Bathinda, February 8
The seventh day of the protest by the AIE/EGS teachers in the city was marked by several anxious moments. Between the dharna and the statements made by the political leaders and leaders of other unions, the teachers realised that the power supply to the air-conditioned glass casket inside which the body of 14-month-old Rooth was kept, had been disrupted.

Covered with a poster on the top and a blanket from the one side, as the glass casket turned warm under the sun, the teachers realised that it could damage the body and took some damage-control measures. Apart from resuming the power supply to the casket, they also arranged for a thick polythene sheet to be spread over the erected poles to save the casket from the sun.

The intervening night of Friday and Saturday also brought along rumours that the police and the district administration were planning to take action and make them leave the city while its residents slept.

Bathinda, February 8
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta) Ugrahan today extended its support to the protesting AIE and EGS teachers and held the SAD-BJP government responsible for death of the 14-month- old Rooth, daughter of one of the protestors.

The union demanded a compensation of Rs 20 lakhs for the family of Rooth and assured a government job for her mother Kiranjit Kaur. They also demanded immediate action against the police and the civil administration officials who allegedly snatched away quilts, blankets and tents from the protesting teachers. They said a case of murder should be registered against these employees. The union said the Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union will hold three days of continuous dharna outside the District Administrative Complex from February 12 where the treatment meted out to the teachers would be highlighted. — TNS

Bathinda, February 8
General secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) and former Bathinda MLA Harminder Singh Jassi today disclosed the information that the party has received under an RTI query.

Addressing a press conference here today, he stated that it had been observed that a list of close to 6,000 new voters was published on January 1, 2012. After 12 days, a new list carrying the names of as many as 7,000 more voters was published out of which 1,830 votes were cancelled for lack of either authorisation from the block level officers or a proper address.

He also alleged that before the code of conduct for the assembly elections was implemented, more than 1,000 ration depots were allotted in a clear violation of norms and formation of committees for the purpose. He accused the SAD-BJP leaders of gaining political mileage by doing so.

In a memorandum submitted to the Deputy Commissioner, Bathinda, Kamal Kishore Yadav, Jassi alleged that the names of the beneficiaries of the state and Central government schemes were announced close to the elections to woo the public.

Taking a dig at the frequent sangat darshan programmes being conducted by the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, he pointed out that the officials of almost all government departments and the police were engaged in sangat darshan while the common public suffered due to the absence of officers.

Also present during the conference were Mohan Lal Jhumba, Gura Singh Tungwali, Kuljeet Gogi, Lala Jeet Mal, Hari Singh, Vijay Goyal, Rupinder Bindra and others. 

For the last two years, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had been extending the deadline for the registration of food business operators by six months on each occasion. The latest deadline was February 4, which has been extended by six months. But there is still no clarity as to when the next deadline would eventually be.

While the department is repeatedly extending the deadline, it is the field workers -food safety inspectors and Health Department authorities - who are facing the wrath of the people. The food operators, who got enrolled a year ago after paying Rs 2,000, now have to get their licences renewed.

"We are caught in a piquant situation. The law abiding people, who have got registered on time, now have to get their licences renewed for which they will have to pay again. Every time they come to meet us, they resent that nothing has been done against those who did not register on time," said a Food Safety Officer.

The Health Department employees suggested that the government should fix a penalty for those who do not abide by the deadline, instead of extending it. "This way, those who are already enrolled, will have an advantage over those who are not enrolled. It would at least encourage people to get enrolled to avoid any action or penalty," added another officer.

Meanwhile, Food Safety Commissioner, Punjab, Hussan Lal said the government was yet to receive orders from the FSSAI over the extension of the deadline which lapsed on February 4. However, the FSSAI website carries vague orders on the issue. The FSSAI mentions that the deadline for food business operators related to caramel and glazing agents has been extended for another six months or till further notification.

The orders have left the Health Department officials in a fix who have now decided to write to the government demanding exact action against those who have not been registered yet.

It is pertinent to mention here that the food business operators earning more than Rs 12 lakhs per annum are supposed to get licences, while the smaller ones are supposed to get registered.

In Bathinda district, 5,000 have been registered and 650 licences have been issued. There are more than 65,000 small traders and around 5,000 bigger ones. Even the overall enrolment figure for Punjab is not encouraging enough. Till February 4, only 10,860 had sought licences and 85,000 got registered.

Bathinda, February 8
The private medical practitioners in the city do not always inform the district health authorities regarding the cases received under notifiable diseases. The government has declared 13 diseases as notifiable. A private practitioner who receives any case belonging to these 13 categories in his clinic or hospital has to inform the Health Department.

These 13 notifiable diseases include dengue, malaria, tuberculosis, swine flu, cholera, typhoid fever, Hepatitis B and C, anthrax, plague and leptospirosis.

The private practitioners not reporting these cases to the Health Department authorities are served notices and sent reminders. They are also sensitised through the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

During the dengue outbreak last year, Health Department authorities had taken four of the city's leading practitioners to task for not reporting the dengue cases. Notices were served on them and an explanation was called for.

However, the dengue season being an exception, the Health Department has never issued similar notices to the doctors who keep ignoring such cases received and treated in their hospitals.

Even the pending Clinical Establishment Bill, when implemented, will make it necessary for the private doctors to report these cases. Since the Deputy Commissioner is also in-charge of the District Health Society, he too can take action against the erring doctors.

Though the private practitioners are duty-bound to report these cases, many simply overlook it and do not feel the need to report it. Also running short of manpower, the Health Department does not have an effective surveillance system that can check the doctors.

District Health Officer Dr Raghubir Singh Randhawa said it was mandatory to notify these diseases as they are the emerging epidemics with an unusual syndrome. "The basic aim is to identify the patient and the area based on the input provided from a private practitioner. By doing so, we can contain a situation and control it from spreading further," he added.

He added that the IMA was also asked to encourage the doctors to report such cases.

Bathinda, February 8
Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said under the agriculture power tube wells policy, power connections against all applications registered prior to 2007 would be released within this month. Besides, all other applicants registered afresh will be allotted tube well connections during the next six months.

Badal was in the district today to hold series of sangat darshan programmes in the Talwandi Sabo block.

Talking to mediapersons on the issue of ongoing protest of the Employeement Guaranteed Scheme and AIE teachers in the city, which many other organisations have supported, Sukhbir said Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal would convene a meeting with a delegation of these teachers tomorrow.

Earlier addressing the villagers during sangat darshan at Giana village, Badal said it was the SAD-BJP Government that had cleared pendency of about 75,000 tube well connections to farmers.

He said he had already asked the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) authorities to release power connections to farmers having less than five acres land at the earliest besides optimum utilisation of all existing government tube wells installed for irrigation purposes.

Badal said the state was giving free power facility to farmers incurring an additional burden of Rs 5,000 crore per year.

He also announced that from the next week small and marginal farmers of state would also get benefit of revised Atta-Dal scheme and the Punjab Government would provide wheat at the rate Re 1 per kg to more than 30 lakhs beneficiaries.

He also addressed sangat darshan programmes at Shiekhpura and Jogewala villages and distributed grants amounting to Rs 1.80 crore to 12 gram panchayats for various development works. Among others present on the occasion were constituency in-charge Balbir Singh Sidhu, SGPC member Mohan Singh Banghi, Deputy Commissioner Kamal Kishore Yadav and Senior Superintendent of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar. 

Bathinda, February 8
Guru Gobind Singh Study Circle held zonal-level inter college youth contests for the districts of Faridkot, Muktsar and Bathinda.

During the fest, students took part in the poem recitation, turban tying, painting and quiz competitions. Around 230 students from 44 colleges participated in the contest. In the poem recitation contest Kiranveer Kaur from Dasmesh Girls College, Badal, secured the first place, Amandeep Kaur from Bhai Asa Singh Girls College, Goniana, second and Ramandeep Kaur from Guru Gobind Singh College, Gidderbaha, secured the third place.

In the turban tying contest, Gagandeep Singh from Polytechnic College, Faridkot, secured the first, Jagmeet Singh from Malwa College second, Amandeep Singh from Khalsa College of Education, Muktsar, third place and Simarjit Singh from Dasmesh Khalsa College, Muktsar, was given a special prize. In the turban tying contest for girls, Manpreet Kaur from Adesh Dental College, Beant Kaur from Government Barjindra College, Faridkot, and Prabhjot Kaur from Girl College, Mukhanand, secured first, second and third place, while Aman Kaur from Dasmesh Girls College secured a special prize. In the painting competition, Sandeep Singh from Gurukul College, Rupinder Kaur from Guru Gobind Singh College, Gidderbaha, and Manjit Kaur from Adesh Medical College secured first, second and third places, while Sidhant from Baba Farid College and Ramandeep Kaur from Dasmesh Girls College, Badal secured special prizes. — TNS

Bathinda, February 8
The police have booked Sandeep Sharma, a resident of Model town phase III, for allegedly beating up and threatening his estranged wife.