Bathinda, November 19
The much awaited Shatabdi Express between Bathinda and New Delhi which was to be flagged off recently is now expected to roll on the tracks only next year putting the long cherished desire of the residents in limbo.

The Shatabdi Express was scheduled to be flagged off on October 31 this year by the then Union Minister for Railways Sadanand Gauda but it was put on hold at the last moment.

The political developments in the state has also put brakes on the Shatabdi as Union minister and Member of Parliament from Bathinda Harsimrat Kaur Badal as well as Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had raised the demand several times for the launching of the train. Harsimrat had even taken credit for the decision to introduce Shatabdi on the Bathinda-New Delhi route.

Sources claimed that the BJP leaders do not want the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) to take credit for the launch of the train and want it introduced next year and then claim that the Modi-led NDA government has fulfilled the long-pending promise of the people of the region.

It is pertinent to mention that with the ongoing tussle between the alliance partners, SAD and BJP, the train is now likely to be run only next year.

A railway official said the visit of the minister had been cancelled due to which the flagging off of the Shatabdi Express was put on hold for the time being. So far, no information has been received regarding this. According to the official, the train would now be flagged off only next year.

The Shatabdi Express between Bathinda and Delhi was announced by the then Union Railway Minister Sadananda Gauda in his maiden rail budget speech earlier this year.

The train will run on the Jakhal-Rohtak route with three halts at Jakhal, Jind and Rohtak. With this, 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 at 9 pm. 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 point in the upcoming Municipal Corporation) elections, as they would have gone to town claiming credit that the BJP, after coming to power, had fulfilled the long-pending demand of the residents.

Bathinda, November 19
The ongoing tussle between the employees of the Cooperative Bank and farmers seeking loans from the bank was resolved here today after the intervention of a senior bank official.

Senior manager of the Central Cooperative Bank Limited Gurdeep Singh reached Children Park where the farmers were sitting on a dharna following last evening’s drama at the Cooperative Bank located at Bathinda grain market. Allaying their fears, Singh assured them that no changes will be made in the rules for approving loans for the farmers.

Following the assurance made by the bank official, farmers ended their dharana and stated in clear terms that in case such a sudden change in the rules and regulations is announced in the future, they would again stage protest.

It is pertinent to mention here that over the last two weeks, the farmers and bank officials had been at loggerheads over the frequent changes in the rules for approval of loans to the farmers. On November 11, the bank officials had told the farmers that they would have to first open savings account with the bank and only then would the amount of the approved loan will be transferred to their accounts.

After the bank officials failed to heed to the demand by the farmers to furnish written proof of the change in the policy, farmers resorted to staging a protest and raising slogans outside the bank and also declared that they would not abide by the changed rule.

On Tuesday, tension brewed on the bank premises after the officials asked the farmer members of the bank to return the tokens they had been given and asked them to first get girdawari done of their fields by a patwari and submit the same with the bank to seek loan. The farmers were also told that only half the approved loan amount will be released after the formalities were done.

Following the refusal by the farmers to abide by the change in rule and to give back the tokens, the bank officials locked the gate of the bank from inside to stop the farmers from leaving the bank premises till they submitted back the tokens. Infuriated, the farmers also locked the gate from outside to make sure that the bank officials also didn’t leave the premises till the issue was resolved.

A police party from the Kotwali police station had to finally intervene to open the doors. The farmers protested at the Children’s Park on Wednesday. Apart from raising slogans against the bank, the farmers also planned to gherao the main bank. The issue was finally resolved after the senior manager of the bank arrived on the scene.

Among those who protested were Amrik Singh Sivian, mohan Singh Chatthewal, Murari Lal, Mohan Singh, Sukhmander Singh, Bikkar Singh, Arwinder Dhapali, Kulwant Singh and several others.

Bathinda, November 19
The special court of Amar Jeet Singh today awarded 10 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh for possessing a huge quantity of medicinal drugs without any valid licence or authority.

The accused, Sham Singh Bhundi, was found carrying the medicinal drugs, including huge quantities of tablets and vials.

The police claimed that the accused tried to flee when a police party spotted him. He was carrying a packet of the drugs which fell off and scattered at the roadside as he tried to run away. The police then registered a case against the accused under the NDPS Act and a private witness recorded his statement in this regard at the court.

The court after hearing all the pleas and claims of both the parties reached the conclusion that the accused should undergo an imprisonment for one year along with the fine of Rs 1 lakh. In case of default of the payment, the accused would further undergo an imprisonment for one year.

Bathinda, November 19
President of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) Simranjit Singh Mann has announced support for the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI's) terrorist Ramandeep Singh alias Sunny, who was recently arrested by the police. Mann visited the house of Ramandeep Singh today in the morning and assured support to his family. Later, he filed a petition in the court of the district and sessions judge.

Speaking to media persons, Mann said the arrest of Sunny was a result of petty politics and it was affecting peace in the state.

He also alleged that Ramandeep Singh has been tortured by the police.

It may be mentioned that some days back, the police had arrested Ramandeep Singh alias Sunny, a Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) member, and recovered a pistol, BKI letter pad and ingredients used to make explosives from him. He is currently lodged in a jail after two days of police remand.

Simranjit Singh Mann, in his petition, has said the police was beating up Sunny badly and that he has been harassed and mentally tortured in police custody.

He has demanded that the court should form a panel of doctors to conduct a postmortem so that the exact cause of death is known.

Mann said that after the BJP led NDA government came to power at the Centre, the law and order situation was deteriorating due to the terror created by the RSS in the state. The RSS workers were roaming in the city brandishing weapons, but no action was being taken against them.

He also alleged that the BJP had returned to its agenda of Hindutva and was in the process of making India a Hindu state.

Mann assured Ramandeep Singh's family saying their fight would continue till the end.

Talwandi Sabo, November 19
Restaurant ‘Salt & Pepper’ of Hotel Management Department in the University College of Commerce & Management on the campus of the Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo, was inaugurated today by the registrar Satish Goswami in the presence of deans, directors and principles of various constituent colleges of the university.

During the high tea, the students of Hotel Management served various delicacies, including vegetable clear and dum soup, palak pista tikki and dahi ke kabab roll as starters. While in main course, they served vegetable cheese white and red pasta and badami kheer as dessert, which were appreciated by all. All the officers highly acclaimed the efforts of the students under the guidance of assistant professors Gaurav and Monika.

The registrar congratulated the staff and students for this superb preparation and hoped that they will give a fillip to their efforts so that the Department of Hotel Management earns name and fame in the surrounding areas of the Malwa region.

Dr NS Malhi, Vice-Chancellor of the Guru Kashi University (GKU), while congratulating the staff and students of the hotel management, stated that their performance was indeed commendable.

He stated that on one hand the Guru Kashi University (GKU) has earned name and fame among the educational institutions of the area and the introduction of hotel management course will prove to be a milestone in the history of university.

Bathinda, November 19
All the three samples collected from patients’ localities, who were feared to be suffering from dengue have tested negative for the disease. The samples were collected on Tuesday and underwent the Mac-Elisa test to detect the presence of dengue virus. It is pertinent to mention here that the Health Department declares only those patients as suffering from dengue who test positive for the Mac-Elisa test.

Civil Surgeon, Dr RS Randhawa, stated that all the three samples had tested negative. He further added that blood-platelet count may fall for reasons other than contracting the dengue virus. The count may also fall if one is suffering from viral fever. — TNS

Bathinda, November 19
While the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) is all set to recover Rs 11 crore pending water bill from city residents by slapping 10 per cent surcharge on the pending amount, there are those who have paid their water bill of the next three years.

Corporation officials said in view of the pending huge amount of Rs 11 crore they have decided to take stringent action by slapping 10 per cent surcharge on the pending amount.

There are numerous residential, commercial and private colonies which are yet to pay their water bills and in view of the rising pending amount the officials have decided to take the matter of recovering pending amount strictly.

“We have already circulated the letters to the concerned officials who are deputed to collect the water bills and they have also been directed to snap the water connections who refuse to pay the water bills,” said corporation superintendent Harbans Lal.

A notification in connection with 10 per cent surcharge was issued by the Special Secretary of the Local Bodies Department in the year 2013. However, the authorities did to take any action in this regard and miserably failed to collect the water bills.

There are people who continue to pay their quarterly water bills on time but there are many others who have not paid their bills for the past many years as well.

There are also some residents who are paying their yearly water bills in advance to avoid any ‘hassles’. Dharam Pal of Bharat Nagar has paid an amount of Rs 6300 and another Prem Nath Garg has paid an amount of Rs 7,560, respectively. “Instead of paying the quarterly water bills, we decided to pay the same for the next few years to avoid visiting the corporation office after every three months,” they said.

The residents, however, also demanded that in view of the huge amount lying pending for a long time the government should think about giving discount in the form of 5 to 10 per cent of the total amount if someone wish to pay their bills in advance.

Terming it a good gesture of the citizens to pay the bills in advance, former Improvement Trust Chairman, advocate Mohan Lal Garg, said he would take up the matter with the top politicians so that those who paid the water bills in advance should get discount as well.

He also stated that the corporation officials too should make it mandatory to ensure that all the bills reaches consumers well on time. “At times, the duration to pay the bills reaches close to the last date and there is hardly a day or two left for the residents to clear their bills. It is a better idea to pay the bill in advance for the whole year or more years instead of submitting the amount quarterly,” he said.

Bathinda, November 19
As many as 90 persons were screened today at the free diabetes check-up camp being organised by the Non-Communicable Diseases Clinic at the OPD of the Civil Hospital from November 14-20. Dr Vandana Midda and counsellors Kewal Kaur and Gurpreet Singh along with five staff nurses Harsimrat Kaur, Syukhvir Kaur, Ramandep Kaur, Rajwinder Kaur and harpreet Kaur are taking care of the camp.

While 106 patients were screened on November 14, 109 were screened on November 15, 98 on November 17, 92 on November 18 and 90 patients were screened today. The OPD was closed on November 17 in view of it being a Sunday. People are also being screened for blood pressure and hypertension at the camp.

Speaking to TNS, counsellor Kewal Kaur stated that camp was getting a good response from people who are already diabetes patient or fear that they may have developed the disease.

“During the camp, we also came across cases wherein the persons screened seemed to be at risk of having the disease or also those who think that they may be at risk but have never undergone any screening for the disease. In such cases, following the reports of the preliminary tests conducted at the camp, we have shortlisted the persons who seemed to be at risk and would be testing them further for the disease,” said the counsellor.

Bathinda, November 19
Aiming to encourage rearing of milk-yielding animals, horses, dogs and poultry in the state, the district administration and the Animal Husbandry Department will be collaborating to organise a district-level animal husbandry and milking competition on November 26 and November 27 near Teacher Colony, Green Palace Road, Barnala bypass.

In a meeting, convened today, to oversee the arrangements in this regard, Deputy Commissioner, Bathinda, Dr Basant Garg, said such competitions prove to be of great benefit for the owners of various animals. He added that on November 26 the Punjab Cabinet Minister Sikandar Singh Maluka will inaugurate the event, while on November 27, Punjab Cabinet Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon will distribute prizes to winners of various competitions.

He said around 500 animals would be part of the event that will have events for the milk-yielding animals. The main attraction of the event would be a canine show wherein competitions for the male and female dogs of different age groups would be held. The winners would be disbursed cash prizes worth Rs 5.5 lakh, he said.

At the event site, animals would be provided with free feed and arrangements will also be made to provide food to the owners of these animals.

Appealing to the dairy farmers and owners of other animals to take benefit of the event, he said the event would help people interact with progressive farmers who have made good use of dairy business. Besides competitions, the event will also have exhibition stalls put up by the various departments.

The DC also directed the officers to make adequate arrangements for drinking water and lodging-boarding for the animal owners who will stay overnight. The department officers were also directed to ensure that proper feed is made available for animals. He appealed all the animal owners to participate in this event and get an opportunity to learn.

The Additional Deputy Commissioner (Development), Sonali Giri, Assistant Commissioner (General), Narinder Singh Dhaliwal, and other officers were present at the meeting.

Bathinda, November 19
Sixty first All-India Cooperative Week was observed at the Milk Plant in Bathinda. The chief guest at the occasion was the joint registrar cooperative societies, Ferozepur Division, Raj Kumar Gautam.

Addressing the management members and that of cooperative societies, he said the cooperative societies have a major contribution towards maintaining the prices of milk and its products. The Milk Plant in Bathinda collects milk from these cooperative societies and prepares premium quality milk and its products. He called upon the farmers to adopt dairy business along with farming for supplementing their income.

Sub-registrar cooperative societies, Bathinda, Harbans Singh Jatana said the cooperative was a large family that had different wings serving various sections of the society and the aim of this society was not to earn any profit.

Assistant Registrar, Kuldeep Kumar, said everyone related to cooperative societies should work with integration and honesty so that the department does not get any bad name. — TNS

Bathinda, November 19
Three persons have been booked by the police for enticing away a 17-year-old girl, a resident of Gobindpura.

In a complaint lodged with the police, Jaspal Singh, victim’s father, stated that the accused, Gurpreet Singh, had enticed away his 17-yr-old daughter on the pretext of marrying her. The police have registered a case under Sections 363 and 366 A. — TNS