Bathinda, January 29
A cable network company has dug up water and sewer pipes on Bhagu Road thereby disrupting the flow of water to a large number of areas, including areas of Model Town phase I, II, III, parts of Bhagu Road, District Administrative Complex (DAC), Civil Hospital and Central Jail.

Before initiating the work, the cable network company did not seek any permission from the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB), thereby flouting the rules.

Following the lapse, the Public Health Works Department has made a written complaint to the SHO of the Civil Lines police station demanding that a case be registered against the cable company for damaging public property. However, no case has been registered so far. On January 27, the cable network workers started working on laying cable wires. They dug around nine feet deep and in the process, damaged the main pipe supplying water as well as some pipes of the sewer system too. Earlier, the workers deployed by the company tried to repair the damage but could not do anything. The Public Works Department then took over the work.

The XEN, Jasbir Singh Aujla, said repair of the damaged pipe has become an arduous task as not only the water but the sewer pipe too has been damaged.

"The flow of water from the damaged pipe was so fast that we thought only drinking water pipes have been damaged. We stopped our water supply and again checked it only to find that even the sewer pipes have been damaged,” Aujla said.

These pipes were laid in the year 1978 when the diameter was in odd numbers thereby naming these pipes as odd pipes. However, such pipes are no more in use as pipes of even numbers are now manufactured. The pipes damaged are 9 inches and 11 inches wide.

Aujla said, "The erring officials of the company will be sent bills of the damage and asked to pay for the entire repair work."

Also, as per the protocol, a case should be registered against the company for digging public property without seeking the requisite permission.

Due to lack of water, a large numbers of people were seen today making a beeline for RO plants. The houses that have motors to pump underground water were seen using it. Institutes like schools and dispensaries too are depending on underground water, which is not safe for consumption.

Bathinda, January 29
Encroachments continue to shrink area of ponds in Amarpura Basti due to delay on the part of the Wakf Board in giving over this pond on lease to the Municipal Corporation of Bathinda (MCB).

The MCB already has the Sanjay Nagar pond on lease and had written to the Wakf Board demanding that the Amarpura Basti ponds too should be given to it on lease.

The main aim of taking ponds on lease was to control the encroachments as well as save these main basins that collect rain water during monsoon. With the ponds soon losing their area, the space for collecting rain water has declined by a large percentage making sewer and rain water find its way into streets and roads. These ponds naturally have proper sloping to hold the rain water.

"The Amarpura Basti pond's lease is in the name of some private people, which is due to expire in May or June this year. The Wakf Board had promised to transfer the lease in name of the MCB when the earlier one expires," said Deputy Commissioner Kamal Kishore Yadav. Sources said that two months ago, the Wakf Board CEO Zulfikar Ali had visited the city, but a final verdict is awaited.

When the local municipal council took over the Sanjay Nagar pond in the early 1990s, the total area under the pond was 104 kanals or 13 acres, which has now reduced to 70 kanals with the rest being overtaken by encroachments.

The total Wakf Board land under Amarpura Basti is 34 kanals and 3 marlas that MCB intends to take over on lease. The third big pond, the one in Sanguana Basti, is on land that is part privately owned, part shamlat while some portion is owned by a trust.

The MCB has also demanded 18 acres of land of land of the Wakf Board on lease which is located behind the Ganpati Enclave. This area too is developing with increasing encroachments.

Sources said that while the Wakf Board had agreed to give its land on lease in principle, it is asking for a lease of the total land, including the portion that is encroached upon in Amarpura Basti pond. "We reasoned that we cannot pay for the encroached area. Either the area be freed from encroachments or we be charged only the genuine rates," said MCB officials.

Meanwhile, Wakf Board CEO Zulfikar Ali said that the Board has given MCB a list of rates for lease, but is yet to get a reply.

Bathinda, January 29
Members of the Democratic Mid-Day Meal Cook Front, Punjab, today convened a district-level meeting in Bathinda. The cooks decided that they would stage a dharna in Bathinda on February 8.

While addressing the gathering, state vice-president of the front, Jal Kaur, said: "The mid-day meal cooks from Bathinda, Mansa, Fazilka, Muktsar and Faridkot districts will participate in the rally."

"During a meeting with the Front, the Education Minister had promised that the government will end the contract system in all the districts and the meals will be prepared in schools but the promise wasn't kept,” the cooks said.

They said the Front had submitted a memorandum to Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal during one of his sangat darshan programmes. They claimed that the Deputy CM had promised them that their problems would be solved but nothing has been done till now.

"The state government should learn from its neighbouring state, Haryana, which is paying its mid-day meal cooks Rs 2,500 per month while in Punjab, they are being paid Rs 1,200 only," they said. They also accused the Central Government of going back on its promise of increasing the salaries of mid-day meal cooks across the nation. 

Bathinda, January 29
A 40-year-old woman, mother of two children, committed suicide at her residence in Baba Deep Singh Nagar, street number 5, today. 

The incident came to light at around 6 pm today when her tenants raised an alarm over smoke billowing from the ground floor of house.

The woman has been identified as Kamlesh Rani, wife of Babu Lal. Kamlesh was alone at her residence when the incident took place.

DSP Gurmeet Singh Kingra said the cause of fire would be ascertained only after the investigations. Kamlesh's body was sent for the postmortem .—TNS

Bathinda, January 29
The District Education Department has finally begun distributing medical aides to children with special needs as part of the Inclusive Education for the Disabled (IED) programme of the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan. A distribution camp was organised at the Government Elementary School here today.

During the camp, special children from the city and Sangat blocks of the district were given medical aides. While 19 children were given callipers, one was fitted with an artificial leg. As many as six tricycles, 28 wheelchairs, seven crutches, three Braille slates and walking canes and seven rolaters were also distributed during the camp.

A similar distribution camp was also organised at Talwandi Sabo block. At the camp, 24 callipers, two prosthetic limbs, 10 tricycles, 18 wheelchairs, eight crutches, two Braille slates and walking canes and six rolaters were given to the children.

The third and the last such camp in the district will be organised at Bhagta tomorrow where 119 children with special needs from Phul, Rampura and Nathana blocks will be given aides.

As many as 62 callipers, four artificial foot ankle-foot orthotics, two articificial limbs, 17 tricycles, 35 wheelchairs, six Braille slates and canes for the blind and 25 rolaters will be distributed during the camp in Bhagta.

The District Education Department had also organised medical check-up and assessment camps for children with special needs in Bathinda, Rampura and Talwandi Sabo from August 1-3 last year. These camps were aimed to cover as many as 4,061 children in the district. These children had been identified during a door-to-door survey conducted as part of the programme.

After the children were examined by experts from Alimpco, Kanpur, the IED coordinators of the district had forwarded requests for five callipers, 102 artificial limbs, 33 tricycles left hand drive, 60 wheel chairs (child size), 23 wheel chairs (adult size), eight adjustable crutches, 11 canes, eight Braille slates, 24 rolaters (child) and 12 rolaters (adult). 

Bathinda, January 29
Adesh Dental College held a seminar on the international dental education here today. Dr Gurmukh Singh, an instructor with the Dental Simulation and Training Institute at Brampton, Canada, delivered the keynote lecture. Faculty members of dental sciences, interns and students took part in it.

Emphasis was laid on how the Western dental education is different from the Indian system and integrating the same in the Indian curriculum can help dental students.

Practical demonstration was also arranged for the students.

Dr HS Gill, Chancellor, Adesh University, said students were provided with the latest dental education.

Principal, Dental College, Dr Amanish Singh, while speaking on the occasion, congratulated renowned dentist Dr Mahesh Verma upon his achievement.

He said Dr Verma was one of them and his award was indeed an honour for the dental fraternity of the state and particularly the city.

The university has plans for further international tie-ups for such courses and students exchange programmes. Vice-Chancellor of Adesh Unversity Dr GPI Singh congratulated the staff and the scientific community for organising the event. 

Bathinda, January 29
The District Red Cross Society today distributed tricycles to 11 handicapped people which were to be distributed on the Republic Day. Additional Deputy Commissioner Sonali Giri distributed the tricycles.

Secretary, Red Cross, Mukhtiar Singh, said the tricycles could not be distributed during the Republic Day celebrations as a large crowd was not allowed to congregate near Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal.

He said the beneficiaries were also given receipts.

More tricycles will be distributed needy persons on February 5.

Jagdish Singh, regional manager of Modern Agro Vision and chief executive officer RS Sidhu were also present on the occasion.