Bathinda, December 25
Seemingly failing to settle the issue of land ownership, the district administration on Tuesday stalled the construction at the Government Elementary School at Dhobiana Basti. The work which had started on December 12 was stalled first stalled on December 19 and again on December 24.

The infrastructural development work of the school had begun last week, four months after the Member of Parliament from Bathinda, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, announced a grant for the boundary wall of the school and three months after the Deputy Commissioner of Bathinda, Kamal Kishore Yadav, issued orders to start the work under police protection.

Meanwhile, confusion prevailed over the issue on resuming the work at the site. When asked, the DC, he stated that the work had been stopped for the time being and the interval would be used to study the land dispute case which has been filed in the civil court.

“The work will resume as soon as the case is settled and there is clarity over the fact that no other party can claim the land,” said the DC, citing the issue of the committee members of the gurdwara, adjacent to the school staking claim to the land to expand the premises of the gurdwara.

The District Education Officer (elementary), Dr Amarjit Kaur Kotfatta, stated that she had asked the head teacher of the school, Buggar Singh, to stop the work immediately as per the orders given to her by the administration.

“The land on which the school and the gurdwara exist, is disputed. Although when the SDM, Damanjeet Singh Mann, visited the place, he had directed the gurdwara committee members to refrain from hindering the school development process, the work will be resumed only after the matter has been sorted,” the DEO said.

The residents of the area, whose children study in the school, surrounded the labourers sent by the contractor to take the construction material away from the site. The residents accused the state government of failing to fulfill its promise of providing good quality education to the children of all sections of the society.

Raising slogans against the education department and the district administration, parents of some of the students in the school stated that the school had set a benchmark for to what extent the government was lagging behind in providing education to the children from financially lower background.

As per the statement made by the DEO earlier, Rs 36 lakh were to be spent on the upgrade of the school. Of this, Rs 21 lakh released under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan were to be used to build three classrooms, a room for the head teacher and toilets, the Rs 10 lakh and Rs 5 lakh grants given by the MP and the Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Sarup Chand Singla, respectively, were to be used to construct the boundary wall of the school. 

Bathinda, December 25
Owners of cyber cafés and STDs/PCOs have been directed to ensure that no one should be allowed to use the computers or phones without an identity proof.

In the orders passed today, Additional District Magistrate, Rajiv Prashar, has imposed a ban under Section 144 CrPc. Prashar stated that if a user does not provide any identity proof, he or she should not be allowed to use any facility.

The owners of these commercial establishments have been asked to maintain register and have entries about users’ name, address and identity proof given. It should have the thumb impression or signature of the user.

Cyber owners should ensure that activity server log is saved in the main server and the entire main server record is saved for at least six months. Any kind of suspicious looking person or activity should be reported immediately to the police and record should be saved.

Also taking mobile phones or any other modes of communication inside the premises of the Bathinda Central Jail has been banned. A ban has been imposed on digging wells in the rural and urban areas without taking prior permission. Blanket ban has also been imposed on using fire crackers and arms in wedding functions.

The orders will be applicable from December 23 to February 23.

Bathinda, December 25
Residents and shopkeepers of the Paras Ram Nagar area at loggerheads over the issue of widening the main road that runs from the Paras Ram Nagar main chowk to the Behman village.

While the area residents met the Municipal Commissioner demanding the widening of road, the shopkeepers raised their voice against it.

Coming together under umbrella of the Halla Bol Committee, the area residents said the road, which is a heart line of the area, should be widened keeping in view the volume of traffic it serves.

Whereas, the shopkeepers demanded that iron bars and chains be installed at the beginning of road banning the entry of heavy vehicles. They said already traffic in main markets of Dhobi Bazar and Sirki Bazar is being controlled by installing chains and opening it at specific times. They said the traffic police can help in navigating the heavy and light traffic.

Protesting against this, the area shopkeepers closed their shops today because for widening the road, the land would have to be taken from their shops. They said widening the roads will snatch away their means of livelihood and prove detrimental to their families. The shopkeepers said the present road is 20-foot wide and there was no provision to widen it.

Following this, the area residents held a protest demanding that the road be widened at any cost.

Meanwhile, the Assistant Municipal Commissioner, Kamal Kant Goyal, said there was no proposal to widen the road. “Around five years ago, the issue of widening was taken up. However, since there is no government land available, we cannot widen it as it is not a planned area. It is up to the people, who own the land along the road, to give us land for widening voluntarily. We cannot do anything till everyone give their consent in it,” he added. 

Lehra Mohabbat (Bathinda), December 25
Lined up outside the Utlra Tech Cement plant at Lehra Mohabbat are a number of unusual men. In biting cold, they queue up listening with rapt attention to authorities of de-addiction project. One of them goes to every addict collecting cigarettes, tobacco, poppy husk and liquor from each and everyone.

All these addicts and few relatives of addicts are a part of the strong campaign on de-addiction being run by the district administration, police and Ultra Tech Cement for the past seven years. Every Saturday, they gather outside the unit of cement plant, collecting their medicines for de-addiction.

“Those who have turned sober completely do not return to us. They send other addicts from their villages. Those who are on path of sobriety, bring more like them and hence the clan grows,” says Dr PD Bansal from Adesh Hosptial who has been giving medicines to the addicts since the inception of the project.

Patients are divided into two groups-old and new. Every week, only 15 new patients are allowed to be party of the group. No addict is given medicine for more than eight weeks. If he does not give up the addiction, he is asked to leave the medicines.

“After eight weeks, patients become addicted to the medicines. We have cases wherein patients take medicines, leave, rebound to drug addiction and again come to us. Such patients are monitored closely,” added a dedicated volunteer at the camp requesting anonymity.

An addict from Hargana village of Fatehgarh Sahib, confided to selling away his two acres of land worth Rs 32 lakh to meet with his daily demand of two grams of smack, which costs him Rs 1,000 per day. Another addict from Kauli village near Patiala talks about giving up habit of consuming 1.5 kg poppy husk monthly.

The project is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative of the grinding unit of Ultra Tech Cement, which has been sponsoring the project and provides infrastructure and staff to run it. Vice-president and grinding unit head, Uktra Tech Cement, Tilak Babel, said the yearly budget of medicines to run the camp is Rs 7 to Rs 8 lakh. Besides, around 20 staff members are spared every Saturday to conduct this camp, which at times grows to 700 patients per day. 

Bathinda, December 25
On the third day of the chain hunger strike begun by the Congress party workers in Bathinda, the party demanded a CBI inquiry into the use of money procured by the Municipal Corporation of Bathinda (MCB) by charging Bathinda residents for water and sewer connections.

Addressing the party workers, general secretary of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee and former Bathinda MLA Harmandar Singh Jassi said a CBI inquiry was the only way of nabbing corrupt officials in the MCB. He added that the CBI inquiry would clarify what works the MCB did and how much money was spent on them through the year.

He added that the MCB claims of de-silting the drains fell flat every time it rained. He further stated that the MCB was least concerned about providing basis facilities even to its own workers as the year recorded a high number of deaths of sewer men while they were engaged in unplugging the clogged sewers.

Taking a dig at the municipal corporation, he said that instead of corporation, it should be called "corruption" since it was buried under heavy loans and was still charging people for giving them the basic facilities.

Jassi also said that the city bus service started in Bathinda was just an eyewash since it didn't cater to the residents of areas across the railway lines where it was needed the most. He added that the service was limited to catering to only areas along the Goniana Road and Amrik Singh Road. 

Bathinda, December 25
Dr Labh Singh Khiva was elected as the president of the Punjabi Sahitya Sabha, Bathinda, during a meeting at Teachers' Home here today. While Sukhdarshan Garg was named as the senior vice-president, Dr Ravinder Sandhu was named the vice-president. Jaspal Mankheda was chosen as the general secretary, Damanjeet Darshan as the secretary and Mangat Kuljinder as the finance secretary.

The meeting was attended by as many as 40 authors and poets. The meeting began with the presentation of the financial report for the year 2013. The members of the sabha also raised objection to the selection of Surinderpreet Ghanaiya as the secretary for the year 2013. Defending his election, Ghanaiya stated that he won because no competent author challenged his candidature.

After the election of the new working committee of the sabha, Ghanaiya accused the sabha of purposely excluding him from the committee. He argued that since he had served as the secretary of the sabha for the past four years, he should have at least been made a member of the working committee.

Addressing Ghanaiya's objection, present president of the sabha Gurdev Khokhar stated that he had been excluded from the working committee of the sabha since he had staged a boycott of the sabha four years back. 

Highlights

* Sukhdarshan Garg was named as the senior vice-president, Dr Ravinder Sandhu the vice-president, Jaspal Mankheda the general secretary, Damanjeet Darshan as the secretary and Mangat Kuljinder as the finance secretary.

* The meeting was attended by 40 authors and poets. The members objected to the selection of Surinderpreet Ghanaiya as the secretary for 2013. 

Bathinda, December 25
Kendriya Vidyalaya School (KVS) foundation day was celebrated on the occasion of the 50th Golden Jubilee Year at KV No.1, Sirsa, recently with great enthusiasm under the dynamic leadership of C Mani of Sirsa region.

Among those present were Niranjan Kumar, Dr B Kaur, the staff of KVS, Sirsa region and the principals of KVS Sirsa region. In a befitting show presented by the students and the teachers of KV No 1 & 2, Manmohan Singh (Maths) of KV No 5, Bathinda Cantonment along with six other teachers were awarded with the Regional Incentive Award (2012-2013) in recognition of meritorious services in the field of academic and non-academics by Ashok Tanwar, MP, Sirsa who was the chief guest. 

Bathinda, December 25
An art workshop by the Sardar Sobha Singh Memorial Chittarkar Society, Bathinda, was inaugurated at Teachers’ Home here today. Mathematics teacher Kumar Parveen, a recipient of state award, was the chief guest on the first day of the workshop which would go on till January 3.

As many as 150 students of all age-groups participated in the workshop and learnt the nuances of fine arts under the aegis of 20 artists of the society. President of the society, Amarjit Singh painter stated that the workshop was free-of-cost for students of schools and colleges who were free to join the workshop whenever they wished to. He added that at least 10-12 artists of the society would be present everyday to teach the students and motivate them towards showing more interest in the arts.

Tarkshel Society meet

Tarksheel Society Punjab today convened a meeting of all its workers from Bathinda, Fazilka, Mansa and Barnala zones at Teachers’ Home here today.

Addressing the members, the president of the society Rajinder Bhadaur expressed his thoughts over the need for scientific and factual ways of life. Member of the society, Bhura Singh pondered on life and afterlife and how people could adopt a scientific and practical way towards celebrating or condoling happy and sad moments of their lives.

Rajinder Lali expressed his thoughts on how the society is changing because of superstitions and how several lives were being wasted because of superstition.

Bathinda, December 25
The district police today held a meeting with the tractor union with the aim of minimizing the number of accidents caused due to fog.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Alka Meena presided over the meeting with traffic police in-charge ASI Bharpur Singh. Members of the NGO Naujawan Welfare Society were also present.

Assistant Superintendent of Police Alka Meena appealed to the members of the truck union to follow the safety rules and distributed 400 reflectors.

The ASP also directed the drivers of tractor-trolleys to install reflectors on trolleys as well as it becomes difficult to locate the vehicles in fog and during the dark hours.

Bathinda, December 25
Rotary Club, Bathinda, donated stationary items to the students of the Government Elementary School, Mall Road, Bathinda recently. Also present on the occasion were the parents of some of the students.

President of the club, Rakesh Bansal and general secretary of the society, Ashok Singla, addressed the students and asked them to study hard and chart a future for themselves.

Another member of the Rotary Club, Purshottam Bansal, assured the management of extending all help for the school and its students in future as well to help them overcome problems.

Also present on the occasion were Pawan Singla, Des Raj Goyal, Anup, Harwinder Goyal, Rajinder Jain and others. 

Bathinda, December 25
The Kikkar Bazar branch of the State Bank of India (SBI) organised a pensioners meet for the senior citizens. Chief Manager Sunil Kumar Malhotra appreciated the efforts of senior citizens who have retired from different departments. He discussed the problems pensioners faced in dealing with the banks pertaining to their transactions.