clone or duplicate candidates matter in chattisgarh not in punjab

Namesake nominees fall flat
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 16
The namesake candidates fielded by certain candidates to hurt their political opponents failed to achieve the desired results in Punjab. Only a few of them managed some votes, a margin that could not have changed the fate of the winner or loser.

The strategyto confuse the voters, though, did prove fruitful in Chhattisgarh where 12 namessake candidates were in the fray from one constituency.

Mahasamund and Raipur constituencies in Chhattisgarh witnessed five Lakhan Sahus and 11 Chandu Sahus. The real Chandu Sahu of the BJP lost by a thin margin of about 12,000 votes whereas namesake Chandu Sahus collectively bagged almost 60,000 votes.

The most controversial namesake candidate in Punjab was fielded from the prestigious Bathinda constituency where the “Badal Bahu” Harsimrat Kaur, the SAD-BJP candidate, was facing a strong anti-incumbency wave. She was pitted against her husband Sukhbir Badal’s cousin Manpreet Badal of the Cong-PPP-CPI combine.

A “duplicate” Manpreet, who was never seen campaigning and his picture was missing from his election posters, secured 4,613 votes.

Though this was a lot more than the 598 votes Manpreet’s namesake had managed in Gidderbaha during the Assembly elections in 2012. The namesake Manpreet, however, failed to make the difference. Manpreet lost by about 20,000 votes.

Punjab witnessed the phenomenon in six of the 13 constituencies -- Amritsar, Bathinda, Sangrur, Faridkot, Ludhiana and Patiala. The state capital and the Union Territory Chandigarh also had a namesake candidate in the fray.

From Amritsar, an Independent candidate Amarinder Singh bagged 1,059 votes. He was the namesake of the Congress’ winning candidate Capt Amarinder Singh.

Another Independent, Arun Kumar, who shared the first name of SAD-BJP candidate’s Arun Jaitley got about 8,500 votes. Jaitley lost by over a lakh votes.

In Sangrur, Independent candidate Bhagwant Singh got 2,334 votes compared to the massive 5,33,237 votes polled by the winning candidate Bhagwant Mann of the AAP. Another Independent candidate from Sangrur, Bijender, whose name sounds like Congress nominee Vijay Inder Singla, got 5,395 votes. Vijay Inder stood third with 1.81 lakh votes.

In Faridkot, both Congress and the Akali candidates faced namesake candidates. Paramjit Kaur Gulshan (SAD-BJP) got 2.78 lakh votes while her namesake Paramjit Kaur polled about 1,100 votes. The Congress candidate Joginder Singh bagged 2.51 lakh votes (stood third) while his namesake Joginder Singh got about 2,600 votes.

Ludhiana had a candidate named ‘Bittu’ of the Republican Party of India, who polled 1,271 votes compared to the 2.98 lakh votes of the winning Congress nominee Ravneet Singh Bittu. Similarly, an independent candidate Simerjit Singh got almost 4,000 votes compared to 2.1 lakh votes polled by Simerjit Singh Bains, an Independent.

Patiala had an independent candidate Dharampal, who polled about 1,200 votes, while the winner Dr Dharamvir Gandhi had the victory margin of about 21,000 votes. Chandigarh had the Congress candidate Pawan Kumar Bansal, who bagged the second position with 1.21 lakh votes while his namesake Pawan Kumar got about 1,000 votes.
link: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140517/punjab.htm#4

Desperate for drugs, they weep like children

TRIBUNE SPECIAL
Desperate for drugs, they weep like children
Drug addiction has become a major poll issue with several leaders accused of shielding drug peddlers. The Tribune visited a village on the Punjab-Rajasthan border that has become a haven for addicts.
Sarbjit Dhaliwal and Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Kandukhera (Punjab-Rajasthan border), April 22
Jarnail Singh and his friend from a nearby village, both in their 40s, push their motorcycle, that has a flat tyre, towards the Rajasthan border. They have no time to get the tyre mended. For the drug vend in Haripur (Rajasthan) may close any time.

As Jarnail Singh crosses Kandukhera, Punjab's village on the tip of the border with Rajasthan and Haryana, he becomes just another drug addict desperate for his daily dose of opium or poppy husk.

Kandukhera residents, in a referendum in 1986, voted on behalf of the Abohar-Fazilka belt and chose to remain with Punjab. Sadly, the village is now making news for the wrong reasons.

It has become the base for addicts who cross over to Rajasthan to buy drugs that are sold at licensed vends there. Some like Swarna have taken rooms on rent in the village owing to its proximity with Rajasthan.

Scores of addicts travel to Haripur everyday and swarm the poppy husk vend along the Lambi- Hanumangarh road in Rajasthan.

The Tribune team saw drug addicts, mostly from far off Punjab villages, camping outside this vend. They said the drug supply had dried up. Consequently, the price had shot up from Rs 150 per 100 gm used to Rs 300-Rs 500 per 100 gm.

In Rajasthan, poppy husk is sold at Rs 600/ kg to those who have been issued permits, twice in a week. But to those from Punjab, it is sold at Rs 1500- Rs 1800/kg. In case of reduced supply, the rates go as high as Rs 4,000/kg. A dispute between vend contractors and the recently formed BJP Government in Rajasthan is said to be the reason behind the current short supply. But the addicts refuse to buy this.

They say the shortage is owing to large quantities of husk/opium being bought by Punjab politicians prior to the April 30 elections and also because of the harvesting season.

Desperate for drugs, the addicts weep like children. They are inconsolable. Earlier, the vends would open throughout the day, but for the past few weeks, these are opened only for a while.

At a short distance from the Haripur vend lies an ice cream vendor from Lambi, half conscious. He has been beaten up by fellow addicts for trying to snatch a packet of poppy husk from them.

key words : drugs and punjab, rajasthan drug depots, opium vends, drug addicts, kandukhera, punjab-haryana-rajasthan border, bathinda, drug habbit, drug desperation
link :http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140423/punjab.htm

cong and ppp banking on vote statistics of last assembly elections in Bathinda

To storm SAD’s Bathinda bastion, Cong, PPP banking on statistics
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Clash of Badals

Bathinda, March 3
The Congress-PPP (People's Party of Punjab) pact for the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat can prove fruitful only if both parties poll the same number of votes as they did during the 2012 assembly elections.

If one goes by the votes polled by the PPP and the Congress in eight of the nine assembly segments of the Bathinda parliamentary seat, the move to field Manpreet is a smart one. The nine segments are Bathinda-Urban, Bathinda-Rural, Talwandi Sabo, Maur, Mansa, Sardulgarh, Budhlada, Bhucho and Lambi. If the two parties retain their vote bank in these segments, they could have a lead over the SAD in Bathinda-Urban (4,110 votes), in Bathinda-Rural (12,347 votes), in Maur (25,011 votes), in Mansa (29,182 votes) and in Budhlada (22,937 votes). But the SAD will win in Lambi by 19,387 votes. Lambi is represented by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Manpreet has started closed-door meetings with heads of various communities in Mansa and Bathinda. He had lost the Maur assembly seat, securing 26,398 votes. The seat was won by SAD candidate Janmeja Singh Sekhon, who secured 45,349 votes. The Congress had got 43,962 votes. Gurpreet Maluka, Bathinda Zila Parishad Chairman and vice-president of the Youth Akali Dal, is unruffled by the statistics. “It is mere wishful thinking by the Congress and the PPP. Their vote bank has dwindled. The anti-incumbency votes, if any, will be divided between the Congrees-PPP and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). This will benefit the SAD,” he contends.

Congress leaders of the region are a demoralised lot. They fear the Congress may suffer its worst-ever defeat in the constituency. This indicates that Manpreet may not get the support of the Congress cadre despite the high command's diktat. Manpreet, it appears, would have to bank on his own ability to convince voters to vote for him. Sitting MP Harsimrat Badal had won the seat in 2009 with a margin of 1.20 lakh votes over her nearest rival Raninder Singh of the Congress.

key words : Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Bathinda, Lok Sabha elections 2014, Manpreet Badal, voter statistics

link :http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140304/punjab.htm#3

forgotten foundation stones of promise in Bathinda

Badals launch new projects, old ones in limbo
International cricket stadium announced by the Badal family for Bathinda in 2007 is yet to see light of the day
Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 28
In the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal is on a project-opening and stone-laying spree. So much so that she presided over 48 functions in a single day on Wednesday.

But her overdrive has failed to impress her political opponents. They say Harsimrat, daughter-in-law of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, should first have ensured the completion of the projects she had announced with “pomp and show” earlier.

They claim there are numerous projects that have failed to move beyond stone-laying ceremonies. The say the Badal family, which claims to have championed the cause of kabaddi by organising world championships, failed to construct an international cricket stadium in Bathinda. Its foundation stone was laid way back in 2007 during a function to mark the Chief Minister’s birthday. They say not a single brick has been laid beyond the foundation stone. The Bathinda Development Authority officials claim a mere Rs 12 lakh was sanctioned for the project. Its estimated cost in 2007 was Rs 25 crore. Add to it the loss of farming and research in the 25 acres acquired for the project from the Punjab Agricultural University regional campus here, they say. The project has been approved by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The Bathinda airport is another example of alleged government apathy. Though completed two years ago, no flights have started from here. Companies developing the Bathinda refinery and the Talwandi Sabo thermal plant were promised that the airport would prove useful for the regular visits of their top employees.

The state government had also assured the investors in the refinery and the thermal project of prevailing upon the Centre to start a daily Shatabdi from Bathinda to Delhi. But again, politics ruled over the needs of the commuters.

Officials associated with the projects claim the government alleged lured them with airport and fast train service promises but no effort seems to have been made on this front.

The Chief Minister, his deputy Sukhbir Badal and Harsimrat have been taking credit for these projects during public meetings, allege Congress leaders.

Sukhbir had also announced last year that a petrochemical and ancillary industry hub would come up near the Bathinda refinery, but not a single unit has come up so far, they say. Punjab’s loss is Haryana’s gain as raw material from the refinery is being transported to Gurgaon and Panipat. The new units could have brought employment for the locals.

The Badals also announced a textile hub and a khaadi self-help project but these only remained promises, say residents. The state’s first family’s announcement of making Bathinda an education hub where regional campuses of major educational institutions, including the IIT, would be set up also remained only on paper.

Harsimrat’s assurances of more colleges for girls and a multipurpose stadium in Mansa have also remained mere announcements. Though she could not be contacted for comment, the MP has been blaming the Centre for the delay in these projects.

Former Rajya Sabha MP Surinder Singla (Congress) claims that all major projects, including the refinery, flyovers and new trains, sanctioned during the Congress regime. Harminder Jassi, another Congress leader, accuses the Akalis of failing to introduce any major job-generating project in Bathinda in recent years.

Akalis and the undeveloped projects of Bathinda

* The foundation stone (in pic) for an international cricket stadium was laid in 2007 during a function to mark the CM’s birthday

* Even the BCCI had approved the project

* A mere Rs 12 lakh sanctioned for the project estimated to cost ~25 crore in 2007

* The Badals announced a textile hub and a khaadi self-help project but these only remained promises

* A petrochemical and ancillary industry hub was to come up near refinery, but none has been set up.

key words : Harsimrat Kaur Badal, incomplete development, foundation stone, Lok Sabha elections-2014, bathinda
link : http://www.tribuneindia.com/2014/20140301/punjab.htm#1

Punjab CEO okay with use of cards with CM’s pic
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

A blue card for Atta scheme

Bathinda, March 13
The state election office does not see anything wrong in the Atta-Dal scheme blue cards bearing pictures of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

The government can continue to distribute subsidised ration to lakhs of beneficiaries under the scheme, said state Chief Election Officer (CEO) VK Singh. Stopping the scheme at this juncture would hit the intended beneficiaries, he said.

The state government had made hundreds of employees work round the clock to prepare and distribute the blue cards before the model code of conduct came into force. In Bathinda, where the Akali Dal is fighting a battle of prestige for re-election of MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, employees worked long, extra hours into the night to prepare the cards.

Though the state election office has ordered the removal of pictures of the Chief Minister and other leaders of the ruling combine from calendars, billboards or other places, the blue cards are an exception.

The Himachal Pradesh election office has banned ration cards carrying pictures of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh.

Chief Election Officer V K Singh told The Tribune that the scheme was launched before the election schedule was announced. “It involves lakhs of cards which can’t be stopped at this juncture. If we stop the scheme or withdraw the cards, the poor beneficiaries of subsidised ration will be affected,” he said.

In the case of Himachal Pradesh, he said he would verify the reports that the ration cards with pictures of politicians had been banned.

The election officer was responding to reports that the Akalis along with the employees of the Food and Supply Department were distributing wheat and pulses in poor localities here.

“We have not received any complaint for wrong distribution of ration so far. We have made it clear that new blue cards are banned,” he said.

Bathinda refinery fails to propel growth

Bathinda refinery fails to propel growth
Congress leaders and Akalis both have been claiming credit for bringing the project to region
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

An incomplete unit adjoining the refinery.
An incomplete unit adjoining the refinery. Tribune photos: Pawan Sharma

Bathinda, October 1
Even as the Congress and the Akalis are waging a credit war for having brought the Bathinda refinery to the region, the project has failed to accelerate growth in the area or generate jobs.

Guru Gobind Singh Refinery spread over 2,200 acres began operations in March 2012. Former Finance Minister Surinder Singla of the Congress claims that it was he who conceived the project in the 1990s. But the Akalis claim credit for pushing the project through.

Both claim that the refinery has triggered unprecedented development in the region. This is far from the truth. It will be quite some time before the refinery will aid growth in the area.

Ancilliary units missing

It was claimed that a number of ancillary units would come up after the refinery started functioning. Not a single unit has come up so far, 18 months after the refinery became operational.

The government has signed MoUs for setting up two firms for manufacturing plastic products. The refinery provides raw material like poly propylene which is used for making plastic furniture and car dashboards. The proposal to develop a "plastic park", where the two firms were to set up base, remains on paper.

The industrial growth centre appears an abandoned piece of land, with a broken boundary wall of a manufacturing unit and wild growth all around. A similar park near the Panipat refinery is growing fast. Raw material from the Bathinda refinery is transported to the manufacturing units there.

Transportation

It was claimed that the transportation of sulphur, petro chemicals and polypropylene would also result in jobs. An estimated 300 trucks ferry such material from the refinery. Deepinder Singh, president of the Bathinda Truck Union, says of these about 100 are owned by local truck operators and the rest by those outside the state.

Real estate

Other than boosting rental business, the refinery has not resulted in new colonies. The rental business is also on the decline with a residential complex of the refinery coming up nearby. Most employees reside in Bathinda and travel more than 40 km daily for work.

Hence, rental business in the city boomed initially. But with house owners adding more floors to put these on rent, this business too has seen a decline.

Pollution

Pollution caused by the refinery is a cause of concern. Already, residents of a Kanakwal village are being shifted to a safe location.

No jobs generated

It was promised that the refinery would boost the local economy, generating jobs for skilled and semi-skilled workers. However, most of the skilled workforce has been recruited from other states. Refinery officials claim that qualified staff is not available locally and that 50 students from polytechnics in Bathinda, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar have been recruited recently. But this number is too less.

The refinery has failed to jack up industrial growth in the region. No ancillairy units have come up. The state government is to blame for choking industrial growth with new taxes. The new industrial policy has been of no help
— Raman Watts, Bathinda Chamber of Commerce and Industry

The Bathinda airport has come up and new train services have been introduced because of the refinery officials. The project has brought work to contractors, transporters, auto-mechanics and electricians
— Spokesman, Industries Department

( Bathinda Refinery, Laxmi Mittal, HPCL, Sukhbir Badal, Harsimrat Badal, Surinder Singla, Pet coke, Petro chemical, Raman Watts, Bathinda Industry, Growth Centre)

For these panchayat members, it’s never too late to learn

Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 25
Fifty-year-old Murti Devi’s is a classic example of ‘it’s never too late to learn’. The victory in the recent panchayat elections has also made it possible for her to defeat the bigger “foe” of illiteracy that she had been associated with for the past five decades.

Elected to the panchayat at Jalal village in Bhagta block, Murti Devi has just started signing her name. She is one among the over 800 panchayat members in the district who have made it successfully despite being illiterate.

Panchayat Department officials say there are many panchayat members who are trying to rid themselves of the ‘angutha chhap’ (somebody who cannot even sign) tag.

Taught by a retired teacher, she says it is never too late to learn reading or writing. “I have got an opportunity to do something for my village. Learning to write my name is the first step. I want to read my name on the foundation stones that I will be laying for development works,” she avers.

There are as many as 805 illiterate sarpanches and panches elected from 294 panchayats in Bathinda district. There are only two post-graduate panchayat heads: Gurlabh Singh of Dhelwan and Gurtej Singh of Bhaini Chuhar villages.

"Learning to sign their names is their first step towards ensuring the progress of their villages,” says an administration official.

The constituency of Education Minister Sikander Singh Maluke, who is a matriculate himself, boasts of just one graduate sarpanch among the 45 panchayats in his segment.

Data procured from the district administration mentions that 63 sarpanches did not know how to read or write. Therefore, it seems, the political masters of all parties do not encourage educated persons to become part of planning in the state.

The Bathinda block has the highest number of illiterate sarpanches with 19 of them dependent on others to read official documents. Nathan block has the least two illiterate sarpanches.

Twentyseven sarpanches did not study beyond Class II while 90 are matriculates. Fiftysix sarpanches have passed Class V while 41 have cleared the Class VIII.

Talwandi Sabo block has 137 illiterate panches while Bathinda block has 135. There is some saving grace as well: Nirpinder Singh, a panchayat member of Jawahar Nagar village in Rampura block, represented by Maluka, is an MBA.

link : first published :http://www.tribuneindia.com/2013/20130826/punjab.htm#13

a city with unsafe handpumps!!1

Bathinda MC declares handpump water unsafe
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, February 27
Bathinda has become the first city in the state where water from its handpumps has been officially declared unfit for drinking. The Bathinda Municipal Corporation in the process of painting warning signs on all its 640 handpumps.

A government survey recently had revealed 1,546 people suffering from cancer-like symptoms in the city. Uranium traces have also been found in the Gurdaspur belt.

The city handpumps draw water from merely 40 to 50 feet while uranium traces in the region have been found at a depth of 500 feet. With poor quality of underground water cited as one of the reasons for the spread of cancer in the region, the local government has declared all handpumps unsafe for drinking purposes.

Mayor Baljit Singh Bir Behman said the warning signs had become necessary as water samples from all the pumps had failed. " We have already painted 200 handpumps with the warning sign," he said. He said there were reports that the water was contaminated with uranium and sulphur.

However, those who can't read are still using the handpumps. As of now, the MC does not have any plan to seal the pumps.
EOM

key words: Bathinda, Cancer, underground water, uranium, mayor,

Built in record time, Bathinda airport yet to take off

Jupinderjit Singh/TNS

Virk Kalan (Bathinda), December 5
Building an airport is not an easy job. But it may become a Herculean task if it is to be built in a water-logged and semi-arid region dotted with huge sand dunes. This task was faced by engineers of the National Airport Authority of India (NAAI) at Virk Kalan where they built an airport in record 16 months.

The 40-acre-wide Civil Airport, 27 km from Bathinda, has been built at a cost of Rs 25 crore. The dream project of the Badals is now awaiting aviation companies to begin flights.

"When I first came here, I thought I was in a mini Chambal ki ghati. Before beginning the work, we had to level the sand dunes. Waterlogging was another troubled area," said Sanjay Tripathi, airport director.

The airport's apron has a parking facility for two Boeing 321 (150 seaters). The parking facility can be expanded depending on the air traffic. The present terminal has been built over an area of 1,500 sq m.

Now that the airport is ready, the big question is when the flights will start. The airport's infrastructure is gathering dust due to the delay in its inauguration. The airport authorities have awarded the contract of cleaning the machines and premises to a company for Rs 7 lakh.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had recently said the flights would start only after the Central Government inaugurated the project. "We have reduced VAT on fuel from 21 per cent to 5 per cent. This will lure aviation companies to refuel from this airport," he said.

Sources, however, said it might take a while for the flights to start. The winter schedule of the airlines had already commenced and it might not be easy for them to introduce new flights, they said, adding three companies - Spicejet, Religare and Ventura - had so far shown interest.

The project has proved a boon for Virk Kalan villagers. It led to escalation in land prices. One acre land, which was worth Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4 lakh, was acquired for nearly Rs 8 lakh for the project. The cost of the land now has shot up to Rs 25 lakh per acre. Some claim the price of land near the airport may shoot to Rs 70 lakh per acre once the airport becomes functional.

The airport project also generated employment for villagers. Nachhatar Singh, a welder in the village, said he had been earning about Rs 10,000 per month. "My income doubled after I started working as a supervisor at the project, apart from handling the welding work," he said.

Sukhwinder Singh, another villager, said several farmers earned thousands of rupees per month by leasing out tractors to the construction company. "Many villagers also worked as labourers," he said. The village road which was earlier marked by potholes has been laid with concrete. Nearly 50,000 cubic meters of sand dug out from the airport land was used to build a grain market in the village.

However, the villagers have a grouse. "It is being called Civil Airport, Bathinda. The name of our village should be added to it. We have given our land for the project. We want to be on the world air route map," said Bikar Singh, a member of Virk Kalan panchayat.

Interestingly, locals also do not seem to be happy with the access road passing through the village. "Gradually, vehicular traffic will rise and move at a high speed, which may cause accidents," said Sukhwinder Singh.

Delay in inauguration

The airport's infrastructure is gathering dust due to the delay in its inauguration. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal had recently said the flights would start only after the Central Government inaugurated the project

Land prices escalate

The project has proved a boon for Virk Kalan villagers. It led to escalation in land prices. One acre land, which was worth Rs 3 lakh to Rs 4 lakh, was acquired for nearly Rs 8 lakh for the project. The cost of the land now has shot up to Rs 25 lakh per acre

Project brings jobs

The airport project also generated employment opportunities for villagers. A large number of them worked as technicians, supervisors and labourers. Several farmers earned thousands of rupees by leasing out their tractors to the construction firm

Villagers’ grievance

The airport has been named as Civil Airport, Bathinda. The name of our vill
age should be added to it. We have given our land for the project. The village should be given due recognition. We want to be on the world air route map: say villagers

link :http://epaper.tribuneindia.com/c/563926

State’s political capital hosts both celebrations & protests

Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, November 26
A 30" by 15" tent pitched outside the Mini-secretariat is the house for a number of teachers of the Sarv Sikhya Abhiyan in the state. They are sitting on a chain hunger strike for a month seeking salaries and cancellation of retrenchment orders of 900 of them. In between, these teachers take out rallies, clean roads to mark their protest while men go topless and try to gherao ministers of the Punjab Government.

Not very far away from them, preparations for the World Cup Kabbadi are in full swing. While protesters sleep on the floor thinking about the benefits of their education qualifications, with some of them even being M.Phil and PhD.

Such protests apart from political rallies and whirl-wind tours of Member Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal are held regularly here in this political capital of Punjab.

Celebrations and demonstrations virtually go side by side in this district that is shown immense interest by the Badal family.

A joyous procession of participants of the Virasat Mela where artistes attired in traditional clothes and young girls and boys danced merrily was hardly over yesterday when protesting teachers of the Sarv Sikhya Abhayan took to the same roads.

"We are specifically carrying brooms to clean the roads. We would be left to adopt cleaning roads as a vocation as the government was spending money on festivals and music nights and political functions instead of paying our salaries," said Satinder Singh Kang, Tarn Taran district president of the SSA teachers.

He along with other teachers alleged that they were supposed to receive Rs 3,500 per month as salary under the Centre-funded scheme. However, the state government was giving them Rs 2,000 - Rs 2,500 only.

Further, the immediate confrontation took place when the government relieved 900 teachers from duty. Under the SSA, slum or poor children in the age group of 6-14 years are provided education. The government relieved the teachers from those areas where the number of students fell less than 10.

Though an understanding was reached with the government regarding acceptance of their demands, but the dharnas will continue till the demands were implemented.

Not only the SSA but teachers from aided schools along with unaided staff of the schools, linesmen union, farmers union and action committees of various incidents like the Shruti Kidnapping case and others reach Bathinda to take on the government.

A tactical game of chess also goes on between the government and the protesting groups. Both try to outsmart each other.

The protesters try to gherao a minister or create a scene so that their voice is heard and on the other hand, the police aims at keeping them away from the government functions.

Usually, one meeting is held about the preparations of the programme and the second special one is on how to keep protesters at bay.

"It is all about who can out-think the other," said a senior police official, adding: "Every time, protesters come out with a new strategy to obstruct the functions. Our job is to pre-empt their moves without using much force."

link : http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121127/battrib.htm#4

a classic case of robbing Tom to feed Jerry...govt wants to take away PAU land

Govt eyes PAU centre’s land to set up edu city
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

The PAU regional centre in Bathinda. A Tribune photo


Bathinda, November 26
If the state government has its way, the proposed ‘Edu City’ in Bathinda would come up on the 200-acre regional centre of the Punjab Agricultural University here.

Malwa’s gain in the form of an education hub, therefore, may turn out to be a loss for the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana.

Such education hubs, also to be set up in Ludhiana, Mohali and Amritsar, are the dream projects of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal. National and international-level universities and institutes would be provided land to set up their campuses in these edu cities.

Sources said the PAU’s regional campus, situated on the Bathinda-Dabwali road on the city’s outskirts, worth hundreds of crores of rupees, has been chosen as the “ideal” place for the Edu City.

The PAU authorities, however, are yet to agree to the proposal. Sources said the state government was looking for an alternative piece of land for the regional centre.

Deputy Commissioner KK Yadav said talks were being held to set up the Edu City on PAU’s land, though no final decision had been taken so far. “We have formed a committee of the district administration officials to look for an alternative piece of land for the regional campus,” he said.

Sources said the PAU authorities, however, were yet to be consulted on the matter. The PAU may object to the proposal as several important projects, including cotton research, were under way on the campus. A few of these projects were being financed by foreign countries.

A PAU official said it would not be right to shift the campus. “Earlier, the PAU resisted a similar move by the state government to acquire its land in Ludhiana. The issue had brought the state government and a former vice-chancellor at loggerheads,” he said.

The official also questioned the wisdom behind shifting a fully functional educational institute to set up a new venture whose future was debatable since the Central University, Bathinda, was yet to take off fully due to non-availability of qualified staff.


link : http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20121127/punjab.htm#2

politics of vote bank in punjab through health camps

Badals eyeing vote bank through mega health camps
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service


A patient being taken for a check-up at the camp. Tribune photos

Mansa, November 3
Will the holding of mega health camps fetch votes for the SAD-BJP alliance? Political observers feel that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is hoping that the health camps may translate into votes like his Sangat Darshan programmes during the assembly elections.

The venues of both such camps, one at Badal village and another at Mansa, fall in the Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency, which is represented by Harsimrat Kaur Badal.

However, the utility of such camps is questionable when basic medical infrastructure is lacking in civil hospitals and primary health centres. Besides, there is a shortage of doctors and paramedical staff.

The government has not been able to find a qualified technician to operate an ultrasound machine in the local civil hospital. There is a perennial shortage of doctors due to which patients may not get the post-health camp care.

Due to lack of beds, patients bring their own cots to the Mansa Civil Hospital. There is a general feeling that the government will not need such camps if hospitals are equipped with the required facilities.

Though the Chief Minister and government officials talk of service to the people through such camps, the underlining idea is to project Harsimrat as the person behind these camps.

Speaking at the first day of the health camp here today, Badal repeatedly lauded Harsimrat for inspiring him to hold a camp in Mansa after the success of a similar camp in Badal village. The Chief Minister said he could not say no to his daughter and would do anything she says for the benefit of the people of Mansa.

Harsimrat also remained active at the camp. She kept making rounds of chambers of doctors and mingled with the public and asked their well-being. She also took officials to task for any laxity in arrangements.

Badal also touched an emotional chord with the public recalling how his granddaughter (Harsimrat's daughter) opposed the contesting of elections by her mother. He said Harsimrat took up the challenge of contesting against Capt Amarinder Singh's son.

The political observers say Badals don't want to leave anything to chance for the 2014 parliamentary elections.

Manpreet Singh Badal is likely to contest against Harsimrat from Bathinda. The Congress will also to field a strong candidate from this seat.

Political Exercise?

The venues of both such camps fall in Bathinda, which is represented by Harsimrat Kaur Badal
Political analysts feel that the underlining idea is to project Harsimrat as the person behind these camps
This became evident when the Chief Minister on Saturday repeatedly lauded Harsimrat for inspiring him to hold a camp in Mansa
Lack of medicines proves to be an irritant

Several patients had to return disappointed due to a shortage of medicines at the health camp. The unexpected high number of patients proved a headache for the organisers on the first day of the two-day camp. Randhir Singh of Gammiwala village said medicines were not available. Nihal Singh from Daler Singh Wala village levelled similar allegations. Laxman Singh of Fatehabad in Haryana, 70 km from here, was brought to the camp on a cot by his friends. But, he could not get treatment for four hours.
12 suspected cancer patients at dental chamber

Twelve suspected cancer patients were reported from dental check-up chambers. Among the patients was an 11-year-old girl. Doctors said six of the 12 were women who had no history of smoking or chewing tobacco.
17,360 patients diagnosed

A record 17,360 patients were registered at the Mansa health camp, which is twice as compared to that in Badal village in September. Deputy Commissioner Amit Dhaka said 5,500 ultrasound tests were conducted and several needy patients were provided free transport to their houses. The highest 3,334 cases were that of orthopedics.



Inspire or force docs for rural areas: CM
Tribune News Service

Mansa, November 3
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today told the Health Department officials to “lure, inspire or force” doctors to serve in rural areas. While inaugurating a two-day mega health camp here, Badal said a satellite centre of the prestigious All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, and the Post-Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, would be set up in Malwa and Sangrur, respectively.

The Chief Minister also announced that doctors serving in rural areas would be given a preference in MD course.

Badal also used the occasion to hit out at the Congress-led UPA government for not fixing the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat: “The Central Government is insensitive towards Punjab’s farmers, who should have been rewarded for producing a bumper crop despite drought in several areas.”

Punjab Health Minister Madan Mohan Mittal said the Union Government too had announced an incentive of Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 a month for doctors posted in rural areas. “By holding medical camps, Punjab has launched a crusade against cancer. It is curable if detected in an early stage,” the Health Minister said.

Mittal said that there was more phobia of cancer in the state than actual figures on the ground. He claimed a fresh survey from October 1 to October 31 of six lakh households in the state had reported “a mere 2,000 cases”. He said a similar survey would be conducted in December as well.

Bathinda MP Harsmirat Kaur Badal lauded the initiative of the state government to provide quality health services to the people at their doorstep.


Next camp in Batala
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday announced that the third mega health camp (first was held in Badal village and second in Mansa) will be held in Batala. Situated in Gurdaspur district, Batala has witnessed more than 40 deaths due to gastroenteritis in the past 40 days. The fourth such camp will be held in Tarn Taran.

"premis" , mainly farmers continue donating land to Dera Sacha Sauda

Premis” ( mainly farmers) continue gifting land to the Sacha Sauda Dera


Jupinderjit Singh


In a time of shrinking landholdings and debt on farmers, followers of
the controversial Dera Sacha Sauda, mainly including farmers,
continued gifting land to the sect for the second day today.

While spokespersons of the Dera in Sirsa had denied any order or
desire by the Dera Head for taking land of the followers, about 45
more properties ranging from few Kanals to several acres were made in
the name of a Shah Satnam Ji Green ‘S’ Welfare Force Wing of the Dera.

The total number of such sale deeds has reached 113. More such sale
deeds are expected on Monday. Sources said a number of follower s of
the Dera had lined up in Gonyana and Talwandi Sabo Tehsils but due to
some administrative reasons the registration of the property could not
be completed.

The “premis”(followers) who gifted land today were mainly from Gehri
Bhagga , Chugga Kalan and Bhaagu villages in the district. Talking to
The Tribune, some of the “Premis” got quite agitated at the queries.
They said they were free to give or take land. The “Premis” maintained
they were not worried about the impact on financial condition of a
family if they give part or major portion of their land.

“The Dera has given us so much. Its spiritual powers ad benevolence
starts from where your science and education ends. We can give
everything to the Dera as what ever we have is given by it,” said
Choor Singh of Bhaagu village.

He has “gifted” one acre out of his seven acres of land. When asked if
the donation would affect the annual earnings of the family he said
the Dera Head would give them anything they desire, “My son is in
Indian Army and my daughter is with the Punjab Police. What ever we
made was because of the Dera. I can give all my land. We just want the
Media to write the Truth and whatever I said.”

Mohinder Singh , another “Premi” said he has six acres out of which he
has given one acre today,” It must be for someone’s good. We donate
blood, ration and whever we are in trouble and need something the Dera
helps. I don’t know for what purpose the land was required. I only
know I am giving it in safe hands and it will serve someone.”

A perusal of some of the sale deeds revealed that the gifted property
was mainly ancestral. Some of the property was bought several years
ago.

EOM
Thursday

n an unusual development, about 68 followers of Dera Sacha Sauda
today ‘gifted’ their land, both rural and urban to a ‘Force Wing’ of
the sect that has remained mired in several controversies.

As many as 41 sale deeds were executed at the Tehsil office here in
favour of Shah Satnam Ji Green S Welfare Force Wing of the Dera Sacha
Sauda , Sirsa. Another 21 sale deeds were executed in Talwandi Sabo.

The process went late into the evening. Employees at the Tehsil were
seen compiling the list of the sale deeded in the presence of some
legal experts representing the Dera. One followere even gifted 13
acres of land.

Tehsil Sources said they do not remember such large number of sale
deeds was done earlier in favour the Dera or any party in one day. The
sale deeds were executed legally with all the requisite revenue paid
to the government.

Most of the Urban sale deeds were of Paras Ram Nagar and Lal Singh
Basti in the city. The “premis” as the followers are called executed
the sale deed of small to medium size plots.

Among the rural areas, most of the sale deeds were of Baluana and Rai
Singh Wala villages. Tehsil sources said the “premis” said the sect
Guru would give them many more land in return. The Shah Satnam Ji
Green ‘S’ Welfare Force Wing is a special volunteer group constituted
by the sect guru, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for providing disaster
relief.

Pawan Insan, spokesperson of the Dersa in Sirsa said the dera head
has not given any order for registration of the property of the
followers in the name of the dera or the Force Wing. He added that the
followers may have given the land for setting up centre sof the Dera.
He said he will check up and revert.

Sources however said it would be quite unusual to have so many centres
especially owing to the opposition to the Dera in Punjab.
EOM

Dear CM Punjab, you want Schools or distilleries? scholars or boozers?

Dear CM…you want school or distilleries? Scholars or boozers?

Jupinderjit Singh/TNS
Machhan (Bathinda) October 9

Dear Chief Minister, do you want schools in the state or distilleries?

This is a question posed by students of private school, who along with
several residents of six villages blocked Bathinda-Dabwali highway for
over four hours seeking immediate closure of the BCL distillery that
opened in this village about two months ago.

Residents alleged that they were forced to take the step along with
school children as no official of the District Administration or the
Pollution Control Board was listening to their grievances. Most
agitated were the students of the private school, which caters to 42
villages in the region and was situated close to the distillery.

Against the backdrop of the raging controversy of donation of rs one
crore to Sanawar School by Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal, the students
carried placards questioning if the government wanted scholars or
boozers? They also invited the CM to visit the place and try standing
through the pungent smell.

Residents and school children sat at different places on the highways
in groups at little distance from each other from 8 am to beyond noon
when a Naib Tehsildar Hukam Chand Deepak from Bathinda assured them
“due action” would be taken. Deputy Commissioner K K Yadav said he has
asked the officials of the Punjab Pollution Control Board to inspect
the distillery and report the ground situation at the earliest.

Rajinder Mittal, the most influential businessman of the region, who
owns the distillery besides a Multiplex and Industries, claimed the
distillery was pollution free. He said he had tried to educate the
villagers yesterday in a meeting at a Gurudwara about the environment
saving steps taken up at the factory.

“Most of the residents barring few persons agreed with our efforts.
The distillery is not fully functional. It is at establishing stage.
We are using Bio methods to prevent pollution. It is a little lengthy
process. I ensure you that we are taking full measures and will
continue to do so,” he claimed adding he has spent rs 20 crore alone
on prevention of pollution in the rs 110 crore worth project.

He added that the distillery was not just for preparing liquor, “We
use the alcohol to preserve upto 35 per cent protein of the rice brain
instead of the present 16 per cent. I request everyone concerned to
please show patience till the stablisation process of the distillery.

He also denied waste water was being discharged into Lasara drain- the
Budda Nullah of this region. Gagandeep Singh, one of the protesting
youths of Machhana village said it was increasingly becoming difficult
for them to live in the village due to the pollution. ever since the
distillery started functioning, “ There was unbearable noise besides
the air and water pollution. Farmers whose field are near the
distillery cant venture there to harvest cotton crop.

Jaspreet Kaur, principal of the private school said the unbearable
smell from the distillery besides the noise pollution was making
students and teachers sick, “ Students are complaining of headaches
and nausea. Even I fell sick for few days. The noise and the smell
remained unbearable even if doors and windows are closed.”

EOM

Yuvraj's victory against cancer lifts spirits of cancer patients in Punjab

Yuvraj’s victory against cancer gives hope to many in Malwa
Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service

Bathinda, September 11
Cricketer Yuvraj Singh, who successfully battled a cancerous tumour in one of his lungs, has become a source of inspiration for those affected by the disease in the Malwa belt.

Vishal Kumar (16) who has been suffering from cancer. A Tribune photograph

Down with cancer, a number of patients, many among them being teenagers, now want to imitate their favourite star, who staged a comeback to international cricket arena recently, and win over the lethal disease.

Though they have limited resources as compared to Yuvraj, doctors feel positive attitude can work wonders for cancer patients.

Sixteen-year-old Vishal Kumar is one such example. Excited at the cricketer's re-entry into the game, he says, "Yuvraj's survival tale has made me forget the pain of chemotherapy. Of the eight chemotherapies prescribed for me, I have already undergone three. My condition is improving with each passing day."

Suffering from round cell tumour, Vishal had to quit studies after Class X. A cricket buff himself too, he says, "I used to play cricket in school… I want to play again… If Yuvi can (beat cancer), why can't I."

Dr Vandana Shukla, an oncologist at the Civil Hospital, says Yuvraj's case is motivating cancer patients, especially the youth, to keep a positive mindset during treatment. "Half the battle is won if a patient is optimistic. A doctor can also hope of a positive outcome then," she avers.

Citing Yuvraj's example, she convinced a patient for a throat surgery, she says.

Kamla Devi, a Srinagar resident who is in her late 20s, relates herself with the cricket star in a different manner: "While Yuvraj defeated a tumour in his lungs, I overcame cervix cancer, though mine case was detected in the last stage. Alike Yuvraj, I too need to return to my fields now — my apple orchards in Kashmir."

District Health Officer RS Randhawa says ever since Yuvraj recovered from cancer, he has been quoting the cricketer to inspire his patients.

"The fight against any disease begins from the mind. Treatment works better only if a patient is determined to be cured," he says.

link : http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120912/punjab.htm#5

Jajjal village – where people prefer saving village’s reputation than combating Cancer

FOR MAIN TRIBUNE -

Mal

Jajjal village – where people prefer saving village’s reputation than
combating Cancer

Jupinderjit Singh
Tribune News Service
Jajjal (Bathinda) August 31

Residents of this village, which is considered the worst hit by cancer
in the Malwa belt, prefer saving the village's reputation over
combating the dreaded disease.

The village is the 'address' for researchers, government and media to
understand the spread and cause of cancer in the cotton belt of
Punjab. Just last month, a high-powered team of Parliamentarians
visited the village to take stock of the ground situation.

Yet, the common mood among residents is to deny the disease or try
their best to hide it or finally argue that cancer cases are being
reported from all over the world.

Villagers were quite hostile towards media teams visiting them. A
Chemist lost his temper at the first mention of the disease. “Go away
from here. Media and others bring bad name to our village. There are
no cases here,” he shouted.

A religious preacher, Baba Gian Dass explained the anger, “ Villagers
face difficulty in marrying off their children. Cancer has become a
social taboo for them.”

He agrees the problem of cancer cases was grave,“ I have recorded 37
deaths, 13 of which were females.” He showed documents supporting the
claims.

He alleged the government has not done much. “The RO plant was
installed only after we raised hue and cry. However, it is not
functioning properly. They are taking ground water for purification
instead of canal water.”

Jarnail Singh, a retired government teacher, who was the first to
raise the issue of cancer a decade ago agreed. “Villagers often
disrupt our speeches. I was not allowed to talk much before the team
of parliamentarians.”

"The general mood in the village is of denial. The apparent causes of
cancer- the pesticides, the heavy metals in the undergorund water,
the uranium and chemicals used in agriculture are still being used.
There is no effort to go for organic farming. People don’t seek
medical attention immediately if someone suffers from an illness. Even
a cousin of mine hid it from me."

He also featured in Amir Khan's 'satyamev jayate' recently to talk
about spread of cancer in Punjab. He claimed as per his records there
were 55 deaths due to cancer and about ten were under treatment.

Though scientists are non-conclusive on cause of cancer, Jarnail Singh
feels it was because of over use of fertilisers and chemicals, “ Our
farmers use most deadly degree of poison. However, farmers in Gujarat,
which is also a cotton belt use the least degree of insecticides and
pesticides. They are not suffering from cancer at our rate.” He said
quoting his visits to Gujarat.

The village Sarpanch, Najjar Singh, said it was true that the media
reports brought disrepute to the village. “We feel our village is
singled out when one talked of cancer. However, we do not stop anyone
from talking about the problem.”

District Health Officer Dr R S Randhawa, said the village has shown
more cases than other places, “However, our recent door to door survey
shows there were 21 deaths so far. Seven persons were under treatment.
Some people may have lied in the survey.”

The village had almost all kinds of cases. However, Uterus and breast
cancer was common among women and throat, stomach and prostate cancer
cases were recorded among men.
EOM