Bathinda, December 29
The expansion of the Government Elementary School in Dhobiana Basti is an issue which with every passing day is snowballing into a bigger issue. Two days after construction resumed on the school premises, the residents of Dhobiana Basti got together to protest and demand that the construction be undertaken at the site where the foundation was dug last week.

Expressing their displeasure at the way the work was being done, residents of the area Saudagar Singh, Gurmeet Singh, Jugraj Singh, Baljinder Singh and others stated that the land where the foundation had been dug, has now been given to the gurudwara committee by the Municipal Corporation and demanded that the school rooms be constructed on the original foundation.

Elaborating on the confusion, Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sarup Chand Singla said, "Earlier, the school had 1.25 acres of land for expansion. The land is disputed since the gurudwara committee has also been staking claim to it. To settle the issue at the earliest and satisfy both the parties, we have given the land, where the foundation for the school rooms was dug last week, to the gurudwara committee. We have also earmarked more land for the school which now has 1.50 acres to build on."

Singla added that the demarcation had been renewed to make sure that the issue was settled for once and all and that the construction of the school goes on. He also hinted that the protests were uncalled for and were "politically motivated".

He was perhaps referring to the Congress party workers, who led by the former Bathinda MLA Harminder Singh Jassi, had visited the school site on Friday and threatened to launch a protest against the ruling state government and the district administration if the work did not resume.

Representing the Congress during the protest, advocate Rajan Garg said, "The work was started and then stalled on the orders of the administration. The administration is overlooking the fact that the foundation had already been filled with concrete and cement at a cost of Rs 1 lakh which will go waste now."

Explaining the demand of the protestors, former councillor of the area, Manjit Singh said, "Only a week after the construction began, the work was stalled on the orders of the district administration. A couple of days back, the Deputy Commissioner of Bathinda, Kamal Kishore Yadav, SDM Damanjeet Singh Mann, District Education Officer (Elementary) Dr Amarjit Kaur Kotfatta, and officials of the Municipal Corporation of Bathinda met and decided that the construction would begin at a distance of 40 feet away from the foundation."

Singh added that although more land had been given to the school, the extra land had been a part of a pond and was not fit for the construction of a building. "Although the administration is saying that it has given us more land, it brings little good news since the land is not safe," he said.

Contradicting Singh's allegation, District Education Officer (DEO) Amarjit Kaur Kotfatta stated that only the foundation of the boundary wall of the school had been filled with cement and concrete. "As far as the issue of the land being unsafe for construction is concerned, we have already got the land checked by a team of experts and have also procured a capacity bearing certificate to make sure that the school building is safe," she said.

Bathinda, December 29
The skills of excise and taxation officers (ETO) and inspectors in the state would be put to test to estimate their knowledge in handling the Excise and Taxation Technical Services Agency (ETTSA) Gateway application, which is an integral part of scrutinising and assessing data.

The state excise and taxation department has decided to hold tests for the ETOs to test their skills and motivate them to learn more about this simple application that can be used frequently to improve productivity as well as efficiency.

Talking to TNS, the Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Punjab, Anurag Verma said that during his interaction with various ETOs in Punjab, he felt that not all of them were well-endowed with the knowledge of operating the ETTSA application. "In the old times, the department used to hold excise and VAT law tests to test the skills. We realised that many officers were still not aware of ETTSA and their enhancement in knowledge could work wonders for us," said Verma.

To begin with, the department first held training sessions, which many officials did not take seriously. Thereafter, the department deiced to adopt the carrot and stick policy.

Officials of all the excise divisions have been issued the date of examinations. Those securing above 90 per cent would be awarded appreciation certificates and those securing above 80 per cent will have good response registered in their annual confidentiality reports (ACR).

Officials who secure less than 60 per cent would be given an opportunity to improve their performance through training and will again have to appear for test after 45 days of training. If his or her performance still does not improve, it would be brought on record in the ACR report.

The expertise of officers taking test will be adjudged on the basis of 40 modules and new scrutiny modules.

Welcoming the testing skills, the ETOs said that the new entrants will have to take this exam. The old ones, who are nearing promotion, will not have to appear for it. "Such a test was long pending. The government should have introduced it long ago to churn out skillful officers," said an ETO posted in Bathinda.

From Bathinda district, two ETOs in the district wing, one in the mobile wing and ten inspectors will undertake this test in January.

Bathinda, December 29
Rajinder Gupta (52) of Amrik Singh Road has been cycling for the past three decades to spread the message of peace, unity and tranquility all over the country. He has visited different states of the country on bicycle since 1989.

With claims of having covered nearly 4 lakh kilometers on bicycle, Gupta has now sent his name to the Limca Book of Records.

A strong determination to get his name in the Guinness Book of World Records kept Gupta going. A camera, a little cash, three pairs of clothes, a bicycle kit and a letter issued by the office of the deputy commissioner, Bathinda, is all that he carries with him on his bicycle.

Brother of a city-based advocate, Ashok Gupta, the bicyclist is a bachelor and had started touring at the age of 28 years in 1989.

"The passion of peddling was ignited in me after spotting youngsters pedal their way to a religious place in Himachal Pradesh. Since then, there has been no looking back," Gupta said. After learning bout the wide roads of South India, Gupta now plans to tour the states in the southern part of India.

Having seen the ever reducing space for cyclists on roads in Punjab, Gupta declares the roads in Jammu & Kashmir as the best and Punjab's traffic as the worst.

Gupta was hit by motorists umpteen times in Punjab but got away without any serious injuries as he takes safety measures. "I get a respite after entering Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Though there are many rough patches in UP, HP, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh, due to the less number of vehicles, I am not prone to hits outside Punjab," he said.

A resident of Amrik Singh road, Gupta spends a month or two in Bathinda and is away to different states on bicycle for the whole year.

"The wish to register my name in the Guinness Book of World Records keep me going and I wish to carry on till my last breath," he said.

Gupta corroborates his claims of having cycled over 4 lakh kilometers with slips, stamps, letters of appreciations, citation letters and tour photographs.

"I get my name registered as a visitor on bicycle wherever I go, be it a police station, office of the deputy commissioner, SSP office, politicians, NGO, Vidhan Sabha Speaker, or the office of the Inspector General of Police," he said.

Showing photographs and letters of appreciations, Gupta said he visited Amarnath 15 times, Vaishno Devi 88 times and also paid a visit to Chamundadevi, Kangra, Chintpurni, Jawalaji, Baba Balaknath, Mansa Devi, Naina Devi, Haridwar, Gangotri, Yamnotri, Hemkund Sahib, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Allahabad, Banaras, Ayodhya, Salasar and Mehndipur.

The present goal of Gupta is to bring the figure of 88 to 100. Tomorrow, he is going to undertake his 89th journey to Vaishno Devi. After paying obeisance, he plans to venture into the southern states.

The cyclist said that every time he begins his tour from Bathinda, he has to purchase a new bicycle. "One can't use an old bicycle for such a long journey," he said. He pointed out that he keeps the bicycle kit to pump air and fix a flat tyre. But if the tyres and tubes are new, then there it is hardly any use for the kit. Gupta travel 70 to 80 kms a day and spends the night at religious places or government guest houses.

In Ranchi, the Vidhan Sabha speaker of Jharkhand, Chandreshwar Prasad, in November 2011, gave him Rs 11,000 and a letter of appreciation. Chandreshwar declared Gupta a dedicated person and wished that his name be registered in the record books for dedicating his life to bicycle and spreading the message of peace and unity. Another letter given by Anurag Gupta, an IGP in Ranchi, too expressed similar views about Gupta.

He always leaves with a letter of permission from the Deputy Commissioner, Bathinda. "The letter helps me in getting help from government servants and the police during any eventuality," he said. A teetotaller, Gupta says cycling also helps him remain fit.

Bathinda, December 29
After completing their engineering degrees, most of the youngsters would go out and look for jobs in companies and factories but few would think about taking to writing, that too on topics pertaining to mechanical engineering. But trust Sandy Khippal to do things differently.

At 27 years of age, Khippal has already authored eight books and is on the verge of finishing his ninth one. As Khippal puts it, it wasn't during his student days that he began writing. It was not even during his MBA days that he developed a flair for it.

"After I completed my MBA course, I began teaching mechanical engineering at the Regional Polytechnic College, Bathinda. When I was working as a lecturer, I came across a book which was replete with errors and wondered why such books were being read by students and realised that not many authors are writing books on subjects like mechanical engineering," Khippal says and adds that the incident motivated him to begin writing.

And like many first-time writers would do, Khippal also showed the first draft of his book to his students to get their feedback and only after the students voted in favour of the contents of the book that his first book saw the light of the day in May 2012. The first two of his creations were on manufacturing processes.

While three of his books are being used as course books at several colleges under the Punjab Technical University (PTU), five of his books are being used for diploma courses. While his book on automobile engineering is being used by the fifth semester students, his first series of books on manufacturing process is being used by students of third semester and the second in the series is being read by the students of fourth semester.

His books 'Workshop Technology Part 1, 2 and 3', 'Thermodynamics 2' and Automobile Engineering' are being read by students pursuing diploma courses at Government Polytechnic College, Regional Polytechnic and Giani Zail Singh PTU Campus, Bathinda.

He also takes pride in stating that he has attempted something different with his books. "My books not only included the syllabus, they also have photographs of machines along with diagrams explaining how they work. Apart from that, the books also have answers to last three years' question papers," Khippal says.

He says he does not regret leaving his job. "I was being paid just Rs 9,500. I thought it wise to leave and do something more worthwhile. On an average, I am getting Rs 15,000 as royalty for each of my books. That also doesn't add up to a big amount but the royalty will increase, Khippal says.

Apart from writing a book on industrial automation and robotics, Khippal is busy preparing for examination for government services.

Bathinda, December 29
Exploiting the customers and farmers, middlemen are making the most in this kinnow harvesting season. After purchasing the fruit at a cost of Rs 6 to Rs 15 per kg, the fruit is offered to retail customers in the open market for Rs 25 to Rs 30 per kilogram.

Farmers blame the lack of marketing strategies and fruit export and half-baked knowledge imparted by the government agencies behind the losses incurred by the farmers.

The middlemen and officials of the horticulture department say the farmers create glut in the market by dumping the entire produce in one go.

In a bid to sell their produce and to prepare the kinnow plants for the next season, farmers are forced to sell their produce at a cheaper price to the commission agents in an open auction at vegetable markets.

The agents further sell the fruit by adding 9 per cent into the cost offered to the farmers. They include 5 per cent as their commission and 4 per cent as market fees. The roadside fruit vendors further sell the fruit to customers at a cost of Rs 25 to Rs 30 per kilogram.

Kinnow arrival doubles in Bathinda: The kinnow arrival in Bathinda vegetable market today increased from 700 to 750 crates (20 kg per crate) to 1,500 crates today. The commission agents said that farmers have brought their produce for sale altogether. When a huge quantity of fruit is available in bulk in the market, then its prices would surely go down, said commission agent Raj Kumar.

Kinnow production: Horticulture Department Officer (HDO) Narinderjit said that the per plant yield of kinnow fruit increases for a year and then it reduces the next year. Last year, the production was low but there has been a rise this season. The per hectare production of kinnow in Bathinda is usually reported to be 15 to 20 tonnes, he said. "If the number of fruits increases on a plant, then the size of the fruit reduces and if the size increases, then the number reduces," says Narinderjit.

Subsidy on setting up orchards attract farmers: Horticulture Department officials say that despite the claims of non profit by the farmers, the area under kinnow cultivation in Bathinda is on the rise due to 75 per cent subsidy provided to the farmers under the National Horticulture Mission. At present, the total area under kinnow cultivation is 3,150 hectares as compared to 2,350 hectares five years ago.

HDO Narinderjit said an area of 800 hectares was added under the crop with an average increase per year of 150 hectares in the past five years. Farmers get subsidy on purchase of plants, making pits, plant care, manure and refilling of pits. They get Rs 26,500 on 2.5 acres of land in three years with Rs 16,500 in the first year and the rest of the amount in the second and third years.

Kinnow plant bears fruit for 25 years: Under normal circumstances, a plant continues to bear fruit for up to 25 years or more and bears one to three quintals of fruit. Farmers said the old orchards have plants which are more than 20 years old and its quality of fruits depends upon the care.

Excessive irrigation by farmer: Despite making farmers aware of the disadvantages of excessive irrigation, kinnow growers in Bathinda continue to irrigate orchards in excess which have lead to the fruit dropping and other problems in many orchards of Bathinda. Also, the trend of planting more plants in the old orchards at Doomwali, Pathrala, Ruldu Singhwala, Maur and Burj Mansa villages prove detrimental for the old orchards.

Kinnow glut in market: Dabwali-based Lachhman Das of Gajra Fruit Company, who is into the business of citrus fruit sale for the past 40 years, said kinnow production has increased considerably this year which has lead to a decline in its cost. The per kilogram price of kinnow at present is Rs 6 to Rs 11 per kg. Last year, around this time, the price was Rs 14 to Rs 15 per kg.

Government should open kinnow export: The farmers regretted that though the Punjab Government makes tall claims of bringing industry worth thousands of crores of rupees in Punjab but it has failed to resume kinnow export. They said kinnow was exported to different countries like Sri Lanka, Dubai, UK and The Netherlands around two decades ago, but it could not continue. Jagtar Brar, a progressive farmer who uprooted his entire kinnow orchard this season after suffering losses for 13 years, said since the harvesting period of this fruit is in winter, people fail to consume the same this season.

The government should work out modalities to export this fruit to the states with high temperature like Andhra Pradesh. Brar's orchard farm on six acres was attacked by a pest, citrus psylla.

Self-marketing proves profitable: Jagroop Singh, a farmer at nearby Sangat mandi having kinnow orchard in 11.5 acres is minting profits this season. Jagroop said that he went into losses in past few years after he lend farm on contract. "I worked hard in past two years and now my kinnows get highest price of Rs 13 to Rs 15 per kg in the mandi. I sell 100 crates-around 20 quintal, daily and only 10-12 crates out of 100 fetch me Rs 10 per kg," Jagroop said.

Vacant posts costs dear for farmers: The vacant posts in the District Horticulture Department cost dear for the farmers who fail to get acquaint with present trends. At present the post of Deputy Director is lying vacant and the Assistant Director, already having additional charge of nearby Mansa and Muktsar districts, is assigned the job of the deputy director. Seven posts of baildars out of 24 are vacant, out of 11 posts of Horticulture Development Officer there are only 6 at present. One post of Sub Inspector out of four is also lying vacant.

Bathinda, December 29
The Department of Central Excise and Service Tax received 11 applications today and yesterday under the Voluntary Encouragement Compliance Scheme (VCES) for service tax payers.

Under the VCES scheme, the department allows everyone, whose tax is pending from

October 1, 2007 to December 12, 2012, to pay the tax in two installments without any interest or penalty.

Superintendent of Central Excise and Service Tax Veer Parkash said the interested applicants could pay 50 per cent of the tax as the first installment by December 31, 2013, while the second installment had to be paid by June 30, 2014.

Under this one time settlement scheme, the Sangrur division of department has received 61 applications and has collected revenue of Rs 3.80 crore. On December 18, a camp was also held in Bathinda wherein around ten applications were received with declarations of Rs 1 cr.

No case, which is already being investigated by the department, is allowed to appear under the VCES scheme. Veer Prakash appealed people to file their service tax before December 31 and avail the benefit.

Bathinda, December 29
The crispy puffed bhatura with spicy chick peas at the street vendor Paharganj Ke Mashhoor Chhole Bhature on Bibiwala road is the most sought after appetite appeasing stop. Long queues show the craving of people to relish the delicacy between 9 am to 4 pm.

A venture of four friends and three helpers, the eating joint is run by a group of youngsters as a family business. All natives of Siddharth Nagar village in Lucknow, the group started working in Bathinda a year ago.

The quality and quantity of bhaturas make them famous among people of all age groups. “It is not only the taste, but, the warmth with which the seller offers more servings, is the reason behind long queues of people. Though there are many other similar bhatura sellers in the city, this is indeed one with a difference,” says Bhupinder, enjoying the meal.

Presently living in a rented accommodation at the Parinda road, 20-year-old Ranjit Yadav prepares chhole and bhature with his brother Bablu and partners-19-year-old Mannu and 24-year-old Pujari. The group is assisted by three workers, who help in purchasing, serving and washing the utensils.

A typical day for Paharganj ke Mashhoor Chhole Bhature starts at 2 am. The chick peas sown overnight are boiled and added with spicy tadka. “We prepare 25 kgs of chhole everyday and 50 kgs of maida is used for preparing bhaturas,” says Yadav whose father runs similar chhole-bhature shops in Noida and Delhi.

From 2 am to 7 am, the chick peas are cooked and stored in huge utensils. Over the next one hour, bhaturas are deep fried and stacked. By 9 am, the group is on its designated spot at Bibiwala road, near DAV College.

Priced at Rs 20 a plate, the entire 75 kgs of prepared material satiates the hunger of hundreds. From a modest rickshaw puller to college students, owners of big cars - everyone gorges on chhole-bhature, which is an all time favorite of the Punjabis. Every day, the group sells 300 to 400 plates.

“From the last one year, we have been made to shift from one place to another. Every time our business starts to pick up, we are asked to shift. We wish the government to be a little more considerate and allow us to work at one place,” says Yadav.

Bathinda, December 29
Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board and Staff Selection Committee today conducted examinations for filling various posts in their respective departments.

A large number of candidates appeared for the examination held in the morning and evening sessions at schools which had been turned into examination centres.

The Staff Selection Committee conducted the examination to fill the posts of stenographer grade C and D. Close to 4,000 candidates appeared for the two-hour examination which was conducted at nine centres across the city. The paper was divided into three parts- intelligence and reasoning, general awareness and English language and comprehension. Each part carried 50 marks.

The Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board also conducted a written examination from 10 am to 12 noon and from 2pm to 4pm today to fill the posts of senior laboratory attendants, laboratory attendants, forest guards, library restorers and junior draftsmen. The examination was held at seven centres in the city.

Bathinda, December 29
The drivers of 108 ambulance service were imparted training on driving safely in fog during lectures held at the Community Health Centre, Nathana and Government Hospital, Talwandi Sabo.

Project in-charge for Bathinda, Raman Garg, said 35 drivers were trained at Nathana and 20 were trained at Talwandi Sabo. Resource person and quality manager Sahil Sehgal from the Amritsar headquarters of Ziqitza Health Care reminded the basic traffic rules to the drivers.

He said while the driver of an ambulance should be quicker than other drivers, he should also play it safe while driving in fog. The fog conditions diminish visibility making it a challenging job to drive. Drivers must ensure that the fog lamps are on, their speed is slow and the wipers are used effectively,? he said. Drivers were dissuaded from using mobile phones or listening to music while driving.

The 108 ambulance in state has given facility to 6.87 lacs people so far. Pregnant women have been most benefited through this project. 2 lacs expecting mothers have taken its benefit, while 1013 successful deliveries on board have been recorded.

Bathinda, December 29
As per the directions of the Education Minister of Punjab, Sikander Singh Maluka, a badminton camp for girls was inaugurated today by Deputy Director General of School Education Parampal Kaur Maluka. The camp is organised under the guidance of assistant education officer (Sports) Pavittar Kaur.

The camp is being attended by under-14, under-17 and under-19 category players from various districts of the state. The players are being trained under the guidance of Shakura Begum Malerkotla and Neeraj Fazilka. After the camp, the players will compete in the 59th National School Games to be held in Chandigarh starting from January 5.

Addressing the players, the Deputy DGSE exhorted them to compete in tournaments with a spirit of sportsmanship and keep playing even if they were not competing.

Jatinder Sehgal, Jasvir Singh, Balvir Sidhu, Kumar Saxena and Nerinder Mohan among others were present on the occasion. 

Bathinda, December 29
The orthopedicians had a hands-on training on cadavers for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) at the Adesh Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (AIMSR) today. The training on fresh frozen cadavers was a part of the concluding day activity of the two-day workshop.

Department of Orthopedics organised this workshop. On the first day of workshop, live arthroplasty was done on a patient at the hospital. While his one knee was treated using conventional surgery, the other knee was treated using computer navigation technique.

Dr Jagseer Singh discussed the evolution of arthroplasty, Dr Nitin Bansal spoke on case selection of TKA and Dr Prasoon Kamra spoke on preoperative planning for primary TKA.

Dr Subhas Jangid from Artemis Hospital, Gurgaon, spoke about approaches in TKA and valgus deformity correction while Dr Hemant Sharma from Fortis Hospital, Gurgaon, talked about basic steps in TKA and balancing of ligaments.

Dr Vikram Jain from Jindal Hospital, Hisar, spoke on varus deformity correction and managing bone defects in tibia primary TKA and Dr Subhash Jangid on flexion deformity correction.

Dr Subhash Jangid presented live surgery with navigation. Dr Nitin Bansal was the organising secretary and Dr Parmod Goyal was the co-organising secretary of the event. Dr HS Gill was the chief guest at the inaugural session. Others present included Registrar, Adesh University, Dr Paramjit Singh, principal AIMSR Dr Harkiran Kaur, Dr Gurpreet Singh, Dr AS Bansal and Dr Rajiv Mahajan.