Bathinda, October 3
Though the cost to be incurred upon the Ring Road Phase I is increasing with leaps and bounds yet the project is moving at a snail’s pace for the last more than 20 years. Mired in legal tangles, delay in process of acquiring land, encroachment and the ever-rising cost has lead to the delay of the project. The present estimated cost of this project is nearly Rs 60 crore.

The completion of the project—5.8 km four-lane road—could bring respite to the city residents as the entire traffic of Barnala Road, Mansa Road and Dabwali Road could be diverted by avoiding entry into city.

One could reach Mansa Road —near the Central University of Punjab— from the Barnala Road—near the Cantt Police Station—with an estimated time of mere 7 to 10 minutes. At present, it takes from 40 minutes to one hour to cover the same distance crossing entire city area.

Also, plying of hundreds of oil tankers from Phoos Mandi oil depots and flat-bed heavy trucks need not to enter the city for transportation of industrial goods after the construction of this road.

At present, the plying of these heavy vehicles leads to traffic bottlenecks at Bibiwala Chowk, Tinkoni Chowk, Rose Garden Chowk, Bus Stand Chowk and Power House Road light point. Many precious lives have been lost on the Mansa Road flyover due to the playing of heavy trucks.

The project has been introduced in every master plan since 1986 but has never been implemented and remains on the papers. Government servants said the lack of political will, lack of personal interest of local political leaders, lack of courage among senior government servants, including the deputy commissioners to take up the matter with top authorities are said to be the reason behind the delay in project.

A senior BDA official, commenting upon the time of completing the project, said, “It depends upon the Badals and their coterie; if they wish the project will be completed in less than a year and could be delayed for more than a decade.”

As per the present status of the road, the authorities are yet to send a detailed report to the Punjab government as the same is lying at a district-level officer.

The process of acquiring 29 acres in Bhai Mati Dass Nagar and re-acquiring of 2.46 acres near Patel Nagar is yet to be initiated, encroachments in Dhobiana Basti have not been removed yet, litigation on a stretch of 450 metres near Model Town Phase III is pending, a Railway Under Bridge (RUB) is to be constructed on the Bathinda-Patiala railway line and another bridge has to be constructed on a water channel. A stretch of 1.05 km on the road belongs to the Improvement Trust and the rest of the land belongs to the BDA.

Earlier, the BDA had acquired 2.46 acres near Patel Nagar for the road but a litigant filed a case in a court and won. The process of re-acquiring of the same land is yet to be initiated.

Though light vehicles are plying at a constructed portion of the road, which is 100-foot wide—instead of 200-foot yet the portion is full of potholes and non-metallic stretches at different places on which cars and two wheelers are plying.

People coming from Model Town Phase I (Bhagu Road) are using this stretch to reach Barnala Road despite the potholes.

Also, a stretch of nearly one and half kilometer—double lane—adjoining Patel Nagar, is developed by the area residents for morning and evening walks. The residents have installed iron and cement benches to sit, planted saplings and a shed is constructed with Rs 30 lakh grant issued by a Bathinda MLA recently.

BDA, District Town Planner (DTP), Gulzar Singh Dhindsa, when contacted said the process of acquiring the land is on and they are likely to get rid of the litigation soon and the process of constructing the road will catch speed soon.

Bathinda, October 3
Much to the chagrin for resident in Model Town Phase-III, the poorly laid underground pipes for the rainwater harvesting project has lead to multiple problems. The residents complain frequent blockade and leakage in the sewerage pipes since the inception of rain water harvesting project on the 60 Feet Road of the locality. Now, the route of overflowing polluted water on the road is being diverted into the rainwater harvesting structure, which is recharging the groundwater with the sewerage water.

Workers of the Water Supply and Sanitation Department try to locate blockade in a sewer at Model Town, Phase III, in Bathinda on Friday. Photo: Vijay Kumar

While the authorities on one hand claims to launch ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ with claims of cleanliness, people in the most posh locality in city—Model Town Phase III— are battling with the pollution created by the sewerage water.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Sikandar Sigh Maluka too resides in this locality but instead of taking any initiative to making a phone call to the concerned department head, chooses to ignore the problem.

The diversion of polluted water into the rain water harvesting structure is not only recharging the groundwater with sewerage water but also pose serious threat to the area residents’ health.

Though the BDA authorities speak at the top of their voices about the benefits of the rainwater harvesting structures but the people speak otherwise.

“We saw destruction of the 60 Feet Road for over three months where the pipes were laid for the rain water harvesting structure. The dust disturbed us for all this time and now, the sewerage has made our lives a hell,” said Dr SP Sharma, a resident of the area. Apart from delay in the relaying of the road after laying underground pipes the debris too was not removed for a long time.

Other residents Jaswinder Sandhu, Jeet Singh and Ashwini Garg lamented that the roads and sewerage were in perfect shape before the laying of the pipes for the rain water harvesting.

“The construction of an underground pit in the park on 60 Feet Road too has led to its damage which is yet to be repaired,” said another Swaran Singh.

Earlier, just like the roads, the park, too, was in a perfect condition but it is also spoiled now after the pipes for rain water harvesting structure were laid, he added.

Workers from the Punjab Water Works and Sewerage Supply, digging a pit to reach the underground water pipes today morning, said they failed to spot the fault in sewerage pipes in the last four days.

Clearing the blockade of sewerage pipe using a long bamboo, too, proved futile, they said. “Our task is to dig the road to reach the sewerage pipe which will be inspected by the sewerage employees,” said the workers. Unable to dig up the road with blunt tools, they added that if the workers fail to find the fault, am earthmover will be pressed into service to trace the sewerage manhole, which has been buried under the pavement constructed by a nearby house owner.

SDO, Water Supply and Sanitation, Jaspreet Kaur, lamented that the sewerage pipe was destroyed by the contractor who initiated the task of laying pipes for the rain water harvesting structure. “We had fixed the leakage but it erupted again. It will be fixed in a day or two,” Jaspreet said.

Bathinda, October 3
The highly expensive dental chairs installed at urban health centres in the city are lying unused as there are no dentists to use them for the treatment of patients.

The centres have been established with a motive to provide medical facilities under the National Urban Health Mission.

In the absence of any doctor at these centres, patients have to go to the Civil Hospital for treatment.

At Beant Nagar Health Centre, the health authorities have provided a dentist but the doctor is deputed for three days while for rest of the days the doctor treats patients at the Civil Hospital.

Sources say a dental chair costs around Rs 3 lakh but they are left unused at these centres due to absence of doctors, which the Health Department has failed to recruit.

There are around 21 posts sanctioned for dentists in the Bathinda district but only 12 have been filled while nine posts of dentists are lying vacant.

The other three urban centres are at Janta Nagar, Paras Ram Nagar and Lal Singh Basti where no dentists have been deputed for temporary services or on deputation for some days in a week.

Bathinda Civil Surgeon Dr Tejwant Singh Randhawa said, “There is a shortage of doctors but very soon doctors will be recruited as the process of recruitment is in pipeline. These urban centres have been facing shortage of dentists but under the National Urban Health Mission, doctors are being recruited.”

Fact file

* In the absence of any doctor at these centres, patients have to go to the Civil Hospital for treatment

* There are around 21 posts sanctioned for dentists in the Bathinda district but only 12 have been filled while nine posts are lying vacant

Bathinda, October 3
With a bill-board in his hand asking people to burn drugs and whisky instead of a Ravana effigy, Professor Pandit Rao created awareness among the masses on Dusshehra as a move against the drug menace in Punjab.

Pandit Rao, carrying a bill board, took a ride on his bicycle asking the masses to stop smoking, consumption of drugs and whisky. Pandit Rao stood in the ground for a few minutes before the burning of the effigy of Ravana.

“I opted for Bathinda because I think that Bathinda is highly affected by drugs and whisky consumption. In fact the whole state is trapped in the drug menace. I want to give the message that instead of burning Ravana, people should burn drugs and whisky,” said Pandit Rao C Dharennavar.

Panditrao Dharennavar of Kannada-origin is an Assistant Professor at Post Graduate Government College, Chandigarh. He is known for his love for Punjabi and efforts to promote the Punjabi language.

He had earlier sought the state government’s direction for a check on vulgarity in the lyrics of popular Punjabi songs and requested bus drivers not to play dirty songs, especially when passengers are on board.

Pandit Rao went to marriage places and requested the brides and grooms not to allow playing of vulgar music at the weddings.

Pandit Rao has written eight books in Punjabi language and translated Japji Sahib and Sukhmani Sahib into Kannada. Besides, he has also translated holy book Zafarnama (the letter by the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1705).

“My mission is to make people aware of whisky and drugs that are the real evils and not the Ravana. People should first burn the evils they are nurturing inside them and their homes such as whisky, drugs, and vulgar lyrics.” Pandit Rao added.

Bathinda, October 3
The Bathinda Unit of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) celebrated its foundation day. A march was conducted by RSS volunteers in the city.

The march started from Aggarwal Colony and concluded at Ganesha 
Basti. Vijay Singh, from the Punjab unit presided over the function. — TNS

Bathinda, October 3
University College of Basic Sciences and Humanities of Guru Kashi University (GKU) organised a group discussion on Punjabi novel ‘Gumnaam Champion’. Dr Balwant Singh Sandhu of GKU wrote the novel on the life of famous wrestler Dara Singh Dulchipuria.

Registrar, GKU, Satish Goswami, was the chief and Dr AK Kansal, Dean UCBS & H, presided over the function.

Dr Balwant Singh Sandhu said the main aim of writing the novel was to share the contribution of world famous wrestler Dara Singh with society. 

Bathinda, October 3
The district health authorities have formed a committee under the District Health Officer-cum-Designated Food Safety Officer to check food adulteration in the district ahead of the festive season.

Managing Director, National Health Mission, Hussan Lal, has been appointed as the Commissioner and the district health authorities have been appointed as the designated food safety officers for checking food adulteration ahead of the festivals.

The Bathidna district health authorities, however, have already initiated some plans that are under operation to counter the adulteration this festival. The designated food safety officer had formed a committee to check the adulteration in the sweet shops and dairies.

Sources revealed that the committees had given instruction to all the shop owners selling sweets to destroy the sweets that are not safe to eat. The destruction of food should be done as per rules and no such food products should be found in the shop that had crossed the limits of perishing or have been expired.

Civil Surgeon, Bathidna, Dr Tejwant Singh Randhawa, said, “We had given the task to district health officer and appointed him as designated food safety officer. Our health teams are already inspecting the shops of sweets and dairies. We have sped up the raids on shops and given instructions that no violation or food adulteration would be tolerated at any cost.”

Bathinda, October 3
The police seized 516 bottles of illicit liquor in separate incidents from two persons during checking on dry day in the district.

In the first incident, the police recovered 264 bottles of illicit liquor during a checking at bus stand at Salabatpura village. The police have arrested Gurmit Singh, a resident of Phul, under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act.

While in another incident, the police recovered 252 bottles of country-made liquor during a checking at Raiyan village. The police have arrested Binder Singh, a resident of Raiyan village, under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act. — TNS