Bathinda, July 28
A woman and her four and half year old son were found murdered on Dabwali Road. The deceased have been identified as Sukhjeet Kaur and her son Suraj.

The two were living in a secluded area where there are very few houses located amid agricultural land behind Dreamland Palace on Dabwali Road. Residents of the area said in view of very few houses there, the locality was yet to be named though the streets had been numbered recently.

The woman was living with her 15-year-old daughter-from her first marriage and a four and half year old son-from her second husband.

Her second husband had gone to Malaysia two years ago. He used to remain in touch with her and would send her money regularly.

Before leaving for abroad, the couple had been selling tea in a nearby warehouse godown. The woman's husband, Ajmer Singh, had asked his friend, Jagga Singh, a truck driver, to look after his family.

Jagga, however, allegedly developed physical relations with the victim on the pretext of helping her with household chores. He used to visit the house frequently. Suspecting her of carrying out immoral activities, the woman's neighbours thrashed Jagga around six months ago and a case was registered at the Vardhman police post.

Jagga, 32, belonged to a Jatt Sikh family from Rama Mandi while the woman belonged to an SC family from Memra village near Ratia in Haryana.

Today, when the daughter of the deceased woman woke up and went for tuition to a nearby locality, the other family members, living in adjoining rooms, noticed something unusual as neither the woman nor the child got up till 9 am.

"We knocked the door and failed to get any response. When we peeped through the iron grills of the window, the son and the mother were lying on the bed in an unusual posture," said her neighbor Prem Kumar, who lives in the same house in a separate room.

The residents said Jagga visited the woman last morning and stayed overnight. They went for shopping and returned late at night, prepared non-vegetarian food and slept without arousing any suspicion.

Her relatives and panchayat members from Memra village said Jagga surfaced after a couple of months despite resistance from the local residents. Since he used to visit with the consent of the woman, nobody objected to it.

The mother, brother and sister of the woman accused Jagga of poisoning her and the child.

Local residents said Jagga was upset since yesterday and had injury marks on his knees. He took along two mobile phones belonging to the woman and instead of opening the main common entrance, scaled the boundary wall to escape after committing the crime late at night.

DSP City Gurjeet Romana visited the woman's house and a case under Section 302 of the IPC was registered against Jagga Singh on the complaint of the woman's relatives. Efforts were on to nab the accused. 

Bathinda, July 28
The traffic police appear to be facing trouble in tackling the menace of over-speeding and drunken driving in the city. As the traffic police do not have any speed radars and alcometers to keep a check on rash and drunken drivers.

In the absence of any speed radars with the traffic police, the young commuters can be seen over speeding and driving rashly without any fear as the traffic police also cannot even issue a challan for over-speeding.

Absence of any alcometer seem to be taking its toll due to which boozing in open goes unabated. Even some instances have been reported when the traffic police, in the absence of alcometers, tried to smell the mouth of commuters, that has led to brawls between the police and commuters.

A majority of road crashes are caused by human error. Research has shown that driver error accounts for over 80 per cent of all fatal and injury crashes on Indian roads. The main causes of death and injury remains speeding, drink driving and non-wearing of seat belts.

It is worth mentioning here that this month, more than 100 persons have been injured in various road mishaps in the city.

More than 511 persons were killed and 419 injured in accidents in Bathinda in the last three years. As many as 677 cases pertaining to the road accident have been registered with the city police from 2011 to 2013 while a total 10,740 people have lost their lives so far in the six districts of the Malwa region.

Satnam Singh, a resident of Ajit Road, said the police should control underage driving at the earliest.

x“Youngsters drive rashly and end up hitting those who are unable to get out of the way of the speeding vehicle, especially the elderly. Underage driving should be completely banned.”

A traffic police official claimed, “Rash driving and violation of speed limit are the two major reasons behind road accidents. We have been constantly carrying out educational and awareness camps on road safety but the campaigns have failed to leave an impact on commuters as the graph of road accidents has increased every year.”

Talwandi Sabo (Bathinda), July 28
With the announcement of Punjabi singer Balkar Sidhu as an AAP candidate from Talwandi Sabo, the contest for the by-election has now become triangular. While the Congress fielded former Bathinda MLA Harminder Jassi and SAD (B) has given ticket to Jeet Mohinder Sidhu. While both the Congress and the SAD candidates have considerable experience in the field of politics, Balkar Sidhu is a novice.

Sidhu said he was optimistic as his party had won four seats in Punjab during the recently concluded general elections, the SAD is banking on panthic vote and the Congress is eyeing devotees of dera.

All the three candidates of the SAD, the Congress and the AAP are from jatt Sikh families, including two Sidhu’s (Balkar and Jeetmohinder) and Harminder Jassi, who belongs to Sra (surname) family of Jassi village in Bathinda.

A three-time university gold medalist, 41-year-old Balkar, became a professional singer after his famous songs, ‘laung taviteriaan’, ‘tu meri khand mishri’, ‘phulkari’ and others.

Balkar said inflation, corruption, poverty, fight against land mafia and drugs will be his priority. He paid obeisance at Gurdwara Quila Mubarak and various other religious places.

“I entered into politics due to its sorry state of affairs and it’s not me who sought a ticket to contest the elections but the party high command asked me,” he said. He added that he came into politics with an aim of doing social work.

National observer of the AAP, Jarnail Singh, said they have fielded Balkar since he is a native of Poohla village of Bathinda and will not be considered as an outsider.

A senior AAP leader pleading anonymity said Balkar’s candidature was cleared with the intervention of Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann. “Though there were other strong contenders for the party ticket, including Gurdeep Brar from Malkana village of Bathinda and professor Baljinder Kaur from Jagaram Tirath,” the leader said.

Meanwhile, keeping in mind, protesters now find it fit to catch the limelight to attain publicity by protesting in Talwandi Sabo due to the upcoming by-election.

Teachers deployed in the deaf and dumb schools associated with the Inclusive Education Volunteer Union Sangrur today protested in Talwandi Sabo. A group of 70 to 80 teachers tried to cross the police barricading but they were rounded up. The teachers demanded increase in salaries and said they be regularised.

Bathinda, July 28
To assign special duties in respective areas of the Talwandi Sabo constituency, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Badal has decided to convene a special meeting of the senior party leaders in Bathinda on July 29.

In view of the ensuing by-elections, the party leaders are meeting wherein modalities would be chalked out to ensure victory with a considerable margin in the by-elections.

A senior SAD leader said the meeting is being convened in view of the recent formation of a separate SGPC in Haryana, reducing margin of victory in the Bathinda parliamentary constituency and considerable chunk of seats in the pocket of the Aam Admi Party.

“The party supremo does not want to take any chances and has decided to convene a meeting so that every party supporter should pull up his socks to chip in for the by-elections,” said another leader, pleading anonymity.

He pointed out that those leaders who had failed to get a chance to meet the Deputy CM to do their respective public or private works in the recently have found tomorrow’s platform a perfect place to discuss their issues.

The meeting will be presided over by SAD president and Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, Sukhbir Singh Badal. District president of the SAD and Punjab Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Sikandar Singh Maluka said senior leaders of eight districts comprising Bathinda, Mansa, Barnala, Amritsar, Fazilka, Ferozepur, Faridkot and Moga districts will come to attend the meeting. Maluka said ministers, chief parliamentary secretaries, MLAs, former MLAs, constituency in charge, member SGPC, SAD-BJP district presidents, senior party leaders would participate in the meeting.

District press secretary Dr Om Parkash Sharma said the agenda of the meeting has not been decided yet. “I got a call from the Punjab minister Sikandar Singh Maluka about the meeting and conveyed to everybody. The exact reason behind the meeting would be ascertained when the meeting will be held on Tuesday,” he said.

Bathinda, July 28
Upset with the party for making another candidate paraglide and contest the Talwandi Sabo bye-election, several volunteers of the Aam Aadmi Party left the party today and extended their support to the Congress. They met the Bathinda District Congress Committee (urban) president, Mohan Lal Jhumba, at the Congress Bhawan today and extended their support to the party.

Rajni, a member of the district committee, a resident of SAS Nagar, Bathinda, said there was a widespread unrest within the party because of the choice of candidate for the by-election. “The party is going against its name. The Aam Aadmi Party is not looking at or even consulting the common man before deciding on the names of the candidates. Earlier, Jassi Jasraj was imposed on us during the Lok Sabha elections and now, another singer Balkar Sidhu has been imposed on us. Is it a party for singers?” she asked.

She also added that the party volunteers thought that there were members within the Bathinda district committee of the party who would have made for a better candidate. “If money is the criteria for getting the party ticket, then there is no point staying with the party. Party earned a bad name earlier too, when it brought Jassi Jasraj and now, the same is happening with Balkar Sidhu,” she said.

Others who left the AAP included Devinder Singh, Raj Lal, Partap, Ajay Gaur and Soni. The volunteers argued that they had joined the party after being impressed with its thoughts. They also stated that by the choice of its candidates, the AAP was proving to the people of Punjab that the party was not serious about strengthening its hold in the state.

Elaborating on their choice of joining the Congress, they stated that the Congress was a national party and the only party in Punjab which could stand before the ruling alliance and question the state government on several issues the most important of which remained drug menace.

Bathinda, July 28
The Elementary Trained Teachers (ETT) union staged a protest and burned the effigy of the state government outside the Children’s Park here today. The teachers have been demanding that the 5,752 schools under the Zila Parishad across the state be brought back under the state Education Department.

Other unions also lent their support to the ETT Union protest. District president of the union, Gurjit Singh Jassi, said the Punjab Government, which had retracted from its promises had not even bothered to care about the deteriorating health condition of their state president Jaswinder Singh Sidhu, who has been sitting on indefinite fast for the last nine days in Mohali.

Union leaders said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, before coming to power in 2007, promised them that their demands would be fulfilled immediately after taking charge. But even after coming to power for the second term, their demand was not fulfilled, they added.

Nearly 100 teachers, including women, assembled at the Children’s Park around 1 pm.

When the teachers were about to take out the march, police personnel shut the gate of Children’s Park.

The teachers raised slogans against the state government. DSP (City) Gurjit Singh Romana reached the spot. He tried to pacify the protestors but they didn’t relent.

The agitators warned to hold one-day hunger strike outside Panchayat Minister Sikander Singh Maluka’s residence in Model Town area on July 31 if their demands are not met. They will also take out a candle march starting from Teachers Home at 5 pm in the evening.

Mansa, July 28
Transporters today cried foul over the imposition of fines on their buses by the Mansa District Administration while the latter maintained that it was a drive against the use of pressure horns in buses and other vehicles.

They claimed that the district administration under the pressure of the state government had started imposing fines on all private buses except Orbit buses that belongs to the family of the ruling government.

They alleged that the imposition of fines began just a day after private transporters of Mansa refused to offer free service in their buses to supporters on the route to Haryana over the row of Haryana Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee.

There are around 30 transporters running about 175 mini and regular buses in Mansa. The transporters today protested the fines imposed by district transport officer.

They alleged that buses of Dabawali Transport, including Orbit buses, were not even stopped by the officials whereas in order to take revenge, the state government had verbally ordered the district officials to impose fines on private buses.

SK Sharma, president, District Mansa Bus Transport Union, said, “The government had started harassing us had in a planned way. We staged protest today and we will protest again if it doesn’t stopped. We will intensify our agitation if the government doesn’t change its attitude towards private bus trasnporters.” — TNS

Bathinda, July 28
Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) and Punjab Khet Mazdoor Union today took out a rally against drugs, law and order situation, government’s move to suppress the right to protest and farmers’ plight at Jogewala village.

Addressing the gathering, Bahatar Singh and Jagdev Singh termed the anti-drugs drive started by the state government as merely a drama.

They said no action was being taken against influential persons involved in the drugs business. The police had been arresting drug-addicts and issuing statements in the media about their crackdown on drug smugglers, they added.

They alleged that through drugs, the government and drug lords were earning crores of rupees.

The situation has led to an increase in crimes as drug addicts commit petty crimes such as snatching and thefts to arrange money for drugs they said.

Nearly 180 people die in the state because of drugs and numerous others are taking to drugs due to poor economic condition, unemployment, inflation and other problems, they said.

“If the government really wants to take out youngsters from the trap of drugs, it should provide better employment opportunities, provide free treatment at drug de-addiction centres and take strict action against those involved in drugs,” they said.

Their fight for the demands of farmers regarding farm debts and compensation to the farmers who committed suicide would continue, they added.

They announced to participate in the protest rally, whose call has been given by Bhai Rupa Action Committee against the Prevention of Public and Private Property Bill-2014, from August 5 to 11 at Rampura. — TNS

Bathinda, July 28
A programme was organised at the Women and Children Hospital to observe World Hepatitis Day here today. During the programme, doctors made the gathering aware about the types and causes of the hepatitis disease and the precautions that should be taken to prevent it.

Pediatrician Satish Jindal said there are four types of the disease – A, B, C and E. He said hepatitis A and E are water-borne and spread through contaminated water and open defecation, especially when there is a possibility of drinking water and sewerage water getting mixed.

He said the spread of this type could be prevented by using safe potable water and washing hands more often.

Hepatitis C spreads mainly through blood transfusion and using common syringe, he informed, adding that contracting hepatitis C could be avoided by making sure that blood is procured from an approved blood bank and common syringes are not used.

Elaborating on Hepatitis B, Jindal said it was hepatitis B, which needed to be prevented the most as the disease may be transmitted to the child at the time of delivery.

He added that hepatitis B, caused at the time of birth is the most dangerous since it has 90 per cent chances of turning chronic and occuring again after 10-15 years. He said this type of the disease was the most dangerous since it was incurable.

The doctor said to make sure that the disease is not transmitted at the time of delivery, the newborn should be vaccinated within 24 hours of the delivery and the schedule of vaccination should be followed properly.

Max Super Speciality Hospital (MSSH), Bathinda, also organised an awareness rally on the disease from Max Hospital to bus stand via Hanuman Chowk and Main Bazar.

The Employees of the hospital carried banners and posters to spread awareness about the disease and its various forms and how it can be prevented.

Dr Ajesh Bansal, gastroenterologist at MSSH, said India has more than 40 million hepatitis B (HBV) infected patients that constituted about 15 per cent of the entire pool of hepatitis B in the world.

Every year, nearly 6,00,000 patients die from HBV infection in India.

“What is more shocking is that in spite of hepatitis claiming so many lives, most people suffering from the disease are unaware of their infection,” he said. 

Bathinda, July 28
On the call given by the Punjab Municipal Workers Union, the Bathinda Municipal Corporation (BMC) today held a rally to press for their demands. Office bearers and workers of the Safai Karamchari Union also participated in the rally.

Employees of the Municipal Corporation submitted a letter to the MC commissioner. The employees didn’t do any work till 12 pm, due to which people had to face many problems. The employees threatened to go on strike on July 30 if their demands are not fulfilled.

Safai Sewak Union president Veerbhan and Punjab Municipal Workers Union leader Bhola Singh said they were protesting because they were fed up with the policies of the state government. They demanded that transfers of level-three employees should be stopped, 138 contract safai sewaks be regularised immediately and 75 riskshaw kiosk employees be included in JITF Company.

The union president said the Safai Sewak Union was feeling betrayed by the state government. — TNS

Mansa, July 28
Mansa Deputy Commissioner Parveen Kumar Thind said boards bearing detailed information about blood donors would be displayed in hospitals and at prominent places in the city.

The information will consist of the names of nearest hospitals, name of donors and their mobile numbers.

On the occasion of World Blood Donation Day, Mansa Deputy Commissioner said the information would be helpful for accident victims and in delivery cases where blood is highly important to save the patient’s life.

Thind said 4,682 units of blood were collected during the period from July 2013 to July 2014, and 4,314 units of blood were donated voluntary by the donors.

The deputy commissioner also held a meeting today with the school heads wherein they were directed to dismantle unsafe building structures immediately.

He asked them to submit reports by the week end.

Thind said, “Scholarship for SC students to the tune of Rs 4 crore has been received, which will soon be transferred in the account of school heads. They will further ensure to credit the same in the accounts of the students. According to the instructions of the state government, no tuition fee will be charged from SC students under the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme.”

“The district administration is planting maximum number of saplings and heads of schools can get saplings according to their need from the Forest Department. The department has developed seven nurseries in the district and they can contact with the nearest nursery,” he said. — TNS

Bathinda, July 28
The seven-day faculty development programme (FDP) on ‘Open Source Software’, being held at Baba Farid College of Engineering and Technology (BFCET) by National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research (NITTTR), Chandigarh, concluded today.

The main objective of the programme was to develop open source software knowledge at Baba Farid Group of Institutions. More than 30 faculty members of different colleges of BFGI attended the programme.

It was an opportunity for the faculty members to enrich themselves with valuable information about open source software and their usages, so that they can inculcate the inputs in their daily work.

Resource person Dr Gourav Kumar, managing director, Magma Research and Consultancy Private Limited, Ambala, Vipin Gupta, CEO, U-Net Solutions, Moga and course coordinator Amit Doegar addressed the faculty members during the 
FDP through video-conferencing.

During the sessions, detailed discussions on various open source software’s like virtual box, Xamp server, Open CV, RSS, WIKI Blog were conducted. A comprehensive interaction on free/open source software (FOSS), Wiki Blog & RSS, open CV for digital image & video processing, open source research applications and tools, enterprise content management using Alfresco, ERP, ECM, Big Data, Haddop & map reduce deployment, SAN/NAS implementation using open source, open source cloud implementation took place.