Bathinda, September 18
Parking at the their whim and fancy, thereby causing traffic snarls and adjusting more than five passengers are just some of the ways the drivers of autorickshaw in the city are flouting the traffic rules right under the nose of the traffic police personnel.

Throwing caution to the wind, the unbridled auto-rickshaws seem to be ruling the city roads, while the district administration and the traffic police appear to have gone into deep slumber. The traffic police swing into action only after autorickshaw drivers claim human lives in accidents or indulge into scuffles.

Interestingly, while drivers of other personal or heavy vehicles may be seen requesting the traffic police personnel for not issuing them a challan for flouting rules, the autorickshaw drivers are having a free run.

The fact that traffic police personnel extend a preferential treatment to the autorickshaw drivers is proven by the fact that in the month of August while the traffic police issued 937 challans for two-wheelers, it issued a mere 80 challans to the three-wheelers.

As per the data collected from the district transport office, the Bathinda Tribune has learnt that only close to 30 per cent of the autos plying on the city roads are registered with the department. It had also been learnt that while a large number of autos applied for registration, very few applied for seeking permit.

While as per the rules, a maximum of five passengers may be accommodated by the drivers of these vehicles in their back seats, it is not rare to see that passengers are not only packed in the back seat but also are made to adjust themselves as they precariously share the front seat with the driver.

Students being ferried to and fro up to schools in autorickshaws are at risk the most since most of the drivers pack the students like sardines in autos and hang their bags and other belongings on an iron hook on the rear of the vehicle.

In their race to get more passengers, autorickshaws are often seen parked all over the road outside the bus stand and the Bathinda railway junction. One may often spot autorickshaws parked right in the middle of the road waiting for passengers thereby causing traffic snarls during peak traffic hours.

Considering that by flouting the red light, overspeeding, overcrowding and overtaking other vehicles on main roads, the drivers not only their passengers’ lives, but also pose a threat to the lives of other commuters, especially the pedestrians, it is high time the administration tightened the noose around these drivers.

Bathinda, September 18
After being shutdown voluntarily for more than one week, all units of the thermal power plants have resumed to contribute the power in state’s pool. It reportedly shutdown with rainfall across the state decreased the demand of power, however, after around 10 days, the demand has now increased again.

The decrease in power demand, a total eight units out of 14 in the three state-owned thermal plants were shutdown voluntarily whereas on Thursday all of them have resumed except the one unit in Ropar thermal plant witnessing fault. The demand of water for irrigation by farmers and usage of air conditioners by the consumers had gone down with immediate effect with lowering of temperature.

Coal capacity of all these thermal plants was running short but the voluntarily shut down and the decrease in demand had also increased their storage that was shortened to only three days of coal stock against the availability of 21-day stock.

These plants have witnessed the shortage since many long days as the officials has alleged the PANEM company supposed to supply coal was not supplying it according to needs and terms and conditions.

With heavy rains, the demand of power had declined to about 5,500 MW whereas the demand had touched its peak to 9,500 MW of power. At present, the demand of power in the state is about 8,500 MW of the power.

Following the increasing demand in power, all the four units of the Ropar thermal Plant and two units each in Bathinda and Lehra Mohabbat Thermal Plant that were earlier shutdown voluntarily has resumed production.

Ropar thermal plant 1,260 MW has six units, each having capacity of 210 MW while Guru Nanak Dev Thermal Plant, Bathinda, having capacity of 460 MW, Guru Gobind Singh Thermal Plant Lehra Mohabbat 920 MW and Ropar Thermal Plant 1260 MW daily at present.

Satpal Sharma,a local resident, said, “Sometimes, we are still facing power cuts but, however, the change in the temperature has thus given a sigh of relief. Now, we do not feel the need of air conditioners round-the-clock but still, its need for a few hours is felt but at that time, power cuts are imposed. The government has already increased the power tariff thrice and had doubled the price of power unit than it was last year. But still, it fails to meet the power demands power of the consumers. The dreams of Deputy Chief Minister to sell the power from Punjab to other states and countries will only be fulfilled if the government goes in capacity to fulfill the needs of its own consumers in Punjab.”

Bathinda, September 18
Despite two rounds of meetings with the secretary of the local bodies, Municipal Corporation employees’ long-pending issues still hang in the middle. Employees’ union had withdrawn their strike after assurance by secretary of the local bodies resolve the pending issues after the completion of the Talwandi Sabo by-polls.

The members of the Municipal Workers’ Union and Safai Workers’ Union earlier held a five-day long strike which led to utter chaos in the city and the garbage was dumped all over the city roads and was not picked up by the safai workers.

The members said in view of the by-polls the government got the strike postponed with a ‘fake assurance’ but even after the completion of the elections nothing has been done to look into their long pending demands.

The members of the corporation workers’ union and safai workers met Minister of Local Bodies, Anil Joshi, yesterday at his residence in Amritsar which also proved futile.

The union members said earlier, secretary to the Local Bodies Department, Ashok Gupta, had assured them to resolve all their pending issues after the Talwandi Sabo by-polls.

“We discontinued our strike following the assurance by secretary but still, nothing has been done by the government so far,” said the president of the Municipal Workers’ Union, Ravinder Cheema.

He said the minister asked them yesterday that various members of the union from all over Punjab are meeting Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal on September 23 and only after the Badal’s nod he could do something in this regard.

Cheema said they have taken up the issue with corporation Commissioner Dalwinderjit Singh in the evening today who assured them that he would take up the issue by arranging a meeting of the union members with the secretary of local bodies.

The union members’ demands include cancellation of the notification pertaining to the transfers of the clerks and other corporation employees, to resume the corporation workers pension which was discontinued in 2004, to release pending dearness allowance since January 2014, to increase the VAT percentage given to corporations from 10 per cent to 20 per cent, to start the process of new recruitment in corporations, councils and notified area committees, regularisation of the daily wage workers, 140 safai sewaks, on contract basis in Bathinda to be made permanent.

Cheema said the union member’s local demands include cleanliness in the corporation office building in Bathinda, a separate common room for women employees, construction of an overhead bridge between both the buildings of administration branch and building, house tax and tehbazar wing, separate parking area for the parking of employees’ vehicles, to increase the power load for the recently installed air conditioners and the employees should be deployed as per their actual designation.

Bathinda, September 18
Despite 20 to 30 dog bite incidents reported at the Civil Hospital, every month, the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) authorities seem to be doing nothing to curb the menace.

Owing to lack of availability of medicines to be used for sterilisation of stray dogs, the MCB expressed their helplessness to eradicate the stray dog menace.

With the lack of two injections—Katamine Hydrochloride injection (Aniket) and Diazepam injections)—the authorities said at least Rs 600 to Rs 800 are required to sterilise one dog and they helpless to shell out such a huge amount.

“We have sterilised six or seven dogs seven a few months ago the expense of which we paid through our own pockets. It is a daunting task to sterilise more than 2,000 dogs without any expert workforce and lack of basic facilities,” said a senior corporation official.

The official stated that though the number of dogs in the city was never counted before yet as per a rough estimate, Bathinda city has more than 2,000 stray dogs.

Expressing concern over the rising incidents of stray dog bites the city residents lament that the increasing number of dogs makes them insecure. “I was bitten by two dogs near the entrance of the Bathinda Cantonment in February this year. The dogs continue to haunt the poor people living nearby and there is no check on the menace,” said Paramvir Kaur, a resident of Power House Road.

Doctors at the Civil Hospital, Bathinda, said every month, they treat 15 to 20 patients between the age group of 5 years to 15 years and at least 10 patients who are 30 to 70 years old.

“Though we have an adequate supply of the medicines and care for such patients yet the authorities must keep a check over the rising population of the dogs and should have curtailed the dog bite at first place,” said a doctor.

Chief Sanitary Inspector, Jaspal Singh, when contacted said the corporation is yet to ‘re-launch’ their drive to keep a check over the rising population of the stray dogs. He lamented that the drive is in disarray ever since the Animal Husbandry Department had told the MCB to arrange the medicines for the sterilisation. “We fail to find the two injections, to be used during sterilisation, from the local market,” the inspector said.

Sandeep Jain, a member of the Animal Welfare Board of India (Ministry of Environment of Forest, Government of India) said as per the Animal Birth Control Rules 2001 it is mandatory for every local authority (Corporation) to make a monitoring committee consisting one member of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and one member from the Animal Welfare Organisation (AWO), recognised by the Animal Welfare Board of India and a veterinarian to check the dog menace. He added that the issue of dog menace should be curtailed by the respective Municipal Corporations.

Bathinda, September 18
Members of the MGNREGA Contract Workers’ Union (Punjab), who are protesting in Bathinda for the past some days may be served notices by the Zila Parishad, asking them to join their duty. if they failed to do so, they may be dismissed.

This was stated by ADC (D) Sonali Giri today. “The MNREGA workers are on a strike for some days due to which the work has come to a halt. We are planning to send notices to them. If they failed to join their duty, we would be left with no option but to dismiss them and advertise for fresh recruitments.”

Meanwhile, the protesting workers said they would intensify their struggle if the notices were served on them.

Varinder Singh, state president of the union, said, “We have been working on contractual basis for more than five years. The gram rozgaar sewaks have been working without commission for the past six months. In such working conditions, from where the Zila Parishad would get new employees?”

He added, “We are demanding the regularisation of jobs, same salaries across the state and if the Central government decided to discontinue the scheme, we should be adjusted by the Zila Parishad in other departments.”

Speaking on their meetings with political leaders of the state, Singh said, “We met Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal regarding our demands but he said the state government was helpless and couldn’t fulfill any of our demands since the MGNREGA was a scheme of the Centre and the state could not make changes to it.”

“We also met state Rural Development Minister Sikander Singh Maluka, who, instead of assuring us to fulfill our demands, said the Centre might discontinue the scheme soon,” he added.

Bathinda, September 18
To check the use of tobacco at public places, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Sonali Giri directed the officials concerned to penalise 10 persons every month. During a meeting of the tobacco control cell, she directed the officials to penalise at least 10 people every month or face the music.

The DC added that it was a matter of pride for Bathinda that it had been declared as a smoke-free district but the need of hour was to maintain the status.“Consistent efforts are needed to curb smoking at public places and the rampant use of tobacco. Officials of all government departments have been empowered to issue challans to the violators of the Tobacco Control Act. The departments that do not have challan books can take them from the Health Department,” said Sonali Giri.

She directed the officials to bring the record of challans issued in the next monthly meeting. “Those who adopted a lackadaisical attitude would be served show-cause notices and the information would be sent to the higher authorities in Chandigarh,” she said.

“If any tobacco selling kiosk or poster promoting it is located within 100 m radius of an education institution, the principal of that instiute should inform the police so that action could be taken against the violator,” she added.

Bathinda, September 18
The two-day strike observed by the District Bar Association (DBA), Bathinda, ended today. The secretary of the association, Kanwaljit Kuti, said the strike was observed after the reports of setting up a family court in Barnala and hearing of cases from Bathinda in Barnala.

“The confusion over the issue was settled after it was discussed with senior lawyers in Chandigarh today. Now, we have come to know that the family disputes from Bathinda will not be heard in Barnala but in Bathinda,” he said. He added that the family courts were set-up in five districts, including Barnala, and following the reports of shifting the cases from Bathinda to Barnala, the strike was observed. “The lawyers, were under the impression that the cases pertaining to the matrimonial and other family disputes might be shifted to Barnala but now everything has been cleared,” he said. 

Bathidna, Spetmeber 18
An undertrial, Heera SIngh (33), who was admitted to the PGI, Chandigarh, two weeks ago for treatment, died on Thursday. The undertrial was suffering from hepatitis C. Heera SIngh was booked under the NDPS Act in Bathinda.

Jail Superintendent Raj Mohinder Singh said, “The undertrial died on Thursday. He was suffering from some disease. He was admitted to the PGI, Chandigarh, more than two weeks ago.”

Bathinda, September 18
The Punjab Technical University Inter-College Swimming Tournament was held at Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana, recently. The relay team of Giani Zail Singh Punjab Technical University, Bathinda campus, represented by Deepinder Singh (CSE branch), Aman, Sukhchain Singh (mechanical engineering) and Harmanjot Singh (electrical engineering) bagged the third position in the 4x100 meter relay event.

The university also held an inter-college chess tournament at Chandigarh Group of Colleges, Landran. From among 25 teams from various PTU affiliated colleges, both boys and girls teams of the PTU’s Bathinda campus bagged silver medals.

The girls’ team of the campus was represented by Smiley Goel (textile engineering), Chetna, Yogita, Joti Bala (computer science) and Ishani (electrical engineering). The boys team included Rupinder Kumar (civil engineering), Sahil Arora, Nikhil, Sudanshu (computer science), Vishal Bansal (textile engineering) and Shanta Kumar (mechanical engineering). Smiley Goel won all five rounds and helped the team in winning a silver medal.

Campus director Prof Jasbir Singh Hundal, president (sports) Sikander Singh Sidhu, assistant president (sports) Dilbag Singh, DPEs Gurneet Singh and Rupinder Kaur and chess coach Pankaj Sharma felicitated the winners.

Meanwhile, students of Government Rajindra College won a PowerPoint presentation competition. Lovish Singla of BSc-III (non-medical) of Government Rajindra College bagged the first position in the PowerPoint competition in the senior category during the state-level mega science competition Dream Green. The competition was organised by Dev Samaj College for Women, Ferozepur.

The department of chemistry of the college had sent its two students Lovish Singla and Vipan Kumar for participation in the event on September 16. 

Bathinda, September 18
The new building of the Suvidha Centre was inaugurated at Rampura Phul. Inaugurating the block, the Deputy Commissioner of Bathinda Dr Basant Garg said the building had been constructed at a cost of Rs 25 lakh. The number of service counters have been increased at the center so that people take more benefit of the services available.

The district has a total of nine Suvidha Centres, including the one at Rampura Phul, which was earlier operating from an old building. He added that the 20 services would be available at this tehsil-level centre. SDM Rampura Phul Sakattar Singh Bal accompanied the DC.A separate counter has been set up for the Aadhar card enrolment so that people do not have to wait in long queues. The services of getting copies of old registry, driving licence, caste certificate, copies of different documents, residence certificate, rural area certificates and others are being provided here.

Meanwhile, the ADC (Development)-cum-Additional Election Officer Sonali Giri conducted a meeting of the representatives of various political parties pertaining to the expenditure incurred on conducting Talwandi Sabo bypolls. She asked the political parties to deposit their expenditure record registers at the election office by September 25 after getting it duly checked by the Deputy Controller Finance and Accounts (DCFA).

• The building has been constructed at a cost of Rs 25 lakh.
• The number of service counters increased at the center
• 20 ro be available at the tehsil-level centre.
• A separate counter set up for the Aadhar card enrolment 

Bathinda, September 18
The Petroleum Dealers’ Association of Bathinda today held a meeting, wherein they discussed various problems faced by petrol pump owners.

District president of the union Subhash Aggarwal and secretary Vinod Bansal said the issue of the long-pending dues was discussed on the occasion.

Subhash said a section of influential transporters were bullying the petrol pump owners and failed to clear their dues. These transporters also bully the petrol pump owners whenever they asked them to clear their pending dues, they added.

The district president of the union said it was unanimously decided during the meeting that if the transporters continued to default on payments then they would reveal their names and take legal action against them. They said a section of officials of the petroleum companies were forcing them to sell lubricants of a favoured company. They decided to take up the issue with the senior officials of the petroleum companies. 

Bathinda, September 18
Members of the Computer Teachers’ Sanjha Front (Punjab) held a meeting at Teachers’ Home here today. Addressing the teachers, conveners Paramjeet Singh, Ikonkar Singh and Ashwini Kumar said the SAD-BJP government had promised them that the teachers working under the Punjab Information and Communication Education Society (PICTES) would be given the pay grade equivalent to that of a vocational teacher under the state Education Department.

They added that now the officials were extending step-motherly treatment to them, stating that since they were a part of the PICTES, they could not be given the pay grade or allowances given to the teachers working under the state Education Department.

Stating that the union was preparing for an intensive struggle against the state government, the convenors said the computer teachers would stage a total boycott of the non-academic work in schools till they were transferred to the Education Department unconditionally and given the pay grade and allowances.

They, however, asked the computer teachers to make sure that during their boycott of the non-academic work, the studies of the students were not hit. — TNS

Mansa, September 18
Balwinder Singh, a resident of Ramandi village, in Mansa district was allegedly killed by three persons of the same village after he demanded Rs 5,000 from Kala Singh, which he had given him some months ago.

According to the police, Balwinder had lent Rs 5,000 to Kala Singh for performing last rites of his father Bhoga Singh six months ago.

Kala Singh, along with his two accomplices Pala Singh and Amrit Singh, was allegedly drunk and axed Balwinder to death when he asked him to return the money.

Investigation Officer Chanan Singh said, “We have registered a case under Sections 302, 334 and 365 of the Indian Penal Code. The accused are on the run but they will be arrested soon. The victim was attacked when he demanded the money from the accused.”