Jalandhar, May 9
Last night’s sudden storm and rain in the region claimed the life of a physically-challenged farmer in the Nakodar sub-division.

Joginder Singh (56) from Chanian village burnt to death after strong winds carried flames from the stubble he was burning in his fields and set his house on fire.

Deputy Commissioner Anurag Verma, present at the cremation of the farmer today, announced a grant of Rs 50,000 to the victim’s family.

The police said two to three more houses had caught fire in the storm.

In Nahalan Colony, three members of a family were injured after the roof of their house fell. The injured, one Kishanchand, his wife and son, are admitted in the Civil Hospital.

There were reports deaths of cattle due to the storm.

In the Shahkot area, as many as seven animals were burnt alive in a fire incident. Two calves and two goats were killed a fire in Mehatpur area. In Phillaur, two calves were burnt alive in the storm. Five animals were injured in the Lohian area and a cow in Nakodar area sustained burn injuries.

Farmers across the district lost large amounts of tudi or straw in the fires sparked by the storm.

In Phillaur, 14 tudi mounts, tractor-trolleys and 200 Eucalyptus trees got burnt. Tudi and two tractor-trolleys caught fire in Lohian too. In Mehatpur area, a tractor-trolley, a fridge, two scooters, and 60 sacks of wheat got burnt. Tudi stored on the rooftops of two houses in Goraya also caught fire.

Mattowali village in Adampur sub-division reported an incident of fire. A garbage dump caught fire from the burning stubble.

The winds also reportedly damaged crops and several houses in the district. 

Kapurthala, May 9
The squall in the region followed by fires in 45 villages in the district last night left a resident of Randhirpur village near here dead, while 65 heads of cattle perished. Burn injuries to four others were also reported from the region.

According to information, Sultanpur Lodhi was the worst-affected sub-division of the district, where Randhirpur village was almost entirely affected by the fire, which broke out at 9 pm.

The district administration today submitted a report in this regard to the Financial Commissioner (Revenue).

Yesterday night, the reports of fire started pouring in at the fire brigade office in Kapurthala city as soon as the squall hit the region. The fire brigade staff equipped with only two fire tenders, which were more than 20 years old, rushed towards the Talwandi Chowdhrian village situated 25 km away from here. In the meantime, the incidents of fire were also reported from Randhirpur, Paramjeetpur, Rampur Jagir, Chhuggian, Mand Baupur, Sanjogala, Pandori, Allupur, Dhirpur, Dulowal, Doda Wazir, Mand Sherwala and many others villages.

The local fire brigade officer, Mr Surjit Singh, sought assistance from Jalandhar fire brigade, which expressed helplessness, as there were 14 reports of fires in Jalandhar district itself.

Later on, one fire tender was arranged from Rail Coach Factory. Jalandhar Fire Brigade also sent two fire tenders later in the night.

On enquiries, it was revealed that Kewal Singh, a resident of Randhirpur village, died of heart attack who also sustained burn injuries while saving his household goods from the fire at his home. 

Phagwara, May 9
High-velocity winds, followed by a heavy downpour, caused devastation in and around Phagwara on Monday night.

The storm uprooted trees, billboards and electric poles and disrupted traffic on the Phagwara-Jalandhar National Highway. The electricity wires snapped, causing a blackout in some localities of Phagwara and its adjoining villages.

According to Mr Joginder Singh Mann, the local MLA, the worst-affected villages in the area were Rampur Khalyan, Ranipur, Rehana Jattan, Baghana and Dhak Pandori, where buffaloes, goats and sheep sustained as much as 80 per cent burns. Some jhuggies of migrant labourers, household goods, 24 heaps of wheat straw, tubes, tyres, a thresher and some machinery burnt to ashes, he added.

A resident of Mauli village, Prem Raj, was hospitalised with serious injuries after the tin roof of his house fell on his head.

One Surinder Pal from Mandali village was hit by an angle rod and one Balbir Singh and one Jasdev Singh from Jagjitpura village were hit by a falling tree.

However, no loss of human life was reported so far.

The total financial loss due to the storm has reportedly been put at around Rs 10 lakh to 12 lakh.

The local administration has asked the state government for ex gratia payments to families affected by the storm.

Due to snapping of wires, Hargobind Nagar, New Model Town, Dashmesh Nagar and some other localities in Phagwara, including the National Highway, remained without power throughout the night.

Jalandhar, May 9
As many as 24 out of a total of 44 posts of doctors in rural dispensaries of Kapurthala and 79 of a total of 159 posts in Amritsar district were lying vacant despite the Punjab government’s move to fill up these posts through the new contract system under the Zila Parishads, a spokesperson of the Kapurthala unit of the Punjab Civil Medical Services Association (PCMS) claimed.

He said the contract-based recruitment policy of the state government had failed to attract doctors.

The association, according to Dr Sukhwinder Singh, President of its Jalandhar unit, in a press release, today said it would continue to oppose contractual appointments in rural dispensaries and intensify its agitation to press for the recruitment of regular or short-term PCMS doctors and paramedical staff, as there has been no recruitment since 1998.

Jalandhar, May 9
A delegation of the Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib Ravi Darshan Abhilashi Sanstha has donated Rs 14 lakh to the Pakistan President’s Earthquake Relief Fund during a recent visit to the country. This was disclosed by member of the Akali Dal’s Political Affairs Committee and President of the body, Mr Kuldeep Singh Wadala, at a press conference here today.

He said the 18-member delegation, along with several volunteers, went to Pakistan on April 24, where they were received by the Narowal MP, Ms Rifat Kahlon.

The delegation, Mr Wadala added, had taken along relief materials like blankets, beddings, and money for the victims of the earthquake that ravaged several areas in PoK and Jammu and Kashmir last year.

The delegation’s trip to Islamabad was led by the President of the Waqf Board, General Zulfkar Khan, the Akali leader said.

He added that the delegation also met the President of the Religious and Minority Commission and donated over Rs 10 lakh to the body.

The delegation, Mr Wadala said, also submitted a petition requesting a corridor to Kartarpur Sahib.

He said the members also met the Pakistani Prime Minister, Mr Shaukat Ajiz. “He expressed agreement with the demands of the pilgrims for free access to the shrines.

He said his government was ready to start a bus service to Panja Sahib Gurdwara,” Mr Wadala added.

He demanded that pilgrims be given free access to Dera Baba Nanak, situated 2.5 km from the Indo-Pak border and allowed to travel without visa or passport between the two countries.

He also demanded that the uncertainty over the opening of the visa centre in Amritsar be cleared.

He claimed that travelling from Amritsar to Lahore was costlier than from Delhi to Lahore.

Phagwara, May 9
The husband of a suicide victim surrendered before the court of the Judicial Magistrate here yesterday.

Police had been searching for Raman Sharma, the husband of Meenakshi Sharma, who allegedly killed herself by jumping before the Shan-e-Punjab Express near the Santokhpura railway crossing on April 1.

The court sent the resident of Satnampura to railway police custody for two days.

He would be produced in the court on tomorrow.

Ashok Sharma, the father-in-law of the victim, is already in judicial remand.

Raman Sharma and his father were booked after the a suicide note, recovered from the pocket of Meenakshi Sharma’s two-year-old son, Hardik, had blamed the victim’s husband, father-in-law, mother-in-law, sister-in-law and brothers-in-law for making her take this extreme step.

The note had reportedly mentioned that the in-laws used to mentally and physically torture Meenakshi for bringing insufficient dowry and had even forced her to withdraw a dowry case registered at the City police station.

A case under Section 304 B of the IPC had already been registered against the accused.