Rajgarh Kubbe (Bathinda), July 17
With today's honour killing, the number of such incidents has increased to four in Maur Mandi and two in Rajgarh Kubbe village during the last one and half years. Four girls and a boy have lost their lives due to these social conflicts. The earlier incidents involved young boys and girls from different castes.

While an eerie silence prevailed in the house of the girl who was killed by her father today, men and women were seen wailing at the boy's house. A large number of villagers turned up to express sympathy at the boy's house and condole the death.

According to the village sarpanch, the girl's father, Chamkaur Singh, a private veterinary doctor has shown no remorse for hacking his daughter and the boy to death. He said the police arrived at their house 30 minutes after making a phone call. "When the police failed to find the house after making numerous rounds of various streets, I then showed them the path, which led to a few minutes of delay. Else, the police would have reached in time after the crime," the sarpanch said.

The badly mutilated bodies of the girl-Manjinder Kaur (20) and Simarjit Singh (25), were sent for postmortem examination.

In the earlier incidents, a 20-year-old girl from a Jatt Sikh family from Gehribara Singh village was shot dead by her father. The father was upset over his daughter falling in love with a boy from the Ghumiar caste. The two solemnised their marriage in the High Court. The girl was killed six months after her marriage. The police said the father failed to bear the pressure created by the everyday enquiries made by relatives and friends about his daughter and son-in-law.

The girl was shot at in Rajgarh Kubbe village by the father on March 15 last year with a licensed rifle.

In the other incident, a girl from Khokhar village of Mansa, had married a bus conductor against the wishes of her parents and was killed. Her husband, Ramphal Singh Bagga, said despite the registration of a case of murder against the girl's father, the accused had managed to come out of jail and was now roaming free. An affluent farmer, the girl's father was sent behind the bars for a few months but came out, Bagga said.

In the third incident, a girl from Gehribara Singhwala village, fell in love with a boy from Maur Mandi. The girl, a student of Class XII, eloped with him after running away from home. The two, fearing the wrath of the girl's family, consumed poison. While the girl died, the boy survived. The boy was, however, booked by the police on the basis of a complaint by the girl's family for killing and kidnapping her.

Bathinda, July 17
Bathinda city and its adjoining areas heaved a sigh of relief on Thursday after intermittent rains lowered the temperature and gave the residents relief from the hot and harsh weather which had been prevailing in the area for the last couple of weeks.

After braving scorching sunlight for almost three continuous weeks, the area received 3.6mm of rainfall on Wednesday evening and the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. Although the city woke up to a sunny morning today, the weather turned pleasant again in the afternoon after the sky was covered with clouds.

The cloud cover didn’t disappoint as several parts of the city received rainfall at around 4 pm. The rainfall lowered the temperature by several notches. As per the Agri-met Department of Punjab Agricultural University Regional Centre in Bathinda, while the maximum temperature was recorded at 37.4 degree Celsius, the minimum temperature was recorded at 25.4 degree Celsius.

While the rainfall brought respite from the hot weather, it increased the humidity levels. On Thursday, the maximum humidity was recorded at 85 to 90 per cent and minimum at 55-60 per cent. The wind velocity was recorded at 12.5 kmph.

According to Dr Rajkumar of the PAU Regional Centre in Bathinda, the region was scheduled to experience a weak monsoon. “June is not a monsoon month for Punjab. Whatever rainfall the state receives in June is caused by western disturbance or ripple effects of El Nino or La Nina. Depending on the two factors, the amount of rainfall received by the state in June fluctuates drastically.”

Talking about the monsoon this year, he said, “The monsoon is weaker by 30 to 40 per cent this year. Anyway, Bathinda is not known for receiving a lot of rainfall even in the monsoon season. This year too, the picture looks grim.”

Bathinda, July 17
Bathinda district found frequent mention in the budget speech of the Punjab Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa. Portending good news for the frequent fliers, Dhinda stated that construction of the building of Civil Enclave, Bathinda, at the site was complete and ready for commissioning.

He added that the Ministry of Defence, the Government of India, has accorded its approval for starting two civil commercial flights from the Indian Air Force Station, Bhisiana, near Bathinda. Forty acres of land worth Rs.3.55 crore at Virk Kalan village has been handed over to the Airport Authority of India for the construction of the civil air terminal, he stated.

Under the education section, Dhindsa spoke about the state’s aim to provide quality education to poor and meritorious students of government schools by setting up six residential schools with a capacity of 500 students each in the districts of Amritsar, Bathinda, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mohali and Patiala.

He further stated that an eight-lane synthetic athletics track would be laid at the Multipurpose Stadium, Bathinda, at a cost of Rs 6.48 crore. Giving hope to the cancer patients, the finance minister announced that the 100-bed Advanced Cancer Diagnostic Treatment & Research Centre at Bathinda, built at a cost of Rs 60 crore, will be operational soon.

Bathinda, July 17
Members or guests visiting the clubs in the city need not worry about sticking to a dress code since the clubs don’t have strict dress code rules chalked out, barring a few which say that bathroom slippers and shorts are not allowed.

This revelation has come in the wake of Madras High Court Judge, Justice D Hariparanthaman, being denied entry into the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association Club recently for wearing a dhoti. The judge was to attend a book release function. Giving two hoots to his credentials, the judge was stopped by the staff for violating the dress code of the club.

While the incident has stoked a controversy across the nation on whether the clubs should continue to adhere to strict dress codes or not, Bathinda clubs’ charter of dress code is not a long one. When asked if they had a dress code and imposed it on their members and guests, the Clubs shared that only two clothing and footwear items–bathroom slippers and shorts–were not allowed.

At the Civil Lines Club, one of the oldest clubs of the city, the staff has been directed not to stop but “politely tell” the guests, wearing either chappals or shorts, that their attire is inappropriate. Cultural secretary of the club, Jaideep Nayyar said, “We don’t have a long list of Dos and Don’ts when it comes to dress code. We have barred only two items and have told out staff to politely speak to the guests.”

He added that shorts were allowed in the sports area but if the same person wanted to dine at the restaurant, he/she would have to change. Elaborating on the favourite attire of many in the city, kurta pyjama, he said while the kurta-pyjama-chappal combination was not allowed, if the same was clubbed with Kolhapuri juttis or shoes, then it was permissible.

Harichand Verma, manager at the Dunes Club, also stated the chappals and shorts were not allowed inside the club. When asked if there had ever been any instance wherein a guest was barred from entering the club, he said, “Very rarely do people turn up wearing inappropriate clothes or footwear. Whenever there has been such a case, we tell the guests that what they are wearing is not right.”

HBN Country Club, is not a members-only club and hence, has no dress code. Manoj Gupta, who is running the club, said, “Members from the higher socio-economic strata come to our club and it has never happened that any guest has come wearing something which is not suitable.”

Bathinda, July 17
Potholes filled with water troubled the city residents today. The commuters also remained at the receiving end.

“Though we got some respite from the heat due to the fall in temperature, the accumulation of rainwater is troubling us,” said Anmol Singh, a resident of Bhagu Road.

Areas that remained inundated following the early morning showers were Sirki Bazar, Mall Road, Dhobi Bazar, Phase-I, Phase-II and Phase-III of Model Town, Parasram Nagar, Jujhar Singh Nagar, Hazura Kapura Colony and Deep Singh Nagar.

The residents of Model Town Phase-III said the shabby work done by the contractor who laid the underground water pipes for rainwater harvesting lead to several problems.

“The 60 feet road in front of our house has not been repaired since the pipes for rainwater harvesting were laid. Apart from damaging the vehicles, it poses a risk to the lives of commuters,” said Gurdeep Kaur, a resident of Model Town.

“When we raised a hue and cry, some workers turned up today and filled the potholes temporarily,” he added. Another resident, Kapil Sharma, said most of the roads in Model Town Phase-III were still inundated.

The rainwater had accumulated on the road in front of the Civil Lines police station despite the laying of water pipes for rainwater harvesting. The authorities had laid the pipes to drain out water from the low-lying areas.

Meanwhile, many road accidents were reported in the city following showers as commuters failed to notice the potholes filled with water.

Two road accidents, involving children, were reported at Power House Road and Bhagu Road.

“I tried to escape a splash when my scooter hit a deep pothole near the gurdwara of Model Town Phase-I,” said Rahul Singh, a resident of Model Town Phase-II. He added that his wife and child fell on the road but escaped unhurt. Municipal Corporation officials said they had received several complaints in this connection and efforts were being made to rectify the problem.

Mansa, July 17
A nurse at the drug de-addiction centre, Khyala Kalan, in Mansa, has accused Dr Harpal Singh Sran, a psychiatrist, of molestation. The victim has complained to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Punjab Health Minister, Deputy Commissioner and the Civil Surgeon.

The Mansa Deputy Commissioner immediately marked an inquiry and directed Civil Surgeon JS Minhas to submit the report within a week.

Dr Harpal Sran is the only psychiatrist in the district after Dr Manoj Kumar was transferred to some other place. Dr Sran was earlier posted at the district hospital and had joined here a few days ago. Dr Manoj Kumar was transferred from Khyala Kalan after the patients complained to the CM that he was not providing medicines available at the centre to them.

The nurse alleged that on Thursday night, Dr Harpal Sran entered her room, locked it from inside and molested her. However, the victim did not lodge a complaint with the police.

The SHO, Mansa Sadar, said, “We have not received any complaint in this regard. A case will be registered against the doctor if she files a complaint.”

Mansa Deputy Commissioner Parveen Kumar Thind said, “Yes, I have received a complaint regarding this and an inquiry has been marked. The Civil Surgeon will submit the report within a week.”

Bathinda, July 17
Karamjeet Kaur, a middle-aged woman from a middle class family, is finding it hard to manage the household budget with the rise in the prices of vegetables and fruits. The hike in price has hit hard. Many residents like her are a worried lot due to this. Prices of vegetables and fruits have gone up from 20 to 40 percent in a week. Tomatoes are being sold at Rs 60 per kg while onions are stable at Rs 40 to 50 per kg.

Due to the hike in prices, the profit of shopkeepers and hawkers has also reduced. “The commonly used vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes and onions are so costly that we are finding it difficult to save money at end of the month. The prices of pulses and cereals are already high. The government should take necessary steps to check the hike in prices,” a resident said.

“The demand for tomatoes, potatoes and onions has decreased. The prices of capsicum, okra, cauliflower are already high. Peas are being sold at Rs 100 per kg. Similarly, the prices of fruits have also gone up. Our daily profit has gone down,” a vegetable seller said.

Talwandi Sabo, July 17
Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo, organised a seminar on drip irrigation in collaboration with Mohindra EPC Industries Ltd. Dr RK Bansal, Dean, Research, Dr AS Sidhu, Dean, University College of Agriculture, Dr DR Godara, Dean, Student Welfare, Prof BS Chahal, Prof Daljit Singh and Dr AL Sharma, assistant professor of entomology, participated in the seminar.

Dr Godara introduced the speaker and the other participants. Dr Vilas Tajane, agronomist from EPC Industries Ltd, explained the impact of drip irrigation on different crops. He said drip irrigation not only saved water but also ensured efficient use of fertilisers besides increasing crop productivity.

“Drip irrigation can help arrest the fall in water table and increase crop productivity,” he said. — TNS

Bathinda, July 17
Under the Centrally-funded Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) scheme, exhibitory corn varieties were planted in the fields of progressive farmer Rajinder Singh at Naruana village. The corn varieties were sown under the guidance of the Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO) and the Director of the ATMA, Rajinder Singh Brar.

Aiming to propagate crop diversification and encourage corn cultivation, the team planted the T.X 369, P-3396 and DKC-9125 varieties. — TNS

Bathinda, July 17
Deputy Commissioner Basant Garg today held a meeting with district health officials. The Deputy Commissioner asked them to pay special attention to the attendance of children in anganwari centres besides ensuring their complete health check-up. Bathinda Chief Medical Officer Dr Tejwant Singh Randhawa, District Health Officer Dr RS Randhawa and all Senior Medical Officers (SMOs) were present at the meeting.

District Family welfare Officer Dr Ravneet Kaur said 89 per cent of the deliveries were registered and all facilities were being provided to the children and their mothers.

Dr RS Randhawa said all schemes for the children and pregnant women were running smoothly. DR Kundan reported about the school health programme and claimed that doctors of the Zila Parishad were sending the reports directly. He said the new programmes for the welfare of the children were running smoothly.

Bathinda, July 17
The police arrested three persons with illegal weapons from the T-point of Naruana village today. Those arrested have been identified as Kulvir Singh, Charanjit Singh and Rajdeep Shah.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurpreet Singh Bhullar said to keep a check on miscreants, a special drive had been launched under which ASI Balwant Singh, along with the CIA staff had erected barricades at the T-point and were checking vehicles. During the checking, the police recovered a .30 bore pistol and four live bullets from Kulvir Singh, .32 bore pistol and three live bullets from Charanjit Singh and .32 bore pistol with two live bullets from Rajdeep Shah.

In the initial investigation, they admitted that they had kept the weapons for their security as they had a rivalry with the Simran Maur and the Ramandeep Singh Rami groups.

Notably, Kulvir Singh and Rajdeep Shah had spent some time in the jail in a land garb case and for helping Gurvinder Singh Buindu, a prisoner, in escaping from police custody.

Charanjit Singh had also spent some time in the jail in a theft case. They were out on bail. The police have registered a case under Sections 25, 59 and 59-A of the Arms Act.