Bathinda, July 6
While the state government is acting tough on the illegal sale and consumption of drugs, it seems to be encouraging consumption and sale of liquor.

As per the Excise and Taxation Department, 'Ludhianvis' guzzled down the maximum liquor followed by Sangrur, Jalandhar, Patiala and Bathinda in the months of April and May this year.

The department is penalising vends selling beer bottles more than the prescribed rate. Out of the 500 complaints filed, 250 vends in Punjab have either been penalised or warned so that they do not exceed Rs 100.

The AETC (Compliance), SS Bangar, said in Patiala that maximum complaints against the overpricing of beer bottles have been received from Sangrur and Bathinda districts where strict action has been taken against the liquor sellers.

In view of the anti-drug campaign, Punjabis are now taking long strides in liquor consumption. Punjab consumed 14.44 lakh proof litres of Punjab Made Liquor (PML) and 54.07 lakh proof litres of IMFL (Indian Made Foreign Liquor) in the months of April and May this year. Last year, 7.88 crore proof litres of PML liquor and 5.40 crore proof litres of the IMFL was consumed in Punjab.

Proof measures the alcohol content of spirit in liquor and one case of 750 ml alcohol has 6.75 proof litres. As per the officials, the consumption in these two months, as compared to the previous year in the corresponding time period, is 15 to 20 per cent higher.

During the months of May and June this year, maximum consumption of liquor was reported in Ludhiana district at 32.82 lakh proof litres which includes PML and IMFL. This huge quantity is followed by Sangrur where 10.49 lakh proof litres was consumed. 15.48 lakh proof litres of liquor was consumed in Jalandhar and in Patiala 13.02 lakh proof litres of liquor was consumed. Bathinda was fifth in state in terms of liquor consumption where 6.69 lakh proof litres of liquor was consumed last year.

Giving more respite to the drunkards, Punjab Government has now strictly restricted the sale of country-made beer bottle for Rs 100 only. The foreign brands are not available in the market now and only two brands — the sale of which was less earlier — are available in the market across the state.

As per the city-based private and government psychiatrists, alcohol is the gateway to addiction. Consumption of liquor is also equally detrimental for the health of a person. Liquor consumption leads to heart diseases, cancer, road accidents, suicides and numerous quarrels and heinous crimes as well.

"Cutting the supply of one kind of drug and increasing the sale of another drug is of no use. More and more youngsters are now getting hooked to liquor after leaving the medicinal or other illegal drugs," said Inderpreet Singh, a social worker.

"People could be seen queuing up outside the liquor vends early in the morning. At present, there are 19 plants in Punjab where liquor is bottled after being brought from the distilleries. There are 16 distilleries in various districts of Punjab.There has been a sudden rise in the number of distilleries with the setting up of new five to six distilleries recently in the state. The daily consumption of alcohol in huge quantity results in alcohol induced hypertension, cardiac problems, irregular heart-beats and also raises the blood pressure."

A woman purchases vegetables in Bathinda on Sunday. Photo: Vijay Kumar

Bathinda, July 6
Waiting for 'acche din' (good days') that could make it easy on their pockets, the consumers are distressed with the rising prices of vegetables that touched the sky in only ten days. The prices of vegetables and fruits have risen from 20 per cent to 50 per cent in the last ten days.

Parminder Kaur, a consumer, said: "Now, it's difficult to manage with such high prices of vegetables. Potatoes and onion are commonly used in most of the food items but now its cost had brought pain for consumers. Earlier, we used to eat onion daily in our salad with food but now we have stopped it. The BJP-led Modi government has failed to curb the inflation. All the food products, railway and bus fare, clothes, petrol and diesel and other products have become costlier. We are waiting for those 'Acche Din' that were promised by the government to the people."

Shopkeeper Rajesh Kumar is finding it difficult to manage as the high price has not increased the profit margin. "Earlier, the consumers used to take more quantity of vegetables but now with high prices, the consumption has decreased. We are mostly affected by fruit consumption as they too have become costlier for consumers but the enzymatic activity in fruits do not stop and hence, we have to sell them for a loss sometimes. The consumers bargain a lot and we have to reduce our profit margin."

Bathinda, July 6
In a major setback to the students belonging to the Scheduled Caste (SC) category, Punjabi University, Patiala, has shot off letters directing all its colleges to withdraw the fee concession extended to the SC students with immediate effect.

Till now, the SC students were required to submit only the refundable security deposit at the time of seeking admission in the colleges. As per the new directive, the students will have to pay the entire amount of the fee including the tuition fee, amalgamated fund, library charges and other sundry charges.

This directive is preceded by a letter issued by the Social Welfare Department intimating all private/government/aided/unaided colleges that the department was withdrawing its letter directing the colleges to not charge any fee, which is not refundable, from students belonging to the SC category.

As per the scheme, the colleges used to send across the data of SC students in their respective institutions to the university which used to further send it to the Social Welfare Department for release of funds.

Dr Kulwir Singh Dhillon, nodal officer (scholarships), Punjabi University, said, "The Social Welfare Department has withdrawn its order of not collecting fee from the SC students and we have intimated the colleges about the same. The department and the state government are however, yet to make it clear whether the students, who had availed the scheme last year and are in second year now, will have to pay the fee or not."

He added that the confusion over the withdrawal of the scheme caused a delay in starting the admission process. He stated that while the university had begun the registrations, it delayed the collection of the fee because of the new directive.

In its letter, the university has also clarified that the funds under the centrally-sponsored Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for SC students will continue to be transferred to the accounts of the students. It has also made it mandatory for all the students seeking admission in the university to apply through the online admission procedure.

Meanwhile, the decision has kindled ambers of protest among the students and teachers alike. State Committee convenor of Punjab Students Union (Shaheed Randhawa), Sarabjit Singh said, "The move of the government makes it clear how serious the government is towards the uplift of the Scheduled Castes and other backward classes. The Punjab & Haryana High Court has ruled in favour of private colleges who want to charge the SC students. The state government could have fought the case more belligerently if it had wanted to. This move smacks of the government's way of filling its own coffers. We will take up the matter once the colleges reopen for the new academic session and if need be, will protest against the same."

Darshan Singh Maur, a former state committee member of Democratic Teachers' Front, also derided the government for making its Social Welfare Department withdraw the concession. "Close to 25 per cent of the students pursuing higher education belong to the Scheduled Caste. After the withdrawal of the fee concession, they may not be able to continue their studies. The move has made it clear that the government is in favour of increased privatisation in the field of education. Since it wants to bring in more private players in the field, it has started off by luring them with the withdrawal of fee concession to the SC students."

Other teachers' organisation also demanded that the state government should immediately roll back its decision or else the teachers and students will get together and protest against the decision.

Bathinda, July 6
The Government Polytechnic College, Bathinda, is currently fighting a peculiar battle. Despite being a government institution, it is left with no option but to fight the district administration for the possession of its own guest house.

The guest house, located on the premises of the college and constructed to serve the purpose of accommodating guests of the college such as member of the inspection or audit teams, examiners who visit the college to conduct practical examinations and other visitors, is seldom available for the use of the college as it is usually occupied by guests district administration officials.

Since March 2009, the guest house has continuously been occupied by one or the other district administration official. From March-August 2009, the then SDM of Bathinda Dalwinderjit Singh stayed at the guest. He was followed by the under training assistant commissioner Joram Beda who stayed from September 2009 to February 2010.

Upjit Singh Brar, posted as the Bathinda ADC, stayed at the guest house from May 21 to 30 April 2011. Another under training assistant commissioner Kumar Amit stayed at the facility from September 5 2011 to May 15 2012. Under training assistant commissioner Saiyyam Aggarwal also availed the facility from November 2013 to June 2014.

Interestingly, since the guest house of the college was not available to the college for long periods of time, the college authorities had to take permission from the district administration to accommodate college guests at the circuit house.

"Since our college is a government education institution, our facilities are often used by the administration. Apart from the guest house, at times we have also given away our gymnasium to accommodate police personnel," said the principal of the college, Yadwinder Singh.

He added that the saving grace now is the fact that most of the visitors to the college make it a point to go back the same day after finishing the work that they had to at the college. "A few times, when the visitors have chosen to stay back in the city or are on a visit longer than a day, we have sought special permission from the district administration to accommodate them in the Cicuit House," Singh added.

Tired of footing the power and other bills for the guest house, the college is all set to now take up the case with the district administration, the college has sent the case to the Director, Department of Technical Education, Punjab, seeking guidance on how to approach the district administration to foot the bill of the place.

"In the past too, we had several times written to the revenue department to access the collector at of the land on which the guest house is built so that we may calculate the rent of the place. This tim finally, our request has been attended to and the revenue department has accessed the collector rate. Now, we have written to the Buildings & Roads Department of the Public Works Department (PWD) to access the market rate of the place," Singh said. "We are waiting for the report from the B&R Department after which we will calculate the rent of the place for all this years it has been occupied by some official and will take up the case with the Department of Technical Education seeking its guidance over the same," he added.

Bathinda, July 6
City residents are disappointed with the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) over the inflated bills that they have received for three to four months with surcharge.

A large number of consumers in the district were not sent the electricity bills for the last three-four months. The reason behind the consumers not receiving the bill was that the contract of the company responsible for sending the bills, had expired.

People are now worried as they have received the bill for three-four months together and the department has also wrongly added surcharge to it. A huge burden has been put on the common man, as a person who pays Rs 7,000 to 8,000 per month has now received a bill of Rs 21,000.

Sapna Verma, a resident of Veer Colony, said she has received the electricity bill of Rs 40,000 for three months. This is in itself a big amount to pay. More over, they had also added the surcharge without their fault.

Rajiv Kumar, a local resident, said why should they suffer due to the fault of the department that had hired a wrong company and stated that the department should take the bill from the people on installment basis. Otherwise, it would be difficult for many to pay the pending dues.

A resident of Model Town, Swaran Singh said it was a rude shock for the consumers to pay the extra amount apart from the bill dues. He said they were invariably psychologically and financially prepared to pay the bill for four months. However, seeking extra money in the power bill was a surprise, which will upset their budget.

Powercom, XEN City, HS Sidhu said, "The contract of the company was renewed in June but the bills could not be delivered due to the fault of the company and now when the bills are being distributed, computers automatically add the surcharge. It is harassment for the public but we are cutting the surcharge amount."

Congress leader Harminder Singh Jassi has condemn the state government for burdening the common man again.

Bathinda, July 6
The body of a youth, missing from Mehma Sarkari village, was found floating in a canal in Muktsar district today. The body was taken out with the help of the villagers and divers. The youth, 22-year-old Jagmeet Singh, son of a government employee, was reportedly missing for the last few days. The family raised an alarm when the boy did not return on July 4. The youth had gone to attend a religious programme in Goniana on a motorcycle.

A body was found floating in a canal in Muktsar district and the matter was brought to the notice of the family that identified it. The family members suspect a foul play.

The matter was brought to the notice of the police after which the body was sent for the postmortem. —TNS