Bathinda, August 22
Keeping in view the water pollution caused by the chemicals released from the idols immersed in water bodies, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed all states to regulate the immersion of idols, fix places for it and motivate artists to use biodegradable substances.

Though the Mansa administration has already held a meeting with religious organisations, the Bathinda administration is yet to take step in this direction.

The Mansa administration has mandated executive officers of local bodies in urban areas and the Block Development and Panchayat Officers (BDPOs) in rural areas to give permission for the immersion of idols. ADC (General) Mansa Isha Kalia said separate meetings had been held with temple managements.

“We will identify places for the immersion of idols. People have been requested to immerse only idols and not the flowers and other decorative material with them. All stakeholders have been given copies of the NGT orders,” she said.

The orders came in the wake of the forthcoming festive season ahead. “While we can get rid of the biodegradable material but not the toxic material, which is likely to be consumed if mixed with the canal water,” said Swaran Singh, a resident of Model Town, Phase-III. He added that the administration should take the issue seriously.“We have forwarded the directions to the SDMs concerned but it will take some time to spread the message,” said Sumeet Jarangal, ADC (General), Bathinda.

Bathinda, August 22
Officials of the Bathinda unit of Ambuja Cement has been directed to appear before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in the municipal solid waste treatment plant case on August 26.

Officials of JITF Urban Waste Management Limited, the company responsible for the disposal of garbage stated before the National Green Tribunal that they would produce refuse- derived fuel (RDS) from garbage, which is used in the generation of energy from thermal plants.

Bathinda Municipal Corporation XEN Sandeep Gupta said the National Green Tribunal had expressed concern over the production of RDS and its actual utilisation in the industrial sector.

Ambuja Cement can be asked about the use of RDS fuel during the next hearing.

Ashok Gupta, Secretary, Local Bodies and the chairman of Punjab Municipal Infrastructure Development Company (PMIDC), J Balamurugan, were present during the hearing today. Municipal Commissioner Dalwinderjit failed to attend the hearing as he was on leave.

Those who attended the hearing today stated that arguments were presented over the adopting of temporary measures to dispose of garbage.

One of the petitioners, Captain Mal Singh, said the Tribunal had emphasized upon the need of proper handling of garbage and the issue of the land of Mandi Khurd village was discussed today.

Mal Singh said the land had not been utilised by the Municipal corporation as a litigation over its use is lying pending in the court.

Mal Singh said they wanted a pollution-free environment for the area residents. “Setting up of the plant should not result in trouble for the area residents,” Mal Singh said. 

Bathinda, August 22
The Bathinda administration and the police allegedly failed to prevent violence and booth capturing during the Talwandi Sabo bypoll.

There are reports that some SAD and Congress workers allegedly exchanged fire outside the market committee in Rama Mandi. As per the eye witnesses, some unidentified persons in a white Scorpio car opened fire and smashed the windowpanes of an Innova car standing outside the polling booth.

The irony was that paramilitary force, commandos and Punjab Police personnel were present at the polling station but nobody showed the courage to stop them. So, when police officials reached the spot, the accused fled from the spot.

Some SAD and Congress workers allegedly resorted to stone-pelting outside the polling station at Yadvindera College. The SAD workers allegedly damaged vehicles of a Congress leader and former minister Darshan Singh Brar’s son. Two vehicles of Congress workers were also damaged in Rama Mandi.

Surprisingly, supporters of the SAD were also seen distributing sticks. In a violation of the code of conduct, SAD leaders were seen openly roaming in Talwandi Sabo on the polling day. They had made the Takht Damdama Sahib as their base camp as per the reports.

Rural Development Minister Sikander Singh Maluka, his son and Zila Parishad Chairman Gurpreet Singh Maluka, CPS Sarup Chand Singla, MLA Darshan Singh Kotfatta were seen roaming freely in the constituency.

Sukhdev Singh, a resident of Talwandi Sabo, said it seemed that the people responsible for violence had no fear of the law. “The administration and police should act against such violators. The outsiders, who are the main troublemakers, should be banned from entering the area where polling is in progress.The administration must be impartial in the implementation of the code of conduct.

Neha, a resident of Rama Mandi, said there was a need to implement the election code stringently and the distribution of liquor should be checked.

Meanwhile, several videos and photos of election-related violence have gone viral on social networking sites. On Facebook, many users have uploaded pictures of violence in Talwandi Sabo. Even Whatsaap are busy sharing these videos and photos. However, no case has been registered by the police in want of a complaint.

Congress candidate Harmohinder Singh Jassi said he was surprised to see the role of the administration and police in the election. He said his brother had filed a complaint regarding an incident of violence. He said the failure in the registration of a case was surprising. Meanwhile, Talwandi Sabo DSP Malkit Singh said they had not registered any case as they had not received any complaint. 

Bathinda, August 22
The traffic went haywire after a majority of the traffic policemen were deployed on VIP duty during the Mansa visit of Harsimrat Badal, Union Minister of Food Procesasing.

Most of the busy intersections in the city were without any policeman today.

There was no traffic cop on Power House Road Chowk, Ghora Chowk, Bibiwala Chowk, Rose Garden Chowk and other city areas.

The cops said of the 35 traffic policemen, 20 were deployed in Mansa today.

“Whenever some VIP visits the city or nearby areas, we deploy policemen to control traffic there. We received some complaints in this regard but we are helpless,” said a senior police official.

He said some of the policemen who were deployed during the bypoll in Talwandi Sabo yesterday were on leave in view of a hectic schedule during the bypoll.

Meanwhile, Vinod Bansal, a resident of Model Town, Phase-1, said, “ This is not for the first time that the cops were missing from the main city intersections. Similar problems have been faced by the residents earlier too.”

He said it was a free run for traffic violators on Power House Road as no PCR motorcycle or the traffic policeman was seen for the entire day today.

“Whenever a VIP visits the city, the entire area around the venue is surrounded by the police. Meanwhile, the people violate traffic norms with impunity,” said Harjot Sidhu, a resident of Hazura Kapura Colony.

City traffic in-charge SI Jaskar Singh said while some of the policemen had gone to Mansa, many others had visited Bajakhana to express solidarity with the family of a traffic cop who was killed in a road accident on August 13. “Head constable Angrez Singh had died in the road accident after he was returning from a VIP duty on his bike,” he said. 

Bathinda, August 22
Though the only centre for the treatment of cancer in the Civil Hospital is witnessing an increase in the number of patients, the demand for medicines at the Jan Aushadhi Center has decreased. The cancer patients undergoing treatment at the NCD centre are surprisingly not being prescribed medicines available at the Jan Aushadhi Centre.

Meanwhile, the authorities have failed to provide enough free medicines to cancer, cardio vascular, stroke, sugar and blood pressure patients at the Non-Communicable Diseases Centre (NCD), leaving the patients in the lurch. They have been forced to seek costly treatment at private health institutions.

According to sources, the doctors are avoiding prescribing the drugs available at the Jan Aushadhi Centre. They prescribe substitute medicines. The stock of medicines for cancer patients was provided in August, 2013, and till August 2014, the centre had sold medicines worth Rs 6 lakh.

Trestozumab injection (440 mg) for breast cancer patients is being provided at Rs 52,000 to cancer patients whereas it market cost is more than Rs 80,000.

The stock of medicines was bought after it was demanded by the doctors. Four injections of bleomycin were bought last year but none of them was used.

Similary there are eleven more cancer drugs that were provided to Jan Aushadhi Centre on the demand of the doctors but a majority of them have not be used till now. The facility of radiotherapy is also unavailable at the Bathinda Civil hospital following which the state government did not include it in the list of the hospital for the treatment of cancer under Chief Minister's Cancer Relief Fund.

At present, there are 16 hospitals included by state government in the list for the treatment of cancer patients under the scheme and Max hospital Bathinda, is among the empanelled hospital.

Since the inception of the project, around 1,300 cancer patients have undergone treatment, of which 750 have undergone chemotherapy at the NCD centre.

Notably, cancer patients are supposed to get free of cost treatment under the scheme. A cancer control unit has also been established with a mission to detect cancer at an early stage and help patients get out of the rut of the disease.

The facility was established under the National Programme for Control of Cancer, Diabetics and Cardio-Vascular Strokes (NPCDCS) at Bathinda, Mansa, Hoshiarpur and Gurdaspur. The Centre and the state share expenditure in ratio of 75:25.

Chemotherapy costs a patient from Rs 2,000 to 6,000. The medicines for cancer patients are supposed to be given free of cost at the NCD centre at but they never reached here.

Free medicines for diabetes and cardiovascular patients are also unavailable. The medicine for chemotherapy has been never been demanded by the doctors.

Balwant Singh, a patient from Maur in Bathinda said, “I had undergone chemotherapy and I had to purchase medicines from outside.

“Dr Vandana Middha, “The patients are getting medicines from the Jan Aushadhi centre and there is no such issue. The drugs to be provided free of cost to the patients at the NCD centre are yet to reach and we have written to the higher authorities about it. The medicines will arrive soon.”

Bathinda, August 22
The Lok Sewa Kendra, Bathinda (Urban), set up by the Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS), Sarup Chand Singla, has been engaged in the swift disposal of cases. Between July 19 and August 7, the kendra received 516 complaints, of which 256 cases have already been disposed of or solved, while 260 are pending.

As many as 128 cases were addressed on the spot by the CPS by calling officials of the departments concerned.

In the progress report submitted to the CPS by the kendra, some complaints have not been addressed owing to the implementation of the code of conduct in Talwandi Sabo. Some cases are pending, since the staff has been awaiting response from the departments to which the complaints were marked.

During his weekly Sangat Darshan programme, Singla said, “During the weekly hearing, we try our best to solve the cases at the earliest. Sometimes, the complainants don’t know the right procedure of addressing an issue and expect us to solve it in one call. My staff remain in touch with the departments to which the complaints are marked and intimate the same to the complainants.”

“There has been a rise in the cases relating to matrimonial disputes. In some cases, the husband and wife were ready to reach a compromise but the parents concerned wished the police interference.” added Singla.

On Friday’s weekly hearing, the kendra received 28 complaints. These included complaints pertaining to job transfer, laying of sewerage pipe, admission in college, migration of a student to a local college, marital and land disputes, revision of collector rate, and release of fund for construction of dharamshala and temples. 

Bathinda, August 22
Dr Satvinderpal Kaur, Assistant Professor, Centre for Education, Central University of Punjab, has been selected for the UGC research award to study constraints in the education arena among rural women.

The UGC has selected three teachers for the award from all the universities in the country. Under the award, she will work on the research project Constraints in Educational Empowerment of Rural Women in the Malwa region of Punjab for two years.

Elaborating on the parameters of the research project, Dr Satvinderpal Kaur said, “ The UGC has sanctioned Rs 13.80 lakh for the project, which will be used to study educational constraints among women at the rural level. Two-year study will be an in-depth survey, covering villages of Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar, Sangrur and Barnala districts to collect the relevant data.”

“The study will intend to have deeper probes into the underlying constraints behind educational backwardness of women, residing in the rural areas of the region. In spite of varied policies and programmes, the women residing in the rural areas are still in the clutches of illiteracy, ignorance and poverty,” said Dr Kaur. 

Talwandi Sabo, August 22
Physical Education College of Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo, organised a sports rally here on Friday. Around 125 students participated in the rally to motivate the youth towards sports.

Olympian and Director Sports, Guru Kashi University, Dr Tarlok Singh Sandhu, flagged off the rally.

Students visited Takhat Sri Damdma Sahib and different locations of Talwandi Sabo, including surrounding villages.

Sukhraj Singh Sidhu, Managing Director, said such activities motivate the youth and develop a sense of cooperation.

Head of the Department, physical education, Dr Ravinder Sumal, Prof Satpal Singh, Prof Gurdeep Singh, Surinder Kaur Mahi, Sukhdeep Kaur and activity in-charge Prof KPS Mahi were also present on the occasion. — TNS

Bathinda, August 22
Tension mounted over the death of Jhaju Ram, a resident of Hazi Rattan, whose body was found near the Bathinda Chemicals in a drain on Hazi Rattan Link Road on Thursday.

Today, the sons of the deceased, along with other relatives and area residents, staged a protest outside the office of the Civil Surgeon in the Civil Hospital, terming the death as a pre -planned murder.

Allegeing the involvement of the second wife of the deceased behind the death, the protesters demanded a police investigation.

After the protest,the police interrogated the second wife of the deceased and released her later.

On Thursday, the body of Jhaju Ram, a mobile shop owner, and his scooter was found in a drain. After which Vardhman police post in-charge Gurmail Singh reached the spot and the body was taken to the Civil Hospital for post-mortem. In the absence of the family members, a post-mortem was conducted.

Later, the relatives of the deceased demand that the post-mortem should be conducted again.

Later, the SMO told the kin of the deceased to get the post-mortem conducted at Faridkot, if they were not satisfied with the first post mortem. So the body of the deceased was taken to Faridkot.

Investigation officer, Gurmail Singh, said the next step would be taken after receiving the post-mortem report.