Bathinda, March 16
While the menace of begging in public places, is common to all cities in India, the local administration here has made a humble beginning by preparing a plan to engage rag pickers for keeping the city environs clean.

The Municipal Corporation has placed dumpers at over a dozen places for collection of garbage and other solid waste but the people are not careful enough to ensure that the garbage is thrown inside the dumper.

As a result some quantity of garbage is thrown outside the dumper and gradually converts into heaps of garbage, emitting foul smell and threatening out break of disease.

The plan formulated by the corporation-envisaged payment of Rs 500 per month to each rag picker deployed at the dumper for keeping the surrounding clean and litter-free.

The local administration is confident that this two-pronged strategy would work and the city would be rid of garbage and rag pickers would pocket an additional Rs 500 every month said Municipal Commissioner, K. K. Yadav.

However, this would not solve the problems of professional beggars, many of whom also indulge in rag picking. While some disabled and handicapped persons resort to begging due to physical constraints.

These professional beggars not only indulge in this evil practice themselves but also initiate their minor children into this inhuman practice to supplement their earnings.

In fact young children in the age group of 5-15 years instantly attract the attention of the people and arouse their pity, thus extracting more money and other favours.

The beggar nuisance is increasing as more and more beggars from the neighboring states of Haryana and Rajasthan are steadily pouring in the town and the local administration is turning a blind eye towards them.

Some voluntary organizations are trying to persuade these beggars to give up begging and also making efforts for their rehabilitation but the magnitude of the problem is such that a comprehensive plan with involvement of NGOs, Government and people is required to bring the beggars into mainstream.

The government and the NGOs should make coordinate efforts to help beggars earn their livelihood with dignity. The Government should also make stringent laws to root out the evil of begging, but this must be preceded by implementation of the plan for proper rehabilitation of beggars by providing them shelter and employment.

But the apathy of the government towards beggars is so pronounced that not to talk of any rehabilitation plans, the exact number of beggars moving around in the town is not known.

Bathinda, March 16
The officials of Mahyco-Monsanto Biotec (company selling Bollgard brand of Bt cotton) have said that in the recent past there have been a series of reports alleging adverse effects of Bt cotton on sheep, goat and cattle.

“I want to clarify that the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), in its 77th meeting held on May 19, last year gave a clear indication that Bt cotton released for commercial cultivation has been approved after evaluation of bio safety data, which includes feeding studies,” Christopher Samuel, Senior Manager (Public Affairs), Mahyco-Monsanto Biotec (MMB) informed while talking to TNS.

He further said that the 90-day animal feed studies conducted at the Industrial Toxicology Research Center, Lucknow, feeding studies conducted at GB Pant University of Agriculture, Pantnagar, on lactating Buffalo, on chicken at Avian Research Institute, Izatnagar, and fish at the Central Institute of fishery Education, Mumbai, all indicate of no toxic effect.

“The fact is that in over ten years of global Bt cotton experience, there has not been a single instance of any harm caused to an animal that has grazed on Bt plant material.”

Further adding, Samuel said, “GEAC also reviewed some of the scientific reports published in international journals and views expressed by Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana and Foundation for Biotechnology Awareness and Education and concluded that none of the reports or analysis concludes that Bt toxin is responsible for sheep mortality in Adilabad and Warangal districts of Andhra Pradesh.”

“Additionally, media reports mention that organophosphorus compounds, nitrates, and nitrites have been detected in the viscera of sheep. These compounds are in no way associated with Bt cotton,” he said.

He also clarified that the claim of some traders in this cotton belt, who are cheating farmers by selling them mealy bug resistant cotton seed, is totally false and far from truth. “We have got reports from this area that some seed dealers with their own vested interests are misguiding the farmers by making such claims. So far, there is no variety that is resistant to mealy bug.”

Due to the mealy bug attack on the cotton attack this year, the government is expecting a shortfall of atleast 4 lakh bales as compared to last year. The fact is that Bt cotton saves the crop from only one pest (bollworm) while the cotton is attacked by almost 165 pests.

Ferozepur, March 16
The Punjab government has identified healthcare and education as two major key areas of thrust, wherein concerted efforts were being made by the government with active support of private establishments to bring the overall standards at par with the best in the world.

This was stated by Ranjit Singh Brahampura, Rural Development and Panchayat Minister, who was here today to inaugurate the International Dental Research workshop on the premises of Genesis Institute of Dental Sciences and Research (GIDSR) here.

On the occasion, Brahmpura also inaugurated a high-tech auditorium constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 2.5 crore with seating capacity of 500 people.

He was accompanied by Sukhpal Singh Nannu, Chief Parliamentary Secretary, Hari Singh Zira Ex-Minister besides other Akali-BJP leaders and district civil and police officials, including DC Megh Raj and SSP Dinesh Pratap.

While addressing the first of its kind international workshop on research in dental sciences, the Minister said that these kinds of workshops would immensely benefit the local practicing doctors and students pursuing dentistry for treating the patients in much better way. He lauded the contribution of GIDAR in bringing world-class dental education in part of Punjab.

Professor Jocelyne Feine, Director Graduate Studies, Mcgill University, Canada and Professor Angus W G Walls from school of dental sciences, Newcastle University, UK were the keynote speakers on the occasion. In her address, Jocelyne emphasised the need for greater participation in the modern research techniques.

She gave a comprehensive overview entailing the research procedure and the rules and regulations governing the same. She also laid stress on bringing the research level at par with the international standards here in India.

Earlier, Dr Kamal Baghi Chairman, and Sanjay Ahula Joint Chairman along with college faculty accorded warm welcome to the guests. Baghi told that GIDSR has bagged 15 top prizes in the Punjab during the year 2007.

He also said that free treatment was being provided to the poor and needy patients on regular basis. He said the GIDSR had entered into understanding with Boston University, USA for study exchange programmes. Baghi said their society was coming with Rs 140 crore project of a medical college including 750 bedded hospital, another Dental College and a college of nursing in Ferozepur.

On the completion of this project, the students belonging to Malwa-belt will not only get medical education at their door steps but the medical treatment of various chronic diseases will also be available to the community here only, he added.

Gidderbaha, March 16
Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal today laid the foundation stone of Malwa College’s building here stating that his government was committed to education. He also presided over the college’s athletics meet.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Badal said the notification for the state’s Panchayat and Zila Parishad elections had already been announced and thus, he could not make any fresh announcement related to the developmental works.

However, he said, “The children of Gidderbaha deserve the best of education and I am always by your side for this cause,” adding that his wife had been taking personal interest in the management of the educational institutions being managed by their family.

The chief minister said the people of Gidderbaha had always been supporting the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for last several decades and now the time had come when the youth of the area were witnessing development in the field of educational infrastructure.

Bathinda, March 16
Gursharan Singh can easily be tagged as the ‘Samrat of nukkad nataks’. Many people also know him by the name of Bhai Manna Singh.

Today he was in city to take part in a function held in the memory of Jagdish Faryadi at Teachers Home.

There, Gursharan Bhaji, as he is commonly addressed by most of the people, staged two of his plays on social evils, ‘Sarpanchni’ and ‘Begmo Di Dhee’.

Gursharan Singh says, “My plays are political. I interpret politics with strong communist ideology. In fact, street theatre started with leftist ideology,”.

His play ‘Takht Lahore’, staged during the Emergency was responsible for his going to jail for 48 days.

Today, his first play, Sarpanchni, portrays the scene of a village where a scheduled caste woman has been chosen as a village Sarpanch and how, the village folk, especially men, cant digest this fact and even feel ashamed.

Second play, Begmo Di Dhee, was based on how a girl, a daughter, takes revenge of her mother from the unscrupulous elements of the village.

“Till date I have given nearly 8,230 performances in a span of over 50 years,” says Gursharan Singh, adding, “My initiation into literature was by legendary Prof Gurbax Singh Preetlari.”

He is known to have developed the character of Bhai Manna Singh through his plays and finally got the tag for himself.

“I am called Manna Singh for this is one character I have built up mys elf. I believe that to bring about a change in society we need to bring about a change in ourselves.”

The genre of theatre developed by this man has come to be called as the rural theatre with modern sensibilities, reads the citation of the Sangeet Natak Award that Gursharan Singh received for the year 1993.

He is also the recipient of the Kalidas Samman for the year 2004 and the State Language Department Award for the year 1994.

Bathinda, March 16
Child abuse and trafficking is a global phenomenon. This was stated by JK Jain, DIG, Faridkot range, while addressing a WHO-IMA sponsored workshop on ‘child trafficking and sex abuse’ at local Civil Lines Club here today.

DIG said that exploitation of children and young people include harmful forms of child labour, various forms of commercial sexual exploitation and early marriage.

“There are as many as 1.2 million children being trafficked into the state every year from bordering states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Nepal,” DIG added.

Harish Chalana of DMC, Ludhiana, while explaining the socio-psychic aspects of child abuse, emphasised to be sympathetic to the victims to help them grow as normal human beings.

Appreciating the concern of WHO towards this great international problem, Amrit Sethi, IMA president, Punjab, advocated the need to be watchful to any abnormal behaviour of the child.

Fazilka, March 16
An elderly woman died while five others of the family fell sick after consuming wheat provided to a child of the family under the mid-day meal scheme in Kandhwala Hazarkhan village, 15 km from here.

The aged woman Sammi Bai died and five others, including her daughter Jaswinder Kaur (35) and her four minor grandchildren — Binder Kaur, Rani, Jaspal and Bhinder Kaur — fell ill.

Kulwant Ram, a labourer, stated that few days back, his children studying in government primary school of the village were provided wheat out of the food grains under mid-day meal. The wheat was ground into flour last evening.

On Saturday night, after eating chapatis prepared of the flour the four children and both the women started vomiting. They were rushed to private clinic in the village from where they were shifted to the civil hospital, Fazilka. Sammi Devi died on the way.

She was, however, shifted to her native village, Manna, police station Lambi. Surprisingly, her postmortem was not conducted. The deceased was staying with them for past five days, as Jaswinder was ill.

Jaswinder and her four children have been shifted to the Medical College, Faridkot, for further treatment. Their condition was stated to be stable.

In-charge of the primary school, Simaljit Singh, maintained that a bag of wheat was distributed among few students of the school and that nearly half a kg was given to one of Kulwant’s children. However, no such report had been received from any other child’s family, he added.

Simaljit informed that the police had taken a sample of the stock of wheat lying in the school. Sadar police station in-charge Palvinder Singh said the sample of wheat, wheat flour and wheat dough from Kulwant’s residence has been taken.

The stock of wheat at the school has also been sealed. SDM Rajiv Prashar has instructed the naib tehsildar Arniwala to conduct a probe into the matter.

Abohar, March 16
Drivers of two buses that were hired by a marriage party allegedly misbehaved with women "baratis" and took the vehicles to a private transport company's complex here past midnight.

They bolted the gates of buses from inside to teach a lesson to some members of the group from Jammu.

Some female members of the families alleged that the drivers misbehaved with them also and their clothes were partly torn in the melee that followed.

According to information, one Om Parkash of Jammu had booked two buses to ferry his relatives to Sangria in connection with marriage of his two sons Dau and Vikram.

The drivers alleged most of the baratis consumed liquor on the way to Abohar and some of them became impatient when payment of toll tax took much time near Jalalabad West and allegedly indulged in verbal duel with the drivers.

On reaching here the drivers in order to teach the baratis a lesson locked the buses inside a transport company's complex and allegedly misbehaved with the passengers.

The noise caused by protesting tribal women prompted someone to inform the police which summoned both the factions and recorded their statements.

However, the baratis were allowed to reach their destination by replacing the drivers and their assistants as the marriage was to be solemnized at Sangria before-noon. The police has not so far booked any person in this connection, sources added.

Abohar, March 16
A woman, who had been rushed to Sriganganagar along with her minor son in a critical condition yesterday, has died, sources said today.

According to information Jaspal Singh’s wife Balwinder Kaur had allegedly consumed some poisonous substance after serving the same to her eight-year-old son Arshdeep at her residence in village Alamgarh near here.

Both were referred to Sriganganagar hospital as their condition was found critical. The condition of son is said to be stable.

The Khuyiansarwar police said today that the case was registered under section 174 CrPC after the post mortem.

Abohar, March 16
With just a fortnight left for clearing off the old stock of liquor, the smuggling of liquor to the neighbouring areas has been intensified.

Foiling one such bid, the Sriganganagar police on Saturday while chasing some smugglers resorted to firing when they tried to crush some cops under the wheels, sources confirmed today.

According to information, constables Ashok Kumar and Baljit got a tip-off that a car (PCB 5577) carrying country made foreign liquor stock would be offloaded in Mukherji Nagar.

The driver of the car allegedly tried to hit them as the constables, led by an IAS probationer Anshuman Bhomia, chased the vehicle.

The police fired and burst one of its tyres. Eight packs of country made foreign liquor were recovered. Lachhi Ram Soni, an alleged smuggler, was nabbed on the spot. A case under the IPC and the Excise Act had been registered, the police said today.