Bathinda, October 28
All the awareness campaigns pertaining to green Diwali led by schools, social welfare organisations and increased knowledge about the ill-effects of firing crackers and their subsequent effects on the atmosphere and human health seem to have paid off well this Diwali. Bathinda recorded the lowest noise level pollution in the last five years, as per the samples collected and analysed by the Punjab Pollution Control Board.

Data collected by the Punjab Pollution Control Board through the use of noise-monitoring systems installed at prime places across the city over the last five years has shown that the level of noise pollution on Diwali night have started falling.

In compliance with the order of the Supreme Court regarding control of noise pollution during the festival season, the Punjab Pollution Control Board is collecting data through the noise-monitoring systems at a residential area (Model Town), silent zone (Civil Hospital) and a commercial area (near Gol Diggi) for Bathinda city.

As per the data released by the PPCB, the noise pollution was recorded at 61.6 decibel (dB) in commercial area this year. This was recorded at 79.1 dB in 2013 and 103.0 dB in 2012. The maximum level of noise pollution in commercial zone of Gol Diggi was recorded at 84.3 dB in 2011 and at 104.5 DB in 2010.

The noise pollution level in sensitive area (Civil Hospital) also fell drastically from 100.5dB in 2012 to 77.7 dB in 2013 to 46.6 dB in 2014. According to the findings, the minimum and maximum noise levels in the sensitive/silence zone of the city on Diwali night in 2011 were recorded at 61.9 DB and 70.1 dB, respectively. On the other hand, the figures for 2010 stood at 59.5 DB and 94.8. dB.

As per the data, in the residential area (Model Town) the noise levels recorded a fall from 103.3 dB in 2012 to 75.7 dB in 2015 to 51.6 in 2014. In the residential zone of the city, the maximum level of noise was noted as 84.6 DB in 2011 and 105.2 dB in the year 2010.

It is pertinent to mention here that the ambient air quality standards in respect to noise for different zones shall be prescribed under Rule 3 (1) of Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules 2000 are: 75 dB and 70dB during the day and night time, respectively, for industrial area, 65 dB and 55 dB for commercial area, 55 dB and 45 dB for residential area and 50 dB and 40 dB for silence zone. As per the rules, day time shall mean from 6 pm to 10 pm and night time shall mean 10 pm to 6 am.

Using the portable decibel (DB) meter, the board also studied the noise level on Diwali night from 6 pm to midnight. Before that similar data had been collected to draw comparisons with an uneventful day.

Bathinda, October 28
Shatabdi Express flagging off ceremony has been put off due to the cancellation of Union Railway Minister Sadananda Gauda’s visit to the city due to important and urgent engagements in New Delhi. Gauda was coming here to flag off the Shatabdi Express between Bathinda and New Delhi on October 31.

Superintendent of railway station, Pardip Sharma, confirming the change, said the visit of the Railway Minister has been cancelled due to which the Shatabdi Express flagging off ceremony has been put on hold for the time being and the next programme of the minister would soon be known from the railway ministry.

It is pertinent to mention that the railway authorities were working round-the-clock to give the railway station an uplift ahead of the railway minister’s visit. New furniture was also purchased and the station was white- washed. Even new LED TV screens, displaying the train details, were installed.

Even the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Ambala Division, who was to come here to check the preparation at the station ahead of the minsiter’s visit, also cancelled his visit today.

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 the areas in and around the city are eagerly waiting for the Shatabdi Express to start from here.

This train route has been finalised on the Jakhal-Rohtak rail route with three halts at Jakhal, Jind and Rohtak. With this 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.

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 many years.

BJP leaders and residents are unhappy over this further delay in running of the Shatabdi Express between Bathinda and New Delhi. The BJP leaders were happy to have their minister here and score a brownie point in the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Bathinda (MCB) elections, as they would have gone to the public claiming credit that the BJP after coming to power had fulfilled the long pending demand of residents for a Shatabdi Express from here to New Delhi.

While residents who were happy after knowing that the union minister is flagging off the Shatabdi Express from Bathinda to New Delhi on October 31 wre today again disappointed. However, the district administration claimed that with the imposition of model code of conduct owing to by-elections in the national capital New Delhi, the flagging off ceremony of Shatabdi Express slated to chug out from Bathinda, has been postponed.

Bathinda, October 28
A special ward for patients suffering from Ebola virus has been set up by the District Health Department to treat any patient in case one is identified. The department of health had got fresh instructions to keep a check and take precautions following which it has used the room of the Cardio Care Unit at the NCD clinic in Civil Hospital, Bathinda, that was lying unused.

Giving fresh instructions on precautions to be used over Ebola virus by the staff and doctors if any case comes to the fore, the state health department had issued a letter to all the civil hospitals.

A doctor who did not wish to be quoted said the staff would be given knowledge about the virus and precautionary measures of treating such patients if any. “A letter had reached maintaining that the staff should be aware of it and treat the patients according to instructions. A special ward for Ebola has also been constituted in hospital and a number of other hospitals had also been given instructions. The rooms of Cardio Care Units at the NCD clinic in Bathinda Civil Hospital has been used on a temporary basis and soon more rooms would be planned even if a single case comes to fore.”

It’s noteworthy to mention that on August 8 this year, the World Health Organisation had declared the outbreak of Ebola virus disease as a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)”. The WHO has reported over 10,000 cases, out of which 5,006 are lab confirmed and 4,493 deaths from 7 countries namely, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria of West Africa and travel related cases reported from Senegal, USA and Spain. The WHO has informed that an unprecedented number of medical staff has been infected with Ebola during the current outbreak.

First stage symptoms like fever more than 101.5°F, severe headache, rash, muscle pain, sore throat, weakness, diarrhoea, vomiting, abdominal (stomach) pain, lack of appetite, impaired kidney and liver functions, may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after exposure to Ebola virus, although 8-10 days is most common.

Similarly, in the second state symptoms like hemorrhage, neuropsychiatric abnormalities, aniuria (the absence of urine formation), hiccups, and tachypenea (rapid breathing) can occur.

No effective treatment or vaccine available to stop virus transmission. Hospitals must follow precautionary methods, including the isolation wards for suspected patients, wearing gloves, isolating infected individuals, practising nurse barrier techniques, proper sterilisation and disposal of all equipment used, burials must be done correctly without washing or touching carcass before burning or the burial and the body should be put into bags and bury outside city preferably burning.

Under Provision of International Health Regulations (IHR 2005), Ebola Virus Disease outbreak declared as Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Civil Surgeon, Bathinda, Tejwant Singh Randhawa, said, “The letter has reached many days before and we had already brace ourselves. The staff has been aware of it and about the Ebola virus and its treatment including precautions. There is no such case of Ebola is found in Bathinda yet as the risk factor is much where International airports are situated.”

Bathinda, October 28
The project to clean the 77,000-foot part of Abohar branch canal from Doda head and Sirhind feeder courted controversy today with the contractors accusing the executive engineer (XEN) of the Irrigation Department of being biased towards them.

The contractors held a press conference at a city hotel today where they alleged that the XEN had put his personal gain ahead of public work. They alleged that several contractors had been disqualified from presenting their claims to benefit a group of contractors. “The XEN told us that only those contractors could try to get the tender who had been cleaning the canals earlier as well. He told us that no new contractor can submit his quotation for the work,” said the agitated contractors.

The contractors added that in the past, they had been engaged in lining the sides of the canals which was a bigger task than cleaning the canals and hence, they should be allowed to try to bag the tenders. They also claimed that although the cost of the tender was being pegged at Rs 12 crore, they were willing to do it at 30 per cent of the cost and yet they were not being allowed.

The contractors also raised questions on the credibility of the proceedings as they claimed that the department was hoodwinking the state government. “The fact remains that the larger the number of quotations submitted for a tender, the more will the government be able to save on the funds. The cost of the tender has been decided without making any calculations,” the contractors said.

Meanwhile, the XEN, Irrigation Department, RK Gupta, refuted the allegation levelled against him and the department and claimed that the tender had been opened as per the guidelines of the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and there was no chance of the proceedings having been tampered with.

He said the entire process was transparent and the date of submitting the quotations had been changed from October 27 to October 30 to make sure that more contractors could submit their quotations for the tender.

Bathinda, October 28
The court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Vijay Kumar today gave a one-day police remand of two youngsters who were caught with 20 kg poppy husk yesterday.

One of the two accused is a student of a renowned college at Gidderbaha (Muktsar) while another is a school dropout. Investigative officer, ASI Krishan Singh, said the accused Sukhpal and Pargat, both residents of Balluana village were arrested during a check point set up by his team on Chugge Kalan-Balluana Road.

The accused, Pargat Singh, is being interrogated by the police to enquire into other members of drug smugglers and to know from where the young boys had brought the poppy husk. The police said both the accused are involved into the sale and purchase of the poppy husk for the past around two years.

Pargat was preparing for the Class XII exams and was attending classes daily in the college.

His father is also facing two major NDPS cases registered at the same station, Sadar Police Station, Bathinda.

They said during the initial interrogation, the accused had admitted to have purchased the poppy husk from an unidentified person who handed them the 20 kg poppy husk near the canal adjoining Jhumba village.

The police said the accused had also admitted to have purchasing the narcotics at a price of Rs 4,000 per kg to further sell the same in small quantities to the drug addicts.

The role of other college students and youngsters too will be ascertained after interrogating the accused tonight, the police said.

Bathinda, October 28
The 36th District Level Primary School Games began today at the sports ground of Government Senior Secondary School at Behman Diwana village. During the three-day event, primary school students will participate in kabaddi, kho-kho, wrestling, athletics, football and gymnastics events.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development) Sonali Giri was the chief guest at the inaugural function of the games.

She inaugurated the games by releasing balloons in the air.

Students presented a cultural programme on the occasion.

Sonali Giri congratulated the students participating in the games and wished them good luck for their performance.

She appealed to the players to participate in the games with true sportsmanship and to focus on giving their 100 per cent.

In the event on the first day, in march past, Sangat got first, Talwandi Sabo got second and Phul got the third position. In the 100 metre race (girls), Sukhwinder Kaur of Sangat was declared first, Hasandeep Kaur of Talwandi Sabo second and Harmanpreet Kaur of Bathinda got the third.

In the boys category, Jagsir Singh of Nathana got the first position, Dharampreet Singh of Sangat got the second and Ravinder Singh of Bhagta got the third position.

In the event of 200 metre race in the girls category, Husandeep Kaur of Talwandi Sabo got the first position, Khushpreet Kaur of Rampura got the second and Manpreet Kaur of Nathana got the third position.

In the boys category, Rotash of Nathana got the first position, Suraj Singh of Bathinda got the second and Balwinder of Rampura got the third position.

Bathinda, October 28
The Department of Mechanical Engineering of Giani Zail Singh Punjab Technical University Campus, Bathinda, is organising a TEQIP-II-sponsored one-week faculty development programme (FDP) on ‘Advanced Research in Material, Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering’ from October 27-31.

Around 70 faculty members of engineering institutes from neighbouring states, including GZS-PTU Campus, are participating in the programme.

Ravi Kumar, principal, Beant College of Engineering and Technology, Gurdaspur, was the chief guest at the inaugural session. He discussed the things that are going to transform the world in the 21st century.

Dr Prabal Talukdar, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, and visiting faculty at Germany and Canadian engineering universities, was the guest of honour.

He enlightened the delegates on the developments in the field of heat transfer.

Dr Amit Chauhan, UIET, Panjab University, Chandigarh, explained that Rs 6,000 crore could be saved just by effective use of the principles of tribology.

On the second day, Dr Buta Singh Sidhu, Dean, Academics and International Academic Collaboration, Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar, discussed about the bio materials, which are being used as implants in human bodies such as hip joint, artificial eye ball, heart stent and other bone joints.

In the coming week, experts from IIT Roorkee, DTU Delhi, PEC Technological University, Chandigarh, NIT Jalandhar and top professionals from companies such as Mahindra and Mahindra Limited, Mohali and NFL, Bathinda, will be sharing their experiences.

The delegates will be taken for an industrial visit to National Fertilizers Limited, Bathinda.

Campus director Dr Jasbir S Hundal appreciated the efforts of the programme coordinators Dr Prof Rajesh Gupta and Prof Jasvir Singh Tiwana for arranging the programme.

Prof Surinder Singh, course convener, welcomed all the delegates from various institutes. Gagandeep Singh Sodhi and Haramritpal Singh are the co-coordinators of the programme.

Students of GZS PTU Campus brought laurels to the institute by winning several competitions at ‘Antaragini’, a-national level cultural-literary festival organised by IIT, Kanpur.

As many as 46 students of the campus participated in various events of the festival and won many prizes.

Campus director Prof Jasbir Singh Hundal felicitated the winners. Dr Seema Sharma, coordinator of cultural affairs, congratulated them for bringing laurels to the institute.

Bathinda, October 28
Sub-Inspector Karamjit Singh today took charge as the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Civil Lines police station. He held a meeting with the post in-charge and staff of the police station in which he laid emphasis on increasing patrolling in the area.

While talking to Bathinda Tribune, Karamjit Singh said the areas under the Civil Lines police station were posh areas. So, most of complaints received here were related to fraud, land dispute and eve-teasing, he added.

He said his first priority would be to tackle the menace of eve-teasing in the Ajit Road area, which is the hub of educational institutes.

He said he had instructed his staff to increase patrolling outside the educational institutes and set up check points to curb crime.

The Station House Officer said he had also instructed his staff to listen to the version of both the parties and try to satisfy both the parties in case of complaints they receive.

Karamjit Singh was earlier posted at the SSP office in Litigation Department and before that he was posted as Station House Officer of the Kotwali police station and Canal Colony police station.

Bathinda, October 28
A function is being organised at Badiala village by the state government to observe the death anniversary of Sant Fateh Singh Badiala on October 30. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will pay tributes to Sant Fateh Singh on the occasion.

In order to ensure proper arrangements for the function, the Deputy Commissioner of Bathinda, Dr Basant Garg, today convened a meeting of officials from various departments.

Directing the officers to make all necessary arrangements on priority basis, the DC said Sant Fateh Singh had immense contribution towards religion and society.

The Chief Minister will inaugurate and lay foundation stones of development works worth crores of rupees at Maur Mandi and Rampura Phul on October 30, he added.

He said the Chief Minister would lay the foundation stone of Government Veterinary College and Hospital, which is being constructed at a cost Rs 70 crore.

The institute would be immensely helpful in propagating dairy farming and giving much needed technical know-how and medical expertise in the field of veterinary and animal sciences, he added.

Besides inaugurating projects and laying foundation stones at Maluka village, Maur Mandi and Rampura Phul, he would also address a rally at the stadium of the proposed veterinary college, the DC said.

Bathinda, October 28
As many as 26 students of the Baba Farid College of Engineering and Technology were selected by leading companies during a placement drive organised at the college.

Recently, companies such as Airsoft Infosys, Techi Technology, CQLsys Technologies, Harksh Technologies and AllSoft Solutions recruited 26 students of B Tech (seventh semester) during different placement drives held at the college.

The recruitment process included group discussion, followed by a written aptitude test to check the level of understanding of technical knowledge of the students.

During the placement drive, Airsoft Infosys recruited seven, Techi Technology recruited eight, CQLsys Technologies recruited four, Allsoft Solutions recruited five and Harsh Technologies recruited two students of B Tech. — TNS

Bathinda, October 28
Thieves struck Goyal Cigarette Store near Gole Diggi in the city and stole cigarette stock worth Rs 15 lakh.

It is worth mentioning that some days ago, a theft was reported at three shops in Kikar Bazaar and at Hospital Bazaar from where goods worth lakh of rupees were stolen, but the police have not been able to trace the culprits yet.

Owner of the cigarettes shop, Vimal Kumar, said he was involved in the business of cigarettes and as per his daily routine, he had gone to his home after locking up the shop. But this morning, he received a call that shutters of his shop were broken.

He immediately rushed to the shop and found the remaining stock lying scattered and cigarette bundles were missing.

After calculations, he said that materials worth Rs 15 lakh and some cash were missing from his shop.

A police party from the Kotwali police station reached the spot. Later, another team arrived to take fingerprints.

Investigating officer Baldev Singh said they had started investigation into the incident. — TNS