Bathinda, October 21
Police has registered a case of criminal breach of trust against four partners of a rice mill despite the fact that they paid a sum of Rs 1.42 crores after paddy worth a similar amount was found missing from their rice mill.

Procurement agency Pungrain had delivered paddy worth Rs 1.16 crore during the 2011-12 season at Dashmesh Rice Mill in Dyalpura Bhaika village for milling but it was found missing during the inspection a year ago. Rate of interest to the tune of Rs 26 lakh accrued on the principal amount of Rs 1.16 crores and the amount increased to Rs 1.42 crores.

The food agency brought the matter of missing paddy to the notice of the District Food Supply Controller (DFSC) who further moved an application to the police for the registration of a case in this connection.

An inquiry was marked to the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) which carried out investigation for over a year. The mill owner, however, paid the entire sum of Rs 1.16 crores to the food agency in installments with an interest of Rs 26 lakhs during the time of the investigation.

DFSC officials said they recommended the registration of a case to the police on October 26, 2012. The police, however, failed to complete the investigations on one pretext or the other.

The miller paid the final installment of the money pending towards them yesterday and the police too registered a case under section 406 of the IPC against the four partners, including, Sandeep Singh, Pritpal Singh, Sukhdev Singh and Jagmeet Singh.

DFSC Parveen Vij, the complainant in the case, said despite sending a letter to the office of the SSP last week, a case was registered despite the fact that the miller has paid the entire pending amount along with the rate of interest.

The DFSC officials said since the millers have now paid the entire sum, there is no point initiating police action against them. A fresh application would be moved to the police urging for cancellation of the registration of the case, the officials said.

It is pertinent to mention here that the rice millers have been booked by the police for siphoning off paddy worth more than Rs 5 crores.

Bathinda, October 21
An Amritsar resident deployed as a helper in the office of the District Attorney (DA), Amritsar, has been booked under various sections of the IPC, including the recently amended section 326B.

Section 326B is imposed when someone throws or attempts to throw acid on any person or administers acid, with the intention of causing permanent or partial damage or deformity or burns or grievous hurt. An accused for this offence may undergo a minimum of five to seven years of imprisonment with fine.

The accused Jaspal Singh is a resident of Ghanpur Chheharta in Amritsar. He has also been booked under sections 354-D of the IPC (for chasing and trying to foster personal interaction repeatedly, despite a clear indication of disinterest and disturbing mental peace and 506 of IPC (criminal intimidation).

Police said Jaspal threatened the stenographer with throwing acid on her face and then committing suicide in her office or residence if she married someone else. The woman, however, declared complete disinterest in him and married a boy from Bathinda a few months ago.

Investigating Officer Kaur Singh from the Civil Lines police station said the steno was earlier deputed in the office of the DA, Amritsar, and after her marriage, shifted to Bathinda.

He said the helper had been harassing the woman even in Amritsar. The stenographer had informed the DA and other senior court officials and the man was let off with a warning.

After her marriage, the woman thought she had got rid of him but to her surprise, the helper made repeated rounds of Bathinda and accosted her while she was returning to her residence in the government quarters adjoining the District Administrative Complex.

Upset over this, the woman brought the matter to the notice of the SSP Bathinda who ordered the registration of a case. The accused, however, is yet to be arrested by the police.

A case under sections 354-D, 326-B and 506 of the IPC has been registered against the accused, Jaspal Singh, at the Civil Lines police station.

Fact file The accused Jaspal Singh is a resident of Ghanpur Chheharta in Amritsar. Police said Jaspal threatened the stenographer with throwing acid on her face and then committing suicide in her office or residence if she married someone else. The steno was earlier in the office of the District Attorney, Amritsar, and after her marriage, shifted to Bathinda.

Bathinda, October 21
The power supply from the 66 Kv feeder in the area extending from Malout road to Goniana will remain shut on October 23.

XEN, PSPCL, Hardeep Singh Sidhu said the feeder will be shut down for urgent maintenance and repair works from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm on that day.

The feeders of 66 Kv sub- stations of Goniana, 66 Kv Bhokhra, Daan Singh Wala, Ablu Kotli and Aklia Kalan will remain closed affecting the power supply to areas like Goniana, Mehma Sarja, Aklia Kalan, Ablu Kotli, Nehianwala and others in the district.

Bathinda, October 21
The Hotel, Resorts and Restaurant Association today withdrew its objections from the cess on nine items entering the municipal limits of the city, levied under the Punjab Prohibition of Cow Slaughter Act 1955 (15 to 1956) Section 7, to collect funds for housing and care of stray cattle.

The Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) had passed the resolution on August 5 allowing the collection of cess. The MCB had given a public notice inviting objections for the same, wherein the hospitality industry association had raised objections over the rate of cess imposed.

The association members met municipal commissioner Vipul Ujwal today. Ujwal told the association members that the cess was not only meant for the stray cattle but would also benefit the city residents.

The MCB aims at collecting around Rs 9 crore per month from the cess, which would be used to manage the stray cattle in the four cattle pounds of city.

The cess has been levied on oil tankers passing through or visiting the city, beer, English and country-made liquor, power, cement, marriage palaces and sale of two wheelers and four wheelers. The move is expected to bring in great relief in terms of tackling the stray cattle menace that is increasingly posing threats to the commuters.

The funds collected will also help construct a new cattle pound on the 10 acres of land of Shree Gaushala Committee in the Lal Singh Basti area.

Bathinda, October 21
The Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan (SSA) and Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyaan (RMSA) office staff union observed a pen down strike against the state government today. They suspended office work at the district and block-level offices.

The union leaders said on August 25, Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, Education Minister Sikandar Singh Maluka and higher officials of the Education Department had convened a meeting with the union members wherein the CM had directed the officials of education department to ensure that the office staff of the SSA and RMSA schemes were paid salaries at the scale of the teachers.

After the meeting, the department had prepared a file to grant regular pay scale to these employees, which had a budget of Rs 16 cr, including 65 per cent contribution of Centre Government and another 35 per cent of the state government. The union members alleged that now the state government was unwilling to contribute its share against which the union had raised its voice.

They said while crores were being spent to host events like the kabaddi cup, the government was dilly-dallying over paying Rs 5 crore, which could change the lives of 1,400 families.

Employees on agitation included Sandeep Kumar, Sher Singh, Nanpal, Raminder Singh, Kulwinder, Satvir Singh, Nidhi, Deepika, Rajni Rani, Rita Rani and others.

Bathinda, October 21
Thirty five cases of dengue have been reported from Bathinda district so far, including 19 cases from the urban areas and remaining from the rural pockets.

These include 19 cases reported in Bathinda city, 12 cases reported at Rampura Phul, three reported from Bhucho and one from Maur.

Of the 19 cases reported from Bathinda city, 15 include males and four are females. Similarly, from the rural pockets 12 male patients and four female patients were reported.

The latest batch of patients testing positive include seven, whose dengue status was confirmed on Friday. The health authorities appealed people and the medicos not to interpret every high grade fever as dengue.

“We have held talks with the Bathinda chapter of Indian Medical Association (IMA) appealing them not to spread the scare of dengue. The confirmatory test for dengue, Mc Elisa test, is only available at the blood bank of the Civil Hospital. Without this test, no case can be confirmed as a dengue case,� said the district health officer, Dr Raghubir Singh Randhawa.

Health officials said people should remain on their guard till November 15 after which the temperature will start dipping and the dengue larvae would not be able to thrive.

People have been asked not to allow water to collect around their surroundings in any form. Dengue larvae can thrive even in a spoonful of water. If, due to any reason, the water collected could not be drained or dried up, a thin film of kerosene oil could be poured over it which will instantly kill the larvae and not allow its further multiplication.

Dr Randhawa said since most of the patients testing positive were men, it implies the fact that the infection had been brought from various places. “Women are the stay at home population, since men go around for their business and jobs, they have been more vulnerable to the infection,� he said.

Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) too has been fogging various localities in city. It has also carried out an exercise of issuing notices to the educational institutes asking them to give an undertaking that no water is collected around their surroundings as a preventive measure against spread of dengue.

Bathinda, October 21
The Global Iodine Deficiency Disorder Prevention Day was observed at the Civil Hospital, Bathinda, block-level hospitals and at the sub-centre level. Besides this, the day was also observed at the Government Primary School in Housing Board Colony area, at the bus stand and the railway station.

People were educated about the importance of using iodised salt and complications arising out of consuming non-iodised foods.

Mass media officer Usha Singla gave details on iodised salt, its availability and daily need in diet. She also informed them about the diseases arising out of iodine deficiency. In nature, iodine was found in soil, water fruits and vegetables.

District school health coordinator Manphool Singh said iodine deficiency caused problems in the mental and physical development in children, goiter, reduced vision and loss of memory.

Civil surgeon Dr Ajay Sahni appealed to the people to ensure that they consumed iodised salt and safeguarded themselves against several ailments.

Bathinda, October 21
Despite the health hazards and the ban imposed, the sale of cut fruits and uncovered sweets is going on unabated in the city.

A day before karwachauth festival tomorrow, sweet shops were seen displaying their products uncovered outside the shops to woo the customers. In the procedure, the eatables were left open for dust and flies to settle on. One such stall was put up near the Fauji Chowk where sewer had been oozing out in the near vicinity.

Similarly, cut fruits like sugarcane and radish were seen being sold on the Ajit Road.

As per Section 2 of the Epidemic Disease Act, sale of over ripe or cut fruits and vegetables, kept without a glass cover, is strictly prohibited.

Deputy Commissioner Kamal Kishore Yadav had issued a ban on February 8, which will be in effect till December 31.

Even the sale of vegetables, meat, cakes, biscuits, bread, parched grains and other eatables has been prohibited unless covered properly. The Health Department officials have been authorised to inspect any market selling such articles and to remove or destroy them, if required.

District Health Officer Dr R S Randhawa said the consumers should not be only dependent on the Health Department to check the malpractices. “People should also make sure not to buy eatables which are exposed in the open. They should not buy over ripe, rotten fruits and vegetables and avoid consumption of cut fruit at all costs,” he said.

He added that keeping in view the festive season, the department today conducted a check in the city to dissuade sale of over ripe fruits and uncovered sweets.

The Health Department team today got rotten and over ripe fruits destroyed and directed the sweet shop owners to cover the eatables.

A team of the department, including assistant unit officer Sukhchain Singh, sanitary inspectors Harjit Singh and Kewal Krishan, multi-purpose health workers Gagandeep, Sherpal, Narvinder and Jagjit Singh, conducted the checking today.

At the fruit market located opposite Government Rajindra College, rotten fruits, including bananas and apples, were destroyed. Similarly, during a check at the bus stand, stale flavoured pumpkin cubes (petha) was destroyed. Rotten fruits being sold at the vegetable market at the backside of the bus stand were also destroyed.

The team conducted a check in the area opposite the old hospital on the Mall Road, where rotten fruits were destroyed. 

Bathinda, October 21
The students of RB DAV School won the state-level group song competition of Bharat Vikas Parishad.

In a press statement issued here, principal Dr Satwant Bhullar said the team stood first amongst 20 teams that participated in the contest held at Kotkapura on Sunday.

The school team was adjudged first in both the Hindi group song and Sanskrit group song categories.