Bathinda, October 12
The ongoing Natyam Theatre festival has become an annual feature for the residents of Bathinda. In its fourth year this time, though the festival has begun garnering an increasing number of audience, the organisers fear that once they start issuing tickets for the festival, the numbers may start dwindling. Knowing little that for the last three years, the festival ran into losses, with the organisers spending Rs 60,000 to Rs 90,000 from their own pockets, the audience may not be willing to pay for tickets costing more than Rs 50, says Kirti Kirpal, head of the Natyam Theatre Group which organises the festival every year.

“Although there has been a steady increase in the size of the audience, we think no one will be ready to pay more than Rs 50 for a show, and a Rs 50 ticket will not serve our purpose of collecting funds. We are planning to announce and ask the patrons to contribute towards the funds as per their wish,” he said. Kirpal added that there are very few cities, including Amritsar and Abohar, where ticketed shows run to packed houses. “Theatre is so popular in these two cities that people go to watch plays the way people in other cities throng cinema halls to watch the latest releases. We have staged ticketed plays in Delhi and Kanpur as well and the it is always houseful,” he adds.

Another problem which the group faces in turning the festival into a ticketed one is the fact that in Bathinda the only place where the plays can be staged is the Balwant Gargi Open Air Theatre near the Rose Garden. Considering the fact that people may gain entry to the theatre from more than one point is an impediment for the group.

“If we put up a ticket vend at one point, those who don’t wish to buy tickets will find other routes of entering the theatre. We can’t force the audience to take the ticket vend route,” Kirpal says.

All the groups which stage plays charge fee ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000. “The groups also have to pay their artistes. We can’t expect them to perform for us free of cost. Teams which belong to Punjab come the same day and go back after the play is over but those coming from Delhi have to be accommodated in hotels as well. We bear the cost of the same,” Kirpal explains.

While the group shoulders a cost of Rs 5,000 per day for the Balwant Gargi Open Air Theatre, it also incurs a cost of Rs 10,000 per day for the lighting system which it takes on rent.

Teams performing street plays (nukkad natak) are also to be paid Rs 10,000. The total cost of the festival easily touches the Rs 3.5 lakh mark.

“Ticketed shows will not only contribute towards the fund of the festival, it would also mean that the audience will come of time and will also sit through the entire play,” added Kirpal jocularly.

Bathinda, October 12
The gold, silver and diamond jewellers are pinning their hopes on the festive season for the sales chart to shoot northwards. Unlike last year, when the markets had failed to look up to even on Dhanteras, this year the jewellers are hoping for the better.

With the price for the yellow metal recorded at around Rs 26,500 for the 22 karat jewellery and Rs 27,500 for pure 24 karat gold, the jewellers are expecting a rise in sales this year as compared to last year when the price hovered around Rs 30,000.

Kartar Singh Jaura, who is the state president of the Punjab Swarnkar Sangh and owner of Jaura Jewellers in Sirki Bazar in Bathinda, said, “Unlike last year, when the gold prices fell from Rs 33,000 to Rs 25,000 and then rose again to touch the Rs 30,000-mark near Diwali, this year the prices have remained more or less stable recently.”

He further added that last year the sales were damp since the customers expected the prices to fall again but this year, the trend would be different. “Even a minor jump in the price of gold may trigger a heavy sale since the buyers may fear a further hike in prices. Market has been upbeat ever since the beginning of Navratras and is expected to remain the same till Diwali and the following wedding season,” he said.

Sanjay Jain, owner of Royal Lifestyle Jewellers in Bathinda said, “This year there has not been much variation in the price of gold and hence the sales are expected to rise over the coming days especially on Dhanteras and the wedding season. In fact, since the price has been hovering around Rs 27,000 these days, slight increase in the price will be enough to make the customers wake up and beging buying fearing the prices may increase further.”

Bathinda, October 12
With Diwali only a fortnight away, cheap Chinese firecrackers have flooded the city markets. Sources claimed that local-made firecrackers are being sold under fictitious brand names. Despite the ban, selling of China-made crackers has been going on secretly.

The administration is unaware of the booming business of Chinese crackers. Unlike firecrackers made in the country, shopkeepers have not displayed the Chinese products openly. They sell these firecrackers on demand only.

Pleading anonymity, a shopkeeper divulged that the Chinese crackers are cheap and more profitable, as a pack of 12 rockets, not the fancy ones, usually cost a trader around Rs 35, whereas a Chinese pack costs Rs 18.

Another shopkeeper selling Chinese crackers said, “It would be hard to crack down on the Chinese crackers, as consignments have already reached and shopkeepers will have to sell the products.”

“Some local-made crackers have also flooded the market under fictitious brand names,” said the shopkeeper.

There is a big price difference in the Chineses and domestic products, so customers prefer to buy the Chinese crackers.

It’s worth mentioning that the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) which is under the Union Commerce Ministry had recently issued a statement that possession and sale of imported firecrackers was illegal.

No country was mentioned in the statement, but it was aimed at curbing the growing sale of Chinese firecrackers in the country.

“Possession and sale of foreign-made fireworks in the country is illegal and punishable under the law. Information about possession or sale of such fireworks may be reported to the nearest police station for suitable action,” the statement said.

Chinese crackers are known to use potassium chlorate, a dangerous chemical that can ignite or explode. It is pertinent to mention that the government has labs in every district to test the quality of sweets. No such facility to check the authenticity of firecrackers exists.

Bathinda, October 12
Police have arrested a youth for killing his father by shooting him from a .12 bore gun. The incident took place in Jodhpur Romana village of the district. As per the information, Buta Singh, a resident of Jodhpur Romana village and brother of the deceased, filed a complaint at the Kotfatta police station stating that he along with the accused Harvinder Singh went to Kotfatta police station on July 22 and reported that his brother Bagicha Singh was missing since July 16.

But recently, the accused Harvinder Singh told him that on the night of July 16, at around 12.30 am, he shot dead his father by opening fire from his .12 bore gun in a fit of anger.

Later, to dispose of the body, he wrapped it in a bed sheet, kept it in his car and threw it in the Rajasthan feeder canal on the Gidderbaha-Malout road. SHO, Kotfatta police station, Paramjit Singh said they have arrested the accused. A case has been registered under sections 302 and 201 of the IPC — TNS

Bathinda, October 12
Incidents of eve-teasing and sexual harassment are on the rise in the city outside the educational institutes. Everyday, scores of girl students are subjected to indecent comments, mental and psychological harassment and many a times, even physical assault.

Recently, Manju (name changed) walks down the Ajit Road towards Ghodewala Chowk after coming out of her institute when she hears a comment “Sohniyae, dhupp vicch kithe challe O. Thhak jaoge. Saade naal bae jao” (Where are you going, beautiful lady, in the burning sun. You will get tired. Come sit with us), says a spoilt brat leaning out of an open Gypsy along with three of his friends.

Mostly, the perpetrators of such acts of indecency are the male students of the institution itself. But this does not completely absolve the outsiders of such acts of indecency on the college campus.

Unfortunately, the eve-teasers manage to escape easily, as their victims fail to lodge a protest or complaint with the authorities concerned, fearing retaliation by the accused, social stigma, peer pressure and lack of support from the college authorities. This not only encourages the assailants to continue with their uncalled-for behaviour but also gives them enough reason to harass their victims persistently.

Most girls studying in the co-educational colleges or institutes confirmed having been a victim of eve-teasing or sexual harassment on the campus while talking to Bathinda Tribune.

Indecent language, cheap songs, rude comments and attempts to make physical contact were said to be the most common means of sexual harassment by the fellow students.

Bahinda, October 12
Alleging poor law and order situation in the state, Congress leaders and workers today burnt an effigy of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal as part of their protest against the alleged misbehaviour by the SHO of the Canal Colony police station, Gurpreet Singh.

They raised slogans against the Punjab government and the police administration and reiterated that the police were working at the beck and call of the state government, especially the Badal family and were least concerned about the problems being faced by the common man.

They also alleged that the state government was scared of their decreasing popularity and increasing clout of the Congress in the area. The state government had directed the Punjab Police to suppress all discordant voices. Recently, the police had also misbehaved with Bathinda District Congress Committee president Mohan Lal Jhumba.

Bathinda, October 12
The spat between the Tehbazari wing of the Municipal Corporation of Bathinda (MCB) and the shopkeepers of Kikar Bazaar over removing the material lying outside their shops was still not over today. The MCB team reached the Sunday market near Annapurna Mandir on Amrik Singh road and started distributing slips to the stall owners.

Irked over this, the stall owners started a protest and sat on the road blocking traffic forcing the MCB employee to go back. The stall owners also raised slogans against the MCB employees.

The MCB officials said they had gone to distribute slips to those shopkeepers who sell their products here instead of at their shops, and not to the poor who sell their ware.

As per the information, in the Sunday market at Amrik Singh road, officials of the Tehbazari wing of the MCB arrived in a vehicle today along with two police officials and started distributing slips from a stall selling old clothes, belts, purses and footwear. Seeing this, the stall owners gathered, surrounded the stall and entered into an argument with the MCB officials.

Sohan Lal, a shoe seller, Kapil Kumar who sells old clothes and Sonu, a bangle seller, besides Murti Devi and Asha Rana, said they sell their stuff on Sunday by putting up a stall here, so they can earn their bread and butter but the MCB officials were indifferent to their plight.

They also said that the MCB officials were asking for Rs 50 per table, but why pay so much just for a day as they do not earn much.

These shopkeepers said that earlier, they used to hold an open bazaar at Sirki Bazaar, but the police officials directed them to hold their market at Amrik Singh road. And so, for the last five years, they had been holding their market here.

On Sunday, all the shops remained closed and the market did not even prove to be a hindrance to the traffic moving on the road. Despite this, they did not understand why the MCB officials were doing this, they added.

These stall owners entered into a spat with the officials and started protesting by blocking the road. Seeing this, the officials returned in their vehicle saying they would visit again next week.

The stall owners also threatened that if they were asked to go from here or asked to accept the slips, they would intensify their agitation in the coming days.

Superintendent, tehbazari wing of the MCB, Kulwinder Singh, said approval has been given to the poor to hold their stalls in the market every Sunday. But these days, even the regular shopkeepers have started setting up stalls in the Sunday market. Because of this, the poor do not get space to set up their stalls. He said the slip was not intended for the poor.

Bathinda, October 12
The threat of dengue that looms every year has been under control this year but the Health Department is on the guard, trying to spread awareness to prevent any loss of life due to this disease. Dengue outbreak this year has been under control with only 87 testing positive for it in Punjab out of a total of 903 tests conducted till September this year.

According to the data collected by the state health department, in the last three years, dengue has claimed a number of lives in Punjab though it has a two-year cycle. Dengue outbreak takes place every second year and claims precious human lives. Till September 2013, around 714 people had tested positive for dengue while one person lost his life.

Till September 2012, about 142 people had tested positive for dengue of which three lost their lives. Similarly, in 2011, till the month of September, 847 people had tested positive for dengue of which 25 lost their lives.

Dr Gagandeep, State Programme Officer, National Vector Borne Diseases Control Programme, said, "The Health Department in all the districts made efforts to control dengue and had conducted timely spray of medicines in all the areas. It had created awareness among the masses. The cycle of dengue mosquitoes is of two years which means that it returns after every two years and becomes active. The Health Departments in all the districts is ready to tackle this mosquito."

In Ludhiana, about 20 patients were found positive for dengue till September this year. One person tested positive for dengue in Ferozepur, Moga, Pathankot, SBS Nagar and Rupnagar.

Similarly, in Bathinda, five patients tested positive for dengue while three cases were detected in Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Patiala and Gurdaspur.

Muktsar and Amritsar witnessed four patients each. In Sangrur, five cases of dengue came to light, in Hoshiarpur six while two cases of dengue were found in SAS Nagar.

Bathinda, October 12
The Citizens Welfare Association of the Birla Mill Colony wrote a letter to the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Bathinda (MCB) against the illegal construction taking place on the Mall Road.

In the letter, they have stated that rampant construction in the name of renovation is going on day and night on the Mall Road opposite the Canara Bank, which is already on the encroached land of the corporation.

They have also stated that it is reserved pocket for residential purpose, but people are converting it to commercial without previous approval of corporation in connivance with some MCB officials. They have stated that 80-Feet road is notified by notification number 14/19/2012-ILG/805 dated February 23, 2013 whereas, road width at this point is 70 feet and due to encroachment it is already an accident prone area. — TNS

Bathinda, October 12
Pramod Mittal group swept the SSD Sabha elections held for the six posts here today. The Mittal group won the five seats and one seat went to the Manohar Lal group.

Abhay Singla was unanimously elected president of the sabha. 190 persons participated in the election process. The elections were held at SSD Girls College, Amrik Singh Road. KK Aggarwal was elected vice-president after defeating Prakash Chandra.

Ramesh Goyal with 111 votes bagged the post of secretary, JP Goyal (98 votes) beat Navin Singla (91) to win the post of administrative secretary and Nand Lal Garg (98 votes) beat Sanjay Goyal (90) to bag the post of president of SSD Group of Colleges. Subhash Gupta with 109 votes was elected finance secretary. — TNS

Bathinda, October 12
The Natyam group today performed on fourth theatre festival, a child play named ‘Rabba rabba meenh varsa,. Children from GSS School of village Dod presented a play under the Direction of Kirti Kirpal. Sumit Kumar was the chief guest on the eve and Jaswinder Singh Mann came as special guest to watch this play at Balwant Gargi open air theater at Rose Garden in the city.

Rabba Rabba Meena Varsa is play about rain, that is a necessity for living but sometimes it becomes a disaster, which ruins everything. Famous theatre artists Gurdeep Kakrala, Prince Kanwaljit and Rupinder Kaur played role in the play. A young boy Lakhveer played an Important Character of School Child-Paari. The realistic end of play touched the audience’s heart.

A group of 15 people from Muktsar, specially came to watch the play. On October 13, Dr Sahib Singh’s team from Mohali will perform a play ‘Yudd te Budh’ on 7.15 pm.