Bathinda, July 30
The Municipal Corporation Bathinda and the Punjab government may face action for contempt of the orders of the National Green Tribunal over the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) treatment plant near Harbans Nagar on Mansa Road.

The site for the plant is situated on Mansa Road near Harbans Nagar and seems to have become a bone of contention between residents of Mati Das Nagar, Harbans Nagar and other localities for long.

During the previous hearings on May 24 and July 15, the tribunal had ordered the MCB to ensure that garbage, dumped at the site, is managed scientifically and the green belt is developed.

Municipal Commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh was among those who appeared before the NGT on behalf of the MCB.

The tribunal reprimanded the corporation for giving a false undertaking of developing a green belt around the dumping site. The corporation authorities today produced their proof of developing the green belt supported by photographs and video clippings.

In its order, the tribunal stated that if the authorities fail to act accordingly, the NGT will issue a contempt notice against the secretary of the Local Bodies Department. The next date of hearing has now been fixed for August 22.

Advocate Guriqbal Chahal said he along with the complainant in the case also produced their side of the story, which negates the corporation’s claims.

Corroborating their claims, the complainants, including Captain Mal Singh, too, produced their claims with supporting pictures which show that garbage is being burnt by the authorities.

After hearing the claims of both the parties, the NGT observed deficiency on the part of the corporation.

Advocate Chahal said in its previous order, the NGT had declared that garbage collected on the site was to be covered with layers of earth periodically.

The NGT also observed that the state government had failed to carry out its primary duty and had also failed to obey the previous orders.

The tribunal has now been given a week’s time to carry out all the works as per the clear instructions of the NGT passed in its earlier orders.

Bathinda, July 30
In a first of its kind, the state government is all set to launch a drive against smoking addiction by providing a centre for Nicotine Replacement Therapy for addicts in the district hospital of Badals’ citadel Bathinda which is also the constituency of Union Cabinet Minister and the Punjab CM’s daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

Besides having a psychiatrist, the centre would consist of a psychologist, a counsellor, and a data-entry operator. The NRT Centre would begin with a motive to provide treatment to the needy patients who are addicted to nicotine.

The patients would start getting treatment within two weeks after the room is provided in the Bathinda Civil Hospital. Patients would be treated at the centre that would probably come up in the NCD clinic running under the centre–state project.

The state government had already declared many districts in Punjab as smoke-free, including Mohali, Mansa, Amritsar, Ropar, Gurdaspur, Fatehgarh Sahib, Nawashahar, Sangrur, Hoshiarpur, Kapurthala, Muktsar, Faridkot, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Patiala and Jalandhar. In these smoke-free districts, around 12,000 people have been imposed fine for smoking since January this year.

The administration of the each district declared smoke free in Punjab and had imposed fines to violators. Around 1,589 persons have been fined since January this year in Hoshiarpur, while 1,316 were imposed fine in Barnala. Similarly, 1,011 were fined in Ludhiana, 1,080 in Ropar, 968 in Amritsar, 973 in Gurdaspur, 925 in Mohali, 451 in Patiala, 444 in Muktsar, 343 in Fazilka, 342 in Bathinda, 337 in Jalandhar, 333 in Sangrur, 287 in Nawanshahar, 275 in Mansa, 185 in Kapurthala, 182 in Tarn Taran, 178 in Moga, 171 in Fatehgarh Sahib, 159 in Faridkot, 158 in Pathankot, and 107 were fined in Ferozepur. Psychiatrist Dr Inderveer Kalra, Nodal Officer, NRT Programme said, “The programme would start very soon as per the guidelines and those addicted to nicotine would be treated. Patients would be counselled individually or in groups as per their strength. The centre would provide treatment to willing patients who are also needy. The medicines for the treatment would also reach soon while in the meantime, the ongoing staff would cater to their needs. Its’ being planned that for almost two days a week, a psychiatrist would treat the patients for two hours each day.” — TNS

Talwandi Sabo (Bathinda), July 30
With bypoll round the corner, the drug addicts visiting the de-addiction centre to get reformed at the Talwandi Sabo Civil Hospital are getting special attention and enjoying every basic facility.

With an expenditure of Rs 22 lakh, the addicts not only queue up under a new shelter to avoid sunlight but also get potable water from a brand new water cooler fitted with an RO system.

The filthy surroundings are a thing of the past and the entire complex has been spruced up. The hospital staff get up at 3 am to help the doctors in issuing slips by 5 am to attend to over 300 addicts every day in a smooth manner. The jostling and fights over jumping the queue seem to be over. “This is a special facility not available anywhere else in view of the by-elections. I used to visit the Bathinda Civil Hospital two weeks ago. But now, I come to Talwandi Sabo in view of the special attention,” said Happy, a security guard deployed at a government department who is battling to get rid of his poppy husk addiction.

He is among many others who are accompanied either by a local political leader of a village or town of the Talwandi Sabo constituency to get rid of their addiction, albeit with special attention.

He said there used to be long queues of 300 to 400 addicts in a day just two weeks ago. Now, one could hardly find 10 to 15 persons at any given period of time.

Happy was among many others who came to know about this facility through a relative. “I would stand in an unending serpentine queue for at least three to four hours to get my turn at the Bathinda Civil Hospital, where the doctor would have less than half a minute for me. But here, not only did I get rid of the queue but also got special attention,” said Gurjiwanjot from nearby Bare Gurhe village who is hooked to opium.

The hospital staff said that Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal visited their hospital on June 5 to sanction a grant of Rs 22 lakhs. “Apart from coolers, RO, whitewash, cleaning of the area, the de-addiction centre also got a sports room and musical instruments with speakers fitted in every room of the hospital,” said an employee, pleading anonymity.

The doctors at the Civil Hospital, Bathinda, too admit that the rush of addicts has reduced from 15 to 20 per cent in view of the ‘special attention’ in Talwandi Sabo hospital. Dr Sunil Gupta deployed at Talwandi Sabo de-addiction centre said it is not because of the by-election that we gave special attention to the addicts but for betterment of the patients.

On the diversion of patients from Bathinda to Talwandi Sabo, he said: “To avoid social stigma, people not only from Bathinda but also from other places visit by informing their friends and relatives that they are going to pay obeisance at the gurdwara here but visit the hospital.”

Bathinda, July 30
The plan for Skill Incentive Centre, which was to come up on the premises of the Government ITI, Bathinda, and hone skills of school dropouts or illiterate youth, lies dead on paper even two years after its inception.

The plan came up during a global seminar conducted at the Giani Zail Singh Engineering College, Bathinda, more than two years ago when representatives from various companies converged on the college campus to attend the seminar. It was during this seminar that the representatives of the German government had offered to set up a Skill Incentive Centre on the premises of the Government ITI in Bathinda.

As per the plan, the centre was to come up first on 10 acres and later on five more acres on the premises and the German government was to collaborate with the Central government and the state in developing the centre.

A team comprising representatives of the German government and senior officials of the Bathinda district administration visited the Government ITI campus twice in the last two years to inspect the area earmarked for the centre. But the plan failed to take wings.

“Even after the team visited the campus twice, the plan didn’t materialise. The ITI management was not given any news about whether the centre will be developed or not. No word was communicated regarding the plan,” said Rajiv Bhargav, a former instructor at the ITI.

“The proceedings for the development of the centre happened before I joined the institute. After I came, I enquired from the staff about the plan, but nothing substantial came of it,” said Rupinder Kaur, principal of the institute.

As per the information, the centre was to come up at a cost of Rs 60 crore. While 75 per cent of the cost was to be borne by the Central government, the remaining 25 per cent was to be paid by the state government. The study and research mechanisms and the infrastructure were to be developed with the help of the German government.

The centre was to cater to the youth who didn’t have the requisite educational qualification to seek admission in institutes to get a certification. The centre was to hone the skills of such youths and give them certification in their respective area of specialisation thereby helping them to get jobs in the industrial sector.

Mansa, July 30
During a surprise visit to a government school, rge Mansa Deputy Commissioner checked midday meal and instructed the school authorities to prepare it properly.

DC Parveen Kumar Thind on Wednesday visited Senior Secondary School for Girls, Khiala Kalan, and expressed satisfaction over the preparations.

Thind directed the head of the school to check the meals everyday. He told the principal of school that a grant for gas connection had been released.

There are 504 schools in Mansa, including 198 upper primary and 306 primary schools. The state government has released over Rs 95 lakh for cooking expenses. Besides, Rs 15 lakh has also been released as honorarium to be paid to 1,277 cooks in Mansa.

Deputy Commissioner Parveen Kumar Thind claimed that in July, 1,800 quintals of foodgrain was released, including 900 quintals of rice and 900 quintal of wheat.

Thind said, “Around 35 schools have also been given a grant of Rs 5,000 each for gas connections. A sum of Rs 8,80,000 has been given to eight schools for kitchen sheds. To meet any emergent situation, all schools in the district have been provided fire extinguishers and supplied drums for the storage of foodgrain.”

Earlier, the Mansa Deputy Commissioner celebrated Van Mahotsava in the district jail. He planted saplings there.

He ordered to install goal posts in the jail ground. He said an RO plant would be installed within a week there. 

Bathinda, July 30
Baba Farid Group of Institutions held a campus placement drive for its students today. Talwandi Sabo Power Limited (TSPL) hired two students of Baba Farid College. The selection was made on the basis of their technical as well as communication skills. The head of the HR department of TSPL, Joseph JM Peeris, and his team conducted a written test and personal interview. After the last round of the interview, they selected Pooja Bharti and Japji Kaur.

Gurmeet Singh Dhaliwal, chairman, BFGI, congratulated the students and their parents on the success. He said, “The credit of the success goes to the students as well as their teachers.” 

Bathinda, July 30
The Punjab Municipal Workers’ Union and the Safai Sewak Union today burnt the effigy of the state government. They held a protest at the Municipal Corporation office in the morning. Later, they took out a protest march through the main markets of the city. They also raised slogans against the government. Ravinder Singh Cheema, president, Punjab Municipal Workers’ Union, state general secretary Bhola Singh and Ranjit Singh said the Punjab Government had imposed a wrong policy on the municipal corporation workers by transferring them without considering their inconvenience.

Safai Sewak Union president Virbhan said 138 contractual safai sewaks should be regularised immediately. He added that 75 rickshaw kiosk employees should be recruited. He said they had met the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister regarding their demands but no action had been taken by the government. 

Bathinda, July 30
The district unit of the Computer Teachers’ Union gathered outside the Teachers’ Home and took out a protest march up to the Deputy Commissioner’s office today. In an attempt to foil their plan, the police closed the gate of the Teachers’ Home following which the protestors raised slogans against the state government.

Later, they submitted a letter of demands to the tehsildar. The president of the district unit of the union, Pardip Maluka, said to regularise the computer teachers the Governor had issued a notification and the Punjab Cabinet had approved it in principle but the government was not following the norms mentioned in the notification despite regularising them three years ago.

He said they had not been given benefits like disability allowance, CPF and annual promotion. He added that they had been waiting for salary for the past four months. He demanded that the computer teachers be brought under the Education Departmentotherwise they would take to the roads. 

Bathinda, July 30
The Army recruitment office, Ferozepur, will hold a recruitment camp in Bathinda from August 6-13. A meeting to look into the preparations for the camp was convened by Assistant Deputy Commissioner (General) Sumit Kumar Jarangal a few days ago during which the plan related to the movement of traffic and the parking of vehicles was discussed.

The Assistant Deputy Commissioner said youths from Ferozepur, Faridkot, Muktsar, Bathinda and Fazilka would take part in the recruitment drive. He added that the youths belonging to Ferozepur would appear for a physical test on August 6 while those from Faridkot and Muktsar would appear for the test on August 7. Bathinda youths will have to appear for the test on August 8 and the aspirants from Fazilka will appear for the physical test on August 9. — TNS

Bathinda, July 30
A 35-year-old speech and hearing impaired woman, Pooja Rani, committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling of a room at her house in Janta Nagar this afternoon. People started gathering outside her house after the news of her death spread. Workers of the NGO Sahara Jan Sewa reached the spot immediately and informed the Canal Colony police station. Later, the body was taken to the Civil Hospital by the Sahara Jan Sewa workers.

As per the information, Pooja was the second wife of Hardayal Singh. Investigation officer constable Jagdev Singh said Hardayal Singh had two children — a son and a daughter — from the second marriage. Hardayal Singh has a son Inderpal Singh and daughter Amarjit Kaur from his first marriage and Inderpal Singh stays with them.

At the time of the incident, Inderpal Singh and his wife were out for some work and Pooja was alone at home. When the seven-year-old son of the victim Jagjivan came back from school, he saw the body of her mother hanging from the ceiling. Seeing this, she started crying. Hearing her voice, people from nearby houses started gathering outside their house and informed the workers of NGO Sahara Jan Sewa. After that, other members of the family reached home. As per her husband, Pooja was deaf and dumb due to which she was upset and committed suicide.

The police have initiated proceedings under Section 174 of the IPC. — TNS