Bathinda, June 11
The future of the employees of the 108 emergency ambulance service, who went on strike on May 21, hangs in balance even after the Punjab & Haryana High Court stayed the termination of their services. The HC, however, didn't stay the recruitment of new employees.

Even after the HC orders, the stalemate between Ziqitza Healthcare Limited and the employees continues. Speaking to Bathinda Tribune, state project head Jitendra Sharma said, "Following the HC orders, we have offered the agitating employees joining of duty. They are demanding that they be posted at their earlier locations, which is not possible as we have deployed new drivers and EMTs at some of those locations. We have offered them to resume services at other vacant locations."

The drivers and emergency medical technicians working for the emergency service had gone on strike on May 21, demanding higher wages, reinstating of a terminated employee, union leader Bikram Saini, and the formation of a working/disciplinary committee.

After the employees announced a state-wide strike on May 23, the company served them a notice, asking them to either come back to work or face termination of their services. Within 48 hours of the strike, the company sought permission from the state government and initiated the process of recruiting new drivers and technicians. The company handed out termination letters to the striking employees. The former employees then approached the Punjab & Haryana High Court, seeking stay on their termination. Till Tuesday, the company had recruited 300 drivers and 150 emergency medical technicians.

Defending the recruitment of new employees, Sharma said, "After the striking employees turned down our request to resume their duties, we were left with no option but to recruit new employees. This happened even after the company accepted all their demands barring the one pertaining to overtime and less working hours. The strike severely disrupted the emergency service across the state." 

Bathinda, June 11
Two girl students of Government Nursing College, Bathinda, attempted suicide by consuming banned sleeping pills at their hostel on June 6 after they were allegedly mentally tortured for demanding basic amenities and the permission to use mobile phones inside the hostel. They were treated at the Civil Hospital but the police had no intimation of this. The students have been demanding basic amenities such as drinking water and cleanliness at the hostel. A GNM student said the girls were immediately rushed to the hospital. "The doctors immediately treated them but didn't inform the police at the behest of the principal and other staff. The college authorities warned us against revealing the incident to anyone," said the GNM student.

However, the doctors denied treating them. Dr Gurmel Singh, who was on duty till 8 pm on that day, denied that he treated them but claimed he knew about the case. He said, "My duty time had ended before their arrival. Another doctor was present there. The girls had consumed sleeping pills but in very less quantity. They were treated and sent back."

When asked why the police was not informed, he said, “The students and the college teachers were not willing to inform the police."

College principal Anjuli James initially showed ignorance about the case but later agreed. She said, "The girls had taken their medicine and not sleeping pills. They just wanted to downsize us and wanted permission to use mobile phones. I am just following the rules and regulations and cannot allow the use of mobile phones. They have been suspended for 10 days and have been sent to their homes yesterday."

However, the Chief Medical Officer could not be contacted but Senior Medical Officer Dr Satish Goyal said, "I don't know whether the matter was reported or not. I will look into the issue." 

Bathinda, June 11
The women, travelling alone in buses, can heave a sigh of relief. From Thursday, PRTC will begin a special bus service for them from 9 am to 5 pm. The trial run for the bus was conducted on the Bathinda bus stand-Dabwali route today.

Elaborating further, Rajiv Parashar, newly-appointed managing director of PRTC, said, “It was brought to our attention that women faced a lot of problems while boarding crowded buses, especially during the peak hours. To make their travel comfortable and safe, we have decided to launch special buses for them on some main routes in the state. In Bathinda, the service will be offered on the Bathinda-Dabwali route.”

He said they were yet to chalk out the final draft of the scheme and they would decide it later whether their relatives would be allowed to travel with them or not. "As of now, their children can accompany them in the buses," the MD said.

Women conductors fear for their safety

Women conductors, which were poised to be the USP of the women special buses, will not be there. After the trial run, the women employees had complained that they had not been trained for the work and it would not be safe for them to travel in the buses till 5 pm.

“PRTC may not be able to go ahead with its plan to employ women conductors in the buses. We took the decision after carrying out a trial run today during which we realised that women employees were not interested in the work as they feared for their safety,” Parashar said.

Trial run

A trial run of the bus service was conducted here today. The Bathinda depot of PRTC has four women employees, three of whom are conductors. Interestingly, keeping their safety in mind, PRTC had given them office work. But on Wednesday, when they were told to serve as conductors, they found it difficult. “Since one of the three female employees is a expecting mother, she was not asked to be part of the trial run. To ensure their safety, we even sent the other staff members with them, but they are still not willing to work as conductors,” said Rajinder Joshi, general manager, PRTC. 

Bathinda, June 11
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal are answerable to the people of Punjab and should clarify why a minister belonging to their alliance partner BJP, Anil Joshi, the Local Bodies Minister, has stated that those involved in illegal mining in the state had police patronage. This was stated by the general secretary of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) and former Bathinda MLA Harminder Singh Jassi.

He argued that while the state government was putting up a façade of reining in the sand mafia, one of the ministers of its own government had stated the truth.

Jassi also raked up the issue of a former Akali Dal sarpanch of Daula village in Gidderbaha, Balwinder Singh, allegedly thrashing a Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of the Soil Conservation Department outside the SDM office complex in Gidderbaha. Jassi demanded the Deputy Chief minister’s resignation on moral grounds since under the SAD-BJP rule in the state, the law and order situation was going from ‘bad to worse’.

Jassi also ridiculed Sukhbir Badal’s claim of making the state ‘power surplus’ and stated that it was not valid as the farmers were not getting even five hours of continuous power supply to help them in paddy transplantation.

He added that the state was reeling under an acute power shortage as several units of thermal plants in the state were tripping almost everyday and the short supply of coal was also adding to power woes in the state.

Taking a dig at Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Jassi stated that the second-time MP was angry with the voters for not supporting her whole-heartedly in the Lok Sabha elections as even after becoming a Union minister, she hasn’t come back to thank her voters in the constituency. 

Bathinda, June 11
The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) and the Khet Mazdor Union have announced that from now onwards, they will not court arrest outside the IGP office and will gherao Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in the villages that he visits.

A large number of members of the BKU Ekta Ugrahan staged a protest outside the IGP office today in the afternoon demanding the release of their leaders and workers. The protesters were later detained by the police.

The protesters, while addressing the gathering, accused the Badal family of protecting and shielding the drug smugglers, rapists and other anti-social elements and arresting farmers who were demanding justice in the minor girl's rape case.

They also stated that the SGPC, under the patronage of the state government, had forcibly encroached upon 161 acres of land.

It is worth mentioning that from May 26, the activists of Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan were courting arrest daily. They were detained outside the Inspector General of Police (IGP) office in the afternoon and released in the evening.

State president of BKU Ekta Ugrahan Joginder Singh and state president of Khet Mazdor Union Lachman Singh said they have changed their strategy and from now onwards, they will not court arrest and will gherao Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in the villages he visits in Punjab.

Bathinda, June 11
With Sikander Singh Maluka being given the portfolio of rural development, a new hope has arisen in the hearts of villagers and constituents of Bathinda district, claimed the media in-charge of Youth Akali Dal, Rattan Sharma.

"Maluka is going to hold meetings with the officials of the district administration to discuss the agenda for development in all the villages that would include dispensaries, hospitals, schools and sanitation," said Rattan Sharma.

He added that the villagers have high hopes from him after he took the charge of rural development. Many development work will be undertaken including toilets, schools and dispensaries in the villages and for this, an overall view would be taken by the minister. 

Bathinda, June 11
A young couple of Kheta Singh Basti committed suicide by jumping into Thermal Lake Number 1 after a heated argument took place between them at around 10.30 pm yesterday.

Their bodies were taken out by the volunteers of various social organisations. The deceased have been identified as Rajiv Kumar (22) and his wife Rekha Rani (20).

They are survived by two children — a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter and a seven-month-old son.

Rajiv was a scrap dealer. As per information, the couple had a heated argument in their house at night after which Rajiv left the house stating that he was going to commit suicide. His wife also followed him.

Around 10.30 pm, the couple jumped into the lake. When this incident took place, some persons standing near the lake, informed the Thermal police and called Sahara Jan Sewa and Naujawan Society workers.

Volunteers of these NGOs immediately reached the spot and took out the bodies from the lake with the help of a rope.

DSP Palwinder Cheema also reached the spot. As per initial inquiry, it has come out that the husband was tense due to failure in business.

The police have initiated legal proceedings under Section 174 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). 

Bathinda, June 11
A 20 year-old youth, identified as Ravi, a resident of Awa Basti near the Kali Mata Mandir, today committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan.

Sahara Jan Sewa workers informed the Kotwali police about it. Later, the police sent the body for post-mortem to the Civil Hospital. The youth committed suicide under depression as he was a drug addict.— TNS