Talwandi Sabo (Bathinda), February 23
The dry irrigation canals in this Malwa heartland of Punjab have made the agriculturists weep. Most of the canals and tributaries in the area were lying dry resulting in drinking water crisis for the past about two months, farmers cried.

During a visit to several villages in the area, farmers lamented that they were forced to buy drinking water, as the filtration tanks were almost dry.

Karnail Singh of Jajjal village remarked, “It was unfortunate that the residents of this area in Punjab that was known as the land of five major rivers of the country were now quenching their thirst by buying water from the neighbouring Haryana”.

Another resident of the area, Gurmail Singh said a tractor owner of Takhatmal village, about 20 km away in Haryana, was selling 5,000 litres tank full of water to them for Rs 450. He makes a number of trips to the villages here throughout the day.

The farmers said their crops would be affected in case immediate steps to release water in the canals were not taken. The canal water was the source of potable water in several villages in the area. They said the underground water in the area was not fit for consumption because of heavy content of pesticides. The water being procured through private sources was unfiltered and led to ailments. The filtration plant constructed with foreign know-how near Talwandi Sabo township was also lying dry.

The small farmers in the adjoining villages of Malkana, Gyana and Lalewal were also facing acute shortage of drinking water.

Gurmail Singh said that the residents of the Jajjal village did not get adequate supply of drinking water even during the normal times as no overhead tank had been built by the Water and Sewerage Board in the area. The water pumped by the filtration plant does not reach the tail-end residents.

Bathinda, February 23
Pinning high hopes on Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav, the residents of Bathinda and adjoining areas are expecting and seeking several provisions for the people of Malwa in the Rail Budget 2008-09, which would be tabled in the Parliament on February 26.

People in Malwa seek not only new trains particularly for the southern part of the country but also demand superfast trains for the national capital. Besides seeking increase in the frequency of trains in the area, they also want a special emphasis on the security and safety of passengers, their belongings and upgradation of amenities.

President of the Railway Passengers Welfare Association, Bathinda, A.K. Garg said that people need cheaper journey. “The hidden cost of reservation should be abolished,” he said.

People in Malwa also need direct trains for Chennai, Gorakhapur, and others stations, he said, adding that DMU trains for Dhuri, Sriganganagar and other stations were the demand of the time.

He also said that the Rail Minister should make provisions for a ticket reservation counter in the Bathinda Cantonment area. “This would not only help the military personnel but also save the time of general passengers at the Bathinda railway station,” he said. The Railway Minister should also give special emphasis to security and safety of passengers, he said.

He also demanded the restoration of stoppage of several important trains at stations like Goniana Mandi.

Social activist and president of the Bathinda Vikas Manch, Rakesh Narula, appealed to the Railway Minister to make provisions for introducing a direct train to Ludhiana. Citing reasons for it, he said that Ludhiana was one of the biggest centres of trade, education and medicine. A direct train, which touches Rampura, Barnala, Dhuri and Malerkotla, would be helpful for patients, students and businessmen, he added.

Social activist Madan Mohan Garg said that people of Goniana Mandi badly need a night train for Delhi.

He said that restoration of stoppage of trains, including Janta Express and Punjab Mail was also one of the demands of the passengers of the area. “Better public utility services, increase in frequency of trains in the Ferozepur section, electrification of tracks and quality facilities on trains are the things which are being expected by the residents of the Goniana Mandi,” he said.

He hoped that this time, Laloo Yadav would live up to the expectations of the people of Malwa.

Bathinda, February 23
No untoward incident was reported from the Papiha Palace here today. There was an alleged threat that it would be set on fire if the reception party of a dera follower’s marriage took place. The police personnel were deployed to avoid any such incident.

However, the police recovered a .12 bore gun and a pistol from the possession of the relatives of the bridegroom. They were taken to the Thermal police station for verification.

When the station house officer (SHO) of the concerned police station was contacted, he said, “They were soon released after confirming the details from the ADC office. We came to know that the orders under section 144 of the CrPC were up to February 13.”

Sources in the Palace said some volunteers of the Green Brigade of the Dera were also present as a precautionary measure.

Father of the groom, Naib Singh, said, “All has gone well as police remained deployed to maintain law and order at the place. It might be a mischief as no one took the responsibility of the threat.”

Faridkot, February 23
The Punjab government’s decision of shifting control of Guru Gobind Singh Medical College, Faridkot, to Baba Farid Medical University has failed to deliver the desired results. The medical college was brought under the control of Baba Farid Medical University in November 2006.

 A report from the Medical Council of India (MCI), issued on February 12, signed by Davinder Kumar, deputy secretary, MCI, highlighted serious lapses in running the hospital. The report contained observation of a MCI team that concluded two-day inspection on November 30. The covering letter of the report stated “you are requested to send the observation of the university on the remarks made by council inspectors and their inspection report within three months for further consideration in the matter”. While its subject stated that continuance of recognition of MBBS degree granted by Baba Farid Medical University in respect of students being trained at the medical college.

The Tribune had also highlighted discrepancies in the college in its columns on July 30. When contacted Dr Ravinder Singh, vice-chancellor, Baba Farid Medical University, said that he was not aware of any communication from the MCI received by his office and added that exchange of correspondence between the two were normal.

According to him shortage of teachers in medical institutes was a national phenomenon and the central government had also acknowledged it. Hence, age of retirement of teachers in dental colleges had been enhanced to 70, subject to annual certification of physical and mental fitness.

The vice-chancellor informed that the MCI had forwarded its recommendation for approval from the government for repeating the same in branches of medical institutes. He said that availability of gadgets depended upon funds.

The report maintained that life saving equipments were not available in casualty, even CT scan was not available. All six-operation theaters were running without air conditioners and other relevant equipments were grossly inadequate, it said and added that post-operation ward was missing. Besides, it pointed out unavailability of trained technicians for auto claving while the ICCU and ICU did not exist at all. A special room for patient had been turned into OPD while the original OPD building was being used by the university for its administrative block.

Meanwhile, college administrative block and classrooms were being run from temporary sheds. Array of inadequate infrastructure did not conclude here and it stated that neither audio-visual nor auditorium were available in lecture theatre. As per the MCI norms, there must be 478-bed hospital attached to the college, however, it has 418-bed hospital. While staff shortage was pegged at nearly 52 per cent and bed occupancy was said to be 37 per cent.

Bathinda, February 23
To save the people living in the state from the harmful effects of chemical pesticides, the Punjab State Council for Science and Technology (PSCST) has begun a pilot project to prepare an organic pesticide from neem trees.

In the project, more than 70 tonnes of ‘neem’ fruit will be used to produce the pesticide over a period of three years. The PSCST has also started a neem tree census in Bathinda, Patiala and Sangrur districts.

In the first stage, the PSCST plans to establish two neem pesticide production units, one at Kot Shamir village in Bathinda and another at Patiala. The project would begin from Bathinda that has 1.25 lakh neem trees.

The neem-based pesticides have already shown successful results in Maharashtra and West Bengal. It is considered to be one of the safest pesticides, as it does not leave a residue on the crop like synthetic pesticides do.

“This is the first mass-scale organic farming project that the state has seen. Our preliminary survey, conducted with the help of the State Forest Department, shows that there are over 12 lakh neem trees in Punjab,” an official at the PSCST told the TNS.

The use of pesticides in the state rose from 3,200 metric tonnes in 1980-81 to 7,400 metric tonnes in 2000-01. Main sufferers are those living in the cotton belt of the state.

Abohar, February 23
A heady blend of art and science amazed the Panjab University observer and senate member Ashok Sachdeva, principal Venita Singh and other visitors during the PU Zonal Competitions held at the D A V College of Education here on Saturday.

Thirty three pupil teachers from 16 colleges of education competed in the skill-in-teaching contest whereas 29 students from 13 colleges participated in the on the spot preparation of teaching aid.

Rajinder Girdhar principal of the Homoeopathic Medical College was chief guest on the prize distribution session.

The hosts D A V College of Education Abohar topped in Maths teaching, Dev Samaj College of Education Ferozepur adjudged best in on the spot preparation of teaching aid in Maths and skill in teaching in Physical Education, J D College of Education Muktsar won first position in teaching-aid preparation in Physical Education whereas the winner in Science teaching-aid preparation was Dev Samaj College of Education Ferozepur.

Muktsar, February 23
Punjab agriculture minister Succha Singh Langah has irked the lawyers here and they have demanded an apology from the senior cabinet minister for his “derogatory” utterances against the lawyer community in his public address in which he had dealt with the issue of corruption in the state.

The Mukstar District Bar Association today passed a resolution here, demanded that Langah should apologise for accusing the lawyer fraternity of “exploiting the clients”, otherwise the Punjab and Haryana Bar Association would hold a stir in protest against the minister, the Association president Bhai Rahul Singh stated here.

He said the council of the Punjab and Haryana Bar Association, at Chandigarh, has been apprised of the lawyers’ move here and it has been agreed in principle that the lawyers across the state would go on strike if Langah did not apologise, for his utterances, by Tuesday.

It may be recalled that the agriculture minister, during his speech on the occasion of the ‘Kheti Çhetna March’ on Thursday last, had stated that the lawyers were making money by exploiting their clients. The minister had then also criticised the bureaucracy, the police organisation and media, while expressing his views on corruption prevailing in the system.

Bathinda, February 23
It was a cultural extravaganza weaved in emotions at the Baba Farid Public Senior Secondary School here on Friday as students of class XII bid adieu to their school, treasuring their sweet and sour memories from early childhood to adolescence. The annual ritual was organised by the students of Class XI to accord farewell to their seniors and wish them good luck and success. Dances, songs and other cultural items marked the occasion. The class XII students were vocal in expressing their love and appreciation for the school and said its environment was unmatched.

This is perhaps the only school in the region which is ‘tuition-free’ as none of the students is taking tuitions, said Ashwa Deep, a class XII medical student. “I will never forget my trip to Denmark, Turky and Sweeden arranged by the school,” he said. MD of the school Gurmeet Singh Dhaliwal and principal Pradeep Kaura exhorted the students to face the challenges of life with courage and dignity and excel in their respective fields.

Mansa, February 23
To impart education to the specially-abled children of this district, the Sarav Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) has identified 1,239 children from different blocks, including 326 from Mansa, 279 from Budhlada, 179 from Bareta, 193 from Jhuneer and 263 from Sardoolgarh.

Among those identified for the purpose, 139 are visually challenged, 243 mentally retarded and 623 are with amputated limbs. Special teachers are being recruited, who would give training to these children, depending upon their requirements.

District project coordinator of the SSA, Darshan Singh Dhillon, said they had received Rs 12 lakh from the SSA in 2007 for the welfare of the children and the money had been used on study. — OC