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NDC centre: No medicines for patients
Union Budget 2014—People’s Expectations |
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Cabinet gives nod for turning GZSPTU campus into varsity
Next hearing in waste treatment plant case on July 15
Injury takes cricketing star to the realm of music
agriculture turning non-profitable
Heaps of garbage render posh localities inhospitable
talwandi sabo byelection
population day
ABVP takes out motorbike rally
illegal colonies
Max launches Juvenile Diabetes Clinic in city
Punjabi film industry playing great role in
Bollywood: Yuvika
PRTC employees stage protest
Students win medals at karate meet
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NDC centre: No medicines for patients
Bathinda, July 9 Beds at the NCD centre are lying unused in the absence of patients. The facility of radiotherapy is also unavailable at the Bathinda Civil Hospital following which the state government didn’t include it for the treatment of cancer patients under the Chief Minister Cancer Relief Fund. At present, there are 16 hospitals that are included by the state government for the treatment of cancer patients under the scheme. Since the inception of the scheme, around 1,300 cancer patients have undergone treatment, of which 750 had undergone cameo therapy but they had to pay the cost of treatment on their own. From day one, none of the cancer patients have been provided free medicines. Notably, cancer patients are supposed to get free of cost treatment at the centre. A cancer control unit has been established with an aim to detect cancer at an early stage and help patients in its treatment. The facility was established under a Central government project on the prevention and control of cancer under the National Programme for Control of Cancer, Diabetics and Cardio-Vascular Strokes (NPCDCS) at Bathinda, Mansa, Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur. The Central and the state governments are sharing expenditure in the ratio of 75:25. A non-communicable diseases centre (NCD) tasked to detect symptoms of cancer among patients has a nurse, a technician, counsellor and a health educator besides an oncologist. The cost of cameo-therapy for a patient is Rs 2,000 to 6,000 for the one-time treatment. The medicines to be given free of cost never reached the centre. Medicines for diabetes and cardiovascular patients are also unavailable. Gurmel Singh, a patient from Bathinda, said, “I reached the centre for treatment yesterday but there are no free medicines and the doctors told me to purchase them from outside. I had no money for medicines. To get free treatment under the CM Cancer Relief Fund Scheme, I will have to go to Faridkot or Ludhiana in government empanelled hospitals. The private empanelled hospitals are costly. There is no use in constructing buildings, if the government cannot provide treatment and medicines.” On tthe unavailability of medicines, District Health Officer Dr R S Randhawa said, “Patients are getting treatment under the cashless Chief Minister Cancer Relief Fund Scheme. None of the patient had paid for treatment in the empanelled hospitals.”
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Union Budget 2014—People’s Expectations Sukhmeet Bhasin Tribune News Service
Bathinda, July 9 Raman Watts , president of the Bathinda Chambers of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), said the Finance Minister should exempt central excise duty up to 5 crore as for the benefit the small scale industry. He said they had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for the exemption in central excise duty. Farmers, too, have high hopes from the Budget. They sought a special package of Rs 1 lakh crore for debt-ridden farmers and 100 per cent insurance cover for their crops and pets. Jagjit Singh, vice-president, Kul Hind Kisan Sabha, said the government should present a budget for agriculture on the lines of railway budget and 10 per cent of the income of the government should be spent on the development of agriculture. Astha Gupta, a housewife, said the Finance Minister should take steps to bring down inflation as expenditure on petrol, diesel, LPG cylinders and many another essential commodities had gone out of control. Shubham Sharma, a student, said the government should facilitate easy availability of educational loans. PP Maheshwary, an advocate, said the government should increase the 80C limit and there should be higher deduction under the Section 80 TTA. The salaried class is also hopeful of an increase in the income tax exemption limit. Ankush Aggarwal, a trader, said the deduction of interest on housing loans should be increased from the current limit of Rs 1, 50,000 as the prices of residential properties had increased in the past a few years. To provide relief to the tax payer, this limit should be increased to Rs 3 lakh, he added.
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Cabinet gives nod for turning GZSPTU campus into varsity
Bathinda, July 9 The upcoming technical university would exercise territorial jurisdiction over Bathinda, Barnala, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Mansa, Muktsar, Patiala and Sangrur besides other areas outside Punjab. This will be only the second technical university in the state after the Punjab Technical University (PTU), Jalandhar. The move is set to benefit the students belonging to the Malwa region as after the GZS Engineering College was upgraded as PTU campus in December 2011, the campus introduced several new courses and the student intake and the income of the campus increased manifold. Elated over the news, campus director, Prof Jasbir Singh Hundal said, "This was made possible because of the special efforts of the VC of the PTU, Dr Rajneesh Arora and Rajinder Gupta, member of the Board of Governors besides the state government. The college first turned into a campus and is now all set to be a university. It is well-equipped to offer quality education to the students." Progress by leaps and bounds The college which was set up in 1989 with one course in architecture and engineering courses besides a student intake of only 210, is now offering seven under-graduate course, two self-finance courses, post-graduate courses in four engineering trades, MSc in three subjects, seven part-time M.Tech courses, MBA and MCA courses apart from two courses in collaboration with the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS). While the student intake for the under-graduate course is 670, that for the PG course is 486 and around 200 for the PG part-time courses. The campus has 260 regular staff members including the teaching and non-teaching posts. The campus also organised a recruitment drive recently after the completion of which around 90 more teachers will be added to the staff tally. Spread over an area of 146 acres, the campus has 31 lecture halls, five hostels for boys and two hostels for girls. The campus management had also taken the initiative of turning the vacant class II and IV houses into hostels for boys. Meanwhile, a students' centre and a 400 seater boys' hostel are also under construction. Over a short span of three years, the income of the college almost doubled. From being recorded at Rs 15.6 crores during the financial year 2011-12, it rose to Rs 22.3 crore in the financial year 2013-14 and is expected to be 27.75 crore for the year 2014-15. Dream project If all goes well, the dream project of campus director Prof Jasbir Singh Hundal will take off. The dream project will offer a training institute to the students which will prepare them for the armed forces selection procedure. The project has already got the nod if the Board of Governors of the campus. The project will help increase the conversion rate of NCC cadets from the campus into Armed Forces personnel. Awards and projects The campus was given the Best Punjab Government Technical Institute Award in November 2013. In January 2014, the campus received the award for the Best Architecture College of Punjab. The campus director was given the Edupreneur Award by Engineering Watch, a magazine which keeps a tab on engineering institutes. The campus was also awarded a Rs 10-crore World Bank sponsored project-- Technical Education Quality Improvement Programme-- which will end in December 2016. It is also the only government engineering college in the state which the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) granted two seats each in five PhD disciplines.
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Next hearing in waste treatment plant case on July 15
Bathinda, July 9 During the hearing, Justice Swatantar Singh separated the Bathinda-Mansa case from the other five cases and fixed the date for the next hearing. He also asked the senior most officials of the Municipal Corporation to be present during the next hearing. He also directed the MCB to submit a detailed report on the site chosen for the solid waste treatment plant on the Bathinda-Mansa road. Last year, the NGT had directed the member secretary of the State-level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), member secretary of the Punjab Pollution Control Board and the secretary of science, technology and the Environment Department and a representative of the petitioners to form a committee and look into the merits and demerits of the site to give a time frame for the starting of the waste treatment plant. The committee was also directed to list the scientific method required for the collection and disposal of the solid waste in accordance with the established norms. While the MC gave clearance to the site, Chahal challenged the clearance, stating that the boundary wall of the Housefed Colony was at a distance of 250 meters from the dumping site, Nachhatar Nagar was at a distance of 175 metres, Guru Ram Dass Nagar at a distance of 225 metres and Bhai Matti Dass Nagar at a distance of 375 metres from the dumping site. Apart from the residential areas, the Army’s ammunition depot is also located at a kilometer away. Open water storage tanks of waterworks are situated at a distance of about 200 meters. He also pointed out that the Bathinda distributory, water of which is being used for irrigation and drinking purposes, flows 50-60 foot away from the dumping site. Chahal added that instead of showing the Air Force Station (AFS), Bhisiana, as the nearest airport, the BMC had shown the Amritsar Airport as the nearest airport to the plant. Will abide by norms, NGT order: MC Commissioner
MC Commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh said the MCB was ready to abide by all environmental laws and the judgement of the NGT. He added that as per the rule any place, which wasbeing used for the dumping of waste for five or more years, could be used as a waste treatment facility. Brushing aside the arguments that the BMC had flouted the rule that no residential area or a water body should be within 500 metres of a waste treatment plant, he said, “The waste is being dumped at the site for the past 30 years. Many of the residential colonies around it developed much later. No matter what place is chosen for the dumping of the waste, residential areas are bound to develop around it over the years,” he said. |
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Injury takes cricketing star to the realm of music
Bathinda, July 9 After recovering from his injury, his life took a U-turn and he started a new journey as a singer. He began taking training in folk and classical singing from Nirmal Singh. During the promotion of his movie “Yaaran Da Katchup” today, he said his first goal in the life was to become a cricketer and represent Indian but he was unlucky as an injury ended his dreams. After that, he set a new goal for himself in the field of singing and never looked back. He entered the music industry with his album “This is Hardu Sandhu” following which he launched his first solo album “Soch”, which was appreciated by his fans. Now, he is trying his luck in the Punjabi film industry with the movie, which will be released on July 11. Sandhu said he was initially nervous but soon things became easier for him.
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agriculture turning non-profitable Gurdeep Singh Mann Tribune News Service
Talwandi Sabo, July 9 Find agriculture non-profitable, farmers are turning into brokers, selling old tractors. Having years of expertise in operating and maintaining huge machines, they are now trying their luck in the sale and purchase of tractors. The tractor market here has been operating since 1992. Under the current arrangement, every broker pays one per cent of the sale of each tractor to the truck union, which holds the market every Wednesday. “Besides farming on five acres in Mahi Nangal village, I deal in the sale and purchase of tractors every Wednesday here,” said Karanpal Singh. He boasts of having five tractors - three of them for immediate sale, one for the use of ferrying fodder or animals and another one for cultivation. Karanpal is among many other marginal farmers who find brokerage more profitable as the state government has lifted all kinds of taxes from it. “Those who purchase tractors for the agricultural purpose are not from Punjab or Haryana but Rajasthan, MP and UP,” said Hardam Singh. Gurcharan Singh, who is the president of the tractor union for the past five years, said though the number of tractors rose to 5,000 during the peak season, it reduced to 1,000 to 1,500 on normal days. The peak season for the sale of tractors is February and March. He said farmers failed to resist lucrative offers by financiers and get trapped in the debt cycle by purchasing tractors. “Farmers buy tractors on loan, sell them at lower rates and use the money for non-agricultural purposes. Due to this, many new tractors come up for sale at the market,” said Hardam Singh. Taking advantage of it, brokers purchase such tractors at a throwaway price and sell them at higher prices and earn handsomely. What the Punjab State Farmers’ Commission says
The Punjab State Farmers’ Commission conducted a study in 2006, wherein it found four lakh tractors with a large number of small and marginal farmers. As per economists, tractors are not viable for the farmers with five acres of land. Dr P S Rangi, an agricultural economist with the PSFC, said till 2012 there were around 4.76 lakh tractors in the state. “A tractor, which is 10 or more years old, should only come up for sale at the second-hand market. The sale of new tractors shows that farmers are under the debt trap,” he said. Dr Rangi said owing to the use of heavy-duty agricultural implements like rotavators and laser levelers, small tractors are finding their way to Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. “In Punjab, small tractors are soon replaced by 50 horse power or 60 horse power tractors that are bulkier and expensive,” he said. |
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Heaps of garbage render posh localities inhospitable
Bathinda, June 9 Heaps of garbage can be seen lying in Civil Lines, Model Town, Mini-secretariat and other areas posing problems of hygiene for the people due to the laxity shown by the company which has been given the contract to collect the garbage from homes and is responsible for removing it from the roads. It is worth mentioning that the garbage will also create drainage problems, as with rains setting in, the garbage will led to the blockage of drains. The residents of these localities complained that the sanitation workers collected the waste from homes and threw it by the roadside. They were of the view that the stink emanating from the garbage had made it difficult to walk on the roads and streets. They said they had lodged complaints with the departments concerned many a time but it had fallen on deaf ears. The residents said the company has taken Rs 50 from each household for collecting garbage and if they had to throw the garbage outside their houses, then what was the need to collect it from their homes. Adarsh Paul Gupta, president, Civil Line Residents' Association, said they had met Member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal before the election and had raised the issue of sanitation. The MP had instructed the municipal commissioner to look into the matter but nothing has been done so far. However, the officials present in the department were of the view that the administration had directed its sanitation staff to keep the city clean and lift garbage from all over the city. But still, they would keep a check on the company, the officials added.
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Local leaders highlight demands of people
Talwandi Sabo, July 9 It is pertinent to mention here that 10 out of the 13 municipal councillors recently shifted their loyalty from the present council president. Posing a tough challenge to the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal), the councillors asked the president of the Municipal Council to prove his majority in the House. The councillors are now vocal enough to speak against the sorry state of affairs in the House. Many of them are openly criticising the execution of various works which have left the people deprived of the basic amenities. One of the leaders of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Puneet Garg, alleged that the sorry state of affairs in the government hospital at Talwandi Sabo, lack of sanitation, cracks in the construction of recently built shops and roads, lack of basic facilities for the public and the commuters are their major areas of concern. "Despite the tall claims of investment and spending of crores by the government, there is hardly any facility for the common man in Talwandi Sabo," he said. Garg denied having raised his concerns ahead of the elections to derive political mileage to dent the SAD (B) bastion. He added that their chief aim is to highlight the plight of the common man and to divert the public's attention towards the wrong policies adopted by the government. In a representation submitted to the DSP, Talwandi Sabo, the AAP demanded strict vigil and strict action in cases of drug addiction. They demanded the removal of illegal parked vehicles near the State Bank of India (SBI) building, from the petrol pump to Lelewala road, which poses a threat to the free flow of traffic. They also demanded an end to the parking of buses of a private university at Verka Chowk, which can result in accidents any time. The AAP workers demanded police patrolling from Gurudwara road to Mata Sahib College for Girls where anti-social elements gather. — TNS
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Vikas manch to organise awareness programmes
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, July 9 The BVM president Rakesh Narula said, “As we know that july 11 is World Population Day, we are the second most populated country in world and if we continue to move upward in population chart we will be number one in population in 2030. To continue with awareness is the need of the hour. Campaign is must to tell people the ill effects of population explosion.” The manch will organise programmes at Beant Nagar and Dhobiana Basti. In Government Secondary School, Maisarkhana, a special programme will be organised under the supervision of principal Varinderpal Kaur. Slogan, painting and speech competitions will be organised on the ocassion.
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ABVP takes out motorbike rally
Bathinda, July 9 Workers spread the message of keeping youth away from drugs and saving environment. ABVP state leader Ashutosh Tiwari said ABVP from the past 65 years had been maintaining people-friendly views. The wokers also take a vow to eliminate the drug abuse from the state.— TNS
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DC instructs officials to give NOC to plot holders
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, July 9 The Deputy Commissioner instructed the officials to clear the no-objection certificate (NOC) to all the remaining plot owners of the unauthorised colonies. The Chief Administrator, BDA, Varinder Sharma, revealed at a meeting that around 1,177 applications were received for NOC of which 1,090 have been cleared while 87 are pending. Similarly, Dalwinderjit Singh, Municipal Commissioner, said about 3,620 applications were received for regularisation of which 3,440 have been given the NOC while only 290 are pending. Likewise, the Director, Local Bodies Department, claimed to have received around 1,558 applications for regularisation of plots in unauthorised colonies of which 1,290 have been given the NOC while 268 are pending. Deputy Commissioner Basant Garg instructed the officials to provide the NOC to the plot holders as soon as possible and said, "The applications pending with the departments should be cleared and the plot holders should be given the clearance. In case any plot holder and applicant have not received the NOC, he may contact the officials concerned on working days and get the NOC."
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Max launches Juvenile Diabetes Clinic in city
Bathinda, July 9 During the launch of the clinic, the doctors provided consultation to almost 72 children. The hospital also organised a diabetes awareness programme and an interactive session for the parents of young diabetic patients in the age-group of 10-15 years where the doctors highlighted the growing incidence of Type-1 diabetes in children and the treatment options. The hospital also organised a training workshop on 'Understanding insulin and self-monitoring of blood sugar.' The doctors also praised and distributed prizes to patients who had managed to keep their blood sugar levels in control. Dr Sushil Kotru said due to lack of awareness about Type-1 diabetes, its treatment and the fear of insulin injection, kids were being treated with indigenous medicines. "We got a lot of Type-1 patients who develop complications like DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis). Type-1 diabetes occurs when the body's Beta cells which produce insulin are destroyed. Therefore, it is essential for children suffering from Type-1 diabetes to take insulin injections throughout their life." Haresh Dahyalal Trivedi, GM, Operations, Max Hospital, Bathinda, said with the launch of Juvenile Diabetes Clinic, awareness will be generated among parents so that the problem can be detected at an early stage. — TNS |
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Punjabi film industry playing great role in
Bollywood: Yuvika
Bathinda, July 9 Yuvika participated in ‘Zee Cine Stars Ki Khoj’ in 2004. This lead her to an acting assignment for TV serial ‘Astiva Ek Prem Kahani’, in which she played Aastha. She had appeared in a Coke advertisement opposite Kunal Kapoor. Farah Khan took notice of her and gave her break in ‘Om Shanti Om’.. When asked why she has taken up Punjabi cinema after Bollywood assignments, she said, “ It’s always better to do both together, as Bollywood industry is such that you don’t have work everyday, so it’s better to work with regional cinema.” Regarding her upcoming movie ‘Yaaran Da Katchup’, which is releasing this Friday, she said, “ It was great fun working for this movie, as I can explain this movie journey in three words - shooting, shopping and fun. This movie is based on the life of friends after they pass out from college.” Shooting of the movie had taken place mostly in Thailand, while some parts have been shoot in Chandigarh. Her two upcoming movies are one in Punjabi ‘Yaarana’ and another one is in Hindi with Akshay Kumar. Yuvika’s climb to fame was a small role in “Om Shanti Om” that saw her share screen with Shah Rukh Khan. After that she has done many Hindi movies and one Punjabi movie “Daddy Cool Munde Fool”. Now again she is ready with her second Punjabi movie ‘Yaara Da Katchup’.
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PRTC employees stage protest
Bathinda, July 9 They alleged that the drivers of these buses are pilfering diesel. Harbans Singh Bhola, president, Bathinda Workers Union (Azad) said, “ The contract system should be abolished and their jobs should be regularised. Overtime should be paid, suspended employees should be reinstated, pay grades should be revised and in time pay and pensions should be given.”“The bus owners under the the kilometer scheme in connivance with the management are causing losses to PRTC. They are paying to the PRTC management for personal benefits,” he alleged.
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Students win medals at karate meet
Bathinda, July 9 Both the students were given appreciation today by the school. Najar Singh, principal of the school, encouraged all the other students to participate in sports. — TNS
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The cabinet, on Tuesday, gave its nod to the setting up of Maharaja Ranjit Singh State Technical University,
Bathinda, Bill 2014 for turning the Giani Zail Singh Punjab Technical University campus into an affiliated university. The nod has come after a proposal was prepared by the Punjab Technical University
(PTU) and submitted to the Department of Technical Education.
The officials concerned have turned a blind eye to the heaps of garbage on city roads and streets and in residential quarters as well as government offices.
Heaps of garbage can be seen lying in Civil Lines, Model Town, Mini- secretariat and other areas posing problems of hygiene for the people due to the laxity shown by the company which has been
given the contract to collect the garbage from homes and is responsible for removing it from the roads.
Employees of the Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) Workers Union Azad today staged a protest demanding the fulfillment of their long pending demands. They raised slogans against the PRTC management and the state government. They demanded that buses running under the kilometer scheme should be stopped as the owners of these buses have been causing losses to the PRTC to the tune of Rs 7 crore every month.
