Bathinda, February 14
Academically brilliant students, scoring 80 per cent or more marks in Class X examinations will be able to enroll themselves in Special Residential School which is being built for them starting this academic season. The construction of the school is going on in full swing with three contractors being given the responsibility to finish the project at the earliest.

Bathinda, February 14
The Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta-Ugraha) and the Kisan Khet Mazdoor Union continued their dharna for the third consecutive day today. Hundreds of protesters, including women, have blocked the GT Road besides the District Administrative Complex leading to traffic snarls.

Members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union and the Kisan Khet Mazdoor Union shout slogans against the state government in Bathinda on Friday. Tribune photo

Members of the unions also took out a protest march to get their demands fulfilled during their dharna. They are demanding compensation for the farmers whose land was acquired by the state government to setup a thermal power plant at Gobindpura village of Mansa.

The protesters are also demanding Rs 2 lakh compensation for those farmers who committed suicide due to economic fiasco in the field of agriculture due to ever-rising input costs and low turnouts. Farmers’ leader Ram Singh speaking during the occasion said they would not lift the dharna till all their demands met.

Meanwhile, commuters passing through the city roads remained at the receiving end. 

Bathinda, February 14
A two-day national conference organised by the department of mechanical engineering of Giani Zail Singh Punjab Technical University Campus, Bathinda, concluded here today. The conference was sponsored under the TEQIP II programme on the theme 'latest developments in materials, manufacturing and quality control.'

On the concluding day, ML Khanna, deputy general manager (mechanical and civil), National Fertilisers Limited (NFL), was the chief guest. He introduced the delegates with the material used in all plants of the NFL for high temperature, low temperature, highly corrosive and abrasive applications.

Dr HS Randhawa, director of Surendera Group of Institutions, Ganganagar, was the keynote speaker in the morning session. He congratulated the authorities for the progressive growth of the institute in the past couple of years. More than 100 research and review papers from across the country were received for the conference. Majority of these papers were from North India. The papers were reviewed by a panel of experts working in the relevant fields.

On Day 1, the dignitaries and delegates from different parts of the country were welcomed by Prof Surinder Singh, coordinator of the conference. Dr MP Poonia, director, NITTTR, Chandigarh was the chief guest of the morning session.

Dr A Manna, professor and head of the mechanical engineering department, PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh, was the keynote speaker. He asserted that India is in need of entrepreneurs who could convert the research done by the academicians, scientists and technocrats into practical reality.

Dr Balwinder Singh and professor Rajesh Gupta were the organising secretary of the conference. Professor Rajesh Gupta, in his introductory speech, highlighted the evolution of engineering for the benefit of mankind. Campus director Dr Jasbir Singh Hundal narrated the importance of research for the overall development of the country. — TNS

Bathinda, February 14
Dancing horses, camels walking in a line, an adorned elephant walking majestically on the road and tractor trolleys carrying tableau depicting the long-forgotten culture of Punjab-these were only some of the highlights of the procession taken out by the Malwa Heritage and Sabhyacharak Foundation, Bathinda, as part of the Virasat Mela 2014.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary Sarup Chand Singla, District and Session Judge Tejwinder Singh and former Bathinda Mayor Baljit Singh Birbehman inaugurated the procession by paying obeisance at Haziratan gurdwara and offered a chadar at a dargaah adjacent to the gurdwara.

The procession, with its varied colours, then made its way through the city moving from the Hajiratan gurdwara to Government Rajindra College, bus stand, Mehna Chowk and the Mall Road before culminating at Jaipalgarh village near the Multipurpose Sports Stadium.

The tableau comprising of the procession brought to life the lost and long-forgotten culture of Punjab. While one tableau showed boys dressed in traditional Punjabi attire, including a phulkari waistcoat, another had girls looking resplendent in heavily embellished kurti-salwars.

The centre of attraction remained the tableau showcasing the ‘trinjan’. It had women stitching and embroidering pieces of clothes, making cotton balls of threads using spinning wheels and making pakkhis (hand fans).

Speaking to the Bathinda Tribune, chairman of the Malwa Foundation, Harwinder Singh Khalsa, said, “The procession showcases various facets of the Punjabi culture and how it has evolved over the years. While the Namdhari Sadh Sangat tableau shows the spiritual side of Punjabis, another one has youngsters singing recent popular songs. In the times, when the Western influence is evident by the way the youngsters dress up these days, showcasing our traditional attire and nihangs is very important.”

Once at Jaipalgarh village, the members of the procession occupied the places earmarked for them. The village had ‘Zaildaar ki haveli’, ‘Kuldip Manak ghar’, ‘Purana khu (well)’ attracted the visitors.

Another point of attraction was the exhibition at the village. Randhir Singh Dhunna of Bathinda displayed his collection of currency notes and coins from 170 countries, stamps from 150 countries, coins dating back to 1st century B.C., apart from earthen, iron, brass and copper utensils and pots. “These are just few of the most interesting items in 50-year-old Randhir Singh’s collection. Jagdev Singh, a tailor from Mehta village, displayed a 104-year-old gramophone, an 80-year-old radio and rare old music records. Wood artiste Harbans Singh from Samalsar village in Moga also showcased his large collection of wooden toys at the mela. Quashing several queries regarding the price of the toys, he said they were not for sale.

As the procession reached a road outside the District Administrative Complex, commuters were stuck in a jam as the other side of the road was occupied by the farmers who are sitting on an indefinite dharna. 

Bathinda, February 14
Undeterred by the water cannons and lathicharge by the police on February 2, while trying to take out a protest rally in the city, members of the Sikhya Providers Union are all set to organise a state-level rally in the city on February 16.

In a statement here today, Gursewak Singh, state president of the union, said the government had been meting out a step-motherly treatment to the teachers who had been struggling for the past nine years to get their jobs regularised.

Deriding the police action on teachers during their state-level rally at the grain market on February 2, he said the teachers were planning to take out a peaceful march in the city when they were intercepted by the police, who used water cannons and lathi charge to disperse the teachers.

He added that the police registered cases against 100 teachers and released the female teachers post midnight.

Singh said undeterred by the police action, the teachers had decided that they would keep fighting for their rights till the government heeds to their demands.

The teachers have been demanding release of the arrears after their salaries were hiked by Rs 4,300 years ago. They are also demanding that their jobs be regularised since they have been working for several years.

Bathinda, February 14
An NSS camp of Unit 3 and 4 of girls was organised at Government Rajindra College here today. As many as 100 students participated in the camp which was organised under the guidance of Paramdeep Kaur and Amla Sharma.

During the day long camp, the girls cleaned the college campus and labs. A discussion was also held on the works done during the camps organised in the past one year. Principal of the college Vijay Kumar Goyal appreciated the works done by the NSS volunteers and encouraged them to work hard for the welfare of the society. He said it was important that we place the good of the society before our own good for the development of peace and feeling of brotherhood.

Also present during the camp were Prof Gurjit Singh Mann, Nit Nem Singh Brar and others. 

Bathinda, February 14
The local police today arrested a resident of Muktsar for kidnapping and demanding ransom from a resident of Dabwali.

Senior Superintendent of Police Gurpreet Bhullar said a case was registered against unidentified persons on the complaint of Arun Kumar who was kidnapped and beaten up by some unidentified persons at gunpoint. Arun was let off by the accused after robbing him of Rs 1.18 lakh.

The accused, who has been identified as Kuldeep Singh, along with four others kidnapped and beat up Arun on behest of Arun’s partner. Arun had a brick kiln in partnership and had a dispute with his partner.

The accomplices of the main accused have been identified as Jaswinder Singh, Harpreet Singh, Aslam Khan and victim’s partner Puneet Garg.

A case under Sections 365, 394 and 34 of the IPC has been registered in this connection against the accused at the Sangat police station.

A .32 bore pistol with three live cartridges, one knife and one Tata Indica car has been recovered from the possession of the main accused Kuldeep Singh.

The police said that efforts are on to nab the other accused in the case.