16-crore tax evasion by a prominent car dealer of Bathinda.

Addressing a rally at Kot Shamir village in favour of Congress candidates for the zila parishad poll on Thursday, Garg said it was highly unlikely that such a massive tax evasion took place without the connivance of excise officials. He said Sarup Chand Singla who looked after the Excise and Taxation Department should resign on moral grounds for his failure to check the evasion.

Bathinda, May 17
While the state government is laying emphasis on declaring different districts in Punjab smoke-free (in context of tobacco usage), no attention is being paid to increasing usage of alcohol.

The Government is working on a war-footing to declare various districts smoke-free and four districts have already attained the status. However, the government as well as Excise Department officials have preferred to turn blind eye towards the violation of directions against putting up advertisements and billboards regarding alcohol.

The Bibiwala Road and The GT Road in the city are dotted with such advertisements that not only entice the regular drunkards but also encourage youngsters to consume it.

Under Section 5 of the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, it is mandatory to carry pictorial warnings against the use of tobacco and under no conditions tobacco usage can to be eulogised. However, nothing is being done to control liquor advertisements.

In this context, Harman Sidhu, who runs the NGO Arrive Safe in Chandigarh, had sought information under the Right To Information (RTI) from the Excise Department.

“Drunken driving is known for its fatality. Records of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) reveal that over a stretch of 100 km (on Jalandhar- Delhi highway) there were over 30 liquor vends last year,” he said.

The information procured under the RTI reveal that under rule 37 (8) of the Punjab Liquor License Rules, 1956, liquor vends are not supposed to put up any signboard of more than 4"2 size. The licensee has to put his name and the warning, "use of alcohol is injurious to health" in Hindi, Gurmukhi, Urdu and English.

The order numbers 19, 20 and 21 of the Punjab Intoxicants License and Sales Orders, 1956, even prohibit printing, publishing and selling of any newspapers, books etc. that promote the use of intoxicants.

Liquor companies are not allowed to put up advertisements on national or state highways. Any licensee violating provision of the Punjab Intoxicants License and Sales Orders, 1956, is liable for penal action under the Punjab Excise Act, 1914.

However, the Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner (AETC), Pawan Garg, said 10 to 12 liquor vends had been challaned this year for the display of advertisements enticing people to drink. "The vends were penalised at the discretions of the Excise Department Collector in Faridkot. We will intensify penalising campaign," he said.

Meanwhile, psychiatrist Dr Vandana Singla said alcohol was a gateway to drugs in Punjab and it was the foremost cause behind the rising crime graph and disintegrating families. She added that youngsters should be kept away from the menace. "Young minds get easily get carried away with glamorous advertisements. With cricketers and bollywood actors endorsing alcohol, children have no space to think on their own. It is a high time for the government to act," she suggested.

Alcohol is a gateway to drugs in Punjab and it is the foremost cause behind the rising crime graph and disintegrating families. With cricketers and Bollywood actors endorsing alcohol, children have no space to think on their own. It is a high time for the government to act.
— Vandana Singla, Psychiatrist

Bathinda, May 17
The Computer Teachers' Union (CTU) today lodged protest against non-payment of their salary for the past three months.

In a press statement issued here today, union president Balkaran Singh stated that teachers had not been given salary for the past three months due to which they were facing financial crunch.

He added that computer teachers were involved in various non-academic works, which was against the directives of the Director General of School Education (DGSE). He said the teachers were being made to prepare online salary bills besides working for the Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) and other non-academic works.

“Computer teachers were recruited to provide computer education to students in government school rather than doing a plethora of non-academic works. The computer education is getting affected in the state due to the burden of non-academic works on teachers,” said Pradeep Maluka, press secretary of the union.

He added that though the teachers were recruited on regular basis, they were not being given the benefits that other regular teachers were enjoying. The union demanded that all the 7,000 computer teachers be given grade pay of Rs 5,400.

The union members will meet the Education Department officials on May 23 regarding their demands.

They threatened to intensify their protest, if their demands were not accepted. 

Bathinda, May 17
The court of Sessions Judge, Bathinda, Jaspal Singh, awarded 10 years rigorous imprisonment (RI) each to two persons in a minor's gang rape case.

Soni Singh from Dikh village under Balianwali police station had lodged a complaint on September 30, 2011, alleging that Mandeep Singh and Gora Singh alias Sandeep Singh from Mandi Kalan village used to bother his sister. The two had verbal duel with Soni Singh over the issue.

On the night of September 27, 2011, the accused took away his sister to a secluded spot by administering her some sedatives. Thereafter, they raped her repeatedly.

Based on Soni's statement, the police registered a case against both the accsued under Section 376, 366 A and 363 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

On October 1, 2011, one of the accused Mandeep Singh was arrested from near the railway tracks at Rampur while Gora Singh managed to escape.

During police investigation, Gora Singh was not found guilty of committing the crime. However, Soni Singh filed an appeal in the court following whcih summoned Gora Singh too.

Both the accused were awarded 10 years rigorous imprisonment each along with Rs 4,000 as fine.

Bathinda, May 17
The Civil Lines police recovered 1.1 kg of poppy husk and arrested one person in this regard today. meanwhile, the another accused managed to flee from the spot. The accused were on a motorcycle when the police stopped them near the Valmiki Chowk. The accused have been identified as Krishan Kumar, a resident of the area near DAV College, and Vinod Kumar, a resident of Kamla Nehru Colony. While Krishan Kumar was arrested, Vinod fled away from the scene.

In another incident the Kotwali police recovered 2 kg of poppy husk from a man today. The accused has been identified as Gurbans Singh, a resident of Lehra Bega village. He was arrested near the bus stand. He has been booked under the NDPS Act.

Bathinda, May 17
The District Defence Services Welfare Office will start six-week training for those who aspire to enter the defence services. In a press statement issued here today, Commander (retd) Baljinder Singh Virk stated that from June 3, a camp would be held, in which pre-commission training for the NDA examination would be provided. the exam is scheduled to be held on August 11.

He said candidates could get more information from the website, www.upsc.gov.in. The youngsters will be given training for the written test.

He said aspiring candidates could enrol themselves at the office of district defence services so that proper arrangements could be made for them. Virk added that the last year six youngsters from Bathinda got commissioned in different wings of the Army and the each successful candidate was given Rs 1 lakh award. — TNS 

Bathinda, May 17
The Kotwali police booked a resident of Sivian village for posting objection photos of Sant Gurmit Ram Rahim Singh on a social networking site.

The accused has been identified as Jassi, a resident of Sivian village. Sunil Kumar, a resident of Pujjan Wala Mohalla, Bathinda, had complained that the accused had posted objectionable photos of the god man on the social networking site, which had hurt the religious sentiments.