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garbage user charges
virasat mela
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This year, shoestring budget for mela
BKU declares Agriculture Summit a political stunt
BANGO members observe hunger strike
Minister assures sikhya providers of salary hike
SSP Bathinda to be on AIR FM
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Bathinda cluster collection looks up
Abohar, Tapa have not paid even a single rupee for door-to-door collection Megha Mann Tribune News Service
Bathinda, February 16 Started two years ago, the Punjab government had entrusted the JITF Limited with the task of collecting garbage and setting up a garbage treatment plant in Bathinda city. While the door-to-door collection had begun, the case of waste treatment plant lies pending.
The company heavily depends on collection from user charges on the basis of which it further pays its garbage collectors, other employees as well as runs and maintains the vehicle deputed for garbage collection and tipping. The overall collection from the 2,24,950 properties in the 18 ULBs under the Bathinda cluster was a mere 20 per cent till the end of last year. The Bathinda ULB scores the highest in terms of payments. From the 66,000 households, the city had a collection of 35 per cent of the total user charges till the end of December last year. Sardulgarh and Rampura followed at 33 per cent and 30 per cent, respectively. Bhucho Mandi and Bareta paid 26 per cent each, while Bhikhi and Maur Mandi trailed at 25 per cent followed by Raman Mandi at 23 per cent and Goniana at 21 per cent. Government sources said while the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) was on a much better pedestal regarding its economic condition, all the other ULBs do not enjoy such freedom. “There are a couple of ULBs where one officer is looking after two or more ULBs. Since the collection of these ULBs from its own user charges is zero, they do not have enough resources to mobilise people for paying the garbage collection charges,” confided a senior MCB functionary. Though the JITF Limited has held street plays (nukkad nataks) mobilising the people to pay for keeping their surroundings clean, it has failed to evoke any meaningful response from the public. Meanwhile, the JITF in-charge for Bathinda cluster Sunil Singh said his company had written to the government for the recovery of charges form the 18 urban local bodies (ULBs).
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Folk orchestra, music steal the show
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, February 16 Basking in the bright sunshine, the visitors posed for pictures with the artistes and participants. The ‘Bhoonda Wala Baba’, supported by an artiste performing Kalbeliya dance, attracted a large crowd. The day belonged to young girls as they enthralled the audience with their close connection to the Punjabi culture. Students of the Mahanta Girbanta Dass School of Nursing, who participated in the mela for the first time, performed giddha while reciting boliyaan which touched upon several facets of life. Students of the Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa College for Women, Jhar Sahib, Ludhiana, surprised everyone as they came on the stage dressed as boys. The deftness with which the girls played the conch, vanjli, nagada, iktara, chimta and several other folk musical instruments won them a huge round of applause from the audience during the Virasat Mela. Nonagenarian Baba Kashinath of Sirsa, Haryana, also made the audience sing and clap as he played tunes of various old Punjabi songs like ‘Challa’, ‘Main chham chham nachdi firaan’, ‘Latthe di chaadar’ and others. He surprised the audience not only with his expertise with the vanjli, but also how he embedded the songs into a story. “I am 94 years old. But I have a lot of time to sit here and keep playing the instruments for you. But you don’t have the time to hear me out till the end. Agar jaan rahi toh fir milenge,” he said taking a dig at his age as he bid adieu to the stage. As the evening rolled, singers Veer Davinder, Dharampreet, Gora Chakk Wala, Gurwinder Brar, Jashandeep, Karan Brar, Daler Gill, Mahi Dhaliwal, Jyoti Gill, Avtar Chamak, Manjeet Sharma, Navdeep Sandhu, Balveer Chotian, Satnam Chheena, Arman Brothers, Sulakhanmeet, Harry Sidhu, Ranbir Kaur, Uggar Sain, Sukhpreet and others performed.
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This year, shoestring budget for mela
Bathinda, February 16 “We did not collect funds. I told the Deputy Commissioner of Bathinda that we will organise the mela within Rs 6 to Rs 8 lakh this year. We have been paid Rs 2.5 lakh for putting up the advertisements and Rs 1.20 lakh by those who have put up swings at the mela. The rest of the money was arranged from our own funds,” said Harwinder Singh Khalsa, chairman of the Malwa Heritage Foundation, which organises the mela every year. Unlike earlier, the organisers didn’t book the Multipurpose Sports Stadium for the performance of artistes. “Since the charge of booking the stadium is Rs 1 lakh, we decided not to go for it. We have set up a stage inside the Jaipalgarh village where the performances are being held,” he said. The star night, which used to be the highlight of the Virasat Mela and attracted a huge crowd of visitors, is not being held this year. While singers like Sarbjeet Cheema and Jazzy B have performed at the mela over the past years, this year, the local artistes are being promoted at the event. Unfazed by the dwindling fortune of the mela, Harwinder Singh Khalsa is hopeful that the foundation will devise a new way of collecting funds. “We have planned to spot 70 members in the district who would donate Rs 10,000 per year and 60 members who would giver Rs 5,000 per year to the foundation. The collection will be used to organise the mela and other functions at the Jaipalgarh village,” he
said. He added that starting next year, the foundation and its supporters will get in touch with the NRIs from Bathinda to take out a couple of days for the mela. “We will not ask them for donation while contributing towards the fund will remain their prerogative. Punjabis residing in foreign countries keep harping about their culture and the mela will give them a good glimpse of it,” he said. Agreeing that the weather also played a spoilsport this time and resulted in a decrease in the number of footfalls at the mela, Harwinder stated that the foundation had decided that the mela would be organised in October or November. This year, the mela was delayed because of the World Cup Kabaddi tournament. |
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BKU declares Agriculture Summit a political stunt
Bathinda, February 16 The farmers said it was a gimmick played by the government which is actually aimed at handing over Punjab’s agriculture to the corporate sector. “The farmers who actually opt for diversification by growing vegetables or other crops fail to find a buyer and are forced to sell their produce at a cheap rate. Sunflower, potato, orange, kinnow and other similar produce are a testimony to the government’s apathy in Punjab,” Sukhdev said. He pointed out that the private companies are offered relaxation of huge amounts of taxes and are also given subsidy. But the government is exploiting the poor farmers. Over the continuous dharna by the farmers in Bathinda for the past five days, Sukhdev said the protest would continue till the government promises to fulfill all their demands. He disclosed that they would not withdraw the dharna until the government agrees to release Rs 96 crores, already promised by the state government for the family members of those who committed suicide following the economic fiasco in agriculture. |
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Better bathinda State of parks-I The city has 111 parks but most of them are in a state of neglect. While the parks maintained by the mohalla committees are in good condition, it is the Municipal Corporation that has to put its act together in terms of adequate funds and manpower Megha Mann Tribune News Service
Bathinda, February 16 Of the 111 parks in the city, 13 fall under the town planning schemes of the Improvement Trust, while the rest are under the various areas of the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB). Thirty-five mohalla park management committees have been constituted to look after these parks for which the Municipal Corporation pays while the rest are managed by the MCB employees. While the parks maintained by the mohalla management committees are clean and well kept, those under the MCB are unkempt. Many parks have neither the mohalla committees to tend to them, nor does the MCB take any care. Such parks have been left to deal on their own with anti-social elements and prevent encroachers from taking over. Rs 1,000 for park maintenance
As per the policy of the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB), it pays 50 paise per square feet and a maximum of Rs 1,000 for every park under the mohalla park management committee, irrespective of its area. This means that a park spread over 200 square yards or a smaller area gets Rs 1,000 and even the huge ones located in Model Town Phase I near the Radio Colony get Rs 1,000. Members of the mohalla committee in Model Town phase I say that no gardener is ready to work at Rs 1,000 per month. "For such a meagre amount, we get only part-time gardeners. This is not enough. All members of the committee contribute and collect money on a monthly basis. We raise around Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 out of which we pay the gardener and buy small items needed to maintain the park," said former municipal councillor Rajan Garg. Two years ago, an agenda was moved in the MCB General House meeting to raise the rate from 50 paise per square feet to Re 1 per square feet. Though the House had accepted the proposal and even passed it, the municipal councillors do not know if the government had approved it or not. Poorly paid, some mohalla park management committees have even abandoned their parks. Of the 35 such committees, only 27 are working. "The rest are in hibernation owing to lack of funds. Not everyone is willing to contribute and one person alone cannot do anything," said a member of the Ganesh Nagar area. Even the park that the MCB maintains does not have enough number of employees. There are just 20 permanent employees to maintain the MCB parks and another set of 20 are outsourced. Only one park in trans-railway line area
For the residents of more than 12 wards living in the trans -railway line areas of Paras Ram Nagar, Pratap Nagar, Sanguana Basti, Lal Singh Basti, Sanjay Basti, Amarpura Basti and others, it is just the railway grounds on Thandi Sarak that serves as park and is the sole place for recreation. While the males still have an opportunity to visit the railways grounds area, it becomes difficult for the women to come all the way to the railway grounds for a walk or recreation. "Our youngsters do not have a place for recreation. In the absence of open spaces, they either end up as groups by the roadside or fall in bad company. The children do not have quality means of recreation," regretted Labh Singh, a resident of Paras Ram Nagar area. There are two small parks in Arjun Nagar on Gurukul Road, which were carved out under the town planning scheme but are not maintained. They are among those that neither have a mohalla committee nor the corporation to look after them. Bathinda Fort as centre
for recreation
When it comes to having the luxury of open spaces, Bathinda Fort is the only area that the residents of old city have. An icon of Bathinda located in the heart of the city, the Fort continues to be the main centre of recreation for many. Sunday mornings are more engrossing with the number of visitors rising considerably. An MCB official explained that since the old city area and the localities beyond the railway lines mainly comprise of Wakf Board land or agricultural land sold to individuals, there is no space earmarked for parks. "All these are unplanned areas, which do not even have a yard for parks," said Vijay Mittal, a resident of Mehna Chowk. Centre of ‘illegal’ activities
Some of the public parks have ended up becoming an epicentre of unlawful activities like gambling or consuming drugs at night. One such place is the Nehru Park in the Civil Station area. At night, the park doubles up as a site for staging dharnas or as a place to sit and chat for cine-goers at a nearby mall or turns into a ground for yoga classes. The dimly lit area at night takes the shape of a hangout for anti-social elements and drug users. ‘Community participation alone can revive parks’
Municipal Commissioner Vipul Ujwal said community participation alone can take care of the city's parks. "Mohalla committees are managing the parks well as they have the sense of ownership. We are woefully fall short of means and the money to maintain the parks as our focus is primarily on providing sewerage and water facilities. We would like
more people to come forward and take over these green lungs of the city for its betterment," he said. |
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Kairali is uncrowned dosa king
Gurdeep Singh Mann Tribune News Service
Bathinda, February 16 “My shop was declared first in an eating competition organised by the authorities last year. I was appreciated for cleanliness, behaviour, preparation, quality and service to the customers,” says Krishna. Kairali is famous not only for its main dishes but also for its special coconut chutney. He got a certificate of appreciation along with a cash prize of Rs 1,000 in a contest last year. He still gyrates the thin layer of battered rice and dal greased with oil on to a hot tava or barbecue to get the perfect taste and quality. A native of Kerala, Krishna arrived in Bathinda with his brother, who was in the Army, around 35 years ago and since then, he has been selling food. “I never feel like returning back ever since the shop was set up and also due to the appreciation and love I received from the customers,” he said. “Former students and teachers of nearby Kendriya Vidyalaya No.1 still remembers the taste of food he is offering for more than three decades,” said Sukhdarshan Singh, a school teacher. Krishna said maintaining the quality of food is quite a Herculean task in today’s competitive world. The price of masala dosa has increased to Rs 30 from Rs 5 in 1995, but the quality still remains the same. Apart from improving, introducing and replacing the electronic gadgets over the years, Krishna still vows that he has maintained the quality of food with the same verve. At present, the masala dosa costs Rs 30, idli sambhar Rs 25, vada sambhar Rs 25 and samosa Rs 7. Apart from the fried Indian edibles, sweets have also been added to the menu.
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BANGO members observe hunger strike
Bathinda, February 16 The agitating social workers said it was not justified on the part of the state government to make an earning by selling blood, which people donate voluntarily. They said the Gujarat government provides blood free of charge to its needy ailing community in the civil hospitals whereas the Punjab government sells it to fill its coffers. “From the blood collection bags to testing kits, it is the National AIDS Control Society (NACO), New Delhi, that bears the entire expenses,” said Sadhu Ram Kusla. The social workers said that already the Bathinda Association of NGOs has repeatedly met a number of ministers and officials seeking a rollback of hiked prices, but nothing has been done apart from giving fake assurances. “We are now on the path of agitation against the government. Every Punjab minister visiting Bathinda city would be welcomed with black flags and we will also approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court,” he said. Prominent among those present included Rakesh Narula, Sonu Maheshwari, Sarvjit Singh, Suresh Gupta, Vijay Suri, Jagdish Sehgal, Kuldeep Dhingra, Ajay Tripathi, Avtar Singh Goga, Bhupendra Bansal, DK Garg, Sohan Maheshwari and Prakash Singh. |
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Minister assures sikhya providers of salary hike
Bathinda, February 16 Speaking to Bathinda Tribune, district president of the union Gursewak Singh said, "A meeting has been fixed for February 18 with Education Department officials. While speaking to us, the Education Minister assured us that the increment of Rs 4,300 announced by the Central Government in our salaries will be implemented within a week." "The minister also assured us that since the hike had been announced with effect from April 1, 2013, we will also be given arrears for the past one year. After the promises made by the minister, the union has decided to call off the dharna," he said. He also stated that if the Education Department failed to fulfil its promise within a week, the union will hold a protest either in Bathinda or at Jagraon on February 23. |
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SSP Bathinda to be on AIR FM
Bathinda, February 16 The listeners can also participate in this radio show by calling the AIR FM studio phone number at 0164-2240331 and ask any question from the guest. Station Director Rajeev Arora will anchor the
programme. |
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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.
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