Bathinda, September 21
The record obtained from the store of the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) has failed to match with the material lying there and a report in this regard has been forwarded to the police headquarters by the Vigilance Bureau, Bathinda.

The vigilance sleuths visited the corporation office situated on the Railway Road last week and obtained the record from its store following a written complaint by a city resident.

The complainant had alleged gross irregularities in the store department where purchase of various kinds of material to the tune of many lakhs every month were made.

The complaint was lodged with the Vigilance Department’s Headquarters in Chandigarh following which a vigilance team visited the corporation office to enquire into the matter.

“Though we failed to find anything substantial in this regard, the amount that did not match the actual material lying in the store was around Rs 7,000 to Rs 8,000,” said SSP (Vigilance) Sukhdev Chahal.

He said a detailed report in this regard has been forwarded to the police headquarters in Chandigarh and further action would be taken as per the directions of the head office.

Earlier, a team comprising a DSP, an inspector from Chandigarh took the record into their possession from the corporation office. Sources said Bathinda MLA Sarup Chand Singla too had raised objections over the functioning of the corporation during a recent surprise checking.

Singla was visibly upset over the repeated complaints of the visitors standing in serpentine queues during his surprise checking. He asked the officials to streamline the functioning or they will have to face consequences.

Following Singla’s instructions, the employees unions however raised a hue and cry and leveled counter allegations of political interference in the office functioning.

Ravinder Cheema, president of the Municipal Workers’ Union, had already stated that there should be no seating arrangements for the visitors in those offices where public dealing is done.

“When every work is being done through the single-window then what is the need of visiting the clerks and other officials in different branches of the corporation,” he said.

He added that the visitors should not be allowed to sit around the office staff as every work could be done through the single window system within stipulated time period.

Bathinda, September 21
The city police today rescued a minor girl from Budhladha town in Mansa district and arrested a father-son duo, who enticed the girl from the Ganesha Basti area of the city on the pretext of marriage.

The Civil Lines police have registered a case against four persons, including the accused father and the son. The police, after rescuing the minor girl, took her to the Civil Hospital for medical examination and arrested the accused youth and his father.

As per information, youngster Sunny alias Subhash, a resident of Bir Talab village, enticed a 16-year-old girl on the pretext of marriage on the September 16 from the Ganesha Basti area.

The police had earlier registered a case against the accused on the compliant of the parents of the girl.

The police got secret information that the accused is staying in Budhladha town at his sister’s place. Acting on the tip off, the police raided the spot and arrested Sunny and his father Kuldip Singh and recovered girl.

Investigating officer ASI Jarnail Singh said they had booked Sunny on the charges of rape while the other three persons had been booked for helping the accused.

Bathinda, September 21
The local police have arrested eight members of the e-biz.com private limited company which was offering online computer courses by making members on the payment of Rs 11,000. Eleven persons have been booked in a case of fraud.

Police officials said the company was running a chain system and it also lured people by committing them heavy commission who would make more members. A seminar of the company was going on at the Teacher’s Home in the city on Saturday. During which, Charanjit Kaur, Rajwinder Kaur, a resident of Bahbhia village and Kuldip Kaur, a resident of Jhumba village, who were already the members of the company reached there and started demanding their money back from the company employees.

When the company officials refused to return their money, both the women started raising slogans against the company after which the police was informed. The Kotwali police have booked Dr Pawan Kumar, Dhani Chand, Tinku, Puneet Singh, Sukhdeep Singh, Rahul Kumar, Rajwinder Singh, Mandip Singh and Rupi on charges of fraud.

The police said the police have booked the employees of the company. — TNS

Bathinda, September 21
Turning the examination centre into a moot point a number of candidates that appeared for the written exam for post of counsellor were looking for a bone to pick with health authorities after they were asked to return home following the cancellation of exam.

The candidates were kept waiting in the examination centre with pens in their hands for about half an hour. Suddenly, the invigilators informed the candidates about the cancellation of exam.

At this, the candidates started raising slogans against the authorities for not being informed about the cancellation earlier that could probably helped many candidates who had come from far away districts to give exam. Around 57 candidates appeared for the exam to get selected for post of counsellor.

Sources revealed that ahead of exam that was scheduled for Sunday the bathinda health authorities received information for cancellation of exam as it would be again re-compiled from Chandigarh instead of district-level question papers. The written exam would be held on September 29. It’s noteworthy that the state government had started the recruitment process a few days ago for new de-addiction and rehabilitation centres, a project that was announced to overcome the drug menace.

Above 800 applications had then reached the Bathinda Civil Hospital for the posts of counsellor, staff nurse and ward attendants, total counts 16 posts in Bathinda. For these projects the Central government had earlier in July earmarked a sum of Rs 50 crore as its initial contribution towards the setting up of de-addiction centres in Punjab with a view to addressing the problem of drugs in the border state. It was announced by the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who claimed that a nationwide efforts are needed to resolve the problem of drug addiction. For these centres, the state government had earlier sought the help of the Centre in setting up such centres with drugs seen as being easily available in the state from across the international border with Pakistan.

As per plans of the state government to set up de-addiction centres across the state it had aimed to construct 22 rehabilitation centres — one in each district — to enable drug addicts to give up the habit. After the treatment at de-addiction centres, those who had been admitted there would be rehabilitated through skill development training in various vocations so as to enable them to find employment.

Civil Surgeon, Bathinda, Dr Tejwant Singh Randhawa, could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.

Bathinda, September 21
To bring down the traffic problems in city, the local police have decided to depute 77 traffic police officials to cope up with the rush in the market areas during the festive season.

Residents appear to be facing a lot of problems as at present, there is no proper parking space in the main markets of the city. With the government introducing tow-away vehicles to remove the wrongly parked vehicles that cross the yellow lines on all the roads in the city, many seem to be avoiding going to market owing to lack of parking space.

Mitul Jindal, a shopkeeper, said there is always a traffic issue in the market every year during the festive season and with a chain closing the market leads to decline in footfall of the customer to their shop and instead of coming to their shop directly, the customers goes to other shops.

Dhobi Bazaar, Sirki Bazaar, Post office bazaar and Hospital Bazaar are the main market places of the city and during the festive season one has to visit the these markets. Due to which this places witness a huge rush. But issue of parking is the main hurdle.

Shopkeepers feel that if now chains are opened and traffic police officials are deployed it would help them.

Another shopkeeper, Amit, said that along with the parking issue, many cases of eve teasing and purse snatching are also reported. So, the police should be deployed in the market places that witness a huge rush.

DSP (City), Gurjit Singh Romana, said during the festival season, arrangements would be done. In the city 77, traffic police would be deployed and even for the residents parking will be made at both the on the mall road, so that residents should not face any problem. No one would be allowed to take his vehicle inside the market.

Bathinda, September 21
The claims of the Punjab Government to provide world-class sports infrastructure to sportspersons of the state don’t seem to be corroborated by anything concrete that has been done in this field. Leave alone state-of-the-art sports facilities, finding a decent ground to play is a challenge.

The Punjab Government has spent crores of rupees to set up the Multi Purpose Sports Stadium and hockey astroturf here, but there is hardly any facility for the sportspersons in the stadium.

Bathinda has produced many sportspersons who have performed well at the international level in the recent past but at present, the city no longer has the capacity to produce players for the national level, all due to the ailing condition of its stadiums, which are without coaches and infrastructure.

Bathinda, September 21
To create awareness and share knowledge on common medical issues, the Association of Physicians of India (API, Malwa branch), in collaboration with AIMSR, organised its first annual conference ‘MAPICON Bathinda-2014’ at the auditorium of Adesh University, here today.

Doctors focused on key issues, including the rise in fee of private colleges and ethical practice. Later, the doctors selected 40 research papers submitted by the students, mostly pursuing the MD course, on various subjects.

MAPICON proved to be the biggest conference of the region. The organising committee had invited famous faculty to deliver lectures during the conference.

The guest speakers included Prof SK Jindal, former Professor and head, PGI Chandigarh, Prof Sanjiv Jasuja, Apollo Delhi, Prof Bishav Mohan, HIHD, Ludhiana, Prof Gagandeep Singh, DMCH, Ludhiana, Prof Dinesh Gupta, DMCH, Ludhiana and Dr Sonia Gupta, consultant, Diet and Nutrition, Bathinda.

All the lectures were well attended and benefited the primary care doctors as well as the students.

More than 350 doctors attended the conference and about 400 student delegates were present throughout the academic feast.

The API (Malwa branch) had for the first time organised the poster presentation session to encourage medical students to present their research work.

During the conference, more than 35 young researchers from all over Punjab and other states presented their research papers. The papers would be published in the ‘Souvenir-cum-the-Abstract Book’ along with all the lectures that were delivered during the conference.

Cash prizes of Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 were given to the first and second poster judged by Dr B L Bhardwaj, GMC Patiala, Dr SS Lehal, HOD Medicine, GMC, Chandigarh and Dr Karamvir Goyal from Ludhiana.

Dr Arshdeep Singh and Ravisha were adjudged first, Dr Varun Gupta and Gursheen Kaur were declared second and Dr Manu Gupta got the third position in poster presentation.

MAPICON Bathinda-2014 was inaugurated by eminent physician Dr JR Sachdeva, former Professor and head of the Department of Medicine, GMC, Patiala. Dr GPI Singh, Vice Chancellor, Adesh University and Dr Rajiv Mahajan, Dean, Academics, were the guests of honour.

Dr Harkiran Kaur, principal, AIMSR, delivered the welcome address. Meghna Gupta, executive organizing secretary of MAPICON and general secretary, students council, AIMSR, conducted the scientific sessions, whereas Dr Vitull K Gupta, announced the second annual conference of API Malwa branch to be organised on September 20 next year.