Bathinda, July 25
If the details provided by the Bathinda police are to be believed, the disposal of complaints lodged through the Punjab police helpline 181 is comparatively higher than the complaints lodged at police stations.

Quick response to the complaints lodged on the helpline has heightened the expectations of the people. According to officials, as many as 2,426 complaints were received on the helpline, out of which 2,322 have already been disposed of. The helpline was started on August 25 last year. The remaining complaints would be disposed of soon, the officials said. They added that all the complaints would be disposed of within the stipulated period.

The policemen dealing with the complaints said as the complaints were being monitored at the ADGP-level, the lower-rung officials, especially the SHO’s, remain on toes to dispose of the complaints.

“The pressure to dispose of the complaints forces us to work in a hurry. Genuine complainants never take this route. They simply come to the police station to lodge their complaint,” said an SHO.

He said the complaints were divided in four parts and flagged with red, amber, yellow and green colours. The complaints flagged with red colour are disposed of within 24 hours while the complaints flagged with amber, yellow and green colours are disposed of in 7,15 and 30 days, respectively.

There is also a provision of making anonymous calls to complaint against the delaying tactics adopted by the police, drug abuse and corruption.

SSP Gurpreet Bhullar said they received many types of complaints on the helpline. He added that the efforts were being made by the police to dispose of every complaint in an efficient manner. “We receive complaints regarding dowry, corruption, misbehavior and eve-teasing on the helpline,” he said. 

Bathinda, July 25
Poor monsoon have increased the worries of farmers as it has started affecting paddy and cotton crop in the region. On an average, Punjab receives an annul rainfall of 580 mm and 80 per cent of the rainfall is confined to June, July, August and September.

Adding to the woes, the authorities have failed to provide eight-hour power supply to the farmers. The farmers claimed that the drought-like situation had hit them hard as they had been forced to irrigate their field with the help of generators.

Satnam Singh, a farmer of Chughe Kalan village, said the agriculture depended heavily on monsoon showers and due to the poor rain thsi monsoon, the input cost had escalated. The farmers are using more fertilizers to save their crop from insects.

Another farmer, Parminder Singh, said they hardly got five-hour power supply this season, leaving the crops dry. Gurcharan Singh, a farmer, claimed that the input cost had gone up but the government announced only Rs 50 hike on Paddy. He said this would hit the debt-ridden farmers hard.

Chief Agriculture Officer (CAO) Rajinder Singh Brar admitted that poor monsoon had hit the farmers. He said there were reports that some farmers had ploughed back their fields in the areas with poor water supply.

Earlier, the state government had urged the farmers to go for the crops that require less water. 

* The medicine is supplied to all the centres where the facility to treat drug addicts is available by the drug warehouse at the Civil Hospital, Bathinda

* The drug warehouse has supplied about 10 lakh tablets in the past three months while a fresh order for 5 lakh tremadol tablets has been placed with the warehouse

* The warehouse supplies the medicine to the centres falling in Bathidna, Mansa, Sangrur, Barnala, Moga, Faridkot, Muktsar and Fazilka districts.

Bathinda, July 25
To make the night-life of the city residents more colorful, the Bathinda Development Authority (BDA) has come up with an idea to illuminate the Lake No. 3 for boating during the night. The BDA has installed 18 floodlights at a cost of nearly Rs 35 lakh.

“Now people visiting the lake even after 10 pm can enjoy its beauty,” said Varinder Sharma, Chief Administrator, BDA, who accompanied BDA officials to have a first-hand account of the floodlights.

Expressing satisfaction over the new lighting arrangements, Sharma said the idea behind installing the lights was to attract more people for boating. “Earlier, much to the chagrin of the visitors, boating was not allowed during night,” said boat and shikara contractor Pawan Kumar. He said there was a proposal to join the Lake No. 2 and 3. The authorities said the work of desilting the Lake No.2 was in progress after which both the lakes would be joined. At present the power supply is given from a generator and later a permanent source of electricity would be made available. 

Bathinda, July 25
Though the increase in the issuance of challans has filled the coffers of the traffic police, it, however, failed to evoke a positive response from the people, who accuse the police of pinning down ‘innocent’ commuters instead of catching the actual offenders for the violation of the traffic norms.

Some city residents said the drivers, especially bikers, were being targeted by the traffic cops.

“A cop can be seen sitting on a chair and issues challans without investigating the facts. All they would ask for the driving licence and registration papers,” said Bhupinder Brar, a US-returned software engineer.

He alleged that the basic aim of the cops was to fill the department’s coffers and to meet their target.

“Instead of catching the real culprits, I was penalised twice in the past four months despite the fact that I made no mistake,” Brar said.

He claimed that he never jumped a traffic light. “I was told to come out of my car by one of the traffic policemen who remained seated in his jeep near Government Rajindra College and without any fault, he issued me a challan,” Brar said. “In the US, no policeman will penalise the people who drive according to the rules,” he added.

He said the cops should verify the credentials of people and penalise only those who are either habitual offenders or have violated the traffic norms.

However, the city traffic in-charge Jagtar Singh denied the allegations. “We nab only those who are actual offenders,” he said. He added that there was no fixed target set by the department.

“We penalise only those who fail to produce complete documents and violate the traffic norms,” he added. The traffic police said 60 to 70 challans were being issued in the city everyday.

The areas where the maximum number of commuters are being penalised are Fauji Chowk, Amreek Singh Road, Gol Diggi, Rose Garden Chowk, bus stand and the Power House Road traffic lights. 

Bathinda, July 25
After nearly 100 ETT teachers staged a protest at Teachers’ Home here yesterday, another group of ETT teachers assembled at the same place today to launch an agitation and take out a protest march.

While yesterday, the teachers protested against the state government demanding that the schools under Zila Parishad be brought back under the state Education Department, the teachers today protested against the transfer orders of some of their union members.

Today, the teachers had planned to take out a protest march from Teachers’ Home to the office of the Zila Parishad. As the teachers assembled at the Teachers’ Home, the police acted with alacrity and locked the gates from outside to keep the protesting teachers from stepping out and taking out a protest march.

The teachers ended the protest only after they were made to speak with the chairperson of Bathinda Zila Parishad, Gurpreet Singh Maluka, who assured the teachers that they would undertake a study of the transfer cases and then do the needful.

Earlier, when the teachers were adamant about taking out a protest march, a team of police personnel led by DSP (City 2) Palwinder Cheema tried its best to pacify the agitating teachers and convince them to drop the idea of taking out the protest march.

Addressing the gathering, union leader Jagsir Singh Sahota said the teachers in the schools being run under Panchayati Directorate were being transferred to far-flung areas by the authorities just to make them pay the price for participating in agitations and demonstrations for their rights.

Amidst loud slogan–raising against the state government, Zila Parishad and Panchayati Directorate, Sahota said the state government had recognised the power of the union and hence, had directed the police force to keep the teachers locked inside Teachers’ Home as soon as they assembled.

Officiating president of the union, Bhupinder Maiserkhana and general secretary Yamandeep Sharma said the transfer orders of as many as 14 teachers were against the rules laid down by the government for couple cases.

The teachers also threatened that if the demand of rollback of the transfer orders was not met, the teachers would show their strength during the by-election in the Talwandi Sabo assembly segment and would bring the parents of the students along to stage a massive protest. 

Bathinda, July 25
An inmate was injured when a fight broke out between two jail inmates last night over the issue of switching off tube light at the Bathinda Central Jail.

As per information, the two involved in the fight were Jagsir Singh, who is facing trial in an attempt to murder case, and Darshan Singh, who is in jail regarding a rape case.

They had an argument, when Jagsir Singh told Darshan Singh to switch off the light as he wanted to sleep. Darshan Singh gave a blow to Jagsir, injuring his eye.

The Jail inmates were taken to the Civil Hospital by the jail authorities. Jail superintendent Raj Mohinder Singh confirmed that the fight took place. He said it was a routine issue as inmates keep on fighting over one or other thing.

He added that the medical report would come by tomorrow and action would be taken accordingly. — TNS

Bathinda, July 25
Deputy Commissioner Dr Basant Garg today held a meeting with the representatives of various educational institutions of the city and directed them to follow the guidelines set by the Punjab and Haryana High Court pertaining to the centrally-sponsored post-matric scholarship of SC students.

He also asked the representatives to share the details of problems that they were facing in implementing the scheme, admission of students belonging to the SC category in their respective institutions, and also asked them to give suggestions as to how the scheme can be implemented in a more effective manner.

The educational institutions were also directed to submit details of pending claims by the beneficiaries of the scheme with the district welfare officer so that the same may be forwarded to the State Welfare Department. 

Bathinda, July 25
Members of Naujawan Bharat Sabha today held protests at Ghudda, Kotguru, Sivian and Bajak villages against the Punjab Government and burnt the copies of the Prevention of Damage to Public and Private Property Bill-2014, which was passed by the government recently.

The protestors raised slogans against the SAD-BJP ruling alliance for passing the bill.

Member of Naujawan Bharat Sabha, Ashwani Kumar, said the new law passed by the government was anti-people and its implementation would hit the democratic rights of the people to protest and raise their voice against the government.

Non-bailable offence, heavy penalty and attachment of property are the punishments that can be imposed for raising voice against the government.

He said the ruling parties were trying to suppress the voice of the people by bringing these types of the laws. But the people would protest for their rights, he added.

Ashwani Kumar said people were coming out against drugs, encroachments, inflation, unemployment, law and order, missing children and incidents such as rape to protest against the state government.

To pressurise the agitators, the state government has brought the law, which is against fundamental rights given to every citizen in the constitution of our country, he added.

He said they condemn the bill and their protest would continue in other villages as well.

Bathinda, July 25
Railway Department employees, who give directions to passengers not to park their vehicle inside the station, are themselves seen violating the rules by parking their vehicles at the railway platform.

Railway authorities have turned a blind eye towards this and have not taken any action to stop the practice.

The Bathinda Railway Junction has two huge parking lots — one opposite the ticket reservation counter and the other near the empty land adjacent to the station.

Caring two hoots about parking at the designated places, employees prefer to park their vehicles at the platform. Following the employees, even the passengers have started parking their vehicles behind the ticket booking office and at platform.

Passengers have also started using the space outside the ATM on the station premises for parking their vehicles despite the fact that the authorities have put up a ‘No Parking’ board there.

Railway Police Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) had repeatedly issued instructions to railway employees not to park their vehicles inside the station but in vain.

Passengers are apprehensive as in the past many two wheelers had been reportedly stolen from the parking lots.

Railway station superintendent Pardip Sharma said they were worried about the problem and it was in their notice.

“We have issued notices to them many times but they just don’t care,” he said.

RPF in-charge Rajesh Rohilla said the same thing about issuing instructions and their defiance by the employees. He said it was difficult to take action against the railway employees.

Bathinda, July 25
Rave (45), who was found lying unconscious at the railway station and was admitted to the Civil Hospital ten days ago by NGO Sahara Jan Sewa volunteers, today said he had come from Chattisgarh to Barnala to work as a labourer in paddy fields two-and-half months ago.

After completing the work, when he was going back to Chattisgarh, his eight co-workers made him drink some poisonous substance and looted Rs 11,000 and his other belongings, he alleged.

He narrated the incident to a passenger at the railway platform, who called Sahara Jan Sewa volunteers.

Gautam Goyal, an NGO worker, reached the railway station and took him to the Civil Hospital.

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