Bathinda, October 27
The Shatabdi Express is all set to roll again on the railway track between Bathinda and New Delhi this month from October 31 after 13 years. As Union Railway Minister Sadananda Gaud is coming here to flag off the bi-weekly Shatabdi Express at Bathinda railway station on October 31 evening.

With the resumption of the train, the Bathinda-Delhi route will be covered in 4 hours and 45 minutes. The train will leave from New Delhi to Bathinda at 9 am in the morning and reach Bathinda at 1.45 pm. The same train will leave for Delhi from Bathinda at 4.15 pm in the evening and reach Delhi railway station at 9 pm in the night. The Shatabdi train number which will run from here is 12047 up and 12048 down.

With the Union Railway Minister and General Manager (Northern Railways) reaching here, the railway authorities are busy in uplifting the face of station and even city railway station is going for complete revamp and this work is going on at quite high speed.

The white wash of whole station is going on, even new LED TV screens showing train details have been fixed at the station. Working on lying new interlocking tiles is going on at the parcel office, from where railway minister will arrive at the station. Large numbers of gang man are working in cleaning the railway tracks and new furniture has also been brought by the department. Each and every railway officials is seen on the toes ahead of the railway minister visit.

But this style of working has raised a serious question that why railway official have now woke up from slumber ahead of the minister’s visit, is it not their job to do work like this regularly or it is just a eye wash in front of the Union Railway Minister.

While officials are busy in beautification and uplifting of the station ahead of the minister’s visit but passengers continuing to suffer here as Verka booth vendors are selling unauthorised products, passengers have been sitting or lying on the ground in the absence of proper sitting arrangement, stray animals are running on the platform, railway station sans fire safety arrangements as fire bucket hanging at the station have been lying empty or even some contain stagnant water into it and even the railway officials have make the platforms their parking lot below the staircase.

It is worth mentioning that in 2013, General Manager of the Northern Railway, VK Gupta, visited the railway station at that time also station was painted a look like never before and he also stressing upon sanitation had expressed the need of implementing the rule against littering. But still, the condition of sanitation remains a big issue as garbage remains littered at the platforms and railway tracks.

Even Railway Police Force (RPF) Assistant Booth was made at that time, but since then it has been lying locked.

Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Ambala, is visiting tomorrow morning to check and inspect the railway station ahead of the minister’s visit and will be here for whole day. He will also reach here in the evening a day prior to the function.

With the minister visiting the city, the railway officials and district officials are not leaving any chances for putting forward their demands to the minister. Railway officials had prepared a charter of their demands which carries escalator, ramp and widening of stairs. They will also demand starting of Apollo van at the station, who people can carrying their luggage on trolley, expansion of washing line and fastening of work on electrification of the railway lines.

Another demand has been made by MLA and CPS Sarup Chand Singla through the district administration to start the platform one from the city area side.

The Shatabdi Express between Bathinda and Delhi was announced by Union Railway Minister Sadananda Gauda in his maiden rail budget speech earlier this year, till then, residents of areas in and around the city are eagerly waiting for the Shatabdi Express to start from here.

It is worth mentioning that in 2002, the Shatabdi Express was started from Bathinda to Delhi by the then Railway Minister Nitish Kumar. It used to run five days a week but due to less number of passengers, it was discontinued within a month. Later, with the opening of national projects in the city, the rail connectivity to Delhi became a major requirement. The residents had been demanding a Shatabdi between Delhi and Bathinda for the last many years.

Pardip Sharma, Superintendent of the station, said Union Railway Minister, Sadananda Gaud, is coming here on October 31 in the evening for which the preparations are going on in swing full. He also stated that today, he meeting with the district officials in which many points were discussed regarding the function.

He stated that apart from him, Union Cabinet Minister and MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Chief Minsiter Parkash Singh Badal, BJP state president Kamal Sharma along with other BJP leaders will be attend the function.

Bathinda, October 27
Security in and around the railway station has been intensified ahead of Union Minister of Railways, Sadanand Gaud’s visit at the railway station in the city on October 31 evening.

The union minister is coming to flag off the Shatabdi Express from the Bathinda to New Delhi. In view of which today, a police party from the Kotwali police station visited each and every hotel, dhabha and shop near the railway station and asked the details regarding number of officials working at their place and have taken an identification proof from the owners.

The police patrolling outside and around the railway station have been increased and police in plain clothes is keeping a tab on the movement of the people in the area.

A police official stated that as per instructions from the higher authorities, they are taking details of the each person living and working near the railway station ahead of union railway minister visit on Oct 31.

Nikhil, a dhaba owner, outside the railway station said today police officials had came to them and had asked for the details of the workers working here and identify proof of each worker.

The police have also made a security plan for the minister visit in the city. As per the plan, the union minister will land at the Bhisiana Air Force station and from there he will reach the railway station in a car. He will be inaugurating the Railway over Bridge (RUB) on Muktsar-Bathinda Road.

During his visit, the police will be deployed on his way and even in and around railway station huge security will be deployed on Oct 31.

Even inside the station Railway Police Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) have intensified their patrolling on the platforms and they are also keep a close watch on the movement of passengers.

Bathinda, October 27
Members of the Gandhi Market Association today demanded removal of the blockade of a street that has been encroached upon by auto and hotel owners. In a written complaint to the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB), members of the association alleged that the nearly out of nearly 20-foot wide street, 15-foot is encroached by the encroachers.

Harmeet Singh and Harjinder Singh alleged that the encroachment is being done at the behest of a section of corrupt officials who allow the autorickshaw and hotel owners to encroach the street.

“One fails to decipher whether it is a street as the entire place is converted into the market and parking area,” said Harmeet Singh.

He pointed out that if the blockade is removed then the shopkeepers and area residents of Railway Road will be ale to use the street. “At present, neither we are able to ride two-wheeler nor can we take our four-wheeler on the street. We barely manage to walk through the street which is full of unbearable stench,” Harmeet said.

He alleged that even the rehris have got illegal power connections from the nearby shops and a mishap could take place as people usually adopt the kundi connection to run their electric appliances.

“Moreover, hotel workers and the autorickshaw drivers litter garbage and use sidewalls of the street to urinate. The place where chapattis are made at the backside of the dhabas, is full of filth and garbage and the stench is unbearable,” said Harjinder Singh.

The area residents demanded that the owners of autorickshaws should be shifted from the place to the parking area of the railway station or should be allotted a separate place to park their vehicles. Also those hotel owners, who give unhygienic food to their customers should be issued notices for preparing chapattis at the backside of their dhabas which is full of unbearable stench.

Bathinda, October 27
Railway Minister DV Sadananda Gowda will inaugurate the Railway Over Bridge (ROB) on the Bathinda-Ganganagar railway line situated on the Ring Road, Phase II, which interconnects the Bathinda-Badal Road with Bathinda-Malout Road.

Deputy Commissioner, Dr Basant Garg, said the Railway Minister will arrive in Bathinda on October 30 to inaugurate the ROB. The much-hyped, Rs 75 crore project of the Ring Road, Phase II was hanging fire for last three years. The cost includes the expenses incurred upon the 660-mt long ROB and the road between Ladhi Dhee Chowk on Badal Road up to the ROB.

Varinder Sharma, Chief Administrator (CA), Bathinda Development Authority (BDA), said the ROB is almost complete and he had visited the site, which will be open for traffic on October 30.

It is pertinent to mention here that the construction cost of the ROB increased to a great extent and the deadline too jumped four times due to various technologies and lack of coordination between the railway and Punjab government. With the completion of the ROB, commuters coming from the Muktsar side could reach Dabwali and Mansa Road without entering Bathinda city and vice-versa.

Bathinda MLA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Sarup Chand Singla termed the completion of the ROB as one of the major achievements of the Punjab government.

“Opening of the ROB will help in easing the heavy traffic and we will ensure that heavy traffic should not enter into the city,” Singla said.

He pointed out that he has also passed instructions to the concerned traffic officials in the Bathinda police to make it mandatory that the heavy traffic plying between Muktsar-Mansa and Dabwali should not enter the city.

“We are also trying to chalk out modalities to divert the route of heavy vehicles coming from Barnala-Ludhiana side to Dabwali-Talwandi and Mansa to use this ROB so that they should avoid making entry in city,” said he.

Bathinda, October 27
Lack of communication pertaining to the prior commitments and engagements of several senior officials at the District Administrative Complex (DAC) today resulted in the public waiting for hours outside their rooms.

Several people, who had come to meet SDM Damanjeet Singh Mann at the DAC were left waiting till well past noon as the SDM was on leave. Assistant Commissioner (G), NS Dhaliwal, who had been given the additional charge, was not present in the SDM’s office. Those who kept waiting for the SDM didn’t know where to go and whom to ask.

Talking to the TNS, Dhaliwal said, “I have been given the additional charge, and have also divided the work hours accordingly. I am scheduled to be present at SDM’s office only beginning 2 pm everyday and I was there at 2 pm today as well. As for the information, I will make sure that the information is disseminated properly so that the public is not at the receiving end.”

Bathinda, October 27
Family members and relatives of Veerpal Singh (21), a student of the ITI, who was killed by some assailants at Partap Nagar on Friday night, today met the Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Bathinda Range, Amar Singh Chahal, against the police inaction.They demanded the arrest of fourth accused as soon as possible.

Baldev Singh, father of the deceased, alleged that the police have arrested three accused so far, but they were being given VIP treatment at the Canal Colony police station.

A police official said three accused had been arrested and there is no question of any delay or inactiveness on part of the police.

It is worth mentioning that yesterday the family members of the victim staged a dharna and blocked the road outside the SSP residence.

Veerpal Singh, alias Ganju, a resident of street number 11 of Partap Nagar was killed as some assailants hit on his head with iron rods and fled away from the spot.

Passersby saw him lying on the roadside in a serious condition and rushed him to a hospital, where he was declared dead by doctors.

Some days ago, Veerpal, had quarrelled with some youths and had a compromise a day before.

The police had registered a case against Ravi Gupta, Miski, alias Ravi Jindal, Vinod Kumar, alias Kala, and Sushil Kumar, alias Toti, all residents of street number 10, Paras Ram Nagar, under Sections 302, 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the Canal Colony police station.

Bathinda, October 27
On the occasion of Infantry Day, Chetak Corps paid tributes the soldiers who laid down their lives for the nation while battling with the enemies.

To commemorate the function, a wreath laying ceremony was organised at the Bathinda Military Station. Lt Gen PM Hariz, SM, VSM, General Officer Commanding Chetak Corps laid a wreath on the occasion at the imposing war memorial named “Yodha Yaadgar” in the presence of Officers, Junior Commissioned Officers and Other Ranks.

In his message, Hariz, exhorted the soldiers to carry forward the ideals of true professionalism to greater heights while evolving with changing times to face the challenges of the modern day battlefield.

Infantry Day is celebrated on October 27 every year. On this day, in 1947, the first contingent of the infantry landed at the Srinagar airfield and defended Srinagar from Pakistani Intruders. The gallant Infantrymen fought with courage and retained Kashmir as a part of Independent India.

Bathinda, October 27
Members of the Gazetted and Non-Gazetted SC/BC Employees Welfare Federation (Punjab) today protested against the state government for not offering them with the benefits of reserved categories according to their seniority.

Following the directives issued by the state committee of the federation, many members of the federation staged a protest outside the District Administrative Complex (DAC) under the guidance of the district president of the federation, Malkit Singh, and burnt the copies of the notification issued by the state government.

Raising slogans, the protesters alleged that the state government was providing them with a step-motherly treatment. They also threatened to intensify their stir.

Bathinda, October 27
The police have booked Rohit Bansal and his mother Rama Bansal for allegedly duping a man of Rs 3.62 lakh on the pretext of providing him a job. Akashdeep Singh, a resident of Mansa, in a complainant alleged that the accused had promised to provide him a a job. He said the deal was struck at Rs 3.62 lakh.

After receiving the money, the accused did not provide him any job and stopped attending his phone calls. The Cantt police station have registered a case under Sections 406, 420, 120 B of the Indian Penal Code(IPC). — TNS

Bathinda, October 27
One person was crushed to death by a car (PB 03 Z 0039) near Behman Diwana village. The deceased has been identified as Ravinder Nath Mandal, a resident of the Air Force Station, Bhisiana. The deceased was on his way to the city when the mishap occurred.

Ratktim Mandal, son of the deceased, in a complaint stated that on October 25, his father had gone to the city on his scooter (PB 03 Z 2163) at around 1.30 pm and sometime later, the Air Force Station, Bhiasiana, received a call that his father had met with an accident.

Immediately, they went to the spot and found his father dead. Manda said some passerby had noted the number of the car that crushed the deceased.

The police have registered a case under Sections 270, 304 A and 427 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against an unidentified driver.

Bathinda, October 27
Students of Baba Farid College of Engineering and Technology,Bathinda, won the overall runners-up trophy at the recently-concluded Punjab Technical University Zonal Youth Festival held at SVIET, Banur (Patiala).

Students won six gold and eight silver medals in the competitions held for Zone IV, the largest zone in the competition, having 11 districts which includes 116 colleges.

Students of the college bagged silver medal in one act play and skit. Ramandeep Kaur of BFCET won the best actress prize..

Students clinch silver medal in bhangra. Besides students of music, literary and fine arts events also won gold medals in group shabad, vaar singing, elocution, poster making, still photography and mehendi designing.

They also bagged silver medals in Indian group song, western group song, western vocal solo, poem writing and poem recitation.

Managing Director of Baba Farid Group of Institutions, Gurmeet Singh Dhaliwal, congratulated the students for their commendable performance.