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Chief TTE suspended
BDA experiments with postal bidding
R-Day: Cops, NGOs to be awarded for exemplary work
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School teacher sings for girl child on video sharing website
Health Dept earns Rs 700 from per unit of blood: RTI activist
Rallies held on Voters’ Day
Cong flays police action on teachers
Guest faculty lecturers’ dharna enters Day 5
St Xavier’s School honours its sportspersons
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Chief TTE suspended
Bathinda, January 25 According to reports, Mehta was also found to be in an inebriated condition when he first misbehaved and then entered into heated arguments with the woman at the TCR office at Bathinda junction. Speaking to Bathinda Tribune, Station Superintendent Pardeep Sharma said, “Mehta went to the TCR office on platform No. 5 and entered into a heated argument with a woman staff member, who is his (Mehta’s) junior. The woman rang me up around 7.15 am and narrated the incident. Taking cognizance of the complaint, I immediately suspended Mehta and also submitted a report in this regard to the Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Gulshan Kumar, and Divisional Railway Manager Anil Kathpal for further action.” It was learnt that later during the day, the Ambala Division also sanctioned the suspension of the Chief TTE. The station superintendent added that Mehta will remain suspended till further orders from the senior officials at the Ambala Division. It is pertinent to note here that this is not for the first time that Mehta has courted trouble. Earlier this month, he had entered into a verbal duel with Sunil Kumar, another employee at the Bathinda junction. Apart from swearing at Kumar, Mehta had even smashed a window pane of the enquiry counter where Kumar was working. This was followed by a written complaint against him. But he was let off the hook after a warning. Mehta was also embroiled in another controversy after he was accused of selling off stationary belonging to the railways to the scrap dealers. A written complaint against him was submitted to the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) who had assured of action against
Mehta. Previous incidents
Earlier this month, Bhagat Ram Mehta had entered into a verbal duel with another employee and had smashed the window pane of an enquiry counter where the employee was working. Mehta also courted controversy after he was accused of selling off stationary belonging to the railways to scrap dealers. A written complaint was filed against him. |
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BDA experiments with postal bidding
Bathinda, January 25 BDA Chief Administrator Varinder Sharma said the initiative has been taken with the aim of encouraging buyers who shy away from participating in public bidding. “There are doctors, engineers and businessmen, who want to buy property but don’t want to get lost in the auctioning procedss. With the help of postal bidding, they will get an opportunity to bid from the comfort of
their homes and offices,” he said. Sources said in the open auctioning, most of the participants are property dealers who buy in bulk and then sell off the
property. Such property dealers would also be nudged out by the genuine customers. Also, in the open bidding, only five properties can be auctioned at a time. However, the postal bidding gives the BDA the benefit of putting its 56 commercial properties on sale together. This is a win-win situation for the BDA as well as for the buyers. The BDA has been able to offer all properties in one spectrum, while people have got a wide variety of commercial sites and varied rates to choose from. Earlier, Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) is known to have opted for postal bidding. Based on the experience and response evoked from the commercial postal bidding, the Bathinda Development Authority plans to replicate it for residential areas as well. Earnest money for the bidding is Rs 1 lakh which is refundable. Open postal bidding for commercial property includes 12 booth sites in Urban Estate Phase II part I, six constructed booths and 21 shop-cum-offices in Urban Estate Phase II part I and II, 10 booths and two shop-cum-flats at Urban Estate Phase II part 2 and three booths and two SCOs at Urban Estate Phase III part 2. |
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R-Day: Cops, NGOs to be awarded for exemplary work
Bathinda, January 25 The volunteer of an NGO, who helped in tracing as many as 150 stolen vehicles, policemen who nabbed thieves in chilly weather at 2.30 am, social workers spreading awareness against drugs and educationists imparting literacy to the poor children are among those who will be honoured at the function. Head constable Shingara Singh will be honoured for his bravery shown while saving the life of an elderly woman at a railway crossing. Advocate Shivcharan Chahal will be honoured for raising an alarm and calling the police at midnight after noticing thieves stealing costly material from an empty house. Head constable Tarjinder Singh, who helped in recovering 43.20 quintals of poppy husk besides arms like four pistols, a gun and a rifle with 44 live cartridges will also be honoured. Deputy Director, Horticulture, Gurkewal Dhillon will be honoured for his work which helped in improving the groundwater quality and vegetable production in three districts, including Muktsar, Mansa and Bathinda. Gaurav Mangla will be honoured for tracing 150 stolen vehicles after his (Mangla’s) car was stolen from outside Mittal Mall. Gaurav, in his bid to trace his stolen car, unearthed a gang of car lifters. Paldeep Singh of Kotshamir village will be honoured for evicting a blast victim from his neighbour’s house. Sportspersons who played at the national level will also be honoured during the Republic Day function. Meanwhile, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurpreet Bhullar said three-tier security arrangements have been made in view of the Republic Day function. Bhullar claimed to have launched a combing operation in and around the city and policemen in civilian clothes will keep an eye over the unscrupulous elements in the city. Bhullar also said that a tableau of Suwidha Centre of the police would also be on display during the exhibition at the function. |
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School teacher sings for girl child on video sharing website
Working as a music teacher with the Millennium School, HMEL Township, Bathinda, Rakesh has been instrumental in penning not only songs for his students in the schools but also wrote the street play ‘Beti Bachao’ for students to perform on the National Girl Child Day on Friday. Although he writes songs and plays to spread awareness and inspire others to be proud of their daughters, he told the Bathinda Tribune that he drew inspiration from his two daughters. “I am proud of the fact that I have two daughters. I find no reason to differentiate between daughters and sons. Girls have been giving a tough competition to the boys and winning in almost all the professions. In fact, girls are more dedicated to their parents,” he said. Kumar wrote the song almost a year ago but recorded and sang it in
a music studio before uploading it on a video sharing website as a sign of his dedication to all female children on the National Girl Child Day, which was celebrated across the country on Friday. When asked if he thought that such messages leave an impact on the listeners, he said, “It is a good thing that leading actors, directors and singers are collaborating to make videos and songs to propagate the cause of the girl child and spread awareness regarding female foeticide and crime against women.” “While such messages do bear fruit, we can’t say that these are enough to spread awareness. Under pressure from all quarters, even the educated people jump on to the bandwagon and support the cause but in their heart of hearts, prefer a male child over a girl child. The real change has to come from within. Till the time society is not completely safe for women and they are given equal opportunities, we can’t say that the cause has been served,” Kumar added. He added that the real indicator of a change in society will be a change in the sex ratio and increase in the number of female students enrolled in schools, which he says will happen only when the thinking of the people belonging to all socio-economic strata will change. |
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Health Dept earns Rs 700 from per unit of blood: RTI activist
Bathinda, January 25 An RTI activist, Pradeep Kumar, said here today that the information gathered under the Right to Information (RTI) from the Health Department revealed that tests worth Rs 300 are conducted for testing each unit of blood received. “Each blood unit is given at Rs 1,000, whereas the cost of testing and storing is a mere Rs 700. Blood units are always needed in emergency. The government should realise that the volunteers donate blood out of sheer devotion towards the cause. But the department is minting money from it,” he said. In the wake of this, he supported the demand of the Bathinda Association of NGOs (BANGO) in asking the government to roll back its raised prices. |
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Rallies held on Voters’ Day
Bathinda, January 25 The chief guest on the occasion was the Commissioner, Faridkot Division, BK Sharma. District Election Officer Kamal Kishore Yadav, ADC (Development) Sonali Giri, ADC Rajiv Prashar, Chief Administrator, Bathinda Development Authority (BDA), Varinder Sharma and Municipal Commissioner Vipul Ujwal were also present. Addressing the gathering, the Commissioner said every Indian, who attains the age of 18 years, should be enrolled as a voter and cast his or her vote in the elections. He said the target of the Election Commission of India (ECI) was to ensure that every citizen, who was eligible to vote, should be enrolled as a voter for which special enrolment campaigns were run. ADC Rajiv Prashar was honoured as the Election Registration Officer (ERO) responsible for doing good work in registering the young voters. Similarly, lecturer Shivji Ram and booth-level officer Jagdev Singh were honoured for their services. Slogan writing, poster-making and declamation contests were held for the school and college students based on the theme of young voters and voting in the Indian democracy. Teams of Government Rajindra College and Government Senior Secondary School presented a skit on creating awareness about voting among the people. A signature campaign was also held for young voters. Earlier, four groups of students walked from different spots in the city to the Multipurpose Sports Stadium, while one group each participated in tableaux and cycle rally. The tableaux was the first such event created on Voters’ Day. Meanwhile,a sub-division-level function to celebrate National Voters' Day was organised atthe Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo, today. SDM Shruti Sharma Pandey was the chief guest. Tehsildar Avtar Singh Makkar presided over the function. Public Relation Officer of the university, Sukhdevinder Singh Kaura, who was the keynote speaker, threw light on the history of National Voters' Day and described various facts and figures related to the election system in India. He also said that all the eligible voters should cast their vote for active participation in the system. The SDM dwelt upon the right of the vote. He said it was the responsibility of the people to cast their votes without any fear or pressure. She also motivated the youth to take part in the voting process. They also distributed voter cards to the newly enrolled voters. Students who figured in the initiative of the Election Commission of India— Systematic Voters Education and Electoral Participation — were also
honoured. |
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Bariatric surgery: A ray of hope for obese diabetics
Bathinda, January 25 Dr Vashishtha was in the city to launch bariatric surgery facility at the Max Hospital. Accompanied by endocrinologist Sushil Kotru and GI surgeon Vikas Jindal, he said the surgery changes the body’s metabolism. “A human body requires 1,000 calories per day, excessive of which, coupled with a sedentary lifestyle, leads to obesity. In bariatric surgery, the stomach is shrunk into smaller size giving a major relief to the patient,” said
Dr Vashishtha. As per the national family health survey data, Punjab has the highest population of obese people. Of every 100 women, 37 are obese as compared to the national average of 16 and for the same number, 30 men in Punjab are obese against 12. “All Indians face the problem of abdominal fat. The excessive weight is reason for a number of associated health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and others. The bariatric surgery is not only a way to get rid of excess fat but also reduces the ailments associated to it,” said Dr Kotru. Dr Vashishtha said the Max Hospital, Delhi, conducted 30 to 40 surgeries every month. Around 60 per cent of the patients undergoing these surgeries were women and 40 per cent men. Doctors said the surgery played an important role in young obese women who could not conceive due to overweight. The fertility of such women improves by over 10 times. Similarly, people who have had diabetes for less than 10 years, were 90 per cent cured of the illness after the bariatric surgery. Those who have been suffering from this desease for more than 10 years stand 80 per cent chance of complete cure. At the local hospital, the surgery would cost Rs 2 lakh to begin with. A patient is hospitalised for three days and then followed up. Surgery is conducted through four keyholes and minimally invasive. Who can undergo bariatric surgery?
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Cong flays police action on teachers
Bathinda, January 25 Jassi accused the state government of taking away from the public, their constitutional right of expression and voicing their concerns by not allowing them to stage dharnas and protests. He also accused the police personnel of dragging even the female protesters. Water cannons were used to disperse the protesters. Terming the ‘Nanhi Chhan’ campaign of Member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal a “mere hogwash”, Jassi questioned how could the MP tolerate that the female teachers were misbehaved with by the police personnel. The former MLA also asked the state government to look for a permanent solution to the demands of the teachers rather than initiating police action against them. “The main concern of the teachers is the fact that the government first promises them that their demands would be met and then later, retracts from its statements. If the government wants to silence the protesters, instead of making fake promises, it should convene a meeting with them to solve their problems,” he said.
— TNS |
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Guest faculty lecturers’ dharna enters Day 5
Bathinda, January 25 “Whether it is a working day or a national holiday, we will continue to be vocal about our displeasure with the government and the treatment that has been meted out to us,” said Ritu Aggarwal, one of the lecturers sitting on dharna. The lecturers also said that a meeting with Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had been fixed for Monday. “A deputation of the guest faculty members of all the 52 government degree colleges of the state will meet Sukhbir . But we will continue our dharna on that day as well,” said Aggarwal, adding that the lecturers will continue to boycott their classes till the government meets their demands. It is pertinent to mention here that as many as 140 lectures are being cancelled everyday at the Government Rajindra College alone. The guest faculty lecturers are sitting on dharna across the state demanding the implementation of government's promise of paying them Rs 10,000 per month and 10 per cent increment. They also demanded not to be relieved for five months every year. The lecturers on Friday chose to follow the Gandhigiri way of protest and agitated by sweeping the road outside the college with a broom. |
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St Xavier’s School honours its sportspersons
Bathinda, January 25 Principal of the school, Father Eulalio Fernandes, honoured the students. He also appreciated the efforts made by physical education teachers, Paramjeet Singh, Davinder Pal Singh and Rajpreet Kaur, in grooming the sporting talent in the school. This included netball players Harshdeep Kaur, Sonali Ghai , Imrandeep Kaur Smagh, Hunar Brar, Yashmeen Kaur and Shivreet Kaur, Priyanka, Arshdeep Kaur and Mantinder Pal Kaur. Judo player Deepshikha, shooting champion Navjeet Nijjar, handball players Chetanveer Kaur, Amreen Kaur, Sumreet Kaur Bhatti, Mehaknoor Kaur, Chahat, Palakjot, Pavinder Kaur Gill, Tarundeep Prabhsharan, Navdeep, Dev Kumar and softball player Harmanjot Kaur were also honoured by the school. |
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Bathinda Tribune invites feedback from its readers on issues of public concern relating to Bathinda city and the nearby areas. Readers can email their views to They can also send their views to: Feedback, Bathinda Tribune, Sector 29, Chandigarh - 160029. Letters sent by post must mention 'Feedback for Bathinda Tribune' on the envelope and it should be signed and must contain the address and telephone number of the sender. It should not be more than 150 words. Site needed for staging protests
Bathinda is in a way the political capital of Punjab. Political parties and various other organisations hold protests, rallies and dharnas here to highlight their problems. It leads to chaotic traffic conditions. The flow of traffic gets obstructed even on the overbridges connecting Bathinda with other cities. Normal life comes to a halt. Residents of Bathinda have to suffer on this account almost daily. The district administration has earmarked a site for this purpose near Transport Nagar on the Bathinda-Goniana Road. The administration must ensure that such protests are held only at the specified site. These activities can be covered by the media wherever they are organised. This will save the residents unnecessary inconvenience. Merely issuing orders that remain confined to paper will not serve any purpose. Orders can prove to be effective only if the administration has the required will power and adopts the same yardstick for all the organisations. It has often been seen that the administration tends to ignore rallies and protests if these have been organised by those who have proximity to the party in power. Prof NK Gosain Need to keep an eye
on youngsters
Bathinda has witnessed great development in recent times, especially in the field of education, but it has also given rise to numerous problems. During the peak hours, one can easily find youngsters driving vehicles at a high speed and carrying out stunts on bikes. Youngsters have been found involved in eve-teasing and activities like breaking of window panes of cars just for the sake of fun. The elderly find it difficult to move around on the roads. They sometimes suffer injuries as their reaction time doesn't allow them to respond to such traffic chaos. Though the district police has increased the presence of WASPS and PCR, a lot more need to be done to control the situation, especially on Ajit Road and 100-feet Road. The need of the day is to ensure exemplary punishment for the defaulters and fix the responsibility of the institutions and law enforcement agencies. Dr Harvinder Singh |
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Bathinda, January 25